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fimfarchive

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Advisability

551701

Main 6,Human,Second Person,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Pony Spirit TF Shorts

The spirits of ponies flit about life, and where they choose to land, become one with others. Here are the stories of those who Change.

incomplete

<p>The spirits of ponies flit about life, and where they choose to land, become one with others. Here are the stories of those who Change. Who become more, who meet their ponies with open arms and leave with open hooves.</p>

everyone

2024-02-17T18:55:33+00:00

2024-02-18T20:32:13+00:00

Dash came to you one day, as so often came before... needing to fly, aching to feel the burn in her wings and the strain on her legs... With a smile and a memory of adrenaline you welcomed her in. She pressed into your back, slipping through your limbs as you fell onto hands and knees, pushing your mind into an audience seat, front row, for her best stunt show yet! Rippling pegasus muscle and sky blue fur sprouting, a tuft of prismatic mane over one magenta eye- And she's off! Flying already, shredding through clouds with the wind like a roaring storm pushing back, higher, faster, further! Stalling her wings midair and tilting back, she carves the sky in a loop de loop, pulling you along, slowly bleeding your feeling back into the body, flying with you! Her mind echoing onto yours with ferocity and awesomeness intertwined, your thoughts slowly shifting... A coarser voice, more open enthusiasm, and you beat your wings harder, pushing further, the rainbow on your flank shining in the light Black clouds are no match as you bore straight through, cracks of searing lightning nothing against your speed, shattering the storm front with an all encompassing BOOM! Two glittering rainbow halos sprouting behind you as you fly, cracking the storm clouds apart, moving faster than ever before, the burn of exercise in your wings, pushing you on! Banking hard to the right as you circle the clouds, a whirlwind forming from your efforts as they condense together and collapse into water, a glittering shower bouncing the rainbows around, lighting the world in your colors! Faster you fly, Slamming the air with your wings, up, up, up! Punching through a cirrus cloud you angle yourself down into a helldive, a screaming rapturous flight at top speed, rainbow rings rippling along your path as you barely even out and- ZOOM! Buzzing the treetops, rattling windows, the gale that follows in your wake scattering the leaves as you land! You are Rainbow Dash, and that was bucking awesome.

Advisability

551701

Main 6,Human,Second Person,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Pony Spirit TF Shorts

The spirits of ponies flit about life, and where they choose to land, become one with others. Here are the stories of those who Change.

incomplete

<p>The spirits of ponies flit about life, and where they choose to land, become one with others. Here are the stories of those who Change. Who become more, who meet their ponies with open arms and leave with open hooves.</p>

everyone

2024-02-17T18:55:47+00:00

2024-02-17T19:23:15+00:00

The woods are a wonderful sanctuary. A gentle walk always eases your mind, always calms your thoughts… This time however, this time is new. A soft yellow spirit came to you, it slipped into your back, settling gently within, a soft whispering voice apologizing for the intrusion and gently wrapping about your mind... But it's alright, you don't mind helping them along even a little bit. It's a beautiful day, these woods and the birds within them a soft symphony in nature... Your voice hums with the song, slowly trending higher... You sit down, settling onto softer grass as the tips of your hair begin softly turning pink, the gentle song lilting through the threes, the humming matching her voice in your mind, slowly tuning together... The birds come a little closer, curious, singing merrily as you clothes loosen, ill fitting now, and gently slide away. The sun warms your skin, its light blooming soft yellow fur into place... Your eyes drift closed, your ears quirking and witching as they pull to the top of your head, your voices in synchronicity... Humming and singing with the wood, with the birds, with the wind... your wings gently stretch, catching the sun… And your legs follow suit, your form stepping further into the light at the center of a clearing... Every ray of soft sunlight, every whisper of birdsong, every rustle of wind-in-leaves calming your thoughts further... A bird slips, fluttering to the ground, and you open your eyes... gently nudging it onto your hoof, you flutter your wings and place it once more on its branch, a soft nuzzle marking goodbye... The woods are a wonderful sanctuary, and you are its caregiver.

Advisability

551701

Main 6,Human,Second Person,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Pony Spirit TF Shorts

The spirits of ponies flit about life, and where they choose to land, become one with others. Here are the stories of those who Change.

incomplete

<p>The spirits of ponies flit about life, and where they choose to land, become one with others. Here are the stories of those who Change. Who become more, who meet their ponies with open arms and leave with open hooves.</p>

everyone

2024-02-17T20:12:20+00:00

2024-02-17T20:12:20+00:00

The wardrobe is a daunting task, sometimes. You've not much an eye for how things look, and you worry a lot about your appearance, especially with your parents harping on you about it so often... A soft, sultry voice whispers in your mind, a gentle echo, pointing you in the right directions... Shirt after shirt, passing through garments as the voice echoes and rises in volume, the roots of your hair gleaming with shine and immaculate care, the small of your back gently beginning to fuzz... She guides your hands, matching color to color, mixing in dazzling splashed of contrast and glittering jewelry to make your eyes really quite shine darling~ Her hoof guides more and more, slipping into your hands as a soft tension builds in your forehead, a slow spiraling horn beginning to push outward... her voice, your voice, is louder and clearer now with it in place, shirts turning to saddles and pants into tail-slip dresses... You flit between a dozen odd accoutrements and raiments, each more dazzling than the last as your hooves pass between them, feeling their texture, their weight, breathability... Your soft white fur gleams as you match fabrics against it's color, eagerly pushing for a more perfect complement... Onyx? No, too oily, perhaps a nice chartreuse color... ooh, that turns the thoughts to wine, to soirees and galas you'll attend, oh the dresses you'll need for those... Your eyes dart to the sewing machine in your corner... Perfect. Running textile and thread through patterns and weaves, layering cloth in delicate ruffles, jewel tones and pastels whirling about to contrast and compliment one another, hard work for a wonderful result. A daunting task is nothing for the creative mind. Such is the art of the dress, of course~

Snugglewarmscale

551704

Sparky Sparkeroni,Crossover,Dark,My Little Pony Comic,Death,Non-consensual

Vengeance

In the hospital of Maretime Bay. Vengeance come for a real monster.

complete

<p>Sparky was involved in an accident that put him in the hospital. Unknown to him during the accident something else came with him. Something that only has one goal. Punish the guilty.</p><p>(Do not read if you do not like elements of foalcon. There is a brief mention of it in this story. But, it’s not detailed. It’s just used to move the protagonists in the story into action. Again, this story contains a very brief scene of foalcon. But, it’s not one of those stories.)</p>

mature

2024-02-17T20:02:12+00:00

2024-02-17T20:15:42+00:00

Sparky groaned as his eyes started to slowly open. Everything sounded like it was underwater and his vision was blurry. He heard muffled voices, but he couldn't tell what they were saying. He felt like he was burning up and he was really thirsty. For a brief moment images flashed before his eyes. Images that filled him with fear for some reason. He then heard somepony scream and he shot up from his bed. He yelled out of surprise. His father all but yelled. “Sparky, don't sit up!” He gently pushed his son back down onto the bed. Sparky looked at his father and questioned. “Dad?” Hitch nodded and confirmed. “Yes, son. I'm here.” He smiled happily as he slowly realized he was hearing his sons voice. He gently hugged his son; trying his best not to injure him anymore. At first Sparky was confused; that was until he looked around the room. He was inside a hospital room, but there was nothing connected to him. Possibly, because ponies still didn't know much about dragons. He wondered why he was in the hospital. Was he sick? Was that what the heat was? Was he running a fever? He asked his father. “Dad, what happened?” Hitch broke the hug and asked him. “You don't remember?” His son replied. “Remember, What?” “Ah, Good to see that you're awake.” The voice had caught both of them off guard. They looked in the direction of the voice and saw a doctor walking in. It was then Sparky smelled something on the air. Something that was horrible. As the doctor walked closer. The smell got stronger; whatever the smell was it was coming from him. Before he could ask his father walked up to the doctor and started talking to him. His father must have had allergies. There was no way he couldn't smell what he was smelling. “Mommy.” Sparky gasped and looked around. Where in the world did that voice come from? For a moment his mind was gripped by fear. Only to be replaced with a feeling of anger. As he looked at the doctor again; he started to smell something else. It smelled like something was on fire. There was also another smell on the air. He just couldn't figure it out. “It hurts.” “Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow.” “My daddy is gonna.” He felt his anger growing as more voices started to echo around him. They were voices of children. Voices of various foals. His gazed shifted to the doctor and for a brief moment their eyes met. It looked like another image had appeared over the doctor. He had a sadistic smile on his face and in his hoof was a needle. Sparky's eyes went wide at what he saw in that stallions eyes. What he saw made him ball both of his claws. He felt angry. He felt just pure anger. This monster was far from a doctor. Hitch asked. “Is it okay for me to take him home?” “No!” The doctor and his father jumped at Sparky's sudden yell. The yell seemed to catch Sparky by surprise. Where in the world did that come from? The doctor quickly walked over to him. That horrible stench was so strong. The doctor shined a light in his eyes. He spoke. “It seems like your son is okay.” He stopped checking him and turned back to the father. He suggested. “But, to make sure I'd like to keep him over night. That wreck was a bad one.” Sparky questioned to himself. “Wreck?” Hitch thought about it for a moment; he looked at the doctor and then at his son. His son appeared to be fine. But, if the doctor just wanted to make sure. He sighed heavily before reluctantly nodding. He asked. “When can I bring him home tomorrow?” The doctor smiled and replied. “Possibly, in the early morning. That is if nothing changes.” He motioned for him to follow. “Come, I just need you to sign some papers.” Hitch nodded before turning and walking back to his son. He gently hugged him before following the doctor out of the room. As his father left Sparky gazed up at the ceiling. The anger continued to build inside of him. Just as the voices of the foals started to die down. If somepony else was in the room; they would have seen his eyes flash a hellish red for a moment. A voice spoke to him. “We will be their vengeance.” As nighttime fell Sparky layed still in his hospital bed. The voices stopped and he no longer smelled that horrible stench. As he layed there he couldn't help but wonder what that all was. Why was he hearing those voices? What was with that horrible smell? Why did he feel like some....thing else was in the room with him? “He's attacking!” Sparky sat up with a gasp as he looked around the room. Someone just yelled in his ear. He smelled that horrible stench again; it was feint, but he could smell it. He turned in the direction of the smell. It was coming from the hallway. He stared at the hallway for a long time. “Go.” For a moment Sparky hesitated; he wondered who in the world was talking to him? Slowly, he got out of bed and walked towards the hallway. The stench got a little stronger but it was still feint. As he stepped out into the hall; he saw the stench was coming from down the hall. It was heading towards the elevators. He looked the other way. The hallway was clear; allowing him to leave his room and to follow the stench. The stench lead him to the elevators. He heard the voice instruct him to press the up arrow. Thankfully, there was already an elevator waiting for him. As he stepped inside the stench grew more horrible. He looked at the pad and heard the voice say three. He nodded and pressed the third floor button. As the doors closed and the elevator ascended to the third floor. Sparky heard a voice. “What's happening?” The voice belonged to a filly. He felt the elevator come to a stop and he heard it's familiar ding. As the doors opened; his nose was assaulted by that horrible stench. It was getting stronger. As he walked out of the elevator and onto the third floor. He felt one of his claws clench into a fist. He sniffed the air and turned to the left. He saw a sign that pointed in the direction of the pediatric ward. A growl escaped from him as he started walking again. As he walked down the hall; the vile stench was at it's strongest. It honestly made him gag on the air. But, he couldn't stop now, he had to get to where the stench was coming from. He heard the fillies voice again. “You're scaring me.” Her voice echoed in his head. He wanted to run after the stench. But, something was keeping him from charging forward. The stench lead him to a room; it's door was slightly open. “He's in there.” Sparky turned his head to look over his shoulder. It was that voice again. It sounded like somebody had just whispered into his ear. He focused on the door again. The putrid stench was coming from behind the door. He stared forward at the door; his claw slowly reached for the handle. Slowly and gently he pushed opened the door and looked inside. What he saw made his heart and mind stop for a moment. The doctor from earlier was rubbing his hoof against the foals genitals. He had a wicked look on his face; while the filly simply lay their on the bed. Sparky looked at the foal and saw her open her eyes for a moment. She was staring right at him. “Help me.” Sparky growled. “Enough!” The doctor quickly backed away as Sparky violently entered the room. The door slammed so hard into the wall; it actually left a indent inside of it. As Sparky walked further into the room something caught his eye. He looked and saw both of the foals parents, they were fast asleep in their chairs. He also noticed two syringe's resting on a bedside table. He must have drugged them and the foal also. The doctor tried to speak. “Sparky, what are you.” Sparky interrupted him. “You.” His voice carried an aggressive tone. “You dare.” His voice sounded a little deeper. The doctor tried to speak again. “Now, Sparky. This isn't what you think.” He tried to reach for something behind him. Sparky continued. “You claim to be a pony that heals the sick and weak.” He walked closer; he felt himself getting hot. “You dare to don the attire of the healer.” The doctor's hooves eventually found a scalpel. He gripped the weapon in his hoof as the dragon walked closer. He began to think of a story to keep him safe. Yes, yes, he just happened to walk in as a teenage dragon was going on a rampage. He had just saved a young fillies life. The parents? He thought about it for a moment and decided to just kill them. After he kills this dragon; he'll amputate one of his claws and slit their throats with it. He was too late to save them; but just in time to save their daughter. He looked at the filly; he was a little upset about being stopped. But, now he could see himself as a hero. He spoke to himself. “Just one more step.” The moment the dragon was close enough. He yelled out and stabbed the dragon in his stomach. He smiled for a moment; only to have it leave him as his hoof was horribly burned. He yelled out in pain as he backed away from the dragon. He looked at his hoof; it looked like he had shoved it right into a burning fire. Sparky spoke. “You.” The doctor looked at him with fear in his eyes. The scalpel had melted. The dragons eyes were glowing a sinister glow. He continued. “Are mine!” He voice sounded like a deep snarl. The dragon then lunged forward and pressed the doctor against the window. The doctor could only gasp out before he was made to look at the dragon. He was filled with absolute horror as a monster roared in his face. The dragon had somehow changed. It wasn't Sparky anymore. The dragon had jet black scales with a red underbelly. It's strength was far above the average. The wings on it's back were made of pure fire. But, the thing that fightened him the most was the head. It's head was now nothing but a skull with fire all around it. It's teeth were on full display. It's eyes were hollow black pits. And it's horns looked almost like they were made of pure metal. The dragon spoke. “The stench on your soul disgusts me you worm.” One of his claws shot to the back of the doctors head. Forcing him to look him deep into his eyes. The dragon continued. “You attacked those who are the most pure, the most innocent. You inflicted horror's that will stay with them for a lifetime. Horror's that are nothing compared to what you're about to experience.” The doctor was afraid. He couldn't move, he couldn't fight back. All he could do was stare into the dragons eyes. Those horrible, soulless, pitch black eyes. The dragon continued. “We are their wrath. We are your punishment.” He paused for a moment before he continued. “We are their........vengeance.” He paused again before saying. “Your soul is stained by the blood of the innocent.” The doctor could only gasp in horror as the dragon finished. “Feel their pain.” The doctor screamed as he felt everything he had done to all those foals. He felt their fear, their pain, how they would plead for their parents to wake up. He could feel the injections of anesthesia in his body. He felt the pain as he would rape them. He could hear their pleas in his head. Hear their screams. He felt like he was burning. He was being burned alive. The pain it was unimaginable. He was a monster, a real monster. He deserved this. The dragon watched as the doctors body suddenly erupted into flames. He watched as the abomination was burned into a pile of dust. He then heard a small whimper come from behind him. He turned and saw the foal staring at him. The filly was crying out of fear, her eyes were filled with fear, she was afraid of him. He turned away from her. He spoke in a voice that sounded menacing. But, he tried he best to sound gentle. “He will not hurt you anymore.” The foal gasped as the dragon started to walk away. She watched as its horrifying frame exited her room and walked into the hallway. For a moment it stopped and looked back at her. She would never forget what she was seeing. It then turned back into the dragon that had walked in; before he walked away. She now sat in the silence of her room. She smelt a burning smell on the air and looked back at where the doctor once stood. When she saw the burning ash; she remembered how the doctor made her feel. She couldn't move. She felt like she was asleep, but she was wide awake. She remembered how he kissed and licked her neck. She shuddered at the disgusting thought. She also remembered when he started to..... She looked back at the door and whispered. “Thank you.”

DapperLilArts

551707

Midnight Sparkle,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Drama,Romance,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Violence

The Return of Midnight Sparkle

Sunset Shimmer, in Equestria, Has to deal with being a part of Twilight Sparkle's team, per her request, despite her own feelings of inadequacy, regrets, fears, and worse of all, her newfound love for Twilight Sparkle. Can she ever earn it?

complete

<p>As a thank you, and upon seeing the potential in her, Twilight Sparkle has invited Sunset Shimmer to be a part of her team. Sunset has absolutely no idea what she's doing and she does not feel like she belongs; Whether if its from her regrets of trying to pursue power desperately and being corrupted by it, or her immense failure as Celestia's first pupil, or even her general inexperience with friendship, Sunset Shimmer has been humbled into nothingness, and has to rebuild her life from scratch.<br/>And the most complicated of all, Sunset Shimmer is now in love with Twilight Sparkle, the girl that changed her life for the better, and saved her from herself. She will keep these feelings extremely close to the chest; but her heart is on her sleeve now.</p><p>Can Sunset Shimmer improve? Can she be worthy and deserving of the friends that were imposed upon her? Could she possibly ever deserve to be side by side with a princess? Can she earn Twilight Sparkle's love?</p><p>Can she belong? Or is all of this temporary... And eventually she will have to move on, to anywhere more fitting of her insignificance? Are things destined to go wrong around her?</p><p>Will Midnight Sparkle return?</p>

teen

2024-02-17T20:51:31+00:00

2024-02-20T00:46:03+00:00

SOME CONTEXT THAT MIGHT BE NECESSARY: Sunset Shimmer is the protagonist of this story, but this is an saga written in an version of MLP where the "Equestria Girls" universe does not exist. meaning all the key events of the first three movies, Sunset’s corruption into a powerfull demon, her defeat, her redemption, and eventually her saving Twilight from herself as Midnight Sparkle, all of that, in the context of this fanfic, just happened to regular Equestria; the events happened, but the alternate world of human high schoolers doesn’t exist on this; No human world, they’re all still ponies. Basicaly, "what if sunset shimmer was on the regular MLP show rather than in a spinoff one? And also what if it was really gay" here's my extensive answer to that question <3 PROLOGUE - 🌕Troubled dreams again?🌕 Princess Luna asked, emerging from a portal of shadows that engulfed the nightmare’s sky, much like an angel. She arrived calmly, but concerned, and with good reason. Sunset Shimmer laid on a barren soil, impaled by several familiar broken Alicorn horns. She couldn’t speak, she just breathed weakly and glanced at The Princess of the night with a hint of desperation. “Let your troubles be now over, Sunset Shimmer.” Princess Luna waved her own horn with a glimmer of her nightly magic, and all the horns that impaled Sunset vanished. The framework of the dream changed itself to be a comfortable gothic room, complete with a kindled fireplace, comfortable chairs, empty picture frames, simple moon-themed carpentry, and a table in the middle. It was a cozy and inviting room for sore dreamers, with a wall and ceiling missing, leading into an inky nothingness. Sunset got up without pain, just exhaustion. She immediately bowed down. “Thank you again, Princess Luna. I owe you–” “Now, now.” Princess Luna smiled slightly. “There is no need for such pleasantries. This is your dream, I'm just a concerned visitor. Shall we take our seats once more?” Smiled tiredly, Sunset nodded. She could barely muster a proper thank you for the kindness she was being given; Certainly no thank you could truly demonstrate how relieved she was to no longer be in a nightmare. It had been a rough night. She took a seat at one end, and the Princess took one at the other. There was a moment in which they shared a silence. Not awkward, not estranged. Sunset just simply didn’t know how to explain her feelings. She wasn’t going to be the first one to speak up. “You are still having trouble adjusting.” Luna stated. It was a fact. “Y-yes. I am. I haven't told the others, but it's been hard. I've kind of... I've kind of been just feeling like a zombie, these past weeks. Or has it been months...?” She looked down. “You know I know how it feels. I will spare you the empathy and say it plainly. To have succumbed to evil and returned to good is not a sign of weakness. Very much the opposite. We have made it back, Sunset. I understand the trouble adjusting, but the dark days are over. We and our friends will see to that.” Sunset closed her eyes. “You don't know that... I don't know that.” Luna continued without hesitation. “Twilight saved us both from corruption, Sunset. It is her greatest gift, I believe. Compassion on those that may be undeserving. And I say this with the highest honor I may bestow; you deserve that compassion.” Sunset barely twitched. “Do I?” Sighing in concern, The Princess of the Night did not stop. She was not done. “Perhaps if we review your recent dreams you will be able to express yourself better, and I will be able to understand how you feel?” Sunset did not protest. A projector appeared on one side of the table, and on the other, a screen for which to view it. Luna simply waved her horn slightly. This was effortless to her. The projector lit to life, and the Unicorn watched intently. In it, an image. Sunset, in large cell devoid bars, only a small window that couldn't be reached. Concrete walls surrounded all sides, a chain was bound to her horn and neck. She did not attempt to move. Luna chimed in. “You have already escaped this fate. They have forgiven you.” Sunset looked away for only a moment; Doubting the verity of having escaped this nightmare forever. “I know.” Next slide. Sunset is alone again. This time, on a small shack in the far side of the Everfree forest. There is no soul around for many miles. She is staring at her own fireplace, despondent. There is nothing else to be done, this is all she is now. “Is this something you wish, deep down? Solitude?” Sunset shuddered a bit. “It's something I fear to wish. And it is not solitude…” Next slide. Violent imagery. Princess Celestia herself is levitating Sunset over a chasm, with hatred and disappointment in her eyes, about to put an end to her failed pupil. Sunset is not begging or screaming. There is nothing but acceptance and sorrow in her eyes. This is the fate she has earned. “My sister would never be this callous or cruel, even to her enemies, of which you are not. You have nothing to fear from her. But, let the record know, I understand how you feel.” Sunset looked down in shame. “I know, I know. It’s just… There aren't enough apologies I could say to deserve her forgiveness. How could I possibly make things right…? It’s disrespectful of me to even dream of this. I'm sorry…” Luna wished she could say more. “Do not apologize for your feelings, Sunset.” Next slide. An fiery image. A demonic form of Sunset, with the stolen crown of Twilight Sparkle, bat wings and fiery hair cackles maniacally surrounded by fire. The Princess of Friendship herself is there to face her off, spreading her wings menacingly. It’s undetermined who will win. Luna regarded Sunset sadly. “I sense regret.” Sunset averted looking at the picture. “ …my biggest regret.” “You will never become this again, Sunset.” “All I can do is hope I don't. …It was painful, but…” Luna tilted her head. “But It was freeing?” Sunset was being read like a book. Luna did really know how it felt. “...Yes. All my greatest desires were handed to me on a silver platter, no inhibitions, nothing holding me back. All I needed to do was take it. All I wanted was a shortcut to power. I guess I got it...” “And when you did, you were alone. Payback and power at the cost of everything else.” “I don’t want to ever be that again.” “Neither do i.” Next slide. Midnight Sparkle. Twilight without any inhibitions, fears or even restraints, with the sole intent to cause harm and dominate with her power and magic. The strongest Alicorn in Equestria stood spreading her pitch black wings above Sunset, who had no hope in possibly beating her. Sunset looked, afraid. “I barely managed to beat her before; She promised me that she would return someday to finish what she started… I don't know if I could beat her like last time if she did. I was lucky Twilight was still in there…” The Princess squinted. “Hmm… it is no wonder you are troubled over this. But do not worry, together we will all work to prevent this from happening again.” The Unicorn exhaled. “I don’t know if we can… it feels… inevitable.” Sometimes to Sunset it felt like a countdown was on her life, and sooner or later, things were going back to her “normal”, that being, terrible. Whether it was Midnight’s return, or simply losing her position and her friends, it was inevitable. Next slide. A mournful image. Sunset is abandoned by all 6 of her friends left alone on an empty battlefield. They don't look back. She doesn't look at them. There is nothing she could say or do that would make them turn to look at her one more time. It’s over. Luna looked directly at Sunset. “Do you fear your friends leaving you? Sunset looked directly back. “I… I fear giving them reason to. “ “But you do realize you have not? They trust and know you. “ “Yes, I get it.” “Do you not trust and love them?” Sunset got a little frustrated. “Yes! But– that’s not the point.” “Do you not believe them?” “I do!” “Do you not believe their opinion of you?” “I believe they have it!” Luna eased up a bit. “Hm. you don't think you belong with them.” “I don’t think so. I know I don't.” The Princess got stern again, after that remark. “And have you asked what they think about the matter?” “I haven't.“ “Why?” “Because I know what they would answer!” “And do you not trust them with their answers?” Sunset raised her voice, maybe a bit too much. “Just because I trust and believe them, it doesn't mean they're right!! …about me.” Luna paused for a moment, regarding her with pity. “...And you have decided that for them?” Looking away, staving off her frustration towards herself, Sunset grimaced. “Look, I don’t want to– They're not going to-- This just isn’t– ugh… I appreciate everything you’re doing, but... can we just go to the next slide?” “...yes. But my concern for you has not diminished.” Sunset frowned and looked away, then back at the screen. Next slide. This one was different. It was imagery of Sunset and Twilight dancing together. They both had beautiful clothes; Sunset had a fiery red suit, Twilight had a purple and blue dress adorned with stars. They seemed to be alone at some sort of ballroom in Canterlot. They danced and regarded each other with joy. One of Twilight's wings embraced her. Sunset was leading. “HEY CAN WE SKIP THIS ONE PLEASE” Sunset became flustered immediately. “Oh dear” Luna suppressed a chuckle. “PLEASE” Next slide. The empty room in which all of the Mane '7' gathered for their meetings, 7 chairs and one big round table… except Twilight and Sunset were making out on top of the table, knocking important papers around. Sunset was on top, kissing Twilight's neck, both of them giggling, delighting themselves on the subterfuge and taboo nature of what they were doing, where they were doing it. Luna was amused. “My, that seems unprofessional.” she joked. Sunset slapped her hooves on the table nervously while flustered. “It's not my fault I swear!! Rarity bragged about how she made out with Applejack on the table when no one was looking and it just. It stuck the idea in my head!! Blame Rarity!!” Next slide. Twilight was holding Sunset lovingly while flying in the night sky; Her wings embraced both of them, and they regarded each other with adoration, with the moon on the backdrop. Not a care in the world, complete and utter trust between them. Sunset slammed her head on the table with an “Oof” “This may be stating the obvious but… I hope you realize how this complicates things for you.” Luna regarded her with half pity and suppressed amusement. “Yep yep yep yep yep yep” Sunset laid her face on the table and covered her eyes, blushing immensely. Luna looked back at the passionate image. “I presume these feelings are recent?” Sunset's voice sounded muffled from her own face being pointed at the table.“Not recent enough that I know they’re not going away!! I used to be able to act normal around her but now that is just GONE. I'm hanging on by a THREAD in every conversation. She just-- She saved me. She saved me from myself; She is everything I wished I was, and somehow, so much more. I thought I would hate having to be near her considering what she represents to me but-- The opposite! I'm just... I'm captivated every moment she speaks! I'm completely lost-- What in the world am I supposed to do about this?!” With a comprehensive and amused nod, The Princess gave her wisdom. “My, my… the life of an Alicorn is difficult. But know that the life of one who lives next to one is harder. Not many are up to the challenge. Many desperately try in some vain hubris to prove themselves worthy. It is hard to accept but those like me and my sister are simply on another level. I do not say this as disrespect or to feign superiority, I say this with disappointment.“ Luna sounded disappointed in herself, and she was. Deeply. It was lonely at the top– and she regarded the image not as taboo, but as a wish a desperate smitten lover would make, appreciating its beauty. “I know… I know. I know I'm not It.” Said Sunset, suppressing profound disappointment in herself also, simply for being. These feelings were torturous. Luna smiled, not out of joy. “Why do you think me and my sister are single? Sunset chuckled with an almost cheerfulness of being able to shift the subject. “Hah… don’t tell me you don’t have anypony pining for you. The Princess of the night herself? There’s gotta be a lucky devil out there–” The slightest hint of a fluster appeared in the Princess’s face. “You are the subject tonight, Sunset. Not me.” Sunset did not get back on topic. “‘Cause maybe me or some of my friends could hook you up just saying–” Luna got stern. “You are deeply infatuated with a princess. And yet you don't even believe yourself to be worthy of her friendship. Am I correct?“ “Yes.” Sunset paused. Neither of them said anything for a couple of empty mournful seconds. Then Sunset continued, a bit agitated. “I… I can't imagine me ever even being by her side. How could I possibly? Me, who was her enemy! Me, the dejected, failed pupil of her master. Me, who has been humbled into nothingness! The mere fact she chooses to have me on her group feels like some twisted, grotesque version of pity; And of COURSE I accepted it, simply for the chance of being closer to her. And yet, how could I possibly ever deserve to…!?” The Princess let out a warm sigh. “Well... what are you going to do about it?” “Huh?” She smiled. “Forgiveness… making amends… and even her love… If those things have to be earned, will you fight to earn them?” Sunset looked at nothing for a second, realizing the gravity of Luna's words to her. “I... I don't deserve it. Any of it. I don't know how to fix this. I don’t know what to do.” Princess Luna got up to her chair and walked around the table to be able to look into Sunset’s eyes, smiling warmly. “You are at a crossroads, Sunset. And I know how it feels. It's now up to you to decide on what to do next. And for what it's worth… I believe in you.“ The Unicorn had a genuine smile on her face; Despite her weariness. “Thank you Princess Luna. I won’t forget this. And, if it’s okay for me to say… I like you more than your sister.” Words from a dejected failed pupil, but still held a certain amusement to the Princess of the night. She covered her mouth while chuckling delightedly. “Oh, please; You don't mean that. I think it's about time you wake up, don’t you? A new day, a new you. May the stars aid in your return.” She started walking away, a staircase of shadows leading her into nothing, continuing to snicker in amusement. “Y’know if you ever wanna be hooked up with somepony, Rarity’s a pretty good match maker just sayi—” And then she woke up. Sweaty, messy, tired… A few beams of light peeked through the curtains of her room in Twilight's castle. A broken mirror, a pinboard with no schedules and only a few pictures, her spiked jacket on the floor, an beat up old sandbag hanging from the ceiling, a guitar hidden in an open closet, pictures of her friends and one of her parents on an otherwise messy nightstand. She looked at her alarm clock. Not even 8 am… For a second, she considered rolling over and going back to sleep. Then, fiery determination jolted her off the bed. With her Unicorn magic, she grabbed pen and paper, and wrote on big letters: “BE A GOOD FRIEND. EARN THEIR FRIENDSHIP” “BE A SKILLED WARRIOR. EARN YOUR PLACE AMONG THEM.” "BE MORE THAN CELESTIA'S BIGGEST MISTAKE." “EARN BEING BY TWILIGHT'S SIDE.” She pinned the paper on her board, and regarded it like it was everything. And it was. “Okay Sunset. Let’s earn it.” She walked off the room, tired, but determined to begin a new routine. …Then she walked back in, covering her board with a cloth nervously, afraid of any conversation that could spark from the words written on that piece of paper. Then she walked off, this time with certainty. Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 200.

DapperLilArts

551707

Midnight Sparkle,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Drama,Romance,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Violence

The Return of Midnight Sparkle

Sunset Shimmer, in Equestria, Has to deal with being a part of Twilight Sparkle's team, per her request, despite her own feelings of inadequacy, regrets, fears, and worse of all, her newfound love for Twilight Sparkle. Can she ever earn it?

complete

<p>As a thank you, and upon seeing the potential in her, Twilight Sparkle has invited Sunset Shimmer to be a part of her team. Sunset has absolutely no idea what she's doing and she does not feel like she belongs; Whether if its from her regrets of trying to pursue power desperately and being corrupted by it, or her immense failure as Celestia's first pupil, or even her general inexperience with friendship, Sunset Shimmer has been humbled into nothingness, and has to rebuild her life from scratch.<br/>And the most complicated of all, Sunset Shimmer is now in love with Twilight Sparkle, the girl that changed her life for the better, and saved her from herself. She will keep these feelings extremely close to the chest; but her heart is on her sleeve now.</p><p>Can Sunset Shimmer improve? Can she be worthy and deserving of the friends that were imposed upon her? Could she possibly ever deserve to be side by side with a princess? Can she earn Twilight Sparkle's love?</p><p>Can she belong? Or is all of this temporary... And eventually she will have to move on, to anywhere more fitting of her insignificance? Are things destined to go wrong around her?</p><p>Will Midnight Sparkle return?</p>

teen

2024-02-17T20:57:19+00:00

2024-02-17T21:25:05+00:00

CHAPTER 1 ✏️Table of contents✏️ Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 199. Another one of the "Friendship" meetings in Twilight’s castle. Sunset suppressed a yawn and shook her head awake, not too much to draw attention, and adjusted her leather jacket. The round table, the papers and books, the paintings poorly hung on the walls, Twilight’s touch was all over this place, and it was quite amusing. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, all sat on their respective seats listening to Twilight Sparkle’s debrief. Rarity seemed to be doing her makeup, looking at herself with a small mirror, and yet, still chimed in paying attention. Whenever Rainbow Dash got excited, she would jump out of her seat and fly around the room, gushing or just listening; and Pinkie Pie seemed to be playing with some sort of colorful clay, making strange pony figurines during the meeting; Who knows whether she paid attention or not. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Sunset were the ones that seemed to sit still while paying attention; though Sunset sometimes would be lost in her own thoughts, looking at Twilight. The Princess was a captivating person to listen to, she was passionate about everything; and often broke out into giggles during her talks, if whatever she was saying was funny, even if only to her. All of it came off to Sunset as her defining mannerisms, an “organized mess”; Even taking a glimpse into Twilight's room on occasion showed more of this, stacks upon stacks of papers and correspondence that went up to the ceilings, dozens upon dozens of books, read, unread, or mid-read, all cluttering about, and yet, the Princess of Friendship managed to carry herself out perfectly in these spaces, even managing to organize them every once in a while; And Sunset couldn't take her eyes off her. Sunset rarely spoke up during these meetings unless addressed; she didn’t see her own opinion as valuable, or even trusted herself outright to be of value. If they asked her she would, without hesitation, share her thoughts. But she did not have the courage to impose them. More than anything, she just appreciated being included. She had a chair, a chair with her cutie mark… taped on it. They taped a piece of paper with a drawing of her cutie mark on it. It didn’t even feel real at times, like she was an intruder… or a parasite. Like she was merely there as a favor, or as if she was some sort of leech; And this parasite sure as hell questioned her place in this body. Like she didn’t belong here. “So what do you think, Sunset?” Snapping out of her trance, Sunset blinked twice, realizing Twilight was talking to her directly. “Huh?” she tried not sounding too lost. Not that the Princess picked up on it, she was just glad, as usual. “You’ve been quiet for a while, I want you to get a chance to speak up! What do you think of all we've discussed today?” Sunset WAS paying attention in her own way. She did not have a prepared answer though… She summoned all the mental energy she could muster to sound coherent after dissociating for all that time. “Well I… I think that separating us into groups to handle smaller threats or even doing solo adventures wouldn't be so bad. We all know who we tend to best work with, Rainbow and Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity, pairs like that! It would only make natural sense to pair up if needed! Unless it’s a world ending threat of course, we don't really need to assemble everypony, right? And we’ll usually know if it is one, given the y’know– The sky tearing asunder and stuff. Generally I think that any of you can handle whatever comes along. You’ve survived and thrived this long, united and separated! You’re all strong and capable, you can beat any foe! Oh– maybe except Fluttershy. N-no offense, Fluttershy! You still are super nice and have great judgment!” Fluttershy giggled, not offended at all. “Oh none taken! I don’t even like fighting. I understand your sentiment, Sunset! And thank you.” Flapping her wings, Rainbow Dash perked up with excitement as usual. “Don't worry, babe!! I can do the fighting for both of us!!” She spoke doing boxing motions, making sure to comfort her, even if she was okay; which made Fluttershy giggle and blush a bit. Twilight was impressed. “Wow Sunset! That was pretty wise!…Look at you!” Sunset buried deep how good it felt to be spoken with adoration by Twilight of all people. As Twilight smiled warmly at her, she tilted her head, smiling too. “...look at me!” suppressing a flustered chuckle. Applejack piped in joyfully. "Well said, Sunset! Sure, we all work well as a team, but even just in pairs I know we can take on anything, Yes siree! I sure know I could, with Rarity…" She smiled warmly; as Applejack always did, looking at her love. Rarity giggled and nuzzled her without hesitation. “Aww that's my line, dear. You’re the hunk here!” which made AJ fluster a bit while nuzzling back. Quick to protest, Rainbow Dash hopped on top of her chair, pointing accusingly at the two lovers. “Hey! Hey! if you guys start doing PDA I'm gonna start macking on my girl too!! follow the rules guys! All or nothing!!” Fluttershy snickered, covering her mouth with her hoof.. Rarity and Applejack took a bit of distance, just a bit, barely embarrassed, but certainly not regretting it. Sunset couldn't help but chuckle… They always worked so well together. The pairs of this group were very exentric, but they undoubtedly held each other in high regard, and were incredibly faithful. She tried not thinking of the feelings she held for the Princess, when regarding all her friends being happily in love. Twilight spread her wings happily. “Alright everypony, make outs and cuddles aside, time’s up, meeting over! See you guys again this friday!” Jolting out of her seat, Pinkie waved her hooves in the air, getting all their attention. “WAIT NOT YET!! EVERYPONY, LOOK!” She got on top of the table, and showed her brand new creations that she had worked on through the whole meeting. They were small colorful clay statues of each of them. She happily hopped to each of them, handing their respective effigies. “Here you go guys!!! To celebrate another successful meeting, here is a gift for all of you!'' She handed clay candy replicas of all of them to each of them. They were very amused and thankful, Pinkie always knew how to make small presents seem huge. Sunset looked at her own clay form intently, silently. Pinkie chimed up after handing them all their replicas. “Oh and by the way they’re edible!! See how long it takes before you chow down nyeheheh!” she giggled Pinkiely. Twilight was pleased, but showed modesty. “Aww Pinkie you don’t have to give us gifts every meeting! Just having us all here is enough, don't you think?” “I'mth noth complaininth” Said Rainbow Dash, with her mouth full of her replica of herself already. She was the first one to succumb to eating them, despite how enamored they all were with the flattering designs. Pinkie vibrated with excitement. “Aww Twiiii you know I can’t help it!! I just love you girls SO MUCH!!! See you this friday!!” she hopped and skipped out of the room Pinkiely. “Hihihi. Bye, Pinkie! Meeting adjourned everypony!" The Princess spread her wings joyfully once more, as if waving goodbye with a royal touch; Which just came off as her own cute demeanor. All of them started to shuffle out. Rarity made a remark that now that the meeting is over she can do whatever; and started smooching Applejack intently, making her giggle with every kiss. Rainbow Dash took it as a challenge, and grabbed Fluttershy to do the same on their way out; a strange competition where all of them were winners, clearly. Sitting quietly on her chair, Sunset regarded her own figurine, which smiled back at her... At first, happily. She received a gift, an effigy of herself, just like the others. She was included and was part of the team! It was such a strange and unfamiliar feeling, Pinkie even got her cutie mark right. She didn't even get out of her chair, she just stared at the gift and reflected on what it meant. …then she started reflecting on what she meant to herself. This gift, by proxy. The figurine smiled kindly like she was happy and fulfilled, much unlike the real Sunset holding her; in fact, it certainly manifested itself as Sunset's insecurities, a feeling that creeped up alarmingly fast on her. The real Sunset did not smile like this. The real Sunset never smiled like this. Those negative thoughts started boiling within her and she decided to take them out on the effigy by eating its head; Instead of burning something; Literally swallowing those feelings; hoping that it might make up for her own failings as a being of flesh and blood, and not happy smiling fulfilled clay. “Sunset! Are you okay? Can you talk?” Twilight broke her out of her funk. Sunset instantly came to realize she had not moved from her chair since the meeting ended, and it was only her and Twilight in the vast room now. “Prinmchess!! Umm yeagh. Shooth.” Sunset panicked and spit out her sweet clay head back onto the effigy while facing the side in the hopes that Twilight wouldn’t see, then turned and gave her an awkward smile, hoping she didn’t see, which thank Celestia she did not. “Spike told me he saw you checking out a whole bunch of magical arts books out of the library! Are you interested in studying again after all?” She got closer; Any subject regarding books and study always perked her ears immediately. Getting out of her chair to be on proper eye level, Sunset also wanted to have room to back off if need be, respectfully. Proximity to the Princess was dangerous to her. “Oh! Uh, yes! I’ve picked a couple, I've decided to go back to study. I may not be Celestia’s pupil anymore, but… I want to do better. I want to make up for the time I wasted trying to get revenge; I’ve been in a real rut for the last month or so but I'm getting back to work now. Assorted elemental projectiles, barrier casting, levitation, horn blades/fencing, oh, and my goal is to master to teleportation reliably by the end of the month!” Twilight squealed cutely, a trademark of her excitement, much to Sunset's quiet blushing. “IIIIIIII!!!! I love teleportation!! Could you let me help you learn it?? Please? Maybe we could take the month deadline and make it a week! It’s not that hard with a Unicorn of your caliber hehe. I’ve been told by Starlight that I make a pretty good teacher, maybe you can give me a second opinion? I promise I'll try not to talk you ear off hihihi!” she giggled to herself, overjoyed with the mere idea of teaching once more. Sunset suppressed the instinct of requesting her to keep talking forever. “I-i don’t mind that at all! But I do have meditation with Fluttershy this afternoon, are you free tonight? I could meet you at the library and we put some stuff to test!” Twilight’s eyes lit up with joy. “Oh my goodness, an all nighter?? You really are working hard! I'm in!! This is so exciting!!” She sure jumped to assumptions, as she literally jumped in place with joy. With a grimace, Sunset had to stop this, hating to disappoint her. “Oh no no I'm not ready for that with you I'm sorry. Just studying together and then sleeping normally please!” She spoke, trying her best not to stutter. Twilight pouted a bit, hiding her disappointment. “Aww okay… all nighter some other time, then... So, meditation with Fluttershy, huh? What’s that about?” she tilted her head curiously. Sunset was glad for the subject change. “Oh, I've been asking everypony to teach me stuff. I want to fill my calendar properly, y’know? No more waiting around in my room for the day to end. Rainbow Dash is taking me running tomorrow, I'm lifting weights and helping on the farm with Applejack later, then Rarity’s going to teach me horn fencing, and Pinkie Pie even offered to teach me some of her acrobatics! Oh, and of course, meditation with Fluttershy. Gotta clear my head, y’know?” Twilight was pleasantly shocked, feathers fluttering with anticipation. “O-Oh wow, you are fully booking yourself, aren't you? Does this mean that maybe... maybe you'd like to write a letter to Celestia? Report what you've learned and done...? I'm sure she'd love to hear from you again!" She really, really wanted to heal the rift between former student and master. But this former student did not believe in rebuilding bridges that had been burnt. "No thanks, princess." Internally, Sunset congratulated herself from not faltering on the quickness of her response; and without even a stutter, too. Tilting her head with concern, Twilight tried getting a bit closer. "C'mon, you'll have to eventually...?" No response from the Unicorn, who just looked at the away. No, she really didn't need to talk to Celestia again. Ever. With a sigh, the Princess of Friendship recoiled, knowing this was a minefield for the former student of her master. She believed wholeheartedly in reunions, but this wouldn't work if one of the parties was disinterested... She regained her gleeful composure, and changed the subject; much to the Unicorn's relief. "Well, I'm still happy to hear that you're getting back into studies and learning, Sunset. I'm happy to see you’re trying to fit in better with all of us.” Twilight got a little closer, and dragged her hoofs on the floor a bit, smiling shyly. “It’s really good to see how far you’ve come, you know..? And I'm glad to see you getting involved.” Sunset smiled warmly “Yeah, heh... But I'd change my schedule for you anytime.” Twilight's eyes widened trying to make sure she heard what she just heard. “But I CAN change my schedule for you anytime!! Haha” Sunset interjected, “correcting” herself, noticing the truth of feeling that had just come out of her mouth. The paper with a drawing of Sunset’s cutie mark fell, floating and landing on the floor between them. For an agonizing second, the Unicorn stared at her mark, who dejectedly layed on the ground. The Princess, however, did not hesitate. Twilight immediately picked it up with magic and put it back on the chair where it belonged. “Note to self. More duct tape” She mumbled. She then turned her attention back to Sunset, and dragged her hooves on the floor a bit more, stimming nervously, trying to play it cool and normal, pouting a bit. “H-hey you think you could postpone meditation, and come study with me now? I… I really would love to begin spending time with you– studying with you, as soon as we can.” Sunset's heart started beating faster almost immediately. She was NOT prepared for an entire evening of close study with Twilight Sparkle. This kind of close contact needed to be prepared for psychologically at LEAST 2 hours before, and even then! Blood rushed to her head as her thoughts spiraled. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!! but also no, no, no, no, no, no!!!! She couldn't. She couldn't. She couldn't. She should. She REALLY should. But she couldn't. Nervously, letting her brain take the wheel, yanking the wheel from her heart before it said “ABSOLUTELY!!!” she tried covering as simply as she could. “I– I promised Fluttershy, I– I really wouldn’t want to disappoint her… I'm really sorry, Princess Twilight.” Unable to look her in the eye. Twilight did a nervous chuckle and an 180°, also not being capable of looking her in the eye. “hahahaa of course! No worries at all!! Go go go! haha. I mean i, uh, After all, i’ll see you tonight, right? No need to rush anything!” Sunset needed to end the conversation and leave IMMEDIATELY before she did something stupid. ANOTHER something stupid. “Of course haha! Absolutely! I won't miss it for anything, I promise!! A-anyways, I gotta get going, see you soon! An amazing meeting as usual, love your speeches! Inspiring! Bye, Princess!” Sunset walked away, maybe a bit too fast, afraid to look back. Twilight sighed, pouting in disappointment, and mumbled to herself. “Why can’t she just call me Twilight…?” Sunset was walking away while munching on her replica frustratingly. Idiot idiot idiot. Stupid!! But also, what a save. Surely it was impossible to survive a whole evening alone with Twilight Sparkle, right? Maybe if she buried her own feelings deep down and acted clinically about it, professionally, she wouldn’t lose herself hearing her passionate rants about magic and history and learning and the beauty in everything—-- Sunset was doomed. It dawned on her that spending a night alone with Twilight could be a death sentence to her, after this embarrassment… She would embarrass herself again, no doubt. They would get too close!! No way. She couldn't risk having her feelings slip up,sShe needed to get someone that is happy enough to participate, but gullible enough that they would not understand that they are a third wheel. Someone that could be an ice breaker if things got too close, if they got distracted. Spike? No, he slept a lot more, a lot earlier than ponies, and was smarter than he looked, likely seeing through it… Who else would be friendly enough, would be willing enough, who would be dumb enough to– Pinkie Pie. Sunset grabbed her phone and looked at Pinkie’s number. Just this night. Just this first time, she would get Pinkie there as a potential distraction and ice breaker. Surely she’d be able to handle future study sessions by herself. Surely, right? Right? “Forgive me, Twilight…” Sunset hangs on by a thread in every conversation with twilight. girl down bad. Generally, a quick and fun chapter to demonstrate the interpretations of every mane 6 member on this story, but also, importantly, showcasing Sunset's presence among them. next chapter; Watch me write an entire season of the show's worth of days and hangouts and sequences.

DapperLilArts

551707

Midnight Sparkle,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Drama,Romance,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Violence

The Return of Midnight Sparkle

Sunset Shimmer, in Equestria, Has to deal with being a part of Twilight Sparkle's team, per her request, despite her own feelings of inadequacy, regrets, fears, and worse of all, her newfound love for Twilight Sparkle. Can she ever earn it?

complete

<p>As a thank you, and upon seeing the potential in her, Twilight Sparkle has invited Sunset Shimmer to be a part of her team. Sunset has absolutely no idea what she's doing and she does not feel like she belongs; Whether if its from her regrets of trying to pursue power desperately and being corrupted by it, or her immense failure as Celestia's first pupil, or even her general inexperience with friendship, Sunset Shimmer has been humbled into nothingness, and has to rebuild her life from scratch.<br/>And the most complicated of all, Sunset Shimmer is now in love with Twilight Sparkle, the girl that changed her life for the better, and saved her from herself. She will keep these feelings extremely close to the chest; but her heart is on her sleeve now.</p><p>Can Sunset Shimmer improve? Can she be worthy and deserving of the friends that were imposed upon her? Could she possibly ever deserve to be side by side with a princess? Can she earn Twilight Sparkle's love?</p><p>Can she belong? Or is all of this temporary... And eventually she will have to move on, to anywhere more fitting of her insignificance? Are things destined to go wrong around her?</p><p>Will Midnight Sparkle return?</p>

