Sunset's human world origin

Katon family kitchen
Date: Nov 25th, time: 5:00pm

*Sunset’s perspective*

“Take these out to the table.”, Anzhong told Sunset.

“Got it.” Sunset made her way out of the kitchen with the two bowls she was given.

The table was filled with various side dishes, and the living room was filled with people. Sunset didn’t recognize most of the people. Of the people she recognized were Minerva, Anura, and her paternal grandfather, who she’d only seen pictures of. The rest of the people, Sunset had been told, were her parents’ coworkers and friends and their partners and kids. Apparently, every year on this ‘Thanksgivin’, her parents would round up everybody they liked with small families or were on their own and have a large celebration with all of them. The large number of people did make her nervous, but they were her parents’ friends, and even Minerva vouched for them as being safe.

Sunset took a closer look at her new grandfather. He looked similar to Anzhong. There were facial differences but the biggest distinguishing features were his graying hair and his eyes worked and were silver. He was talking to another one of the guests; Sour Drops if she remembered correctly. Emi did say I would like him. With that, Sunset made her way over to her grandfather. It’s time to stop being so scared, Sunset. I’ve fought and defeated some of Equestria’s most terrifying monsters. How bad can humans be?

“Hi, Mr. Jiraiya.”, Sunset said.

“Oh, hello Sunset. You know you can call me Grandpa, right?”, Jiraiya Katon said.

“Okay, Grandpa. Why do you have a frog on your jacket?”, Sunset asked.

“Why not? Frogs are cool.”, Jiraiya answered.

Kston family dining room
Date: same day, time: 6:00 pm

*Sunset’s perspective*

The night has been going great so far. The food has been good. No one’s bleeding. Nothing’s on fire. No crazed killers came to kill and taxidermy them. The only thing Sunset would say about the night as not great, is the fact she was stuck at the kid’s table. She knew that she was, not so technically, a minor, but it was still annoying. Up until a few months ago, she was a legal and matured adult, and she was still, mentally. Although, the physical state of her brain was making that hard to prove.

“Make some friends your own age. It will be good for you.” What a load. I’m not actually ten. Sunset looked at the other kids around the table. She, of course, knew Emi and Anura. She met Sweetie Drops before; not someone she wanted to hang out with, though. Everybody else, she’d never seen before. They were all younger than her and, quite frankly, annoying. That was, all except one. She has very light skin, lighter than Brigid’s. Her hair is pink, and her eyes are purple-ish, hard to tell with her skin, seemingly, radiating light. She looked really familiar. There was a unicorn back in Canterlot that everypony called noble chaser. That wasn’t her actual name, Sunset never learned it, but she would always brag about how she would marry into a rich noble family. She tried to get into Celectia’s School for Gifted Unicorns but failed, miserably. Might as well try with her. At least she’s not screaming. “Hello”

The girl looked around then pointed to herself.

“Yeah, you, um, hi.”, Sunset said uneasily.

“Hi”, the girl said, seeming just as uncomfortable as Sunset.

“My name is Sunset Shimmer. What’s yours?”

“Fleur de Lis" Fleur de Lis didn’t say anything else.

Well, this is going well. Might as well keep going. Not like there’s anyone else to talk to. “Um, how do our parents know each other?”

“Who are your parents?”, Fleur asked. She had an accent Sunset heard before but didn’t know where it was from.

“Brigid and Anzhong”

“Oh, my mom’s a history professor at the university. Our moms are - decent friends.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

The conversation pretty much died at that point.

Katon living room
Date: same day, time: 10:30 pm

*Sunset’s perspective*

The celebration had been fun, but now all the guests had left, except for Minerva, Anura, Jiraiya, who offered to help clean up. Everyone, who remained, was now sitting in the living room, decompressing from being social.

“I don’t want to see another person for a week.” Sunset’s muffled voice came from the bean bag chair.

“Well, Ah won’t be makin’ ya.”, Brigid said.

