Chapters You Can't Help Who You Love
Words Will Never Hurt Me...
Change.
It's the one thing almost everyone fears. Change brings the unfamiliar to light. It's a road that branches off and gives way to new things. A life that you once found comfortable soon turns into something you can't discern. Everything about it differs from what you had known it to be, for the better or for the worst. And for Sunset Shimmer, her life had changed for the better...
And yet, it felt like a mistake.
It was early afternoon. The sun was out and shining brightly. Wisps of clouds drifted through the sky aimlessly, there being no direction to be had. A slight breeze whisked its way around the branches of trees and combed its fingers through the grass. Birds chirped and flew through the air with glee, chasing each other as if they hadn't a care in the world. And bees floated from one flower to the other and pollinated them, all the while humming their little tune.
It was spring. And to Sunset Shimmer, nothing was better than this time of year. Sitting at her desk she sighed as she looked out the window. As much as she would like to be outside and enjoy the natural beauty of it all, she couldn't. Instead of being out there she had to be stuck in a stifling hot room full of heavily perspiring human teens. It was like the sun was in the room with them. Sunset huffed and shrugged off her leather jacket. Glancing at the clock on the wall she grimaced. Ten minutes left before the bell rang.
Great.
Ms. Harshwhinny, who seemed oblivious to the intense heat, droned on about King Louis XIV and his 'awful' fall. She scratched the chalk on the board and continued her monotonous lecture. Sunset frowned. Ms. Harshwhinny's History class was the most dreadful thing to have to sit through. How anyone survived it she had no idea. How she survived it was a miracle that had been mercifully laid upon her. Here she was, waiting for the bell to ring and being eager to leave. But here's this teacher in the way and somehow stretching the time so that it seems longer than it should be before the bell finally rings its joyous shrill of freedom.
Fiddling with her pencil and slouching in her seat, Sunset let her mind wander. It didn't matter if she paid attention or not. There was about seven minutes left now. Sunset's mind drifted to her new friends. After her defeat, the girls had been willing to befriend her and at first Sunset didn't accept their friend request. But with time, she saw that she was alone and that they were the only ones who'd accept her. With reluctance, she joined their group. So far, they had been friends for five months and Sunset Shimmer had come a long way from what she used to be like. Well...by her standards.
She wouldn't say she was completely reformed and a goody-goody. That would never happen. But she was as close to it as she could get. Sunset made it a point to smile and wave to her fellow classmates. As nicely as she could, she would help people out with small things, like if they needed a pencil. She tried to be courteous to those around her without giving a dirty look or shooting an insult. It took her a long time to learn to smile and be nice-ish. Many times Sunset found herself having to hold her tongue with great difficulty.
All in all: Sunset hadn't improved too too much. It was just baby steps. But baby steps were better than nothing. Sunset was snapped out of her thoughts when something slapped the edge of her desk with a loud snap! She jerked herself upright and stared at the wooden ruler that had smacked her desk. Before her stood an unhappy Ms. Harshwhinny. The woman had whacked her desk with the wooden measuring stick.
"Having a nice time daydreaming, Ms. Shimmer?" she asked in a rough voice.
Sunset felt everyone's eyes staring at her. They burned into the back of her head with as much intensity as the stifling heat. All the judgment and resentment the students had for her she could feel. It was the most uncomfortable feeling in the world, to know you're being judged. Sunset swallowed and opened her mouth to defend herself. But all that came out was one word that only made it worse.
"Uuuuuhhhhh...."
Ms. Harshwhinny narrowed her eyes. She walked back to her desk and opened a drawer to get out a folder labelled 'Detentions'. Sunset groaned and slouched in her chair. That was the fifth detention that week. It was as if teachers were purposefully looking for reasons to place her in after school punishment for the smallest things. Ms. Harshwhinny caught students daydreaming all the time and she would let them off with a warning. But because she was Sunset Shimmer there were no exceptions.
"Ms. Shimmer, you're serving this detention today. When the bell rings head down to Study Hall," the teacher said bitterly.
She scribbled down some words on the paper and handed the slip to her. Sunset grudgingly took the slip and slammed her head on the desk. Just as the bell rang. There were snickers from some of her classmates and she glared at them. They flinched but stuck their tongue out at her boldly. Sunset wanted to snap at them but with Ms. Harshwhinny staring her down with the detention folder in hand she refrained. She didn't want to get into anymore trouble than she already was.
You're reformed, Sunset....Even if others don't see it...
The fiery-haired girl stood up and grabbed her bag. She walked out the classroom and made her way to Study Hall, which was being held in the library. As she walked through the halls, she could feel the same uncomfortable burn of people's gazes on her. A feeling of guilt came over her and she quickened her pace. She needed to escape their harsh stares. Sunset didn't want to be reminded of the life she had led five months prior.
By the time she got to the library she was a little out of breath. The quick pace she had started turned into a sprint to the library. Sunset slipped in and sighed as she felt the sweaty, hot atmosphere change drastically to a much cooler and refreshing feel. At Canterlot High, the library and the office were really the only places that air conditioning existed. Before she was reformed, Sunset would skip class and read in the far back of the library so she wouldn't have to suffer being in the heat.
Skipping class was one of the things Sunset missed after her reformation. She was a prodigal genius. She had been princess Celestia's student! But apparently, this human world regarded all teenagers as stupid and pushed them off to school. Another benefit to skipping classes was that it prevented her from having to deal with horrible teachers like Ms. Harshwhinny. It wasn't her fault the old lady was so boring!
Sunset stood by the door and let the air conditioning cool her off.
"May I help you?" a kind voice asked.
Sunset turned to see it was Ms. Page, the librarian. The lady had been smiling but when she saw who it was that walked in, her smile had faded. Ms. Page looked her up and down with disapproval and nodded to the detention slip in the girl's hand.
"Detention, huh. Not surprised..."
Sunset frowned deeply. It wasn't like she had done anything to her...Except, maybe, knock over some bookshelves in years past...But that was a long time ago. She was different now...somewhat. Ms. Page snatched the slip out of the girl's hand, walked over to the check out desk, and sat down.
"Take a seat and study. No talking whatsoever. If you so much as sleep from now until detention is over, you're getting another one from me, got that? Now get to work. Please."
Grudgingly, the girl obeyed her directions and plopped down in a chair. She cracked open her math textbook and took out a notebook. Might as well get started on her homework. She had been sitting there for not even a good five minutes when the library door opened and in came a girl with a huffy attitude.
"Hmph! The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't belong here in detention!"
Sunset face-palmed and groaned. Absolutely wonderful. Behind Trixie stood Mr. Noteworthy, who looked very annoyed with the girl that just walked in. He glanced at Ms. Page and sighed.
"I'm so sorry, Ms. Page. If Trixie gives you any trouble, feel free to write her up," the man said.
He handed Ms. Page the detention slip and the woman's eyebrow shot up. She glanced at Mr. Noteworthy and looked again at the slip.
"...'Turned student's homework into smoke'..."
"He deserved it! How dare he insult the Great and Po--"
"She has a passion for being a magician so this kind of thing is a bit common with her," Mr. Noteworthy explained quickly, cutting her off. "Like I said, feel free to write her up if need be."
The teacher walked out and left Trixie there with Sunset and Ms. Page. Trixie got the same set of gruff directions as Sunset and she turned to sit down when she saw the other girl. The Ex-Demoness sat with a pencil in hand, looking as nonchalant as ever, like Trixie was just some girl that had little importance to her. Sunset didn't really like Trixie at all. She looked down at her work and tried to ignore her. If she avoided any kind of eye contact or conversation, she wouldn't have to be bothered.
But Trixie saw this as a sign of disrespect. It was as if Sunset hadn't even acknowledged her; she was invisible to her. Not like the former queen ever paid much attention to her; she never did. Trixie immediately got the impression that all the hype those five friendship-happy girls were spreading about Sunset changing for the better was total crap.
In disgust, the magician yelled at her.
"You! Evil Demon!"
Sunset flinched at this hurtful comment but collected herself in an instant. She bit her tongue to avoid shooting a slew of words that weren't necessarily school appropriate. Ms. Page ordered the showgirl to sit down. Trixie did so and dropped in a seat at the opposite end of the room. As Sunset worked on her homework, she felt Trixie staring. She was getting tired of people with the burning stares. After half an hour, Ms. Page got up from her desk.
"You better behave yourselves. I'm going to leave for a little bit and I better not see you two doing anything suspicious when I come back."
As soon as the woman left, Trixie said something.
"Well, if isn't it the queen of CHS. Oh sorry, I meant the former queen. Twilight sure did put you in your place."
Sunset turned around to look at her. Did this girl really just say that? Sunset felt her face burn with anger as she clutched the back of her chair. She so desperately wanted to tell her off, but she didn't want to give Trixie a reason to continue to bother her. In a huff, Sunset turned back in her seat. But Trixie kept throwing insults and Sunset couldn't ignore them for long.
"You can't trick everyone with your 'goody two shoes' act. We all saw what you are. You're a demon!" Trixie said.
"Yeah? And you're a crappy amateur magician. Your tricks can't fool even the dumbest simpleton. At least I'm trying to improve myself. You, on the other hand, should just give up magic. There's no improving on a talent you don't have."
Trixie's face twisted with disbelief, anger, and hurt. She gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists, her face turning red in embarrassment. Sunset couldn't help but feel delighted to see her going through all these emotions. Trixie was never someone she liked and seeing her this way made her feel superior to her. Old habits die hard.
"How dare you! I have talent! You don't have any kind of skill whatsoever! You just get other people to do everything for you!"
"And isn't that a skill? Manipulation? Not everybody can do it, you know," Sunset said smugly.
Trixie slammed a hand on her desk.
"That's not a skill! You aren't doing any kind of work on your own. Instead, others are doing it. Now that Twilight has knocked you down a lot of pegs, you're going to see how hard it is to ever get any kind of respect. No one's going to care about you after everything you've done!"
Sunset swallowed hard at this. That was true. Ever since she had been reformed, Sunset has been having a hard time getting accepted by anyone other than princess Twilight's friends. No one wanted to be around her. Students that she laughed at and mocked before now laughed and mocked her. They glared at her like there was no tomorrow with the same judging eyes she had once turned on them. Bold kids would break into her locker and vandalize her things, writing vulgar words that stung her. But Sunset tried to be indifferent about it.
She was Sunset Shimmer. No matter what happened she kept her cool. The fiery-headed girl smirked.
"And what do I need other people's respect for? I didn't think anybody cared about me before and I certainly don't care about it now."
Trixie frowned at her and crossed her arms.
"Oh, you will soon enough. You may not see how hard you have fallen but you will understand in time. You may have been popular once, but you won't be again. Instead of having others look to you like you're all that, they'll have their backs turned. One day, Sunset Shimmer...one day, you'll see."
Trixie leaned forward in her seat and with a low voice, continued.
"Everybody's eyes following you, full of hate and scorn. People smirking at you and spitting at your feet like you're trash. Everywhere you look someone will be watching you with disgust. No matter where you go people will always be talking about you. Nasty rumors will spread and isolate you even more. Each and every day you set foot on school grounds is a day that you'll regret. No one will be there for you. All of your 'friends' won't be there. They're just helping you out because of Princess Twilight.
"Their very existence makes it all the more worse for you, actually. Everyday they walk around here and are praised for defeating you. When they greet you and say hello it makes them look better. They're trying to help out the beaten villain to improve their self image, not to really help you. You accepting their help makes you look weaker than ever. That big personality you put on is nothing but a persona on stage."
Trixie began to whisper.
"You're weak. You're an outcast. You say you've changed for the better but who will believe you? You're nothing but a liar. You cheat your way through life. You use your 'charming' looks and 'sweet' voice to get around. Every time you open your mouth, lies and cruel remarks fall out. Think you have friends? Those girls are just using you for self image, like how you've used others for your benefits..."
Sunset sat there paralyzed. Everything around her seemed to stop moving. Her blood ran cold and a shiver ran over her. Every word the other girl said had cut like a knife, slashing through her with rapid speed. The words were needles that stabbed her and made her cry out in pain. Sunset felt her heart give a sudden painful jolt as its fast pace came to an abrupt stop. Trixie stared at her and leaned back in her chair.
"These are words you need to take into consideration, Sunset Shimmer. I'm not talking nonsense. You're the reason why I'm an outcast. I only speak the truth."
Author's Note
Some of you have been waiting for me to write this story. I don't think this'll be so successful since I'm not the best writer ever, but I'll hope this first chapter is satisfactory. Make sure to check Shaud out and follow them!
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
I didn't expect this story to be successful! I give Shaud all the credit for that since this story is based off theirs. I hope you all like it so far.
Many Emotions
Sunset threw open the double door entrance/exit to CHS and promptly left the building. She walked with quick steps and her head held up high. Her hands clutched the straps of her bag with a killer grip. Sunset Shimmer was furious. All throughout detention, Trixie's words echoed in her head, bouncing around and jumbling her thoughts. It distracted her from finishing her work. None of it should matter to her. She was Sunset Shimmer. People said stuff about her all the time and did she care?
No...
But whatever was said about her was said behind her back...not to her face.
Sunset gritted her teeth and made her way down the street. Trixie was just dramatic. Everything she said was just to add a dramatic flare to emphasize their mutual dislike for each other. No one actually did what she said they did...
Angrily, the girl stomped to the intersection and waited impatiently for the crosswalk light to signify her to go across the street. Cars rolled on by down Trot Street and Saunter Avenue with ease. The green light stayed on for what seemed like an infinite amount of time; too slow for Sunset's taste. Everything was going too slow for her. The crosswalk light stayed on that red hand too long, the birds in the sky flapped their wings too infrequently, the people walking on the other side of the street were too sluggish...
Sunset ground her teeth together. Today was not what you'd call a good day. As she waited, her mind drifted back to Trixie's words.
"Everybody's eyes following you, full of hate and scorn. People smirking at you and spitting at your feet like you're trash. Everywhere you look someone will be watching you with disgust. No matter where you go people will always be talking about you."
Sunset cringed. Ever since her reformation, she had noticed lots of the students giving her dirty looks and staring at her. Sunset always knew when someone was talking about her when they looked her in the eye and smirked, as if to say 'What are you going to do about it?' Snickers and snide remarks had been shot at her before. Once someone was bold enough to show off his middle finger to her.
Sunset would have enjoyed breaking his finger then but Applejack had been giving her a stern look. when AJ said no, you had to let it go. The farm girl was incredibly strong and if she had to, she'd take you down by force. And Sunset had experienced it once before. It wasn't a pleasant thing to go through being dragged by the arm in an iron grip. Sunset had practically lost circulation in that arm.
A loud Beep! interrupted Sunset's thoughts and she jumped. Looking up, she saw that the crosswalk light had a stick figure on it and a car was waiting for her to cross so they could make a right hand turn. Rushing across the street, the girl made it to the other side and continued her trek home. She shook her head and sighed.
Trixie wasn't important. She was just a talentless magician who needed to get a few good punches. And Sunset wouldn't mind being the one to deliver them. Clearing her head, the fiery-headed girl kept walking until she came across a relatively quiet street. On one side, there were small houses and the other an apartment building. Sunset made her way to the apartment building and opened the main door and walked in. Sunset had walked into an inner narrow corridor that lead to people's residencies and stairwells that branched off and up to other floors.
The girl clambered up the stairs and went up three floors before making her way down another hall and stopping at a door. On it in gold letters was the room number.
187-3F
She fished in her pocket for her keys and opened the door. Sunset's apartment wasn't anything to ogle at. The walls were white, the furniture was beige and the curtains on the windows were a crème color. Everything in there was just the way it had been when Sunset had purchased it nearly three years ago. The only thing that added any personal touch to it was her crown collection from years of winning the position as princess in Fall Formals and Spring Flings.
"You're weak. You're an outcast. You say you've changed for the better but who will believe you? You're nothing but a liar. You cheat your way through life. You use your 'charming' looks and 'sweet' voice to get around. Every time you open your mouth, lies and cruel remarks fall out. Think you have friends? Those girls are just using you for self image, like how you've used others for your benefits..."
Sunset dropped down on the couch in the living room and sighed. She was angry, tired, and slightly sad. But she ignored the last emotion. Sadness shouldn't come from what Trixie said. It was true that she had gotten around with her good looks and charm. But that was so she could get what she wanted. Sure, Sunset spouted a few lies here and there that may or may not have hurt others. Big deal. None of them cared about her in the first place, much less her feelings. Why should she care anymore than they did about her?
Anyways, everybody lies. It was just that her lies were a bit harsh sometimes.
Sunset sniffed. She wasn't weak like Trixie said. She was strong. Nothing could stop her on this very earth! Nothing could...until something of another dimension came along. Sunset smiled. Ha! Calling her weak! No one on this stupid earth could stop her! Only some magical being from another place could. That says a lot about her being 'weak'.
As Sunset prided herself on some of the things that she had done in the past, she couldn't help but feel an ache in her chest rise. It hurt and stung her like a cut exposed to the open air. Guilt. She felt guilty and ashamed of the things she had done...
The fiery-headed girl laid down on the couch. She was getting sleepy and worrying herself with such matters wouldn't help anything. Once she got a good rest, maybe she would feel better...
And...
Forget about...
It all...
zZz...
You Can't Help Who You Love
Screaming. Yelling. Whispering. Hissing. Echoing...that's all it seemed to be doing.
"You! Evil Demon!"
The words rang through her ears and occupied all of her mind.
"Well, if isn't it the queen of CHS. Oh sorry, I meant the former queen. Twilight sure did put you in your place."
Nothing could stop them from being spoken again and again and again.
"You can't trick everyone with your 'goody two shoes' act. We all saw what you are. You're a demon!"
This endless torture scarred and wounded her; a barrage of bullets that kept hitting her skin. But never killing her.
"These are words you need to take into consideration, Sunset Shimmer. I'm not talking nonsense. You're the reason why I'm an outcast. I only speak the truth."
Sunset shot up from the couch drenched in sweat. Her heart was pounding and her head ached. She groaned and rubbed her back as she slowly sat up. It was dark out now and the room was completely void of any color but black. She felt hot and sticky. Sunset messaged her temple and sat there in the dark trying to compose herself.
It was just a dream....
The fiery-headed girl stood up shakily and stretched her sore muscles. Taking her phone out of her leather jacket pocket she read the time. It was 9:52 p.m. She sighed. Sunset had fallen asleep right after she came home. And she felt too tired to do anything at the moment. But she didn't want to go back to sleep only to have Trixie's words come back to haunt her.
"Why am I even taking this seriously..?" she whispered.
Just then, her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten anything since early afternoon at lunch. Sunset stumbled around in the dark and flipped on the light switch. The girl shielded her eyes from the sudden light and went into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and not to her surprise, there was no food in there. Sunset had been meaning to go to the store to buy groceries but hadn't had the time and was sidetracked. There were just condiment inside and bottled water.
Sunset closed the fridge and opened the cabinets. She was sure she had some food in there. Surely she hadn't eaten all the food...But the cabinets proved otherwise. There was absolutely no morsel left. None of them had any kind of snack or anything, instead greeting her with spices, seasonings, and more condiments. Her house was foodless...
Sunset groaned and dawned on her leather jacket. It was nearly 10p.m. now. Not many places are open around this time most of them having closed at nine. Her options were limited but hey.
You snooze, you lose.
Literally.
Sunset walked out her apartment and closed her door silently. She didn't want to wake the neighbors. It was bad enough that they were older and didn't like young people. And even worse that they were always trying to get her evicted. Slowly, she crept past their doors and hurried down the stairs, trying not to make her footsteps resound on the metal steps. Once at the ground floor, she went out the front and was hit by the cool night air.
It was unusually chilly for the spring time. Sunset shivered a little as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Taking quick steps, the girl made her way out to the busy streets of Canterlot.
***
It was relatively quiet in central Canterlot, the busiest part of the city. Cars zipped by every five minutes and a breeze chilled everything. There weren't pedestrians walking about except for Sunset...and a homeless guy who she steered clear of. Looking at the closed food places and stores made Sunset's stomach growl louder.
It was then, when there was nothing to do, that Trixie's words came and stung her. Sunset felt her heart thump painfully. She clutched her shirt and grimaced. It was a feeling she never wanted to feel, but knew she couldn't escape from it. All those times Sunset had been cruel to others...Every selfish reason she had had for doing terrible things...Her continued stubbornness to accept the fact that she was an evil person...
It all hurt her.
What was the point of being friendly if no one would be friendly in return? Why should she feel bad for things she had done in the past when she was trying to fix her mistakes now and nobody appreciated it? Before she had been reformed, none of this had affected her. And now it is. Sunset thought that being reformed brought happiness and friends and good things. Instead it brought heartache, misery, and isolation. It was like she was being punished doubly for her attempt at controlling everyone to be her zombie teen army.
Sunset felt something slide down her cheek. Lifting her hand to it, she found that it was a tear. Nobody would ever accept her as a new person...so why not just change back? At least she won't feel the sadness this whole thing was giving her. Friendship was stupid. All she ever needed was herself. Sunset let her tears fall as a smile came across her face.
Finally, she could stop being miserable. Her five months of reformation was over. None of it mattered. Trixie did make one good point while putting her down. Accepting Twilight's friends' help was a mistake. It was her admitting defeat; that she needed to be guided after such a hard fall. That she was inferior to them and that they were right all along.
Friendship is Magic..?
More like Friendship is Bullshit.
With her newfound confidence, she made her way down the street. At the end of that street was a café called Java Bean . It was still open and had no one in there except for a girl whose purple hair was pulled into a bun. She had orchid colored skin and pink eyes. She stood by the counter talking to someone with white hair and skin. He looked like snow covered all of his body. Around his neck he wore a velvet scarf. Sunset walked in and stomped her feet to announce herself unnecessarily since there was a bell that rang when she opened the door. The two people at the counter turned to her and smiled.
"Whoa, hey, Shimmer!" the boy said.
"...You changed your outfit! It looks good on you. Trying to go for the bad girl look, I see?" the girl said.
Sunset Shimmer stood there feeling confused. Who were these people and how did they know her? And no one calls her Shimmer. The only people who do are teachers and she hates that.That name is forbidden unless spoken with her first name. And what the hell did they mean by 'you changed your outfit' and 'trying to go for the bad girl look'? What were these guys talking about? She always--
Sunset grunted and sat down in a booth. Whatever. There was no need to concern herself with them. They were just people who didn't know what they were talking about.
"A black hot coffee with no sugar and a muffin," she mumbled.
The two of them looked at her with an eyebrow raised. They glanced at each other and looked back.
"Are you al--"
"Just get me my order!"
The two of them went into the back and set to work. Sunset sighed. It wasn't food food but she was ok. She would probably go right to sleep when she got home. Leaning back and closing her eyes, she waited.
Author's Note
I would've published this chapter yesterday but the site was attacked. You know, DDOS. I had a few problems with saving and publishing on here, but they should be fixed soon according to one of the FIMfic staff. I hope you enjoy this!
You Can't Help Who You Love
"She seems kind of...different, don't you think?"
"Yeah. Like she's not the same person..."
"I agree. She never drinks coffee."
Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes slightly and glanced at the counter. Both the boy and girl were whisper talking as they prepared her order. It was obvious that they didn't want her to hear by the way they glanced over their shoulders at her. Her eyes were narrowed slights and she watched them as well as listened to them. They weren't that great at being quiet about things. It was probably because they thought she was asleep that they were a little louder than they should have been when it came to whispering.
"Shimmer would never yell at us. She must be having a bad day," the boy said.
"Or maybe...she's going through an emo phase!" the girl hissed.
The boy shushed her as he capped the black coffee.
"Shhh! Not so loud..."
"But it's so obvious. The leather jacket, those boots, that attitude, her hair being down..." the girl continued.
"Maybe you're thinking more of a bad girl more than an emo person, Sugar Belle," her friend sighed.
The girl, Sugar Belle, frowned.
"Either way, she's changed, Double Diamond."
Double Diamond nodded as he walked around the counter and made his way toward Sunset. The girl had many thoughts running through her head. What was with all this nonsense about her going through an 'emo phase'? What was an emo phase?? And what did they mean by her hair being down, her leather jacket, boots, and attitude...Sunset had always been like that! Nothing changed!
Sunset started to move forward and propped her elbows on the table she was at without opening her eyes, startling Double Diamond. She opened them and caught a glimpse of him nearly spilling her coffee. She gritted her teeth.
"You better watch it, buster..."
The boy blinked and glanced back at Sugar Belle, who looked just as surprised as him.
"...Uh, sorry, Shimmer."
Sunset snatched her coffee and muffin from him.
"My name's Sunset by the way, Double Diamond . I don't go by Shimmer so stop it."
Double Diamond combed his fingers through his hair. He glanced at his friend and sighed.
"Apologies...So how are you? What brings you here so late?"
Sunset frowned.
"Isn't it obvious. I wanted coffee and a muffin."
The boy stood there awkwardly. He nodded and kept looking at Sugar Belle. Sunset sniffed and continued to eat. Best humor them. She was too tired to do anything anyway so she just had to hope they'd stop being stupid. She would like more than anything to be in bed right then. But her legs just didn't want to move from their position.
"You told us that you had go to your lesson with Mr. Melody when we left school. How did that go?" the girl said.
Sunset paused before she took a sip from her steaming coffee. Her eyebrows lowered directly above her eyes and a frown came across her lips. She already was in a bad mood about all the reformation stuff...But this? What exactly was going on? She pressed the cup to her mouth and took a long sip of hot coffee before answering.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your lesson with Mr. Melody. How did it go?" Sugar Belle asked eagerly.
"I don't know a Mr. Melody. Is he related to an Octavia? Like maybe her father or something?" Sunset asked with confusion.
Sugar Belle placed her hands on her hips.
"You do know him, Shimmer! You just told us who he was just now. He does have a daughter named Octavia! Stop messing around. How did your lesson go?"
Sunset shrugged and continued to drink her coffee, feeling a bit annoyed.
"If you mind, I'd like to be left alone. I don't know what you're talking about and I'm a bit pissed at the moment so back off with the questions."
The two of them took a few steps back, feeling alarmed by the hostile tone she took. This was unlike her...Double Diamond scratched his head and turned scarlet as he looked down at Sunset. She's been a bit rude to them and he needed to know why. Shimmer always was nice and well mannered, no matter what happened. The only thing he could think of that could possibly be the reason for her sudden change in attitude was one thing...
"Um...I know this is rude of me to ask, but...is it your time of the...month..?"
Sunset's face reddened and she turned her gaze to him. Immediately, Double Diamond regretted his question. Sunset stood up abruptly and grabbed his shirt. The coffee tipped over and spilled on the floor. She pulled him close and ground her teeth together. Double Diamond practically lost all his strength as his knees gave out. Sugar Belle stood there in shock, not knowing what to do. It all happened so fast!
Double Diamond was scared out of his mind.
"I-I'm sorry, Shimmer--"
"It's Sunset! Sun-Set !" the ex-demon snarled. "Your apology isn't going to take back what you said. I should slam you on the ground and stomp your face!"
"N-No! Please!" Double Diamond shrieked and Sugar Belle stood where she was, fearful of what could happen. She wanted to stop her, but she was scared to get hurt.
Sunset felt her blood rush with an accelerating feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. Adrenaline. Sunset smirked. Being in charge and pushing others around had given her a natural high and now it felt good to be above others. Friendship wasn't anything she needed. Being the top. The best. The Queen....was all she needed. Sunset released her grip on his shirt and he fell to the floor in a heap.
Without saying a word, Sunset turned and left. She didn't bother to pay them for the food they gave her. Sugar Belle knelt on the floor and comforted a shaken up double Diamond. She herself was feeling very uneasy about the display of behavior the girl had shown. She patted the boy's shoulder and swallowed hard.
Just then her phone buzzed and she fumbled to get it out of her pocket. She looked at the name on her screen and the message with utter shock and disbelief. She gritted her teeth and slammed her phone on the floor, cracking the screen badly. On it the screen pointed up toward the ceiling with cracks running through the words.
Shimmer- Hey, how are you doing?
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
Wow, a little over a thousand views! I've never gotten that many views before! The largest amount I had gotten before now was 700 some odd. Looks like people like the idea of Sunset meeting herself!
Also, look at this. This is Shimmer's outfit. It'll help you imagine her throughout the story. The picture I found for the cover image was made before the My Past Is Not Today video. I needed to make sure everybody could imagine Shimmer in an outfit that most were familiar with. The one for the cover image is too similar to Sunset's original clothes.
Besides, why not use the newest piece to Sunset's very limited wardrobe?
City Border
The 'Midnight bus' stopped at the corner of Rein Street and let out its passengers. The people on the bus stepped off into the cool night air and scrambled. It was extremely late and all anyone could think of was getting home to get some sleep. As the passengers fled like fugitives on the run, one girl stomped down the steps leading off the transportation. She was the last to get off and as soon as her two feet were on the ground, the 'Midnight bus' pulled off before even closing its narrow double doors.
The girl didn't even notice how fast it ditched her. She was too focused on looking at the phone in her right hand. She frowned at the screen. The girl rolled her thumb and scrolled through the text messages she sent. Checking her notifications, all it said was No Reply . She sighed and pocketed her cellular device. Looking up, she started to walk slowly. In her left hand she gripped her guitar case handle as she moved forward. It had been a long day for her.
Looking at the phone one more time she groaned and put her phone away for the billionth time. She had been waiting for an answer since 10:30. Right when she was about to put it back in her pocket, the phone buzzed and she looked looked at the screen eagerly...Only to be met by a very rude and hurtful message.
To: Shimmer From: SugarBelleMuffins
I'm deleting you from my contacts. Try to call me or text me again and I'm calling the police to arrest you for harassment and assault.
The poor girl nearly dropped her phone when she read that.
"Arrest me?? For assault and harassment?!" Shimmer whispered in a shrill voice.
She placed a thumb on the screen and tapped away furiously on her phone.
What do you mean? Is this some kind of joke??
Shimmer was just about to press Send when something told her to stop. Her stomach flipped around and she gulped. Sugar Belle was a silly person, she knew that. Sometimes, the girl would send fake emergency messages and Shimmer would be all worried. Only to find out later that the 'emergency' was that she ran out of flour for baking. But Sugar Belle had never sent a threatening message to her that she'd call the police. And nothing was funny about that.
Though it was the first time this has ever happened, she better not send the message. If what Sugar Belle is saying is true, she would be sleeping in a cell that night. Shimmer deleted the message and put her phone back in her pocket. The girl sighed shakily. What had caused Sugar Belle to send such a text? What had she meant by the accusation of assault and harassment?
Well, the harassment part she kinda understood. It was nearly twelve in the morning and Sugar Belle was surely to be in bed trying to sleep. Her shift would have ended about half an hour ago at the coffee shop. Shimmer sheepishly added to her thoughts that she had sent fifty messages to her all saying 'Hi. What's up?'
Maybe the girl was just sleepy and didn't want to see another bothersome message from her...
"Yeah. That's it," she whispered, feeling much better. "She's just really sleepy."
Feeling fully convinced by this (there was no reason for her to think her friend would get the cops on her, one of the accusations being false) she happily walked down the dark street. It had been a long day for the girl. She went all the way from Pointeville, which is where she went to school and lived, to Canterlot for her weekly guitar lessons with Mr. Melody. It took an hour for her to get there by bus. After her lesson with Mr. Melody, she went to the library to do homework and study.
She eventually got kicked out at nine so the library could close. Shimmer then went to eat at a restaurant for dinner. Usually she went straight home and made herself something but she was feeling a bit tired and decided to treat herself to burger and fries. After her two hour dinner break she got on the 'Midnight bus' and came to the edge of Pointeville.
Shimmer walked along the city border. To her right was Pointeville; her left, Canterlot. Shimmer lived on the edge of the former. A breeze drifted in her direction and she shivered. Pulling up the collar of her black jacket she sighed. She wished she had worn warmer clothes that day. It had been cooler than what the forecast predicted and she had had goosebumps on her arms all day. She wore a light blue short sleeve shirt with a sheer undershirt underneath. She wore tight jeans and black boots with brown upward arrows on them, much like what her jacket had on the sleeves.
Shimmer tugged at the half jacket and frowned. If it were longer it would have sufficed. While pulling at her shirt and rubbing her free hand on her arm to create more heat (which didn't really work) she kept walking. Not quite paying attention to where she was going she tripped on the uneven sidewalk and stumbled forward, crashing into something. Her guitar landed on the ground with a loud twang! and she let out a loud shriek. Shimmer fell beside her guitar and scraped her elbow. The girl hit her head on the concrete sidewalk and she groaned.
"...My guitar..." she murmured.
Shimmer got to her knees, trying her best to ignore the severe pain in her head. She needed to check that her guitar was not damaged. But as soon as she reached her hand out to unlatch the case, all the blood rushed forward and she cried out in pain. A warm liquid came flowing from her nose; no doubt it was blood. She had gotten up too fast.
A hand placed itself on her shoulder and not too long after, someone spoke.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see where I was going. Are you--"
Shimmer turned to the person who was speaking and froze. Kneeling down beside her was a fiery-haired girl with light orange skin and blue-green eyes. She wore a black leather jacket and an orchid colored shirt. Her skirt was orange with stripes of complimentary colors running across it. The girl had riding boots that went up to her knee. They were black with purple flames climbing up them.
Shimmer and the other girl were speechless.
The same eyes... Shimmer thought as she looked into her turquoise orbs.
The same nose...and mouth and lips...
Her own eyes looked down at the features she noted.
Same hair...same skin...same...
Shimmer swallowed hard.
Same everything.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Sunset stared at the girl in front of her. She had the same red and yellow streaked hair and turquoise eyes. Her skin tone was a light orange, much like hers. The girl wore a light blue shirt with a sheer top underneath. Over that she had a black half jacket with brown upward arrows on the sleeves. Her top, black boots with the same arrow design, and jeans were all that differed from Sunset's own dress. What didn't differ was her face.
Sunset let go of the other girl's shoulder. She gulped and looked at the blood running down from her nose. Sunset's doppleganger had a bewildered expression on her face. There was no way...after three years of living in that dimension she was just now finding...Just now seeing her own human counterpart. The other girl stared at Sunset. Her eyes moved rapidly over her body, not even looking away for even a second.
The tension was too much for Sunset and so she backed away slowly. The other girl stayed where she was and asked," W-Who...are you?"
Her voice. It was just like hers. The low growl with a tinge of accusation to it. Sunset bit her lip and looked around. No one was there to see what was going on. She so desperately wanted to leave. Why, she didn't know. But there was a weird vibe coming from her human counterpart. Something told her that if she got involved with her life, things would change. Now for the better of for the worst, she did not know about that one either. And neither was she willing to find out. Sunset turned on her heel and got to a running position.
"Wait! Who are you?? Tell me your name! Please! Don't go!" the other girl called.
Sunset glanced back at her and felt the same vibe coming off of her. She was looking at herself. Her nose was dripping with blood, her elbows scratched with deep cuts, that wide-eyed look of shock and pure fear etched on her face...It was like a reminder of Sunset's fall from her position as queen; her reign of terror having ended when Twilight and her friends blasted her with a painful burst of color.
Sunset could see her real self with the same scratches and bruises lying at the bottom of a huge steaming crater in front of CHS. The feeling of defeat weighed heavily on her shoulders as she climbed on her hands and knees up to the edge to get out. In front of her stood Twilight looking down on her with extreme disapproval and pity. Sunset had lost. She lost to her and was given a merciful sentence. Or so she thought. Accomplishing friendship was a doomed mission she'd never be able to succeed at. Who would ever want to be her friend after all she had done?
Without a moment's thought, Sunset ran off. Images of her being conquered by her mortal enemy and the failed attempts at becoming a better person came into her head. No! She wasn't going to let Twilight have her way! She was Sunset Shimmer, former student of Princess Celestia, former queen of CHS, and the one who needed no one. Friends? Please! Friends don't mean shit!
***
Shimmer got to her feet as soon as the other girl sprinted off. She couldn't believe it. She just saw...herself! And now 'she' was running away. Shimmer ignored the throbbing pain in her head and chased her. Leaving her guitar behind she kept her eyes straight on the fiery head of her double. The other girl's reaction was so unexpected. Shimmer thought she would have stuck around to get to know her. But that assumption was wrong.
Her double looked so surprised when she saw her. But not 'Oh my Faust!' surprised. It was like she had known that would happen...Like she was aware of Shimmer's existence and once she ran into her was just like 'Oh, so this is where she is. This is her.' Shimmer had no idea why she thought that. Maybe it was the eyes, or the way she recovered from shock so quickly. Or perhaps how her face became serious; her eyebrows lowering over her turquoise eyes, her mouth turning into a thin line, the hard look she gave...
Without warning, Shimmer's double turned into Canterlot. They had been running along the city border for a while. She had gone down a street called Spurs Avenue. Shimmer pounded down after her, her heavy footsteps echoing off the close sides of old factories.
"Hey! S-Stop! I just...I just want to know who you are!" she yelled.
The doppleganger had not replied; instead she kept running.
As the breath escaped her mouth she felt herself weaken at the knees. Shimmer stumbled forward and hit the brick wall of one of the buildings. She grimaced and looked up. Shimmer's vision blurred and she saw double of her double. Shimmer was losing her. She pushed off from the wall and sprinted to catch up to the multiple girls running ahead. Shimmer had hit the concrete hard when she bumped into her other self before.
Who was she? That's all she wanted to know. Was she a relative? An identity thief? Someone wearing cosplay for something? Was she someone who happened to look like her by mere coincidence?
Shimmer's mind wasn't making much sense at the moment but it was all she could go on. Her own imagination. She chased her for who knows how long when finally, Shimmer had an opportunity to get her. The girl before her stumbled on the uneven sidewalk and fell on her knees. A sudden burst of energy came into Shimmer and she shot forward, determined to not let her get away. Before the other girl could move she grabbed her arm.
***
Sunset's Point of View
A firm hand gripped me by the elbow. I was on my knees then and about to take off when that happened. I knew I was caught.
"W-Why did you run...away?" she asked in between panting.
I didn't say anything and kept my head down. Seeing her face...it would only remind me of when I lost to Twilight and agreed to become reformed. Look how well that turned out. I'm never going back to that. Being reformed only caused me more misery. Those cuts on her face, that look of weakness...NO. I am strong! I don't need anyone to help me. I'm--
"Please answer."
I sighed a long and somewhat tired sigh. In all honesty, I don't know why I ran. It was just the thought of having to see her... to see me like that...It brought back sour memories. I opened my mouth and gave her a response.
"I don't know."
I felt her grip loosen on my elbow and I snatched it away. No doubt she was shocked by my answer. I rose to my feet and rubbed my knees. Keeping my back to her I busied myself by brushing off my dusty clothes.
"B-But...How do you not know..?" she whispered.
I shrugged. I just wanted to get the hell up out of there and away from her. But that didn't work out the first time seeing as how she managed to catch me. Seeming to know she wouldn't get much out of me on that topic, she asked a different question.
"T-Tell me...Are you...related to me? A twin, maybe? I mean...you look just like I do. M-Maybe not the clothes. But the hair. The eye color. The skin tone...even our voices...Almost everything is the same. And now th-that I think about it...how could we be twins and I not know you exist? My parents...they would never keep you a secret!"
She continued and I listened.
"The similarities are just...they're uncanny! Even the small details, like the way our hair is styled is the same! I...I just...none of this makes any sense...at all?! It's...It's..."
I waited for the words to fall right out of her mouth.
"...It's almost like...you are me."
And there they were. The words that had been etched into our minds the moment we saw each other. The only difference is that I knew she and I were the same. I knew I would have to say something to her. I had a feeling she wouldn't let me go without an answer. We stood there for a long time. The cold night air chilled my exposed knees and a breeze ruffled my hair. The sky held no stars; it was just a black canvas void of any real color. The buildings loomed over us like giants. They seemed to be waiting to see what would happen next.
I closed my eyes. I could hear her teeth chattering and her hands rubbing her arms. With a half jacket like that and a shirt with a sheer top underneath, she wasn't very well dressed for spring's surprisingly cool nights. I could see in my mind that the long silence was giving her time to think...and that she would realize why I said nothing. Silence is the best way to ruminate on things and seeing that I had not given her an answer after what she had said...about me being her...she should be able to understand in time.
And sure enough that 'time' came.
"...Are you...m-me?" she barely said.
I turned around and looked at her. What I saw was someone who was curious, shocked, cautious, excited, and even scared all at once. She couldn't control her feelings. Her identical turquoise eyes looked at me desperately searching for the answer in my eyes...my face. She had her arms wrapped around her torso to protect herself from the chilly night air. Her legs shook either out of shock or exhaustion. I couldn't tell. She just looked so helpless...so needy.
Much like how I was when I first came to this world. I hadn't known what to do then. I was all on my own. Many times I contemplated going back to Equestria but I soon found my way around. I still didn't need anyone's help back then. I just need to get my foot on the stirrup before hoisting myself up so I could be in control of the reins. The scratches on her face were hidden by the darkness of night. I felt my hard gaze on her soften.
"I am you...but I'm not at the same time. You and I are identical, but we're not twins. We're...copies of one another. Versions...something you wouldn't understand."
Her face twisted with confusion.
"But...how? Copies? Versions..?"
She raised her hands to her head and grimaced.
"We have to be related! We have to be identical! Otherwise...none of this would make sense!"
"But you yourself said it wouldn't make sense for us to be twins. Your parents wouldn't hide me from you. Your words," I replied quietly, studying her every move. She was much unlike me. In times of confusion I kept my composure while she did not.
"Or that's what I believe! You can't be me! There's no way other than that to explain how you exist!" she cried out.
I started to feel the urge to jet off again. She was becoming a bit hysterical. I cleared my throat and answered her cry of many mixed emotions.
"You'd be surprised at what you think to be absolute; the only solution or explanation. What you find logical can be altered and completely shattered, becoming the illogical. What makes sense to you here can be complete and utter nonsense in another dimension. Ideas you believe to be myths and old legends are what reality consists of in the multiverse..."
She stared at me.
"...What are you saying?"
"What I'm saying is what you think to be fiction is improbable , not impossible."
"You're still not making any sense..."
"I'm making lots of sense here. My existence here may exceed what you humans think is logical. But it's not impossible..."
I stared at her good and hard.
"Because I'm possible."
Author's Note
That ending was so corny. Sorry, I was running out of ideas for dialogue. If I had kept going, it would be them saying the same things over and over again. I hope you enjoyed it though!
View Online
You Can't Help Who You Love
A Heated Argument that Should Have Never Happened
Author's Note
For those of you who had noticed that the Romance tag had been removed: That was on accident. I was removing the Sad Tag off of this since that only applied to the first three chapters when I got rid of the Romance thing. It's up now and will stay up. What's a story without romance anyway?
The answer is that it's usually a boring story. Usually.
A Heated Argument that Should Have Never Happened
Shimmer stared down at her food and said nothing. She poked the unidentified meat with a plastic fork and bit her lip. It had been three days since she last saw herself. Well, her doppleganger that is. Lunch time at school had rolled around and nothing out of the ordinary was happening...It was Monday and Shimmer wasn't any closer to figuring out how she existed and at the same time her other self existed than on Friday night. The other girl had disappeared right after her last words.
"Because I'm possible."
Shimmer frowned. It was so corny. Yet it felt as though it were seriously a true thing. She was there, no mistake. Therefore...she was possible. So as lame as that was it held some truth to it. But how her double was there...no explanation. All Shimmer got from her was a confusing short speech about dimensions and myths?
Shimmer tapped a finger on her chin. Even now it didn't make much sense to her...
"You'd be surprised at what you think to be absolute; the only solution or explanation. What you find logical can be altered and completely shattered, becoming the illogical. What makes sense to you here can be complete and utter nonsense in another dimension. Ideas you believe to be myths and old legends are what reality consists of in the multiverse..."
She sighed. It was all a mystery to her. She couldn't understand anything. Her double talking about her being a version of her...the sudden take off...her cold glare...Now that Shimmer thought about it, that girl was nothing like her. She, Sunset Shimmer, had always been a happy, upbeat person whose passion was music. She always smiled and her eyes shined with joy. Shimmer had many friends and was considered to be popular at Pointeville High.
But this other person...
She looked aggressive. Her eyes had a dangerous gleam to them. The smirk on her face curled cruelly. And the way she held herself; her head high and shoulders back like she was of importance. Shimmer's double had a low growl to her voice, one that intimidated her. The black leather jacket, orchid colored shirt, her skirt, and the tall black boots with purple flames that licked upward all reminded Shimmer of a gangster of some sort. Like she was some kind of biker or bad girl.
She shuddered. Shimmer had gotten a weird vibe from her. It was one that made her hair stand on end. If this girl really was her...She didn't like it. They were nothing alike as far as she knew. Looking up from her food she surveyed the cafeteria. Teens ate, talked with their friends, and laughed every now and then. It was like any normal day. But what wasn't normal was that her two best friends weren't at the table with her. Shimmer was sitting by herself...
Squinting, she tried to find them. Her friends always sat with her at lunch. It was like an unspoken tradition between them. Ever since they started high school two years ago they had become fast friends, all their personalities clicking together like puzzle pieces. During lunch was the first time she got to see them during the school day if you didn't count the walk to school. Their classes were all different from each others and so that's how it worked out. But this morning the two of them didn't walk to school with her. Shimmer started to wonder if they weren't feeling well or something...
And that's when her eyes landed on a girl with orchid skin and pink-purple hair that curled around her oval face and a boy with white hair and skin wearing a scarf. She smiled. It was Double Diamond and Sugar Belle. They were sitting around the music students. They must've assumed that Shimmer wasn't there and decided to sit at another table. The fiery-headed girl got up from her seat, tray in hand, and walked over to them.
The two of them were talking about an upcoming event: The Spring Fling. Shimmer placed her tray down on the table and said," Hi! I didn't see you guys this morning and thought you two might not have been here."
Double Diamond and Sugar Belle jumped when she spoke, like they hadn't expected her to appear. Double Diamond looked down at his food with great interest and Sugar Belle poked her food.
"What do you want."
Shimmer's smile faded somewhat.
"Uhm, I want to talk to you guys."
"Well, we don't. So you can go back to your table," Sugar Belle said sourly.
