Discord laughed as Sunset, his final prize, was held to the ground before him by the very friends that she held so dear. “Oh, dearest little Sunset Shimmer. Do you think you can resist me? Do you think that I can’t turn you against your very nature? I’ve already done it to your friends, your teachers, and quite literally every other sentient being in this world. And, may I cut to the chase for a moment here, we both know that you’re nothingwithout your friends. I mean, seriously, you gave up your soul and turned into a monster in a vain attempt to capture Equestria. If anything, I don’t even need to corrupt you, simply removing your friends would be enough to start your own pathetic spiral of self pity and greed.”
Discord danced ever closer to Sunset, tiptoeing through tulips and daisies as Sunset’s five best friends held her down against her will.
Rainbow Dash was the first to talk, looking down on Sunset as she straddled her chest and forced Sunset’s hands into the mud. “Look, Sunny, this place sucks. Just accept it.”
“For once I agree with this airhead jock.” Applejack muttered while she and Pinkie Pie tightened their grip on Sunset's legs.
“Yeah,” said Pinkie. “This party's pooped. Just accept it and we can all go to Equestria and have some real fun for once. Or at least I will once I’ve ditched these losers.”
“Bite me!” yelled Sunset as she struggled to try and free her limbs.
“Really, darling.” Rarity strode into Sunset’s view. “Such behavior is so uncouth, even for a monster like you. There really is no reason to be uncivilized. I think it’s the thing I most dislike about you.”
“Really,” muttered Sunset. She twisted her face into a crude imitation of a classic Southern belle. “Well ain’t that just a cryin’ shame. Why, that was my favorite part.”
“Now now girls,” interrupted Discord as he dipped his head between them. “I don’t think this is working very well and, quite frankly, I don’t find this game very interesting anymore.”
Discord bent over and smirked at Sunset as she tried again to struggle free. “Now, close your mouth and open your eyes and you will experience a chaotic surprise.”
Sunset opened her mouth and screamed in defiance, only for her voice to suddenly cut off as Discord’s eagle talon reached down and poked her directly between the eyes. Her senses immediately faded. Color drained from her world, the distant sounds of birds lost their sweetness, even the freshly cut grass that was being shoved into her face lost its scent.
“Good,” came Discord’s voice from within her mind. “Now do you remember what it was like to be by yourself? How strong you were, or how much potential you had before you got distracted by friendship. Do you remember how good it felt?”
“Yes,” thought Sunset.
Discord smiled as he observed the color drain from her features. Slowly but surely she, like every other toy in his world was becoming... well, not quite his minion, but a pleasantly chaotic ally. The change, however, was slow... She was strong, independent, and full of friendship and metaphorical butterflies. In short, she was the perfect last challenge to his complete but inevitable conquest. And as soon as she was under his influence he would finally be able to return to Equestria.
Discord smiled, praising himself for his victory. He heard the screams as Sunset was thrust into memory after memory, nightmare after nightmare of the past. Nobody could resist his power, especially someone who’d fallen on her own so many times before.
This was not how Sunset imagined her first Summer Sun Celebration would go. Sunset and her cousin Misty had gotten lost in the Foal Mountain Forest, just outside of Canterlot, playing hide and seek. Now they were cold and tired and everything was dark and scary.
Misty couldn’t go on any farther. She sat down next to a tree and began to cry as Sunset desperately tried to get her to stand up. They had to find the adults or they could be lost in the forest forever. Misty was older and bigger than Sunset by a full year, and though Sunset tried to get her up and off the dirty forest floor Misty was just too big for her to move.
That was the last straw. Sunset felt herself falling to her haunches on the dirt and tears began to well in her eyes. She was tired and hungry and she wanted to get out of the forest. She wouldn’t even get to see the Princess raise the sun. She just wanted to sit down and cry, but then, nothing would ever get better if she gave up.
The thought of not giving up sparked a memory of something her mother had told her on her last birthday. “Sunset, you must never give up on something that matters. You aren’t just anypony; you’re Sunset Shimmer. You’re my daughter. You are smarter, harder working, and better than just about every pony I’ve ever met except for Princess Celestia. Remember that if you ever start to fail, look inside yourself and you will find the strength to go on.”
