Sunset sat slouched on the sofa in the home of the Sirens. Originally, she had come to take Sonata out for a night on the town, but now that was put on hold as the two Sirens pulled her aside and fired off their question. So, Sunset would answer.
“Yes.” She said bluntly. “I did. But at the moment, I’m only feeling inclined to help Sonata, and maybe Adagio. Still on the fence about you though, Aria.”
“Well, we’re not asking for your help, princess demonpants,” Aria rolled her eyes to which Adagio gave her a glare.
“Aha, we understand that, Sunset. We aren’t going to ask for your help at all. We were just curious as to why you would want to help Sonata with such a…dangerous ritual?”
Sunset gave the poofy haired siren a casual shrug. “I don’t know.” She said popping her thumbs. “Maybe I just don’t really care about this would anymore. Maybe a small part of me enjoyed watching you three spread so much hate in a the small span of time you three were at the school. Certainly did it in way less time then I did.” She said with a chuckle.
“So Sonata mentioned…” Adagio looked at her nails as she took a seat next to Sunset. “You might be interested in helping restore her gem?”
Aria took a seat on the other side of Sunset. The sisters sized Sunset up.
“Is that true, Sunny?” Aria asked.
They seemed to be testing her honesty here.
Sunset sat slouched on the sofa in the home of the Sirens. Originally, she had come to take Sonata out for a night on the town, but now that was put on hold as the two Sirens pulled her aside and fired off their question. So, Sunset would answer.
“Yes.” She said bluntly. “I did. But at the moment, I’m only feeling inclined to help Sonata, and maybe Adagio. Still on the fence about you though, Aria.”
Sunset looked up from glass held in her hoofs as she heard her name called. Ponies had been giving her strange looks from the moment she entered the bar, still down in the stool on her haunches with her legs out in front of her much like a human would. It was what she was used to, and it thankfully wasn’t uncomfortable, even in a pony body.
“Oh… Starlight.” She said, somewhat emotionless. “Uh… how did you find me here?” She asked with a raised brow and a sip of her drink. “And… what’s wrong?”
“I took a wild guess,” Starlight told her, shrugging.
She cut right to the chase. “Celestia’s not sleeping. At all. Luna wants to help her with her nightmares but she won’t let her. I’ve helped them with their friendship problems before so I tried to help them talk it out but this…something deeper. I figured maybe she would hear you out.”
Sunset only raised a brow at Starlight’s “wild guess” comment, but ultimately let it go. She wasn’t here to start a fight, and she really didn’t feel like getting kicked out of another bar.
Raising a hoof as if to “one moment”, she quickly slugged down the last of her bottle before reaching into her bag on the floor and tossing a hoofful of bit on the bar. She turn to face Starlight on the rotating barstool, and set down back on all fours with a little wobble, before sternly saying “Let’s go.”
Starlight was hesitant about approaching this mare again. In fact, she had resolved herself to avoid her completely before. But the current situation made her consider her that resolution. The cutie mark map summoned Starlight to the castle again and the problem involved Luna and Celestia once again, though this time it was far more severe.
Starlight decided to turn to Sunset.
“Sunset, could I have your help with something? I know our last meeting was icky. But…it has to do with Princess Celestia. I know she’s like a mother to you. I’m trying to help her. So is Luna.”
Sunset looked up from glass held in her hoofs as she heard her name called. Ponies had been giving her strange looks from the moment she entered the bar, still down in the stool on her haunches with her legs out in front of her much like a human would. It was what she was used to, and it thankfully wasn’t uncomfortable, even in a pony body.
“Oh… Starlight.” She said, somewhat emotionless. “Uh… how did you find me here?” She asked with a raised brow and a sip of her drink. “And… what’s wrong?”
Shimmer seemed to waver as she looked up at Midnight with and eyes. “I… I don’t know. It’s been a while Twilight. I don’t know what it would do to her, or if she’d want to come back. She’s been through so much…”
She gave a short sniffle as she wiped her eyes, saying “There’s… there’s a saying I learned in my time in this world Twilight.” Shimmer said, now looking distant. “Sometimes… dead is better.”
Autumn Blaze drew plenty of stares as she inched her way into the gigantic Canterlot City Library. Most of the ponies there had never seen a kirin before. Those who had had heard the stories of their ability to shift into dangerous creatures with fiery tempers. The chatty creature was unusually quiet as she glided on the heels of her hooves across the library floor in search of what she needed. But the silence was deafening and the judging stares were almost more than she could take.
She collected the books she needed and sat across from a yellow mare with a red and golden mane. She mostly chose her because she thought she looked looked lonely and like she could use someone to sit with her. But also because there was a vibe to her that Autumn Blaze didn’t feel often with ponies. It was very…kirin-ish.
She sat across from the mare and stared for a while before offering an awkward smile and opening her first book and pulling out some flashcards to start taking notes.
But the silence was driving her crazy.
If only someone would say SOMETHING!
When Sunset came to the library to do a little research for the time she had missed when she was in the human world, she figured she could get a little alone time. But it seems the world had different plans for her since she was now sitting face to face with… was that… a Kirin?
Her gaze went up for only a moment when she spotted her, staring at her. She saw the kirin give her an awkward looking smile, so she politely returned one back, and gazed at her book once more. But… she was curious. She had never seen a Kirin before and in the human world, they were passed off as myth. But now…
Sunset’s eyes widened as she heard Celestia speak. Did she hear her right? She could stay? Sunset almost jumped for joy at that remark, but her ears still remained flattened as her past transgressions were brought up, which she completely agreed with, giving Celestia a small nod in agreement.
She gently ran her hoof against the ground, unsure of how to answer the question. There were a lot of emotions going through her. Was she feeling alright?
She gently walked to the princess, stopping only for a moment to look up at her, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. Suddenly, as of a dam had burst inside her, she threw herself at Celestia, wrapping her hooves around her as best she could as the tears finally began to fall, heavy sobs leaving her. For weeks, her stress had been backed up inside her, due to Anon-a-Miss, her friends leaving her, the students turning on her, even Principal Celestia threatening to expel her for trying to defend herself. And now…
Now she couldn’t hold it back anymore.
Celestia’s calm expression could barely survive such a scene. She wrapped both hoof and wing around her former student, face cracking into a frown. She pulled Sunset close to her chest. Moments passed. And as they did Celestia lost her regal composure. The maternal instinct to over and soon she was reassuring the mare.
“You’re home, Sunset. You’re home, it’s going to be alright.”
Her wing stroked the mare’s hair.
Sunset let it all out, seeming to cry harder as she felt a set of hooves and wings wrap around her. Her voice began to grow hoarse as she cried, and she clutched to the princess even tighter afraid to let go.
“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry, Mommy! I didn’t- I didn’t mean to leave you!” She cried. “I was so selfish! I-I didn’t-!”
Her cries were cut off as she finally seemed to crumple in Celestia’s hooves, her sobs growing less and less, but her tears still flowing.
“Oh. It’s you.” Shimmer said with a grimace. “I thought you were dead.”
“Sunset?”
Midnight remembered the unicorn from her time as Twilight, back when she had needed to traverse the human world for that little crown thing. Then she had needed to return because of sirens. Why did she think she was dead.
The Queen shook her head. “No, not dead. Just stopped writing because, well…”
She looked herself over. Then cleared her throat. “Equestria’s been going through some changes. Anyways!”
“How have you been? Why are you all demonic again?”
“Long story. I… well, Sunset tried to write to you about it. Never heard back.” She said with a sigh as she sat down where she stood, looking over Midnight. “You look good. What’s with the sexy dominatrix looking getup?”
TheWanderingSunset2 