12. Aftershocks

Chapter 12?

“Aftershocks”

Sunset was again in Equestria, now she was on her equine form again, but now she was an Alicorn a Celestia sized (almost) at that, She still was near the Canterlot Monolith, even when not using it as her way of travel, she didn’t even tried to move using her new wings, she knew how difficult it was for Twilight, she using her new powers, just willed to be on her destination and she in an instant was in Ponyville like focusing a lens, she pranced in the Twilight’s castle, besides the entrance were many death guards, she proceeded to resuscitate them musing “Nopony dies today” inside the castle, was the last garrison of the guard, there was Flash Sentry’s body, with his comrades, still looking like they were fighting against a terrible foe. Sunset mused.

“That Kaiju could had tried other hobby…like stamp collecting”

After bringing them back, she felt light-headed, but pranced to the round table room, over the map that presided said table there was a short, young Dragon, weeping before an Alabaster body, Rarity, she died trying to protect Spike, but pony bodies are easy to repair when you know how…

Spike was now happy hugging Rarity, she didn’t reel back, that was weird for the drake, Sunset Shimmer told him “I suppose I can give you a break after how mean I was with you back in the day…”

Rarity told Spike. “When I was at the B-side doing a recap of my life, I fully understood how you feel towards me, understood how selfish I was for negating my own feelings, life’s short, we have to make it count…” Then kissed Spike almost on the lips, “Look, not today, but when you grow, we would be a deal. I promise.”

In cue, Sunset touched Spike’s head with her horn, spike now grew like a hoof taller, also grew two wings of his own he was happy. “Now you’re 26 like Rarity.” Rarity, with her secret now on the open, (Besides her weight) Said “Hey!”

On the castle, appeared Celestia, She was happy to see that Sunset finally understood everything, even attaining goddess status, with powers rivalling the ones of Celestia, but She didn’t felt threatened at all, because she knew Sunset was now just and caring. “Sunset Shimmer, I am happy that you look both, after your human subjects and also to my little Ponies, I kneel before thy.” When she does it, Sunset corrected her, “Stand proud, Celestia, for I don’t want this power.”

Celestia noticed blood trickling from Sunset’s snout, she approached her with a napkin also, used her horn to tune with Sunset, then she gave a not nice diagnostic “My dear, you exerted yourself too much.”

Sunset looking at her forehooves, then looked up to her former mentor. “But… I am a God now can’t I do as I see fit?”

Then Celestia held her now, kind, close to her.

“Look, today you did many things not even I can’t do. You shouldn’t confuse deity with believing you’re a hot shot, that’s how little Discords are made. Overconfidence makes you vain, vanity makes you power hungry, and power hunger brings you to…”

“The Dark side?” replied Sunset smug.

“Uh? That was a reference wasn’t it Sunset?” asked a dumbstruck Celestia.

“Guilty as charged, Celestia”

“Look Sunset, what I was trying to tell you are that you need to have your power endurance on check, learn what you can and can’t do…”

“But Celestia, the fact is that I used the same spell many times before.”

“For bringing back deceased humans…”

“Yes, that that huge B-word killed them just on a thirst for power”

“B-word?”

“Means Bastard, it’s a human thing, we turn offensive words to other words that mean the same.”

“I see, but you know that a Rose wouldn’t be any less tasty if it had another name.”

“Dully noted.”

“Okay Sunset, now that we have that ‘know your limits’ thing learnt you could….” Sunset then fell on ground like a sack of rocks startling Celestia.

“Sunset Sunset! Do you hear me?”

The worried face of Celestia faded to darkness.

That day’s evening, in Ponyville general Hospital, Sunset, now bedridden laid unconscious, her room was basically a bed on a doctor’s office instead of a proper bedroom, due her getting there on just short-notice. She woke and opened her eyes, to quickly close them again after the hospital issue lamp blinded her. “Drat, bitch, cut that thing off couldn’t you?”

Celestia while shaking her head in disapproval of the words chosen by her former pupil operated the dimmer of the lamp, now shining on a more tolerable level.

“Such a potty mouth you grew Sunset…”

Now amused by her ex-mentor demeanour, Sunset partly incorporated on the bed

“W what happened to me?”

“You met the effects of over exhaustion, overworked yourself almost to death.” Pointed Celestia uneasy to having to explain that herself.

“That kind of violence you had to endure was unheard on Equestria.”

Sunset cutely said

“He he he I overdid myself am not?”

“You did…” Said a sad Celestia. “Never do that, not till you understand your body.”

Sunset almost lost it “NEVER? As in never send packing a giant monster bent on destruction just of me on every plane of reality so it can become the only one. Even if it doing as it pleases implies the multiverse destruction?”

“Just not be that grave eager,” said Celestia.

   “W what in the tartarus?  Grave eager? Moi?”

Then a pony came on the room, it was a white Unicorn.”

“Hi nephew… This is Sunset Shimmer… my old protégé. By the way, pardon our arguing…”

Blueblood pranced to the bedside. “Charmed, I’m prince blueblood and was wondering if you aren’t here for me aren’t you? I know I can have such an effect on mares.”

