The Other Side of the Rainbow
For the students of Canterlot High, it all happened in a matter of minutes. But for Sunset Shimmer, it felt like an eternity.
Sunset finally, at long last, had the crown after the desperate struggle against Twilight and her friends. Smiling wickedly in anticipation, she placed it atop her head. She could feel the power surging though her. So much power. Her eyes almost immediately widened in horror as she began to understand that not even she could handle the immense outpouring of magic from the crown.
Sunset grabbed the crown with both hands and began to try to take it off, but to no avail. She began to panic as blue rings of magic emanated from her very being, then let out a shriek as wave after wave of agonizing pain shot through her body. She then became engulfed by a column of magic as she could feel the crown twisting her mind, corrupting her...oh Celestia, it burns!
Tears began to stream down Sunset's cheeks as the pain worsened, causing her to be unable to even speak. She began to feel her body temperature rise exponentially until it felt like her blood was boiling. Her skin gradually turned into a light crimson color as a side-effect of the magic overwhelming her. She felt her mind begin to slip as she felt wings forming on her back.
Once Sunset finished her transformation, she felt incredible! All of this power...and it was all hers! To test out her new abilities, she fired beams of magic at Snips and Snails. They rose into the air, then transformed into demons themselves! This was perfect. Finally, after all this time, she was a Princess! A title she richly deserved, but her former foolish mentor denied her what was rightfully hers!
Sunset flew over to the entrance of Canterlot High, where all of the students cowered in fear. She broke down the wall and shaped their minds to her will. Turning around, she had noticed that Twilight had decided to stand up to her. It was almost amusing, the fact that someone so powerless thought that they could even stand a chance against her!
As the five students that Sunset had separated rallied to Twilight's side, she couldn't help but laugh. She tossed a fireball at the group of six, then laughed maniacally as they were struck and burnt to ashes. Once her laughing stopped, she noticed that not only were the six of them unharmed, but they had magic shielding them!
Suddenly, a different kind of magic began to leak from Sunset's crown and before her very eyes Twilight and her friends transformed! The six of them held hands that formed into the shape of a heart, and a rainbow formed in the sky and shot at her. Fear gripped her as the rainbow swirled around her, creating a tornado, blinding her until suddenly, everything went dark.
Sunset opened her eyes. What was she?! Where was she? "H-Hello," she called out. That was a relief. She could speak, at least. It was little consolation, however, as she was in a strange new land. Almost all of the inhabitants of this world walked upright and always wore clothes! Few of the creatures paid her any mind, and when they did, they gave her the most terrifying looks!
Sunset began to panic and trotted over to a series of bushes big enough to hide herself. She started hyperventilating, then took a deep breath, and exhaled. She was in over her head. She knew nothing about this world! Why did she even bother coming here?! A series of steps gained her attention, and she peeked out of the bushes to get a glimpse. Her eyes widened as she saw her passerby.
The woman's yellow heels clacked on the sidewalk as her purple bell-bottoms swayed in the warm breeze, as did her blue, green and pink hair. She wore a yellow jacket with a lapel that looked alarmingly similar to...Celestia's Cutie Mark!
Sunset felt her blood boil as memories of her frustration against her former mentor resurfaced and overtook her fear. She slammed her appendage on the ground, then flinched as she felt a surge of pain. I'm going to have to get used to this new body...
Sunset weakly held onto a low-hanging tree branch as she heaved and vomited on the ground. She had been in this strange new world for about a week now, and no matter what she ate she'd throw it back up within minutes. She let out a weak moan, then threw up again as she felt a bout of dizziness. Tears fell from her eyes as anxiety took hold of her, causing her to finish emptying her stomach. Am...am I going to die? She sniffled weakly as she felt her legs give out. "I-I don't want to die...alone..." she fell to the ground as she lost consciousness.
Sunset opened her eyes slowly as she found herself in what looked to be a hospital room. She felt tired. So very tired. The beeping of the monitor near her kept her attention until a nurse walked in and gasped, then ran out. Sunset blinked in confusion, then realized in shock that that was about all she could do. She began to panic until a doctor came in and stuck with a needle. Waves of calm slowly made their way through her body. She sighed, then fell back asleep.
