Bellosh

Was it just Sunset Shimmer’s memory being selective, or did Sunburst not change one bit from their days at Princess Celestia’s School of Magic? Not that Sunset ever interacted much with Sunburst at all (or any other classmates for that matter) back then, but she DID have vague recollections early on of a nerdy colt who may or may not have been Sunburst who always jumbled up his words when getting called on by professors, even if he always did have the right answer. For her part, Celestia’s ex-apprentice dismissed that dork as a mere fluke who could barely cast spells at all. Come to think of it, that colt seemed to disappear from school entirely during Sunny’s final year there, with the title of Resident Fluke seemingly passed down to the infamous lavender filly who only passed her entrance exam thanks to a conveniently-timed Sonic Rainboom. But that’s a tale for another day..... Sunset Shimmer held back a giggle as the jittery Sunburst made a lame last-second attempt to look suave. Although the vice headstallion could use a ton of work still on his social skills, Sunny wasn’t the type to humiliate him over it. “Sure!” Sunset replied with a big smile; “I’m pretty much done packing up my stuff, and I won’t be expected back home for a couple more hours.” The mare leaned in a couple inches closer to her visitor out of excitement; “...It’ll be great to catch up on your magical research!”

↑ Not much else needs to be said about the Love Princess’s reaction, really. Witnessing romantic scenes like Rainbow’s proposal to Applejack were among the many heartwarming moments that Cadence lived for. Frankly, those two mares had waited long enough to get engaged! Cadence for her part got so excited and full of joy that her horn magically burst on its own accord a shockwave of pink hearts that blanketed the entire ballroom! Love was ABSOLUTELY in bloom, tonight!!!

“Well geez Temy, SORRY that I find it hard to enjoy Las Pegasus after witnessing its rotten underbelly for fifteen straight minutes because a certain SLOB forgot to clean up the pigsty that you locked me out of!” What Sunset Shimmer had intended to be a casual visit to meet up with her good buddy was clearly off to a rocky start, leaving the amber unicorn in a salty, eye-rolling mood. “After this I will let you pick out where we go. Whatever you want. So long as it's cheap. I blew most of my last check on a black smith… Will be so worth it.” “Maybe you’d have more money in the bank if you actually worked an honest job for a damn living,” Sunset fumed beneath her breath. She knew full well that for whatever mysterious reason, the owner of the Fire and Ice Casino let Tempest get away with essentially not showing up at her post for most of the year. It almost seemed to Sunset as if the owner was pulling some sort of tax scam or other shady scheme. Meh... smart ponies knew that Las Pegasus was built on a foundation of organized criminality, after all. Even if that wasn’t the case... Sunset was a girl who juggled two part-time jobs in two different planes of existence. Of course she’d feel some level of resentment towards somepony who got away with not pulling their weight in society... very good friends included. Back to the current moment, Sunset sighed in resignation as Tempest knocked on the performer’s dressing room door. Apparently, Temy thought Sunny would be impressed by the chance to meet whoever this Wind Dancer mare was. Welp... however bad her mood was right now, Miss Shimmer promised to herself that she’d at least try to be a good sport and not show undeserved hostility towards the professional dancer that Temy seemed to like so dang much.....

"Oh! N-no! Disturbing me? Quite the contrary! Y-you have a lovely voice." “Oh, well uhhh,” Sunset slightly tripped over herself in her response to Sunburst’s complement; “Thank you!” Although she wasn’t the sort of part-time musician desperate for everybody to sing her praises, Miss Shimmer still appreciated receiving positive feedback, especially from somepony who’s only heard her vocal talents for the first time. "I'm surprised I've never heard you before now. T-that is if you sing in the hallways o-on more than just this one occasion?" “Eh-heh,” Sunset chuckled in embarrassment; “I usually shut the door when all the kids head out, but it looks like I may have accidentally left it open a little bit. Welp; guess today’s your lucky day!” By now, Miss Shimmer’s blushing had mostly subsided as she felt her groove coming back. Walking up to the stallion with a friendly smile, Shimmer looked Sunburst in the eye as she politely asked; “So what brings you to this neck of the woods, Sunburst? Got any more of that tea of yours, by any chance?”