Flabbergasted, Sunset Shimmer put on her best ‘not interested’ look.

“Look kid, I know from you by Rarity, she told me you’re a real pain on the a… on the flank and I recommend you to take away your snout before it becomes a crater, I’m chatting with your aunt so get lost.”

“That was harsh, Sunset, as in ‘too harsh’…”

“Like him you mean?”

Celestia then pranced slowly besides her nephew; on the brink of the door she turns for a moment to contemplate Sunset Shimmer.

“Look, Sunset, I understand you got through a lot, never had it easy …”

Then Celestia left while Sunset Shimmer pondered on last Celestia's words.

"Oh, what's wrong with me?"

She almost began to weep, but cut herself some composure when she heard a voice"

"Sparkle? Is that you?"

Soon Twilight Sparkle came through the door.

"Drat, Sunset can't leave you alone can I?"

Sunset smiled weakly, then experimented a weird deja-vu when Twilight passed down door's brink a second time "Wait, Twi, is that a changeling?"

Second Twi replied, "Nope, it's just me, Twilight Spark... Oh right, “Twolight” Sparkle as Pinkie labeled me on her neologism."

"One moment, Twilight, did you brink Twolight over here?"

"Yep" Said both talking at unison, Really it was creepy seeing two not-twins (Even when they were the same genetically, both had a different education, besides,  twolight kept her glasses and hairdo.) Hearing them talking with a same voice, was unnerving at very least.

"So... Twolight, enjoying the stay?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"Yes, peachy... But why my clothes have to itch that much!!"

Twilight watched amused her Not-Twin and mused, "Look at us. How many of us you see with clothes?"

"Dully noted, but saw many of them with clothes..."

"Yep, but nopony wearing knickers..."

Now it was a rare moment with Sunset laughing and Twolight ashamed.

"Not taking them away!"

"Wow, it was just a suggestion..." said Twilight.

Twolight , now attacked on Sunset for the round two of her barrage.

“Well, ‘pony-twi´, wasn’t your friend the first on going commando?”

Sunset, then turn beet red, Twilight was snickering, like somepony who was out of the room.

Sunset then shout, “Who’s there?” at the door. A bodiless voice replied.

“Exactly.”

A remarkably good looking stallion wearing a bowtie, a fez, and Doctor robe got in the bedroom.

“Sunset Shimmer I presume…”

Sunset stood up on her bed and pretended to have a hoofbump, only to brohoof empty air.

“What means that? Oh yes, a pony way of salute.” Then they exchanged it.

“Sun…. oh, miss Shimmer, I’m the Doctor, I’m here to pick you from here.”

Startled, Sunset was at a loss for words, only getting worst.

“Oh yes, the debilitating Malady, tough stuff… There, take two of these” Then he gave Sunset a couple of pills. “Pardon by the way that we meet like this… Shim! Can you enter please?” At that moment an Alicorn looking like Sunset, but with an eyepatch entered the room “Hi, me.”

In the room the situation at that moment was quite SNAFU, there were two Sunsets, two Twilights and ‘the Doctor’ our bedridden Sunset was looking at her counterpart, speechless. The new Sunset, had more to say “Don’t look at me like that, did you never travelled through time? Oh, yes, you didn’t, apart what you and Twi did on that black hole. Look, the Doctor contacted through me, with his former self, so he can put this in motion. At the moment, as I remember you have godlike powers, but you’re at lost on how to use them. We suggest you to take those pills already and get your ass in gear, my Doctor has to pick me up.”

As in cue, a high pitched, intermittent scratching sound, that sounded like if someone attacked the F string of a guitar with some keys. Told sound repeated for three times before stopping with a gonglike sound.

“Well, dear me, that’s my cue to go away, take your pills, go with the Doctor, save the multiverse. Tata!”

‘Shim’ closed the room door, a minute later a wooden door became shut, then, the sound of keys scrapping sound again.

Sunset did as she was told, starting by taking her pills, she felt like she sleep 42 Hours straight “Whoa, those pills surely did the trick…”

Doctor said “Oh come on!” Sunset said a kick Farewell to both Twilights, The Equestrian Twilight said, “So, you go like this? Not even a Dear John letter?”

“My fate goes by a different route than yours Twilight.”

“That sounds like another reference; you know it’s rude…” Snapped Twilight, while Twolight was holding (badly), a snicker “Hew hew hew ‘Obi Wan.’ Good one.”

Twilight, stopped looking at ceiling in mock annoyance, and while realizing it would take time to see again her friend, told her a sincere “Farewell to you too, Duzbelle.”

Then Twilight said to the Doctor, “You’ll better bring her back in one piece”

“I’ll try that, in a piece or in a recipient… Come on Shim…”

Sunset Shimmer stood as well as she pranced down the corridors the many faces of Flabbergasted M.D.’s as she pranced like a filly her way out of the I.C. Unit, two doctors had a quick exchange “But she wasn’t supposed to be toast when Celestia did bring her?”