Time had passed, and Sunset Shimmer was well enough to leave. She was grateful for the doctors' help, but she left without saying a word. Now that she felt good as new, and her body had finally acclimated to the food of this world, she had a plan of revenge to put into action!
Sunset Shimmer returned to where the portal was. Since she was at long last getting used to this strange place, she noticed that she was at a school. Her eyes widened as she noticed the Celestia-like creature walk into the building. Grinning wickedly, she followed the look-alike inside.
Upon entering, Sunset found herself in a wide open hallway filled with several banners and pennants depicting a horse's head or its full body with a horseshoe-shaped "C". Several strange and unusual items were stored behind sliding glass doors with locks. She went to get a better look at them, then shook her head rapidly. No. Celestia's look-alike first!
Sunset continued to wander the halls until she came across a light purple woman with hair that was three different shades of rose. The woman was scrutinizing a cart of books as her light green eyes darted around.
"Excuse me, Miss..." Sunset trailed off in hopes of learning her name.
The woman turned around, revealing a brown shirt with a white undershirt, the sleeves rolled up. Her green flowered skirt followed her. "Cheerilee," she said with a smile.
"Miss Cheerliee," Sunset said. "I'm new here. You wouldn't happen to know where Celestia is, would you?"
"Principal Celestia?"
"Yes," Sunset said with a smile.
"I can give you directions to her office."
"I'd appreciate that," Sunset said.
Sunset Shimmer arrived at Principal Celestia's office door. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. No need to enact vengeance on this creature. This wasn't the Celestia she had a vendetta against. She knocked on the door. "Come in," Sunset flinched. Even her voice was the same! This was uncanny... she'd have to do a lot of research on this world. She walked in. "How can I help you," Principal Celestia asked.
Sunset forced a smile as best she could. "My name is Sunset Shimmer. It's my first day here. Any chance you could show me around?"
Days passed. The days became weeks, the weeks became months, and the months became years until a certain Fall Formal came around.
Sunset Shimmer was holding a sledgehammer in front of the portal as Twilight Sparkle and her friends confronted her.
"Twilight! Help," Twilight's dog cried out.
"Don't hurt him," Twilight demanded.
Sunset smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. I'm not a monster."
Suddenly, everything stopped. Time stood still, and Sunset looked around. "What in the..." Demonic laughter filled her ears, causing her to flinch. Once the laughter stopped, a vaguely familiar voice spoke.
"'I'm not a monster.'" The laughter returned for a few moments. "Oh, Sunset, Sunset, Sunset," the voice said in mock disappointment, directly behind her. Sunset turned around and gasped. She instantly recognized the figure standing before her. "You couldn't be farther from the truth if you tried," exclaimed her demon self.
Sunset clutched her head as memories returned to her. This had already happened. She was...still in the rainbow?
"You remembered! Good girl," The Demonself said condescendingly as she slowly clapped.
Sunset scowled. "What you want with me?"
The Demonself grinned wickedly. "Why, I want to show you how much of a monster you really are!" She said, then snapped a finger.
Slowly but surely, Sunset Shimmer began to see memories of all of her wrongdoings. She watched relationships become torn, close friendships ended, people crying because they felt worthless. Sunset clenched her teeth and closed her eyes.
"Oh, don't think it'll be that easy," the Demonself said, then snapped her finger again.
Sunset gasped as she began to feel an ache in her chest. She looked back up at the memories being replayed over and over. She began to feel their sadness. Their despair. Their rage...all of their emotions poured into her and she let out a wail of agony as her knees buckled under the weight of her misdeeds. Tears streamed down her eyes as she slowly felt a new emotion emerge: guilt.
"Now do you see," the Demonself asked with a snarl. "You are a monster!"
Sunset writhed on the ground, overwhelmed by emotions that felt as though they were threatening to tear her apart. She screamed and screamed until her voice went hoarse and the only sounds she could make were choked sobs.