Shimmer paused. This was usually not how her friends talked to her...She looked at Double Diamond. He kept looking down at his food as if it was something spectacular. It was apparent that he would not respond to anything she said.
"...Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Yes. And that 'something wrong' is you!" Sugar Belle snapped.
Shimmer stood back with her eyes wide.
"Me?? All I did was walk over here and say hi! How am I doing anything wrong??"
Sugar Belle frowned.
"Don't act like you don't remember last Friday night."
The fiery-headed girl nodded slowly.
"Yes..? I remember it..?"
"Then you know why we aren't friends anymore!"
"How are we not friends anymore?! I just texted you to see how you were doing and you sent this threatening message talking about harassment and assault! Now what was that all about?!"
Sugar Belle stood up and pointed at Double Diamond.
"Last Friday night you came into the shop and were about to beat him up! Over spilling your coffee--"
"I don't even drink coffee! And why would I beat him up? I wasn't even there!"
"--You had a smart mouth and were acting like a total jerk! If you were feeling bad that day why didn't you just say so? We would've left you alone!"
"I didn't even go to the shop! I went home!" Shimmer cried out. She was completely confused and upset. "What are you even talking about??"
"What are you talking about?! You didn't go straight home! You came to the shop and hurt Double Diamond!" Sugar Belle yelled.
"I didn't!"
"Yes, you did!"
"But I didn't!"
"Oh, yes. You. Did!!!"
"I DIDN'T!!!"
"YES, YOU DID!!!"
"I SWEAR TO FAUST I DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH DOUBLE DIAMOND!!!!!"
Sugar Belle glared at her with such intensity that the expression 'If looks could kill' certainly was relevant to the situation at hand. Sugar Belle let out a low growl of frustration before speaking in a dangerously calm voice.
"Don't play dumb, Shimmer! I remember everything! The first thing I noticed when you walked in was that you were wearing a completely different outfit from usual. A leather jacket...a skirt...boots with flames on them...It was like you were trying to look like some kind of bad girl! And , as if to complete the look, you were being pretty snappy! You seemed to be a completely different person.
"I don't want to speak to you ever again, Sunset ! There! Since you kept insisting we call you that from now on, you bitch! Lay your hands on anyone again and I will call the police!!"
Shimmer didn't reply to her. She just stared. There was no way...A black leather jacket, a skirt, boots with flame designs, and her attitude...It had to be...It had to be her . Shimmer turned on her heel and walked out the cafeteria. It wasn't just her who saw them, this double. It was her friends, too! And she destroyed a friendship they had had for two years!
It may not be a long time to be friends with someone but these two were the ones she always hung out with. They were her main friends and now one violent act done by a gangster-wannabe look-alike has ruined it. Shimmer gritted her teeth, feeling the anger inside of her rise. She shouldn't have yelled at Sugar Belle like that. It wasn't her fault that she was angry...It was her's .
It was Sunset's fault. She had never seen her friend so angry before. And it was directed at her! But it wasn't Shimmer that did that to Double Diamond! And then she called her a bitch. A bitch! Never had anyone called her such a name! Shimmer's vision became blurry as tears began to form. It was all her double's fault.
Shimmer ran through the hall and burst into a room full of instruments: the Music room. She grabbed her guitar and shut herself in one of the smaller cubicles used as a practice room. In there she opened the case and furiously strummed the strings, making a loud and terrible noise. She didn't care. All she knew was that she was angry.
Angry at Sunset.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Isolation and Limitations
Author's Note
You Can't Help Who You Love is ranked 9,815th on Fimfiction. It is the 25,163rd longest story and can be found in 579 bookshelves, being tracked by 287 users
Look at these fabulous statistics! It's the best thing ever! I've never had a story that's ranked below the 10,000th mark! It's always usually in the 20,000s somewhere. I love you peeps! Thanks for everything!
Isolation and Limitations
Sitting out in the cool air of spring, Sunset sighed. Birds chirped and flew around in circles above her head, flowers popped up around her feet, and the lovely blue sky promised good weather. The students of Canterlot High were all out having a breather from the stifling hot school. It was amazing how overwhelmingly heated that place was inside. At the moment, an AC company was installing an air conditioning unit throughout the whole school building.
They had come unexpectedly. Principal Celestia tried to tell them it wasn't a good time to start installation since the students would be in the way. But they had a butt load of customers who wanted AC as well. The Principal would have to schedule a different date and the next available date was nearly three months away. There was no way she and the students would survive being stuck in the school building with no air conditioning that long.
So...everybody had to be outside while they worked on improving the conditions inside the school. Most of the teenagers found this to be an exciting change to the dull repetition of the school day. The boys played around; hopping and skipping and jumping, something they couldn't do in the halls without getting a detention. Girls gossiped and chatted about the Spring Fling that would be held soon. And Sunset...well, she drifted off from them and amused herself.
It wasn't like anyone wanted to let her join their group or anything. And Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were too busy helping Pinkie Pie make arrangements for the Spring Fling to notice she was alone. Sunset crossed her arms and looked up at the sky deep in thought. Despite the pleasant atmosphere the fiery-headed girl couldn't help but feel sad. She gazed up at the clouds and sighed.
Even though she had resolved to never let herself get dragged into this friendship business she felt she needed someone to talk to. Someone to listen to her and understand her. A person she could trust to hold her secrets and never keep a single drop of judgement against her. To be honest, her resolve didn't change anything really. All it did was isolate her even more from everyone else. At least when she had been around Twilight's friends she felt a slight bit of security.
On Friday, Sunset had given the five girls an angry message saying she didn't want them to try and talk to her. That she was through with friendship. And the response Sunset got from that was 'You need friends'. Earlier that morning they tried to talk to her despite her saying they shouldn't, and she spat out some words that the reformed Sunset Shimmer would never say.
After that, Sunset was left alone. They would cast sad looks and shake their heads, but no words were exchanged. Sunset gritted her teeth. It wasn't like they'd ever understand her reasons for not wanting to be their friend. No one could...
The only person who could understand her was herself.
Sunset frowned as an image of the other girl came into her mind. Ok...maybe not herself, but herself herself. This other girl, this Shimmer as those two teens at the shop referred to her as, seemed way more innocent than she. Sunset could tell she had no mean bone in her body whatsoever. She seemed pretty average...
From what those two workers at the Java Bean shop said, she took guitar lessons with Mr. Melody. And she had a guitar with her when Sunset bumped into the girl so no mystery there. Sunset could tell it was a more expensive kind of instrument with good quality sound from the case. It was a Frank Hubert and those guitars had cases specially designed to each individual instrument. Shimmer must be serious about playing. Sunset, on the other hand, stopped playing guitar two years ago when she and Flash broke up. Flash had taught her how to play when they were dating and it helped her get some dexterity in her fingers.
But after that breakup she just...didn't play anymore. Maybe Sunset was still a bit sour about it. Maybe. But that guy was a loser.
"All by yourself, I see..."
The fiery-headed girl turned her head to see a blue girl with white hair in front of her.
"And what do I have the pleasure of being spoken to, oh so shitty magician," Sunset said in a monotone.
"I am the Great and Powerful Trixie, you wretched beast!" the girl cried.
Sunset shrugged.
"What do you want. Are you here to tell me how much of a bad girl I've been."
Trixie sniffed and crossed her arms.
"I'm here to tell you that you better not ruin this next upcoming event."
"Oh, you mean the Spring Fling? Right, about that..." Sunset began.
"Don't tell me you've already screwed things up for us!!!" Trixie screamed, ready to pounce on her.
Sunset chuckled.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, Ditzy."
"It's Trixie ! And don't speak about vulgar things, Shimmer!"
Sunset's cocky mood changed when she heard that name. Her sassy attitude became one of deep thought, much to her subconscious surprise. Her dead gaze eased and her shoulders relaxed some. She felt a bit conflicted. Whenever the teachers call her 'Ms. Shimmer' she knew they were talking about her...but then she always thought of the other her. It was a matter that brought Sunset into a state of quietness. Like the name was forbidden somehow.
Well, it is, but it had a sense of secrecy to it now. She was the only person to know about her and the situation in which the two of them existed in the same realm beside Princess Twilight. Sunset hadn't told anyone that she was of Twilight's kind and once was a former student of the homeland's ruler. Everyone thought she was just as human as themselves. Except for the demon part but other than that she seemed human...ish.
Taking Sunset's changed mood as a sign of weakness, Trixie began to show her superiority by addressing the rules of which the other girl should follow regarding the Spring Fling.
"Nobody here at CHS likes you. So the best way to make sure you don't get in the way, the Student Body has written a contract under which you have to agree to its rules."
Trixie handed Sunset a piece of paper. This is what it said:
THE STUDENT BODY hereby gives this contract to Sunset Shimmer as a reminder of what is to be expected at the Spring Fling Celebration. This is a guideline for the appropriate behavior that should be shown if said person is to attend.
Attire - No outerwear. Jeans, boots, and jackets of any material are not considered proper clothing for such an occasion. Old tennis shoes are not permitted. Tank tops are not permitted. Nice dress shirt or blouse with a knee-length skirt and/or a dress that goes below the knees is acceptable. Must wear dress shoes and approved clothing listed.
Dancing - Do not shout, yell, cry, scream, shriek, etc. Any action that could bring attention to said person is unwise, therefore not allowed. When dancing, please refrain from any action involving sudden and/or wild movements. Keep hands and feet to yourself. When walking around, dancing, or otherwise, stay at least ten feet away from the stage. Live performances are to happen and as a courtesy to the performers, please keep a respective distance.
Food - Do not throw any food or drink at anything or anyone. Such actions will be punishable by immediate removal from the Spring Fling Celebration. When finished eating, throw away all utensils and uneaten food in a trash can. Please do not hover around the food and drink table. If not getting anything to eat, it is unnecessary to stay in the vicinity of the table.
General behavior - Do not curse at anyone. If nothing good is to be said do not say anything. Do not destroy any property or decorations. Be as pleasant as said person is required to be.
Rule that needs to be followed - Do not get involved in the Spring Fling campaign for this year's Spring Fling Princess. The person running will be disqualified if such news of said person being involved in the campaign is reported. Violation of this rule will result in possible suspension.
Thank you for reading the rules set by the Student body. Sign below for verification that you have understood and accepted these rules.
X_____________________________________________
Approved by Principal Celestia of Canterlot High School
Sunset stared at the paper. She felt her face burn with anger and her hands tremble as it gripped the guideline. This was so demeaning. To have to be told the rules and have limitations against her was infuriating. And what made this worse was that Principal Celestia approved of this! Sunset could see why she did. The limitations weren't outrageous and the rules applied to most everyone. But the fact that her peers made this and got it approved...
It was one thing if the principal herself made it. Sunset could live with that. The principal made the rules and issued out warnings and stuff all the time.
But her classmates were doing it.
Sunset gritted her teeth. She was on the verge of tears. Trixie was smirking before her. By signing this contract Sunset therefore surrendered her own right to free will. In a rage, Sunset ripped the paper up and tossed the shreds at the other girl. Trixie just laughed and fluffed her hair.
"That was very unwise, Sunset. If you show up to the Spring Fling without this signed you'll be in so much trouble."
"Who said I was going to the damned thing?!?!" Sunset shouted.
Trixie turned her back to her and shrugged.
"Well, your loss. I thought these dances were all you had since you were so desperate to claim a measly crown every year before..."
"Fuck you, Trixie!"
"Oh, don't be mad at me! You're the one who made yourself look that way to other people, Shimmer!" Trixie laughed as she walked away.
Sunset stomped her foot on the ground and yelled," MY NAME'S NOT SHIMMER!!!!"
You Can't Help Who You Love
Shimmer trudged out of Pointeville High with her guitar in hand. She was in no mood to be joyous. What was there to be happy about when she lost her two closest friends? Looking at her feet, she walked down the steps that led up to her school. All day, she tried to tell Sugar Belle and Double Diamond that it wasn't her but someone else. She even tried to explain it to other people and they all just looked at her weirdly. No one believed her. Who was she kidding: who would??
People all around her waved goodbye to their friends and chatted excitedly with one another. All anybody was talking about was the Spring Fling. Shimmer sighed. She, Double Diamond, and Sugar Belle were all going to go as a group. But she guessed that wasn't the plan anymore...
"Might as well not go..." she whispered.
Feeling sad, she made her way toward the school gate.
“Wait!” someone called out from behind her.
Shimmer turned around to see a girl with dark blue hair that had a purple and pink streak in it. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and the large glasses she had were slipping off her nose as she awkwardly ran to catch up to the fiery-headed girl. She had lavender skin and wore a long white sweater and black slacks. Dropping random papers and tripping over nothing was one of Shimmer’s classmates.
“Oh…Twilight,” Shimmer murmured as she watched the clumsy girl, feeling slightly amused.
Twilight Sparkle had to be the nerdiest person Shimmer had ever known. She knew the answers to almost everything; whether it was Math or Science or History…She was just too smart! Shimmer didn't know why she didn't already have a college degree. As much as Shimmer admired her intelligence, she wasn't exactly envious of her 'sportiness'.
Twilight was the worst at sports. She tripped all over the place and ran from the ball instead of catching it. Consequently, she was the last person to be left when there were teams. But all the same, this awkward girl was a friend of hers. The said girl panted as she gathered up the fallen papers and stumble-stepped over to where the other girl stood. Twilight gave her a lopsided grin and stuck her hand out.
“Hi. I heard you talking about something rather peculiar at lunch today and wanted to ask to you about it. But our schedules weren't particularly in sync. You don’t mind telling me about it, do you?”
Shimmer stood there for a moment with a blank look on her face. Twilight was being so straightforward that for a second she didn't know what she was talking about. And then when she remembered her face blushed with embarrassment.
“Oh…you heard…everything, huh.”
The girl tilted her head.
“It was an escalating argument. Most everyone heard it. I only heard bits and pieces though.”
Shimmer facepalmed. Great, her loss of two friends had been broadcasted to the whole school. She shook the outstretched hand and turned to continue her walk home. Twilight followed with her books held in her arms. To Shimmer, it was a little odd for Twilight to be hanging around her since they weren't in he same social group. But since she couldn't chill with Sugar Belle and Double Diamond anymore, she might as well get to know Twilight better.
"So you want to know what happened?" Shimmer began.
Twilight nodded vigorously.
"It...might sound strange...I'm afraid you won't believe me."
Twilight raised an eyebrow and gave her an understanding look.
"It's ok. You can tell me. I won't judge."
Shimmer cleared her throat and began to tell her about what she had seen.
"Well...the whole reason why we were arguing was because on Friday...Sugar Belle claims to have seen me at Java Bean , the coffee shop she and Double Diamond work at in Canterlot. It was late at night, maybe around ten when she said I came in. But the thing is...I didn't come to the shop on Friday. Around that time I was on the bus coming home from my music lesson and whatnot. And not only does she say I was there, she also said I almost beat up Double Diamond!"
"You?? Almost beat up Double Diamond??" Twilight repeated with a look of confusion. "You're the last person I would ever think to do that!"
"That's what I thought when I heard her say that!" Shimmer said in agreement.
"That definitely is strange..." Twilight murmured. "Continue."
"It went like this: I was coming from Canterlot on the Midnight Bus. It dropped me off at the edge of Canterlot and Pointeville. It was really dark out, so dark that you couldn't see the stars. I remember because I made that observation when I was in the bus looking out the window. The first thing I had noticed when I got off the bus was that it was cold. I hadn't expected it to be chilly that night. This here was the outfit I wore so I really wasn't getting any warmth."
Shimmer pinched her shirt to show her.
"So I started walking toward home. I was tugging at my jacket and not paying attention to where I was going and bumped into someone. My guitar fell to the ground and I hit my head hard on the concrete. When I sat up, kneeling in front of me was..."
Shimmer stopped. Why would Twilight believe her? The story she was telling already sounded fabricated. The nerdy girl waited for her to continue, looking quite interested.
"What was in front of you?"
"What...Who was in front of me. It was a who..." Shimmer stammered.
"Who was in front of you, Shimmer?" Twilight asked again, this time with the correction.
Shimmer bit her lip and rounded the corner of the city block. They were about three blocks away from the school now.
"...It-It was someone...a girl..." the fiery-headed girl described.
Twilight frowned slightly and said, "What did they look like?"
After a long silence, her friend answered her question.
"Well...they had red hair with yellow streaks...turquoise eyes...uh, light orange skin. And they were my height...She wore a black leather jacket, a skirt, and boots with purple flames on them," Shimmer whispered. "Everything other than the clothes she wore...seemed identical to me. Same eyes, same mouth, same nose, even the same hairstyle!"
Shimmer swallowed.
"She looked just like me ! At first I was shocked. I thought I might've been hallucinating. But hallucinations can't knock you over now could they? This other me turned her back to me and I started freaking out. I was wondering if someone was playing a joke. Could she have been some kind of prankster or an identity thief? That really was what I had been thinking!"
Shimmer seemed to be paling as she talked about this other girl.
"And after a while...I came to the only answer. That she was me ! And the other girl...she confirmed it. But in a way that didn't make much sense to me. She said something like she was a version of me. And she sure does seem like that! I'm a happy person! Nice and kind to others! But she ! She ruined my friendship with Sugar Belle and Double Diamond! She's the one they saw at the shop! The one that nearly hurt Double Diamond! But they think it's me!"
Shimmer flailed her arms around uselessly with exasperation.
"I mean, how do I prove that it was her? She's the opposite of me yet she's me! I feel like I'm going crazy, wondering if she'd ever show up. She's not some psychotic person who's trying to replace me now, huh? I want to know if that is so!"
Twilight was astonished at how Shimmer was reacting. Another her? That's impossible! But then again...Twilight placed a hand on her chin and rubbed it.
"Surely this other person couldn't be a relative of yours?"
"She can't have been! My parents would never have hidden her from me! I know my family!" Shimmer replied.
Twilight nodded slowly and frowned. She seemed very sure of this person not being related to her...could that be the reason..?
"You know, Shimmer...something strange has been happening at a particular school in Canterlot. It's called Canterlot High School. I've noticed an extraordinary amount of energy from that place ever since the night of the Fall Formal. Maybe the appearance of this other you could be linked to that school."
Shimmer looked at her with gleaming eyes.
"You believe there's another me?!"
Twilight tilted her head. Shimmer wasn't one to lie. The theory of there being two of the same people existing in one world sounded a bit outrageous but after discovering some odd things happening in the city next to Pointeville, she was willing to add this phenomenon to the kooky occurrences. Not exactly sure if she should yes or no, she shrugged.
"It definitely sounds like something we should look into."
Shimmer nodded enthusiastically.
"I have to know about her. I need to find out how this is possible..."
Twilight smiled.
"Well, why don't we head over to my home? I have lots to study about the interesting patterns of that school anyhow. Maybe we could find a connection. Though...I do need a lot more information to connect the two together..."
The nerdy girl shrugged.
"If we look into it, we could find out some things!"
Shimmer grinned happily.
"Alright! But first, I need to stop by my home and let my parents know."
The two of them walked down the street and happily conversed over their new found interest and made their way to Sunset's. Little did they know that their little research session would lead to something neither of them would ever have expected.
Author's Note
So finals and stuff are coming up...That means updates may not happen too often.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
I recommend you watch Sunset's transformation and defeat to fully enjoy this chapter. There'll be specific references to some of the things that had happened and without watching this, you may get lost.
Phenomenon
Shimmer and Twilight shot up the stairs to the latter's room, barely saying hello to Shining Armor and his wife. Spike, Twilight's dog, barked and followed them up the stairs excitedly. Only to be unintentionally locked out of the room they went into. Neither Twilight or Shimmer were really thinking about the canine to be honest.
"Mom and dad have gone out for--"
Slam!
"...Dinner..." her older brother murmured.
"I've never seen Twilight come home with a friend before," Cadence remarked. "I hope this means Twilight's gotten over her 'socially awkward' phase!"
Shining Armor shook his head and sighed. He plopped down on the couch.
"Believe me, Cadence. She'll always be awkward. Never was a social butterfly then, and still isn't now. I wouldn't be surprised if she befriended the books instead!"
"...She kind of already did...buthat'sbesidethepoint!" Cadence said quickly. "That girl she came here with didn't look like one of the geeky kind. She must be popular!"
Her husband grabbed the remote from the table and turned on the TV.
"More than likely they're just working on a school project."
Cadence frowned at how Shining Armor had absolutely no kind of hope for the better regarding Twilight's social life.
"I was just looking on the bright side of things..."
Meanwhile, Twilight and Sunset were sitting on the bed in Twilight's room. Shimmer looked around with a raised eyebrow. The room was so...void of personality. It seemed very boring. The only thing that seemed remotely interesting was the sliding glass door that connected to a balcony. White walls, no pictures, a writing desk, bookshelves...a lot of bookshelves...It was neat and organized, much to the contrary of Shimmer's own room: Makeup littered her desk and magazines were piled up on the floor. Stuffed animals were bunched up on her bed and posters of singers were everywhere.
Twilight's room felt so empty and bare. Except for a large poster of the periodic table that had a corny science joke below it.
Do you have 11 protons? Because you're Sodium fine!
Shimmer frowned at the terrible humor. Only really nerdy people would laugh at that. And Twilight was one such person who happened to be chuckling as she walked over to the poster and pointed at it. Shimmer gave her her best fake smile and laughed a little while fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Carefully, Twilight slid her fingers underneath and removed it from the wall.
Turning it over, she replaced it and stepped back so Shimmer could marvel at it. On the back of the periodic table poster was a flurry of pictures scattered all over. Pictures of strange light and odd things and even people were placed at random it seemed. Sticky notes were stuck beneath some of the photos with scribbles of theories and question marks. Graphs and seismograph readings were taped in the middle of all the clutter. Red yarn stretched across from one end of the poster to the other in zigzags...and it all led to one point. In the middle of the impressive mass of notes and photos was a picture of a school.
Shimmer walked up close to it and squinted to read the words etched in the side of the building.
"Canterlot High School..."
Shimmer stood back for a second time and realized what all this was. She turned to Twilight with a look of awe and surprise.
"This...this is a conspiracy web!"
Twilight nodded.
"I started it right away after the first strange occurrence at the school."
Shimmer turned her focus back on the web.
"This is amazing..."
Twilight grinned and cleared her throat.
"It's a work in progress," she said modestly.
"So...how did this all start?" Shimmer asked.
The girl sat on the bed and looked at her with wonder as clear as day in her eyes. Twilight smiled brightly. She sat down beside her and began to explain it all.
It was the night of the Fall Formal. Girls applied facial cosmetics to their 50th layer of makeup, fussed over their hair, and then clothes to look their absolute best. Boys hurriedly slapped on some decent dress slacks and suit jackets, hoping they looked somewhat presentable in their half-assed dressing and jumped in their cars to pick up their dates. It was the night of what most high school students thought was important.
Except, maybe, for a nerdy girl by the name of Twilight Sparkle, who instead of going stayed home. She never really liked dances. Twilight was awkward and couldn't dance to save her life. All she ever did was stay stuck to the wall like glue and watch the others jam to the music. Twilight sighed and laid on her bed. Looking around she frowned. There was nothing to do. Nothing to study. No one to talk to.
Twilight scratched her nose and propped her glasses up. What could she do? All her school work was finished, and she had already played with Spike, who was sleeping at the foot of her bed...Reading was something she loved to do, but she read her books so fast that by the end of the first day she had them Twilight would've already read it four times over. Rereading the same lines over and over again can be tedious.
Glancing at the heavy curtains that concealed a sliding glass door to her personal balcony she tilted her head. Not too far away from the curtains was a telescope. It had been a while since she stargazed. Hopefully it was a clear night. Twilight got up from her bed and shifted the curtains aside to look at the sky through the glass door. Stars glittered in the space above her head, beckoning her to come out and adore them.
The girl grinned. She could already feel her bored mood fall away. She tugged at the door and it opened a crack every pull she gave it. A sharp screech pierced her ears and she grimaced. The wheels that moved the sliding glass door would have to be oiled.
A cool breeze drifted into her room. Spike shivered and rolled over onto his back, pawing at the air. Carefully, Twilight lifted the telescope and moved it out onto the balcony slowly. It was a A9FW652-StarFinder Special Edition telescope. No doubt it was stupidly expensive. And quite heavy. Twilight had gotten it for her 12th birthday and still had it today in great condition. She blew the dust off the telescope and sneezed. Usually she cleaned it about once a month but school had gotten in the way. It had to be about three months since she last touched the thing! After getting all the dust off of it, Twilight sighed. Pulling the inner curtain over the door frame so that the light from inside no longer shone outside, she looked up at the sky feeling satisfied.
The stars. They were diamonds suspended from invisible wires, winking at those below. The vast stretch of space extended outward, as infinite as infinite could be. Dark blues, purples, and midnight black streaked the sky. The only source of light was from the faint glow of the celestial orbs above. It was night. Twilight stood there and embraced the quiet, mysterious atmosphere.
Night was a time of superstition. It was when the fictional ghouls and ghosts came out to haunt the unfortunate. When werewolves and vampires creeped around with blood red eyes full of hunger. When witches, goblins, and headless men ran amok causing havoc. At this time, all that was thought to be extinct or unreal...became reality. Twilight grinned. She loved reading about myths and legends as well as conspiracies. It was all around the genre of Science Fiction. It made her mind run amok, searching for answers. And night symbolized all that was supernatural. That was why she loved night.
Adjusting her telescope, she aimed it at Orion's Belt. The sparkling stars grabbed her attention and she gazed at them with wonder. What was it like to be in space? Are there aliens? What exactly was space? Twilight spent a good thirty minutes thinking about all the possible answers to her questions when, without warning, a sudden blast of air hit her.
Twilight jerked away from the telescope and it rocked on its tripod. She hurriedly placed a hand on it and steadied the precious equipment. The abrupt assault of air alarmed her. She lifted her head up and gasped. In the direction of Canterlot not too far away a huge column of cyan light shot from the sky to the ground in a singular beam. The beam surged with energy and disrupted the cloud pattern in the sky, causing them to swirl around it. A distant roll of thunder could be heard.
Twilight gasped as more rushing air zipped past her. It was like an alien space laser trying to beam up earthlings from below. Quickly, Twilight bent down and focused her telescope on the phenomenon. Her hair whipped out of the messy bun and trailed behind her in curls. It was even more astonishing witnessing it from the telescopic lens. Inside this odd fusion of cyan and white, was a shadow...It was in the form of a person..?
Jumping up, Twilight hurried inside to get a camera. She fumbled around and snatched one from inside her desk. In a hurry, she put it up to her face and focused the picture on the narrow view eye piece. This way, she could take a picture of the shadow in the beam through the telescopic lens. She snapped a few pictures before lifting the camera up to take pictures of it from where she stood.
"...This is so crazy..." she whispered in fear, shock, and excitement.
Suddenly, the energy level of the strange light flared and turned black so that she could not see it well. But in a few seconds a blinding flash of bright light burned the girl's eyes. She dropped the camera and cried out in pain. The energy beam seemed to have caught fire as it disappeared in a red haze. Twilight stumbled inside and tripped over Spike, who barked in pain himself. She fell on her bed and covered her eyes. The light had hurt her eyes! What if this caused her to be blind?!
Without much thought, the distressed girl banged, tripped, and stumbled her way to the bathroom and splashed water on her face from the faucet after removing her glasses. She grabbed a bottle of eye solution and drowned her eyes in them until her eye sight began to come back slowly. Twilight sighed with relief. It had only been momentary blindness...
Spike came in and whimpered. He rubbed her leg and she pet him. The girl rushed back into her room and looked at the balcony. Her heart raced with a deafening ring in her ear, her thoughts scrambled. As much as she didn't like risking her eyes getting burned a second time, she wanted to know what was going on. This phenomenon was extraordinary and she had to see, had to know about it, had to record it...
Boldly, Twilight went out and snatched the camera from the ground. Looking through the camera lens, she saw...nothing. She lowered them and found the sky to be just as it was before the beam.
"...What??"
Before she could even say 'But how?' a rainbow--no, two rainbows swirled up into the air forming a double helix. Twilight wasted no time in stalling. Pictures were taken hastily. In a short time, the rainbow crashed down in a laser at something on the ground. Another flare of light happened and this time, Twilight covered her eyes. When she pulled her arms away from her face a few moments later, all was gone again. And this time for good.
The girl stood there with her heart racing, eyes hurting, and breath taken. There were no words to describe what she experienced.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Shimmer was fascinated. She listened to Twilight explain every point on the conspiracy web with great detail. She couldn't believe that any of that had really happened. But here there was. Proof. And it was right there in front of her on the web. She watched Twilight's hands point to pictures and notes and graphs. All of it... it was so much to take in! Twilight had many theories. Her most factually backed up yet most outrageous theory was that there was magic in this world. When the nerdy girl finished telling her everything, Shimmer just sat there stunned.
"...Magic?"
"Yes."
"But...that can't be. Magic isn't real."
"But all that I've shown to you contradicts that statement of yours, Shimmer."
"I know, but...couldn't this all be a strange phenomenon that occurred due to a solar flare? Or an aurora?"
Twilight rubbed her chin. Solar flares happen often enough for that to be an answer. But what solar flare caused a laser to appear out of nowhere and mess up the cloud pattern? Besides, it was night when this all happened. Auroras occurred when charged particles from solar winds interact with earth's atmosphere. Auroras generally take place around earth's magnetic poles so it wasn't very likely to happen in Canterlot. Twilight explained as much to Shimmer and she blushed. Science wasn't her strong suit.
"So...what could be causing this?" Shimmer asked.
"Magic!" Twilight exclaimed.
Shimmer facepalmed. She didn't really want to believe this was true but at the same time, it was the only possible answer as of the moment...Much like how she just had to accept that this other girl, Sunset, was her...Words that had been said to her but had been 'lost in translation' came back to her. She looked down at her hands and whispered it.
"You'd be surprised at what you think to be absolute; the only solution or explanation. What you find logical can be altered and completely shattered, becoming the illogical. What makes sense to you here can be complete and utter nonsense in another dimension. What you believe to be myths and old legends are what reality consists of in the multiverse..."
Shimmer sighed. She finally understood the meaning of it now. Shimmer would have to expect the unexpected. Even if magic defied her own logic and understanding, it was still a possibility. Twilight glanced at her with a look of interest.
"Whoa...that's deep. Where did you read that from?"
Shimmer looked up and blinked.
"...Oh. It was something Sunset had said to me before she vanished."
"Sunset? Your double??" Twilight repeated.
She frowned and squinted at the floor in deep thought. She pushed up her glasses and they sat in silence for a while. It was a comfortable silence, but Shimmer was curious as to what she was thinking. After about seven minutes, Twilight smiled.
"I'm absolutely certain that your double attends Canterlot High. There's no where else. It's got to be that school!"
"Why are you so sure?"
"It's because of what she said. That quote about illogic and myths and dimensions. No ordinary person would just say that nevertheless even think to say that. She's got to be a student at that school! She knows about all the weird events that have gone down there!"
Twilight smiled widely and became a bit jumpy as she chattered excitedly about Sunset and her awareness of Canterlot High's odd events.
"She must know the cause of it all, too! I mean, if it's true that she's a version of you then that could mean--GASP! She could be the reason why all that happened! Her arrival here must have created an imbalance in this world's equivalency. You know, since two of the same people cannot exist, so says a theory! But going by what she said, her existence is possible! However, there must be consequences due to the duplication of one person...which is why that crazy laser light phenomenon happened! She set off the world's natural balance!"
Shimmer said absolutely nothing. She couldn't quite follow what her excited friend was saying. Twilight jumped up and down, grinning like a maniac. She ran to her conspiracy web and pointed to pictures and graphs and notes.
"Yes! That must be it! What this means is..."
Twilight placed a finger on the picture that had a shadowy figure within the cyan light she had seen months before.
"Sunset must have arrived here on the night of the Fall Formal! Thus explaining why there was a person-looking shadow in the beam of light!"
She then traced the red yarn that was pinned to the picture to a seismograph reading. She jabbed at it and squealed.
"That's when the earthquakes happened! They were so subtle, yet they were bigger than the earthquakes that happen everyday..."
Twilight pointed to the school.
"And the source of the trembling quakes came from this school!"
The nerdy girl screamed with delight at her theory and got down on her knees. She crawled halfway under the bed and rummaged around. Shimmer glanced down and frowned. She really wasn't sure what Twilight was thinking. Whatever it was, it must be crazy. Shimmer felt the bed bump up as an audible thud! sounded from underneath. She heard Twilight groan and the girl quickly climbed back out from under the bed. Before the fiery-headed girl knew what was happening a bright flash blinded her and she shrieked.
"Hey!"
Shimmer rubbed her eyes and glared at Twilight, who held a camera in one hand and rubbed her sore head (from having hit it against the bed) with her other hand. The camera slowly spit out a photo and Twilight snatched it. Gradually the picture turned from black to an image of Shimmer looking wide-eyed. With lots of energy, she tapped the fresh photo onto the conspiracy web and threaded the yarn so that it made a path from it to the school.
"There!" Twilight cried triumphantly. "The latest addition to the web!"
"A picture of my face..." Shimmer mumbled. "...Ok?"
"It's not supposed to be you! It's supposed to be Sunset!" Twilight explained.
"But that's my face," Shimmer told her.
"What does it matter. You both look the same."
Twilight plopped down on the bed and sighed.
"Now the only thing to do is prove my theory!"
Shimmer sighed with her.
"In order to prove...whatever your theory is, you have to go to the school. That's the best way."
"True. But I can't just walk onto the school property. Neither of us go to that school. Also, we have to go to school the same hours of the day that they have to and skipping isn't exactly what I think we should do. We could get in trouble..."
Shimmer listened to her think aloud with a raised eyebrow. Twilight's happy mood seemed to be dwindling. Her smile faded slightly and sparkle in her eye dulled.
"And weekends don't help. Because none of the students will be there to interview and the building will be closed then...And now that I think about it, even going on to the school grounds is considered trespassing and that could result in unfortunate consequences. They could accuse us of trying to attempt vandalism or seeking out a student to beat them up! Or trying to sneak somebody out of the school! Or bringing in drugs and weapons!"
Twilight sighed gloomily and slouched. She fell back onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling feeling put out. Her glasses slipped down her nose lopsidedly and her messy hair fanned out around her face. Shimmer propped herself up on her elbows and shook her head.
"How are we going to prove it...?" Twilight whispered sadly.
The two of them were silent for a while. Twilight stared up at the white ceiling, waiting for some suggestions. But when she got none, she turned her head in annoyance. She really didn't want to be the only one doing the thinking here. After all, Shimmer came to her with the problem! It wasn't hers to begin with but it just so happened to catch her attention...Oh wait. No, Twilight came to Shimmer...
Regardless, Twilight felt she needed to contribute something !
"Shimmer, at least--"
To her surprise, Shimmer's face was red and her mouth turned upward in a smile. The girl was clutching her stomach and had rolled over on her side. Shimmer's mouth was open but no sound came out. She was laughing. She was laughing so hard that it was inaudible. Twilight blinked. She sat up and said, "What...Hey!"
She jabbed Shimmer in the shoulder and the girl gasped for air. A loud burst of laughter erupted from Shimmer and the girl grabbed her sides. Twilight pushed her glasses up and stared at her.
"What's so funny??"
The fiery-headed girl snorted and kept laughing away. She kicked at the air and squirmed on the bed.
"I...I gotta PEEEEEEE!!!!!" she shrieked and hurried to the bathroom.
Twilight sat there feeling very confused. what had gotten her so silly? Surely it was nothing she said, right? Or maybe it was her clothes? Twilight looked down at her slacks and white blouse. Nothing seemed to be wrong with her in that aspect...About five minutes later, Shimmer came back smiling. Her face was flushed a bit and her breath was short and uneven from the exhausting activity. Twilight looked up at her expectantly.
"What were you laughing about, Shimmer? Did I miss something?"
The girl nodded.
"Yeah...You see, when you started talking about all the ways that your plan to go to the school wouldn't work, your face kind of fell. All that energy you had seemed to drain right out of you! It was a bit funny. But that wasn't what I was laughing at."
She sighed and chuckled to herself.
"The reason was that while you listed everything that would have made it difficult to prove your theory, you didn't mention the one thing that would give you the perfect opportunity to."
"What is that?" Twilight asked, feeling her heart skip a bit as she bit her lip.
"Oh well, you know that time of year everybody waits for? That time that comes after the winter festivities?"
"Summer vacation."
"No, not quite. If it were summer vacation it wouldn't work to our advantage. It's an event closer to now than that."
"Valentines Day."
"Valentines Day already passed, silly!"
"...Oh yeah..."
"It's got something to do with spring..."
"Spring Cleaning."
Shimmer stared at her for a little bit before facepalming.
"Twilight, I'm talking about the Spring Fling ! The Spring Fling would be the perfect time to test your theory out! Both of the schools dances happen on the same day and we could go as visitors and they won't kick us out or anything! Pretty much everyone at that school will be there, I'm sure! And you can question them all you like."
It took a moment before the girl became excited.
"Oh my Faust, you're a genius! Of course! Why hadn't I thought of this before!"
Twilight embraced her in a tight hug and Shimmer rolled her eyes while hugging her back. Twilight quickly broke the hug and grabbed Shimmer by the wrist.
"You! Me! We're going to talk to my brother! You and I have to go shopping. Shopping for the perfect dresses to wear to the Spring Fling!"
With Shimmer in tow, Twilight dragged her downstairs eagerly to talk with her brother about her new found plans for next weekend.
Author's Note
Quotes from characters in the story
"These are words you need to take into consideration, Sunset Shimmer. I'm not talking nonsense. You're the reason why I'm an outcast. I only speak the truth." --Trixie Lulamoon
"You'd be surprised at what you think to be absolute; the only solution or explanation. What you find logical can be altered and completely shattered, becoming the illogical. What makes sense to you here can be complete and utter nonsense in another dimension. What you believe to be myths and old legends are what reality consists of in the multiverse..." --Sunset Shimmer
"It's Sunset! Sun-Set!" --Sunset Shimmer
"...It's almost like...you are me." --Shimmer
"I...I gotta PEEEEEEE!!!!!" --Shimmer
Yeah, sorry if this chapter was a bit odd. I was rushing since I have lots of school work to do and whatnot. Sorry.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
So...right after I released the last chapter for this story, I got a PM from one of you Fimfic peeps...and I was being trolled with Derpy pictures! It was random since they didn't respond to my questions with any words. They just kept sending Derpy pictures for no reason!
I don't know. Anyway, read the chapter already!
Haunting Dream
It was early afternoon and Sunset was resting in her apartment thinking about her 'progress in the pursuit of a better life'. So far her progress was pretty much zero. No. To be honest, it was in the negatives. Her luck had gone backwards and decided to bite her in the ass rather than hand her the keys to a brand new car. It wasn't helpful in the least.
Sunset sighed and wrapped herself in a blanket. It was the weekend and she had been lying in bed all morning. She yawned. Though she was in bed, that didn't necessarily mean she had a good night's sleep. The usual dream of her guilty conscience stirred: a raging she-demon who had the intent to destroy and gain power. Sunset's mind recovered the dream she had had and there was nothing she could do to stop it from playing over in her mind.
Her sweeping claws grabbed and snagged at the clothes of her peers, nearly ripping them in half. Her fiery breath scorched the walls of the school as she flew around it, hunting down all of those whom she would force into her army.
Students let out bloodcurdling screams in her wake. But instead of feeling astonished, a sort of adrenaline rushed through her and her chest would rumble as a low cackle took a hold of her. It was like watching a horror movie starring herself. The real her was sitting in the audience, experiencing the guilt and pain that the demon on screen was not. Her demonic self was just crashing around on set, not giving a shit about future consequences while the viewer cringed, knowing that the punishment will come in due time.
Sunset felt that all of it was wrong. This power...it was too much. She wasn't ready to handle it! As soon as she put the crown atop her head she regretted it. With all this energy surging through her veins she lost complete control. Her evil intentions came to life in the form of a beast and revealed a side of her that even she didn't know existed. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Princess Twilight and her friends tried in vain to retrieve the crown, shouting at her and chanting 'It doesn't have to be this way!', 'You'll come to regret your actions!', 'You're taking the hard way!', etc. Her demon self didn't want to listen to that and ignored them. They were powerless in defeating her so why even bother? They would just be nice additions to her army. But at that moment, she wanted to round up all those who were fleeing, contrary to the six girls screaming at her.
Sunset sighed and rubbed her temple as she reflected on her dream. She could feel a pounding headache coming along. But the vision kept on playing much to her dismay.
She had gathered them all, the students, and snapped her fingers. White rings of hypnotic properties appeared above the heads of the students and in an instant, they became mindless zombie-like beings. Sunset cackled in delight and they surrounded Twilight and her friends. And like zombies, they bit and scratched and grabbed at them. The six of them were desperate to get away. Applejack and Rainbow Dash punched and kicked their way out, fighting back tears and sniffling as they inflicted pain on former friends of theirs that crowded around with glowing white eyes.
In a series of well timed dodges, Twilight with Fluttershy in tow, got out of there with few scratches and bruises. Without Spike biting the shit out of those who tried to harm her, Rarity would have never come out alive. And as for Pinkie Pie...she was Pinkie Pie. Her magical ability to sense odd things and immediate danger kicked in and she bounded out with nothing to lose. Sunset Shimmer felt her blood boil at the sight. They had gone and surpassed the army without so much as a lost arm or gouged out eye!
In rage, she sent a storm of fireballs that they fled from in terror. The flames licked at their heels as they ran. The girls screamed in fear of their lives as the zombie army followed, slowly but surely. The mischievous fire rushed along with them, devouring the grass and tinder that lay in their path. There were a few casualties; some of her recruits disintegrated from the roaring mouths of hot flame. But none of that mattered. She had a whole school. As long as she could catch her victims...
It wasn't long before the fleeing heroines ran themselves to the ground and collapsed. The only thing they could do then was watch their pursuers gain on them. The snapping of their jaws. The clicking of their teeth. The moaning that escaped their gaping mouths...It was all over. Sunset laughed in pure joy. Finally, it was her time to shine. No one could rain on her parade now!
That is...
Sunset covered her ears and snapped her eyes shut. No! She didn't want to keep thinking about it! For a moment, the dream wavered in her mind as she attempted to clear it from her head. The nightmares...they needed to end! Sunset threw her pillow over her head and screamed into the blankets. But it was no use as her mind promptly resumed her mental review of last night's 'show'.
A girl appeared from nowhere, seemingly having just popped up without an invitation. And the moment she arrived, everything froze. Including the demoness. The person had no distinguishing feature that Sunset recognized; in fact, she was a shadowy aura with no definite shape, but Sunset somehow knew it was a female. She stared at Sunset with eyes full of fear. The real her might as well have died watching it from the audience. A pain aroused; it was of guilt and depression and heartache...It was like a shot to the head. A pierce through her chest. A vertical slash over the wrist...The girl reached her hands out to the demon, who stayed frozen in the sky.
She looked at her with a scared expression and uttered, "Who are you?"
Immediately, the shadow figure became someone Sunset had seen once but remembered very well. Her light orange skin...the flaming hair...those bewildered turquoise eyes...those trembling lips. Her clothes became visible from the aura; a half jacket with arrows pointing upward on the sleeves, a light blue shirt with a transparent top underneath it, blue jeans, black boots with the same arrow design...
Suddenly the real her that had been in the audience watching it from a big screen appeared beside the demon and the question was repeated.
"Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?"
The demon unfroze and looked at her with malice. Her teeth barred and her claws were outstretched, ready to grab her at random. The zombie army came around them in a big ring, ignoring the six girls they were to destroy only moments before. They surrounded Sunset, her demon form, and Shimmer, all the while groaning and chanting in a monotone, "Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?"
Sunset took a step back only to find that she bumped into Twilight. She jumped forward and nearly fell in surprise. The Elements of Harmony were standing there looking at her with serious expressions. Twilight pointed at her accusingly.
"Sunset Shimmer, who are you?"
The hot-tempered girl growled and snapped back at her.
"What the hell do you mean by that? Why the fuck is everybody asking that bullshit question?!"
Twilight, unfazed, moved and pointed at both Shimmer and the demon without looking away from her.
"Sunset Shimmer, who are you? Are you that of innocence--"
Her finger aimed at Shimmer, giving her a purpose and reason for appearing in this hellish world.
"--Or that of ill will?"
As if being evil was a good thing, the beast snarled and hissed with a smile of absolute delight. Sunset stared at the two. Shimmer stood in suspended animation, her eyes still full of the same fear. Despite the girl being a mirror image of herself, Sunset couldn't help but wonder how it was she looked so...frail. So innocent. So oblivious to the evil that stood next to her. Sunset had seen herself in the mirror, but she never looked the way Shimmer appeared to her.
Compared to her soft eyes that were full of many emotions, hers were hard and dark. The healthy glow of a slight blush in the other girl's cheeks was not visible in hers. Instead, there was a faded scar from past fights and scraps she had gotten into. The small mouth of Shimmer's, that was presently puckered in the same way someone who was in danger of crying would have them, was something that Sunset had never done. Her mouth was drawn in a hard line, barely cracking into a smile.
Sunset kept her eyes focused on Shimmer feeling troubled. The demon hissed and stamped her foot. She looked her way and saw features similar to her own; angry eyes and a crinkled nose complete with a smirk. Sunset didn't like what she saw.
"Tell us, Sunset. Who are you? Good or bad?" Twilight whispered.
Without warning, a zombie-like teen grabbed at her shoulder chanting the same three words. She smacked at them and moved away in disgust. To her horror, she saw that all of her army was coming towards her and crying out those dreadful words. Sunset tried to escape their grubby hands but found that there was no use in that. She had to choose. Was she good? Or was she bad?
From looking at Shimmer, she knew she couldn't be her. She was too innocent. Sunset was far away from her level. But the demon...there was no way she'd choose her. The beast waved its hands in the air trying to persuade her into coming to her. Shimmer remained motionless. Desperately, Sunset began to move toward the beings that represented the concepts upon which she was being asked to consider herself under.
"Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?"
Their hands snatched at her hair, their teeth bite her arms, their legs kicked at her shins and ankles. But she had to get out of there and choose. It seemed the only way to get out of this hell house. Twilight and her friends began to chant as well, their voices louder and clearer than all the others.