teen

2024-02-17T21:13:19+00:00

2024-02-18T12:09:17+00:00

Warning in advance this chapter is the longest. It takes place in around 200 days, and it's basically an entire season of the show. Good luck! And quite importantly, if you enjoyed it, please tell me which day was your favorite! Id love to know, because i concider all of them bangers. personaly my favorite might be Cadance cameo, but you'll see why. CHAPTER 2 🔥Until I break🔥 Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 187. Running, at top speed, pushing herself. The wind on her face, her hair in a ponytail, her backpack tightly wrapped, all to facilitate the galloping. Grass and dirt beneath her hooves and the sun shining brightly, there wasn’t a better day to push yourself to your limits. Sunset focused only on what was absolutely necessary in the moment, momentum. Rainbow Dash flew overhead, seemingly effortlessly guiding them, and Fluttershy flew behind, at a more leisurely pace. All of them were wearing backpacks suited for this run. “You know, next time *pant* we should try a harder route.” Sunset took quick breaths in rhythm with her running. Rainbow Dash was a bit weirded out. “Harder?? Dude, we've done this route for what, a couple days? You should start small!” Sunset kept moving forward. “No, I’ve run here in the mornings *pant* a couple times alone. I'm getting too used to it, *pant* I think.” Fluttershy chimed in, a bit concerned. “Um, by the way, Pinkie told me she saw you running here while… reading?” “Yeah! *pant* I was catching up on some magic study. *pant* Why not do both? *pant* I want to use my time well. *pant*“ Sunset deflected concern. She needed to push herself. Rainbow Dash flashed her wings pointing ahead. “Hey, here comes a jump, ready?” “Ready.” Sunset jumped over a small river gap, a quiet brook, but the gap was at least 4 meters, and failed to stick the landing, falling instead on the edge, immediately holding herself by the front hooves, trying not to fall on the river. “Shit SHIT!” she felt the pain on her lower body from hitting the dirt so hard. Rainbow and Fluttershy immediately flew back to help her. with a shout, Sunset immediately stopped them. “Wait, STOP! I need to get up on my own, hang on!” The two Pegasi just looked at each other, confused and concerned. Sunset struggled for a little bit, the dirt constantly giving in when she tried climbing. “Dude, don’t be silly, I can easily help–” Rainbow approached her. Bucking the dirt with her lower legs, Sunset propelled herself forward, shoving herself upward and doing a clumsy roll off of the ledge onto the road. She spit a bit of dirt out. “Blergh. See? I got this!” Then she immediately continued running, ignoring the protests her body made. “C’mon we’re almost there!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile, seeing someone working hard. “Damn, you’re chipper today!” Fluttershy tried expressing concern, but neither of them heard. Sunset continued. “Yeah! *pant* I can't believe I choked that jump though.” She tried to ignore the feeling of inadequacy she felt near them. “Don’t worry, man! There’s always next time!” The Pegasus comforted her. Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Sooooo Sunset. What made you want to practice running, with two Pegasi no less? Isn’t this a bit unfair on you…?” Sunset laughed a bit “Hah, when you’re lifting weights you need a spotter, right? *pant* Someone stronger than you. If I want to be fast, *pant* I need to train with the fastest!” With one of her trademark overconfident laughs, Rainbow snorted in delight. “That’s rich! A lotta Unicorn folk don't bother training their body, they just rely on magic for everything! No offense, of course. It’s radthat you’re trying, Sunset!” Despite the immense effort, Sunset was in high spirits! “Thanks! And none taken. *pant* A lot of Unicorns are kind of stuck up. *pant* It’s rare you’ll see some of us being generous and giving like Rarity *pant* or kind and sweet and cute and caring like Twilight!” Was the adrenaline removing the filter on her brain? Rainbow Dash did not process that last part. “Haha, yeah! Have you guys noticed that a lot of the pony bad guys we fought are Unicorns?” Fluttershy only scratched her chin in response. With a shrug, Sunset responded, trying to save her breath. “Wouldn’t know! *pant* I just joined you guys like two months ago, *pant* I haven't seen any bad guys yet!” Rainbow Dash got jokey. “Oh dooon’t worry. They’re always around every couple weeks. None ever stood a chance though, Twilight usually wrecks ‘em, if we don’t all do ‘em in together!” Sunset got a little distracted. “Hah… *pant* Yeah. *pant* She’s pretty strong, huh?” Fluttershy chimed in with concern once more. “Sunset, are you sure we shouldn’t take a break? This might be a bit much!” And once again, Sunset deflected that concern, not wanting to stop for anything. “Relax, Fluttershy! *pant* We’re almost there! *pant* Besides, what better way to practice than to keep up with the fastest flier in Equestria?” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Hah, Flattery isn’t going to make me slow down, you know?” Sunset smirked. “Oh, this is supposed to be fast? I'm barely galloping!” Lighting up in excitement, Rainbow Dash IMMEDIATELY got hiper. “HAH! Okay then!! you asked for it!!” and sped up even more. Sunset, confidently pushed herself to go even faster. Everything hurt. A little while later, they made it to a small clearing near the top of the mountain, with a really good view of Ponyville, the perfect place for a small picnic. Sunset laid on her back, taking deep long breaths, trying to get her heart to stop pounding. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both sat next to her, unpacking her things and trying to tend to her adrenaline rush. With a tad of nerves and embarrassment, Rainbow freaked out a bit. “Oh no, I didn’t kill her, did i?? She’s not dying is she?? Augh Twilight would kill me if I killed the newest member of the crew…” Fluttershy patted her gently with her wing while grabbing a bottle of water. “I told you we needed to slow down...! Sunset just started doing this! Here you go, drink some of this!” She offered some water to the fatigued Unicorn. “Splatter it on your face too! It helps!” Rainbow chimed in. “It’s *pant* okay *pant* thank *pant* you *pant*“ Sunset said slowly, before taking a loooong drink of the water bottle, almost choking. She then splattered it all over her face to cool off. “Yeah that helps. *pant* thanks, you two...” she said, incredibly relieved that her adrenaline was stabilizing. Rainbow helped her sit up. “Yeaaahh we’re definitely not taking the harder route next time. You haven’t done this often, have you?” Grunting, forcing herself up, Sunset responded with an exhale. “I do this as much as any Unicorn would. Not much.” Still very tired. “Hah, tell me about it. I did something like this with Twilight once; she had to stop muuuch earlier than you. Nowadays I just give her flying assistance! She would always rather levitate or teleport, though... Laaaame.” Sunset didn’t answer, she was distracted by the imagery of Twilight being tired and needing help keeping up. She imagined herself helping Twilight push on, or taking care of her when needing a break. Those thoughts spiraled as her face got redder. Fluttershy handed out snacks and sandwiches to both the girls, then took bits of hers and started handing bits and pieces of her food to nearby animals like birds and squirrels. She did continue to express concern, though. “Will you promise to take it easier next time, Sunset? You did push yourself pretty hard back there… ” Sunset hesitated a bit. No, she didn’t want to slow down. Pushing herself was all that matters. “Well… I don't know what to tell you, Fluttershy. I need to practice and get better at this, and I'm trying my best, with the best. As long as you guys are here, I'm not very worried about me!” Rainbow interjected. “What my girl means to say is that despite it being really awesome that you’re trying cool new things like trying to be super fast and we support you, You have to take care of yourself too! No athlete or hero gets anywhere without taking a deserved break from time to time! Trust me, I know.” She said, confidently taking a bite of her sandwich. Sunset knew what they were doing. They were doing this because they cared… But she couldn't afford to care like them right now. Even if it was wrong, she had to use them to get better, and that meant ignoring her own needs. “I’ll take that under advisement.” “You’re also helping Applejack around her farm, right?” Said Fluttershy, while quietly giving a bit of food to a bird that landed near her. “Yep. And fencing with Rarity, acrobatics with Pinkie, study with Twilight, meditation with you, etc. etc.” Tilting her head curiously, Rainbow chimed in. “Wow, you’re really trying lots these days! What made you want to anyway?” She only responded after taking another drink of water. “You guys all got your things, and I figured I needed mine; If Twilight's keeping me around for the long haul. Besides, spending time with all of you is always… nice.” “Our things?” “Y’know, you’re super fast, Applejack is strong, Twilight is… super powerful, that kind of thing! I don’t have a thing, so I'm… trying everything.” Sunset hid the fact that she really did want to be able to do everything. She wanted to, above all, be capable. Reliable. If she was going to stay in this group she needed to be better no matter what. Fluttershy tried comforting her. “It’s okay, Sunset, I don't have a thing either!” “Babe you can literally talk to animals.” Rainbow said, pointing at the squirrel nuzzling her with adoration. They all chuckled a bit. Sunset once again ignored the feeling of inadequacy she felt near them. “Besides. This is a pretty good way to start the day, don’t you think?” Neither of the Pegasus disagreed, in fact, they joyfully giggled. Rainbow especially, chuckled. “You had me going though, with all this training, I thought you’d wanna enter the regional pony race that’s happening in Canterlot in a couple months! That woulda been craaazy!” With her ears twitching in curiosity, Sunset paused for a bit. “Race?” Now this was exactly up her alley, Rainbow fluttered her wings as she passionately explained. “Yeah dude! Ponies from all over are gathering to compete, and it's not even Pegasus exclusive anymore! They’re making the races specially catered to challenge every kind of pony! Makes it three times as hardcore and three times as fun!! You KNOW I'm signing up! Flying races are one thing, but I really wanna test myself in all terrain too, y’know? “Huh… Isn’t that something…” Staring at nothing, Sunset was lost in thought. A big event, every kind of pony was invited. A huge challenge, for sure. Very intense. She had never been interested in events like those, there was never even a reason to consider competing. “Yep! It’s gonna be that big stadium near the castle. Whole kingdom’s gonna be there! No better chance for glory. I loooove that stuff. You’ll watch me right, babe?” Rainbow nuzzled Fluttershy, while she giggled and answered “of course!” in which Rainbow would ask “riiiiight?” nuzzling and blowing raspberries on her, making her answer again, and then asking again, and again. It was a giggle fit! Sunset stared at the distance. A stadium right next to the castle in Canterlot. No doubt all kinds of important people would be watching. Even people like the Princesses would no doubt observe the event. Celestia, Luna and… “Rainbow, I want to sign up too.” “Huh??” “To the race! I want to sign up with you. What better way to put my training to the test, right?” Rainbow vibrated with excitement. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, that is AWESOME!! I always wanted a buddy to do events like these!! I'm all in!” Sunset got a bit embarrassed. “Umm, one thing, though, a favor, if you don’t mind? This might be a big ask, I'm not sure…” “Sure, ask away, man! We’re in this together!” She smiled. “Could you help me make it to the top ten? I-I don’t care about winning, not really. I just want to make a good impression. I even want to try using magic as little as possible, you know? It’s going to be a big event, and I would appreciate it if I had somepony to watch my back… y-y'know, my old mentor is going to be watching, yeah?” Sunset tried not thinking about Twilight watching her from the stands. She couldn’t care less about Celestia or even Luna watching her fail; In fact, she would avoid The Princess of the Sun like the plague. But if she could pull off a big win in front of Twilight… That would be everything. Rainbow tilted her head. “You’re asking me to not give it my all so that we can focus on helping each other through the competition?” “Um, yeah you’re right. It’s a stupid Idea–” She started giving up on it; but the Pegasus interrupted her. “Dude of COURSE I CAN HELP! You think I care about golden medals? I got plenty of those already. I'm in it for the fun! And this time, I get to help a friend through it too! Don’t worry. I’ll get you in FIRST place, and that's a Dash promise!!” With a look of surprise, the Unicorn exhaled in relief; Not expecting to get that far. “Thanks. I mean it. And d-don’t worry, I won't hold you to that. This is just me trying! I want to see how it feels to be in a big competition like that!” Truth was, she had no faith that she could win, but she also would not let that stop herself from trying. Rainbow Held her by one shoulder and gestured at the sky as if to visualize it. “Picture this. You and me. You got a golden medal and I got a silver medal; Fluttershy in my arms and you with as many babes as you want– lotsa confetti and the Princesses personally bowing to us for being so AWESOME! That's your future, dude!!” Sunset pictured a very different future. Crossing the finish line. Twilight gives her a golden medal, then kisses her on the cheek. No crowd, no competitors or other Princesses. Just them. Fluttershy giggled, but chimed in anyways. “Sweetie, I think you should ease up, this is gonna be her first competition after all!” Shaking the fluster that appeared in her own cheeks, Sunset tried diminishing the stakes. “Y-yeah! This is just threading waters, I don't need or even want to win, it’s fine!” She lied. “Whatevs, my dude. Just know I'm with you all the way! This is gonna be so awesome!!” Rainbow fluttered her wings in joy. Sunset smiled, and then started stretching, while putting her stuff away back in the backpack. “Well girls, I'm just about done! Want to get back to Ponyville?” “Of course! But remember, we can take it slow if you need.” Fluttershy made sure to assert, hoping for her friend to slow down. “Haha, yes, but consider this!” Then Sunset took off at high speed down the mountain. “Heheh, she’s not messing around! C’mon babe!!” Rainbow Dash took off excitedly. Sunset could get used to mornings like these. Despite the effort, and the tiredness… It was good. Pushing herself. It hurt, but it felt worth it. The mornings got easier. Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 143. Sunset lost her balance then fell on her face, right in the middle of the Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie’s place of work, a cupcake store. The ball that the Unicorn balanced herself on flew back and almost hit a customer. Pinkie Pie stopped her act immediately and rushed to her aid. “OH MY GOSH ARE YOU OKAY??” Sunset quickly got back up, shook the dizziness off and got back on top of the yoga ball, ignoring the pain. “I'm fine! Don’t worry, I'll get this right.” Customers around them applauded, not sure if the fall was part of the show, finding it amusing. Pinkie got on top of her own ball, balancing herself to be in Sunset's eye view. “Girllll it’s okay, we can stop if you want! It’s no worries if this is too hard for you, we can try something a bit easier! How about juggling?” Sunset gave a forced smile, suppressing any rage she might feel from the pain and humiliation, while balancing herself a bit clumsily. She was getting the hang of it, but she sure got why barely anypony even tried stuff like this. “It’s fine! I'm fine! C’mon, let’s give them a show!” Pinkie waved her hooves around, concerned. “Sunsun, there's no shame in doing this with magic to help you out, you know?? It’s okay if you use it to balance yourself!!” Sunset swiveled in the ball, attempting to be confident. “There’s no point in doing this if I have to rely on magic for everything; it’s about training the body, too! C’mon lemme try that pirouette you showed me!” “WAIT SUNSET MAYBE–” Sunset did a flip, ignoring the fear of pain. She was going to try this, as many times as it took. Then she slipped and fell right on her face again. Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 126. ”It’s the sport of kings and queens, darlings. Kings and queens! Not even just Princesses!” Rarity joyfully proclaimed, while slashing with her horn swiftly and elegantly. She was wearing protective gear on her face and horn, a cover of wood that would prevent sharp contact with the tip of the horns on other ponies faces, and a foam helmet to prevent pain when hitting from the sides. The outfits would prevent pain, but not that much, if you’re losing. Sunset was losing. She was sweating on her attempts to deflect and block Rarity’s strikes, and she sure couldn’t even parry her. Rarity was agile and elegant; even if not very aggressive with her swings. She clearly knew what she was doing, which altogether surprised Sunset, who never expected a dainty Unicorn like her to be anywhere near combat, and yet... Applejack amusedly kept them company sitting on the sidelines reading a magazine. Rarity’s home had ample space on the upper floor for practice, and she had all the gear she needed! This was a sport for her, if not just another artform for her to express herself, and she absolutely did so, all over Sunset, much to her dismay. The Punk Unicorn imagined how much she could accomplish in a fight as a Unicorn if you concentrated your magic on your horn to make it into a blade to skewer and slash enemies; Definitely not an innovative technique, but applying all she learned and more, she could make it into an incredibly effective way of fighting; Another one to her collection, that would be another fighting style worth learning! She was holding her own, after having enough time to practice. She even managed to push Rarity back with her superior upper body strength, using her strong suits. But that fancy Unicorn was not one to accept defeat lightly. Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Oof! By the way darling, how has been studying with Twilight? You’ll study more this afternoon, correct? It is so lovely to see you two getting closer!” She skillfully defended herself, saving ample energy for snarky commentary. “Uh, y-yeah. I’ve been learning a lot from her! And it’s always fun to come to her with other new things I've learned…!” Sunset’s steps got a bit more uneasy, and Rarity did not let up, smirking. “It is very interesting to see how you’ve been trying to learn so much! Anything for Twilight, right?” That commentary was enough to make her choke. “What?? What do you mean, no? I'm uhh–” Ceasing the moment of unease, Rarity took advantage and swiftly whacked Sunset a couple times. “Your defense is waning, darling! Pay attention~” “Sugarcube, you’re adorable when you’re posing and bragging, but do try and teach Sunset, will ya?” Applejack smiled while reading a magazine, half-watching them; Fully aware that her love would often lose herself on the prospect of showing off, specially when she was present. Snickering mischievously, Rarity winked at Applejack. “Of course dear. Pay attention darling, I'm about to make it look easy!” Sunset was like a deer in the headlights. “Wait what--” Rarity locked their horns together, then spun her head on a circle twice; forcing Sunset to look to the side, knocking her off, and then spun herself around and Butt-bumped Sunset’s side, knocking her to the ground. Although Sunset could have tried rolling or standing her ground, but she wanted to see the full extent of the move; which kicked her ass. (almost literally.) Applejack clapped her hooves. “Nice one, babe!” “Ough. Okay my ass is kicked, you made it look easy.” Sunset removed her mask, with an exhale. Rarity giggled, removing her own mask so all of them could see her beautiful face. “It’s quite alright, darling. You spin your enemy, force them to not face you, and then take advantage! Now, I did hit you with my rump, but know you can go fiercer! Use the chance to BUCK them, Applejack style!” And the Farmer tipped her hat, smiling. “Yeehaw. Personally I don’t really see the need any of that fancy dance for fightin’, I'd rather just use fisticuffs.” Rarity scoffed and smiled. “Well dear, not all of us can be 900 pounds of hunkness.” She said, flirtingly. “But if you’d like to take me on, I'll gladly give you a dance.” “I'm still here by the way” Sunset ached on the floor. Smiling hard, Applejack blushed a bit. “Why I oughta…” before picking her magazine back up to cover her flustered face. Sunset chuckled on the floor, trying to interrupt the flirting match. “Whew, you really showed me. This is pretty fun! But, ouch. Hard. How are you not even sweaty right now?” she said, sweating buckets. Doing a seductive and prideful hair flip, Rarity maintained her unwavering composure. “Why, darling, it would be unlady-like of me to sweat and fluster, don’t you think? It would be uncouth! I am above such things.” AJ didn’t even lift her eyes from the magazine. “Ya weren’t above such things last night” “APPLEJACK” Rarity said, sweating and flustering. Sunset seized the moment, bucked one of Rarity’s legs, knocking her on the ground, quickly got up and poked her with her horn. “Boop! I win. Victory by Applejack distraction. Thanks Applejack!!” Tipping her hat, the Farmer smirked. “No problem, partner.” getting up to go help her girlfriend. “Okay darlings I think I'm done fencing for today” Rarity said, dried up like a raisin after the devastating defeat. Applejack got her up, gave her a smooch, and her pony-manity was restored, doing another beautiful hair flip. Sunset removed the rest of her gear. “Well girls, I'll leave you to it. Thanks for the lessons, Rarity! And less thanks for the utter beatdown. Same time thursday?” “Of course darling! Let me show you to the door! Wait for me, AJ dear~” She said, looking back at Applejack, who tipped her hat with a knowing smile. They arrived at the door, but Rarity stopped her before it was opened. “By the way darling, don’t think I don't know about you and Twilight.” And suddenly all felt quiet in the Carousel Boutique; The air froze, and Sunset felt like she just got smacked. “W-what? There's nothing to know…!?” Quick Denial, but her tone did not hide her true feelings. Seemingly through the blink of an eye Rarity was wearing a noir outfit, like a lady detective; and she carried herself like one, walking slowly around her subject. “Hahaha, I'm good at reading these things, darling. Just because it’s only in your heart, doesn’t mean it isn’t visible.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about” Sunset tried covering; This time with more composure. Rarity had no evidence, there was no need to panic, as long as she denied everything, she would be fine. “EXHIBIT A. You have signed up to a Regional Race in Canterlot; and asked Rainbow Dash for help on getting far on it. Now surely you could chock that up to just wanting to win; but you’ve never participated in races like these before; And I recall you demonstrating very little interest in competition many times upon us mentioning these kind of events! But let’s not forget, who has a VIP front row seat to view your darling self crossing the finish line– our sweetheart Princess Twilight.” Rarity said, with perfect confidence and conviction. “That means nothing a-and how’d you learn all that…!?” If that's all she had, she had no case. Keep denying everything! “Nothing a bit of investigating doesn’t easily uncover, darling. You’re an open book! And Rainbow Dash doesn’t keep secrets very well. EXHIBIT B! You’re studying magic a lot on your own time, not just with Twilight! If all you wanted to was to learn, you could rely on her as a wonderful teacher; but no, you want to impress[/i] her! I’ve seen you showing off your teleportation, your casting, and even the other things we’ve been teaching you! Pinkie Pie’s pirouettes, Rainbow's speed, and even my fencing! You arrive on those study sessions prepared, and eager too; eager to showcase what you’ve learned! Eager for her to be proud of you!” She said, accusatory, smiling once more with unmatched confidence. “I just like studying on my o-own time; that means nothing!” Okay. Rarity was onto something. Crap. “Oh really? Well how about THIS; EXHIBIT C. You invite Pinkie Pie to your study sessions with Twilight half the times you have them! What’s wrong, Sunset… don’t want to be alone with your Princess?” “P-Pinkie’s fun to be around–” Certainly a true fact, but Rarity was breaking her down. “Oh please, of course. But inviting Pinkie to a STUDY session? The bouncy girl that never sits still and can’t even do magic? The girl that would easily go on tangents and be a good distraction, eh? She’s the perfect third wheel to put between you and someone you’re in love with; It will be much easier to not slip up and let your feelings be seen with a walking distraction nearby! Not to mention slow down your study progress, so you have to take even more lessons; No one in their right mind would invite Pinkie to study magic of all things; you’ve given yourself away merely by attempting to cover your feelings–” Sunset put a hoof in Rarity’s mouth to stop her from talking. Her face was red over being laid out so easily. “OKAY. Stop. you got me okay? I'm in love with Twilight Sparkle! Okay!!” “Well, that was easy. I had exhibits all the way to the letter K. Like how I easily beat you in fencing the moment I mentioned you and Twilight together, or how you only wear the dresses I made you if it’s in an event that Twilight is on...” Rarity smugly chuckled. That embarrassment turned into frustration quickly for Sunset, while she tried controlling herself. “Look, she can’t know about this, okay? No one can. Can you keep a secret? Please.” An estranged nod from the seamstress, being taken back by Sunset's utter disdain for her feelings for Twilight. “Well sure darling, but love shouldn’t be secretive! Much like our darling Applejack would say, honesty is worth it! You should talk to her.” She shook her head definitively, not even considering it. “It doesn’t matter, she’s an Alicorn, I'm just me, I don't want to think about it much, alright? It's involuntary, and It's not going anywhere. I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of her. That’s all. Please don’t tell her.” With a narrow of the eyes, Rarity looked as if she was trying to read her mind. "A what exactly is your endgame here, darling?" The question seemed almost alien to her. "Endgame? No endgame. Twilight asked me to be on the team so I'm here. When she asks me to leave, I'll leave." And she wasn't lying; This was indeed her 'plan.' "And where would you go?" "Anywhere but here." She looked away listlessly, but with conviction. Saying nothing, The fancy Unicorn looked at the other with an analytical gaze. Sunset spoke akin to a whisper, almost. but there was no hesitation in her words. "You don't have to worry about me, Rarity. This is all temporary." She said that with conviction, utter belief. Rarity was intelligent enough to understand that Sunset Shimmer had zero plans regarding her future. She was simply going with the flow, living in the now, and staying near someone she loves. And that she was only working hard to improve herself so as to come close to a chance of redemption; Which she evidently didn't seem to believe was even possible. All of this, for just a chance, and yet, she herself didn't believe it was possible. As if her life was over. She carried on, like a wraith, or an automaton, disregarding her own needs, as if she was undead. “I… See. so this is why you were training so hard. It’s not just to impress her… it’s just to make yourself worthy of... This? All of us? ...Her?” Rarity regarded her with pity, which did not help. Blowing air from her nostrils, Sunset suppressed anger. “I'm not going to BE worthy, okay? She’s Princess Twilight Sparkle. And I'm just– I'm just me. And that’s not about to change. Let it go.” Rarity frowned a bit. “Well darling, have you asked her what she thinks about how worthy you are? My gut says she would likely have a very different opinion to yours…” There was no hesitation, and yet, suppressed anger once more. “I shouldn’t and I won't. I'm sorry Rarity, but please just keep it a secret.” The seamstress squinted, looking directly at her eyes. “And you’re just going to be friends with her? Permanently? No matter how much it hurts you? That’s enough for you?” Sunset looked away again. “It has to be.” "Well I don't think---" "Let it go." The fancy Unicorn couldn't help but be taken back by Sunset's unwavering nature, specially when it came to self flagellation. it was almost art in itself, really. But they had spent time enough as is doing this song and dance, and she would have to try again some other day. Rarity sighed. “Alright darling, if you must. I’ll respect your feelings; But let the record be known I don't agree with them in the slightest." No response, Sunset just remained with her gaze elsewhere. "Now get out of here, my sister’s outta the house and mama’s got a date with her Knight in Shining armor.” she said, while putting a rose in her mouth, and a tennis ball on her horn (for counter poking safety) and walking towards the stairs; intent on having an absolutely insatiable evening with Applejack. “Yeah yeah please don’t say those words.” Sunset cringed, walking away. She shook her head, trying to forget the last ten or so minutes, trying to erase how easily she was found out. Then regret on lashing out, even if just a little set in, which led to more self deprecating thoughts. With a shudder and a sigh, she knew It was going to be a bit harder to study with Twilight today after this. Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 99. Sunset closed her book and put it away, and then reduced the speed of her run into a slight sprint so the little ponies could keep up. Applebloom, SweetieBelle, and Scootaloo all followed after her with great intrigue and natural nosey instinct. Sunset couldn't help but be amused, though. She didn’t have much experience with kids, but wasn't repelled by them at all; Comically, the fillies of Ponyville seemed to be the least interested in holding grudges, even if it was for something like "Turning into a fiery demon Alicorn and almost razing Canterlot" She had met each of the Fillies already at some point, she figured it was only a matter of time that they’d hound her about this. They were the cutie mark crusaders, after all... “No girls, I'm sorry to say, but I don't really know the deal with my cutie mark for sure. I know I've had an affinity for fire magic since I was a filly, but otherwise… it’s just a sun.” She hoped that lie would be enough to avoid the subject. It was not. “Aww c’mon, don’t be like that! I'm sure you got some deeper meaning! You’re a part of the cool crew, after all!” Applebloom cheered. She smiled, not out of joy. “Pff I'm barely an actual part of the crew, girls. Not exactly a veteran member, and I'm sure it'll be temporary.” SweetieBelle pondered. “Hmm it is a half-sun, maybe it has something to do with Celestia? You were her pupil before, right?” Sunset stopped running and started just walking. Partially to let the girls accompany her well, but also… Because SweetieBelle was right on the money. Sunset did not want to think about her, but here it was. “Well… yeah. Before… Everything, I was obsessed with being Celestia’s pupil. I wanted to be just like her. Her equal.” She hadn’t reminisced about those days in a long time. She actively avoided thinking about Celestia altogether– it was a one-hop-skip-to thinking about her own failings. How often can you say you’ve betrayed and disappointed a god? Scootaloo chimed in. “So when'd you get your cutie mark? Maybe if we know, we can better understand what’s up with it!” Sunset decided to stop and sit in the shade to rest. The girls gathered in front of her, excited for a story; They were certainly a lot more excited than Sunset was She let out a long sigh. “Okay, first of all, please promise you won’t just be sharing this story around, girls. It’s personal, and I don't need the… embarrassment.” It was about a lot more than just embarrassment. The girls all nodded among each other. Sunset wasn’t sure if they could really keep a secret, but decided they were worth her trust anyway. “Okay. It was near my hometown, me and my parents were having a picnic, and we saw a… castle sized monster? Eh maybe I was just small, but it was pretty damn– darn big. A giant, ferocious monster heading for our hometown. Oh, and I was a filly, like you.” The girl's eyes lit up. Awesome huge monsters! “My parents started gathering our stuff to run away, but since I was, well, still very young, I ran towards danger. I wanted to see what was going on, ‘cause it seemed epic, and I was certainly right about that. And that was the first time I met Princess Celestia.” The girls were excited, asking what happened next. “Well, the monster didn’t stand a chance. Celestia tore through it with incredible displays of magic and elegant wing strikes; managing to completely overwhelm it. The giant monster ran away like a little filly, licking its wounds, and the Princess wasn’t even touched in the whole fight. It was very clear that she was holding back, even, despite the amazing one-sided victory. It was incredible... A lot of people in town cheered for her, and I was among them. Little me was absolutely beaming, hehe. She was incredibly powerful, and incredibly loved. I remember thinking ‘I want to be that’ as I ran to meet her… and then boom, cutie mark.” Sweetie Belle wowed. “Omg!! Did you get to meet her??” The Unicorn smiled. “I did! Me and a crowd of other ponies. I tried talking to her, but she couldn’t hear me. Lot’s of ponies were around congratulating her and thanking her, so a small filly like me couldn’t really stand out. My parents picked me up before I could actually talk to her.” Sunset couldn’t help but be reminded of how bad it felt. Scootaloo pouted. “Aww man!! Bummer… I remember the same happened to me the first time I tried talking to Rainbow Dash… Darn our small statues!” “Stature” “Stchature?” “Staturee” “Statue!” The fillies argued and joked among themselves. Sunset looked away, lost in thought, in a quiet mumble. “I remember… crying a bit that day as we were leaving… My parents cheered me on for getting my cutie mark, but all I could think of was that I wanted to see Celestia again. I wanted to talk to her. Properly. Be like her.” The girls quieted down, waiting for Sunset to continue. “After that, I put my love for music on the back burner. I dedicated myself to magic only, and my parents were very happy to see me getting ambitious. I studied so, so hard for a year, so I could sign up for Celestia's school in Canterlot. I worked really hard. It was... Stressful.” The kids pried more. They already knew what happened after, after all, it was hard to miss the news of a fight between Twilight and a raging demon pony. But they still wanted to hear Sunset's side of the story. “But you were Celestia's pupil at some point, right?” Sunset exhaled shakingly, still looking away. “Emphasis on were.” The three fillies tilted their heads, waiting for more. With another listfull sigh, she continued. “After working so hard to reach that point, I felt entitled to the position. And I also was really frustrated. I couldn't be… more. Celestia was right there, and I couldn't be like her. I was still just a tryhard, hard headed unicorn. I started arguing with her, and looking for shortcuts to power like hers… I broke myself. And then, well... Celestia booted me as her pupil. And thank goodness she did. I didn’t deserve that position, I never did. If Twilight wasn’t there to save me from myself after, when I tried to get ‘payback’ by stealing her crown…“ She shuddered. Her hubris knew no bounds, neither did her arrogance, and neither did her regrets. Scootaloo chuckled nervously. “Wow, that sucks!! I couldn’t live with myself if I disappointed Celestia, I'd be floored!! Absolutely crushed! I could never show my face again!!” Sunset frowned. Yeah, that kid was a fan of Rainbow Dash, alright. “Well, regardless, I don't really know what my cutie mark means anymore, okay? It’s just a sun because my name is Sunset I guess. Let's just go with that.” She knew what it meant. It meant for her desire to be something more than she was; Her desperate, foolish desire. But it was over now. Permanently. Applebloom pried a bit. “How come you don’t wanna be like Celestia anymore?” The Unicorn let out a chuckle, but it wasn't exactly a happy one. “Applebloom, it’s not a matter of want, I hope you understand… It was stupid of me to even try to reach that high. I'm just me, and I've come to terms with that. How could any of us match a princess…? I was super entitled and cocky and I thought it was like. My destiny or whatever. It was stupid of me. Almost no pony is built for that, and that’s okay! I’ve come to terms with my place. It’s what I deserve.” She said, truthfully, with a lump in her throat. It was easier to say that than to simply say that she wasn't worthy. That she was a spectacular failure. That no matter how much she had tried, it was all for nothing. She did not think Celestia would ever want to see her again. Or alternatively, she thought that she did not deserve to see or even talk to her old mentor. Truthfully, she didn't care if Celestia wanted it or not; The shame that Sunset felt was enough to discourage her from even considering seeing her old master again. Applebloom could tell the Unicorn was hurting. “Well I don't think you’re so bad… even having become her pupil at all is pretty awesome, ain’t it?” Sunset didn’t believe so. “Sure, kid.” Sweetie Belle scratched the floor with her hooves. “Do you still write to Celestia? My sister does that sometimes when she learns a lesson and stuff! I’ve seen Princess Twilight do it a lot, too…” Sunset sighed, not at frustration towards them, but herself. “No, I don't.” “Why’s that?” “Because I have nothing to say to her, I guess.” She lied. “Do you think she’s still mad at you for the whole evil thing?” Sunset shook her head. “No, I don't think so. She’s forgiven me, but I haven't– I'm still not very comfortable about it. I don’t talk to her.” “Do you miss her?” “Not really.” She lied again. For a split second Sunset could perfectly remember what it was like to walk side by side with the queen of the sun. A fleeting feeling. Sweetie Belle was gonna ask another question, but Applebloom stopped her. She could tell that Sunset seemed a bit uncomfortable with the conversation. Sunset thanked the girls, profoundly relieved of the end of that particular subject. “Well, is there anything else? I have to get back to my run, but I'll see you girls at the next party Pinkie throws; I'm gonna be her magician again!” She said, trying her best to shake off the shivers that came with thinking of her old mentor. Applebloom was peppy. “Oh sweet! Last party was so fun! And I loved it when that weirdo Trixie broke into the party and tried fightin’ you for some reason!” Scootaloo was hyped. “Oh my gosh it was so sick to see that flip you did! And the way you kicked her outta window?? So cool.” Sunset chuckled nervously. “Haha yeah that was totally a part of the show” She lied, remembering holding that weird blue Unicorn on a headlock and kicking her out. Scootaloo couldn’t contain herself any longer, right as Sunset was about to leave: “Is it true you’re participating in the regional race with Rainbow Dash??” Sunset paused. “Um. It is true, but it’s a secret…” “I KNEW IT! Rainbow Dash bragged about having a friend to go with this time and I knew it was you!! You’ve been training like crazy!! C’mon girls let’s let her train some more!” The little Pegasus took off on her scooter gleefully. Applebloom pushed Sweetie Belle to move away. “Bye Miss Sunset! Can’t wait to see you around the farm again sometime!!” Sunset waved back cheerfully, genuinely looking forward to a return. “Wait, why is it a secret?? Who’s it a secret TO??” Sweetie Belle questioned. Sunset just walked away, amused. The amusement turned a bit bitter shortly after, as Sunset's thoughts led her to Celestia again. Would she ever be able to face her again…? No. Never. Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 81. Butterflies were landing all over her while she tried to meditate. Concentrating was very difficult… She was managing, barely, until she broke and had to sneeze. The insects took flight, scattering all over Fluttershy’s garden. “*oof.* Sorry Fluttershy, sorry! And sorry, Fluttershy's friends.” Sunset apologized profusely to all the little critters that scattered around her. Fluttershy, sitting next to her, snickered. “It’s okay, Sunset, if they land on you It just means they’re comfortable.” If it wasn't butterflies, it’d be squirrels or bunnies or birds, and for some inexplicable reason, that one bear. Fluttershy’s garden sure was something. Meditation was an interesting thing; Sunset definitely couldn’t say she enjoyed it, but she saw it more as a necessary annoyance in her routine, forcing herself to clear her own mind, if not just confront her own thoughts, and if possible, get some relaxation. But the company was the highlight, really. Fluttershy was a good friend to have if you didn’t ever want conflict or discussion. She was always kind and calm. It was nice to just unwind here. She couldn't help but laugh a bit, with a butterfly still on her ear. “Sorry, heh. Can we take a quick five?” Fluttershy nodded. “Of course...! You know, not many people can take meditation, my Dashie can never sit still, hihi. She’s always all over the place. She’s good at ‘chillaxing’ but meditating is a bit harder.” She said, with an affectionate smile, looking at the sky. It wouldn't surprise either of them if they saw that rainbow streak cross the sky. Sunset decided to leave the remaining butterflies undisturbed. “Pff yeah. She sure is hyperactive. Come to think of it, don’t take this the wrong way, but how did two girls so different like you two get together?” “That’s a funny story, not sure if you want to hear it though; it’s kind of cheesy.” The Unicorn smirked. “Pff please. I'm friends with you guys. I'm getting used to ‘cheesy.’” Fluttershy laid on her back in the grass and watched the clouds, and Sunset decided to follow suit. “Well, this might be kind of surprising to hear, but I used to be pretty shy, and disinterested in romance; and meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was a heartbreaker! She was always going around dating mares and cutting ties in a month, or even just a week. She never wanted to get bogged down; always jumping from girl to girl, settling with no one.” “Yeaaah, that sounds like her.” “Here’s the thing too; me and her? We knew each other as kids. So I knew her. By the time that we came together on Twilight's team, it was very weird, seeing an estranged friend like that just be heroic and all. I guess she must have seen an opportunity for another heart to break, cause she did try some advances on me.” “Hah no way, she was treating you like the other girls?” The Pegasus took a stern look; Which looked comical in someone so soft and cute. “Yep! And I wasn't gonna have it. I declined all her advances. I wasn’t interested in a heartbreaker or in her idea of what ‘romance’ was.” “What happened next? ‘Cause you two are together now, after all.” “What happened next is we became actual friends again. We helped each other and met each other and saw each other as friends! Every time we met with Twilight and the gang, we were a part of something bigger, she was a part of something bigger. And she could notice that. She started mellowing out so to speak.” “She definitely seems so!” “So by the time I kissed her on my terms, it was less of a fixer upper. She's cute. I kind of know a lot of what goes beneath the Rainbow Dash hood now; her thoughts are simple but they are very much under the surface. By the time we were dating I could tell she was uncomfortable with spending that much time with only one mare and not flying off to another thing. But that was just her own insecurity with holding a relationship bubbling up. So I told her that even if we broke up, I wouldn't mind, as long as we were still friends.” Sunset's jaw dropped. “WOW, that's cold, Flutters.” She giggled a bit. “The coldest! But guess what. It was just the push she needed to realize that she not only wanted to be more than friends, she wanted to stay being more than friends! And we’ve been together ever since. And although I never really cared for the romance thing, I have to say, I'm pretty happy. Not everypony can say they are dating a superhero, basically. The fastest flier in Equestria!” Sunset chuckled. “Hah that is a pretty big bragging right, yeah. And she does seem to be head over heels with you, which is a great plus. I'm happy for you two!” Sunset couldn't help but think of her own losses in the love department, though. And swiftly tried ending any thoughts regarding that, mentally beating them away with a stick. Fluttershy turned to her, still laying down. “Well? How about you, are you interested in love? Any fun dating stories?” Sunset looked away nervously. “Umm how about we go back to meditating haha” Fluttershy frowned and pouted, poking her with her hoof. “Aww c’mon, don’t be like that. I shared, you can share too, I'm sure it's not that bad…!” With a frown and a sigh, Sunset considered it for a moment, then yielded. “Well... yes. I am interested in lovey dovey crap. I have dated before, and no I have not had much luck with it.” “Go on…” Fluttershy nudged her. She couldnt help but go on a bit of a tangent. “Okay so last time I dated was this guy named Flash. And boy, was it dumb. It was more than a year ago, when I was still studying under Celestia, and I literally only dated the guy to get a quick outlet; and maybe popularity, ‘cause he was a royal guard. I was really stressed at the time and y’know, was becoming straightup evil. I was a pretty bad girlfriend, as you can expect. And he was just. Kind of a simple guy? I guess I just found him hot enough, I don't know. It was dumb. I shouldn’t have used him. I shouldn’t have even been there in the first place. That position was not for me.” She paused. “Oh, and for the record, I broke up with him.” She lied. Fluttershy listened attentively. “Uh huh, go on…” “Honestly it was a pretty stupid mistake. I can’t believe I almost considered joining the royal guards with him in Canterlot, too. Though that would have been a better fate than being banished and then becoming an evil demon and having Princess Twilight Sparkle beat my ass. I guess I have had zero experiences with romance since, because why would I? I'm literally rebuilding my life from the ground up! All of this is new to me and I'm making it up as I go. And moving on from just a boring-ass guy to someone so incredible and just– untouchable is REALLY hard because how could I possibly deserve her after all I did??” She nearly bit her tongue, realizing she might have overshared and overstepped. “Wow… who are you talking about?” Twilight Sparkle. “I can’t tell you.” She looked away. Fluttershy wanted to know, but decided to keep to herself. “Well… okay. I can respect your secrecy. I just hope that you can also see what’s good about you, Sunset. Whoever you’re talking about must see it too.” The Unicorn scoffed. “Pssh, sure, whatever.” But the Pegasus would not allow her to dismiss that, as she started counting. “You’re reliable. You’re dependable. You’re strong. You’re determined. You’re pretty. You’re cool. You’re kind. You dress really nicely. You’re always showing interest in what we–” Sunset stopped her. “Okay, okay, heh, I get it. Thanks Flutters. I guess I don't really… think about myself that way.” Raising her muzzle with a pout, Fluttershy got high and mighty, which was cute for someone so wimpy. “Well you should. If any of the others heard you talking about yourself that way, why, they’d be livid, especially Twilight. It's not nice.” Her ears twitched involuntarily. “Uhm why Twilight especially?” “Well isn’t it obvious? She literally saved you from being evil, you're the only one that could understand her position; The tension and anxiety that comes with trying to live up to Princess Celestia! She helped you be friends with all of us, you’re the only member of our team that didn’t join on day 1, and that is not a coincidence! You’re one of her greatest accomplishments due to just how good you’re doing now! She's super proud of you, Sunset! You mean a lot to her. Doesn’t she tell you that too?” “S-she does, I guess it just feels… It’s… Different when I hear it from someone else.” Sunset felt a bit flustered. It really was a gut punch whenever she was reminded of how kind Twilight is. Though it didn't mean more that a friendly bias from the Princess of Friendship. “Hmpf. Well you better accept it. You’re nice.” She acted ‘tough’ but it just made them both laugh together a bit. For a moment, they just enjoyed laying in the grass as friends, no other concerns. “Ready to go back to meditation?” “Absolutely.” Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 73. “This castle is so beautiful, right?? Have you ever seen anything like it??” Twilight cheerfully spread her wings wide, looking around. The castle of the Crystal Empire was indeed really gorgeous. The walls, the floor and the ceiling, all were different kinds of crystal, it really felt like an entirely different world. Sunset walked alongside her, distracted by how peppy she was, despite the gorgeous surroundings. “W-wow, yeah, I'm speechless. Thanks for taking me here, princess.” Twilight ignored the formalities and did another of her adorable squeals, much to Sunset’s delight. “IIIIIIIII!! I'm so excited for you to meet Cadance!! She is the coolest. You’re gonna love her!!! Did I tell you my brother used to date her?” “You did! And I've been meaning to ask. Getting dumped by an Alicorn, is he like... Okay? Is he alive?” Sunset apprehensively asked, trying not to imagine Celestia ‘dumping’ someone by literally dropping them in the sun. Twilight didn’t seem very fazed, she clearly cared for her brother; and trusted and respected his willpower. “Oh, Shining Armor is fine. It was a mutual agreement thing! B-but yeah, he did spend a few… weeks recovering. It’s pretty rough, ending a relationship with a princess of love, no less.” Sunset tried not to think of herself in that position. Heartbreak. Or more like heartshatter. She shook her head, swiftly removing those thoughts, snapping out of that funk. “He must be pretty tough, having survived that. I guess it runs in the family…” “Hihihi, thank you! And you know it!” The princess of Friendship was as giddy as ever, making for wonderful company. Sunset wasn’t minding this little weekend getaway. It was her first time in the Crystal Empire, the furthest she had ever been from home. It was either this or Manehattan, and she did have a particular interest in meeting another princess, especially the Princess of Love, so why waste time with skyscrapers and busy streets? Maybe she’d visit with Rarity, when helping her with her franchise sometime. Besides, Twilight needed as much break from princess duties as she could get. If Sunset could help ease her burdens, she would, without hesitation. They crossed more and more regal and beautifully decorated rooms, and passed by various crystal pony guards. As they walked by a beautiful balcony, a crystal heart floated above a podium. Twilight cheerfully gave trivia. “Did you know that if you stare into the crystal heart for too long, you might see your future?” Sunset didn’t even give it a glance. “Soooo, the Princess of love… What am I supposed to expect here? Cause i’ve had 3 experiences with Alicorns and like, two out of three were ‘fine’ so far, you being the best one…” Twilight knew who the one unpleasant princess experience was, and didn’t want to pry. She knew enough from her own mentor’s account and Sunset. Part of Twilight really really wanted to take Sunset to her mentor so that they could see each other once more. But it’s not what the Unicorn wanted… Celestia and Sunset hadn’t talked in ages, despite having no quarrel. Well… maybe some quarrel. Twilight cared a lot about both of them. But she didn't know how to fix their broken relationship; She hoped time would heal those wounds. She shook it off and went back on subject. “You’re gonna be fiiiiiine. Cadance is really fun!!! She can be a bit… distracted, focusing on Love stuff a bit much, but still, it shouldn't be a problem to us!” The Alicorn cheerfully approached a big set of doors, where guards bowed to her, and she bowed back. They opened the large throne room doors, and the two friends entered. Sunset couldn’t help but be a bit nervous. “So you’re positive there’s nothing to worry about here?” Which Twilight just shook her head, gleefully. ”Nope! We should invite her to get snow cones with us!” “Alright, princess, I'll follow your lead.” It was a large room with beautiful tapestries and crystals hanging from the ceiling. Guards were ordered to wait outside and give them privacy. Sunset did not feel as intimidated as in Canterlot. Not that this was much more inviting to someone like her, but there was less pressure. Princess Cadance got up from her throne and walked to them. Sunset noticed that she was much like Twilight, someone who became an Alicorn. She was about to bow to her… And then Twilight and Cadance started doing a little dance together. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!” Sunset watched the two Alicorns do a little dance they were clearly accustomed to. She tried keeping a poker face when seeing Twilight once again one up herself in the area of doing one of the cutest and strangest things she had ever seen. Don’t freak out. Both of the Princesses giggled while Sunset attempted to be normal about this. Maybe failing at it a bit. “Um. is this a custom Alicorn greeting or…?” As peppy as ever, Twilight giggled. “Hihihi, no, silly! Remember? I told you she used to babysit me. We go way back!” She fluttered her wings joyfully. Cadance approached the Unicorn with a professional smile. “So you must be Sunset Shimmer! I was looking forward to meeting the one friend of Twilight’s I didn't know yet… She has told me a lot about you.” Sunset was playing it cool, trying to keep professional as well. Unfortunately for her, Twilight put a friendly wing over her, which increased her nerves tenfold, and her heartbeat. “Yep! This is Sunset! One of my closest friends. It’s her first time in the Crystal Empire, I'm so happy you finally get to meet her!!” Twilight's wing over her was nearly all she could think of, but she conjured all of her composure and decorum to maintain the formalities. She bowed. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Cadance. Your kingdom is beautiful. I am pleased that you’ve allowed us to stay for the weekend–” As she finished her bow, she looked up and saw the Princess of Love staring directly into her, wide eyed and blank faced. The Princess's eyes glowed; and Sunset could tell this meant some form of magic was at work, intimidating and confusing her. A small moment of awkward silence as the Princess of love stared directly at her. Twilight was about to break the ice, but that’s when Cadance spoke up. “Well, Twilight... You sure have brought me an interesting case here…” She said, still staring directly at the confused Unicorn with an analytical glare. Both of the ponies expressed confusion, And Cadance simply smiled and approached The Unicorn, which in turn made her recoil slightly. “Sunset Shimmer… Your heart is full, but it’s aching. The fullest it has ever been, As if you’re about to burst. You don’t know what to do, do you?” She smiled, but that smile held concern and pity. “What…?!” Sunset could tell that Cadance was reading her. Could she literally tell that Sunset was in love? Was that her weird Alicorn speciality?? She started panicking. Twilight was literally standing right next to her. This could be bad. Twilight chimed in, a bit puzzled. “Umm, excuse me? Cadance what are you talking about…?” The Princess of Love looked at Twilight. Then back at Sunset. Then back at Twilight. Then back at Sunset. “Oooooooooohhh ~” She knowingly smiled, much to the Unicorn’s dismay. She addressed the Unicorn, with full confidence. “I see… It makes sense then. I understand your plight, after all, being in love with–” Sunset was quick on the draw. She zapped Twilight, teleporting her out of the room, the fastest horn in the west. Right before Cadance finished saying “...Twilight. Oh. You’re no fun ~” Sunset let out a massive exhale, happy to know Twilight didn’t hear that. She tried not being angry at Cadance, but it was very hard under the circumstances. Even harder to formulate a thought. “H-hey!!! What the hell are you doing?? Are you just reading me and saying what I'm thinking?? Well STOP IT!” It was not a threat, but a desperate request. Cadance, amused, sat down. “Not what you’re thinking, dear. What you’re feeling. And forgive me, but your love was loud. So you’re hiding it from her, aren’t you? How dreadful… Do not worry, Sunset. I will cover for you… for now.” “What are you even talking about–” Then, Twilight entered the room, even more confused. “Hey girls, what happened? Did one of you just zap me outta here?” Sunset had no excuse. Cadance, however, made quick on her deal. “Don’t worry, Twilight. Your friend was just showing me her magical prowess! I'm impressed!” Sunset mustered an awkward smile and a nod, as the Alicorn continued. “Could you give us some time to talk in private? We’ll see you outside in a bit! Your friend is delightful ~” Twilight pouted. “Aww but I wanted to– Well, okay… Have fun you two!” She said walking out of the room again, looking back. Sunset exhaled the moment her princess was out of sight. “Ugh… Nice save.” Cadance snickered. “Twilight can be quite gullible at times. And oblivious, too…” She said, still staring at Sunset. “So… You don’t want to talk about it, do you?” Sunset frowned, Trying to remain cordial towards the Alicorn, and unmistakably failing. “Do I want to talk about how the Princess of Love nearly spilled my guts in front of the Princess I love, a Princess who will never love me back? Not particularly, no.” Paying her no mind, Cadance delightedly rolled her eyes, used to all kinds of reactions when talking about love, this included. “Never say never, dear Sunset. No, Twilight might not love you, but it’s because she doesn’t know what loving like that is; And she's desperately in need of it, if I may add. She has always been so oblivious…” Sunset sighed. “Great.” Cadance looked at her intently. “But it doesn’t mean you couldn’t teach her.” Sunset’s heart beat faster, but she kept her cool. “Alright, hold your horses. I'm just a Unicorn, okay? I'm not worthy of a princess. My feelings are involuntary and inconsequential. I love being her friend, and I'm not about to ruin that, or me, for that matter…” Cadance sighed lovingly. “Ah, but even love that is fragile is still important… Even if it were to end, it would still be worth it to be honest with her, don’t you think? Flings, summer romances, even just a week, it’s all beautiful.” Sunset tried turning the tables. “Is that what happened with you and Shining Armor?” Turning to lounge on her throne, Cadance was quite amused, ignoring the Unicorn’s tone, delighted with the conversation. “Ah, my dear Shining Armor... What happened between us was beautiful, even if it was temporary, I have no regrets. We will both always cherish the time we spent together, even if it had to end. Don’t you think that’s important too?” Sunset looked away. “I'm not interested in heartbreak. I’ve had enough.” Cadance stared directly into her, once again reading her like a book. “Your feelings betray you, Sunset Shimmer. You would fight your worst fears, You would gladly lay down your life, You would change your entire being, all for Twilight Sparkle.” That much was obviously true, even Sunset was internally aware. but it did not change her tune, as she scoffed. “So what? It will never be enough. I will never be enough.” Cadance sat up, and the room started… changing. Crystals on walls, ceiling, and even the floor started taking a red hue. She stared at Sunset with a blank, yet stern expression. A gust of wind started surrounding them as her horn glowed. “Hm. If your feelings don’t matter, why not have me take them away?” Sunset's body tensed up, looking around, but focusing on the Princess. “What?!” Cadance spread her wings wide, menacingly. “Like I said. Your heart is full, but it's aching. I can take that ache from you, Sunset Shimmer. No more painful love. You’ll be just friends. Isn’t that what you want? No more heartbreak?” Her magic was enveloping the Unicorn fast. Anger exploded within Sunset instantly. She put her hoof down, and shook her mane and horn, blowing any magic around her away, as she glared back at Cadance, fully ready to fight if needed, blowing steam from her nostrils as flame magic built up on her horn, ready to incinerate the entire room if necessary; ready to go berzerk. This time it *was* a threat. “YOU BETTER STOP RIGHT NOW, OR I’ll–” Cadance immediately lounged back on her chair again, giggling a bit. The room returned to its normal hue, and the magic faded. “See? That, right there. That conviction. How quickly you fought to maintain your love, even with its possibility of heartbreak. Perhaps it’s not so bad, is it?” Sunset’s adrenaline was still a bit high. “I… What?” Cadance giggled some more. “Dear Sunset, you were just about to attack an Alicorn Princess, just for the chance to keep loving Twilight Sparkle. Need I say more?” Sunset covered her face with her hooves, flustering with profound embarassment. She really was about to pick a fight with an Alicorn, just for her love of Twilight. Without hesitation. Love made her really, really stupid. “Oh, for the love of Celestia…” Cadance snorted. “More like for the love of Twilight, am I right?” “Gah!!” Sunset flustered even more. Cadance got up from her throne, approaching her kindly. “It’s okay. I know you are not ready yet. But considering how much you are willing to fight for her, I'd say you’re on the right track. These feelings are not going away… They’re only getting stronger. This is real, Sunset. It’s real and it’s good.” She smiled warmly. Sunset looked down, unable to accept it. “Look, she… I… how can it be worth it? My love wouldn’t mean a thing, if…” Cadance looked at her, warmly, and calmly. “Even if it’s temporary. Even if it’s fleeting. Even if it ends in heartbreak. Even if there is a countdown until it all ends. You were still ready to fight for it, moments ago. Can’t you see how beautiful that is?” Sunset frowned, giving in with an exhale, not wanting to fight her on the subject anymore. “How are you so good at this? Oh, right, princess of love. Duh.” The Alicorn snickered in amusement. “Oh please, I can't have been the first one that could see it, plain as day.” Sunset sighed, reminiscing on her comical humiliation. “Yeah, you weren’t, Rarity found out first.” The Princess giggled further. “Oh, that Unicorn is wonderful. She could very much be in my position… but it would likely keep her from her job, and a certain farm girl she loves dearly, so I think that it is for the best… They are wonderful together.” Cadance reminisced, likely on a time that she read Rarity and Applejack just like she had just read Sunset. Those two were entertaining. “And horny.” “Oh, very horny.” They both laughed together a bit. Twilight peeked in the room again. “Hey Sunset!! Ask her if she wants to go out for snow cones!! I forgot to ask before!! Sorry to interrupt, have fun!!” She closed the doors again. Sunset let out a sigh of relief. “Well, you heard her. Snow cones?” Cadance smiled, turning around and walking towards her private quarters. “Surely! Go be with your beloved, Sunset. Tell her I'm going to get ready and then we can go out together.” And then she paused. “Oh, and Sunset?” “yeah?” The room flashed red, as her eyes glowed. “Do not break her heart. Or I will break yours.” Sunset smiled. “Not a problem.” The Princess continued her walk, smiling too. “I know.” It was a pretty wonderful weekend, there were a lot of beautiful sights to see in Cadance's empire. Sunset kept her words in mind, while trying just to enjoy her time together with Twilight, even if it might be fleeting. “Your friend Cadance is nuts, princess.” “Hihi, yeah, she’s pretty out there. Better or worse than Celestia?” “Better.” Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 61. Farming was rough sometimes. Applejack’s routine was quite intense! They were almost done, though. Applejack promised to help Sunset build up a strength routine, and that also involved farmwork, which was fine by Sunset, considering it a favor for a favor; Chores were a small price to pay for building up strength, besides, it was good company regardless. It was especially interesting seeing the dynamic on her farm. A grandma, two big siblings and a little one. And all of them apple fanatics, they were quite amusing. Not to mention Rarity would often stop by just to watch her work, like how she was now; with a big gorgeous sunhat and lovely glasses she sat on a spread chair. She had helped with the chores a bit, but in general Sunset didn’t mind her slacking, she needed more workouts for herself after all. Sometimes, if they were on a muddy field, Rarity would climb on Applejack's back and lounge there, and the Farmer would continue her chores effortlessly, helping her girlfriend avoid getting mud on her hooves. It felt good to work on chores with friends like these; and watching the gun show that was Applejack working was always entertaining, with the added bonus of the Apple household in general was kind and inviting. Sunset hadn’t been surrounded by family for a really long time. “C’mon Sunset! We nearly got it! Keep pullin' partner, yer doing great!” Applejack was as eager as ever. This work was effortless to her, she was pulling a loaded cart really damn easily. “T-thanks.” Sunset couldn't muster that much more coherency; this was taking a lot out of her. It definitely had gotten easier compared to the first times, she had built up a lot more strength, but still wasn’t all there yet. She certainly wasn’t expecting to match Applejack, but she was already pretty happy to have reached this far. Sunset got lost in thought, looking at the Apple household… she realized then that she had never really seen Applejack’s parents. “Hey AJ! If you don’t mind me asking, where are your parents? Haven’t seen 'em around, and family’s a big thing around here…” Applejack didn’t seem to be very fazed. “Not much to say, Sunset, they died when I was really young.” the Unicorn felt a sting on herself, Way more than Applejack did.“O-oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I didn’t mean to pry...” The Farmer chuckled a bit, not because it was funny, but because this was a wound that had healed a long time ago, it didn’t hurt anymore. “Nah, it’s okay, partner. It is, really! And yer right, family is a big thing around here. Don’t you worry, we don't spend our time mournin'. My parents were really kind folk and well, with this farm, my sister, my brother, and my granny, I got nothing to complain about. Besides, I remember their voices and I remember their faces; their love stays with me! That'll do.” Rarity teared up a bit. “Oh, Applejack, dear… you are so strong…!” making both of them laugh and the loving emotional outburst. “Well, ya asked me, now I ask you. Where’s yer parents, Sunset?” Applejack put her on the spot; but Sunset owed her an answer well enough. Her own wound hadn't healed as well. “Oh, well… I haven't talked to them much since… everything. When I signed up to Celestia's school, they were proud. But when Celestia took me as a pupil, the pressure got to me, and I started doing badly. I wanted to be just like her, and I was fully aware that there was no way in hell I ever could be. That’s when I started looking for shortcuts, until, well… she justifiably booted me. And then the rest is history, Twilight kicked my ass after I became a demon, then kept me around for no reason, bla bla bla…” AJ was confused. “That’s fine n' all, but what about your parents? Did ya just– did ya just not talk to them after??” Sunset looked at the ground while pulling the cart. The weight felt less heavy than the subject. “It’s complicated, I guess. I sent them a letter, they don’t live in Ponyville or Canterlot. They’re out of the way, and well… I don't know. I’ve broken their trust– and Celestia’s trust no less. I can’t walk back from that. Last time we saw each other it wasn’t on good terms.” Rarity was feeling sadness for both of them now. “Darling this isn’t about Celestia, it’s about you and your parents. Did they really cut ties with you??” “Well, not exactly… I still know where they live. I wasn’t disowned. They did say that I should come visit when I feel like I can. Sometimes I miss them, I guess? My Dad used to do a mean garden party, some lovely barbecues… They used to call me “mustard” or “ketchup” depending on the mood, because of my hair, heheh. I used to dislike that, but… I miss it now, i guess. Mom’s the one that introduced me to playing guitar, too. The electric guitar, I mean. She used to play small time shows in my hometown. Come to think of it, I haven't played guitar myself, in a while…” Sunset couldn't help but smile a bit, even if remembering was sad. Applejack detached her carriage and went to Sunset and hugged her. Sunset tried objecting, but… “Honey, ya need this, just take it.” Rarity galloped over and joined the hug. “Bwahh… I couldn’t ever take being that far from my parents even with our differences!!” Sunset just accepted their kindness. It did feel nice. They finished moving the carriages to the barn and closed it up, then moved outside to stretch. “Welp, we’re done, then! Carriages in their barns, all animals on their coups, day’s finished with flyin’ colors!” Applejack cheerfully celebrated. “Allright. What’s next, AJ? I still have energy!” Sunset affirmed, while walking in place a bit, still fired up. “Well what’s next is we were just gonna get some juice and rest in my living room; aren’t ya done for the day?” Applejack was a little surprised, and reasonably concerned. Sunset started stretching. “Nope! How about push ups? I could do push ups.” “Alright darling, if you say so!” Rarity sat on her leaning chair to watch, amused. AJ looked around. “Well I might as well get you some weights then. Where did Applebloom run off to?” Sunset walked up to a tree and bucked it. Applebloom fell from the branches above and The Unicorn caught her. “Hey kiddo! You okay?” Applebloom was a little embarrassed. Applejack walked over. “Lil’ sis there you are!! What were ya doing up there??” Sunset chuckled. “I saw her eavesdropping on us when we were talking about parents before.” Applebloom teared up a bit and hugged Sunset tightly. “SUNSET I'M SO SORRY ABOUT YOUR PARENTS YOU MUST MISS THEM SO MUCH!!!!” Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. She had contained her feelings very fiercely, and the little filly was feeling it all for her. “Applebloom, it’s okay, really! I promise you I'm okay.” The little pony sniffled. “R-really?” “Yes. I promise. I’ll talk to my parents when I'm ready, you know? Yes, I miss them, and maybe they miss me too. But there’s no need to rush these kinds of things. Whenever I'm ready, I'll go visit them!” She smiled warmly. “W-well, if ya say so…” Applebloom said, still hugging her. Rarity and Applejack both looked fondly, Sunset was surprisingly good with kids. She could really emphasize! “It’s okay, really! Now giddyup, partner!” Sunset put the little pony on her back, and then started doing push ups. This wasn’t the first time, they tried various weights, and one that could not as easily slip off was more ideal. After a long day’s work, Sunset was feeling pretty sore, but she was getting much better at this. It wasn’t that hard. Applebloom started giggling. She reliably passed 50 push ups, despite getting more tired and tired by the second. AJ nodded. “Hmm, hmm. This is gettin' easy for you, aint it?” “Never better!” Sunset said, hiding the soreness, performing the pushups as best as possible. Applejack thought a bit, then walked over to Rarity. “What’s going on, dear?” the posh Unicorn asked. “Alley-oop!” Applejack effortlessly picked up her girlfriend, and carried her over to Sunset, making her blush immediately. “Applejack! Dear!! you know I like it when you handle me but umm” AJ chuckled. “If it weren’t for her backside, Rarity would weigh as much as a pack of grapes. But she should still be pretty light. Besides, I sure ain't puttin’ Big Mac on your back! Ready, Sunset?” “Huh??! Oh no” Sunset’s eyes widened. Applejack easily placed her girlfriend on top of Sunset, alongside Applebloom. “There ya go, ya wanted a challenge, ya got it! Ya got this, Sunset!” Applejack amused herself a bit. Rarity remained flustered and scoffed about being used as a paperweight. Applebloom just went “Yeehaw!!” After 15 more push ups, Sunset was starting to lose it, she sure as hell couldn’t feel her legs. This was heavy. Applejack started telling her to stop, but she barely grunted a “no” trying to push herself once again. Things were starting to really hurt. The Earth Pony didn’t let this go on any longer, taking Applebloom and Rarity off of her, which made Sunset collapse and get really dizzy, almost losing consciousness. “*Huff*… *huff*… again” she tried getting up. “Ohh no no no, partner. Yer done for today. We’re getting some apple juice and laying ya on the couch now.” Both asserted: “You’re resting now and that’s final, darling!” Even Applebloom was concerned. “Please take a break, Sunset!!” Despite the trembling, she still got up. “Hah… You can’t stop me… I'm doing more…” Applejack placed a single hoof on top of her and easily pinned her down, raising an eyebrow. The exhausted Unicorn conceded. “Okay… okay… you guys win. Take me to the juice pleaseee….” She was gonna feel this one tomorrow. Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 53. Pinkie egged her on to try again. “C’mon! C’mon!! It didn't sound so bad last time, you still got it!” She was bouncing a bit, in her usual Pinkie way, on the floor of Sunset’s room. The room was more tidy this time, though not by much. There was a new beat up sandbag hanging from the ceiling, and her calendar was packed with different schedules and appointments and friend gatherings. The Unicorn sat on her own bed, strumming on her guitar. It felt frustrating to pick up this instrument again. Sure; wearing the jackets she always wore was easier; it didn't feel like trying to crawl back on old skin. But even trying to play this felt like lying. It felt like… it felt like trying to return to a version of her she could never be again. “I don’t know Pinkie, I'm not sure it's–” Pinkie interrupted. “Nonono. Close your eyes. There is no crowd. There is no room. There is no Pinkie Pie watching you. Remember that time we put on our first magic show for Sweetie Belle’s birthday? You were nervous back then too! Same rule applies! It’s only you and your tools of art, girl! It's you and your music! Try that and go go go!” Sunset sighed, with a smile that always propped up whenever Pinkie did her shenanigans. One thing was for sure, Pinkie was a mood lifter no matter what. It was certainly a surprise; The Pink pony would be the kind of girl that Sunset would have hated to be even near in the past; But she found herself getting along with Pinkie easier than any of the others. After all, this party girl was the most forgiving of all the crew, and in her own way, surprisingly dependable; Kind of ride and die. Sunset didn't fear slipping a bit into her old ways around Pinkie, knowing that they could comfortably get over any snarky commentary or quick burst of rage by laughing it off. And even now, here Pinkie was, completely shrugging off Sunset's insecurities, egging her on to try things that would definitely make her feel better; She wasn't the element of laughter for no reason! Or was it joy? With an approving and excited nod from the Pink pony, she tried playing once more. In the past, Sunset would write violent or angry songs, a quick outlet for anger she suppressed often; or rather failed to suppress. This time it was different. She strummed on her guitar, connected to an amp, trying to play a new song she had been writing. With eyes closed, she tried feeling only the melody echoing. It was a slow and dragged guitar riff that played on sorrow and listlessness, while also being energetic at times. She felt the song and the song alone, singing alongside it, and it was like there was no bed, no floor, no walls, no ceiling, no castle, nothing. A familiar feeling. She played guitar in the living room of her house when she was younger, before everything. She played a pretty bad solo, but her parents found it amusing and applauded it anyway. She knew she did wrong, but they accepted it regardless. It was nice. Our little Mustard is going to rock the world… It was her and the music. And then it was done. Pinkie cheered and clapped her hooves. “YAY!! And you said you were rusty!! You’re out here rocking this castle, girl! And the song is coming along great!” Making her chuckle again. “Thanks, pink. If you’re sure, I'm sure. It's a bit of a graduation, going from just magic shows at parties to playing together, but hey, I owe ya.” Pinkie pouted. “You don’t owe me anything! We’re friends right?? Who’s keeping score!! We do this for fun!!! Besides, we’re only gonna play in small places like restaurants and parties and to our friends. No need to worry, girl!” Despite minor worries, Sunset was chipper again; Pinkie had a way of doing that. “Hah, you’re damn right. Hey remember that time I choked Trixie out and kicked her out of a window in front of 14 kids hehehehe” Pinkie Pie wheezed and they both did the motions of the badass scene, retelling its greatness, until they heard a knock on the door. “Come in!” Princess Twilight Sparkle came in with an air of curiosity. “Sunset, is everything okay? I heard– oh Pinkie you’re here too…” She struggled to hide a hint of disappointment. She liked Pinkie Pie, sure, but there were too many study sessions where Pinkie was present for what felt like a smoke bomb between her and Sunset. Couldn't fault the Pink Pony, but she felt a bit upset she couldn't get closer to the newest member of her team. Any of the nights where it was only her two together were really productive study sessions! –even if Sunset would often call it quits early. The Princess scanned the room with her eyes briefly, being pleased that it was a bit more tidy than last times, at least. Her eyes rested on the broken mirror, one Sunset had refused to replace, and had refused to explain how or why she even broke it in the first place. Snapping her out of her trance, Pinkie waved. “Hiiiii Twi!” Sunset smiled, ready to stop everything for her. “Princess Twilight! Hi! We’re not disturbing, are we? We can stop if you want.” Twilight was a bit surprised to see her Unicorn friend holding a guitar; especially after hearing the melody echo on the halls of her castle; it was the first time she’d heard that. She was also a bit taken back by seeing Sunset wearing another one of her cool jackets. “S-sorry it’s just. I've never heard Sunset play before. It sounded pretty good even on echo!” Sunset branded her guitar with pride. “Thanks, princess! Me and Pinkie were practicing to maybe play together at a small restaurant here in Ponyville! Did you know she plays drums?” Pinke made a “badum tss” noise. “Of course! It’s wonderful to see you girls working together! What are you playing, anyways?” Pinkie giggled. “Sunsun is writing a looooove soooong!” The Unicorn froze for a second; As if the blood had drained from her body, she forgot that Pinkie was clueless about everything ever. “Oh my!! That’s lovely! What's the inspiration?” Twilight covered her mouth with her hoof, blushing a bit. Writing a love song was just about one of the most romantic things anyone could do for her! Not that she had much experience on that matter. On the opposite end, Sunset was having a minor panic, trying to find an out. “Well, I, uh,” Pinkie stepped in again: “Some girl she’s pining for!” she said, cluelessly. That certainly got a reaction from the Princess, who's eyes widened, getting excited, spreading her wings. “Oh my!! That's so romantic!! Who's the lucky devil?” Sunset was looking right at her. “Um, I'd rather not say.” “Ya know our girl likes her privacy!” Pinkie shrugged. “Aww, alright, keep your secrecy. But I bet if I asked Rarity she’d know though! That girl susses out aaaaany crush or romance around. She's like a regular detective when it comes to lovey drama! It’s pretty impressive.” Twilight said, giggling. “Don’t Ask Rarity” Sunset said with the voice akin to an undead wraith begging for mercy. With a nod, The Princess let it be. “Alright, alright. But I do want you to do me a favor if you don’t mind, Sunset!” “Sure, anything!” “Play the song for me.” The Princess of Friendship sat down. “O-oh.” “I want to hear it properly! Is that okay? I couldn't hear it when I was passing by, and I'm curious about how good you are.” Twilight was genuinely invested. With a long exhale, Sunset knew there was no out, despite considering jumping out of the window. “Okay, okay. This is a work in progress though, and I haven't worked out the lyrics that much. It’s small. Don’t judge too harshly, alright?” She said, smiling, knowing Twilight wouldn’t. “Of course!” Sunset inhaled, as she was about to start, but… Twilight was looking right at her. Her eyes were beautiful and reflected the afternoon light so well… The Princess was completely focused on her.. Sunset couldn’t start. “Close your eyes. Trust me.” Sunset smiled warmly at the mare she loved. Princess Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes. What more can be said? I couldn’t even make this rhyme. I wanted to be honest with you, But now we’re out of time. My heart is full, but it’s aching, I'm in for a rude awakening, We move through the threshold together, hand in hand we cross the line, as we vanish, all I can think of ‘I want to kiss you one more time.’ She finished strumming on her guitar, exhaling. She heard Pinkie applauding excitedly again, and opened her eyes. Twilight’s jaw was wide open. “Holy Celestia Moly Sunset!!” Sunset gave a modest smile. “What, did I do good? I rhymed ‘time’ twice, pretty amateur–” Twilight stepped forward and put two hooves on Sunset's shoulders; Getting very very close. “THAT WAS VERY GOOD! It was super romantic and melancholic!! You’re so good at this!! Aaaah!!” she gushed. Sunset was flustering a bit, looking away. Pinkie scratched her chin. “What did you call the song again?? I forgor” Sunset looked directly at Twilight, still gushing in front of her. “It’s called ‘You and Me Eternal’.” The Princess got down. “Awww… that's such a romantic title! Whoever you wrote this for is one lucky pony!!” Twilight fluttered her wings in joy, cluelessly. “Haha you have no idea” Flustering even more, she let out an sigh of relief. “Oh yeah!! Speaking of Sunsun doing cool things, show her the flip!!” “Oh? Flip?” the Princess backed up to look better. “Umm I don’t know if I should” Sunset scratched her own head. Pinkie hyped her up. “Nonseeense pish posh and buggar!! You’re ready! Go go go!” Sunset put her guitar away safely, made the two girls stay back, and did a flip in the middle of her room. She jumped with her back legs and landed with her front legs on a backward motion, and managed to stick the landing perfectly. She was worried she wouldn't make it, but she did it. “Ta-da!” Both the ponies clapped and cheered. “Oh my!! I've never seen a Unicorn do that without magic!! That’s incredible, Sunset!!” “Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week. You should thank Pinkie too, she’s been a great coach!” The Unicorn said, bowing. “Awww stahp. You were a good student because you were okay with falling over and hurting yourself a lot! We got that in common :3” she said, shrugging smugly. “Hah, yeah, no pain no gain.” Twilight, however, looked a bit worried at her; She could actually notice a few small scars and bruises on the Unicorn's body she hadn't noticed before; And more than one bandage. Sunset picked her guitar back up, to strum on it a bit. “Thanks for the visit, princess. I gotta get back to practicing now, if that’s okay! I work better with less people around...” She would also work better with Twilight Sparkle’s beautiful eyes and beautiful everything not around. “Oh! Of course, don’t worry, I'll get out of your mane. Thank you for the solo, Sunset! See you later Pinkie!” Twilight made her way out. Pinkie waved joyfully. “Don’t worry, we won't bother you very long, I got a date with one of my girlfriends in an hour anyways! Byeeee Twilight!!” “See you later, princess!” Twilight huffed and pouted in disappointment walking on the halls of her castle. “Twilight. Just call me Twilight…” Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 30. The small dragon Spike arrived in The Princess’s chambers, pulling a cart with scrolls of all sorts. News, papers to sign, and letters. “Twilight!! Hey Twilight! Got a buncha’ correspondence for you!” The little dragon excitedly waved. The Princess barely averted her attention from her already busy work; lots of paperwork to review, and books to get distracted by. “huh yeah yeah” He was used to it, so continued smugly. “Heh I know you’re busy, but I got one you’re deeeeefinitely gonna like! The bracket for the Regional race happening in Canterlot this week! Four days no less! Loooooot’s of interesting names in here.” he slid her the paper on the table. She smiled a bit dismissively, eager to get back to work as usual, but indulging him with no issues. “Hah, sure Spike, I'll give it a read. I bet Rainbow Dash has already signed in!” This kind of event was typical, just watching some good old fashioned competition was entertaining enough, and although it wouldn’t be the kind of thing that she did before being a princess, now it was a prime responsibility. A bit annoying to drag yourself out of wonderful books and studies, but necessary, on her position. She calmly looked over the names, not many familiar ones, some she knew from Ponyville, some she thought she might know from Canterlot. “Aha! There’s Rainbow Dash. I knew she’d– HUH???!?!?!!!?” Twilight glued her face to the paper. She was NOT imagining it. “Sunset Shimmer” was written there. She knew that Sunset had been training, but this?? The Alicorn got a liiiittle concerned for her friend’s safety. And surprised. And also impressed, all of the above and more. Spike giggled. “This one is gonna be a doozy huh? Not often we see two of our crew competing in something like this! I'm very excited!! Plus, it's nice to see Sunset trying something crazy. In front of Celestia, no less!” In front of Twilight, no less. And the Princess was flabbergasted, staring at nothing. Sunset was participating in a regional competition, and she had VIP seats to it… “Sunset, what are you doing…!?” Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 26. The day of the competition. Sunset did not find herself nervous that day. In fact, she realized how little she had to lose, and how much she had to gain. All her training and practice led her into a situation where fun was the outcome no matter what. Even if they lost spectacularly, Rainbow and her could always have a laugh about it. The whole crew knew about them both competing together at that point, so they were all watching and supporting. All the girls hugged her and wished her good luck; Twilight especially stated a lot just how surprised she was, but proud of Sunset for even trying. Sunset managed to exude confidence and declare that she was just in there for a good time. Sunset found herself smiling through the whole thing, even with missteps. Every time she had a chance she would glance at the VIP area just to see if Twilight was watching her; which she was, avidly. And at the same time, she avoided looking at Celestia through it all. Rainbow Dash and her worked together the whole way; when there were obstacles for Pegasus, she cleared them, when there were obstacles for Unicorns, Rainbow gladly gave her support. And not just that; Sunset found herself barely relying on magic. Galloping at high speeds, managing to jump on and over obstacles and dexterously circumvent threats, even pushing through with her new strength, she was feeling pretty unstoppable. And when she matched that agility with teleportation or levitation magic? She soared. They cheered each other on and joyfully faced obstacles at their own pace. Their friends cheered like crazy on the stands, and Twilight was mesmerized by how much Sunset had changed. At times, when she got really exited, Sunset's magic would involuntarily cast flames and sparks around her; And despite that involuntary nature of the outbursts of joy, she still managed to control them perfectly, just being one more thing that drew eyes to her. Sunset even managed to swing on a trapeze and propel herself forward during the competition; shouting “thank you Pinkie Pie!!” doing a couple flips before sticking the landing. Of all ponies, an unicorn to be capable of these physical feats was definitely a surprise. Pink, from the stands, went ballistic seeing her friend use what she taught her. Rainbow Dash was absolutely joyful with having an athlete partner that enjoyed the thrill as much as she did. There was a moment in which she choked, and almost hurt herself. Rainbow was there to cover for her, but unfortunately they both fell together, very near the finish line. The Pegasus got one of her wings and legs harmed, so she couldn't keep up at the same speed. She begged Sunset to keep going; but she wouldn't have it. Sunset allowed other competitors to pass her as she grabbed and carried Rainbow on her back to the finish line, intent on them winning together, and even with the additional weight, Sunset pushed herself and maintained a very high speed, using all of her newfound strenght! (Much to Applejack’s delight.) Rainbow kept suggesting that Sunset should drop her to get a bigger chance at first place, but she didn’t care; she wasn’t going to leave a friend hanging. A lot of people on the stands were surprised at this development, especially when Sunset put Rainbow down so she could cross the finish line first; and the Pegasus just smirked and shoved her through the finish line first instead. In the end, they were in 5th and 6th place; not ranking high enough to get medals. But their friends congratulated them like they had just moved a mountain. This was Twilight’s biggest insight yet on how much Sunset had trained her dexterity and strength; she was beaming with pride over her friend, squealing. Sunset was over the moon. Rainbow Dash bragged about this win as if she had gotten a medal encrusted with diamonds; even without a medal to remember the occasion, this was one she would keep in her heart forever. And one of the best things about that day, Sunset managed to avoid meeting Celestia through it all, unaware of how proud of her progress her old mentor was, and unaware of how cathartic of a reunion that would be, having managed to avoid it completely. Sunset and her close friends went to get dinner together in Canterlot after; it was the best damn pizza Sunset had ever had, surrounded by friends she never expected to have. This had been pretty damn close to a perfect day.

