Chapters Choose Your Words Carefully
The glare of the sun dissipated over the horizon, slowly shrouding the world in a dark blanked, pierced only by the light of the moon coming up over the opposite crest. It was a stunning sight. Yet it resembled something greater. Something close to home. It resembled love.
Sunset Shimmer gazed out into the stellar light show, sitting on the edge of a hill. And of course, Twilight was on her mind.
Twilight Sparkle. She made the term "go gay for a friend" literal in Sunset's eyes. Before she was reformed, if you could even call it that, never before had she even considered liking another girl in that way. Especially after the pleasurable experiences she had with Flash.
Perhaps that was it.
Dating Flash Sentry was a reminder of her past life. It was a burden she had to carry, and she did not want to carry it. But that could not have been the only reason she started liking Twilight. That would be cold and selfish.
Twilight had welcomed her in. She had seen the best of her. Twilight had been her first... friend. There was a special bond between them. The bond was present between all of her friends, but with Twilight, it was stronger. And over time, it just became stronger. Until it soon evolved into something more than friendship. It wasn't long until Sunset Shimmer realized that she loved Twilight Sparkle.
The revelation had come to Sunset while she was sitting in the lunchroom one day, picking at her food while some idiot snicked at her and "accidentally" bumped into her. It was very shortly after her change and she was constantly looking back at it in a mixture of awe, sadness, and guilt. It was that day that she realized exactly what part of the memory triggered the "awe" sense.
Shortly thereafter, she was filled with a sense of sorrow. Twilight would never like her in that way, for one, because everyone knew she had a major crush on Flash Sentry. Two, Twilight obviously was not homosexual. Also, Twilight probably wouldn't come back, and if she did, it wouldn't be for a long time.
But she did come back. And Sunset was overjoyed. She almost told her that first night, when the two had stayed up at Pinkie's house, but she couldn't gain the moral strength to do so. Then after the Battle of The Bands, she felt closer than ever to Twilight. And then she left again, with Sunset unable to get the courage to tell her how she felt.
Sunset spent the next few months crying whenever nobody was around, and hugging a stuffed purple unicorn that she had purchased at Build-A-Bear, a poor substitute for a living, breathing person.
Then she surprised everyone including Sunset, arriving here on vacation, just two short months from Christmas. Twilight had told them all it was close to Hearth's Warming Eve, and she needed a slight break from routine. "Just feeling a little overwhelmed," was the reason she gave Applejack when she suddenly stepped out of the portal. Twilight was back, and Sunset was ready to finally tell her. The only question, was how to do it.
And even to that, Sunset had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to do.
The next morning, Sunset Shimmer stepped into school with a slight spring in her step, a bouquet of fresh flowers from "The Lucky Rose" in her left hand, ready to give to Twilight.
Sure, she got a few strange glances walking down the halls, but that didn't matter. Soon, Twilight and her would be girlfriends, and everything would be happy.
Sunset had a whole speech ready in her head, ready to say to Twilight. The fiery teen giggled lightly as she dubbed her speech "Rainbow Dash Awesome" and smiled gleefully. No, nothing could get her down today.
The flowers were placed gently in her locker, ready for third period where she knew Twilight would be outside with the rest of the girls, watching Rainbow practice soccer during their free period.
The first two periods went by quickly, with Sunset incredibly anxious and feverishly glancing at the clock. Finally third period came, and as custom, the seven of them went out back to the soccer fields. That was the long part.
The our seemed to take forever to pass by for Sunset. Constantly checking her phone to see that only two minutes had passed since she had last checked. But eventually, third period began to end, and Sunset excused herself to her locker.
Quickly grabbing her flowers, and heading back to the field, Sunset exited the building and walked around the corner, only to quickly hide behind it again.
Someone had beaten her to Twilight.
"Hey, um, Twi?"
Rainbow spoke hesitantly, not sure of whether she should lead into it, or just pop the question.
"What is it Rainbow?" replied Twilight Sparkle cheerfully. She turned to face her friend, completely oblivious to the blush beginning to creep over the other girl's face.
The rainbow haired girl nervously kicked her soccer ball up to her hands and began to fiddle with it nervously. "I, um... do you want to maybe... go on a date? Sometime?" she asked, looking anywhere but Twilight.
"Oh Rainbow," said Twilight smiling softly. "I would love to." The other girl's eyes darted up, and a gleeful smile spread across her face. "But I can't." The smile vanished.
Sunset Shimmer stood behind the corner of the gym, peeking out, one hand gripping the wall corner, the other clutching her bouquet of red, orange, and lavender flowers.
She had been crushed and heart broken when Twilight had almost agreed, but now, even though she felt bad for Dash, she couldn't help felt a surge of relief at her princess turning the athlete down..
"Your pony version beat you to the chase."
And with that line, Sunset's heart was broken one more, dangling in tatters held up by frayed heartstrings. Twilight couldn't date human Rainbow Dash because pony Rainbow Dash was dating her. Which meant that she couldn't date Sunset either. The poor girl's crush was taken. The fiery girl turned and began to walk away, dropping the bouquet as she went.