"Choose, Sunset. Choose between the good and evil and we shall see what consequences befall of that decision," Twilight called.
The army gathered closer and closer and closer and closer. Sunset fell over as they overcame her. But she had to choose! Her mind came up blank. What was she? Was she still evil? Was she relatively good? She had abandoned the concept of Friendship, and went back to her own ways. But she hadn't done anything terrible as far as she knew. Sunset definitely wasn't as cruel as before so what was she?
Before she could even answer, darkness fell. The last thing she saw being Shimmer's inanimate image staring off into space.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Dresses, Crushes, and a Misled Cadence
Author's Note
In the last chapter, Sunset was faced with a question: 'Who are you? Are you good or are you bad?' Well, here is an excellent answer from a FIMfic peep that reads this here story.
Neither. You see, you don't live in a world of black and white Sunset. It's not even a world made of greys. Life is in color, millions of them, all different and unique and none really any better or worse than any other. Because you see, good and bad are defined in the minds of each and every person. Or do you really think Hitler thought he was the bad guy? --Mustache Merlin
How awesome is that answer...Very!
Also, I know people don't like reading Author's Notes that are long but read anyhow. In the last chapter, some of you I've noticed have been confused about Sunset's dream. The fact that I used Shimmer to represent 'good' is similar to having an identity crisis with your own twin. Saylux had explained this to me and I see the problem in the chapter prior.
I understand the confusion of using an unrelated person to Sunset's problem. It was not the best move. Unfortunately, if I change the chapter, not too many people will read that since the wave of readers already came by, and further confusion will not be necessary. You may read on.
Dresses, Crushes, and a Misled Cadence
"Uh...Twilight?"
A fiery-headed girl stood in front of her friend and examined her critically. They were at the mall trying on dresses. But that wasn't going all too well seeing as how the spectacled one had a terrible fashion sense. Twilight Sparkle stood in front of a mirror posing awkwardly in an orange and yellow polka dotted dress, trying to make it work. But Shimmer was cringing painfully.
"Sorry but...that might not be the dress for you..."
"That's just putting it lightly," Cadence said in a kind voice though her words cut like a knife.
Cadence had brought the girls to the Pointeville Mall instead of Shining Armor since he had police duty. He also wasn't too excited to be chauffeuring his sister and supposed project partner to the mall, stand around for who knows how long, and get home at a ridiculous time. Twilight pushed up her glasses and looked down at her feet feeling sad.
"Yeah, I figured."
Shimmer gave her a lopsided grin.
"Maybe you should just let us get your dress. It would do good since we have a few ideas in mind."
Twilight nodded and went into the dressing room to change while the other two sat down. Cadence glanced at Shimmer, who was looking down at her hands. Cadence could sense that she was feeling restless. Something must be troubling her...
"Is something the matter?"
Shimmer looked up.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing..."
Cadence raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing look. The younger girl looked away feeling a bit awkward. Twilight had introduced her to her sister-in-law on Monday when she had brainstormed the idea to go to the Spring Fling. Shimmer didn't really want to go and had argued, weakly bringing up the cost of tickets and the possibility that they were sold out. Unfortunately, Twilight interjected that because they were guests there weren't any tickets, but they could pay at the door and that the cost would not be as pricey as the students' payment. As long as they signed in a guest log they were free to go after giving the money.
After hearing that, Shimmer sighed and gave up. There was no point in continuing something that wouldn't go in her favor. It was just something about going to that dance and knowing there was a possibility of seeing herself again...it gave her the chills. Her other self didn't seem that friendly, first off, and secondly, it's a bit unnatural to see a duplicate of yourself, who you know isn't a twin or somebody in cosplay, walking around. Stuff like that just doesn't happen! Yet here she stood knowing otherwise.
It was happening...
Cadence nudged her with her elbow and Shimmer snapped out of her thoughts. The younger girl looked at her and saw a face expressing playful suspicion; twinkling eyes that narrowed without malice and a small smile that was telltale of her knowing what she knew. The younger girl felt slightly intimidated by this.
"So I see you must be nervous..." Cadence said.
"Uh...Y-Yeah, a little bit..." Shimmer admitted.
Cadence patted her on the back and gave her a genuine smile that erased Shimmer's feeling of intimidation.
"Oh, it's ok to be nervous. This must be your first time going to a dance, huh?"
"...Actually, no. I've been to all the school dances before."
Cadence looked at her with surprise.
"Oh really? Huh, I thought you were a nervous first-timer!"
Shimmer snorted and shrugged her shoulders.
"I just don't feel very comfortable going to another school's dance is all."
"What's to feel uncomfortable about? You have Twilight to stick to."
"Yeah, but..."
Shimmer's mind went back to the night she met Sunset. The girl had been so mysterious and so destructive in the matters regarding her friendship with Sugar Belle and Double Diamond. When she saw her, Shimmer was going to give that girl a piece of her mind and drag Sunset out to apologize to them and her for ruining a good relationship. Shimmer's face turned red as she thought about her angry feelings toward her double. Cadence noticed the blush on the girl's cheeks and immediately misunderstood what the blush was for.
"So there's a boy you like there, is that the case?"
Shimmer's eyes widened and she spluttered. That's not at all what she had been thinking. It completely caught her off guard. Shimmer was not very good at discussing things like love. She always felt hot in the face and spat out the wrong words which made matters worse for her. It was as if a curse had just dropped itself upon this poor girl. Though she didn't have anyone she liked at the moment it still made her heart skip a beat. To Shimmer, love was a sensitive topic in which she'd like it to not be brought up.
"Oh so it is a boy!" Cadence gasped.
"Wh--N-No, Mrs. Armor! It isn't! Not at all! Nope!" Shimmer said.
"Oh really? I don't believe you, Ms. Shimmer," Cadence said with a chuckle. "Call me Cadence."
Shimmer bit her lip and didn't reply. She tried to focus her eyes on everything that wasn't in the vicinity of the young woman. This only made Cadence want to know more about her 'crush'.
"Tell me. Who is he? What's his name?" Cadence asked.
"I-I-It's nobody!" Shimmer stammered.
She wanted to get away from her.
"W-Why don't I go and look for some other dresses for Twilight to wear!" Shimmer said and she popped up onto her feet.
"I'll come with you," Cadence said.
"No!" Shimmer yelled abruptly. Her face became an even rosier color when she realized what she had done. "I-I mean I can do it by myself..."
Before Cadence could answer her they heard Twilight stomping and tripping out from the dressing room. Shimmer took this as her chance to get away and ran.
***
"Why am I always flustered whenever love comes up as a topic," the fiery-headed girl grumbled.
She thrust a group of dresses away from her as she searched the rack for something more suitable to wear than the monstrosity Twilight had tried on. All the girl saw were dresses that were either too short, too long, had unflattering colors to Twilight's skin, and/or just didn't make much sense at all. Shimmer was trying to find Twilight something that would be nice to wear but not uncomfortable. She knew this would more than likely be Twilight's first time wearing a dress, seeing as how her nerd gear was a light blue blouse underneath a long white sweater and some black slacks. She doubted the nerd had much of anything else in her closet besides those three clothing items.
Shimmer pulled out a bright pink sundress and tilted her head. Would she wear this? After standing there a moment she sighed and put it back. Probably not; too bright. Twilight wouldn't look too good in really bright colors. Plus, she'd stand out. Twilight just needs something to look nice in and fit into the crowd with...
Shimmer took out a blue dress and nodded with satisfaction. Then Shimmer shook her head vigorously after thinking about it. If she didn't want to be noticed in bright colors then she didn't want to wear dark colors, either. It was Spring after all and wearing that in the middle of a crowd, full of others wearing shades of soft pinks, yellows, and oranges, wouldn't help her. Besides, it was too hot for those colors to be worn. In exasperation, the fiery-headed girl flung the item back on the rack.
After 15 minutes, Shimmer was still not able to find anything for Twilight despite having gone through a multitude of clothes. She thought finding clothes for Twilight would be easy. But that was not the case. Everything was either too frilly, too short, too long, too revealing, or just plain ugly. She was just about to give up when someone tapped her shoulder.
"Um, excuse me?"
Shimmer turned to see a girl with dark blue hair and sky blue skin. She had pretty green eyes that glowed mysteriously. The girl wore a simple white T-shirt with a Crescent moon on it and black jeans. Her long hair was pulled back into a braid. On her shirt was a name tag that read: Stella Luna. Shimmer felt her cheeks burn a little as she stared at her.
"Anything I can help you with?" the girl asked kindly.
Shimmer glanced at the rack of dresses beside her and stuttered.
"U-Uh...Y-Yeah! I need a lot of help!...Please..."
Stella Luna nodded and placed a hand on her hip.
"Anything in particular that you're looking for?"
"Yes," Shimmer said, while looking at the floor," I'm, uh, looking for a dress for my friend who...needs one for a dance at school."
"Oh, the Spring Fling, right? I have some perfect suggestions for you!"
Stella Luna led Shimmer to another area of the store and helped her out. While picking and choosing, they talked about the designs of the clothing and critiqued them. The two laughed about the ridiculous fashions of today and the school dance. Stella chatted comfortably and pointed to some things while Shimmer nodded and listened, her face a pink color. It was as if they had known each other for years.
Every once in a while, the older girl would smile lopsidedly at something the younger girl said, her eyes flashing happily. Her funny remarks and the way she stuck her tongue out when thinking made Shimmer grin.
A little deeper into the conversation, Shimmer found out that Stella was a student at Pointeville High School in the eleventh grade, just a year older than her. She couldn't believe it! She knew most everyone in the grades above her so how was it that she didn't know her?? The fiery-headed girl told her as much and Stella laughed.
"It's because I'm one of those kids in the corner, ya know? Socializing doesn't come too naturally for me. But you're pretty easy to talk to, underclassman."
The other girl blushed and smiled.
"What's your name, sophomore?" Stella asked.
"...It's...It's"
Feeling bashful, she brushed some hair from her face and cleared her throat.
"Sunset Shimmer. That's my name...I'd rather be called Shimmer, though..."
The older girl nodded and picked up a couple of clothing items they had chosen.
"Alrighty then, Shimmy! Lets go and see about your friend!"
With a red face, the said girl led the way back to the dressing room and met Cadence and Twilight in deep conversation. Mrs. Armor was sitting with her legs crossed and a hand on her chin nodding to everything her sister-in-law said. The nerd raised her voice at times she was excited and flailed her arms around like limp noodles.
"It's got to be aliens...or magic!" Twilight cried.
"Aliens or magic, you say? I think the former," Cadence replied calmly.
"Yes, but there are points that prove my theory on magic more than aliens!" Twilight told her.
Cadence frowned and rubbed her chin before shrugging.
"It could be both. Aliens and magic."
Shimmer sighed in embarrassment at the odd subject the two had taken up and glanced at Stella who actually seemed interested in what they were talking about, but was too polite to pry. She handed the dresses to Shimmer and saluted to her.
"See ya 'round!"
The new voice brought Cadence and Twilight back to reality and they looked at their red-faced friend, smiling goofy-like and waving slowly. She turned and met the stares of the other two and cleared her throat.
"Uh...here's the clothes!"
Twilight jumped up and inspected them as if they were a specimen she recently discovered. She carefully selected a dress, which happened to be the plainest one, and said," Hey, what do you think about your twin being an alien with magic? Pretty neat theory!"
Shimmer rolled her eyes and nodded with a fake smile on her face. Twilight was satisfied, having missed the insincerity of it, and hopped into the dressing room. Cadence watched the girl that remained with great care. she had a dreamy look on her face, like she had just landed on Cloud Nine. Her eyes glowed softly and her cheeks were brushed with a rosy pink. Cadence grinned.
"You met the boy of your dreams here, haven't you!"
Shimmer plopped down beside her, not listening to her closely.
"Heh, a boy !"
Cadence looked at her with surprise. But the younger girl didn't notice. She was too busy thinking about a certain somebody to even care.
You Can't Help Who You Love
General Vagueness
Sunset sighed and filled out some papers while sitting in the corner of the classroom. It was the day of the Spring Fling and people were giving her their nastiest, most disgusted faces that didn't hide the hatred they had for her. She only shrugged at them and kept on working. After a while, you become insensitive to the looks people give you. But every once in a while somebody would say something really cruel and all the hurt that she was supposed to have felt from the burning stares of the other students came at her full force. A tidal wave that swept you up into its arms and carried you into a dark place that was unfamiliar and full of frightening things, all the while your lungs struggling to breath.
That's exactly what it felt like. Her lungs would feel as though a huge pressure were weighing down on them and forcing her to be breathless...speechless. Sunset carefully wrote in cursive the name 'Autumn Fall', making sure it looked different from her own handwriting, on the paper. She looped the letters delicately and made it look as perfect as she could. She then wrote 'Solar Flare' in her most carefree manner, darkening it with the force of her hand upon the pen.
She smiled sadly at the two names she had written on the paper. A bittersweet feeling rose from her chest. Sunset quickly wiped her eyes before tears could fall. Memories flooded her mind. She remembered back when she was an innocent filly, with no counts of wrong against her, she used to play with a big orange unicorn. His shoulders were strong and tough, his head full of rich red curls that laid this way and that. He had a stubbly chin of red hair and dark green eyes that would glow as he smiled and laughed and played with her. Sunset could almost hear his hearty laugh ring in her ears and the sweet, loving words he would say happily afterward.
"You're shimmering, my darling."
Her father...Solar Flare. He had been a royal Canterlot guard when she was last in Equestria. Captain of the Royal Guard actually. Sunset guessed he probably retired from the position by now; he would be in his early to mid 40's. He was always smiling and laughing. The girl had never seen him without a smile on his face. Sunset remembered him carrying her on his back and running around like a maniac and they'd scream and yell and shout all day. The two of them would roll down hills like silly foals without a care in the world.
Sunset would race her father and they'd gallop across the grass. The fiery-headed filly didn't know this then, but Solar Flare always ran slower so she'd win every time. And when she was the winner, she would turn to face him and say, "I beat the bestest guard in Equestria! I beat daddy! I beat daddy!"
Solar Flare would laugh and reply," You sure did, my little filly! With speed like that you could catch all the bad ponies in this whole country!"
Sunset had to smile at the irony. She closed her eyes and sighed. The sun warming their faces, the slight breeze relieving them of the heat, the green fields...
It seemed like such a long time ago. And her mother, Autumn Fall, was beautiful. Her lovely blue eyes shined in the sunlight. Her neatly groomed coat of pale yellow was soft to the touch. Her silky brown mane that billowed out from the sides of her face...This was Autumn Fall, the most beautiful mare in all of Canterlot. Sunset had always thought her mother looked better, even, than Celestia. The little filly had been proud to have such a gorgeous mother.
Autumn Fall was a teacher who taught Magic Kindergarten. She lived a simple life, full of happiness and few complications. Sunset always loved to hear her mother sing. Her voice was like an angel's, reaching up high into the heavens and warming the hearts of all those around her. Sunset longed for those blissful days with her mother and father. She had been innocent of everything she's ever done then. Nothing bad could ruin her...
Sunset got up and rubbed her eyes making sure no one saw the forming tears. She didn't need something else for people to harass her about. She walked briskly across the room and asked Mr. Noteworthy for a pass to the restroom.
"Go ahead," he mumbled.
The fiery-headed girl rushed out the classroom and instead of heading toward the restroom like she asked, she made her way to the Main Office. It was about time. It was about time she filled out these papers. How she managed to stay there at Canterlot High was beyond her level of understanding. All she knew now was that once she gave the office her papers, she'd be free of this place.
No more teasing, no more glares, no vulgar language toward her, no nothing. Sunset would be released from that torment she had faced for five months. Sunset could only guess that it was her love of learning and her past determination to set things right at CHS that made her stay as long as she did. Well, to hell with the latter. That fueled energy to change her self image was gone now. All this girl wanted to do was get away and do what she loved most: Learn.
Sunset stepped through the doorway into the office and glanced around. The secretary she knew had seen her, but the woman was too busy pretending she hadn't noticed her to even say a word. Fuck that bitch. She'd make her notice her. It's not like she'd be there the next day anyway so what did it matter if she left a nasty last impression at this school? Sunset didn't care. The teenager knocked on the desk and looked directly at her.
"Hey, lady. I got papers I want to give you. Take them."
The secretary glared at her over her glasses.
"Set them on my desk. Please."
Sunset dropped them carelessly on the edge of the designated space and turned quickly on her heels to leave. The secretary sniffed disdainfully and snatched the papers Sunset had left. When she looked at them her eyes widened and a big smile came across her face.
"Well, that just made my day!"
"What made your day?"
The secretary turned to see Principal Celestia standing behind her frowning. The woman blushed and sputtered.
"P-P-Principal Celestia! Why I-I uh, you see...a certain student of ours...she, um--"
Her boss calmly took the papers from her hand and skimmed through it. A sad frown appeared and a line creased her forehead.
"...So she doesn't want to be here. She could've changed her image..."
She sighed and looked to the window.
"...Sunset Shimmer decided on that I see..."
Author's Note
FeatherFlyerFIM . Also, tomorrow, I'll be off on a class trip; unfortunate for you those who love this here story of mine. I'll be gone from May 18-20th and then I'll be super tired on the 21st so the next chapter will more than likely be out by the...22nd? I hope to release it sooner. Well, wish me a happy time on the trip and I'll try to get a chapter done pretty soon!
You Can't Help Who You Love
"...That's not how you wear that..."
Twilight Sparkle struggled to shove her head through the arm opening of her dress. Her glasses drooped down her nose and hung on one ear. Her hair was messier than ever with odd strands sticking out through the neck and arm openings on the beautiful dress Shimmer and Stella Luna had chosen for her. Twilight looked like a cat punching its way out of a trash bag it got stuck under. Quickly, Shimmer righted the situation before anything terrible happened that could result in ruining the expensive clothing item.
Once on correctly, Twilight sighed and posed awkwardly in the mirror. It was a pale blue dress with white and purple lining. It draped down to the top of her knees and looked very nice on Twilight. It was just a simple dress; nothing complex about it...yet Twilight didn't seem to understand how to wear it without Shimmer's help.
"You look great!" Cadence announced. She clapped her hands together and sighed dreamily. "You'll be the Belle of the ball!"
"Uh...maybe you should tweak a few things before you jump to saying something like that. For instance, her hair maybe?" Shimmer pointed out.
It was true. The only thing that really needed fixing now was the nerd's hair. It was extremely messed up...well, more messed up than usual. Cadence grabbed a brush off the table and a comb. She glanced at Shimmer and frowned.
"Why don't you get dressed up already? Just go down the hall into the bathroom if you're not comfortable changing in here."
Shimmer looked to the bed at the dress intended for her and gulped. She took it gently in her arms and slowly walked out the room and headed toward the bathroom. Once there, she closed the door and looked at herself in the mirror. Shining turquoise eyes stared back at her. Flaming red and yellow hair fanned out around her small face like rays of the sun. Her tanned skin let off a healthy glow and blended nicely with her hair and eyes. But instead of seeing a happy smile on her small lips, she saw she was frowning. There was something menacing about that expression...something different.
Her eyebrows came down over her eyes in a perplexed manner and her mouth became a hard line. A crease formed above the bridge of her nose and in between her eyebrows. The shining irises dulled and the glow of her skin ceased. But...how was this? Shimmer no longer looked like herself. Instead she appeared to be someone she knew to look this way...a girl with her face but at the same time she did not...Shimmer's eyes widened. Sunset .Memories of that fateful night came back to her and everything that had happened following that.
Sugar Belle and Double Diamond...the sleepless nights she had...befriending Twilight Sparkle...
Shimmer bit her lip and glanced down at her dress of choice. While Twilight had a simple cotton dress, Shimmer had a slightly more complex piece of clothing. It was a beautiful cyan color that complimented her eyes. Carefully stitched flower designs embroidered the fine silky cloth that made up the dress. It was slightly form-fitting when Shimmer had tried it on before. It fell to her mid calf and swayed this way and that as gentle and subtle as the calm winds of a lovely spring day. To go with it was a knitted shawl the color of ivory. On the ends of it were gold rings that she'd wear to keep the shawl from falling off her shoulders.
Cadence had insisted she get it and so did Stella Luna. They both liked it on her and were sure that the boys would fall for her.
Boys they say..? Shimmer thought with a snort. She thought back to Stella Luna and felt her face flush. Sure...boys.
Slowly, the girl sighed and put on the dress. Looking in the mirror she saw how nicely it fit. Though she looked gorgeous on the outside, she still felt odd on the inside. The fact that she would be meeting herself again...was nerve wrecking. Shimmer knew that no matter how many times she met this Sunset, she'd always get this unsettling feeling. This feeling in which she knew what was happening couldn't possibly be real but all the same it was. Shimmer made her way back to the room in which Twilight and Cadence were in. Twilight's hair was down and looked lot nicer and shinier than Shimmer had ever seen it be before.
At the moment, the young woman was struggling to get the girl to wear contacts. Cadence frowned as she swatted Twilight's hands away from her face.
"You should wear them!"
"But they're so itchy!" Twilight cried in protest and she rubbed her eyes.
Cadence grabbed her wrists and forced her hands down.
"You'll get used to them, Twi. Just don't rub your eyes or you'll make them look bloodshot!"
The nerdy girl pouted and said," Why do I have to wear them anyway?"
"Well, you don't want to be walking around with big square-y glasses like that at a dance. Wearing contacts make you look better and it brings out your eyes."
Twilight frowned.
"So this is purely aesthetic!"
She lunged forward to get her glasses back but Cadence was too quick. She folded the glasses arms and placed them carefully in her back pocket.
"I'm keeping these. So if you take out your contacts at the dance you'll be as blind as a bat."
The younger female sighed and gave up knowing she had lost to her. "Bats aren't blind..."
Shimmer cleared her throat and they both looked her way. Cadence gasped dramatically and squealed. She told Shimmer to spin around. Twilight admired her dress and examined it closely.
"You look absolutely stunning!" Cadence gushed.
"Thanks," Shimmer replied, feeling bashful.
Cadence took her hand and had her sit in a chair before the bedroom mirror.
"Now lets see about this lovely mane of hair! I think a bun would do nicely..."
As the young woman set to work on her hair, Twilight began theorizing how the evening would go.
"We'll arrive at the dance as undercover investigators and scour the crowd looking for her! Shimmer, you should try to locate her friends and pretend you're her and get more information about this other you. All info is important to my studies. Meanwhile, I'll question the Canterlot High students and ask them about her as well. What I need to collect most importantly is the data confirming that supernatural events have in fact occurred there and what actually was going on! Tonight's the perfect time to find out!"
Shimmer rolled her eyes while Cadence chuckled.
"Yeah, and you'll soon find out if Shimmer's double is an alien or a ghost."
Shimmer looked at Twilight's sister-in-law through the mirror with a surprised expression.
"You actually believe her on this?"
Cadence shrugged.
"No, I don't. But you can't persuade Twilight otherwise when she's like this. It's a wild, fantastical story."
She finished styling Shimmer's hair and sighed happily.
"All done! Come on, girls! To the car!"
***
The sun was setting gently over the hills in the distance. The two sophomores stepped out of the car and looked at the building before them. Canterlot High School. Twilight jumped up and down with excitement and was ready to bolt in no time toward the school. The loud pounding of music sounded, muffled by the school walls. Shimmer stood there and felt a chill run through her spine. This. This is where Sunset should be based on the theory her friend came up with.
Deep down she hoped it wasn't accurate.
Cadence rolled down the driver side window and waved goodbye to them.
"Hey, Shimmer! Come here for a second."
The said girl did as she was instructed and was greeted by a warm smile. Her eyes were glowing and the faded light of the sky softened her features, making her look even younger than she really was. There was something sad about the glow of her eyes, something melancholy...Cadence spoke to her in a soft voice.
"Thank you, Shimmer, for being friends with Twilight. She has a...a hard time socializing and seeing how you two are pretty close it makes me happy. Sometimes, Twilight will make up these wild stories that sound logical in her head but really are quite childish. She then would bury herself in unnecessary studies about it. This 'alien' thing is one of them, I know. Just...bare with her. She doesn't have others to spend time with and so these wacky adventures are what she relies on to make her happy. But, if you could, please try to introduce her to more people so that hopefully this thing she does...it just is a phase."
Shimmer nodded slowly. Cadence smiled again and squeezed her hand before driving off. Shimmer watched the car disappear onto another street and contemplated what she said. Cadence thinks this is a game Twilight's playing. Well, it sure felt real this 'game'...
Twilight grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the school.
"Come on! Don't just stand there!"
The two of them rushed to the school; one happy as can be...the other not sure of what this newest 'level to their game' would hold.
You Can't Help Who You Love
"You had so much potential here!" Applejack cried after Sunset.
The Main 5 were standing around the locker Sunset had just emptied. The fiery headed one carried all her school papers in her arms and dumped them in the large trash can in the hallway.
"Right. Lots of potential to becoming the ruler of this place, but it all got ruined by your dear Princess Twilight," Sunset replied.
"We meant potential as in becoming a better person," Rarity said quickly.
Sunset shrugged and rubbed her hands on her skirt.
"All I here is 'blah blah blah too boring blah time to get the hell out of here'."
She turned on her heel and made her way down the hall. The tapping of multiple footsteps behind her was no doubt the persistent group of friends following her.
"If you even gave us a chance to help you, you'd be happy!" Pinkie Pie squeaked.
Sunset cringed at the high pitched voice and stuck a finger in her ear. She kept on walking without a word.
"Sunset, we're only trying to help," Fluttershy barely said.
But there was no answer from the person she directed her words to. She strode with haste toward the school entrance and burst through the doors. Pounding down the steps, she ignored the stares she got from the students and looked in the direction of home. She was done with Canterlot High. She was through with this school and everyone in it. What did it matter to them that she was leaving? They should be rejoicing like everyone else, these five girls.
People around her gave whoops and cheers, crying," Goodbye, loser!", "See you never!", "Get a life, oh mighty queen!" Sunset gritted her teeth and stomped ahead. She could hear the students showering Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie with compliments behind her. It took all her energy not to turn around and scream at them. She closed her eyes and covered her ears as best she could. Without looking where she was going, Sunset bumped into someone.
"What's your problem?" she barked.
Looking up she saw it was no one other than Flash Sentry. He paled and looked away.
"Funny. Do you always bump into girls who you've had or have romantic feelings for?" Sunset growled.
He didn't answer and she shoved him out the way. Running into that rock star punk only made her feel worse. She was glad to be escaping from that place. Earlier before she had had a conversation with Principal Celestia. There was nothing that old hag could do to change her decision about leaving. Celestia had insisted that she give the matter more thought but Sunset wasn't moved by this. She just had to go.
"Sunset!" Flash called.
Sunset hesitated. She kept her back turned to him and waited.
"...Have a better life wherever you'll be..." the boy whispered.
Pity.
He was pitying her! Sunset felt her face burn. It was bad enough that the Canterlot High students treated her like shit after she tried to make amends. Whatever she did they always found fault in it, whether it was good, neutral or otherwise. But pity? It was an insult to injury. Sunset didn't want people to feel bad for her. That only made it worse to know that others acknowledge she's in a bad position and thought of her as a 'poor old thing'. She feels weak and helpless when someone pities her. And for it to come from Flash Sentry made everything all the more infuriating.
Angrily, she turned around and spat in his face.
"Pity my ass, Flash!"
And with that she ran off in a rage.
***
Sunset stared at the sky with its fading colors and lovely shades. She stood against a willow tree with its curtain of flowers shielding her from others' view, but leaving an opening between its top branches allowing Sunset to look up at the evening sky. The wind blew gently and rustled the tree limbs. Sunset closed her eyes and sighed. The events of what had happened earlier that day were still making themselves present. She really shouldn't have spat in Flash's face...but she was so angry that it just happened. And it wasn't as if she really cared about the guy...
Whatever. At least she doesn't have to be bothered by anyone from Canterlot High. Celestia had tried to get her to stay but Sunset was too willing to leave.
"I don't see why you need to go, Sunset. If you let those girls help you, everything should be fine," Celestia had said.
Sunset snorted. It's not like she wouldn't be going to school. She just wouldn't be attending that school. Sunset just needed to be somewhere where she could start off fresh. No one would know her and have seen the bad side to her yet. There would be no judgement of character or anything foul that could be said about or to her. From there, Sunset could improve. She could then become the better person those five girls wanted her to be. It was just that she couldn't do it there.
Even though Sunset had abandoned Princess Twilight's teachings of Friendship, she felt the need get her act straight. Her goal still wasn't to make friends but it would be a lot easier to use people if you were nice. Looking up to the sky again the girl noticed it had gotten a little darker compared to the short time she had looked up at the sky before. Sunset pushed herself away from the willow tree. It was time to head home.
Sunset had walked a distance away before she noticed that the colorful sky was almost gone; it went away so quickly. By now the sun had set and the resistant colors of the sunset clung to the space above desperately. Sunset glanced back at the big willow tree she so much loved. It was her favorite place to rest and ponder. A calm feeling always came over her when she was under its curtain of branches. She was hidden from the rest of the world and for a moment in time...she didn't exist at all.
That's what was so wonderful about her willow tree. You could escape all your problems and hide from them there. No one would ever be able to find you and nothing could bother you. The tree was located by the edge of Canterlot in a remote area where a small group of other trees resided. And not too far off you could see the Equine River* with its gentle waves and soft swishing of water.
By the time Sunset came within 15 minutes of home, complete darkness had taken over. In the distance, she could hear loud muffled music playing. She turned her head and looked in the direction toward Canterlot High. The Spring Fling...No doubt it was in full effect. A sad feeling entered Sunset's chest and she swallowed hard. Those years she had won the crown...in both Fall Formals and Spring Flings...It felt so odd to be left out of such an occasion. She was so used to just being there that she realized her past was still part of her present.
The nervous feeling she got from waiting behind the stage curtains, hoping she'd get the highest honor title. The adrenaline rush she felt from hearing her name being called. The pounding feeling of pure excitement when she walked onstage to receive her prize with the school cheering for her....
Something in her told her she needed to go. Something whispered to her saying she had to attend. It would be her last dance in remembrance of her triumph in years past. Her last before she moved on to a new part of life, away from all the mistakes and drama she had caused. Just this dance. This one to let her feel happy again the memories of old...Sunset strayed from her original path home and made her way to the school.
Just this once. Just this one dance. Her swan song.
Author's Note
* The Equine River is a small reference to my story Sunset: Siren of the Equine River which is a sequel to If she were the sun and her the moon . There is a third book. However, I am no longer continuing the series. It is a Sunlight trilogy that is incomplete. If you would like to read it, click on the links above.
Oh, and King Sombra.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Twilight and Shimmer stood a little ways away from the school entrance near some shrubbery. The boy who stood there waited for students to come before asking for tickets or guest fees. At least three couples had given him their tickets or fees before Twilight turned to Shimmer and gave her a layout of the plan.
"Ok, so I'm going to pay my guest fee first. We should go in separately. That way no one will get suspicious."
Shimmer frowned.
"Who'd get suspicious of us? We're just like anyone here!"
"That's just it. If you have a double, what's to say there aren't more of them of other people? Then we would be just like anyone here ! Multiple yous and mes could exist somewhere around here. If they see we're investigating them they might capture us and get us to keep quiet about their existence!"
"...I think you might be overthinking this theory of yours."
Twilight waved a hand at her dismissively.
"I'm going now."
Very awkwardly, Twilight made he way out of the bushes and walked toward the boy. When he saw her coming, he smiled widely.
"Hey, Twilight! Didn't know you'd be coming here!"
Twilight stopped in her tracks. How..? The scientist opened her mouth before shutting it quickly. She narrowed her eyes and examined him. He had green hair and yellow skin. His blue eyes stared back at her with a happy shine to them. The boy had a black tux and nice brown leather shoes on. On his suit jacket was a name tag that read 'Riff Raff'. Carefully, Twilight walked all around him with deep concentration.
"...Erm, you ok?" the boy asked.
"How do you know my name?"
"...Uh, because you came here before. And that's your name. You said so."
"I was here? When?"
"Back when the Fall Formal happened about five months ago."
Twilight's eyes widened and they sparkled. She had been there? Her brain began to work feverishly. So she had been right. If there was a double for Shimmer, there could possibly be a double for Twilight! And this boy was proving it! Eagerly, she pressed him with more questions.
"What was I doing here?"
The boy scratched the back of his neck and frowned.
"You were saving our school from destruction. You know, you came out of that there statue"-- Riff Raff pointed to the giant stallion a couple yards away-- "with all this magic and prevented a catastrophe. Man, we can't thank you enough for that!"
Shimmer slowly came out from the plants and came closer to hear him better.
"I came out of a statue??" Twilight repeated.
"Yeah. Some of your friends explained that you came from another dimension as a pony princess..?"
The green haired boy looked her up and down. Twilight's eyes were wide with wonder and her mouth hung open in shock. She seemed to be entranced by the words that were coming out his mouth, clinging to every one of them. Riff Raff felt a bit uneasy.
"What's with all the questions? Don't you remember anything? I mean, it's you we're talking about, Twilight. You saved CHS from being ruled by a she-demon!"
Twilight's mind was completely blown by all the information she had received. Pony princess? Another dimension? Saving a school from a she-demon... The boy sighed and looked toward the street. He could see couples making their way toward the entrance to come into the dance. He thrust his hand out. He wanted to move away from the conversation, seeing how it kinda got a little weird.
"Uh, ticket please..."
"I don't have one. I'm here as a guest," Twilight told him.
He nodded and waited for her to give him the guest fee. Once she did he counted the money, placed it in a lock box, and flashed a quick smile to get rid of the odd atmosphere. Riff Raff looked around once more.
"Do you have anyone you're coming with?"
Twilight nodded.
"Who would that be?" Riff asked and he grabbed a guest log for her to sign.
"Sunset Shimmer."
Riff Raff dropped the book in the middle of handing it to her. His happy mood seemed to have disappeared as a dark expression came over his face. He stood there stiffly.
"...She's not allowed to enter," he said robotically.
Shimmer bit her lip and walked backward toward the shrubbery and trees that hid her from view. She had already been nervous on their way there. Listening to their conversation weirded her out. Twilight, a pony princess? Surely this was all some terrible joke. But once Twilight mentioned her name, the odd feeling she felt quickly sank and was replaced by one of fear. The boy who handled the tickets...his face wasn't at all a happy one. There was something about the way he changed in manner that creeped her out. Something bad must've happened and no doubt, it was with Sunset.
Twilight's eyebrows were raised.
"Why not?"
"Sunset Shimmer had not signed an agreement to follow specific rules given to her by the Student Body and approved by Principal Celestia that would allow her access into the Spring Fling Dance. I have it right here on paper not to let her in."
Twilight was given the paper with such directions and she frowned deeply. Quickly, she glanced back to where Shimmer would be and shook her head, mouthing," Plan B." Riff Raff noticed and squinted at the shrubbery.
"What're you doing?"
"Oh!" Twilight turned her head quickly to face him, looking sheepish. "I just was talking to myself... I uh... can't believe this has happened!"
She gave him back the paper.
"Why didn't she sign the agreement?"
Riff Raff shrugged and took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and showed her a contract.
"As Treasurer of the Student Body, I only take care of finances. Trixie's our Ambassador. You'd have to ask her. All I did was read the draft written by the Student Body Secretary and approve it."
Twilight took the paper he had and skimmed over it.
THE STUDENT BODY hereby gives this contract to Sunset Shimmer as a reminder of what is to be expected at the Spring Fling Celebration. This is a guideline for the appropriate behavior that should be shown if said person is to attend.
Attire - No outerwear. Jeans, boots, and jackets of any material are not considered proper clothing for such an occasion. Old tennis shoes are not permitted. Tank tops are not permitted. Nice dress shirt or blouse with a knee-length skirt and/or a dress that goes below the knees is acceptable. Must wear dress shoes and approved clothing listed.
Dancing - Do not shout, yell, cry, scream, shriek, etc. Any action that could bring attention to said person is unwise, therefore not allowed. When dancing, please refrain from any action involving sudden and/or wild movements. Keep hands and feet to yourself. When walking around, dancing, or otherwise, stay at least ten feet away from the stage. Live performances are to happen and as a courtesy to the performers, please keep a respective distance.
Food - Do not throw any food or drink at anything or anyone. Such actions will be punishable by immediate removal from the Spring Fling Celebration. When finished eating, throw away all utensils and uneaten food in a trash can. Please do not hover around the food and drink table. If not getting anything to eat, it is unnecessary to stay in the vicinity of the table.
General behavior - Do not curse at anyone. If nothing good is to be said do not say anything. Do not destroy any property or decorations. Be as pleasant as said person is required to be.
Rule that needs to be followed - Do not get involved in the Spring Fling campaign for this year's Spring Fling Princess. The person running will be disqualified if such news of said person being involved in the campaign is reported. Violation of this rule will result in possible suspension.
Thank you for reading the rules set by the Student body. Sign below for verification that you have understood and accepted these rules.
X_____________________________________________
Approved by Principal Celestia of Canterlot High School
Twilight's face dropped as she finished reading it.
"This is... wow. What did she do to deserve these rules?"
Riff Raff stared at her in disbelief.
"It's like you don't remember a thing! Twilight, the reason why she has such restrictions on her is because she pretty much destroyed the Fall Formal! She... she... what did she do..?"
Riff Raff shook his head.
"All I know is that when I came to, there was a huge crater in the ground and the whole front of the school was wrecked. Undoubtedly, whatever she did, it was her fault. She was in the bottom of that huge hole.
"Wait... came to?" Twilight repeated. "What did you 'come to' from? Were you knocked out?"
"How would I know? All I remember is this column of light - a cyan color I believe - just shooting up from the air and Sunset was in it. She had the crown. After that, I seemed to have just... blacked out."
Riff stared at his feet.
"Sunset Shimmer is a horrible person. I don't know what it is she did exactly, but I felt something had happened. I felt it in my skin. It was tingling when I gained consciousness. I felt sick to the stomach and awful. She bullied everyone for the past two years she's been here. She hurt others, took what we treasured, and downgraded us as a whole. No one was happy. None of us could do a thing. She was the top of the top and no one could bring her down. Until you showed up, Twilight. You and your friends got rid of her. And now we're free to be who we are without her watching us. We thank you, we truly do. Our gratitude is beyond expression."
Riff Raff smiled gratefully.
"Thank you, Princess."
Twilight was speechless. She couldn't say a word or even move a muscle. This other Shimmer... who was she? To have caused so much pain that whoever saved them from it was pretty much worshiped... what could Sunset have done that led up to this?
"Now, are you really ok? You're asking a lot of questions about an event you were a part of. You should know more about it than me," Riff Raff stated with concern.
"Yeah, yeah. I guess it's a side effect from going in and out of the, um, horse... portal thing. Just needed a memory jog..."
Twilight frowned in deep concentration. What did this all mean? None of what she was being told made any sense whatsoever. The information she was getting. She needed to more accounts like what the boy gave her. It was clear that Sunset wasn't a good person. Twilight had gotten a hint of that when she found out that Shimmer's double broke her friendship with Double Diamond and Sugar Belle. But she didn't know the extent of it.
From what Riff Raff could remember, there was a beam of light that fit the description of what she had seen when stargazing. And just like what she saw, there was someone in the beam. It was Sunset, according to the boy. It had happened sometime when Sunset had 'the crown'. But how does that tie into Twilight's other self? This 'pony princess from another dimension'? All she knew was that this other Twilight had come out of a statue with magic and prevented a catastrophe...
None of it added up. Twilight looked up and realized that a line had started to form behind her. Riff Raff cleared his throat and waved a hand in the direction of the entrance. His face was flushed and his face had an expression of thankfulness and confusion. Twilight looked back to the shrubbery. Though it was dark, the girl could still see the white shawl Shimmer wore at times when she looked her way.
But not this time.
Without so much as a word, Riff Raff pushed her gently into the school building and Twilight was swept into the current of teenage boys and girls.
***
Shimmer's Point of View
Walking. I was walking along the sides of the school tracing my hand over its old, weather-worn brick. The sky had become a dark blue curtain overhead filled with... nothing. Looks like the stars didn't want to come out tonight. I don't blame them. Goosebumps rose on my skin despite the warmth of my ivory shawl. It wasn't even cold. But I felt chilled to the bone after hearing what that boy said.
"Sunset Shimmer is a horrible person."
I swallowed hard and kept following the wall beside me.
"She bullied everyone for the past two years she's been here. She hurt others, took what we treasured, and downgraded us as a whole."
My steps became heavier and heavier, as if a weight was upon my shoulders burdening me.
"She was the top of the top and no one could bring her down."
A weird feeling came over me; I began to feel queasy and my head ached slightly.
"You and your friends got rid of her."
I stopped walking. I leaned against the school and closed my eyes. Why? How? How could any of this be real? Be true? My other self...she sounded so cruel. Taking away what others found valuable...hurting people...belittling them...I was glad I hadn't gone in. Who knows what would have happened to me then?
Would I get looks of hatred? Or would I be ignored? Would someone try to harm me? I don't know...I hope not. Everyone seems to hates her from what I understand. Why wouldn't they hate me, too, if that is the case? They wouldn't know the difference. We share the same face. A face my father always told me was radiant and bright but seems to be scarred by a person I didn't know existed.
I sighed shakily and tried to process everything I'd heard and what I know. There are two Twilight's and two of me. The Twilight I know is as human as human can get, but this other version or duplicate of her...isn't? Pony princess?? How is that even possible??? And from what I know about my other half...that boy said she wrecked the school front somehow and created a huge crater in the ground. And then a magic laser beam happened?? Surely she couldn't be human.
The boy said she had 'the crown' when this beam happened. Usually, I associate crowns with royalty...and she didn't seem all too royal to me. But the other Twilight, the Princess Twilight, that could be her crown. Or maybe my other self actually is a princess herself? No. That's stupid. That can't be it.
"This can't be happening..." I whispered as I racked my brain.
Could Sunset possibly have stolen the crown? That could be the answer. But in order to do that she had to have went through the statue out front...if that's even possible! I mean, how could a dimension exist inside a piece of stone? Surely, the information that boy had told Twilight was absolute garbage. None of it was true!
I stood up and kept walking with my hands pressing the brick. I needed to go home. I know I shouldn't just leave Twilight in there, but how could I let her know? If I waited it would take all night, knowing her. She was probably already quizzing every student in there. I just need to go home and forget all of this. Everybody was insane; just out of their minds. Maybe Cadence was right. All of this is just a game with everyone being a pawn, moving forward in a Clue Game.
"There's a mysterious person lurking about who has ruined Shimmer's friendship with Sugar Belle and Double Diamond. Who is it, where are they, and what was their weapon of choice?" I muttered. "Oh, I know. It was Sunset, in Canterlot, using her hands to push down Double Diamond and shatter something special between us. But no. It doesn't end there."
I kicked a rock that was in my way.
"Everything has to escalate. Of course. And the deeper I go into it, the more I want to come out of it. But then I get trapped like a fly in a spider's web. If only I hadn't met her. No. If only she didn't start any of this. If that meeting between her and my friends didn't happen, I wouldn't be here--"
Before I could finish my vent, I felt my hand that had been against the school's outer wall no longer feel the rough stone, but cold metal. Before I could even register the change in surfaces, I felt the metal slip away from my fingers. I had been leaning heavily on that hand and there was nothing I could do to stop myself from falling over into the direction of the building. For a split second, my heart stopped as my vision blurred. Then I hit the ground with a loud thump! I slowly sat up and rubbed my head. When I looked up, I saw that I had fallen through a doorway into the school. The metal surface I had felt was a door that apparently had not been locked at all, but cracked open.
I got to my feet. The loud music from the dance pulsed through the floor, up into my feet, surged into my legs, and spread out all throughout my body so that I could feel the beat of the music quite literally. I could feel the music. The hall was dark. Only a light at the end of the hall was lit. I guess they wanted to save power by not having all the hall lights on.
I stood there for a moment. Should I go in..? I wanted to. Something about the place was spooky, yet inviting. But I could get caught. Sunset wasn't welcome here and having her face wasn't going to make them think I wasn't her. Only a nitwit would think that. But...something told me I should go inside.
I tugged on my shawl and sighed. Brushing my hair, I went in. My footsteps echoed in the empty halls. I hoped that the music covered up the sound. The blue lockers that lined the walls were all oddly shiny. The little light that came from the end of the hall bounced off them and twinkled. There were banners sporting Canterlot High's school colors and sport team name.
'GO, WONDERCOLTS!'
"Wondercolts..." I mumbled as I read it.
I got to the end of the hall and decided to keep looking around. Maybe I could find Twilight looking around here and talk to her. As I made my way down the hall, I noticed a door with a poster hanging over its window. It read 'Music Practice Room 102A'. A music practice room...I couldn't help but think of my guitar and how much I love to play it. The sound of its strings would ring in my ears with such clarity that I couldn't help but smile.
Without even thinking I opened the door. And inside stood Sunset, staring right at me.
Author's Note
Bow to me, your favorite author! (I'm kidding
I gave you guys a long chapter.
Praise me!
You Can't Help Who You Love
Lvl. 2: Operation Double Trouble
Sunset's Point of View
An apparition. A ghost. An illusion...
One moment, nothing. The next, she was there. I stood still with my feet grounded to the floor staring at what had just appeared before my eyes. It was her ...Glowing turquoise eyes looked directly into mine, they being filled with astonishment, confusion, and...fear. She had light orange skin so healthy and flawless that there'd be no end to Rarity's jealousy. Her hair was pulled up into a bun; red and yellow curls spiraling down the back of her neck. A close knit white shawl rested on her left shoulder while slipping off the right, exposing her bare skin. She wore a beautiful cyan dress with a floral design. It hugged slightly at her waist and flowed to her knees.
It was her alright. It was Shimmer . My breath escaped me. It was so sudden and unexpected, her arrival. What was she doing here?! How did she get inside the building? What the hell...Her hand was still on the doorknob, grasping it tightly. I noticed one of her feet taking a step backward into the hall. Without thinking, I lunged forward and grabbed her arm. Yanking her into the room, I slammed the door shut. I heard a thud and turned around, pressing my back to the door. Shimmer had fallen to the floor and she was looking up at me with accusing eyes.
