"Sunset..." A voice of a grown man called, sounding as if he was from a great distant. He continues to repeat, "Sunset...Sunset..."
"Huh?" A young girl, roughly the age of a high school student, leapt awake, finding herself in an endless field of tall, orange grasses that are as blazing as the sunset. "Who...who's there?" She called, searching across the field, trying to locate the source of the voice.
"Sunset..." The voice called again. "Sweetheart, where are you?"
The girl gasp, as she felt a great touch of warmth and comfort washing over her, like she hasn't felt that way in a long time. The girl immediately darted to the left, following the voice of the man, brushing her way through the grass, listening as the call grew louder and louder. Every passing seconds, the closer she gets to the voice, the clearer and familiar it became for her, until at last, she finds herself standing on the edge of a cliff, atop a seashore, looking across the ocean, shimmering and bathing in the afternoon glow of the setting sun.
Turning to the right, the girl sees a path that curves down to the beach. She walks her way down, and walks across the warm, grainy, soft sands that caressed ever so gently with their burning touches, under the sole of her feet, with every steps she takes, the closer she gets to the waters.
Once she reaches the shoreline, the girl braced herself for the oncoming wave. The waters washed over her foot, embracing her in their smooth, soothing, warm gentle caress. She closed her eyes as she lets her body take it all in. The sounds of the ocean, the smell of the brine, and a gentle gust of wind blowing her hair.
"Sunset..." The voice spoke again, to which the girl turned to the right and was startled to see a small unicorn filly, with orange coat, a mane and tail of blazing fiery red and gold, with large beautiful eyes of moderate cyan. In spite of their different appearances and age, when she looks at the little filly, without a doubt, the girl sees herself, exactly the way she once was when she was very young.
The girl watch as the little pony giggles and trots across the beach, kicking up the sands and waters into shining sparkles of crystals that glistens in the sun's glow. But she wasn't alone.
"Sunset!" The girl and the little pony looked up to see the appearance of tall, fully grown stallion trotting to the little filly. His face was concealed by the sun's ray of lights, but his voice was as clear and strong as it was many years ago.
"Daddy!" The little filly shouted happily, running up to the stallion and lovingly embraced his hooves.
"Daddy?" The human girl asked, looking at the stallion with newfound realization, as if she was looking at a ghost.
The girl watches as the little filly levitates a beautiful conch shell up to the stallion, "Look what I found daddy!" She smiles. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, it is," The stallion reply, as he levitates the shell in his aura. "It's just as beautiful as you are, my little Sunset. And you will be as magnificent as the sun is when you grow up."
"Really daddy?"
"Really really."
With that, the girl looks on as the two equines wrap their hooves around each other in a loving embrace. The very sight moved the girl's heart, bringing tears to her eyes, just as the sun completely vanishes over the horizon.
Then, without warning, bursting from the darkness in a blazing fire, a fiendish demon sorceress sprang forth, spreading her monstrous bat-like wings and her long razor-sharp claws, as she laughs maniacally.
"Well, look who's daddy's little girl now." The demon said mockingly at the girl.
"It... it can't be!" The girl sobbed pleadingly. "You're not real! You're gone!"
"I was never gone!" The demon sorceress scoffed. "I am you. I can never be gone. I am what you were, what you are. I am what you've always have been and always will be! Don't you remember? All those tests you've passed with flying colors under Celestia's tutelage, all those naysayers who dared to say otherwise, all those sacrifices we've made in life, to get to where we were, all to make dear ol' dad proud of us."
"No..." The girl shakes her head in denial. "That's not what dad wanted. That's not what I wanted! All I wanted was to be a better unicorn than I was before, but not in that sense of becoming a raging she-demon sorceress!"
Still, the she-demon was undeterred, "Like you're any better," The demon scoffed. "Think about it, Sunset. Deep down, you're still the same bad girl you've always were. All those impulsive actions you would make out of rage. The lives you've ruined, all of which you cannot fix. Your little CMC friends may have framed you for the Anon-a-Miss debacle, but deep down you knew, you were no better. What would your father think about you now, if he was still here?"
As if she was struck by lightening, Sunset Shimmer felt her whole body going numb, as she experience a flashback of all the lives she had ruined, back when was the school's top bully and manipulative prom queen, all of which she did it without any regrets. Some of them she would later make amend for, while others are beyond her ability to reconcile, or are too late to save. It was all so overwhelming for the girl, as all the negative emotions she's struggled to repress came rushing back to her like tidal waves, unleashed upon her tenfold.
"If you were good enough, maybe your father would still be here with us," The demon said, as Sunset Shimmer finds herself standing before the stallion, who was surrounded in a shimmering aura of gold that is as beautiful as the sun.
