Braveheart: The Untold Stories Episode 21: Hard Times

I was sitting on the bed in my room. The Crystal Empire had restored after Cadence returned the Crystal Heart. Sunset Shimmer’s body was lying on the bed, hooves over her chest. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was in a small smile. Her back had been bandaged up, and the wraps were damp and red. I hadn’t spoken a word or moved since her death. I couldn’t. It had been a week after Sombra’s attack. I had barely eaten since. I heard a small knock on the door. I looked without moving my head. Cadence opened the door and stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind her.

“Hello, Braveheart,” she said, concerned. “Are you feeling any better?” I responded with a slow shake of my head. Cadence sighed.

“Well, I just wanted to let you know that the train back to Canterlot has been repaired,” she informed. “I’ve told the conductor to wait for you. You may leave when you feel ready.” I gave a small nod. Cadence nodded back and turned back to the door. Before she left, she turned back to me.

“I truly am sorry about this,” she said. “Really.”

“It’s OK,” I whispered, barely noticeable. Cadence left the room, leaving me alone again. I looked at Sunset’s body again. She looked peaceful. I put my mechanical hoof to her heart.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “This is all my fault. I let this happen. All of this.” I closed my eyes and started to cry. Sunset was the only being in Equestria who made me feel normal. Now, I felt as I have before. Like an outsider, alone and shunned. I wiped the tears from my eyes and stood up. I packed up both mine and Sunset’s belongings and laid them by the window. I walked over to the bed and picked up Sunset’s body with my magic and held her close. I carried her to the window, picked up our bags, and took flight to the station. When I reached the train station, I walked into the very back car and sat down, laying Sunset’s body next to me, ever so gently. The conductor walked up, removing his cap.

“I’m terribly sorry,” he said. “Back to Canterlot, I’m guessing?”

“No,” I quietly said. “Ponyville. I need to talk to Princess Twilight.”

“As you wish,” the conductor agreed. He walked back to the locomotive, closing the door behind him. After a minute, the train gave a jolt, and it began to move on its way to Ponyville. I looked out the window. I could see Twilight’s Castle and the Canterlot Castle ruins in the distance. I started to wonder how Twilight would react to what I told her. I thought of how I could try and calm her down if she overreacted. I looked down at Sunset. I slid her mane behind her ear, and gave a small smile.

“I won’t ever forget you,” I whispered. “Never.” I closed my eyes and slept as the train moved along.

~~~

I woke up as the train pulled into the Ponyville station. I could see Twilight waiting for me. I took a deep breath and let it out. I picked up the luggage and Sunset Shimmer. I stepped out of the train car and started to walk towards Twilight. She saw me and ran up.

“Hi, Braveheart,” she chirped. “How was your trip to the Crystal Empire?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I mumbled.

“That bad, huh?” Twilight asked.

“You have no idea,” I sighed. Twilight noticed Sunset’s closed eyes.

“Is Sunset sleeping?” she whispered.

“You could say that,” I quietly said. Twilight was confused.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I’ll explain at your castle,” I replied.

“OK,” Twilight agreed. We silently walked through Ponyville, not saying a word. When we reached the castle, we stepped inside and I locked the door behind me. I laid Sunset’s body down on a small mattress and pulled up a chair.

“So, what happened in the Crystal Empire, Braveheart?” Twilight asked. I sighed, then began my story. I told Twilight about the tech project, the train breakdown, and my nightmare. I told her about my walk through the Frozen North and the black smoke, my fight with Sombra, how he possessed me, and ending with Sunset’s death at his hooves.

“I slaughtered Sombra after that,” I finished. “He was shown no mercy.” I sighed again and looked up. Twilight was in tears, so close to crying. Twilight broke down as I gave her a hug.

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” I whispered. “I knew that she was close to you.” Twilight nodded and looked up, her face wet with tears. I gave her a cloth and she wiped her face. Her eyes were red and her mane was a mess. I patted her shoulder and stood up. I walked over to Sunset’s body and picked her up.

“Come on,” I said. “I need your help.” Twilight nodded and followed me outside. It had started to rain, but we didn’t care. I grabbed a shovel leaning up against Twilight’s castle and flew with Twilight to the Ponyville Cemetery. I found an empty space and stuck the shovel into the dirt. Twilight used her magic to help. Within a few minutes, we had dug a small grave for Sunset. As Twilight flew back to her castle for a coffin, I found a large stone and etched into the rock face,

R.I.P.

Sunset Shimmer

1994 – 2027

I carved her cutie mark below that. Twilight came back with a small wooden coffin as I finished. I painted Sunset’s cutie mark onto the lid, then etched my name into the wood. Twilight helped me carefully lay Sunset inside the coffin.

“Would you like to say something?” I asked Twilight. She shook her head. I placed my hoof over Sunset’s chest. I closed my eyes, mentally promising to Sunset for the third time that I would always remember her. I then pulled out the necklace I had bought back at the Crystal Empire and laced it around Sunset’s neck. I backed away, and Twilight hammered the coffin lid closed and laid it into the hole. I stuck the tombstone into the dirt and shoveled the pile of it into the hole. We stood there, soaking wet, silent, paying our respects to Sunset Shimmer. Twilight placed her hoof around my shoulder. I gave a sigh.

“We both had a strong connection with her,” Twilight said. “She was my good friend, and she was your wife.”

“We only knew each other for a few months,” I recalled. “But we loved a lifetime’s worth.”

“Rest in Peace, Sunset Shimmer,” we said in unison. We left the gravesite and flew back home. As I flew through the rain, the water pounded on my body, causing me to shiver. I flew faster, because I wanted to get home as soon as possible. I landed in front of my house and hurried inside, closing the door behind me. I shook off and walked over to my hearth. I levitated a few logs from my wood pile and set them into the fireplace. I didn’t have time to wait for the fire to get going, so I took a can of gasoline I kept by the hearth and poured it over the logs. I knew this was dangerous, but at this point, I gave no shits. I charged a spark in my horn and let it fly into the fire. The spark hit the gasoline, and in a split second, the hearth practically exploded. The flame flew out of the hearth, causing me to jump back. The fire almost instantly retreated back into the hearth. Looking down, the flame had singed my Terminator hoof. I grabbed a rag and wiped the black ash off my hoof. A knock rang out from my door.

“Come in!” I called. Rainbow Dash opened the door and stepped inside, dry as a bone.

“Hey Braveheart,” she said. “I heard about Sunset Shimmer. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s all right,” I said. “We already buried her in the Ponyville Cemetery.” Rainbow Dash sat down next to me by the raging fire.

“Must have been really hard to say goodbye,” she assumed. I nodded.

“I’m actually kind of glad you stopped by,” I said. “I wanted some company.” Rainbow gave me a smile. I smiled back. We stared at the fire, listening to the storm outside. My life had taken a very tragic turn. The love of my life was gone, lost forever by evil. I sighed as I let the heat from the flame dry my tears.