1st April 2012
22:36 GMT -6
Luna looks down at me with an expression of bafflement on her face, then turns her head toward Twilight.
"Twilight Sparkle, who are these ponies?"
"They-."
"I'm Sunset Shimmer,
Celestia's last student. The one before Twilight." Sunset snorts at the absent solar demigoddess. "Unless she's had
others she
didn't bother telling anyone about?"
Twilight's ears perk up. "You were-? I didn't-." She frowns. "Why didn't Celestia ever tell me about you?"
I can't help but look at Luna. And not just because having a powerful female lying on me after a period of physical exertion is causing me to become more than a little aroused under my armour. I'm surprised that she hasn't gotten off yet, actually. Maybe I'm comfortable? Or maybe it's a pony thing.
Sunset
clenches her jaw. "I
don't know."
"Hey, Luna?" She looks down at me and I give her a friendly smile. "Could you either get off… Or wriggle a bit more? I'm good either
way…"
"Ah. We apologise." I feel her wiggling, and for a confused moment I think she's actually going for Option 2, which might be
awkward. Then she gives her wings a brief flap, rising off me and landing on the floor next to me.
Um. How do I get upright? No, no, stop thinking like a pony. Ring,
give me a push.
By your command.
A
construct piston appears and shoves me, causing me to roll onto my stomach. And getting up feels a little easier this time. I think I'm getting the hang of being a quadruped.
"Why did you ask Us to 'wriggle
more'?"
"I'll tell you when you're older."
"-
is she, anyway?" Sunset's looking at Twilight as she jabs her right forehoof at Luna, who doesn't exactly look impressed about being referred to in the third pony.
"We are Princess Luna, Princess of Equestria and Alicorn of the Night."
Sunset turns to face her. She doesn't
appear to be irritated with Luna, just a bit put out about the whole situation. "And where did
you come from?"
Luna takes a step towards Sunset, clearly not entirely up to speed. Possibly not understanding why she's getting this level of backchat from a peasant. "We were banished to the moon for a millennium. We hath only returned these last fourteen months."
Sunset snorts, but this time with amusement rather than anger. "Oh, did you try reading a history book
too?"
"What dost thou mean?"
Twilight blinks in confusion. "What?"
Sunset shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "I
stopped being Celestia's student when I got banished for reading 'Canterlot Castle: A History'. Volume Two."
Twilight Sparkle sits down
hard and starts to visibly sweat. "Princess Celestia
b-b-b-banished you?"
Luna's eyes harden. "If thou wert banished then why hast thou returned?"
"Because
I got banished for reading a history book! For
trying to get an education and
constantly being
held back by
her."
"Okay." I stride forward and put a restraining hoof across Sunset's chest. "Time out,
my little pony. Deep breath." I get a small scowl again, but she closes her eyes for a moment and actually
does take a deep breath. "Deep breath. The anger powers the engine; it doesn't turn the steering wheel."
She turns her head away. "
I'm… F
ffffine."
I lean down. "Does somepony need a hug?"
And the glare's back. "Does somepony need a buck to the snout?"
"Dunno. Never had a snout before." I look up -though still somewhat down, she's quite a bit shorter than me- at the off-balance Luna. "Hi there. We got off on the wrong foot. My name's Grayven."
She looks me over, her eyes pausing momentarily on my wings and horn. "We have never met an alicorn stallion. And We are curious how you came to be in a place you claim was used by Equestria for the dumping of 'dangerous relics and creatures' when you so resemble a manifested umbrum."
"Alicorn stallion? No no no. Present appearances notwithstanding. Starswirl's Mirror transforms you when you pass through it. I don't usually look like this. This is-" I look down at my ponified chest. "-its best attempt to interpret my nature in pony terms." I pause for a moment. "Or it's just messing with me. Could go either way. I get the impression that Starswirl was kind of an arse."
Luna doesn't appear to appreciate me insulting him. "Starswirl was a great scholar and a hero of Equestria."