"Father!" Sunset sobbed, reaching her hand out for the stallion. The relieving moment was short-lived, however, when the demon sorceress crushed the stallion beneath her claws, "NOOOO!!!" Sunset screamed in utter horror, startling herself awake from the nightmare.
After a quick moment to regain her composure, the girl looked to see she was back in the safety of her room, in her apartment.
Still, her longing for her father's embrace was still fresh, as she cuddles herself into a ball, her chin resting on her knees as she mutters, "Father."
Later that day, Sunset was at the mall, hanging out with her friends, just as she always have been doing since being reformed. She sat at a table, eating her ice cream, when she happens to take occasional looks at all the shoppers, going about their days, with their friends and families – but mostly the families.
She watched a little boy, a toddler, playfully clinging himself to his father's legs, with the man playfully carrying him all the way. She turned to look in a different direction and sees another dad carrying his little boy on his shoulders. Another loving sight that tugged Sunset's heartstrings was a mom and a dad holding their son and daughter by the hands and swinging them together as they walked happily down the malls.
This all made Sunset thinking more and more sadly of her parents, when she was young, innocent, but very happy and very much in loved with the life she once had.
For a moment, Sunset was lost in her own world as she sat and thinks about the life she once had, when she still had her dad.
"HI-YA SUNSET!" A loud voice greeted, startling Sunset out from her trance.
"AH!" Sunset screamed, falling out of her seat and onto the floor. "Pinkie!" Sunset groaned, rubbing her sore head.
"Surprised ya, didn't I?" The pink bubbly girl asked.
"Ya okay there, Sunset?" Rainbow asked, as the rest of the Rainbooms crowded around Sunset. "You look kinda zoned out there for a moment."
"I'm fine," Sunset sighed.
"You don't look fine, Sugarcube," Applejack denied. "Something on yer mind? What's going on?"
Knowing that it's no use lying to Applejack, and that the rest of the girls won't leave her alone on the subject, Sunset answered, "I was just thinking about...him."
"Who? Flash Sentry?" Rarity guessed.
"...No."
"Bulk Biceps?" Applejack guessed.
"...No!"
"That watercolor-painting, scary-movie-fearing cutie in a denim jacket that you once dated back in the Starswirl Music Festival before you were fling back in time?" Pinkie Pie guessed in a long-winded sentence."
"No–Uh, how did you know about that?" Sunset asked, looking flabbergasted at Pinkie Pie's random, but accurate guess.
"Eh, just a hunch."
"Well, that's a good guess, Pinkie. But no."
"Then who are ya thinking about, Sunset?" Rainbow asked.
"My father..."
The rest of the gang all exchanged looks, as their curiosity was piqued, "What about your dad?" Fluttershy asked. "Uh, if you don't mind me asking."
"He died," Sunset answered sadly, much to the shock of the other girls. "A long time ago. Seeing everyone else with their fathers, and their moms, makes me miss him a lot...more."
"Oh, sugarcube," Applejack frowned sadly, wrapping an arm around Sunset and pulled her close for a hug. "I'm sorry you felt that way."
"It's fine," The fiery girl frowned. "I mean, dad's in a better place now...so I should be happy for him. Right?" She struggled to smile, which looked rather awkward which turned sad, "Besides, maybe it's for the best, since dad wouldn't be heartbroken to see what I had became," A tear trickled down Sunset's eyes as she frowned, "Or what I failed to be the girl he wanted me to grow up to be. I can't imagine how disappointed he would be if he saw me now."
"If he saw you now, he'd be proud of you, Sunset," Rainbow frowned. "You're our friend. You're a hero!"
"Totally!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Remember when the Dazzlings attacked and nearly took over the world! You came at the last second to help us win the fight!"
"Or how about the time when I also got turned into a raging demon sorceress?" Twilight added. "If it hadn't been for you, I would've destroyed the school and probably the world."
"Or when Wallflower Blush went looney and went erasing precious memories from our minds?" Rainbow commented.
"Or how ya saved us all from a Storm King's magic that nearly sank an entire cruise ship?" Applejack. "We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
"Maybe," Sunset frowned. "But that doesn't change the fact that I was once a demon sorceress who nearly conquered the world with an army of zombies. And before that, I drove a wedge in your friendships, and ruined the lives of so many people...some which I can't even give back to," She wiped a tear away as she continued. "I promised my dad I would make the world a better place...but instead, I broke that promise, just like how I almost destroyed one world and another."
The Rainbooms could tell that Sunset's father meant a whole lot to her, enough to make her this emotional. Still, they were determined to comfort their fiery friend.
"Sunset, it's not too late to uphold that promise," Applejack said. "You might've been a bad girl then, and it's true, no one can ever forget that. You owed it to a lot of people, and you've been paying it back by becoming our friend. So let's focus on the future and see to it that you can fulfill that promise to your father. Okay?"
Still uncertain, and crestfallen, Sunset hesitantly answered, "I hope."
