Sunset Shimmer did NOT want to leave the world that had become her home. She was content where she was, now at the point where the student body paid no more attention to her than anyone else and more importantly she now had five really good and forgiving friends. But as she had learned the hard way what she wanted mattered very little in the face of matters such as right or wrong. About a week ago she found something that turned her new world upside down…herself.
Fluttershy was bringing some puppies and kittens to a hospital to cheer up patients and possibly find the critters a good home when she found her. This world’s Sunset was a frail sickly girl but she wasn’t always that way, she started getting worse a few years back with no apparent explanation. After meeting the native Sunset and getting the story from her Sunset Shimmer came to an unavoidable conclusion, the poor girl had started getting sick shortly after she first came through the portal and even worse the closer the two got together the worse she became.
When it opened again Sunset went through to Equestria and explained the situation to Princess Twilight. After staying for a day both she and the princess went back and had learned that this world’s Sunset was improving. It was painful and she didn’t want to leave her friends behind but she couldn’t live with herself if the other Sunset got so bad that…she didn’t even want to think about it. She set her affairs in order and now she was ready to leave with the princess, for what was probably the last time.
“This stinks!” said Rainbow as she gave an annoyed growl. “Can’t you two figure out some way to keep her from getting sick?”
“The relationship between worlds is more complicated than I first thought,” said Twilight as she put a reassuring hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Locking the passage between ours to lunar cycles keeps them from becoming too similar, but we never considered what the long term effects of an outsider staying for prolonged periods could do. I’m starting to worry about my counterpart.”
“Well you can still visit us when for short periods of time right sugarcube?” said Applejack looking at both Equestrians.
Twilight smiled. “Whenever I can.”
“I’d rather not risk it,” said Sunset with tears in her eyes. Thunder rumbled in the cloudy skies not too far away. “Between what I did when I first came here and what I put you and your family through…”
The other sunset, in a wheelchair, grasped her hand. “You had no idea about this,” she said. “I want you come back when you can. Tell me all about Equestria and your adventures there, and I promise I’ll look after your friends.”
The Sunset who had lived this girl’s life for so long gave her counterpart a hug. “They are your friends now too. I won’t make any promises. I just plan to find some quiet corner of Equestria, make some new friends and just stay out of the way.”
“Silly,” said Pinkie Pie joining in the hug. “Even if you aren’t here it doesn’t mean we’ll ever stop being friends.”
“We’ll always be right here,” said Fluttershy while putting her hand over Sunset’s heart. “I mean if it wasn’t for you we never would have found out what the Dazzlings were up to.”
“We all know you’ll do us proud in whatever you choose to do,” said Rarity. “And we all hope you will change your mind about coming back.”
“Thanks,” Sunset said as she broke the hug. “But I tried to have a special life that wasn’t my destiny once, I going to make sure it never happens again. I know you all would say for me to do my best at whatever I do, but I don’t think I’m there yet.”
“Sunset we better get going,” said Twilight. “The portal’s not going to close for another couple of hours but I don’t want to keep them out in the storm.”
Sunset turned to the girls. “Well… this is it. I’ll never forget any of you. …Goodbye.”
Twilight went through first and then Sunset turned around and took a long last look at her friends. They were all waving goodbye with tears in their eyes. With tears in her eyes Sunset stepped though…
At the very instant a bolt of lightning struck the portal!
~~~
Princess Twilight waited for over a minute on the Equestrian side of the portal.
“Something’s wrong,” she said. “It shouldn’t take her this long to come back. I’m going through to see what’s keeping her.”
“But Princess!” said her recently appointed head of the guard Flash Sentry. “It will be sealed for thirty moons in a couple of hours!”
“I’m just popping over for a few minutes and coming straight back.”
A moment later Twilight came out of the statue at Canterlot High. The storm was starting to pick up in intensity.
“Twilight, is Sunset ok?” asked Fluttershy.
“She didn’t come through I was wondering what the holdup was.”
“Sunset she…” said Rainbow Dash. “She was right behind you and was going through when a bolt of lightning hit the portal at the same time!”
Twilight saw another bolt strike a tree. “Oh no, I’ll have to go back, see what Princess Celestia has to say about this! You guys get into shelter!”
“Well you better hurry,” said Applejack. “Just in case lightning strikes the portal again!”
“Don’t worry! I’ll find her, I promise!” Twilight jumped back through the portal again, the storm raging around the school mirror the torment in the princess’s heart.
~~~
Back her castle Twilight had looked through every book and scroll she could find on travel between worlds after Princess Celestia got no response from her journal, mostly stuff she was borrowing from Star Swirl’s old laboratory. When nothing but thoeries turned up she spent the next day at the Canterlot Archives and only found a single reference. Now it was late at night in library at the Castle of the Two Sisters, Twilight was looking at an old reference book. After reaching the end of a chapter Twilight groaned loudly and threw the book on top of a quickly growing pile.
