Looking for Sunset Shimmer
It was Friday night, when the weekend finally starts after five days of classes and teachers. What better way to kickoff the weekend than going to a carnival in town? To Twilight Sparkle, that would be staying at home with a nice book, nestled in the comfort of her reading chair.
But the Rainbooms were performing a concert on stage at the carnival, meaning she had to show up to support them as their friend. Or so she was told… Friendship was still a new thing to her. It's one thing to read about it, but it's another to put it into application.
Maybe she should record her findings and develop her understanding of friendship.
But now wasn't the time for that. She needed to find the meeting place the girls agreed on after they changed out of their stage costumes, but the maze of tents and cacophony of noises made it hard to locate them.
She picked up the pace and began running. Would the girls think of her as a bad friend for being late? Just where was the cotton candy stand? Why couldn’t carnivals have maps?!
A startled yelp and the painful feeling of colliding into another body threw Twilight out of her thoughts. Her glasses were flung off her face, leaving her in a state of blurry confusion.
A familiar voice reached her ears. “Sorry about that. Wasn't looking where I was going.”
The girl next to her dusted her jeans and held something towards her.
As Twilight took the offered glasses, she finally looked at the other girl. She recognized that fiery hair anywhere. “Sunset? Where are the others?” she asked, not that she wasn’t happy to see her friend.
The other girl looked at Twilight. “Do I know you?”
This must be one of those jokes friends play on each other. She tried to play it off. “Very funny, Sunset.” She chuckled.
A pause. “No, seriously. Have we met before?”
Twilight looked around, looking for a hidden camera or at least one of their friends. When she couldn't find them, she stared at the other girl with a worried look. “It’s me. Twilight,” she said.
If this was a joke, it wasn’t funny, but neither of them were laughing.
“Sorry, doesn't ring any bells,” the girl said. ”You don't go to Canterbury High, do you?”
Before she could answer, a group of teenage girls, who Twilight didn't recognize, called towards them. “Come on, Sunset! What's the hold up?”
“I'll be right there!” She awkwardly smiled at Twilight. “Well, I guess this is goodbye. It was nice meeting you though.” She turned to leave, but not before waving goodbye. “Later!”
Twilight watched as the figure of the fiery-haired girl left. “Uh, bye?”
That was strange. Sunset had acted as if she didn't know her, and just who were those other people? Was it possibly amnesia? Perhaps brainwashing or hypnosis? The possibilities she came up with seemed unlikely. But this was Sunset… She was an attraction for magical phenomenons that more than once caused some problems.
A hand fell on her shoulder, and when Twilight turned around, she nearly jumped at seeing Sunset smiling at her. “Hey Twilight. I've been looking everywhere for you.”
She glanced in the direction of where she last saw Sunset and then back to the Sunset in front of her.
“How did…? Why were you…?”
She grinned. “What's up? You look like you just saw a ghost.”
Twilight looked away. “Uh, no. Not exactly.”
Sunset placed a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”
“This crazy thing just happened,” she said. “I just bumped into this girl that looked like you.”
Sunset gripped the collars of her leather jacket. “Well, my clothes aren't exactly hard to find. Stop by any store and you can probably find my wardrobe.”
Twilight shook her head. “No no, it's not just that. She looked just like you, down to your hair and your face. She even had your voice.” She sighed. “I sound crazy, don’t I?”
There was a frown on Sunset’s face. She took Twilight’s hand and led her to a bench. “Here. Let’s sit down and talk.”
Twilight sat down and waited to hear what Sunset had to say. For a while, Sunset didn’t say anything, almost looking as if she was contemplating whether to spill a secret, but then her eyes fell on her.
“You know how I told you about this world‘s magic?”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “So is she from…?”
“No, she's me. The one that lives in this world.”
“What is she doing here?” she asked.
Sunset shrugged. “I don't know. I've never even met her before.”
There were two Sunsets running around, and neither knew if the other existed. At least the universe was still one piece.
“Have you ever tracked her down?” she asked.
“I did when I first came here. She wasn't connected to social media, and she doesn't go to any school in our town. So for a while, I thought she didn't exist and that I was the sole exception to this world’s Equestrian counterparts.”
“But she does exist,” Twilight said.
Sunset nodded slowly. “Did you happen to talk to her?”
“Only a little. Just that she goes to Canterbury High. She left before I could say anything else. Sorry…”
“Don't be. You didn’t do anything wrong, and it’s not your problem.”
There was clearly something on Sunset's mind. “Are you okay, Sunset?”