As Twilight and Rainbow parted ways, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. That was a close one. Before she had left for this vacation, Cadence had come up with a plan in case any of her friends in the human world was interested in a romantic relationship.
"Just let them down by telling them you're dating the pony alternate," Cadence had said.
"What if Sunset Shimmer asks me?" Twilight had asked.
Cadence just smirked slyly and said, "She is the pony version."
An incredibly cryptic answer on love from the Princess of Love. In the end, Cadence eventually just told her to improvise. And also seemed to push the fact that a relationship between the two wouldn't be as strange since there was only one known Sunset Shimmer.
Suddenly, she felt something crunch under her foot. Looking down, Twilight saw that she had accidentally stepped on a bouquet of extremely beautiful flowers. Twilight picked them up, and looked them over. They were the same flowers that she had seen Sunset mysteriously slip into her locker earlier this morning. Twilight had thought someone had given them to her, because from a distance, they sorted to match her hair. But up close, she noticed specs of purple as well.
Twilight's color of purple.
By the time lunch had ruled around, all of Twilight's friends had heard of what had happened between Twilight and Dash. The six girls, only Twilight was missing, sat at the table, trying to console a Rainbow Dash who didn't want it nor need it.
"I'm fine, girls!" cried Dash for the umpteenth time. "Besides, now I can have the resolution of knowing that pony me is just as awesome at asking people out as me!"
"Maybe if yer real nice and ask Twi, she'll let ya' in on a threesome!" said Applejack. "Then you get to experience just how awesome ya' are at-"
"Applejack, don't be so uncouth," interjected Rarity. "It isn't becoming of a lady to freely discuss such... taboo matters."
"Taboo matters- Rarity, don't be such a killjoy," groaned Rainbow Dash.
Sunset was silent this whole time, trying desperately to hold back the flow of tears while picking at her salad. She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to just go home. And not to her human world home.
She wanted to go home to Equestria. She wanted to be somewhere where she could at least be near Twilight as a friend, instead of having to be stuck here, only seeing the girl in short periods with months in between. Maybe she could even find a way to live with her, as a room mate or something.
She was jogged out of her thoughts by Rarity clearing her throat loudly in her ear. "What?" snapped Sunset Shimmer, glaring at the fashonista.
A little taken aback by Sunset's rudeness, Rarity only gestured to someone behind her. Turning around, the fiery teen came face-to-skirt with Twilight Sparkle.
Blushing lightly and backing up, Sunset fought harder to hold back her tears as she looked to see what Twilight had to say.
"I- I'm going to head home now," said Twilight, looking around at the group, her eyes lingering on Sunset for a bit longer, an action that went unnoticed, much to the princess' relief.
"You're leaving already?" asked Fluttershy. "But you only got here a few days ago."
"Yea, I'm sorry girls, it's just that, I- I'm feeling a little homesick." The group accepted the excuse with little thought, and sought to say their goodbyes. Turning to Dash, Twilight added, "I'm sorry again, Rainbow."
The rainbow haired girl waved a hand at Twilight. "I told you already Twi, don't beat yourself up over it! Two of me would be two much for you to handle all the time anyways." It took all of Sunset's willpower not to clap Rainbow across the face. "Say though, there is an idea I had..."
The group wandered off with Twilight, heading towards the front of the building, and in turn, the portal to see Twilight off. Sunset Shimmer was the only one who stayed behind, finally letting a tear slip out and slide down her cheek.
Author's Note
All of my TwiDash fans will be so disappointing.
Twidashforever said: No! No! Bad! Rainbow is not amused at you trying to steal her wafu.
OH WELL!
The rest of her friends asked Sunset why she didn't go say goodbye to Twilight. Sunset couldn't answer. She could tell that they were all worried about her. She hadn't really said anything since that morning. Sunset just sighed at their questioning and left, exiting the school and heading toward her home. She didn't bother telling anyone, for she wouldn't be going to back there anyways.
Her plan to go back to Equestria and live in Ponyville had developed into a more stable concept, and she had finally decided to follow her heart and go home. Her real home. As long as she could spend more time with Twilight.
The walk home felt longer than usual, and a brisk chill blew through the air. It was exceptionally cool for a mid-April day. Gradually, the atmosphere shifted from a quaint, suburban district into a more urban area. Buildings towered over the teenager as she walked towards an older, brick building.
Sunset rounded a corner into an alley, and climbed up a fire escape to the top. Then, crawling carefully through a shattered window, she entered the old, abandoned attic of the building.
It was dark and dingy, the little lighting provided from the boarded-up windows slowly starting to fade out as the sun descended in the sky. Dust and other particles floated around and coated the surfaces of things Sunset barely used anymore, a few old textbooks, a radio that no longer worked. The musty wood provided a damp smell that Sunset had some to enjoy and appreciate over time, similar to that of a fermented wine.