Sunset Shimmer couldn’t decide which was more wondrous and terror-inspiring: the form of what definitely appeared to be an ursa minor fully emerging from the darkness, or Tempest Shadow ducking between Sunset’s legs in fright. For somepony who had bore witness to her comrade dispatching a pack of rock wolves just yesterday, this latest development was most distressful. This was almost exactly like what happened back during the “Foxhunt”... but couldn’t Temy still use her magic powers? Nothing was stopping her! .....Was there? As much as Sunset wanted answers, she found maintaining concentration difficult with an ursa minor busy growling and standing upright in a fearsome dominance display. From what she remembered about her studies of magical creatures, the cosmic-elemental ursas were notoriously resistant to spells. Even if ursa minors were technically mere cubs, taking one on was hard enough as it was for two experienced ponies... and right now, Sunset was virtually on her own. With the doors barred behind her and Temy laid low by a panic attack, what other choice did Sunny have but stand her ground and wait for the grim inevitable. Yet something... everything felt off. Sunset recalled from moments ago how she recognized this room as an architectural impossibility, and thinking about the chase of Hanabi made her remember that yeah, illusionary monsters are a thing. And they were in a wizard’s hideout that was already confirmed to be infested with defensive devices. Surely it was logical to assume that the Nameless Wizard created additional booby traps with arcane cunning? But then... what to do with Tempest? Phantasms were fake and all, but convincing phantasms could still make you hurt a ton, and the drool from the ursa’s mouth looked real and slimy enough. Maybe one good blast of magic would be enough to confirm the illusion for the forgery it was, but that still left Temy to console. And honestly, it didn’t sit right with Sunny that the thing that appeared before them just so happened to be able to conveniently reduce her fight-craving, foolhardy partner to tears. Sunset didn’t believe in coincidences; something deeper was ahoof! There wasn’t much time to decide on a course of action; the angered ursa roared with all the deafening fury of the heavens, triggering Tempest into writhing in more mental agony. A few more seconds, and the two unicorns could very well be goners. But then again, maybe the ursa itself wasn’t the point of this challenge. After a seeming eternity, Sunset made her choice. She stepped back, powered up her horn... and then struck Tempest with a barrage of magical light. This was the first time in Equestria that the Equestrian girl dared use her mind-reading abilities, and it was not a decision taken lightly. She knew how invasive it was to violate somebody’s mental privacy; to do so should only be done under the most pressing circumstances. But frankly, Sunset was in the middle of a bucking emergency right now....!

*Keep smiling politely, Filthy... keep smiling.* Readying Mr. Rich’s wife for political prime-time was going to be a very tall order. Even when Spoiled tried to to present herself as amicable, she only came off as an entitled elitist. And right afterward, Spoiled indicated to her husband how the mare took virtually nothing of his earlier message of friendship to heart. *Ugggh, you can sigh when nopony else is looking...* In any event, it was time to pick up their daughter. Diamond Tiara was going to be overjoyed to hear the news that her life was about to be thrown upside-down by her mother’s mayoral campaign. With as best of a smile as he could muster at that moment, Filthy Rich exited Town Hall alongside the current electoral front-runner... although with Spoiled’s attitude, who knew how long she’d stay in that position....? *EXIT MR. & MRS. RICH*

Although Empress Yuè’s royal etiquette tutors from her childhood and her monastic mentors from her adolescence were in many respect worlds apart, there were two fundamental concepts they each stressed to the young girl. The first was refraining from acting with the intent to inflict humiliation or embarrassment upon somebody else. The other was that nobody likes a braggart; a qilin who possessed the Heart of the Dragon never takes credit for anything that can’t be dismissed out-of-hoof, or attributed to a group’s collective effort or mentor’s superior wisdom. Even though this meeting between the Empress and Medo could potentially be described as their first true face-to-face encounter, Yuè’s initial read of the mare in front of her was that... she had precisely the right sort of temperament to thrive in the Imperial Palace. Not everybody could get away with making splashes like Yuè’s brother, her personal attendant/bodyguard, or the Serpent King. As long as Medo’s competence remained top-notch, she had a long future waiting for her in the Household. .....It also went without saying that Empress Yuè felt relieved that her incomplete memory wasn't viewed as a slight upon Medo. “That’s not how my Father saw things,” Empress Yuè remarked after using a sagely pause to subtly shake her head; “Very few ponies in your situation would have had knowledge of the herbs needed to save my life that fateful day.....”