DapperLilArts

551707

Midnight Sparkle,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Drama,Romance,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Violence

The Return of Midnight Sparkle

Sunset Shimmer, in Equestria, Has to deal with being a part of Twilight Sparkle's team, per her request, despite her own feelings of inadequacy, regrets, fears, and worse of all, her newfound love for Twilight Sparkle. Can she ever earn it?

complete

<p>As a thank you, and upon seeing the potential in her, Twilight Sparkle has invited Sunset Shimmer to be a part of her team. Sunset has absolutely no idea what she's doing and she does not feel like she belongs; Whether if its from her regrets of trying to pursue power desperately and being corrupted by it, or her immense failure as Celestia's first pupil, or even her general inexperience with friendship, Sunset Shimmer has been humbled into nothingness, and has to rebuild her life from scratch.<br/>And the most complicated of all, Sunset Shimmer is now in love with Twilight Sparkle, the girl that changed her life for the better, and saved her from herself. She will keep these feelings extremely close to the chest; but her heart is on her sleeve now.</p><p>Can Sunset Shimmer improve? Can she be worthy and deserving of the friends that were imposed upon her? Could she possibly ever deserve to be side by side with a princess? Can she earn Twilight Sparkle's love?</p><p>Can she belong? Or is all of this temporary... And eventually she will have to move on, to anywhere more fitting of her insignificance? Are things destined to go wrong around her?</p><p>Will Midnight Sparkle return?</p>

teen

2024-02-17T21:20:01+00:00

2024-02-17T21:24:12+00:00

CHAPTER 3 💔Last Resort💔 Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 1. Another evening to spend studying with Twilight, and Sunset was getting better at this. She had more to show for her, and the Princess always seemed impressed so easily, one of her best audiences, for sure; But it was still hard to go sometimes. Sunset spiraled a bit and had to rely on Pinkie Pie again. But she promised herself that this would be the last time. From now on, studying would be just her and Twilight. She had to be able to do this. Twilight deserved better. Sunset had to be better. Even if she would never confess her feelings to Twilight, Sunset was still happy; she had improved herself majorly and she really felt deserving of the love of her friends. After the better part of almost a year spent on this group, on this crew of incredible ponies; she felt like she belonged a bit better. In a sense, she still believed that things could go wrong, but she believed in her own capacity of dealing with it as well. If she had to leave, she would leave. But at least she had made some good memories. Even if she was still the odd one out. She couldn’t help but feel much much happier than before. Her friend's love for her was real, even if she didn’t love herself. This time it was different. The doors to the library never seemed this easy to go in; there was no anticipation. She was just happy to spend time with a friend, maybe two. She opened the doors, Twilight and Pinkie were waiting at a table. The Princess waved her wings gleefully. “Good evening, Sunset!! It’s nice to see you!!” “Heya Princess! Ready to study?” she said, plopping some books on the table. Pinkie gave her usual friendly wave. “Hi Sunset!” Twilight gave Pinkie a ‘look’ that Sunset did not notice. The Pink pony made a phone ringtone noise with her mouth; then took her phone out of her mane, looking at it. “Oh golly gee! Maud has a rock emergency!! I gotta go, girls!” “Oh damn, I just got here!” Sunset said, tilting her head. Giving out a nervous laughter of someone who's bad at lying, the Princess smiled awkwardly and commented on this totally unrehearsed turn of events. “Oh wow! Well you better not keep Maud waiting! Good luck Pinkie BYE!” Pinkie Pie did a flip. “Alrightgottagogoodluckwithstudiesbye!” She said, hurrying out the door skedaddling Pinkiely. Watching her leave, the Unicorn couldn't help but laugh. “Wow, what was that about!” The Princess smiled and shrugged. “I guess it’s just us tonight, Sunset!” She wasn’t that concerned. This time, it was going to be different. “Fine by me!” She smiled warmly. The evening proceeded as you one hope. Sunset showed off how she was mastering teleportation and telekinesis, managing to combine both with acrobatics, being capable of placing books in high shelves without even relying on levitation, which Twilight would accompany by flying or levitating herself to see the work from up close! She managed to skillfully float many books and make them do complex movements and orderly place them in shelves; organized, too! Then Twilight started asking about her new physical capabilities, out of curiosity; considering all the training she had been doing. Sunset had a flash of inspiration on Applejack’s side, one of those intrusive thoughts, and offered to carry the Princess; relatively easily lifting her with one arm and even managing to have her upside down comfortably. “Alley-oop” She mimicked, banishing any thoughts of how good it felt to show off, or even be this close. Twilight was being held akin to a barrel over Sunset's shoulder, and she was majorly impressed, to say the least. An unfamiliar feeling washed over her as her face grew redder. She loafed, as she tried processing what the heck she was feeling, being in Sunset’s arms, incapable of making sense of it. Her wings fluttered slightly. “W-wow! I’ve never seen a Unicorn that’s this strong!! With ONE arm too…!” Sunset couldn't help but chuckle. “Well it’s more because most of us are lazy as hell and rely on magic for everything. I'm not really that impressive, heh, I just tried.” She said as much, genuinely believing it. But Twilight was not having it. Her face was very close to Sunsets, which made both of them feel a certain way. “Nuh uh!! Don’t devalidate yourself, Sunset!! You’re super strong and you achieved that through hard work and I am RIGHT to be impressed!” She said, poking The Unicorn’s snoot with her hoof. With that demand, and that cute little boop, Sunset gave in. “Haha okay I'm going to put you down now, princess.” she carefully flipped Twilight back down, while chastising herself internally for enjoying the way the Princess smelled. They sat back down to study properly, overlooking some more magic theory and practice; then both yawned at the same time; which led them both sharing laughs about it. “Sheesh, both of us, huh? Have you been having trouble sleeping?” Sunset prodded, having indeed noticed that Twilight had seemed more tired for the last few weeks, hoping to finally get a proper answer as to why. The Princess used her hoof as a head rest. “Pff something like that. Let’s just say that I've been visited by Luna a couple more times than I'd like these past weeks...” She couldn't suppress another adorable yawn after saying that, which nearly stopped Sunset on her tracks, given its incredibly cute nature. With a sigh, Sunset nodded in agreement. “Hm, tell me about it. Me and her are practically making friendship bracelets at this point. I can say that she’s good company, though. I owe her a lot.” Twilight looked at her with concern. Sunset hadn't shared all the times in which Luna had visited her with anyone; And she wasn't planning to, either. But she was thankful to have her assistance. “What are your nightmares about?” The Princess tilted her head. With a chuckle, The Unicorn raised an eyebrow defiantly. “I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.” Twilight pouted and poked her with her hoof. “I asked you first.” Rolling her eyes, she groaned in fake annoyance, purposefully lingering on it to both of their amusements. “Fiiiiine. Well, um, how do I say this?” She paused, looking at Twilight. Her eyes were fixated; And she tried like hell not to be lost on them. “Well… You know, I didn't have this little over a year ago? I… I was a different person a year ago. Underachieving, exhausted, bitter, angry, entitled, and damn lonely. No friends, no good motivation. I wouldn’t have… done what I did if I wasn't hurting back then. And well, if you hadn't... if you hadn’t saved me from my own stupidity…” No hesitation from the Princess. “I'm glad I did; And you’re not stupid. I don’t regret a single moment I spend with you, Sunset. Heck, I'm usually a stickler for rules, but I am SO happy I added you onto the team! You really helped everypony; and you changed for the better lovingly! Everypony in Ponyville can see that, really...!” The Alicorn gushed. That barrage of kindness did result on Sunset flustering, but it didn’t stop her. “Well, that’s the sitch. My nightmares usually involve... None of this. They're usually just about me if I never got this, or worse, if I lost all of it. I'm more fulfilled now than I've ever been. And I'm more scared than I've ever been of losing all of it. It’s… dumb, but it’s justified. After all, stability has never been my strong suit in life…” Twilight leaned closer. “This is a certified Princess promise: I promise you, you won't lose this. You won't lose us. You won’t lose me.” She said, getting even closer, with kindness. Everytime that Twilight got too close, Sunset would recoil. This had happened enough times that she had noticed by now. But Sunset still mustered a smile. “Thank you, Princess. I mean it.” Twilight recoiled too, hurt by not being referred to by name. They both sat in silence for a little bit, until she spoke up. “My nightmares are about Midnight Sparkle.” “Oh…” Twilight dragged her hoof on the table, sadly. “I keep telling myself that they’re just nightmares, but the things she says concern me. The promises she makes to return. To win. I feel like… She’s still in me somewhere. Clawing her way to the surface. Getting stronger. Just looking for the right moment to burst out of me. Sometimes I wake up terrified that my friends are in danger around me, or that I'm just. A ticking time bomb. And who knows when the clock will reach zero…” Sunset touched her shoulder earnestly. “Time for a Sunset promise, then. I promise you. I won’t let that happen. I stopped Midnight once. I’ll gladly stop her a thousand times for you.” Twilight regarded her with adoration. Her friend had become so strong… Seeing her in this new light was almost blinding. She looked away, with a cute little smile. “T-thank you. If anypony can do it, it’s you.” She wondered, even for a moment, how Celestia would react, seeing her old pupil thriving. And then the thought of reinstating Sunset as a student of Celestia, and working with her side by side crossed her mind, making her tail wag involuntarily as she looked at nothing. They stayed silent for a little bit, not looking at each other. But it wasn't an comfortable silence, nor an estranged one. Sunset got on top of the table. “Alright. No more slacking, it’s time for some extreme magic. Ready?” Twilight beamed, getting on top of the table as well. “Oh yes! Show me what you got!” The Unicorn lit up her horn. “Actually, care to join me this time?” The Alicorn grinned ear to ear. “Heck yes.” They both lit their horns, and started levitating while facing each other. Magic started surrounding the very air around them, and spreading around the room, swirling like wind. The red and the purple hue fused together, akin to a silent and gentle tornado. Papers started flying, and then books, and then even chairs. Together, they floated in the middle of the room, going higher and higher, with all manners of objects spinning around them, none touching each other, with no damage being done to the library. This was the ultimate display of magic for those that could; the control of a very room itself, not chaotic, but true. Sunset had fought hard to be capable of doing this, but doing it alongside Twilight was effortless. They floated almost reaching the ceiling, regarding each other with adoration. “...Look at you!” Twilight Sparkle was entranced, looking at the Unicorn she adored. “...Look at me!” Sunset shimmer regarded the Alicorn she loved. Once again, gazing into her beautiful eyes… She couldn’t stop looking at them. For almost a full minute, they simply regarded each other… Until Sunset realized she was being lost in her eyes again, feeling that blush once more, and lost control, falling back down. Twilight stopped her fall with her own magic, and they both descended. The Princess still managed to use her levitation to put things back down on the ground gently, even if utterly untidy. “Sorry, Sorry, I messed up!” Apologetically, with that reminder of her own inferiority, Sunset was a annoyed at her own failings. “It’s okay, this kind of magic is incredibly hard to execute! Most Unicorns live their entire lives without even doing 5 seconds of it. You did wonderful!!” Twilight meant every word as she smiled. comforting her. “Thanks, princess… Now what do you say we tidy up this mess together?” “Of course!” They both waved their horns, effortlessly putting books and chairs where they belonged, rearranged correctly and efficiently, without a fuss. The whole time, Twilight was looking at her, seeing how well she was doing. And then, they were done. The library was perfectly organized, and they were happily taking in the success of their hard work. “Wow. Another awesome display, princess!” Sunset beamed, overjoyed with working so well with her. There was a brief moment of quiet, before Twilight considered her words, and what she wanted to ask. After fidgeting a bit, she spoke. "Sunset... Why did you accept joining my team? I'm just-- I'm just curious." She considered how the Unicorn carried herself, before and after, specially now. It was a loaded question. Sunset scratched the side of her own face, thinking of a proper answer. "Well... You see... When Celestia banished me, it was the last straw of a series of blunders I made. Well, my attitude, my choices, and my desires, all were enough for me to lose... Well, the most coveted position in the world." The Princess tilted her head, calmly waiting for her to continue. Which, with an exhale, she did. "And then... That wasn't the bottom of the well for me. It was when I stole your crown and turned into a monster that I was at my lowest, my absolute worst. I was a literal demon..." She stalled a bit, knowing her next words were everything; And Twilight continued looking at her attentively. "...And you still forgave me. You still believed in me. In what I could be, what I could do. And yeah, I thought of just running away, leaving it all behind and starting new somewhere else... But hey, why do that, when I could be instead near somepony that had more faith in me than the Queen of the Sun herself?" She finished saying that with a earnest, warmest, genuine smile, and Twilight mimicked it, utterly captivated. "What I'm trying to say is... I stayed because you believed I should. And since you believed in me, since you saved me, since you saved... All of us... I trust you, Princess... With anything. With everything." Her eyes shined as she regarded Sunset with adoration. "So what I'm saying is... Thank you, Princess... For everything." But those formalities frustrated the Princess. She pouted, her ears drooped low, and she tried getting a bit closer. “Y'know, you could just call me Twilight…” “H-Huh?” That comment stopped Sunset in her tracks entirely, like a fist to the gut. The Princess stood firm, getting assertive. “You can just call me Twilight. Not ‘princess’, just Twilight! It’s fine, we’re friends, right?” Looking away nervously, Sunset looked for a way out of this. “W-well, you are a princess!” Her demeanor changed, as she looked the Unicorn in the eyes. She looked sad, almost. “Are we friends, Sunset? You consider me a friend, right?” “Of course!!” “Then there's no reason to use formalities with me! Please, Just call me Twilight. I promise you it’s what I want.” She said, folding her wings close. Sunset froze for a moment, eyes widened. Of course she called her a princess all this time. Why would she address her any other way? Twilight was, much like Luna and Celestia, on another level. It was a crutch; a barrier between her and Twilight. She wasn’t worthy of a princess, so that’s what she was to her, utterly out of her league. Sunset struggled to break that barrier. She didn’t want to admit that there was a chance for her and Twilight to be closer. Especially considering how much she had sabotaged herself up until this point, all due to being unworthy. No… It wasn’t Twilight. It was Sunset. This was her problem. She was the one that couldn’t match. Sunset couldn’t match up to half of what Twilight was. Not even a quarter. Like it or not, that barrier was there for a reason. And Princess Twilight Sparkle was unreachable. Sunset, fool she was, wasn’t ready to let go of the crutch, no matter how much it might hurt. The Princess tilted her head, and approached her. “Sunset. Please.” Sunset recoiled and exhaled. “I'm sorry, but… I don't think I can. I'm sorry, princess. I… I should go.” Sunset backed up even further. Twilight sat down and sighed. “Y-yes, I suppose it’s late. Goodnight, Sunset. See you tomorrow?” “Of course. Good night.” and so, the Unicorn left the room, in low spirits. Twilight sat there, alone, annoyed. She huffed and pouted. She dragged her hoof on the floor. She walked around in a circle a couple times, then sat again. Another huff. She rubbed her temples as if she had a headache, which was certainly something she felt at that utterly frustrating display. “Okay, Pinkie, you can come out now.” She said, which made the Earth Pony emerge from a secret compartment in a couch; Celestia only knows how she got there. “Gosh, that was a bummer!! You guys were doing so well, too!! Why did she just go like that??” “It was so weird, right? You saw that, right?? Again, she finds a reason to leave, even if things are going well. And she won’t even call me Twilight! It's ‘princess’ this, ‘princess’ that!!” She huffed and puffed. “What is up with her…” She said, unfolding her wings, and looking at them. “Could my hypothesis be right? Is she… intimidated by me…?” Pinkie tried comforting her. “Aww don’t be silly. If she was intimidated, why would she have joined the crew? She should be comfortable with you!” Flapped her wings angrily, Twilight paced around the room. “And yet, she isn’t! She’s gotten close to all of you, but not me! How can I be doing bad at this– I'm the Princess of Friendship for Celestia’s sake!!!” Pouting, the Pink pony tilted her head, unsure of what was indeed wrong. “Gosh… I dunno, Twilight! Our girl’s got layers… She did seem to recoil a lot, like you mentioned…” “It’s been almost a year, and I get the feeling that I've been going about this all wrong… Maybe it’s not me. Maybe it’s...” She looked at her own wings, wondering. “Celestia, Luna, Cadance... they all told me about this. Just our presence can intimidate ponies sometimes… I am never going to get closer to Sunset if she keeps seeing me this way. Augh, no wonder!! I was already an Alicorn back when I beat her and made her not evil!! The first time she met me I was already a princess…! She IS intimidated by me! Arghhhh I gotta do something…” She flapped her wings annoyedly once more. “What's the point of these things if they openly sabotage me!!” She walked around in circles, flapping them more, a year’s worth of frustrations regarding Sunset boiling up. Pinkie could see her friend hurting, and tried comforting her. “Don’t worry, Twilight!! I'm sure if we talk to her we can sort it out?” Twilight pouted, her thoughts spiraling in an unnerving manner. “I've tried that, Pinkie. She always, always recoils… I'm not sure what I could do-- Hm. Could you go check up on her?” The Pink pony was a bit sad still. “Are you sure? We could do it together…?” Twilight looked away. “No, no… I think I need some time alone. Please go make sure she’s okay. Goodnight Pinkie.” “O-okay. I won’t let you down!! Pinkie’s on the case!!” Then she hurried out of the room, Pinkiely. Twilight waited for her to be out of sight, then turned back. She went to an older and restricted section of the library, opening a door only meant for Alicorns, and swiftly found the tome she was looking for. 'Ancient Alicorn Transmogrification and Assorted Rituals.' She walked back to her room with it, still frustrated, but determined, as her thoughts fogged up. Meanwhile, Sunset was walking low, back to her room. She had struck out immensely tonight. What the hell had she even said about this time being different? Oh, she sure made it different alright, she made it WORSE. Stupid, dumb, waste. It's all her own fault! She walked back to her room, lights dim outside, stars and moon raised in the sky. She threw her jacket on the floor and exhaled angrily. What the hell was her problem? She walked up to her sandbag, and saw a message taped to it she had left herself ages ago. Do better, try harder. She crumpled that piece of paper and aggressively threw it out of the window, then turned to the sandbag and started punching it savagely. The poor sandbag did not deserve it. Heat rose around her as she crushed hit after hit on her target. She heard a knock on the door and bucked the sandbag with rage, making it hit the ceiling, adding to a crack on it. “WHAT.” Pinkie burst through the door and pointed at her. “J’ACCUSE.” Then she saw the crack on the ceiling and how mad Sunset seemed, with a swinging sandbag implying violence. “O-oh. um.” She recoiled, reconsidering having burst in, As literal flaming sparks illuminated the room, emanating from the Unicorn. Exhaling steam, Sunset swallowed her rage, causing the flames to fizzle out. “I'm not in a very good mood, Pinkie. Can this wait until tomorrow? And why are you even here? What happened with Maud?” she said, sitting down, clearly with some anger still. “You made Twilight upset!!” Pinkie said, pouting accusingly. “Why would you even do that!” Immediately, her rage turned to shame. Sunset covered her face with her hooves, feeling extreme regret. “Shit. Urgh. I didn’t mean to… fuck.” Pinkie felt a little bad, dialing back the accusatory energy. “And you’re also upset?? What’s going on?” She got a bit closer, scanning her friend with her gaze. “I didn’t mean to, okay? I'm sorry.” “Why do you keep backing up from Twilight!! She thinks you’re intimidated by her because she’s an Alicorn, is that true??” With a sigh, she looked down. “It’s not… entirely untrue. It’s complicated, okay? It’s complicated.” “But it iiiiiiis a little true isn’t it! Gosh, if you had met her before, you’d know she’s just a totally down to earth regular nerd! There's nothing intimidating about her, you got nothing to be afraid of!!” she waved her hooves around. The Unicorn shook her head, considering if what she felt was fear. “No, I'm not afraid of her, it’s not like that.” Pinkie got a tad overbearing, dialing it up again. “Then what is it!! As your fellow musician and trapeze pal, you gotta tell me what's going on!! This is a friendship crisis!!” Sunset looked directly at her, tired, and this time barely hesitated. She trusted Pinkie Implicitly. It wasn’t a friendship crisis. “Pinkie, I'm in love with Twilight Sparkle.” For a second, the air in the room froze, and Pinkie stood completely still, staring forward, processing, gears turning. Then her eyes widened and widened… Then her jaw dropped. Then she gasped. Sunset immediately got worried about the noise. “C'mon Pink, please don’t make a fuss–” Pinkie flipped over and laid on the floor on her back as if she was dying. “Ok ok ok ok oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh BOMBSHELL???! One of my best friends is in love with my other best friend and??? Whadahahaaaaaaahahaaaaa'' she wringled and squirmed. “It’s okay. take your time.” “B-but this, B-but that– Twilight IS AN ALICORN SHE THINKS YOU’RE SCARED OF HER aaaaaaaa is this recent?? Has it been for a long time? Whhhhhhh” she spun around on the floor. Sunset closed her eyes. “Yeah… Yeah that’s the mood.” Pinkie got up and grabbed Sunset’s face. “This is why you were training!?!! This is why you were working so hard!!? This is why you were getting yourself all hottie-d up!!!?? You wanted to woo Twilight Sparkle?? THAT LOVE SONG YOU WROTE. YOU LITERALLY PLAYED IT TO HER FACE. IT WAS FOR HER. AND I JUST SAT THERE. Oh my gosh it makes so much sense now, girl you can now bench press most of us now, YOU’VE BEATEN RAINBOW DASH ON ARM WRESTLING, all that for her??” Sunset sighed, fully aware of how messed up her circumstances were. “yep.” Pinkie gasped even louder. “OH MY CELESTIA, HAVE I BEEN YOUR THIRD WHEEL THIS WHOLE TIME WHENEVER YOU INVITED ME TO BE THERE WHEN YOU STUDY WITH HER??!?!?!!” Sunset sweat a bit, looking away. “Um. You make great company.” Pinkie facepalmed. “I'm so stupid dumb augh you were using me like a smokescreen against the babe you wanna romance and I was just there cluelessly helping you not get closer to her!!! I THREW CONFETTI BETWEEN YOU LIKE A DUMBASS WHAT HAVE I DONE!!!” She got on her knees realizing the severity of her lapse of judgment. “Dude it's okay, I was kinda crappy, I... used you. Sorry about that... If it makes you feel better, you were the perfect distraction!” That made the Pink pony chuckle, doing an 180° on her demeanor. “yeah I get that a lot.” Then she grabbed Sunset’s face again. “But this is perfect! She thinks you're scared of her and it's making her sad, but you can clear it up!! It's just because you love her, and that's okay! Two more besties together, aww that would be so damn sweet!!!” Sunset put her hooves down and STARED her down. “NO, Pinkie. This cannot be a thing. I will apologize to her tomorrow, but me and her just aren't compatible, okay? I CAN'T tell her how I feel. She’s a princess, and I'm just me. I’ve already fought enough to be worthy of being her friend. I'm happy with that. It's enough.” Sunset turned around and started punching her sandbag again. While Pinkie tilted her head sadly. “But you ARE worthy! You're the worthiest! She likes you a lot, silly!” “She likes everypony.” The Unicorn didn’t even look back. Pinkie pouted. “...okay point taken but you're being a sourpuss.” Sunset turned around and sighed. “Okay pink, let’s do a mental exercise. Can you imagine yourself being able to actually date or marry or have a bare minimum romantic relationship with a princess? Think it over.” Pinkie sat down pondering. Then she dug on her mane, and took a plushie of her, and a plushie of a dark Pegasus, whom she dubbed plush luna for the purposes of this exercise. “Princess Luna, I love you! Let’s have dinner together!” Plush Pinkie said, adoringly. “No. I must leave you, I have an appointment on the moon. I must handle the tides or something. Goodbye.” The Princess plushie said dismissively, turning around and walking away. Plush Pinkie got on her knees, in tears. “NOOoooo…. I will never forget you, my love… please don't leave me…” Pinkie put away both plushies back on her mane. “Hm. Okay. my heart is broken.” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “See? Stellar impression of Luna, by the way.” “It’s all in the timbre.” Pinkie pouted still. “But you shouldn’t give up on you and Twilight! You’re not being fair with her. She deserves to know!! And you deserve to get it off your chest!! Even if she rejected you, wouldn’t it feel good to get the weight off your shoulders??” Sunset sighed, hardly believing it. “Maybe. But I can't lose her friendship. I just can’t. I can’t risk that.” Pinkie regarded her with pity. It sure was a crappy situation. She couldn’t relate to it, but seeing a friend hurt like this was the worst… “Look just… promise me you can keep this secret. I’ll think about telling Twilight. You’re right, she deserves to at least know that I'm not just intimidated by her or whatever. But you have to keep it a secret. Make me a fellow musician and trapeze pal promise.” "...What are you going to tell her tomorrow, then?" "I'll burn that bridge when I get to it." Pinkie hugged her, and she hugged back. It felt good to share, and it felt good to be comforted… After everything, she at least had her friends. Whether she deserved them or not. “Okay, okay, As a musician and a fellow trapeze pal, I will hold your secret tightly, and try not to explode and melt or explelt, or meltxplode. But you gotta to apologize to her tomorrow, okay?? You really hurt her feelings.” she said. J’acusingly and Pinkiely. Sunset cringed. The last thing in the WORLD she wanted to do is hurt the mare she loved. She fucked up big time. “...okay, first thing tomorrow, I'll apologize. I owe her everything…” That got the Pink pony smiling again. “Good. Well, I'm at least glad I was the first one in the group that knows you love Twilight! ‘Cause we’re bestieeeeees <3” “No, Rarity knows already. She might have told Applejack, but I dunno.” The Pink pony gasped and scoffed, offended. “You told Rarity before MOI??” With an exasperated groan, Sunset sweat once more. “I didn’t tell her squat, okay?? She guessed it like. Immediately. That mare is a mind reader about these things!! She could literally smell it on me.” Pinkie pouted and grabbed her phone from her mane. “Well I'm gonna call her and talk to her about this because I cannot sit alone on this bombshell” “Call her??– Pinkie do you know what time it is?? it’s almost Midnight!” “Don’t care + Ratio + I'm going to meltxplode + Goodnight + Apologize to your beloved + Sleep tight + L + Ratio” Pinkie said, walking out of the room. Sunset sighed. She could hear Pinkie’s call as she walked away. “Hiiii Applejack! Can you put Rarity on the phone? Yes, I know what time it is. Nuh uh if you’re awake at this hour I KNOW she’s awake!! You answered HER phone, dummy! Stop making out and put her on the phone, it's important!!” She closed the door, with a light chuckle, which immediately turned into another regretful sigh. She laid on her bed, regretting a lot of her choices… But tomorrow was going to be a better day. She was going to make it up to Twilight. Everything was going to be okay. Days until Midnight Sparkle returns: 0. Twilight arrived at her room, in the dead of night. She placed the book on the floor and riffled through its pages, the only light being from her horn. She was utterly determined to find a solution. Anything, even temporary, that could change her. If she could just meet Sunset on an even playing field, maybe they could have a do over… Twilight… This was her last resort. Twilight… it’s time… If she could only execute on a spell that would temporarily turn her back into an Unicorn; or even one that just. Made her seem more… normal? Anything at all… Just to have a chance to do it right. To earn her friendship. Release me, Twilight… The Princess was unstable. She was tired, stressed, and she felt a little sick, like something was crawling within her head. But she had to do this. For Sunset. Finish the spell, Twilight. Release me. Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t stop now. Runes on the floor, runes in the air, the spell was underway. She barely understood what she was doing. Something went wrong. Finally…! FINALLY!!! It's My Time Now. Something Went Wrong Ḓ̷̛́͗̑̂͊ȧ̶̧̧̦͙̩͎͉̪̳͇ÿ̵̡͓̝͚̬̹̦̩̀́̽͒̓͒̈́͝s̷̯̯̺̋ ̸̧̤͚͈̣̓u̷̩̗̥̘̹̦̇̀̾͆͐̂̒͠͝n̴̮͌͆̉͋̆̅͝ţ̷̢̭̻̥͈̯̜̽ͅì̶̲̇͒͂͋̈́̏ļ̶̬̗͚̰̫̘͛ ̸̯̊͊̓̀̕M̵̧̢̛̩͔͖̍̔̎Midnight ̴̖̭͇̪͗̊̔̋̉̄́̎͌̓͜s̴̛̳̠̖͚̑͊̽͆̈́̀̈Sparkle ̴̧̼͕̹̼̗̱̥͍͆͊̈ȓ̶̻̹̒̉̆̒̌͐̃͘̚e̵̢̥̺͂ͅṭ̶̛̬͎̭̗͎̇̀́̈́̓̕͝ư̶̮̙͇̮̘͉̻̆̋͑͋͂̕ͅr̸̳̤̾̇n̴̗̖̐̄̎̆̕ͅš̸̗́̆͘:̸̨̺̭̉̀ ̴͚̠̔? ? ?.̷̹̒̽̎͗̔͗͑͠͝͝ Sunset woke up with her alarm at the earliest, and thought of Twilight instantly. It was a bit early, but she didn’t care. She got up and immediately went to visit Twilight's quarters. It was still dark outside, and kind of stormy. Sunset found it strange, the sun should have risen by now… She knocked on the Princess’s door, and noticed it just opened by itself. The room was dark, and seemed empty. Sunset entered it, a little concerned. “Twilight…?” The door closed behind her. In the darkness, a glow surged. A blue, long, crystalized crooked horn, and two circles of fire in front of her eyes… Then came the magenta streaks of hair. “Hello, Sunset Shimmer. It has been a while.” Her grin went from ear to ear. A cold shiver ran by Sunset’s spine. That wasn’t Twilight in front of her. Midnight Sparkle has returned. Big turning point. Time for the final act. I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of both Twilight and Pinkie; specialy pinkie, since shes quite diffrent from the show! I had a wonderful time writing an entire season-esque of the show, generally giving a slow chance for he mustard Unicorn to earn her keep and learn some friendship lessons. generally it's just a delight to write each of these characters and how they bounce off each other. The dynamics, the dialogue, everything in between! And now, the climax.

DapperLilArts

551707

Midnight Sparkle,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Drama,Romance,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Violence

The Return of Midnight Sparkle

Sunset Shimmer, in Equestria, Has to deal with being a part of Twilight Sparkle's team, per her request, despite her own feelings of inadequacy, regrets, fears, and worse of all, her newfound love for Twilight Sparkle. Can she ever earn it?

complete

<p>As a thank you, and upon seeing the potential in her, Twilight Sparkle has invited Sunset Shimmer to be a part of her team. Sunset has absolutely no idea what she's doing and she does not feel like she belongs; Whether if its from her regrets of trying to pursue power desperately and being corrupted by it, or her immense failure as Celestia's first pupil, or even her general inexperience with friendship, Sunset Shimmer has been humbled into nothingness, and has to rebuild her life from scratch.<br/>And the most complicated of all, Sunset Shimmer is now in love with Twilight Sparkle, the girl that changed her life for the better, and saved her from herself. She will keep these feelings extremely close to the chest; but her heart is on her sleeve now.</p><p>Can Sunset Shimmer improve? Can she be worthy and deserving of the friends that were imposed upon her? Could she possibly ever deserve to be side by side with a princess? Can she earn Twilight Sparkle's love?</p><p>Can she belong? Or is all of this temporary... And eventually she will have to move on, to anywhere more fitting of her insignificance? Are things destined to go wrong around her?</p><p>Will Midnight Sparkle return?</p>

teen

2024-02-17T21:23:10+00:00

2024-02-17T21:23:09+00:00

CHAPTER 4 🌑Eclipse🌑 Sunless day. Moonless night. Eternal Darkness accentuated with stars. Two weeks later, this was Midnight’s kingdom now. Those that hadn’t fled Ponyville had been taken into her castle; formerly Twilight's, now reformed and rebuilt with their labor into something grotesque, an obsidian like-tree with towers and bridges. Midnight’s sentinels, enchanted Automaton armors, did all her bidding, enforced her orders and commanded all ponies imprisoned by her. She had seized command of most of that side of Equestria ruthlessly and efficiently; but for now, her sights were on her castle alone. It was easy to capture her friends; and defeat her mentor. All of them trusted Twilight completely, it was only a matter of using their friendship as a lure, catching them off guard and easily containing them. She had planned for everything, and prepared for all eventualities. And now her new castle was almost complete, she was closer and closer to her debut as Equestria’s new ruler. She would expand, of course; her rule would reach the whole world; but for now, she had her fun in her home of Ponyville. Everything was almost perfect, almost ready for her conquest. Almost. But soon, everything. Just one last thing to take care of… Her six friends had spent a week in captivity, each in respective cells, in separate locations. As she had reformed the castle, they were moved to more adequate cells suited for their containment. But she had no concern, after all, she knew all their weaknesses. And now for the grand finale, their last places of captivity were all side by side. She would want them to be able to be together and see the end as an unity. Like old friends. It was almost time. Pinkie Pie hung in her cell, chains entangled her and suspended her in the air, rendering her unable to move and do any shenanigans. She wiggled a bit from time to time, with no avail. “This is the worst time ever to be hanging around!!! No, that doesn't work... I'm sorry I can't hang out—- nah. This is the worst hang out I've ever had. Maybe that works?” She attempted to joke, to raise the others' spirits, with poor results. Rainbow Dash had a full harness that only frees her lower legs, forcing her face to be on the ground. Chains and leather forced her wings and arms to be stuck in place, she could only crawl, unable to make a lot of fierce movements. And yet, she struggled a lot. She tried comforting her girlfriend in the cell next to hers. “Don’t worry, Flutters! We will get out of this! C'mon everypony, we have to think of something!!! There’s GOTTA be something we can do!! Hng!!” She said, helplessly pulling the chains. Fluttershy only had a chain on her neck, nothing else was needed to restrain her, but her cell had no windows, to prevent animal interference. She was very concerned that Rainbow Dash was struggling so much. “Please save your strength, Sweetie… Don’t hurt yourself…!” Rarity’s cell was devoid of any furniture, with a chain that bound her neck and horn connected to a wall, preventing her from using magic; clearly the steel that bound her had a nullifying effect on her horn. She could move freely, but there was nothing she could do. “It’s no use, darling… Twilight knew exactly how to keep us in place. Applejack dear, please don’t overexert yourself!!” She tried comforting her girlfriend. Applejack was covered with massive chains that bound her every limb, neck, arms, forearms, legs and forelegs, even her chest and back had multiple chains, connected to each side of the room, even the ceiling. The chains were especially enforced, and they were overkill. Her hat laid on the floor, out of her reach. And yet, despite the contingencies, she was pushing, pulling, and struggling, trying every ounce of strength to pull, bend and break those chains. The stone cracked. “I have to… Break free... Don’t worry, Sugarcube… I got… this…” She had never tried so hard to use her immense strength, but it was no use… Midnight was prepared for her. Sunset sat alone in her cell, staring at the floor, not commenting on anything, with a chain bound to her neck and horn, at least her cell was comfortable. These weeks had been her own personal hell. Watching from the sidelines as the mare she loved became a twisted monster again and destroyed all that they both loved. All her training meant nothing in the end, She was caught by surprise, and couldn’t do a thing. The countdown had reached zero. All this, right after Sunset hurt her feelings. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Regrets were all she had now. “Ugh… This is all my fault…” Applejack stopped struggling to talk to her. “Ain't no way I just heard you say that, did I partner?” And Rarity added immediately. “No way darling! We don’t know how this happened, but it sure as Celestia isn't your fault!!” Sunset closed her eyes, facing away. “The night before Midnight returned, I hurt Twilight’s feelings pretty damn badly… I think that's somehow connected to this...” Rainbow Dash struggled. “That’s a load of baloney. Nothing you could say to Twilight could ever have caused this to happen, man!!” Sunset faced the jail bars. “Pinkie knows. She was the last pony to be with her; and she told me that I hurt Twilight’s feelings awfully.” Pinkie shook a bit. “It wasn’t as bad as you think! She was just worried that she couldn’t get closer to Sunset because she might intimidate her, with being an Alicorn! She expressed frustrations over that n stuff, but it's not like I saw her become evil then and there!!” Pinkie and Rarity were the only ones that knew just the extent of why Sunset would be 'intimidated' by Twilight. “Oh darling, you didn’t…” Sunset leaned her head in the bars and closed her eyes. “I promised her I'd stop Midnight. All the training I did is worthless if I can't even– if I can't even help her…” Fluttershy got closer to the bars as well, speaking on the highest volume she could muster to ensure she was heard; which still wasn't very loud at all. “You can’t take full responsibility for this, Sunset. We’re all in this together. It’s up to us to beat her… Somehow…“ Rainbow Dash crawled closer to the bars. “Besides, Twilight was stressed and tired and overworked from princess stuff already! Clearly the girl was unstable beforehand too. I sure wish she woulda taken a break or something…” Applejack sighed. “That girl was allergic to resting, I reckon. We shoulda tied her down and forced her to go on a cruise or somethin…” Rainbow snickered. “Hah! Remember that time Rarity tried giving her a weekend spa day but she kept calling us to check on Ponyville?” Applejack sighed. “Remember that time we had that ball in Apple Acres and she refused to go because she needed to do princess errands? Darn it, we should have pushed a bit maybe...” Sunset felt the bitter sting of regret for not being brave to invite Twilight to that dance. Rarity sat closer to the bars, reminiscing. “Oh it wasn’t errands, darling. She had no partner to take to the dance! That poor girl only made time for us, outside of princess duties. Did you know she hasn’t even had any romantic partners? She hasn’t ever even kissed!!” Rainbow blew raspberries. “That’s just sad, man. No other way to put it” Applejack snickered sadly. “Woowe. when we get outta this, we gotta make that girl get out more!” Sunset opened her eyes. “She’s never even kissed… at all?” Rarity scoffed, knowingly. “Darling, she didn't even have friends before she met us. Do you honestly think she had the mental necessity, or even capacity for that? And now that she’s a princess, her prospects surely lowered! She’d be lucky to have anypony now!” She said, in a knowing and accusatory tone, egging Sunset on to want to talk about her own feelings. Pinkie joined in on the ‘knowing’ party. “Yeah!! If only there was a hottie with ketchup hair that could sweep her off her feet and show her a whole new world or something!! Huh!!” Sunset just sighed. Fluttershy pouted. “It’s kind of sad! She spends so much time working, she doesn't even think about that kind of stuff… I wonder if she needs it…” Rainbow scoffed. “I'm glad I'm not her! I guess a princess’s life is busy busy busy.” Sunset leaned her face against the bars. This was unsustainable. This conversation was getting nowhere, and well, since they might be about to die… She wasn’t going to hide anymore. There was no point. “All of you, listen up… I'm in love with Twilight. I have been for almost a year now. I’ve been motivated to improve and get better for her, despite knowing that I shouldn't even try to get closer to a princess. Since we’re about to die, well, I thought I might as well share the news… and well, there it is. I'm in love with our leader, and now she’s evil magic incarnate, and might kill all of us. Don’t I have good taste? hah…” Collective 'gasps' and 'whats' and 'woahs!' filled the room. Pinkie expressed how happy she was that she didn't have to hide this bombshell anymore, and Rarity was pleased Sunset was being honest with herself and them, finally. Rainbow Dash wowed. “Wow dude… You sure got a taste in girls. My girl would never turn evil and stuff!!” Fluttershy pointed out “Umm Sweetie remember when I turned into a vampire and almost killed you?” Dash instantly sighed. “Crap.” Applejack piped in.“Aww partner, This would be wonderful news, but… now it must hurt you even more than it hurts us! I'm so sorry… Hopefully she’s still in there somewhere…” With her eyes widened and a look of shock, Rainbow Dash perked up. “Oh my god, is that why you signed up to a regional race and asked for my help to at least reach top 10?? OH WOW IS THAT WHY YOU ASKED ME TO HELP YOU WITH SPEED TOO. IS THAT WHY YOU WORKED OUT SO MUCH THAT YOU CAN EASILY BEAT ME IN ARM WRESTLING WHAT THE HECK SUNSET!!” Letting out a hearty laughter, Applejack reveled in amusement. “Oh, of course, that's why ya wanted my help with strength. That's why ya were always up early to join in on our routine and get trainin', and even help us to set up and throw parties; ya wanted to impress her, well hot diggity, I reckon you were onto something!” Fluttershy giggled. “Well, it’s no wonder you even wanted my help with meditation. You have to be centered and focused if you want to work hard! I'm proud of you, Sunset.” Rarity was amused, even if still sad. “I found out a long time ago, and accused her after one of our fencing practices. You should have seen her face! She really has pushed herself so hard for the sake of our princess...” Pinkie vibrated with excitement. “Of course guys!! Sunset asked each of us for help with something, 'cause she wanted to get better and cooler for Twilight!! And it WORKED!!” Sunset couldn't help but smile. Even on the worst moments, at least they all remained incredibly faithful and strong friends. She exhaled. “Girls… Thank you. But I still messed up. I couldn’t be honest with her, and now we all might have paid the price. And even then, what's the point? We have no plan to get out of here, and we’re not strong enough to fight her. It might be over for us. Thank you all for being there to help me in my weird, awkward, messy quest of love, anyways… This was the best year of my life. You’re the best. We had a good run.” “Our run ain’t over, partner! You still have a chance.” “You bet your bottom darling, we are still in the game! You have to fight for her!” “We all do. Twilight is our friend, and so are you.” “Hell yeah!! Even if it was all for mushy reasons, you got YOLKED!!” “And with all of us together we will find a way!! We always do!!” Sunset smiled, even if still feeling defeated. “If only Twilight was here with us… She’d know how to lead, what to do…” Rarity waved her hair around fabulously, despite the chains. “Well darling, then I think you should know something that Twilight told us, many months ago… If anything happened to her, we should trust in you as our leader!”” Sunset’s eyes widened. “B-but… I don’t know how to fix this… I don’t know what to do…” Pinkie Pie shook her chains with joy: “We all believe in you Sunset! Even if you don’t! You’ll come up with an awesome plan to get us out of this!! You’re the best!!!” Rainbow Dash, still on the floor, gave out a wide confident smile.“Hah! I'm okay with that. Lead the way and point me at the target, boss!” Fluttershy fluttered her wings. “After everything you’ve gone through, you’re more than suited for this! Twilight trusted you, and so do we!” Rarity got very excited. “This is your chance, darling! You’ll rise to the challenge and save her like a knight in shining armor!!” Applejack was earnest, as usual: “Sunset, ya worked harder than ever these past few months. No pony here can say they've worked harder; if anypony can do this it's you!” Sunset closed her eyes, with a frail exhale of joy. “Everypony… Thank you so much. I promise I'll do my best. Right now, what we need to do is wait for an opportunity… Be ready to grab it if it comes. Maybe we can even discover a secret weakness or… something.” Rainbow tried getting up again. “Dude, don't worry! Once we break out of here we totally can whoop her butt together! We’ll get Twilight back lickedy-split. All we gotta do is spot her weakness like you said!!” A cold chill filled the room, with the sound of mechanical footsteps getting closer. The very lights of the torches seemed to dim, as the dark winged Alicorn arrived, surrounded by a legion of mechanical knights. She laughed with callousness and ill intent, a familiar voice, speaking in an unfamiliar way. “How sweet. Unfortunately for you all, I have no weaknesses.” Midnight Sparkle had arrived. With glowing horn and fiery halos over her eyes, she spread her dark wings, approaching their cells. “Are you enjoying your accommodations?? Are you festering on how easy it was for me to beat all of you??” As she passed by Pinkie’s cell, the Earth Pony shook her chains, frustratedly: “GIVE US BACK OUR FRIEND YOU EVIL DEMONESS!!!” Midnight Didn’t even look at her. “Nice to see you too Pink. Enjoying hanging around?” which only made the Pink Pony madder. Her laughter continued as she passed by Rainbow’s cell. “How's your flight, Rainbow Crash?” The Pegasus's anger was not restrained by her chains. “Untie me and I'll SHOW you!!” She passed by Fluttershy’s cell, and laughed at her. “Hey Fluttershy. How do you feel about being the easiest one to trap of all of you? My, you were pathetic.” Fluttershy crossed her arms and pouted, looking away: “I'm not talking to you. You’re a meanie.” Passing by Rarity, she scoffed joyfully. waving at The Unicorn’s empty cell. “Enjoying your imprisonment Rarity? I took the liberty of decorating it for you myself.” Rarity didn’t even face her, she simply coldly stated: “this is a bad look on you, darling.” Applejack Pushed the chains binding her to the maximum once more, enraged. “If you hurt her, I swear on Celestia I will BREAK–” “Keep reaching, Applejack. Maybe you’ll get your hat back.” She stated, completely unfazed by the Earth Pony’s threats. And then, at last, Midnight arrived at the final cell, Sunset’s cell. She could barely contain her manic excitement. “oh and now, for the creme de la creme, the main event! Our favorite pony that returned from the GUTTER. Hello again, Sunset Shimmer. Are you happy to see me?” Sunset didn’t even fully turn to face her. “What do you think?” Midnight fluttered her wings in frustration. “Aww c’mon don't be like that. Let me see your pretty face, Sunset. I want to look at the mare that beat me once.” Sunset didn’t give her the satisfaction, facing away from her. “I have nothing to say to you.” All the girls imprisoned on the cells around them cheered for the Unicorn's gusto. Midnight immediately cast her powerful magic, turning Sunset around, bringing her closer, even tearing the bars of the cell she resided in, slamming them violently in the walls around them, staring directly at her with a smile. “That's not a nice way to talk to your princess, is it?” The question seemed almost genuine. Sunset had nothing left to lose, staring her down. “You’re not my princess.” That brave statement resulted in Midnight grunting frustratingly, making an all-too-familiar pout. But her expression quickly turned back into a deranged smile. “Be that as it may, my new grandiose castle demands a tour. And since you and I have history, why don’t I show you around? When we’re back, the others are in for a surprise.” She tore the chains that connected Sunset to the wall, easily, allowing her to roam free, but still with a set of chains blocking her magic, on her horn. Sunset kept an eye on her. “Come, Sunset. You’re going to want to see this.” she walked gleefully away. Midnight’s sentinels surrounded the Unicorn, forcing her to move forward. She looked back at her friends, giving them a knowing look. Stay ready. If I see a chance, I'll take it. They looked back at her with concern, but belief. She was escorted through the hallways slowly. Sunset could barely recognize rooms she had moved through before. They were either torn or messy, or paved over with dark crystals and cold stone. Sunset tried memorizing the pathway back to the cells, just in case. Any banner that had the symbols of Celestia or Luna had been torn down; only Twilight’s mark was hung up now. Though it wasn’t hers anymore… Midnight would frequently just make doors; easily moving bricks and reshaping rooms as she saw fit, making a pathway for them. This really was Twilight at the height of her power, completely let loose. Her magic seemed boundless. The Alicorn talked almost casually. “Ah, it was always so fun to see them. I think I will make permanent quarters for them at some point; separated, of course. Can’t have them getting any ideas, heheheh.” Sunset kept an eye on her surroundings. “How benevolent of you.” She said, sarcastically. Midnight looked back at her. “Oh, would you rather I execute them? I could. I wanted to keep them around for laughs, but I suppose you’re right, they could face an imposing threat to my reign if they get out…” she said amusingly, reveling in the panic that might bring to Sunset. Sunset tried to not sound desperate; it was sickening to see Twilight’s face on a monster so callous. “Don’t hurt them. They’ve done nothing to you… I'm the one that beat you, remember? If any of us should pay, it should be me. Just please leave them be. I'm the one you want. ” Midnight suppressed something within her. “Indeed you are.” She violently moved furniture aside, sometimes burning it entirely and spreading the ashes across the room. It was strange to see her destructive nature, purely for amusement. So unlike Twilight… After climbing through the castle through many dark rooms, they finally reached a large chamber; a room that had been moved and changed, but Sunset still recognized. It was their old meeting room, now devoid of tables and chairs, except for two that sat on the farthest wall. There were enormous banners, and cold purple torches hanging on the walls. Midnight followed the red carpet that went up to the two chairs, and then turned around. “Leave us.” She commanded. The sentinels surrounding her left the room and closed the door behind them. Sunset side eyed them, the room and everything in between. This very much could be her last moments. Was there a way out? If it were to be her end, maybe dying by the hands of her beloved wouldn’t be so bad. Sunset stood facing her, unsure of what would happen next. Then Midnight waved her crystalized horn slightly, and Sunset paid attention. It was only a theory, But Midnight’s horn was not Twilight’s horn; it was like a crystal tumor that grew on top of it. Maybe, just maybe, if she destroyed it, Twilight would be freed… or at least Midnight would be powerless… Or even just weakened. If there was any chance… she’d have to make a gambit. And then the chains that bound Sunset unlatched. Sunset was free to move and cast magic if she needed. Which confused her. “I wanted to talk to you without any pesky distractions. Listen well, Sunset.” The Unicorn listened, while looking for any openings to take. Midnight used her magic, and blue particles filled the room, forming distorted three-dimensional images, holograms, representing the words she said. Equestria, the Sun and Moon, Her… “This kingdom is my greatest victory. It’s a testament to how I have outmatched the sun and the moon, and every other force in the world. I was a Unicorn that came from NOTHING. And look at me now. I'm stronger than all of them, smarter than all of them, Midnight Sparkle stands above all!” She spread her wings with a manic smile, looking around the grandiose room with all its banners with her mark on it. The holograms mimicked her wings. Rolling her eyes, Sunset snarled. “Congratulations, you’re living your worst You. Twilight would be disgusted if she could see herself like this.” This was personal to her. She stretched her wings even further and stomped the floor. The particles made imagery of Twilight Sparkle being broken into pieces, with Midnight emerging from it. “Twilight was WEAK. And I am FREE. I am HER but FREED. I am the strongest I've ever been, and I can do whatever I want!! The world is my clay and I can mold it as I see FIT. Nothing else matters!” Their planet appeared on the hologram, directly above her. She paused for a moment, losing her manic energy. The holograms lost form. She seemed almost despondent. “Except… This victory is hollow without someone to share it with… It is lonely at the top. And here I stand. I don’t need my friends anymore. But this rule will be pointless if I do it alone.” Sunset looked at her, and started to sweat. What? Midnight took a step forward, dragging her hoof on the floor; A demeanor that was familiar. “You know… there was a time that you were free like me.” Sunset’s eyes widened. She knew exactly what she meant. “Remember, Sunset? A time in which you succumbed to your desires, stole Twilight's crown and got corrupted by the magic you sought to use to take control and gain the power of an Alicorn. You became a powerful demon… you were free. Your wings were beautiful…” The particles reformed, changing their colors to red, showing Sunset’s demonic form, Taking flight, casting holographic flames around the room and cackling silently. The Unicorn’s heartbeat rose. “I was horrible. I was a monster, and Twilight saved me. I owe her everything.” Midnight got frustrated. “No no no… she RUINED you! You were free! Free like I am now! If only I had been free at the time, too… together we would have been unstoppable.” Sunset looked behind her dark wings. There were two thrones… not just one. This wasn’t a coincidence. Midnight's mark was in one... And in the other... Sunset Shimmer's mark. The holographic demon Sunset continued her silent display of power that engulfed the room in lights. Sunset was trying not to be mesmerized; Trying not to be utterly lost in the power on display. The Princess dragged her hoof on the carpet once more. “You know, I have looked through Twilight’s eyes. I have seen what she sees. Felt what she felt. I am her. I am simply freed… She was an oblivious fool. But I see you for what you are, Sunset. I know how you feel about us.” She looked directly into Sunset's eyes; And the Unicorn was sweating already Concidering what the Alicorn would say next. She regarded Sunset with almost… pity. “I know how you kept backing away from her, and yet, constantly wanted to be around her. How you pushed yourself to be better, merely to impress her. To earn a place by her side. Do you honestly think a Princess like her could ever be with you?” Sunset tried looking away, but couldn’t. “...no. I don't.” The particles formed an image of sunset, getting torn apart and getting built back together endlessly. She walked up to one throne, and Sunset walked to the other. “Your hard work shouldn’t go to waste. You were always strong, Sunset. You even beat me, once... All this power; and more! Just because you were strong and willing to TAKE IT. Just. Like. Me.” Midnight seemed to look at her with manic adoration, a look that Sunset was unfamiliar with, but cursed herself for enjoying. That look, from that pony... Folding her wings close and looking away, Midnight scoffed. “The kingdom comes above anypony. Even you. She had responsibilities she was tied to, and she would have NEVER been yours. And you would NEVER have been worthy of her. The only reason I returned is because of her and her failings!” Sunset’s eyes widened. “…what do you mean?” The particles changed to imagery of twilight clipping her own wings. Midnight Scoffed once more, ashamed of her other self. “She wanted to use a spell to temporarily no longer be an Alicorn. Such an infantile notion. A waste of our powers. All she wanted was to be seen as equals with you. She knew your insecurities and fears, and wanted to quell them; but instead, I influenced her to release me. And how foolish!! We were always equals. You and me. She thought she needed to stoop down. But no. You are worthy.” Midnight’s return really was Sunset’s fault. “Oh…. No…” The Dark Alicorn smiled at her. “But don’t worry. Unlike her, I can give you what you most desire… After all, isn’t what you wish more than anything to rule alongside Us?” Sunset had a lump in her throat. Yes. It was. The imagery of the holograms changed To Midnight, and a demonic Sunset, together. She approached the Unicorn. “You and me… side by side?” More than anything. The holograms embraced each other with their wings, blue and red meshing together with erratic glows, and nuzzled faces, connecting their crooked horns. Her smile was of genuine joy. “That’s why I'm here, Sunset. Because she failed. But you don’t have to worry. I am yours. And you are mine! We can rule together. You can be free once more, just like me! The world will be our clay and we will be free to mold it as we see fit!! You will have everything you could possibly want!!! Including me. Nothing else will matter.” The holograms stood together, embracing, below them, ponies of all kinds bowed down to their power... The whole world was theirs. Sunset could recognize friends in that crowd. Celestia was in that crowd. Sunset shivered. She was right. In a dark and twisted way, this was what she always wanted, Twilight wanting her. And here she was, offering to stand together. The weight of the world hinged on this decision. Midnight stood very close to her, facing her directly. “Isn’t this all you ever wanted?” Sunset exhaled, unable to avert her eyes. “...It is. It is all I could have ever hoped for.” The dark irony of the situation dawned on her. Midnight smiled, spreading her wings once more. “Then JOIN ME. You are at a crossroads; and it’s time to take the power path, as you’ve always had. We can rule this kingdom together– no, this WORLD. You will be mine, and I will be yours!! Nothing will stop us!! What do you say?” Sunset had a brief moment of panicked thought. And yet… Clarity. In some twisted way, her innermost desires were being delivered to her on a silver platter. Everything she could have possibly ever wanted, right here, for her taking. All she needed to do was take it. She looked at the face of the mare she loved. Everything was different now. Could she play pretend on this dark fantasy just to be happy forever? What would be the cost? Did a cost even matter anymore? Didn’t her love for Twilight matter above everything? Chasing the thrill of power with her beloved forever… Finally, stronger than Celestia. Stronger than all. After all, why did she always need to do the right thing? Why work so hard for self improvement if you will never be enough? If you will never, ever be enough? For once. Couldn’t she just take what she wanted again? It was right there. It was hers. She deserved it. She EARNED it. She loved Twilight with all her heart. It was time to show it. Sunset gave her a weary smile. This was it. “...Okay. I accept. I am yours.” Prancing in place, Midnight did an all-too-familiar cute little squeal. “IIIIIII!! Yesyesyes!! You will NOT regret this!” Sunset reached for Midnight’s face, gently. “There's only one problem...” The dark Alicorn smiled with smile at the proximity of her love. “What is it? You can have anything you want! Just say the word and I'll give it to you. I will make a constellation for you!” she said, joyfully. “You’re not my Twilight.” Sunset channeled all her magical energy onto her horn, and bucked the floor with her back legs, propelling herself forward with all her strength. Her target was clear, and she hit it dead to rights. Midnight's horn got heavily cracked and damaged from her hit, and she flew back, tumbling on the floor. As she struggled to get up, her voice cracked too. The particles in the room exploded in an ocean of lights that slowly faded, shaken by the hit. The Alicorn struggled. “Y-you!! Urgh… I… Sunset. What’s going on?? Ugh… Get out of my HEAD!!!” Sunset couldn’t help but let out an exhale of relief. Twilight was still in there. “Twilight! I'm fighting for you! You have to fight too! LET’S GO!!!” She said, charging at her, with intent of damaging her horn once more. Midnight teleported and stumbled, dodging the move, Twitching her head. “Oof… Get out of my HEAD, MONSTER! Urgh. GET BACK IN YOUR CAGE, NERD. And YOU. We’re not DONE.” she looked angrily at her love. Sunset smiled confidently as she teleported near the doors, opening them. “MIDNIGHT! YOU WANT ME, I'M YOURS! But you’re going to have to catch me first.” Sunset ran into the halls of the place she used to call home. The Dark Alicorn let out a scream of anger as she battled herself internally. Spreading her wings, she took chase of her beloved. She was close to taking that deal. She was close to accepting this ending But for Twilight Sparkle, she would do anything (shoutout to Midnight actually being able to express her feelings. Lmao)

DapperLilArts

551707

Midnight Sparkle,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Drama,Romance,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Violence

The Return of Midnight Sparkle

Sunset Shimmer, in Equestria, Has to deal with being a part of Twilight Sparkle's team, per her request, despite her own feelings of inadequacy, regrets, fears, and worse of all, her newfound love for Twilight Sparkle. Can she ever earn it?

complete

<p>As a thank you, and upon seeing the potential in her, Twilight Sparkle has invited Sunset Shimmer to be a part of her team. Sunset has absolutely no idea what she's doing and she does not feel like she belongs; Whether if its from her regrets of trying to pursue power desperately and being corrupted by it, or her immense failure as Celestia's first pupil, or even her general inexperience with friendship, Sunset Shimmer has been humbled into nothingness, and has to rebuild her life from scratch.<br/>And the most complicated of all, Sunset Shimmer is now in love with Twilight Sparkle, the girl that changed her life for the better, and saved her from herself. She will keep these feelings extremely close to the chest; but her heart is on her sleeve now.</p><p>Can Sunset Shimmer improve? Can she be worthy and deserving of the friends that were imposed upon her? Could she possibly ever deserve to be side by side with a princess? Can she earn Twilight Sparkle's love?</p><p>Can she belong? Or is all of this temporary... And eventually she will have to move on, to anywhere more fitting of her insignificance? Are things destined to go wrong around her?</p><p>Will Midnight Sparkle return?</p>

teen

2024-02-17T21:29:13+00:00

2024-02-17T21:29:13+00:00

CHAPTER 5 ❤️‍🔥The dance is better with you❤️‍🔥 Running, running, running. She had to find her friends. The castle was like a maze; Sunset tried her best to remember the exact pathway that they took on the way there and reverse it to reach the others. Sentinels attempted to block her path and stop her, but she did not faulter. Midnight shouted from afar, chasing after Sunset; with intent of capture. “I WANT HER UNHARMED!! Please don’t hurt her!!” The Automatons were not intelligent enough to be capable of attempting harmless capture. They tried to stomp and crush and slice Sunset; but she wasn’t going to go that easy. She jumped and hopped and teleported around them with acrobatic agility; using her horn to deliver magic blasts and summon a horn blade with magic to slice them entwain, putting her fencing skills to the test, using everything she had ever learned. She chopped one of their heads clean off and bucked it towards Midnight. Easily deflecting it, she couldn't help but smile, and smiled. “Way to go Sunset!!” It was not Midnight speaking. Two Twilights were struggling for control of the same body, and the battle was fierce. With powerful displays of ragefull magic, The dark Alicorn tried summoning arcane chains to bind Sunset; or launch blasts that would knock her off; but Sunset kept dodging, either by leaps and slides, or by teleporting, often getting Midnight to hit one of her own Automatons, smiling the entire way. Sunset teleported right in front of Midnight, surprising her. “Pay attention Twilight, I'm about to make this look easy” She locked their horns together, then spun her head on a circle twice; forcing Midnight to look to the side, knocking her off, and then spun herself around and bucked Midnight’s side, knocking her to the ground at fierce strength. The Alicorn was shocked. “Boom.” Sunset teleported far and kept running away. Keeping up a lightning pace, combining teleportation with her awesome speed when galloping; Flashing forward every two seconds, and with that pace she found the cells her friends were in. She barrelled into the room, getting their attention. “GIRLS, I'm COMING IN HOT! IT’S ME THAT MIDNIGHT IS AFTER! WE HAVE TO DESTROY HER HORN; THAT’S WHAT’S BINDING TWILIGHT! HERE’S THE PLAN;” She broke Pinkie’s cell’s door with a swift magic blast, and immediately sliced multiple of her chains, setting the Pinkpony free. “Pinkie!! We need to blow this castle sky high. Go to the store rooms, see if they still have our fireworks! And start from the top to bottom; you know what to do!” Now freed off her chains, she could demonstrate her excitement once more, ready to roll. “You know it! LET’S BLOW THIS MOTHERFUCKER UP!!” She barged into Rainbow's cell, breaking her binds and freeing her wings. “Rainbow! We need an army. Fly Fluttershy to the everfree forest as FAST as you can, have her bring all the animals and monsters she can summon to fight! When you’re done, you need to fly back as fast as you can to assist Pinkie!” “Roger that, boss! You can count on me!” She immediately got up and stretched, joyfully flapping her newly freed wings, glad to be able to take flight once more, then eagerly made her way to her girlfriend's cell. Sunset used magic to rip the door off its hinges, then freed the other Pegasus off her chains. “Fluttershy! You know what to do! Come back with an army, any animal and monster that is up for a battle! And if any ponies can help us fight, I hope they rally to you!” Fluttershy stuttered a bit. “O-okay; I’ll try my best…!” Rainbow immediately went to her side, smooching her face and embracing her with her wings. Sunset sliced open the door on Rarity’s cell, then freed her too. “Rarity! I need you to go with Applejack to the lower floors; Check to see if there are any other prisoners in this castle, we have to free them all before we blow it to hell!” Rarity waved her hair and skipped out of her cell with ease. “Rock and roll, darling.” Last but Certainly not least, Sunset Didn’t even break Applejack's door. She just sliced and zapped some of the chains on her cell to break. With a few weak links, the Earth Pony could already yank the chains to break free, tearing them off their hinges or snapping them entirely. “Applejack, you might have to wade through a lot of those sentinels. You think you’re up for it?” Tearing the remaining chains with her incredible strength, she picked up her hat from the ground and put it on. “Ya know I got this, partner. Besides…” She bucked the door, immediately breaking it off its hinges, sending it flying across the room, then approached Rarity. “I got my love with me.” They nuzzled faces together. Rarity piped in with concern for Sunset. “How are you planning on beating Midnight, darling…?” Sunset did not have a plan. “I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it, okay? I got this.” She lied. Mechanical footsteps came from the hallways; sentinels were inbound. Rainbow landed near them. “Hate to break up your mushy moment but we’ve got company!” Sunset smiled. “You all know the plan, girls! But before that; Let’s get ‘em.” They all charged together, as one. Pinkie bounced and hopped around, making obnoxious noises, a perfect distraction. The enemies would try hitting or grabbing her but they’d just miss; or wind up hurting each other. She was slippery and a perfect diversion. Her friends could also take advantage; Like Sunset striking an enemy from behind; slicing them in twain with her arcane horn blade. Rainbow Dash was flying across the room incredibly fast, constantly tripping and kicking and bashing the sentinels. At some point, she would use her momentum to grab onto one of their heads and spin it on its axis fast and violently to unlatch it right off, shutting the Automaton down. She got hit once, and Fluttershy flew and caught her before she fell; flying around the battlefield as a distraction and support; like she had stated, she didn’t even like fighting, but she didn't run away from friends in need. Rarity constantly cast her diamond shields to parry attacks and protect her friends; countering with her elegant magical horn fencing, piercing holes on the Sentinels or slicing their limbs off. And the moment she got surrounded, Applejack fiercely came to protect her. The Earth Pony grabbed one of the automatons by the neck on a headlock; and with one single motion, crumpled its windpipe like paper, popping their head off, much to Rarity’s fluster. Applejack was on a roll; and she hit even harder than those mechanical beasts. A single buck from her would send 'em flying and bust into pieces. her focus was particularly on protecting Rarity and having a damn good time at that. Sunset couldn’t help but smile as she chopped, blasted and bucked her way through these enemies. She was quite literally on fire; overloading with fire magic that tied to all her attacks, which didn't even harm her. In the past, enemies like these could have seemed formidable, but now, they were nothing. And it didn't feel like how fighting felt in the past; It wasn't just an outlet for anger, it was more. She was fighting to protect the things she loved. This was an outlet for happiness. All her friends were fighting alongside her; the combat was glorious and she was loving every second of it. She found a new purpose at that moment; fighting for her friends. This was a feeling she never thought she needed. They could accomplish anything together. “ENOUGH!! Stop fighting!!” Midnight entered the room, spreading her wings. Every sentinel still active shut down, becoming piles of rubble. She moved every piece of debris to the farther walls, violently, clearing the room for them. The torches dimmed with her approach. She only had eyes for Sunset. “She’s mine.” All 6 of the ponies stopped in their tracks, looking at their former friend with unease. Sunset spoke up. “It’s me she’s after. You guys know the plan; I have to fight her alone. Do NOT come after me!” With a couple of quiet uneasy steps back, she considered how she'd lure Midnight away, but... Rainbow Dash spread her wings, ready to take flight. “No way we’re leaving you. We’re in this together.” Staring her opponent down, Applejack gritted her teeth. “Like hell we lettin’ you fight her alone, Sunset.” Midnight glared at each of them, with hurting intent. It was possible that Twilight was all that kept her from immediately attacking. There was an deep air of unease, like this was a western showdown, and they were waiting for the first shot to ring out… The room was profoundly tense, the air was electrified. …Then Pinkie started hopping around doing a funny little dance, singing a song. Shaking her hooves and skipping about. All of them were a bit puzzled. “Umm Pinkie? What are you doing…?” Fluttershy was confused. “Uhh yeah bro what is this? What's up” Rainbow Dash questioned. Pinkie just snickered a bit while dancing. “I'm dancing! Duh!” Midnight scoffed in annoyance. “Ugh do you always have to do your incessant little bits and gags. What is this now? ” Pinkie slapped her own butt in a taunting gesture. “Oh you mean you don’t know? I thought you were super smart like Twilight! It’s a distraction, dummy! NOW!!!” Rarity and Sunset both levitated Applejack and launched her like a missile towards Midnight. It was a huge tackle that pinned her down immediately; hurting a LOT. “Giddyup, bitch.” Applejack was about to get a solid stomp on her horn, but it was too late, Midnight countered. “UGH, HOW DARE YOU.” Midnight used her telekinesis to stop Applejack in her tracks, freezing her in place, giving herself a chance to stand. AJ struggled fiercely against her restraint, actually making headway, which made Midnight increase gravity upon her tenfold. Applejack stood, despite the weight, floor cracking beneath her hooves, she was sweating, but was actually keeping up with the pressure. “Is… that all you got…! This is nothin’… Cm’here!!” Midnight frowned despondently. “I’m done with you.” Using her telekinesis, she threw Applejack VIOLENTLY into a wall, almost shattering it. AJ was almost entirely buried in rubble; then the Dark Alicorn immediately shot a blast on the ceiling above her, dropping more stones on top of her. Rarity yelled “Applejack!!” and ran to her aid. Midnight got back up, bruised and wounded. “Get away!! GET AWAY FROM SUNSET. SHE’S MINE.” Pinkie panicked a bit. “Umm maybe I should do another distraction dance…?” Which only made Midnight angrier. She teleported right besides pinkie suddenly, then immediately grabbed her with telekinesis, bringing her real close. “Shut. Up.” She splatted Pinkie on the floor and then tossed her at a far wall, enraged. The poor Pinkpony got her bell rung. With swift determination, Rainbow ordered Fluttershy to go help the others; Which she obeyed, running to their side. Sunset wasn’t sure what to do next. Midnight was walking towards her, wings raised; she was bruised and hurt, twitching a bit, but still a massive threat. There was no way to beat her in a 1 on 1 fight. Rainbow Dash took flight and landed between them, she confidently spread her wings, with a cocky smile, facing Midnight down. “Hey nerd!! If you think you’re getting to Sunset without a fight, you've got another thing coming. She can do better than you!” That mere statement made the Dark Alicorn's eye twitch. With eyes widened, Sunset protested; Rainbow was going to get hurt badly. “Dash, no–” The Pegasus only turned half her head to look at Sunset. It was not a look of confidence or cockyness. She was sweating, concerned, and afraid. through gritted teeth, she barely mouthed the word “go.” To her friend. Rainbow wasn’t picking a fight. She was buying time. And Midnight was pissed. “No…. ugh… I’ll show you something, Rainbow Trash.” not wanting to waste the chance. Sunset immediately dashed onto one of the exits, getting as much distance as she could from Midnight, to hopefully lure her away. The Pegasus took flight; picking up speed and surrounding Midnight like a hurricane. The Alicorn put a shield around herself. Rainbow tried kicking and hitting her, but unfortunately doing no damage, barely even shoving her. Midnight frowned, and unleashed an electrical blast around her, zapping the Pegasus; she tried recovering her flight pattern despite the pain, but it was too late; Midnight grabbed her with telekinesis, slammed her against the ground violently, then tossed her with the others. Midnight scoffed, ignoring them completely and ran after Sunset, using teleportation to pick up the pace. Rainbow Dash did all she could, but it was barely enough. Fluttershy ran to her aid, after having picked up Pinkie. She checked her girlfriend for her wounds. “A-are you okay?? Sweetie please answer me…” Rainbow groggily got up, dusting herself, coughing a little. She took a massive beating, and had to make sure nothing was broken, and although it looked fine, it did hurt. “O-okay guys… I think we have to let Sunset do her thing.” Fluttershy was afraid, but tried not showing it. She didn’t want any of them trying to fight Midnight anymore. “Y-yes, we have to continue Sunset’s plan…. It’s the best hope we have.” Rainbow tried getting up. “I trust that she will be able to pull off her end… whatever it is. Ugh… It sucks to leave her hanging, though...” With Rarity’s help, Applejack managed to be pulled out of the wall. The Farmer seemed to be in decent condition, all things considered. “Are you alright, dear…?” She was very bruised, but her resilience towards physical damage showed. “I'm fine, Sugarcube. I'm just pissed. We failed to stop her… Sunset might be in awful danger…” She was very concerned for her friend. Rarity let out a chuckle. “Always concerned for others, aren’t you, handsome?” She picked AJ’s hat from the ground and put it back on her head. “Sunset is strong. We need to have faith that she will pull through.” Then gave her girlfriend a kiss. Pinkie shook her head, trying to ignore the pain. It was going to take a lot more than that to decommission Pinkie Pie! “Sunset gave us *ow* our tasks! we can’t *ow* let her down *ow* Let's go!! I believe in her and you guys BETTER BELIEVE TOO!” “Of course!” “You betcha!!” “Naturally, darling.” “You know it. Now let’s hit it!” All of them scattered into their own selected objectives. They had hope for their friend; even if they feared for her. This was still going to be a pretty long night. Midnight Ran through the halls, reaching a room with a balcony she knew was a dead end. Sunset was hiding somewhere in here, that much she could sense. No matter what, there was no fighting her; The Unicorn couldn’t win. The Alicorn kept moving furniture violently across the room, smashing it on opposite walls fiercely. Twitching, panting, Midnight was unstable, Twilight and her were battling, and yet, almost speaking as one. “You didn’t have to make this so difficult. I don’t want to hurt you! We can stop this; Please just stop this. Just surrender. Please don’t make her hurt you more...She’s too powerful, Sunset...” She walked around the torn up room, searching for her love. Sunset’s voice echoed in the room, Midnight tried hearing for the precise direction… “Yeah! I could have just quit and joined you. I might have even been happier! But I made a promise to you, Twilight. And I'll fulfill it if it kills me.” The world needed Twilight Sparkle, it did not need Sunset Shimmer. If this is the way things had to go, she would gladly allowed it to end. Midnight looked around, concerned.“We don’t WANT you dead!! We want you with us!!” “Too bad.” Sunset flipped from the rafters on the balcony, much like a trapeze swing, and delivered a direct kick on Midnight’s horn, cracking it even further; it was barely holding on… but still, it was. Midnight had been taken completely off guard, and with it, she retaliated with a powerful kinetic blast in every direction; And Sunset did not manage to dodge it. The Unicorn got blasted out of the balcony, many floors above the courtyard, in free fall. Midnight panicked immediately. “NO! No no no no no no!!!” and tried taking flight after her. Sunset nearly lost consciousness; she was in serious danger. She felt the wind savagely blasting on her face as she was in free fall; And the ground approached fast. All she could do was try casting a shield on herself and slow her descent with levitation, but unfortunately, it still hurt like a bitch. She bounced off the dirt and skidded, creating a small crater. She coughed, bleeding. She tried standing up, but one of her front legs was broken, making her tumble down immediately, bloody face in the dirt. As she struggled to get up, she pushed herself to her limits one more time. Everything hurt. This was her last chance. Her friends were counting on her. The entire world was counting on her. Twilight was counting on her. She needed to win. No matter the cost. “C’mon Sunset. This is It. Twilight needs you. Get up. Get up. Get Up” She managed to actually stand up, not leaning on her broken hoof. She breathed heavily, knowing what would have to come next. It was time for her final gambit, and she was going to stake it all. Her body was screaming in pain but she fiercely ignored it. She saw the pitch black wings of Midnight Sparkle approaching her from above. The Dark Alicorn flew down to see her. Almost resigned; she knew that Sunset was defeated, and incapable of fighting any further. Midnight landed in front of the crater Sunset stood in, facing her directly with a sorrowful expression. “Why are you still fighting me!! I don't want to hurt you.... I just want you by my side. Please let's just stop this…!” The Two sides of the Alicorn seemed to almost agree. Sunset gave out a frail chuckle. “S-sorry, Twilight. But I did promise you… And don’t worry, I got this. After all, I know your weakness now, and it’s one we share...” Midnight stood directly in front of her, unafraid, but confused. “What?? I don’t have a weakness–” Sunset pulled her closer and kissed her, directly on the lips, a passionate kiss she had desired for ages, but this time, weaponized against Midnight. For a second, this was all that existed. Just the two of them, kissing, nothing else. No courtyard, no castle, no Ponyville, no Equestria, no pain. Just them. Eyes widened, The Alicorn took a stumbled step back, completely flabbergasted, Flustered, sweating, confused, shocked, all of the above and more. “Wh– what?? Huh?? What?? Eh?? Umm Huh?!” She looked completely distraught and unfocused, a flustering, blushing mess. “See?” Sunset let out a cocky smile. With all her remaining strength she charged her horn with huge amounts of light energy and bucked the floor propelling herself forward hitting Midnight’s horn DIRECTLY. The light bathed all of the surroundings, even the sky, for a brief moment, as the Unicorn had delivered her final hit. It was as if it was day again, for just a second. Midnight’s horn shattered. Twilight got propelled backwards and fell on the dirt, unresponsive. There were no signs of Midnight on her anymore. But her wounds were dire, and she was completely unresponsive. Sunset exhaled steam, breathing heavily, as she limped slowly towards the mare she loved. “Twilight. Please. Please be okay… I need you… to be okay. Please… I love you… Please…” Then, losing all her energy, she lost consciousness and passed out beside Twilight Sparkle. I hope you can tell exactly what scene the chapter cover depicts; It's the precise moment right after she kisses twilight, and uses it as a chance to attack. I figured, that of all the moments in the story, this was the most worthy of also depicting the cover of the entire fic, since its immediately after their first kiss, but is also sunset using absolutely everything she has learned and ALL her energy to save her love. doesn't get more climactic than that.

