The Beginning of a Shimmer

Cake, balloons, and a table set up with a buffet of food on it were all set up in the Canterlot Garden right outside of the royal castle. This was all set up by Luna, for she felt that Sunset Shimmer deserved a little more happiness after what had happened the night before. “Ah, perfect.” Luna said in a happy tone. “Wait a minute, something is missing. I have the food, decorations, a good location for the surprise…” Luna mumbled to herself, “GAMES! I forgot to put in the games! Oh, what’s a party without games, especially for a filly like Sunset.” Luna face-hoofed herself as she realized that the games were missing. “Okay Luna, think. What do fillies like Sunset like to play?” Luna lost herself in thought. All she could do at the moment was think, and think, and think, until she came up with an idea. “Wait! I got it! I’ll set up a game of pin the tail on the pony!” As Luna said that, she ran off to the inside of the castle for an old pin the tail on the pony set she got when she was a filly. It was in a box, and the box was covered with dust. “This will be perfect; I hope thy niece is pleased when she sees all this” Luna said to herself. Quickly, Luna rushed back over to the garden and set up the game. “Ah, now it’s perfect. Now all that’s missing is dear Sunset Shimmer.” With that, Luna went back inside the castle to Sunset Shimmer’s room. There, Sunset Shimmer was levitating two pony figurines: One of Celestia, and the other of Luna. When Luna walked in, she’d seen Sunset Shimmer playing with them. “DIE DIE DIE!!! SUNSET SHIMMER IS BEST PONY!!!” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed. While yelling this, the Luna figurine was repeatedly hitting the Celestia figurine. Eventually, she stopped levitating the Celestia one pretending that Celestia had given up. Luna stood there. Silent. Staring at the red, yellow, and orangish pony. Luna shook her head to get back to what she had planned. She then stepped forward  and approached the filly. Sunset Shimmer turned her head as Luna came forward. “Oh, hi Luna.” She said with a smile.

“Hello Sunset,” Luna replied, “Um, you wouldn’t mind coming with me somewhere, would you?”

“Um, no I wouldn’t mind I guess. Unless it’s one of those really gross restaurants I don’t like”

Luna giggled. “It’s not my dear, I promise.”

“Well, okay then.” Sunset Shimmer said.

“But there is, one, slight twist to this. I want you to close your eyes.”

“Close my eyes? How will I see where I’m going?”

“Don’t worry,” Luna giggled, “I’ll guide you there” As she said that, Luna smiled, and took hold of Sunset Shimmer’s hoof. They began to walk. They made it out of the room, then headed towards the stairs all the way at the end of the hallway. Once they got there, they slowly went down the stairs, and headed towards a door that led to the garden. They made it. Sunset Shimmer and Luna were now in the garden. “Can I open my eyes now?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Yes, you may open them.” Luna smiled. As soon as Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes, Luna stood on her hind legs and yelled, “SURPRISE!” Sunset Shimmer gasped in awe. She looked at all the balloons, the table full of her favorite meals and desserts, the game of pin the tail on the pony, and then looked at Luna with a big smile. “T-this….all….for me?!”

“Yes Sunset. Now go, enjoy yourself. After all, it is for you.”

Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath, and said in an exhale, “Thaaank yooou.” Sunset Shimmer was very excited. She ran over to the table and started eating first what she loved the most: Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.  She looked up at Luna as she took several huge bites out of the cookies. “They’re delicious!” She exclaimed with her mouth full of cookies. Luna chuckled.

“I’m glad you like them. And you have a little something right here…” Luna used her hoof and pointed at her own mouth, showing where there was a chocolate stain on Sunset Shimmer’s muzzle. Sunset Shimmer took a napkin from a pile of napkins she found at the end of the table, and wiped her face with it. “Is it off?” She asked.

“Yes, it’s off.”

“Yay!” She squealed. Sunset Shimmer than looked around, and saw the game pin the tail on the pony set up on a nearby tree. She ran towards it, and found the blindfold for it on the ground. She used her magic, and levitated the blindfold to put it over her eyes. As she did this, she said, “Luna, Luna! Spin me, spin me!”

“Okay, okay, I will.” Luna said while giggling softly again. She went to Sunset Shimmer, and placed a hoof on her back. “Ready?” Luna asked.

"Ready!” Sunset Shimmer said with determination. Luna began to spin Sunset Shimmer, faster and faster she went, until finally she was dizzy. At first Sunset Shimmer struggled, but Luna guided her towards the paper with the pony on it. Sunset Shimmer was levitating the tail, and stuck it to the paper hard. She lifted her blind fold, only to see that she was off. Way off. She had pinned the tail to the head of the pony instead of its tail. “No way! Redo! Redo!” Sunset Shimmer demanded.

