Phoenix

Sunset’s eyes fluttered open, a tired groan escaping her lips as she pushed herself up. She didn’t know when she passed out, but it couldn’t have been long given that she was still being sprayed by hot water. She shifted around to her knees, slowly getting up to her feet before leaning back against the wall, groaning happily as she raked a hand through her hair. It had definitely been too long since she last spent some quality time with herself, as evident by the fluids still coating the opposite wall.

She reached to the shower head, dislodging it from the wall holder and moving it down to spray at the mess she had made. The lewd smell washed over her as her juices were pressure washed away, flowing down into the drain with the rest of the water. Once the wall was clean, Sunset turned the hose to the floor, focusing it on whatever had dripped and gushed out of her during her playtime. Once she was satisfied with the shower stall being cleaned, the smell dissipating just slightly, she turned the spraying water on herself, starting with her crotch. A happy hum mixed with a groan whistled through her teeth as she bit her lower lip, the water splashing over her still semi swollen labia, pleasantly washing away the residue of her recent endeavors.

Her mind drifted away as she continued to spray herself down, remembering back to her first night here all those years ago, when Mother Charity walked her through the length of the house, explaining just what it was exactly, and what it meant to stay here. The building, or Charity House, was a non-profit organization of sorts. The sort that doesn’t exist and does their work under the table, and away from the prying eyes of society as they take care of the destitute and unwanted. Or those who have been thrown away by society or family because of injury or disfigurement.

She remembered the girl that greeted her and Mother Charity when the two walked in the front door that night, her left eye a mass of scars. She was jittering the whole time, her right eye spasming as it twitched between Sunset and the ivory skinned woman. The pair had entered the lower parlor next, with Sunset wondering why it was the lower. Mother Charity had said that the second and third floors were reserved for sleeping quarters for everyone, so how could there be more than one parlor?

They entered the lower parlor next, Sunset gasping in amazement at the sheer scope of the room. While the building seemed old but somewhat maintained, the parlor glistened with shine and loving care. The dark mahogany tables seemed to be brand new, the light appearing to vanish in their inky faces, save for the bits that were covered by various youths working on what looked like homework. A loud round of applause rang out to her side, causing her to pause and look towards the now laughing crowd. On the stage, two boys were giving some sort of improv scene, the larger, peg legged one had just been delivered a face full of pie from the younger boy, his left sleeve flapping emptily behind him as she staggered back, doubling over in laughter.

A small boy, probably no older than a child if Sunset were to guess blindly, was behind a counter, opening what looked to be bottles of alcohol and measuring their contents before resealing and placing them back onto the shelves, marking down something on the clipboard he held. He continued making a steady pace, ducking behind a girl as she continued wiping away at the bar counter in slow, steady motions, her head shining mutely from all of the markings that covered it’s hairless surface.

Mother Charity explained that everyone here worked in their own ways to help with the maintenance of the building, be that something as simple as cleaning, to the more complex of providing entertainment for the patrons that show up on a nightly basis. They hosted comedy shows, or live music from the various house members. There were even some working in the kitchen, one of them recently winning a local competition for youths. She also pointed out that some of the older children even tutored the younger ones.

She explained that the youths were free to seek education at one of the local public schools, Mother Charity would help get you enrolled if you so desired, but if you didn’t there were options to learn from the older children. Sunset watched as an older boy with a brace on hi arm pointed out what seemed to be a mistake to a younger girl wearing surprisingly baggy clothes, small gloves covering her hands as she set about erasing her mistake.

They had a quick supper, provided by one of the cooks that Sunset heard clattering away in the back, with Mother Charity answering some of the questions the Equestrian had. Apparently there were individuals of the upper echelon of society that had rather… peculiar tastes, or ex family members who enjoyed coming back to visit. Regardless of where they came from, they paid well and kept the Charity house a secret. Yet Mother Charity had eyes and ears in many places, able to find, and direct the lost and the needy to her home.

When asked about why she did all of this, Mother Charity merely smiled warmly, Sunset leaning back at the pure love and affection that seemed to radiate from the women who reached over and gently patted the girl’s head. She said that everybody deserves a chance to prove themselves, be a second try, or a second hundred try. She was here to give those in need a chance to do so.

The woman stood up as the pair finished eating, offering a hand out to the girl who slid from her chair, completely ignoring Mother Charity’s offer, but still followed her when she beckoned. The pair left the lower parlor, Sunset noticing an old piano had been pulled out onto the stage that the two boys had previously occupied, making their way to a room just off the side of the main entrance. It was a fair sized office, the blinds in the window somewhat obscuring the bars that sat on the inside. A large, ornate desk set towards the back wall, a pair of well used looking leather chairs sitting in front of it. Sunset studied the walls, noticing just how many pictures littered the surfaces, showcasing various youths and young adults all smiling and waving, sometimes even Mother Charity snuck into the frame, her own warm smile beaming from the paper.