"What...Why did you do that?!" she yelled.
Luckily, the practice room is soundproof. She could yell all she wanted. I ignored her question and crossed my arms.
"What're you doing here?! You can't be walking around here like that or you'll get caught."
I sighed.
"I'm not allowed here," I added quietly.
"I know that," she answered bitterly, her voice shaking. "Everyone here seems to hate you."
I walked across the room to the window and sighed. I'm not shocked that she knows about that. It was obvious enough, this hatred. The room was dark. None of the lights were turned on to provide me cover. Having them on would increase my chances of being found out. Now that I know my other self is here and had been wandering around, my chances of being discovered have been doubled. I turned to face her with a glare.
"Answer my question: what're you doing here?"
Shimmer glared back at me before getting up from the floor.
"I came here to find you."
I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Really? And what would you want to do that for? I have no business with you as far as I know."
Her mouth opened to speak but no words came out. I frowned at her deeply with impatience. I really have nothing to do with her, despite the fact that we have the same face. Bumping into her that fortnight ago wasn't fate. It was bound to happen at some point in time. I mean, living close enough to one another would result in us one day meeting in passing, though the chances are slim; Canterlot is a big city.
Shimmer's defensive stance slackened and her serious face fell. Her eyes widened before looking away. It seems to me that whatever confidence she had slipped away. An uncomfortable silence rested between us.
"I...I...The issue I came here about..."
Shimmer stammered uselessly. I looked directly at her and she backed away. Something about the way she looked back at me wasn't right. I knew she was afraid already, yes. I wasn't someone that many people would open their arms to. But the level of fear I saw she had...it was unreasonable. It was deeper than what it should be. Like she knew something...
Slowly, I began to realize that it was only a matter of time before my past was revealed to her, if not already. It was clear that she had at least an idea of who I was. Did she know that I truly was a demon at heart? A creature whose greed and hunger for power was left unsatisfied? A person who yearns to hold the position as queen once again, but refrains? Or did she not know...Shimmer could possibly have clues only but not the full picture. Something told me that I should keep her from finding out, if it wasn't too late to.
***
Shimmer's Point of View
Her cold, cold eyes...They stared at me with such malice it was unbearable. As soon as she said those words, those words stating she did not know of my reasons for seeking her out, my mouth went dry. I knew she was telling the truth. But it was how evil she appeared to me that scared me. My confidence went away and my knees began to shake. I could feel my heart beat race out of fear. Was this how the students of Canterlot High felt when under her gaze? Afraid? Speechless? Over whelmed? Outside, I could see the clouds part and the moon shining; its pale slivers of light came in and stretched across the floor. The soft moonlight outlined Sunset's frame and gave her more of a mysterious look than the frightening one I had just seen seconds before.
Her cat like eyes glowed turquoise and looked at me impatiently. She had her arms crossed and her back pressed against the window pane. Her red and yellow hair fanned out from around her face like a lion's mane. The light made it look soft to touch and more beautiful. The shadow her figure cast on the floor extended out toward me as if it were someone's hand eagerly waiting for mine to take hold of. Was she real? How could she really exist? There can't be two of us right now...shouldn't we have exploded or something?
Old questions that had been plaguing my mind the past week came back to me. It was useless to even assume there was a definite answer to any of the questions I just asked myself. Nothing was yes or no. Those two words no longer had meaning. Instead, the words 'maybe', 'possibly', 'it could also be...' replaced them. There was no real answer to much of anything.
I kept staring at Sunset, feeling afraid. But then something about her expression changed. Her eyes softened and the hard line that was her mouth slackened and became a sad frown. Her eyebrows lowered over her sparkling eyes. She was conflicted, and no doubt from the visible fear on my face. I wanted to say something to her. I wanted to ask if what I heard was true. Did she really nearly cause a catastrophe? Was she responsible for the crazy light beam Twilight and that boy had seen? I wanted to know and would've asked but I couldn't. Not without creating a problem.
Sunset turned to look out the window and asked her question again.
"What're you doing here, Shimmer?"
I swallowed before answering.
"I came here b-because I want you to set things straight...with my friends..."
There was a pause.
"Your friends?"
"Yes. They were the people you met in the cafe that night..."
"Oh, them ."
"Them ?" I repeated defensively. She made it sound like they were vile creatures!
"...So you want me to set things straight with them. How?"
"I want you to apologize to them! You destroyed the friendship I had with them when you did that-that thing ! You nearly hurt Double Diamond!"
Sunset chuckled to my surprise. Her shoulders shook and her tense shoulders relaxed a bit. I stood there and waited for her response. She turned to me looking amused. This angered me. I could feel my face blushing and my eyebrows furrowing down above my eyes.
"What're you looking so happy for?!"
She chuckled once more and shook her head.
"It's just...It's just that I seem to have a habit of breaking friendships wherever I go. No one can ever stay friends with me around to coax them into being otherwise."
She sighed, looking sad.
"Looks like I still cause such problems even after my reformation..."
"Your reformation?" I repeated.
She quickly looked up at me and smirked. Waving a hand dismissively, she dodged the question. She walked over to me.
"Nothing. It's nothing you have to worry your pretty little head over, you strawberry blonde."
Her hand patted the top of my head and somehow I felt that she meant it to be a joke, but it felt insulting for a reason I didn't know. I pushed her hand away; I was no dog to be patted like that.
"You and I need to find my friends so you can apologize to them!"
She kept smirking at me and made her way to the door. She cracked it open and looked out into the area behind the door. After a few seconds she opened it all the way and held the door for me, bowing her head slightly and waving a graceful hand toward the hall.
"My lady," she said with a chuckle.
I glared at her before stepping out into the hall. She was annoying. Her jokes did little to amuse me. Once out of the room I looked down both ends of the corridor. I heard the door click behind my doppleganger and I turned to see she was headed westward. I followed her closely, remembering the importance of not getting caught. Lagging behind wasn't an option. As we came around the bend, Sunset turned her face to me and said," Did I ever tell you that you look lovely tonight?"
Dodging in and out of random groups of dancing teenagers is hard work. It wasn't any easier to get around being bumped and pushed by seemingly everybody. Especially if you're an alternate version of a pony princess that happened to have saved a high school from some never-mentioned threat. Everybody knew her. Everyone.
Yet, Twilight didn't know a single person in that school.
Teens constantly waved to her and gave her their best speech about how happy they were to see her and the gratitude they had for what her counterpart did. They hugged her and shook her hand vigorously. They included her in pictures and made funny jokes, making her laugh. All of them were so friendly to her. Before long, Twilight saw that her awkwardness didn't even bother them and she began to relax. Twilight even involved herself in some of their conversations. Most of them were about school gossip and interesting rumors. Though she didn't know these people, it still was entertaining to hear the chatter about them.
Twilight mainly was listening to see if anyone would bring up anything useful to her studies. Sometimes she hinted at the Fall Formal, but every time she did that someone deliberately changed the subject to that of happier times, it seemed. After about a good fifteen minutes, the scientific girl saw she was getting nowhere with her information gathering. Everybody there was willing to talk to her but no one was willing to speak about the Fall Formal .
There was no doubt in her mind that that dance was a sore topic to all who attended the school. But despite this, she wanted answers. She quickly made her way around all those dancing and searched the crowd for possible subjects to quiz about the past events. As she searched, she spotted the boy who had admitted her into the dance. He was by the refreshments drinking soda by himself. That's when it clicked in her mind.
"As Treasurer of the Student Body, I only take care of finances. Trixie's our Ambassador. You'd have to ask her. All I did was read the draft written by the Student Body Secretary and approve it."
That's right! Riff Raff, the Student Body Treasurer, had referred her to Trixie. She could ask her about what had happened. All she had to do was bring up the contract that she had and ask why Shimmer--ugh, no, why Sunset needed to sign it. Yes, that's the plan. Twilight hurried toward Riff so she might catch him in time. He, out of everyone she had met, would know where Trixie was and if not, he would have a better idea of where she might be. With nothing else on her mind, she sped toward Riff.
Nearly sprinting through, Twilight felt her foot get caught by someone else's and she tripped. It was all so quick; the heart-stopping moment of knowing you were falling, the feeling of someone grabbing you, the pull to safety. Twilight felt paralyzed. It was too quick to comprehend.
"T-Twilight??"
She turned around to see a boy with spiky blue hair and yellow skin. His blue eyes looked down at her in surprise and embarrassment. He wore a black tuxedo with a rose pinned to his hankerchief pocket. Twilight thanked him for the save and then turned to leave only to be grabbed by the wrist.
"Wait! Don't leave so fast! I...I thought you wanted to say hello..." the boy told her.
She looked at him and tilted her head. He was blushing deeply and looking at her before quickly looking away. His hands were holding her gently. Twilight squinted at him. Something was odd about that blush...
"Do you not feel well?" she asked.
He stuttered.
"O-Oh I'm, uh, I'm fine, Twilight! Heh! J-Just fine!"
Twilight eyed him before nodding and turned to leave.
"Hey, why do you keep trying to leave? I thought you were glad to see me!" the boy said.
"Um...I guess I am? But right now I'm busy so please. I need to go."
And just like that, she slipped away from him. The boy stood there feeling dejected. Without warning, a hand slapped him on the back. He straightened up and heard a distinctive voice say his name.
"Hey there, Flash! What yer standin' here for?"
He sighed and looked to see Applejack standing behind him as well as Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash smirked and punched him on the shoulder.
"Man, you look like a girl rejected you!"
Flash glared at her from the side of his eye before sighing deeply.
"Ooh..." Rainbow Dash mumbled.
Rarity flicked her on the forehead before pulling her away from Flash.
"How did it happen, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked.
"I didn't get rejected necessarily. It's just that...Twilight...well, she--"
"TWILIGHT?!" all of them exclaimed.
Flash jumped back.
"Y-Yeah! She's here! I-I thought you all knew..."
"Where did she head off to?" Pinkie Pie squeaked.
The boy pointed ahead.
"She went--"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the girls all sped off in the direction of his pointed finger. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Flash groaned and tried his best to enjoy the rest of the evening.
***
She was standing right by the punch bowl filling a cup, not even five feet away. Twilight felt her excitement skyrocket. Finally, she could get some answers around here! With Trixie, she should have everything she needed to know. Hopefully. The girl Riff pointed to had white hair and pale blue skin. She was wearing a dress with stars on them, making Twilight think of a magician. Cautiously, the nerdy girl made her way up to her.
"Um, hello," Twilight said.
Trixie paused before looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She took a moment to study her before turning her gaze back to the cup she had in her hand.
"Well, isn't it the magical ringer, Princess Twilight Sparkle," she said calmly.
She took a sip of her punch. Twilight swallowed hard. This Trixie didn't seem too excited to talk to her. She had a feeling she'd be lucky if she got anything out of her.
"Uh...I just wanted to ask you about this..."
Twilight held out the contract Riff had given her. Trixie eyed it with surprise and looked at her suspiciously.
"Where did you get that from?"
"The Treasurer gave it to me."
Trixie looked at the boy before looking back at Twilight with a bored expression.
"What do you want to know about it."
"Could you tell me why Shim--Sunset would need these set of rules?" Twilight said, quickly catching herself.
The white-haired girl frowned at her.
"What do you mean 'could I tell you why'? Do you not remember that she ruined the Fall Formal? Because that's why."
"B-But what did she do well, specifically?"
Trixie stared at her before drinking the last of her punch, crushing the cup, and throwing it away.
"You. Tell. Me."
Trixie pushed past her and made her way to the exit.
"Wait!" Twilight cried.
She struggled to follow the other girl. Trixie burst through the doors leading into the hallway and Twilight stumbled beside her.
"I-I just want to know what happened!"
"Why did you follow me."
Twilight couldn't take it anymore. No one was willing to tell her anything she wanted to know. No one. It had been about an hour now and she hadn't gone anywhere with anything. Angrily, she began to shout.
"I want to get some answers around here! No one's telling me what Sunset did to them in the past! That's all I want to know! Why is she someone you hate? What had she done in the past that was so horrible? That's all I want to know!!"
Trixie walked on ahead down the hall as if Twilight hadn't done a thing. The nerd watched her in disbelief before sighing deeply. What was the point of her investigation? There was nothing to gain by asking stubborn people. She trudged forward. Better find an exit. Might as well just disappear and act like all of this never happened. Operation Double Trouble was a fail...
"It's because of her that I'm an outcast."
Twilight froze. She slowly looked to see that it was Trixie speaking as they walked.
"Ever since she transferred to Canterlot High during our freshmen year, she's been targeting me with her jokes and ridicule. I was well liked then before she came. Everybody loved to see my fantastic, artistic works of magic! Fireworks, sparklers, confetti; all of it for my dramatic and wondrous entrances to my amazing magic shows."
A smile broke out on her face as she said," The Great and Powerful Trixie!"
She sighed.
"That's my stage name. I performed the most intricate of magic, wowing the crowd with my skill as a magician. An amateur? Not was I! My great power could be compared to that of Houdini himself! Pulling rabbits of hats and making money appear from behind people's ears was babyish. It didn't require talent and technique. I did much more! Teleportation, transformation, flying even! No smoke and mirrors about any of it. All that was seen was real and true!"
Trixie's pride astonished Twilight. The girl had trouble not believing her. The magic acts she described did sound really hard. She must be a very skilled magician. But as Twilight thought this, Trixie's happy mood seemed to falter. Her face twisted in a way that expressed much hate and sorrow.
"One day, I was holding one of my magic shows in the school auditorium. I was performing a transformation trick. I was to turn a toad into a cat. But it didn't go too well. My magic trick...it backfired and a whole bunch of smoke burst up out of nowhere. When it cleared, all anyone saw was that the toad had been fried and had rabbit ears. It was sunset Shimmer who burst out laughing and saying that my tricks were all phony.
"Everyone joined her laughter. After that, my magic shows were seen as jokes and no one came to them anymore. Before our freshmen year was over, I quit magic. No one appreciated it anymore and no matter where I went, if Sunset Shimmer was there she'd remind me of what a failure I became. Sometimes she'd even go as far as sabotage my chemistry assignments, making them explode, and say it was my terrible magical flare that caused that. That I tried to cheat my way into having a good grade with it!"
Trixie stomped her foot down in frustration. She sighed and let a smile cross her face.
"But all that doesn't matter now since she's the laughing stock, the outcast. Now she gets to feel how she's made me and so many others feel for years!"
Twilight was silent as she listened to her continue. All of it was like a make believe story. The Sunset Shimmer she knew would never be that cruel to anyone. Trixie shrugged off her anger and kept walking.
"I heard that she's leaving school. What a weakling. Can't take all the pain and pressure she gave to all of us. She should've thought about it all backfiring on her before she started trying to rule everyone with blackmail."
Leaving school?? Isn't that illegal?? Regardless, this information helped her out a lot. Twilight now had a better sense of who Sunset was now that she talked to he--
Trixie swung an arm out to halt Twilight and it caught her in the gut. The breath was knocked out of her and she wheezed. Trixie quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and stared down the hall. Slowly, after regaining her breath, Twilight looked up and she too stared at what was there. At the end of the hall were two girls, both with hair as fiery as the sun, talking with the same voice, and appearing to be the same person.
***
Shimmer could tell that Sunset was only coming with her to get the issue over quickly. She had no real intention of being sincere with her apology. Sunset was only acting as 'friendly' as possible so that things could go smoothly. The demoness led her to the door that Shimmer had fallen through.
"This is where I came in. I'm assuming you came through this way as well."
"Yes...I fell in actually," Shimmer grumbled.
Sunset smiled at this.
"I never knew myself to be clumsy like that. You have to walk with grace, Shimmer."
"Shut up."
Shimmer was already in a bad mood since Sunset had treated her very rudely when they were in the practice room. It was best she and Sunset departed quickly she decided.
"Where would your friends be, by the way?" Sunset asked.
"They would be at the Spring Fling dance in Pointeville High," she told her.
Sunset raised an eyebrow.
"...Pointeville??"
"Yes."
"..."
Shimmer glanced back at her. Sunset didn't look too thrilled about it.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Oh...no...it's just that..."
Before she finished her sentence she waved a hand at her.
"Forget it. Take me there and we'll settle this."
Shimmer hesitated before stepping toward the door she had entered before to get in. Before she could put a hand on the knob a voice caled out to her.
"Shimmer!"
Both Sunset and Shimmer turned around, saying," Twilight?"
At the end of the hall was Twilight being held back by a taller girl with white hair and pale blue skin. Sunset's eyes widened as she gritted her teeth.
"Trixie!"
Sunset grabbed Shimmer's hand and swore loudly.
"We have to go!"
"Shimmer, you get back here!!!" Trixie yelled, referring to Sunset.
She sprinted forward and shoved Twilight out of the way. The latter followed after getting her balance back. Stepping out into the cool night air, Twilight ran after them, not sure what happened in the last few seconds. All she knew was that she saw Shimmer...and then she saw Sunset .
Author's Note
I tried to make this chapter 8k+, but with events for some reason all being in this one weekend, I couldn't. But I got a lot done listening to this here song. It has nothing to do with anything about the story, but it's nice to listen to while working.
Luka is best vocaloid.
You Can't Help Who You Love
The cool night air whipped by them soundlessly as they ran through the street in silence. Familiar buildings that were made unrecognizable in the dark of night watched them pass by, keeping their questions and comments to themselves. The moon shined beautifully in the sky and graciously lit up a path on which they could continue their run. All that could be heard was the patter of shoes hitting the concrete ground and the panting breaths of four teenage girls.
Shimmer watched her other worldly counterpart as they made haste to avoid being caught by the pursuing girls. The look on her face was thoughtful. The odd glow of mysteriousness remained in her eyes and the hardened features softened. Shimmer thought it must be a trick of light...but it might not have been. Her hair flowed behind her like a cape, the ends of it seemingly suspended in the air as if by magic; moving gently like the waves of a calm river. The quiet tap of her soles on the concrete was like a ticking clock. Sunset's hand held Shimmer's firmly as though she might lose her at any second.
Shimmer had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that two girls were following them, one being her friend, Twilight Sparkle. She would've analyzed her situation more carefully, but at the moment, she found herself being fascinated by her other self, Sunset: the demoness so mysterious that anything could happen in an instant; nothing could be predicted. It was so strange to be looking at yourself and know that it wasn't a reflection in a mirror.
The queer silence of night was interrupted by Trixie's words. They pierced the air like the crack of a whip and hung above their heads with conviction.
"Hold it right there, Shimmer!!!"
Sunset laughed heartily at her words.
"You're speaking to the wrong person!!!"
Shimmer glanced back at Twilight and the other girl and saw the shock and confusion on the unknown one's face. Twilight simply kept running, her bow-legged feet hitting the ground at an angle.
"Sunset, why are you running?!" she cried.
"Because I can!"
Twilight frowned at this. What kind of answer was that? Trixie growled angrily and barked," Sunset Shimmer, you've broken a school rule! You entered the Spring Fling Dance without signing the contract! When I catch you, you'll be done for! I'll make sure you'll be just as humiliated as I was!!"
Shimmer glanced back and forth between the two, stumbling a little as she did so. What did she mean by that? Had Sunset done something terrible to the one chasing them? Twilight, on the other hand, knew what she meant and huffed.
"What school rule did I break, oh Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon? I didn't see a 'Never allow Sunset Shimmer into the Spring Fling' rule in the student handbook! That contract didn't mean shit to me. And what does it matter? I'm not coming back to Canterlot High anyway!"
Sunset smirked and looked to see Trixie's disbelieving face.
"I transferred, dumbass!"
And with that, Sunset flipped her the bird and pulled Shimmer into an alleyway. Trixie and Twilight ran as fast as they could to catch up but when they got to the mouth of the alley, the two of them had disappeared. Trixie stared at the empty, narrow space in complete shock.
"No..."
She stomped a foot on the ground and yelled with all the fury she had," Sunset Shimmer, you bitch! You know you should pay for what you did to all of us! Stop being a coward and face it! You're a freaking demon !!!"
The angry magician turned on her heel and trudged back to Canterlot High, feeling her hatred eat away at her with the regret she had in not catching the girl. Twilight stood still and caught her breath. She should go and find her friend...but they could be a long way away. She didn't know this city like she did Pointeville. The possibility of her getting lost was almost 100% since she had a bad sense of direction. Staring down the alley one more time, Twilight went to catch up with the Student Body Ambassador, hoping that her friend would be alright.
Twilight would definitely need to find a phone to contact Cadence about this...but maybe...she should leave out just a few teensy weensy details.
***
Shimmer's Point of View
She was...laughing. She. Was. Laughing.
As soon as the coast seemed clear, she burst out into a full-fledged guffaw. Her eyes watered and tears rolled down her cheeks that had become red from the building pressure of needing to laugh. Sunset hunched down before me, pressing her shoulder against the brick wall in the alley. Her laughter echoed. I was pretty sure the whole world could hear her. I stared at Sunset in disgust. How could she be so happy and cheerful? She just took me with her in a chase where, if roles were to be added, she was the bad guy and Twilight and a Trixie Lulamoon were the good guys. I was pretty much a victim of circumstance here!
Sunset had deliberately broken a rule of some kind. Her smart remarks and rude gestures only made her crime worse. And somehow she got away with it! It made me feel sick to know my other self was like this. She enjoyed getting into trouble and then flawlessly escaping punishment. Angrily, I slapped her on the arm. She kept giggling as I hit her over and over.
"Sunset, you are terrible!"
She smiled at me and chuckled.
"You're insulting yourself."
I felt my face blush in anger and I hit her harder.
"I'm only telling you the truth!" she told me.
And my hits became even harder. Sunset grabbed my wrists and pulled me closer to her as I tried to get in another slap. Looking into my eyes, she sighed.
"Ok, ok. I know what I did wasn't right. HOWEVER. If I didn't go into the building, you wouldn't have met me like you wanted to! It was a win-win. I had fun and you met me so that you could usher 'yourself' off to your school and settle some problem I caused."
I bit my lip. She was right. If she hadn't done that then I wouldn't be able to get this problem fixed. I looked at her. It was apparent she knew she won; her eyes narrowed playfully and a smirk curled at one end of her mouth. It was such a feline look, like Cheshire...It made me feel upset to know I had nothing against what she said, that she was right. I sighed and glared at her.
"I see your point, but I need you to stop swearing. It's not going to make you look sincere if your spitting out curses every few seconds. And I don't like it."
I moved away from her and made my way toward the street.
"Look sincere? Are you trying to say that I'm not at all remorseful for what I had done??"
I rolled my eyes. Why would she be? Sunset was just that kind of person to go and say 'I regret nothing!' and move on. I kept walking, ignoring her complaints and led us to Pointeville High.
***
"Twilight!"
The said girl turned to see a herd of five running toward her. They attacked her with a group hug and practically squeezed the life out of the poor girl. Once Twilight was released from their grip, she sighed and rubbed her sides. Examining them closely, she remained quiet as they chattered excited hellos. One of them looked like they came straight off a farm. She wore a big hat and had hair the color of straw. Her suntanned face had pale, white freckles. Twilight couldn't help but notice her accent.
"We were wonderin' you'd come round here 'gain!"
"We were wondering when you would come here again ," a pretty 'fashionista' said, correcting the cowgirl.
Twilight looked to her. She had fabulously shiny purple hair and flawless white skin. Her eyes were like blue emeralds and her clothes were of an expensive brand. Surely she was a high class girl. The country one frowned at the diva and complained.
"Aw, what's it tuh you, Rares? Twi knows what Ah'm sayin'!"
"Sure, she can. But others may not."
"Really, guys? Come on, you've been fussing over your 'there, their, and they'res' so much that it's killing me! I thought we came here to talk to Twilight !" a rainbow-haired girl cried in frustration.
"Dashie's right! Now stop being party poopers!" the jumpy one said.
Twilight looked at them, not understanding what was going on with them and feeling the need to leave. She had to contact Cadence and tell her about what had happened...well, tell her the abridged version that is. One without complicated plot. She sighed. Whatever relations her pony princess counterpart had had nothing to do with her. They were all seemingly popping up and straying her from her objective.
"Uh...I'm sorry but I can't socialize right now with...you. So if you'll please excuse me."
Swiftly, she slipped off into the crowd of dancing students. The five girls stared at where Twilight had been before she disappeared. Rainbow Dash groaned and slapped Applejack on the shoulder and shot Rarity a sour look.
"Great! You two scared her off with your bickering!"
Applejack frowned.
"Now why'd you say that?"
Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and imitated the two of them:
Rarity- "Speak proper English, Applejack!"
Applejack- "It don't matter none! Twi understands meh!"
Rarity- "But other people mayn't comprehend!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed.
"We understand that you're trying to help AJ look good in front of the school when Senior graduation comes along and she gets up there to make a speech about Big Mac, but please!"
Before Rarity could say anything, Fluttershy spoke up for the first time that night.
"Girls, Twilight seemed a bit...distracted. Something must've happened..."
"You're right," Pinkie said,"But what could it be?"
Applejack tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"That's uh good question. What could be botherin' her? The only thing that could poss'bly be wrong is if somethin' serious took place. If she wanted to spend time with us, she would be here now."
Rarity nodded, completely forgetting the earlier conversation.
"Yes, you're quite right about that. But what's different is that she told us nothing. We're her friends! I know we all just met her for a brief time at the Fall Formal, but I would at least have expected her to be excited to see us...Surely she'd confide in us her predicament. Whatever could be the matter..."
Pinkie Pie twitched and her eyes widened.
"I got this weird feeling that she's not the Twilight we know."
"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
"A-twitchy-in-the-right-shoulder-and-eye-popperoni. Pinkie sense for something's up and not quite right..." Pinkie said in a mysterious voice. She squinted and looked at her friends suspiciously."Other than that, I can't really tell."
Rainbow Dash frowned and looked off into the direction Twilight had gone.
"Well, we better find out what it is that's causing the egghead to be funny acting."
She looked around.
"But first...we have to find her."
Author's Note
Sorry, I would've released this(way ) earlier but I was looking at my online college workshop stuff and it drained my energy so much . And I didn't even take a prep course yet! Gosh, wish me luck, you guys. I'm starting college classes next school year as well as the 9th grade. I know I'm going to be really tired.
Also, just know I was up really late when I finished this and I was tired so excuse any oddities in this chapter.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Fine Line Between Love and Hate
The 'twins' stood before Pointeville High in silence. The loud music coming from inside was muffled by the brick walls of the massive building. The thought of going in was odd to them seeing as how both would be visible to the eye of all. Two girls, both with the same genetic coding and face, just walking into a school where most everyone knows one, but not the other...
Shimmer sighed. This might be a bit overwhelming for Double Diamond and Sugar Belle and not to mention...well, the whole school. She was sure people were going to question her about why she didn't ever talk about having a twin and whatnot. The girl realized she hadn't quite thought up this part of the plan. Shimmer had really only been focused on locating her doppleganger rather than what would happen afterward. She covered her face with her hands. This might not turn out too well...
Instead of fixing the problem and then having nothing to do with her other self, she'll be bombarded with questions about the person she didn't want to be associated with. Even if it was her. It was just that Sunset seemed so cruel and careless. It was apparent the whole school hated her guts, evidence being some kind of school rule, and the words she traded with one of the students weren't the friendliest ones she'd ever heard. Shimmer really wanted to get away from this madness.
Pony princesses...
Destroyed school fronts...
Magic...
She just wanted to leave all the nonsensical mess of this night behind. Shimmer felt her hands being moved from her face. Before her stood Sunset, who had a thoughtful expression on her face. She held her hands and said to her quietly," You don't have to say a word for me to know exactly what you're thinking."
"...How..."
Sunset smiled.
"Silly, I'm you ."
Shimmer frowned. This was what she was talking about. The craziness of this night. How could anyone have a duplicate of themselves exist but not be twins? She shouldn't be here! She shouldn't exist. And yet, Sunset stood there holding both her hands with a small smile. Surely a full moon is out. But when she looked it was a Waning Cresent. It didn't help in making her feel better or less overwhelmed. All Shimmer could do was groan. Sunset laughed and patted her head.
"Sorry, kiddo, but you'll have to bear with me for a little while longer."
Shimmer's eyes widened with surprise before narrowing.
"What do you mean by that..."
"Mmm," Sunset replied with all the vagueness in the world.
The human counterpart frowned deeply at her pony self with grave amounts of annoyance. Sunset shrugged and started to walk toward the school. Shimmer scoffed in disbelief and grabbed her arm. She tugged at her jacket.
"'Mmm'? That's not an answer. What did you mean, Sunset?"
"Mmm," she repeated.
"Oh, come on!"
As Shimmer urged Sunset to explain herself, two people came walking around their way. They were holding hands and chuckling. One was a girl with orchid colored hair and a pale pink skin tone. Her hair was curly and came down to her shoulders. She wore a nice purple sundress. The boy who was holding her hand had white hair, white skin, blue eyes, and had a, well...white tuxedo on. He wore a purple tie, one of the few things that wasn't white.
When they saw the two girls they stopped dead in their tracks. No way...The girl swallowed hard before uttering,"...Shimmer..?"
***
The said girl quit her badgering of the other one and turned to see who had called her name. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.
"Sugar Belle! Double Diamond!"
Sunset looked them up and down. Their mouths were sure to catch flies; they hung so low that you could see all the way into the back of their throat. Something looked familiar about them...They looked similar to some people she may have seen passing by on the street or something. But Sunset couldn't quite place them. She knew it couldn't have been long ago...Well, whoever they were, Shimmer knew them. But...they didn't exactly seem to be happy to see her.
The pair appeared to be on edge. They backed up a little and quickly released each other's intertwining hands. Sunset saw and made a mental note of that. Meanwhile, Shimmer hurried over to them with a wide smile on her face.
"Guys, hey! So you know that crazy sounding story about there being another me? W-Well, it's actually pretty true! And...and, here she is!"
Shimmer waved an excited hand at her duplicate. She then cleared her throat and took a deep breath.
"Ok. Sunset, that's her name, she's going to apologize to you both for what she did a fortnight ago."
Double Diamond and Sugar Belle exchanged bewildered looks before turning to face the girl Shimmer had indicated. She had her arms crossed and her head high. Her turquoise eyes scrutinized them with deep suspicion. Sunset opened her mouth and said in a dark tone," You were just holding hands earlier. What happened? When you saw us you dropped it like you're Romeo and Juliette trying to sneak in a relationship without anyone being aware of it..."
She narrowed her eyes.
"And that was because..?"
Sugar Belle opened her mouth to say something but decided(against her better judgement) to keep quiet. Double Diamond automatically moved away from her and swallowed hard.
"O-Oh...Uh, that-that-that wasn't hand holding you saw..." the boy whispered.
Shimmer jabbed Sunset in the arm and pulled her off to the side. She glared at her counterpart, who was not affected by the action.
"What are you doing?" she hissed. "Apologize!"
"No no. I want to know why Mr. and Mrs. Newlywed are trying to hide their relationship. I'm curious," Sunset said.
Shimmer glanced between them before sighing deeply.
"You're supposed to be here to make amends! Get out of the affairs of my friends! I don't think they're dating anyway."
"You really must not know what loving another person is like, do you! Hand holding is a dead giveaway. I just want to know why they stopped when we came, that's all," Sunset told her casually.
Shimmer looked back at Sugar Belle and Double Diamond trying to process this information. It dawned on her that she was right; the two were looking at each other lovingly and seemed to be exchanging small niceties to possibly break the tension caused from Sunset's gruff words. Seeing that her other self understood, Sunset nodded with satisfaction.
"See? Now why would they be hiding it from you?"
"Though I am curious now, it still doesn't excuse you from not saying sorry! That's the whole point of me bringing you here. You say sorry and then I can be back to friend status with them. Then you go back to whatever you were doing and we move on with our lives."
"Wait...you tracked me down just so I could say a small two words and then magically you guys are buddy-buddy? You actually think that's going to happen? Man, you are naive!"
"Th-That's not the real reason!" Shimmer said quickly, blushing furiously. "My friend, Twilight, wanted to investigate the matters at Canterlot High. She said there were a lot of strange occurrences happening there..."
Sunset frowned and paused. Her face twisted with a look of unease before settling to a clear sign of tired defeat as though she had gone through a lot at that moment.
"Yup. She's right on that count."
Surprised to see Sunset looking that way, Shimmer tilted her head.
"Really? Do you know anything on it??"
Sunset placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and turned her around to face Sugar Belle and Double Diamond. She sighed.
"I should've known Twilight's counterpart would go snooping..."
"...What?"
"Later. Right now, you have two people who are waiting for us."
When they saw they were approaching once more, the two former friends of Shimmer's straightened up as rigid as boards.
"Ok, Sunset's going to apologize this time for her pushing you, Double Diamond, and being extremely rude to the both of you."
The said girl showed remorse for her previous actions with a lame " 'pologies". The two persons receiving it hastily accepted.
"Tell me. You're a couple. Why hide it," Sunset asked.
Shimmer was already annoyed by the terrible apology and now she was going into her friends' business again! Shimmer tried to stop her from interrogating them but she was intent on getting an answer. Double Diamond cracked under the pressure in an instant. Her burning eyes stared at him as though it were looking into his soul.
"We are dating! But what's it to you?" he asked in a shaky voice.
"Just curious why you two made it seem like you weren't. You're hiding something. Tell me," she said in a monotone.
Shimmer stomped her foot down.
"Sunset! Leave them alone! You already said sorry. Now go!"
The demoness ignored her.
"Tell me."
Double Diamond looked to his girlfriend for help. Sugar Belle glared at Sunset with intensity. She stepped forward and told her what she wanted to know.
"It's because the reason we got together was from our newfound dislike of you! When you threw him to the floor, I hated you! I had always liked Double Diamond more than a friend. And Shimmer knew that. After that night, we purposefully avoided Shimmer thinking she was you and got to spend more time with one another since she wasn't our friend anymore. We were hiding the fact we were dating because of the reason ! Our relationship was built on the fact that we didn't like you !!!"
It was quiet as they stood there staring at one another. Sugar Belle and Sunset kept their gazes locked; the former hostile and the latter uncaring, unmoved. Double Diamond looked back and forth between his girlfriend and the 'bad girl'. Nothing was said. Not for a while.
***
Shimmer's Point of View
...
They didn't like me...
...
Thus the reason they sprouted this relationship...It was made from the hate they had for me ! I mean, not me. No...but for Sunset . But how could they have known that she wasn't me?All this time, as their dislike for me became apparent to them, they began to love each other? A fine line between hate and love...Whoever came up with that one was dead on.
I just looked at them, not knowing what to do. Now that they know they're hate isn't directed at me but her , we can still be friends, right? But then they'd never be able to tell us apart and if their relationship isn't broken, things would be forever awkward. Even if it had been broken, it might still feel odd to be around them.
We've had arguments in the past. Really big ones that lasted a long while, but we all got back to being friends, knowing that we couldn't stay mad at each other for very long. I admit, I have caused problems before and it didn't go well. But surely nothing as bad as this. I realized right there that being friends with Sugar Belle and Double Diamond was no longer an option. Not with all this coming out. I felt goosebumps rise on my skin. It seemed quite suddenly to be cold out. Even my white shawl couldn't stop the chill that was running through me.
I had come here with her all this way, just so that things could be shattered again. The shards of my friendship with them even smaller; so small that there was no point in gathering them to rebuild what we once had. The dark sky watched us silently, the stars being their eyes; twinkling with excitement and wonder. What will happen next?
Sunset smirked and turned to leave.
"Yeah well, you shouldn't hate her now because I'm the bitch who did it. But then, you can't hate me. I'm the reason you guys got together, right? A pro out of the one con. You wouldn't be a couple without me being there to break the way to it. But...if you hate me anyway, you'll also be hating Shimmer."
Double Diamond and Sugar Belle stared at her in confusion and anger. Sunset just shrugged and began to walk away.
"Shimmer can explain."
And with that she left, leaving the three of us alone on the night that was supposed to be about happiness, but turned out to be the complete opposite.
Author's Note
This is Shira Blitz, an OC I designed for colt alchemist's story The New Guard Order . Hopefully it looks pretty cool. If you'd like, go check out the story!
Also, I'm going to Orchestra camp tomorrow! I won't be back until the 18th. I'm sorry for the late notice.
You Can't Help Who You Love
The Humans, the Demon, and the Bat
Author's Note
Sup! I decided to make this chapter short since I'm tired from camp. I'll make a longer one next time. The first person who can tell me why the chapter is named what it's, well, named gets a follow! So read up!
The Humans, the Demon, and the Bat
Principal Celestia stood by the curb holding out a file to a girl on a motorcycle outside of Canterlot High. She had a black Harley Davidson decorated with red and orange flames. In her hands was a matching helmet that she promptly tucked under one arm to take the file handed to her.
"After doing some thinking about your transfer, I see why you would want to go somewhere else. I was just shocked that you would decide to leave. It's a bit..unlike you. After that happened, I don't think anyone would be able to trust you...if you don't mind me saying so," the head of school said.
"I know that," Sunset said curtly and put the vanilla folder in her saddle bag.
She placed her helmet on her head and started the engine. Celestia backed away a few steps and talked to her in a louder voice to be heard.
"Sunset, show the papers to the principal there! It might be a bit of a wait but you should get a schedule when they officially enroll you there. Your transfer was out of such short notice; it usually takes a good two weeks to process your records into the school's system. Since you're arriving so quickly it may be a while."
Sunset nodded and revved up the engine once, twice, a good three times. She pushed her foot off the ground and began moving forward on her bike. Celestia called after her.
"Sunset, make sure you keep contact with those five girls! They're really great people!!"
The bike pulled out of the driveway and onto the street. Celestia sighed. Sunset may not have heard her last words over the rumble of the motorcycle. She hoped she did. Turning toward the school, the principal made her way inside, not exactly eager to get back to the constantly piling work she needed to finish.
***
"Cadence and I looked all over for you that night. I'm glad you were ok. You gave my sister-in-law quite a scare!" Twilight said.
She was really teasing more than being serious about it. Shimmer and Twilight were walking down Trotford street to Pointeville High. It was a nice day with a blue sky. Birds tweeted and flew above at ease. A slight breeze ran its fingers through Shimmer's hair and held it in the air as it flowed behind her. Twilight was back to glasses and a messy bun as if the Spring Fling makeover had never taken place. While Twilight chattered about her pursuit of the girl next to her and she herself being pursued by a gang of five girls, Shimmer stayed quiet.
After what happened that night...she didn't have much sleep and hadn't the heart to explain the situation to her former friends regarding her double that night. Not after what she found out. Shimmer looked up at the sky and sighed. All that she had done to get Sunset to apologize to them...Everything she had planned and ran through her mind that seemed so perfect: Just get her to say sorry and they'd be cool again...
"Wait...you tracked me down just so I could say a small two words and then magically you guys are buddy-buddy? You actually think that's going to happen? Man, you are naive!"
Sunset's words bounced around Shimmer's mind and repeated themselves over and over again. Sunset was right. She was being too naive about the whole thing. But never did she see it turning out like this...
"SHIMMER!!!"
The said girl was yanked back seconds before a whizzing car shot by, blaring its horn. Looking up, Shimmer saw she was about to walk into full on traffic. Next to her, Twilight feverishly cleaned her glasses. She stamped her foot and yelled," Do you want to get yourself killed?! What's with you today?!"
"I...I'm sorry...Twilight," she whispered.
A new voice chimed in.
"You should be. You would've been on tonight's news if I hadn't stopped you."
Slowly, Shimmer turned her head to see a tall girl with long braided hair and green eyes looking down at her with slight concern. Her sky blue skin and Cresent Moon shirt struck Shimmer as familiar. The tall girl's expression changed to that of recognition and her grip on Shimmer's shirt slackened.
"Hey...you're that girl I helped out at the store..."
Shimmer's cheeks burned in embarrassment.
"...Stella Luna..."
Twilight squinted at the both of them. They were just talking about dying not even a minute before and they were already moving on to something else. She crossed her arms and said," You need to be more careful. You've been kind of out of it today. Why is that?"
Her friend turned to her before looking toward the ground.
"It's nothing. I'm just...tired."
"Well, you seem to have been 'tired' for the past three days," Twilight pointed out.
Stella Luna raised an eyebrow and began to walk across the now clear street.
"What's going on, underclassman? Got the blues?"
Shimmer looked up at her and shrugged before sighing.
"I just lost two of my friends..."
Quickly, Twilight turned around in surprise. She adjusted her glasses and blinked.
"What? But I thought you and Sugar Belle and Double Diamond were ok now. At least, that's what you told me after the dance. Didn't you get your situation straightened out?"
"Yes and no. I cleared up what had happened in the Java Bean coffee shop, but then I found out that my chances of befriending them again were shot from the beginning. And it's no thanks to her ," Shimmer muttered bitterly.
Stella Luna listened to them quietly as they continued their walk to Pointeville High. Whoever 'her' was, they seemed to be a pain in the butt.
"What happened?" Twilight asked, deeply interested in what was to be said next.
Before Shimmer could say a word, a loud roar sounded through the air, destroying their ear buds and their will to continue the conversation. They quickly covered their ears. A sudden zip ! shot right past them and they soon realized it was a motorcycle that was exceeding the speed limit by at least twenty miles. Stella Luna frowned deeply and shook her head.
"Some daredevil's come to terrorize the streets. Wonder who that could be."
Shimmer said nothing. She had a small inkling of who that might be.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Subtle Hints That Weren't Taken
Pulling into the student parking lot, Sunset found a spot and killed the engine of her flaming Harley Davidson. With a tug, she yanked off her helmet and took in a deep breath of fresh air. Since her helmet had no air circulation with the visor down to block the blinding wind, she was more than glad to take it off. With care, she used her fingers to separate the red from the yellow strands in her hair. She didn't want to walk in with 'Helmet Hair'. When satisfied, she looked up at the new school she was to attend. She'd finally be able to get away from all the people who've despised her very being. There wouldn't be a single thought of judgement against her. No longer would she feel a burning sensation of hatred hot on her skin from the angry eyes of others.
Swiftly, Sunset got off her bike and made her way into the school with her saddlebag. Opening the double doors she saw that there was an office to her left. She promptly went in. Sitting at a desk was an old lady with curly white hair and half moon spectacles. She had light orange skin and rosy cheeks. Her skin wrinkled and sagged under her chin, but she still looked fairly decent for her age. The older woman looked up and smiled at her warmly. Sunset returned it.
"Why, you're here a good thirty minutes early! Is there something I can help you with, dear?"
Sunset reached into her saddlebag and handed her her record.
"I'm supposed to be transferring here from Canterlot High."
Taking it, the lady smiled wider.
"So you're the transfer student Canterlot's principal was talking about. We were expecting you two weeks from now!" She tutted her tongue. "Oh, you poor baby! You wanted to leave so quickly! Well, this school is the right place for you."
Sunset opened her mouth and shut it in surprise. This woman was pitying her for something she didn't even tell her! The girl squinted her eyes and bit her lip. The lady clearly didn't know the extent of damage she caused at Canterlot High; if she did there would be no way she'd be talking to her with that sweet grandma voice. She just said Celestia was talking about her. Sunset would have to make sure none of her actions from Canterlot were spread by rumors over here...
"Poor ba--What exactly was said about me...if it's alright to ask?"
The woman opened the file and typed away at her keyboard.
"Oh, nothing bad, sweetie. The principal from your school just told us that you had a hard time fitting in and it would be best you come here to start anew. If you'd like, you can sit over there."
She pointed to three chairs next to an office bulletin board and some file cabinets. Sunset drifted over and looked at the board. It was overcrowded with notices and flyers, some she could see were from months before.
Picture Day! Wear your Sunday Best!
Lose anything? Go to the Main Office and ask to search through the Lost and Found.
Students, please remember to bring extra clothes for P.E.! This is a mandatory notice due to complaints of questionable hygiene, especially from the boys.
Sunset smirked at the last one she read. No surprise there. Glancing around, she read the rest. Ten minutes passed and she looked at the old lady hard at work. Her face looked a bit perplexed. When she noticed her watching she smiled and said," This'll take a while, dear. Hope you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all," Sunset said sweetly.
This made the lady's smile widen.
"Such a patient young lady. Reminds me of my own granddaughter."
Sunset turned around and rolled her eyes. She bet a lot of students reminded her of her granddaughter. It was one of those cliche old people phrases. Turning her head to the file cabinet, she spied trophies crammed on top of it. Basketball, Soccer, Lacrosse, Chess...Most of them were 1st and 2nd place. On the wall behind the cabinet were plaques saying things like A-rated School 2012 and Academic Standard School 2014 .
From what she could tell, this place got high reviews from the school district. From behind her, she could hear the secretary get up and walk into an inner office. Sunset paid no mind to it because right at that moment the main wave of students were coming in to school. From where she was by the chairs, which was a blind spot to all those walking in, she could observe the teenagers without them noticing her. She wondered who would be in her class. Which one of them that she was seeing pass by would be nice to her? Who would be her friend? Who would be her acquaintance? Who would be that person she barely knows?
Questions swirled around in her head as she watched them, these new people. After a while, the woman came back with a tall man with green hair that reminded Sunset of spearmint gum. He towered over the computer screen and frowned. The two whispered to one another before looking her way.
"Ms. Shimmer, I presume?" the man said in a fatherly way.
The bacon-haired one nodded and tilted her head.
"Yes?"
The man motioned for her to come to them. When she did, he turned the monitor of the computer so she could see it.
"Ms. Shimmer, it seems you have been enrolled here for two years. Uh...have you or your parents talked about enrollment here in the past?"
Sunset stared at the screen and noticed a picture of Shimmer. Her eyes were glowing with excitement and her cheeks were flushed(probably from smiling very hard). The way she had one shoulder pressed against her cheek made her look...cute. Sunset smiled. She had always thought herself to be attractive, but she never achieved looking as happy as her other self did in the picture. It was something to marvel at. Sunset turned her gaze to the secretary and man.
"I have a twin sister who goes here. That's her. We go by the same name."
Both adults looked at each other in silence, not sure if that made any sense. But it must since a principal from another school talked to them and the 'Sunset Shimmer' who went to that school was still there; her latest report card being from just a week ago and grades having been updated on Friday...The man glanced at Sunset's record and frowned. Making a quick call to Celestia, it was confirmed that the girl in the office had just been released from Canterlot High that very day. The secretary checked both the girls' permanent records and saw that they were very different.