Sunset closed her eyes, letting them tear up, but she didn’t cry. She looked inside herself to try to find an answer to the problem. She didn’t know what she was looking for or how to find it, but she did know it was there because her mother had told her it was. She was Sunset Shimmer, daughter of Glory Shimmer, and she was as smart and as strong as any other pony. It wasn’t that she could save them. She felt something that screamed that she would save both herself and her cousin.
It was then that Sunset noticed that Misty had stopped crying. Sunset opened her eyes and found the entire clearing glowing with a slightly golden white light. She looked around for it’s source, causing the light and the shadows to move. It was then that Sunset realized that the light was coming from her own horn.
Sunset wasn’t very good at magic, but she was good enough to recognize that this was completely different from anything she had ever done, and it felt right somehow. Sunset closed her eyes again and began to focus magic through her horn until the light was bright enough that she could see it through her eyelids. She focused more and more magic through her horn until it hurt and then she continued until she felt weak.
I can do this. The adults will see the light and then they will come. I can do this. I am Sunset Shimmer and I can do this!
Sunset suddenly felt the ground beneath her shake slightly as something heavy landed next to her. She opened her eyes and turned to face whatever might be attacking her and her cousin with a defiant growl, still focusing magic to keep the light as bright as she could.
“Easy, my little pony,” said the pony that could only be Princess Celestia. “Your family has been looking for you for a few hours. How about I take you to them?”
Sunset stopped focusing magic into her horn as she and Misty looked at each other. They both smiled and then rushed to the princess, praising her for saving them.
“Oh my!” said Princess Celestia. “I do believe there is something on your flank, my little pony.”
Sunset turned to wipe off whatever was on her flank but suddenly stopped. There on her flank was a cutie mark, and not just any cutie mark, but one that matched the colors in her mane. It was the best cutie mark Sunset had ever seen, and it was hers.
Misty drew Sunset’s attention as she began dancing around chanting around her. “Sunset got her cutie mark, Sunset got her cutie mark.”
Sunset blushed when she noticed the princess smiling at the display. “Misty,” she groaned, “don’t embarrass me in front of the princess.”
Celestia chuckled. “It’s something very much worth Celebrating little Sunset. I for one look forward to teasing you in front of your whole family when they see that I’ve returned you minus two blank flanks as they had described.”
Sunset groaned but couldn’t help but smile as looked back again. Everyone in her class would be so jealous that she had been the first to get her cutie mark.
“Yes.” Discord's voice in the void echoed within Sunset’s mind. “You never could rely on anyone else, could you? Even as a filly you had to look out for your older cousin. It was her responsibility to look after you, but even then you had to do it yourself.”
Sunset threw her empty saddle bags on her bed as she jumped after it. She slammed her head into the pillows and began to scream. This was the absolute worst first day in school that Sunset had ever had. Not only was she in a new school with none of her friends, but the ponies in her class hated her for no reason. She had been tripped, her lunch tray had been flipped over, and now her books had been stolen.
Oh, she had tried to tell the teachers that she needed an extra day to get her assignments done because someone had stolen her books, but none of them had believed her. After all, all the ponies in the class were from the highest tiers of society, and who would even think about picking on Celestia’s brand new pupil? Obviously the stress was just getting to Sunset. The teachers said she should go talk to the Princess. It was her who had asked for Sunset to be placed in such a high level of schooling after attending one of the lesser public schools.
Well, Sunset would do just that. She wouldn’t be able to meet with Princess Celestia until the weekend but she was told that she could still write a letter and have anypony in the royal guard deliver it to her post haste.
Sunset pulled her head away from the pillow and turned to her saddlebags. She found her paper, quill, and ink bottle and went to her desk to begin to write. She had to focus for a moment before her magic flared and she picked up the quill, dipped it in the ink and began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia,
She went slowly because her penship with her horn wasn’t quite perfect yet. She went to dip the quill back in the ink and when she tried to continue she found the page completely blank. Sunset blinked before trying again.
Dear Princess Celestia,
This time Sunset watched the ink fade into the page. Her pent up anger boiled over all at once, and she flung the ink, paper, and everything else off the desk. She turned and bucked the desk over and over again, screams of rage accompanying every thud against the solid wood surface.