DapperLilArts

551707

Midnight Sparkle,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Drama,Romance,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Violence

The Return of Midnight Sparkle

Sunset Shimmer, in Equestria, Has to deal with being a part of Twilight Sparkle's team, per her request, despite her own feelings of inadequacy, regrets, fears, and worse of all, her newfound love for Twilight Sparkle. Can she ever earn it?

complete

<p>As a thank you, and upon seeing the potential in her, Twilight Sparkle has invited Sunset Shimmer to be a part of her team. Sunset has absolutely no idea what she's doing and she does not feel like she belongs; Whether if its from her regrets of trying to pursue power desperately and being corrupted by it, or her immense failure as Celestia's first pupil, or even her general inexperience with friendship, Sunset Shimmer has been humbled into nothingness, and has to rebuild her life from scratch.<br/>And the most complicated of all, Sunset Shimmer is now in love with Twilight Sparkle, the girl that changed her life for the better, and saved her from herself. She will keep these feelings extremely close to the chest; but her heart is on her sleeve now.</p><p>Can Sunset Shimmer improve? Can she be worthy and deserving of the friends that were imposed upon her? Could she possibly ever deserve to be side by side with a princess? Can she earn Twilight Sparkle's love?</p><p>Can she belong? Or is all of this temporary... And eventually she will have to move on, to anywhere more fitting of her insignificance? Are things destined to go wrong around her?</p><p>Will Midnight Sparkle return?</p>

teen

2024-02-17T21:33:40+00:00

2024-02-17T21:33:40+00:00

CHAPTER 6 💖Do Over💖 Sunset could barely feel a thing. Maybe some dull pain. Maybe flashing lights. Maybe darkness, or maybe even whispers of voices, none of which she could distinguish or understand. For a long while, it was as if she was faded. Barely remembering why she was the way she currently was; how she got there. Slowly, without full recovery of her senses, it was as if stars unveiled around her. She was surrounded by the cosmos. She couldn’t speak, or even move. She couldn’t even tell if she had a body. It was as if her very essence was being broken down to its primordial components. All around her, constellations, nebulae, stars, all sorts of lights gathered. A beautiful endless horizon of space expanded in every direction, she felt as if she was connected to all of it. Everything. As if she was made of stardust. She wondered, for a moment, if she was dead. If this was it. Nothing more worth dying for than love… She hoped, with all that was left of her, that Twilight was okay. Wherever she was. Until she heard something familiar. Old, but familiar. Her old mentor’s voice, maybe a bit difficult to make out, and yet, perfectly clear. Princess Celestia was talking directly to Sunset Shimmer. Was this a dream? Was it a hallucination? Was her mentor reading her mind, or was Sunset reading hers? Her voice was coming from a distant light. Sunset couldn’t move. She couldn’t see her. Celestia’s voice was like a small light directed at her. If Sunset was capable of it under the circumstances, she would scream, just for how it felt to be near Celestia once more. She hadn’t heard her voice in a really long time. “Figures, I’d have to be dead before meeting her again.” Sunset thought to herself. Nonetheless, she listened intently. What could I possibly say to you? How could I make this right? How many apologies would it take for me to earn your forgiveness? I don’t know how to fix this. I wanted to give you space. I feared you never wanted to see me again. Even now, I wonder if things would have turned out differently, if I had just reached out. Better? Worse? I regret so much about us. But not meeting you. Not training you. I owed you so much. But I couldn't deliver. You failed me. I failed you. And yet, my pupil didn’t. She brought out in you what I couldn't. And now if we lose you… I fear I'll lose her too. I can raise the sun. But I can't keep my own apprentices safe. My failings ripple out like domino's and strike me back. Always, always… The world needs you. We need you. More than you can ever imagine. I am so proud of the warrior you have become… In spite of my failings. If… When… When you return to us. You and I will meet again. And when we do… We will be equals. I want to make this right. I know you want to, too. I’ve missed you. Please come home. For her. Raise the sun, Sunset Shimmer. Sunset felt herself reforming. As if the stars were coming to her… To mend her. To complete her. She was not dead. And then she awoke. She felt like she had been vacuum sealed. She woke up, to the sound of humming, extremely exhausted, throat dry, with still feeling waves of pain on her body. She barely opened her eyes, to see what seemed like a hospital room, in which she was laying in a bed. On the right, she saw Fluttershy, crocheting and humming to herself, sitting on a chair, seemingly knitting a sweater with holes on it. She noticed how her own right arm was in a cast, broken after all, but recovering. She was hazy. Was any of what she heard and felt real? Sunset grunted, trying to shuffle a bit. She tried speaking up, which just came as a bunch of incoherent grumbles. “Oh my goodness! Sunset! You’re awake!” Fluttershy stopped what she was doing and immediately went to give her friend some water, resulting in her friend almost choking. “You must be very confused, are you okay? How are you feeling?” “Where’s Twilight? Is she okay? Please–” “She’s okay! She’s okay. Don’t worry.” The Pegasus comforted her, almost giggling at Sunset’s priorities. Sunset just leaned back in bed with a huge exhale. “Okay. So that’s it, then. Phew. It’s over… Thank Celestia… ” A feeling washed over her, one that she rarely, if ever felt. She felt the need to cry. Everything that had happened in the last week was coming back to her. How long had it been since she had cried? Maybe only after Twilight beat her, when she was a demon, it all felt like an eternity ago... For a fleeting moment, she considered that it was time to go. It was her fault that Midnight Sparkle had returned. She did a lot of damage. Maybe if she wasn’t here, none of this would have happened. Maybe she should leave. Let it all go, leave it all behind. Sunset wanted to vanish. Undo all the connections she made, all the impact she had made on other people’s lives. She was ashamed of herself to the core of her being. Almost losing Twilight made her feel incredibly uneasy about her presence among them. She felt like she needed to just… go. Had she the energy to stand, maybe she would have tried. Had she the energy at all, she would have done something, anything, anything at all that would remove her from her friend's lives. Even now, Fluttershy talked to her like she mattered. As if. She knew she had no chance of escaping this, they wouldn't let her. Twilight, wherever she was, wouldn't let her. But that shame, that shame that dug to the cornerstone of her being, forced her to consider it. With a couple of blinks, she shook her thoughts away. She needed to be in the present, now. Fluttershy was talking, and she paid attention. “Twilight is spearheading the repairs of Ponyville, she kinda wrecked a lot of things when she was evil. It’s been a kinda chaotic week, she wanted to be here waiting for you to wake up, but you know how it is…” “Princesses are always busy, busy, busy…” Letting out a huge exhale. she closed her eyes. At least the bed was comfortable. She felt like laying there forever. Alone. Fluttershy chuckled a bit. “Yeah, and I guess it didn’t help that we blew up her castle… If it makes you feel better, she’s slept here every day of the week, hoping for you to wake up.” Sunset couldn’t help but have a bittersweet smile, imagining Twilight by her side. Even now, that Princess somehow, inexplicably, still cared about her. The Pegasus pointed at her phone. “Do you mind if I call the others here? Tell them you’re awake?” Sunset hesitated. “Umm… yes, okay, you can. D-don’t call Twilight, though. I'm not ready for that.” Blowing air from her nostrils, The Pegasus pouted a bit. “Alright, alright. I respectfully disagree but it’s your choice.” she said, while typing out a message and sending it to their friends. “So, walk me through it, is everypony okay?” Lounging back on her chair, Fluttershy recalled the events of their chaotic week. “Everypony’s been better, but they’ve all recovered okay. Your plan was pretty smart, it ended up working out! The others evacuated the castle, while me and Rainbow got an army of critters and monsters to help fight the automatons. She must have been pretty nervous, because she asked me for a ‘kiss for good luck’ hehehe… She always does that when she’s nervous. It’s cute. There were still plenty of Sentinels remaining, but with our animal army, plus some evertree monsters, and even ponies that we rallied to fight, we actually won pretty easily! Oh! And apparently Starlight Glimmer had formed a resistance with some ponies that remained in Ponyville. They helped us fight too! And imagine our surprise when we found Midnight had been defeated by you already! And, well, ahem, other surprises. You really are something, Sunset!” “Pff, okay, sure... What happened next?” “Well Pinkie found fireworks after all, and she somehow managed to find the exact weak spots of the castle to make sure it would crumble. (I wonder if she had already considered a crazy thing like this before...?) After we evacuated, Rainbow had spotted where you two laid, so we came to get you. And then boom! Bye bye evil castle!” With a frail chuckle, Sunset smiled. “In retrospect, it might have been overkill to blow it up.” Fluttershy giggled with her. “Speak for yourself, it was pretty cathartic!” she said, making an explosion noise and fluttering her wings. “Anyways, after Twilight woke up, she wanted to be with you, but duty called, and she had to assure the people that she wasn’t, you know, evil anymore. Luckily when you beat Midnight, Celestia and Luna were freed from whatever prison Midnight had put them in! They helped too. It’s been a pretty busy week, but things are slowly getting back to normal.” Sunset let out a sigh of relief. Normal sounded pretty damn good right now. Fluttershy gave her a warm smile. “Don’t worry, Sunset. Everything’s going to be okay.” That statement felt so hard to believe, after everything Sunset had ever gone through. Things were rarely ever even fine to her. Much less okay. And that's when they heard Pinkie sounds in the distance approaching the room. Tumbling, a cacophony of onomatopoeia's, until the Pink Pony barged in the room with a cheerful squeal. She hopped and skipped pinkiely entering the room, incredibly happy. “AAAaa Sunset!! You’re awake!!! Hell yes!! I will refrain from hugging because of your injuries but be aware you have a free coupon for many hugs to be cashed in with yours truly as soon as you are physically able!” Being incredibly happy to be in the presence of her best friend, Sunset smiled hard, trying to keep a relaxed demeanor, so as to not bring about more physical pain. “Hey Pink. I’ll keep that in mind for later.” Fluttershy giggled. “Hi Pinkie! Sunset’s still recovering, she hasn’t been fully aware of her situation yet. She's still… noticing stuff.” “Ohhhh I getcha, I getcha, I getcha! Here Sunset, have some stickers!” Pinkie started placing stickers in her cast. ‘Get well soon’ ‘thank hoofness’ ‘royal pain’ 'not a neigh-sayer’ and others. That's when Sunset realized that her cast was signed from top to bottom; not only did all her friends sign it, but many people from Ponyville, even Cadance… even Luna and Celestia?! “Um... How many people were here?” Fluttershy pointed to her left. Sunset hadn't noticed yet; but there were tables in the room FILLED with flowers and ‘get well soon’ cards. She even saw a sunflower from Celestia on there… She had been visited by a whole bunch of people and hadn’t even realized it. She was a bit flabbergasted. Pinkie chimed in. “You saved the world, Silly!! No DUH that people would want to thank you!!” Sunset tried wrapping her head around it, but struggled. It was dizzying. People were grateful? To her? She saved the world?? They heard a landing, and Rainbow Dash entered the room, hyped. She kissed Fluttershy then addressed Sunset cheerfully, with her usual cocky demeanor. “How's our favorite badass hanging!! Dude you were legendary.” She tried smiling confidently, but it wound up genuine. “Hi, Dash. I’ve been better. Still adjusting… thanks for everything.” Rainbow fluttered her wings, joyfully. “Duuude it’s okay! You were awesome. I can’t believe you beat Midnight all on your own!!! Your ‘final move’ was especially inspired, nyeheheheh!” Sunset got flustered immediately. “Oh. You. Saw that? Uhh.” The Pegasus gave a cocky smile. “Yer talkin’ to the eagle eyed of us, pal. I saw it in pristine HD 4K. I was flying back to the castle, and then wham-o, heheh. Gotta say, smart move.” She nodded nervously, unsure if Rainbow knew about the kiss or not. “Uhh yeah, totally, smart move” “Yooohooo!!! Hello, darlings!” Rarity and Applejack entered the room; AJ was holding a big basket full of fruits (mostly apples) and sweets of all sorts. “We came as fast as we could! Nice to see ya hangin’ in there, partner!” The Earth Pony gave her an joyful smile. Sunset could see various lipstick marks on her face; the crime, and the culprit, Rarity, with purple lipstick as usual. Crime solved. Rarity approached Sunset with a mixture of concern and pride on her friend. “Darling, you did amazing. It is wonderful to see you’re okay! We are so happy for you!” She put the basket on the table next to Sunset, another big set of gifts; she was full of them. Sunset didn’t even care, she was just happy to see everyone. That same feeling creeped up on her throat, and behind her eyelids, as Sunset suppressed tears. “It’s good to see you two! I'm so glad all of you are okay!!” Rainbow snickered, whispering at Pinkie. “Has she not noticed yet??” And Pinkie promptly shushed her. “Shhhhh give her time!!” Fluttershy giggled. “Don’t worry everypony, I caught her up on everything that’s happened. Almost everything.” Applejack tilted her hat. “Either way, Yer awesome, partner! Ponyville is itching to throw ya a party, and we ain’t takin’ no for an answer. As soon as ya can stand, of course!” Pinkie vibrated with excitement. “YOU KNOW IT I WILL MAKE YOU PARTY GIRL” Another frail chuckle from the injured Unicorn. “Yeah, yeah, fine by me.” It didn’t even seem clear to her, she couldn’t process it; but hundreds of people wanted to celebrate her. She couldn’t even imagine it. Looking around the room, Rarity piped in. “Well we’re all here, but where’s Twilight? She would want to be here, no?” A chill ran through Sunset's back. She needed to avoid this. “Well, she’s busy, I didn't want to bother her…!” Dismissing her, Rarity scoffed promptly. “Nonsense! Let's call Twilight at once!” Without hesitation, Pinkie grabbed her phone from her mane, smiling. “Okidoki, I'm calling Twilight right now!” Sunset panicked slightly, attempting to get out of bed, “Um. Maybe you shouldn’t”-- But immediately being held down by Applejack easily. Occupants of the room giggled, seeing how flustered their incapacitated friend was. “Seriously Pinkie. I'm not sure–” But Pinkie shushed her. “Shush! Who’s the resident joy expert here? Trust me, girl!” Sunset couldn't bear to speak anymore, as he phone rang for a few agonizing seconds and the entire room was quiet. Her heartbeat was rising. Then she picked up; And Pinkie was her usual self. "Hiiiiiii Twiiiiiii! I thought I should call ya to say that Sunset is awake! Yeyeyeye, she's okay! better than okay! --Of course she wants to see you, silly! --oop, she hung up." She said, putting her phone down and giggling. "Well that was fast!" The entire room was briefly quiet, as they considered how efficient of a phone call that was. Applejack cleared her throat. “Ahem, Anyways partner, lay back down, ya shouldn't be overexerting. How are ya feeling?” The nerves were still clamoring to her, as she stumbled with her words. “Well, I'm–” Then they all heard a noise outside that could only be described as a jet breaking the sound barrier nearby and crash landing on the roof of the hospital. Blinding light blasted beneath the curtains merely for a moment, and seconds later Twilight slammed the door open, breathing heavily, with a bit of rubble on her, sweating from what might have been a medal earning flight by speed... ...Princess Twilight Sparkle had just performed a sonic rainboom, simply by rushing here. No one dared comment on it; They figured she hadn't even noticed it herself, either. The room was quiet as they opened a pathway for her to come closer to Sunset's bed. And as she approached Sunset, she seemed to be on the verge of tears, focused only on her. “You’re okay… Thank goodness you're okay...!! I was so worried about you…!” She got really close to Sunset. Sunset was nervous. “H-hi, Twilight. I'm really, really glad you’re okay too...!” Twilight laid her head on Sunset’s bed, sniffling; And the Unicorn didn’t know what to do. All she could do was apologize. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything; for hurting your feelings. For fighting you. For even existing honestly– Maybe if I wasn’t here none of this would have happened– You deserve better.” Twilight put a hoof over her mouth, stopping her from talking, still in tears. “nonononO. Shuddup. STOP. You’re incredible, Sunset. Why is it so hard for you to see yourself the way we see you? Why is it so hard for you to see yourself the way *I* see you? You’ve done so much for us!! And you did it just to fit in?? You did it so you could earn it?? And you didn’t even think to ask what we thought of that. What *I* thought of that!!” No one else in the room was talking. Sunset averted looking at her, with that sense of unending shame bubbling inside her. “I'm really sorry– I was ashamed. I love you so much, but I couldn’t bear myself. And I ended up making it your problem…” All of them looked at her, completely disregarding the idea that her presence would ever be a problem. Twilight was over energetic, still crying a bit, leaning even closer. “Well we have news for you Sunset; your problems are our problems too. We’re friends!! And don’t get me wrong– I'm So proud of you for everything you’ve accomplished; everything you’ve become! This is a– it’s a good look on you. But I wish you had been honest with me, from the beginning. And also asked about how we felt about you!! How I felt about you!!!” Sunset closed her eyes. “I'm sorry… I was stupid. I knew I couldn't earn it. I wanted to earn it–” “Ask me.” “Huh?” “Ask me how I feel about you.” There was no longer any hesitation needed. The question needed to be asked. “...Do you love me?” “YES!!!” Twilight put two hooves in her bed, flustering a LOT. “I, um, when did–” Twilight covered her head with her hooves, flustering a lot, crying and sniffling a bit still. “I don’t know!! M-maybe a couple of months?? I've never been in love before! I didn’t know what the feelings were, okay? I'm dumb. You wrote a LOVE song for ME and played it TO MY FACE and I just. DIDN’T NOTICE! Gosh, you were holding me with only ONE arm and I was thinking how I wanted to stay like that forever, and like a dumbass I couldn't even tell that wasn’t exactly just a ‘friend’ thing to think. And there I was fantasizing about ways to get you and Celestia in good terms again so that maybe we could work together officially-- Not even realizing I wanted that for a lot more than just you being my FRIEND! 'Golly gee wouldn't it be nice if Sunset Shimmer ruled Equestria alongside me someday!' BESTIE! Ugh, I'm so, so dumb...! Gosh you've changed so much. So, so much...!” Her words were stuttering with love, stuttering with pride, and stuttering with hope. And because of everything, Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle. “...Well, I guess I did get stronger…” Tilting her head, Twilight regarded her with pity. “I just wish you had done all that self improvement for yourself, too, Sunset… You deserve to think about yourself, once in a while… You deserve everything...!” Shaking her head with a frown, Sunset dismissed the thought. “C’mon, can you blame me? You’re a Princess, and I'm just me. I never thought I'd have a chance… And that least of all, I'd deserve it. I don't deserve it. This! I don’t deserve this! I never have! I shouldn't even be here. It isn't right. I don't belong here, and i don't deserve it.” She stated with frustration, pointing at all the incredible ponies in the room. Even now, she felt out of place. With a loving exhale, Twilight smiled. “Here.” She offered Sunset her arm. Sunset held her, and Twilight helped her sit up. “You do deserve it, Sunset. Or should I say… Princess Sunset Shimmer?” “Eh?” She pointed behind Sunset, making her turn to look. On Sunset’s back, there was a new pair of wings; they were there even before she woke up, and she hadn’t noticed. Sunset Shimmer was now an Alicorn. “Wh– huh? Umm. What?” Her jaw was wide open, and so were her eyes. She sweat a bit, moving her wings, making them flutter and shake; confused. Rainbow Dash broke out laughing, and the other ponies joined in cheering and congratulating her. It was hard to hold it in before, but it was worth it to see her face. Fluttershy lifted the sweater she was knitting, pointing at it. There were holes in it for wings, and it was meant for the new Alicorn, Sunset Shimmer. Sunset chuckled nervously “Haha, this is a dream, right? Princess Luna, can you come wake me up? Or maybe don’t because it’s really nice hahaha...!” Twilight held her hoof, looking right at her, still blushing, with an incredibly warm teary-eyed smile. “Sunset. This is real. You saved the entire world and even beat a corrupted princess in a fight– sounds like more than enough qualification, don’t you think? I sure do…” Sunset was struggling a lot to hold in tears of joy; A struggle she at long last gave into. A single tear streamed down her cheek as she chuckled. “So you mean you and me…?” “That’s right. We’re both princesses.” Twilight smiled warmly, while crying too. Sunset and Twilight hugged, not too tightly so as not to hurt her, embracing each other with their wings. Gleefully, Pinkie proclaimed what she had been waiting to say for a while; "That makes TWO Alicorns that were ascended in Ponyville! That oughta be some kind of legendary record, right???" "Ponyville forever!!! We're the BEST!!!!!!!!" Hopping into flight, Rainbow Dash cheered for their hometown; And her friends followed suit, breaking out into giggles. And they continued, until Twilight, who silently regarded Sunset, both with eyes only for each other, requested them to both have some time alone in the room. Complying happily, Applejack shoved everyone out, despite their protests. They wanted to watch, after all; But they respected the Princess's wishes, though they remained eavesdropping, outside. And for Sunset, the same feeling persisted, now with relief, tears streamed down her cheeks, as for the first time in a long while, she knew exactly who she was, without a shadow of a doubt. She was Princess Sunset Shimmer. And with that utterly joyful realization, she couldn't help but chuckle frailly, in between tears. "Well… it will be my pleasure to serve alongside you, my Princess Twilight.” Although the statement made the other Alicorn's heart flutter, she got reasonably upset. “Nonono, it’s time for you to do things for you too, Sunset! Not me. You've been neglecting yourself all this time– you have to change that. What do you want to do? For you! Right now!” Sunset thought, just for a little bit, processing her beloved’s request, looking at her beautiful teary eyes again. And then, clarity. “I want… I want to have a do over on our first kiss.” With the shock of someone that likely had read books about kissing in an attempt to study such things, Twilight’s eyes widened as she got really flustered and stuttered a bit. “I-i suppose, it’s only right we do it right– and do it again. Properly. Yes. Correctly.” They kissed each other gently, clumsily, embracing each other, even with their wings, missing their kissing targets by small margins, but nonetheless, cherishing the moment. This was everything Sunset could have possibly ever wanted. And the same went to her beloved. They stopped kissing and started giggling. Sunset looked right at her while they pressed their heads together. “Heheh, as first kisses go, that wasn't so bad, Princess. Actually… I don't think that was right. Can we get another do over?” she joked, inducing giggles from her partner. Both of them snickered before kissing again, with the same wonderful feeling, and less clumsiness. “Ummmm actually I think I could do with another do over.” And they kissed, laughed, kissed, cried, their friends outside couldn’t help but snicker and celebrate their two friends finally getting together. Twilight Giggled. “You know, you blew up our castle. *mwah*” Sunset snickered. “Oh it’s our castle, huh? *mwah*” “It was an eyesore anyways. Want to build another home together? *mwah*” “How about a community center-library here in Ponyville? *mwah*” “Stop, stop, I can only be so in love with you. *mwah*” “I’ll take that as a challenge. After all… You’re Mine hehehe *mwah*” “Oh my gosh, I was so embarrassing when I was evil. *mwah*” “I dunno, heheh. I think it was kinda hot. *mwah*” “Pfff don’t even go there… hihihi *mwah*” “You’re mineeee heheheh *mwah*” “Noooo you’re mineeee hihihi *mwah*” “I want to fly with you. *mwah*” “Oh bold already eh? *mwah* “I want to fly with you and kiss you on top of a building.*mwah*” “REALLY bold, Princess Sunset…! *mwah*” “Canterlot Castle. We’re making out on top of the tallest tower hehehh…*mwah*” “Oh my goodness… *mwah*” “Right on top of Celestia’s throne room. Heheh.” *mwah*” “Oh my gosh…!! *mwah*” “I cannot even imagine how it's going to be like to tell Celestia about this. *mwah*” “Oh, she knows. I couldn’t help but spill my guts about you. She was amused. and happy. *mwah*” “Oh no, heheh. How embarrassing… *mwah*” “You’re gonna have to write a letter to her thouuuuuugh…*mwah*” “Oh. Crap. Well, it's about time... *mwah*” And so they continued to giggle and kiss on each other's embrace, both wishing they could stay like that forever. Man. What a conclusion, huh? attentive readers might have noticed, but a lot of what Celestia says on this chapter mirrors things that Sunset has stated almost identicaly on this fic, on the earlier chapters. And it is real, yes. Also i'm not sure if a sonic rainboom is smth that other people can perform, but I figured that if anyone could, it'd be twilight in that precise moment! Driven by sheer worry and desire to see her love. And here she is, finally truly complete. Goddamn, does it feel good.

DapperLilArts

551707

Midnight Sparkle,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Drama,Romance,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Violence

The Return of Midnight Sparkle

Sunset Shimmer, in Equestria, Has to deal with being a part of Twilight Sparkle's team, per her request, despite her own feelings of inadequacy, regrets, fears, and worse of all, her newfound love for Twilight Sparkle. Can she ever earn it?

complete

<p>As a thank you, and upon seeing the potential in her, Twilight Sparkle has invited Sunset Shimmer to be a part of her team. Sunset has absolutely no idea what she's doing and she does not feel like she belongs; Whether if its from her regrets of trying to pursue power desperately and being corrupted by it, or her immense failure as Celestia's first pupil, or even her general inexperience with friendship, Sunset Shimmer has been humbled into nothingness, and has to rebuild her life from scratch.<br/>And the most complicated of all, Sunset Shimmer is now in love with Twilight Sparkle, the girl that changed her life for the better, and saved her from herself. She will keep these feelings extremely close to the chest; but her heart is on her sleeve now.</p><p>Can Sunset Shimmer improve? Can she be worthy and deserving of the friends that were imposed upon her? Could she possibly ever deserve to be side by side with a princess? Can she earn Twilight Sparkle's love?</p><p>Can she belong? Or is all of this temporary... And eventually she will have to move on, to anywhere more fitting of her insignificance? Are things destined to go wrong around her?</p><p>Will Midnight Sparkle return?</p>

teen

2024-02-17T22:03:57+00:00

2024-02-17T23:44:05+00:00

EPILOGUE ☀️Dear Princess Celestia☀️ I haven’t said these words in a while. It feels so weird to even think them; but here I am. Dear Princess Celestia: Hello again! I am sorry for everything. I'm sorry I haven't written. I know you’ve forgiven me, but… If this last year has been about anything, it’s been about forgiving myself. I can’t state how afraid I was. And how ashamed… and filled with regret over every fiber of my being. But I've come to a conclusion. No more regret. Everything I did, even my mistakes, led me to this point. I betrayed you, and that led me to Twilight. And she led me to… Everything. She is everything. I’ve gotten better because of your pupil… I'm the happiest I've ever been because of her. In some way, I suppose I'll give that credit to you, too, heh. You already know that we’re in love, but I still want to ask you for your blessing. (And if you don’t give it, I'll just ask Luna, heh.) After all, I love Twilight… just, so much!!! I want to spend the rest of my life with her; She's so friggin cute and I can't stop thinking of us in our princess outfits, give me some badass armor– Actually Spike can you scratch that last part? I'm getting distracted haha. Spike. Do it now please. Anyway, learning to fly has been exhilarating. I’ve been catching on quickly, according to Dash and Fluttershy. Though I still take quite a few falls, but honestly, nothing I'm not used to. Twilight said I'm better at flying than she is, so I took it as an opportunity; I've been taking her to my flying lessons to teach her to fly even better, too! The sensation of flying with a lover… there’s nothing quite like it, it's just so incredible– hey Spike can you scratch that too? I need to focus. Also, you’re getting a letter from the world’s first punk rock Alicorn, hehe! Me and Pinkie have been putting on some shows, and I think my new wings make for quite the advertisement. I even got Twilight to join as a singer! Her voice is so beautiful, i, ahem. Maybe some of the others will join too, I wouldn't mind that at all. Rarity made me some awesome outfits to fit my new wings, and naturally, gorgeous dresses that I might not wear much, heh. If you ever need a rock show in Canterlot, you know who to call! Come to think of it, I'm not sure what I’m the Princess of. Twilight is the Princess of Friendship… We got one of love already, Maybe I'm the Princess of Ass-Whooping? I have really enjoyed fighting for my friends, I wonder if that would be it. And with all this power, all I can think of is holding what I love dearly. Protecting them… Protecting everyone. That’s why I'm here, maybe? …I don't know, but I'm excited to find out! Well, either way… Meeting my parents again was. Odd. I decided to keep it a surprise who I was dating, and well, how I 'looked.' Never seen them more flabbergasted. It was very entertaining. I had forgotten what it's like to have a parental figure be proud of me. We had a really wonderful time, and we’ll see each other more from now on! Especially now that I can fly! My life is so different now. I find myself thinking and doing things I never would have dared before. I'm not sure if that's a case of being an Alicorn, or just… having the friends I have now. I feel lighter than air. I'm getting off track, aren’t I? Dear Celestia. I’ve learned… I've learned…That I know how strong I am now. I'm strong because of my mistakes and my shortcomings, I'm strong because of my friends and loved ones. I'm strong because of every single challenge that was put ahead of me, and because of all the people that backed me up. I'm strong because of Me. And I'm strong because of Her… I’ve learned to live without regrets holding me back. I’ve learned to allow myself to be, good aspects and all, flaws and all. Especially the flaws. And I've learned that… Everything is going to be okay if we work side by side. Our love for each other makes us stronger. My love for her makes me… Stronger than I could have ever imagined. Like I could raise the sun! – Spike, maybe scratch that last part. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything in the world. You know what, this letter is a bit unnecessary, isn’t it? I got off track again. Here’s something more concise: Dear Princess Celestia, is it okay if we come over? If you’d like, these two princesses and her friends can visit Canterlot, and you and I will get to talk face to face once more, this time, as equals. We can share everything we should have before! I want to see you again, I want to show you all I've learned. I’d like that very much… I miss you. I hope you feel the same way. I owe you a lot more than either of us could even imagine. But I don't want to see you as an unreachable goal anymore. After all, you never were… It was a mistake to see you that way. And I won't let that hold me back anymore. With hope, we will see eachother again soon, and we will get to talk as old friends. No more fears. No more regrets. I am ready for anything. Your faithful former student, Sunset Shimmer. AUTHOR’S NOTE - regarding a whole buncha stuff! PHEW thanks for reading all that. Hi it’s me, Bonnie again! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it! I figured I'd put a couple notes here about some of the behind-the-scenes processes of writing this fic, Many of the ideas I had that didn't make it or that went above board, and ideas for the future. Midnight Sparkle inside Twilight’s psyche be like, lol. I hope you’ve enjoyed my interpretation of these characters, i very much enjoyed writing all of them, Chapter 2 was incredibly large (sorry about that) specifically because i basically wanted to write an entire season of the show where Sunset was a new deuteragonist; and honestly left to my own devices i would have written episodes where she isn't the POV, too. I cut a handful of content and ideas, enough to make chapter 2 be its own book, so let's leave that be lmao. I’ve definitely gotten a weird personal grip on the characters; I changed some of them maybe a bit too far from the originals, but it was mostly with intent of furthering the themes, but there are exceptions of “because I like her better that way” lmao. Rainbow dash and Pinkie are definitely examples. They are my least favorite of the Mane 6 in the show; but I would never take that as an excuse to write them poorly. The very opposite! I decided to go all in and try to change them for the better; like making rainbow dash actually loyal (don't @ me) and not obsessed with winning above everything else. I made her into an action hero type that is still compassionate and deeply empathetic. And in Pinkie's case, have you noticed that she makes people uncomfortable all the time in the show? And that she lacks basic empathy?? Well I ain't having that. I think you can have a ‘cooky’ random dumb sweet character without sacrificing the pillars of a good person; and although she obviously isn't awful in the show; I felt like she needed to be a confidant more often. Someone that despite their overall dumbness, you can count on as a real friend. (+ in Equestria Girls her and Sunset have a pretty cute dynamic! I can see why people ship them despite me preferring twilight x Sunset. But still. I honored that dynamic!) Another character I certainly butchered the most, Cadance. NGL, Cadence in the show is a bit… Nothing. I’m sorry Cadance fans but she's a pretty sorry excuse for a goddess of love, and her prince is even worse. I can see the appeal, but for the sake of the themes of this story, I had to divorce em. I know, I know, blasphemy; but hey, if Sunset saw a princess being in love with a basic ass white boy in a stable relationship, her insecurities over being enough for twilight would diminish greatly! As per illustrated here: I think you can notice why this would probably sabotage the drama in the narrative, lmao. Pretty damn easy conclusion, Funny, if nothing else. Despite all that, believe it or not, Cadence was my favorite “take” to write out of all of them. Cause i took the most creative liberties, really! She was a blank canvas and I decided to write her much like a Greek god; kind of a bastard. But unlike the Greek gods, a kind one! Her chapter was pretty important to talk directly to Sunset about her love problems, and it was very damn fun to write. (also in the show, the fact that Shining Armor doesn't even notice that his wife is a changeling when Chrysalis isn't even TRYING to act nice pisses me off lmao. BAD HUSBAND.) I of course took other liberties, like writing about Sunset’s “parents” who don’t even exist in the show, (i thought that an upbringing would be really important to define someone like her) and like making Rarity and Applejack get all over each other, (i know rarity is painfully straight in the show but like. My god girl, just go get that farm girl, you’ll be happier that way.) And I also choose keeping their Equestria Girls powers! I always thought they were simple, but very natural, and should have been on the main show (forever annoyed that applejack isn't apple-jacked. Like wtf.) Which does make me think of Sunset’s mind reading powers, honestly, i imagined if i would canonize them on this, i’d make it only an post-alicorn thing. And even then; such power has to be used wisely, I don't imagine she'd have much use for it (unless we’re going by subterfuge-style-episodes n stuff) I kind of purposefully went slightly meta in some of the moments. Mentioning how Sunset felt like she didn't belong there and felt like it wasnt right, stuff like that. But make no mistake this is the show I wish we got lmao. Desperately gay horses. Show of the Century. Anyways, let’s talk about deleted scenes/sequences/gags! This one is fairly simple. I thought of a funny(ish) joke regarding Pinkie, i figured it’d be really funny if she was genuinely offended at the thought of being brought along to something that might not be fun, and she’d drop the F-bomb, not out of frustration with her friends, but with the very universe, lmao. But I couldn't find the right moment to place this joke, and figured it wasn’t worth setting up a whole scene for it. Plus, I got plenty of good jokes with her already. Remember the ratio? This one is pretty funny, one of my favorite jokes i’ve made regarding Rarity and Applejack, I specifically cut it because coming up with an entire scene context where Sunset was helping her with making clothes just wasn’t worth it. Don’t get me wrong, this might as well be canon, all of these deleted scenes are, but I sure didn't want to cloud chapter 2 any more than I needed to. And 200 days is a long time! Lots can happen! But yeah, these horses gay. I never minded joking about this; and I will say the only reason I even had to write any horny jokes was related to rarijack lmao. I just find that the ship is inherently kinda charged for those kinds of jokes. And sex is nothing if not funny! This one is a bit specific! I wound up writing Sunset to be way better with kids than I would have expected, even if accidentally. And I realised this would have been a wonderful opportunity to give her her very own scootaloo, even if just for one episode. Babs Seed seemed like the type to like cool punk style and violence! The general premise would be that “apple acres ball” that Rarity mentioned in chapter 4. Basically, to get away from the responsibility of participating in the dance festivities, Sunset would choose to be one of the caterers and bouncers, much to Applejack's delight. And I imagine Twilight could likely be present, So Sunset would want to do a pretty good job to impress her. Queue fun entertaining fights with some troublemakers-apple haters crashing the party and sunset and applejack get to wallop-em; with the added comedy of Sunset trying to keep the party as tidy as possible WHILE kicking ass. Using magic to keep a cake from falling WHILE bucking your enemies; good times. Plus the really cute thing of the cutie mark crusaders adoring a good butt kicking! The one below is interesting because I couldn't find a way to put Starlight on this story for the LIFE of me. Thing is, I'm not her biggest fan in the show, but I adore her shenanigans with Trixie; and if there's another entertaining aspect, is the idea of her and her gf just out there living their best lives. But if it didn’t further the themes, I would generally avoid it. (I’m still figuring out how Starlights hair would look in my style lol) Either way, the joke that was alluded to twice on the fic wasn’t just throwaway; i actually had conceptualized two full scenes for them, but i realise they didn’t further the themes, they were just fucking hilarious. On the upside, I actually planned to wrap up the sequence by having Trixie and Sunset get along pretty well! My idea was that Trixie would join them on party tricks and wound up just becoming good friends with Sunset, (Much like in Forgotten Friendship!) despite the awful first impression both had. I even had a funny idea for a moment; Trixie scoffs about Twilight being perfect, annoyed, and Sunset just agrees, with a loving sigh. One going “ugh” and the other going “aww she really is” That would be funny. Regardless, Starlight and Trixie are out there living their best lives. Maybe they can help with world ending threats but I wouldn't wanna disturb their peace. That’s about it with deleted scenes! Well, not really. I had plenty of more ideas, but my goodness i've taken up enough of your time, let's move on to the next thing, ‘cause what could be isn’t worth fantasizing about (any more than the 100+ pages i’ve written lmao) A thing I do wanna point out that I personally enjoyed a LOT about my take on the story of MLP, but one thing especially; in this bizarre alternate universe where Sunset Shimmer matters a lot more, is that I’ve successfully written a pretty damn satisfying hook for Celestia and Luna to get their future replacements. Hell yeah. Thinkin about it, it's pretty poetic. Twilight sparkle and Sunset shimmer as the inheritors of night and day. I always thought it was pretty damn sad for Twilight having to reign alone, in case Celestia and Luna both retired, like bruh that's a lot of responsibilities for one person, even if she is pretty damn incredible. Wouldn’t it just make more sense if she actually had another ruler side by side like Celestia has Luna? And wouldn't it be wonderful if that ruler was a lover. Yes, yes it would. And it’d be an amazing conclusion to have successors that encompass even more than just Sun and Moon. Especially considering that you can make a full SEASON of the two lovers learning to take the place of their successors, and even then, I wouldn't see retirement as something that'd happen to Celestia and Luna anytime soon; not when things are just getting good for them. it’s worth stating, many would describe this, what i wrote, as an “Finale” but tbh it’s literally just the beginning for this interpretation of the characters. You could make so much, with two protagonists that are happily in love, but now one of them has to learn to be a god with her love. Pretty damn fun; This would involve all new kinds of training, challenges, and hilarious shenanigans. Especially with returns to normalcy with a status quo changed! (introducing your parents to your god gf and also telling them you ARE a god gf.) I know I made a lot of mentions of Celestia not being Sunset's favorite, and even kept her out of the story as much as possible on purpose, but Sunset was lying through her teeth. Let's face it, I'm dying for those two to reunite as mentor and pupil, specifically now that they're on the same level, and all of Sunset's fears and apprehensions have disappeared. It would be glorious to reinstate their relationship and evolve it. There could be so many interesting moments of Celestia being able to show her things she’s never shown Twilight, like how the process of raising the sun works, Channeling the power of sunlight, being one with the sun itself, stuff like that. And generally taking a more tender motherly approach to their relationship would be pretty cute too (especially if sunset’s actual parents would show up and get cocky lmao. Shenanigans ensue) And since Sunset is the exact kind of Success that Celestia always hoped for, and she's overjoyed to have two incredibly successful pupils. The sequence in which Celestia talks to Sunset while she is dying is inspired by the scene in which twilight becomes an alicorn on the show; she is shown the cosmos and is approached by Celestia directly about her feats… but i choose to take a more abstract and indirect approach, with having Sunset unable to talk back. I wondered for a really, really long time if it was worth it to include that scene, or if I should just have Sunset be an alicorn at the hospital as a surprise regardless. (It was actually the last sequence I added to the fic, even after having written the ending.) Because the strongest desire is the one that is unfulfilled; never meeting Celestia again would make readers go crazy, heh, potentially in a good way. But I also weighed in the positive impact of having Celestia reflect the exact same sentiments that Sunset had! How they really did feel similarly, they shared the same shame and regret, and wished to reunite. (the first sentences on that sequence are word for word things that Sunset has said and thought on this fic lmao.) Celestia needs a lasting legacy. Luna, too. This would be a pretty damn good one. Also worth stating you could absolutely further Luna and Sunset’s friendship as well. They could easily build eachother up even more now that Sunset is on their level; and maybe get Luna that ‘date’ she might need heheheh. Generally I imagined Sunset would get a massive thirst for legendary combat, and learning from two alicorn princesses would be pretty damn sick. Maybe even sparring! Lightwing vs Nightwing. Nice. I definitely like the idea of Sunset being a “Princess of Protection” (or maybe some better name) and genuinely becoming like. A fucking Valkyrie queen (Creating a new line of warriors to protect the kingdom, awesome Valkyries and having Rainbow Dash as her bestie captain nyeh). Sunset would be someone who has perfected combat of Earth ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns, all together into one incredibly ass kicking Alicorn package; and she does this fully motivated to protect her friends and beloved, and loving every second of it. (And for the record she would still hype her gf to be more powerful than her. Which Twilight is, like cmon, that girl is basically mob psycho. Sunset would remain humble after everything!!! Good for her) Plus, The same way Celestia is going back to showing the ropes, Luna can start teaching Twilight, this time! The way of the night and dreams! (since let's face it, the little overachieving nerd doesn't have much more she can learn from Celestia, heh) Generally Regarding twilight, always the overachiever, i imagine that she and Sunset would hype eachother so much. Sunset would likely revel on the idea of being her gf’s bodyguard, despite knowing she can fight very well by herself. There is so much more that I could write regarding their relationship, this is only the beginning, really. The beginning of something beautiful. Okay, let me rewind a bit to talk about character changes/interpretations I've made, because here’s arguably the most important one; Midnight Sparkle, the titular character. It is worth stating, her appearance in Equestria girls is fairly brief; and relevance does not surpass the movie after it, (the evertree one) but I was fascinated by the idea of Twilight, the most kind and sweet of all, having a darker side. Especially because it very much was her, except I was just motivated to follow her every dark desire (which in the movie was understanding and owning magic) and I thought hey, what if I applied it to good ol’ Equestria Twilight? The actual protagonist, Flipped into a form that pursues her darkest desires shamelessly and without care for others. Oh and I imagine some of you might be sad of the erasure of the Equestria Girls Twilight, the cute nerd one, but honestly as someone who ships Sunset and Twilight HEAVILY, i never cared specifically which Twilight it was, bc it amounts to the same thing; Sunset loves Twilight in every world. And that's good. It is worth stating, I did actually get this idea in a dream. My dream was pretty simple, Midnight sparkle was on regular Equestria, and so was Sunset. But for some cruel twist of fate, Midnight was in love with sunset, the dark irony of Sunset being in love with Twilight already, And my dream ended with Sunset weaponizing both their loves, kissing her to stun her, and then finishing her off to bring back Twilight. The “weakness they both share” is their love for eachother. And Sunset exploited it wonderfully to the benefit of their first kiss. I was deeply inspired by the idea of Midnight having none of the inhibitions that Twilight would, so not only would she wear her feelings for Sunset on her sleeve, she would outright give Sunset all she could possibly want on a silver platter. This entire narrative was to justify how and why Sunset, who could not want anything else more than to be with her, would still refuse. For all her friends, and for Twilight, and even by her own feelings of inadequacy, she would refuse to take something that isn’t hers. Anyways, the dream ended there, and as soon as I woke up, I was creatively CHARGED. I saw the unlimited potential of this as a storyline but also as an introduction to them as a couple. And the rest is history, here we are, over 100 pages in. But hey, on the bright side, we’re almost done! Which leads me to the final subject, before I wrap it up: A sequel. Not gonna lie, I don't feel like writing another fic anytime soon. But, and this is a BIG but, i’ve had a really good time with these interpretations of my characters. Especially Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle. Now that their relationship has furthered so much, writing a sequel with a strong focus on their love would be a sitch. …which I have already fully conceptualized. Even wrote down most of the details. Hold your laughter, but if I wrote a sequel to “The Return of Midnight Sparkle” I would write a story about the multiverse. Yes. I'm not joking. Hear me out. Sunset is more fulfilled and happier than she's ever been, she's at her PEAK. And so is her love. So if Sunset gets cursed to cross the Ponyverse, meeting other versions of herself, many of whom are failed, dejected, unsuccessful, unhappy, or generally unfulfilled, the potential for introspection is enormous; and so is the potential of self love. So if our Sunset meets a version of herself that is in danger, or generally doing awfully, she wouldn't hesitate on trying to better her world, and helping herself, even if she will only be there for a short time. And MAN. THERE ARE SO MANY WORLDS I COULD WRITE WITH THAT SIMPLE PREMISE. For comedy, action, drama, the potential is endless. (i literally 32 different worlds already conceptualized on my notes) Also the recurring gag of “by the way, im married to Twilight Sparkle in my world” and making her other self be flabbergasted would be priceless. And on the other side, her wife, Twilight Sparkle would be trying to search the multiverse for her wife, likely accidentally pulling other Sunsets from other worlds (especially some that would have met her wife already) into her own world. Shenanigans of multiple Sunsets in one room ensue. (and perhaps drama) Not to mention the chance to show all the other characters in dramatically different scenarios, and how our Sunset would interact with them, telling them how their success or failings compare to her universe. So much potential!!!! oh and if you're wondering how Sunset and Twilight would get married, just think of Pirates of the caribbean 3, Will turner and Elizabeth swan nyeh. Marrying in the middle of a battlefield and getting Celestia to officiate in the middle of a fight (bonus points if the battle is in the skies so they can kiss to officiate it while on free fall) Anyways I’ve already conceptualized a beginning, middle and end for this sequel. But I'm going to be honest, I don't think it's worth writing, not yet at least. Specialty considering that a multiverse story would lend itself better to visual medium, with different artists illustrating different universes. Which is something very clearly and obviously outside of the realm of possibilities for me, a pretty small scale artist. But man, facial expressions, action, and all sorts of different visual noise in different universes, all of that lends itself really well to comic books; imagining telling a story of Sunset and Twilight, both separated by different universes, but on the same page with strong parallels! That’d be incredible. But hey. Thank you for showing me love and reading all my incessant rambles, and this hallucinatory textual nightmare that is called fanfiction. You’re awesome. And who knows? Maybe if I get enough positive comments about this story, I'll consider actually writing the sequel, heheh. Be sure to give me some feedback! Seriously though. Thank you so much for reading this far. I love you. Here, have my ponysona, Sketchy BonBon, Illustrating the monarchs of Equestria. The end! This time, for real.

Cryogenii

551714

Applejack,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Sad,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death

In Autumn Leaves

The Apples have known a lot of loss. This time Granny leaves them.

complete

<p>How do you say goodbye?</p><p>The community of Ponyville lose an elder statespony, but more importantly the Apple family say goodbye to their cherished figurehead.</p><p>For some there are revelations, whilst others find unity.</p><p>And then there's the story of how an heirloom gets passed on, in the Apple family way.</p>

teen

2024-02-17T23:15:03+00:00

2024-02-17T23:15:02+00:00

The crackling fire in the range was normally a comforting sound, bringing memories of cosy suppers and winter chills kept at bay. On this autumnal morning though, it lent the spacious farmhouse kitchen at Sweet Apple Acres a stuffy and oppressive atmosphere. The constricted feeling was heightened by Princess Twilight Sparkle sitting awkwardly on the floor by the scarred table where generations of hearty meals had been served. The aroma of apples and cinnamon lingered in the air, but the weight of events drained them of any warmth and comfort. As the kettle on the stove begant to whistle, Twilight reached out telekinetically and poured the boiling water into a teapot on the table. A floral smell began to waft from the warming china. Whilst their tea brewed she gazed kindly at the petite cyan pegasus sitting across from her on one of the wooden chairs, and waited patiently for her to speak. The usually brash and daring pegasus's confident demeanour was absent, and she had an air of vulnerability that seemed out of place. “Thanks for coming, Twilight,” rasped Rainbow Dash with a hoarse voice eventually, “I know how busy you are these days.” “I wanted to support Applejack at this sad time,” replied Twilight, “and you. How are you both doing?” Rainbow shrugged, glancing at her old friend and looking away, “Applejack's trying to put a brave face on, but I know she's really hurting inside. They all are.” “It's only natural,” commented her alicorn friend, “Since Grand Pear passed, Granny Smith was their last direct relative. I know she became dear to you too, Rainbow, since you've married Applejack.” Silence swallowed the kitchen as Rainbow Dash thought of a reply. Twilight could just about make out her friend's shoulders shaking, perhaps a little hitch in her breathing. She decided to divert the conversation, as Rainbow would need to release her grief at some point but didn't seem ready to do so quite yet. “Has Spike been helping with the paperwork?” she enquired. “Yeah, he's been doing a great job,” murmured Rainbow. “He's really taken a lot of the pressure off us, and he's definitely got your attention to detail, like you two were actually related.” Twilight let out a small chuckle, “Ho, ho! Yes he's really grown into an able diplomat and functionary. I know he hatched when I was just a foal, but I do feel like a proud parent sometimes.” “Yeah, another couple of centuries and he'll nearly be as big as you!” joked Rainbow, looking up at the tall and beautiful alicorn through her multicoloured fringe. “Not that you've stopped yet. No fair, I just get slower and fatter every year now.” “You'll still be doing rainbooms for a long time yet,” smiled Twilight, her heart aching at the sight of the dark rings under her friend's magenta eyes, “So the memorial will be at the town hall tomorrow morning?” “Yeah, then we'll break to have the private, erm…” Rainbow stumbled with the words. “Interment,” said Twilight softly. “Yeah, that, at… Bright Mac and Pear Butter’s special place,” resumed Rainbow, “and the wake will be back in the barn tomorrow evening.” “That sounds like a lovely farewell,” commented Twilight, “between Solemn Serenity and Velvet Veil, I'm sure it will be sensitively handled.” Rainbow nodded fractionally, “I’d never had to deal with them before, but Ponyville’s undertakers have been-” Twilight reached across the table and lay a comforting hoof over her friend's, as she got her voice back under control. “They… they've been so kind,” Rainbow finished. She took a ragged breath and continued, “Dusty Deeds will be reading Granny's will the day after the.. the ceremonies, and Spike will act as our executor.” Twilight sat quietly, in solidarity with her friend. Her eyes followed the royal guard that she could see through the window, as they patrolled around the farmhouse. She sighed, nostalgic for the days she could travel unescorted, and busied herself with pouring two cups of tea. “Is there anything else I can do?” Asked Twilight, dipping her head down to be at Rainbow's eye level, “Anything at all?” Rainbow hesitated for a minute, fiddling with the sugar bowl on the table. “Erm, there is one thing I'm not so sure about.” “What is it?” Enquired Twilight, her face etched with concern. “Are you sure Pinkie will be ok,” whispered Rainbow, a pained frown darkening her features, “a wake isn't her typical kind of party.” Twilight sighed, “I'm sure she'll be fine. Pinkie may be excitable and chaotic, but I've never known her to host an event that's in any way inappropriate.” The pegasus nodded without raising her eyes from the floor. She was obviously placing her faith in Twilight's judgement, and would let events proceed as planned. Taking a deep breath she gave a sidelong glance towards her friend, her eyes glistening from the tears that threatened to come as sharply as a spring downpour. She cleared her throat, “Thanks for putting autumn back until next weekend. AJ and I really appreciate it… I mean, I don't think we're gonna want to do the running of the leaves this year but we really appreciate you making sure it doesn't clash with, you know.” Twilight cocked her head to one side, “You know it's really just a coincidence that autumn is a little later than usual this year. The formula for working out the calendar sometimes goes a little out of whack.” “Twilight, I was a weather pony and AJ’s a farmer,” sighed Rainbow Dash with a half smile, “we know how the calendar works. We’re both very grateful.” "Rainbow Dash," Twilight began, her voice gentle and understanding, "I know this is a difficult time for you. Losing Granny Smith is a profound loss for your family. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We're all here for you." Rainbow Dash sighed, her gaze momentarily raising from the worn wooden floor. "I just... I can't believe she's gone, you know? Granny was always there, and now..." Her voice trailed off, emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Twilight placed a comforting hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "It's okay to feel this way. Grief is a natural part of life, and everyone copes in their own time and their own way. If you want to talk about Granny Smith or anything else, I'm here to listen." Rainbow Dash nodded, appreciating Twilight's support. "I just miss her. She was like a second family to me, and now I'm not sure how to deal with all of this." Twilight gave a comforting smile. "It's perfectly normal to feel adrift after losing someone important. Just take your time to grieve, and remember, you're not alone."

Cryogenii

551714

Applejack,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Sad,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death

In Autumn Leaves

The Apples have known a lot of loss. This time Granny leaves them.

complete

<p>How do you say goodbye?</p><p>The community of Ponyville lose an elder statespony, but more importantly the Apple family say goodbye to their cherished figurehead.</p><p>For some there are revelations, whilst others find unity.</p><p>And then there's the story of how an heirloom gets passed on, in the Apple family way.</p>

teen

2024-02-17T23:15:12+00:00

2024-02-17T23:15:12+00:00

When Princess Twilight Sparkle rose the sun, its fiery disc was hidden behind an overcast sky of grey clouds. She had arranged for the weather bureau to discreetly start clearing them so that the memorial service would be illuminated by golden sunlight towards the end, but these dull conditions seemed appropriate to start the day. Colourful ponies, both familiar faces and those from distant Appaloosa, gathered in the square outside the town hall, the air carrying a mix of autumn leaves and the subtle fragrance of late blooming flowers. The usually bustling civic space was hushed, as if nature itself had joined the town in mourning. Those gathered there stood in quiet clusters, their expressions reflected a shared sadness. The town hall, adorned with black banners and wreaths, stood as a symbol of remembrance for Granny Smith. Tables were set up along the edges of the square, each adorned with bouquets of flowers and memorial cards bearing words of condolence. Ponies, young and old, wore small black ribbons on their forelegs as a gesture of solidarity. Twilight Sparkle, flanked by the Apple family, Rainbow Dash and Sugar Belle stood near the entrance of the town hall. She had shed her ceremonial attire for the day, favouring a wreath of dark blooms around her head in place of her crown and a black sash. Although a near impossible task for an alicorn that towered over the other ponies, she was hoping to avoid drawing too much attention to herself. Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big MacIntosh wore expressions that reflected both grief and gratitude for the support of their friends and neighbours. They greeted and embraced one another, offering quiet words of comfort. The sound of gentle hoofsteps and soft murmurings created an atmosphere of reverence, as if the entire town was holding its breath in respect for the departed matriarch. Amongst the assembled ponies, the tall and crooked figure of Discord stood out as he swaggered towards the hall. Twilight was surprised to see the lord of chaos attending, particularly as he was wearing a carefully tailored suit in rich, deep black velvet accompanied by a crisp white shirt and precisely tied black silk tie. Fluttershy trotted beside him, her simple black toga complimented by dark eyeshadow. “It's good of you to come,” the alicorn smiled as she moved forward to subtlety intercept the draconequus, “I didn't realise you were close to Granny Smith.” “Hmm, ho ho, I wasn't really,” mugged Discord, a slightly uncomfortable look on his face, “I don't imagine Big Mac will feel much like playing Ogres and Oubliettes anytime soon, but he is my friend so it seemed right that I should be here to support him. Yes?” “Well, that's a lovely gesture,” answered Twilight, a slightly shocked expression on her face. She quietly watched as Discord spoke with Big Mac and Sugar Belle. Whatever was being said, the laconic red stallion gave this odd friend a melancholic smile and shook his paw. It looked like such an incongruous pair, with Discord looking utterly at ease in his attire, compared to the obvious discomfort that Big Mac was feeling in his formal jacket. Twilight raised a surprised eyebrow and looked towards Fluttershy. “I know what you're thinking,” said the yellow pegasus, answering the unspoken question, “but he decided to do this all by himself. I'm so proud.” Twilight gave an incredulous shake of her head, as her friend trotted off to take Discord's foreleg. Moments later, Discord and Fluttershy passed into the town hall to take their seats. When the last of the assembled mourners had passed the entrance to the townhouse, the Apples and Twilight Sparkle followed them inside. Twilight sat off to the side, to avoid anypony sitting behind her having their view blocked. Applejack, the usually stalwart pony of Sweet Apple Acres, approached the seat next to her wife. As Rainbow Dash looked up to greet her, she found the absence of the earth pony's iconic hat jarring; Applejack had left it at the farm, a small but poignant gesture of respect for the solemn occasion. Rainbow Dash's eyes were drawn to the other subtle changes in Applejack's appearance. In contrast to the usual red ribbons there were black ribbons meticulously woven into Applejack's soft, blond mane and tail that captured her attention. There was no doubt that she would not be wearing any formal attire to signify her grief, but these tokens showed how she felt. As Applejack took her seat, Rainbow Dash noticed the weight of grief etched in the lines of her wife's face. The absence of the hat, the sombre black ribbons, and the solemn expression all painted a clear picture of the pain Applejack was experiencing, for anypony attuned to her stoic nature. It was a stark departure from the strong, resilient pony Rainbow Dash was accustomed to seeing. Rainbow Dash reached over, her hoof gently brushing against Applejack's, a silent reassurance that she was there to offer support. The brown mare lent over and pressed her muzzle into the cyan pony's neck. The connection between them spoke volumes, a shared understanding of the sorrow that had befallen the Apple family. Once those gathered to pay their respects were seated, Mayor Tiara cleared her throat and effortlessly focused their attention on her. “Welcome one and all, to this commemoration for one of Ponyville's elder founders. I've rarely seen such a slice of life, as those gathered here today to remember this amazing pony. In a moment I'll pass the reins onto Alderpony Mare to conduct the service, but before that I want to express my heartfelt sympathy for the Apple and Pie families, I'm deeply sorry for your loss and hope that the strength of support from our community gives you comfort in this saddest of times. And thank you, Alderpony Mare, for leading the eulogies.” Mayor Tiara's words echoed through the town hall, and a respectful hush fell over the gathered ponies. The atmosphere was heavy with grief, in the moments of silence after her welcoming speech. Into this vacuum Alderpony Mare, a pony with a dignified and empathetic air, stepped forward to the podium. The rustle of leaves outside and the soft, mournful music within set the backdrop for the solemn occasion. "Ponies of Ponyville," Alderpony Mare began, her voice steady and comforting, "today we gather not just to mourn the passing of Granny Smith but to celebrate a life well-lived. Granny was a cornerstone of our community, a wise mare who weathered the changing seasons and shared the fruits of her knowledge with us all." She paused, allowing the weight of Granny Smith's legacy to settle among the ponies. The flickering candlelight danced on the faces of those seated, casting shadows that seemed to reflect the mixture of sorrow and fondness. "Granny Smith's spirit will forever be intertwined with the orchards she tended and the memories she gifted us. Let us remember her not with tears alone but with gratitude for the lessons she imparted, the joy she brought, and the love she shared. Now young AppleBloom would like to speak on behalf of her family." Apple Bloom approached the podium, a combination of nerves and determination visible in her eyes. Her red mane was adorned with an oversized heavy black velvet bow, reminiscent of the days when she was just a young foal learning the ropes of apple farming. "Hi, everypony," Apple Bloom began, her rural voice wavering slightly before she steadied herself. "Today, we're here to remember Granny Smith, and, well, there's so much to say about her. Granny weren't just the oldest Apple; she was the heart and soul of Sweet Apple Acres." She looked towards her elder brother and sister, thinking over how Applejack hadn't been much older than she was now when their parents had been taken. “When I lost Ma and Pa, I was just a scared little filly. Big Mac, Applejack and I didn't know how to cope, and we sure didn't know how to keep Sweet Apple Acres going. But Granny, she didn't let us fall apart no matter how much she musta been hurtin’. She held us together like the stickiest tree sap in Equestria." Apple Bloom's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she took a deep breath before continuing. "Granny became our anchor. She was the glue that kept the Apple family from breaking. Through the tears, through the laughter, she showed us that family is about stayin' together, no matter what. Sweet Apple Acres isn't just an orchard; it's a monument to Granny Smith's love, resilience, and unwavering commitment." A collective somberness settled over the audience, punctuating Apple Bloom's heartfelt words. "Ya know, Granny was the one who taught me how to make zap apple jam. It isn't easy – there are all sorts of things involved. But Granny, she made it fun. She said, 'Sometimes, Apple Bloom, no matter how bad you're feeling, getting busy with something you love will make you feel better.' And, well, that's true. We're surely in some pain now, but a farm doesn't wait for you to have a good day. It's a labour of love, that'll keep the pain at bay." A soft murmur of agreement rippled through the audience, acknowledging Granny Smith's unique blend of wisdom and humour. "So, today, as we say goodbye to Granny, let's not just mourn her passing but celebrate the incredible pony she was. Let's honour her legacy by keepin' Sweet Apple Acres thriving and by being there for each other, just like Granny taught us. She may be gone, but her spirit will live on in every apple tree, every jar of zap apple jam, and every memory we share as a family." Apple Bloom stepped away from the podium, and retook her seat. The young filly seemed to have passed a coming of age ritual, having spoken when neither of her elder siblings had the strength to. Next Rainbow Dash, adorned in her official Wonderbolt uniform, approached the podium. The traditional black band on her foreleg symbolised not just her grief but also the solemnity of the occasion. Despite her usual bold demeanour, the atmosphere in the room hushed as every pony turned their attention to the vibrant pegasus. Clearing her throat, Rainbow Dash began to speak in her distinctive rasping voice. "The first time I really got to spend time with Granny Smith was in Las Pegasus, with the Golden Horseshoe Gals." The memories of that time brought a playful smirk to Rainbow Dash's face as she recalled the unexpected adventures shared with Granny Smith and her friends. "I gotta be honest, I thought chaperoning a group of old ponies would be a breeze. I was there for the legendary rollercoaster, you know? Now, I gotta admit, I thought Granny and the others would be out of place in the bustling city. But, oh boy, was I wrong. Granny Smith was like a force of nature, unstoppable and full of surprises.” The audience chuckled at the unexpected twist in Rainbow Dash's story. "She didn't just watch from the sidelines. No way, she wanted to experience everything Las Pegasus had to offer. We ended up trying everything from wild thrill rides to daring magic shows. Granny, with her adventurous spirit, proved that age was just a number." Rainbow Dash's eyes glinted with affection as she recounted those unforgettable moments. "And then there was the night we spent at the legendary Cherry Pit. I thought I knew how to have a good time, but Granny and her pals could out-dance and out-party anypony in Las Pegasus. I was just trying to keep up!" The ponies in the audience laughed, imagining the lively scene with the Golden Horseshoe Gals. "In those moments, Granny taught me that age doesn't define how much fun you can have. She showed me that life is for living, for embracing every thrill, no matter how unexpected. Granny wasn't just an old pony; she was the life of the party, the adventurer I never knew I needed." “And the way the Golden Horseshoe Gals invited me in and treated me as one of them was reflected in the way Granny Smith accepted me into her family. Both Sugar Belle and I were made to feel so welcome, so loved… just like how Pear Butter was all those years ago.” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, her eyes reflecting the fond memories. "We can miss her, but let's celebrate both the wild, adventurous spirit of Granny Smith and her endless love and kindness. She may be gone, but the comfort we shared will keep her alive in our hearts forever." With those words, Rainbow Dash stepped away from the podium, leaving behind a room filled with not just sorrow but also appreciation for the vibrant, party-loving side of Granny Smith. She sat down and once again held Applejack, both ponies weeping together. Princess Twilight Sparkle gracefully approached the podium, her regal presence commanding the attention of the assembled ponies in the hall. A warm smile graced her face as she surveyed the sombre yet united crowd. "I stand before you today not just as a princess but as a friend who had the privilege of knowing Granny Smith," Twilight began, her voice carrying a gentle sincerity. "However, rather than give my recollections, I've been asked by Princess Celestia to deliver a message on this sad occasion. When Granny Smith's parents were sent by Princess Celestia to found an orchard beside the Everfree Forest, there was no way of knowing that a thriving town would be founded nearby." The audience listened with rapt attention, the significance of Granny Smith's family's role in Ponyville's history becoming more apparent. "Without that pioneering family, none of what we know as Ponyville would be here. Granny Smith's family dedicated themselves to cultivating the land, facing the challenges of the Everfree Forest with resilience and determination. In Granny Smith's long lifetime, so much has changed, and we owe a debt to her family's dedication and sacrifice." Twilight Sparkle's eyes conveyed a deep appreciation for the history Granny Smith had been a part of and the impact her family had on shaping the community they now called home. "Granny Smith, with her wisdom and unwavering spirit, witnessed Ponyville transform from a small settlement to a bustling town filled with ponies from all walks of life. Her contributions, whether through the orchards, the traditions, or the simple wisdom she shared, have left an indelible mark on this town and the hearts of everypony who knew her." A gentle breeze rustled through the town hall, as if carrying the echoes of the past and the gratitude of a town that had flourished under Granny Smith's watchful eyes. "As we say our goodbyes, let us not only mourn the loss of a beloved pony but also celebrate the enduring legacy of Granny Smith's family. In their dedication and sacrifice, we find the roots of Ponyville, a town that thrives because of the bonds forged and the lessons learned from generations past." With a final nod, Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped away from the podium and returned to her seat on the sidelines, leaving behind a room filled with ponies reflecting on the deep roots and rich history that had laid the foundation for the vibrant community of Ponyville. The hall maintained a respectful silence, anticipating the final speaker. Alderpony Mare took to the stage once more, her presence commanding the attention of the gathered ponies. "Now, for our final speaker, we have Filthy Rich." Filthy Rich, a well-dressed earth pony with a distinguished air, approached the podium. His gaze swept across the room, acknowledging the sea of ponies who had gathered to pay their respects. He cleared his throat before beginning his tribute to Granny Smith. "Ladies and gentlecolts, I stand before you today to share my gratitude and appreciation for the remarkable pony we've all lost. When I think about my own journey and the success of the Rich family, I can't help but trace it back to the very roots of Sweet Apple Acres." Filthy Rich's words carried a sincerity that surprised those assembled in the hall, many of whom had dealings with the proud business owner. "The first products I ever sold were the produce from Sweet Apple Acres. Granny Smith and her family provided me with the foundation on which I built my business. In a way, we owe everything we have to the fruit of Granny's labour. The apples she cultivated weren't just a crop; they were the seeds of prosperity for many families in Ponyville." As Filthy Rich continued, he shared a glimpse into the business dealings he had with Granny Smith. "Now, Granny was a force to be reckoned with in the marketplace. No matter what else was happening, she always knew how to drive a hard, but fair, bargain. Granny held me to my word but I can tell you, crossing the matriarch of the Apple family was something I'd never dare attempt." The audience chuckled, a collective acknowledgment of Granny Smith's legendary negotiation skills. "In all seriousness, though, Granny Smith was more than just a supplier. She was a friend, a mentor, and a pillar of strength. Her dedication to Sweet Apple Acres not only enriched our lives but also shaped the very fabric of Ponyville." Filthy Rich concluded by stopping and whispering some private condolences to the Apple siblings on his way back to his seat. Mayor Tiara smiled as she made her way back to the front of the assembly, letting him know she was proud of the speech he'd just delivered, the sincere respect and appreciation for Granny Smith evident in every word he spoke. Mayor Tiara retook her spot at the front of the hall, her gaze sombre as she prepared to conclude the emotional ceremony. She expressed her gratitude to all the ponies who had shared their memories and thoughts, knowing that in the face of such a deep loss, articulating one's feelings could be a challenging task. "I want to extend my sincere thanks to each and every pony who spoke today," Mayor Tiara began, her voice carrying a sense of both sorrow and appreciation. "I know there's so much more that could have been said about Granny Smith, but in the depths of loss it can be hard to articulate our feelings in such a public forum. Granny Smith was equally loved by those that didn't speak today, who may well be able to share their feelings as the pain of grief starts to subside. As it is her legacy is vast, and the impact she had on Ponyville so immeasurable that recounting it is near impossible to do." The mayor's words comforted the assembled ponies, who nodded in understanding. "As we conclude this ceremony, I want to remind everypony that Granny's funeral today will be a private affair. I kindly ask that you respect the Apple family's need for privacy as they bid their final farewell to their beloved grandmother." Mayor Tiara's gaze swept across the hall, urging the ponies to honour the family's wishes. "However, the wake this evening is an open invitation for all. It's an opportunity to share in the memories of Granny Smith, joyfully, and partake in the last of her hoof-made cider. The taste of which is a fitting tribute to the matriarch of Sweet Apple Acres." With those words, Mayor Tiara thanked the gathered ponies once more and signalled the conclusion of the ceremony. As the Apples, Rainbow Dash, and Princess Twilight Sparkle made their way from the town hall, the remaining ponies stayed seated, a collective display of respect for the departed. Once the family and their close friends had left, the remaining ponies filed out in respectful silence, leaving behind the floral tributes and empty chairs. The town hall stood quiet, awaiting the carepony to tidy away the remnants of the ceremony and prepare the space to serve the community as needed.