“Mom, why didn’t any of your family come?”, Sunset asked, face now out of the bean bag.

It took Brigid a couple seconds to respond. “Ma parents are dead, n’ Ah’ve gone no contact with me Auntie’s side of da family. Da rest are dead or British loyalists. ‘Hey disowned ma parents for being Irish nationals.”

“I feel that there is a lot of history I’m missing.”, Sunset said.

Brigid crossed her arms over her head and let out a mix between a growl and a sigh. Anzhong placed his hand on her knee and said, “This is something they both need to know about.”

“Ah suppose y’re right.” Brigid turned to face her husband. “Dey’ll need ta know ‘bout yer mum too.”

Anzhong nodded in confirmation.

“Alrighty then. Emi, can ya please come ‘ere.”, Brigid called.

Emi came bounding into the living room from her game of go fish. Anura soon following.

“Well den, it’s time fer the t’ree of ya ta get a bit of a lesson on Irish history n’ me past. Ah was born in da middle of a war known as da Troubles. Da history behind da war is long n’ complicated, but it can mostly be boiled down ta centuries a’ mistreatment n’ discrimination. Most a’ me pa’s family were a bunch a’ manky holy joes n’ with da loyalists. Me mum’s family were with da Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. Dey were tryin’ ta end da discrimination against da Catholic minority by da Protestant majority, government, and bobbies. Ah took - let’s jus’ say - a more proactive approach. Bashin’ in da skulls a’ da holy joes dat made me mama’s life hell was quite cathartic. Our farm was right outside da borders of Northern Ireland ‘n right outside a very Protestant city. When Ah was 17, a group a’ ‘em Protestants came ta da house n’ beat me family ta death. Ah was in da barn, but Ah could still ‘ear da screams. Ah was lucky ‘hey didn’t come lookin’ fer me.

After that, Ah was shipped off ta da only family who would take me. Me Auntie had come ta da US some years before, fer college. Dey took me in, but ‘er husband was a piece a’ shit human being, da absolute epitome a’ white trash. He’s fat, drunk, everything-phobic, racist, and believes women belong in da house, and he can’t keep a job down. Da only reason dey aren’t livin’ in a trailer is because a’ Auntie Pristine’s high payin’ job. Ol’ Auntie Pristine wasn’t as bad. She was jus’ controlling, n’ if ya didn’t do ‘hat she said, she would break yer stuff. Ah suspect why ‘hey got or are still married is because she nurtured him. Anyway, Ah took all Ah got n’ made outta there as soon as Ah was 18.” Brigid turned to her husband. “Anzhong, it’s yer turn.”

“Mine is a much shorter story. My mother didn’t come to Thanksgiving because she died in a train derailment when I was nine.”, Anzhong said bluntly.

“That’s sad.”, Anura commented.

“It is, but it was a long time ago.”, Anzhong simply said.

“You forgot to tell them the part about how you were in the train as well, and how you had to hear your mother dying. That sort of trauma does not go away with time, and you never let yourself receive help and continue to blame yourself.”, Jiraiya said in an accusatory tone.

“It -”, Anzhong cut himself off. “I am dealing with my trauma in my own way.”

“Bottling it all up inside is not dealing with it.”, Jiraiya said.

“I specialize in criminal negligence cases. My whole career revolves around getting justice for people like Mom and me. Just because I’ve never gone to a therapist, does not mean I’m not dealing with my trauma. Also, just in case you never noticed,” Anzhong gestured around him. “I’m good at my job.”, he said, raising his voice a little.

Jiraiya gave Anzhong a ‘I don’t believe you’ look.

“What does ‘phobic’ mean?”, Emi asked.

Katon family home
Date: Nov 30th, time: 2:00 pm

*Emi’s perspective*

Emi was doing four year old things in her room when the doorbell rang.

“Mom! Someone’s at da door!”, Emi shouted.