Having arrived in the human world with nothing but the clothes the mirror had been courteous enough to provide her with, Sunset obviously couldn't afford a proper home. But the attic was cozy enough; over time, the fiery young teen had accumulated a old, weathered couch a table with a few chairs. She had even managed to snag a television that she jury-rigged up to the buildings TV satellite.
Looking around her four-year-old home, Sunset tried to decide what was worth keeping and bringing to Equestria. Her crowns were immediately out of the question. She was still surprised that she hadn't gotten rid of them yet. Grabbing the tattered blanket she slept with, she placed her spare clothes, a couple of bits she had with her, and Solar, a stuffed orange pegasus that Sunset had been given by Celestia as a foal, on top of it. Turning to the table, her gaze softened and she held up a framed photo of the seven of them hugging from after they defeated the Dazzlings. She placed that too in the blanket.
Thinking intuitively, Sunset also grabbed her iPod, charger, and ripped a power outlet out of the wall, promising to find a way to power it with magic or something. If not anything else, at least she could listen to the music until it eventually died.
Finally assuring herself that she needed nothing else, she waited until nightfall and headed out, giving her Human home one last, farewell glance. And then she left.
The brisk air nipped at her face as she approached Canterlot High's gates for the last time. Sunset paused, and then headed for the statue that represented the gateway between equine and human worlds. Placing her hand on the surface to make sure it was open, (or, in this case, through the surface), she gave one last look at the world, before stepping through.
Sunset Shimmer found herself flying through a dizzying, apparently endless expanse of colors, repeatedly flashing or growing brighter, causing a sense of nausea to form in the pit of her stomach. Yet, almost as soon as it began, the light show faded away, and Sunset fell out of the void, into a blurry room.
Confused and nauseated, the former human stumbled out of the mirror, attempting to walk on her two hind legs, which obviously didn't turn out too well. With a grunt, she fell forward, plopping onto her stomach. Groaning, she rubbed her head and made to get up.
At first, she could have sworn that she was back in the Crystal Empire; the room was clearly made of it, and gave off that faint shimmer that Equestrian crystal normally did. But the view out the window didn't fit the scene. Outside, Sunset could see a quaint little town, bustling with midday life, and an orchard of some sort, expanding into the hills off to the distance. Certainly no place for the Crystal Castle to be... or for that matter, ANY castle to be.
The newly human-turned-pony heard a noise off to her side, almost a humming of some sort. Still quite disoriented from her trip, Sunset turned, and saw a small purple figure placing books away in one of the many tall bookshelves lining the room's walls.
Groaning again, Sunset Shimmer stumbled towards the figure, until she was a few hooves away. "Twilight?" she mumbled.
The purple blob jumped, and turned around. Then, it screamed.
Planing her hoof against her ear, Sunset jerked away from the offensive noise, again, groaning. "Ohhhhhhh..." she moaned.
A door banged open somewhere, and she heard Twilight's worried voice echoing, "Spike?!"
'Oh,' she thought. 'That must have been Spike...' Sunset's mind was a seemingly jumble of random thoughts, colliding together. "T-twilight?" she groaned again, this time, falling to the floor.
Her head. Oh my gosh her head. It was a cacophony of loud noises, the sheer volume of which felt as though it would begin to rip her skull apart at any minute.
Finally, it slowly faded away and the serene silence of unconsciousness slowly pulled Sunset away from reality.
Twilight Sparkle looked down on the golden and red pony below her, in a mixture if shock, awe, and plain surprise. Spike hovered behind her, uncertain as to what he should do. Both of them were at a loss. It was Twilight who finally spoke.
"Spike... I think that her body may be in shock. She may even have a light concussion." The lavender mare looked towards him. "I want to you to get a pillow and a blanket from my bed." Naturally, she decided to take charge of the situation; something she did best.
Spike hurried off per the princess' orders, and Twilight focused her attention back to Sunset. 'What in Equestria happened to you?' Her draconian assistant bustled back into the library, clutching a dark navy blanket and lavender pillow.
"Here, Twilight," he said as the alicorn took the items with her magic. She gently lifted Sunset's head and placed the pillow underneath, then proceeding to cover up her friend with the blanket. Caringly, Twilight tucked in the edges of the blanket around the unconscious mare, careful to avoid the unusual additions that the portal had seemed to provide her with.
"Is there anything else you need?" asked Spike, who was standing awkwardly in the doorway.
Twilight smiled up at the dragon softly. "No Spike, that should be all. You can head to bed if you like," she replied, effectively guessing her assistant's intentions. Spike left, leaving the lavender mare alone with an unconscious Sunset Shimmer.
She took this time to study the fiery mare's face. Twilight hadn't seen much of pony Sunset, and was intrigued to observer he in her Equine form.
Sunset Shimmer's flaming mane cascaded outward in a seemingly random flow around her where she lay, imitating the chaotic display that Twilight had come to associate with an actual flame. Her coat was a color that the alicorn could only begin to describe as a cross between orange and golden; she resolved to call it "Sunset Glow," as the coat itself seemed to shimmer in radiance. Sunset's peaceful, sleeping form seemed to emanate beauty, power, and peace all at once, causing Twilight to smile softly in awe down at the mare.