Ah yeah; Starswirl the Bearded exhibit, here they come! Sunset Shimmer was rather surprised that the Starswirl section wasn’t used as the finale portion of the whole Old Pillars experience, but museums did what museums do, the Equestrian girl rationalized. Like many magically-gifted unicorns, Sunset had idolized the Bearded Wizard since she was a little filly. So of course his exhibit will be Miss Shimmer’s most eagerly anticipated one. Twilight however was still feeling in a somewhat of a bad mood from all the prior interruptions, causing her to finally snap at a Pillar... at Starswirl, no less! Quickly snapping into action, Sunset jammed a hoof into Twilight’s mouth to silence it just before she could complete her sentence. “D-don’t mind Princess Twilight,” the embarrassed amber unicorn hastily excused her companion’s actions; “It’s just that you know, being the Princess of Friendship makes her feel she’s not able to perform her royal duties if she can’t feel like she’s being a good friend, eh heh. Twilight didn’t really mean what she said!” Sunset took her hoof out of Twilight’s mouth as she proceeded to respectfully nod towards the aged stallion; “I must say though... I can’t believe I’m actually meeting the legend himself in person. You can’t EVEN begin to imagine how much you inspired me as a filly!” Nervousness filled Sunset’s heart as she spoke those words, remembering how Twilight once recollected the cold reception she got from her idol after initially freeing the Six Pillars from Limbo.....

Sunset Shimmer jolted when she heard the surprise visitor, causing the mare to drop her ink quill as she turned around to face the interloper. “V-Vice Headstallion!” Sunset stammered as she started glowing again... if you count the glow from blood flowing to a pony's cheeks, that is. The unicorn had backed up against the desk by now, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck; “I hope the sound of my uhh... singing, wasn’t disturbing you.” Sunset should have known that Sunburst liked using this time of the day to study arcane lore without distraction!

Yay, Spoiled finally has a good mayoral campaign portrait!

The soul mate of Princess Cadence instinctively knew what had triggered her eyes into watering up. Shiny could certainly read Cady like a book! “Sorry,” the mare bashfully produced a handkerchief seemingly out of nowhere and levitated it to wipe her eyes; “I just get carried away sometimes when I daydream..." Cadence’s eyes widened over the implication her mother made. The alicorn gasped out loud as she blushed furiously; “MAMA!” Cadence might be the Princess of Love, but even she was now discovering the inherent awkwardness of discussing such intimate subject matters in front of her very own mother. .....And although Mama didn’t intend to, her teasing over her daughter’s family planning begged an even larger question; one that has laid hidden in the shadows of Cadence’s mind for a long count of years, waiting for a moment like this one to come along so it could resurface in a most dramatic fashion. “You know...” Cadence asked hesitantly, having needed a couple moments beforehoof to gather up her courage; “This might not be the best time to ask you this Mama, but..." Only now did Cadence make eye contact with her mother, before she moved in close to whisper; “.....Chi è mio papà?”

Welp... with Applejack showing approval for the change in music, Princess Cadence decided to wait out the squall by drinking the cider-full glass that Rainbow Dash offered. This was for the best, the alicorn reasoned; just chillax for a few minutes until the song ended, and then... it would be time to act, just as she promised. It’ll be a most welcome palate cleanser too! Once the cheesy song concluded, the princess flew up a distance off the ground; not too high, but just high enough that it would catch everyone's eye. “May I have your attention please!?” Cadence proclaimed in a commanding voice that was deliberately lower in bombast than the Royal Canterlot Voice; “If everybody can gather here for just a few moments, there's an important announcement you all need to hear!” It took about half a minute or so for the ball attendees to gather around in a circle. Shining Armor was among those up in front along with both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who had supplied Cadence with cider only moments ago. Good, good... all the pieces were set. The Crystal Princess set herself back on the ground. “Now then... I do believe Rainbow Dash here has some remarks she'd like to present....?”

A regal voice commanded from the opposite side of the door; “Please enter.” The attendant opened the door into Empress Yuè’s private study, gesturing for Medo to come inside. As the Neighponese unicorn walked in, she would see the Empress calmly putting the finishing calligraphic touches on a document. “Have a seat.” Once Medo obeyed the command, the attendant closed the door, leaving the two mares alone. With the way the guest stools were crafted, Medo would feel as if the royal qilin she faced towered over her. By now, the Empress had finished writing and was now reaching for the Imperial Seal, the jade-carved heirloom used to signify an edict’s official endorsement. It was never easy to admit what she was about to say, but Yuè knew she needed to promptly get it over with. As she applied the seal, the qilin remarked without looking up; “...You were there at the Grand Galloping Gala, Medo.” A long pause followed. “.....I have brought dishonor upon myself for failing to recognize you for the pony you are..."