Sunset continued to one of the chairs, depositing herself onto it slowly, it may have taken all day but she was finally getting used to this whole sitting thing. Mother Charity could be heard messing with a lock on her desk, before a deep click was heard followed immediately by a drawer rolling out. She fiddled with some folders, rifling through before giving a small “Ah Ha!” and pulling out two sets of papers, closing the drawer as she deposited them on the table, one set in front of each of them. Sunset sat there blankly looking at the sheet, all the weird scribbles and lines making no sense to her. Somehow the portal had made it so that she could speak and understand the beings of this world, likely some sort of translation spell applied to the bodily transformation enchantment, but that hadn’t transferred to what Sunset assumed was their written language.

The woman cleared her throat, looking over at the girl who was now paying attention to her…

***

“All right, dear.” Mother Charity said in her warm, silken tones, her lips upturned in one of her usual warm smiles. “One of the first major parts about becoming a member of our family is to do a little bit of paperwork. I’m going to ask you some questions, and I would like you to answer them to the best of your ability. If you should feel uncomfortable with any of the questions, please let me know.”

Sunset nodded, pausing and motioning down to the paper beneath her when her head tilted back up. “What’s this for?”

“Ah, that is your copy to follow along with.” the woman responded, grabbing a pen and handing it to the girl. Sunset sat there and frowned, slowly reaching out and awkwardly accepting the utensil.

“And this?”

“Why, that’s a pen, dear!” Mother Charity couldn’t help but give a small chuckle as she studied the girl. “You surely must have had them in your world.”

“No, what is it used for?” Sunset let it dangle between her fingers, as she looked back to the ivory skinned woman.

“To write, of course.” was her response, only to have Sunset quickly jump in.

“Ah, so like a quill, then. Where’s the ink jar?” Sunset looked around, trying to spot where she was supposed to dip the tip of the device that she held in a very hamfisted method.

“Well first, that’s a ballpoint pen, so the ink is stored inside.” Mother Charity pointed out, before reaching over to Sunset. “And second, that’s not the proper way to hold it. Where you never taught how to hold a pen or a pencil?”

“Back home I had my magic.” Sunset pointed out, watching intently as she allowed the woman to manipulate her hand, bending the last two digits back before resting the pen between the first two long digits as well as the shorter on the side of her new hand.

“Magic, right. And where did you say you came from?” Mother Charity gave a bemused look as she watched the amber girl fiddle with the tool still.

“Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria.” Sunset finally responded, smirking in pride as she got used to holding the long tubular item.

“Equestria? I can't say I have ever heard of it before, but this is the city of Canterlot.” Sunset heard the signature scratching of a quill, or this case pen, on paper and looked over in time to see the woman finish scribbling something on her sheets. “Now, what is your name, dear? You have yet to tell me.”

“Sunset Shimmer.” the amber girl responded firmly.

“A fitting name.” Mother Charity nodded before shifting up the paper and adding more scribbles. “Now, is there a different name you’d prefer to go by, perhaps?”

“I never had a name before I was given Sunset, so no.” Sunset nodded and looked back down at her paper, trying to see if she could piece together the unknown characters and symbols. “It’s the only name I’ve ever had.”

“I see… And what about your age? Do you know when you were born?” the woman studied the girl who seemed to be trying to comprehend what was on the sheet in front of her.

“I have seen twenty six winters, and was about to go into my twenty seventh.” Sunset responded succinctly, looking up and pausing as she looked back at the woman across the table from her. “...What is with that look?”

“Dear, I wouldn't put you much older than 15.” Sunset’s head reared back, her eyebrows furrowing as the woman pointed down to the paperwork in front of the her. “And does any of that make any sense to you? Do you know how to read?”

“Of course I know how to read!” Sunset stormed up to her feet, slamming her hands on the table and sending her pen flying from her grip. “I am the single most gifted mind of my generation, and I will not be insulted so! The portal’s magics may have only translated the spoken words, but that will not stop me from learning this world’s written word.”

“Well why don’t we leave that for tomorrow?” Mother Charity slowly stood up and walked over to the floor where Sunset’s pen sat, picking it up and returning it to the table before pausing and looking Sunset in the eye, her smile having returned instantly to her face. “Come on, I’ll show you to your new room.”