“Yeah… I'm fine,” she said. Sunset sprung back to her feet and wore a smile on her face. “Let’s join the other girls. After all, we came here to have fun.”
Her smile seemed force.
Twilight tried to match her grin. “Sure.”
~~~~~~~
It was only after the night of the carnival that she heard back from Sunset about her double. It came in the form of a text.
I found out more about the other me. Call in sick for school on Monday and meet me by the bus stop at 9:00.
She didn’t expect Sunset to find more about the other Sunset so soon.
Monday came by quick. She had faked an illness with her mother with a feeling of a headache and a dizzy spell. To cover her absence and lure away visitors from her room, she had Spike keep watch.
By the time Twilight reached the bus stop, Sunset was already there, wearing a black hoodie in place of her usual leather jacket as well as a baseball cap.
Sunset frowned. “Where’s your disguise?”
“Disguise?” Twilight asked.
“Well, yeah. We don’t want the other me recognizing you. She’ll start asking questions if she sees you following her.”
“Oh. I didn't know we had to wear disguises. Should I go back home and wear something else?”
Sunset shook her head. “No. The bus is going to show up soon. How about you lose the glasses instead?”
Twilight adjusted the glasses on her face. “But I can’t see without my glasses.”
“Alright, fine. But you better come up with a story if she sees you.” Sunset glanced at her phone, but a tug on the sleeve of her jacket brought her attention back to Twilight.
“Sunset, I don't know how I feel about being a truant and a liar.” She fidgeted with her fingers. “What if the school finds out and calls my parents?” Gasp! “What if it ends up on my permanent record?!”
Sunset took hold of Twilight’s own trembling hands. “Relax, Twi. Nobody is going to find out, and the girls are covering for us back at school.”
“They know?” she asked.
Sunset averted her gaze. “Well… No. Not exactly. I just told them that it was important and involved me.”
“And this important matter of yours involves me too?”
“Well...”
“Sunset!” Twilight yelled.
“No, it doesn’t,” she said, “but I figured you could also use the trip.”
“But I’m skipping school! What about all the lessons I’m missing?”
“You can catch up on it when we get back.” She gave an assuring smile, placing a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “It’ll be fun. I promise.”
As Twilight continued to sulk, the bus arrived, squeaking to a stop in front of them. The doors opened without anyone getting out.
“Let's go,” she said, pushing Twilight ahead.
Once they were on the bus, they made their way to the back. There weren't many people today, so they didn't have to worry about being cramped in a bus full of people. Plus, there were plenty of open seats for them to sit.
It was going to be a long while until they reached their stop. Sunset took the time to reveal her findings to Twilight.
“So I thought about what you told me, and I realize that I've been looking for a girl named Sunset Shimmer in this town but not other towns,” she said. “Of course, I wouldn't know where else to look until you told me about Canterbury High. Then, it was a matter of narrowing down which cities had a school with the same name and was close enough to the carnival in town.”
Twilight groaned. “But why are we skipping school?”
“The only time we’ll find her is when she’s in school, and it’s going to be a while until we get there.”
It still didn't sit well with Twilight—the idea that she would be missing a day at school. Coupled with the fact that she faked being sick to her parents for this excursion made her anxious over this whole trip. What if someone saw them? What if they get caught? She trembled in her seat, fists balled tightly on her lap.
A hand fell over hers. “It'll be fine, Twilight. Everyone we know is at school or at work. No one will catch us.” Sunset offered her other earbud.
Twilight tentatively took it and placed it in her ear. Loud music played from the earpiece. It was a rock song. Drums pounded and guitars wailed as the lyricist sang of a girl of saintly beliefs and teenage rebellion. It was nothing at all like a classical piece, but it was still good.
She listened to the whole playlist for the entire ride, connected to Sunset solely by the white cord between their ears.
~~~~~~~
The place they were at was in the middle of a city, where there were more tall glass buildings than homes.
Sunset pulled out her earbud. “Here’s our stop.”
Glancing out the window, Twilight asked, “Where’s the school?”
“We need to walk the rest of the way.”
They got off the bus and made their way to Canterbury High. Wordlessly, they walked down the streets with Sunset glancing at the GPS on her phone.
Twilight kept to herself, keeping her eyes on the ground to avoid eye contact with the occasional passerbyer.
Her stomach growled. It had been a long ride. It was almost noon.
Sunset seemed to have the same idea as well. “I think now would be a good time to eat.”
There was a cafe across the street.
“Wouldn't people be suspicious of us?” Twilight asked. A glance through the window only showed a few customers and maybe one or two waiters.