"Darling, that's all any of us can do," Rarity replied. "We can only hope."
Sunset felt a little bit relieved, as if a bit of weight has been lifted from her shoulders, but the longing was still there.
Wanting to change the topic, while also wanting to know more, Rainbow began, "So...what's he like?" She asked. "Your dad. What was he like? Was he awesome?"
Sunset heaved a heavy sigh, before she answered, "In a nutshell, he's perhaps the greatest dad anyone could ever have," Sunset sighed in nostalgia. "It's been many moons, and it's all a blur, but I remember how much he would hold me close in those strong hooves of his, whenever I'm scared or sad. And whenever it's just the two of us, he would take me on an adventure to places far from home, to see new ponies and creatures, and experience their cultures. Of course, I wasn't all that interested in making friends, but I did have a great time learning their cultures and experiencing them. And that smile of his...how could I ever forget that loving smile he would give me to brighten my days. To me, he was my hero."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash smiled in agreement. "My dad's like that too."
"That's what dads are for!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Loving!"
"Funny," Rainbow added.
"Supportive," Rarity said.
"Caring," Fluttershy commented.
"A little overbearing," The girls looked at Twilight awkwardly. "In a good way."
"A real family man," Applejack concluded.
"Yeah," Sunset smiled sadly. "That's my dad alright."
"So what happened to him?" Twilight asked, before she did a double take. "Oh, no wait! Don't answer that! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked!"
"No, it's fine, Twilight," Sunset frowned, as she sadly recalls. "It was on business trip to the kingdom of Abyssinia, in the capital city, Panthera, where my dad was the goodwill ambassador. He was paying a visit, when a storm appeared and...dad never came back."
The girls were further shocked and crestfallen to hear the revelation. They didn't have to guess what happened during the storm, or how exactly their friend's father had died.
"Oh my!" Fluttershy sobbed as she hugged Sunset. "You poor thing!"
"Must've been really hard on ya," Rainbow frowned in sympathy. "Losing your dad like that."
"I kinda know how that feels," Applejack added.
"What about your mom?" Twilight asked. "Don't you still have a mom?" Sunset, however, didn't want to answer, "Just asking," The smart girl insisted. "You don't have to answer if you don't like."
"It's alright, Twilight," Sunset replied. "I just...I've been missing my dad for so long, I was so sad and angry with myself...and the world. So I took it all out on...everyone," The pipes finally broke as Sunset's eyes were flooded with tears, "I just wanted my dad back. He was a good stallion and...I didn't get the chance to say good-bye to him!" She sobbed.
With that, Fluttershy and Applejack all tightened their hugs around Sunset as she continues to cry, all the while consoling her to let it all out.
"Shh, it's alright, Sunset," Applejack whispered. "Just let it all go."
"We're here for you," Fluttershy cooed.
Sunset didn't reply. She simply lets herself to succumb to the loving and heartwarming embrace of her two closest friends – three, since Pinkie Pie joined in the hug – letting the pent up sadness she kept in to flow and to wash away. Once again, like the phoenix, Sunset rose from the ashes of her bitter sadness, feeling herself rejuvenated and afresh, with all her sorrow washed away.
This went on for about a few minutes, before the girls released their grieving friend from their comforting embrace, "Feel better now, Sunset?" Applejack asked.
"Better than I've felt in a long time," Sunset admitted. "Thanks."
"What're friends for!" Rainbow replied, giving her a thumbs up.
"Anyway, the day's still young!" Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly. "Hey I know! Let's go to Sugarcube Corner. I've got lots of dad jokes there! My dad wouldn't admit it, but he makes a killer dad joke!"
"Ha! As if," Rainbow scoffed, as she follows her eccentric pink friend. "My dad's jokes are 20% cooler!"
"Y'all are a bunch of crazies," Applejack said as she followed the two. "One time, mah dad told a joke and it left my ma in a cast for a week!"
Soon, the rest of the girls followed their friends, with Sunset and Twilight being the last to catch up, "Hey Sunset?" Twilight asked in concern. "Will you be alright?"
"Yeah, totally," Sunset reassured. "You go ahead. I'll catch up," Twilight went ahead, while leaving Sunset alone with one final thought, 'Good-bye dad. I'll love you, always.'
This Isn't The End – Owl City
Not All Heroes Wear Caps – Owl City
Author's Note
One thing most Anti-Twilights have in common.
Only their dads are shown on-screen.
- Trixie Lulamoon's father, Jack Pot, in Grannies Gone Wild.
- Starlight Glimmer's father, Fireflight, in Parent Map.
- Tempest Shadow... Well actually we didn't get to see any of her family relatives.
- And of course, there’s Moon Dancer, but we only saw her sister. But still...
Written for fathers everywhere. Happy Father's Day.