Cryogenii

551714

Applejack,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Sad,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death

In Autumn Leaves

The Apples have known a lot of loss. This time Granny leaves them.

complete

<p>How do you say goodbye?</p><p>The community of Ponyville lose an elder statespony, but more importantly the Apple family say goodbye to their cherished figurehead.</p><p>For some there are revelations, whilst others find unity.</p><p>And then there's the story of how an heirloom gets passed on, in the Apple family way.</p>

teen

2024-02-17T23:15:19+00:00

2024-02-17T23:15:18+00:00

In a grove of trees bathed by dappled autumn sunlight, a hushed atmosphere greeted the mourners gathered for the private funeral of Granny Smith. Untended pear trees lined one side of the small clearing, their branches still bearing fruit that would not be harvested. On the other side, tired apple trees stood sentinel at the very edges of Sweet Apple Acres. The spot chosen for Granny Smith's final resting place was not easily accessible, with no maintained path from any of the more used byways nearby. Solemn Serenity and Velvet Veil, the undertakers, had spent the last couple of hours discreetly moving the coffin through the trees by telekinesis, as there was no means of getting a cart through the undergrowth. Now the coffin stood on a trestle beside the newly dug grave. The clearing was shared by another plot, which was marked with a stone bearing the name of Grand Pear. In between two distinct fruit trees, an apple and a pear, were intertwined and stood as natural memorials. These trees had been planted at the wedding of Bright Mac and Pear Butter, a poignant reminder of the enduring love and connection that had shaped the Apple family. The intertwined apple and pear trees cast gentle shadows over the scene, creating a living reminder of those who had left their mark on Sweet Apple Acres. The solemnity of the moment was accentuated by the rustle of leaves and the occasional creaking of branches, as if nature itself was paying its respects to the matriarch of the Apple family. Apart from the undertakers, the only ponies present were the mourning Apple family, their spouses and Princess Twilight Sparkle. Their other friends understood the desire for the moment to be a private one, with Twilight being the only pony present who wasn't a member of the family. Even the royal guard held a respectful distance, so as not to be observed by those at the graveside. In the quiet moments before the funeral, Applejack sought a private conversation with Princess Twilight Sparkle. The two ponies retired a small distance from the funeral party so that they could speak without intruding on anypony’s thoughts. "Twilight," Applejack began, her voice ragged and filled with emotion, "Ah can't thank you enough for being here today, for honouring Granny's memory an’ officiating over her burial. It means the world to us, because having a stranger presiding over it jus’ dint sit right." Twilight nodded, a gentle understanding in her eyes. "It's the least I could do, Applejack. This loss is a terrible blow to your family, and I want to do anything I can to help ease that burden.” Applejack managed a small smile. "Ya know, Granny would've been amazed at the thought that the ruler of all Equestria would be overseeing her burial. It's quite the honour." Twilight's expression softened, and she met Applejack's gaze with sincerity. "Titles and crowns aside, Applejack, I've never forgotten the welcome the Apples gave me when I first arrived in Ponyville. Granny, Big Mac, Apple Bloom and you all treated me like family from the start, whether I appreciated it or not. So I'm not here as a princess but as a friend who cares deeply about all of you." Applejack's eyes glistened with gratitude. "Well we're mighty thankful all the same, Twilight. Granny always spoke fondly of you, you know. She'd be touched to know you're here to see her off." Twilight nodded, a shared understanding passing between them. “I think it's time to start the ceremony.” Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped forward as Applejack rejoined the others, the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves casting a warm glow on the gathered ponies. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, understanding the weight of the words she was about to share. "Today, we stand in the presence of both sorrow and the enduring legacy of Granny Smith," Twilight began, her voice carrying a solemn resonance. "As we prepare to say our final farewells, I believe this moment is more about those that remain. We shared our collective grief at the passing of Granny Smith this morning, and will revel in our sweet memories of the time we spent with her this evening. Now is when we accept that she is gone, that we commit her remains to the soil of which she was so proud, and know that the pony we love has truly departed.” As Twilight looked around her, she could see that her words had underlined the finality of this moment. That a hard truth had been spoken, that needed to be said. “This is an ending, but not the end. It is the passing of a tradition and responsibility that has flowed through generations of the Apple family." She looked up into the branches of the intertwining apple and pear trees, symbols of the love and union that had brought forth the current custodians of Sweet Apple Acres. "The cycles of life bring both joy and sorrow, and the Apples have long been the stewards of this orchard, passing down their wisdom from one generation to the next. Granny Smith exemplified the resilience and strength that defines this family, and her legacy will forever be in the roots of this grove." Twilight's gaze shifted to the assembled ponies, each carrying their own memories and pain. "Grief is a companion to us all. Long ago, the Apples shared their wisdom with a dear friend who faced the pain of loss. Today, as we bid farewell to Granny Smith, let us recall that same wisdom to help ease the pain that touches our hearts." She took a moment, allowing the gravity of her words to settle among the ponies present. "Grief fades with time, but the memories of Granny Smith's laughter, wisdom, and love will endure. Today, we say our farewells to her mortal remains, side by side with her reconciled counterpart, Grand Pear, and in the sight of the living memorial to her beloved Bright Mac and Pear Butter." Twilight invited those present to approach the coffin, to offer their final farewells to Granny Smith. As the ponies approached the coffin, the air in the secluded grove became impossibly heavy with the weight of grief. In the privacy of that sacred spot, the stoic demeanour of the Apple family finally crumbled, giving way to the raw, unfiltered expression of their sorrow. The tears flowed freely, and they clung to each other for support. Princess Twilight Sparkle, standing nearby, observed this outpouring of emotion with a compassionate gaze. She understood that profound pain accompanies the farewell to a loved one and recognized the importance of letting the grieving process unfold naturally. In that intimate moment, there were no rushed words of consolation, no need for hasty gestures. Twilight simply stood, a silent and supportive presence, giving the Apple family the time and space they needed to release the pain that weighed on their hearts. The grove, usually filled with the soft sounds of rustling leaves and quiet whispers, now resonated with the poignant chorus of shared sorrow. The intertwining apple and pear trees stood sentinel, bearing witness to the bittersweet diminuendo and release. As the flood of grief from the family gathered around the coffin ebbed away, Twilight approached with a look of sincere condolences on her face. She offered quiet reassurance through her presence, and gently began to lead the family away from the gravesite. With a barely perceptible nod, she signalled for the interment to begin. Solemn Serenity and Velvet Veil prepared to lower the coffin into place next to Grand Pear.

Cryogenii

551714

Applejack,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Sad,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death

In Autumn Leaves

The Apples have known a lot of loss. This time Granny leaves them.

complete

<p>How do you say goodbye?</p><p>The community of Ponyville lose an elder statespony, but more importantly the Apple family say goodbye to their cherished figurehead.</p><p>For some there are revelations, whilst others find unity.</p><p>And then there's the story of how an heirloom gets passed on, in the Apple family way.</p>

teen

2024-02-17T23:15:30+00:00

2024-02-17T23:15:29+00:00

As the shadows lengthened, the townsponies made their way to the barn at Sweet Apple Acres for the wake. They carried sorrow and anticipation as they approached the gathering. The barn had been prepared, its doors open wide to welcome those who would share in the memories of Granny Smith. Tables and seating were arranged, creating a space for both reflection and camaraderie. Inside, the atmosphere was subdued, the soft rustling of hay and the scent of apples lingering in the air. The Cakes, known for their elaborate sweet treets, had meticulously prepared simpler dishes for the occasion. The barn, adorned with a few tasteful decorations, set the stage for the ponies to come together in remembrance. To avoid the potential awkwardness of being the first to arrive, Fluttershy and Rarity had quietly organised the townsponies into two groups. The groups approached Sweet Apple Acres in a quietly respectful manner, acknowledging the gravity of the moment and the need for collective support. Spike and Rainbow Dash, standing at the entrance, greeted the ponies as they arrived. Their presence provided a comforting welcome to those about to share in the celebration of Granny Smith's life. The duo acknowledged each pony with a nod or a gentle word, understanding the solemnity of the occasion. As the ponies gathered inside the barn, the hushed conversations and shared glances conveyed a sense of unity. Each one carried their own memories of Granny Smith, and as they took their seats, the barn became a tapestry of stories and experiences that celebrated the life of the matriarch of Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie Pie, typically known for her vibrant and lively presence, took on a different role for this sombre occasion. Dressed in a sharply tailored black suit and a pillbox hat, she moved quietly through the gathering at the barn. Although the atmosphere was not that of a typical Pinkie Pie party, she was determined to ensure that everypony's needs were attended to with the same care and attention. In her role, Pinkie mingled seamlessly among the mourners, her usually bouncy demeanour tempered by a quiet solemnity. She made it a point to offer comfort and support, checking in on each pony with a gentle word or a reassuring touch. Pinkie understood that this gathering was about sharing memories and finding solace in each other's company. While this was not a celebration in the traditional sense, Pinkie Pie managed to create an environment where conversation flowed naturally. She made sure that those present always had a group to be part of, gently guiding ponies together towards shared reminiscences or thoughtful reflections. It was a subtle way of fostering connections and allowing the healing power of community to unfold. Amidst the subdued atmosphere, there was still a sense of warmth and togetherness. The barn, adorned with memories and surrounded by ponies sharing stories, became a place of support and shared understanding. Pinkie Pie, her tailored attire giving her gravitas, embodying a different kind of party – one of remembrance, unity, and the enduring bonds that Granny Smith had cultivated over the years. In the quiet corners of the barn, Twilight Sparkle and Discord found themselves naturally gravitating towards each other, their heights making them stand out in the gathering. Twilight, perceptive as always, noticed a shift in Discord's usually mischievous expression. Discord, despite his chaotic nature, seemed unusually solemn. Twilight, concerned for her friend, gently approached the draconequus. "Discord, is everything okay?" she inquired, her voice filled with genuine care. Discord sighed, his gaze momentarily distant. "Well, you see, Twilight, watching the grief that Big Mac is going through with Granny Smith's passing has made me confront something I'd rather not think about." Twilight furrowed her brow, curious yet empathetic. "What is it, Discord? You can talk to me." Discord's eyes met Twilight's, and for a moment, vulnerability replaced his usual confidence. "Fluttershy... her mortality. I've never had to truly consider it before. I can't escape the thought that one day, she'll be gone, and I'll have an eternity to miss her." Twilight's expression softened, understanding the weight of Discord's revelation. It was a side of him she rarely saw – the fear of losing someone he cared about. As Discord's eyes widened, he turned to Twilight. "And you! You're going to have that feeling with all of your friends. One by one, they'll leave you, and you'll be left with memories and an eternity of loneliness." Twilight's gaze turned sad for a moment, acknowledging the inevitability of loss. "Discord, I won't deny that losing my friends will be painful, but friendship is not a finite resource. While our departed friends can't be replaced, we can still make new connections, share new memories, and find joy in the many friendships we create. It doesn't erase the pain, but it can ease the loneliness." She placed a comforting hoof on Discord's shoulder. "And besides, the memories we have with our friends, even after they're gone, make our lives richer. It's a part of the beautiful tapestry of life, Discord. Loss is hard, but the love and friendship we experience along the way are worth it." Discord, contemplating Twilight's words, nodded slowly. Then a thought seemed to occur to him, “Oh, I suppose that would explain Angel.” “Angel?” Twilight looked at him with confusion, “whatever do you mean?” “Well surely you've contemplated how long rabbits live?” answered Discord. Twilight looked a little taken aback. “Can't really say that I have.” “But her current one is just the latest in a whole line of Angel Bunnies,” exclaimed Discord with a mischievous smile, “or would that be Angels Bunny? I suppose that explains how Fluttershy just moves on to the next one when, you know…” Twilight Sparkle was lost for words, as Discord smiled coolly at her. The barn around them buzzed with conversations, stories, and shared memories testifying to the enduring nature of connections forged in the midst of life's joys and sorrows but suddenly all the princess could imagine was a near infinite line of tiny tombstones. Igneous Rock Pie, his usual severe expression firmly in place, looked entirely suited for the day's sombre atmosphere at Sweet Apple Acres. He gazed solemnly at the colourful ponies of Ponyville who had gathered to pay their respects to Granny Smith, the multitude of hues making his mind spin a little. He liked the monochromatic hues of his own farm and the quiet remoteness of it. Although many ponies would consider Ponyville to be a very quiet town, he found Sweet Apple Acres to be a little too near to its hustle and bustle. He had travelled from his rock farm with Cloudy Quartz and the two of their daughters who still lived at home, Marble and Limestone. The journey from their rock farm to Sweet Apple Acres had felt uncomfortably loud and jarring. The constant buzz of conversation from the other passengers intruded on Igneous's thoughts, making it impossible for him to concentrate. How his other two daughters had come to live there, or adjacent as Maud put it, he could not fathom. Not that he wasn't proud of them, both known to be experts in their chosen careers. Whilst he felt that party organising was entirely too frivolous compared to being a geologist, and being a baker was not much more respectable, seeing his daughter hosting such a serious occasion with so much dignity did fill his chest with pride. As the wake swirled around him, Igneous found himself reflecting on his reasons for coming. Despite his discomfort from the noise and bustle of the train, he knew he had needed to make this journey. The Pies and the Apples, though only tenuously related, had celebrated many Hearth's Warming Eves together over the years. Despite their initial differences, the two families had grown close, forming bonds that went beyond mere friendship. Sensing her husband's unease, Cloudy Quartz reached out and gently squeezed his hoof, offering silent support. Igneous smiled at her, to reassure that he would be able to tolerate the surrounding hubbub as long as he needed to. Indeed a few of the more gregarious ponies had engaged him in conversation, giving him the chance to explain exactly what a rock farmer did. As the evening wore on, Igneous couldn't help but feel the sense of duty weighing more and more heavily on his shoulders. Granny Smith had been a dear friend to their family, and her passing had left a void that could not be ignored. Despite his stoic exterior, Igneous felt a pang of sadness at the thought of saying goodbye to someone who had been a cherished part of their lives for so many years. He felt deeply uncomfortable at the prospect of such an emotional scene, but knew he should make the effort to offer the Apples his condolences. His eyes scanning the crowd, Igneous hovered awkwardly at the edge of the gathering. His gaze eventually landed on his son, Octavio, who also stood apart from the rest, another solitary figure amidst the throng. With a heavy sigh, Igneous made his way toward Octavio, his progress laborious. As he approached, he couldn't help but feel a surge of disappointment toward his son, whose choice of career had also been a source of tension between them. Igneous had never approved of Octavio's decision, viewing it as exceedingly unnecessary; having two bakers in the family. How this child had also become a resident of Ponyville he could not fathom. The town seems like such a magnet for Pies, yet its attraction was beyond his comprehension. As Igneous drew closer to his son, he couldn't deny the pain that gnawed at him. Octavio had caused so much bad blood with Pinkie because of his competitiveness, and, although healed, the rift this caused felt almost unforgivable. Despite their differences though, Igneous knew that family should come first, especially in times of grief. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Igneous announced his presence to Octavio, his stern facade faltering for a moment. "Octavio," he greeted the younger pony, his voice gruff with emotion. "It's... good to see you here, paying your respects to Granny Smith." The words felt stiff and forced, but Igneous knew they needed to be said. After all, despite their differences, they were still family. “Sure Pops,” replied the grey coated earth pony, “I didn't know Granny as much as the rest of you, but I know you wanted us all here.” “Thank you son,” mumbled the elder pony, “mayhap we might talk before I return to the farm.” “Have you spoken to Applejack yet,” asked Octavio, “we can catch up after you've seen her.” “Aye, son,” nodded Igneous, “I doth have a sad duty to attend to.” Turning away, Igneous trotted back to his wife. Cloudy Quartz smiled warmly at him, showing her pleasure that he'd acknowledged his son and made an effort to connect with him. Sensing that her husband needed to get through this evening before decompressing away from the pressure and noise of the crowd, she gestured to where Applejack was seated. Igneous nodded his agreement and hoof in hoof they navigated through the mourners. Applejack looked up as Igneous and Cloudy Quartz approached to offer their condolences. In his typically reserved way, Igneous stiffly greeted the brown earth pony. His wife, on the other hoof, enveloped Applejack in a warm hug, expressing her sympathy for the loss. Igneous Rock Pie, maintaining his stern demeanour, spoke, "Our sincere condolences for your loss, Applejack. Granny Smith was a stalwart presence, and her absence will be felt deeply whenever our families doth gather." Cloudy Quartz added, "She was always a joy to us during our Hearth's Warming Eve celebrations. We'll miss her dearly." Applejack smiled warmly, although her bloodshot eyes showed how much pain she was in, “Ah know that Granny did always love visiting you for the holidays.” Igneous, in his straightforward manner, inquired, "Is there anything we can do to assist at Sweet Apple Acres during this time? We're here to offer our support and labour." Applejack, appreciating the genuine offer, replied, "Thank you, Igneous. I'm grateful for your kindness but I think we can cope. Things are quieter in autumn once the harvest is done, but your offer means a lot to me." Igneous nodded. "Glad to hear that. The seasons make little difference to the working of a rock farm, so if there's ever a need, don't hesitate to let us know." The exchange, though reserved, carried their shared grief and solidarity. In the midst of loss, the Ponyville community rallied together, and the offer of support from the Pie family to the Apples was a welcome reminder of the strength of their connections.

Cryogenii

551714

Applejack,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Sad,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death

In Autumn Leaves

The Apples have known a lot of loss. This time Granny leaves them.

complete

<p>How do you say goodbye?</p><p>The community of Ponyville lose an elder statespony, but more importantly the Apple family say goodbye to their cherished figurehead.</p><p>For some there are revelations, whilst others find unity.</p><p>And then there's the story of how an heirloom gets passed on, in the Apple family way.</p>

teen

2024-02-17T23:15:36+00:00

2024-02-18T14:55:08+00:00

As the afternoon slowly transitioned into evening, Applebloom was making one last round of conversation in the barn when something struck her. Sugar Belle was engaged in a quiet conversation with Cherilee, but conspicuously absent was her brother, Big Mac. Wondering about his whereabouts, Applebloom scanned the barn before deciding to step outside. Once in the open air, she surveyed the landscape and soon spotted a lone figure sitting under the solitary tree atop a small hillock nearby. Recognizing her brother, she felt a twinge of concern and decided to check on him. Memories from years past flashed in her mind, recalling a day when Big Mac had opened up to her after the Sisterhoofs Social under that same tree. Approaching the lone figure, Applebloom called out to her brother, asking how he was doing. Big Mac gave no reply, his gaze fixed into the distance. Applebloom, familiar with her brother's stoic nature, sensed there was more beneath the surface. Undeterred, she continued upwards until she was stood beneath the branches that were shedding red autumn leaves onto the dry ground beneath. With a caring tone, she asked, "You want to talk about it, big brother?" She received a "nope" from Big Mac, but this time, accompanied by a heavy sigh. After a moment there was a quieter "eyup.” Applebloom settled down beside him, snuggling into her brother's strong shoulder like she did when a filly. In the quiet away from the others, Big Mac began to share his feelings. “I'm feeling… oh ah don't know what I'm feeling. Never got to share the good news that Sugar Belle and ah have with Granny before…” Applebloom listened attentively, offering support as her brother navigated the complex emotions that swirled within him. “Go on, big brother. What was it you wanted to tell her?” “We're having a foal, Applebloom. I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling, we were so happy when we found out, but now ah don't know. My head feels about ready to burst.” Big Mac looked devastated, tears welling up in his eyes. Applebloom looked at him, seeing for the first time just how the hair around his muzzle was shot through with grey. “Seems to be that y’all trying to carry two things in one bucket,” she said. Big Mac turned around, a look of confusion on his face, “say what now, sis?” “Eyup, you got a bucket's worth of happy and a bucket's worth o’ sad,” explained Applebloom, “that new foal is a true reason to be happy, but all you can carry right now is that big ol’ bucket of sad.” “So what do I do?” asked Big Mac, his broad shoulders slumping even further. “Y’all just carry them one at a time,” smiled Apple Bloom, “y’all gonna be happy for a bit and sad for a bit, and not know which you're getting next. But that's ok, Big Mac. Eventually that bucket of sad won't need to be carried as much, and that foal’s going to have you holding the bucket of happy all the time.” Big Mac looked at his sister, and smiled for what seemed like the first time in ages, “when'd you get something smart Apple Bloom?” “Oh, I've always been smart,” she replied, mock seriously. The two siblings sat together in the softening light of the evening, looking down the hill to where the barn doors remained open, inviting more ponies to join the wake and contribute to the collective embrace of shared memories. The shadows may have grown longer, but within the barn's warmth, the legacy of Granny Smith lived on, interwoven with the laughter, tears, and fond recollections of those who had known and loved her. - The sky outside had grown dark, and Twilight Sparkle had risen the moon several hours before. The once-bustling barn at Sweet Apple Acres had now quieted down. The conversations that had filled the air with reminiscences, laughter, and occasional tears had now faded into silence. The large doors had been pulled closed, shutting out the cool evening breeze, and leaving the barn in a state of solemn tranquillity. Pinkie Pie, ever the tireless party-pony, moved about the barn with quiet efficiency. Engaged in a less celebrated part of her role, she meticulously folded chairs and tables that had been borrowed from the town hall for the evening. With practised ease, she began to collect glasses and plates, her movements surprisingly focused as she tidied up after the day's events. Meanwhile, at the sole table that remained, Applejack sat with Big Mac, Sugar Belle, and Applebloom. The fatigue of the day was evident on their faces, their expressions weary and reflective. In a rare moment of quiet companionship, they shared a bottle of cider, each lost in their own thoughts yet finding solace in the presence of one another. As Rainbow Dash pushed through the barn door, a slight creak echoed through the quiet space. She joined the others at the table, carrying a brown paper package embossed with Rarity's cutie mark. Discreetly, she tucked it under her chair, hoping it would go unnoticed amidst the solemn atmosphere. "Hey, AJ," Rainbow began, pouring herself a mug and settling into her seat, "You okay?" Applejack let out a long sigh, her expression heavy with grief. "Nope, can't say that ah am, Rainbow. Ah know today was s'possed ta give us some kinda closure, but ah’m still feeling like Granny's missing and there's nothing to hold on to." "Eyup," Big Mac agreed quietly, his voice solemn. "I'm sorry, AJ," Rainbow said sympathetically, placing a comforting hoof over Applejack's. "I know this is going to hurt for a while." "It's like she's everywhere and nowhere," Applejack continued, her brow furrowed in frustration. "Like ah'm reaching out but there's nothing of her to hold onto." Applebloom, who had been quietly listening, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she was Sweet Apple Acres… but she shared everything. Nothing was just hers." As Rainbow Dash shifted uneasily in her chair, her thoughts raced with uncertainty. She knew that what she had planned might not be well received, but she also felt a strong urge to offer some form of comfort to her grieving family. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her courage to speak. "I've got something," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, "something that will help you feel close to her." The Apple siblings all turned to look at Rainbow, their expressions a mixture of concern and confusion. Rainbow swallowed nervously, feeling the weight of their attention, and reached under her chair to retrieve the paper parcel. Applejack, startled by the sudden appearance, jumped slightly, having not noticed Rainbow placing it there moments before. She choked back a gasp, feeling a sense of surprise at the unexpected gesture. "Something from Rarity?" Applejack asked, her brow furrowing in confusion as she recognized the distinctive markings on the package. "How's that going to help?” “Open it,” Rainbow Dash replied, her voice gentle yet insistent as she placed the parcel on the table in front of Applejack. With a mixture of confusion and curiosity, Applejack meticulously unfolded the precisely folded and tucked flaps, revealing a piece of orange fabric adorned with a repeating red apple motif. As she unfolded it further, her hooves trembling slightly, the intricate white lace edging became visible. “But… but.. this looks like…” Applejack stammered, her voice trailing off as she struggled to comprehend what she was seeing. “You had Rarity make a copy?” “No, AJ,” Rainbow replied, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Take a closer look.” As Applejack examined the fabric more closely, she noticed that in a few areas, the fabric had been carefully patched, and the printed apple decoration was actually incredibly finely embroidered appliqué, meticulously crafted to match the original pattern. “Is this…” Applejack's voice caught in her throat, her eyes welling up with tears. “Is this hers?” Rainbow nodded, her own eyes shimmering with emotion. “Yes. That's why Rarity hasn't been around much this last week,” she explained. “I don't understand all of it, but she unstitched the lace, cleaned everything, and then she said she used… er… batik to dye the colours back in. She put it all back together again today.” Applejack gasped, her heart swelling with emotion as she traced her hoof over the beautifully restored fabric. “It looks like new,” she whispered, her voice filled with awe and gratitude. “You like it?” asked Rainbow nervously, her eyes fixed on Applejack, waiting anxiously for her reaction. For a long moment, Applejack sat motionless, the shawl cradled delicately in her hooves. Tears began to well up in her eyes, as they had countless times throughout the day. In barely a whisper, she replied, “Yes, Sugarcube, ah love it. And ah love you too, for making this happen.” Rainbow shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her nerves easing slightly at Applejack's response. “Well, Rarity did most of the work,” she admitted humbly. “I wasn't sure how you'd feel, seeing it looking so… new.” “It may look new,” Applejack responded softly, her voice tinged with emotion, “but it's hers. The genuine article, but fixed up. Rainbow… that's the Apple way.” A sense of relief washed over Rainbow as she realised that her gesture had been well received. She reached out to squeeze Applejack's hoof, her own eyes glistening with tears. In that moment, surrounded by family and enveloped in the warmth of their love, they knew that Granny Smith's legacy would live on, not just in memories, but in the cherished heirlooms and traditions that bound them together as a family. “I kinda think it's ready for the new head of the Apple family to wear,” suggested Rainbow tenderly, her eyes soft with affection as she looked at Applejack. Applejack looked up, her expression a mix of surprise and disbelief. “Ah know there was the moment with the Sisterhood Social, but Big Mac can't wear this!” she protested, shaking her head. “Aw, big sis,” giggled Applebloom, unable to contain her amusement. “You ain't never gonna let him forget that, are you?” Big Mac, ever stoic, simply nodded in agreement, his expression unreadable. “The head of the Apple family can wear it,” insisted Rainbow, gently taking the shawl and wrapping it around Applejack's shoulders. “But, ah’m not the head,” Applejack protested, her voice filled with humility. “he’s my elder kin.” Big Mac took a deep breath to steady himself, his gaze focused on the distance as he addressed the thin air. “You're the heart of our family, Applejack. We all know it, and that's the honest truth,” he said quietly, his words filled with sincerity and love. Applejack tilted up a shiny platter from the tabletop, and found herself gazing at her reflection on the surface. She wasn't one for spending time in front of mirrors, but now she couldn't help but take a long look. The shawl wrapped around her shoulders provided a comforting warmth, and she couldn't deny that it didn't look out of place on her. Taking a closer look, she noticed the lines at the corners of her eyes, evidence of the years she had lived and the experiences she had endured. Her mane wasn't as full as it had once been, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia for the pony she used to be. As she continued to gaze at her reflection, her attention was drawn to Rainbow Dash sitting beside her. In her formal uniform, Rainbow looked grown-up and distinguished, her presence exuding confidence and strength. Applejack couldn't help but feel a swell of pride and affection as she looked at her wife, marvelling at how far they had come together. The bond between them, forged through years of shared experiences, was all that mattered. “Ah guess it might be alright to be the heart instead o’ the head,” Applejack mused, “but ah think we're all just Apples together.” Rainbow held up her mug. “Apples, together,” she toasted. There was a chinking of mugs being brought together and a ragged chorus of “Apples, together!” As they sat in the dim light of the barn, they found comfort in the simple act of being with each other, united in their love for one another.

Fresnow

551716

Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle (EqG),Sad,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Profanity

Exilium

Sunset Shimmer has never quite felt like she belonged in the human world.

complete

<p>Sunset Shimmer has never quite felt like she belonged in the human world, and today, she feels more distant from it—and more confined within it—than ever.</p>

teen

2024-02-17T23:46:31+00:00

2024-02-17T23:46:31+00:00

There’s this creature staring back at me from the mirror, and I don’t like it. Its two legs are obscured by the mirror’s limited view, but I can still tell that this creature is unnaturally tall. Two shrunken front appendages brace against the marble countertop. Instead of hooves, each limb ends in strange tentacle-like protrusions that curl and twist grotesquely. In lieu of a coat or fur, the creature is overdressed in an assortment of oddly selected fabrics that almost entirely conceal its near-hairless body. Blue jeans held up by a large black belt, a cheap watch, a long-sleeved orange shirt. The most distinctive article is the creature’s black, faux leather jacket, with each sleeve styled with orange chevrons. Most of the outfit is superficial and impractical, covering more than it needs to and fit for much colder weather. The hardest part to look at is the thing’s head. It’s hornless and flat, with no muzzle to speak of. Sharp, uncanny teeth peek out as it grimaces at me. The being’s mane almost looks right, grazing but not breaching the surface of normality, as without a tail, the creature’s body looks entirely off-balance. I look down and the bulk of the creature leaves my vision, but those odd flesh claws are still there, clinging onto the marble like it's the only thing keeping its body upright. Its body. I have to remind myself again that this body is mine. I inhabit it and live among others just like it. I am, regardless of my choice in the matter, simply human. Though I struggle to conceive how living in something this malformed and alien could ever be this simple. One of my not-hoof grasps onto the metal lever of the sink, if only just to feel a different texture, and pulls it down. Cold water streams out, which I cup and splash onto my odd, flat face. I do this several times, and when I’m done, I look back at the mirror and see the creature again. The only difference being that it looks sadder and angrier, with water droplets clinging to its face and spots of wetness blotting its shirt. My hands grasp around for a paper towel and pull down a few plies. I scrub my face dry and zip up my jacket to hide the spots on my shirt, even though I’m already sweating profusely. My eyes catch the time on my watch. It’s fifteen minutes into our lunch period. Ten since I excused myself from the table. My mind seizes at the momentary distraction, and I game out my next moves. At the moment, I’d much rather stay here for the next half hour of lunch period. But of course, a fact I’ve come to be quite familiar with is that one’s desires almost never align with reality. The girls would most likely ask why I disappeared for so long. Plus, my food’s still sitting there on the table. I decide I’d rather bear through a vapid lunch conversation now than deal with an interrogation later, so I veer away from the sink, avoiding looking back at the evil, silvered glass pane hanging above it. The hallway is a brief respite for me due to its lack of reflective surfaces and other faces, and I spend much of the trip down it restoring my composure. The moment I step into the lunchroom, I almost fall apart all over again. A wave of noise, thick with a thousand different conversations, washes over me. At the same time, a miasma of smells wafts around. Cheap, unhealthy food, the sickly sweet aroma of animals that were killed to be cooked and eaten. My building disgust reminds me that I’m an alien here. My legs are halfway through a 180-degree turn back through the door when my eye catches a waving hand at the far end of the room. I instinctively reverse my turn and make eye contact with Rainbow Dash. Recognition flashes on her face, and I internally kick myself as I realize I can’t turn back now. I’m going to have to eat lunch with my friends now. Fun. Heading over to their table, I maneuver past moving bands of teenagers, doing my best to look as disinterested as possible. As I close in, bits and pieces of their conversation filters through. ‘...after this…’ ‘I don’t know…’ ‘...well at least it’s us two…’ ‘...It’s not that far...’. I understand the words, but I fail to grasp the greater meaning behind them. Nevertheless, in a few short seconds, I’m at their table, sliding into my seat at the side of the table, next to Twilight and opposite Rainbow Dash and Applejack. “You know, Rainbow here was half-ready to go on and check on ya, since you were takin’ so long,” Applejack says. I raise an eyebrow at Rainbow. She sputters and her face crosses in offense. “What? I mean, yeah, only ‘cause Twilight here wouldn’t stop yapping about it, all, ‘Oh, but what if Sunset’s in trouble.’” I glance at Twilight, who’s wilting in her seat and turning away as she nervously laughs. Sparing her my gaze, I know I want to be annoyed at Twilight for worrying about me, but for some reason I can’t muster the emotion within me. Twilight’s just one of those people that are very hard to get annoyed with for too long. Rainbow continues, “The only thing in trouble is your salad, uh, sandwich… thing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so soggy and wet…and sad—.” “Yeah,” I say in a monotone voice while giving her a death glare. “I get it.” I look down at the brown paper bag containing my lunch: a fresh vegetable sandwich. Taking a peek in, though, I realize formerly fresh would be a better descriptor. Browning lettuce sits between two masses of beige mush. My appetite has pretty much gone and died, so I roll up the top of the bag and push it slightly away. Rainbow Dash opens her mouth and I assume she’s about to go on another diatribe, when two pink arms come down hard on the table beside Twilight. “And then I said, ‘Hey guys if Sunset needs help she would’ve messaged us already.’” Pinkie begins, and I already know we’re in for a long one, “And Dashie was all, ‘Oh you know how she can be, never asking for help even if she needs it.’ and I was like, ‘Well if she’s not asking, she can probably handle it.’ and Fluttershy made a face, like she was trying to say, ‘BUT WHAT IF SUNSET DIED?’ and I said, ‘If she’s dead, then we can’t help her so we should probably just finish our lunch first so it doesn’t go to waste.’ and everyone looked at me like I was—” “Pinkie, must you recount the entire discussion?” Rarity said, rolling her eyes. “Actually, I was about to ask what I missed.” I clear my throat and lower my volume. “Though, you can skip all the parts where you were talking about me.” For a moment, I feel a tinge of hope that the conversation will veer away from me having to talk about myself and into something less heavy. “Alrighty then,” Applejack says, “Pretty sure we were talkin’ about college.” Something inside me sputters and dies, and I can’t tell if it’s my brain or heart, though neither of which are particularly up for this challenge. College. Of course, they were talking about college. What else would six seniors a few months away from graduation discuss? What else would the universe curse me with having to think about? I gulp, and my hands cling to my seat, bracing myself for what I know is about to come. We’ve had this discussion before. Many times before, actually, and not one of them pleasant. Each time, it goes about the same: circling around the group, each one talking about their plans for the future. Although these past few times I’ve sensed a change. These college aspirations, once dreams shared over sleepover snacks after midnight, now seem to form into actual goals and plans. As each of their future realities crystallizes before me, my vague non-answers and weak dodges become more and more suspect. I realize now that I should’ve saved the bathroom trip to skip this conversation. One after another, each begins their routine divulging, passing the “college ball”, as I’ve come to call it, around the table. Rarity and AJ are planning to go to Manehattan to take Fashion Design and Agricultural Science respectively. Rainbow’s also heading out east with her sights set on working her way into the Wonderbolt Football Team, Fluttershy’s spending a year to work at the shelter before studying to become a veterinarian. And Twilight is heading West to the Vanhoover Institute of Technology. Just hearing the name of that school always puts me in a bad mood. Another reminder that she, and all the others, are going away. “And what about you, Sunset?” Twilight asks me. It’s always been the inevitable question and she’s the one who asks me each time, but that doesn’t stop it from being the worst possible thing I could be answering right now. I don’t know, I hear the familiar deflection echoing in my brain. But this time I stop myself before I say it. I’m not in the mood for deflection. “I don’t— I don’t think I really want to go to college.” A collective gasp. “Well… why not?” AJ asks in a voice I know should sound kind, but I can only register it as patronizing. “Well, I was thinking I could do something else.” I don’t know why I’m trying to justify myself but I do it anyway, like a habit. “I could go full-time with my music, or try and get a stable job first. I’m just not the colleging type, I guess.” “But…” Twilight starts. Try as I might, I can’t tune it out. “But you’re smart and driven and talented, and you’re… you! There has to be a program out there for you. It would be such a waste if—” “A waste?” I don’t spare her my glare this time. I want her to know I’m listening. “Go ahead and call me a failure while you’re at it.” “I mean… That’s not what I meant at all. It’s just that… Maybe—” “Maybe I just don’t want to go. You ever consider that?” I’ve heard enough, and I know if I stick around here any longer, things will only get worse. Before anyone can get in another word, I stand up, bunch the brown paper bag in my hand, and leave them there. At the door, I toss my salad-sandwich-thing into the trash, and head into the hallway, not giving that table a second glance. I take a small hit of sick satisfaction in imagining the reaction they’d all have to that. At least it’ll get them to stop asking, and maybe now I can live out the rest of senior year without being hounded about my “future”. Still, I can’t help but feel awful about it (not like that’s a particularly novel feeling, though). I lied to Twilight and the others. If it were up to me, I’d pick a random cardinal direction, travel a hundred miles until I hit some school named after some five hundred years dead politician or general, and enroll as soon as possible. Celestia (the god-princess, not the principal) knows what I’d do to be like them. To be sure. To have a future to talk about. But ponies living in human flesh suits, like me, don’t get that opportunity. Getting into CHS was a hassle all to itself and I suspect my success in that matter was more due to that initial interview with Celestia (the principal), in which her sympathy for my pitiful state overrode any suspicions she had with my documents. I’d rather not bet on the kindheartedness of some random stranger again. Creatures like me don’t get lucky twice. Besides, I like to think I’m over my days of deception and forgery. If I have anything going for me, it’s that I’m not who I used to be. Although even that thought struggles to provide any sense of comfort. After all, what’s the point of getting people to stop hating you, if you can’t even get yourself to do it? By now, I’ve wandered quite far from the lunchroom and ended up in some hallway I’m unable to locate in my mental map of the school. I don’t care enough to find it either way. With a few minutes still left in the period, I slump against the wall and unzip my jacket. My breath, which I only realize now has become shallow and unsteady, evens out and my heart rate slows to just above a normal level. I raise my hand up and watch it tremble in the air. I know I’ll be late for my next class, so for the rest of lunch, I sit there, sweaty, exhausted, and utterly disgusted with myself. — Hours later, I’m at home in my bed. My unfocused gaze is directed upwards at the blurry beige ceiling above me. I don’t know what time it is exactly; my phone’s out of reach and I don’t care to find it. But I know two things for certain: it’s dark out, and I’m still in my human body. I roll over, and clutch my stomach with my arms, feeling sick and tired and angry all at once. I know if someone were to hear my thoughts, they would be quick to mention the obvious solution. Go through the portal, dumbass. At first glance, it does seem like the obvious solution, doesn’t it? Go back. Transform into a pony again. Free yourself from this prison of flesh. It sounds simple, of course. But doing so would just be admitting the one thing I’ve been denying all these years. I’d be telling the world that I can’t do it. Essentially, I’d be giving up. Through the window, the clouds part ever so slightly, and a half-obscured crescent moon peeks into view. The thin white band illuminates the surrounding cloud cover, forming an unstable, shifting halo. Slowly I sit up, transfixed by this minor distraction. Unable to stop myself, I swing out of bed and amble forward, my limbs dragging along like weights. I reach the window late and the clouds move to cover the moon again, only a faint glow remaining to remind me it’s still there, though out of sight. Leaning against my window sill, I keep looking out into the sky as I recall a night almost like this one. It was another cloudy night with its own hidden moon. A night from over a year ago. A night I think about often. I’m unable to stop the image that comes next. Of a demon clad in scarlet and gold, with gnarled wings and a raging flame for hair. I see magic, alicorn magic, corrupted and twisted into unholy fire. Then a group of friends shielded in purple, a series of prismatic transformations, and then a blinding light and a multicolor beam directed right at me. I remember how I’d felt as well. At first, utterly convinced of the necessity of what I was doing. Convinced not so much that I was doing right, but rather doing justice. I remember how good it felt to be powerful, as powerful as I was always meant to be. And I remember hatred, so much hatred for that princess. It all seems so absurd now that I can’t help but laugh. But after that was pain, confusion, disappointment, failure. Abject failure and humiliation. Still, there was one emotion that, for so long, I’ve failed to understand. Now I can’t help but think about it. Hope. I felt hopeful then, somehow. I guess I knew, deep down, that I was finally going home. For a moment I had won, and, demon or not, the portal was right there, waiting for me. I was so close to finally being out of this wretched dimension. I was so sure then, that this was how things were supposed to be, and this is what I was supposed to be doing. A part of me misses that certainty. That conviction. Even if, in the end, it was all for nothing. After successfully remembering the second-worst night of my life, I close the curtains and wrench myself from the window. I move, almost aimlessly, to the bathroom. My hands fumble the door knob open, and I push it too hard. The door swings carelessly and bangs against the wall. I neglect to close it. I turn on the light, though my eyes protest and a wave of nausea crashed over me. Only after I’m done rubbing away the pain and composing myself, I realize I’m standing before the sink. Then I look up and feel nauseous all over again. What is it I’m looking at? My mind answers: A creature lost in an unfamiliar world. A trespasser overstaying her welcome. An impostor pretending to fit in. Beyond that? A list of long-gone past selves. Demon intent on conquering and enslaving two worlds. Figurative demon queen of high school. Power-hungry ex-pupil bent on revenge. Student of Princess Celestia. Each time, I had a goal, something definite in my future that I sought to achieve: conquest, popularity, power, recognition. Now? All the future held for me was a high school graduation, and then the life I’d had managed to cobble together collapsing over its bare-bones foundation. Again, I’ll be alone. Again, I’ll have nothing but the body I live in. I stare at the mirror and see a creature with a still-beating heart, flowing blood, and, at its core, a wrinkled mass of muscle and fat still buzzing with electricity. It churns on and functions, a rusty engine that should’ve shut off years ago. On instinct, my hand rises to just below my eye and wipes, but the skin is dry and the motion useless. My hand lowers and I just stare at it. It is then, staring at this malformed, broken hoof — utterly vestigial to a being that has known the wonder of telekinesis, of life beyond this concrete hellscape, of a world that understands her and that she understood — that I make the decision. I won’t rot here any longer. I won’t die curled up and cold and alone in this body I can hardly call my own. On the way to the door, I swipe up my motorcycle keys and my phone and stuff both in my pocket without a second thought. Throwing on my jacket, I exit my apartment. I breathe in the evening air and follow that old, worn thread leading me interminably towards home. — The artificial heart roars to life below me before settling into a rumble I feel across my entire body. It resonates through me like a spell charging up. With a helmetless head, I peel away from the curb. The singular light attached to my mechanical steed leads the way, piercing through the evening’s dying throes. The wind rushes, and I move with unnatural speed, passing by shades of red, white, black. Shining, sparkling, reflecting. All unnatural, all constructed. But my journey is interrupted several times, as I stop and start in compliance with the whims of the black, asphalt river I’m traveling down. It annoys me to no end. The fifth time I am forced to stop, I decide, instead, to defy the river. The occupant of the metal beast before me looks dumbfounded as I speed past, but the image of their face soon blurs and disappears behind me. Then the next and next and next vehicle slip by as I thread through this soupy morass of noxious fumes, blinding lights, and bleating calls. When the rivers cross, I keep going, even though all others have stopped. I dodge through the ones coming at me from the side and feel the wind rush as they fail to break and pass just behind me. Though their jeers and calls echo through the night, I keep going, ever onward. I fear the wind has cast a spell on me. Though my body remains bunched up and stuck unnaturally, there is a certain element of familiarity in what I’m doing. It doesn’t register at first. I assume it’s some latent feeling of freedom or rebelliousness peaking through. But when it sticks, and then only grows into something greater, I can place an image to it — if not a word. Fields. Rolling fields. It’s odd not to actually see and feel the blades of grass brush past or to hear my hooves clop rhythmically and the sounds of life buzzing around or to have stars to look at instead of this atmosphere of artifice. But I can feel the wind whirling past, my momentum carrying me forward. I am blazing through the night, though a loud and starless one it is. Here I am, galloping under the moon as ever. I am as far away as one can be from home, but I can feel it, and it is getting stronger. Equestria. I’m almost there. The outline of the school comes into sight, then the statue. I slow to a crawl, then stop just before it. The engine and wind promptly die, and I find myself sitting in the still air. Even with my jacket on, I can feel a chill creeping in around me. I clutch my shoulders, try to rub it away, without much effect. Eventually, time, not effort, ebbs away at chill, and once it’s gone, I start heading towards the statue. I know I want to run into the portal as soon as possible. I know I have to do it before I start to doubt. But, despite all this, I cannot get my body to move beyond stumbles and halted steps. Each footfall is laced with hesitance. Doubt starts to creep in. Three steps away from the portal, I can’t go on. My legs lock up below me. I feel like I’m freezing in the still, starless air. The portal itself is still as well, like a tranquil lake, lustrous and reflective in the clear night. To pass through — to even touch it — would be to upset its surface, to send cascading waves to each corner. I can’t bring myself to do it. I know what lies beyond that portal. It’s not some fantastic, impossible world of joy and wonder, but a real, breathing, living, changing world that sits just beyond the threshold. A world that didn’t blink when I crossed the portal, and didn’t stop to wait for me to come back. Celestia raised another student, who graduated in the time I was gone. A student who surpassed me, bested me, then went home a hero of two worlds, while I’m barely needed in either. What use would they have for a failure like me? I laugh, almost as a substitute for the tears I know should be streaming my cheeks. I won’t be leaping through the portal and emerge in some picturesque, verdant field, free to gallop as I please. I’ll stumble out, deep within Twilight’s castle, alone and in the dark. With only my illuminated horn to guide the way, I’d walk around, aimless. My only company would be the repetitive clip-clop of my hooves echoing throughout the castle, the singular greatest monument to my failure. An inescapable shadow would hang over me. Princess Twilight fucking Sparkle won, and you lost. That’s how it’s going to be the rest of your life. I laugh bitterly and close the distance between me and the portal. Instead of going through, I turn around and slump against one of the columns at its corner. For some odd reason, I jolt when my back touches the solid column. I look up at it and realize the origin of my shock. I’ve seen such designs before, but only as shaped clouds. Princess Celestia once took me to visit Cloudsdale once with a cloud-walking spell. We passed by columns near-identical to these, and she made some incidental remark about ‘cyclonic’ columns. Here, I remember hearing that these solid, marble versions are called ‘Ionic’ columns. I smile briefly at the strange thought that these two parallel worlds, each with their own parallel version of seemingly every sentient being, also developed somewhat similar architecture. An odd sense of déjà vu comes over me. Certainly, at some point, someone had explained the distinction to me before. Although, I can’t recall just who it was. I seize on this odd train of thought, grateful for the momentary distraction. I think through each of the people I’ve interacted with, mentally crossing off name after name. When I feel like I’m just about to recall who it was, though, my pocket buzzes. My hand slips in and retrieves my phone, which I absentmindedly decided to take with me earlier. It’s a text from Twilight. At first, I can’t help but see Princess Twilight in her profile picture, just behind those glasses. But when I open the message, I realize I was foolish to ever compare the two. Sunset, she types, you seemed rather down earlier, and I suppose how I acted and what I said did not help. Thus, I would like to apologize. I burst out laughing there. Not a solemn, bitter laugh, but one full of mirth. “‘Thus,’” I repeat out loud. “Who the hell says ‘Thus’ in an apology text?” A moment passes. I wonder aloud, “How the hell am I supposed to stay angry at you, Twilight Sparkle?” I keep reading. The message is long, and I can tell it was rehearsed, drafted, and edited. It’s so formal that she didn’t even use contractions. I conclude in my head that she planned it out. After all, I recognize all the motions of a standard apology, even with Twilight-y flair. I even recognize the article she borrowed them from. (The images from that wikiHow article have been permanently seared into my brain.) However, towards the end, the message takes an odd turn. She starts to offer theories as to why I was angry. Of course, they’re completely off the mark. But I can’t get annoyed with her for that. How the hell is she supposed to know something I haven’t told her? That thought sticks with me for a while. If anyone should know, it would be her. And yet, even though there’s no one else in this world I’d rather accept an apology from, and even though she knows what it feels like to let ambition turn you into a monster, I haven’t told her. Eventually, though, the message curves back to convention. The final line reads, I am willing to listen to whatever you have to say, Sunset. I hope you understand that I am here for you. I re-read those two sentences far more than I reasonably should. It’s just so cliché and well-worn that I can’t possibly believe it. So I sit there, just staring at it, hearing the words in her voice echo through my hollow skull. Another series of kind, friendly lies, meant more for the sake of cordiality than actual understanding. Another voice then joins in, telling me that Twilight couldn’t possibly comprehend how I’m feeling and what I’m going through, because Twilight isn’t like me. Because no one, human or pony, is as broken and unfixable in all the ways that I am. I’m nothing but a creature holding a brick of plastic and glass and light with malformed hooves, staring at words on the box. I’m in a world I do not know, full of smog and dead nights and marble sinks and impossible futures. And the portal is right there. But I don’t close the chat or turn off my phone. Against everything I know to be true, I want to believe Twilight. I want to believe that someone in this world will listen to me. I look down, re-read the message, and imagine Twilight sitting in the lunchroom, just after I left. Confused, embarrassed, regretful. She probably thought — and still does think — that I’m mad at her. Then I imagine her planning out the message, looking over 'How to apologize' tutorials online. Then, while she types the message, she frets over the smallest detail, trying as hard as she can not to offend. And while the product wasn't perfect, I can't deny that she tried. In the end, it's really Twilight that makes the decision for me. I stand up and take a few steps away from the statue. Taking in the evening air, I think of a reply and settle on: A bit busy rn. But sure, we can talk later. Heading to my bike, I look back at the statue one last time. My phone buzzes again. Okay. Just text me when you want to talk. I type back, Sure thing, Twi Getting back on my bike, I remind myself to try and obey traffic laws this time. Although I’m sure if I’d brought my helmet, I still wouldn’t put it on. I pull away from CHS and head back into the night and towards my apartment. It’s not home, probably won’t feel like it for a long time, if ever. But, I resign myself to being stuck in this odd, confounding world. It’s the only one I have. — Later the same evening, when I’m back in my apartment, I crawl into bed and pull my phone back out of my pocket. Instead of texting Twilight, I hit call instead and wait. In seconds, she picks up. She doesn’t say anything at first, but I can faintly hear her breathing. “Hey,” I say. “Hello,” she says, her voice so monotone that I can tell she’s trying to mask her nervousness. It almost makes me laugh, but I stifle it. Twilight deserves better than that. But still, the tension hanging over this conversation is killing me. She’s already apologized, and I came here to talk to Twilight, not sit with her in a silent phone call. After a few seconds, I realize what I should say. “Could you remind me again why they’re called Ionic Columns in this world?" I quickly add, "Just a random thought.” “Oh!” she says in surprise. "You called me to ask about... columns?" "...Yes." "Well, if you insist." She clears her throat. "It's actually a quite interesting story…” I don't know how long I lie there just listening to her speak. What I do know is that even as I lay in this cold room as the night marches on, I can't help but feel like this is right. Like this is something I've been missing. So I keep listening, offering short remarks and humming in agreement every so often. I do this until I drift away. The last thing I hear before the night has stolen me away from her completely is Twilight whispering, "Good Night, Sunset."

RunicTreetops

551728

Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Things Princess Luna Can Do While Waiting for Helldivers 2 Servers to Become Available

The Helldivers 2 servers are full. Luna doesn't like waiting.

complete

<p>The hit new video game Helldivers 2™ has just released, and Luna is desperate to play it. However, this excitement doesn't last long, as the servers appear to be full. Now stuck in a seemingly endless queue, Luna needs to find some way to kill time.</p><p>She'd rather be killing space bugs.</p>

everyone

2024-02-18T04:19:06+00:00

2024-02-18T04:19:05+00:00

“What do you MEAN the ‘servers are at capacity?’ You’re a AAA game! I paid 40 bits for you!” Princess Luna, with her mane in a ponytail and a sweaty, unwashed hoodie reading “GAMARE” worn crookedly where her regalia should be, stares angrily at her computer monitor. Her eyes are bloodshot, her room is dark, and she hasn’t slept in days. “Sister? Are you alright?” Luna turns around at the sound of a familiar, gentle-sounding voice and the creaking of her bedroom door. Her horn glows with magic as she removes her headset that makes her mare ears look vaguely like cat ears for some reason. “What?” “Are you doing okay? You’ve barely left your room in days, and you were yelling at nothing.” Celestia scrunches up her nose before waving her hoof in front of her face as if to clear the air. “Also, it reeks in here.” “Well, I am TRYING to play the hit new video game, Helldivers 2™. Unfortunately, the game seems adamant about not letting me actually start. You know, the one thing a video game is expected to do?!” “And why is that?” “Apparently, there are too many other ponies playing. The servers are full.” “Well, I don’t know anything about these ‘servers’ of yours, but it sounds to me like you just need to be patient.” “I’ve been patient! I’ve been trying to play for hours!” “Then perhaps it’s time to get up from your desk and take a break. There are countless things you could be doing instead of–” “Whatever, mom.” “I am not asking you to not play the game. I’m simply suggesting that you do something more worthwhile while waiting than yelling at a screen.” For a while, Luna says nothing. After staring at her sister with annoyance for an uncomfortable amount of time, she closes her tired eyes and sighs. “Fine. I suppose I shall try to complete some of my royal duties while other ponies have their fun.” She stands from her Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 Stealth Gaming Chair™ and mumbles something beneath her breath as she trudges towards her bathroom. “But mark my words, sister. As soon as that queue pops, I’m gonna save Super Equestria from those darn Terminids.” “I think the community should be focusing on the Automatons, actually.” “What was that?” “Nothing!” First and foremost, Luna takes some time to get cleaned up. Throwing her hoodie into a hamper filled with weeks of unwashed clothes, she hesitantly climbs into her luxurious shower fit for a princess. Using her four-in-one body wash, shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste made for the dedicated gamers of Equestria, she manages to clean herself all at once. Unfortunately, drying is much harder than washing for most ponies. Having a fur coat does that to a mare. Thankfully, she’s an alicorn princess with enough magical prowess to dry herself in seconds. Less thankfully, she forgot that doing so makes her coat puff up beyond control. With a sigh, she decides to just roll with it. The next thing on her agenda is to clean her bedroom. She could technically get a member of the castle staff to do it for her, but then they might see something they shouldn’t. With a defeated sigh, she gets to work thoroughly cleaning the dark, disgusting mare cave. Her bed is the first thing on her list of things to clean. Despite being the “Princess of the Night,” she prefers having a smaller bed. Unfortunately, a younger Luna decided a crescent-moon-shaped bed frame would be cool and fitting for a mare like her. An older Luna wishes said younger Luna would have shut up. She should really get that thing replaced. Well, with the bed made and the sheets replaced, she supposes she may as well start picking up her trash. Cans of G Fuel™ and half-eaten bowls of ramen litter her bedroom, and despite thinking that she’s used to it, she ends up gagging while throwing it all into a garbage bag. Perhaps she should take her sister’s advice and work on her hygiene. With the floor cleared off, why not vacuum? The floor sure as heck needed it, if the rapidly filling vacuum bag is anything to go by. She even discovered a few previously unknown stains here and there on the floor. Might as well clean those up, too. With both her room and herself fully cleaned off and a sufficient amount of time killed, Luna excitedly looks back to her screen. Unfortunately, there appears to be no change in how full the servers are. With an aggravated shake of her head, she decides to do the unthinkable: leave her bedroom. After hesitating for longer than a princess probably should, she dons her regalia and steps out into the castle hallway. It’s time to do her nightly duties. With a determined gait, she trots through the halls of the castle, hanging lavender like she used to do before deciding to become a gamer. With that done, she makes her way to the kitchen to give the chefs a helping hoof. They don’t really need it, but she wanted to learn how to cook a while ago and only really stopped trying when she got her PC. After making a full sixty-two-course meal, she thanks the (extremely confused) chefs for their time and sets out into the castle halls once more. Next stop, the dream realm. She’s glad she decided to pay it a visit, as a few dozen children seem to be having nightmares pertaining to major life changes. As the self-proclaimed guardian of the dream realm, it’s her responsibility to protect these children and guide them towards a proper path during their waking lives. Maybe if they’d all stayed at home playing Mareio™ instead of trying to have slice-of-life-style adventures every Saturday for approximately twenty minutes they wouldn’t have these sorts of issues. Kids these days. With the dream realm secured, Luna decides to keep up the momentum. “Why stop with the dream realm?” she asks herself. “I might as well keep doing my princess duties while I’m up and dressed for it.” With a determined, somewhat cocky smile on her face, Luna departs from the castle, ready to face Equestria as a whole in the dead of her glorious night. She knows exactly what she wants to do. With minimal effort, Luna accomplishes a few things. She fixes the broken plumbing in Canterlot’s sixth district. She solves a border dispute between the Crystal Empire and Yakyakistan. She ends all war and establishes world peace. She solves world hunger. She eliminates all known diseases, leading Equestria to the greatest golden age it’s ever known. She makes a new set of Elements of Harmony just to prove that she can. She goes to some place called Maretime Bay and befriends six ponies that are weirdly disliked for some reason. She survives some sort of fallout, sees the rise and fall of an unnecessary factory in Cloudsdale, raises a young Rainbow Dash to adulthood before tearfully letting her go to live her own life, becomes Nightmare Moon again and then heals herself, invents the Internet 2, and most importantly, touches grass. Once she’s finally done with all of that, she realizes just how tired she is. Perhaps it’s finally time to go home and get some sleep. With a content smile, she lazily opens her bedroom door. Before she can turn on the light, she realizes that the room is already lit by a screen on her desk. Her eyes sparkle as she realizes that she forgot her purpose for leaving her room in the first place. With joyous laughter, she rushes to her desk and throws herself into her chair, ready to finally kick some alien flank. “Servers at capacity. Please try again later.” Luna sits silently while staring at the screen. The silence is eventually broken by the creaking of her door. “Sister? Is everything okay?” Seeing the look on Luna’s face as she slowly turns around, Celestia decides to gently close the door and walk away. She barely takes two steps before the sound of a computer being thrown violently against a wall rings out through the castle.