For some odd reason, the bouquet of flowers came to Twilight's mind. She gazed over to a table near the window where the vase housing the flowers sat.
Twilight Sparkle, contrary to common ideas, was not a complete idiot when it came to love. Growing up the the Princess of Love herself as a foal-sitter had that effect. Just because she was awkward in certain romantic situations, didn't mean that she was completely oblivious. It was obvious that Sunset had a crush on somepony, and that she had picked out flowers just for them. What was strange, however, was the choice in colors.
It was increasingly common for somepony in Equestria to choose colors to match the color of their mane to give to their special somepony. However, Sunset's bouquet was a mystery, because of the fact that it had red and orange in it, yet it also had those odd splotches of purple. What they meant, well, Twilight admitted she did not entirely know.
The mare before her let out a small groan, and shivered slightly, attempting to pull the blanket around her tighter. Smiling gently, Twilight extended a wing over the mare, laying it to rest on top of her, giggling as a smile of unknown gratitude and warmth flowed over Sunset Shimmers face. Twilight could almost feel the love radiating outwards from her, but that was nothing unusual.
When the Elements of Harmony are used on a being, they scorch the soul in such a pervasive invasion of that being that an eternal connection is made between the catalyst and the soul. And in the few seconds that this occurs, Twilight could see into the unaltered essence of that pony, being, or person. Of course, this did not become apparent within her first times using the elements. She had only noticed it more prominently with Sunset Shimmer.
Twilight couldn't deny that she had a deeper connection with Sunset. It was almost as if they were an old couple. Twilight could read Sunset. She could see deep into the other mare's thoughts. And that... that was something.
The lavender alicorn smiled, not because of any random instance, but instead because she was unconsciously beginning to place together the parts of the puzzle that was Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset slowly woke up to the comfortable warm feeling of a soft, cozy blanket draped over her. She smiled, shifting slightly to feel the covering's furry softness caress her entire body. Still completely unaware of her surroundings, Sunset rolled over, in the process accidentally knocking the blanket off of her.
She gazed at the fleece through half-lidded eyes, wondering how she could still feel its softness if she had knocked it away. The thought process proved too much for Sunset's still sleeping mind, and she gave up, instead pulling the blanket still on her closer to wrap around her body.
That's when her new blanket let out a yelp.
The unicorn's eyes shot open, and she glared at the offending piece of cloth angrily. However, the image of the blanket in her mind did not much the blanket she currently saw. The image she had portrayed depicted the blanket as black, when in reality, it was a deep lavender. This didn't strike her as odd, as a blanket could be many colors. What did strike her as odd was that her blanket had sprouted feathers.
Sunset was just about to question the mystery when she felt a warm presence behind her scooch up to her, pressing against her back. The wing she was holding onto flexed slightly, pulling itself into a better position. The fiery mare just lay there, unmoving, as she was cuddled up against what she could only hope was Twilight Sparkle, and not some random purple pegasus.
Purple pegasus? Sunset glanced downwards, and her theory was confirmed. Her two front hooves were laying out before her. Looking back, however, she couldn't figure out why she didn't realize it before. But it had been so long since she had been in this world, it must have surprised her. There was no other explanation for it.
As her eyes adjusted to the ever-growing darkness in the room, the mare was able to make out the telltale purple glow of unicorn magic emanating from behind her. Sunset finally fully relaxed, and closed her eyes. The alicorn behind her was most definitely Twilight. Sunset leaned back into the comforting embrace, and began to drift off once again, cocooned by the warm feeling of those lavender wings.
That is of course until she heard the fluttering of different wings and the light patter of something landing near her.
"Owlicious!" whispered Twilight in a scolding manner. "Don't bother her, she's sleeping."
Wondering was in Equestria was going on, Sunset cracked her eyes open again, only to be met with two yellow glowing orbs. She did the only thing that came to her mind; she screamed.
Twilight jumped and yelped as the fiery mare next to her pushed against her in a struggle to get away from the "monster."
"WHAT IS THAT!" screamed Sunset. "GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"
Twilight tried to calm the poor mare down. "Sunset, calm down!" she cried as the mare tried to clamber over her in a vain attempt. "It's just my owl!" She held the mare steady with her magic. "Just... calm down."
The fiery mare's heart finally returned to a normal pace, and she relaxed into the magical grip. The aura gently set her down and Sunset made an effort to stand, as all hopes of her rest were now dashed by that owl. Just for good measure, she stuck her tongue out at the nocturnal menace, which just gave a small "hoot!" in reply.
Twilight also stood up, turning towards Sunset with an uneasy gaze, and said, "Actually, you may want to sit back down."