The Demonself snapped a finger again, and Sunset was relieved of all the overwhelming emotions except her guilt. "Oh Celestia," Sunset whispered. "I am a monster..." The Demonself smiled, then disappeared.
Sunset blinked and found herself still holding the sledgehammer. She looked at Twilight and her friends, then felt the guilt return anew. She dropped the sledgehammer and nearly collapsed to the ground. "What have I done," she said quietly, then sniffled and broke.
Everyone stood still in confusion as Sunset cried softly into her hands. Glances were exchanged, gestures were made, and Twilight slowly, cautiously walked up to Sunset. "Sunset, are you oka-"
"Please leave me alone," Sunset said between sobs.
Twilight backed up. "Are you sure? You look like you could use a frie-"
"I don't deserve your friendship," Sunset shouted. "After all that I've done. All the pain that I've caused." She sobbed again. "I... I don't deserve forgiveness! Please. Just leave me alone."
Twilight walked back to her friends. "We should probably just do as she says," she whispered. "She looks like she's been through a lot." Her friends nodded in agreement. "But keep an eye on her, will you?" The five nodded again, and Twilight left through the portal.
Sunset returned home from her ordeal, still feeling terrible. The emotions she felt and the images she saw prevented her from sleeping that night as she spent her evening and early morning crying through her immense guilt.
Sunset went to Canterlot High the next day, and everywhere she looked she saw scorn. Contempt. With each person she passed, she remembered their feelings and the guilt it brought her. By the time second period rolled around, she caught sight of a particular student. The way Sunset shattered her heart. The anguish nearly consumed her, and she screamed. Unable to take any more, she ran to the roof of the building and stepped to the edge. She turned around to see Twilight's friends, who looked at her with grave concern.
Sunset sniffled. "This is for the best," she said, then jumped.
Some time later, six vaguely familiar people went to visit a grave. "Here she is," said a girl with a southern drawl as she took off her cowboy hat and placed it on her chest. A pale yellow girl sniffled, then burst into tears as an elegant white girl hugged her tightly while her mascara ran.
"I-It just happened so fast," A rainbow-haired girl said as she cried.
"We're so sorry!" A pink girl with straight hair wailed.
"I... I can't believe it," the purple girl said, distraught. A tear fell from her cheek.
"Principal Celestia found this in her locker," the rainbow-haired girl said as she handed a book to the purple girl. The book was brown and had a two-toned sun on the cover. "She figured Sunset would have wanted it."
The purple girl looked at the book as her eyes misted over. "Sunset Shimmer," she said, her voice quavering slightly. "I hope you've finally found peace after all of your suffering." She gently propped the book against the tombstone, which read
Here lies Sunset Shimmer
She is in a much better place now
Sunset bolted upright and gasped. She was out in a field where flowers were in abundance and a sweet smell filled the air. She got up and turned around to see Twilight and her friends on a tablecloth, eating lunch. Sunset felt a lump in her throat as memories from her experience in the rainbow resurfaced.
Pinkie Pie walked over to Sunset and smiled. "Looks like someone needs a hug," she exclaimed in a singsong tone, then wrapped her arms around her. Sunset's eyes widened. It felt so nice...so warm. It was a sensation she hadn't felt since... Princess Celestia... She sniffled, then burst into tears as long-lost fond memories of her time with the princess resurfaced.
Sunset then felt more warmth as five other presences latched onto her.
"It's okay," Fluttershy said. "Let it all out."
"It's going to be a long road, darling," Rarity said.
"It's gonna hurt a lot." Applejack said.
"And it's gonna suck a lot." Rainbow said.
"But we'll all be here for you." Pinkie Pie said.
"Every step of the way." Twilight said.
"I...I don't want to be alone," Sunset cried out as she felt darkness approaching.
Sunset opened her eyes and smelled smoke. She felt sore all over as she lifted herself up. Tears were streaming down her eyes, and she realized that she was at the bottom of a giant crater.
For the students of Canterlot High, it all happened in a matter of minutes. But for Sunset Shimmer, it felt like an eternity.