“Spike, could you hand me ‘The Astute and the Arcane’?”
“Here you go” she heard as another book landed on the table.
“Thanks Princess Celestia,” Twilight did a double take. “PRINCESS CELESTIA!”
Celestia chuckled. “I forgive the formalness considering my sudden appearance.”
Twilight respectively stood. “What are you doing here?”
Celestia started walking with Twilight keeping up. “Spike sent me a letter; he says that both he and your friends are worried about how far you are burying yourself in this research.”
“I know, but I promised the girls in that world I’d find her and if I don’t then I’ve…” Twilight was unable to finish the sentence.”
“Then you’ve what?” Celestia said with concern.
“Then I would have failed to get Sunset truly accept friendship! I know she’s not the same pony she was but she was still letting guilt from what she’s done hold her back from really opening up her heart to those around her. She learned what friendship was supposed to be but she only really watched how they were friends, she told me she didn’t deserve friendship after what she did.”
“Friendship isn’t earned or deserved it must simply be offered and accepted.”
“I know it’s just…”
“You feel that if you brought her back yourself the first time she would have learned that lesson and be with us now.”
Twilight sighed. “I just saw so much of myself in her, if she had even only studied for the sake of studying, you’d be talking to her instead right now. I’m supposed to be the Princess of Friendship but I lost the one pony I felt I needed to teach friendship the most.”
Celestia draped her wing over Twilight. “Not at all Twilight, you couldn’t have controlled what had happened to her. And even if she had made friends when I told her to she couldn’t have your destiny. My hopes for her were simply for her to use her magic to help other ponies, nothing more or less. When I was a filly I was taught that each of us has a destiny only we can fulfill, when I first saw you at that exam all those years ago I knew yours was become an Alicorn and spread the magic of friendship.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And Sunset’s was just to be a good unicorn.”
“Actually I only wanted her to be a good unicorn because I couldn’t see what her destiny was. Yours was so unique it was obvious to me but for most other ponies it is almost impossible to know what their true destiny is. Keep trying to find her but don’t let it overshadow what you were born to do.”
“I’m sorry, even after all this time I was just afraid I’d disappoint you.”
Celestia laughed. “I understand that feeling completely, you read me and my sister’s journal I was a lot like you back in the day.”
“So who were you afraid of disappointing?”
Celestia looked out as if to try to find something past her field of vision. “My mother.”
“You know I don’t think you or Luna ever mentioned your parents, even in the journal.”
“Our parents died while we still babies, all we ever knew was they sacrificed themselves in order to save the lands that would become Equestria and the two of us in the process. We only really knew them from stories the alicorns that raised us told. About our mother in particular they had all sorts of stories, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to measure up. But after Luna and I had ruled for a while I realized she’d have been proud of us no matter what.”
“It’s hard for me to think of you getting nervous,” Twilight looked into the forest from a window. “I’m not giving up on Sunset, but I’m not going to let it run me into the ground either.”
“Good night my faithful student,” Celestia said as she flew out the window.
After tidying up the library Twilight had started to leave the castle. She took a sharp breath of crisp night air when she felt a small pull on her horn. It’s wasn’t strong but it was enough to get her attention. Twilight followed the pull; letting it guide her rather forcing her to whatever destination it had in mind. Soon she found herself being lead to a now familiar cave, and seconds later was once again standing before the Tree of Harmony the pull stopping at the base not far from where the chest appeared that held the rainbow power that now was within herself and her friends.
Twilight dug a few inches when there in the trees’ crystalline roots was a tightly wrapped tome. Twilight was excited at what new secrets of magic or friendship could potentially be held within. She took off the magic preserved canvas wrapping the book; it turned out to be the very same journal Sunset had. Shocked she turned where she remembered Sunset having put down the last entry.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Twilight almost dropped the book but made a swift save.
“This is impossible!”
Twilight continued reading.
If you are reading this and my calculations are correct then you would have found this journal shortly after I disappeared. First let me assure you that I survived the journey through the portal, the lightning strike had sent back to the same world but at an earlier point in time. My intentions when I started writing was for you to find a point in time where you could safely bring me back but now it serves a more important purpose. Read my words with great care for history has a way of repeating itself. I must ask that you DO NOT make any attempt to return me to the present, for it will cause irreparable harm to all that we know. Even if I am successful in what is increasingly looking like what is going to be my final task it will only be a reprieve, I have learned that you Twilight Sparkle and the other bearers must be the ones to end my tale. The fate of not only Equestria but of our entire world depends on you acting on the knowledge in this book. I only ask two things of you; first do not let anycreature other than the bearers know about my involvement in these events until after the threat has been resolved. Second should you triumph give Princess Celestia and Princess Luna my love.
