A Tale of Two Twilights...
Sunset Shimmer paced her apartment as she tried explaining what had happened since Twilight didn’t respond to her messages.
After the events of the Friendship Games, Twilight and…er, Twilight happened to meet. With some cool air and a chance to slowly take in the reality that there was a clone of the former Shadowbolt in front of her, Twilight soon understood more of what was happening. Princess Twilight, however, still couldn’t wrap her head around the dilemma.
Princess Twilight looked over at her human counterpart. “So, this is what I look like in this world?”
Human Twilight nodded. “More or less. Although, I never liked my hair down like that.”
“Why not? Does it really look that bad?” Princess Twilight’s hands went up to her hair.
Sunset shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong with your mane, Twilight. Er, Princess Twilight I mean.”
“I don’t like to be referred to as Princess Twilight by my friends,” Twilight said.
Human Twilight’s eyes beamed. “You’re a princess?”
Before she could say anything, human Twilight flew to the floor and began bowing before Princess Twilight. Twilight scrunched up her legs and moved away from her human counterpart. “Twilight, stop it,” Twilight said.
Sunset rubbed her temples. She made a note to take an asprin as soon as she could for the growing headache. “Twilight, stop bowing,” she said.
Human Twilight slowly rose. “So, you are really royalty back in your world?”
“Well, I was appointed as a princess by my teacher but yeah,” Princess Twilight said.
“Oh, so it was a democratic appointment?”
Princess Twilight chuckled. “Democracy has nothing to do with it. I just completed a series of trials laid out by Princess Celestia that includes restoring her sister from the path of evil, defeating and later reforming the god of Chaos, stopped an empire from rising and rewrote a spell from a thousand years ago that switched the destinies of my friends,” she said.
Human Twilight’s jaw dropped to the floor. I think you’re tooting your own horn Twi, Sunset thought.
“And completing these trials made you a princess? It’s like Hercules, or Superman in that TV show I watched.”
“Smallville?” Sunset asked.
Human Twilight nodded. “Anyway, so what do you do here? I’ve only heard so much from Sunset, especially how the tears in the fabric of reality were the result of you absorbing the darker aspect of the powers of the Elements of Harmony.”
Sunset face palmed. Human Twilight twirled her hair nervously. “Well, I used to go to Crystal Prep Academy, and we came to CHS to compete in the Friendship Games, and against my will, I competed. I must say, I thought I was going to lose at the last event in the decathlon to Sunset over here.”
“I was so close too,” Sunset muttered.
“But now, after experiencing the kindness from the girls, I think I’m ready to pursue learning about friendship.” Human Twilight adjusted her glasses. “I learned kindness from my school’s enemies while I was rejected by the very same people.”
Sunset looked down at the ground. She knew what that was like. “I was actually trying to figure out what was causing all those strange anomalies around Canterlot High and I thought that I could benefit from my findings there.”
“Well, at least you were the one to pick up on it first. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if someone else caught on to what was going on here.”
“Yeah, we would be in a lot of trouble,” Sunset said.
Human Twilight nodded in agreement. “I’m planning on destroying my research so nothing falls into the wrong hands, like Principal Cinch.”
“That would be a good idea.”
The girls all turned around to see two Spikes sitting near the doorway. Human Twilight put a blue collar on her Spike while Spike from Equestria had no collar on. Upon meeting human Twilight for the first time, Sunset thought it was going to be easy talking to the both of them. Oh boy was she dead wrong.
“Twilight?”
“Yes?” both Twilights responded.
They did that on purpose, Sunset thought. “Princess Twilight, can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Without saying a word, Sunset walked over to her dining room table where she removed a piece of paper. She handed the piece of paper to her pony friend, and once she saw what was on it, she gasped.
It was Sunset Shimmer, but she wasn’t the same. True it was a hand-drawn self-portrait, but the way it was drawn suggested it was a photo. Obviously that was not the case here. She was wearing a sleeveless white gown with golden shoes. The gown at peach trimmings as well. Her cutie mark was a pendant fitted to the shoes. The gown gave off a wonderful flair at her chest area. Her face was changed to have a large red sash running across her eyes. Upon her forehead was a glowing figment of what may be an alicorn’s horn.