“Well, yeah, if you act suspicious.” Sunset threw an arm around Twilight’s shoulder. “Just pretend you're a college student. You've already got the brains of one.”
She did bring up a point. She could already be in college with her research and application of Equestrian magic. “Alright.”
Steeling her nerves, she strolled inside with Sunset towards the front.
“Hi, welcome to Greenery Eats. May I take your order?” the woman at the cashier asked.
“Can I get a salad with seasonal greens?” Sunset ordered.
“Alright, and what can I get for you, hon?” she asked Twilight.
“H-ham and cheese on rye.”
She took down order and gave them their total. Sunset pulled out a large bill and took the change from the cashier.
They settled into a booth by the window.
“Nice day outside…” Sunset said.
“What?”
She pointed out the window. “Right now, we’d be stuck in Miss Harshwhinny’s class and be missing out on this.”
It was a perfect day to take a trip out of town and walk on the streets without feeling too hot or too cold. It was too bad she didn't bring Spike along. He would have loved it.
“Yes, it is nice,” she said.
“Salad and ham and cheese sandwich?” a waitress asked.
She left them their food and went to attend to another customer.
While Sunset ate, Twilight nibbled small bites of her sandwich.
“Hey Sunset.”
Sunset looked up. “Yeah?”
“Why do you want to see the other you so much?” Twilight asked.
Sunset picked at her salad with her fork. “I'm just curious. That's all.”
“Seems like a lot of effort to sate your curiosity.”
“I have to do this, Twi.” She stabbed at a tomato. “I'll regret it if I don't take this chance now.”
“And do what exactly?”
Sunset's pocket vibrated. She pulled out her phone and looked at the screen.
“It’s Rainbow Dash. There was a pop quiz in Harshwhinny’s class today. Lucky break for us, right?”
Twilight just about spat out her sandwich, spraying crumbs everywhere. “A pop quiz? But I've never missed a quiz in my life! How will that reflect in my grade?”
Sunset brushed the bread crumbs off her jacket. “Twilight, relax. You can try to make it up later, but I think you need this little outing more than I do.” Her eyes stared at a place across the street. She got up from her seat. “Come on. I know what will cheer you up.”
“Where are we going now?” Twilight asked.
“Trust me. You'll love it.”
~~~~~~~
She was right. She did love it. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
“Books!”
Sunset trailed behind Twilight, who had gone into a bookstore by the name of Bargain Books. “I knew you'd like it.”
“They have rare collections! There’s even an original printing of the first book of A.K. Yearling’s Daring Do series.” She squealed. “I'm in literature heaven!”
Sunset giggled. “Don't get too crazy.”
While Twilight perused the old books, Sunset took to reading an old magazine.
By the time they had finished, Twilight had her own bag of books and a wide smile.
“Oh, I can't believe all the titles I found. I'm definitely coming here again.”
They began to pass through a park. “Well, that's great, but let's not forget why we came here in the first place.” Sunset checked the time on her phone before pocketing it.
“Right. We’re going to find your native counterpart.” She paused. What was Sunset going to do once she met her other self?
“Hey, look,” Sunset said.
Twilight was led by Sunset to an ice cream stand. “Ice cream?” she asked.
“Yep. I figured we could both go for a treat.” She turned to the man running the stand. “One chocolate scoop for me. What about you, Twilight?”
“Vanilla. Single scoop, please.”
The man behind the counter scooped their ice cream into two waffle cones. After they’ve paid, they took a break on a bench near the empty playground.
As Twilight licked her ice cream, she heard a giggle. “What’s so funny?”
Sunset pointed at her face. “You got a little something on your nose.”
She glanced down and saw a bit of white on the end of her nose. “Oops!” She wiped the vanilla off nose.
Sunset laughed, and so did Twilight. “See? Isn't this fun?”
“I'll be honest, Sunset. I thought it was going to be terrible.”
“Never skipped a single day, huh?”
She shook her head. “No. Never.” She licked her ice cream with a thoughtful expression on her face. “Does this make me a delinquent?”
Sunset laughed. “I doubt it,” she said, taking a bite of her cone. “One day won't change who you are.”
Twilight continued eating her ice cream, thinking about the girl next to her. She would have never thought of skipping school if she hadn't met Sunset. Even though she enjoyed their day together, she wondered what was eating Sunset. There was one way to find out.
“Hey Sunset,” she said.
“Yeah, Twilight?”
“What are you going to do when you meet your other self?”
A heavy sigh.
She fiddled with a lock of her hair. “You know I wasn't always a good person, right?”
Twilight didn't say anything, letting her continue.