"It seems as though you only just started school two years ago, sweetie. That can't be right...And this other girl has been going to school all the appropriate years."
"I was home schooled up until then," Sunset lied.
"Ah," both the woman and man hummed.
The man held his hand out and smiled.
"I'm Principal Evermint! Nice to meet you, Ms. Shimmer."
She shook his hand and he went around the table. He walked out the office and Sunset followed.
"Well, this is quite something! For two people who happen to be twins are named the same name...Usually they'd have similar names, but not the same," Evermint said. This'll sure make arranging files for the two of them very difficult.
Sunset nodded in agreement to his statement.
"Because we have the same names, we both chose either to be called by our last name or fist name: I'm Sunset and my sister's Shimmer."
Evermint chuckled.
"Oh, how clever! That'll definitely clear up some confusion. But since you two look the same, who will know who's who if you don't have name tags?"
"We have different styles of dress and our personalities aren't at all the same. People will be able to tell without having to think about!" Sunset told him cheerfully.
Principal Evermint grinned. At least, in person they won't be seen as the same, but on file... He sighed inwardly. Hopefully, no one will get their grades mixed up in the system; they'd have to be very careful of that...He stopped in front of a classroom door and looked inside. Glancing over his shoulder, he said," We didn't want you to be stuck in the office all day as we processed your record into the school system so we decided to put you in a class temporarily until you get your itinerary. We'll call you to the office when everything's sorted."
Sunset nodded. Evermint turned to the door and knocked once, twice before entering.
***
Shimmer's Point of View
"The Reign of King Henry VIII is considered to be one of the darkest times in European His--"
Knock! Knock!
Mrs. Ford stopped talking and glanced at the door, as did all of us. I couldn't exactly see who was outside but whoever it was, they were important; Ms. Ford quickly opened the door and stepped outside, having cleared her throat and brushed invisible dust off her shirt. I twirled my pencil around a lock of red hair and sighed. History had been a slight distraction for me, but my mind still hung on to that night during the Spring Fling.
I could still see Sunset walking away from Double Diamond, Sugar Belle, and I. I stood there frozen from the truth of what had become of a friendship I wanted back. I didn't know when but my former friends had left me there alone. Standing there, suddenly feeling cold in the night air, I cried. After that everything was blurry, quite literally and figuratively. I don't remember where I was going. I was just walking away...away from that place...
And now I'm back for school as if nothing happened.
Twilight and her sister-in-law Cadence were shocked to find me walking through the streets. I was lucky to be found by them. Anything could have happened. I vaguely remember Cadence giving me a stern talking to, but I was too out of it to comprehend. Who knew this would turn out the way it did? My friends creating a relationship built on hate for me with the result of love for one another. And Sunset just left as though it had nothing to do with her! It was all her fault!
Angrily, I chewed my hair, fuming in my thoughts. The door opened and Mrs. Ford came in with Principal Evermint.
"Class, I would like to introduce a new student to you! Please welcome, um, Sunset Shimmer!"
The class paused and they all looked at me in confusion. I stared at the door. Sunset Shimmer? But that's me and I'm definitely not new here and Mrs. Ford knows that. There's no way she'd be joking around, I'm sure. Not in front of her boss. Unless...My eyes widened as my mind suddenly recalled an earlier, insignificant conversation Sunset and I had. I gritted my teeth. No...It couldn't be...that time right before we left the dance at Canterlot High, right before the chase...
"Where would your friends be, by the way?" Sunset asked.
"They would be at the Spring Fling dance in Pointeville High," she told her.
Sunset raised an eyebrow.
"...Pointeville??"
"Yes."
"..."
Shimmer glanced back at her. Sunset didn't look too thrilled about it.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Oh...no...it's just that..."
Before she finished her sentence she waved a hand at her.
"Forget it. Take me there and we'll settle this."
*Excerpt from the Chapter Lvl. 2: Operation Double Trouble*
But surely that didn't mean anything...did it? As I raked my brain to prove against what I thought was happening, I inevitably found proof that said otherwise. While Sunset and I were running from that girl and Twilight, my double had said something that I didn't think about for a second.
"I transferred, dumbass!"
*Excerpt from the chapter Captured by a Ruffian*
Principal Evermint looked at whoever was outside the classroom and smiled.
"Hey, look, your sister's in here!"
SISTER...
I froze, my eyes wide in shock. A black boot with purple flames spiraling up to the top of the footwear stepped in.
No...
An orange skirt with stripes became visible as well as a black sleeve. A leather jacket sleeve .
NO...
Turquoise eyes full of quiet wonderment and questions came into view. They looked over everything in the room, ignoring the surprised looks on the faces of students. Her light orange skin had a youthful glow to it that older women would envy silently, having lost it all due to age. Her mouth was curled up in a slight smirk that could rival that of Cheshire the cat's. Her red and yellow hair was parted down the middle, her long hair easily swept to the side behind her ears...A mirror reflection.
One that, instead of admiring, I'd love to break into hundreds of pieces.
Author's Note
So last chapter, you were challenged to find out the reason why that chapter was named it's name: The Humans, the Demon, and The Bat . The time has come to explain why. In the comments, I had given a hint to someone saying that you have to look at the characters' true self/being/classification.
Looking at the title, you'll see The Humans . Who are humans? Shimmer, Twilight, Trixie, etc. Then you see The Demon . Well, the only demon in the story is Sunset. And lastly, The Bat . This one can be a tricky one. For those of you familiar with a children's book called Stella Luna (WINK WINK) you may see why I added that in the title.
The person who won a follow: toastman
If, in this story, Sunset were to have a theme, I think it would be this:
You Can't Help Who You Love
All that could be heard was the sound of pencils scratching paper. It was 7th period, the last one of the school day, and the students finally stopped questioning Sunset about everything from Shimmer not mentioning her to asking about her favorite color due to being within feet of a strict teacher. Right now, they were in the middle of copying down a set of pre-made notes for an upcoming Geometry test.
"I decided to give you some pointers on a few of the things you should study for the test. Now keep in mind that these notes aren't all of what you're going to get on the quiz so you better make sure you go over everything you've learned in the unit," Mr. Patters said. "Ms. Sunset..."
Sunset looked up and felt the eyes of the other students on her.
"I advise you to take notes from someone reliable like Ms. Sparkle. The test will be next week and I won't be accepting the excuse of your transfer as a factor of your not doing well on the quiz."
She nodded and looked back down at her paper. The noise of the pencils coming in contact with their paper resumed. But as time went by, Sunset became increasingly aware of a person staring at the back of her head. It was the same burning feeling she had felt when under pressure by those at Canterlot High... Without having to look back, she knew who it was that kept their gaze. Sunset swallowed uncomfortably and tried to focus on her work...but you can't ignore something that bothers you deeply.
She had transferred to escape that feeling. She no longer wanted to be watched and monitored like a criminal. But Sunset had already made an enemy at the school before her first day. Of course she did. She glared at the words she had written down. She was Sunset Shimmer: Demon and Destroyer of Friendships. Why wouldn't she make things harder for herself? Looking back slowly, her eyes met the same blue-green orbs she had seen all her life in mirrors. Shimmer stared dead at her before averting her gaze and getting back to work. Sunset swallowed hard.
She didn't understand why her other self was being so hostile. She had apologized to Double Diamond and Sugar Belle like she was asked to...well, told to. That was the only thing she had to correct. Yes, there was a huge misunderstanding that turned badly. But they were all cool again, right? The hate was recognized to be targeted toward her and not Shimmer so it should be fine between them...But if that was so, why was the death glare she was getting so intense...
Sunset sighed inwardly. She shouldn't even be bothered by it. Her one task had been fulfilled and so there was nothing to do about what was to come after that. She was out of their hair.
Unless...
Realizing how naive she was being, she groaned and slammed her head on her desk.
Dumbass! The reason why she's been giving you the death glare was because of my nosy self! If I hadn't butted into Double Diamond and Sugar Belle's relationship and found the reason why they were together, they would be friends right now. Or at least, there would be a chance.
Sunset groaned for the second time. Great. Now everything between them would be terribly awkward and their friendship became something of the past. And the funny thing is that she just told her human counterpart she was naive that night of the Spring Fling. Looks like that wasn't a lie.
"Ahem."
Sunset lifted her head off the desk and saw that everyone in the classroom was looking at her. Mr. Patters titled his head quizzically.
"Is there some kind of difficulty I'm not aware of that makes it hard to copy down some notes...Ms. Sunset?"
"Uh..." Sunset looked at him sheepishly and rubbed her forehead. "No, Mr. Patters. I apologize."
He cleared his throat and crossed his arms.
"Alright then. Resume your work."
Sunset did as she was told and worked feverishly, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling she had.
***
Twilight and Shimmer were walking down the street away from Pointeville High. Cradling books in the crook of her arm, Twilight glanced at her friend. Shimmer wasn't in the best of moods. She glared down at the sidewalk and clutched the straps that held her guitar case on her back tightly. If Twilight listened carefully, she could hear the grinding of teeth coming from the girl's closed mouth. Sighing, she looked at her surroundings.
The sky was a bit cloudy but not in a way where it blocked the sunlight. The air was still; there was no breeze. It wasn't hot out and it wasn't cool. Just right. Across the street were some boys that were laughing it up. One of them had tripped over the uneven sidewalk and joined in on the chuckles directed toward his own misfortune. Twilight watched them feeling no sense of giddiness. What was funny about that? He could have scraped himself, making an entryway for germs and bacteria to invade his bloodstream. If he did not treat the scrape or cut soon, he would have an infection. Nothing was so amusing about that. The nerd frowned and kept on walking beside her angry friend.
Speaking of her angry friend...
Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully. She hadn't seen this coming. Not by a long shot. The other-worldly being a.k.a. Shimmer's other half a.k.a. Twin sister a.k.a. Sunset was attending Pointeville High. She was going to the same school as her and her lookalike! The thought of it excited Twilight. Now she could conduct experiments in person! She didn't have to rely on others for information or have to go snooping around incognito. Twilight smiled. The list of experiments she had planned to direct toward Shimmer instead of Sunset, since she was genetically the same person, would be aimed at the correct being now! She couldn't wait to get hair samples, saliva samples, and maybe even a few drops of blood to examine! She'd have to be quick about that one, Twilight decided. Sunset wasn't someone who would let others freely take any DNA tidbits.
A loud crack and a quick rustle of leaves snapped the purple one out of her thoughts. She turned her head around and saw no one. Just a broken twig on the sidewalk that had recently been stepped on. She narrowed her eyes before shrugging. She must've stepped on it while in her thoughts and scared some squirrels or birds that either scrambled into that particularly large bush or had flown out of it and gone elsewhere. No big whoop. Shimmer didn't seem to notice; she was too busy moping. Continuing their walk, the two of them silently went about their way.
***
Sunset's Point of View
"Damn twig..."
There was always that one stupid piece of tree lying on the ground just waiting for someone to step on it and get caught while in the midst of following people. Always! I growled and glared at the thing from my safe spot behind this randomly large bush. Really. A twig! This is the kind of thing you see in movies. After a few seconds, I peeked from behind the green vegetation to see that human Twilight and human me had just turned the corner onto Withers Road. With haste, I got from behind the bush, kicked at the stupid twig, and rushed to the corner. Slowly, I looked around to see where they were. The two of them were just a few feet away, unsuspecting, and walking.
It may seem a bit confusing as to why I'm creeping around trying to follow those two but to me it's perfectly clear. First off, I need notes from Twilight so I don't fail this test Mr. Patters is going to give. He's such an asshole. Most teachers would at least give me a day to catch up but this guy must have on boxers three sizes too small. And secondly, I need to talk to Shimmer. I can't continue at this school if even one person is looking at me from the side of their eye. I had to put up with it for eight months and I wasn't going to let that start up all over again.
It was another five minutes before the girls came to a house and went inside. Quickly, I copied the address and started on my run back to the school. As much as I would've liked to, I would've followed them on my bike. But that baby makes a lot of noise. It's a motorcycle, you know. My targets would've caught me in the act of stalkery a long time ago. I huffed as my feet hit the ground with each step. Boots were not the best thing to wear when running. And following them could have been a bad idea. There are a few things that weren't solid about my plan to tackle two things at once.
1. The house they went into could've been a long way from the school.
2. One or both of them might have taken the bus while I was following, meaning I'd have to get on a disgusting bus and with my hair being as colorful as it is, I'd be seen for sure.
3. If only one person got on the bus and the other didn't or they split ways, I'd have to choose who to follow.
4. That might not even be a home at all! It could be a home-turned-store for all I know.
5. While I go back to get my bike, they might leave.
6. Seeing how Shimmer dislikes me, I might not be able to talk to her.
All these things ran through my mind and I sighed. I just hope none of that happens. After a tiring run, I was grateful to jump on my Harley Davidson and drive to the address. By the time I got there, it was somewhat late. It was getting dark out. Parking the bike on the street, I hurriedly grabbed my saddlebag and dashed up the steps. I curled my fingers so they pressed against my palm, making a fist in the process. I swallowed hard. This may or may not go well. Whichever way it turned out, I needed to accomplish my goals. Even if it was only one day that I felt the burning glare of my other half, I needed to get her to stop. I couldn't take it anymore, the feeling of being on the hot seat. That's why I transferred.
My knuckles hit the door three times. From inside I could hear people talking, it all being muffled by the slab of wood that separated the outside world from the comfort of home. I held my breath when I saw the doorknob turn.
Here goes nothing.
Author's Note
So Shaud , the author whose story inspired me to write this fic, came up with the shipping name for Sunset and Shimmer...and what is it?
SUMMER!!!!
I feel really stupid for not seeing that shipping name until they said it.
P.S. If you are someone who does not agree with the recent change for those who are not straight, I apologize if this has upset you. I acknowledge your view on the matter and respect it despite my differing view.
Also, I meant to make this longer and get it done a lot sooner but I was dead for a while.
You Can't Help Who You Love
To Be On Time Is To Be Late
Time seemed to slow down in just that one second. The doorknob was turning ever so slowly but Sunset's mind was racing like a car with a 700 horse power engine. This plan was a risky one. If only she had thought this through...what if things went badly? Shimmer might not accept her apology at all. What if this was the wrong house? It could be possible that she wrote the wrong address. But she was looking straight at the place the two of them walked in. It didn't look like a house-turned-shop place. There was no sign that indicated such a thing.
Wait.
What if this was Shimmer's house?
Oh no! If that was true, then she would be mistaken for their daughter. Though she was in a way, she just wasn't the...right one? Sunset ground her teeth nervously. It was already too late to run the door was opening she just had to brace herself. The door flew open and Sunset flinched, closing her eyes. But what came next wasn't at all expected.
"So you left just to change outfits..."
A tall man with blue streaked hair looked down at her. His white skin contrasted with the darkening sky and his look of confused amusement didn't need any explaining. He frowned. Sunset frowned back. Who the hell was he? From his comment, she could tell that Shimmer had gone. Sunset sighed. She was relieved and disappointed at the same time. The man shook his head and went back in, waving his hand for her to follow.
"I will never understand females and their obsession with clothes."
Sunset glared at the back of his head before stomping in through the doorway. She could tell he was joking from the light chuckle, but it was annoying nonetheless. Coming from another part of the house, a sweet voice said," Honey, who was at the door?"
"Just Twilight's co-conspirator," answered the guy good-heartedly.
Co-conspira-- Sunset growled to herself. Wow, what a funny joke. A partner in crime, huh? His humor was atrocious.
"She's back so soon!"
Sunset heard the woman walking to where she was before she saw her standing in the door frame that was the entryway to the rest of the house. She was average height with blonde, pink, and purple streaks in her hair. Her eyes were wide and her mouth parted in a smile. She looked her up and down and clapped her hands together.
"Oh my goodness, Shimmer, what an outfit! I just love that leather jacket and your boots! Oh, they're so stylish!"
Sunset attempted to smile back at her with as much enthusiasm as the lady was showing.
"Uh, yeah."
Before Sunset could ask whether or not Twilight was there, the lady turned around and called the said girl.
"Twilight, Shimmer's back!"
A moment passed before uncertain steps could be heard. They were slow and at random. Accompanying them was a voice Sunset knew all too well. She could hear her walking to where they were by the front door.
"...Shimmer? But she was headed off to Mr. Melody's for her guitar lessons in Canter--"
A purple girl wearing nerd glasses and a messy bun stood staring at Sunset like she was an alien. Sunset didn't notice before but Twilight had braces on her bottom teeth. Her light blue turtleneck shirt wrinkled under her long white sweater. Her slacks were cuffed at odd lengths and by her side was Spike, the scrawny dog.
"Su...Sun...Sunset..." Twilight whispered, her eyes wide.
Cadence glanced back and forth between the two.
"Something wrong..?"
It was a while before Twilight came back to her senses. Sunset was already chalking it up as a loss and was planning to leave when Twilight grabbed her arm.
"Wha--!"
The nerd's facial expression was something Sunset could only describe as happiness. Her smile was extremely wide; it rivaled that of Pinkie's. Her eyes were bright and full of excitement. She pulled Sunset through the living room and toward the stairs. Spike barked happily and followed, racing in between their legs as they made their way across the room.
"Oh, I'm so glad to see you! I can't believe you're here!" Twilight shrieked.
Cadence watched in confusion. Shining Armor yawned and came into the kitchen to get a soda from the fridge.
"Never seen Twilight that excited in my life," he chuckled.
***
Experiment #254 -Progress Report 1
The subject had arrived at the Sparkle Resident roughly around 5:30 PM without a heads up. That was to be expected seeing how she isn't the type of person to be courteous. The subject arrived on a black Harley Davidson decorated in flames. It remains in the driveway at this very moment. The subject, Sunset Shimmer A.K.A. Sunset A.K.A. Otherworldly twin, claims to have come to acquire notes for Mr. Patters' Geometry test that is to happen sometime this week. She sits in my room on the bed in bored silence looking out the window every two minutes as I write this out. Spike, the dog, is resting by the foot of the bed peacefully as always.
The subject recently came to Pointeville High for her Tenth Grade Year. That was actually today. In some way or another, she is connected to the strange events at Canterlot High and I intend to find--
"Yo, Sparkle, can I have those notes now. It's been an hour and you said you'd give them to me after you're through with them. You done or not."
Twilight looked up from her notebook to see Sunset standing up with her arms crossed. "Answer, Sparkle. Are you going to give me those notes." The amateur scientist pouted. "No."
"No?"
"No."
Sunset stared at her unpleasantly. "Why not."
"Because I need you to stay here."
"What for."
"I want answers."
"To what."
"To the events at Canterlot. What led to them? What happened afterward? Who is this Princess Twilight?" As Twilight talked she lowered her notebook from her face. "There were five girls; who were they? Why do people not like you? And lastly...Why do you exist?"
Sunset was quiet. She stood there analyzing the girl's serious face. These were all questions she could answer. But did she want to? Not at all. She sighed. This had to be some kind of joke. Information in exchange for some pieces of paper? That's ridiculous! That data held more value than some measly notes. Sunset snorted and grabbed her saddlebag off the bed.
"Peace, weirdo. I don't need your stupid notes."
Twilight jumped up from her chair and reached out to her.
"Wait! Just answer the questions!"
"Forget it, nerd."
Sunset had her hand on the doorknob and was turning it when Twilight groaned. "You know, if you wanted the notes before you could've just gotten them at school instead of coming to my..." Twilight paused before narrowing her eyes. "Wait...how do you know where I live?"
The pony/human was already walking out the room and going through the hallway. The purple girl quickly followed her, stumbling over Spike's slumbering body in the process. Luckily, for Twilight and the dog, neither were hurt. Sunset had her saddlebag slung over one shoulder and didn't even have to look behind her to know that her enemy's other self was right there.
"How do you know where I live?" Twilight repeated. "Why didn't you just get the notes from me at school?"
She placed her hand on her shoulder before Sunset went down the stairs.
"How else would I know where you live? I followed you!" Sunset told her before pushing Twilight's hand away.
"But it would have been so much easier if you got it at school!"
"Well, I didn't want to do that."
"That's stupid."
"You're stupid."
Twilight pulled Sunset back from the stairway and looked her in the eye. Sunset's face was twisted in aggravation. Her mouth contorted in a disgusted grimace and the bridge of her nose crinkled slightly from the hard glare she was giving. She looked entirely different from Shimmer but all the while the same. Why hadn't she just gotten the notes at school? Following her home wasn't something anybody would do just for some pieces of paper. There was no way she would come just to chat and hang out; she just wasn't that kind of person. To Twilight, Sunset was they type who'd do things that were beneficial to herself but not to the extent where she'd do things the hard way and ignore an easier route. Sunset must've come for something else. But what?
What is it that Twilight would have that she would want? It can't be to destroy her research on Canterlot High, could it? No. If that was her plan she wouldn't have sat around for an hour doing nothing. Things would be in shreds by now. Sunset's face started to redden. And not from blushing.
"Get. Off. Me. Sparkle."
Twilight let her go and Sunset quickly headed down the stairs in anger. The human counterpart of the alicorn princess stood there for a moment. Wait...Sunset had sat in her room doing nothing just waiting for her to hand the papers over. Surely she wasn't a patient person. The only reason why she would do that would more than likely be if she were waiting for something.
"Now that I think about it she was looking out the window...But if she followed me here that means she didn't know where I lived. Sunset can't have invited anyone to come here. That would be stupid."
Placing a hand on her chin, she kept thinking.
"The only person she would even wait for would more than likely be..."
Twilight's eyes widened as Sunset's true intentions came to her. She hadn't been following her . She was following Shimmer . But how could she have easily tracked them with that bike of hers? It would be too loud not to hear. Unless she followed her on foot and left the bike back at school! Sunset was led to the house and then went back for her motorcycle and in that gap of time, Shimmer left for guitar lessons. Sunset had come too little too late by the time she arrived. That would explain the fifteen minute period that they had come to the house and Sunset had not come to the door. She was running back to get her bike.
Twilight smirked. It was a long stretch to think that that was what happened but it was more than likely how everything fell into place. Outside, Twilight could hear the revving of the Harley Davidson and in a flash she was running to the front door. By the time she flung it open the bike was already zipping down the street. The young scientist stood there under the navy blue sky and wondered what it was she was going to talk about to Shimmer.
Whatever she planned to say, Twilight hoped it would be something to solve this calamity. Shimmer was already mad enough about the ruined friendships. She didn't want anymore chaos. Turning around and closing the door, she went back upstairs. Carefully, she moved a microscope to the center of her desk and grabbed her notebook.
Experiment #254 -Progress Report 2
I have successfully acquired an important piece of DNA from the subject Sunset Shimmer, the other half. With careful movements I took strands of hair that were on her shoulders. The subject has left to go, in theory, home. But what matters now is that I have a sample of hair to test for extraordinary DNA strands. Sunset refuses to answer the questions regarding Canterlot. I will get the information one way or another.
Satisfied with this entry, she happily placed the red and yellow hair under the microscope and hummed. She was making progress.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Mr. Melody's Words of Wisdom
The soft ring of guitar chords sounded in the otherwise silent room. Shimmer's fingers strummed the strings slowly as she absentmindedly played. She sat on a stool and stared at the floor. It was round near the end of her weekly music lesson with Mr. Melody. Her tutor packed away his instrument slowly. Glancing behind him, he saw Shimmer idly plucking and playing. He frowned. All throughout the lesson she had been acting that way. She seemed distracted. Not paying attention to half of what he was saying, staring into space, nodding her head and humming in agreement without even registering that he was asking a question...All this was troublesome.
Usually, Shimmer was bright and happy to play with him and learn something new. The two of them would cover a lot of music in just one day, the sounds of their guitars bouncing, echoing, and intertwining to create a beautiful piece. But not today. She wasn't there. Sure her body was but not her mind. Mr. Melody sighed before turning to face his tutee.
"Shimmer."
"Hmm." Strum. Pluck.
"Is something on your mind?"
"Hmm." Ting. Pluck.
"Are you even listening??"
"Hmm." Bum. Bum. Dwang.
Mr. Melody placed his hand over the fingerboard of her guitar, resulting in some sour notes. Dwop. Bah-doing. Shimmer looked up at him, her attention fully on the man before her. Seeing his unhappy expression she sighed. No words of explanation needed to be said. It was obvious.
"Gee, I'm sorry, Mr. Melody..."
He moved his hand away from the guitar and sat back in his chair. His grey eyes studied her in puzzlement. He brushed a hand over his slicked back hair.
"Tell me what's wrong."
Shimmer tapped two fingers on the instrument tucked under her arm.
"Nothing..."
Glancing at him, she could see he thought differently. His upper lip twitched, the stylish mustache sitting atop it slanting in a way that accentuated his expression. The I'm Not Buying It look. Shimmer smiled sheepishly. He was giving her the same look her own father would give her in this kind of situation.
"Young lady, you may not think I know when you've got something troubling on your mind but I know. I've raised my little Octavia for fifteen years now. I'd say I'm an expert at this," Mr. Melody said in a slightly prideful tone all the while being serious.
Shimmer nodded and smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I do have something bothering me."
"Do tell."
"Well..."
Shimmer stood up from her stool and placed her guitar in the open case beside it. "I...know this girl who...she kind of messed things up? Between me and my friends, that is..."
Mr. Melody raised an eyebrow. She continued, avoiding his gaze.
"I had two friends. You know of them, Mr. Melody. Sugar Belle and Double Diamond. Well, this other girl in a really...really weird way made things out so it looked as though I caused tension between the three of us. They kind of formed this two member hate club or something and...hated me. Then, at the, uh, the Spring Fling, I tried to get them to be my friends again. But it turned out that..."
Shimmer sighed and said in one breath, "It turned out they started dating through their shared hate toward me but the hate they felt was really toward that other girl but they didn't know that so everything got awkward and it would never work out for us to be friends again since we'd all be thinking about that."
The girl rubbed the varnish on her guitar as she squirmed. She bit her lip as her teacher said nothing. In her mind's eye, she could see him sitting there with his eyes closed, arms crossed, and the most stern expression on his face. Mr. Melody was a tough guy to crack when it came to emotions. At first when she started her lessons, Shimmer felt uncomfortable with his serious face and extreme levels of pride and judgmental eyes. But after a while, Mr. Melody softened up and became like an uncle to her. Shimmer had met his daughter at least twice but that was beside the point.
Even though her teacher was a nice guy when you got to know him, you could never tell how he would react to things. So Shimmer crossed her fingers and toes and hoped he wouldn't go into lecture mode like when she missed a chord.
"All I have to say to you is this..." Mr. Melody began slowly.
Shimmer turned around, her worried expression contrasting with his bored/serious one. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
"Your friends are losers."
"...What?"
"Your friends are losers."
Shimmer stared at her mentor in disbelief and wonder. Mr. Melody started talking keeping an emotionless face but having a lively voice full of irritation.
"Think about it. If they ditched you after whatever that girl did then they don't know you. They don't really know what kind of person you are. I'm not too sure what happened in detail since you were being vague, but regardless, only true friends would stay by your side. Sugar Bomb and Double Dunce were even stupid enough to use the excuse of 'hating you' to date! Come on, how dumb can you be??"
Shimmer's shock quickly turned into amusement and she stifled a laugh. "It's Sugar Belle and Double Diamond , Mr. Melody."
"Oh, right. Spice Bitch and Dubious Dickhead," the man said sourly.
Shimmer erupted in laughter.
"MR. MELODY!!!!!!"
He shrugged and ran a hand over his hair. "I mean, you don't need to be bothered remembering their names when they shouldn't mean a thing to you." He shrugged again for emphasis. "You have other friends, I believe."
Shimmer nodded. "Yeah, I have a friend named Twilight Sparkle."
"Twilight Sparkle? My Octavia has mentioned that name before. From what I could tell she was some popular girl at Canterlot High. Did she transfer to your school?"
Shimmer stiffened before answering.
"Uh...Yeah!"
"Well, anyhow, you have Twilight to hang around. You don't need to worry about them. She knows about this other girl and didn't ditch you, right?"
The girl nodded.
"That's a good friend. Now about this other girl...What's her problem?"
Shimmer felt a quick moment of anger. Sunset. She was such a bitch. The girl didn't even apologize one bit. The next time she saw her she was going to give her a piece of her mind. But at that moment, she felt uncomfortable about talking about her problems with Mr. Melody. She usually could solve them on her own and didn't need others advice. She sighed and answered his question.
"Well...uh, she's...she's just a jerk..."
"All I can say is just ignore her and move on. She helped you more than hurt you, actually. That girl showed you who were your true friends and who weren't. Think about it that way and you won't feel bad."
Shimmer hadn't thought of it that way. It made Sunset's wrong doing more tolerable to handle, but she still thought what she did to be awful. Shimmer agreed with her mentor and stood to her feet, her guitar now packed in its case.
"Well, I'm off, Mr. Melody. I have to get home. Thanks for the talk."
"No problem, Shimmer," he said. "Anything to make you feel better."
The girl smiled and turned to walk out the door.
***
Shimmer's Point of View
I stood at the corner as the Midnight bus sped off as per usual and the flurry of others hurried home. Tugging at the strap attached to my instrument case, I started going down the same old road that separated Pointeville and Canterlot. Mr. Melody's words had definitely lifted a lot of pressure off me. They made me think about how much I benefit from Sunset's actions. But all the same I didn't want to benefit from them. I want my old friends back. I wish none of this mess happened. I wouldn't have to learn how crappy those two are as friends and hate my other self. Which, in a way, is kind of like hating myself but it's...not?
I sighed and shook my head. Don't think about it. It'll only give you a headache. Sunset isn't worth thinking about. Just ignore her like what Mr. Melody said and everything will be fine.
Just then I heard a loud roar coming from behind me. I didn't think much of it. There was almost never any traffic on this road but when there was it usually was some delivery truck going to one of the factories around here. I continued to walk with my guitar hugged against my back like a backpack. Unfortunately, the guitar handle was no longer there from when I bumped into her . It had gotten all rickety and eventually fell off. At least there were hooks on the back of it so I could attach straps to wear it.
The roar of the truck grew louder. I tilted my head. It sounded more like a motorcycle than a noisy truck now. Probably just someone making a short cut through to the highway that was not too far from here. The sky was dark and I could make out a few stars. The far apart streetlamps made it hard to see the sky without having to look up into its orange-ish light.
Suddenly, a rush of air whipped by me as the supposed motorcyclist zipped by. My hair decided to blow up in my line of vision so I raised my hands to smooth it back down. I heard a loud screech and the quick click of a key cutting the engine off. Once my hair was tame I looked to see who it was that made such a blast of wind and locked eyes with the them.
It was Sunset straddling her bike with a helmet in both hands.
Author's Note
Sorry for the late chapter, my friends. Usually I give you guys one every week but time flew by.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
I've been ignoring you guys for too long! Sorry, school started last Monday so I was really busy. Enjoy this chapter please! I know I owe you a much longer one but I'll give it to you in the next one I hope.
Starting Point
Shimmer's Point of View
"Shimmer."
Sunset forcefully took her helmet off and looked at me. Her hair fanned out around her face like bright rays of sunlight. I closed my eyes and sighed. Of course I would meet her here. This was where we first met. I opened my eyes to find Sunset off her bike and walking toward me. Her face was stern and revealed no emotion. "Shimmer, we need to talk."
She stopped abruptly in front of me. I defiantly stepped back. "What if I don't want to talk to you."
Sunset hesitated. Her shoulders went rigid. I could tell she hadn't been expecting my answer. She must've run this scenario over and over in her head and had it in her mind that it might actually go her way. Which only made me feel more reluctant to talk to her.
"Regardless of what you want, I need to talk to you," Sunset said," It's important."
I frowned. "Yeah, sure. Whatever it is, I don't care to discuss."
I turned away from her. I'm just going to have to take the long way home then if it means avoiding her. But my plan was interrupted when I felt her fingers tightly wrap themselves around my wrist and stop me from moving forward.
"Don't go anywhere."
"Let go of me."
"Hear me out, Shimmer."
"No. Just let go."
"I need to talk to you!"
"Well I don't want to!"
Her grasp tightened around my wrist. I bit my lip. If she were to hold it any tighter I'm sure I would either lose circulation and go numb, or have a blood vessel cut by the nail that was threatening to embed itself into my skin. Gritting my teeth I turned my head to her slightly. "You're hurting me."
Her hand released my wrist. I backed away rubbing it. Sunset sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She looked away at the factory in annoyance. "Sorry..." she grumbled.
"That's a first..." I muttered to myself.
She shot me a look before beginning to speak. "Look, I just want to address an issue. Just one thing. If you let me do this I'll do you a favor, ok? I just need to talk to you."
I raised an eyebrow. What an odd thing for her to do. She'd actually do me a favor? Unlikely... How reliable is she to keep her word? Why should I let her speak just for that one thing? There were plenty of reasons why I wouldn't trust Sunset. But looking at her expression, I could see that she might not be joking at all. Her eyes looked at me with a sincerity I hadn't seen from her before. Her mouth was a thin line that wasn't seeming to twitch into a smile and the silence that followed after her words held a feeling of calmness. It was like she was in a state of quiet defeat, having lost her usual sassy mood. Thinking about it more, I could I could actually get her to leave me alone if I asked her to now.
Cautiously, I ventured on to see how true her words were. "Will you really do me a favor if I listen to what you had to say?"
Sunset nodded. "I will."
"Well then go and tell me what you will."
Sunset's Point of View
Shimmer stands before me with her hands on her hips, her expression unbelieving. I swallowed. Who knew I could be so frustrating?! I frowned to myself. Looks like I'm getting a taste of my own medicine and boy, does it taste like shit. I better get talking before she lose interest.
"So you know that today was my first day at Pointeville High..."
"Yes. I know," the other girl replied curtly.
"Well, there was no surprise that people were shocked to see that there were two of us. And surprisingly, people accepted me with open arms--"
"What a shocker."
"--and for once I felt that I could belong."
Shimmer smirked. I could see that she was amused by what I said. "You really think you'll belong here? Before you know it you'll jack up people's lives like you did mine."
I opened my mouth to counter her remark and found that there were no words to say. I looked down at the ground in thought. She wasn't lying about that. I had done it back at Canterlot high, what makes me think that I won't do the same here? All I want is to get away from all the hard looks that people gave me everywhere I went. I just want to feel appreciated. And I got that today.
Ok, maybe that was more of a fascination that people had about me, but still. At least I felt like I could fit in in time. But the only person who wouldn't see to it, who didn't believe that I could change...was myself. My eyes wandered back up to Shimmer, who was looking triumphant. Myself...I didn't believe that I had changed...She didn't believe it and she only knew me for a short time! Showing Shimmer that Sugar Belle and Double Diamond were not her true friends was something I thought was a good thing. But I had gone about it in a way that made me hurt her. It no longer mattered that her previous friends weren't good to hang around.
I hurt myself .
I gritted my teeth. In the end, all the pain I caused comes crashing down on me. I had given up on friendship before and now seemed like a good time to pick it back up. It will take quite a bit of time but I'm sure I could do it. I need to change my ways once and for all and befriend Shimmer. If I make her happy there will be no cutting stares, no side-eyed glances, no scowls, no nothing. I will finally be able to be at peace and make a difference. Princess Twilight was right, as much as I hate to admit it. Friendship must be Magic. It worked for others but she had given it up before she really gave it a chance. It's time she give it another try. And hopefully that magic will patch up the sore spot she made in her and herself's relationship.
"Shimmer, I want us to be friends."
You Can't Help Who You Love
Shimmer didn't know what made her do it but somehow it happened. She glanced behind her and saw Sunset working on her paper diligently. It was clear something was motivating her to write as fast as she did. She watched her work for a few seconds before turning back around...and finding Mr. Patters staring at her with a frown. Smiling sheepishly, she picked up her pencil and worked on the Geometry test. It wasn't anything difficult; just the basics.
Draw and label the following: coplanar segments intersecting at point T.
Without much thought, she drew, labelled it, and moved on to the next question. For a while her mind was set on working and completing the test. But her thoughts eventually went back to Sunset. It was weird: one day they were enemies and the next...friends? She sure didn't expect Sunset to make such a proposal. To be honest, Shimmer was expecting her to ask/force her to do some dirty work of hers. But friends..? She shook her head. That was the last thing she'd ever think she'd say.
No.
That wasn't even a thing she thought Sunset would ever say.
Maybe she's doing this to make up for the fact that I lost two friends because of her... Would she really? Sunset can't possibly have done a 180-degree turn around in just a day. No one could do that. But maybe she really did feel guilty about it? No. That's not right. There's got to be a reason why she wants to be friends. Yeah, that's it. She must be trying to embarrass her even more in some way. That's got to be it. Or if not to embarrass her, get something from her. Shimmer had made a really good reputation for herself with the teachers as an A+ student. Sunset might be trying to mooch off her and get good grades through impersonation!
The human sighed. It must be so...she couldn't think of any other reason. In that case, she must be cautious around her. She mustn't let her find out she knew her plan. Just be polite but distant. That's a good plan...
"Alright, test's over. Hand it in, young people. Quit your writing and pass it up," Mr. Patters said in his usual flat tone of annoyance.
Somebody needs to retire Shimmer thought as she gave her paper to the person in front of her. She collected the papers from the person behind her and glanced at the name.
Sunset Shimmer
Shimmer swallowed. Even her handwriting was the same. The elegant curl of the s and the small "tail" left on every letter...Before she could examine it further, a hand forcefully grabbed and snatched the papers out of her hand.
"First, I catch you looking back at people's papers and now you're looking at students' answers. What's next: You're going to sneak back in here after school and jot down what you saw to improve your test?" Mr. Patters scoffed and looked down at Shimmer incredulously. " I don't know what's gotten into you, Ms. Shimmer...you're the one I've had for years, right? Not the twin who just came here?"
Shamefully, she nodded which only resulted in the teacher looking bewildered.
"I'm sorry to say this but you're getting two letter grades off your score for a double offence of cheating." He shook the paper. "You better hope this is an A paper because the best you can get now is a C."
The class began to murmur in the presence of a new topic that was sure to lose their interest in a matter of seconds: that loss of interest being caused by a bell signalling the end of the second day of school. The students all got out of their chairs in a blink of an eye. Before Shimmer could even step out the classroom the PA came on.
"Sunset Shimmer, report to the office. Sunset Shimmer, report to the office."
She sighed and made her way there. This would be the first time in years that she had ever gotten anything below a B. She wasn't the absolute best student but no doubt she was near Valedictorian status. It would take a while for her to work her grade back up to an A because of that. His tests made up a large percentage of your grade and flunking one could mean barely passing. Great. She entered the office and was greeted by the fatherly Mr. Evermint, who smiled happily.
"Ah, Ms. Shimmer! Or rather Sunset. I have your itinerary ready for you. Take this. This is your new schedule for the rest of the semester."
"...New schedule?" Shimmer repeated. Before she could take it a hand snaked around her and took the paper. "I'll take that. Thank you very much, Mr. Evermint."
Mr. Evermint glanced at Shimmer and the person behind her and laughed. "Oh, my bad. I should have made it clearer about who I was calling to the office. Hahahaha! You two have a nice day now."
Shimmer stood there and sighed.
"Hey there, sister," Sunset said nicely from behind.
Shimmer turned around and walked right past her. "I'm not your sister."
Sunset watched her go and nodded to herself. She didn't expect her to welcome her with open arms but she was grateful that she accepted her as a friend. But then again, she probably only accepted because she promised to do a favor for her if she listened.
"Fine. I'll be your friend," Shimmer said quietly, "But your favor to me is to distance yourself. There's a such thing as friends from afar."
Sunset shrugged. At least she could feel normal for once. She guessed it would be nice to know how her human self is but now that the problem she caused was solved somehow she wasn't going to meddle in her life any longer. Sunset followed the crowd of students to the outdoors and smiled happily as she walked the steps of freedom straight out of the building. From a distance she could see a certain purple haired nerd skedaddle toward Shimmer and wave around a paper excitedly. Shimmer glanced at it and bit her lip. Sunset watched them as they walked away bent over the sheet Twilight had brought.
Sunset didn't have time to think what was on the paper when the feeling of longing came to here. Her bed was calling to her in desperate cries and she wasn't going to ignore it.
"The proof is right there! This is true!" Twilight cried, "It's astonishing! How can this be?? You can't even deny it."
Shimmer frowned at the words. Her eyes ran over them over and over again. The letters registered in her head but at the same time they didn't.
"Shimmer, Sunset is you! She is literally you ! This whole time we were just avoiding the fact of it being possible when it is 100% true!"
"Twilight, we weren't avoiding it at all. We already knew this. It's just now we have the DNA results to solidify what we were aware of," Shimmer told her, " So you decided to get a piece of her hair? How did you get mine?"
"I collected some from your shawl."
"You mean the one I wore to the Spring Fling??"
"Yes."
"How did you keep that tiny hair for that long?!"
Twilight smiled. "I put it in a test tube that was placed inside a case tucked under my bed."
Why was she not surprised. The human clone sighed. "So we're the same person. Now what."
"Now, I'm going to find out why the two of you can be the same person but be completely different in personality! Sunset won't tell me anything about Canterlot's occurrences so the best way to get it out of her is to have herself be told! So, naturally, I'm going to be conducting more experiments." Twilight grinned from ear to ear. "Expect to see each other often, Shimmer. you two are going to be spending some quality time together!"
"WHAT?! Where do I get a say in this??" Shimmer yelled out loud. But the nerd was already too lost in thought about her next set of tests to even hear her. Why was the universe constantly trying to throw her otherworldly double at her? Why?? She only wanted a day in which she wasn't bothered by her. But, of course, Sunset attends her school now so the chances of that are nearly impossible.
Author's Note
Just a chapter I thought to give you guys since I was writing today.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
Enjoy.
"What do you mean?"
Sunset dove into bed only to have her phone go off. She groaned into the sheets on her bed and blindly waved her hand around to grab the wretched thing. She so desperately wanted some sleep. When she had the phone in her hand it quickly found its way on the other side of the room. There was a loud crack as it collided with the wall and she sighed happily as the ringing stopped. Sure she wasn't excited that she'd now have a damaged phone but future Sunset would have to deal with that. Right now present Sunset wanted to get her z's.
She let the warmth of the sheets wrap around her and the scent of clean linen lull her to a light sleep. All the thoughts she had had during the day shifted into the back of her mind as they exchanged themselves for what would eventually become a dream. But that dream would never come, much to her dissatisfaction. The obnoxious ring of her phone woke her from the light sleep she was enjoying for not even 15 whole minutes.
Sunset grabbed her pillow and placed it over her head. But it kept ringing. For over three minutes. She jumped up and snatched the phone up. Angrily, she picked up the call and yelled," WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT!!!!!"
"...I-I'm so sorry, Sunset. I di-didn't mean to disturb you..."
Sunset paused. That soft voice...Wait a minute. "Fluttershy?? Wait wait, no! I'm sorry! I was just really tired and the phone kept ringing and...(sigh) I apologize."
Fluttershy? What would she be calling for? She hadn't even spoken to those girls any time recently so how did she even get her number? Sunset glanced at the screen and found her answer. Fluttershy was speaking to her through Pinkie's phone. No wonder. That girl always knew someone's number somehow. If this shy girl has her phone then no doubt she'd be with the other girls...and no doubt she'd be on speaker phone.
Sunset groaned. She wasn't even friendly with them. What do they want? On the phone she could hear people talking to one another before a question was directed to her. "So how are you, Sunset."
The said girl sighed before replying to Rainbow Dash. "Just great. Just great...What are you calling for."
"We just want to know how you're doing at your new school!" Pinkie chirped.
The fiery headed one covered her ear and said," I told you it's juuuust great."
"Good. Good. So...what might you be doin' now?"
"Talking to all of you, Applejack."
"Oh. Uh...hehehe..."
Sunset could hear Rarity groan and telling her to hand over the phone. "Sunset, darling?"
"Yes. What do you guys want. I'm trying to sleep and you're interrupting me. We can 'catch up' some other time. Actually, I don't care to so I'm just going to hang up and--"
"We just need to know if you've seen Twilight anywhere!" Rarity said quickly. "Just tell us this."
Sunset rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I have. I'm hangin--"
"Where have you seen her?"
"Uh, where I am. But don't try and look for her. She's not the one you want." And with that, she hung up. Collapsing onto the bed she yawned and closed her eyes, letting the world around her disappear as she slipped into a realm of fantasy.
Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all looked at the phone as Sunset Shimmer hung up. they were silent for a while until Rainbow spoke. "Can anyone tell me what she meant by that last part?"
Applejack scratched her neck. "What duh you mean, Dash?"
"What do you mean what do you mean about what she meant??" Rainbow repeated. "What I mean is what does she mean by Twilight not being the one we want!"
"...Come again?" the cowgirl said.
"What do you mean what do you mean about what she meant and what she didn't mean and what she could've meant but didn't mean at the moment but might totally have meant in the future?" Pinkie added, clearly aware of what Rainbow was saying.
"...What?" Fluttershy murmured.
Before Applejack could say a word Rarity placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "Lets just stick to what we know for certain since you three are clearly confusing each other. From what Sunset has told us we know that Twilight is somewhere around where Sunset is."
"So you mean that Sunset could mean that Twilight is around the city border of Pointeville-Canterlot or she could mean she's hanging around the high school she's attending, right?"
Rarity shot a look at the pink party person. "...Yes."
Fluttershy tilted her head still trying to figure out what was going on. Applejack adjusted her hat and said," So then after the Spring Fling, Twilight headed over there? But why?"
Rainbow shrugged. "Twilight never told us why. She just left us without saying anything regarding what was on her mind. She wouldn't have gone through the mirror just to go dancing."
"Exactly! Which is why we need to pinpoint where Twilight is and ask her stuff!" Pinkie yelled. "Some super duper secret thing must be going on if she avoided us like that. A spy mission no doubt!"
"I'm pretty sure it's not anything with spies," Fluttershy commented quietly, but went unheard.
"After school, lets meet at the soccer field and then head off toward Pointeville. We're going to crack this case!" an excited athlete told them.