Upon Sunset’s back were two lights that almost looked like wings. Twilight looked up at Sunset before her and back to the picture. Princess Twilight blushed. “Uh, wow Sunset, that is…er.”
Sunset looked on in wonder. “Yes?”
Princess Twilight looked over to the two Spikes who were muttering among themselves. “You, uh, you look…beautiful.”
Time stopped in the room. “Uh, what was that?” Human Twilight asked.
“I-I have to say it. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful, and I have the image of the she-demon still in my memory. I imagined that the transformation into the she-demon was pretty painful.”
Sunset rubbed her shoulders. “It did.”
“And now? Huh, how would I describe it? Sunset, how would you describe it?”
The ruby-haired girl thought for a moment. “Um, it felt like having warm water slowly fall over your body after a long and tiring day. It was a quiet warmth that spread all over on a cold evening. It felt…”
“Incredible?”
“Holy.”
The room was quiet. That one word echoed throughout Sunset’s apartment like it was the finishing touch to a spell. Both Spikes stopped whatever they were talking about to listen in. “Holy? You compare the transformation to Divinity?” Human Twilight asked.
“Well when I transformed into a she-demon, it felt like my body was being ripped to shreds. I felt rage beyond anything else. I was angry and I wanted to only destroy one world to build my own kingdom on. From the rubble of Canterlot City, I was going to build my empire,” Sunset said.
Human Twilight leaned over to Princess Twilight. “Did she really—?”
“Yup, and I saw it the last time I put my crown on,” Twilight said.
“But with this transformation, it was like I was alive. I was powerful and I was gentle. My heart barely registered a beat, but I never felt so alive. I was stronger than I ever was.”
Princess Twilight looked down at the paper. “And your question?”
Sunset sighed. “What happened?”
The Princess of Friendship thought for a moment. “Well, and this is after I reviewed this Midnight Sparkle character, I saw you completed the first fully Divine transformation. Not even I can do that with Rainbow Power. If we ever fought, Sunset, you would win.”
Sunset’s eyes widened. “Besides, what is a demon without an angel?”
Human Twilight pinched her nose. “Wai-hold on a second. I understand that your world is entirely comprised of magical creatures who embrace the supernatural like humanity embraces science, but to suggest that Sunset Shimmer rose beyond your definition of true power, this ‘Rainbow Power’, it’s a lot to process.”
“No, think about it. Sunset Shimmer’s first full transformation was into the she-demon Ragnarok, whom I have discovered is the Demon of Rage. The form and power closely resembles what Equestrian’s think when they hear that name. You assumed the she-demon’s power, but not her entire essence. After a series of social trials and your restoration during the Battle of the Bands, I immediately believed you were on the path to apotheosis.”
“Ascension to the powers of a god?”
“Very close. After hearing how the battle occurred, and how you sealed the rifts between our worlds, I believe you have properly ascended to that power. Sunset Shimmer: the Angel of Light.”
Sunset’s heartbeat was skyrocketing. “Careful Twilight,” Spike said.
“Right, but that’s the truth. Midnight Sparkle versus Sunset Shimmer for the fate of two worlds. Now that is a battle.”
Human Twilight looked over at Sunset. Her eyes were glistening at the page in Twilight’s hand, and at the princess herself. Did she just call me…
Beautiful? Yeah, she did.
No, well not just that, but an angel?
Angel of Light actually.
“Wow” Sunset breathed.
Princess Twilight looked up. “Well, what about me?” Human Twilight asked.
“Ah yes, Midnight Sparkle. Well, from what I was able to gather, you had a mask when you attempted to dissect both worlds. That mask disappeared when your Spike managed to lure you out of your evil trance. From what it may appear, you shouldn’t have a demon to worry about. You were fueled by 1) your curiosity to expand your horizons and 2) the peer pressure from the Shadowbolts and this Mrs. Cinch. The demon was properly extinguished once both of those were smothered. I must say, this is unique,” Princess Twilight said.