“Ah school.” There was the familiar voice that Sunset just couldn’t quite place. “So much fun with all the kiddies learning to work together, helping each other learn. Well, except for you. They never liked you much, did they? If it wasn’t them ruining your homework or your projects, then it was them provoking you, bullying you. The teachers didn’t even seem to have any sympathy. No one liked you. Well, no one but Princess Celestia.”
Sunset pulled the plain framed picture out of the bag. The cardboard box was new and she didn’t have to worry about the rain getting her things wet, at least for a few hours, so she indulged herself. Sunset ran an un-shoed hoof over the image of her as a filly on Princess Celestia’s back. It was right after she had gotten her cutie mark and Sunset was proudly showing it off right above Princess Celestia’s.
Sunset set the picture aside in its frame and pulled out her dinner. It wasn’t bad, actually. Generally when it rained ponies were less likely to take the time to appease her begging or spit on her. Today had been different.
Sunset had been outside a bakery, asking passing ponies if they could spare a bit, or a piece of food. She had long ago learned to not ask if anypony knew about an open job or if they would be willing to pay her to run chores. No one trusted a homeless pony, but some would occasionally play a prank on her. However, the bakery she had been begging next to seemed to take pity on her while she stood in the rain and gave her two whole loaves of two day old bread. It was a pretty good catch, actually, as it was a well respected bakery that Sunset couldn’t afford.
She pulled one loaf out of her bag and then out of its brown paper packaging with her magic. She wasted no time eagerly biting into her score. She gagged and spit out the bitter mess. She lit her horn up to inspect the bread more carefully. It wasn’t two day old bread, it was moldy. She quickly pulled out the other loaf from it’s brown paper bag to find that it too was moldy. Sunset swore.
The bakery didn’t have to give her moldy bread to go away. If they didn’t want a beggar outside their establishment then all they had to do was ask, it was a Manehatten ordinance for Celestia’s sake. If any business felt that a transient was causing a loss of sales they simply had to ask the transient to leave. If they didn’t then they had grounds to ask a the local royal guard to remove the individual. Of course, this was simpler and probably more satisfying for those degenerate two faced jerks.
Sunset threw both loaves of bread out in disgust, immediately regretting the decision as the insides of the loaves were probably edible. Sunset decided that she didn’t care to go looking for them. This was just her luck. She had no food and it was getting too late to go back out and beg. All the ponies with anything worth giving would be locked up warm and dry in their homes. She momentarily thought about dipping into her few bits and going to buy a hayburger but dismissed the idea. She’d had breakfast, her last few packets of instant oatmeal, and needed to save her few remaining bits for a rainy day.
Or rather, though Sunset, a rainy day where she didn’t have a fresh box to sleep in. One of the big advantages to buying food was getting someplace dry and warm to eat it in.
Sunset looked at the picture of her and Celestia before tipping it picture side down. Despite her falling out with her mentor she had never been able to get rid of that picture of the two of them. Oh sure, Celestia hated her now and Sunset blamed Celestia for ruining her life. But the picture was the only reminder she had of happy times. After all, that was when she’d gotten her cutie mark.
My cutie mark, thought Sunset. She looked back at the bright mark and smiled. It was a good mark. She remembered when she got it by looking deep inside herself. Suddenly a thought occurred to Sunset. She had never really done that again, looked inside herself for strength.
She remembered the words her mother had spoken to her as a filly. Remember that if you ever start to fail, look inside yourself and you will find the strength to go on.
Sunset vaguely felt like chuckling but it really wasn’t a laughing matter. She was, after all, homeless with no friends and was by far too proud to ever go home without having something to her name. Well, she wasn’t tired and it wasn’t like a homeless pony had anything else to do so she decided to give it a try.
Sunset closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She still didn’t know what it meant to look inside herself, so she started by blocking out the world around her. The sound of the rain faded and she slowly forgot the chill that had been growing ever since she settled in for the night. Sunset took another breath and let the feeling of sitting leave her awareness. Slowly an image began to form in her mind.
The image was of herself, but as an alicorn. It was very similar to the image that a mirror showed her when Princess Celestia had let her look at some old magical items.