LewdaCRITS

551742

Main 6,Original Character,Spike,Human,Adventure,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Profanity

Superhumans in Equestria

A group of superheroes finds a mysterious portal and out of curiosity, they jump through and enter Equestria.

cancelled

<p><i>(Takes place between Season 3 Episode 10 and Episode 13)</i><br/>A superhero named Lorenzo and his other friends are bored out of their minds when a portal just appeared out of nowhere. Lorenzo, like the others, always hoped for an adventure that’s worth his while. But once their desire for a new adventure had been fulfilled, it wasn’t on their own terms. Instead, adventure found them. And instead of adventure, it was the last place any human would likely wound up at: <i>Ponyville</i>.</p>

teen

2024-02-18T10:19:03+00:00

2024-02-18T11:06:36+00:00

I’m pretty new to writing and this is my very first fanfiction. I wrote it as a simple thought experiment. I wasn't able to complete it due to school and other irl stuff, and I have no interest in completing it. However, I do plan on writing my own novel and this’ll be my first steppingstone for my upcoming career. I first wrote this back in 2020 when I was 15 years old, and I wasn’t able to get a fimfiction.net account until recently. I have plans for another MLP fanfiction, so if there are any mistakes in this one, constructive criticism is much appreciated. It was late autumn, and winter is guaranteed to be kicking in soon. Today, the average temperature is currently at 5.5 degrees Celsius, or for the Americans, 42 degrees Fahrenheit. The orange, yellow, and even red leaves are occasionally falling off of the trees and blowing gracefully in the wind. The peaceful routine of the European country of Switzerland combined with the beautiful scenery of the southeastern mountains in the background and the autumn trees would’ve made a vacation out here glorious. But this atmosphere would soon be interrupted by an angered female voice, calling out to her ex-husband, whom she thought was part of some sort of cult. On the now empty streets of Bern, a woman using some telekinetic ability to grow thick vines and branches out from the ground uses said magical vines and branches to throw a nearby parked Chevrolet Equinox LT in a fit of rage. “EMMERICH!!!” She repeats, this time louder and unable to contain her anger. He has to be here somewhere. She has coerced a hacker into finding this guy’s address and once she finds him, he will learn what happens when you take a mother’s children away from her. “Er ist weg. [He’s gone]” A staticky, 8-bit, masculine voice lied in German. The woman turned to where the voice came from and saw two men. The one who just spoke wore a dark olive green—almost black—hoodie with matching cargo pants and what looked like a pair of darker hiking boots. His entire body is chromatically aberrated and tends to glitch every ten seconds. Where his face should be is instead obscured by the pitch-black shadow of his hood, making him even more mysterious and intimidating. There’s also a backwards American flag on his right sleeve, implying that he’s in the military, with the abbreviating letters, “S.R.T.” right below it. In truth, he technically is, since he and his fellow operatives are part of a military division funded by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the U.S. government. This division is often referred to as the SRT, which stands for ‘Superhuman Regimental Team,’ though the general public calls them the Periodics. Standing right beside him was one of his operatives, who is generally known as Fulminazione Uomo in Italy, the name meaning Fulmination Man, due to his ability to spontaneously generate electricity and harmlessly conduct it through his entire body without electrocuting himself and, with enough voltage, use it as a weapon to electrocute people with one punch, and even power an entire house as long as he’s well fed, hydrated, and well rested. So, to amplify that ability even further, he wears a highly conductive suit of full body armor that includes a pair of knuckles and boots with metal toe caps. The entire suit is made of silver, one of the most effective electrical conductors on earth. The most striking feature is his minimalist style helmet, which is just a shiny dome with no eyeholes or any fancy features on it. The helmet was supposedly inspired by Red Hood from the DC universe, when really, he just stole the helmet design. The only thing that helps him see through it is this futuristic one-way visor, like something out of a sci-fi movie. The staticky hooded man turns towards Fulmination Man. “Remember the plan, Lorenzo?” He asked, calling him by his real name. “Sì.” He replies affirmatively in Italian. The two agreed that Lorenzo should shock the woman with his electricity by surprise while the hooded man distracts her. The goal is for him to shock her enough to stun her or knock her down so Hassium could finish her off. The hooded man shot forward, flying like Superman straight towards the woman as Lorenzo ran down a nearby alleyway. The vine summoning woman didn’t have time to see where Lorenzo was going, for Hassium landed a punch straight to her face, only for it to be blocked by the vines that had just came out from under the concrete road. He flies around and gives her another punch, but those same vines grew rapidly to block that punch as well. “Hau ab, Hassium! [Get away, Hassium!]” The woman demanded in German, calling the hooded man by his superhero name, Hassium Hacker—named after the transition metal on the periodic table, mostly because he knows a lot about coding. He sort of embraced the name because he didn’t even know what hassium did or was used for. “Das betrifft Sie nicht! [This doesn’t involve you!]” She continued as the vines wrap around Hassium, about to throw him away. “Wenn du herumgehst und alles kaputt machst, dann ja. Es betrifft mich. [If you go around and wreck everything, then yeah. It does involve me.]” Hassium replies in the same language, shooting lasers out of his eyes at the vines, slicing them like butter. Being born in Germany, he knew the language well before he was moved to the U.S., where he learned English. Hassium then flies up to her for another punch only for it to land on thin air, for his target had dodged it and gave him a hard punch. He took it like it was nothing and went for another punch, which was blocked by the woman’s vines she just summoned. As the two fought, Lorenzo comes out from behind a dumpster, whips out an extendable, durable, spear-like rod made of highly conductive metals and plunges it into her chest and shoves her to the ground, prohibiting her from moving anywhere, all the while, he shoots electricity into the rod and shocking her, giving Hassium even more time to get up, rush over and stomp on her head, crushing her skull and killing her instantly. “That was… quick.” Hassium commented as he wiggled his foot to get the blood and brain matter off his shoe before glancing at Lorenzo, who’s looking a bit disappointed, though it’s impossible to see his true feelings through his totally original designed helmet. “Yeah.” Lorenzo sighed. “Thank goodness for that.” There was a moment of awkward silence as Hassium thought of what else to say. “I’ll… see you back at the base.” Hassium got out before flying away. Once Hassium was away, Lorenzo took off his helmet and rubbed his brow to dampen his now growing frustration. He began to feel like this routine of beating the crap out of supervillains is getting repetitive. It’s not like the Joker versus Batman, or Captain America versus Red Skull or the Winter Soldier. Lorenzo really questions why do these guys even bother trying to go up against them. In the end, they always lose. There’s Jacob Payne, a guy obsessed with a medieval sword that grants him superpowers, Neón, who can glow in the dark and summon elastic glowstick whips… and that’s literally it, another man who’s always engulfed in flames like the burning sun named the “Sun Demon”, as the name implies. And this Poison Ivy ripoff whose name turns out to be Amelia Bickersfield, an angry ex-wife of a businessman, who won a court case following a divorce and it seems that odds were against her favor. She wasn’t even allowed to see the children anymore. And it’s all because of her negligence and selfishness. She even demanded spousal support from the husband. Every decision she makes is entirely based on emotional appeals. Fighting each of those guys are just his monotonous routine, now. They have no more interesting tricks up their sleeves, because over the past three decades, they’ve used them all up. And now, he feels like he should just kill them all, but he’s trained to follow orders. He was never ordered to kill any of them unless they cause mass destruction. Even so, being a superhero is no longer about adventure and goodwill. Now, it’s no more enjoyable than typing away in an office cubical. Lorenzo takes out a remote and with a press of a button, his personal vehicle—a silver aerodynamic sports car that looks like a mix between a Mclaren MP4-12C and a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport with pitch black windows like the U.S. president’s limo (even the windshield)—rolls in and stops right next to him. He walks into it and with the engine still left running switches off the self-driving mode and manually drives back to base, contemplating on quitting his job and going back to being a Catholic priest at his church. At least there, he’d have a purpose. He inwardly prayed that something—anything—will make him stay any longer. The pay is much better than his humble self could ever ask for, and he does not want to throw it all away. Not now. Hassium was sitting at a circular table that’s closest to four feet in diameter, looking at the spotless touch screen of his new iPhone 5 that just came out a couple months ago. The phone had a silver case on it, as if it were metal. He’s really enjoying it and its new features. On the other side of the table sat another man, this one more muscular, who calls himself “Leos,” dressed in camouflage cargo shorts, leather sandals, and a purple, Byzantine style shirt that looks a little tight on him. His porcelain face accompanied by his brown, curly hair, blue eyes, and faint beard stubble is perfectly clean and smooth, not a single blemish in sight. As Hassium scrolls through YouTube videos on his phone, he comes across a vibrant thumbnail of a video that had the words, “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” on it in pink letters. Right beside it were six smiling, equally vibrant and colorful horses, or, as little girls like to call them, unicorns. Each of them had distinguishing features and unique hair styles that make them stand out from each other. One was purple and had the mandatory unicorn horn. The second one is white as snow and also has a horn, but has swirly, purple hair and tail. The third had no horn and instead a pair of wings and rainbow hair. The fourth looked gentle and kind. She was yellow and also had wings like the rainbow haired unicorn. The fifth one was blond and has a cowboy hat, suggesting that she’s from the wild west. And the sixth one has curly, poofy, pink hair that sort of matched her body, which was a lighter shade of pink. He scoffed at the cartoony image and kept scrolling for anything interesting. He has no interest in shows made for little girls. The only children’s media he’s ever into was Spongebob Squarepants and Star Wars and even that’s starting to become boring for him, now. The trilogy of Star Wars prequels haven’t done well in theaters, and the only appeal of it was the lightsaber duels. His train of thought was interrupted when Leos looked at him, mildly frustrated, and spoke up in his usual Greek accent. “Hassium, turn off your cell phone and have a discussion with me.” Though Hassium had no eyes or anything to show frustration or anger, he glared in retaliation at his unnecessarily harsh tone. “Alright, fine!” He replied, frustrated, as he put his phone in his pocket. “What should we talk about?” “I just don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with YouTube all of the sudden. People these days. They use their cell phones all the time. Before it’s the television, and now this. All they do is send text messages and play World of Warcraft, or whatever that game is.” “You obviously never learned the fun of it. People play videogames and spend a lot of time on the internet the same reason why you drink alcohol.” “Videogames is not a coping mechanism.” “It actually kinda is.” There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Hassium was unsure of what else to talk about, until an idea came up. “Leos.” Hassium asked. Leos looked at him, anticipating a response. “You never told me any of your secrets.” Leos scoffed. “I figured I’ve told you enough about my immortality and how long and how much I’ve suffered because of it. If I wanted to rip the damn garment off, I would.” Leos has lived for only a couple of centuries, and in that time, he’s experienced battle countless times. He’s also experienced happiness, comfort, sorrow, and heartbreak just as much. At one point, he was prone to depression when someone he deeply respects is gone forever, no matter if they’re dead or not. But now, he’s become so desensitized that nothing makes him feel any sort of negative emotion anymore. There are few things that make him feel any sort of enjoyment. He’s even tried to commit suicide, but literally nothing kills him. He’s stuck with his magic necklace that grants him powers and immortality for Zeus knows how much longer. “Not that. Since you dress in Spartan armor whenever we go on our little operations, I was wondering where you got that and why you always wear it.” “Tradition. It is nothing more than just a decoration on my body. I got it from Sparta. An ancient city-state in Greece a long time ago.” “How long?” Hassium asked, having never hears of Sparta before. “For maybe two thousand years. I’m not so sure. My memory isn’t all perfect anymore.” “So, how was it like in Sparta two thousand years ago?” “Compared to today, it must be a little scary. When I was just an infant, the soldiers of Sparta came to my father’s house and inspected me. In Sparta, they want their infant children to be born looking like they’re gonna become a warrior. I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t get tossed off a cliff.” “Tossed off a cliff? What do you mean?” “If that child doesn’t qualify for training, according to the soldiers, they get tossed off a cliff.” “Damn. That sounds like North Korea. As soon as you were born, you were at risk of dying because the regime judges you whether or not you’re worthy of living on and becoming just another servant in their army.” “Sort of like North Korea, but if you’re not dead by the time you turn seven, you undergo training for the Spartan army. Boys do it, girls do it. As a matter of fact, they believe that strong women produce strong babies for strong soldiers.” “I thought it was only men.” “It wasn’t just men. Anyways, I continue training until I was in my twenties, I think. Then, I have to do a test. They test you to see if you’re going to become a real soldier and an official citizen. If you pass, you continue your training and walk amongst the people of Sparta as a citizen, or the Spartiate, as I would remember it. If not, you become the Perioeci, or the middle class. You could still serve in the army and you paid taxes—so you can still live a relatively normal life in Sparta—but you get no political rights.” “Is there a lower class?” “Yes. The helots. You do not want to be in that class. The helots were always looked down upon. You were either a slave or a descendant of people who hated to be under the rule or protection of Sparta.” “Did you pass that test?” “Yes. And thus, I was in the Spartiate, and my family was honored.” “And then what?” “Look, I’ll talk more about it later.” “Dude, you said we can have a conversation.” “Then let’s talk about something else.” Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a voice in a French accent call from the balcony. “Guys? You need to come see this!” Leos and Hassium both rose from their seats and walked to the balcony, where their boss and founder of the Periodics, Copper King, stood at 6’10”. Copper King is a man made entirely out of copper, though his face doesn’t make him seem human. It’s basically a shiny copper mask with small, asymmetrical, circular eyeholes and a small rectangular hole for a mouth as well as a pyramid shaped nose that looks as if whoever made this mask tried their best to make the nose look like a nose. The mask looks most similar to that of a cyberman from Doctor Who. No matter the weather, or how hot or cold the temperature is, he always wore a copper crown accompanied by a blue Napoleonic military uniform with a copper chestplate, gold epaulettes, red wrist cuffs with gold couplings, white woolen gloves, and 18th century leather boots, displaying that he once served in the Napoleonic Wars as a cavalry officer. No one can be sure, because everyone would naturally assume that he’s just someone with dissociative identity disorder taking on the role of an 18th century soldier from France, but as it turns out, he was actually born in France and he’s served in the French military at some point in his life. So, his true backstory remains uncertain. “What is it?” Hassium asked. “There.” Copper King pointed his gloved hand to a bright, purple light on the hillside. “Such a spectacle I find before me.” “What is that?” Leos asked. Leos, having lived 2,454 years of his life, he’s seen some strange stuff, but he could never recall seeing a portal appear in his life, so he was intrigued by the strange object. Hassium initially thought that this portal could lead to the Minecraft dimension due to its purple color, but Copper King and Leos thought that it could be a wormhole that could lead to anywhere in the universe. “Hassium, call the rest of the team and tell them we have an anomaly to investigate.” “Aye aye!” Hassium saluted before grabbing his phone and calling for the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Lorenzo enters the house before taking off his dome helmet, feeling a bit depressed. “Oh, hey, Lorenzo. How was the date night with Lady Flora?” Leos joked. “Monotonous at best.” Lorenzo responded sadly. “I’m just hoping that something would go different today, or tomorrow.” “Well, turns out there has been something out on the mountain right about now.” “Really?” Lorenzo said with a hint of curiosity. “Yes. You should come see.” Lorenzo walks to the balcony where Copper King still stood and saw that same light still there. “Believe me, I’m just as confused as you are.” Copper King comments as he stares in awe and curiosity. “I’m more excited than confused.” Lorenzo admits. “This might send us to another world and we could visit a peaceful fantasy city.” Several minutes later, a black man with short black hair named Aiden Tremblay entered the house, followed by a bipedal robot that looks like a mix between the T-800 from the Terminator movies and an assaultron from Fallout 4. “You have summoned me, Oswald.” The robot says in an a low-pitched Robosoft text to speech voice with a slight electronic twang, calling Hassium by a name an old friend gave to him. He initially has no name. “Is there something I can help you with?” “Stay and await further instruction.” Hassium commanded. “Waiting.” The robot then stopped just as it got through the doorway. Aiden maneuvers past it as it was taking up a lot of space in the narrow hallway. “So, y’all said something about an ‘anomaly.’” Aiden asked in his usual southern American accent like CJ from GTA: San Andreas. “What is it?” “We think it’s a portal that’s worth investigating.” Copper King explains. He notices the absence of two other superheroes. “Where’s Müller and Platinum Prince?” “He should be somewhere in this ho—” Hassium said as he was about to search for him, but he looked behind him and screamed in horror at his sudden appearance. Müller was wearing a pair of black leather boots, a faded khaki uniform with a belt and ammo pouches, a pickelhauben helmet, a leather gas mask, a backpack, and a pistol holster that’s carrying a loaded Luger self-loading pistol. He also has a Gewehr 98, with a knife strapped to the barrel, slung over his shoulder. “Müller, don’t sneak up on me like that!” Hassium scolded. “Now, there should be one more.” Leos said as he waited for Platinum Prince to arrive. The door opens and a man wearing a set of futuristic platinum full body armor and a crown that’s shorter than Copper King’s. The mask has four lines for the mouth and an inch thick horizontal line of bulletproof glass as a lens for the eyes, even though it’s as easy to see out of as the windshield of a Buzzard car from Mad Max: Fury Road. His suit of armor was also accompanied by a tactical vest with an assortment of gadgets, including frag grenades, throwing knives, flash grenades, extra ammo clips, and a radio to call the other members. On his utility belt are two holstered pistols, a flare gun, a dagger, and a sword. The fact that he can easily carry all of that without breaking a sweat is impressive, but then again, this assortment of weapons and gadgets is like something Batman would use to take down a small country. This mission that the whole team is about to go on is nothing like that. Like Copper King, Platinum’s history was shrouded in mystery. Being a man made out of platinum, he claims to have fought in the Polish-Soviet War and in World War II before going into hiding until the Soviets liberated Poland from Nazi Germany. Being strongly against communism, he left for Sweden and then to France, where he met Copper King, and they became best friends. “Sorry I’m late.” Platinum Prince apologizes in a Polish accent as he entered the home. “You guys said there’s an anomaly we need to investigate. So, I thought I should come prepared.” Aiden rolled his eyes at the expensive armor he’s wearing. “Whatever, man. Let’s just get this investigation over with so I can be with my girlfriend. We’re plannin’ to watch a movie.” “Alright, team. Let’s move out!” Copper King commanded. “TITANium, follow me.” Hassium ordered his robot companion. “Yes, sir.” It replied before following Hassium as Lorenzo put his dome helmet back on his head and the visor switched back on. Leos snapped his fingers and for a split second, he was engulfed in a bright light, and once it faded, he’s now wearing ancient Spartan hoplite armor consisting of a gold Korinthian helmet with a red crest, a flanged gold cuirass, gold leg greaves worn over his now taller leather sandals, gold forearm bracers similar to those of Wonder Woman, and strips of leather around his purple skirt, which is part of his shirt of the same color and material. This armor earned Leos the superhero name, Golden Guardian. As everyone ran out of the house and over to the mountain, where the portal is at, unlike the others, the whole journey there, Lorenzo feels excited that he’s about to experience something interesting. It seems that God has answered his prayers. But once his desire for a new adventure has been fulfilled, it wasn’t on his own terms. Instead, adventure found him. They all arrived at the portal and once they realized that this portal doesn’t have the ability to suck air in, Hassium, being nearly indestructible, walks closer to it. He was about to check what’s behind it only to find that there’s a cone shaped vortex. He reaches out to touch it, or maybe even feel it. “Don’t touch it!” Platinum Prince warns in paranoia. “We don’t yet know what it’ll do to us if it’s tampered with. I heard that portals can be very unpredictable, especially where they take you. For all we know, it could send us to the vacuum of space.” “You worry too much.” Hassium said dismissively. “It’s harmless.” Just as he says that, he feels some unknown force pulling him towards it. The other start noticing this, too. “It’s getting a little windy.” Leos comments. “It is almost winter after all.” Then, Hassium gets violently pulled into the portal, cutting off his screams for mercy once he was through it. “I TOLD YOU!!” Platinum Prince exclaimed in confirmed panic. The rest of the team attempt to run away, but by then, the gravitational pull from the portal was too great. All eight superheroes were dragged kicking and screaming into the purple swirly vortex. The only one who wasn’t screaming was TITANium, who just willingly ran into the portal to follow Hassium, and Müller, who apparently has no vocal cords to scream, let alone talk.

LewdaCRITS

551742

Main 6,Original Character,Spike,Human,Adventure,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Profanity

Superhumans in Equestria

A group of superheroes finds a mysterious portal and out of curiosity, they jump through and enter Equestria.

cancelled

<p><i>(Takes place between Season 3 Episode 10 and Episode 13)</i><br/>A superhero named Lorenzo and his other friends are bored out of their minds when a portal just appeared out of nowhere. Lorenzo, like the others, always hoped for an adventure that’s worth his while. But once their desire for a new adventure had been fulfilled, it wasn’t on their own terms. Instead, adventure found them. And instead of adventure, it was the last place any human would likely wound up at: <i>Ponyville</i>.</p>

teen

2024-02-18T10:32:10+00:00

2024-02-18T10:32:09+00:00

To say that Twilight Sparkle liked the idea of an existing multiverse was an understatement. She was obsessedover it. Almost to the point where Spike had to remind her every day about her monthly friendship reports to the princesses. She’d reassure him that she never forget, but Spike was still concerned. Reading any and all books about multiverses and alternate timelines became the number one thing to do in her spare time, and even when she spent time with her friends every now and then, as soon as she reads the various books on multiverses, Spike would get an uneasy feeling that she might forget about them and go back to her old, antisocial ways. After a while, it seems that Twilight had discovered all there was to know about the multiverse, alternate realities and timelines, and other worlds and universes just like their own. That is until after an adventure involving an old library is when she discovered an old spell book about other worlds accessible via a complex spell that summons a portal to it. And for the past several weeks, she’s been studying it tirelessly, eager to know more. So, once Spike figured it out that she’s about to try out one of the spells from the book, he protested, especially considering that the spell she’s about to use hasn’t even been tested before in Equestrian history. And unbeknownst to her, it was probably for a good reason. “Don’t worry, Spike.” Twilight assured the little purple dragon. “I know what I’m doing.” Twilight then rereads the spell directions one more time before nodding in confirmation. She readied herself, gathered up all of her strength, and with difficulty, shot a blast of magic onto the nearby wall, creating a blinding light that soon dimmed as a magenta vortex formed. She looked in amazement. Despite her magic power, she had just successfully summoned an interdimensional portal. “Oh my gosh…” She muttered as she summoned a notebook and quill and began jotting down notes. Though she was worn out from summoning that portal, “It actually worked!” “Is it over, yet?” A voice called from upstairs. “Not yet.” She replied, wondering if she should go through it herself, or wait for something to come through it from the other side before the portal disappears. She waited, and waited, and waited. Not about to risk getting killed on the other side, she threw a nearby apple she originally planned on eating through the portal. She sighed in defeat. “Okay, Spike.” She hollered upstairs. “You can come back down, now.” Small, faint footsteps can be heard as the little purple dragon walked downstairs, still worried about the gaping vortex leading to nowhere on the wall. Though Spike took her word for it, he still felt unsure. She cannot deactivate the portal, so for Celestia knows how long, they’re gonna have to deal with it being around in the library and hopefully, it won’t suck in or spit out anything. But as it turned out. It did spit out something. Because once Twilight and Spike were about to conclude that this portal will simply idle there for the remainder of its life, several unfamiliar objects came tumbling through the portal and landed on the floor with a thud. They all look very large, and Twilight and Spike couldn’t even recognize them at first, but as each of them got up, it’s been revealed that they’re ape-like creatures, wearing some type of clothing. They also have a robot-looking thing built to look like them. Twilight was both fascinated and a bit unnerved by their size and lanky appearances. Some look a bit disturbing to look at, like the hooded creature, whose face is obscured by its overcasting shadow, giving him an ominous and creepy appearance. The robot was the first one to speak, “Who Are you?” Spike then ran behind Twilight in fear, and Twilight glanced at him reassuringly and then back at the ape-like creatures, hoping they’re all friendly. The robot stared at her, anticipating a response. The rest of the unknown creatures stared at the purple unicorn, who looked to be about half their height, with dark violet hair and a lighter purple and magenta stripe. Judging by the large eyelashes surrounding her eyes, the unicorn is a girl. Speaking of her eyes, they have purple irises much like the rest of her, but her eyes are so big, they take up half of her face, making her face very expressive—more than that of a regular horse or unicorn they’ve ever seen. In contrast, her snout is small and her head seemed slightly larger than the rest of her body. It almost reminded Hassium of how anime characters are drawn. She looked… kinda cute. “T-Twilight Sparkle.” She got out. “Twilight Sparkle?” The hooded man asked in disbelief in a creepy, distorted voice that vaguely resembled that of a man. “I never heard anyone called that before.” The other commented. He was dressed in a blue uniform and seems to be wearing a bronze mask and crown, as if he were the king or the leader of this group of creatures. “Are you all okay?” Twilight asked. “You’re all so… big.” “And you and yo room are so small!” The other one replied in an accent similar to that of Applejack, wearing a simple red shirt, pants, and shoes. “You literally half my height, man.” “Where are you from? Who are you all?” Twilight asked. “We’re humans from the planet Earth.” The one dressed like Celestia’s royal guard answered. “I’m Aegeus Leos. And this is Hassium Hacker, General Müller, Copper King, Platinum Prince, Aiden Tremblay, Lorenzo, and the robot we just call TITANium.”—As he introduced each of the humans, he pointed to each one and called their names—“But we can’t stay here. We need to go—” Just as they were all about to consider leaving, the portal shrunk until it disappeared into smoke. All of the humans stared in disbelief and hopelessness. They’re stuck here, now. “Niech to cholera!!” Platinum Prince cursed in a language Twilight and Spike cannot recognize. “Portal zniknął, nie mamy jedzenia i nawet nie wiemy, gdzie jesteśmy!” “Calm down.” Lorenzo assures. “I’m sure this librarian unicorn has some snacks here and can figure some way out of here, if that’s possible. But even so, we might have a new adventure for a change. We might’ve discovered a new world!” “As much as I hate the idea of being forever stuck here and being unable to return to Earth to save mankind from vengeful supervillains, he may have a point.” Hassium commented. “I’m sure there’s a way out of this mess. After all, we’ve survived worse situations before.” “By the way, who made that portal?” Aiden asked. “I did.” Twilight replied. “I was just testing the spell, and it seems that the other end of the portal wound up on your planet.” “Can you summon it back?” Leos asks. “That one spell took a lot of energy to create.” Twilight answers, feeling sorry for herself. “I’m a bit too tired to perform the spell again right now. I’m sorry.” “How long will it take for you to regain your energy?” “I don’t even know. But until then, you guys can live in my basement, if you want.” “I’d appreciate that.” Copper King thanked. “It better be big enough to fit all eight of us.” “So, for the time being, we’re stuck here in an uncharted universe.” Platinum Prince said in bitter acceptance. “Now what?” “I could send a letter to my teacher, Princess Celestia, and she can decide what to do from there.” Twilight suggested. “Now that I think about it, I’m not sure if all eight of you can fit here. Not to mention that you’re all twice my height.” “Princess Celestia?” Hassium asked with a hint of suspicion. He never really liked royalty. “Who’s that?” “She’s the ruler of Equestria alongside her younger sister, Luna. I’ll talk about Luna later, but all you need to know for now is that she’s my mentor and I was about to show this portal summoning spell book to her. She might be able to help you all.” “Sounds good to me.” Lorenzo agreed. “Let’s hope we can trust her.” Hassium said doubtfully. “Well, since there isn’t much we can do here right now besides sit on our arses and wait for something crazy to happen or for someone else to find a way to get us home, I’m afraid we have no other option. Let us see what this Celestia can do for us.” Leos admits. Twilight trotted over to her desk, summoned a quill, and wrote down her letter. Dear, Princess Celestia. Today, I found that spell book you were talking about. And out of curiosity, I might’ve accidentally brought in some visitors from another world. I’m afraid I’m unable to perform the spell a second time. So, all I ask of you is, ‘is there another way to get these sentient creatures back to their home planet…’ “How do you spell Earth?” Twilight asked. “E-A-R-T-H.” Lorenzo spelled out. ‘…Earth.’ Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle She then hands the letter over to Spike. “Spike, send this to Princess Celestia.” Twilight commanded. Spike then blows green fire on the paper, and its ashes are carried by the wind out through an open window. “What the hell?” Hassium blurted out in fear. “He just burned the letter!” “Don’t worry. It’s magic fire.” Twilight assures him. “Now, while we wait for her to arrive, I have billions of questions for you.” “No, humans don’t use magic.” Copper King admits immediately. “Magic doesn’t exist on Earth. So, we’re heavily reliant on technology and machines. In fact, humanity today is defined by technology. We, however, aren’t real humans. People categorize individuals like us as superhumans, people who are born with supernatural abilities, including superior physical strength, speed, durability, altered height, rubber limbs, extreme heat generation, and many others.” “But unlike the aforementioned abilities, magic just doesn’t run in our DNA.” Leos added. “Humans are incapable of wielding magic even if we know how it works. The only ones who can aren’t even from Earth, and the only ways we can activate or even emit magic is through artificial means through the use of machines, like what he told you.” “Interesting.” Twilight commented with a smile. “I gotta write this down somewhere.” “She always writes stuff down.” Spike comments, rolling his eyes as Twilight summons a clipboard with paper and a pen so she can hastily jot down notes. “Wouldn’t say I blame her, though.” “Yeah, ‘cause we’re probably the first humans to step foot in a land where unicorns exist.” Aiden agrees. “Makes sense.” Lorenzo adds. “There’s no guarantee that Celestia can help us.” Platinum Prince suggests. “Well, she’s our best chance we have.” Leos argues. “It’s either that or we’re stuck here forever, leaving Switzerland defenseless.” “Maybe you can tell us more about this place, Twilight.” Lorenzo asked. “We’re just as curious about you as you are about us. First off, why are you allowing us to stay in your basement. Most people would be very hesitant to let anyone enter their homes.” Twilight glances around nervously and shrugs. She really didn't expect any of these questions, especially since none of them seem dangerous at all. “Well, you guys do look different, or even creepy, but you haven’t done anything harmful yet. You all seem pretty nice, if not unwanting to stay here any longer.” “I don’t know about that.” Hassium said, as if trying to admit something, but is too afraid to proceed. “We… have a little dark side. We’re superheroes, we fight crime, but we aren’t the brightest.” “Leos mentioned Switzerland.” Twilight asked, trying to change the subject. “Is that another town?” “It’s a country.” Leos replies. “The most peaceful land on Earth, and in human history. The only conflicts that happen involving Switzerland are between its own citizens.” “That’s great to hear. Is Copper King an actual king?” “By definition, no.” He replied. “I was the founder of this band of superheroes called the Periodics. It was co-founded by Platinum Prince, whom I used to serve with for decades. We were close friends, but now it’s like I’m dealing with a paranoid housewife.” “Shut the hell up, Copper King.” Platinum Prince retorted. “You’re only proving my point by wearing that ridiculous suit of armor and assortment of gadgets like you’re going to overthrow the Bolivian government.” “I have my reasons for wearing it. This is my multipurpose uniform.” Pinkie Pie just got done making cupcakes in Sugarcube Corner, and was about to gobble them up one by one, when she felt her Pinkie senses tingling. It was all too familiar to her, and once she felt that twitch on her tail, she knew what has just happened in Ponyville mere moments ago. Someone new has arrived in Ponyville. She knew she had to prepare a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party, and that idea alone fills her with excitement. Without a second thought, she zipped out through the front doors of Sugarcube Corner to the Golden Oak Library. “I must wonder. If that suit of armor is gonna save you from a bear attack, then what is it made of?” Copper King demands. “Wasn’t I supposed to ask the questions, here?” Twilight asks as Müller stares at Spike, who once again feels uneasy. Platinum Prince sighs in frustration, ignoring Twilight. He only just begun wearing it recently. “This is my personal suit of armor. It’s a combination of metals that I designed myself after years of research and experimentation. The main reason I wear this is because it protects me against bullets, blades, lasers, and explosions. It’s practically invincible!” “So, do we just wait for Celestia to send a response letter or something, or is she gonna burst in here and welcome us as citizens?” Leos asked. As if in response to his question, there was a knock on the front door. “I got it.” Hassium said as he walked towards the door. As soon as he twisted the knob, the door slammed open, crushing Hassium to the wall adjacent to it. The one who opened the door is a vibrant, pink pony with a curly mane and tail in a slightly darker shade of pink. She has bright blue eyes and a wide smile that reveals a set of pearly white teeth much like a human. Leos can tell just by her eyes that she’s excited. She must love meeting new people. “You didn’t tell me we have new visitors!” She said to Twilight quickly in her cute, high-pitched voice. “Pinkie!?” Twilight asked. “How did you know—” “Pinkie sense.” She turned to the superhumans. “What brings you here to Ponyville?” She asks. “Ponyville?” Hassium asked in disbelief once Twilight swung the door shut, allowing him to walk freely again. “So, this isn’t Minecraft?” “Nope!” The pink pony corrected. “This is Ponyville. The name’s Pinkie Pie, by the way. Nice to meet ya!” The six superhumans glanced at each other, unsure at how to respond. Especially after how she spoke. She sounds and behaves like a hyperactive 6-year-old child after too much sugar—or a 19-year-old on cocaine. “Nice to meet you too.” Leos replied after a few moments of awkward silence. “We just got here, so we’re a little lost. Do you know a way we can get home?” “Nope! Only unicorns like Twilight can figure that out.” Pinkie denies. “But I can serve you up some fresh cupcakes!” “I could go with some coffee, right about now.” Aiden suggests. “I’m tired as hell.” “No problem!” Pinkie accepts. “But just to remind all of you, withhold your profanity. There are foals here.” “Foals?” Copper King asks. “Foals are children.” Twilight explains. “You know her?” Lorenzo asked, pointing to Twilight. “Yeah! I know everypony here.” Pinkie giggled, and the rest stopped in disbelief to glance at her (except TITANium and Müller), trying not to look nervous. It wasn’t just that she uses the pronoun ‘everypony’. It was that she stated that she knows everyone in the town, which was concerning. Unless you live in a country with a nosey government like China or North Korea, humans on Earth cannot keep track of all the residents of a whole town, and those who do are often onto something involving mass kidnappings or even murders. The superhumans have met a couple of stalkers before, and one of them has a very unhealthy obsession with them. Leos, however, didn’t mind, but for everyone’s safety, he was still curious as to how Pinkie knows everyone. Is she the mayor? Does she keep track of every citizen she sees the whole time she’s lived here? “Everyone?” Platinum Prince asked. “Yep.” Pinkie confirmed. “Yeah, that’s not creepy at all.” Platinum Prince sarcastically commented just loud enough for Pinkie to hear. Lorenzo, Leos, and Copper King glanced at him. They don’t want to come off as rude to the pink pony even though their paranoia is a bit justifiable, but Pinkie just laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not like that.” She reassured as Twilight nodded in agreement. “I respect everyone’s privacy.” “Sure thing, man.” Aiden says in agreement. He may be from the ghetto, but he’s still generally a nice guy. Hassium looks back at the others uncertainly, then decides to ask Pinkie a question himself. “What kind of ponies live in Ponyville? Are they real horses or fake ones like you see on TV?” “We don’t have TVs, but there are lots of kinds of ponies.” Pinkie said brightly. “Like pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies!” “Doesn’t sound like a lot” Lorenzo comments. “Is there a way for you to get us home?” Platinum Prince asks as Müller starts staring at Pinkie, who put her right hoof to her chin as she thought. Some of the others thought that it’d be unhygienic for her to do so. Her hooves could very well be dirty since she walks and stands on all fours, and they don’t expect the floor to be all that clean. “Well... no...” Pinkie explains. “But Twilight is the smarty one. She’ll figure it out for ya. But I’m sure that would be a nice place to visit someday.” Suddenly she jumped into the air and gasped for one whole second while also remaining in the air like some cartoon character before landing on her legs. “I almost forgot!” She then placed down a vibrant, colorful cart she pulled from nowhere, and after pressing a button on said cart, horns of various sizes playing upbeat music popped out of it and she proceeded to sing her ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ song as one of the superhumans called her name twice over the music. She only fell silent just as she was about to finish, when six out of eight superhumans (excluding TITANium and Müller) yelled her name in unison to get her attention. Her infectious smile fell. “What? You guys didn’t enjoy the song?” She asked in confusion and disappointment. “We appreciate you giving us a warm welcome, but we’re need a place to stay since Twilight’s basement won’t fit all eight of us.” Lorenzo said politely to her despite his frustration just moments ago. “It’s just what Pinkie does.” Twilight explains. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it.” “Now, what can we do while we wait for further instructions from Twilight's teacher?” “I say we take a look.” Copper King suggests. “We might as well get used to wherever we’re at.” “Feel free to do so! Since my warm welcome is done, I’d love to show you around.” Pinkie agrees. Copper King was the first to follow Pinkie out of the Golden Oak library, kneeling down to fit through the short doorway. Everyone else followed suit, and once they got outside, they were met with interested and confused looks from the other ponies that inhabit the town. “Oh God...” Platinum Prince says under his breath. “What kind of hippie-ass neighborhood did we just get ourselves into?” Hassium comments, gazing upon the vibrant town of Ponyville, and Pinkie looks at him in mild annoyance at his profanity. “Are you always like that?” Pinkie asks Hassium. “All of us are.” “They’re all watching us…” Platinum Prince warns. “Ignore them.” Leos orders. “Just shut the hell up and let me and Copper King do the talking.” “Sugarcube Corner is this way!” Pinkie Pie instructs, and the superhumans follow. Twilight and Spike follow them, figuring that whatever Pinkie’s got planned can ease the tension. Platinum Prince’s paranoia isn’t doing anyone any favors, though. The whole way to Sugarcube Corner, ponies gave the superhumans looks ranging from confused to intimidated. Hassium didn’t care since almost everyone feared him. They arrive there and Aiden was eager to just grab a quick cup of coffee, and Pinkie was willing to give it to him for free just this once since he’s new. Aiden just sat in a random table, not caring how far it is from the front desk. When Pinkie was about to deliver it, Aiden’s right arm just extended all the way over there to grab it and he brought it over to his table, his arm returning to its normal length, before drinking it. Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie were impressed and naturally curious as to how can he do that. He simply shrugged his shoulders. “I’m a superhero.” He explained as best as he can. “I was born with the power to stretch and bend in ways that wouldn’t have been possible for a normal human. It’s kinda hard to explain.” “Oh, I want you to meet my friends.” Pinkie offers. “Twilight and Spike seem to take an interest in you. I’m sure the others would love to see you all.” “I’m more interested in finding an apartment to rent.” Leos declines. “Don’t worry. They won’t bite.” “We’ll just meet back at the library.” Twilight suggested. Pinkie agrees, but figured that eight humans and six ponies wouldn’t fit. So, Twilight decided they all should meet outside. Twilight’s friends introduced themselves as Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. They were just as curious as the other townsponies were about the humans. Fluttershy felt frightened by their height and by Hassium’s dark and shady appearance. Rarity isn’t too pleased either, but it’s mostly due to the clothes Hassium is wearing. Pinkie was the one to introduce the superheroes to them after Twilight, with the help of the superheroes themselves, told Pinkie their names. “This is my four-thousand-five-hundred-something-year-old friend, Leos.” Hassium finalized after everyone else was introduced. “I’m four thousand five hundred fifty-four.” Leos corrected, pitiful at Hassium’s stupidity. Lorenzo couldn’t help but think they’re all cute looking, especially Rarity. “Four thousand?” Rainbow echoes in disbelief. “Yes.” Leos confirms. “You could say I’m like Celestia—one of those gods or goddesses whose age exceed the triple digits.” “Time’s been much kinder on you.” Applejack comments. “Y’all don't look a day over thirty. Does he age a bit slower than us, or what?” “That guy scares me.” Fluttershy alerts everyone, shuddering at Müller’s stare. “He won’t hurt you.” Lorenzo assures, putting a hand up to his head as if unsure if what he’s saying is true. “At least not if you give him a reason not to.” “What’s with the backpack and that strange contraption?” Rarity asks. “That’s just his stuff. He always carries it around him.” Platinum Prince explains. “Let’s say most of it is for self-defense purposes.” Hassium adds vaguely. “Now, I’m gonna go and find us a place to stay for a while.” Before anyone else can say anything, Hassium flies off, accelerating to high speeds. “He can fly!?” Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. “Yes.” Copper King replied. “By the way, if you got any supervillains that need to get their arses kicked, then don’t forget to call upon us.” Lorenzo suggested. “We’re wondering if there’s a hotel or a house we can rent.” Aiden asks. “Do y’all accept American dollars?” “Dollars? Never heard of ‘em.” Applejack said, shaking her head. “Here in Equestria, we use bits instead.” Pinkie adds. “Never a thing called dollars.” “What are bits?” “One eighth of a dollar, or twelve and a half cents.” Leos explained. “Though, I wouldn’t recommend just handing twelve and a half pennies. They probably have their own form of coins.” “I best be goin’, now.” Applejack interrupts. “Someone like Leo can help us with the farm. Catch you all later.” “It’s Leos.” He corrected. “Yeah, those flying skills aren’t gonna practice themselves.” Rainbow Dash adds. “It was nice meeting somepony new, though.” “That Hassium guy needs a makeover.” Rarity complains. “But if he needs me, I’ll be sewing dresses.” “See ya!” Pinkie says, waving the three goodbye. “What a waste of time…” Platinum Prince whispers. Hassium peeks into yet another window of a random house and forgets the sign that says ‘HOTEL’ on it in English mounted near the front door. When he does notice it, he walks in through the doors, dumbfounded, bumping his head on the doorway because of how tall he is. He didn’t bother to rub his head or even felt the urge to yelp I pain or drop an f-bomb, as humans mostly do. “Oh, hi.” The mare at the desk greeted nervously. “You seem new here. Are you alright?” “Yes, I am.” Hassium stated bluntly. “Just looking for a room I can buy for myself and my seven buddies. We were hoping that someone can help us return to our home planet, but since there’s little your ruling princess can do at the moment, we all agreed to just take a look around this place and at least make ourselves at home until they can figure something out. Do you think you can arrange us eight rooms or four rooms that can fit two of each of us, or two rooms that can fit four of us?” “Actually, yes, all eight of you can fit in here. However, there are only five rooms here, and each room has only two bedrooms—” “Great, then I’ll go with that. How much does it cost?” Hassium pulls out a stack of dollar bills. “Just fifty bits.” “Bits?? What are those?” “Well, since you’re new here and from a different planet, bits are certainly not whatever you got in your hand. They’re coins made of gold.” “You do transactions with gold??” “Yes. They don’t do it on your planet?” “Nope! It seems like your country’s got more gold than China and Australia combined. No country on Earth can afford to make a trillion gold coins and use that as their currency. But fine. Fifty gold coins coming up.” Hassium puts his American money back in his pocket and proceeds to walk right out of the hotel, bumping his head on the doorway again, but acting like he doesn’t care. Nevertheless, it once again startled the mare, who was about to tell him to be careful, but he was already gone. Hassium returns, making sure to duck under the doorway this time, with exactly 50 bits, feeling like he just won the lottery by carrying those 50 gold coins let alone any gold. Unbeknownst to the mare, Hassium had to rob several ponies to get the money, and while it goes against his superhero code, this isn’t Hassium’s first time doing something like this, and it sure as hell won’t be the last. “This is a very small hotel.” Hassium remarked, letting down the 50 bits. “Yeah… All the rooms are vacant since we barely get any business.” “Might wanna make the door taller, and I’ll consider a five-star rating. I’ll let my friends know so they can move their crap in.” Hassium leaves out through the door, leaving the mare surprised he was able to obtain 50 bits so quickly, despite never even knowing what they are before, which made her suspicious and half grateful for the money anyway. The rest of the Periodics were unsure of what to do, conversing with Twilight and Pinkie and answering their various questions. So far, they’re very secretive about the concept of guns and the many other complex methods and weapons of destruction. What they would gladly show, though, are their powers. Thankfully, Hassium came to inform his comrades about a hotel they would be staying for a while. So, they bid their farewells to Twilight and Pinkie and followed Hassium to the hotel, where the desk mare gave them confused but accepting looks. She feels worried that there’d be little room left, but she figured 50 bits a week would be enough to sustain herself. For the next few hours, this is where the superhumans made themselves at home.

wowzers

551743

Starlight Glimmer,Trixie,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Narcotics,Profanity

Trixie is a Krafty Pony

Trixie is not a very legal pony. Why should she be?

complete

<p>Winter is a very calm time of year in Ponyville. The snow always falls, the sun shines softly, and it's very cozy. Long-time resident Twilight Sparkle has come to appreciate the small-town quiet, as compared to her Canterlot roots it's a quiet utopia.</p><p>Starlight's town was a cold place, with snow falling for much longer than it should have. Starlight grew to associate the snow with, well, cult indoctrinations, but more recently spending time with friends, replacing the cold of the air with the warmth of friendship.</p><p>Trixie, however, is not a cozy pony. Nor a particularly legal one. She has never liked the winter, and so she has learned to 'kraft' ways to deal with it. This could not go wrong, and Trixie is sure to follow every law as she tinkers.</p><p>God save Ponyville, for Twilight can't.</p>

teen

2024-02-18T10:30:22+00:00

2024-02-18T10:30:22+00:00

The wind blew, chilly yet calm. It was a cold, cold day in Ponyville, just as the Pegasi had planned. White snow covered the ground, just thick enough to blanket it, gently falling from the soft clouds above. As idyllic as it was, the same could not be said of Ponyville’s neighbor. In the Everfree, the snow was much thinner, the trees shielding the ground, and that’s where there even was snow. Many plants still grew, but through magical means, simply stopped at the edge of the forest. It was a wonder of magic even to Twilight herself, the element of magic, and it continued to defy all logic. Through this surprisingly lively landscape, a Timberwolf snuck. It had no prey, and hadn’t for almost a moon, but that was ok. Timberwolves have no biology that relies upon eating, so it could starve a while longer. Indefinitely, technically, but it still liked eating. Suddenly, it stopped. It raised its nose to the air; sniff, sniff sniff. A scent. That of a rabbit; good prey for a starving wolf. It stayed low to the ground, and silently stalked towards the scent. It passed through a rotting log, by a giant rock, over a sizable root, and then... there it was. The fat rabbit, nibbling on a patch of grass. The Timberwolf would grin, if it could comprehend emotions and express them. It pressed down, prepping its hind legs, and then BANG A loud shock shook the forest. The wolf flipped its head towards the sound. It came from the direction of Ponyville. Deciding it wasn’t worth investigating, it turned its head back. The rabbit was gone. This is where it would scowl if it BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG The sky filled with various bangs, each swaying the leaves. The wolf trembled, its ears overloaded, and quickly scampered away. It could go another day without food. In Ponyville itself, the peaceful snowfall was interrupted by what one would consider a terrorist attack without proper knowledge. The crystal castle was being pounded by explosive after explosive, the entire building trembling. The Princess of Friendship walked out onto her balcony, stumbling awake. She looked around, and quickly saw that the assault came from below her castle. She quickly charged up a shield to block the explosives, but the first explosive to hit it punched a hole straight through. Twilight gasped. What had this sort of power? She turned to her unending memory for help, but nothing Twilight could recall had the ability to... ignore magic. Just as she looked down in despair, however, the incessant barrage stopped. She looked down to view her attacker; it was... Trixie’s wagon. “TRIXIE!” The princess shouted. She stepped off the balcony and unfurled her wings, quickly diving down. “I SWEAR TO CELESTIA ABOVE AND TARTARUS BELOW!” She skid to a halt, the snow melting beneath her hooves, and stomped up to the wagon. “WHAT IN THE NAME OF EVERYTHING HOLY DID YOU... do...?” Inside of Trixie’s wagon was Starlight. Her face was covered in a black powder, supposedly from the fireworks. More importantly, Trixie was not there. The lilac pony turned to face her mentor. “H... hey, Twilight...” “What happened...?” “Uh...” Twilight walked inside. Starlight was sitting in front of a box labeled ‘FUCK YOU TS!’. Inside it was nothing except for blast stains and and a blue crystal. “I opened this box, and... why can I still hear...?” “STARLIGHT!” A panicked Trixie’s voice rang from outside the wagon. “I just wanted some NUTS! Trixie loves nuts... Wait, Starlight! What did you DO?!” Trixie climbed up the steps, her eyes wide open and a bag of nuts in her grasp. “Twilight? What- you opened THAT box?!” “Trixie,” Twilight started. “What WAS in it?!” “An experimental firework!” Trixie ran up to the box, worry plastered on her face and a couple nuts in her mouth. “Well, 83 of them, but... YES! There’s still some of it left!” “Some what?” Starlight asked, slowly standing up and wiping her face of the soot to little avail. Trixie grabbed the crystal inside with her hoof and picked it up. “Explodanium!” The two well-read ponies, familiar with science and everything magic, blinked. “What?” They both asked. “It’s a really cool thing Trixie made! It’s not only resistant to magic, but it also EXPLODES!” She popped another nut in her mouth and did a giddy dance, tapping her hooves on the floor. “How did you... what did... WHAT?!” Twilight shouted. “Did you make a new element in my backyard and use it for FIREWORKS?!” “Well, what else would I use it for?” Trixie chuckled. “It’s great and powerful!” “I... how does it work?” Starlight asked, her face mostly cleaned by now. She knew better than to grill Trixie. “Well, it’s simple, my great and lovely assistant!” Trixie threw the crystal outside as Twilight rolled her eyes. Trixie scowled, went outside and threw it farther away. Twilight raised an eyebrow. Was it that volatile? “As you see, the crystal there is small. However...” Trixie pulled a match out of her hat, lit it with her stove - an immense safety hazard if there ever was one - and gave it a magic throw towards the crystal. As she did, she wrapped Starlight in her cape and pulled her hat down over her face. “Now it sh-” KABOOM Twilight stumbled out of the smoking wagon, coughing. It was as if her lungs were caked in ash. She collapsed, wheezing, and used a spell to clear out her system. “F-fuck...! Trixie, what the fuck?! I could’ve died!” Trixie walked out of the wagon, a shaken Starlight practically clinging to her. She looked at her nuts, then frowned, and threw the bag to the ground. “But you didn’t.” “D-did I see Tartatus?” Starlight whispered. Trixie rubbed her back and everything was a little bit better. “How did you make this... thing?” Twilight asked. She needed answers. How did Trixie find it first? “Well, one time Trixie was making herself a little meth-” “That’s illegal. You-” “-and accidentally, a bit fell into my Daisy-flavored Kraft Macaroni and Hay.” “-you can’t just make meth. Trixie, I-” “I got frustrated, but then when I tried to pull out the meth with-” “-I could get you locked up for a looooooooooong time...” “-magic, it didn’t budge! So, in my brilliance, I tried to burn it out, and it-” “I-is that why your wagon burned down last week?” Starlight muttered. “And I had to go back in time and clone it?” “-went KABOOM! So I made some for my fireworks, after a little cleaning, and here we are!” “Trixie, you are a criminal.” “I helped her make meth explosives. Oh fuck.” “Yes you did babe, and it was glorious~” “I, Princess Celestia, am proud to award Trixie Lulamoon the Haybel Prize!” The audience, full of Equestria’s brightest scientists and bravest fliers, clapped politely. The ceremony was also transmitted over the radio to millions of ponies, who were undoubtedly clapping for Trixie. “Her research into combustion led us, as a nation, to space in just a year! And remember, you too can go on the Nightmare Moon Experience (sponsored by Celestia) - Live a Thousand Years in a Day!” Luna was not happy, visibly angry and muttering about showing them a real ‘Nightmare Moon Experience’. Twilight sat in the front row. She was dumbfounded. This meth-head had done more for science by accident than she had managed, and her life was devoted to it. Starlight sat next to her, clapping and cheering with the rest of the room. “That’s my Trixie!” She called, clearly full of pride. “Now, Trixie, is there anyone you wish to thank?” “Trixie has a couple ponies to thank.” Trixie walked up to the mic as Celestia stood away and cleared her throat. “Thank you all for coming! Trixie is humbled by your presence to honor her accomplishment!” The audience clapped again as Trixie bowed. “There are some more personal thanks Trixie must give, too. First of all, thank you Princess Twilight for letting me practice on your land!” Twilight’s complaints about not allowing her were drowned out by the much louder claps of support. “And Trixie’s parents! You brought her up into this lifestyle of independence and creativity! Thank you! But, most importantly, Trixie... “I want to thank Starlight Glimmer.” Starlight perked up, blushing a little as Trixie switched from her stage voice to her private voice.. “From the day we met, you have spurred me on from achievement to achievement. On that day, I was a broke showmare, down on her luck and without a goal in my life. And now, look at me. The pride of Equestria and a brilliant scientist.” The blue showmare reached into her hat and pulled something out. “I... everything I’ve done since then has been with your full support and the knowledge that you were behind me, whether it was blowing myself up...” The audience laughed. “...or blowing the crystals up, or even just going to the store to pick up some donuts because my marefriend was hungry and I didn’t wanna cook.” Starlight laughed a little too loudly, and the audience chuckled, which only made her blush even more. “I... I love you, Starlight Glimmer...” The blue mare turned to face Starlight and kneeled down, pulling out a small box. She opened it and exposed two rings, which had no diamonds, but instead small, metallic fireworks that rested atop kites. “...will you marry me?” The audience roared. Starlight nearly flew out her seat as she collided into Trixie, tackling the mare into a tight hug. “YesyesyesyesYES! YES!” The two mares exchanged the best moment of their lives in front of Equestria, and Twilight was, admittedly, happy for them. She clapped, and meant it. Finally, after a half minute, the two broke the embrace, quickly kissed, and then went back to their assigned places. As Starlight came over, Twilight gave her a warm smile and a hug. She was shaking, but soooooo happy. “I... wow, that was great... thank you everypony... Oh! There is one... two ponies I forgot to mention.” The audience hushed down again and Twilight looked back, intrigued. “Thank you, Pinkie Pie and Princess Celestia for helping me perfect my meth recipe!” The audience clapped. Celestia bowed. Twilight broke.

Silk Rose

551751

Applejack,Main 6,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Profound Ponytail

Applejack loses her ponytail and nopony recognizes her after.

complete

<p>Applejack loses her ponytail and nopony recognizes her after.</p><p>Thanks to <a href="/user/12771/PseudoBob+Delightus" rel="nofollow">PseudoBob Delightus</a> for proofreading.</p><p>Thanks to <a href="/user/564657/Forcalor" rel="nofollow">Forcalor</a> for pre-reading.</p>

everyone

2024-02-18T14:38:42+00:00

2024-02-18T14:38:42+00:00

Applejack knocked on Twilight's door, an annoyed expression plastered on her face. Moments later, Twilight opened her door. "Hello." "Twilight, I need your help, nopony can recognize me!" "Who are you?" Twilight asked flatly. "Applejack!" "But you're not Applejack." "Of course I am! How am I not?" "Applejack has a blonde ponytail. You clearly don't." "Apple Bloom cut my ponytail off in another one of her cutie mark schemes." "I don't think I've ever seen Applejack without her ponytail." "Well, you have now, 'cause I'm standin' right here!" "Let's say you are Applejack, don't you think I'd recognize you without your ponytail?" "That's why this is so frustrating. I AM Applejack and nopony believes me!" "Can you prove that you are Applejack?" Applejack thought for a moment before reaching into her saddlebags, giving Twilight her cut-off ponytail. "Here, this is my ponytail." "What do I do with this?" "I don't know, hold it up so you can see that I'm Applejack." Twilight did as instructed, holding the ponytail in her magic and lifting it behind Applejack's head. "Oh! Hi Applejack, what are you doing here?" Applejack facehoofed. "Now you believe me?" "Believe what?" Applejack sidestepped her floating ponytail. "I'm Applejack." "You are not Applejack." Applejack stepped back. "Oh! Hi, Applejack." "Twilight, do you have some tape?" Applejack knocked on Rarity's front door, resisting the urge to scratch the back of her head. "Hello, Applejack, how are you?" Rarity asked. "Finally, somepony who recognizes me!" Rarity lead Applejack over to the couch and the pair sat down. "What's going on, darling?" "For some reason, nopony can recognize me without my ponytail." "It is an iconic feature of yours." "Thanks, I guess." "But you have your ponytail, wherever would it go?" Applejack's continued head-scratching caused her ponytail to fall off. "Well, there." Rarity's eyes went wide. "They were right, you're not Applejack!" "What do you mean? Of course I am! Apple Bloom just cut off my ponytail." "That's precisely what an impostor would say." "Rarity, I am Applejack." "I can't believe you, whoever you are. To come into my house, pretending to be one of my best friends." "What?" "Get out of my establishment, go fool somepony else." "But…" "Out!" Applejack sighed, picked up her fallen mane, and walked out of Carousel Boutique. Applejack knocked on Fluttershy's cottage door. Fluttershy answered the door with a warm, "Hello." "Fluttershy, I need your help." "With what? Who are you?" Applejack gave Fluttershy her cut-off ponytail. "Can you help me reattach my ponytail somehow? I'll tell you who I am if you help me." "I guess I could try to help." "Thank you, Fluttershy." Fluttershy led Applejack into her home, where the two sat on her couch. "I've never had to do something like this before, it might hurt a little." "I can handle it." It did, in fact, hurt, but Applejack stuck through it as Fluttershy pulled and weaved her hair. "There, done," Fluttershy said. Applejack hugged Fluttershy, "Oh, thank you, Fluttershy." "Who are you, again?" Applejack leaned back. "It's me, Applejack." Fluttershy stared down Applejack, trying to decide if she believed her. "Maybe." "What do you mean maybe? I am Applejack." "Applejack's ponytail hangs down lower." "That's because you had to reattach it." "I'm sorry, but I don't believe you." Applejack sighed. "Goodbye, Fluttershy." "Goodbye, Applejack impersonator." Applejack opened the door to Pinkie's bedroom. "Pinkie, are you here?" Pinkie appeared in front of Applejack. "Yes, I am." Applejack didn't react, and asked, "Who am I?" Pinkie stared at Applejack, pondering who was in her room. "You're Applejack's twin sister!" Applejack groaned. "I am Applejack!" "Are you sure? You look a lot more like her twin sister I just met." "Yes, I'm sure. I need help. Nopony recognizes me. I'm Applejack and nopony believes me." "Why doesn't anypony recognize you?" "Apple Bloom cut off my ponytail." "That's all it took for everypony to think you are somepony else?" "Yes." "I know a pony who could solve this whole thing right up for you!" "Who?" Applejack asked with a glint of hope in her eyes. "Applejack, of course! But I don't know where she is right now." Applejack sighed. "Goodbye, Pinkie. I need to go find Rainbow Dash." "Goodbye!" Applejack trotted through the streets of Ponyville, calling out Rainbow's name. "Rainbow Dash!" Eventually, she found success, when somepony called out her name. "Applejack!" Applejack rushed towards the voice, pushing past ponies. "Rainbow Dash?" "Applejack?" Both ponies stared confused at one another. Applejack asked, "What happened to your mane? You're missing the bottom half." "Funny story… Apple Bloom cut it off while trying to cut my mane." "That's what happened to me! She cut your mane after cutting off my ponytail?" Rainbow sighed. "No, she did mine first." Applejack was even more confused at this. "Why did she cut my mane after it went so bad with you?" Rainbow averted her gaze. "Because I asked her to." "What?" Applejack asked in disbelief. "Do you know how much trouble my missing mane has caused me?" "Yes, I do. That's why I asked her to do it." Applejack, about to yell at her friend, stopped. She thought about her interactions over the day and sighed. She needed somepony that would believe her. She stepped forward and gave Rainbow a hug. Rainbow hugged back. "I'm sorry about your ponytail. I just didn't know what else to do. Nopony believed it was me." "I forgive you." After the hug was over, Applejack looked Rainbow Dash up and down. "What?" Rainbow asked. Applejack smiled. "You should wear your hair like that more often, it's kinda hot." Before Rainbow could think of anything to say, a blush overtook her face. Applejack just hugged her again, quieting any reply Rainbow had. After the hug, Rainbow asked, "Should we talk about what you just said?" "Sure, if you want. Let's talk on the move." "Where are we going?" Rainbow said, following Applejack. Applejack smiled. "Apple Bloom needs a new haircut, don't you think?" "Sure."