". . . Although I’ve got tears in my eyes And I see rain clouds in the sky I can’t deny the light inside Because I’m not saying goodbye" 🎵 .....And that was a wrap for this experimental vocal run-through. As the dawn-like radiance emanating from Sunset Shimmer subsided, she felt confident that her latest melody concept would be liked by her pals in the Rainbooms, and would become the next tune in their repertoire! A quite, heartfelt piece would be a nice change of pace from their usual high-energy rock songs. Besides, this tune would also commemorate the inevitable day when the Rainbooms were destined to go their separate ways in life — which thanks to the structure of society Over There, was approaching all too soon. But that’s a post-graduation crisis for another day. It was the end of the school day at the School of Friendship, and Defense Against Dark Hearts had wrapped up about 30 minutes prior. With no creature around roaming the nearby halls, Sunset Shimmer often used this time to practice her vocal cords without expectation of being eavesdropped on by anybody. There was just something magical about the act of singing... and frequently in her case, quite literally so. That light Sunset just radiated a moment ago for example; that was very much a recent onset. Although her first study into the relationship between music and magic ended in an inconclusive bust, she had found time here and there to do some digging in this world. As it turned out, there IS a documented case in Equestria of a currently-active pop singer capable of involuntarily-triggered musical magic. Granted, it was just a single cutie mark lighting up, but it also meant that the magic that affected the Rainbooms wasn’t just some freak accident either. For that matter, a pony lighting up as if they were the Sun itself was not a sight new to Sunset. Indeed, the unicorn mare witnessed Princess Celestia herself emitting a shine on par with sunlight on a few occasions, although the alicorn was able to control whatever powers were at work there, which didn’t seem to come from the same arcane wellspring as the unicorn spellcasting Sunset was intimately familiar with. Some other force was clearly at play. Still, without any explanation for what was going on with her, Miss Shimmer thought it best to keep this latest “power” under wraps for the time being. In the meantime, the mare proceeded to move towards her desk, intending to scribble some notes onto a paper containing her song lyrics.....

Oh joy, the next room. Temy REALLY loved that one..... ---------- Sunset Shimmer followed as Tempest Shadow led the way into the next chamber. Right from the get-go, Sunset spotted the architectural impossibility of this room’s existence; there was no way a mere tower like the one they were in now could contain a vast column-lined hallway stretching out past their line of sight, far beyond the Tower’s actual width. But before the unicorn thought to pass a warning along to Tempest, a loud clamor arose from behind. An iron portcullis had slammed shut and sealed the two unicorns inside! “Blast it!” Miss Shimmer strained with her magic to levitate the grating upward, but it was no use! The grating was resistant to magic!!! Sunset portended; “...I have a bad feeling about this.....” Sure enough, a distant primal growl emanated from the void. As she heard ponderous thuds come closer, Sunset started to perceive what looked like a clump of distant nighttime stars grow in luminosity. One star near the top of the ceiling shone brightest of all, and for a moment, the amber unicorn thought she could see the Little Dipper itself. All the while, the growling grew angrier and more... ravenous. “Whatever this thing is Tempest,” Sunset drew up a game plan as she definitely stood her ground; “I need you to hit it with everything you’ve got!!!” ...No response. “.....Tempest?”

Cadence replied to Mama’s question in a heartfelt affirmative; “Sì.... all of it.” The power of True Love was indeed undeniable. Just look at Flurry Heart for proof! Speaking of... as the visage of the pink alicorn bride took up more of the screen, the Crystal Princess used this opportunity to gushingly point out to her daughter; “Look sweetie, there’s your mama! Didn- didn’t she and Daddy look lovely on their wedding day?“ Cadence’s eyes started glistening with moisture, as she just got hit with the realization that many moons from now when she was all grown up, Flurry may very well walk down the wedding aisle herself.....

In honor of @PrinceBlueblood, I have a real challenge for you: Spoiled Rich... except with her actually smiling (or trying to, anyway).

“Eh heh, yeah...” Sunset barely held back a chuckle from Twilight’s joke as the two brought back their work product. Inconvenienced as the two mares were by their unexpected sidequest, it was hard to resent Mage Meadowbrook just from her congenial personality alone. And then there was her unique gift to top things off; herbal flora that grew only in this world. “I-I..." the amber unicorn struggled to articulate her gratitude; “I know I’m usually the one harping to my friends about the dangers of magic and wildlife from Equestria leaking into their world, but..... thank you very much, Mage Meadowbrook.” Sunset gave the earth pony a brief, appreciative hug. “I admit it DOES feels good to have a reminder of Home.....”