That sentence make Sunset's heart freeze in fear, and she immediately sat down. Nothing that followed that phrase could be good. It just couldn't be. The ominous tone that Twilight used, and the grim features of her face outlines by the weak glow of the candle rested on the table... it just added up to bad news. Steeling herself for whatever was to come, she waited patiently to hear whatever news the lavender alicorn must bring.
The Princess of Friendship sat down and sighed. "I don't know exactly how to tell you this, but um... you have something new," she said softly. "Something that I know for a fact wasn't there the last time you were here, and something that I'm pretty sure Celestia doesn't know about."
Sunset blushed. After all, she was used to the perverted makeup of high-school teens, and how immature they could be at times. Having that mindset rooted into her brain... she feared the worse, and looked down underneath her.
Twilight must have caught on to what she was doing, and she too flushed a deep crimson that blended with her coat perfectly. Sunset decided that she wanted to see Twilight like that as often as equinely possible.
"No- um... just no. It's not that," stuttered Twilight hastily, before mumbling something unintelligible under her breath.
Confused as to what else it could be, Sunset cut to the chase and asked, "Well, then what is it?"
Taking a deep breath, Twilight spoke again. "Sunset Shimmer, somehow, over the course of whatever has happened, you have..." the lavender mare gestured to Sunset's back.
"You have grown wings."
Author's Note
Well, sorry for the long wait guys...
HOWS THAT FOR A BLOODY PLOT TWIST?!?!
Twilight watched as Sunset Shimmer eyed her new wings, spreading them out, and drawing them back in, almost as if she were testing them. It wasn't surprising, as the lavender alicorn could remember doing the exact same thing when she had gotten her own wings. It was quite a shock, she could understand.
Sunset's perspective, for that matter, was a whole different story. Her surprise had been surprisingly brief, quickly replaced with another, darker feeling: power. Sunset could feel the power flowing through her. It was warm, hot with fury. It made her feel strong, and she loved it. Her gaze left her wings to focus on the princess before her. Her muzzle shifted from the small "o" of surprise to a wicked grin, causing Twilight to shift uncomfortably.
"I did it," muttered the new alicorn softly. "I'm an alicorn." She watched as Twilight's concerned look briefly flashed into a depiction of confusion. Sunset's voice rose. "I can have all the power I want!"
Twilight's face then took on a blatant look of shock. The fiery mare was slipping back into the evil mindset that Twilight hoped and thought she would never see again. She was so shocked, she almost didn't notice that Sunset began to laugh as she powered up her horn. The cackling of magic filled the air, breaking the lavender mare out of her trance, as she watched Sunset start to rise up by her own power.
Thinking quickly, Twilight summoned her own magic, a deep magenta glow overriding the teal around Sunset's horn. The mare cried out as her newly found power started to slowly drain from her, with Twilight dispersing it out into the surrounding air.
"Sunset!" cried Twilight. "Calm down!" She grappled with the furious mare, eventually settling on just yanking her down in front of her by her horn. "Sunset listen to me!"
"No, Twilight, you listen to me," she retorted, her voice slurred with anger and arrogance. "Think of all we could do together! The two most powerful mares in all of Equestria. In all of the many realms!" She grinned and evil grin again. "Think of all the power you could have in the center of your hoof."
"No."
The fiery mare focused her eyes on Twilight's, letting out angry huffs, as if trying to imitate a bull. Twilight just continued to hold her in her magic, calmly staring back into her turquoise irises.
"I know that you're good," said the lavender mare softly as she leaned forward and wrapped her forelegs around the mare. "So stop letting your power take hold of you and just let go."
Sunset's heart shattered as a silky lavender fur made contact with her own. Emotions surged through her: regret, sadness, anger, but most prominent of all, love. Her stance relaxed into the soft hold that Twilight held around her, and her hard gaze softened as the warm body of her love pressed up against her own.
"But..." said Sunset, her voice still gruff with anger.
"Shhhhhhh," a calming hush came from the mare holding her.
"But..." The voice was slightly weaker now, but still coarse.
A lavender hoof wrapped around her back.
"But..." whispered Sunset, finally breaking, with tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "I have all the power I always wanted..."
A soft breath was felt on her ear as Twilight replied, "Then use that power for good."
That was it. Sunset began to sob uncontrollably upon Twilight's shoulder. She felt the lavender hooves tighten around her, trying to comfort her, but they did little to help the conflicted mare.
"I c-can't be good," she stuttered out, crying. "I j-just proved t-that..." Sunset Shimmer felt helpless and corrupted. She felt dirty, as if her soul itself was unclean.
And yet, Twilight's comforting hooves never did leave her. Twilight never left her.
"It was only a relapse," she tried to reassure the fiery mare.
Sunset tried to break away at that. "But what if it happens again?" she cried. "W-what if I can't control myself?" Her voice began to dip into panic.
A calm hoof ran up and down her back, slowly trying to soothe the mare. "It won't," reassured Twilight. "And if it does, I'll help you."
As the lavender mare's words and calming touch worked their magic, Sunset slowly relaxed back into Twilight's comforting hold. It may just have been an excuse to be closer, and to feel the touch of her crush, but Sunset felt as though she desperately needed it at the moment. It was the most welcome thing she had felt in a long time.