Anime0CC0Manga

551753

Discord,Fluttershy,Main 6,Crossover,Horror,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The 2nd Oldest Primal Fear

Discord Meets Some Hellish Siblings

incomplete

<p>Discord Is Forced To Face His Past, And Meet His Siblings From Hell Again<br/>(MLP X Chainsaw Man, plus maybe Jujutsu Kaisen)</p>

everyone

2024-02-18T15:20:20+00:00

2024-02-18T15:20:19+00:00

"Talk" 'Thought' ______________ "I must thank you again, Fluttershy, for helping me move out some of my old stuff from Princess Celestia storage room." Inside some kind of royal storage room, something you would find deep within a castle, two certain individuals could be seen in said room of storage, as they were currently moving around and taking some of the many things inside, specifically moving it to a bag that looks small but was somehow able to hold everything that was put inside it "It's no issue Discord, I'm always happy to help a friend in need." One of the two that were in the storage room, was a beautiful young mare, specifically a pegasus pony, with gentle tear blue green eyes, lovely pink mane, and yellow fur, with some butterfly symbols on her flanks called a cutie mark, her name was Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness "Though I must ask, why are we doing this? Can't you just have this all done in a snap of a finger?" And while Fluttershy was doing her part in moving the things around in the storage room, she had company and was speaking with the 2nd person that was in the room, which was the mix match patchwork of animal parts, a Draconequus specifically, Discord himself, also known as the Lord of Chaos and Spirit of Disharmony "I've... I've decided to punish myself by using less of my magic, besides simple travel and transportation..." Discord's friend had asked a simple question, but when he answered back to such a simple question, it was clear it was much more than that, which the Element of Kindness noticed "Besides, isn't it always fun to have a friend to spend time with while doing a little spring cleaning?~" But Discord quickly tried to change the subject and tried to have fun with his friend "Discord..." However, Fluttershy knew better and called him out for it, which definitely made him tense up and pause "Y-Yes Fluttershy?" Discord nervously replied as he slowly looks back at her, but tried to avoid eye contact "Me and my friends have already forgiven you, for what you did with Tirek." Fluttershy had already brought up an unpleasant memory that shot the Draconequus like an arrow in his heart "But if you don't mind me asking, why did you do what you did?" But when Fluttershy finally asked the big question, "Why?", the Lord of Chaos could only sigh in defeat and looks away in shame "I guess I was feeling a bit lonely..." Though when Discord gave his answered why, it only left the yellow pegasus even more confused "Lonely? But you have me, and Twilight, and Pinkie and-" "Not that kind of lonely, Fluttershy." Fluttershy was about to explain how Discord wasn't alone, though he stopped her, sighing again as he started to corrected her on what he meant "When I say lonely, I mean I wish there was someone else like me to be with, someone I can call my equal in who and what I am." When Discord properly explained himself, the shy pony felt like she was slowly starting to understand what he was talking about "Do you mean as a Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony?" Fluttershy asked and was curious if that was what he meant when he said "Equals" "Well, not exactly another chaotic creature, but someone as old as me, as powerful as me, and just..." Discord then looks down, seeing a box with a broken mirror, as it gave him the illusion of seeing multiple versions of himself "Just someone who can relate with me..." But Discord quickly closed the box and tossed it away in the magic bag "Of course, I'm not saying I would trade your friendship for another, I already made that mistake once, I don't plan to do so again." Discord then quickly flies towards his friend and picks her up, so that he may give her a big hug, which she was able to return the favor "Thank you Discord, and I do hope you can make a friend with whom you could consider your equal." After that beautiful moment of friendship, and with Fluttershy comforting her chaotic friend, the two went back to work in cleaning up the entire storage room, it might've taken an hour or two, but sooner or later, the once overly crowded place was nothing more than a big empty space, which could be used one day to store something else much more important and valuable "And that should be everything, it took longer than expected, but it was actually fun to do something without magic~" Discord, while stretching his sore limbs and taking a moment to admire his work, he couldn't help but feel very proud of himself with what he was able to accomplish without using his magic "Um, I think you forgot something, Discord?" Though before the Spirit of Disharmony could celebrate more with what he did, Fluttershy had interrupted as she then pushed a large treasure chest towards him "Oh? What is this?" Which definitely caught Discord attention, picking up what his friend was bringing him, and looking at it with slight confusion "You're saying you don't know what this is?" Fluttershy tilts her head, also confused "I must admit, this box isn't bringing back any memories." Discord shook his head no, though he couldn't help but look at it with slight curiosity "Though judging how old and ancient it looks, it must've been something from my past, before I took over all of Equestria." However, the interest for the treasure chest wasn't enough for Discord to care about it "Why don't you keep it?" In fact, Discord decided to let his friend keep what she had found, much to her surprise "H-Huh, are you sure?" Fluttershy didn't know what to say to this as she watched her chaotic friend place the item back in front of her "Consider it as thanks for being a good friend to me." Discord clearly meant what he said, and didn't mind letting her have it, which she did appreciate it "But what should I do with it?" However, Fluttershy didn't know exactly what she should do with it "Up to you really, you can sell whatever is inside, or keep it as a gift, you can even throw it away if there's nothing you like in it, it won't bother me in the slightest." But Discord just shrugs in response, as he didn't care that much what happens to the treasure chest, he even gave her the permission to completely destroy it if she didn't like what she saw inside, which she would never do, but did understand the settlement "Ok, thank you Discord." In the end, Fluttershy just accepted her gift, no matter what was actually in it, she takes it and thanked her chaotic friend for it "With all that said and done, I shall handle the rest from here, I'll see you at our next tea party, bye bye~" Once all was said and done, Discord decided to finish the rest by himself, saying his goodbye to his friend and was prepared to send her away "I can't wait, good bye." And after Fluttershy said her goodbyes, she was sent away as with the snap of Discord fingers, no longer in the storage room, as she found herself back at her own home, the cottage "It's always nice to get out of the house once in a while." Fluttershy couldn't help but admit how much she enjoyed her time away from home "Though nothing beats being back home after a hard day of work." But at the same time, when Fluttershy saw her Angel Bunny, which she pets and nuzzles him, she would always appreciate that she was back home again "Hmm..." Though before Fluttershy could enjoy the wonders of being back home, she paused herself as she then looks up and saw the treasure chest that she was given again, letting out a thoughtful home as she then started to think about on what she do with her new gift she was given by Discord "Well, I might as well see what is inside before deciding what to do with it." In the end, Fluttershy just decided to just look what she was actually given, both out of curiosity, and because it will help her determine what to actually do with the treasure chest "Oh?" Fluttershy sat before the treasure and quickly opens it, once unlocked, she was finally able to see what was inside the chest "OH MY GOODNESS, ARE THESE DISCORD BABY PICTURES?!~" And what Fluttershy found inside the treasure chest, was a whole bunch of Discord himself, specifically of him in the past "AWWW!~ He's So Cute!~" Fluttershy found pictures of Discord being a newborn baby "Oooh, this must be when he was first learning his magic!~" Fluttershy also found pictures when Discord had first discovered he had magic "I didn't know he had white hair before!~" Fluttershy even found pictures of Discord with some white hair, which just emphasize how different he was in the past, which just made her realized what she was actually looking at inside the treasure chest "So Discord was right, this box is filled with everything from his past life, the day he was born, his childhood-" And what stood out the most, when Fluttershy was looking through the many old pictures of her friend, she found another picture of Discord "And even his past friends?" Specifically, Fluttershy had found a picture with Discord being with another person, who was dressed like a chef? "That's odd, I thought I was his first ever friend?" Fluttershy was getting confused, as she was led to assume that Discord had no friends in his past "Or actually, maybe they're siblings?" Though when Fluttershy took a closer look, and seeing how close Discord was being with this Chef? She was lead to believe otherwise. "Friends or family members, why hasn't he told me about them?" But as Fluttershy could be more confused on what was going on, she looked back inside the treasure chest, and noticed a dinosaur bone inside, which made her realized something "Of course, he's basically as old as the world itself, so he must've forgotten about them as time went on." After this realization, Fluttershy couldn't help but let out some tears as she started to feel sad and guilty for Discord "No wonder he feels lonely, he must miss these people very much without even knowing it." Fluttershy couldn't help but feel even more sad, as she saw more and more pictures and specifical that represented both Discord and his past relationship "I mean, look how close he is with this, um, Chef spider monkey, lady?..." Fluttershy couldn't help but noticed how happy Discord was with this Chef "Almost all of these pictures are with him and her, she must've meant a lot to him." And Fluttershy noticing this just made her close to crying, as couldn't imagine forgetting some she would consider so close to herself "Of course, she isn't the only one, there's a deer with a black cape, a fox with multiple eyes, someone with red horns, a person with red yellow swirly eyes, and even a cute looking orange dog with a metal horn~" Fluttershy even more pictures of Discord, though not just with the Chef, she saw him with many others, equally as cheerful around them, she also noticed how all of them looked so unusual and were all mixed with body parts that did not match and even made them looking weird, but this only strengthens the idea they're siblings, even if they didn't completely look like Discord, they share the same style of looks "I wish there was a way they could meet again, I bet Discord would be so happy to finally reunite with someone from his past..." Though just as Fluttershy was imagining how happy Discord would be if he met these people again, in the end of the treasure chest, she saw a book "How To Summon A D-Huh?" The title was a bit scratched off, not to mention that the book was just old itself, but that didn't stop Fluttershy from picking up the book and opening it up, to see what was inside "I Need To Talk To Twilight!" And what Fluttershy saw, immediately made her realize what she needed to do, holding the book with her mouth and quickly ran off to meet with another friend, known as Twilight, though unknown to her, her tail whack the treasure chest as she ran off, which made a certain bottle of darkness fall over and spill over the floor, though once released, it immediately disappeared from sight, it was unclear if it would ever be seen again "..." __________ As you can probably guess, in this specific crossover between MLP and Chainsaw Man, maybe some Jujutsu Kaisen, I have decided to make Discord a Devil, specifically the 2nd oldest Primal Fear in Hell, right behind Death Devil, but above the Darkness Devil, as the Falling Devil, Makima and Jogo would be his younger siblings, there is a lot of things that has implications, and I can't wait to explore them all, hehe, I'm open to suggestions and ideas for this story~ (BTW, takes place after the Tirek thing, and Discord betrayal and forgiveness, however I'll be rearranging some MLP episodes, ALSO ALSO, the Equestria Girls Human World thing, that's where Makima is)

Rainny Night

551765

Princess Cadance,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Comedy,Mystery,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Cadance's solstice

After experiencing painful losses over the past nine hundred years, Celestia sees a new light emerge in her life.

incomplete

<p>After more than nine hundred years of losing beloved ponies to her, Celestia finds herself alone in a huge palace, surrounded by guards that served more as decoration. And soon after receiving the news that an entire village was saved from a landslide, the Princess is surprised by a filly who has been bestowed with the powers of an alicorn.</p><p>Celestia sees in the filly a series of possibilities and potential to become a princess, now will this little light amidst the darkness of her life be maintained?</p><p>COVER MADE BY ME!</p>

everyone

2024-02-19T00:21:07+00:00

2024-02-19T11:09:59+00:00

Celestia had already experienced many losses in her long life, first having lost her teacher after he made a sacrifice for the safety of Equestria. A few years later she lost a great friend, almost a sister to Celestia, Princess Amore, tragically murdered by a dark pony. Next was one of her first apprentices, Radiant Hope, who ran away in search of her best friend. All these losses caused Celestia a great shock, but none of them had caused her as much pain as Luna's banishment. Having to banish her own sister was already a difficult fact to deal with, and it becomes more distressing when she realizes that it was completely and completely her fault that things had gotten to that point. She was so busy with herself, with her tasks, with her greatness, that she had ignored the fact that Luna was also shaken by the losses they suffered, was shaken by the loneliness she felt every night, wishing she had the same attention as Celestia receive during the day just to not feel so alone. After more than nine hundred years came yet another apprentice, Sunset Shimmer, who fervently desired much more than she could have and fled into the unknown when she didn't get what she wanted. Now all that was left was a huge palace, packed with guards that decorated the palace more than actually protected it. Having meetings and stacks of papers to take her mind off her problems, Celestia now found herself on her throne, distracting herself with two stacks of documents to be signed and delivered on the same day. Her attention was taken away from the paperwork when she heard the door to the throne room being opened abruptly by one of her guards, a robust brown stallion, he seemed shocked by something, catching his breath briefly, the stallion said: "Your highness! There was a landslide in a village near the frozen crystal mountains northeast of here..." The guard maintained his apprehensive expression. Celestia quickly put aside her pen and papers and jumped up from her throne, shocked and as worried as the guard. "Has the search team been sent yet? Are supplies on the way as well?" "Yes, your highness, it turns out that..." the guard looked at the door and once again at Celestia, even more apprehensive. "When the team got there, they were told that everyone in the village was out of danger." "Oh, that's a relief..." Celestia's agitation subsided. Her wing feathers, once ruffled, were now smooth. "However... A filly, she... Your highness had better see for herself. Powder Bomb! Bring her to the princess." The brown stallion called. From the other side of the door came a unicorn stallion, bluish gray, a little more robust and taller than his colleague, right behind him came a pink filly, with a colorful mane, she looked terrified, that touched Celestia's heart even though she was still confused about the situation. At first, the filly looked like a normal unicorn, until she decided to open a pair of fuzzy, comb-shaped wings, with a dark purple gradient at the tips of the feathers. Celestia was shocked, not believing what her eyes were seeing. The guards saw the expression of shock in the princess's eyes and looked at each other without knowing what to do. Powder Bomb stepped forward. "Your highness, we... We found her in the crowd of the village, from what we understand from the residents, this lady was the one who saved them from the landslide." The blue stallion looked at the filly, giving her a reassuring smile. “Come on, don’t be shy…” The guard extended his hoof towards her. The filly accepted and approached the blue stallion. "What's your name, young lady?" Celestia lowered herself until she was at the filly's height. The filly still looked scared, she flinched at Celestia's proximity. "M-Mi A-A-Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadance..." She looked away, still nervous. Amore? Is it possible that there is some familiarity? Celestia thought. "Powder Bomb and Ginger Pie, I ask you to leave." The guards nodded and left the throne room without question. Now Celestia looked at the filly, keeping her expression as neutral as possible. Cadance's eyes, despite being scared, had a familiar glow to the princess. "Cadance, okay? Well, follow me, you need to calm down a little." Celestia smiled sweetly at Cadance, who responded with a shy smile. · · • • • ✤ • • • · · Celestia prepared a cozy room so that Cadance wouldn't feel so threatened, in the room there was a huge dark blue circular rug with some burgundy pillows and right above it there was a small table with two cups of tea and a plate of cookies, around the table. The room had large shelves filled with old books. The filly took a sip of the tea, feeling the heat of the liquid ease the tension that was consuming her. "Do you feel better now?" Celestia smiled at her. The filly waved but said nothing. "Cadance, what were you?" "Hm? What do you mean?" Cadance looked confused. "I mean, what were you before you became an alicorn?" Celestia took a sip of her tea. "As my sister and I were the only alicorns until then, we never entertained the idea that other pony races could achieve the power of one. I say this because your wings are unique." The filly looked at her own wings and blushed when she realized that her princess was praising her. "Well... I was a Pegasus before all this happened, the village has a large number of Pegasus, although we also have earth ponies and unicorns." "Interesting, what are your parents' names?" The princess froze when she noticed the look of sadness on Cadance. "I don't know... I never met them, I'm an orphan." Cadance bit into one of the cookies, hoping they would take the bitterness out of this part of her life. "Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you with that question." Celestia felt like punching herself in the face. "It's okay, I don't have parents, but in the village there are ponies who take in or simply give food to orphan ponies, I'm one of the orphans who receive food and that's enough for me." The pink mare paused. "Princess... Will I be a princess too?" The mare seemed apprehensive about the matter. "Maybe yes, you proved yourself worthy of having such power and now everything will depend on how you use it. Now tell me, how did your transformation happen?" Celestia took another sip of her tea. "It all started when the group of Pegasus in our village started arguing with the group of unicorns, they fought because they had decided on a different route for migration. The Pegasus wanted to go to the west because there were fewer mountains, while the unicorns wanted to go to the East because it was warmer, the Earth Ponies wanted to stay in those lands because they were fertile and rich in minerals, but none of them reached a consensus." Cadance paused, trying to remember the correct order of events. "It went from an argument to a riot and then to a fight involving personal frustrations. I had noticed for some time that the ponies in the village had a resentment towards each other, but I never thought it would escalate to anything like this..." · · • • • ✤ • • • · · The previously peaceful village was now filled with turmoil, the Pegasus flew low so that their wings and hooves hit some unicorn or earth pony that was right below them, the unicorns shot lightning from their horns or levitated some solid object so that they hit the Pegasus, the earth ponies used kicks and farming tools to poke the Pegasus. Cadance was horrified by that situation, she took the youngest colts that were lost in the middle of the conflict and took them to a hill away from that confusion. "Are you guys okay?" The pink Pegasus turned her attention to the group of foals in front of her. Some were just dirty with crushed vegetables and fruits, others had some bruises from being hit by stones, and others had scratches from farming tools. The breeze from the hill gradually became a cold and sharp wind, Cadance looked around trying to find the source of the wind and when looking at the sky she saw a huge whirlpool forming in the clouds. That didn't seem to be the work of Pegasus, there weren't enough flyers to make a whirlpool of that magnitude. "CADANCE! LOOK!" A small earth pony pointed towards the mountains. Cadance turned to look at where the pony was pointing, her eyes widened as she noticed the tons of snow and ice falling from the tops of the mountains, heading towards the village. "Children's, stay here!" Her wings opened and in an instant she gained momentum to fly towards the village not so far from where they were. The strong and cold wind was making it difficult for her to stay stable in flight, she felt the tips of her feathers start to freeze. She stopped above the confusion, she quickly looked back, seeing the huge fog slowly approaching. "YOU HAVE TO STOP! PLEASE! AAH!" Cadance tried to call out to them, but all she got was a rake to the side. "STOP PLEASE!" She tried to call out to them once more, looking up, she saw three ghostly horses flying over the confusion, bringing increasingly cold. Fear caused a tightness in Cadance's chest, as she looked back, she saw that the slide was getting closer. She fell from the sky and fell in the middle of the conflict, her wings froze due to the change in weather, now there was no way for her to save herself either. "LISTEN TO ME, YOU HAVE TO STOP!" Cadance screamed as much as her throat could bear, she couldn't bear to see that disunity, the lack of love in the hearts of the ponies would be the cause of their ruin. Her heart beat harder, became brighter, a strange aura enveloped her and lifted her off the ground, accumulating on her forehead. That made the crowd stop and stare, shocked at what they were seeing. The magic enveloped the ponies and levitated them into the air, without being aware of what she was doing, Cadance took them out of the village, placing them on the same hill where the younger foals were. As soon as they became aware of what had happened, they saw all their huts being buried by snow and crystal clear mountain debris. · · • • • ✤ • • • · · "I didn't know exactly what had happened and the next thing I knew, I had this, this and this..." Cadance pointed to the horn and the colorful feathers on its wings, then quickly stood up and showed the mark on its flank. A blue crystalline heart, with a golden support on the sides. Celestia, who was taking a sip of her tea, gasped when she saw the filly's cutie mark. She composed herself and wiped her lips and the table with a napkin. "A thousand pardons Cadance, my goodness... Your mark..." Celestia coughed, trying to get rid of the feeling of tea stuck in her throat. "What? What about my cutie mark? What does it mean?" Cadance was worried and perhaps as shocked as Celestia. Will it be something dangerous? What's dangerous about a heart? She thought to herself. "Cadance, I think your transformation goes far beyond an act of altruism..." Celestia cleared her throat. "Your brand symbolizes love, unity and especially protection, this is something truly good and powerful, as you have a special power to unite ponies." "Really? But if it's just that, then why the shock?" Cadance frowned. Celestia stood up, spread her wide, rounded wings, showing her grandeur even more to the young filly, who swallowed hard at the thought that she would be punished for having said something foolish. "Cadance, from now on, everything I can tell you will only be said in class. I want to make you my student." Celestia gave a confident and encouraging smile to Cadance, who returned it with stars in her eyes. "Student? I'll be your student? B-but I... I don't even know how to use my horn..." Cadance seemed incredulous at the Princess's statement. "I don't even have a home anymore, how can I stay here?" "And that's why I want you to accept me as your mentor, learning to use your horn will be part of your training and if you allow me... I can take you in as my niece." Celestia held Cadance's chin with her hoof and slowly lifted it so that the filly was looking into her eyes. "I see in you the determination, courage and altruism that a great leader needs to have, just as I see in you the look of an old woman of mine, who was as determined as you." Cadance smiled, her eyes brimming with tears that she forced herself to hold back, flying she reached Celestia's neck and hugged him. The Princess sweetly hugged her, after so many years, feeling a new light emerge in her life. "I'll take that as a yes... Your classes start tomorrow." Celestia pulled her away from the hug.

zetasquadron94

551768

Fluttershy,Rainbow Dash,Trixie,Twilight Sparkle,Anthro,Porn,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Fetish,Sex

A Little Stone Adventure- Courtesy of Trixie

Trixie's experimentation results in a night of passionate madness.

incomplete

<p>While in the Everfree Forest, Twilight has stumbled on another cockatrice and turned to stone. While she's frozen, a certain mare stumbles across her. The Great and Powerful Trixie can free Twilight easily, but something else makes her think... why not take advantage of this opportunity? She decides to perform an &quot;experiment&quot;, altering Twilight's body while she is still frozen. However, while her efforts are successful, she didn't think about what would happen next, particularly on a night when the cockatrices are upset. A night of passionate madness ensues; and they, and some of Twilight's friends are stranded in the forest. It'll be interesting if nothing else.</p><p><span class="spoiler">Futa, transformation, dubious consent, breast expansion, cum inflation, clothing damage, stripping, female to futa</span></p><p>Inspired by <a href="/user/378395/CuTiE_PoNY-JacKie" rel="nofollow">CuTiE_PoNY-JacKie</a>'s story<br/><a href="/story/535758/trixies-failed-revenge-or-whats-hiding-under-twilights-tail" rel="nofollow">https://www.fimfiction.net/story/535758/trixies-failed-revenge-or-whats-hiding-under-twilights-tail</a></p><p>featured 2/19/2024</p>

mature

2024-02-19T04:16:39+00:00

2024-02-19T04:16:39+00:00

Twilight Sparkle was frozen, turned to stone by a cockatrice. She stood there with her hand half-raised, her eyes and mouth wide open with shock. All she'd been doing was a late-night errand for tea. Did that really warrant this? She stood as a statue in the depths of the Everfree Forest. Her currently sightless eyes could just make out the path in the distance, but she’d lost it in the dark when a cloud went over the moon, and she'd tried to escape the hissing of the cockatrice. She stood in a clearing about a hundred meters from it. All was still. An owl came by to sit on her head for a few moments before it continued. There was rustling in the bushes. Was it one of her friends, perhaps Fluttershy? Instead, a navy blue unicorn stepped out of the bushes, dressed in a hoodie and a skirt. She was dirty and looked like she’d run through more than a few bushes. "Blasted cockatrices... just because I stumble into a nest or two doesn't mean--" She gasped, then peered into the dark, and her eyes widened. “Oh, sweet Celestia… Trixie's little friend was right for once!” She rushed forward to see her prize. Trixie cackled, “The great Twilight Sparkle, brought down by a cockatrice! Ha, ha, ha!” Twilight did not respond, her frozen expression of shock did little to put Trixie off her gloating. “Ha, ha, ha!” Trixie laughed again. She practically danced around Twilight, delightfully poking and prodding the statue that replaced flesh, “You can't do anything to me! Neener neener!” After a moment, the silence was what put her off more than anything else. Trixie hmphed. Then she grinned, “I can set you free, let it not be said the great and powerful Trixie is not merciful…!” She conjured a spell, a ball of glittering blue flame, coalescing in and out of a sphere. The light seemed to make Twilight's face light up as it reflected off the glittering stone. “You would be in my debt for sure! Freeing you from a lifetime of stone!” Trixie laughed once again and drew her hand back. Again the light reflected, rising on Twilight's frozen face. “...but why do we have to go right now?” Trixie murmured. She let the ball dissipate. “This is the perfect opportunity for an… experiment.” Trixie stepped back and pulled up her hoodie. Once free of it, she pulled off her shirt. She noted she was in full view of Twilight. “Don't watch me strip, you pervert,” She teased. When there was no response she sighed, “Very well. I suppose I will have to show you…” Twilight had a good figure but rather modest breasts. She was hot in a ‘girl next door’ sort of way, quite standard, pretty attractive, but not what Trixie preferred. She was attractive, no doubt about it(not that Trixie particularly cared, no certainly not, no obsessive behavior at all!), and she may have been cute as hell(from an objective standpoint), and she might have made an adorable librarian(entirely objective), but she wasn't Trixie's fantasy. At least, not her favorite. Trixie grinned. She had the opportunity for a prank. A delightful little joke. As Trixie pulled off her bra, her breasts bounced out. They weren't enormous, but they were perky enough to attract attention. She grinned at that. She had a well-toned ass and a skinny figure that nevertheless drew eyes from mares and stallions alike. Not that she liked stallions, gross. Trixie shimmied out of her skirt, and smacked her backside very gently, “How’s that strip tease, Twilight?” Of course, the unicorn didn't respond. Trixie made a magic gesture, and a smock appeared from a small portal, along with a large fabric bag and a set of trowels. She pulled on the smock, hiding her body from view. She looked in the bag. She swore and threw it back into the portal. She drew out a different one, and this time smirked. “What do you know about cement, Twilight?” Twilight probably knew a lot but wasn't aware enough to respond. Trixie stepped closer. She cast a spell. The stone that formed Twilight's clothing disappeared. It was not part of Twilight's body after all. Trixie took those fragments and mercilessly mashed them into a paste, mixing them in with her other cement. She wasn't going to need them, and Trixie needed more plaster for what she would do. Trixie admired her enemy's body. “So sweet. Cute. But you know what? Trixie’s rival shouldn't be so weak.” She ran her hand up Twilight's sides, “These are so…simple. So not muscular.” She felt up her breasts, “Eh.“ She looked at Twilight's surprised frozen expression, “Now…to work.” Trixie slapped Twilight's snatch with plaster. She grinned and picked up more with a trowel. She quickly turned Twilight's vagina into a mound of stone and gooey sticky plaster. Quickly, once the material was high enough, she began to make circular motions around it. Trixie grinned as she worked, moving her fingers with dexterity. Rapidly she built it up, creating a long cylinder. As she did so, she used her magic for extra hands and shaped the end into a bell shape. She stretched it longer and longer, reaching nearly a foot. Trixie grinned. “A foot-long morning boner, how appropriate,” She said. A truly massive erection took shape, a long veiny member that was just barely proportional to Twilight's body. It was big enough to satisfy most mares, Trixie thought, and then smirked, “And of course…” She added some hefty testicles. They seemed comically oversized, bulging, and ready to burst. Trixie applied a spell. A purple circle appeared a centimeter from the plaster and mortar and ran up and down it. She felt the heat from where she was standing. Within seconds, the loose material had hardened to stone. Permanently part of Twilight. Her snatch was gone. Trixie looked her up and down. “Well, we can't have this be disproportionate, now can we?” She looked at her bucket of plaster, “And we still have so much to work with…” Trixie put the plaster in her hands and slapped it onto Twilight's chest. Their form and nipples disappeared under the goo, and it began to drip. Trixie summoned a spell, which caught the dripping material in a pair of half circles. The purple energy coalesced and swiveled up like a door, forming cups over Twilight's slick stone breasts. Trixie narrowed her gaze. Two tiny holes appeared in the top of each magic cup. She summoned a pair of balls of mortar and fed them into the cups. “Hm…” Each magic cup was crammed full of the material, fit to bursting. Then Trixie smirked and made them a little bigger. Once filled again, she made them even bigger. And bigger. Each time they filled to the bursting with mortar. Trixie reached out a hand, comparing her fist to the bulging purple cups. Then, finally, she smirked once again. The holes opened up, and two pinpricks, one on each cup, extended out. Trixie summoned the heat circle once again. When it was done, Trixie reached forward, “Oh, my goodness gracious…dear Twilight, what are you doing without a bra?” Twilight's breasts had been smothered under mortar. In their place were a pair of enormous teardrop-shaped stone tits, each bigger than Trixie’s fist, and utterly defiant of gravity, with quite distinct erect nipples. They were perky, and huge, and Trixie purred as she felt them up. “Won't these be delightful for all the stallions around?” She looked down. Twilight's bust and penis had been improved and added upon, what about the rest of her? Trixie stepped around her “sculpture”, considering it. The mare's flanks weren't exactly complimentary, Trixie had to say. Twilight was quite content with them, but her thoughts on the matter sailed when the cockatrice got her. Trixie sidled up behind Twilight. She breathed in the frozen mare's ear, and moved her hands over her hips, along her waist, slipping to the front of her stomach. She reached down and felt the hilt of Twilight's new toy. Trixie frowned. She ran her hands along Twilight's waist again, and as she did so, slivers of stone began to shave themselves off. The mass was sent down lower, adding to her hips. She felt Twilight's flesh remodeling itself for her hands, her end finger brushing against the rising hips. Trixie’s frown grew into a smile. When she was done, her hands could slide quite smoothly from feeling Twilight’s ass to her cock. Trixie stepped back, her smile fading. Twilight had developed some nice curves, but she felt Twilight's butt. “Well, that's going to have to change.” Immediately she pasted it with mortar. She formed a similar pair of cups to Twilight's boobs, but only slightly. This mold was taller, affecting her entire posterior. Trixie poured in the cement and immediately applied magical pressure. Behind the transparent material, she could see the gray goop plaster itself across the bottom of Twilight's butt to her lower back. Trixie frowned then another purple line climbed up Twilight's spine. She nodded, then went to work. She poured on the cement, and added layers and layers to Twilight's butt, putting on years and years of meat and vegetables, and particularly sweets. As the cement and plaster spread, Trixie pushed it beyond her ass, affecting her hips, and flowing up her spinal magic casing. Twilight's ass grew in seconds. From a distinctive feature about her to rivaling her new chest in terms of size. It was smooth and voluminous. Trixie reached out and massaged it, spreading it around slightly. The mass smoothed into a more muscular bubble butt, while her hips seemed to draw out. “You'll need that spinal stuff to stand…” Trixie murmured. She took a step back. Twilight had previously had a generous figure, but more of a sexy librarian look. Now, it was stunning. She was as top and bottom-heavy as Celestia was. She had a gorgeous hourglass silhouette, packed on with muscle and meat that Trixie just wanted to take a bite out of. But Trixie had to control herself, she had more to do. Trixie chiseled off Twilight's hair completely, leaving her smooth. “I could leave you like that, bald, with no explanation,” Trixie said, “Wouldn't that be fitting?” She looked into Twilight's frozen, stone eyes, “But I'm merciful. Heck, I'm going to give you a gift.” Trixie picked up a ball of plaster. She plopped it onto Twilight's head. The plop splattered some goop down onto her eyes. “Oops,” Trixie said. She cast a spell, and seemingly perfect eyes were chiseled out again. Trixie smirked. “Starting that earlier, I suppose.” She snapped her fingers. Some cement scraps appeared and formed into a wire frame over Twilight's face. They solidified into a transparent barrier over her eyes. “I think you needed that even before I got here,” Trixie murmured. The unicorn magician went back to work. She straightened the goop, and a mold went over Twilight's entire head, with a long curved cylinder behind her. Trixie restored the mass of Twilight's hair in seconds, though she cut her bangs a bit. She furrowed her brow in concentration and used her hands for additional supportive gestures. Twilight's hair was as unruly as ever, but smoother, like it had been styled. More significantly, Trixie noted with satisfaction, it had been formed into a perfect ponytail, with a stone scrunchy and everything. “Trixie always liked her partners to put their hair up,” She said, leaning in toward Twilight teasingly. Trixie took a step back. The frozen mare had been completely altered. She was naked. None of her clothes survived the raw material process. Twilight's breasts were enormous, the size of cantaloupes at least, if not larger. Her body had been transformed into an hourglass shape, a curvy and sexy body that made Trixie drool. She wiped her mouth as she admired her handiwork. “Dang, Trixie is good…” Instead of a nerdy librarian, Trixie left a naked Amazonian nerd. She was done altering her. For now. Trixie snapped her fingers, and dove into the bushes. The additional stone turned into flesh, adding mass as if she had had it for years. The plaster marks vanished, replaced with a pure purple body. Her breasts, once released, bobbled and jiggled like they were made of jello. Twilight collapsed to the ground, falling onto her new bubble butt with less pain than expected. And then her cock came down, fully erect and at the ready. A naked Twilight Sparkle went from standing up to falling to the ground. She let out several confused sounds of pleasure, pain, and shock. She yelped and moaned, her back arching as she processed what was happening. Her whole body was filled with a stinging pins and needles sensation. What's happening? I– Her center of gravity had shifted dramatically. Her nipples hit the ground and she let out a scream. Twilight rolled onto her back, looked down, and screamed again. There, on her chest, were some of the biggest boobs she'd ever seen. They were enormous, massive handfuls. She cupped them and felt herself nearly cum from shock. They were tremendously sensitive. She rubbed them and they nearly made her orgasm. “What's going on?” She mumbled. Then she noticed an odd motion on her lower body. She sat up. Her whole body seemed to shift and tremble. She gasped. Her body had been transformed. She squirmed, “What the fuck?!” From what she could see past her boobs, her entire body had been reconfigured, her proportions altered. Her hips were spread out, her waist was drawn in, her butt felt like a cushion: and there, between her legs, was a footlong fully erect cock. Twilight's eyes were the size of dinner plates. She grabbed it and almost shouted. She let out a yelp. It was real! Real as her leg or her head! She felt her lower body. It was an exaggerated hourglass, as far as she could tell by touch. Her snatch was gone, replaced by this… thing. She found a pair of glasses on her nose. When she removed them, things further away were blurry. “What the…? Whoa, that’s way better, I guess…” As she found later, this was left unchanged. She just never knew she was nearsighted. Twilight felt her sides, felt her expanded and transformed flanks. She gasped in shock at her increased sensitivity. “Wh… why do I have a dick? When did I get glasses?” She looked down at herself, “Why am I naked?” She felt her hair, “And why do I have a ponytail?” she heard a slithering sound and a hiss. she took off running. her center of gravity was shifted. She didn't run right. She felt her whole frame jiggling. Trixie loved watching her ass shake from side to side. Then she heard a hissing. Then another. And another. “Oh…shit,” she mumbled. “I think I’ve made them angry!” Twilight couldn't go to Zecora’s like this. Her cock softened but was still enormous. She stopped, leaned against a tree, and felt her breasts. How did this happen? How did she get so… hot? The word sprang into her mind and she shook her head. She remembered another mare from some time ago, with glasses, and a great figure, but she didn't want to be her… did she? She often wondered if she wanted to be her or on top of her. Twilight realized her hands were rubbing up and down her new sex organ as she thought. She shook her head. She was in danger! Someone had taken her and changed her without her consent! She had to get to safety! And find clothes! She heard that hissing again. It seemed the creatures of the night were disturbed by something. Fluttershy! She thought. Fluttershy is out tonight! She can help me! She sprinted off into the woods. Trixie followed as stealthily as she could. Her joke was going quite well Hm, how am I gonna switch her back? Trixie thought. She realized sometimes she should think ahead.

RamielRedshade

551773

Applejack,Applejack (EqG),Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Anthro,Adventure,Porn,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Sex,Violence

Where the Heaven meets the Earth

You are Steely, a stallion with a letter, and a dream of doign amazing things. You got an invitation to the palace from Princess Celestia herself. That's a sign, right?

incomplete

<p>Steely lived all his life sheltered on his family farm, knowing only the good ponies of Ponyville, and never setting a hoof outside, so he has always wondered what It's like out there in the greater world, and if he could handle it.</p><p>You are pretty strong, and tall, and that should help a bit, right? Your mama always said big people do big things, and you are pretty big, so you must be destined to do something great!</p>

mature

2024-02-19T05:29:02+00:00

2024-02-19T05:29:02+00:00

------------------------------- You lived a simple life. Wake up, work on the farm, have a little fun, sleep, and the cycle would repeat itself day after day. A simple and enjoyable existence that was interrupted by a message from THE Celestia herself. Why would she need to see you? ------------------------------- Earth ponies were wardens of nature, pillars of communities and protectors at heart. It wasn’t strange to correlate the stability and success of a farm or small city with the presence, or lack thereof, of earth ponies. While not as glamorous, dazzling and showy as the pegasi or unicorns that could soar to the sky and use all kinds of magics and spells, the earth ponies instead had a very reduced amount of spells they could call upon, which they could wield with extreme skill and to great effect. Like making plants grow, increasing their yield and keeping them healthy, or their simplest yet most important feature: their physical strength. For an earth pony, lifting boulders, pulling wagons or toiling day in and day out without feeling exhausted was as simple as breathing, and it was one of their most emblematic abilities. Trying to outrun, out punch or out lift an earth pony was a fool's errand, unless you were a very powerful sorcerer, or you picked a foal to face against, and even then, some were still really exceptional. You were born to such a race. Since you were a young foal, you helped in the family farm, learning the value of the land and how important it was to keep the balance between nature and ponykind. Starting to work since you could walk, or so your father liked to boast to every other farmer when there was any harvest festival. That wasn’t something you remembered, but you knew you loved working, and eating as well! So, you grew, and grew, and GREW some more, until even the tallest of ponies had to look up to you, making your size one of your most distinctive features. You weren’t the brightest or the most special pony around, and the best thing you could put to your name was the untold hours you put into helping at the farms, not only your families, but whoever could need you could call upon your help. If there was a load too heavy to carry, a drought that was threatening the crops, or a wild beast was causing issues, everyone knew they could call upon your help. Which is why you were so surprised when the pegasi messenger came to the farm, bearing a message from Princess Celestia herself, summoning you to her castle. There was little explanation beyond the summon itself, without any description or clue as to why you had to go there, just that you had to as soon as you could. Your family was happy, thinking it was a great opportunity, and that you were being called to be given an award for all the help you have given to everyone in the city of Ponyville. You were not so sure if it was for something like that, because if that was the case, many other ponies would have been summoned through the years to be given such honor, and this was the first time, to your limited knowledge about history, that such a thing happened. The letter didn’t give an estimate of how long you would be there, or for what to be prepared, so you weren't sure how many clothes to pack, or even WHAT to pack. Deciding to err on the side of caution, but choosing to not go overboard, you start looking for enough clothes for a week. Rummaging through your clothes, you find a few pairs of serviceable clothes that had served you well enough, at least since your mom refitted them for you, because you were still growing from time to time, and it was hard to chose clothes when you had to keep in mind that they would need to be replaced in a year or so. Sighing, you started to think about the kind of clothes that you would be taking with you. Deciding, once again, to simply go for the 'better have it and not need it' angle, you carefully put the formal suit inside your bag and put it beside your bed to make sure you didn't forget about it in the morning. Nodding to yourself, you went to the farm to finish up on as much as you could to make sure the tasks that were meant to be done by you didn't end up being dumped on your family. Specially considering that there was a system build around the fact that you could simply lift most things with ease for planting and harvesting to be done quickly. Or the wrangling of the oxen the family still kept around after lending most of them to other farms when you started doing the work of most of them. Huh, this was going to be a little complicated. "STEEEEEEEEELYYYY!!!", a sudden very loud and very energetic scream almost had you jumping a full 5 feet in the air. Turning around to see where it came from, even after you already knew WHO it was, you remembered that of course, if there was any news that were related to you, there was no chance that it would reach her, and that she would run as fast as her hooves could take her. Bracing, more for her safety than for yours, you opened your arms, ready to receive her, you saw her arriving in the horizon, a smoke cloud signaling the speed and strength of her unstoppable charge as her amazing lungs let her keep screaming the whole way, even while running. "Damn, Pinkie has either been practicing cardio, or she is really surprised by the letter", you muttered as you waited, watching her get closer and closer, sweat accumulating on your brow as you braced for impact! You were familiar with the process, so, when the ballistic missile of happiness and sweetness that was your childhood friend was coming towards you at full throttle, you knew what to do. Widening your stance, putting your hooves at shoulder height, lowering your core and arms extended to the sides, you waited. When she got within jumping distance, she shot herself at you with all her strength, because of course she would, but you were used to this, even if in the past this tactic of hers ended with you on your back and her straddling you. The way she looked at you every time she managed to take you down was something that made you deeply uncomfortable, because she has been doing the same thing since you were both kids. Not that the face she made each time you did manage to catch her was any better, though. "HEYA! DIDYOUGETALETTERFROMPRINCESSCELESTIA HOWDIDITHAPPEN?! DIDYOUKNOWHER-", the minigun that was her mouth kept spouting for longer than most people were capable of, but you knew better than to try and stop her in any way, so you simply held her up, getting her close, so she could finish, in a more controlled way, to hug you. Arm's going around your neck and holding fast, she dangled there for a second until you simply used your arms to hold her up, patiently waiting for her excitement to die before you could have a conversation. "Haaaa, Haaaa, haaaa… Hello Steely!", after regaining her breath, she sweetly greeted you, a beaming smile on her face that the sweat and flush from her exertion only served to enhance, as if she didn't just try to rush you with a perfect football tackle. "Howdy' Pinkie, always a pleasure to have you here. How many times do I have to tell you that trying to tackle people is dangerous?", you greeted back, a lopsided smile forming on your face as you tried, and failed, to try and look at her disapprovingly for her reckless actions. Mostly because she was squeezing herself against you as hard as she could, her legs now trying to circle your torso as she enjoyed her perch, happily rubbing herself against you. "But Steeeeelyyyyy, I only do it with you. It's not like you don't like catching a beautiful filly like me, right?", she batted her eyelashes at you, trying to charm you into letting her have her way. You tried to keep up the slight scowl on your face for a bit more, but her wide smile was just too powerful, and no matter how strong you were, Pinkie just had a sway over you that was hard to overcome. "Awwww, chucks. I can never stay mad at you, sweetie pie", you kissed her forehead and leaned down, trying to set her on the ground. … ……. …………. "Erm, Pinkie? I don't mind the hugs, but I have some stuff I need to do. Pinkie", you tried to get her attention, but she went completely still, and you were feeling a bit worried that she might have actually hurt herself during her jump. As gently as you could, you pried her from you, and finally got to see her face. Blinking at the strangely intense look on her face, you decided to simply let her stay where she was, and to simply try to work around it. It wasn't like most of the things you needed to do couldn't be done even with someone being attached, you do. You decided to have a little fun with her, she was the one that liked to get handy all the time and try to play it off as 'harmless fun between friends', and pushed her chest against you all the time, or sat on your lap, or kissed you on the mouth, or… If you didn't have any reason to try and prank her back, reminding yourself that she had been teasing you for most of your lives surely did!! You first looked around, not wanting to inadvertently do something in public that might create a big drama. Like that time Pinkie sneaked into your room and your parents found you sleeping together, with you not knowing how she ended up there, considering your room had no windows, and the door had a lock. You decided that getting personal with her behind was the most important thing to do first, so, while keeping her attached to you with one arm, you reached below, and noticed that, luckily for you, she was wearing a skirt, with no shorts below, which she almost never did, for some reason. So, you got to feel her soft skin yielding to your touch, her firm ass feeling so soft to the touch that you couldn't believe it belonged to a real girl, the sensation of her flesh spilling between your fingers as you tightened your grip made you want to let her go and just sink your fingers as deeply as you could in her, but no matter how good it felt, you would never risk her safety for something like that. But you were a smart guy, even if some ponies thought otherwise, so you didn't need to put her at risk to make the cake and eat it too. You went to sit down, her legs loosening their hold on you when she felt a solid support below them, and with that, you had BOTH hands free to start caressing her, and getting to know her ass more intimately. Sinking your hands into her behind and relishing on the way her breath started to wash over your neck as she tightened her hold on it, you started to rub and pull, spreading her now, thanks to your position, you had a front row seat of the way her ass deformed under your fingers, the fact that even with your size you could not completely encompass any of the huge cheeks, which just made you want to spread your hands as much as you could to see if you could. "Uhhhh~", Pinkie started letting out a few interesting sounds, the increasingly intense feeling of your blood rushing south, your length hardening and starting to press against her nethers, a shudder running through her whole body, that was followed by her pushing herself even harder against you, burying her nose into your neck. "Ya finally back to the land of the living?", you said distractedly, still focused on the task at hand. "You are being bad Steely, you can't do that to a giIIIiiirrrl~", her voice hitched when you pulled her cheeks apart, her core pushing insistently against your now painfully hard erection, the needy way she pronounced your name sending a shock of electricity down your spine. "I'm the bad one here? You want me to stop?", you took the chance to nibble on her exposed neck, enjoying the way she tried to shimmy away, but her desire to keep holding on to you made the movement completely ineffective. "Nuuuuhuuuu", she once again nuzzled against your neck, rubbing herself up and down your body, her voice taking the characteristic whiny quality she would always use when she wanted something. This wasn't necessarily the first time you both had gotten physical, after all, no matter how much you tried not to notice, Pinkie Pie was not a girl that would allow herself to be ignored, ever. She finally separated a bit from you, letting you see her flushed expression, and the way her lips were softly parted, looking at you directly, her eyes hooded and teary looking up at you, almost crying for you to do something without saying anything. Your mother raised you to be a lot of things, and none of them were to be a gentleman that left a lady waiting! Taking a hand out of its important mission, you gently cradled the back of her head, your fingers threading through her soft hair and closing the distance, locking lips with her in an intense and chaste kiss, still softly testing the limits of what you could get away with, and for now you were content with simply enjoying the way her body melted against you, her hands moving to your chest and massaging it, which reminded you that your other hand was still hard at work making sure to remind every part of her ever plentiful pie. "Why do you tease me so much~? A girl can only take so much, you know? It's not fair that you get to do this to me with no repercussion, you villain, you rascal, you enemy of woman!", she started to softly bat her hands against your chest, the strength that would normally put dent's into steel feeling like soft taps against your skin. You laughed at her tantrum, hands still enjoying her behind as she kept putting at you, before you remembered the reason you were here, and why she came to you in the first place, "Ah, you wanted to ask me about the letter, right?", you stopped moving your hands, but kept them right where they were. "Ah, right! Why did Princess Celestia send a letter to you?! Did you meet her in the past and never told me?! What kind of friend are you!!", she went back to her energetic self in the blink of an eye. "Ah, I don't know, Pinkie. It took me by complete surprise, I thought I was dreaming or somethin' when the pegasi filly came out of the sky and dropped the letter in my lap, and went away without explaining nothing", you let her know everything that happened, not bothering to hide any detail. "Ohhhh, maybe its a secret mission? Or maybe she wants to meet the super awesome, amazing, strong and handsome best friend of the incredible, fantastic, bombastic, frutifantastic and super smart Pinkie Pie!!", she threw her hands in the air as she finished doing her normal presentation of both of you in a single breath, her eyes sparkling in excitement. "Maybe", you shrugged, unsure as her about the possible point of the summon, and now moving your hands deeper. The tips of your fingers teasing her covered womanhood, and feeling the heat and wetness radiating from it. "Are you going to keep touching my butt?", she narrowed her eyes at you, her flush visible even through her pink coat. Without missing a beat, you squeezed again, a smug smile on your face.

TheKing2001

551778

Derpy Hooves,Other,Roseluck,Sunset Shimmer,Trixie,Alternate Universe,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Profanity

One Stubborn Mare

When Sunset runs around helping her friends and the other townsponies, she continuously refuses help, creating more problems than she was fixing.

incomplete

<p>All of Sunset's friends know the mare is a bit stubborn and set in her ways. When Sunset starts offering to help her friends with their business and other townponies, she accidently gets in over her head with her own paperwork. Sunset is forced to admit she needs help and learns that asking for help isn't always a bad thing.</p><p>Part of the Sunsetverse. With a group now! <a href="/group/217456/sunsetverse" rel="nofollow">https://www.fimfiction.net/group/217456/sunsetverse</a></p>

teen

2024-02-20T07:32:51+00:00

2024-02-20T17:29:34+00:00

Sunset levitated a scroll with a lists of tasks she had to do as she trotted down the street, narrowly avoiding a few ponies. “Let’s see, help Roseluck and her sisters with harvesting their flowers all week, help Pinkie make muffins for Sugarcube Corner, help Derpy by watching Dinky and Sparkler, help Silverspeed with sparring, go visit Screw Loose with Shoeshine and practice tricks with Trixie and Raindrops,” Sunset read aloud as she rolled up the scroll and placed it in her saddlebags. “No biggie, I’ve dealt with worse after all. I am Celestia’s prized pupil after all! I got this!” Roseluck yawned as she trimmed another flower as Daisy set two glasses of lemonade next to her and Lily before trotting to her own patch of the garden. While the trio had an normal sized house, they owned a large space for their flowers with greenhouses in the back and a small garden out front of flowers they strictly displayed and didn’t sell. “Do you girls feel that?” Lily asked suddenly as the other two paused. “No,” Roseluck said finally and shook her head. “What do you feel?” “The ground shaking,” Lily answered as she caught her glass of lemonade as Daisy frowned. “Okay, now that I felt and saw,” Daisy said as she looked out down the street as her frown deepened before her eyes widened. “Sweet Celestia! Rabbits!” “Gah!” Roseluck yelped as the ground started shaking more and the rabbits got closer. “No, the flowers! Lily, get the hose.” Lily nodded as she galloped to the curled up hose and unwrapped it as she flung it to Roseluck as Lily turned it on. “Come any closer and you’ll get it!” Roseluck threatened as the rabbits froze and ran to the front of the house. “Oh buck!” “Buck me!” Daisy cursed as Lily hastily shut the water off and the three mares galloped to the front where the rabbits were eating the flowers. “Damn Fluttershy and her damn rabbits!” The three fell on the sides as Sunset rounded the corner and her eyes widened as she increased her speed. “What happened here?” Sunset asked as Daisy continued crying and pointed a hoof. “T-them!” Daisy wailed as Sunset looked at the rabbits. “It was awful!” “The horror! The horror!” Lily and Roseluck shouted in unison. “I’ll just teleport them back to where they came,” Sunset said as her horn flashed and the rabbits disappeared and the flowers turned back to how they were originally as the three mares stared in stunned silence. “Learned a new spell about time travel for items like flowers or burnt books. Really handy actually.” “Oh thank you!” Daisy hugged Sunset as Sunset froze before hugging her back hesitantly. She hadn’t ever been hugged by the mare before even after knowing her for a few months, but it did feel a bit nice. What surprised her more was even Lily was giving her a grateful smile. “You’re welcome,” Sunset blushed as Daisy squeezed her and Sunset gasped for air. “Air, Daisy, air!” “Sorry,” Daisy said sheepishly as she let Sunset go. “Seriously, thank you. Our flowers are our only real source of income.” “It was nothing really,” Sunset rubbed the back of her head. “I could honestly kiss you right now,” Roseluck admitted as Lily snickered. “Uh please don’t. I love you but not like that,” Sunset said as she turned red. “Cheek is fine but uh not on the lips please.” “Okay. Where did you send those rabbits anyway?” Roseluck asked as Sunset gave a sly grin. Blueblood gave an unimpressed look as he looked around his office at the hundreds of bunnies munching on his bedsheets and paper. “With love, Sunset Shimmer,” Blueblood read aloud as he glared angrily at the paper. “Damn you Sunset! You’re not even family!” “You don’t wanna know,” Sunset said finally with a large smirk. “Now let’s get to work, shall we?” “Yes finally,” Lily grumbled as the four made their way to the backyard as Roseluck paused and rubbed her chin with a hoof. “We should totally do something for Sunset. She does a lot for us,” Roseluck mused before following her sisters and friend. “Like a big thank you or something.” “What was that?” Daisy asked as she hoofed Sunset a pair of shears and showed her where to cut. “Nothing!” “So girls I was thinking,” Roseluck began as she and the others with the exception of Sunset sat around their usual table at Sugarcube Corner. “So that’s why I smelled smoke,” Shoeshine quipped with a smirk and Roseluck rolled her eyes. “Haha very funny. That’s only when Trixie thinks.” “Hey!” The four laughed as Trixie gave them a flat look. “Just kidding. Anyway, Sunset does a lot to help us, right?” “Buck yeah,” Trixie commented as she shrugged. “She always is down to help Trixie with whatever she needs.” “Exactly,” Roseluck pointed a hoof as she nodded. “So what I was thinking is we should totally do something for her!” “Good luck with that,” Silverspeed snorted as she set down her bagel. “Sunset doesn’t really do well with receiving help. Makes her feel inadequate or something I think she said.” “She’s right. Silverspeed lives with her, she ultimately would technically know her best,” Derpy frowned slightly. “It’s just who Sunset is. What did you have in mind?” “I don’t know, maybe a trophy or something. Something like that,” Roseluck explained as she looked at them one by one. “Maybe have the Mayor set up something? Have Sparkler help too. She likes organizing stuff around town.” “Not very well,” Trixie muttered and Derpy gave her an unimpressed look as Trixie looked away with a sheepish. “Sorry that was uh rude.” “It was. Sparkler does her best. And Sparkler would probably like to help, gotta ask her first. But where would you get a trophy at?” “I make my own horseshoes,” Shoeshine commented as she stirred her tea. “I could hypothetically make one. Just tell me what metals you want, what shape you want and I’ll make it. It’ll take a few days but I can do it with help.” “I’m down,” Silverspeed shrugged. “Never done any metal working but I can learn I suppose. I got some sparring with Sunset to do the next few days so I will sneak away after to come help out.” “Sounds good. Surprised you’re getting physical with Sunset. She has caught eye of quite a lot of stallions and mares alike in town. Cloudkicker and Cloudchaser were quite explicit in what they would do with her,” Trixie commented as she gave Silverspeed a smirk. She had kept her promise and not told anypony about their accidental night during the Gala. Trixie may be a braggert but knew to keep some things quiet. “Shush you. So what do we do now?” “For now, we keep this between us. Derpy is the best at convincing others to help us so she should visit the mayor and talk to her while we work quietly to set this up. And I mean quietly Trixie. No smoke bombs or anything like,” Roseluck said as she shot the mare a look and Derpy nodded. “Okay.” “Now let’s get to work,” Roseluck said as the others nodded. Shoeshine shot Mr. Cake a dirty look before turning back to her friends.

Glimbursts

551788

Mane 5,Misty,Starlight Glimmer,Sunny Starscout,Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Mystery,My Little Pony: A New Generation,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Marking the Generations - Part Two

The second part of Marking the Generations, a reimagination of the latter stages of Make your Mark. Follow the adventures of the Mane6 as they discover harmony and unity are written in the trees.

incomplete

<p>Twilight Sparkle has always done her best for Equestria. As her reign finally ends, she realises her final decision to safeguard Equestria will have consequences. Calling on friends of the past to protect the future may seem extreme. However, let it not be said that Twilight Sparkle ever left Equestria to its own devices.</p><p>Marking the Generations reimagines the latter stages of Make your Mark. Follow the adventures of Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, Zipp, Hitch and Misty as they continue their adventures with Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer. Searching for the Elements of Unity and rediscovering Harmony and Unity along the way.</p>

everyone

2024-02-19T13:02:21+00:00

2024-02-20T09:18:31+00:00

It was a determined Phyllis Cloverleaf who stomped her way up the dirt drive toward the Brighthouse. Her eyes not moving from the front doors as they slowly got larger and larger. If the stallion she sort wasn’t at the station, he’d surely be here. Arriving at the large double doors at last, Phyllis at least remembered her manners and rapped loudly on the door with a hoof. Nostrils flaring, she tried to keep some composure as she waited. Finally, the door opened, however it wasn’t any of the ponies she was expecting who appeared. “Oh, hello Phyllis,” Figgy smiled. “I’m sorry, Sunny and her friends aren’t back yet. Can I help you?” “Help me?” Phyllis echoed. “You can help me by telling me when Sherrif Hitch is? Our town is overrun with Pegasus Guards. I need to speak with him immediately.” “He’s with the others. Last I heard they were leaving Zepher Heights.” Figgy replied. “After what’s happened, I’m sure they’ll be here as soon as they can.” “After what’s happened? What do you mean after what’s happened?” Phillis questioned. “I saw them on the coverage of the Cutie Blossom Bash. Sunny and Izzy were with the two Princesses watching from their balcony. What else has happened?” “I…I don’t know. All I know is they are on their way back,” Figgy reiterated uncomfortably. “I’m sorry there’s nothing more I can help you with.” “Very well,” Phyllis sighed. “Please let Sherrif Hitch know I want to speak to him. I’ll leave you in piece, goodbye.” “Goodbye,” Figgy replied as she closed the door. However, as Phyllis turned to leave, she stopped as she saw the Marestream flying towards the Brighthouse. She could hardly believe her luck as it came in to land. Onboard the Marestream, Zipp turned to look at the others with a wry smile. “Looks like we have a welcoming party.” “What could she want?” Izzy asked. “I have an idea,” Hitch sighed and turned towards the door as the Marestream landed. As soon as the door opened, Phyllis started forwards and met Hitch as he exited. “Sherrif Hitch where have you been?” she demanded. “The town is overrun with Pegasi Guards we never asked for. They’ve started patrolling as though they own the place.” “The Guards have arrived because there is a threat to the safety and security of all Equestria,” Hitch replied matter of factly. “Queen Haven will be making an address later today,” Sunny added as she appeared from the doorway. Phyllis looked between the pair of them with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. “I closed CanterLogic because I was assured that there was no threat to our safety,” she responded. “This doesn’t mean that the Pegasi should be the ones to now look after the affairs of all Equestria.” “But we all chose,” Sunny said naively. “We chose that Queen Haven would be ruler of all Equestria.” “Not everypony chose that Sunny,” Phyllis sighed. “Many chose differently and didn’t get what they wanted. It would have been far better if we’d had a three-way council, then everypony would have had a say.” “Phyllis, I understand your concerns, but rest assured I gave my blessing as Sherrif for the detachment of Guards to come,” Hitch replied. “We’ve seen this threat up close, and I want the ponies of Maretime Bay to feel safe and secure.” “If that is the case Hitch, why are they dealing with issues that are clearly your jurisdiction?” Phyllis replied crossly. “Most likely because I haven’t touched hoof with their Sargent yet,” Hitch admitted. “I’ve only just got back. It’ll be my next point of call. Most likely they’re doing what they think is best until then.” “See that you do Hitch,” Phyllis replied. “Maybe you should be here doing your job instead of galivanting around with your friends. You still haven’t removed that dangerous magic flower from the centre of town.” “I’m confident that the flower isn’t a threat Phyllis,” Hitch replied. “Oh, are you sure of that?” Phyllis frowned. “I seem to remember it creating a forcefield that was threatening to swallow the whole town. I ought to reopen CanterLogic so we can develop ways to defend ourselves from these magical attacks that clearly must have the Unicorns stumped.” “Enough!” Sunny shouted suddenly. She stepped between Hitch and Phyllis, with an almighty scowl on her face. Suddenly, her alicorn powers activated, her wings opening wide giving her a powerful appearance which caused Phyllis to take a step back in shock. “You gave us permission to turn CanterLogic into a space for the community because it was costing you so much just sitting empty,” Sunny barked. “The useless rubbish you produced at CanterLogic wouldn’t stop Opaline. She’s too powerful! Hitch hasn’t been here because he’s been helping me and the others. We’ll protect Equestria together and stop her. The flower in town is clearly connected to me as the crystal has my cutie mark etched in it. If it were a threat, I’d deal with it. Leave it to me!” After finishing her angry tirade, Sunny stood panting. Looking down at Phyllis who stood in shock. “You know Sunny,” Phyllis said softly. “You’ve always talked of friendship between all of pony kind but look at you now. You’re not a beacon of friendship. You’re exactly what’s wrong with magic.” Sunny’s eyes widened in realisation. High above them, the prisbeam blinked. As it did so, Sunny’s alicorn powers disappeared. She took a step back as her ears drooped in shock at herself. “Clearly, there are always going to be those who think they’re stronger,” Phyllis continued. “Those who think they are above the rest of us. How are those of us with little power defend ourselves?” “By relying on those with power that they trust,” Sunset said stepping forward. “It’s true that hostilities in my time can be linked back to magic in some way. However, the ponies in my time knew there were ponies who would protect them. They relied on the Princesses, relied on Twilight and her friends. Sunny and her friends are the same. Together they will protect Equestria from such powerful threats.” “And you’re here to help them do that?” Phyllis frowned. “That was why Starlight and I were sent here by Princess Twilight,” Sunset replied. “If you cannot trust us, trust Princess Twilight.” “I agreed the Guards should be sent because seeing them patrolling the streets will give many comfort,” Hitch added. “The wellbeing of everypony in Maretime Bay is mine and Queen Haven’s first priority. Hoof to heart.” “Well, I hope you live all live up to what you are saying,” Phyllis sighed. “I look forward to the Queen’s address.” With that, Phyllis turned and headed back down towards the town. Sunny stood unblinking as she watched Phyllis’s retreating form get smaller and smaller. She felt numb, not quite believing how she’d reacted. “Sunny?” Izzy said with concern. “Are you okay?” Sunny shook her head suddenly and looked at Izzy, her eyes starting to well with tears. “I…I don’t know,” she replied before hurrying towards the door. “Sunny wait,” Izzy called and made to follow. “Let her go,” Sunset advised holding up a hoof to stop her. “But she needs us,” Hitch protested. "Reacting like that wasn't like her at all. I've never seen her so angry." “I know but I get the feeling she needs a little space right now,” Sunset responded. "She needs to work though things herself. We just need to be there for her when she wants us to be." “Yeah, just like the town needs me,” Hitch sighed. “I had a feeling Phyllis would get ruffled by the Guards. I just need to thank Grandmare Figgy and see Sparky. Then I’ll go do my job.” “We’ll take care of everything here, Sherrif,” Zipp replied reassuringly. Sunset nodded in agreement as Hitch gave them a grateful smile before heading for the door. “Right, I’m going to make a start on putting the Together Tree research in with what I have already,” Zipp smiled. “I can’t wait to see it all come together.” “Sounds good, meanwile. Izzy, Misty,” Sunset sighed. “We really need to start working on the cures for Starlight and Sparky.” “Sure, okay,” Misty smiled. “Coming Izzy?” “Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Izzy sighed as she looked up to the top of the Brighthouse, just able to see Sunny’s nose sticking out from the rail. She sighed again before following the others inside.

Glimbursts

551788

Mane 5,Misty,Starlight Glimmer,Sunny Starscout,Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Mystery,My Little Pony: A New Generation,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Marking the Generations - Part Two

The second part of Marking the Generations, a reimagination of the latter stages of Make your Mark. Follow the adventures of the Mane6 as they discover harmony and unity are written in the trees.

incomplete

<p>Twilight Sparkle has always done her best for Equestria. As her reign finally ends, she realises her final decision to safeguard Equestria will have consequences. Calling on friends of the past to protect the future may seem extreme. However, let it not be said that Twilight Sparkle ever left Equestria to its own devices.</p><p>Marking the Generations reimagines the latter stages of Make your Mark. Follow the adventures of Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, Zipp, Hitch and Misty as they continue their adventures with Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer. Searching for the Elements of Unity and rediscovering Harmony and Unity along the way.</p>

everyone

2024-02-19T13:02:24+00:00

2024-02-19T13:02:24+00:00

Queen Haven’s first address after being made ruler of all Equestria included everything one would expect. From thanking those who’d voted for the monarchy option to reassuring those who hadn’t. However, it was the news of Opaline’s looming threat that took everypony by surprise. Nonetheless, Queen Haven did her best to be informative and reassuring. However, in the hours afterwards Pipp found feeds had gone crazy. She sat in the living area furiously typing away on her laptop doing her best to quell any rumours and miss information she saw. Desperately wanting to give her fans good news but slowly coming to realise that was actually in short supply. All she had left was the video she’d shot in the Canterlot Library, but it was far from ready to release. As she typed, she was also doing her best to keep a watchful eye on Sparky as he napped on one of the nearby chairs. A blanket was pulled over him whilst he hugged his favourite cuddly crab toy. This was because Hitch had been true to his word, after seeing Sparky and speaking with Grandmare Figgy he’d made his way to the Station. However, he’d been gone the rest of the afternoon, seemingly the address had the towns ponies coming to see him. Meanwhile, in the kitchen Misty was busy chopping ingredients whilst Sunset stirred the contents of a pan that sat on the stove boiling away. “Are you sure this will work Sunset?” Misty asked unsurely. “It doesn’t seem very magical.” “Healing magics aren’t always best achieved though spells,” Sunset advised. “Often, it’s nature itself that provides the best cures. Mixed together in the right way, many of Equestria’s plants can be quite magical.” “Oh, okay,” Misty grinned as she gestured to the pile of ingredients. “Is this enough?” “Should be,” Sunset smiled. “We just need to wait until Izzy gets back with the book and the other ingredients before we add it.” As if on cue, Izzy and Zipp suddenly came through the door. “We’re here!” Izzy announced. “I can’t believe that some of these plants are going to heal Starlight.” “I just hope the flight to Bridlewood, and back was worth it,” Zipp sighed. “Did you get a look at the tree?” Pipp shouted. “Please tell me it’s a Together Tree like the others.” “It’s not the same,” Zipp sighed as Pipp entered the kitchen. “The two we grew have such vibrant coloured leaves and flowers; they look special. The Wishing Tree just has the same ordinary foliage as any other tree, just like I thought.” “So, do we need to grow one for the Unicorns?” Pipp asked. “Don’t know yet,” Zipp admitted. “I need to spend some more time going through everything.” “Sorry for pulling you away from your work Zipp,” Izzy sighed. “We just really needed the ingredients.” “And we need that book Izzy,” Sunset smiled. “Let’s get Starlight back on her hoofs, I hate how long we’ve left her in limbo.” “Oh, sure here you go,” Izzy replied as she bought not only the book but a basket of ingredients. “Isn’t it so convenient that it not only has the oil we need for burns but also the healing water too.” “Yes, very,” Sunset sighed. “Izzy, did you say there was a pestle and mortar, we’ll need one to squeeze out the oils from the flowers.” “Oh, yeah, I think there was one somewhere,” Izzy replied looking puzzled. “It’s a shame Sunny’s not here to help. She’ll know exactly where it is. Has she come down yet?” “No not yet,” Misty sighed. “I hope she does soon though.” “She will do when she’s ready,” Sunset replied. “Let’s focus on this for now.” “Okay sure,” Izzy sighed as she proceeded to spend the next five minutes looking in cupboards. Sometime later, Starlight head a knock on her door. Before she could reply, Sunset poked her head in and smiled. “Oh, good your awake.” “Kind of hard to sleep with all the noise downstairs,” Starlight smirked. “Where have you all been?” “Canterlot,” Sunset replied as she walked in, levitating some books. “What’s left of it anyway.” Behind her, Izzy and Misty followed. Izzy levitating a bowl of liquid and Misty a set of fresh dressings on a try. “I see you found some books then?” Starlight guessed. “Yep,” Izzy smiled. “You’ll be feeling better in no time.” “We wish you could have seen Canterlot,” Misty sighed. “It was amazing.” “The throne room is still there,” Sunset advised. “The public library is completely preserved as well, not sure how given the climate.” “Good to hear,” Starlight smiled before wincing as Izzy carefully started removing her old dressings. “Yeah, keep still,” Sunset advised. “I’ll try to take the edge off.” It took sometime but eventually Izzy and Misty had successfully removed Starlight’s dressings. Applied the healing balm they’d created, and reapplied new dressings that had first been soaked in the same balm. They headed back to the kitchen to make more balm for when the dressings needed to be reapplied. Excited that they were making a difference. “Feel better?” Sunset asked as she sat down. “Defiantly, I already feel more comfortable,” Starlight sighed. “So, find any other useful books?” “Certainly,” Sunset smiled. “But first, you need to see this one.” She turned the first book so Starlight could see the cover, she gasped as she recognised it. “The Scrapbook of Memories,” she gasped. “H…how? Does it work?” “Yep,” Sunset smiled. “I don’t know how given magic was removed from Equestria but it’s still working.” She opened it carefully and flipped through the first few pages, Starlight grinned with pride. “Looks bigger than I remember,” Starlight smiled. “Twilight said she wanted to add more to it.” “I think she has,” Sunset sighed. Starlight frowned but her expression softened at seeing Sunset’s concerned expression. “Seen something you shouldn’t have?” “Sort of,” Sunset admitted. “When I returned and saw Princess Celestia again. Twilight added a message after it that took me by surprise.” “Well, at least it wasn’t something you don’t remember,” Starlight winked. “You still need to add some to it yourself.” “I want to,” Sunset confirmed. “Even before seeing it here.” “We maybe ought not to dig too far into it,” Starlight smiled. “Leave that to Sunny.” “Agreed,” Sunset smiled. “Out of interest, have you written any books?” “No,” Starlight said with an inquisitive look. “Are you saying I should?” “Do you know anypony named Zecora or Sunburst?” Sunset asked with a smirk. “Well, Zecora lives in the Everfree forest and Sunburst is my Vice Headstallion and been my friend since we were fowls,” Starlight replied. “Why? Have they written books?” “You could say that,” Sunset replied. She placed the Scrapbook down to one side and then turned the next one for Starlight to see. “Zecora’s Compendium of Natures Greatest Remedies, wow so Zecora wrote a book?” Starlight smiled. “I did mention that she ought to actually.” “It’s got the remedies that we’ve used just now,” Sunset smiled. “Ha, I might have known,” Starlight grinned. “Zecora still helping ponies in the distant future. Who would have thought after how she was treated when she first came to Ponyville. Oh, that’s it, I’ve got to get onto her more about writing a book or two, maybe even help her.” “Now, this one will be very useful,” Sunset said as she moved to the next book. “But I don’t think you should read too much of it.” “Why?” Starlight asked as she read the cover. “Glimburst’s Anthology of Mystical Curios, Vol II. Who’s Glimburst? I don’t know anypony named Glimburst.” “Oh, but you do know a Sunburst,” Sunset winked. “So, we… Oh,” Starlight replied as the penny dropped. “Actually, he’s told me on a few occasions that he’d like help writing a spell book. He said he couldn’t decide which spells to include.” “Yeah, spoilers,” Sunset replied. “Looks like there’s a series of them, all with spells that could be useful for us to keep track of Opaline. Trouble is, I think I’ll need help casting them, a few are a tiny bit beyond my level now.” “And pain relief spells aren’t?” Starlight replied with a frown. “Those are quite advanced.” “Not when you sneaked into a restricted area to get one,” Sunset confessed. “What? I wasn’t a model student back then and had a monster migraine.” Starlight started laughing but it soon changed to a grunt of pain. “Okay, I think you’re overdoing it now,” Sunset sighed. “Hopefully a few days and you’ll be back on your hoofs.” “I know I’m going to sleep better now,” Starlight admitted. “I’m a lot more comfortable. Thanks Sunset,” “Don’t thank me,” Sunset replied. “Thank everypony, they all helped.” “I will do,” Starlight replied before drifting off to sleep. Sunset smiled before quietly excusing herself.