Celestia had never meant for Sunset to look in that mirror. Or rather, she hadn’t meant for Sunset to look in it yet. Sunset had only caught a glimpse of herself as an alicorn but she remembered how beautiful and strong she had looked. There had been something else in the mirror that Sunset hadn’t seen well but if she had to guess it would have been many ponies watching her, cheering her, Princess Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset opened her eyes, recalling the memory of what that image had done to her. She had defied Celestia and had begun researching the mirror against her mentor's wishes. She had even gone so far as to read some forbidden books in an attempt to either figure out what the mirror was or how to become an alicorn.
She had succeeded, of course, finding out everything there was to know about the mirror and the other world it connected to. But Celestia had discovered her unapproved extracurricular activities. For defying Celestia’s express wishes and warnings Sunset had been removed as Celestia’s pupil and expelled from her school until such time as Sunset could provide evidence that she had changed for the better
Sunset had tried to redeem her image. But she had been close to graduating and the news that Celestia’s prized pupil had been cast out swept across the country far faster than Sunset could travel.
It was a humiliating memory, one that plagued her often, and Sunset wondered why trying to reach for inner strength had reminded her of the root of her failure... unless, perhaps, Sunset was destined to become an Alicorn. Maybe there was a way in the universe that existed on the other side of that mirror. Maybe, just maybe, she should not have given in so easily and followed through with her research by going into the mirror.
Sunset pulled out a small journal, quill, and ink. They were valuable treasures to her, something she rarely used because she could not afford to replace them. But she had to plan carefully if she were to try and sneak into the castle to use the mirror.
“Yes,” came the reassuring voice in her head as Sunset began to open her eyes. “You did plan and you did succeed. You became a goddess yourself, with no help from the Princess or the world that had rejected you. You’re a loner, Sunset Shimmer, and you deserve the respect of others for accomplishing what only a few had done before you. The masses of Equestria should grovel before you and fill you with pride at being their better.”
The world began to focus out of a blank haze as Sunset heard Discord laughing. She realized that the voice that had reached her as she remembered her darkest moments was that of Discord, spirit of Chaos. She remembered how he had appeared, broken free on accident from a statue in a museum by two of her friends’ little sisters and their friend Scootaloo. The statue had been identical to one she had seen back in Canterlot, one that had also depicted Discord as the spirit of Chaos.
After Discord broke out he went on a rampage and changed virtually everything he could get his magic on. He had even turned her friends against her and that was why she was now pinned beneath them. After Discord had turned her friends, they had revealed to him the existence of Equestria and how to get there.
Discord continued to laugh in victory as Sunset felt tears slide down her face. It still hurt to think about all she had gone through in life and how she had failed; her failure as Celestia’s student; her failure to even get along with anypony or anyone else. Sunset’s hate, resentment, pride, and ego had flared at Discord’s corruptive touch but she managed to keep from losing herself in those emotions. She had remembered, even relived what had driven her to make more and more mistakes in her life. But she couldn’t give in to him.
Sunset instinctively began to look inside herself. In her heart she found her friends. Each one was attached to memories that seemed just as vivid to her as those Discord had forced her to relive.
Scoring her first goal against Rainbow Dash one on one in soccer. Learning to bake with Pinkie Pie. Working at the groomers with Fluttershy. Rarity giving Sunset a practically new cell phone and helping Sunset bedazzle it to have her cutie mark proudly displayed on its back. Beating herself up for letting Applejack Down by missing a barn raising, and Applejack forgiving her and helping her see the true meaning of friendship that had been around her all along.
Whatever Discord did to her, she had to help her friends, she had to free them. Sunset kept that feeling inside of herself and in her mind as Discord began to speak.
“Oh, goodie. Girls, I do believe Sunset is ready to help us on our way back to Equestria. What do you say, Sunny old girl? How about you tell us where you hid your journal that connects to Equestria?”
Sunset breathed heavily for a moment as the girls got off of her. She stood up and wiped the mud off her cloths. However, as she turned to look up at Discord something stood out against her faded yellow skin.
“What’s that on your forehead, hmmm?” Discord said while bending forward.
Sunset turned toward the glass windows of a nearby classroom and smiled. In the center of her forehead, right where Discord’s finger had touched her, the yellow color of her skin was pushing the grey back. She turned back to Discord and smiled. “That’s me, Discord. The me I’m proud of.”