Almost as soon as Filthy Rich was awarded with a public display of affection from his wife, the good vibes ended as two other ponies threw their hat into the ring. The middle-aged stallion cringed internally; one of them didn’t even bother introducing herself, and the other... well, nopony knew who his name was until the end of his speech. And that was exactly the problem: name recognition. Ponyville may not exactly be small enough of a town anymore where everypony knew your name, but it was still a relatively close-knit place. So maybe this Strong Copper fellow knew a thing or two about public speaking. Too bad though Filthy knew nothing else about the guy: what his background was, his political personality, his skills, his occupation, his day-to-day personality, his ability to remain committed in the face of adversity, how well he actually understood the intricacies of Ponyville life. All these things mattered — and doubly so for new residents — even if Mrs. Rich wasn’t running, Mr. Rich in good conscience could never endorse the other two candidates... at least, not unless they proved themselves just as dedicated to Ponyville as much as those residents who’ve lived there for nearly their entire lives. Of course, what mattered right now was dealing with Spoiled Rich’s loss of composure. To everypony’s good fortune, one of Diamond Tiara’s newer friends swept to the rescue with a cloud-pleasing musical number. Yes, it was cheesy and immature... but sometimes, rolling with what kids decide to do was the polite thing to do. Plus Filthy couldn’t deny the sheer enthusiasm of youthful energy, which he expressed by joining in the applause. Regrettably, the wife was a different story as always. Not only did Spoiled break composure, but like a minotaur chasing after a matador’s cape, she responded to Strong Copper’s passive-aggressiveness with blatant sourness. Filthy wanted to facehoof, but thought better of that. Acting fast, he stepped in-between Copper and his wife, exhibiting his trademark good-ole’-boy charm. “The point,” Filthy flashed a gregarious smile towards the unicorn; “Is that we have a long election season ahead of us, and us townponies will need all that time to get to know each and every candidate better. Electing a mayor is not something to be taken lightly, you understand? For tonight though, let’s put that competitiveness aside in the spirit of Friendship for all.” Whew; crisis maybe averted? Even though Filthy engineered things to make Strong Copper look like the bad guy if he kept baiting his opponent, Spoiled especially needed to take her husband’s words to heart if she really wanted to win. Filthy knew one thing however; first thing tomorrow, he was taking the morning train to Manehattan in order to hire a campaign manager for Mrs. Rich. Because there was ABSOLUTELY NO WAY he was going to handle damage-control for this entire election season!

Filthy Rich was shocked as anypony to hear the news of Mayor Mare’s retirement. The mare had represented Ponyville for just about a generation, and she had served well as a public servant. Under Mare’s watch, Mr. Rich had been able to do well for himself while the town his family lived in prospered as a community worth raising his precious daughter in. And for his part, Filthy counted the Mayor as a personal friend of his. But nothing lasts forever. Just as Princess Celestia no longer ruled Equestria, Ponyville would have to get used to life without Mayor Mare. It only took Filthy a mere instant to realize what would ensue in the coming days; he always knew his wife Spoiled loved to involve herself in civic affairs, and few ponies possessed the drive to aim high and succeed like she had. Once glance at Spoiled, and Filthy could already see the subtle facial cues indicating that the misses was up to something. Sure enough, the first chance she got, Mrs. Rich took the podium. What struck Filthy was how... uncharacteristically gracious his wife conducted herself. Behind closed doors, Spoiled was ALWAYS ranting about how Princess Twilight and her naive friends were filling their daughter with rubbish pie-in-the-sky ideas, and how much of an eyesore that tacky Friendship tree castle was... which admittedly, she had a good point. Why couldn’t they regrow the beloved Golden Oaks library tree that Filthy fondly remembered from his youth? Getting back to the topic; to Filthy’s surprise — or lack thereof — Spoiled declared her candidacy for mayor. For the husband, it was news both joyful and also potentially frightening. Mr. Rich was happy for the new opportunity coming his darling wife’s way, but if running an election campaign was anything like planning a wedding... oh Celestia, Filthy still had nightmares of that terrible ordeal, and the monster that said ordeal created..... For everypony’s sake — and for his household’s own — Filthy mentally prayed that Spoiled would run unopposed. Fortunately, that was a very real possibility, as everypony else lacked both the clout AND the raw civic ambition to take on Mrs. Rich in an election fight and win. As for this moment, Filthy Rich knew what familial duty required him to do. As husband of the mayoral candidate, he would be expected to act as Mrs. Rich’s most devoted surrogate... because anything less would end up with him getting an earful! Making his way up to the podium so he could join his wife, Mr. Rich boldly smiled towards the assembled townspoines as he declared; “I, for one, can’t think of anypony else more qualified to succeed Mayor Mare than my beloved wife. For years, Spoiled and our Mayor have worked as partners in growing Ponyville to the great town we live in today. That ALONE is a resume that nopony else in Ponyville can beat!” Mr. Rich spoke with confidence, yes, but a hawk-eyed observer might also notice a drop of sweat on his head, or the way the edges of his smile artificially curled in a way that suggested the existence of a twinge of fear.....