As the light bled out of the afternoon sky, Sunset Shimmer sat on a bench, enjoying her namesake. Over the horizon, a pretty blend of pink, orange and yellow greeted the sun goodbye, hailing the end of the day and the start of nighttime. A perfect combination of lingering warm temperatures and a slight cooling breeze left Sunset in a state of blissful comfort. It had been a hectic week for her, going from being shunned by most of the school at large, only to end up having to fend off the Sirens. The whirlwind of events had left Sunset exhausted, and she was glad to have some downtime.
Lazily, Sunset looked both ways, then behind her. Seeing nobody else around, she laid down on the bench, hanging her ankles over the metal arm at one end. The world was quiet here. Silence was golden after a musical competition that was vital in preventing three megalomaniacs from acquiring even greater power than what they already had.
Sunset put a hand over her head, palm-side covering her eyes. The smell of flowers on the breeze tickled her nose. Even years after she had forgone her equine form, her stomach still rumbled at the scent of flora, though she knew it would be barely edible with her current body. “I miss Equestria,” Sunset whispered the words out, as if saying them any louder would bring bad things upon her.
They had been words she hadn’t dared to say in Princess Twilight Sparkle’s presence. Sunset felt like they had come to an agreement, one-third verbal and two-thirds unspoken, especially after the way Sunset had stepped up and saved the day in the Battle of the Bands. However, with memories of her transformation into a demon less than a year ago lingering on her mind, Sunset found her bravery falling short in front of the Princess.
‘I want to go home to Equestria.’
Seven words. What might have happened, if I had spoken those words to her? Sunset thought. It was meaningless to think about. After all, she could still ask Twilight herself. The pony princess had the other half of the magical journal Princess Celestia had gifted Sunset with so many years ago. Sunset could go to her place right now and ask Twilight through the journal, impersonal as it was in comparison to a conversation face-to-face. The journals had a magical connection that allowed the portal to be opened at any time, so Sunset could be in Equestria by this evening.
Sunset knew what stopped her. For all that she wished to go home, Sunset didn’t feel she deserved it. Certainly, she had just neutralised an ancient threat from Equestria dumped into this world by Star Swirl the Bearded, earning forgiveness from the school in the process. However, Sunset still remembered all that she had done before that. She had smacked her mentor’s helping hoof aside, ran away to another dimension, stole the Element of Magic, become a she-demon and attempted to brainwash the entire school.
No. There would be no returning to Equestria until Sunset Shimmer felt she had done enough penance that the guilt no longer hung around her neck like a millstone. Fortunately, every day she woke up and went about with a smile on her face helped to whittle down that weight, as time healed many wounds.
Sunset risked a peek out towards her namesake. The sun, normally dangerous to look at, was down to its last few slivers. The golden sun, its colour so much like her own skin and coat colour, reminded her of her own mentor. Oh, Princess, Sunset thought, guilt continuing to gnaw at her heart. Fortunately, there was no chance of her mentor dying of old age before she returned home, like some of the fictional stories Sunset had read of close to the same scenario.
The teen girl shifted her body around, rotating to face out towards the sunset, instead of straight up. Her mood tinged melancholic as memories of home started filtering through.
“Hmmph. Even here, I can’t get away from you, Shimmer.”
Sunset scrambled into an upward position, sitting on the bench. Turning around, Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Trixie,” she greeted as cordially as she could manage. She was still unimpressed with the actions the other girl had committed during the Battle of the Bands. Sunset couldn’t tell how much of it had been the effects of the Sirens’ brainwashing, and how much of it was Trixie. Regardless, she was still annoyed with the other teenager. Being dropped into an underground room and locked in would do that for most people.
“Shimmer,” Trixie replied, crossing her arms with a pout on her face. The teen was no longer wearing the get-up she had donned for most of the last week, a blue blouse with a gaudy purple cape, skirt and hat over top, decorated to the brim with moons and stars. Instead, Trixie now wore lighter fare, having changed out for a blue t-shirt and shorts.
“Where are the other two? Fuchsia Blush and Lavender Lace?” Sunset asked.