"I'm sorry," she finally said, whispering into Twilight's ear. "I-I didn't mean to."
Twilight just continued to rub Sunset's back gently. "I know," she said back in reply, "I know."
The touching moment lasted a little longer, before it was interrupted by Spike banging the door open and rushing into the room.
"Twilight!" he cried, holding up a scroll. "The Princess sent you a scroll!"
Sunset, for some reason unknown to the lavender alicorn, shot away from her, breaking their embrace. "Heh," she chucked nervously, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Twilight looked at her curiously, before summoning the scroll with her magic, and unrolling it. As her violet eyes skimmed across the paper, reading it over and over again, the got wider and wider. Finally, she shoved the scroll back at Spike and looked up at Sunset Shimmer with a panicked gaze.
"We have to hide you!" she cried, before trotting around the room, looking for possible places to hide an alicorn.
The fiery alicorn raised an eyebrow, taking the letter from the young dragon so she could read it again. "What? Wait, why?"
She too, unrolled the scroll and began to read.
My Dearest Twilight,
Roughly four hours ago, a large surge of alicorn energy exploded out of the mirror portal in The Crystal Empire. Do not worry, for both Cadence and your brother are fine. However, much to our surprise, Doctor Vu Du, a former member of the Canterlot High Unicorn Assembly who now works as a medical professional in Ponyville Hospital detected a large surge of similar energy coming from the center of town. I will be arriving shortly to investigate this myself, as the magical signature connected to the surge concerns me. I fear that an enemy has returned to Equestria.
Sincerely, Celestia
Sunset's first surprise was the level of formality that Twilight had with Princess Celestia. No titles were used, and the jargon was pretty casual for that of a ruler of Equestria. The second was that her ascension to alicornism was powerful enough to resonate through the portal into the outside world.
However, she did not see what the big deal was. "So, Princess Celestia is coming to Ponyville to find out why I shattered a few windows when I came out of the portal. What's the big deal?" Sunset turned to the lavender alicorn frantically skimming through '101 Ways to Hide a Pony for Dummies.' "Just tell her I'm not evil anymore, and make some tea or something!"
"Tea?!" cried Twilight. "TEA!" She huffed, her eyes bugging out. "Princess Celestia is coming to my castle to convict a wanted criminal and you want me to make her TEA?!"
Sunset Shimmer grinned nervously. "Uh, yeah?"
The lavender alicorn across from her began to slowly turn red with anger, but just as she was about to blow up, the door downstairs opened and the voice of the sun called up to her.
"Twilight Sparkle?" called Princess Celestia. "Did you receive my letter?"
Twilight visibly paled, the emotion draining from her face. "Shoot," she whispered to herself. She rushed over to Sunset, and tried to drag her over to a nook over by one of the many, tall bookcases adorning the walls of the room. "Quickly! Hide in there!"
Yet Sunset Shimmer would not budge. "Twilight," she said sternly. "I am not just going to hide from my former teacher." She pushed the lavender mare away. "I deserve whatever punishment she gives me, and knowing Celestia, she will probably forgive me anyways." Sunset flashed a reassuring smile over at Twilight. "Besides, you won't get in trouble. It's not your fault I came back here."
'As far as you know...' she thought afterwards.
Twilight somehow managed to become even paler as a warm, golden glow appeared over the library doors. And when the doors swung open to reveal Princess Celestia and a dozen unicorn guards with their horns at the ready, Sunset began to doubt her plan as well.
"H-hi, P-princess," stuttered Twilight, stepping out from behind Sunset. "As you can-"
"Sunset Shimmer."
The powerful voice of Celestia rang out across the room, striking fear into the fiery mare's formerly bold heart. "Why have you returned?" The question demanded an answer.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she replied, "I have come back because I feel that I have to amend my past."
To the surprise of everypony in the room, Celestia scoffed at the fiery pony's comment.
"You have returned to Equestria, a land you intended to ruin, and you are an alicorn." She chucked. "Am I supposed to believe you have changed so greatly?"
Sunset could only stand there silently, unbelieving of her own ears. And yet, she shouldn't have felt so surprised, as this was the Celestia that she knew; Twilight said she had changed for the better, but it appeared that she had not.
Twilight appeared to be just as surprised as Sunset at her former mentor's reaction. Letting out a small gasp, she placed a hoof over her mouth in shock as Celestia took a few foreboding steps forward towards the new alicorn.
"You left Equestria with a sure promise to destroy us when you returned.," she said coldly. "What you did here was inexcusable, and I cannot forgive you." Her eyes narrowed as her horn lit up, preparing to unleash some ungodly spell upon the now openly crying gamboge mare.
Letting out another gasp, Twilight could not just stand her and let the suddenly viscous princess unleash her wrath upon the helpless alicorn mare before her. "Wait!" she cried, jumping in between Sunset and the cusp of Celestia's majestic horn.