"And you mean 'crack the case' as in solve the problem, not meaning literally cracking a case of eggs, right?" Pinkie asked.
Applejack, Rarity, and Dash all groaned. Fluttershy just furrowed her brow and said," What?"
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
Some of you may have been confused by how dumb the Main 5 seemed in the previous chapter. They aren't dumb. It's just that if you were one of them and someone told you that a person you knew wasn't the "right person", you'd naturally get confused. The girls haven't met and/or are aware of there being Shimmer and a human Twilight so they wouldn't automatically say "Oh that's got to be another version of them!"
Sure, they know such dimensional copies of them exist but they don't know that they exist in Pointeville or Canterlot[/i.] So naturally, they'd assume they were elsewhere. You, the reader, know what's really going down, unlike the characters.
ALSO!!! I've gone back and changed the format of the chapters a little. What I did was I went back and put section headers to tell you what point of view you'll be reading whenever it changes when this *** appears.
Enough of this! Read on!
Not Your Cup of Tea
Sunset woke up the next day feeling hungry, groggy, and unclean. She glanced down at the clothes she had fallen asleep in and grimaced. She was going to need to shower. The girl sat up and smacked her lips, frowning at the bad taste in her mouth. It had only been the second day of school yet she felt so tired that she dropped dead until the next morning. Well, learning always did make her feel tired after a while, considering all the long study sessions she had had with Princess Celestia years ago. Pulling all-nighters was what she did for the most part back then. Sunset hadn't changed much. She still stayed up crazy late because of one thing or another.
"I guess all the sleep I had been missing out on caught up with me," she mused. Sunset got out of bed and stretched. Only to get a charlie horse. She snapped wide awake and hopped up on the bed grasping the cramping leg. "Agh! Why?!"
Sunset gritted her teeth as she tried to keep herself from yelling out. She inhaled and slowly stretched her leg out only to snap it back from a sharp stabbing pain. Writhing in agony, it lasted about five minutes. Sunset laid on the bed feeling more exhausted than ever. "...Well that was fun."
***
Sunset arrived at Pointeville High on her raging bike. The loud guttural noise of her ride had woken her up and made her more attentive but not enough where she didn't need coffee. She killed the engine and grabbed her saddlebag and cup. Walking into the building she found herself surrounded by a sea of human teenagers. They were all rowdy and hyper like they all had a sugar rush on candy. The fiery headed one scowled; all the obnoxious liveliness of the students made her feel drowsier.
As quickly as she could through the crowd she made her way to class twenty minutes earlier than usual. Inside the room were a few students chatting idly with one another to pass the time. It was the first period of the day, English, and it was taught by a cool Mr. Peace Sign. It was a class Sunset looked forward to. The old hippy wasn't too hard on them like most teachers and let them do whatever they wanted for the most part. The most he ever had them do was write poems or read stories on world peace and free love. How this guy managed to work there for 15 years without getting fired for barely giving the standard amount of work out to students, grading it, and showing records of student work to his boss was beyond comprehension. Mr. Evermint was below his A game on that one.
Sunset sat down at her desk and glanced at Mr. Peace Sign, waving lazily at the students that came in and leaning back in his chair with his feet on the desk looking drowsy and high. Sunset was sure he didn't sleep well at night, or if not that, he drank a shot or two every morning. She heard red wine was good for your heart but she doubted it was red wine he was having. Listening to the quiet hum of conversation around her (and the hippie music playing from a radio on the teacher's desk), Sunset sipped her coffee and sighed. It was a great way to start off the school day. If she wanted to she could catch some winks and not even get in trouble. She could hurry up and cram in some last minute homework here or smash on some food. The limit of freedom was nonexistent.
Absorbed in her peaceful train of thought she sat there quietly; swishing hot coffee around in her mouth absentmindedly and enjoying her time doing nothing. Before long her time alone would be interrupted.
***
"Twilight, I don't know why you want me to interact with her after what she did," Shimmer said as the two walked through the hall to class. She took a sip from her thermos of tea before frowning at her friend.
Twilight tapped a pencil on her notepad. "What happened before has nothing to do with the present anymore. You two made amends. And now, I have a chance to study you both. All three of us have the same first period class, and with Mr. Peace Sign being as relaxed as he is, it's the perfect time to conduct this experiment!"
Shimmer frowned. Sometimes her friend wasn't very helpful to her when it came to science. No. Correction. She wasn't very helpful at all when science made its way into the picture. The nerd would be too into her studies to even acknowledge Shimmer's feelings about it all. The last time Twilight conducted an experiment, she nearly got blown to pieces. It was something about trying to replicate a magical source of energy coming from Canterlot High. Of course, then, when Twilight tried to do this, Shimmer had no idea about all this strangeness coming from there or what she even was trying to do, but the most important piece of info that she pulled from it was that this purple chick was a bit crazy.
"And here she is. Test subject Sunset Shimmer, or so she calls herself," Twilight remarked as they came into class.
She scribbled on her pad. Glancing at it, Shimmer shook her head. How in the world could anyone read the illegible chicken scratch called "handwriting" of Twilight Sparkle? She decided that it was a mystery she'd leave alone for the moment. There was a more pressing issue at hand and it involved herself.
Sunset was sitting at her desk paying no mind to the people around her. And funnily enough, the girl was drinking something just like she was. Twilight noticed this and nodded, writing something down. "Go on. Talk to her. I'll be right near you two."
Shimmer swallowed. Might as well get it over with. Twilight had been talking to her about it all last night and yesterday; so much so that if she didn't agree to her plan Shimmer was guaranteed to be harassed about it even more. With absolute dread, she made her way over to the duplicate of herself.
***
Sunset's Point of View
I could see her over the rim of my cup. Shimmer stood there looking as uncomfortable as ever. At least she wasn't glaring at me. Kind of. I swallowed all the coffee I wanted but kept the thermos to my lips to further prolong my silence and give me an excuse not to say anything. I wanted to hear what she had to say first before I engaged in conversation. From my past experiences with her, any time I said something first everything turned quite unpleasant and ultimately I was blamed for 'starting something'.
I could see she was growing impatient with my exaggerated sipping and she finally spoke. "So are we going to talk or are you going to pretend I'm not here."
I set my coffee down and replied slowly. "What's to talk about."
Shimmer sniffed. "First thing's first: Why did you want to become my friend all of a sudden?"
Her aggravated tone and hard expression did nothing to faze me. I was used to it. "I didn't want you to keep holding beef with me. You lost two friends. So to make up for it you got a new one. I guarantee you I'm a better buddy than those two unfaithful lowlifes."
Shimmer's face blushed intensely. I have to say...she looks rather cute being mad like that. I chuckled. Better keep that to myself. Unfortunately, the chuckle I had translated wrong and it didn't improve her mood. "Unfaithful lowlifes? You're lower than low, Sunset. And being faithful? The only thing you're faithful to is the devil."
I grimaced. That hit a little too close to home for me there. Devils and demons are somewhat in the same field. Them's fighting words but I'll let it pass for now. Beating myself up isn't going to help anything, double meaning intended.
"Hey, I know what I did was shitty, but can you let it go? I mean, they're still dating, those two peeps. I'm getting the impression that whether or not you confronted them about being friends again they'd still be lip locking, Shimmy. Just let it go."
"If 'letting it go' means that I have to have you as replacement for them, then no, I'm not going to let it go," Shimmer said defiantly.
Stubborn. Just like me. A bit dumb but stubborn. She doesn't realize how awesome a friend I can be. Princess Twilight's pals were all buddy-buddy with me. Sometimes. Besides, if Shimmer is me and I'm Shimmer, then it should be easy. Befriending yourself can't be a difficult task. Shimmer sat down at the desk in front of mine and turned around backwards in the seat to face me.
She set her thermos on my desk and sighed. "I don't know why I'm doing this..."
I put my cup down as well and frowned. "Well damn. Don't do 'this' then."
Shimmer shot me a look. "The only reason I'm talking to you is because Twilight is pretty much making me."
I raised an eyebrow. "Great to see that the human Twilight is also big on uniting people together as friends. Wow, the magic of friendship must be a destiny all Twilights have."
Shimmer looked at me like I was crazy. "She's making me interact with you for her research." She pointed behind me and sure enough, Twilight Sparkle, nerd of the nerds, was sitting in a corner feverishly writing things down and leaning forward in a way that anyone could tell she was eavesdropping on our conversation. Ok, maybe not all Twilights have friendship on their mind.
Instinctively, we both moved farther away, scooching the desk a bit to hopefully have more freedom of speech. Twilight was a surveillance system and we wanted to move out of her radius. I lowered my voice and spoke to Shimmer. "Clearly you have no interest in being friends so this bonding moment is up."
"What? You can't just decide that!" Shimmer whispered harshly. "I need you so Twilight can leave me alone about this experiment she's doing!"
"So you're doing this for selfish reasons."
"Well, no..."
"Right. I don't see how this is benefiting me. I'm open to be pals but you're not in it for that reason. Case closed," I said, smirking. To be honest, I wasn't interested in being friends, either. I just liked seeing Shimmer get all frustrated. Old habits die hard.
She groaned quietly and tapped her fingers on the desk. "Come on!"
"Sorry, kiddo. No cooperation here."
"Oh, but please!"
"Hmm? What's this? The girl who hates my guts is begging me to do a favor??"
Shimmer slapped the desk. "Look, right now I need you to just pretend that we're getting along so that Twilight will get off my back about it all."
I tapped a finger on my chin. "But isn't that what she wants? Progress? Why not pretend to hate each other?? Well, I know that's not hard on your end."
Shimmer threw her hands up. "Just...just...I don't know!" She jabbed a finger at me. "Do it or I'll make sure everyone knows you're a grade A monster! I'll-I'll spread rumors! And...and yeah! It'll be the, uh, the end of you!"
Shimmer was really bad at making threats and it was clear she really wasn't going to do these things. I shook my head. Deciding enough was enough, I agreed to be a pretend friend. "Alright, I'll do it. But you know you owe me for this."
The girl before me sighed gratefully and thanked me for my decision. I grinned at her, part of me laughing on the inside at making her go through all that. It's not everyday that you get to make your otherworldly self beg you. Now that all of that was over, we sat together quietly, just listening to the people around us. What had been a small exchange of slightly bitter words turned into a moment of comfortable silence. It was weird how the mood could change so abruptly, but then again, when you're in a room with an old hippie that seems to be the literal embodiment of peace, I'm sure any conflicts can be solved in a snap of your fingers.
I reached for my thermos and brought it to my lips. Shimmer did the same. But when I poured the contents into my mouth I found that it wasn't coffee...but tea. I swallowed the sweet liquid and raised an eyebrow. This wasn't my drink. Then that must mean it's--
"Bleck! Aw, gross!"
I put the thermos down to see Shimmer crinkle her nose in disgust and stick her tongue out. I guess my human version dislikes coffee. She pushed the drink toward me and motioned for me to give her hers. I smiled and gave it to her. With much enthusiasm, she drained all her tea down in a few gulps and gasped. Her flushed cheeks and goofy expression was enough to get me laughing. She glared at me at first but soon cracked a smile. Shimmer looked lovely when she smiled. But hey, she's me. Of course I'd look great.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
Here's the latest chapter for those of you who couldn't read it before. If you have any issues, please PM me.
Familiarity
Twilight grinned at her 10 page report she had written about Sunset and Shimmer’s first meeting for her experiment. Overall observations so far? Satisfyingly good. They were both showing progress on the path to becoming friends. To be honest, she had previously thought progress like that wouldn't occur until approximately a month after the research officially started.
"Any progress is good progress," she said to herself as she stowed the notepad away in her backpack. Right now, it was getting towards the end of the day, and Sunset was walking alongside her and Shimmer. Twilight had used every excuse in the book to keep the girl from drifting away so she could keep recording data. But of course, they had to separate to attend different classes; it couldn't be helped. Sunset waved her empty metal thermos around, voicing her desire for coffee to fill it to the brim like it had that morning.
"Coffee gods!” she called, “Send down that heavenly brown brew and fill this holy grail with its delicious presence. No cup of holiness should be without its 'holy water'!" she cried up at the sky, holding her thermos up as though the beverage was truly going to pour into it.
Shimmer rolled her eyes and made a face. "How do you like that stuff? It's so...so...bitter! And gross! And it smells bad!"
Sunset glanced at her. "Do you think alcoholics get addicted because of the taste?" she asked, a little sarcastically.
Shimmer tilted her head. "Yes...?"
"No! Alcohol tastes and smells like shit! They drink it because it makes them feel good inside and it's a great way to improve your mood." Sunset tapped Shimmer on the nose. "You feel all fuzzy and happy and warm when you drink it."
Twilight watched Shimmer's face, and from the look of it, she did not approve of what was coming out of her counterpart's mouth, not at all. She wasn't sure if Shimmer was more disgusted by her language or the content itself, but it was clear she wasn't on board with what was said. Shimmer opened her mouth and said to her in a whisper, "So...you drink??"
Sunset shrugged. "On occasion."
"But why??"
Sunset grinned. "Hey, I don't do it everyday. Just on special occasions to be all ready to party, you know? It's fun. Back in my world we have something like alcohol. It's called Cider. Very bubbly, and it can get you wasted after four shots."
Shimmer shook her head and prepared to deliver a long speech about the dangers of alcohol. Behind them, Twilight was scratching at her notepad furiously, writing down this new piece of information. The two of them continued their conversation/argument when they heard the blare of a car horn. The three girls looked to see what was up and saw a rainbow-haired girl waving her fist at the motorist who honked.
"Hey!” she shouted indignantly, “ I'm walking here!"
On the other side of the street were five girls, four of them frowning and yelling at the one in the street to hop on the sidewalk. They were a strange group; Shimmer felt as though she should know them, but she racked her brain and couldn't find any reason as to why she should. But there was one girl whom she did recognize. This young woman stood there with her arms crossed, and looked smugly at the "rainbow chick", who was currently in the midst of a loud disagreement with the driver of the car that beeped at her. The girl had blue skin and minty white hair. Her shirt was violet with sparkling stars on them. In one of her hands, she had a wand.
Before Shimmer could even register what was going on, she felt Sunset grab her hand and pull her away from the scene. "Let’s go. Right now."
"Hey, hey wait! What're we leaving for? My home is back that way!" Shimmer cried.
The ex-demoness placed a finger on the girl's lips to keep them closed before frowning at her. "Don't draw any attention to us." She grabbed Twilight and dragged them toward the ever flowing river of students exiting the building. They squeezed past the teenagers and were yanked out in front of the Main Office. Sunset glanced back before sighing.
"What was all that about?" Twilight asked. "What happened?"
"That bitch Trixie happened," the Equestrian grumbled under her breath.
"Language," Shimmer said sternly.
Sunset ignored her and crossed her arms. Twilight tapped her pencil on her cheek. "Trixie...Sounds familiar. Wasn't she the Student Body Secretary?"
Shimmer snapped her fingers. "That's right! That blue girl! She was the one Sunset and I were running away from at the Spring Fling!"
The oldest of the three groaned. "Yeah, that's her. She's a complete idiot! I'm not sure what she's doing here with the girls but whatever it is it can’t be good."
"Well, I'm not sure what your past might have been regarding Trixie, but it has nothing to do with the present," the human counterpart told her. "I want to go home; school's out for the day. We can all go out the back exit, and we’d better hurry. The bus is coming in five minutes and if I don't catch it in time, I'll have to walk home. And that takes about an hour since I live on the edge of town."
Both duplicates started heading toward the back exit. Twilight waved them on. "I'll catch the next bus. I have some research to do."
"Twilight, you better not get involved with Trixie, you hear? She's just not a good person," Sunset warned.
Shimmer slapped her arm. "And what makes you any better than her?"
"Hey I've changed, ok?"
"You sure this is the school she's goin' to?" Applejack asked Trixie as they walked across the street after the 15 minute delay. She pulled Rainbow along in her iron grip to keep an eye on her.
Trixie nodded curtly. "You asked for directions and you got them. Principal Celestia confirmed this was the location of Pointeville High. Riff Raff, the Student Body Treasurer, checked the Guest Log despite Trixie telling him her signature wouldn't be there. Trixie knows she crashed the party like she always does, that heathen..."
"I think it's best you don't go round callin' our friend names, Trixie," the cowgirl said with a huff. "What're you followin' us for, anyway?"
"Yes. I'd quite like to hear your response to that question," Rarity chimed, eyeing the magician warily.
Trixie patted her hair vainly before clearing her throat. "Trixie is merely here to look around. Trixie has nothing better to do this afternoon."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "The only thing you're looking for is trouble. And would you quit with the third person talk? It's driving me insane!"
Applejack squeezed her arm warningly. Fluttershy glanced at all the students leaving the building. "It looks as though it's dismissal. I noticed them filing out while we were being held up earlier. The building should be empty by now; it's been about 20 minutes now. Where's Sunset?"
"Yeah, where is she?" Pinkie Pie wondered aloud. "We were going to talk to her about to her about the whole 'not the Twilight we know' thing!"
Trixie's eyes flickered to her, now ignoring the sluggish students she had been watching for a while. "'Not the Twilight you know'...?"
Rainbow Dash and Applejack shared a look before turning their attention back to her. Rainbow shrugged. "At least that's what we've been told. What makes you so interested in it?"
The arrogant one waved nonchalantly at them with a small chuckle. "Oh nothing." With one skinny finger, she pointed at Pointeville High. "Why don't you look inside the school if your friend hasn't come out yet?" The emphasis on 'friend' clearly held contempt, as if she were forced to to vomit.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Fluttershy responded. "Isn't that trespassing?"
"Don't be silly now! It's only trespassing when we're trying to do something illegal, like vandalism. It'll be fine. No one will cause us any trouble if we're looking for an oh so close buddy of ours." The words coming out of the outsider's mouth made everyone feel uneasy. They didn't trust her one bit. Her excuse for just 'looking around' was not one they believed, and now she was trying to help them find Sunset? What made her want to do that? She and Sunset were not close at all.
Trixie started walking toward the school. "You all can stand there all you want. She obviously isn't going to come out soon since it's been almost, what, 25 minutes now? Come on. You'll never talk to her at this rate."
As she got closer and closer to the facility and farther and farther away from the group of friends, they all slowly gave in and followed her from a distance. There was no other option but to turn around and go home if they didn't trudge behind Trixie. They entered the school without any trouble. No one seemed to notice that they weren't local students. The halls were empty if you didn't count the teenagers that stayed behind for after school tutoring or clubs and sports. As they walked through the halls looking into classrooms and wondering where Sunset could be, Trixie went in another direction in the hopes of finding Twilight.
"The bus!!"
Shimmer doubled over at the bus stop, heaving great puffs of breath as she fought to catch her breath.
Sunset casually walked up to her, not even breaking a sweat. "Looks like you missed it, kiddo." They watched the back of the huge automotive bump up and down the street until it was just a speck on the horizon, and turned onto another street.
Shimmer groaned. "Now I have to walk home..."
"What's wrong with that?" her 'friend' asked.
"Nothing. It's just I've been doing it for the last five years. I walked to Elementary School, Middle School, and PHS during Freshman Year. My father only just agreed to pay for monthly student passes on the bus and I wanted to take advantage of it..."
Sunset chuckled and nudged her in the shoulder with her elbow. "At least all that walking kept you healthy. Walking is exercise, especially when you're trying to hurry to get to school on time."
The technically younger one blushed slightly. "True. I'm just not feeling it today. I just want to get home using as little energy as I can."
Sunset smiled. "Stay right here, young’un'."
In a hurry, Sunset ran off toward the school and left Shimmer there at the bus stop but it didn't take long for her to come back. She rode up on her black Harley Davidson and revved the engine. Shimmer eyed the vehicle worriedly and covered her ears, tucking her thermos under her arm.
"Hop on," Sunset yelled over the roar of the engine.
"...Is it safe?"
"Yeah! Just don't fall."
"...I really would rather walk home..."
The motorcyclist killed the engine and reached a hand out to her other self. "Trust me, it's fine. Baby steps, my friend." Shimmer looked at her cautiously. "I'd rather take giant leaps on the sidewalk all the way home then hop on that thing."
Sunset rolled her eyes from behind the visor of her helmet. She pulled it off and handed it to her younger self. "Just get on, you pussy."
"...What??"
Sunset laughed and pulled her onto the bike. "I meant pussy cat, I swear." And with that, she started the bike back up again and surged forward, going from zero to forty in five seconds flat. Shimmer screamed, nearly falling off, dropping her thermos, and the helmet. Sunset half turned and shouted, "Put on the helmet already! After you do that you can grab ahold of me!"
"Why are you just now telling me all this?!?!?!?!"
"Oh...eh," she mumbled, shrugging.
"Oh, Sunset, you are THE WORST!"
"Why thank you! I didn't turn into a demon for being an innocent little flower girl like yourself!" Sunset snarked.
Shimmer didn't respond. She thrust the helmet onto her head and wrapped her arms around the biker hurriedly, holding the thermos in one hand. Now that the wind wasn't whipping in her face, the ride wasn't as scary, but the speed didn't do much to calm down her squirming stomach. Sunset made quite a few sharp turns as she headed toward the edge of town and Shimmer clung on for dear life. Next time, she would make sure she caught the bus. As they got closer to the Pointeville-Canterlot border, the motocyclist slowed down.
The older one called back to her casually as they went under the speed limit. "Take off that thing and tell me where you live."
The younger girl struggled to take the protective head covering before it came off and replied with annoyance, "You know, you could have asked where I lived back at the school."
"Too late for that now, isn't it? Give me directions, Sunny Side Up."
Said person sighed and pointed down Gallop Road. With a burst of speed, the Harley Davidson sped down the street with a roar. Shimmer shrieked, the air knocking the breath out of her as it rushed against her face.
"Tell me which one's your house!" Sunset asked her.
"THIS ONE! THIS ONE! RIGHT HERE!" She cried out in fear.
She swerved up next to the curb and stomped on the brakes, so hard that it nearly flung the both of them off the devilish machine.
"Whoa!" the driver said. "With the extra weight on this thing, we almost wiped out!"
Desperately, the human got off the mode of transportation and wobbled as she tried to blink away the spinning she could see in her vision. Everything was moving all around her and it was making her feel sick. She held on to the helmet like a lifeline, until she could steady herself. Once she was feeling better she sighed, and took a deep breath. Sunset watched her, all the while smiling to herself. Shimmer's hair stuck up in unruly curls all over her head; the tangled yellows and reds in a way becoming an orange if you looked at it from a distance. Her eyes were closed as she stood there quivering. Sunset hadn't noticed this before, but Shimmer was a bit bowlegged and her feet turned in. No wonder she had a hard time running alongside her; she had to swing her feet all the way around the other leg so's not to slam her foot into it, while Sunset could just shoot on ahead.
When Shimmer opened her eyes and looked at her counterpart, Sunset's grin widened. She could tell that the Terrestrial was upset but she looked cute anyway.
"Are you CRAZY?!?! We could have been KILLED!!!!"
Sunset winced at the volume of her voice. "Hey, I just assumed you would like a motorcycle ride at top speed. You know, since we're one and the same, I didn't think you wouldn't enjoy it." It was a complete lie and the person she was telling it to knew it.
"We may look alike, but we are not the same people, Sunset Shimmer!"
This statement was pretty clear to the both of them and only made Sunset laugh. "That's me: the original."
"You make it sound like we aren't the same age. Neither of us are the 'original' one."
"I am the first Sunset Shimmer! Technically, I'm older than you by about six years in Equestrian time. You're about 15, right? Back where I come from, I'm 21."
Shimmer frowned at her. "What? How?"
Sunset grinned. "Dimensional, hormonal, and physical alterations. Equestrian time moves a lot faster than your world's. Besides, I was a pony and ponies have a shorter 'puberty' than you strange creatures." She chuckled wryly. "It's a bit sad though. I didn't think I'd have such small boobs. At least my butt makes up for it."
The human blushed red, her facial features showing disgust, shock, embarrassment, and anger all at once. She immediately turned and hit Sunset, shouting her indignation at the inappropriateness of the comment. Her mad barks and Sunset's loud laughter caused a few of the neighbours to look out their windows and watch the two girls. The front door of a house opened up and a deep, calming voice called out to them both.
"Shimmer, my dear, what seems to be the matter?"
The two of them froze. The voice was one they knew and for Sunset it hadn't changed at all since the last time she heard it, nearly ten years ago. The man continued to speak and they could hear his shoes tap the wooden porch as he moved closer. "You're making an awful lot of ruckus out here."
Quickly, Shimmer, who was in front of Sunset, plopped the helmet she had in her hands on the other girl's head and tucked the ends of her hair into her collar before turning around. She stepped forward to greet the man.
"Hi. Sorry about all that shouting. Me and my...uh, friend were really excited and started talking loudly." It was a horribly told lie, but somehow the guy believed it.
"Your friend? Oh, you mean that blurry thing there?" he said. "Oh, I thought that they were a bunch of black garbage bags. Let me put on my glasses, dear..."
Shimmer glanced back at Sunset worriedly. "Wait, no..."
The man put on his glasses and squinted, before moving past the girl to look at the motorcyclist. He had short, coarse hair that was a dark red. His skin was very tan; a deep orange-ish brown like leather. His small blue eyes were filled with warmth and as he smiled, tiny wrinkles fanned out from the corners of them, giving away his age. He had stubble on his strong chin and upper lip.
"Ah, hello there. I didn't see you. I'm Mr. Flare, Sunset Shimmer's father. I see you brought my daughter home. Thank you, miss...?"
"Uh, her name's um...Sunrise! Yeah! Sunrise...erm, Shine," Shimmer interrupted so that her other self would not have to answer.
Sunset sat on her bike grateful that Mr. Flare could not see her staring at him from behind her tinted motorcycle visor. Her heart thumped in her chest as she considered just how close things had been. Had she not been wearing her helmet, he would have seen her hair and face, and things would have fallen to hell right then and there. The man wasn't just any man to her. He was her father, but only technically. She wasn’t born to a human but just seeing the counterpart of the stallion she had not seen in such a long time made her feel weak at the knees.
Mr. Flare ruffled his hair and grinned. "Sunrise Shine, what a beautiful name. So similar to my little girl's." He extended his hand to her. "My sincerest thanks."
Sunset shook his large, rough hand, and felt ready to die at the contact. She held onto his hand a little longer than what was appropriate for strangers meeting for the first time. Shimmer coughed and elbowed her friend and she quickly released his hand.
Mr. Flare chuckled. "You're mighty friendly, I see."
Sunset just nodded. Shimmer took her father by the arm and started walking toward the house. "Oh, dad! I have a lot to tell you about today! Maybe we can catch up on our conversation at school, Sunrise?" The girl looked at her with an awkward smile. The cyclist just nodded again, before starting up her engine and pulling off.
"Not much of a talker that one, huh?" the deep voice of Mr. Flare said.
"Uh...No. I guess not..."
The bacon-haired teen stared off after the motorcycle in thought, wondering how the encounter might have gone if she hadn't put the helmet on Sunset’s head. It certainly was an odd thing to happen, this meeting of their shared parent, even if they weren’t exactly the same being but identical souls meant to be one and the same. She continued to stare at the road long after Sunset had turned the corner and her father took his leave into the house, and pondered what Sunset must have been thinking, as she peered upon the face of someone she had known all her life, yet was a complete stranger.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Twilight flipped through the pages of her textbook and sighed. It had been about forty minutes since she came into the library to continue working on the Biogeochemical Cycle project that was due to Dr. Test Tube next week and she already finished it. It really wasn't that hard a task, just do a little research and you were set for your presentation. Having no homework to keep her occupied, however, was a hard thing. Twilight sighed again before shutting the book and standing up. She needed something else to do, and by looking at the clock on the wall, she had plenty of time before the next bus came around.
To escape the boredom that plagued her, the nerd decided to walk among the bookshelves and skim over the many titles. She had already read most of them within the first week of her Freshman Year but still found pleasure in re-reading them every once in a while. Dragging a finger across the binding of the books, she hummed to herself. Reading had always been something she enjoyed. It was second nature to her, next to eating and sleeping. Books were a good distraction from the world. Unfortunately, she would not be able to busy herself with one before the library doors opened with a loud crack.
Crack!
Twilight jumped and whirled around in surprise to see the very person Sunset warned her about come in, her gaze focused solely on her.
"Bow to Trixie! The Great and Powerful Trixie!" the girl announced as she strut into the room, the doors somehow not having been destroyed by the tremendous force.
Twilight frowned. What was the point of making an entrance like that? She sighed. "What's your purpose here?"
"Oh, just to look around Sunset's new school..." the girl told her, but her eyes told her a different story.
"What's the real reason," Twilight said flatly.
The magician sighed dramatically and struck a pose. "Trixie just wanted to know...why aren't you at CHS?" Twilight blinked. Surely that can't be why she came all the way to another city with those girls. "What do you mean?"
"Trixie means why aren't you attending Canterlot High anymore, you dingbat. Is it because Sunset transferred? You two aren't...?" Trixie arched her index fingers and thumbs in such a way that it made a heart. Twilight sputtered. Really?
"No! I seriously doubt that's what you came here to ask me!"
The other girl shrugged. "It was just a question that came across Trixie's mind. What Trixie really came here for was to escort some of your friends here. They're looking for Sunset Shimmer ."
Without much thought, Twilight said to her, "Oh, she's not here. Both of them went to the bus stop a while ago."
"Huh? Looks like the trek here was a pointless one. Both of them you say?" Trixie repeated. She finally stopped posing and stood straight, her eyes shining.
Oh snap. Twilight bit her lip before grabbing the nearest book and cracking it open. She looked at it in hopes that it would make her look occupied. "My bad. I thought you said Sunset and Shimmer. There's a girl here that, um, goes by that last name." Coincidentally . She coughed and glanced at the other girl nervously.
"Trixie has seen them both at the dance," Trixie said. She sniffed. "They both must be tearing up the school. Two of them! Trixie is so very fortunate that neither are at CHS."
"Actually...Shimmer's a good person. Sunset is still a bit questionable in behavior but so far she's not too bad," Twilight told her. "Um, could you tell those...my 'friends' that Sunset left?"
Before Trixie could reply, a stream of girls found their way into the room and smiled with delight to find a purple nerd standing by a bookshelf. "Twilight!"
All five of them ran around Trixie and hugged her tightly.
"Ah! H-Hi?" Twilight squeaked.
"I like your bun, and those glasses, too!" Pinkie Pie yelled.
"We were wonderin' bout you, Twi," Applejack said, with a big smile on her face.
"Yeah," chimed the girl who Twilight remembered had had a dispute with a car driver. "You left without telling us a thing at the Spring Fling."
The group of teens released Twilight from their grasp and had more serious expressions. Rarity crossed her arms before speaking. "What brings you here? You seemed awfully distracted by something the last time we met."
"Um...that's because I was researching...?" Twilight knew they were mistaking her for someone else. She wanted to tell them this and be left alone. Having this many people chat so easily to her was odd; she wasn't one to be sociable. "It's nice that you all were concerned about me but I need to get going. My parents don't want me breaking curfew."
Rainbow Dash put her hand out in front of Twilight, preventing her from moving forward. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Parents? Where? Last time I checked they were probably on the other side of the portal. And I'm sure I remember you telling us you were a 'grown mare'."
Grown mare? Wha...? The purple girl glanced at their faces before breaking out of the little circle they formed. "I got to go."
Fluttershy tilted her head. "What's wrong, Twilight?"
The said girl didn't respond and packed her bag before putting the strap over her shoulder. Normally, she'd be happy to stick around for a chance to get some information on this other world, but it was getting late and she meant it about that curfew. Besides, she collected a day's worth of valuable info from Sunset. That, she deemed, was enough for now.
Before she could walk out the door, the country one called out to her. "Can't you at least tell us what's going on, Twi?"
The nerd turned around. "I'd love to stay and talk about ponies and magical beams coming from the sky but maybe some other time. Besides, you all got the wrong Twilight Sparkle. That one is more than likely in Horselandia or whatever. I got to go."
The girls stood in silence as she left. Trixie slipped away without saying a word, her mind full of what she overheard. After a good ten minutes, Pinkie Pie looked to her friends. "So that's what Sunset meant. Why didn't we even think of that?"
Rarity shook her head. "We...why didn't we?"
Shimmer's POV
"Sunset told you not to talk to Trixie," I said, after listening to my friend's story the day after it happened. "She seemed a bit shady."
Twilight frowned at me. "Since when did you follow your double's orders?"
I blushed. "I never did! I'm just saying that Trixie girl seemed mean so Sunset wasn't telling you the wrong thing."
The both of us pushed away our trays of food. It was our lunch period and we barely paid any mind to what was on our plates. I was too busy listening to Twilight's story to even think about eating. I brushed a piece of loose hair away from my eyes and bit my lip. So those five girls from Canterlot High know Twilight isn't this pony princess they know. There was no harm in that, I guess. At least they'll stop confusing the two. Before long they'll come to know about me, too, since they all know Sunset. It was bound to happen eventually, I guess. We're all kind of bunched between two cities.
"Make sure you don't tell Sunset about this. She'll be mad," I told her.
The amateur scientist waved a hand at me. "Not like I was going to anyhow. The hot head won't find out. I didn't tell her 'enemy' anything bad."
"She needs to loosen up a bit, I agree," said I. I stood up and grabbed both our trays. Neither of us were going to eat, that was apparent, so I made my way to the trash can and threw it away.
"How's it going, sophomore?"
I turned around to see Stella Luna standing beside me with a smile on her face. I felt my cheeks burn and quickly turned my head hoping she didn't see the redness in my face.
"All's...well," I replied awkwardly.
Stella Luna chuckled before patting me on the shoulder. "That's great, sophomore. I just wanted to check up on you. The last few days you were walking around looking a little gloomy. I couldn't ever ask you since we'd pass by in the halls."
I smiled to myself. She actually was concerned about me? My heart wanted to jump into my throat but I didn't allow it. Swallowing, I answered her. "Oh, it was nothing. Just been deep in thought and bogged down with homework." In reality, though, it was Sunset who was causing me grief those days with her sudden appearance and smart mouth. She wasn't as bad now, but she still needed to be checked to stay in line.
"Hey! Throwing away food doesn't take five minutes!" Twilight called playfully to me from our table. I nodded to her and walked back over to the table. "Sorry about that," I said. "Just got caught up in a conversation."
Twilight pointed behind me. "Oh, with her?" Turning, I saw that Stella Luna had followed me from the spot I had stood at before. "Oh! Yeah!"
Stella grinned. "I have nothing to do right now; it's a free period for me. Mind if we chat some more?"
I waved her to a chair. "No, no. Sit. We can talk."
Twilight glanced at me with a questioning look. She could tell that I was more upbeat than usual. Before long, she just shrugged and turned her focus on the older girl with us. "I remember you. You walked with us to school one day."
"Yeah, I did. Your friend here was all bummed that day, too. I was just asking how she was doing. Turns out it was a bunch of homework." Stella folded her arms and chuckled. "I bet it was old Patters who loaded work on you guys, huh?"
Twilight paused before answering her. "He does have a tendency to do that."
Our conversation went on for a good twenty minutes before we heard a loud thud right next to me. All three of us turned our heads to see Sunset standing behind a chair she had just dropped her bag into. Stella's eyes widened and she glanced at the both of us in surprise. Sunset looked her up and down in disgust. I glared at her but she continued to be critical in her gaze. Finally she spoke in her usual low, bored voice.
"Who the hell are you."
I jabbed an elbow at her but she dodged it. "Take that back," I hissed.
Before she could reply, we heard Stella Luna laugh. I looked at her in surprise.
"Man, you have a twin? I never knew! And she's so different from you, too." She put a hand on my head and my cheeks burned. "You're all nice and polite. But your sister here...hahaha!"
Sunset looked at me curiously, clearly noticing my red face. Her eyes studied me for a little. I could see a tinge of annoyance in the turquoise pools. She plucked the older girl's hand off my head like it was a smelly rag and frowned at her. "I'd rather you not dirty her hair with your germs. Got to keep up a good image here."
Twilight looked at my counterpart over the rim of her glasses like she was crazy, but quickly made her expression unreadable. I stared at Sunset in disbelief. What was her problem? We were just fine yesterday. Stella chuckled awkwardly. "I apologize...what's your name?"
"It's Sunset Shimmer," she told her. She sat down beside me and took out a book. Stella looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't--"
"Both of our names are Sunset Shimmer. We just go by one or the other. She's Shimmer and I'm Sunset," the alien next to me said.
"That's really neat!" Stella replied.
I smiled at her. "It is."
For the rest of that time, Twilight, and I talked to the older girl and Sunset "read" her book. She would say something snarky that made the light mood go away and so we'd be sitting there awkwardly. The whole time I could feel her eyes watching us and it felt uncomfortable. I tried to get her to move but she wouldn't, and when the three of us moved, her eyes followed. There wasn't a way to get away from the scrutiny of her gaze.
After twenty minutes, the bell rang. It was time to transition from lunch to class. Stella waved goodbye to me before leaving and I nodded. Twilight looked at me and mouthed, "Sunset's a bit cranky today."
I sighed and agreed. Deciding to figure out what was wrong, I walked over to her. "What's with you today?" I asked.
"My bag is with me today."
"Give me a real answer."
"I don't like that chick you were talking to."
"Why? Did she do anything to you?"
"Nope."
I tilted my head and bit my lip. What? "Then...why don't you like her?"
Sunset shrugged. I glared at her and gritted my teeth. So she just bothered us the whole time just because ? For no reason ?? My face heated up in anger as I opened and closed my mouth, trying to answer her, but nothing came out. Sunset just glanced up at me from her book and smirked. "Keep doing that and you'll swallow a fly."
I hit her on the arm out of frustration and spouted," I can't believe you! You just didn't like her for no reason? And so you messed with us the last twenty minutes? Ugh!"
Sunset grabbed my flailing arm. "I'm sure there was a reason, but I can't think of what it was."
It was an extremely lame answer that I could not accept. I shook her off and turned away. "You're going to be late for class if you sit there."
"Oh, well, I'm in in-house suspension so this is where I have to be."
I stamped my foot on the ground and stormed out the cafeteria. Of course. Of course she would.
Author's Note
You Can't Help Who You Love
The next day, Stella Luna came and sat at Shimmer and Twilight's table. And naturally, Shimmer was delighted by it. She and Twilight talked with her until the lunch bell rang, sharing many moments of laughter. The only time when their laughter ceased was when Sunset interrupted it with a rude remark that was quickly followed by an argument with her human self. The dispute was "resolved" when Stella Luna came in between the girls and told them both to calm down.
Telling a girl to calm down is about the worst thing you can say to them when they are clearly upset. It eludes to you saying they're out of control, emotionally unstable, and just over the top. So when the junior told Sunset to calm down, it resulted in the opposite effect.
Sunset gritted her teeth. "Calm down? Ha! I am calm! You just keep your buckin' mouth shut!"
"...Bucking?" Stella repeated under her breath.
The alien groaned before jabbing her finger at her chest. "You bucking humans are so annoying! Just get the hay out of my business and carry on, jackass. Let me handle this, you feral, muzzle-sucking jenny!"
Shimmer swatted Sunset's hand away, her anger turned mostly into confusion. "Sunset, what the heck are you talking about?!"
Twilight- who had been watching the whole time- raised a hand and pointed at the ceiling, clearing her throat. "She's insulting Stella with a slew of horse talk, I believe. She just called you"-her finger aimed at Stella- "a male donkey and a female donkey at the same time, if you didn't know what jackass and jenny meant. From my understanding, however, it is not possible for a horse to be both a male and a female. If that were so then they'd reproduce asexually and that's not the case--"
"Shut up! I don't care about technicalities!" Sunset snapped.
Shimmer frowned at her. "What's going on?! Why are you acting like...like..." The girl gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. "Like a bitch!!! "
Twilight, Stella, and Sunset all remained quiet for a few moments. It was the first time they had all seen her so angry and her language caught them all off guard. Sunset's face twisted, from surprise to a smirk to guilt. Everyone's eyes shifted toward her in accusation. Why was she acting like that? It's not like the older girl did anything to her. So what was her problem? Before anyone could ask her this again, Sunset stalked off, her face red in embarrassment and anger.
After that incident, neither dopplegangers talked to each other much less looked their way.
Shimmer's POV
It's been almost two weeks since Stella's decided to spend her free period in the cafeteria with Twilight and I. It's been really fun. I was able to forget some of my problems and just enjoy myself. Honestly, ever since Stella has come around, I think I've had the chance to relax for the first time after Sunset crashed into everything. Things seem normal again when I'm with her. No more thoughts about unexpected occurrences, no more fuming about what my double did to screw something up, no more worries in general.
It's weird though. That first day Stella showed up at the lunch table Sunset had been a pain. The constant staring, her sharp tongue snapping out rude comments, the uncomfortable atmosphere she set...it no longer is there. As the days go by, Sunset seems to have distanced herself from us. That's fine by me since she's not being a nuisance anymore. It's not like I wanted her to show up and change anything in my life in the first place. The only good thing I ever got out of that was getting close to my best friend, Twilight. I just want my life back and it's finally coming back together piece by piece. I just hope it'll stay that way.
I laughed hard and clutched my stomach as I rocked back in my chair. Twilight covered her mouth trying to stifle a giggle. It was useless in the end; she let it out in a funny sounding snort. Stella grinned, happy to see her joke had been successful. She had a knack for telling really funny jokes. They always got me in a never-ending fit of laughter.
"That was priceless!" I said breathlessly, wiping a tear from my eye.
Stella nodded before giving me a thumbs up. "It gets 'em every time."
I took a few deep breaths before I felt the growing pain in my abdomen fade away. That tight feeling you get when laughing too hard always felt like a workout. I propped an elbow on the table and sighed from exhaustion. I hadn't felt that good in a while. We continued to talk about small things here and there, mainly about what Stella planned to do for the summer break. It was coming up in a few months and we all spoke of the days to come like they were a burden. Clearly, we were all ready for summer vacation to start.
The bell rang and we stood up to head off to our next destinations. Stella Luna stretched before patting me on the shoulder. "It was a great chat, underclassman. Ya know, Hanging with the younger crowd isn't too bad." The older girl grinned. "Hey, how about you and your friend come to the movies with me on Saturday?"
I nodded, perhaps, too vigorously. A small twinge had made itself known in my neck and I winced slightly. "S-Sure! I mean, we'd have to tell our parents and get permission, but I'd love to come!" The older girl chuckled before walking off. I watched her leave only to be tapped by Twilight on the shoulder. "Lesbian much?"
I whirled around, my face red. "T-Twilight!"
My best friend guffawed before heading out the cafeteria. I sped up to keep a pace alongside her. I hissed at her. "Don't say that out loud! Besides, I don't even like girls like that..." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Right."
I sputtered. Was it really that obvious? As if she could read my mind, Twilight said, "You aren't exactly subtle about it."
I sighed. "What do you mean?"
"The blushing, the staring, the dreamy sighing...You're lucky Stella seems too busy telling her jokes to notice your behavior, otherwise she'd see a big rainbow flag flying right over you."
"I-I do not do any of those things!" I whispered to her, but I knew the moment those words came out of my mouth she wouldn't be convinced.
She waved her hand at me in a careless wave. "Yeah, sure. See you after school, Shimmer."
I walked out of the school with the flood of other students minutes after the dismissal bell rang. Glancing around, I looked for a certain nerd with purple hair and dorky glasses. As I scanned the crowd, my eyes landed on a very familiar person. She was a long way's away near the front of the flock. Her red and yellow hair bounced lightly on her shoulders as she walked that arrogant walk of hers. It was Sunset. I blinked as she turned toward Canterlot instead of going to the parking lot for her motorcycle. She must not have ridden it to school that day.
Something in my body made me move forward. I didn't know what but it was something that got my feet moving in her direction. I hadn't talked to her in a while. The last words we had exchanged with one another were short, insignificant sentences, and that had been nearly six days before. Normally, Sunset and I would have had many conversations, about 70% of them having turned into petty arguments. I didn't miss the latter but her absence was felt at that moment. All I saw of her these days was her figure sitting in class not saying a word.
I stepped in time to Sunset's stroll, lagging a little. There was something about that confidence she had in her step that propelled her, making me have to catch up in a clumsy jog every once in a while. I watched her, hoping she'd realize I was beside her and acknowledge me. But she didn't. She kept going, her eyes focused only on what was in front of her. She doesn't see me...
I reached out to tap her but refrained. Why am I acting like this? Sunset caused this period of silence between us, not me. I shouldn't be the one to start up a broken friendship. I kept walking for a few seconds before something hit me.
Friendship?
What we had was a friendship ?
No, no, no. That's absolutely the opposite of what was going on between us! We were more like sworn enemies than best buddies... But a few days before we had that fight, we were all fine. Unlike other times, she hadn't been a major jerk; she was actually sociable and a little funny. Teasing me about my dislike for coffee was a little annoying but something tells me she's always going to get on my nerves. She just wasn't as aggravating as she usually is. Anyway, why should I get her to talk to me if it's her fault? With this conclusion in mind, I slowed down to a causal walk, letting the distance between us increase.
I watched Sunset 'power walk' ahead of me. She held her head high and moved with grace, weaving through the crowd of teenagers that made their way in front of her. With her swift movements she quickly widened the gap and disappeared from view. I had no idea as to how she was able to maneuver in those riding boots. Whenever I tried to move fast, the clunky things suddenly became dead weights and dragged me to a crawl. I pushed through the human wall and continued to walk.
By the time I got to the bus station, the bus had left only ten minutes before. Looks like I'll be walking an hour plus again.
"Shimmer! Heeeeeyy!"
I turned around to see Twilight catching up to me. "I thought we were going to meet up after school. What's made you change your mind?"
"Oh. I just am feeling tired after today. Just wanted to get home. I hope you don't mind," I tell her.
She nods before sighing. "It has been a long day. School is a bit of a burden and that's coming from me! At least today's Thursday. We only have one more day before Spring Break."
"...Spring Break?"
"Yeah, Shimmer. Don't tell me you forgot about it!"
I glanced at the concrete sidewalk. I had been too absorbed in my thoughts these past weeks to even remember things like that. I bit my lip and looked at my friend sheepishly. Twilight laughed at me. "Hey, I'm not judging. Normally I would forget myself. It's just that Stella was harping on the fact that it was only days away."
