A Starlit Sunset

Sunset’s new mother stopped the magic that was surrounding Sunset and took a deep breath.

Sunset pounded on the window, and cried harder. Her sister was all alone in that orphanage, her worst fear.

“Calm down, Sunset Shimmer!” The stallion said, calmly, but a bit sternly.

“Don’t call me that!” Sunset yelled at him.

“Everything alright back there?” The taxi driver said.

“Perfect…” The mare put on a fake smile and then looked back at Sunset.

This orphanage that Starlight was left all alone in was no ordinary orphanage. When you leave, obviously, you can’t come back. Not only that, but you don’t remember anything. Sunset will forget her sister, slowly, but surely. It also affects the pony left there, if another relative gets adopted. They don’t remember. The ponies do know that something bad happened, but they didn’t know what, and they had very little memory on that fact. This spell was cast by the head mare of the orphanage. She hated seeing ponies in fear, or trauma, so she did something about it. When she made the orphanage, she cast an invisible spell, surrounding it. Anyone who went in, couldn’t come out unless they were adopted, or are adopting, and whoever goes out, can’t come back in. The mare found this very pleasing, and more relaxing for her. Even though it takes time, it’s worth it. But she didn’t realize the consequences.

They arrived back at their home-Sunset’s new home. The stallion and mare led her up to her new room, in which Sunset slammed and locked. She also put a protection spell over it, so no one could enter or leave, except her.

The two new parents stood at the doorway, their face practically in the door as Sunset slammed it.

The mare sighed. “What are we going to do?”

“She has to come out at some point.” The stallion reassured her.

But his assumption was incorrect. Sunset never left her room. She hardly ate or drank anything. She would sneak out on her own a lot to go to Princess Celestia’s teachings, and even then, she hardly did anything.

Celestia constantly asked what was bugging Sunset, but all she did was shake her head. Celestia worried every time she saw her student. Every week, Sunset seemed a bit thinner, dirtier, smellier, and sadder.

“Come on, child. Tell me what’s wrong.” Celestia said with deep sympathy on Sunset’s third month of teachings. However, Celestia knew what was bothering Sunset. She just wanted the filly to explain to her to help her feel better.

Sunset just sighed. This was the first time Celestia had heard even a part of Sunset’s voice in 2 months. Seeing Sunset every week made Celestia’s heart melt more than it already was.

Coming up was the nine hundredth and seventy-eight anniversary of when Celestia had banished her sister, Luna, or known at that time, Nightmare Moon. Every anniversary, every day, month, hour, was harder for Celestia. But, seeing Sunset sad as well, made Celestia even more upset. Celestia, however, knew why Sunset was upset, even though she never showed it. She tried to stop the head mare from casting the spell on the orphanage, and Celestia was much like Sunset, in the sense that both of them lost their younger sister. But being the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia had much knowledge, and knew that the both of them would get their sisters back, in time.

As Sunset grew older, she began to take her wish to be just like Princess Celestia to a whole new level. She wanted to learn advanced magic, darker magic. Celestia refused to let her know such things, and kept to the speed that all other young unicorns learned at.

When Sunset left the orphanage, Starlight felt forever alone. Like she would never find someone she loved as she loved Sunset. She felt herself crippling. She wouldn’t eat anything, only drink. Other than water, the only thing she drank was Apple Juice, Sunset’s favorite. She only felt closer to Sunset when sleeping in her bed, drinking apple juice, or looking at the one picture she kept.

This picture was of Starlight the day after she was born, when Sunset first met her. Sunset’s magical horn twinkled in the reflection of Starlight’s bright blue eyes. Her proud mother and father stood by them closely, loving on them as they said “Hello” to each other for the first time.

Starlight couldn’t help but smile at this photo, but like any other, she also cried. She cried from the sorrows of Sunset no longer being at her side. She cried and whimpered that her mother and father were gone. She had no one by her side, no one but herself.

Starlight became her own enemy. After only 6 months of Sunset being gone, Starlight began feeling guiltier, that it was her fault that Sunset was gone. Every day, Starlight would yell and scream at herself. “IT’S YOUR FAULT SHE’S GONE! YOU MONSTER! YOU FOOL! YOU DID THIS!”

Starlight became her own arch enemy, and every day when she saw herself in the mirror, she screamed. She began learning magic after about a month of this anger, and she used this magic in ways that no one ever thought. She tried teleporting Sunset to her, she even tried teleporting herself to Sunset, but she couldn’t. Since the orphanage was protected with a protection spell, no one can get out, or in without being adopted, or up for adoption.

This consequence began to darken Starlight’s soul. Every night she had nightmares that Sunset would never be at her side again, that she would become a monster, and murder Sunset, or her loved ones. She feared that she might even take her own life.

No matter how much pain it caused, she didn’t even leave her room. She wouldn’t welcome any visitors, even if it meant she wouldn’t be adopted. She only saw a pony when they brought her food, or water, or even apple juice. Even then as time went by, she began refusing the juice, whether it kept her happy or not. Nothing changed as Starlight grew older.