The golden glow around the pearl horn cut out immediately as she quickly raised her head to remove the lavender alicorn from her aim of fire. "Twilight!" she cried. "What has gotten into you?"
Breathing heavily, Sunset looked up at her savior with tears in her eyes as she was helped up by tender, purple hooves.
Twilight turned to Princess Celestia, a steeled look of determination in her eyes as she spoke coarsely. "I, personally, know that Sunset Shimmer has changed for the better," she said. "And even if she hadn't, with the laws that you set into place in this nation, she hold the right to a fair tribunal before all four alicorn princesses."
Celestia stood there, either not knowing how to counter her former student's argument, or just at a loss for words.
"Now," Twilight continued. "As your equal, I am prepared to use my power to grant Sunset asylum in my castle if necessary." At that, the Princess of the Sun opened her mouth to object, but Twilight cut her off. "That is fully within my power," she said. "Do remember that I was the only six-year-old who read the 'Complete Documentation of Equestria's Hierarchy System of Government.'"
Her tone and gaze softening a bit, the lavender alicorn finalized her stance. "You were not there in that other world. Sunset has come to save the day many a times, just as I have with the help of the elements in this world." Her head lifted up a bit, looking Celestia dead in the eyes. "I know that she is kind, and honest, and loyal, and generous, and cheerful, and she definitely excels at magic. I see no reason to incarcerate her for wanting to return to her home after so long a wait."
The speech had attracted the attention of the normally stoic guards as they gazed at the trio in the center of the library. All eyes were on Twilight, as she stood between Celestia and her friend, awaiting her co-ruler's decision.
Minutes passed, with nopony speaking or moving at all, only the rhythmic hums of breathing could be heard. The room seemed so full, yet so empty at the same time, as Sunset Shimmer awaited the annunciation of her fate.
Finally, Celestia gave in. "Twilight Sparkle, I have no reason not to trust you and your judgement. You have always been loyal to me," she said softly. "Therefore I will allow Sunset Shimmer to stay in Equestria, under your jurisdiction."
The two ponies that this applied two turned, and smiled at each other in silent victory, only for their hopes to be dampened yet still.
"But," continued the Princess. "But... as a sort of probation, if you will, I will remove all of Sunset's magical abilities from her for a month."
Truthfully, both Sunset and Twilight were expecting much worse when they heard that "but" come from the alabaster alicorn's muzzle. However, it was still an inconvenience. Unicorns, for their entire life, had used magic to manipulate objects, leaving their hooves with little dexterity. Removing Sunset's magic for a month was going to be a high hurdle to leap over.
"Very well," said Sunset. "I suppose I do deserve a punishment far greater than that."
Princess Celestia nodded in solemn agreement, before motioning for Twilight to step away so she could perform the spell. Her horn powered up, a magnificent golden glow radiating outwards from it in a corona of cackling energy. Just before the spell initiated, Celestia gazed into Sunset's turquoise eyes and muttered one last warning.
"I hope for your sake that Twilight is indeed right about your intentions."
Then, with a swift upward cut of her head, a beam of pure, radiant energy shot out of the solar goddess' horn, and slammed into Sunset Shimmer's, completing the spell, and removing all magical essence from Sunset's equine form.
The entire room was entrapped in a white glow as the spell took effect, and Sunset's magical energy discharged into the surrounding environment. When it finally faded after a few moments, Twilight blinked the flash out of her eyes, and looked over to where Sunset was, checking to see if she was hurt.
Sunset lay there dazed, and tried to stand, only to fall backwards. Thankfully, she appeared unhurt, but not without obvious physical changes. Ones that made Twilight gasp.
Sunset Shimmer was now an Earth Pony. Her horn and wings were gone, replaced by flawless, golden fur. Tears trickled down Twilight's cheeks as she stared at her friend, the sight so unfamiliar and foreign to her, and so sad...
"You have been stripped of your magical prowess until I feel you are true in your intentions," said Celestia softly. "How long that will be, I do not know."
Sunset Shimmer was feelings very light-headed, and did her best to nod in acknowledgment.
With that, Princess Celestia motioned to her guards and took her leave. In her wake she left a crying alicorn princess and earth pony. Her only hope was kindled within the fires of her faith in Twilight Sparkle. The faith that Twilight was telling the truth, and that Sunset Shimmer had finally come home.
Author's Note
Hopefully I can go somewhere with this...
I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can...
(For alicorn Sunset fans - don't worry, for your time will come... your time will come...)
Sunset Shimmer sat at a pristine crystal table, a steaming cup of tea sitting in front of her. Her hooves rested on the table next to the mug, and both were visibly shaking. She was doing her best to contain the various emotions swelling inside her, letting loose only silent tears that slipped down her cheek, splashing to the table below. Twilight stood at the counter of the kitchen, making a dinner for two.