The princess proceeded to hand the drawing to Sunset, but she motioned for her to stop. “You can have it, Twilight. Maybe you can find more about all this.”
Both Spikes snickered in the background. Both Twilights stood up to see what was going on while Sunset was still in a trance. She called me beautiful
Sunset, stop right there!
Nopony has ever called me…
Focus!
“Sunset?”
Sunset shook her head. “Huh, what?”
“I asked if I can show this to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Perhaps they have more light to shed on your little mystery.”
Sunset nodded. “Yeah, sure you can.”
“Good.”
Princess Twilight stood up with the paper in her hand. “C’mon Spike, we better get home. With all that mess Starlight caused, I’m sure we need all hooves and claws on deck,” she said.
“You betcha. You think she’s finally done?”
“I hope so Spike.”
The two began walking toward the front door. Human Twilight yawned as she rose up as well. “I better get going. Shining Armor is probably going to demand a reason why I decided to transfer to Canterlot High. What does your Shining Armor do in your world?”
“He’s married to my foalsitter and leads the Crystal Empire’s Royal Guard, and maybe the military too if something happens.”
“The military? Your world has a military?”
“Yeah but it has cobwebs because we never needed it. There hasn’t been an attack against the crown from another country in centuries. The last war was between Equestria and the Crystal Empire a thousand years ago.”
Human Twilight whistled. “Now that is impressive. I must go over to your world someday to fully grasp what happens there. Magic among humans? It would be interesting to learn where it comes from.”
“Well, you can travel through the mirror, or you can ask Sunset since she’s this world’s resident expert on Equestria.”
“Hello,” Sunset called from her couch.
Both Twilight’s chuckled. Human Twilight leaned over to whisper in Princess Twilight’s ear. “She’s a keeper. Make your move.”
Princess Twilight blushed. “Wh-what?”
Human Twilight smiled as she and her Spike left the apartment. Twilight stood there for a moment to process what just happened. She shook her head. “Sunset, you wanna go for a walk before I head back?”
Sunset stretched. “Sure, I need to stretch my legs.”
The ruby-haired girl grabbed her jacket, slipped on her boots and walked out of the apartment with the princess of magic and the little dragon behind her. “You know, you still owe me a brief history of this world,” Twilight said.
“Do I?”
Twilight nodded. “Well then, how about you come back next Friday? There is a history museum opening in Manehattan that I think you would enjoy,” Sunset suggested.
Twilight grinned. “I’d like that.”
Halfway to Canterlot High, Sunset began to wonder more about her human self. She had, ever since she first arrived, exhausted every resource she could to find her human self in the sea of humans that inhabited this world.
6 billion humans living on this planet Earth and not one of those people is named Sunset Shimmer? She wondered to herself.
Of course, searching for another Sunset Shimmer lead to other findings, and soon she was watching a video of a cat playing a keyboard while wearing a shirt. Sunset gave up the search after a while and accepted that she was the one and true Sunset Shimmer.
Twilight sighed. “It must’ve been weird to see her in your school’s rival uniform, huh?”
Sunset looked over at the lavender princess. “Yeah, I mean we all thought she was you but trying to keep a low profile. Obviously it didn’t work since she walked through all of Canterlot High and everyone recognized her, including Flash.”
“She ran into Flash Sentry?”
Sunset nodded. “He must be part of the welcoming committee or something,” Twilight muttered.
The ruby-haired girl giggled. “It was weird seeing her here, and all she wanted to do was run off and hide or something. It was as if she was forced to participate in the Friendship Games.”
Twilight and Spike shared mutual glances. “I know that feeling,” she said.
“You do?”
“Well, yeah. Back when I was still a unicorn, Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration festivities and somehow make some friends. If anything, all I wanted was to get the evening over with and go back to Canterlot.” Twilight sighed as the nostalgia hit her. “Can’t believe how fast I changed my mind when it was all over. It was like I was lead there because it was my destiny.”
Spike laughed. “Even after you called the whole town crazy because of one big party.”