“Pffft,” Trixie blew air through her lips and rolled her eyes. “Those two are the best companions of the Great and Powerful Trixie, but Trixie and they need some alone time from time to time, such as right now.”
Then Trixie did something unexpected, moving around the bench to the front side and sitting down next to Sunset.
Sunset fidgeted, but there was plenty of space between the two. Trixie seemed willing to just look out at the sunset as well, the sun finally disappearing under the horizon. However, Sunset observed telltale signs of the other girl’s moodiness: fingers clenched together so hard they were red at the fingertips, nose slightly scrunched, eyes glaring straight ahead.
It was clear Trixie was thinking about something. Sunset dearly wished to flee and save herself a hassle, but instead, she stayed. A spell had been suddenly cast over the scene, and to break the silence would be to break the spell.
Then Trixie spoke. “So magic exists.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Of course. Don’t you do magic shows all the time?”
Trixie scowled. “Don’t get smart with Trixie, Shimmer. You know what I mean. Real magic. The type that you and those other girls have, that allows you to ‘power up’, or what those Sirens had.”
That’s ‘pony up’, Sunset thought, but she held her tongue. Much as it felt like it would be fun to antagonise Trixie, she was too mature to do so. Besides, if she had really wanted to, she could tease the other girl over her off-and-on third-person pronouns. However, Sunset still found something odd. “I’m curious. Didn’t the events of the Fall Formal fill you in on the existence of magic?”
“Hmmph,” Trixie said, crossing her arms and turning her nose up. “It’s a lot different than back then. Magic is the only explanation for how you managed to defeat Trixie and the Illusions in the Battle of the Bands after that disastrous performance of yours.”
Sunset was about to laugh, only to stop. Oh my Celestia. She’s actually serious. Not the Fall Formal, not being brainwashed, but her losing to us was what convinced her magic was real?! No, no Sunset, that’s a bad thought. That’s just Trixie’s ego talking. She must have known already. “Well, yes, magic, real magic does exist. What about it then?”
Trixie’s expression softened. “I want to be able to use it.”
The words were a whammy to Sunset, as she visibly recoiled in surprise. In retrospect, she really shouldn’t have been. For as hammy as Trixie was, the other girl had shown a real dedication to her show, often having impromptu performances in the lunchroom at Canterlot High School. Of course, sometimes her love for the show got the better of Trixie, as she would even break out into it in class. She was still far from the most interesting character at the school, however, with numerous class clowns.
Trixie’s sharp eyes followed Sunset, honing in on her. “So can I, or is it something only you can?”
Sunset bit the inside of her lip. The problem was that she herself wasn’t certain. It had seemed unfathomable to Sunset the year before that anybody in this realm could use magic, and the only six humans she knew of who could were inexorably linked to the Elements of Harmony, its influence somehow able to reach across realms. The Sirens were a curious exception, but their powers had been shattered along with the pendants they had held. Sunset doubted it was just something that could be taught to a random human, even one who had been in Canterlot High School and been exposed to two magical incidents in under a year.
“I don’t know,” Sunset said honestly. “It’s possible, but I can’t be certain. Um, how much do you know of where I come from?” Eyeing Trixie up, she figured her dimensional counterpart might be a unicorn. It was tough to tell, but that was Sunset’s best guess. That was assuming a human even would turn into a pony crossing through the portal. The only ones who ever had were those who were originally ponies, being herself and Twilight, and those were not the best samples to extrapolate from. Would a human who was born human turn into a pony, or stay human? Additionally, there was also the matter of Spike the dragon, who had turned into a dog instead of a human.
“You’re a magical unicorn pony who after an argument with her mentor, ran away and went through a magical mirror portal that went to another dimension full of humans and turned you into a human as well, and the magical mirror portal is only open every two years and change, at least until another magical pony figured out how to open it any time she wanted.”
Sunset’s jaw dropped. “How did yo—” Then she realised the obvious answer.
“Pinkie Pie,” the two teens chorused in unison.
“Pinkieeeeee,” Sunset growled, one hand held up in a fist as she thought about how she would wrangle the pink girl’s neck the next time Sunset saw her. It wasn’t that Sunset wanted her past to be an absolute secret, but she didn’t want Pinkie to go blabbing about it to the other students with such detail!