“Ah know. Stop jumpin’ on yer bed.”, Mom shouted back.

After Mom had gone down the stairs, Emi, being the curious kid she is, decided that spying on whoever it was would be the funniest thing to do at that moment, and maybe, if they’re particularly annoying, she can get them to leave faster. With that, she grabbed her blowgun and darts and darted to the stairs.

When she got to the stairs, Emi could hear that her mother was primed to go off. She’s not shouting but press a trigger and boom. Apparently Sunset sensed this too as Emi could see her peeking out from her room from her own perch. Looking back to the people at the door, Emi saw that they were a man and a woman. The lady looked like she put effort into her appearance, too much effort. Her face was caked in make-up, to the point it looked like lumpy paint. Not wearing any make-up wouldn’t have helped as her skin was very leathery. She was wearing nice clothes, but the jewelry she was wearing was so big, it completely up staged her. Mom said that jewelry complaints the wearer, not the other way around. The strangest part about the woman is that she looked... fake. It was weird. She looked mismatched. I’ll ask Mom about it later. The man had the exact opposite problem. He gave no effort to his appearance. He looked like trailer trash, beer belly and all. At least he was wearing a black shirt over his wife beater. Hold up. Uppity tighty lookin’ lady and trailer trash lookin’ man. Emi looked to Sunset, who was now behind the dividing wall between the kitchen and entryway. Sunset looked up at Emi, and Emi signed, “Aunt, Uncle”. Sunset’s face went from surprise to, what Emi calls, her morbid curiosity face, and she started listening in closer. The volume was picking up. So, now Emi could hear it.

“Ah didn’t invite ya ta me Thanksgivin’ celebration because Ah wanted ta have a nice time!” now Mom was shouting.

“But we’re family!”, a whiny female voice said.

“Family doesn’t break every'hin' ya hold dear, including family heirlooms, because things didn’t go ‘heir way!”

“You have a history of making bad choices, and I needed to keep you on the straight and narrow.”, the woman said.

“Y’r crazy!”

“Listen here you-”, the man said.

“I just wanna meet my grandnieces!”, the woman interrupted.

Mom was about to fire back, but Dad, from the top of the stairs, spoke first. “Maybe we should let the girls meet them. If nothing more than an example as to what not to be.”

“What do you mean “what not to be”. We’re pillars of our community.”, the man said indignantly.

“You’re unemployed, and from what I understand, you barely do anything around the house. The only thing you’re a pillar of is your local liquor store.”, Dad said while walking down the stairs.

Emi began walking down to about halfway down the stairs, to get into better firing range.

Trailer trash man glared at Dad. Dad put a reassuring hand on Mom’s shoulder. “Of course, it’s up to you.”, Dad said.

Mom let out a sigh to calm herself before saying, “Alright, ya can meet da girls, but if ya break somethin’, through a tantrum, insult me accent, or call any a’ ‘hem a racial epithet, Ah call da police n’ have ya trespassed. Got it?”

Ready, aim,

“Buuut -” FIRE. The woman was cut off by a dart to the noggin. They weren’t sharp, but they were made out of hard plastic and still hurt to be hit with.

“NO TANTRUMS.”, Emi reminded the whiny lady.

The woman just grumbled something under her breath. Mom and Dad let them in, and Mom picked up the dart and gave Emi a smile. Mom gave Emi back the dart as they all walked into the living room and sat down.

“So, girls, meet Pristine and Hick Blue.”, Mom said.

Right, that’s her name.

“Move, you mutt.”, Hick barked at Ki.

“Don’t talk to my dog like that. Unlike you, he has a job, and that is his chair.”, Dad said sternly.

Ki gave Hick a smug look, a smug look by American Akita standards.

Emi and Sunset quickly went to claim their respective gray and red bean bags before the Blues got any ideas.

“So, who are you?”, Pristine asked the girls.