***

Things had progressed well for Sunset after that all things considered. She had food and shelter, and she was quickly instructed in the ways of this new world. It was called Gaia, and Sunset had ended up in this world’s version of Canterlot. It was even larger and more sprawling than the Equestrian city of the same name, but that may be due to the fact that Canterlot was covered in almost nothing but large towers to make use of the small building space available for the city hanging off the side of a cliff.

There were even other elements of Equestria referenced in this bustling metropolis. The Crystal Kingdom mall, referring to the ancient lost empire that vanished from northern Equestria long ago. There were various burroughs in the city named after some of the smaller various towns around the Equestrian Capital, such as the nearby Ponyville Commons. Sunset also soon learned that the mirror portal, or a statue portal in this world’s case, was situated outside of the Canterlot High School, the academy she would soon be studying at.

It was a shock to the girl when she entered the school only to see Celestia waiting for her, causing Sunset to panic and try to flee. She soon learned, however, that this was the Gaian Celestia, and she was merely a principal in this world. A dark grin threatened to spread across her face when she learned this fact. Mother Charity had obviously done this sort of thing before, especially with Principal Celestia, and it wasn’t long until Sunset was properly enrolled in the school, with just over a month to get fully prepared for her first step in becoming somepony worthy of being an Equestrian Princess.

The years passed by, with Sunset managing to worm her way into being the queen bee of the school, acting shy and meek at first, learning just how the students acted among one another, learning what made them tick and what she could use against them. She started to sow seeds of distrust among the students, letting them grow and slowly break everyone apart. She made sure those that were most likely to rival her were brought to their knees, be it through subtle blackmail that couldn’t be traced directly back to her, or ny turning friends on one another.

She slowly became more brazen with her efforts over the years, seeing the crown of the fall formal as a make do reward for her while she was in this world. At first she managed to convince the students to vote for her with her shy act, seeming like a kind, almost wallflower like girl. But then her Gaian body started to mature, and at a rate far faster than the other students. Obviously the portal had some sort of adverse effect on her, her Gaian body not fully reflective of her actual age. But not for long, as she grew tall enough over the first year of class to tower over her classmates, as well as her bustline easily doubling in size from her meager size she had been given by the portal.

She continued to grow, not only in size and power, but knowledge as well. She started keeping written records of what she gleaned from the school, learning just how to describe things so she could talk herself out of any situation. But while that worked on the teachers, the students started to come to terms with who was behind the growing divide in the students, friends leaving one another to interact with those who were more in their social clique.

And the Charity House was not exempt from Sunset’s growing ego, though the Equestrian seemed to hold a special feeling of kindred with the other outcasts. She may have been kinder to all of them, but that wasn’t much of a step up from her attitude around CHS. She was quick to give her cleaning work to others, though did it in exchange for tutoring or other such assistance.

But the biggest surprise for Sunset was in eleventh grade, of October that year…

***

The pair of women looked at each other in shocked silence, both of them sporting similar embarrassed blushes born more out of common decency than any sort of physical emotion.

“S-Sunset?” Mother Charity readjusted the horn rimmed glasses as she looked back at the teen, her breasts sitting freely viewable upon the corset that covered the woman’s abdomen. She had her hair back in a bun, somewhat matching the fishnet stockings adorning her legs as they flowed down into rather impressive stiletto heels.

“Er… Maybe I should have knocked louder?” Sunset smiled weakly as she looked down at the… Man? The figure laying bound on the bed, almost his entire bound or hidden away by leather straps and buckles.

“Stop your squirming!” Sunset jumped back with just how fierce Mother Charity shouted as she turned about and deposited a quick, explosive crack to the man’s backside with her riding crop. “Sunset, darling, maybe it would be best for you to go back to your room?”

“Why don’t you tell me why you’re busy doming some random dude?” Sunset started to chuckle as she watched the man squirm back and forth, some kind of muffled cries radiating from the mask covering his head. “Maybe then I’ll consider it.”

“Haa…” the woman sighed as she delivered a few more swats against the man’s back, before looking up to Sunset to close the door. “As you know, we play host to guests, they pay for food, or comedy shows. It is decent pay, for all things considered, and everyone here gets the chance to earn extra.”

“And?”

“Well… Some of the…” Mother Charity looked around uneasily, biting her lip as she stepped onto the man. She seemed to be lost for words, not surprising given the situation. “There are people higher up in society that have certain itches that need to be scratched-”

“Prostitution, got it.” Sunset said bluntly, before pausing as she tried to understand the look she was receiving from the older woman as she pressed even harder into the man. “Or a brothel, whichever you’d prefer.”