“Sorry Shimmer, but no redo’s.”

“Ugh, fine.” Sunset Shimmer grunted. Luna looked around to see if there was anything else to entertain the young unicorn with. She couldn't find anything, so she had no choice but to ask, “Sunset, is there any other games you would like to play?” And as Luna asked that, Sunset Shimmer thought for a moment.

“No, no not really.” Sunset Shimmer shrugged. “Ya know, I’ve never really been out here…do ya think you could show me around?”

“Of course I could. Where would you like to go?”

“Well, I’ve heard there was a statue area of the garden. Could you show me where it is?”

“Yes. Just follow me.”

And onward the two went to the statue garden. As they walked there, they passed the Canterlot labyrinth. It was dark, so the labyrinth appeared in a dark square shape. Sunset Shimmer looked around, and up ahead she saw a figure of something. It was the first of many statues built, glowing in the moonlight. Sunset Shimmer picked up the pace, and trotted over to the statues. “Wow! Look at this one!” Sunset Shimmer said excitedly. She had been looking at the first statue she’d seen. It was of a pony that wore a cape, holding a flag. “That flag represents victory.” said Luna. Sunset Shimmer stared at the stone statue, and took note of every detail on it. She then turned her head, only to find yet another statue. As she saw it, she trotted over to it and gazed in awe at its beauty. The statue was of three fillies, one on top of the other, all happy, and seeming as they were playing a game. “That one represents friendship.” Luna told Sunset Shimmer.

“They’re all so pretty,” Sunset Shimmer said as she looked around, “but…what’s that one?” Sunset Shimmer had lifted up and pointed her hoof to an odd looking statue. She slowly walked towards the statue, wandering what it was and what it meant. The statue itself stood out from the rest to begin with, only because it towered over all the other ones. Not only was it taller in size, but what also made it differ from the rest was that it was not a statue of a pony. Instead, it was a statue of a draconequus.  This creature contained the body of mixed animal parts, and the head of a pony. Sunset Shimmer stopped in front of the statue. She looked up, and began to stare at it. She thought she saw something familiar about the statue, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it. She squinted her eyes, trying to think of what made it look familiar. The head. She squinted her eyes a bit more, and stared at the head longer. Luna had been looking at a statue behind the draconqequus statue. She turned her head to the left, and saw the back side of Sunset Shimmer just standing in front of the other statue. Luna for a brief moment panicked, afraid of what Sunset Shimmer’s reaction might be. But she calmed herself, and slowly approached the young filly. Then, finally, as she realized what and who the statue was, Sunset Shimmer gasped quietly, putting her hoof over her mouth. Her ears lowered slowly, and her eyes began to water. Luna took a deep breath in from her nose, and let out a big sigh.

“D-dad?” Sunset Shimmer whimpered.

“I…I should’ve told you sooner about this…I am so sorry Sunset.”

Sunset Shimmer just stood there, staring at the statue.  She sat down, and let her head hang downwards. Tears ran down her cheeks to the tip of her muzzle, ending up falling to the ground. She began to shiver, and goose bumps formed as the thought of being turned to stone came across her mind. “He…he never did anything wrong. He was always a happy pony; he always laughed and had a grin on his face. He was always there to cheer me up…why would she turn him to stone?” Sunset Shimmer asked in a quivery voice.

“Discord; the beholder of chaos and disharmony. He was turned to stone because of this reason.”

“Beholder of disharmony? I don’t understand.”

“He brought fourth disharmony to our land after some time. But the only reason to this was because he wanted to entertain himself. He started out with simple tricks and pranks, but as he continued to do this, it got worse, and worse, and worse, until it got to the point where it was so bad the kingdom began to fall apart.”

“What? No, it can’t be true!”

“But it is,” Luna replied, “and the only way to put an end to his ways was by trapping him in a stone prison. If we had not done this, our kingdom as we know it would most likely be found split in two.”

“But, but chaos is what makes us unique. That’s what dad once told me…it was the last thing he told me.”

Luna grew a worried look on her face, and stood silently once more. Sunset Shimmer got up, and turned around to look at Luna. She knew Luna couldn’t say anything else the minute she looked into her eyes. Then, for the first time, Sunset Shimmer used her teleportation spell correctly, and teleported herself to her bedroom inside the castle. Luna, disappointed in herself, headed back to the castle as well, only to go the other direction into her throne room.