"Oh right..."
"Hey, are you alright? You haven't been yourself much, unless you count when your lover came around."
I blushed. "She's not my lover."
Twilight grinned. "If you say so. But you don't seem ok. You're a little out of it."
"I'm alright."
We walked for 15 minutes more before Twilight parted ways. She was going to meet up with her brother at the library after he got off his shift. As I continued on my way home more and more students dispersed in different directions to their own abodes. Looking up ahead, I could see Sunset. Images of her during the days we didn't speak came into my head. My counterpart would just say nothing to nearby classmates and work alone on partner assignments, her shoulders tense. She kept her eyes down on her papers and rarely looked around. And in each image she was alone...
That wasn't like her.
She had poor posture and slouched in her chair. Sunset always looked around the classroom, always seeming bored. She didn't talk all the time but when she did it was to pop a smart remark that got the class snickering and the teacher glaring. She was laid back most of the time, even when she got into small arguments with me. Sunset wasn't a complete loner like how she seemed these days. I shook my head. This can't all be the result of... that disagreement we had, could it? If so, then there must be something deeper going on with her. She never explained why she was being unfriendly around Stella. What could the reason be?
I looked up as I came to an intersection. It was a busy street full of cars itching to get to their next destination. The light was green for the street I wanted to cross so I reached a hand out to press the crosswalk button without looking. Instead of feeling a hard, metal object under my fingers, I felt something warm and soft. I turned my head to see that it was another person's hand. I blinked once, twice, before I glanced behind me, not fully comprehending what was going on.
Blue-green eyes.
Brilliantly vivid blue-green eyes....
The beautiful turquoise orbs looked back at me, unfazed by the close proximity. There was a familiar mischievous glow to them like I had seen them time and time again. The amount of warmth I saw in their eyes was incredible. I felt my face heat up. I could feel their slow breaths brush against my cheek...Wait. Whoops! I pulled back quickly and looked away. Oh, this is awkward! I accidentally touched someone's hand and got engaged in a staring contest with them! "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to touch your hand! I really didn't mean to!"
I felt my cheeks burn from embarrassment. I wish I was paying attention to my surroundings. I waited for a reply but it didn't come. Slowly I looked up and froze. Sunset looked back at me with the same lovely eyes I had just seen up close. I gaped. Wait, that was her?? She had been way ahead of me just a moment ago! How was it that she fell back to where I was? And I actually thought she had pretty eyes? I mean, she does. But my thoughts...they were a bit much. That's weird. But hang on. You were complimenting yourself. My eyes are absolutely gorgeous. Yeah. That's right. Just--
"You'll catch a fly if you don't close your mouth."
I sputtered, snapping back into reality. "Wha---You? How? Huh...?"
"I'm sorry, I don't speak that language," she said, her mouth turning up into a small smirk.
I folded my arms and tried my hardest to frown. I was still quite surprised and it showed. "You...What are you doing here?"
"Going home. You?"
"S-Same here. Where's your motorcycle?"
Sunset glanced at the cars going by, her hand still on the button, leaning lazily into it. In the distance, police sirens could be heard but neither of us paid it any mind. "It had some issues. Had to take it to a shop." She sniffed and rolled her eyes. "It didn't pass an E-check, stupid thing..." She stood there, watching the street for a little before frowning and shooting me a look. "Why're you watching me ?"
I coughed and turned quickly to face the street. "I'm not watching you. And-And what are you getting all mad at me for? I'm the one who should be mad at you!"
There was a brief moment of silence that allowed the sirens to be heard. They sounded closer than they had been only moments before. "Ah, yeah..." she murmured. "Are yo--"
"Of course I'm still mad at you!!!"
Sunset flinched. "Gee, sorry. I wasn't flipping out on you then. You know that, right?"
"I do know that. But it doesn't matter. You were yelling at my friend!"
"Friend? She was more like a predator..."
"No, she wasn't. That's dumb, Sunset, and you know it."
"You might not have saw it but I did. It was in her eyes."
I scoffed. She was totally lying. "Right. In her freaking eyes...." I pointed at her in disgust. "I totally doubt that. Tell me, what's the real reason you decided to pick on Stella? She didn't do a thing to you!"
"...Look, we can cross. Come on." Sunset stepped out into the street and moved on ahead, the little crosswalk sign showing a white stick figure. I ran out after her. And I wish I didn't.
It all happened so fast that as soon as it passed, I was stunned and unable to comprehend anything. One moment I was running after Sunset crossing the street, and the next I was tackled backward as an ear-shattering roar sounded. There was a loud screech of tires burning rubber on the tar road. The dissonant noises of a car engine and wheels zipped by, the ruckus being incredibly loud for only a second before it rocketed away, the volume decreasing dramatically. It was no doubt a speeding vehicle that almost hit me.
Someone was holding me, pinning me to themselves. I felt gravity grab hold of us, ready to take us down, and everything slowed as if time were coming to a standstill. All I saw was red and yellow curls. Locks of hair fanning out in front of me. My lips and chin were pressed tightly against a leather shoulder. I felt a hand support the back of my head, becoming a thin barrier between the ground and my skull. It was only a few seconds that I experienced this slow matrix moment; in a wink of an eye reality came back, our bodies twisting in mid-fall, and we fell.
Hard.
My vision blurred. In the air, there was nothing but the shriek of sirens. My arm scraped the ground, leaving it on fire. I gasped as my breath was knocked out of my lungs. I closed my eyes and bit my lip trying to keep in the scream that was scratching at my throat. Everything hurt.
I had landed on my side next to my savior. Had we not shifted positions I would have had an even rougher landing. From the way we hit the concrete, there was more of an impact on them, having crashed right down on their shoulder blade. Since they had grabbed me my fall had been slightly broken. I blinked away the blurriness and saw that the other person was slowly sitting up. They turned their head to me and I stared back at them.
Blue-green eyes.
Brilliantly vivid blue-green eyes....
Author's Note
Hey, guys! This is a really late chapter and I'm so sorry! Forgive me, everyone! Just letting you all know, I now have an alt account by the name of BlatantlyObvious . I made this account for a reason that might seem strange to you. Here's why:
When I originally came to the site (now over a year ago since I joined Christmas of 2014), I had no best pony or ships in mind. But then I was shown the magic of Sunset Shimmer and she's been everything to me on this thing. As time passed, I came to like ships like OctaScratch and RariJack. I always wanted to write stories about them but I just couldn't for some reason. I have many ideas for good stories but I just had no willpower to write. And then one day, it hit me why I couldn't do it.
I was just scrolling around on my user page trying to see if I could change the format when I realized almost all the stories on my account are Sunset related. And because of this, I unconsciously only thought of stories for Sunset. That's when I knew that if I made a new account, I'd have a fresh start and no influence from my niche character, which would make writing OctaScratch and RariJack stories easier in a sense, since Sunset Shimmer's not staring me in the face and distracting me with her overpowering beauty.
So, if you're interested in any of those ships, great! Just letting you know, I haven't written anything under that name yet so I advise you not to follow the account without there being content to read and judge to see if it's to your liking. Anyway, I wish you a belated Christmas and a Happy New Year! Also, today's my birthday! I turned 15!
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
This is the longest chapter I've ever written. Period. Point. Blank. Neat for me, great for you, average amount for any writer. I know I'm one of those niñas who writes very small chapters and you're thinking "How does it take a month to write 2k?" but I'm still in high school so school is a priority. And besides there being school, I just slack off in general. Like when I realize it's been a month since I published a chapter I just die because I haven't written much. So, to make writing and publishing easier, I decided to write anything that comes to mind when I get ideas right away before I start doubting them. And this is what happened as a result. LOTSA WORDS!
Vehicles and Phones
Sunset's POV
Why hadn't I seen that coming?
Why did I ignore the police sirens?
Why didn't I look out for it?
I pushed these questions to the back of my mind. They were useless thoughts that would only anger me if I linger on them long enough. Besides, the answers to them weren't any less upsetting. I frowned as my head pounded. Unlike Shimmer, I had no one to reduce, if not completely prevent, the pain of such a brutal landing. I raised a shaky hand to my forehead and felt something wet and warm trickle down the side of my face. Great. Blood. Just what I buckin' needed.
I looked over at Shimmer, who continued to lay on the ground, staring. She had been like that for a few minutes now and it was concerning. Her eyes kept staring into mine. I would have thought her to be dead had she not been breathing so hard. I swallowed, tasting the faintest hint of metal in my mouth. Wonderful. It found its way there, too.
"Ma'am, are you alright?"
I turned to see a police officer stooping over me. He had pale white skin and blue eyes. His dark blue hair was ruffled by the cap on his head. The man squinted at me before gasping quietly. "Hey, I know you! You're one of my little sister's friends!"
I frowned, not being able to recognize him. Whose big brother is this? Whatever. I don't really care. All I want to do is get up and hurry home. A wave of nausea hit me right then and there. On second thought, I wanna get patched up first. Home can wait. The officer waved over a few E.M.T.s who hastily brought over a gurney. They carefully lifted Shimmer onto it before wheeling her over to the back of the ambulance.
"Come on. Can you stand?" the cop asked. On his badge I read the name "Armor".
"Yeah, I'm sure I can." I struggled to stand up. My legs were battered and scraped from the road. Damned skirt. I should start wearing pants from now on. I limped over to where Shimmer was, trying my best to ignore every single screaming cry my body made in protest of my movement, and propped myself up on the thing. The E.M.T.s were checking her condition now. They examined her cuts and bruises and cleaned them with peroxide, placing big cloth patches over them afterward. They carried out a quick but thorough test to give their professional opinion of how well she was faring.
"Hmm, she seems fine. Just a bit out of it," one of them mumbled. "Her fall couldn't have given her any concussions...The dilation of her eyes is just fine...Her hearing is normal...Reflexes are a bit slow but that's a temporary side effect from shock. Heart rate is a little fast but that's expected. Thankfully, she'won't be needing to go to the hospital."
One of them gave a thumbs up to indicate she was just fine. I sighed with relief and felt the pressure on my lungs melt away. I didn't know I was holding my breath until I exhaled.
"Alright. Now this young lady on the other hand..."
I went through the same check-up as Shimmer, only it took longer, required a lot more bandages and medical supplies, and resulted in me having to redo tests since the data wasn't reliable. I was a little more unstable than I thought. My mind is unbelievably clear right now though. Everything, all the details, are as sharp as can be. Not sure if I should be concerned about that. After going through the examination, the E.M.T.s declared me O.K. I just needed lots of rest for at least three days due to the minor head injury.
From a distance, I could hear Officer Armor's radio.
"Unit B, reply. I repeat, Unit B, reply. Unit A has lost sight of your cars at 3:32:10. Last seen northbound on Pastern Road. Over."
Officer Armor pressed a button on the side of the device and spoke into it. "This is Officer Armor, #1029, of Unit B. We are at the Pastern-Hock intersection. Over."
"State your reason, Officer Armor. Over."
"A near hit-and-run, sir, by the suspect. It currently is being investigated," the man said.
"Hmm...Sending #1031 and #1022 of Unit A. Suspect was lost. Last seen eastbound on I-90 W at 3:57:41. Remaining officers of Unit A patrol the area and report to the Trottingham officers. Over."
A suspect. So whoever almost ran Shimmer down was already on the police's radar. I turned to one of the guys bandaging my bloody head wound and asked, "Who's the suspect? What's going on?"
One of them tilted their head before replying. "The Trottingham police force was chasing down a convicted felon from their city, which is a good hundred or so miles away from here. The guy's running from their crimes and from what I heard, it's serious business. The Trottingham police contacted Pointeville's department only an hour ago saying they needed help, seeing as the criminal was headed this way.
"Problem is, they couldn't track a pattern in the driving since it was so impulsive. This caused an issue since it meant we couldn't predict where they would be going and call the Hall ahead of time for certain streets to be closed so a blockade could be set up. Prepping for that stuff takes quite a bit of time since there are so many people in this city driving around and getting in the way. The Trottingham police should have given the cops more than an hour's heads up. The criminal could have been caught by now."
The man shook his head. "As far as we Medical Technicians know, no one has been hurt severely by the rogue car chase. Stuff like this only happens in movies." He looked around before lowering his voice. "Of course, you wont tell anyone about this? We don't want anyone panicking about it."
"I won't." I'm the worst person to tell these things to but whatever. I'm not interested in spreading the news anyway. They have their problems and I have mine. Let's keep it that way and move along on our separate paths.
Speaking of separate paths, mine leads elsewhere at the moment and I intend to follow it. I needed to get home. As soon as no one was looking, I slipped away. I crossed the street and shuffled into an alley. Glancing back, I could see no one noticed that I had gone. I sighed. Good. But what wasn't good was that I felt a throbbing pain in my head. That Technician wasn't lying about needing some rest. My head was pounding and my vision was doubling. Ugh...
I walked on, albeit, slow as hell, but I walked nonetheless. With my wobbling legs, I would say that it'd take a good 45 minutes. Why do I live so freaking far from the school? Hmm, I lived pretty far from Canterlot High, too, now that I think about it. Oh, for the love of Celestia, why are these schools so far away? Nevermind my crappy apartment. Both cities must have had the same city planner...I frowned. That doesn't matter right now. Come on, Sunset, focus on the real goal here.
Just...oh, my head...just get...
Home...
Shimmer's POV
Sunset had gone. I looked around. There wasn't a single hair of hers. Except if you count mine but that actually doesn't count. I had noticed her absence nearly twenty minutes ago, but was too tired to move, having woken up just moments before. I had thought that maybe she was just out of sight and still here. But now that I'm mobile, doubt has been left surrounding that little idea I had. I asked around, seeing if anyone saw her leave, and the answer was a big, fat no from all the cops. As troublesome as it was, I had to put that in the back of my mind; my parents must be worried about me. I can't stay out here too long. Next to a car, Twilight's brother was rubbing his head in a boyish manner, clearly embarrassed about something as he talked on his phone.
"I know. I'm sorry, Twilight. I had to work over time because...yes. Yeah, it's the Trottingham felon...No, no, but I really had to stay behind because..."
After hearing that, I tuned him out. Seeing him talk on his phone just reminded me that I had a way to contact other people. I reached into my pocket expecting my own cellular device to be in there, but found that it wasn't. I frowned and looked around for it, only to find it in the street, battered and cracked. Once again, Sunset did something to cause damage to my phone.
Frantically, I turned it on. Ok, it seems to be working...Quickly I dialed in a number. 555-13....The phone immediately recognized it as a number I've called before and filled in the rest along with the name of the person. My index finger hovered right over it, ready to press it. But I didn't. I almost pressed it, but I didn't. I bit my lip and shook my head slowly. On the cracked screen it read:
Sunset 555-1324
I sighed in aggravation. Why am I calling her? The people I should be contacting first should be my parents! I went to delete the numbers I typed but paused to rethink this move.
When Sunset had initially sat up after we crashed on the ground, she looked at me with her gorgeous eyes. I couldn't understand a thing she was saying as I stared into them. She looked pretty worried and even afraid. She was shaking me. Hard. That really hurt but it didn't bring me out of my trance. What did get me to snap out of it was when I could see the tears well up in her eyes. Suddenly, the world around me came back and I could hear everything she was saying.
"Shimmer! Don't you stare at me like that! Come on, snap out of it!" She shook me harder and I grabbed her hand. It really hurt so I needed her to quit that, but it also served as a sign that I was ok. I blinked and said her name. Sunset let me go and wiped her eyes, sighing with relief. She cleared her throat and looked away. "You didn't see that..."
I smirked. She had been worried about me. It was interesting that she would be concerned for my well-being all like that, seeing as how we hadn't spoken to one another in over almost a week. Which reminded me: she still hadn't explained why she was acting the way she was around Stella. I, personally, like Stella. There's nothing wrong with her. So what was Sunset's problem?
I stood up and pressed call. Either way, she's out here somewhere. And not in the best condition. What is she thinking, disappearing like that? Anything could happen to her. Annoyed, I held my phone to my ear. The phone buzzed once. Twice. Thrice. four times now. Fifth time. Si--I'm sorry but the person you're calling is not avail--
I hung up and gritted my teeth. This doesn't look good. But it's only one call she's missed. Maybe she was fumbling around with her phone and I hung up too quickly for her to catch me. Yes, that sounds about right. I redialed. Only to get the same robotic voice answer my call. I groaned. No, she couldn't just fumble a second time. I kept redialing. But the pre-recording sounded again. My patience was running out. I could feel my aggravation turning into anger. By the fourth one I was upset and uncertain about what was going on. Where the heck was she?! Instead of waiting for her to pick up, I decided to leave a message this time. But when the phone beeped for me to speak, my irritation with her took control.
"Sunset, this-this is Shimmer. Where'd you go? You just...you just left me!" I barked, feeling the rush of emotion going through me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see some of the officers were looking my way. It only made my mood tank even more. "You know I'm not doing too well with...with what's happened, and you, too! You're in an even worse condition! How could you vanish without saying a word! Sunset...you..."
I closed my eyes. The anger and worry was building inside me; I couldn't stop what had come out my mouth next.
"I'M WORRIED! I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE, YOU SICK DOG!" I ended the call and growled at my phone like it was the cause of all my troubles. The screen flickered before it blipped out into nothingness. I could feel the stares of the officers around me. I tried my best to ignore them. A hand touched my shoulder and I turned to see it was Twilight's brother.
"Uh, why don't I take you home? Your parents must be worried sick about you, and not to mention Twilight wants me to make sure you're alright. I told her what happened, if you don't mind."
"No...no, I don't mind. Just let her know I don't think my phone works anymore so calling is out of the question."
"Ok. You ready?"
I nodded weakly, suddenly feeling tired. I should go home and rest. Officer Armor opened the passenger seat door for me and I thanked him before sitting down. He walked around the car and started the engine. After telling him where I lived he rolled onto the street and headed down a familiar path to home. I sighed. I should have contacted my parents. But all my energy was spent on yelling on a voicemail. I told myself that my family was priority! Why didn't I listen to that thought in the first place?
I could hear my mom and dad already.
"Shimmer! Where were you? Why didn't you call??" Mr. Flare asked sternly, his arms crossed as he stood in the doorway to the house. As soon as he looked her up and down, however, his frown disappeared and was replaced with shock.
"Shimmer! Oh my gosh, my baby!" Autumn Breeze cried from behind her father. She zipped around him and ran to her daughter, eyes teary. "What happened to you?! Your clothes! Your arm! You've got cuts all over!"
Solar Flare came down the front steps and wrapped both his wife and daughter in his arms. "Come inside quickly and we'll have a good look at you."
The two adults pulled Shimmer inside and re-cleaned her cuts and bruises while yelling at her about calling, being safe, and responsibility.
Goodness. I probably deserved to be shouted at for not calling them first. Sunset isn't my legal guardian so ringing her up wasn't necessary. Besides, she's an alien from another world. I'm sure she could handle getting a few runs of road rash on her arms and legs. I just got so upset that she up and left without a word that I kind of lost it. And then there's the whole Stella thing and the not answering my calls.
As the car moved, I looked out the window, not knowing what to do. My phone went all wonky, my arm burns, and I'm mad at Sunset. Why is the universe always pushing me into impossible situations? Ever since Sunset has shown up, my life has been a whirlwind of I don't know what. I shook my head and continued to look out the window. The sky was darkening right about now. I frowned. Had I not fallen asleep shortly after getting my cuts bandaged I could have been on my way home and there almost two hours ago. The E.M.T.s were just too nice to wake me up, I guess. I was too weary from shock to keep an eye open. And within that time that I slept, Sunset slipped away. She could have left at any time...I slouched in my seat, feeling the same weariness from before take over my body once more. Something always had to happen to me.
Outside, the sky was giving way to oranges, pinks, and yellows, the blue of late evening becoming darker and darker as it surrounded the rest of the colors. My eyes narrowed at the sight. Watching the sun set had always been a calming activity. The beautiful hues painted across the canvas overhead with a few strokes of a brush was how my father explained it; the clouds were the brushes and the air was the canvas.
I was about to close my eyes when I saw something up ahead on the sidewalk. It was crumpled and unmoving and hard to see, but for the red and yellow hair. My eyes snapped open and I clicked my seat belt loose. "Stop the car! I'll get off here!"
"Wha--!" Officer Shining slowed his speed but didn't completely stop. "But didn't you say you lived--"
Before he could finish the sentence, I burst out of the car as it rolled forward and ran to the figure on the sidewalk.
Sunset's POV
I don't remember much. All I know was that I was walking and my head just throbbed. That was it. Everything after that was so foggy. I do recall Shimmer calling out to me a few times and grabbing me. And there is a vague recollection of her struggling to get me to walk, but beside that, nothing.
Right now, everything's black. That's all I can see, anyway. I think my eyes are closed, maybe that's why. From what I know, though, I'm laying in bed, the soft sheets cushioning my sore body. Sadly, the sheets can't do anything for my pounding head. A small groan escaped from my lips.
"...Sunset?"
I opened my eyes and found a girl standing over me. What the...I moved my arms and motioned to sit up, flinching from the stiffness in my body. Shimmer gently laid a hand on my shoulder and pushed me back down. "You really shouldn't."
I did as she bid, seeing it was more beneficial to me. My head started throbbing even more when I attempted to get up so staying in bed made more sense. I groaned again before asking a question. "Where am I?"
My voice sounded weaker than I wanted it to. Thankfully, there was no one else, except my double, to witness this at the moment. Shimmer sat down in a chair next to the bed and sighed. "We're in your apartment."
"My apartment..?"
"Yes."
"How..?"
"Well, I...I found you. I found you passed out on the sidewalk, Sunset. As soon as I saw you, I tried to wake you up but you were fading in and out of consciousness. So I pretty much dragged you here after trying to get you to tell me where you lived." Shimmer rubbed her shoulder and yawned. "You're pretty heavy. I think you might weigh more than me."
I just shrugged under the covers. "Huh."
It was silent for a few moments before Shimmer spoke up, her voice sharp and irritable. "That's all you have to say? 'Huh'? No thank you??"
"Thanks."
"Ugh! You're so ungrateful! And after I had to carry you here, and change your bandages, and deal with all the blood that was seeping through the old ones...You don't have any contagious diseases, do you? I really hope you don't because I don't want--"
"Oh, be quiet already. You owe me this, anyway. I saved your life."
"And I just saved your life! You were out cold--"
"I only fainted because I was moving too quickly for someone who just hit their head pretty hard on concrete. I wouldn't have died."
"Yes, you could have! Anything could have happened, like a random dude just...just walking up and deciding to...to..."
"Please. I would have kicked his ass in my sleep."
"What kind of?! Look, I know you're some kind of horse creature with magic, but falling unconscious means you aren't moving. The end. There's no kicking people's butts at that point. You're just out." Shimmer ran her fingers though her hair and looked at me with tired eyes. I looked back at her and realized just how awful she looked.
Her hair was in disarray, all the reds and yellows tangled together in knots all over her head like it hadn't be combed in years. There were small bags under her sore looking eyes and a crease in her brow that folded her smooth skin. Shimmer had removed her jacket and hung it on the chair she sat in, her light blue shirt not looking any better than her outer wear. There was dirt and dried blood caked under her nails, like she had just dealt with the used bandages. I cringed. Normally, I would smirk and say something really rude about her appearance but at the moment I felt badly for her. She has had a long day. And I do mean a long day.
Shimmer let out a desperate whimper. "You lost so much blood it's upsetting. I'm starting to think those medic men were doing a rush job on us. I mean, sure all we did was jump out of the way and not land on our feet, but even the smallest fall can leave a person dead." She turned away from me and scanned the room. Her voice was weak. How long has she stayed and taken care of me? By now it has to be nearing seven at night..? "Maybe I should have an ambulance come and get you. You're pretty pale. I just need to call."
"That won't be any good. All I can do is let my body regenerate itself," I said quietly.
My double raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.
"Call the hospital all you want but they won't have my blood type. I have horse blood, type K. If they try to do a transfusion it would be disastrous."
Shimmer hummed in understanding. "Will you be alright?"
"I think so. I've gotten into some pretty rough one-on-too manys with humans and lost quite a bit. I lived though, your evidence being moi."
"...One-on-too manys?"
"Fighting."
"You lost blood from fighting? Like fist fighting?"
"It was more like switchblades and shanks."
Shimmer opened her mouth to reply but instead shook her head. She took my phone from out my jacket pocket and asked for my password.
"6969."
"..."
"I'm just messing with you. It's an easy 7590. Who're you calling?"
"My parents. My phone isn't working so I couldn't call them." Shimmer tapped the screen a couple of times before she put it to her ear, and with that, she wandered out of the room.
I sighed before propping myself up on my elbows. I definitely was in my apartment. All I had to do was glance at the Spring Fling and Fall Formal ribbons and crowns in the corner of my room to know where I was. Those things should have been thrown out a long time ago. The Golden Days were-- I mean, the bad, horrible me of the past was behind the new, totally reformed me. Which is a lie. I still am my regular old self, just not into playing dress-up. Man, I wonder why I thought those dances were so great. All I got was a cheap plastic thing placed on my head and a droopy sash to wear. I guess I was too used to the title of princess literally meaning 'you are an alicorn, therefore you have actual power over ponies'.
I wish there was someone who could've clarified the difference between human royalty and pony royalty. The ones of this world are either really hard to find or have no power whatsoever. It's cool that they don't have to pay a thing called 'taxes', but still. I had no idea I was just being an excited school filly about it all. And the worst part is that I actually was scheming to have this title that holds no worth in this world. Getting shot in the face by a rainbow really does wonders for the brain. It definitely cleared my head of that stupid fantasy. But it didn't give me the powers of friendship or anything. Honestly, any magic at this point would be great. I wish I had some right now to heal this stupid injury I have.
Slowly, I sat all the way up in bed kicking off the sheets and swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I stood up and glanced at the window. It was well past school hours, obviously. Street lamps were flickering on as I looked out the window. It's a damn shame that I missed the sun set. I always make it a point to watch it. It gives me pride. I shuffled out of the room and thudded across the hall to the bathroom. Painkillers is all I needed. I turned on the light and scrounged around for some until they showed up in a cabinet. I swallowed a pill dry and gagged. It was a small price to pay for relief.
As I was making my way out of the bathroom I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. And woo did I look terrible! Worse than Shimmer with my bandana-looking thing and this weird scratch that runs through my left brow, over my eye lid, and down near my cheek. Looks like I got myself a pirate scar from...something. I sniffed. My good looks are being taken away by a small jump on the road. Maybe I should talk to Rarity about some kind of skin product I could use to help hide the blemishes. Which reminds me that I hadn't chatted with her in a while. CHS is probably doing fine without me.
Down the hall I could hear Shimmer talking on the phone in the living room/kitchen. It sounded as if she were being yelled at. I saw her flinch and give meek answers to her mother. Autumn Breeze had been always been a 'No Nonsense' type of parent, always setting the rules. As a filly whenever I did something that warranted my mother's scolding, my father would wait in the background for her to finish, and when she was done, he'd slip me a candy as long as I promised not to 'be bad' again.
It worked, seeing as how I loved the little sweets my dad gave me, and I would always stay good...for a while, at least. The most I could go without doing something that made my parents frown was about four months, which is really good considering who I came to be in the end. You know, evil and all. My favorite candy that my father would give me were Orange Creams. It tastes just like sweet clementines with a yummy cream; just as the name suggests. I haven't been able to find any in a long time. That's too bad...Oh right, Shimmer. I was trying to eavesdrop. Got lost in thought there.
"Yes. I'm over...at, uh, a friend's," Shimmer murmured into the cellular device. "Their name? Oh, it's...it's..." Shimmer looked back to see me in the doorway of the living room/kitchen area. She was standing in the open kitchen at the moment. "Um, dad's met her."
"Tell me their name already, sweetie."
"Erm..."
"Don't you tell me you're over a boy's house!"
Shimmer almost dropped my phone and fumbled. "What? No no no no no! I'm not! Their name's...oh gosh."
I chuckled. As much as I wanted to see how this would go I should probably help out. "It's Sunrise Shine," I said loudly so her/my/our mother could hear me. I coughed and lowered my voice to distinguish myself from the human version. "My name's Sunrise Shine, ma'am."
Shimmer sighed with relief and pressed speaker so we could both hear her.
"Oh, Ms. Shine, is it? I just want to thank you so much for saving my little girl! I don't know what I'd do without her. I mean, she's my only child! Imagine what that could do to an old soul like mine."
"Just as dramatic as always..."
"What?"
"Oh, I just said you're very welcome, ma'am."
"One moment. My husband's taking the phone..." Shimmer bit her lip out of embarrassment as we waited for Solar Flare to come on. I poked her in the face and smirked. Man, not only does she look cute when she's mad, she looks so vulnerable when she blushes. It makes you want to scoop her up in your arms. Hey, whoa whoa. This is yourself you're talking about. Ha, but of course I'd say these things. She's me and I know I look good. Maybe not right at this second, me personally, but Shimmer looks nice even when she got wrecked by the street.
"Sunrise?" a deep voice said.
"O-oh! Uh, yes, sir!" I replied.
"Thank you. I just...thank you. I have a favor to ask as much as it pains me to since I know you both aren't ok. But could you please let Shimmer spend the night there? I can't make it to your place for some hours since there's some issue with the car. It's being repaired right now. Some person who thought they were 'Speedy Gonzalez' made a hit-and-run on my car. Um, Shimmer told me E.M.T.s checked you out, yes?"
"Yes."
"So there's nothing damaged?"
"Well, I just have to rest. That's it. The worst your daughter has is cuts and bruises."
"Ok...Please, if you would be so gracious, let my daughter stay? I wouldn't dare ask her to take the bus home, not after something so frightening."
"It's...no problem."
"Oh thank you! Have a good night, Sunrise."
I hung up and sighed. Well that was unexpected...Shimmer groaned and turned toward the bathroom. "Well, I'm going to take a bath. Get me in 30 minutes."
"30 minutes? Are you crazy?? Who do you think has to pay the water bill around here?!"
"It's a bath, not a shower. Anyway, you sound like my mom." And with that she walked into the bathroom and called out, "So, are there any clothes for me to wear? I don't want to have to change back into this. Oh, and where am I sleeping? Hey, where's the shampoo and body wash? I'm kind of hungry. Have any foo--"
She didn't get to finish as I slammed the bathroom door shut on my way back to my bedroom. This was going to be a long night.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Saying Sorry Couldn't Be Any Harder
Author's Note
I'm sorry, guys. School really had me in a bind since the beginning of 2016 as you can see. Well, school just ended yesterday and I decided to finish up this chapter. Please, guys, if there's anything you want to ask or if you notice any inconsistencies with the plot just let me know. And also, don't hold back on scolding me. I'm so sorry.
Saying Sorry Couldn't Be Any Harder
"Shimmer! Is it really ok for you to be here?!" Twilight cried as soon as she saw her friend enter the building. She ran up to her and spread her arms wide for a hug.
"No, no, Twilight. I'm still too sore for a hug right now," Shimmer said quickly, holding up a hand. "And...yeah. I think I'll be fine. It was only a few scratches. But Sunset on the other hand..." Shimmer shoved her hands into her hoodie's pouch pocket and looked down.
"Is she alright? Shining told me she was already gone when he volunteered to take you home. And then he said you ran out of the car! What happened? My brother told me he lost track of you once some racing car sped by. He was called on his radio to chase it down. He was worried about you."
"I just saw Sunset and I went out to help her home. I'm so sorry to cause your brother trouble. Sunset just looked really hurt when I saw her."
Twilight sighed before waving a hand. She looked down at her clothes, noticing them for the first time. "Hey, you're not wearing your jacket or your shirt or boots..."
This was, in fact, true. The fiery-haired girl was not wearing her usual attire. Instead of her chevron jacket, she was wearing a dark blue hoodie. It was clearly an old thing; the hood strings frayed and there being small snags on the sleeves. Shimmer had on loose grey sweatpants and red sneakers. Twilight pushed up her glasses and smiled.
"Are you going for the homeless look?"
"What? Do I really look that way??"
"Nope. Just teasing," Twilight replied and nudged her in the arm.
Shimmer flinched and carefully rubbed the jabbed area. She shook her head and the two of them headed toward the cafeteria where they were serving 'breakfast'. Whenever a person thinks of breakfast, they usually imagine cereal, eggs, orange juice, waffles, pancakes, bacon, toast, etc; the usual Continental meal. But when a student hears that breakfast is being served at school, that yummy image immediately turns into a sad one full of processed string cheese, skim milk, funny tasting juice cups, hot pockets with unidentified meats, and soggy things.
And so, when the two came into the line they were faced with this disgusting-ness, except for one thing. Shimmer and Twilight grabbed a breakfast bar with great speed. It was the only thing people ate that the lunch ladies occasionally put out, but those almost always get snatched up right away. They never have enough of what everyone wants but too much of what no one wants. And the school district calls students wasteful. If they bought good food for the growing children of the world then the food would be in their stomachs, not in the trash.
Twilight chewed on her bar and said as much as she frowned at the other choices. "I like how the district blames parents for the general unhealthiness of students and goes on to tell us we need a better diet when most days of the year we're being served the grossest meals the universe has ever seen in their own schools."
"Word. I'd rather be anorexic than eat this stuff. I suggest we make a letter of complaint to Mr. Evermint," Shimmer murmured.
"Agreed."
The sophomore girls walked away from the 'food' in search of a table. Twilight glanced at Shimmer's hoodie before making another remark about her clothing. "Hey, that's pretty neat! You have a cool sun design on the back of your sweater...That kind of looks like the same design Sunset wears on her shirts. As a matter of fact, she's the only person I've ever seen wear that symbol."
"Yeah. That's because it's her 'cutiemark'," Shimmer replied, waving her hands over her head in an arc. Twilight frowned. " A cutiemark? Is that some strange, new, trendy word that came out for something that's pretty much your tag? Like how the artist formerly known as Prince has some odd symbol that represents him?"
"Uhm, sure? Sunset explained it to me last night at her place. I still don't exactly understand it but--"
"Wait, you were at Sunset's?" Twilight piped up, cutting her off.
"I was. I spent the night, actually. The clothes I'm wearing are hers since I didn't have any for today."
Twilight lassoed her book bag from off her shoulder down onto a nearby table without a moment's hesitation. She unzipped it forcefully and whipped out a notebook and a pencil. After violently shoving the bag across the wooden surface onto the floor, she promptly sat down and patted a chair next to her. "Sit."
Shimmer glanced at the fallen bag, wondering if she should pick it up or not, but seeing as how her friend was a bit fidgety, it was probably best to leave it alone and pop a squat. The bacon-haired one walked around and took a seat in the designated chair.
"Tell me," Twilight said gravely, leaning forward. "Tell me all that happened last night. And don't you leave a single thing out."
"Wh--"
"Ut! Why you ask? For research. I've devoted myself to studying the interaction of two dimensional counterparts. Now go."
Shimmer squirmed a little. It was always strange for her when Twilight went all Science Mode on her. No one experience was the same as another. The girl smiled to herself though. Even though Twilight didn't mention it she was also asking out of concern for her. She cleared her throat and tugged at one of the frayed hoodie strings. The nerd wrote something down vigorously as if the other girl had done something astonishing. "Well...Last night..."
"Do you know at what time exactly?"
"...No."
The spectacled one grimaced, mumbling something about details and accurate accounts. Shimmer ignored this; everything that wasn't what she wanted made her irritable. "So, anyway, here's what happened..."
Sunset yawned before shooting a glance at her bedroom door. Shimmer had been in the bathroom for over 30 minutes now. She gritted her teeth. "If my water bill comes back crazy high..."
Standing up from her bed, she walked out of her room and came to the bathroom door. Without knocking, she burst into the small space. "Hey, you better not be racking up my...my bill..."
Sunset stopped talking for two reasons. One, the room was invaded by a misty, warm vapor that clouded the mirror and beaded on her skin. The humid atmosphere hit her immediately as the mini warm front was sucked on out the door to meet 'the cold front' a.k.a. the normal room temperature air that drifted throughout the rest of the apartment. Sunset huffed. It was a bit difficult to breath in there since the humidity had been building up within the bathroom for about 30 minutes.
The other reason had hit her even harder than the first. Across from her, was Shimmer, who stood with one foot in and one foot out of the tub, her arm extended to grab a towel. Her usually bouncy strawberry blonde hair laid flat on her shoulders in small baby curls of red and yellow. Her sea foam-colored eyes stared widely at Sunset not having comprehended the current situation. She shivered visibly from the cool air rushing into the bathroom as water dripped from her body onto the floor in a small puddle.
Shimmer was a little curvier than expected. She more or less had an hour glass shape; a noticeable bust, small waist, and curvy-ish hips, but it was unlike fairy tale standards. Shimmer's body was, to Sunset, a realistic depiction of it without the exaggerated form of make-believe human princesses. If she had a bigger chest and was a tad hippier, Sunset was sure she'd get all the boys. Sunset's eyes eventually met Shimmer's after they had 'explored a new terrain'. The human had frozen out of shock and recovered only a moment later with a shriek. She jumped back into the tub, making water splash out onto the floor. Unconsciously, Sunset licked her lips. They had gotten dry very suddenly...
Sunset blinked before smirking. "Hehehe..."
"Why didn't you knock?!?!?!?!" Shimmer cried as she sank down into the water, the bubbles around her drifting aimlessly. Sunset shrugged before replying. "This is my apartment. I can do whatever I want."
"N-Not when you have company!" the other girl shot back.
"Hey, you were taking too long. I don't want to be all grimy for too long. Plus, I needed to make sure you weren't raising my utilities." The alien turned toward the mirror above the sink and wiped off the steam with her hand. Shimmer sank down even further into the tub, her cheeks as warm as the water. "I'm not raising anything... A girl can have a nice hot bath every once in a while..."
"Yeah, but not every girl can have a hot body like that."
"WHAT?!?!?!"
"Nuh'm." Sunset tilted her head and continued to wipe the mirror casually as if nothing happened. On the inside, however, she was laughing her head off at her murmured innuendo. She looked into the mirror and saw her double's face glow red with embarrassment.
"Y-You perv!" she cried.
"Who me? I'm merely stating an opinion from my own observation. Besides, I've seen you without clothes on before." Sunset dared to glance at her other self and she looked just about ready to explode. Before she could erupt, the Equestrian added," After all, you and I are one in the same. How could I not have seen myself without apparel when I have to change everyday, hmm?"
That was the tipping point for Shimmer. She abruptly stood up and splashed water at her laughing 'sister'. "Eeegh! You're so disgusting! My father should have let me take the bus home instead of stay here with you!"
"Whatever. Get outta there. It's my turn in the tub." Sunset started to lift up her shirt and caused Shimmer to scream.
"Get out!" she yelled. "I didn't even get to rinse off!"
"No problem. You can do it with me."
SPLASH!
The human dashed out of the bathroom after grabbing a towel and left the other person, who was laughing, soaking wet. Sunset poked her head out into the hall and whistled at her. That only got the towel thrown at her face. "You're not getting this back, Shimmy!"
The said girl let out a cry of annoyance before she came after Sunset. She came too late, however; the bathroom door was promptly closed and locked.
***
Sunset was leaning against the kitchen counter when Shimmer came into the living room/kitchen area all dressed in some borrowed joggers and a T-shirt. She rubbed her hands over the goosebumps on her arms and pinched a limp curl of hair dangling from behind her ear.
"Thanks to you, I didn't get to wash my hair properly or take a good shower. You took a thousand years to come out of the bathroom so I was freezing to death, completely naked over here!" She pointed at the other girl, who was acting too casual for her to really even assume she was hearing half of what Shimmer was saying. "And after an hour plus of waiting, I go into the bathroom to find the tub filthy with grime and all the hot water gone! Filthy pervert..."
There was the sound of boiling water bubbling ferociously, a whistle of hot air coming from the kettle that rest on one of the stove's coils. Sunset grabbed a pot holder and lifted the kettle. She poured steaming water into a mug before setting it back down. Sunset reached into one of the cabinets and produced a box of assorted teas from Camomile to Earl Grey. "Choose one," she said, an amused grin on her face.
Shimmer crossed her arms and glared at Sunset angrily before replying. "So you're not going to apologize? You're not going to say 'I won't trouble you like that again'?" The girl threw her arms into the air. "Nothing??"
The Equestrian pushed the hot mug of water and the teas toward the human. "I'm doing just that."
"By offering me tea???"
"Yes. I know you like tea. I see you drink it all the time. If I didn't know any better I would think you were, what, Bretic?"
"It's British."
Sunset shrugged and went back to slouching against the counter. "Eh. I never paid much attention in History class. Someone says they're 'British' and the other claims to be from Rustla but they all look the same to me."
Shimmer groaned. "Russia . It's Russia . And none of that has anything to do with apologizing. Giving me tea does absolutely nothing."
Sunset breathed deeply through her nose. She was quiet for a moment. Then she picked up the mug and pressed its warm surface to her cheek and huskily replied, "You know you want it..."
Shimmer opened her mouth to say something but closed it, a red blush spreading over her cheeks. Sunset was batting her eyes and puckering her lips. The human turned around and cursed silently. Today of all days, her usually bitchy version was a full-out perv.
Just relax and don't let it bother you. You had a long day. Rest up.
Shimmer shook her head and glanced at her counterpart no longer caring for an apology. It was clear she was still angry but after a few deep breaths her 'Whatever' face came over her features. Despite this, she spoke on the current subject with a shrug. "Hey, I'm not sure how you did it in your world but humans use words. It goes like this: I'm sorry."
Sunset set the mug down, rolled her eyes, and wrapped her fingers around the cup protectively. "... It wouldn't be sincere. You can't tell me to do it if I'm not feeling compelled to say it. I...never really could."
Shimmer ran a hand through her hair in puzzlement. She sat down on a sofa and raised an eyebrow. "You 'never could'? What does that mean?"
The playful expression on Sunset's face was quickly replaced by a look of deep unhappiness. "It's...a long story."
"...You don't mind elaborating on it, do you?"
Hearing this, Sunset stuck her tongue out as her response. "Accept my apology first."
"Fine, I will."
"Your preference?"
Shimmer just waved a hand and told her it didn't matter. A few minutes later, Sunset handed Shimmer the mug and the other girl lifted the cup to her lips. She hummed approval. "What's in this tea?"
Sunset sat down across from her and answered her question. "Molasses, oats, and a pinch of cinnamon."
"Really?" Shimmer glanced down at her drink, noticing the abundance of floating oats on its surface. The small things drifted around and bumped into each other softly, just swimming about in a leisurely manner. "I've never heard of putting oats in tea before. It makes it kind of chewy."
Sunset shrugged. "It's something my mother always did whenever I was good." She sighed. "We were too poor to afford anything more than the bland food of oats, carrots, vegetables...The fact that we could snatch a small keg of molasses and a fag of cinnamon was a miracle. This tea was like a special treat; a reward for pulling through life despite everything..."
"... Wait, too poor? Buying those things cost almost nothing. What do you mean..." Shimmer stopped talking and glanced at Sunset who sat in silence. Her face looked tired and somehow she appeared older than before. There was a crease between her eyebrows and a dullness in her eyes that indicated she was lost in thought. Shimmer looked down at her tea again and realized that for the first time Sunset had brought something up about her past in Equestria. And from the small bit she heard, it already seemed as though their pasts were not synched up like their features.
For as long as Shimmer remembered, her family had never been poor; there was no such thing as budgeting and price checking when buying any item from a store. Every Christmas, she was never disappointed since everything she wanted was granted to her by 'Canter Hoof', the old pseudonym used by parents everywhere. Everything she got was already paid for. Shimmer cleared her throat timidly and asked a question that had been budding against her conscience.
"Sunset? What was your childhood like?"
The girl beside her closed her eyes as if trying to remember. "It... It wasn't an ideal one." Sunset shifted in her spot on the sofa and got comfortable. Her story was going to be a long one. "We were poor. One of the poorest families there were in Equestria, really. I grew up in the cruddy part of Canterlot, the place everypony called 'The Hoof'."
"Wait, is that like 'The Hood' over here?" Shimmer asked, trying to suppress a smile that pulled at her lips.
Sunset jabbed the human in the ribs lightly, the other girl's attempts at keeping a neutral expression clearly failing.
"I guess so. The Hoof got it's name for being a notorious place where ponies up to no good hung around 'offering a hoof' to anypony that passed by. Their intent wasn't to be nice but to steal from them under the guise of doing a kind thing," Sunset explained. "But yeah. I lived there with my parents. Dad worked as a cart-carrier. That's like a taxi driver here. He went out into Canterlot very early every morning and came back late at night worn down and tired, having brought home only a bag of 15 bits. That's worth about 10 dollars here, I guess. It was only enough to buy a few apples and a little something extra, so we never had enough to live comfortably.
"Dad had gotten his cart-carrier job back when he was a colt going through college to become a doctor. He would have become one but he couldn't pay for all of his classes and didn't dare try and get a loan. My mother used to be a teacher for little ponies in Magic Kindergarten, but when her parents fell seriously ill, she quit her job to take care of them. When they passed away, she couldn't get her old job back; she needed a higher level of credentials because the standards changed. It didn't take long before the support bits had dried up. If we could get a solid 150 bits into our home every week, life would've been a lot better.
She took up painting and loved to depict nature in her artwork. Sadly, not many ponies had a need for paintings all the time. It was about once every 2-3 months that someone requested something and that would give us a nice 200 bits. My parents tried to save the bits, but so much was rundown that it eventually was spent. M-My father eventually decided to enlist in the Royal Guard. It was the only way we could earn more money without having to beg. My mother argued with him tirelessly not to saddle up with the army; she was scared of losing him and so was I. But he went on ahead anyway, saying that all guards were insured so if something happened... my mother and I would at least have some bits to live off of along with benefits..."
Sunset sighed before continuing. "Mom and dad didn't spend much time with me as a filly. Dad was always working while mom tried her best to advertise herself in towns all over. I pretty much grew up on my own and so, without anypony to correct my behavior, I became a bitter filly. I was sick of being so low in society that I could barely bring a lunch to school. I wanted to be powerful and live a luxurious life... And that's when I became obsessed with developing my magic. From what I knew from reading stories about Starswirl the Bearded, a very powerful stallion, being the best of the best got you places..."