But at least it made her job easier. Sunset took a few breaths to calm down from her annoyance at Pinkie, then said, “Well, I think, I don’t know, but I think that if a human was to come to the land I came from, then she would transform into a pony. We’re all magical, but only some of us are able to express it in the way you’re probably thinking.”
“What do you mean?” Trixie asked, furling her eyebrows and wringing her hands. It was apparent all she was hearing was that even if she went to Equestria, there was still a good chance she couldn’t use magic.
“Well, ponies, and again yes, ponies, are divided into three main tribes. The unicorns are the ones who are able to use magic like is expressed in a lot of fiction here. Levitation, for example, casting spells that conjure fire or water. Teleportation is possible, though it’s highly advanced. Pegasi can fly, and they can manipulate weather.” Sunset decided to refrain from explaining how ponies actually controlled almost all the weather in Equestria. The only thing ponies left on its own for the most part was wind currents, given how complicated they were. For a human such as Trixie, describing Equestria would already be alien enough without getting into that concept.
“Ah, and by manipulate weather, I mean they can move clouds, break up clouds, create rainbows, suck up water from a lake or ocean and move the precipitation elsewhere. There aren’t very many deserts in the nation I hailed from because of that,” Sunset explained further. “But they can fly, that’s the big thing. Their wings are capable of some external magic of their own, like sending out small bursts of air like a bludgeon. Um. It’s not something very many pegasi do, because most of what they can do is honed towards destruction. It’s possible for them to create a stormcloud and call down lightning, or for a group of them to create a hurricane or tornado. Obviously not something that has very many useful purposes in peace.”
Trixie looked a little sick, torn between disbelieving Sunset and considering the ramifications of people, or ponies being able to summon lightning or tornadoes. “You mentioned three tribes.”
Sunset was annoyed at how Trixie kept interrupting her. “Yes, the last tribe are the Earth ponies. Their magic is about all things connecting to the land. Earth ponies have a better talent with their hooves, and manufacture much of what we use in our daily lives. They make up most of the farming community as well, as they are the most capable at coaxing seeds to sprout and grow with their magic. We don’t use much fertiliser like farms here do. Um. It’s not very common, but when I say their magic is about all things connected to the land, I mean it. Again, it comes with training, but an Earth pony is able to summon trees up in an instant, or change the terrain of the very planet itself. There are stories of a legendary geomancer who could call up entire mountains, though it’s more likely they were just large hills.”
Trixie sat back, looking thoughtful. She hung her arms over the back of the bench. Sunset thought it was the quietest she had ever seen Trixie in the years she had known the blue-skinned girl.
Of course, it didn’t last long. “So if Trixie went to, um, magical pony land, which one would Trixie be?”
It’s called Equestria, you nitwit, Sunset thought. Then Sunset tried to recall if she had ever actually mentioned the name of her homeland, and realised she hadn’t. Oh, well, that would explain it. “‘Magical pony land’ has a name. It’s called Equestria. As for what you would be, I don’t know. I don’t even know if you would turn into a pony altogether, but I’m thinking it likely.”
“But you can’t give me real magic, or teach me how to use it, here, right?”
“No,” said Sunset immediately, ignoring Trixie's jarring multiple shifts between first and third-person. It wasn’t the whole truth, but honestly, Sunset simply didn’t want to tamper with this world any more than she had. Exposing Canterlot High School to large-scale magical incidents twice was already enough, and Sunset was certain she would have her hands full with trying to keep Rainbow Dash from showing off her pony-up form in the future.
Trixie took a few seconds to think about something again. Then she said, “Well, when can we go?”
Sunset’s train of thought braked to a complete stop. “Huh? Go?”
“Go to Equestria,” Trixie said, sarcastically slowing her speech as if she was explaining her words to an infant. “To Equestria, where I can learn to use real magic.”
Sunset shook her head. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“What?! Why not?” Trixie asked, standing up, looking angry. “Twilight Sparkle managed to come through that portal and then leave even though it’s been well under two years since it was open last! Pinkie said so, she has something to open the portal whenever they want now.”