"He
also dumped problem individuals and magic items through a portal to another world.
My world. It was too long ago for me to have good records on how many people
died as a result of his unwillingness to
deal with his problems
himself rather than pawning them off on someone
else, but it wasn't a
small number. Be grateful I'm
only calling him an
arse."
"People
died?"
"Those sirens who mind-controlled people into fighting each other? Following the myths, they rampaged around the world for a few hundred years before Prince Jon Haraldson slew them. The people on the other side of the mirror can
use magic, but there aren't many with a high enough level of
skill to cope with creatures like that."
Luna bows her head slightly. I think? With the long neck and the normal angle of equine faces it's a little difficult to parse the gesture. "In that case, We apologise on behalf of Equestria. We shall take back anyone or anything which Starswirl sent through to ensure that it no longer endangers your people."
"Nah." I shake my head. "We've pretty much dealt with them now, and you would not
believe how much studying those relics has taught Sunset about how your magic works." I smile down at Sunset, raise my right forehoof, and lightly pat-.
"Get-" She bats my hoof away. "-off m-."
She blinks.
"Wait. Fourteen months?"
"Yes, our-."
"What year is it?"
Luna pauses a moment, clearly unaccustomed to being interrupted like this. "In the modern parlance, it is one thousand and one of the Celestia Era."
Sunset's eyes widen. "That's over fifteen years in the future-."
My eyes widen too as Sunset and I stare at each other.
"Fifteen to one time ratio-."
"Yes, I
can count." She turns to face the mirror. "Ah…" Orange light surrounds her horn.
"Okay, stabilising the link.. should…"
Twilight looks from her to me. "What's going on?"
"By our reckoning Sunset Shimmer came to Earth a year ago. But it's been over fifteen years here. That means that time moves at different rates on each side of the portal. Which is fine for a
visit, but it could be a bit of a nuisance for longer stays."
"But it's not a
problem-problem. You're immortal and I'm
going to be. Having fifteen minutes pass here for every one there won't adversely affect either of us." Sunset bows her head, a lance of orange magic striking the mirror and spreading around its frame. "But this should make it easier to change in the future."
"Wait." Twilight stares at the mirror and then at Sunset. "You just… Changed the spells on Starswirl's Mirror? That's…"
Sunset tosses her mane. "Yeah, I'm pretty good at magic. But-."
"Fifteen to one! That means-!" Her horn glows for a moment, then she sighs with relief. "Oh good, I'm not too late."
"Twilight Sparkle." I think we've expended Luna's patience. "To what do you refer?"
She looks at Luna and puts on a ridiculous fake smile. "Nothing! And.. I.. just need to visit the train station
really quickly for no reason. Back soon!"
She vanishes in a flare of purple.
"So apparently Celestia makes
crazy mares princesses now." Sunset turns to Luna. "
Why did she make her an alicorn?"
"Mine Sister doth not-."
"
Sister?" Sunset sits down
hard in shock. "Celestia didn't tell me she had a
sister!"
Luna huffs and rolls her eyes. "Sister decided that expunging Us from the historical record would act to preserve Our good name."
"But the only night-related alicorn I remember reading about is-."
"
Yes." Luna ruffles her wings slightly. "We were Nightmare Moon. Twice we attempted to bring about an era of eternal night and twice we were thwarted."
I smile. "Look on the bright side: you're really bad at evil."
Her eyes briefly alight on me. "We are uncertain that that is a beatitude."
I shr-. Oh. Ponies can't shrug. "Would you rather be highly skilled at evil? Because if so, I know some people?"
"Nightmare Moon." Sunset doesn't look as if she believes it. "Foal-or-candy-eating Nightmare Moon. And that was Celestia trying to preserve your reputation."
"Not all of Sister's plans bear their intended fruit. Something I believe thou hast experienced for thineself. Tell me, did Sister ever tell you of the Elements of Harmony?"