Outside the Hospital, there was a closed ‘Ambulance’ cart, the Doctor, approached a small stick, to the door, the Stick did a whirring sound, and the door unlatched Sunset was amazed, the Doctor not much “It’s a Sonic Screwdriver, it helps with stuff, unless it´s wood”.

“Oh, also it says that there’s one of your friends that isn’t from here, there is! He pointed to Twolight. Want to travel with us girl? “

Twolight replied “Uhh sure, but isn’t that cart too small for all of us?”

Behind the door, there was A LOT of stuff, the interior of the cart resembled a court on size, and all sorts of doohickeys hung from walls none of them with an obvious purpose.

The doctor left his “Sonic Screwdriver” on a drawer, besides the door they just used.

(Twolight, after seeing the amount of space there, just wanted to know everything about it).

“Look, I know what you’re thinking now, this is called a TARDIS, yes, it’s bigger on the inside, but that’s not the only thing this is capable to do.”

The Doctor, then, pranced to a circuit board and yanked a lever. With that the machine did again that noise of keys on a guitar string, but after twenty times, it stopped with that weird gong sound. “Come on, Shim, open the door.” Sunset Shimmer did that, but instead of Ponyville Hospital, she was in Canterlot, her Canterlot, even when she kept her pony form.

“Don’t be that hesitating; the TARDIS is giving us the common anthropomorphic shape over here, even when you still see yourself as a pony.”

Sunset after looking at the Doctor, still on his Pony form, raises an eyebrow “You still look quite equine to me…”

“The TARDIS works by hypnosis, you see me with the aspect you saw me first.”

“So, Doctor, you’re meaning you aren’t even an equine?”

“Yep, I can say that if you where supposed to look at my real shape, you would be blowing chunks instantly, even when I lack any proof of Ponies doing that.”

Sunset, with her face two tones greener than before said “No, I don’t want to do that”

Then, they closed the Door, now the TARDIS looked like one of the police boxes that were common on Canterlot “And that are Hypnosis too?”

“Oh comfort and joy! Looks like the chameleon circuit works now! Believe me Shim, that thing is more a hassle to fix it that what it’s worth for.”

“We’re here to fulfil the last deed that I gave me myself, you need to have a chat with some…one that matters to you.”

“You mean Flash?” Sunset’s eyes lit with happiness and proceed to move towards it’s brotherhood, there were still remains of the Kaiju attack, but public services were working hard on picking the debris, Flash Sentry was busy cleaning it’s car, that since the fight wasn’t just dusty, but had some blue bloodsplats, he removed one piece of alien flesh that clung from the radio antenna. “Yuk, nastyfucker…”

Sunset acted casual, when she pretends to not know him and said “Sir, you mind to take a girl home?”

Flash turned around to see a sight he wasn’t planned to see again, his sweet girlfriend, now she stood looking like she looked the last time. Flash surely looked like a flash burned picture at how white he turned then he shrieked with a voice more becoming to a filly.

“Yayyyyyyy! Sunset! Because you’re Sunset aren’t you? I did see that thing destroy you! I can’t fully.” Then Flash hugged his girlfriend, sobbing uncontrollably, for him, that was a miracle, and then he lost consciousness.

“He’s a bit histrionic, isn’t he?” Commented the Doctor

Darkness, but Flash heard some noises, at first were guttural noises, but when his head started properly processing it’s sound input, those guttural noises became words, also he began identifying voices, like Sunset, that said some nonsense about she don’t deserving his time.

Flash opened then his eyes, there she was, a sad, self-loathing Sunset Shimmer, she was consumed by her own guilt. “Hey, crazy girl… Still wanting to be with me?” Sunset just nodded, putting on a Pinkie grade smile. “Good to see you here sleepyhead” Said both, Sunset and the Doctor. Then the doctor commented something to Sunset.

Sunset, then commented to Flash the deal “Look, I’ll have to travel for some time heh, time; don’t know how much, I’m trying to suggest you to come with us.”

Flash put a sour mug. “Look dear, I can’t leave the boys of CCC here by themselves, somebody has to keep a look on them, sorry.”

“Okay then, Doctor, we go.” Replied sunset looking at the Doctor, then both of them walked to the TARDIS, Sunset let the Doctor enter first so she could leave the door ajar.

“Doctor, can I do something?”

“Oh yes, keep an eye on those dials, yell if they go over 2000.” Then the Doctor noticed something… “Tell me Shim, did you forget to close the TARDIS?”

“Uhh…”

“Forget it, the lamp of open door just shut off.”

Then on the control room, on the entrance was a Flabbergasted Flash Sentry “Dude… this is…”

“Bigger inside?” asked the Doctor, but then Flash replied, “I, was going to say smaller, I can smell quantum mechanics. Right Sunset?”

“Yep, he’s correct; he was the founder of the Canterlot Computer Club, so, a complete Nerd…”

“Ohh, cool, and what he thinks about…this” commented the Doctor while dramatically pulling the lever on the TARDIS to make it travel trough the multiverse…

“Better hold yourself Flash; you’re in for a threat” Commented Sunset.

2 BE CONTINUED.

And so, the odyssey of Sunset Shimmer across the multiverse began.