“Wellllll,” Sunset drawled, not really in the mood to get into a drawn-out spat with Trixie, especially not after they had a surprisingly decent chat, “I would expect we’d need to get permission from Twilight to head to Equestria first.”
Trixie thought about that, but easily perceived a possible flaw in that logic. “Then who gave you and Twilight permission to come here?”
There was no clear-cut, easy one-liner Sunset could give to that. She tried explaining anyways. “Equestria is, well, not more regulated than this country is. The key is that Twilight is a top government official—” Which was true, after a fashion, being a Princess of Equestria, “—and since the leaders of Equestria are aware of the portal and the existence of other dimensions like this one, they would know if I just take someone with me into Equestria.”
“What, and that’s bad then? Sounds like a double-standard to me, if Twilight Sparkle is a government official and feels carefree enough to come into our world without permission from us, but blocks access into her world,” Trixie said, crossing her arms as she sat down on the metal armrest at the end of the bench.
“Well, I-um, give me a second. It’s complicated, I’m just trying to figure out how to simplify it,” Sunset said. Fortunately, Trixie seemed willing to give Sunset time, though the other girl cast her an unnerving stare.
She’s never really referred to Equestria as being where I came from, but as being where Twilight Sparkle comes from, Sunset realised. It made her feel a little uncomfortable, but also a little glad. Trixie didn’t view Sunset as anything other than human. Certainly, that was because Trixie had never known Sunset as a pony, but it still gave Sunset hope for continuing to fit in here in the human’s world.
Still, Sunset deliberated over what to tell Trixie. It was difficult, trying to come up with the words to convince Trixie that she couldn’t just waltz into Equestria. Sunset struggled, yet no matter how she tried, she couldn’t come up with a strong enough argument.
Then it hit her. It’s not that Twilight Sparkle or even Princess Celestia would stop me from coming home and bringing Trixie with me. It’s still me that’s stopping me from returning to Equestria. How funny that twice in one day, Sunset was forced to face the fact she was still afraid.
Sunset could tell Trixie that. But she hadn’t confessed her fears to any of her friends yet. It would be odd to confide in Trixie, who didn’t even come close to qualifying as being one of her friends.
She decided to stall for a little more time, and tackle Trixie’s request from a different angle. “What about your friends?”
“What about them?” Trixie asked rhetorically, sitting down on the bench proper and lazily sprawling one leg out over the armrest.
“Well, would you want to bring Fuchsia Blush and Lavender Lace along with you to Equestria the first time you go, or would it be just you and me?”
Trixie sat up. Once more, she seemed to be seriously contemplating it. “Trixie would much like for her friends to come along with her,” she announced.
That surprised Sunset. Somehow, she had expected Trixie to be more selfish than that, but it seemed the teenager, and she really was a teen, not what Sunset was in her second go-around as a hormonal girl on the cusp of adulthood, truly loved her friends and treasured them. Sunset smiled. “Well, you’re already in helping hands and hooves.”
“Hands and hooves? Huh?”
Sunset rolled her eyes, but this time in jest instead of annoyance. “Yes, hooves. Because that’s what ponies have, instead of hands. Oh, don’t worry, we can pick things up with our hooves before you ask. Not as dexterous as hands and fingers are, but much more than horses here do.”
Trixie fidgeted. It was clear she hadn’t even considered the fact that going to Equestria and becoming a pony to try and learn and use real magic meant losing her hands.
“But, um, there’s a saying in my homeland, that ‘friendship is magic’. Magic isn’t just friendship, of course, it’s so much more than that, but the power of friendship is a real, tangible thing in Equestria. Not just a sappy thing like you see on TV, but an actual force of magic.” If only I had learned to find and accept friendship before I had left. If I hadn’t, however, I suppose I would never have met my dearest friends here in this world. “As long as you keep that friendship with Fuchsia and Lavender, you’ll do good in Equestria.”
“Now you’re sounding like those sappy TV shows as well,” Trixie said.