“And those who are more… mature, shall we say, have the option to work for even higher pay.” Mother Charity said. “But no on is forced to. If they decide to only do it once, then that is fine. But we make all make damn sure that this keeps quiet.”

“Mum’s the word.” Sunset said quietly, nodding in acceptance, before smirking and crossing her arms under her large bust. “As long as I get my chance in all of this of course.”

***

And so it was that Sunset joined in on the more physical work of the house, her physical appearance enough to dissuade fears that she was underage, though given the fact that she was in her twenty seventh year if she were back home, she saw no reason to bring it up. In fact, those that did ask were told that she was in her twenties, and most of them seemed to buy it, though that may be for the fact of how Sunset persuaded them, and soon enough there were specific requests for her.

The money was very lucrative, for both Sunset and the house, and she saw it as a way to deal with her hormones acting up again. The house kept eighty percent of the money, with Sunset pocketing the other twenty, but it was enough that after two months she could afford to go to one of the local music shops and buy an electric guitar, having been inspired by Flash Sentry’s bungling around with his. The pair worked well with each other, but Sunset soon left him in the dust. Three months after that she had a brand new, top of the line smartphone, the device paid for in full.

But throughout her entire time, her mind remained focused on her task. Of proving that she was worthy of being a Princess. She even grew bold enough to take small visits through the portal to Equestria, staying to the shadows and learning what she could of what had happened in her absences. She grew furious when she learned of Celestia’s new prized pupil, so much so that she almost outed herself one visit. But the biggest news happened the summer before twelfth grade.

Princess Celestia’s new personal protegee had just been made a Princess, after having saved Equestria countless times, on top of rediscovering the lost Elements of Harmony, one of which now rested in her crown. She spotted it one time, and noticed how it looked like a more regal version of the coming year’s crown for the Fall Formal. A plan started to build in her head, of replacing the crown from Gaia with the one from Equestria, to use its power to prove to Celestia that the solar diarch was wrong with her treatment of Sunset.

But things never worked out. Instead she was corrupted by the Element of Magic, her pride and ambition blinding her, and it wasn’t until she was shown true friendship that she learned the error of her ways…

Sunset sighed as she flopped down onto the bed, rubbing away the tear that had built in her eye as she remember the pain of that night, the shame at just how far from being not only a Princess, but a good person/pony, that she had acted all those years. She threw the damp towels into the laundry hamper near her closet, sitting up and shaking her long mane of mostly dry hair, raking her finger through it to try and prevent as much curling as possible.

After all that time, she had gained friends, even a family, if the Sirens were to be believed. She shuddered as she tried to understand what had happened with them. Why had they taken her in? Why would such ancient Equestrian monsters treat her so kindly? Sure, things were awkward at first, she remembered Adagio and Aria seeming lost on how to treat her or act around her. But Sonata had been a ray of light, always there to help, or make Fireside laugh.

“F-F-F-Fireside!” the cyan coloured girl with the long striped ponytail stuttered, her eyes wide with worry as she looked at Sunset. “Fireside G-Glow! That’s your name, yup! Fireside Glow! Heh heh…”

Sunset looked at the mirror, the reflection staring back at her was an amber skinned girl with short, shoddily cut hair of gold and blood, her eyes slowly shifting from ones of lost and sorrow, to joy and happiness.

“Fireside Glow, huh? I like it.”

Sunset slammed a fist against her wall, the poor woodwork shaking slightly at the force of the bow it had just received. Why! Why was this so hard! Why did they take her in, treat her like family!? They were the Sirens! They fed off of conflict and war! And yet they called an ambulance when they found Sunset dying in the streets, then used what little magic they had to assure that their fellow Equestrian would be left in their care!

She looked back at the mirror, studying the aquamarine orbs that slowly blinked back at her. The same aquamarine orbs that had spent a majority of their life looking to control others, to be the center of attention. Those aquamarine eyes had spent so much time in confused sorrow, with no recollection of her life. Now they looked aged and weary, their owner carrying the weight of all of her years and all of her actions upon her shoulders, yet still just as lost.

Just who was she?

Was she Sunset Shimmer, personal protegee to Princess Celestia of Equestria? A pony dedicated to showing the world that it was wrong to try and throw her away on the streets of Canterlot, one that let her ambition and delusions of power blind her.

Was she Sunset Shimmer, the reformed girl from another world? Someone who dedicated her entire existence to making amends for her past transgressions, to try and show that people/ponies can change for the better.

Was she Fireside Glow, the mysterious fourth quadruplet of the Dazzlings? A girl who had been attack and left for dead in a snowy alleyway on the day that she arrived to live with her sisters and study with them once again.

Just who was she?