Discord flinched back in surprise at her conviction, filling Sunset with hope. “Let me tell you something about being a bad person, Discord. I lost myself once, I turned into a bad person after years of being unhappy and resentful toward others. I even grew to enjoy inflicting pain on others. When I stole the element of magic, I even stripped people of their souls and imprinted a blank obedience to me upon the empty canvas of their being. But I have also been reformed.”
Sunset felt herself placing her hand over her chest. “I was hit by the full power of the the elements of harmony and they didn’t just take my power, they showed me my redemption. In the span of a few seconds, I experienced the love and joy of friendship, and then the disgust for everything I had ever done to hurt another. The elements didn’t scrub my past from me, they gave me the power and experience I needed to overcome myself and be a better person.
“I gave up my hate and anger willingly. Yes, sometimes I still feel those things. But there is a big difference between letting angry, jealous, and resentful feelings dictate your life and feeling those emotions for a short period of time. I wasn’t given anything back and nothing was taken from me. I was given a choice, and I chose to be a better person, to stop being evil. And I was rewarded with better friends than I could ever have imagined.
Discord gulped as the rest of the girls stood stock still with rapt attention as color slowly seeped into their beings once more.
“After I gave up my negative feelings, it took a long time to accept what I had done. It was a long journey, and that journey isn’t over. From time to time, I still wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweats, memories of the cries of others playing over and over in my head. It hurts, Discord, and I never want to cause pain to others again.”
Discord sneered, “Yet I offer you relief from that pain and you turn it away. Explain that, you cross species failure!”
“Perhaps I am a failure,” said Sunset calmly. “But why would I accept that? Quite frankly, I’m happier than I’ve ever been, or rather, I was before you got here. Now I’m fighting for that happiness, for my friends, and for our freedom.”
“You speak of freedom,” spat Discord, “but what do you know of it? Freedom – real freedom – is anarchy, chaos.”
“No, Discord,” said Sunset. “Your freedom is in chaos. But when you are full of love and surrounded by real friends, even the darkest prison can be a magical place.”
A light began forming around Sunset’s forehead and the symbol of her cutie mark snapped into existence in a magnificent golden tiara.
Discord frowned as he picked up his right arm and snapped his fingers, fully intending on teleporting himself to the top of the school where he could mock them and their inability to catch him. Nothing happened. He snapped his fingers again and again. There was still no effect. “Oh, phooey.”
Sunset looked up at him with renewed confidence. "Magic’s a funny thing, Discord. This world is void of magic, but you’re a god. If you were in Equestria your magic would be limitless, but here it’s not. But the magic of friendship and harmony, that’s universal. It’s already made you helpless."
Discord watched as the light flashed in the other girls. They brought their hands to their chests as their five symbols flared into existence as beautifully crafted necklaces.
“This is your last chance, Discord,” said Fluttershy.
“Yeah!” yelled Rainbow Dash as the light from all six friends began to grow brighter and stronger. “Get turned to stone, you taxidermy reject.”
“Quite,” said Rarity with a simple smug grin.
“Oh! If you join us, we can have a party!” Pinkie chirped. “Trust me, parties are much better than being turned to stone!”
“Nah,” said Applejack. “I don’t think he’ll listen to us, Pinkie. I think this here is Discord’s last rodeo.”
Discord flinched away from the light and covered his eyes. “No! This isn’t over!”
As soon as the words left his mouth the six girls rose in the air, enveloped by the pure white light as a multicolored rainbow shot straight for Discord. He felt the pain again, as complete and total order encased his body in stone. He contorted and screamed as his body quickly froze in place.
When it was over, Discord could only watch as his vision slowly tilted sideways and he felt himself fall over. The pain had dulled but still took up his entire world. He was barely aware of anything until Sunset stepped in front of him, placing a hand on his head.
“Now you realize, Discord,” she said as she patted his head, “that you can twist me, corrupt me, exploit my vices and my past.
“But,” said Sunset as she stood to look at her smiling friends, “you will never, ever break me, for I have something wonderful to live for.”
Freedom, real freedom.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the fic.
If you liked it, and want to read another of my Sunset Shimmer stories, check out
Dear Diary: Sunset Shimmer's Best Friend
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