Sunset laughed. It was a light-hearted chuckle. Already, she was feeling better. “I suppose I am,” Sunset admitted. “Sorry, Trixie. I’ve just had a bad...well, a bad year, but an even worse last week.”
Trixie blanched as she realised the role she had played in making part of Sunset’s last week terrible. “Um, sorry about that,” Trixie said.
She even looks guilty. How about that. She took the chance to look up, and was startled to realise the day had begun to darken. Their conversation had seemed so brief, yet there was a real passage of time. Already, the sky was several shades of blue darker than it had been when Sunset had looked up last.
However, there was still plenty of time before it got really dark, and so Sunset gave thought to the matter of Trixie’s apology. Only a few minutes ago, I was thinking she was just a teenager, while me, I’m stuck in a weird state where I’m technically an adult with an adult's years of experience, but in the body of a teen. I’m still angry at her, but I also understand the pressure of competition.
Well, the school had forgiven her for the events of the Fall Formal the year before, so it would be petty of Sunset to get hung up on this if Trixie was truly remorseful. “I accept your apology, Trixie. However, you’ll want to go apologise to the other girls too. If Twilight Sparkle ever returns, I want you to say sorry to her as well.”
Trixie bit her tongue, but she didn’t protest. It would be a blow to her pride, but Sunset was certain Trixie would swallow her ego. “I understand,” she said.
“As for going to Equestria...Trixie, I can’t make any promises. The honest truth is that I’m actually scared of returning to Equestria myself,” said Sunset, swallowing her own fears for once. “Oh, don’t look surprised. You saw me transform into a demon. Twilight Sparkle returned to Equestria and would have naturally informed the leaders about what I did.”
Trixie looked despondent. “So you can’t return to Equestria?” Then she narrowed her eyes. “Or you won’t rather?”
Sunset answered truthfully. “I won’t, not that I can’t. For, ah, reasons, I’m certain I would be forgiven now if I asked to come home. It’s just, I’m still struggling through my own things. Trixie, I turned into a demon not even a year ago. I helped defeat the Sirens, but I still have my hang-ups. So please, just give me some time. Once I’m ready, I’ll try to help you, and Lavender Lace, and Fuchsia Blush, and any other friends you may have made by then who also want to come along, to come to Equestria. It won’t be today, or tomorrow, but it may be some day soon. I’m certain Twilight Sparkle and her leaders will let us cross over when we ask, if that’s any reassurance.”
Trixie’s face softened. “As long as it’s soon.”
Sunset nodded. “I’ll try my best.”
“Then…” Trixie looked up at the sky, then took her phone out of her pocket, looking at the time. “I had better go. Thanks, Sunset.”
“You’re welcome,” said Sunset, as she watched Trixie stand up, and briskly walk away.
Well, that was a conversation, Sunset thought. In retrospect, she supposed she should have expected somebody to ask her about going to Equestria, just not in the context of the chat she and Trixie had held. Hmm, magic. I wonder...how out of practice am I now, after years away from home and without a horn? She had been able to teleport during the brief time she had returned to steal the Element of Magic, but that had been spur of the moment. Sunset wouldn’t have relied on being able to do it deliberately. The magic Sunset had here was too primordial and chaotic for her to attempt practicing unicorn magic with, either.
It was twilight outdoors now. “I suppose I should get going,” Sunset said as she stood up. She felt lighter now, as if talking to Trixie had been just what she needed to chase off her homesickness. There was little doubt in Sunset’s mind now that she would someday return to Equestria, when the millstone had at last lessened in weight so it no longer dragged her down with every step. Perhaps the first time Sunset went would be by herself, as she mended her broke relationship with her former teacher. Afterwards, with permission from Princess Celestia, she could bring others with to visit Equestria. Her closest friends would be on top of her list, but then there would also be Trixie and her friends.
Until then, Sunset would enjoy this brave new world, the world she called home, just a little longer.
Author's Note
If you liked, then please consider leaving an upvote!
I wasn't really thinking about it too much when actually writing this story, but on second thought, I suppose it works perfectly as a prequel to Sunset's Extradimensional Tourist Agency (and for those of my followers who've read that, yes, I do plan to update it someday).