After all this time your friend,
Sunset Shimmer
Twilight wrapped the tome back up and carried it back to her castle. She made a mental note to get her friends together first thing in the morning so they could read Sunset’s journal.
“Sunset, if we can I will find a way to get you back without damaging history. And even if we can’t whatever this new threat to Equestria is we’ll show it what the power of friendship can really do!”
Author's Note
So the story begins. I am planning on using The journal of the two sisters for some background info.
All characters belong to their owners.
It was late in the morning at Twilight’s castle; one by one her friends had entered the throne room where she had placed the journal on a table in the center.
“Ok Twi,” said Applejack. “I got the gist that you think Sunset left this for ya, but we don’t even know how old this thing is. For all we know Discord could be playing another one of his pranks.”
“The magic that lead me and kept it was definitely Sunset Shimmer’s. When a unicorn uses a spell on something else she can’t help but leave a small trace magic like a signature on the object. No two are ever alike; it felt like the trace she left on my crown when she stole it. The journal’s the real thing.”
“So get to the end already so find where this baddie or whatever is so we can rainbow it and save Equestria again,” said Rainbow Dash.
“If we just know where or what we could be leaving ourselves open to whatever this thing could do. It is best if find out whatever we can about the nature of this threat before we rush in. For all we know it may not be a single force but an underlying problem that nopony noticed.”
“I’m just sad we have to keep this from Spike,” said Fluttershy. “I know we have to but, he’ll probably worry so much about us.”
“Speaking of which how are we going to keep this from him?” asked Twilight.
“Oh don’t worry,” said Rarity with a blush. “He has already found his own distraction.”
“What do you mean?”
The door to the throne room started to open and Spike walked in with another dragon about his size with orange scales, dark blue eyes and a purple crest, along with a tiny pair of purple wings.
“And this is the throne room,” said Spike. “I have my own right next to…Twilight! I didn’t think you’d all be here!”
“It’s quite ok Spike,” Twilight said with a smile. “So who is your new friend?”
“Oh yeah, everypony I’d like you to meet Whimsy Weatherbe.”
“Nice ta meet cha!” said the girl dragon. Then she caught herself and did a curtsey. “Oh, I mean it’s an honor, your majesty.”
“No need to be so formal with me,” said Twilight. “It is a pleasure to meet you too. What brings you to Ponyville?”
“I wanted ta learn more about you ponies so I came here ta find out what you were like. “
“I bumped into her in park,” said Spike. “She was watching the crusaders playing hoofball and I guess neither of us was watching where we were going.”
“Oh, we need to throw a Welcome to Ponyville Party for Whimsy!” said Pinkie Pie. Then she saw Twilight motion back to the journal. “Uh you wouldn’t mind waiting until tonight Whimsy?”
“Not at all,” said Whimsy.
“Good,” said Twilight. “Spike why you should finish giving Whimsey her tour, I have some research to do.”
“Ok,” said Spike. “So Whimsy when do you think I’ll get my wings and can you teach me how to fly?”
“I only got them a week ago, so I’d say you’ll probably grow yours soon,” said Whimsy. “As for flying as small as they are for right now my wings are just for show…”
After the two baby dragons left Rarity gave an approving smile. “It’s so good that he made friends with another dragon his age and such a polite young lady at that.”
Rainbow Dash blew a lock of her mane up. “You aren’t trying to hoist his crush onto somedragon else are you?”
Rarity turned her nose up. “Why I never! I was just concerned for his sake, ponies don’t live as long as dragons do and he deserves to have more friends that will be with him over the centuries. If he wants keep pining over me in his youth I see no harm in it.”
“Especially since you get some free labor out it,” Applejack said with a smirk.
Rarity huffed. “Let’s just start reading.”
“Very well,” said Twilight as she opened the journal. “Looks like she started soon after she first came to the past…”
~~~
The moment Sunset stepped through she felt the lightning course though herself as well as the portal, then she blacked out while she was still traversing the worlds. Just before she awoke she kept hearing these whispers.
A chosen one… the Rainbow of Light… a noble army… cleanse the heart…
As Sunset opened her eyes she saw an expansive blue sky before her. Getting up she found herself in a body that she had once thought she’d never have again, the one she was born with.
“This isn’t right,” Sunset thought to herself. “The mirror was supposed to be in a castle, so why am I outside?”
Sunset took a better look at her surroundings, no civilization as far as the eye could see. Finding a river in the distance she decided to head in that direction first, figuring that if she followed it she may find people of some sort eventually, and she would at least have fresh water.
As Sunset approached the river she found that a number of ponies were gathering near a grove of cherry trees next to it. She ran forward and when she started to get close she began to hear the ponies speaking.
“We came here first!” said a gruff Earth Pony with a cherry cutie mark. “We can tend to these trees and harvest their fruit. You’ll get your share as always!”