“Libraries are not meant to have extremely loud parties, Spike.”
“And libraries are not meant to have underground laboratories filled to the brim with weird machines and enough chemicals to quarantine all of Ponyville,” Spike retorted.
“That was one time and I caught it before anything serious happened.”
Spike chuckled. “See, one day Twilight wanted to create a truth serum because Pinkie had this super-duper awesome cake recipe and she wasn’t giving away the secret ingredient, so Twilight goes full on SciTwi mode and spends three days in the basement. She was just about to finish the serum when she sneezed due to hay fever. The vial was sent flying through the air, and if she wasn’t so quick, everypony in Ponyville would be telling the truth all the time for the rest of our lives,” Spike said.
Twilight glared at the dragon-puppy. “It wasn’t going to last that long, just long enough for me to find an antidote.”
“You just wanted that cake, huh?”
“It was good! Admit it Spike, you thought it was good.”
The dragon-puppy waved a paw in the air. Sunset was smiling as he told the story. They had arrived to the front of Canterlot High. The horse statue was still destroyed, but if the school board did approve of it, then it was going to be repaired by the time the school year ended.
As the sun set on another day in the city of Ponyville, Sunset and Twilight had to stop to admire the beauty of nature. It was tough to sell, but Sunset made sure she knew that the Earth was spinning around the Sun and the Moon spun around us, making it look like they were being controlled by a higher power. It wasn’t as tough as explaining why the weather has a mind of its own though.
Spike stretched his back before walking up to the portal. “I’m going ahead just in case Starlight tries anything again,” he said.
“Oh c’mon Spike, she learned her lesson,” Twilight said.
Spike only shrugged before passing through the portal.
A moment of silence had passed before either one of the girls talked. “So…Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“Earlier when you saw my ‘Angel of Light’ form, you called it beautiful, right?”
“Right.”
Sunset fidgeted with her jacket. “Di-did you mean it? Do you think that form is beautiful?”
Twilight thought about it for a moment. “Well, it was still you either way. Like I said: beautiful.”
The setting sun lit up both of their faces. Either it was the Sun, or Sunset was blushing. Before either one could say anything, Spike tossed a book through the mirror, signaling that it was okay to pass through. “Well, er, it was nice catching up Sunset,” Twilight said.
Sunset smiled. “Yeah, it was nice actually seeing you.”
Twilight smiled as she picked up the book. With a deep breath, she approached the portal. “It’s weird, isn’t it? I mean, first it was the she-demon, then the Dazzlings and now it was Midnight Sparkle. I wonder who else will show up.”
Sunset smiled. “Who knows? Be safe Twilight.”
“You too Sunset.”
Princess Twilight passed through the portal. Once she was in, the marble hardened, sealing the portal completely. Without another word, Sunset turned around and walked back to her apartment.
...and Sunset makes three
The country of Equis was little known to the mainlanders of the United States. The two countries had been allies ever since the beginning of the 1800s. While small and insignificant to its big brother, Equis maintained the role of Most Peaceful Nation under the leadership of President Platinum. Their power was small, but its impact on the world would one day be grand.
Sitting in a high-end apartment in the capital city of Washington, a lone woman sat as she faced the rainy world in front of her. Along the walls of the well decorated apartment were pictures of the girl’s high school experience in Equis. Photos of her competing in the Friendship Games, the first year the Crystal Prep Shadowcolts won against Canterlot High shown in grace. A photo of her completing the decathlon math tournament showed her smiling proudly as she left her opponent in the dust.
A natural genius! Absolutely fantastic work by the new Einstein! was spelled out in the newspaper clipping hanging next to the photo.
Equis’s golden egg! said another.
Science’s best child!
The woman sighed. It has been a few years since she had graduated from Crystal Prep with full honors, and while her work kept her at optimum level, the challenges stopping coming. Her work was too easy at this point in her career and she wasn’t going to get anyway.
Next to the woman was a single coffee table with a house phone setup. The phone rang only once before the woman picked it up. “Hello?”
“It’s good to hear from you again,” a male voice rang out.