“Ever since I became the princess’s student, I always thought I was the best in school and in magic. I treated everyone around me horribly because I thought friendship was a waste of time and thought of others as just stepping stones to success. However, I've always wondered how this world’s version of me turned out.”
In the back of her mind, Twilight knew Sunset had a troubled past if any of the rumors were anything to go by. The girl also had a sort of “bad girl” image to her. Not to mention what they were doing right now outside of class.
“Is she a bully like I was? Does she have friends? I have to see, Twilight. I was fortunate enough to have met the princess version of you and get my act straight. But what if this Sunset needs help?”
Twilight moved to reach a hand out but stopped short, unsure what to do. “Sunset…”
Sunset stood up, finished with her ice cream cone. “Whatever... Let's just find this girl.”
Twilight followed after her silently, a little guilty for not being able to comfort a friend. Sunset did everything she could for her while she worried and fret about school. So why couldn't she do the same for Sunset?
Some friend she turned out to be…
~~~~~~~
They had reached Canterbury High soon enough.
The campus was big. Several buildings stretched multiple floors up and expanded the entire block. There were even large spaces in between so that it didn't feel crowded and so students can walk around without feeling enclosed. As if the buildings weren't glamorous enough, the parking lot even had a solar panel roof.
This was a prestigious private school for academic achievers, ranked just above Crystal Prep Academy. If she had lived closer, Twilight would have gone here.
It was close to the end of the school day. The school bell chimed, letting out all the students. They came out in droves as they exited the main entrance. By this time, the Canterlot High’s students would also be out.
Sunset and Twilight walked closer, keeping eyes on the crowd for a girl with fiery hair.
When they had reached the main entrance, they waited by a wall. Sunset leaned against it with her hood over her cap to cover her hair. Twilight stood next to her, trying to act casual, but her eyes roamed over passing faces. It didn't help that her books were starting to feel heavy in her bag.
Sunset held out her hand. “Here, let me hold it.”
Twilight allowed Sunset to carry her books, glad to be rid of the weight.
And so they waited.
As a group of laughing boys passed, Twilight glanced at Sunset and noticed the girl was trembling. The look on Sunset's face under her cap was terrified. She looked like she didn't want to be here, but she was forcing herself to.
Twilight’s gaze traveled down to Sunset’s free hand. Should she? Yes, she should. She reached for it, wrapping her fingers around Sunset’s warm and slightly moist hand.
Sunset stiffened but seemed to relax when she looked at Twilight.
“I'm here for you,” Twilight said. It seemed like the right thing to say.
“Thanks, Twi.”
A warm feeling came from hearing those words from a friend. A warm smile found its way onto her face.
Sunset let out a sigh. “I'm just scared of what I might find.”
“How bad can it be?” she asked.
“If you had met me when I first came to this world, you wouldn't want to be my friend. Girls like you—I bullied to fuel my own selfish agendas.” There was a firm squeeze on her hand by Sunset. “And what I hate most about it was that I enjoyed it at the time.”
“Sunset, you're different now. If you can learn to be nice, then I think she can too.”
Sunset’s gaze drifted far away towards the groups of students leaving their classrooms. “Yeah… Maybe.”
Then, they saw her. Her face among the students on campus of Canterbury High. She wore a red blouse and a pair of jeans. The girl was smiling as she high fived another and joined in a conversation with a group of teenagers. No one looked at her in fear or anger. She even waved back to the students that waved goodbye. Someone said something, and they all laughed.
Twilight glanced between the two Sunsets. The one standing to her was frozen in her spot. “Are you going to talk to her?”
Sunset didn't move. “I can't do it.”
“Why not?”
“You saw her. She’s got friends. She's popular. She's got a normal life.”
“So?” Twilight couldn't see what was wrong with this Sunset. She was perfectly normal. Downright friendly even.
“She's not just me,” Sunset said almost quietly. “She's a better version of me.”
“What do you mean?”
Sunset let go of her hand. “Everyday, I keep thinking the things I could have done differently—should have done differently. If the princess hadn’t taken me under her wing, what would my life be like? But now that I’m seeing it in person, it’s a whole lot better without the drama of a power hungry filly.”
There was a pained look on her face as deep scars resurfaced. “The longer I look at her, the more I want to look away. She's too bright, and it hurts to look because she only reminds me of the terrible things I did.”
Twilight stepped in front of Sunset’s vision, obscuring her double. “Sunset. She is her own person as much as you are your own. Neither of you are better or worse than the other.”
“She wasn't the one to terrorize a whole school…” Sunset mumbled. A stern glare from Twilight silenced her.