“My name is Emi, and this is my big sis, Sunset.”, Emi said less enthusiastically than normal. These people are weird. Emi looked to Sunset. She definitely thinks they’re off too. Time to take advantage of my four year old charm. “Mrs. Blue, why do you look so weird.”, she said in the most innocent way possible.

“Gasp, how rude. Do you not teach your brats any manners?”, Pristine said, offended and putting a hand to her chest.

“She’s four. She’s still learnin’.” Mom turned to Emi. “Emi, ‘hat was rude. To answer yer question, she’s had a lot a’ plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is when ya surgically change yer body for cosmetic reasons. Da reason she looks weird is because she paid bottom dollar for it all.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I look beautiful.”, Pristine said.

“No, you don’t.”, Emi, Sunset, and Mom said in unison.

Pristine huffed and crossed her arms.

Everyone sat there in an uncomfortable silence for about a minute. Hick clearly didn’t want to be there. The silence was broken by Sunset. “Mr. Blue, why are you afraid of gay people?”

“I am not afraid of gay people. Their lifestyle is unnatural and goes against God.”, Hick said.

“No it’s not. First, being gay isn’t a lifestyle any more than being white. Secondly, homosexuality is found in nature. So, by definition, it’s natural.”, Sunset said, getting angry.

“Well, it still goes against God.”, Hick said with a huff.

“Okay, Sunset, you’re not going to change his mind. So, let’s drop it.”, Dad said.

Sunset huffed and crossed her arms.

“You know, this house would look so much better if-” “Ah’m gonna stop ya righ’ ‘here. We are not changin’ our house for ya.”, Mom cut Pristine off.

“You know, I think it’s time for you to get going.”, Dad said.

“What!” Pristine jumped up from her spot on the couch. “You can’t kick us out, we're family. Besides, we don't have a ride.”

“We’ll call you a cab.”, Dad said while attempting to corral them to the door.

“Can we just stay here? It’s late, and I’m tired.”, Pristine whined.

“NO!”, the Katon family shouted, and even Ki barked his version of ‘no’.

“But we’re-” “If you say ‘hat stupid catchphrase a’ yers one more time, Ah’m throughin’ ya outta me house by yer waist band!”

“We don’t have enough money for a hotel, and our flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow. We need a place to stay.”, Hick said in a definitive manner.

“That is your problem, not ours. Now, we have been more than gracious to you both, but it is now time to part ways.”, Anzhong said.

“Fuck off back to China, cing-chong!”, Hick shouted.

“That’s not even accurate. I’m from Japan. If you are going to be racist, at least get the right county.”, Dad finished as Mom grabbed both by their collars and began dragging them to the door.

Sunset sprang up from her bag and ran to open the door. Pristine was screaming about assault and police, but Emi just tuned her out. Emi, despite her dad showing as much emotion as Ki, knew how to tell what he was feeling. Hick’s words had no effect on him. The Blues now had the door slammed in their faces, and Emi felt safe enough to speak.

“Dad, what Hick said was mean. Why didn’t you get angry?”

“That is a good question, Emi. One that you, and your sister, should hear the answer to. Sunset, please come here.”

Emi looked over to Sunset. She and Mom were still giggling from the previous events. The laughing had died down since Sunset’s name was called. Sunset quickly made her way over. Dad was now sitting on the ground and motioned for both girls to do the same. Mom was watching the Blues out the kitchen window.

“Sunset, did you hear Emi’s question?”

““Why didn't you get angry at Hick’s words?” Yes, I did.”

“Good, now, the answer to that question is, words are just that, words. All of their power is that of which you give them. Hick wanted to anger me into a confrontation with his words. I just let them wash over me. Like a river over stone. Does that answer your question?”

“Yep”, Emi enthusiastically said.

“It does.”, Sunset said. “But your analogy is flawed. A single drop will do nothing to stone, but a river will carve a canyon.”

“I guess some of my phrases need to be modified.”, Dad said with a smile.