Shimmer stayed silent as she let the new information sink in. Their childhoods were completely different. There was no wonder why they were not alike in many ways. To think that she, Sunset Shimmer the human, was living a life full of love and normalcy, while her other self had to survive through grueling poverty all alone in the world...It was unthinkable.
There's just no way any of that is true Shimmer thought, but something told her that Sunset had no reason to make it up. There's just no way...
Sunset shifted in her spot and gripped her mug in her hands. "I was foolish then. I had been foolish my whole life. Being the best doesn't make you great or likable. Being on top won't get you friends or make up for the past. It only places you on the highest pedestal so that when you fall, you'll go down harder than anyone else."
Sunset's POV
My hands.
They wouldn't stop shaking, stop trembling...
I bit my tongue. I spoke too much. I revealed more than I wanted to about my past. Shit, I didn't even want it to be brought up at all! The whole thing I had vowed to keep quiet on and had been doing so just beautifully for these last 3 or 4 years. Anytime someone asked me about my parents or my childhood I always masterfully avoided it and changed the subject. With just a small distraction you can make humans forget just about anything. All I had to do was poke around a topic of particular interest to the person asking, and the words that hung on their lips would dissolve like antacid tablets in water.
But just now...How did I? Why did I?
I stared at my tea. Aw bucking Tartarus! My guard had been let down and I didn't even realize it. And the person I told this all to...They weren't anyone who would understand. Shimmer wouldn't know anything about being humiliated everyday because of your shabby coat and unkempt mane displaying the position you had in the world. She wouldn't know what it was like to be judged every moment you're within someone's field of vision. The scrutinizing gaze of others was hard to bear, even if you were doing something completely normal, like walking to class. Just taking a step to your next destination under their angry stare made you feel like a criminal.
I had been full of arrogance, feeling too good to say even the smallest, courteous things like "Please", "Thank you", and "I'm sorry." Well, I've learned my place now. I'm no better than anyone here. If anything, I'm worse. Thankfully, in this universe, my human counterpart hadn't made an ass of herself, otherwise I'd swear on Celestia's crown that my downfall was all but fate written in the stars.
We stayed in our spots on the sofa in silence for who knows how long. My gaze had glossed over, my eyes looking empty as I stared through my beverage. I was lost in the maze of Recollection and Regret, browsing through all my sinful past actions and cringing at each and every one of them. It was only when I felt a warmth on my hand that my sight refocused, and slowly I looked to the source of heat.
It was a hand with the same complexion as mine. It held on with a firm grip. My eyes trailed the arm that came from the hand and before long, I found myself looking at Shimmer. She wore an expression that I had never seen on her face before. The amount of concern and sympathy that radiated from her was suffocating. I wasn't worthy of it. She should direct her gaze onto some other unfortunate soul. I didn't deserve pity of any kind. I went to pull my hand away but found it was anchored in place. Her grip was surprisingly strong.
"L-Let me go..." I whispered. "You already heard everything I had to say..."
"Not everything," she said quietly.
I frowned slightly. "What do you mean? My past is out there now. I told you all of it."
The strawberry blonde shook her head slowly. With a quickness that I had not known her to possess, she took my mug and placed it on the coffee table along with hers, and grabbed my hand again. Only this time, she managed to get my other hand as well and pressed my palms together.
A prayer I thought. A prayer to relieve me of my sins.
I chuckled bitterly at my thoughts. That was something only humans did. Praying. When I had first learned of this, I had laughed out loud. They prayed because of a thing called 'religion' that was based on a God, an entity that had no form, that was apparently everything and nothing at the same time. It seemed absurd to me. Didn't these humans know that everything was in balance because of a Princess? Didn't they know they were worshiping something that was false, that it was a pony they owed the universe to?
There was no such thing as praying away your sins. They followed you everywhere.
Just look at me and it will make all your prayers fall flat.
I glanced at Shimmer's face. She looked puzzled but it quickly went away as her lips moved to form words. "You still have more to say. I can tell."
What's there to say?
"What's there to say?" I asked, speaking aloud my inner dialogue. I grimaced. My voice came out more strained than I hoped. Somehow, even though I denied it, I knew she was right. There was more to fill the air, more words to float from my lips to her ears.
"Well, you didn't tell me why you couldn't ever apologize."
I sighed. It should be obvious why and I said as much. "I was a bratty foal. There's no way I'd let those words come out of my mouth, especially not after being accepted into the Princess' Academy. Once I found my talent in magic, I went overboard and used it to get ponies to do what I wanted. And now... I can't say it because it makes me look even weaker than before..."
I gritted my teeth and felt the corners of my eyes sting. Oh no, please don't do this to me. Not now. My vision began to sway a little and blur. Why does this have to happen now? Why can't it wait until after Shimmer leaves? Why now? I turned my back on my counterpart but it's too late; she sees the tears gathering in my eyes. I felt her hand touch my shoulders and I shivered.
"Sunset..." she whispered.
I couldn't keep it in. I let out my tears of sorrow and buried my face in my hands.
Words spilled from my mouth like a waterfall. "I fell! I fell! And everyone saw. I was no longer the best, it was Twilight Sparkle and her friends. They beat me and I was nothing but a squashed insect. You don't understand! You don't understand, Shimmer, what it feels like to lose everything! You have everything! Mom...dad...friends...a house to live in... Life has been so kind to you. I'm so weak, so aimless, so despised. Even uttering 'I'm sorry' is a blow to my own person. I'd be admitting that I really am powerless and everyone will cheer and celebrate..."
I don't remember much after that. I was a sobbing wreck. All I can recall is Shimmer's arms wrapping themselves around me, cradling my limp body against hers, and soft murmurs in my ear. What she said completely faded from memory. I just know her warm breath tickled my ear as she spoke what I can guess to be words of reassurance, of comfort, of pity. What was spewing out of me became a dramatic, delirious, feverish bluster. Only Shimmer knows all of what I said. For all I know I could have been spilling even darker, more cryptic information to her than I intended to.
I fell asleep somehow and awoke the next day in Shimmer's arms, my head tucked under her chin, and her frizzy hair tickling my nose and neck.
You Can't Help Who You Love
Cliche
"That... that was..." Twilight stammered as she adjusted her glasses and rubbed at her eyes, dropping her pencil and pad into her lap. "The most adorable and sad story I've ever heard."
Shimmer felt her cheeks warm up as she denied her friend's statement. "Y-You can't be serious, Twilight. It's just an account of what happened last night..."
"And it was heart wrenching. By far the best thing I've heard in a while." Twilight scribbled down something before reading over everything she wrote. "I honestly wasn't expecting you two to be so intimate, not at this stage of the game and not like that . You guys were always arguing before."
"It wasn't intimate! It was just us being a little loopy from our head injuries," Shimmer concluded. She bit into her forgotten breakfast bar and huffed defiantly.
Twilight glanced at her friend and smirked. "Really? Because it says here that it was only Sunset that had a head injury. 'Sunset's arm provided a thin barrier against the concrete during the collision. There was no wound on Shimmer's end. Sunset, on the other hand, hit her head and was bleeding from her right temple.'"
The purple-haired girl propped her arm on the table and presented a smug grin to the other girl. "Weren't you the one holding Sunset in your arms when she was crying? And weren't you muttering small words of comfort to her? According to my notes, it even says you two woke up tangled in each other's arms."
"Wha-- No way! Give me that!" Shimmer unsuccessfully swiped at her friend and received a jolt of pain in her shoulder. She grimaced before gently cradling her arm. "It wasn't steamy like you make it out to be. You need to write accurate accounts, Twilight. Isn't that what you were fussing about before I even began to tell you what happened?"
Just then the bell rang for students to report to First Period. Twilight stood up from her seat and tapped her glasses. "Don't worry, I'm just messing with you. Everything's written in an objective manner. I'm just glad you two don't seem to be quarreling as much anymore. It's a wonderful development in my research."
Shimmer sighed and followed her nerdy friend to Mr. Peace Sign's class. As per usual, the teacher was resting in his chair with his feet kicked up on the desk and a flask partially hidden by his long, itchy looking sweater that read "100% Recycled Material". The sweet yet smoky aroma of incense drifted into her nose and she closed her eyes. There was something about the smell that made her sleepy and more relaxed.
Shimmer walked over to her seat and sat down, smiling as she remembered something from before. Sunset a while back claimed that the perfume in the incense was used to cover up the smell of weed. While it would definitely explain the strange feeling that came over her, there was no way anything as light as the incense fragrance could disguise such a pungent stench.
"Stupid," she muttered, and grabbed her thermos from her bag's drink holder pouch.
Taking a sip from her cup, she looked around the room. Most of the other students had filed in by now or were hanging around the doorway. Twilight sat at her seat with a bunch of papers on her desk, no doubt a whole mess of calculations for some experiment of hers. On the radio that Mr. Peace Sign always had playing quietly in the background was one of the DJs covering last night's car dilemma. They spoke of the driver as being a criminal from Trottingham and concluded that he was far out in Neighbraska now. There was no mention of a near hit-and-run. Shimmer sighed and set her thermos down. It was a good thing; had Sunset not been there a reported casualty would be talked of right then on the radio.
A few moments later, the bell rang and the students in Mr. Peace Sign's class slowly made it to their seats.
"Alright, everyone, settle down in a chair," the English teacher drawled in his husky voice. Mr. Peace Sign placed his flask inside a drawer in his desk and grabbed his Attendance Book. He casually called out people's names and listened to the monotone "here" that came with it. When he called for Sunset and got no response, he looked up.
"Is Sunset Shimmer not here today?"
"Uh, no. She isn't," Shimmer spoke, raising her hand slightly. The class turned their attention to her and she sank into her chair. "Well, not her , at least."
"Huh, no Sunny? Is she sick or something?"
"Um...she's definitely not in an ideal condition."
Mr. Peace Sign nodded and marked Sunset's name in his log. "Tell her I said to chill out 'til she's feeling tubular." And with that he closed the book and cleared his throat. "Good morning, dudes. I hope all of you have had a great night's sleep. Today, we're going to do something a little bit differently. Instead of our normal chill session, I have some work for you all to do."
The quiet murmur of the class died down and the teenagers all turned their attention to him. Work? He actually had an assignment for them? Shimmer blinked in surprise and glanced around, finding similar looks of shock and confusion on other people's faces. Looks like she wasn't the only one who saw that it was an odd occurrence. Mr. Peace Sign cleared his throat and snatched off his hat, revealing his wild hair. He scratched at it vigorously and began to speak again.
"I know, I know. This is weird that I'm making you all do something, right? But relax. I promise you that it'll be entertaining. Besides, I have to put something in the gradebook." He leaned forward and planted his palms flat on his desk and smiled. "Now... Who knows the English requirements for this year?"
No one raised their hand. The only thing that was raised at the moment were their eyebrows.
"Anybody want to give it a gander? It's pretty basic stuff."
Shimmer shifted in her seat and wrapped her hands around the edge of her desk. This couldn't get any weirder. The stifling awkwardness in the air reminded her of the first day of school at a new learning facility. There was always this strange feeling of tension and discomfort among the students when they met their teachers and themselves. It was the day when people examined the crowd and judged, eyeing potential friends, enemies, boyfriend/girlfriend(s), outcasts, popular peeps, that one odd ball that even the outcasts wouldn't hang around, the clown, the handful of nerds, dorks, geeks, normal kids, and that one child who almost no one remembered existed.
This feeling rivaled that of the one you feel when you're on the bus surrounded by people you don't know. The first day was always iffy. And it almost always grew worse when the instructor suggested an icebreaker.
This sensation was, of course, about ten times less tense than that. After all, it was Mr. Peace Sign's room. The 25 by 30 foot room held the world's most relaxed man along with his scented incense.
"Nobody?" Mr. Peace Sign said aloud, not in the slightest bit upset. "Well it's easy to forget. The English Requirements for this year is this: you have to demonstrate communication skills and cooperation amongst your fellow classmates, show a high school level degree of literacy, write essays and papers, create and present presentations to the class, and be well versed in classic literature."
He cleared his throat and smiled at everyone. "Remember all of this, class. Without passing these necessary requirements, you cannot pass this English class. And that's just the general outline. There are more specific points to follow since English subdivides into English I, English II, Honors English I and II, and so forth. So class, to make sure all these points are hit, I've come up with a class project that incorporates all of the requirements!"
Mr. Peace Sign bent down next to his desk and lifted up a heavy box. With a loud thud, he dropped the hefty thing onto his workspace. "Will someone volunteer to pass these out?" He pointed at the contents inside the cardboard box.
By now, the students were thoroughly intrigued. An assignment in Mr. Peace Sign's class was the last thing they thought would happen. Shimmer watched as one of her classmates stood up and reached into the mysterious container. She saw their eyes light up with excitement as they drew out whatever was in there. They were books. Very old looking books.
The wonderment in everyone's voices only escalated. Shimmer eyed the box curiously. What's in there? By now the volunteer started passing the books around to her fellow classmates. Shimmer took a sip of her tea as she waited patiently for her copy of the book. She watched Twilight light up tremendously and crack open the publication with glee.
I wonder if Sunset would be just as excited as Twi...
"Here you go," a voice said to her left, interrupting her thoughts.
Shimmer muttered a thanks and took the object offered to her. To say that Shimmer was as pleased as everyone else was...eh...if anything, she was even more curious. The fiery haired girl delicately placed the ancient tome on the desk and examined it carefully. Her earlier observation had been right. These books were very old; the hard cover dusty and faded from being in the sun, the threaded binding loose and flimsy, only just holding the browned and crinkled papers together. Shimmer drifted the pad of her index finger over the work of literature and frowned distastefully at the specks of dirt it had gathered. With the amount of filth on the thing she couldn't even read the title.
With a quick puff of air from her mouth, she blew at the tome and was greeted by a swirling cloud. She swatted aimlessly at the air and coughed once, twice, and rubbed at her eyes. "Shouldn't have done that..."
At least the cover was readable. Well. Almost. Shimmer found that the gold letters were chipped from old age and made it hard to read. She squinted at it while sipping some tea from her thermos. It read Th raged of Rom o and li t ...
"Alright, class! You all have your books now! What do you think?" Mr. Peace Sign asked.
A wave of approval came from his students as well as confusion. Mr. Peace Sign sighed happily, delighted with the mixed response. "Now, I know some of you might be thinking 'This is so corny! Why are we reading this?' Well, my dear class... Shakespeare is a must! An absolute requirement in English. You can't go off to college without reading at least several of his works and this is one of the most well known and beloved plays to have ever graced the face of Earth."
Shimmer frowned slightly. Shakespeare? Then this title... it must be...
"A story full of drama, rivalry, humor, plot twists, lovable characters, and most importantly forbidden love. This is a tale that stirred the world in its day and is still performed all over the world 500 years after its publication. A compelling story that's so out there that there's no doubt that all of you know how it ends," Mr. Peace Sign said. He held up his own copy and waved it slightly. "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is the perfect classic anecdote for this year's big project!"
Shimmer's eyes widened in surprise. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet? She had never thought that she'd ever actually read it in class. She had seen shows and cartoons wherein which they'd do their own play about it but she didn't think that it'd be a real thing people did. That was so... cliche!
Mr. Peace Sign grinned as he set his book down. "Spring Break is in a day or two. Your assignment is to read Act 1 and write a five paragraph essay on what it's about. Use the last paragraph to share your thoughts on the play. you all have about thirty minutes of class left so get to reading!"
And with that, small conversations began buzzing among groups of students. Shimmer stared at the play in front of her in amusement. Mr. Peace Sign, the most relaxed guy anyone would ever know, had given them a project. She carefully opened the book and almost immediately the smell of worn paper hit her. The dusty, slightly burnt aroma of old books made her sigh in contentment. There was something about that smell that was oddly satisfying. She looked down at the pages and found it overflowing with poetic English from Ye Olden Days.
Looks like I'm in for a difficult read...
Putting the thermos to her lips one last time, she began to read the story of two star-crossed lovers.
Author's Note
Thanks for all your support, guys! It looks like this story has put me on the map in terms of pony fiction (that's a lie). It's lovely seeing my story up on the featured column.
Also, I've decided to start a little thing here in the Author's Notes. Lately, I've been seeing a lot of good stories that for some reason don't have enough views. So since a lot of folks read this story of mine, I've decided to periodically advertise them! And here's the first fiction:
A Kind of Chaos
Do you like FlutterCord? Do you like drama? Do you like a story that's got loooooong chapters? And last but not least, do you like some fiction where there's ~~sexual~~ suspenseful tension rising? Click it!
One more thing: I need help! I need you guys to suggest some ideas. I need to figure out an ending for this story. If I don't, this will just become a really long prompt. Please help!
See you next chapter!
You Can't Help Who You Love
Shimmer frowned at the pages in front of her as she concentrated; the old English words needing to be taken in, processed carefully, and then pressed out into fresh, modern English for all to understand. She bit her nail and hummed quietly. Twilight was doing the same, sitting right next to her at the lunch table, only it was clear to say that she had a better time understanding Shakespeare. Already churning out a rough draft of her essay, the messy haired girl chewed on her pencil eraser as she referred to her beat up tome.
Shimmer scratched her head and sighed. "Twi, how can you get all of this so easily? This is a little hard to figure out. I wish Mr. Peace Sign gave us a more up-to-date version with the notations..."
Twilight chuckled at her friend's whining. "Oh, it' not so bad, Shimmy Jimmy. In taxonomy, the scientific names for biological things are in Latin. That's much harder than some old English."
"Ugh. I'm not talking about science. I'm talking about this!" Shimmer emphatically flapped a hand at the threadbare book in her hands. "This here story."
Twilight rolled her eyes before producing her phone from her bag. "Here. Check out the site No Fear Shakespeare - Sparknotes* . It will help you out greatly." She tapped on her phone and showed her the mobile app.
"Oh! I hadn't even thought of going online!" The literal embodiment of the evening sky prompty thwacked herself on the forehead. "Duh, Shimmer!"
"I'm sure that was the first place everyone in class thought of going to. I bet you $10 they're all going to read just the modern text and completely ignore the hardcovers."
"Mmm... I dunno. I think $15 is a better amount. Kids and technology these days..." Shimmer glanced at the other girl, challenging the bet.
"$20."
"$30!"
"$45! That's my highest bid. I'll lay down no more," the nerd told her with finality.
Shimmer grinned smugly. "Deal. I bet you $50 that there'll be someone who'll stick with the book, not including me or you." She offered her hand palm up to Twilight. The spectacled one eyed it cautiously before taking it.
"Deal."
"I'm pretty sure gambling isn't allowed in school." Twilight and Shimmer jumped at the new voice and quickly turned their heads to see Stella Luna standing over them chuckling. "What're you guys doing?"
"We're reading Romeo and Juliet. It's an assignment from Mr. Peace Sign," Twilight answered amicably.
Stella Luna's eyes widened as her jaw slackened, revealing unusually sharp canines. "Mr. Peace Sign gave you an assignment? No way!"
The older girl pointed to one of the books on the table. "May I?"
"Sure."
Picking up the raggedy piece of literature, she flipped through the pages in wonderment. Small amounts of dust crumbled out from in between the pages, much to Shimmer's astonishment. The slow fall and tumble of the tiny specks gave the book an even graver appearance of constant deterioration. Shimmer scratched her sun kissed cheeks in slight horror as she thought of the fine that would be mailed home should the tome completely fall into a heaping pile of dirt and dust.
"Whoa...This is ancient. You would've thought he got this thing from Shakespeare himself," Stella mumbled, unaware of the tome's temporary owner looking on in low key worry.
Eventually the book was handed back and the older girl chuckled. "Back in my day, Mr. P never gave us work. It looks like Evermint is finally cracking down on him."
Sunset Shimmer the Human graciously set her copy down with newfound care and began to start up the tedious process of translating Old English. A small conversation came between Twilight and Stella but she was only half listening as she worked. Reading the nonstop interruption of the Nurse as Juliet talked to her mother in Act 1, Scene 2 soon faded to the back of her mind as her attention drifted. Not long after her initial random daydream her mind floated to a certain smart mouthed girl with a halo of fire she called her "mane".
I wonder how Sunset is doing... Is she ok? I hope none of her wounds have opened. Is she drinking that wretched coffee right about now? I'm not sure if she even has the strength to get up out of bed. But... knowing her, she probably got up anyway. Shimmer rolled her eyes and frowned as she pictured Sunset's usual proud stance; legs spread wide apart, high heel boots planted on the ground, arms crossed over her chest, shoulders tense, head held high, and that un-nerving cocky grin on her face. That was Sunset: Bad Bitch of Equestria , or at least, that's how the equine put it.
Shimmer could see her now, just looming over the table beside her, casting that arrogant air of hers. Oh how Shimmer hated it! She could feel her presence from damn near a mile away and whatever good mood she was in would immediately falter into a stormy one whenever she was near. The technically younger counterpart puffed out her cheeks as she went over her "sister's" course of actions had she been there that very moment.
"What's this piece of crap? Condensed ashes?" Sunset sneered and snatched the book off the table. Flipping the pages violently, her face progressively changed into a grimace, the hard frown lines creasing her otherwise unblemished skin. "Tsk!"
Without any amount of care, she tossed the more-than-likely-absolutely-wrecked tome on the table, letting it land with a loud thump. If Shimmer imagined just enough, she could see the book disappear into an unrecognizable blob; destroyed school property.
"I'm not reading that. Besides, I already did," Sunset said, and thus, she would proceed to spoil everything about the book. As she did for numerous amounts of books. Some being an entire series that Shimmer had been very excited to read since it was by her favorite author A.K. Yearling. The horse girl went and ruined the whole thing.
Shimmer groaned quietly as she quickly dispelled her momentary distraction. That girl always found a way to suck the joy out of everything. Her way of talking was terribly bothersome; a low, slightly husky voice with a malicious undertone that flowed with such sickening melody that it made her insides churn angrily. That wolfish grin that revealed rows of perfect white teeth that, had you not known her, fooled you into thinking she was nothing less than exceptional; a model student. Those deep, mysterious sea foam eyes that looked into your soul with such an intensity that you felt as though she could see right through you. All your good qualities, all your bad ones, and even your darkest secrets seemed to be apparent under her gaze.
Shimmer scratched her head vigorously. She should be working, not thinking. As she picked up her pencil, she glanced at the back of her hand, a long scratch on the back of it. Suddenly, her image of Sunset shifted and became the battered girl she saw last night. Immaculately flawless... everything became frazzled, bruised, ripped, weakened, and bloody. Her hair lost its luster and was matted with knots of dried blood by her forehead, a thick wrap of bandages around her head acting as a tight headband. Skin was peeling and flaking as scabs tried to form over once smooth skin. Her leather jacket had snags and long marks in it, giant black spots showed up on her legs from the freshly tarred road, her boots had scuffs in them that couldn't be erased from sight by a few layers of shoe polish. One of her arms was wrapped up from her shoulder to her hand. It was the arm she landed on, the one that got the worst of it; severe road rash.
The confidence she had just hours before the incident wasn't there. It was replaced by a tired, sad mood. Her usually bright eyes were dull and stormy, as though the turquoise waves began to crash against each other, aggravating her eyes, and causing its water in the form of tears to descend from the puffy, red windows. Sunset had cried in her arms last night. She had told her all of her guilt and musings, her troubled childhood, the constant struggle of life, and the uncertainty of what her future holds. She cried herself into a fitful sleep, shaking and shivering like a homeless stray trying to keep warm in the brutal months of winter's reign. And all throughout it, Shimmer was there, muttering small words of assurance as the night grew later and later. Only realizing at that moment who Sunset really was.
Sunset wasn't the cold stereotype she just imagined moments before; she was different. She had reasons for her actions, she didn't do things just because it was a rude thing to do. There was a story behind her domineering stance. There was a cause for her attitude. There was a meaningful tune to her melodic voice; Shimmer just only heard the main strain, something odd and displeasing, until it was accompanied by a full orchestra. The end result was a beautiful symphony full of raw emotion that flowed bittersweetly from the lips of its composer with heavy crescendos, tremolandos, key changes, changing time signatures, and frantic staccatos... resting into an unsteady pianissimo full of suspense and unease.
There was so much more depth to her than she ever knew. And for once, she could truly understand herself , quite literally.
"...Shimmer?"
The said girl snapped back into reality when she saw a hand wave very close to her face. "Huh? Wha?" she glanced up to see Twilight and Stella Luna looking very worried.
"Shimmer, are you ok? We've been trying to talk to you for a while now," Twilight nearly whispered. She placed a hand on her shoulder, making the other realize how tense she was.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Shimmer replied. "I just started... daydreaming."
Twilight looked at her skeptically but Stella Luna didn't seem to pick up on her slight, continuous distraction. "So... Shimmer, I was asking if you, um, still wanted to go out on Saturday? To the movies? I know it'll be the first official day of Spring Break, but it'll be fun."
Shimmer opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. Something about spending the day with her crush... suddenly didn't seem as romantic as it had only a few days before. With the deep reflecting she had just done, her thoughts kept drifting back to Sunset. She owed her big time. The least she could do is take care of her during the Spring Break.
"Sorry, but I have something important to do over break. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, it just came up... unexpectedly."
Stella nodded with understanding as the bell rang. "Well, my proposal still stands. Maybe we can go another time. See ya around."
Twilight and Shimmer waved at the older girl as she left, one of them with more vigor than the other. Absentmindedly, the sun god's daughter stood up and gathered her things and left without a word, leaving Twilight to eye her silently, the change in attitude not lost on her.
Author's Note
*No fear Shakespeare is a legit website. It can be a great help to those going through their Shakespeare unit in class.
Hey, guys. I'm really sorry. This chapter is way too short for the amount of time that's passed. College and high school are really kicking my butt. To tell you the truth I probably wouldn't have updated this until ~~December~~ January of next year. I have too many concerts and school work I need to do at the moment.
It has been brought to my attention that there is an inconsistency in the story pertaining to Sunset's father. It has been fixed. If you're curious as to what the problem was you can look at this blog . I'm not sure if it'll be used for plot progression; it's really mostly backstory but I have ideas floating in my head saying otherwise.
Again, I'm sorry for taking a long time to update and that I gave you such a puny chapter. I hope I didn't lose any readers. Until next time!
You Can't Help Who You Love
Author's Note
Happy belated Halloween
Ugh, sorry you all. School is no joke and performances are once every week now. I missed a lot on here. I know this weak chapter won't make up for all the lost time but I'm going to try and update more. I've just lost a lot of steam as everything began to pile up. If there's any inconsistencies in the plot, let me know. It's been a while.
Phone Call
Sunset sat stiffly on her kitchen stool carefully sipping hot coffee and sighed a tired sigh. With an arm heavily bandaged and the constant throb in her head, everything in her body ran slower than she would have liked. Doing small mundane things like making coffee took its toll. She sighed again after taking one last gulp of the beverage and set the cup down. Her weak hands flexed to ease the trembling muscles.
Sunset had woken up curled under a blanket on the couch that morning, and had the worst experience in her life. She felt like she had been hit by a train multiple times and left on the tracks. She was physically and mentally exhausted. At first, Sunset didn't remember falling asleep on the couch. She had been in bed before then. But as the memories of last night came back she felt herself stuck in a predicament she didn't want to be in. She had told someone things she never wanted to tell anyone, because speaking about it only brought back horrible memories. And the worst part about it is that she told herself .
She groaned quietly and glanced at her phone on the counter. So far, there were no texts from anyone. She had kind of expected a message to pop up from Shimmer about last night, but surprisingly there was nothing. Maybe she had scared her away. Sunset chuckled and shakily raised her mug to her lips, but as she swallowed the coffee and strained to put it back down, she paused. Something about that thought made her frown. She really hoped she hadn't. As much as she hated to admit, it was tiring being alone and there wasn't much she could get done in her current condition.
Carefully sliding off the stool, Sunset walked over to the couch and sat down slowly. Running a hand over her neck, she worked out the knot at the nape and messaged the sore skin. Sunset grimaced and cursed her bad fortune. She knew she had taken some damage, but this was painful. She growled in irritation. Performing normal activities put a lot of strain on her body. This wasn't exactly how she wanted to spend her Spring Break. For the good part of a week or so, she was doomed to lay around her apartment with nothing to do or anyone to talk to. Sunset sighed. It wasn't like she had plans in the first place, it was just the fact that the freedom she had to change her mind and go out on the fly was no longer an option. Something about losing freedom made her feel even worse.
"Dammit! If only I had my magic..." Sunset hissed as she rubbed a particularly sore area and gave up. "Stupid humans and their non-magical world!"
Bzzz! Bzzz!
Sunset glared at the phone that hummed on the counter. She watched it rattle on the laminate surface, moving away from its original spot slowly.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
She groaned. Sunset had just sat down and everything... Begrudgingly, she got up, waddled over to the counter, and snatched her phone up.
"What do you want?" she grumbled.
A familiar voice answered her back,"I call to check up on you and this is how you answer me?" 'What do you want?'"
Sunset rolled her eyes and snorted, "Oh hey, Shimmer."
"Don't you 'oh hey' me. Do you even check the caller ID before you pick up?"
Sunset smiled. Shimmer was so sassy. "Eh, maybe. Maybe not. What're you calling about?"
There was a pause on the other end. Sunset's smile quickly disappeared as she waited for her response. She crossed her fingers in hope that she wouldn't recall the events from the night before. Showing vulnerability to others was not something she was ok with. There was no way she would ever speak of it.
"Um, hey, Sunset? About las--"
"NO."
"...What?"
"No. Let's not talk about that..." Sunset sighed heavily. Crossing your fingers never worked, anyway.
"...Well, ok...I'll be dropping by afterschool so, um...Just so you know," Shimmer ended awkwardly.
"Alright."
"...bye..."
Sunset listened to the soft white noise of her phone as Shimmer hesitated. Of course. She should have expected this. All the silly pauses and hesitant speech. Her tragic backstory has scared her away. Sunset waited a few seconds before biting her lip. She could hear the chatter of teens on the other end of the call and the familiar click of heels, but Shimmer was still on the other end saying nothing. Maybe Shimmer was waiting for her to say something that could break the sudden awkwardness or maybe she herself was thinking of something to say. Either way, it looked like it consequentially became a guessing game of who'll hang up first.
"Hey, Shimmer...I just want to say..." Sunset let out a tired sigh before she continued. "Thank you...I know you're worried but I'll be fine over break. You don't have to come over. Road rash and a few cuts isn't a big deal."
"But your head!" Shimmer shouted suddenly. Startled, Sunset moved the phone from her ear. Her doppleganger paused before clearing her throat, no doubt embarrassed by the outburst.
"Your head," she said more evenly," When we fell, you hit your head. There was blood."
"I'm not bleeding now so--"
"B-But what if it starts again? Then you'd need someone to check on you ."
"I don't think it's going to randomly decide to gush red just to spite me, Shimmer. Really, I'll be fine."
"No...I'm coming to see you afterschool. Now rest. Don't do anything stupid ." And with that she hung up.
Sunset frowned at her phone. That Shimmer. One moment she was herself, the next awkward and timid, and finally she became a motherly figure. She shook her head. Only to grimace from the resulting lightheadedness and feeling of nausea. Her doppleganger must have some kind of personality disorder.
Sunset turned toward the hall and slowly made her way to her room. She got under the covers of her bed and placed a hand over her pounding forehead. Shimmer was right about needing rest. Sleeping on the couch wasn't exactly very comfortable and left her feeling more battered than she should have felt. Sunset rolled on her side and wrapped herself in a cocoon of blankets. Within a matter of minutes, Sunset felt her eyelids lower, heavy with the need for sleep. As she slipped into a deep slumber, a small smile crossed her lips.
That girl...what would I do without her?
You Can't Help Who You Love
Shimmer ended the call and sighed. She put her phone in her pocket and hooked her thumb around one of the belt loops of her pants. She didn't know why she got so nervous calling her. It wasn't like Sunset was a stranger or anything; they were... friends(?). As much as her counterpart liked to bother her, she couldn't deny their friendship. That is, if you can call constant arguing, death glares, smirking; who-is-better competitions (hosted by Twilight), forced interactions (also hosted by Twilight); cursing, and low key sabotage; a friendship.
Shimmer blew a piece of hair away from her face before tucking it behind her ear. While that was what they did seventy five perce-- no, eighty, no...
...
A good 99.9% of the time . While that was what they did 99.9% of the time , there were moments that weren't so hectic and backstabby. Sunset could be kind and gentle when she wanted to. Problem was, she didn't want to be that way a lot of the time. Shimmer growled under her breath and muttered.
"You'd think someone would be nice to themselves rather than be mean, but no. That's just how she operates."
She sighed and face palmed, feeling her temple pulse. Why did I even tell her I'd come over? Ugh, it's like I'm asking for hell...
She glanced down the hall through her parted fingers. "Well...she did save me. And her head injury; I could never leave her without knowing if she'd be ok..."
Shimmer groaned. "Something tells me that this isn't going to be a simple trip..."
Just then, the PA system dings and Principal Evermint's voice echoes through the halls from the speakers at each end of the hall.
"Sunset Shimmer, please report to the main office. Sunset Shimmer, to the main office."
"...Huh?"
Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow in curiosity before changing course, walking in slow, hesitant steps to her new destination. The office? What does the principal need from me? She gently scratched her head and glanced at the bandages around her hand.
Ah, maybe he wants to know how I'm doing after the car incident. I wouldn't be surprised that the news spread to him. I have been getting questions from my classmates about it and even a 'get-well-soon' card. It did happen close to the school so...
Shimmer shoved her hands into the pockets of the borrowed hoodie and continued on her way. As soon as she walked into the office, she was greeted by the secretary who looked up from her work with a look of concern.
"Hello, dear. How are you feeling? I heard about that awful incident. Is your sister doing well?"
Shimmer scratched the back of her head. "Um, I'm ok. My... sister's recovering at home."
The secretary gave her a small relieved smile. "Please tell her I hope she feels better. Your father and Mr. Evermint will be out of the principal's office soon."
"My dad's here?"
"Yes," said the lady as she pushed up her crescent moon spectacles, "I believe he's going to pick you up early today. I'm surprised you came to school today. You should have rested at home with Shimmer."
The fiery headed girl blinked before responding. "Oh, I'm not Sunset. I'm--"
"Shimmer!"
Both the nurse and said person turned to the door leading into Mr. Evermint's office and found a tall man with dark red hair rushing out to meet her. She could already tell from the way his lips quivered that he had a barrage of questions.
"My little girl, are you alright? How are you feeling? Did you eat and drink plenty of water? You should've called me this--"
"Dad, I'm ok."
"--morning. Why did you come to school? Darling, you should have rested. Does that mean your friend's here with you? Where is she? Can I speak to her? I'd like to thank her in pers--"
"Dad!" Shimmer huffed in exasperation, stopping the man in his tracks. She rolled her eyes and smiled before she walked up to him for a gentle hug. "I'm ok. I did eat and drink some water. I'm sorry I didn't call this morning. I didn't know you'd be coming..."
Mr. Flare's tense shoulders dropped as he sighed loudly before placing a hand on her head and ruffling her red and gold hair. "Of course I'd come. I sent you a message; did you get it?"
Shimmer took out her phone and looked at the cracked screen. The connection flickered on and off.
Ah, my phone... it's still vey much damaged from last night. It was a miracle I was able to make that call just earlier.
"My phone's a little busted... I should've borrowed someone else's at least. Sorry..."
Mr. Flare sighed quietly before giving her a small scolding glance. "You better be sorry, young lady. I was pacing the floor all night. I'm glad I called the school to see if you came today."
Shimmer smiled sheepishly. Her father's sudden change in attitude, from genuine worry to gentle lecturing, made her feel guilty. Solar Flare prolonged his gaze before allowing it to soften and pulled his daughter into another hug. "Now let me just get a good look at you."
He pulled away from the tiny embrace and examined his daughter closely. Her slightly messy hair, eyebags, and tiny scratches along her cheeks and hands were the only visible signs of that night's hectic events. His eyes glanced down worriedly at her bandaged palms. Shimmer subconsciously hid them in the pockets of the old blue hoodie and reassured her father that the bruises were medicated and nothing serious. The red-haired man kissed his daughter on the forehead in relief and turned to the principal and secretary.
"We'll be going now. Thank you, Mr. Evermint, for the talk. I really needed someone to help calm me down."
"You're very welcome, Mr. Flare. I completely understand how you feel. If anything happened to my children I'd be just as shaken up by it."
Shimmer and her father said their farewells and the school staff sung their wishes of good health. As Shimmer and Solar Flare headed out the main office door, the secretary called out one last time.
"Please rest up, Sunset, and don't come back until you and your sister are well. I hope your daughters will recover soon, Mr. Flare."
Shimmer's heart jumped into her throat as she turned around. Her father had stopped and peeked back into the office much to her horror. Oh my god...
"Daughters? I only have o--"
Before he could finish his sentence, the bacon-haired teen grabbed his jacket sleeve and blurted out," Haha ha! Thanks, we should get going..!"
She quickly escorted her old man out the school doors to their black car. Mr. Flare, stunned at the abrupt exit, cleared his throat. "I-Is there something wrong, darling? Don't move too fast; I don't want you to strain yourself."
"Everything's fine, dad," the teenager replied quickly, muttering under her breath shortly after," Absolutely peachy..."
When her father didn't move, she flashed a thumbs up before nervously rapping on the passenger side window. "C-C'mon, dad. Open the door..."
Mr. Flare stared at her quizzically, reaching into his pocket. "Alright, just give me a second," he mumbled as he pulled out his keys and unlocked the car doors.
The two of them got into the vehicle. As soon as her father started the car she turned on the radio, hoping it would delay any conversation. She hopped around the different stations until an old 80s rock tune cut through the white noise. Her father's eyes lit up as he began to hum along. "Ah, I loved this song when I was your age." The bacon-haired teen internally sighed a breath of relief when her old man took the bait. Her father began to sing as he gripped her headrest, looked out the back window, and put the car in reverse. It wasn't until they pulled out of the parking lot that the teenager let herself settle down a little.
Damn it, this isn't good; dad's here! I've distracted him for now so I have a little time to prepare myself, but if he asks about Sunset...
Shimmer looked out the window and frowned with worry. She hadn't predicted her father would pick her up. She assumed that she'd take the bus to Pointeville High, go to class, and return to Sunset's by the same mode of transportation. But this wasn't just any other day, was it. Glancing down at her hands, she bit the inside of her mouth in annoyance. It was all she could do to stop a fierce eye roll and slap to the forehead.
Idiot.
She had just got involved in a hit-and-run yesterday! How could she have forgotten that she had parents who were halfway scared to death? She scrunched her brow in self-loathing. She had gotten too caught up in her own head space to even recall that.
Sunset's human counterpart looked to the man beside her. There was no way she would get out of having to talk about the incident. She knew her parents; they were the worrying type, and when they worry they ask questions. Too many questions. The bacon-haired teen glanced at the passing cityscape. Sunset was no doubt going to come up. And something told her he wouldn't stop at asking how she was doing.
Think quick, think quick!
Before she knew it, the song on the radio had ended and he took a deep breath; a tell-tale sign that he was preparing for a serious conversation. The human girl bit her lip and braced herself.
"Shimmer..." he began shakily," I'm very, very grateful that you're ok. Your mother and I were so scared! If it weren't for the car breaking down I would have gotten you immediately. I'm so glad your friend was able to let you stay over last night."
"...Yup. Me too..."
Solar Flare took his eyes off the road and glanced at his daughter. "How is she? Is she hurt badly? I know her parents must have been so shaken to see her after that incident... and having you over as well! Must've given them a fright..."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched her father give her his undivided attention. Shimmer sucked in her bottom lip and inhaled sharply. She really wished she could get around this conversation somehow.
"Sunse-- She's in need of rest right now. She hit her head and all that..." Shimmer faltered near the end of her sentence and winced as she felt her father tense up.
He raised his voice in alarm, "She hit her head? That's horrible!"
"Dad, it's ok!" Shimmer put her hands out in an insistent manner. "She got treated and everything! It was probably nothing more than a minor concussion or... something like that. But trust me; she's totally fine. A-Ok."
The girl flashed what was her second thumbs up of the day and hoped it didn't make her story seem phony. Which it did. The look on her father's face was enough to tell her that he was doubtful.
"Suns-- Sunrise Shine just needs a few days rest. And with Spring Break starting Saturday, she'll have enough time to recover."
Mr. Flare nodded thoughtfully and focused on the road. "Well alright. I'm relieved she'll have time." He exhaled noisily through his nose, tension finally leaving his body.
Shimmer felt herself relax a little. She felt like she had successfully dodged a bullet. Hopefully that's the end of it. Thank goodness... Now I have to contact Sunset. I don't think I'll be able to meet her today.
The human girl took out her phone and grimaced. Normally, a measly text took little to no concentration, but between the cracked screen and her disdain with having to rescind her previous engagement, the level of effort quadrupled. If only it were a normal day... With a tentative tap of a button, she turned on her cell. The action, unbeknownst to the sophomore, grabbed the attention of her father, whose eyes widened in recollection.
"That reminds me. Officer Armor got in touch with me today. He said he was the policeman who helped you last night."
Shimmer replied with a grunt, not paying him any mind. She moodily squinted at her phone as she scrolled through her texts, far too distracted by her new objective.
"He called to make sure you came home safely. I let him know that you were with your friend and that I'd come get you. After, he said you 'ran out of his car while it was in motion'..."
Peering over his glasses, he found his daughter absorbed in her task, which comprised of angrily pressing her thumbs over an unresponsive screen.
Mr. Flare cleared his throat and continued. Something told him he'd have to discipline her about that later. "Well, anyhow, your mother and I were so grateful to him for his help, we decided to invite him over for dinner."
Shimmer's disgruntled fumbling ceased for only a moment as she paused to think about her father's words. Dinner..?
Seconds later, the glitch she was working through cleared up.
"Sounds great," she said enthusiatically, grinning when her phone decided to cooperate with her. Awesome. On to the message...
The red head man smiled at the dimensional twin's satisfaction. He nodded and continued on with his news, misinterpreting her agreeability.
"I'm glad you agree but it won't be tonight. We were thinking of asking if Ms. Shine and her parents would like to come!"
Never had she ever whipped her head up so fast. The blood in Shimmer's cheeks ran cold as she stared at the older man.
...What?
"We didn't want to schedule it right away since she's in need of recovery but we'd really love it if they came. It'd be a nice supper with all of us. Your mother and I are indebted to them; it's the least we can do to show our thanks."
Shimmer's mind raced. A dinner with Sunset and her family. There was no way this was happening.
It can't be!
An event like that could not, should not, and above all else, will not occur. What would happen if her parents found out about Sunset? How would she explain that she has an interdimensional, magic-wielding pony creature doppleganger? And from what she could gleam from last night's conversation, there were definitely way more inconsistencies in their lives than she thought. The young goddess of the evening sky panicked. She herself didn't even know what her look-alike really was , much less the reason why the alien was there!
Shimmer cursed herself. She was so focused on getting Sunset out of her life that by the time she accepted her (barely), she asked no questions. All she had to go off of were Twilight's theories. Only some of which were proven. Shimmer just knew that Sunset came from magic pony land, acquired 'the crown', fought a princess version of her friend, and somewhere in the midst of that, a magic beam and rainbow helix blast blew up CHS' facade and lawn.
Oh, and that Sunset was a total bitch.
NONE OF THAT WOULD SUFFICE AS REASONABLE THINGS TO TELL HER PARENTS.
"Oh," Solar Flare said, cutting through her thoughts. "Since you're on your phone, do you mind giving her a call?"
[Insert Internal Screams Here]
Shimmer picked up her cellular device and cringed as she slowly looked up her contact. "You know, she might be resting right now. Wouldn't want to interrupt her recovery, right?"
"Leaving a voicemail should be ok then."
[Insert Internal Screams Here]
"We're going to need to get you another phone, by the way," the tall, dark man added in thought.
The teenager pressed the call button and prayed to every god, deity, demi-god, and spiritual being that she could name. Please, please, please! DO NOT PICK UP!
Brrrrr... brrrr... brr-- "What do you want."
Shimmer almost shit her pants.
"S-Sunrise Shine! Haha ha! How are you doing? Pretty rough dealing with a head injury, eh?"
Mr. Flare mouthed to his daughter to put it on speaker. She reluctantly pressed the button. Unfortunately, that decision allowed Sunset's next response to blast loudly in the vehicle.
"Yeah, it fucking is, and it ain't getting better listening to you shout in my ear. And what's with the 'Sunrise Shine' business?"
Captain Flare's terrestrial version frowned in disapproval. "Uh, hello, Ms. Shine. This is Sunset Shimmer's father. I hope we're not interrupting anything."
The sound of banging and ruffling could be heard on the other side of the call.
"O-Oh! Mr. Flare, hello! Um, excuse me for my... brash language. I don't normally speak to your daughter that way, I swear."
A thin line made its way across the sophomore's lips.
"Ok, well, we were calling to ask if you and your parents wouldn't mind having dinner with us, maybe some time next week? It can really be any time you feel comfortable with. Officer Armor, who was there at the scene, would be there as well. My wife and I just wanted to gather a little get-together as a thank you for all you've done to save my little girl. Really, we can't thank you enough, young lady."
The line was quiet and the atmosphere grew tense (from the perspective of Shimmer). She pressed her palms together in anticipation. All of this will be avoided and derailed with a simple, one-word response. She just needed to contain her relief when it happened. Of course, she felt bad for her mom and dad since they came up with the idea and seemed to want to put it into effect, but somethings just had to fall through. And this was one of them.
The car pulled up into the driveway of her residence. Mr. Flare parked the car and waited with his daughter for a reply, a small sparkle of hope in his eyes. After a while, a small crackle picked up on Sunset's end and a voice spoke.
"Yes, I would love to attend. Next week should be fine."
[insert internal screams here]
Author's Note
Wow, I had to go back and read my own story to make sure I didn't make a plot inconsistency. A lot. That's what happens when you pull back from the writing game and sit back with the readers. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ~~It's my longest one to date.~~ Seventh longest to date (thank you Sciz for fact checking
If my story gets featured, let me know. That'll mean I still got it! Thanks for hanging around. Hope to see you all for the next chapter.