Twilight took off her glasses and let down her hair. “Who do you see, Sunset?” She stared into Sunset’s eyes. “Do you see a princess or some nerdy girl?”
Sunset shook her head, frowning. “Twilight… no. You're you.”
She put her glasses back on. “Exactly! I'm not anything close to a princess. I can't be anything like the Twilight you first met, and you shouldn't have to be like this Sunset either. We’re not failed clones of our doubles. There are no ‘better versions’. We’re different people with different histories and different personalities. There's no point trying to compare ourselves. We should instead focus on the here and now rather than the things that should.”
A heavy sigh escaped Sunset. “You're right. About everything.”
“Of course, I’m right,” she said, adding a little smirk to her statement. She stared at the other girl as she helped a boy with glasses to his feet after tripping and picked up his books. “So what did you want to talk to her about?”
Sunset hesitated but gave her an answer. “I wanted to ask her if she was happy with her life.”
“How about you go and ask now?”
“No, I don’t want to muck up her life with all the crazy magic stuff that follows us. She deserves to have a normal life.”
“Yeah…” Twilight replied. “She does.”
Sunset nudged Twilight. “Better get out of here before she gets caught up in my mistakes.”
“You’ve made a lot of mistakes, but like any science experience, you learned from it,” she said. “There are some good things that came from the results.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “And what's that?”
Twilight held both of Sunset’s hands in her own. “You have friends now, and most importantly, you became my first friend. I would have been stuck in a school where nobody really knew me and without anyone I could call a friend. You are the best thing that ever happened to my life.” Her eyes met Sunset’s. “So to me, you're my favorite version of Sunset Shimmer.”
Sunset chuckled, rubbing at her eyes and trying to keep the tears in check. “Thanks Twilight.”
Nodding, Twilight started walking towards the direction of the bus stop. “Let’s go home now. I promised Spike that I’d take him for a walk.”
Before they could get away from the school, Twilight bumped into another person, earning a startled yelp.
“Oops! Sorry!” Twilight apologized, but then froze upon seeing other girl.
The red-haired girl got back on her feet. “I'm fine.”
The girl they were watching so intently before was suddenly in front of them. They hadn't even noticed her walking towards the entrance they stood by.
Sunset quickly pulled her cap lower while using her arm to wipe the rest of her tears and hide her face.
“Is she okay?” the other girl asked.
“She just lost her dog recently,” Twilight lied, trying to put herself in front of Sunset, who had kept her eyes on the ground and remained frozen in her place.
“I'm so sorry about your loss,” she said to Sunset. She pulled out a handkerchief. “Here, use this.”
Sunset tentatively took the cloth in her hands, noticing the golden embroidered name—Sunset Shimmer. She dabbed at the corners of her eyes and returned the handkerchief.
“Thanks,” she said in a low voice, unsure what else to say.
The girl took back the handkerchief, and when she took a second glance at Twilight, she said, “Oh hey, it's you! Twilight, right? We gotta stop bumping into each other like this. I'm pretty sure a simple hello works too.”
Twilight laughed nervously. “Yeah… What are the odds?”
Before the other Sunset could get a word in, one of her friends called to her, a girl wearing a purple beanie. “Come on, Sunset! We don't want to be late for Cheese’s party!”
“Well, I've gotta go now. It was nice seeing you again,” she said, then turned towards Sunset. “Hope you feel better.”
As the other Sunset started walking away, Twilight whispered to the Equestrian girl beside her. “You're sure you don't want to say anything else?”
“Yeah.” A smile finally dawned on her face. “I don't need to ask to know she's happy with the way her life is.” She then began the long walk back to the bus stop with Twilight by her side.
~~~~~~~
Back on the bus, Sunset had pulled down her hood and taken off her cap, letting her hair spill out. A pair of earbuds was shared between her and Twilight. Twilight glanced between her friend and her phone, fingers flying over the keyboard.
Friendship Journal Entry #1
When you lose sight of who you are, there will always be friends to remind you. Sometimes you think about the bad things you've done and all the reasons for being a bad person, but it takes a friend to see the good in yourself.
She read her entry, then appended:
And sometimes you'll find that you are a better person than you originally thought.
When Twilight looked towards Sunset again, Sunset had her eyes closed as she rested her head by the window. A content smile graced the face of the reflection in the window. Twilight Sparkle smiled to herself, knowing that the Sunset Shimmer next to her is the one who came to her world and saved her from making one big mistake.
This Sunset could have sprung from the same zygote as a million other Sunsets, but out of those million, this one met this Twilight, and she never felt more fortunate to have met the Sunset by her side.