A majority of the day had passed, the hours since Princess Celestia's departure dragging by. Twilight had been able to coax Sunset out of the library, where the pony had spent most of her day, and downstairs for a meal. The air was filled with a pregnant silence, one that seemed to permeate the walls around them. Neither knew what to say. Twilight didn't know how to comfort Sunset, and Sunset didn't know what to say to Twilight. With this mindset, the two said nothing to each other. And so when Twilight broke the silence, it was incredibly startling to Sunset.
"Dinner's ready, Sunset, can- oh, goodness!" Twilight quickly flocked over to Sunset, who had accidentally spilled her tea at the sudden voice. "Are you alright?"
Sunset nodded rapidly, and on instinct, attempted to summon some towels with her magic. Twilight recognized the distinctive look of magical concentration, and winced in sympathy. "Here, let me," she said softly, dabbing at Sunset's matted fur with the dish towel she had held in her magical grasp.
Realization dawning on her, Sunset grimaced. "N-no, I got it," her hoarse voice came, shooing the lavender alicorn's help away with her hooves, and plucking the towel from her. She dabbed at the wet spot herself, the tears now slipping down her cheeks much more rapidly.
Twilight sighed, watching as the pony in front of her fiddled with her fur, clearly distressed. Ever since Celestia had left, Sunset had seemingly locked herself up, not letting Twilight - or anypony - help her, or comfort her. At least Sunset had let her cook dinner for- THE DINNER!
"Oh no!" cried Twilight as she rushed over to the stove, where their dinner was being prepared. She had left the pot unattended, and it had boiled over, thin spaghetti noodles spilling all over the stove top, and sizzling as they dried out from the intense heat. "Oh, horseapples..." mumbled the alicorn as she fiddled with the knobs, turning them off. Sighing, she stepped back and looked at the carnage that had taken place atop the stove.
The pasta was hopelessly ruined, most of it a brittle mass stuck to the sides of the pot, and the vegetables cooking beside it were charred beyond recognition. It didn't look like the two would be eating their dinner... at least not the pasta for dinner.
"Well," began Twilight, trying to brighten the mood. "Guess I wasn't really in the mood for pasta anyways!" She chuckled lightly to herself, hoping the action would be contagious. It was not.
Thinking for a moment, another idea came to the alicorn. "Why don't we just go out to eat tonight?" she suggested. "I bet you missed Equestria's traditional food." She smiled softly at Sunset.
At the mention of leaving the castle, Sunset's eyes widened in fear. "N-no!" she said quickly. "No pony can see me like this!"
Twilight was speechless. The amount of fear in Sunset's eyes was immense. She could only compare it to the look she had seen almost a year ago, when Sunset had climbed out of the smoldering pit and embraced friendship for the first time. The memory pained Twilight to think about, and she winced internally.
"Sunset," she said softly, causing the pony to clam down a little. "I..." The alicorn hesitated slightly. What she was about to suggest would be in direct violation of Princess Celestia's decree. "I can give you your horn and wings back," she finished.
The look of fear left Sunset's face, and was replaced by shock. "You, y-you can do that?" she stammered, bewildered.
Twilight nodded. "I can," she confirmed. "They'll only be cosmetic, though. I'm not powerful enough to actually infuse magic into them."
Sunset was still in a state of disbelief, despite the setback. "But... but what about Princess Cele-"
"Ponyville is my domain," Twilight said. "I am an equal to Celestia, but I can overrule her orders when it comes to the safety of my town... or in this case, pride of my town."
Sunset was still shocked. "You would do that for me?" she asked softly, her eyes once again pooling with tears. Twilight only nodded. Sunset was silent for a few more moments, playing with her front hooves as she thought. "C-can... can you make me look like a unicorn again?" she asked softly, looking into Twilight's violet eyes.
Twilight cocked her head, confused. "Yes, I could, but-"
"I don't want to turn so many heads..." the pony in front of her explained. "And I don't want you to get in anymore trouble just because of me."
The lavender alicorn was touched at the gesture. "Of course Sunset," she said softly. "Of course I can."
The great oak doors to Twilight's palace opened slowly, almost ominously, as the light of the setting sun flowed freely into the castle atrium. Twilight took the first step outside, breathing in the fresh, evening air as she looked around at the beautiful scenery of Ponyville. It was early Fall, and the leaves were just beginning to change color, creating a magnificent image of green and gold around the town. Smiling, she turned back to her companion, who had yet to step outside.
"It's a beautiful day, isn't it, Sunset?" she asked, reaching a hoof out to her friend.
Hesitantly, Sunset Shimmer took the hoof and let Twilight gently pull her outside, the light of the sun falling on her golden coat and horn. Her turquoise eyes shifted nervously, but there was nopony there to mock her.
"Yes," she finally replied. "I suppose it is."
Twilight let Sunset's hoof drop back down, and she headed down the crystal steps. "Comeon, Sunset. I know a great restaurant to go and enjoy dinner at!"
Together, the two walked off into the light of the setting sun, with Sunset Shimmer finally feeling a little bit normal again.
Author's Note
Oi. It's updated. Somehow. Magic.