Mockingbirb

551790

Fluttershy,Other,Rainbow Dash,Spoiled Rich,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Drama,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Sex,Violence

Rainbow Dash Explains Wingboners to the Ponyville Writers Group

Rainbow Dash finds herself working as a 'sensitivity reader,' and tries to prevent a series of literary murders.

complete

<div class="bbcode-center" style="text-align:center"><p>Rainbow Dash finds herself working as a 'sensitivity reader,' and tries to prevent a series of literary murders.</p><hr/><p>_{(Cover image source: <a href="/blog/953175/mockingbirb-made-a-cover-image-by-editing-one-or-multiple-screencaps-from-my-little-pony-and-or-related-videos-or-mlp-comics" rel="nofollow">https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/953175/mockingbirb-made-a-cover-image-by-editing-one-or-multiple-screencaps-from-my-little-pony-and-or-related-videos-or-mlp-comics</a>)}</p></div>

teen

2024-02-19T17:24:15+00:00

2024-02-19T17:24:15+00:00

Rainbow Dash's wings beat lazily, keeping her a few hoofwidths above the ground. She reached out a forehoof to the manuscript on the table in front of her, and turned the page. "I'm not saying wingboners aren't real," the pegasus said. "But they're not a good murder weapon. In your story, you make it sound easy." Rainbow searched the page for the exact paragraph. "'Pam Patella gives Weather Knot a seductive look,' and pushes him off a cliff, and...I guess you're thinking he can't move his wings to fly, so he just falls to the bottom?" "I thought that was a great murder idea!" Spoiled Rich said. "But you don't like it?" "The thing about wingboners...well, it's not just ONE thing." Spoiled Rich blinked. "So I can't just change a word or two to fix it?" "I can tell you've never had a wingboner." "Well, of COURSE I haven't! I'm an earth pony. That's why I came to the Sensitivity Readers Group. So you could tell me how to fix my story." Rainbow Dash muttered, "We're SUPPOSED to be a WRITERS group. Not a SENSITIVITY group. And isn't ANYPONY EVER going to want to look at my Daring Dash fanfic?" "What?" "Nothing. The way wingboners work is, sometimes when another pony is very, very attractive...do you know how pegasi sexiness even works?" "You're ponies, right? So it's just pony sexiness." "We're ponies with WINGS. So wings are part of it." "But I've seen pegasi dating other kinds of ponies. So the wings can't be so important and great." Spoiled huffed. "And what does this have to do with fixing my story?" Rainbow insisted, "If you don't even understand what you're writing about, you'll just get everything wrong again on the next page anyway." Rainbow put her forehooves over her mouth. "Oh no. I sound EXACTLY like half my teachers did back in school." A purple unicorn trotted down the stairs into the library's main room. She giggled. "Now the horseshoe's on the other hoof, Dashie. I'm sure your teachers would feel so happy if they were here right now." Dash frowned at Twilight Sparkle. "If YOU think it's so funny, why don't YOU explain to Spoiled how wingboners work? And how they DON'T work." Twilight tried to look innocent. "I'm a unicorn, not a pegasus. Why would anypony think I could know anything about--" Dash interrupted. "Spoiled? Wings aren't the only way a pony can look attractive. But a nice set of wings can be very sexy, if you use them right. Pegasi have kind of an instinct, you could call it. When somepony is very, very sexy, sometimes a pegasus who sees the sexy pony really, really wants to...show off their wings. And that's what SOME PONIES call a wingboner." Spoiled Rich sighed. "So they just WANT to show off their wings? They don't HAVE to?" "I guess sometimes a young pegasus does have trouble stopping themself from spreading their wings, or trying to. To display their wings to somepony really hot." Rainbow grinned cockily. "But it can be embarrassing for the pony who does it. Sometimes it's hard for teenagers to get their bodies to do what they want them to. When I was a commuter student at Cloudsdale High, sometimes you could tell where I was in the schoolyard, just on account of all the young stallions spreading their wings as wide and as high as they could. If there was a sudden gust of wind, they might all blow away!" Rainbow laughed. Spoiled Rich bit her lip. "Being surrounded by a lot of young stallions...all spreading their wings at you. It sounds like it could be scary. Like being surrounded." Rainbow thought for a moment. "I guess it COULD be? But they lift their wings really high, too, so you're not really surrounded. You can just walk right underneath the wings. And it's not a fighting thing. When your wings are spread for display, it would be easy to break some feathers, or even the whole wing if there was a fight. That's one of the reasons I like Daring Do's books. Some other authors write about pegasi spreading their wings to scare ponies, or because the pegasus is afraid and is trying to look bigger. But real pegasi don't do that. It wouldn't make any sense at all!" "I'm really learning a lot today," Spoiled said. "So if somepony wanted to hurt a pegasus stallion's wing, she could act really sexy, and when the stallion's wings are spread out all stiff, she could attack him then." Rainbow's mouth screwed up. "I GUESS? But it's complicated. Since the stallion's wings are already spread, if somepony came at him with a weapon, he would probably just try to fly up, to get away. So it isn't so easy as you seem to think it is." "Oh! So when Vengeance Mare gives the pegasus stallion a wingboner, and she pushes him off the cliff--" "First of all, the wingboner spreads his wings far enough that he can glide to safety. But also, when he feels the air flowing over his wings from flying through the air, it unstiffens his wingboner. He can flap his wings and fly away." Spoiled eyed Rainbow's flapping wings. "So if a pegasus was afraid that she might get lots of wingboners, and she didn't want other ponies to see them, she might just keep flying all the time, so she would feel the air flowing over her wings--" Rainbow landed, folding her wings against her sides. "I just really like to fly, Spoiled Rich. But that IS the kind of insensitive thing you shouldn't say to a pegasus. Or write in a book about pegasi." Rainbow glared at Spoiled. "I think we're done for the day." "But what about the rest of the chapter--" "Done. Bye now!" Rainbow waggled one wing to usher Spoiled out of the library. She glared at the self-important earth pony. "Out!" Spoiled Rich picked up her manuscript and left. When it was just Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow flapped her wings to hover again. "Spoiled Rich wants to know all about how pegasus wings work, and how she could murder a pegasus. I don't trust her." Twilight could have spoken, but she didn't. Dash added, "Sure, maybe she just really likes mystery novels. But when somepony seems to spend all her time thinking about how to kill ponies, and how to find out secrets about them...don't you think that's kind of suspicious?" Twilight took a breath. "Maybe? I don't know. I don't know her very well." "I think I know her too well already." Rainbow shook her head. "Twilight, I think this whole sensitivity readers thing might have been a bad idea." Twilight's eyebrows shot up. "The whole thing? Would you prefer that ponies live in ignorance, and write hurtful stereotypes?" "Maybe. Now I think maybe it would be BETTER if all the books about pegasi were either written by pegasi, who know what painful topics NOT to mention, or were written by non-pegasi who don't know what they're talking about. Maybe I'm doing this all wrong. Maybe it's BETTER if somepony trying to murder a pegasus does it by trying to give the pegasus a wingboner and pushing her off a cliff. Because it won't work. And books with lots of funny mistakes are...funnier." Twilight sighed. "As a librarian, I'm committed to trying to share knowledge among ponies, and help ponies become better informed." "Well, sure...but maybe not TOO informed, if you know what I mean. Knowledge can be a...double-edged thing. Maybe some ponies SHOULD just be ignorant." Twilight moved her hip just slightly, as she gave Rainbow a seductive look. In the middle of a downstroke, Rainbow's flapping wings suddenly stiffened. The colorful-maned pegasus rose higher than she'd planned to, banging her head on a light fixture. "You MEANT to do that! Twilight, I ought to--" Twilight tried to look innocent. "Ought to what?" "Ought to make you preen both my wings. And maybe clean my bathtub." Twilight asked, "Can we get it dirty together first?" Rainbow dove and tackled her unicorn friend. "Let's mess up your mane!" "You know I don't really like--" "Messy mane for the egghead! Until she says she's sorry!" "Ok, ok! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you hit your head. But I wanted to remind you that knowledge doesn't HAVE to be used for evil. It can ALSO be used in ways that are naughty, but not really evil." "Not really evil? Pfft! You're evil. And naughty, too." Twilight pulled Rainbow's forehoof out of her own mane, and raised her head. Twilight moved her muzzle towards Rainbow's shoulder. "I suppose I do owe you a preening, my little feathermouse." Twilight moved her hip again, as she licked Rainbow's shoulder. Rainbow's wings spread wide and stiff. "No fair!" the pegasus said. "I guess now I owe you that preening even more." Twilight gripped a feather between her lips, and gently stroked her mouth along its length. "See? Isn't that better?" Rainbow softly moaned. "I'll take that as a yes. Wings must be so much work to care for. I guess that's why you get so tired and nap so much, Dashie. Either that or you're lazy?" Rainbow said, "Hay! Napping isn't laziness. It isn't just a waste of time." "No?" "Napping is when my muscles rebuild themselves to get stronger after I exercise. And if I'm lucky, sometimes I get to dream about you." Rainbow smiled at her marefriend. Twilight said softly, "I like to dream about you, too." The library door opened. Twilight drew back a step from Rainbow, and turned. "Welcome to the Ponyville Library!" As Rainbow folded her wings back against her side, she said, "Yeah, welcome. Books can be cool! Just so you know." A pony with her mane, tail, and coat dyed in splotches of red, black, red-black, and a washed out brownish color said, "Is this the writer's group? I'm working on a story about a half pegasus, half unicorn, half batpony, half apocalypse kirin, who gets persecuted all the time because nopony understands her." "Well," Twilight said. "I think the writer's group WAS here. But it just ended." "No problem! I'll just wait here until they come back. Or...you're a librarian, right? So you can help me answer my questions?" Rainbow smirked at Twilight. Better you than me, the smirk seemed to say. Twilight flashed a smile so fake and forced, if it had been a diamond it might have been an obvious, dull forgery. But at least nopony would have seen right through it, because it would have looked more like an opaque gray pebble than a gem. "I can try! What kinds of questions do you have?" "Just how much extra earth would an earth pony have to be, before she could command plants to act as weapons of war? And to do other things, too? I think my MALicorn character needs a friend: ANOTHER pony who nopony understands because 'Dark Rose' isn't just EARTH, she's SUPER-EARTH." Dashie joked, "If nopony understands either of them, how do they understand each other?" "Oh! I'm so glad you're interested! They have SO MANY funny misunderstandings. Like when Dark Rose commands vines to grow really big, and grab all the ponies in town, and do dark evil things to them..." Rainbow had a story idea herself. "I think I have a weather thing I have to do. A meeting in the clouds." A nap was a one-pony meeting, right? Rainbow turned to Twilight. "YOU still owe me a favor. You little headbanger." Twilight said, "I'll do the best I can." She puckered her lips slightly for a second or two, in what Rainbow could recognize as a mere suggestion of a wing preening gesture. Rainbow waggled her eyebrows. "What time do you get off work?" "The library closes at five. There'll be a little tidying and sorting after that...how about half past five?" "Where do you want to meet?" Twilight whispered into Dashie's ear, "I want to practice my cloud walking spell. Pick me up at half past? And I mean 'pick me up' LITERALLY. Use your wings." Even as she still hovered, Rainbow's wings quivered. "I can hardly wait." *** The same time next week, Rainbow Dash and Twilight both dreaded the arrival of Spoiled Rich. Dash, because she was sure Spoiled was writing a murder manual to teach ponies how to kill pegasi. Twilight, because she wasn't sure Dash's suspicions were wrong. When the door opened, both ponies were surprised. "Fluttershy?" Fluttershy said softly, "Hi." She frowned. "I hear you two are interested in writing novels. Spoiled Rich is too, and she keeps coming to my cottage to talk to me about it. I have to take care of the animals, so I can't really run away from her." Rainbow snorted. "That sounds terrible." "She keeps asking me a lot of strange questions," Fluttershy said. "Mostly about different ways pegasi could die and it might look like an accident. And she keeps asking me if there's anything wrong with her story, but I can tell she doesn't really want to hear what's wrong with it." "So when she asks you, what do you do?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy sighed. "Mostly I don't criticize anything. She tells me how she wants to write her story, and shows it to me, and I say I guess it seems fine. That seems to make her happy, and she goes away sooner, instead of arguing with me." Twilight and Dashie both understood. Surely anypony would prefer that Spoiled Rich go away sooner. "But not everything about the book was bad," Fluttershy said. "I did like part of the ending." "Really?" Twilight asked. "How does it end?" Fluttershy smiled slyly. "That would be cheating, to tell you the ending before you even read the book." Twilight said, "I've read...PARTS of the book?" Fluttershy shook her head. "I promised not to tell." "Well...ok." *** Several weeks later, Spoiled visited the Writers Group again. Spoiled bragged gleefully, "You didn't seem to really like my book, Rainbow. But I'll have you know, I found a publisher who accepted it!" Twilight said uncertainly, "Um...congratulations?" "And it isn't just ANY publisher. It's a PEGASUS publisher, in Cloudsdale. It's run by two very nice unicorns named Flim & Flam." "Wow," Twilight said. "That's just...amazing." Rainbow grumbled, "Unbelievable." "Oh, it's true! Look, I can even give you samples." Spoiled dumped several copies of the book on a table. "Well, taa-taa! I have a lot more places to go and gloat about my new book deal!" When Spoiled had left, Twilight walked over to the table. She touched the book cautiously, as if she thought it might be booby-trapped. She opened it. The spine cracked noisily, and a page popped partway out of the binding. Rainbow's eyebrows rose. "I know I'm not a real egghead. But should a book really break when you open it? Do you think maybe Spoiled didn't even open any of these?" "Why should she? I assume she already knows what's in them." Twilight turned the page carefully, taking care not to let the page fall the rest of the way out. "Clouds of Savagery." "What?" "That's the title of the story. Clouds of Savagery." "Um...sure! I knew that! I just thought she might have changed it. Or written some OTHER book to get published, maybe a book that isn't terrible." Twilight started reading the book aloud. "Prequelogue: Rain Without Tears. "Vengeance Mare had disguised herself with the finest false wings, purchased from a gray market fancy dress shop in Manehattan. She hoped none of the monstrous creatures around her, also called pegasi, would see through the illusion." Rainbow blinked. "As Applejack might say...that's just sockdarned WEIRD. A pegasus publisher PRINTED this?" "Instead of walking directly to her destination, Vengeance Mare was forced to go the long way around. Otherwise she would fall into one of the battle pits where young pegasi were forced to fight to the death upon turning twelve years old...the losers to be crushed and processed into cat food and rainbow juice." "What." "Vengeance heard an echo behind her, hoofsteps distorted into sickeningly squelchy noises by the wet, oozy cloudtop." Rainbow snorted. "I've never seen this prequely part. Do you think Spoiled showed it to Fluttershy? How did Fluttershy keep a straight face?" Twilight shrugged. "Fluttershy is kind of a quiet pony, you know? I guess she didn't want to get into an argument." Rainbow laughed. "Sounds like Spoiled Rich found the perfect sensitivity reader for HER. Somepony too shy to speak up or complain." "I guess you're right. But as I was saying...Vengeance spun to confront her pursuer. The pegasus stallion reared up, spreading his wings to block the brave earth mare's escape." Rainbow grimaced. "As if." "Vengeance reached out with a single hoof, using her superior earth pony strength to kick the pegasus hundreds of hoofwidths, all the way to the nearby death pit. At the bottom of the pit, dozens of savage foals swarmed over the wicked stallion, attacking him with their wingblades and nosespicks." "With their WHAT?" "Hush, you're interrupting this AMAZING STORY." Twilight giggled. Rainbow laughed so hard her shoulders shook and her wings unfolded, lifting her into the air. "THIS was published? Somepony must be playing a huge prank on Spoiled." Dash added, "Maybe it gets better. Or maybe just even funnier." Twilight read aloud: "Vengeance Mare looked down into the pit, smiling with satisfaction. 'So shall all suffer, who dare to oppose me with their evil schemes!' She turned and walked away, thinking about her next move to stop the Weather Mafia's wicked crimes." Twilight blinked. "'The Weather Mafia?' Oh well, maybe it will make more sense if we keep reading." As the story contined, Vengeance Mare left a streak of havoc and destruction across Cloudsdale. *** Vengeance Mare drowned the argumentative Weather Boss in a vat of rainbow juice, dyeing his hideous face, mane, and tail in colorful stripes as he expired. Vengeance Mare shouted, "That's what happens to stubborn pegasi who won't grant a perfectly reasonable request to change the weather schedule for the most important garden party of the season! You ruined everything, so now I've RUINED YOUR FACE." "Hey, Rainbow! I think she's still mad at you about last summer." Rainbow sighed. "This is getting kind of boring. Spoiled Rich really hates pegasi, I get it." *** Vengeance Mare pulled the cork out of the cloud upon which all of Cloudsdale was built, letting the air leak out. The cloud started to sink. Vengeance jumped off the side of the cloud, using hundreds of parakeets tied to strings (the same parakeets she'd rescued from the exotic wildlife smuggler, Bird Thief, earlier in the story.) The birds kept her aloft as the cloud fell faster and faster, crashing into the ground far below. Everypony in Cloudsdale died from the crash. "At last," the disaster's sole survivor said, "vengeance is mine." In a different typeface, the story continued. Vengeance Mare was so happy about her victory. She cheered so loud. The noise frightened the parakeets. Hundreds of little bird poops fell on Vengeance's head. Vengeance woke up. But she wasn't a supervillain or a murderer. She was an ordinary pony in her own bed. "Yuck," the pony said. "Whatever I ate last night, it sure didn't agree with me. What a stupid dream." The pony rolled over and went back to sleep. This time she had a better dream, about punching a criminal gang of Diamond Dogs. They had ponynapped a friend of hers, so punching them seemed like a good idea. "Wow," Rainbow said. "They kept it." "Kept what?" "When Spoiled loaned me her manuscript to read, I added an extra page onto the end. It was the only way I could think of to help the rest of the story make any sense, without making all those other changes that Spoiled didn't want to make." Rainbow scratched her mane. "Also, I thought it would be a funny way to end the story. And every story should have at least one good part." Rainbow scratched her mane again. "I told Spoiled to take a look at it, but maybe she wasn't listening. And she never said anything to me about it later." Twilight said, "It was all a dream? That's the most overused dumb ending that any hack writer ever copied from the other hack writers." "But they used it, didn't they? And don't you think the part with the parakeets was good? All pooping on her head?" Twilight sighed. "It was fine. It was the happy ending that story truly deserved. No, it was even better than it deserved." "I know!" Rainbow agreed. "It really makes the story cooler." *** Rainbow Dash walked into Ponyville's public library. "Hay, Twilight! Has A. K. Yearling's latest book arrived yet?" Twilight sighed. "No, not yet." "I wonder what the holdup is." "It isn't the only book we haven't received on time, either. But I DO have the latest issue of 'Publishing Industry News.'" Twilight tapped an article with her forehoof. "A. K. Yearling book's publication is again delayed because, as one production manager says, 'Spoiled Rich's new book is more profitable. We just can't print copies of it fast enough.' All the printing presses in Cloudsdale are tied up printing more copies of Spoiled Rich's surprise smash hit." Of course, the delay peeved Rainbow to no end. *** Twilight decided she wanted to visit Pegasus Publishing Row in Cloudsdale, to personally investigate...and complain. Rainbow thought this was the best idea she'd heard all year. "Yeah, Twilight! Somepony should go tell them Yearling's books are IMPORTANT!" Two days later, Twilight and Rainbow went to Cloudsdale. Twilight led the way to Brass Plated Press, where the unicorn librarian asked to see a copy of Spoiled Rich's contract. Twilight read the document, and scowled. "Rainbow...this is a subsidy publisher contract. It's also known as vanity publishing." Rainbow huffed. "Spoiled is the most conceited pony I've ever met. So if they're paying her EVEN MORE for being vain...I guess that makes sense." "That's not what I mean, Dashie. A professional author gets paid MORE if she sells more books. The publisher would pay her." Dashie sighed. "As if Spoiled Rich wasn't rich enough." "But this contract is different! Every time the publisher prints another copy of her book and sells it, Spoiled Rich has to pay the PUBLISHER more bits, for 'marketing fees,' 'promotion expense multipliers,' 'machinery rental,' and 'printing plate wear charges.' Even for a vanity press, this deal is really bad." "Wait. That doesn't make any sense." The publisher's representative said, "I assure you, this is a standard contract." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. A standard swindle, I think you mean." "I don't appreciate your language, young mare." Twilight turned to Rainbow. "I think we've seen enough." She said to the representative, "Maybe my language was too harsh. The truth is, this deal interests me very much. Could I have a second copy of this contract for my lawyer to look at? I mean, if you don't think there's anything dishonest or wrong about it." The representative reached up with one forehoof to adjust his tie, as if he found it a little tight. "Certainly. I believe your lawyer will be able to assure you it is, indeed, a standard style of contract in the subsidy publishing industry. If anything, it's somewhat more favorable than what SOME publishers would offer you." Twilight smiled. "How interesting! May I take the unsigned copy?" "I suppose, on one condition. If you decide you really do want to have your memoirs or any other work of literary quality published in first rate paper and binding...please consider us at your service." "Thank you again." Twilight shook forehooves with the rep. "And thank you for your time, Greasy Sheaf." The rep smiled. "You're welcome." Afterwards, on the streets of Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash said, "Are you going to let him get away with that? Or IS he getting away with anything? I'm confused." Twilight shrugged. "I think the way it works is, the publishing house prints as many copies as they can of Spoiled's new novel. And for every copy of the book, Spoiled becomes just a little poorer. I guess the question is, for how long can Spoiled and Filthy Rich afford this, even if they ARE rich?" Rainbow snorted angrily. "The problem is, all the printing presses are so busy printing Spoiled's stupid book! So the latest Daring Do book, which ISN'T stupid, has been put off until...I don't even know when." "Yes," Twilight agreed. "That IS the problem. Commercial considerations and a way to make easy bits have driven quality literature out of the marketplace." "So you ADMIT that Daring Do is quality literature!" "Sure. I really like her books. And consider the competition." Twilight waved a forehoof vaguely back towards the Brass Plated Press offices. Dashie laughed. "What competition." *** The school's basement was dark, noisy, and spattered with printer's ink. "Pipsqueak?" Cheerliee asked. "Is that you under all that ink? And what are you doing?" The small, inky pony flashed a grin. "A printing press is like a way to mint bits right now. We're printing copies of Spoiled Rich's novel, under contract to Brass Plated Press. And Rainbow Dash helped us get another deal, to do an advance print run of the next Daring Do book, for book reviewers to read before it goes into general sales. On account of SOMEPONY should print Daring Do." "Hmm," Cheerilee said. "Have you READ Spoiled's book?" "No. The publisher had somepony make the plates for us, on account of I said we were very busy with schoolwork and I don't know how to spell very well. And Rainbow Dash said 'Clouds of Savagery' is a bunch of lies and garbage, and we shouldn't read it. But we HAVE been sneaking peeks at the latest Daring Do book. It's pretty good!" Cheerilee nodded. "I think I agree with Rainbow Dash. I'm glad she turns out to have some literary taste." *** For the first few weeks after "Clouds of Savagery" came on the market, even while thousands of pegasi all over Cloudsdale and beyond were buying copies to laugh at, almost every reviewer in Equestria tried to ignore it. Maybe they hoped that if they ignored it, it would just go away. But one day, that changed. Rarity walked into the library. "I almost used this to line Opal's catbox." Twilight looked up from the book she was reading. "What is it?" "It's a page from the Canterlot Courier, with a book review. Reviewing a local Ponyville author." "Clouds of Savagery" hilariously parodies the ignorance and idiocy of racism. This book is a surprise bestseller all across Cloudsdale, where it seems everypony is laughing their wings off. If everypony in Cloudsdale did literally lose their wings, that would probably please the novel's bigoted protagonist, a sort of crudely cartoonish supervillain who hates pegasi. Spoiler: it isn't until the last page that the masquerade ends, and we learn the author truly is in on the joke. So if you despair of a happy ending, be assured that the novel finally delivers. Twilight went to the library's periodicals section, and unfolded more newspapers. "Help me look for more reviews, Rarity?" "Certainly." The unicorns checked different papers and magazines. The reviewers were unanimous on one thing: "Clouds of Savagery" was a harsh critique of racism's stupidity. But some reviewers thought the parody was TOO harsh. Surely nopony could be so very stupid? And didn't over a hundred pages of such unrelenting idiocy become tiresome? A few reviewers feared that somewhere in Equestria, there might be some pony stupid enough to not get the joke. But probably not many. A minute later, Spoiled walked into the library. "Hello, Spoiled Rich," Rarity said politely. She levitated the Courier page she'd brought with her to the library. "A Canterlot newspaper reviewed your book today." "Finally! Some proper press coverage. Now I'll be even MORE famous. I trust you can spare this. After all, I already gave you a copy of my book." After Spoiled walked out the door, Rarity said, "I don't believe she ever did give me a copy of her book. Not that I would want to READ it, but, even so..." "It would still be nice if she'd offered? Or at least hadn't taken credit for something she'd never done?" "Oh...it's not a big deal, really. I didn't need that page of the newspaper." Twilight nodded. "But it would be nice, if she would say thank you." Spike toddled out from under a table, where he had been napping earlier. "Or even please." Rarity smiled at the baby dragon. "Yes, Spikey-Wikey. If only her manners were as good as yours, darling." Spike's face lit up with a big smile. "Thank you, Rarity." "You're welcome, you cute little creature." Twilight whispered to Rarity, "If you keep talking to him like that, you might encourage him." "Encourage him to do what? To continue cultivating good manners?" "Maybe he'll get a crush on you." "Pish-tosh. You're worrying about nothing, Twilight dear." Rarity added more audibly, "Spike, Twilight, it's been a pleasure visiting, but now I should go back to work." After Rarity left, Spike said, "Wow. Ponyville has a best-selling author." Twilight sighed. "That book is trash, Spike. If Rainbow Dash hadn't added a new ending, it probably wouldn't even have been good enough for ponies to buy it to laugh at." Spike nodded. "I hear writing good comedy is hard." Twilight shook her head. "Spike...maybe you'll understand better when you're older. Until then, the main thing you need to understand is, 'Clouds of Savagery' is full of nasty hate and lies. It's insulting to pegasi." "Ok," Spike agreed. "I'll remember that." Twilight sighed with a little spark of contentment. Somepony trusted her opinions about a book, instead of arguing with her. If only the rest of Ponyville could be like Spike. *** The next day, Spoiled Rich visited the library again. After Twilight greeted her, Spoiled looked around, searching every corner of the library to make sure that she and Twilight were alone. Finally, she spoke. "Twilight...does this library have any copies of my book?" Twilight tried to be tactful. "You gave me and Rainbow copies, but you didn't say anything about adding them to the library's collection. I thought maybe they were just personal copies." Spoiled nodded. "Did the library BUY any copies?" "I guess I never put in an order for any. Do you think I should have?" Spoiled shook her head. "Even though the publisher sold a lot of copies in Cloudsdale and other pegasus cities...they've decided not to try to sell the book in most of Equestria. They think too many ponies won't understand it." Twilight thought about how many bits Spoiled must have lost from the Cloudsdale sales alone. "They could be right." "Maybe. But they've really messed up on some OTHER decisions. Do you know they changed part of my book without even asking me? They practically ruined it!" Twilight took a deep breath. "Do you mean the ending? How Vengeance Mare wakes up, and it was all a dream, and she says it was stupid?" Spoiled nodded. "How DARE they? Who do they think they are?" Twilight took another slow, deep breath. She exhaled, and inhaled again. "Spoiled, what do you think it would be like if other ponies decided they hated pegasi enough to want them dead? How many ponies do you think might suffer before it was over? How many innocent ponies might be hurt?" Spoiled snorted. "I suppose next you're going to tell me the Windigos will come back." Twilight shrugged. "Most ponies thought Nightmare Moon was a silly story to scare children. But I guess those ponies were wrong." She gave Spoiled a hard look. "Do you ever wonder how much work goes into holding back monsters and disasters that you might never have really thought about? Into keeping them from doing something terrible to Equestria? "Spoiled, I can tell you this. Without the help of pegasi like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, the attempt to stop Nightmare Moon would have failed. You and I would be shivering and starving in eternal night. I guess you can never understand how much I appreciate those pegasi for helping to save us." Spoiled grimaced. She said begrudgingly, "I think my publisher might have made the best decision, not to sell my book in most of Equestria." Twilight said, "I think so too. I'm glad you understand. Or at least I hope you understand." Spoiled Rich nodded. She turned around, and walked out of the library. After the door closed, Twilight released a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. Equestria wasn't ever completely SAFE. But at least the latest danger had been mostly contained, and transformed into a harmless joke. Or so Twilight hoped. Addendum (A Warning to Authors): Greasy Sheaf lied! A contract that makes the author lose MORE money every time another copy of the book is sold is NOT "a standard style of contract in the subsidy publishing industry."

Seer

551796

Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Horror,Romance,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Tilt

There's something wrong with Luna's bed. Twilight is sure of it.

complete

<p>There's something wrong with Luna's bed. Twilight is sure of it. </p><hr/><p>A commission for my mate <a href="/user/220131/Zontan" rel="nofollow">Zon</a> from a fundraiser for a friend we did a while back. The request was for 'Luna/Twilight romantic horror'</p>

teen

2024-02-19T19:04:05+00:00

2024-02-19T19:04:05+00:00

Twilight leant in and captured Luna’s lips in her own. The taste was sweet, almost surprisingly so for someone like the princess. Many would probably imagine her to be an uptight, austere sort of mare. Twilight knew differently, however. She tasted of strawberry lip gloss, smelled of mint chocolate. Classy, timeless sensations mixed with impudent notes so unbecoming of a princess. But Twilight got to know the princess in a way that no one else could. Twilight got to kiss her and taste the nape of her neck and smell her hair. Twilight got to… Twilight was… Twilight stopped reciprocating the kiss. Twilight wouldn’t need to take long. Twilight just had to make sure. “Luna… wait, wait,” Twilight said, gently placing a hoof on her lover’s chest and pushing her away slightly. The princess frowned, looking concerned, but simultaneously not best pleased with the interruption. “I’m sorry I just… I have to ask like… is this okay? Do you like this?” “Twight,” the princess began, gaze softening, “I already told you this, if I had an issue I’d tell you, okay?” “Alright, I just…” Twilight said trailing off for a moment as she struggled to gather her scattered thoughts, “I just worry you’re just saying that, you know?” “Twilight, you need to listen to me, alright?” Luna began, firmly but not unkindly, “I’m telling you everything’s fine, remember what we talked about? About getting out of your own head a bit?” “Yeah, yeah I know” Twilight replied, and leant in again to kiss Luna. It felt beautiful, life-affirming and sensual and intoxicating all at the same time. Twilight pushed forward and Luna gasped, before pushing forward in turn. Hooves were tangled in hair and dragged across flanks and came to rest on cutie marks, cupping curves and tracing lines and the whole time… Something just felt… It was the bed. Twilight broke the kiss and looked down at the mattress. And in her chest it felt like something was clawing her up because all she wanted to do was stop all this and get back to rolling around with a beautiful mare. Who wouldn’t? Who wouldn’t want that? Twilight wanted that. But who could focus on such things while this bed was so obviously not level? “When was the last time you had your bed looked at?” Twilight asked without looking up. “What do you mean?” Luna replied, audibly confused, “I don’t think I’ve ever had my bed ‘looked at’, Twilight. Is that something ponies do these days?” “There’s something wrong,” Twilight replied, climbing off the mattress and pushing her snout underneath the bed. "Twilight, there's nothing wrong with the bed," Luna sighed, before her voice took on a conspicuously gentle tone, "Is everything alright? If you're stressed out we don't have to-" "I'm fine," Twilight insisted, because it was true. She was fine, she was enjoying being with Luna, and she wanted more than anything to just be able to climb back into her lover’s hooves and lay there, without a care in the world. But it was this bed. There was something wrong, she could feel it. She lit her horn, giving her some illumination to see the frame. It looked normal, so the issue must have been very slight. So Twilight muttered an incantation under her breath, and felt her magic begin to scan the furniture. All she had to do was find what was making the bed feel so crooked, and then she could get back to normal. Everything would be fine when she found out what was making the bed crooked. The mattress shifted above her as Luna climbed down too. "I'm going to get you a drink of water," she announced, and Twilight felt her insides churn at the sadness and worry in Luna’s voice. Who could blame her, having to deal with having a bed that was so crooked and warped. It must have been torture. The spell returned its results, and Twilight frowned. It was telling her the bed was normal. A little old, granted. Maybe with a few areas that were getting a bit strained. But still, the spell was telling her it was perfectly flat. Perfectly level. That was not right. Twilight stepped back, took a steadying breath that came out far too shaky, and cast the spell again. Then she cast the spell again. There was something wrong with it. Twilight knew there was something wrong and she didn’t think it was abnormal to get frustrated when everything insisted on pretending there wasn’t. "Twilight-" Luna called from the adjoining room, only for Twilight to cut her off. "Just a minute." There was something wrong with this bed, and if there was something wrong, she had to work out what. It couldn't just be left. What was the alternative? Leaving Luna with a crooked bed? Sleeping every night on decaying foundations until it broke underneath her? What if the frame split at the right angle to form a spear of rotted wood which would puncture the princess’ throat, leaving her choking to death on her own blood. No one would think about something like that, but Twilight did. Twilight had to specifically because no one else ever did. She wondered what it was like to live like that? It was probably like living with a perfectly level bed. Neither her, nor Luna, apparently had that luxury. Twilight lit her horn and flipped the entire thing over, she needed to get a better look at whatever was causing this issue. Twilight looked over the legs of the bed. Twilight frantically measured them and then measured again when her measurements told her they were all the same length. Twilight felt like her brain was full of hornets and her chest was bubbling with fuming sulfuric acid. Twilight wanted to get back into bed with Luna. Twilight just wanted a break. Twilight didn't deserve a break. Twilight measured the bed, and then she shook it a little when the measurements were all the same. And then she picked it up with her magic and put it back down again. No wonder Luna was shuffling around, audibly nervous in the other room. She had a tilted bed, practically sleeping stood up all night every night for the way it bent in such unnatural ways. And the poor thing couldn’t even see it. Can you imagine living like that? Twilight imagined little else when she was alone. It seemed alien. It seemed like it was scarcely approximate to living, not in her experience. It seemed like something out of a children’s book, a creation myth, a fable, less something written and more something passed over campfires and changed with every recounting. It seemed like fucking paradise. But luckily for Luna, Twilight could see it all, and she would see it no matter how slight, or how minor, no matter how much she wanted to never see it again. Twilight picked the bed up with her magic again, and then put it down. And then Twilight picked it up once more, before putting it down again. And then she picked it up and slammed it back down until the wood shook and groaned and cracked and splintered and she scratched at the wound in her mind until it festered. She hit it on the floor again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again. Maybe if she kept doing this her spell would be able to finally tell that the fucking thing wasn’t level. Twilight only stopped when she felt dark, blue wings wrap around her. "It's alright… it's okay," Luna soothed, stroking Twilight's back with a hoof. "I just want it to stop, just for a bit," Twilight muttered into her lover's chest. "I know, sweetheart," Luna replied. Twilight dearly wished she could say something that would fix all this. That could wrap everything in a neat bow. But it didn't work like that. Instead, she pulled away, in hopes to find some comfort in the smile she knew Luna would give her. And when their eyes met, Twilight was right. Luna's expression was one of pure love and concern, something warm to get lost in. And she was smiling. But Twilight's brain still itched. Because Luna's smile looked crooked.

No one is home

551801

DJ P0N-3,Starlight Glimmer,Trixie,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Comedy,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death,Gore,Profanity,Violence

The Happy Hotel

Welcome to hell! Just because your here doesn't mean you have to be a bad pony. Let me tell you about this fantastic new hotel...

incomplete

<p>Welcome to hell! Just because your here doesn't mean you have to be a bad pony. Practically everypony in the multiverse shows up here, at least twice. Let me tell you about this fantastic new hotel...<br/>Fair warning. Charlie is my OC because I paid myself $50K to write a self insert Helluverse Pony fanfic. and my actual name really is Charlie...</p>

teen

2024-02-19T21:49:40+00:00

2024-02-19T21:49:39+00:00

This is hell. My head hurts, a lot. “You just got shot in the head.” A fucking white unicorn with a two tone electric blue mane and tale. Why would it not be Vinyl Scratch? “Welcome to hell.” “That–” I flail my hooves? “--happened?” “Yes, you were murdered and sent to hell.” She smiles a little too wide. “Welcome to Pony Vale.” I vomit,then I vomit again and then it just keeps happening as the snakes all come out. All speaking at once. The more voices, the more snakes erupt, never really expelled. I am literally drowning in my own insecurity. The unicorn looks at me sadly. And three snakes emerge above the din. “We are in Hell?” “I saw this coming.” “Ponyvale? Is that the name you’re going with?” “Why am I here?” I roar with all of my snakes. “I think we did the best we could.” “We know what we did.” “It should be a secret.” My contrarian serpent tongues argue. “I’m trying to help you!” The mare with blue mane and the really great DJ visor… She should be right – my hooves clinch up and I want to punch her. I see her for what she is. “Divide!” “Conquer!” “Hate!” My snakes respond, echoing my inner voice. The mare glitched, just a little, her physicality stretching in a direction that didn’t exist for just a blink of an eye “This is about you.” The mare sneered and just lied a little and looked into a camera she couldn’t see… “Are we having fun yet?” “What are you?” The snakes in my mouth echo my thoughts. “Just a damned soul, just like you.” The white mare grinned manically as hypnotic swirls formed in her eyes. “Don’t ask ‘who’ I am… you’re not ready for that big guy, not yet. Call me Legion, for I am many. Legion Scratch, at your service.” “Okay…” I’m still getting used to the snakes talking for me. “Do I know you?” “Nope!” For one full second she’s standing beside herself in two different places, I swear. “You don’t ever know me. But I know you… and saying that… it’s weird to ask, but what is your name?” “I… don’t know.” I scrape my hoof at the ground, failing to remember. “No Name it is then.” The pretty mare swats me in the face with her tail, eliciting a scowl. “How did I get here?” I try to whisper through the lesser snakes, shouted down by three voices. “Liar!” “We know what we did!” “I’m not really even ashamed of it.” “You’re a liar, big guy.” Scratch laughs musically, invading person space by a lot. “That’s how I always know it’s really you. You always come out of the gate with you’re snake tongues, and honestly if I didn’t know you were an ace in the whole, this would be a different conversation. “Seriously?” I try to say. But the big three snakes shout over me. “No!” “Nope!” “Maybe!” “Yeah, big boy, maybe later.” The cruel mare sneers. “Right now we gotta get you off the street.” “Why are you doing this, why are you helping me?” I actually manage to say. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” She responds with a wink. “How do you know me?" The snakes hiss. “How don’t you know me!” She flickers into pixels and suddenly for another eye blink there’s three of her. “Do you think this is easy for me?!?! Every damn time we have this same talk!” “I’m sorry?” My snakes hiss the only words they have. It elicits an annoyed huff from the unicorn. “Of course you're sorry, you're always sorry. It would mean more if you actually knew what you were sorry for.” The wink she shoots me mixes all the signals. “Keep talking big guy. And keep following my flank. We’re almost there.” “Where are we going?” The snakes whisper. I gotta admit I’m kinda curious myself. “Back to the hotel, same as always.” She rolls her eyes, tone rife with frustration. “We used to have fun, you know? Being strangled in a fit of rage is one of my kinks… oh don’t blush like that, I had it coming. You were always the big bad good guy. Stopping whatever I got up to. Then we both ended up here. And you remember none of it.” Suddenly we’re walking through a double door, and my companion shouts. “HEY! GLIM GLAM! I found him again!” A lilac filly in a goth-girl dress with twin ponytails gallops uncomfortably close. “Welcome back Mister…” There’s an awkward pause, before Scratch cut’s in. “It’s still No Name, or Hey You prolly works, too. Just call him Big Guy, or just Whatever.” “Unamed.” “Unamed.” “Unamed!” The serpents chorus. “Yeah, I remember that.” The filly smiles openly. “And I understand that you don’t remember that, or me or… well any of this.” “We remember!” “We want to forget!” “I’ll talk about it, but I’ll make it weird!” I recoil as my snakes answer without my will, as I speak without having a voice. “Yeah, please don’t do that…” The lilac filly smiles broadly. “Yeah, you wandered off, picked another fight… and got killed again. And everytime you do that, this happens. And it upsets Scratch…” “Not as much as you’d think.” The white mare shouts from across the hotel lounge. “Honestly, it’s a little cathartic, given our history.” “Did you explain where he is this time?” Glim Glam sighs, heavily. “Look I did that twice.” Scratch rolls her eyes. “Honestly, it’s depressing, and I’m not the one running a hotel to make us all be good ponies… or whatever.” “You’re name is Charlie, you are in hell, you wander off and die a lot. And the Great and Powerful Trixie needs coffee before she deals with you! How many times do I have to ask that you don’t drag him back before noon. He’ll be perfectly fine where you found him for three more hours.” The gray-scaled mare stumbles down the stairs into the lobby. The huge red X over where her left eye should be seeming to float ominously over her face. “Dammit Trixie! Do you have to be a bitch about it?” Scratch shouts as I contemplate my own name, honestly I would not have guessed Charlie. “I don’t know, Xerox. Do you have to bring him back at nine in morning, before I have my coffee?” The X-eyed unicorns snaps back. “He’s not going to be any more amnesiatic if you wait three hours. And now we have to worry about who he pissed off this time who was actually able to kill him! Do you remember last month when he got drunk and picked a fight with the entire Rainbow Cupcake District? We had to fight off an entire gang of demonic Pinkamenas.” “That was less fun than it sounds like.” Scratch shrugs and gives me a dirty look. “So, she at least told you that you were dead and in hell right?” Glim Glam smiles adorably. “Yeah I kinda noticed…” I mean yeah, am starting to suspect. “Well that’s something!” The lilac filly smiles even more broadly. “Yes! You are in hell after what I assume was a lifetime of sin! Most of the multiverse goes here, it seems.” “Why are you bothering, Glimmy?” The greyscale mare who calls herself Trixie interceeds. “I give him two weeks tops this time. He can’t reform if he doesn’t even know what he’s supposed to be reforming from!” “Anyway… do you prefer Charlie or No Name?” The cheerful filly soldiers on. “Whatever you call me I guess…” I shrug. She looks disappointed. “Okay, if that’s how you want it… the point is that hell is forever, but that doesn’t mean it has to be horrible, or that you have to be horrible. I know you don’t remember, but you came to the Happy Hotel because you wanted a chance to be a better pony and live your best life in hell.”

ImNew2023

551803

Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rainbow’s Question

Rainbow asked Celestia a question.

complete

<p>Rainbow goes to Canterlot to ask Celestia why she’s so useless against the slew of villains that face off agains the Elements.</p>

everyone

2024-02-19T22:09:32+00:00

2024-02-19T22:09:31+00:00

Having travelled to Canterlot, the Element of Loyalty Rainbow Dash sought an audience with the ruler of the lands Princess Celestia. Unfortunately for her, there was a three hour line of other ponies who also sought an audience. But her mission was of the utmost importance to her. So Rainbow endured the mind numbing time in line. Luckily there was a royal heydog stand which circled the line every hour. Eventually she got to the front of the line. Looking into the eyes of the Princess of the Sun, Rainbow felt a renewed energy course through her veins. “Ah Rainbow Dash, a pleasant surprise. How may I help you?” Celestia said, greeting the thrice saviour of Equestria. At long last it was her time. Rainbow took in a deep breath, the question that had plagued her for so long finally being able to be asked. “Princess Celestia. How come everytime Equestria is attacked by the villain of the week you do nothing?” She asked. The room, once filled with various muttering ponies waiting for their turn to speak with the princess, now fell silent. Even the breath of the room’s occupiers could be heard over the defining lack of noise. “I’m. I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but could you please explain?” Celestia asked. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, you beat most of these jerks a thousand years ago. But when they came back you rather weren’t there or got taken out easily. What gives? You’re immortal so you didn’t get older, you’ve been at your peak for a millenia. Why is it always down to Twilight and the rest of us to save the day?” Rainbow explained. Murmurings began to fill the room, calls for the royal executioner, followed by murmuring about how such a thing didn’t exist, followed by even more murmuring about how there should be such a thing. “Could everypony leave Rainbow Dash and I alone for a moment please?” Celestia requested from the rest of the guests. Obeying without another word, the rest of the guests, along with the guards left the room. Now alone with her monarch, Rainbow prepared herself for some kind of berating. Something similar to what she’d get from Rarity for not wearing a dress at some fancy pants gala or Twilight for classifying Daring Do as “historical fiction” It was cooler than 80% of Equestrian history so she stood her ground in that. Rising from her throne, Celestia gracefully trotted down to the pegasus mare. Having to crane her neck upwards to look the white alicorn in the eyes, Rainbow’s mind began racing with ways to escape her now inevitable exile to the moon. “Could I make a rocket out of rocks? Wait, what would I power it with? Other rocks?” Rainbow thought to herself. Looking into the majestic eyes of Celestia, Rainbow received… A sigh? As Celestia sighed, plodding her flank down on the marble floor, Rainbow raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Finally! Somepony figured it out!” Celestia groaned, sounding as if the weight of whatever “it” was had been weighing on her heavily. “Neigh?” Rainbow responded, still not entirely sure what was going on. “You see Rainbow, the answer to your question is quite simple. I’ve been holding back” Celestia explained. “NEIGH!?” Rainbow repeated, far louder to explain her shock. “I could have easily defeated all those threats, while Discord and Tirek might have been a challenge, and Nightmare Moon, being Luna’s dark half, would have been close to my equal in terms of power, I could have crushed them under my well manicured hoof” Celestia explained. “But, but then why not!? That would have been awesome to see!” Rainbow asked, imagining Celestia pile-driving Sombra into submission. “Because, I intend to retire, and I want Twilight to take my place” Celestia explained. A few seconds passed before Rainbow’s jaw dropped to the floor. Twilight? Her Twilight!? Ruler of Equestria. Rainbow couldn’t deny Equestria could certainly do worse for a leader, the idea of anyone but Celestia being princess was hard to imagine. She had always been there, many ponies believed that a world without Celestia was a world doomed to be destroyed by an apocalypse of some kind. “Twilight? Ruler of Equestria?” Rainbow asked. Nodding her head, Celestia’s horn lit up with magic. Within a flash of light, both mares were in a new location. Looking around, Rainbow found herself in a bedroom. The walls and curtains were blue, as was the carpet and furniture. Upon a large bed was Equestria’s other ruler, Princess Luna, not paying attention to her sister or their guest as she played on a GameCube. “Luna, we have a guest” Celestia informed her sister. “Eeyep” Luna dispassionately replied. Rolling her eyes, Celestia led Rainbow away from the gamer princess that so many of Equestria’s youth simped for towards a large table with a model house on it. “This is a model of our retirement home, once Twilight is ready to take my throne, it’s got fifteen fridges for cake, three margarita bars, and a hot tub within a larger pool” Celestia pointed out every little detail of her future home. All of this was still a lot for Rainbow’s mind to comprehend. Needing everything to slow down, Rainbow rubbed the sides of her head. “Wait a minute, this is confusing” Rainbow said. “Well you see, there are more fridges so I can store more cake” Celestia said. “No I mean why? You’ve ruled Equestria for a thousand years? Why quit now?” Rainbow asked. Slowly, Celestia removed her crown. Placing it on the table she cleared her throat. “My dear Rainbow, you’ve given more for your kingdom than many other ponies have, but I must be entirely honest with you” Celestia began. Waiting eagerly, Rainbow wondered what great truth was about to be imparted on her. “Ponies are dumb” Celestia explained. Wait what? She actually said that? “And I mean REALLY dumb, they panic over almost everything like it’s the end of the world. Everytime a villain shows up they start running around screaming their heads off. It’s not even villains half the time. One time I slept in so the moon was out for an hour or two longer than it should have and they thought Nightmare Moon was back” Celestia explained the great stupidity that was the average pony. “But. But it can’t be that bad” Rainbow argued. Sure she knew how stupid some ponies could be but she had more faith in her fellow equines. “Oh really? Did I tell you about the time I was complaining to Shining Armour about the nobility and he thought I meant overthrow the nobility and rule as God-Empress” Celestia said, giving her counterargument. Initially Rainbow tried to think of a response to defend her race’s intelligence. “Ok that makes sense” Rainbow relented. “And it’s not even that. The world has changed so much since I took the throne. Feudalism was so much easier, everypony worked their backs out and then gave me all the works of their labour, now with this whole free market and labour unions. Equestria has gone to the dogs” Celestia replied. And so Rainbow Dash learnt of the master plan to allow Twilight ascend to the throne. But was sworn to silence by the princesses. Both to ensure Twilight wouldn’t get a big head and to ensure she didn’t have a panic attack from the pressure and flee to another universe or smt. Her compensation was being able to use Celestia and Luna’s awesome hot tub once their retirement home was done. The end.

RunicTreetops

551806

Anon,Stellar Flare,Sunburst,Human,Comedy,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Sex

Is It Really Breaking the Bro Code if He Asked Me to Do It?

Sunburst asks Anon for a favor. Anon is a bit more successful than either of them anticipated.

complete

<p>Sire's Hollow is a quaint little town not too far from Ponyville. Anon would never have any reason to set foot in the place were it not for his best friend, Sunburst, asking him for a massive solid:</p><p>Keep his mother, Stellar Flare, preoccupied for a few days while he conducts research on the town's recently discovered magical properties.</p><p>Sunburst loves his mom, and they've worked through their communication issues before, but as head of the Sire's Hollow Development Committee, she would never approve of the tests he intends to run. So, Anon will act as a &quot;distraction,&quot; allowing Sunburst to get done before she notices.</p><p>He does a better job than either of them were expecting.</p>

teen

2024-02-20T07:14:07+00:00

2024-02-20T07:14:06+00:00

“And how long am I supposed to keep her busy for?” “I’m not sure, but probably about a week.” “How do you expect me to distract your mom, a mare much older than me that I have never interacted with before, for a WEEK?!” “Hehe… it’s a tall order, huh?” Sunburst sheepishly fiddles with his goatee as he gives Anon an anxious smile. Anon, who sits across from him on the train seats that are way too short for his human form, raises an eyebrow. “This is a really big solid, you know.” “I-I’ll make it up to you, I swear!” Anon glares at Sunburst for a moment, causing sweat to form on his nervous brow. Slowly, a cocky smile makes its way to Anon’s face. “I can only wonder what type of solid I’ll get in return…” Anon trails off as his eyes drift to a nearby window, his ominous grin chilling Sunburst to his core. “Do you think you’ll be able to do it?” “Well, I already agreed, didn’t I? We’re gonna make it to Sire’s Hollow in just a few minutes.” “We are?! Oh dear, I need to get my equipment ready!” Sunburst reaches for a large suitcase that was in the seat next to him. Right now, the two of them are headed to Sire’s Hollow, Sunburst’s old home. Recent reports have indicated that the natural magic flowing through the area around the town has been behaving strangely as of late. As a result, Sunburst has taken it upon himself to research these changes on Princess Twilight’s behalf. Unfortunately, his mother, Stellar Flare, is the head of the Sire’s Hollow Development Committee. The equipment he’ll need to use is a bit unsightly, and while the two of them have largely mended their past communication issues, he knows that she’ll put her hoof down in regards to this matter. Enter Anon, one of Sunburst’s closest friends and the only human in Equestria. He’s never really doing anything important, so Sunburst figured he might be willing to go on a little vacation to his hometown with him to do him the big solid of keeping Stellar Flare busy while he conducts his research. And now that the train is rolling into the Sire’s Hollow station, it’s time for him to do his job. “Okay, just act natural. I already told her that we’re coming, and if I know my mother, she’s eagerly anticipating our, or more specifically my, arrival.” “If she’s so eager to see you, how am I gonna get you to apart?” “She’ll give me my space if I ask for it. Once we’re all settled in, I’ll excuse myself. She knows I’m doing research, I just left out all of the bits that she wouldn’t approve of.” Anon takes a deep breath. “Alright, let’s go.” The train finally comes to a stop, and the door near the end of their car opens automatically. With a glance and a nod, the two of them grab their things and step off of the train with their heads held high. They’re the only ones getting off at Sire’s Hollow, and as a result, the only pony waiting on the platform is– “Sunburst!” “Hello, mother.” Stellar Flare throws herself at her son, immediately enveloping him in a bear hug. She grins ear to ear as he sheepishly tries to return the favor before eventually letting go, allowing him to breathe again. Anon takes a moment to admire his quarry. His friend’s mother has an orange coat that she passed on to her son. Near her hooves, her coat gradually fades into an off-white shade, something Anon has only seen before on Sunburst. Her scarlet mane, perfectly cut and secured with a headband, is clearly something she’s proud of, as not a single hair seems to be out of place. She wears a blue collar and a pearl necklace, both of which match the proper appearance she seems to be going with. To top it all off, her brilliant green eyes are bright and difficult for Anon to look away from. He doesn’t know why, but something about that mare makes him feel… odd. “Ah, and this must be your friend.” Stellar Flare finally turns to look at Anon, and “look” she most certainly does. She eyes him from head to toe, not exactly being subtle about it at all. It’s something he’s used to, seeing as how he’s basically an alien to most ponies. “I didn’t think he’d be so…” She clears her throat as a faint smile makes its way to her face. “Tall.” “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Flare.” Anon holds out his hand, and the two smile as they greet one another. “Oh, it’s just ‘Ms. Flare,’ actually.” Anon blinks. For a moment, he completely forgot that Sunburst's father passed away when he was young. Sunburst just gives him an awkward, apologetic look as he turns and begins to walk towards the rest of the town. “A-ah, my apologies, I–” “Don’t fret, Mr. Anon, it’s an easy mistake to make. It must be surprising for a catch like me to not be married, I imagine!” She laughs to herself as she starts to follow Sunburst, prompting Anon to do the same. He hesitates for a moment, knowing that most would simply leave the conversation be at this point. However, if he’s going to keep her attention for a week, he’s got to endear himself to her. “Haha, that’s certainly true!” The smile on her face is quickly replaced by a look of surprise. She turns to look at Anon, who now walks by her side and is doing his best to give her a genuine smile. “...W-well, aren’t you a flatterer.” She clears her throat yet again. “Anyway, I’ll show you to our home. We don’t have a hotel, so I cleaned out a guest bedroom for you while the two of you are doing your research.” “That’s mighty generous of you, Ms. Flare.” “Just ‘Flare’ is fine. Or ‘Stellar,’ if you’d prefer.” “...A-alright then, Flare. But you should know that I’m not taking part in the research.” “Oh?” She tilts her head at him, and despite the fact that she’s likely twice his age, he can’t help but think that it’s a bit cute. “Then why are you here?” “He needed a vacation,” Sunburst says from a few feet ahead. “He’s an author, and we figured a change of pace would be good for him.” “An author, eh?” Stellar looks lost in thought for a moment before her eyes begin to sparkle brightly. “Wh-what do you write?!” Anon recoils a bit at the sudden burst of energy, but he recovers in the blink of an eye as he realizes how advantageous her interest in his line of work might end up being. “A little bit of everything, really. I will admit, most of ‘my’ earlier stories were just stolen from my old world, but as time has gone on I’ve been trying to branch out a bit. Heck, I even write more than fiction nowadays. Princess Twilight commissions me every now and then to help her draft some documents. Says I’m really good with prose, or what have you.” “You work for the princess?!” “Only sometimes. Most of the time, I’m just in my little Ponyville apartment hoping my publisher likes my newest idea.” “...An author, hm?” A sly grin spreads across Stellar’s face as they finally make it to what Anon can only assume is her home. Sunburst opens the door and holds it for the two of them as she continues to speak. “Well, Mr. Anon, I might have use for your talents, if you’re willing to offer them.” “Mom, I said he’s on a vacation. You’re gonna make him work?” Anon glances at Sunburst when Stellar looks away, briefly motioning to her with his eyes as if to say “That sounds like a distraction to me!” “Only if he’s willing! Maybe the change of pace might help?” She gives the both of them a sheepish grin before sighing. “Y-you’re right. That was a bit rude of me. Make yourself at home, Anon, I shall–” “What is it that you need done?” “What?” “Well… you’re being so generous as to allow me to stay at your home for free. If my humble skillset might be of use to you, I’d be happy to return that generosity.” “...Hm.” She narrows her eyes as the sly grin returns to her face. “You know what, Mr. Anon? I like you.” She walks past him into a nearby hallway, not-so-subtly giving him a slight smack with her tail on the way out. “We’ll talk again in the morning. I imagine you two must be exhausted.” “Thanks, mom.” “Oh, and Anon?” “Yes?” “Welcome to Sire’s Hollow.” Stellar Flare and Anon sit across from each other in a small office near the back of Stellar’s home. Before Anon is a typewriter, the buttons much bigger than the keyboards from his homeworld due to ponies having hooves and whatnot. She looks at him expectantly, and that strange feeling returns to him as he gazes into those bright green eyes of hers. “Well? Can you do it?” “A short story that reimagines the town’s founding with the ideas and goals of the Development Committee?” “I understand that it’s a tall order, not to mention a strange one. But, old Firelight said that there isn’t a single piece of Equestrian literature that takes place in this little town of ours. Not one! Can you believe that?!” “That’s appalling!” It really isn’t. “No wonder you’d want something like this to be written.” You’re a bit insane for asking. “I’d be happy to write it for you, Flare.” I would rather be doing anything else. “Oh, thank you so much, Anon!” Despite her age, she excitedly prances in place for a moment, and Anon realizes just how youthful she really is, flattery aside. “This is a project I’ve been trying to get off the ground for years, but I… don’t really have a penchant for writing fiction.” “Well, if Sunburst’s stories are anything to go by, you must be excellent at writing formal documents. And lists.” “I suppose I am,” she chuckles. “Though, speaking of Sunburst, I really must check up on him. It’s been a few hours and I haven’t heard a peep out of him.” “Oh, he already went out to do some field research.” “Really?” Her head perks up. “Well, I suppose I’ll go find him, then.” “N-no!” “Mr. Anon?” “Er… wh-what I meant was, I don’t know if I can write this without you here.” “Why not?” “Because…” Think, Anon, think! “Because even if it’s my words, it’s your creative vision! I, uh… don’t want to mess up the plan you’ve got in your head!” Her eyes suddenly go wide at the mention of “messing up her plan.” “...A-alright, then.” Closing her eyes, she slowly begins to smile and sits back down across from Anon. “Let’s get started, shall we?” “Hmhm, let’s.” Anon finds himself smiling, too. Even if this story ends up being odd, he does love writing. And as his fingers glide across the typewriter, Stellar Flare continues sharing her ideas with bright eyes and an excited tone. In a way, her enthusiasm is infectious. Maybe being her “distraction” won’t be so bad after all. “Yeah, it’s… it’s a little strong.” Anon coughs violently at the extremely pungent perfume as Stellar Flare winces with embarrassment. “Well, I uh… I told you it’d leave an impression, heh heh!” She scratches one of her legs anxiously with an apologetic smile on her face while Anon rubs his watery eyes. “Do you have any suggestions?” “F-first and foremost,” he squeaks as he finally starts regaining his composure, “make it less overpowering. A scent is one thing, but this is an assault on the senses. All of them.” “All… of… them.” Her horn glows with magic as she takes notes on Anon’s input. “Well, I’m sorry that our new batch isn’t exactly the greatest experience, but thank you for offering to help me with my inspections today.” “Oh, think nothing of it. It gives me a chance to look around the town.” Anon smiles as he gazes across the small town square, causing Stellar to do the same. That smile quickly fades when he sees Sunburst in the distance, complete with his massive equipment, right behind her. “A-and it gives me a chance to spend more time with you!” “...I’m sorry?” She looks at him with mild shock as he rubs the back of his head. “Am I really that interesting to you?” Anon can feel his cheeks getting warmer and warmer, but he’s come too far now. Besides, her attention is squarely on him and not on her son standing a ways behind her. “Y-yes, absolutely! You seem like a wonderful mare, and I really admire your dedication to the town.” She clears her throat, something that Anon has noticed is a habit of hers. “W-well,” she says as a blush starts peeking through her orange coat, “aren’t you a flatterer. I’m sure Sunburst told you to say that, didn’t he?” “No, he didn’t. I meant every word.” “...Hm.” She turns towards a nearby store, closing her eyes as she takes a few steps towards it. Although she tries to hide it, Anon notices a growing look of excitement spreading across her face. “C-come on. We have many more stops left to get through today.” “I’m right behind you, Flare.” “You really didn’t have to do this.” “Come on, I insist!” The two of them sit at Stellar’s dining room table as she places a spread of fresh-cooked meals in front of them with her magic. The variety is impressive, and Anon isn’t sure if he’s ever been so entranced by a smell before in his entire life. He hasn’t even taken a bite yet and he can tell that she’s an excellent cook. “You’ve been helping me since you got here, let me treat you a little bit!” She gives him a warm smile as she passes him a plate. “Besides, I enjoy the company. It’s not like Sunburst plans to speak to me much,” she sighs. “H-he’s just busy with work. I’m sure he doesn’t mean anything by it.” “I know, and I’m proud of him for it.” She shakes her head as the smile returns to her face. “Either way, I’m happy to show you what I can do.” “You know, I’m a bit of a cook myself,” Anon starts as he takes the first bite. Immediately, his consciousness is thrown out of his body. Bright lights of colors previously unknown to him fill his vision, sensations foreign to him coursing through every inch of his body. He’s falling… no, he’s flying. He’s one with the heavens, and as a divine chorus of untold beauty serenades his ears, he is brought back to the dining room table looking directly into those brilliant green eyes. “...But not nearly as good of one as you.” “Oh, you’re just saying that.” “No, really.” Anon’s voice is completely serious as he looks into Stellar’s eyes with determination and focus. “This might be the single best thing I’ve ever tasted.” “Well! That’s awfully high praise. Th-thank you, Anon.” He doesn’t respond, as he’s too busy digging into the meal she lovingly prepared for him. She tilts her head and watches him for a moment with a sort of contentment on her face. It’s been a long time since someone has spoken to her like he does… or wanted to be around her like he does… or made her feel the way she does right now like he does. Realizing that she’s smiling but making no effort to stifle it, she begins to eat as well. She really likes this human. “So my foot’s totally stuck in there right, I’m freaking out, the dog’s having a seizure and I still got half a pie left.” “Yes?” Stellar leans forward across the small, outdoor table in Anon’s direction, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement and her attention focused squarely on his story. “Well–” “This is… certainly interesting.” Both of them finally break eye contact for the first time in what must be half an hour as Sunburst approaches the table, an awkward, confused smile plastered on his face. “You two seem like you’re getting along pretty well.” “There you are, Sunburst! You never told me your friend was so… charming.” Sunburst awkwardly glances at Anon, who gives him a sheepish shrug. “...Uh-huh. Well, I was just passing by. Left some of my notes at the house last night.” “Speaking of, how is your research going?” “Progressing steadily. I’ll probably still need a few days, though.” He glances at Anon once again, who just smiles and nods in approval. Sunburst nods back, a silent agreement that their arrangement will continue. “Well, I won’t interrupt you any more. Carry on!” “Oh, but… aaaaaaand he’s gone.” Stellar sighs. “Thank you for sticking around, Anon. It’s been very refreshing having you in my life.” She smiles wistfully before her eyes briefly widen as she places a hoof over her mouth. “Um, sorry. That was a bit forward of me.” “No, no! I feel the same.” This act is starting to come so naturally to Anon, he’s not entirely sure if it’s an act anymore. “Besides, even now, I feel like I barely know anything about you. I’d appreciate the chance to remedy that.” “Oh, listen to you. I might be an old mare, but my story isn’t all that interesting.” “I beg to differ. On both accounts.” Feeling bold, Anon winks. Stellar doesn’t quite know how to react. “Besides, I haven’t had this much fun talking to someone in a long, long time.” “...Hmhm. Well, if you insist. But!” She points at him with a sly grin on her face. “You’d better tell me what you did with that pie first.” “Gladly,” Anon chuckles. “And,” she purrs as her eyes narrow, the look on her face making a chill run down Anon’s spine. “I have a few more things I’d like to know about you in return for my story. Perhaps… behind closed doors?” …Oh dear. Sunburst opens the door to his mother’s house with a yawn. It was a long day of research, but things are going incredibly well so far. Twilight is going to be so excited to see this data! His thoughts are interrupted as he hears something strange coming from the living room. It sounds like shuffling of some kind, as well as something… w-wait, what was that? “Mom?” Sunburst steps into the living room just in time to see both Anon and his mother sit up from the couch. They make a concentrated effort to slide away from each other, but their beet-red faces and their goofy, guilty looking smiles cause him to narrow his eyes. “H-hello, Sunburst! You were out late.” Stellar clears her throat, causing Anon to smile to himself. “How did the research go?” “It… went fine.” Sunburst looks over his shoulder for no particular reason. “Wh-what were you two doing?” “J-just having a heated discussion, dear.” “About what?” “Um…” Stellar glances at Anon, utterly failing to do so subtly. Sunburst, having seen the gesture, looks in his direction as well, and Anon glances around the room at anything other than Sunburst. “About the, uh, the morality of going against audience expectations in a story they’ve been desperately waiting to read!” “Um… okay?” “Y-yes! We, er, had very different opinions,” Stellar adds. “...Right.” Sunburst shakes his head. Whatever is going on here, he doesn’t want to think about it. “I-I’m just gonna go to bed now.” “Goodnight, Sunburst!” Without looking back, he trots directly to his room and shuts the door. Rather than walk further in, however, he stands perfectly still. Sure enough, mere seconds later, a strange smooching sound comes from the living room. He’s gonna sleep with his head under a pillow tonight, isn’t he? “Well, it has been an incredible week,” Stellar sighs with a content smile on her face. She and Anon walk past a few Sire’s Hollow buildings on their way back home, having spent the day exploring the last few shops Anon had yet to visit. “I admit, I’m hesitant to see you leave.” She blinks before suddenly looking up at Anon with a guilty smile. “A-and Sunburst, of course!” “Haha! Don’t worry, I feel the same. I’ve had a lot of fun during my time here. I…” Anon tugs on his collar as he looks away from her. “Really enjoyed getting to know you better.” “...You’re not like anypony I’ve ever met. I’m very glad I got to know you.” “The same is true for you, Flare. You’re quite the mare, that’s for sure.” He laughs to himself. “I wouldn’t mind having someone like you around to–” “H-hold on! Take me to dinner first or something!” Her face gets flushed, a feeling she hasn’t had in many years. She looks at Anon with wild, shocked eyes, while he looks back with an amused expression. “I was just going to say ‘talk to,’ Flare!” “O-oh.” She breathes a sigh of relief. “Right.” “Though, I’m not really opposed. If you’re up for it, I mean.” “Excuse me?” “I can take you out to dinner. You’re housing me and you’ve cooked for me and everything, so it’s the least I could do for you.” For a moment, Stellar remains silent. When she speaks, her voice is shaky and uncertain, yet there’s an unmistakable tinge of excitement beneath that. “You already said that about the story I had you write.” “Yeah, but I feel like I could do more. Besides,” he says with a warm smile, “it’s a good excuse to spend one more evening with you.” “...” After a while, an equally warm smile makes its way to her face. Her excitement only grows, and alongside that warmth, Anon picks up on something else. Something more… predatory. “Anon?” “Y-yeah?” “I have the perfect place for us to go.” Anon chuckles, both out of excitement and out of uncertainty. “Lead the way.” Taking one of Anon’s hands in her hoof, Stellar gladly leads Anon down the street towards one of the few restaurants in town. They both have mixed feelings about this, but these mixed feelings aren’t enough to deter either of them. They want to see where this leads. And Anon has completely forgotten why he was supposed to be spending time with Stellar Flare in the first place. Anon’s eyes slowly open. He is extremely groggy, and something feels… off. He rubs his eyes in an attempt to regain his vision as he sits up in bed. What happened last night? Stretching his arms, he immediately realizes that they’re sore. In fact, he’s sore everywhere. Running a hand over his head, he feels that his hair is an absolute mess. And yet, despite the fact that his body is screaming at him for some reason, he also feels a strange sense of contentment. With his vision now returned to him, he looks down at himself. His eyes go wide as he gets a look at his arms and bare chest, which are both absolutely covered in scratches, hickeys, and bite marks. Now much more alert, he looks around the room, immediately coming to an obvious conclusion. This is not my room. Slowly, Anon turns his head to look to the side. He’s fairly certain he knows what he’s going to see, but he has to confirm it with his own eyes. Sure enough, lying on the pillow next to his own is Stellar Flare, her collar, necklace, and headband all removed. Her normally immaculate-looking mane is disheveled, as are her tail and coat. Much like himself, she appears to be covered in all sorts of hickeys and mementos of the previous night's endeavors. For a while, he’s not sure what to do. Does he wake her? Does he get up and go? What’s the appropriate thing to do here? He never expected this to happen! Is this breaking the bro code?! However, as he gets a better look at her face, he notices something: a small, gentle smile on that lovely mare’s face. Her eyes are closed, and she’s definitely asleep, but even in that state, there’s a joy on her face that seems so innocent, so warm, so genuine that he can’t help but smile right along with her. He takes a moment to simply process what’s in front of him. Then, without a word and as gently as his body will allow, he pulls the covers back over himself and rolls to the side, wrapping his arms around the still-sleeping Stellar Flare. He regrets nothing. Sunburst leans back at his desk with a sigh. It’s been a long day, and he really just wants to go home. Unfortunately, as much as he wants to leave work after the day he’s had, he’s also reluctant to leave for one big reason: his mother. It’s been a few months since he and Anon took that trip to Sire’s Hollow. His research proved to be a turning point in Princess Twilight’s investigation into fluctuating magical waves, a high-level concept that’s a bit foreign to even the most experienced scholars. While he did good work, he can’t help but look back on that trip with mixed feelings. Something happened between Anon and his mother. While he isn’t exactly sure what, he has a few guesses. And he’d rather not think about those guesses. The fact that Anon moved to Sire’s Hollow shortly after their trip certainly doesn’t help anything. His suspicions were all but confirmed, and he’s not sure if he should confront either of them about it. However, he might not have a choice, as his mother sent him a letter saying she’d be paying him a visit today. Apparently, she has “big news” for him. He sighs yet again. As much as he doesn’t want to talk about this, he can’t keep avoiding it forever. He stands from his desk and begins mentally preparing himself for the evening. However, before he can even gather his things, there’s a knock on his office door. “Come in.” The door opens slowly, and Sunburst watches as Anon sheepishly pokes his head through the crack, a nervous smile on his face. He holds onto the door with both hands as he peers inside, allowing Sunburst to take note of the conspicuous ring on his finger. “Hey, uh, Sunburst?” “Anon? What’s going on?” “Remember how you owe me a huge solid?” “...Yeah?” He doesn’t like where this is going. “Well–” “Sunburst!” The door gets thrown open the rest of the way, revealing Stellar Flare standing right behind Anon. She looks the same as she always does, though the sight of a ring around her horn makes Sunburst’s heart sink. “Guess what?!” Sunburst groans. It’s time to face the music. “Judging by the rings, you two are getting married?” “W-well, yes! But that’s not all!” Sunburst blinks. “It isn’t?” She rushes right up to her son wearing the biggest, most excited smile he’s ever seen. “You’re going to have a sibling!” Once again, Sunburst blinks. “...Huh?” He looks over at Anon, who just mouths “I’m sorry.” Despite it all, Sunburst finds himself laughing. Tears run down his cheeks, sure, but laughing is a good thing, right? That means he’s happy… right? Unable to form a complete thought, Sunburst shuts down with only one thing left on his mind. Anon is going to keep her occupied for a long, long time.