“Yes, well I think you will be happy to know that my investigation proved…nothing. You sent me on another wild goose chase!”
“Oh please. You enjoyed every bit of that assignment. It isn’t everyday that a 3-year leading scientist for the Department of Homeland Security gets to travel to Egypt to uncover a 3,000 year old mystery. You should be grateful that you got that assignment!”
The woman tapped her fingers on her leather chair. “Well…yes, it was fascinating. The pros outweigh the cons once again.”
“I am very delighted to hear you say that.”
The woman stopped tapping her fingers. The voice had another assignment ready. “Got another field trip for me?”
The male voice chuckled through the receiver. “Am I that obvious?”
“Yes,” the woman said with a smile across her lips.
“Well then, you will love this assignment. Over the past year, the FBI has uncovered evidence of strange anomalies in a small town in Equis. These anomalies, accompanied by reports of extraterrestrial beings and energy spikes have caught our eye. The Federal Government believes that there is something going on down there that can prove to be disastrous to our interests around the world. The last thing we want is our enemies thinking they have allies down there.”
The woman clenched her fist around the phone. “Is that so? Sounds like science fiction to me. That, and classic paranoia.”
“I thought you might say that. Coming in through your fax is my evidence. Unfortunately we do not have clearance from President Platinum to enter the country, and since you once lived there, perhaps you have better access.”
The woman sighed. “Using my nationality to conduct an investigation down there is absolutely crazy. I’m not going.”
All of a sudden, a machine ignited behind the woman. She looked over at her office station to see her fax machine working overtime to produce evidence for the young woman. Three pictures were printed out before the machine went silent. The woman put down the phone to retrieve the photos. Once she had them in her hand, she gasped.
In one photo, a tall woman with red skin seemed to be towering over a group of girls. The woman had long and pointed ears and black eyes. She wore a red and yellow dress and had…wings? Behind her was Canterlot High with the front entrance completely destroyed.
In the next photo, it looked like three creatures with horse bodies but fish tails flying over a concert. Behind the stands was a lone hill with a small setup of band equipment and a tricked out DJ booth. Above the impromptu band setup was a giant winged horse with an enlarged horn.
The last photo was blurry, but the woman could guess that it involved two people. One appeared to be a dark purple character with large wings and a horn sticking from their forehead. Around what could be their eyes was a glowing mask. The other individual appeared to be orange-ish with a similar setup with wings and a horn, but they had no mask.
The woman pressed the photo closer to her face. The orange character looked familiar to the woman. After a second, realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
The woman spun around and return to her chair. She picked up the phone to know the male voice had returned. “Is that enough evidence for you?”
The woman was still staring at the photo. “Ho-how? This is impossible!”
The male voice chuckled. “Nothing is impossible. Those photos were very difficult to procure, but there is enough evidence for us to launch an official investigation, but President Platinum is keeping us out. I need you to investigate exactly what this is and how we can respond.”
The woman nodded as she placed the photos down. “The usual, I presume?”
“No. Unfortunately, we cannot allow ourselves to be known there in Equis. Your career is unknown to them I believe, so they will have no problem accepting you back into the country.”
“No, unless I return immediately after they reject an official order to investigate. They will figure me out if I go now. I will need time to gather information and call in favors before I can return,” the woman said.
“As you wish. I will contact you once things are simmering down and we can proceed from there. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Excellent. I do hope to hear from you soon, Ms. Shimmer.”
The woman, Ms. Shimmer hung up before rising out of her seat. Ms. Shimmer was wearing a black blouse top with blue denim jeans. Her hair was wild and frizzy, but she still held the image of professionalism.
Ms. Shimmer dusted her pants as she walked over to her hallway closet. She opened it up and pulled out a large blue and purple book. On the front it said Crystal Prep Academy 2009. She flipped through the pages until she found the photo of her school at Canterlot High. After studying as much as she could, she sealed the book and returned to her office area.
“In theory, there are seven people in the world who look exactly like you.” She said to herself. “Tonight, I have found the first. It will be a pleasure to study you, Sunset Shimmer.”