“This land and the trees here we promised to us by the Queen,” said a snobbish sounding unicorn. “We can use the lumber to make a mill powered by the river which in turn can provide even more food than a simple orchard.” He had a white coat, brown eyes, a brown mane and tail and a cutie mark of a mace on the end of a chain.
Sunset took a good look at how they some of the ponies were dressed and noticed how old fashioned they were. She also recognized the landscape now; this river was feed by Neighagra Falls and to the south see could see Canterhorn Mountain.
“This is the past,” she thought to herself. “Before the three tribes were united! Ok try to figure out a spell to get you back home and try not to interact with anyone…anypony. First thing I learned from those sci-fi movies Pinkie made me watch you mess with the past you end up with monkeys ruling the future.”
The other ponies continued to argue while Sunset began to sneak away. “This is getting us nowhere,” said a light blue unicorn with green eyes, a black mane and tail and a pair of emeralds as a cutie mark. “We need an outside opinion.” The unicorn looked around. “Excuse me ma’am, could help settle an argument?”
Sunset froze as she turned to the ponies. “Who me?”
“Yes ma’am, I am Lady Emerald Gaze. You see Queen Electrum had charged Duke Morning Star here to develop this land, but the Cherry family has been living her for a week beforehand. While this family supplies cherries to the noble families the queen has ordered more grain be produced to feed the masses. Which do you think takes precedence?”
Sunset quickly ran the options though her head with the goal of getting herself out of this situation without messing up the timeline. The fact that the unicorns had a queen told her that it was a considerable time before the events of Hearth’s Warming, leading her to say something that would make them think she was just crazy enough to leave her alone.
“Why don’t you share the land? The Cherries could tend the grove and you bring in wood to build the mill and plant the grain on the other side of the river. We can’t let stupid things like tribe and position stop us from becoming friends. I believe that all ponies can be friends, me, the Cherries, the nobles, those ponies on the hill over there…” Sunset added as she noted some figures coming over a hilltop.
“I don’t think those are ponies,” said Morning Star.
“When we become friends nothing is impossible.”
Now away from Sunset’s attention the figures starting running closer, the creatures resembled centaurs but without skin, clawed hands, a mouth full of sharp teeth and a single red eye in their foreheads.
Nuckleavee, Dreadborn!” said Emerald Gaze.
“So I know that together we can…”
“RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!” shouted one of the Cherries.
As sunset looked around shocked the Nuckleavee seemed to be reshaping their claws into spearlike spikes. Most of the other ponies started to run in the opposite direction.
Morning Star drew a sword out using levitation, and Emerald Gaze did the same to draw crystals from the earth. “Cover the Cherries and the servants!” said Morning Star.
Emerald then threw the crystals points first into the swarm of Nuckleavee, after a number of them took enough damage they burst into a red and black mist that blew back south.
Morning Star’s sword had also dispatched those Nuckleavee got close to him. One got close to Sunset; she ducked just as its spear arm pierced a tree. As the thing pulled its arm free the tree began to wither and the ground it was rooted to was becoming dry and barren. The effect was also spreading to the other trees in the grove. Morning Star dispatched the Nuckleavee with a well-aimed thrust, but in doing had left himself open to one behind him. Sunset on instinct used her magic to stop levitate the creature before it could strike then using all the magic she could did the same to the rest of the Nuckleavee.
Emerald Gaze used the opportunity to call more crystals and threw them all at the creatures. They had dissipated into the mist that turned south leaving the three unicorns alone in the now dying . “Thank you madam,” said Morning Star. “You have truly won us a great victory this day.”
“But the grove is ruined and the river is looking sickly…” said Sunset.
“Yes, nothing will grow here for a hundred years if it is ever reclaimed,” said Emerald. “But everypony has survived. Most of encounters with the Dreadborn are not without casualties. We are just lucky that it was only Nuckleavee, if they were accompanied by Bunyips from the river there would have been no avoiding loss and if Strydons flew in none of us would have survived.
“Um, I sorry I can’t remember much other some spells and my name,” Sunset lied. “Just what are the Dreadborn?”
“The queen can explain it better than we could. You better come with us to the castle.”
“And quickly,” said Morning Star. “If it was only Nuckleavee they were probably scouts. Even if their nearest help is far away miasma will start coming in in minutes.
“Miasama?” asked Sunset.
“The mist that the Dreadborn seem to come from,” said Emerald. “Nocreature that has ever gone into it has ever been seen or heard from again.”
“I would rather be heard from so let’s go,” Sunset said. “Lead the way!”
And so the three unicorns left the grove and started towards the castle of the queen.
Author's Note
What are the Dreadborn? Do they pose a threat to the present or are they just the pawns of something more sinister?
Stay tuned to find out.
