Equestria Girls - The Tale of Two Sunsets

The sun was shining along the grassy plains of Equestria, where a book sat atop the hill. It had fully documented Princess Twilight's entire journey, from student, to pupil, to now the princess of all of Equestria. Although the story had been told for nearly a whole decade, there was still one last tale to tell, which had never gotten a proper chance to share the spotlight. Even after the storybook had finally closed up, a unicorn mare began approaching it, as she reminisced on her friend's rise to becoming a princess. After all, she could never forget Twilight going the extra mile to extend her friendship to her, despite living in a completely separate world. The unicorn began narrating her thoughts on the story's closure, alongside her own mysterious and massive adventure, which was never really told, up until now...

My name is Sunset Shimmer. I was once Princess Celestia's most prized pupil at the School For Gifted Unicorns, and took a lot of pride in being successful, by having the highest marks. Despite believing that I was doing something good, I had instead become arrogant, distant, and rebellious against my former teacher. This ended with me developing a fierce resentment toward Celestia, which persisted throughout most of my days, even after getting trapped by a portal, leading me into the Human World, as I liked to call it. A world where we ponies stood upright, walked on two legs, and used hands to do everyday activities. Certainly something you would never expect a pony to ever get used to doing, right?

I'll admit, I've had all these wonderful adventures, and made so many great friends within the Human World. However, I've continuously had this lingering urge to return back to Equestria, feeling as though there was more to do, especially in a place where I truly belonged. So with graduation at Canterlot High coming up, I had decided to take a vacation to my native home for a whole week, and ended up experiencing many crazy things along the way, as well as numerous sentimental moments that resonated with me, even to this day. Little would I know that by the time I returned to the Human World, I would've ran into the most unexpected encounter, that would absolutely reshape anypony else's view about the magical portal. Well... mostly me, since as far as I'm concerned, this entire convoluted journey had primarily occurred, because of my rebellious belief that I WAS ready to move onto the next level in the first place...

But... I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I really owe it to my friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, for helping me turn my life around, and even regularly being there for me, despite having tons of royal duties and friendship problems on her own plate. It was really nice to read up on Twilight's entire story, and learning of everything she had been doing, while I was ameliorating my own life back in the Human World. However, now that Twilight's story is finished, it's time for me to share the convoluted journey that I went through, shortly following the year I had attended the Starswirled Music Festival, and dressed up as a carrot for a holiday photoshoot. Fast forward to that week before graduation at CHS, and that's where our story begins. Today, I present to you, what I've fittingly dubbed... The Tale of Two Sunsets...

It was another ordinary day at Canterlot High, with graduation quickly approaching in about a week. Senior year had been stressful for most students, due to all the exams, pop quizzes, and seemingly endless homework. Fortunately, the persevering students had pushed on to overcome everything, as they knew the eternal struggle would be over quite soon. It was exciting for the students to realize all their years of hard work were about to pay off, and that they'd finally get to experience the real world, once they had received their high school diploma.

Like every other student enrolled at CHS, Sunset Shimmer had already passed her final exams for the semester, and received an invitation from Principal Celestia for the upcoming graduation. Not willing to waste any time, Sunset knew there were numerous tasks to check off of her list, including picking up her graduation gown, emptying out her locker, and checking her mailbox for the statuses on those month-long college applications she had sent out. Being able to finally walk atop the stage during graduation had truly resonated with her, especially since she had lost the opportunity to do so back at the School For Gifted Unicorns, following her feud with Princess Celestia.

As Sunset stood around the lobby of CHS, she couldn't help but feel weary from the immense effort she'd put into her final exams. The constant grind of schoolwork had taken a toll on her mind, making it more difficult to focus immediately on anything else, including preparing for graduation. As such, her mind shifted from the upcoming ceremony, to reflecting on her past experiences in the Human World with Equestrian magic, and magical artifacts. With how unusually long the school day felt, Sunset couldn't help but speculate if something funny was going on with the passage of time, especially since these magical encounters hadn't been occurring for months now. In fact, the very last supernatural experience involved the Time Twirler during the Starswirled Music Festival, but it never stopped her from staying vigilant and cautious.

"I've certainly had quite the adventures here at CHS, and even throughout this entire world, haven't I?" Sunset reflected. "Let's see... a magical crown that turned me into a demon, siren gems that fed on negative energy, magical mirrors that trapped you in another dimension, stones that erased your memory, and even a weird clock thing that made you relive the same day indefinitely. Yeah, I'd say I've definitely been through a lot..."

After recapping, Sunset began brainstorming her plans, for before, and even after graduation. She already quit her part-time job at the Canterlot Mall's sushi restaurant, to focus on growing her ShimmerCode gaming channel. The monetization had provided more than sufficient income to help Sunset pay for her apartment's rent, as well as other necessities to get by. In fact, Sunset was often praised by her closest friends for being able to practically raise herself in this world, whereas every other student lived under their family's roof. Though to Sunset, she didn't really think much of it, especially when ShimmerCode's monetization had been paying her almost $10,000 for many months now.

"I'll never forget when I first came into this world, and had to rely on sleeping in the CHS gym's storage closet." Sunset reminisced. "Before the apartment, that was the only way I could avoid being homeless. The girls still commend me for living independently, while they all live with the rest of their family. I mean... just like Applejack once told me, no matter how big your family is, there's always room for more. Buying your own house after graduating college, it seems like the 'normal' thing to do, but is there really any shame in living with your family afterwards? As long as you act responsible and pull your own weight, I don't really see what the big deal is?"

It was by this point, Sunset's train of thought had brought her attention toward another idea, which she had never really considered before. Survival within the Human World had been her number one priority for years now, along with maintaining her friendships with the other girls here at CHS. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy had all been by her side since the day she turned a new leaf, outside of a few incidents that were completely out of Sunset's control. But... these girls had always been talking about their families, and more specifically, their parents. Understandably so, considering how important parental figures have always been in anyone's life, raising them from birth, and setting them on the right path toward a brighter future.

However... Sunset realized that the same couldn't be said about her own life. For one thing, she had no parents to speak of, or at least, any that she could immediately remember, off the top of her head. Though Sunset kept in mind, that given how close she and Princess Celestia once were, she was probably the closest Sunset ever had to a mother? In fact, she was immediately reminded of this, upon seeing a Mother's Day poster on the wall, which had yet to be taken down.

"Hmm, speaking of mothers..." Sunset began brainstorming. "Is it entirely possible that Princess Celestia herself was always...? No, wait... that can't be... I have to have had a mom and dad at some point, and I'm sure she was just my teacher. Though if that was the case... why don't I immediately have any memories of them being in my life, other than... my dad? I somehow vaguely remember him when I was a baby, but not my mother..."

The more Sunset gave this some deep thought, the more she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right about the situation. Perhaps there was more to her past than she had originally thought, and it was finally time to dig deeper, and discover the truth about her parents. As she continued to dwell on these thoughts, a light of determination sparked within her eyes. Since she knew that she had a free week to do whatever she wanted before graduation, perhaps it was time for her to potentially return to Equestria once again, and seek out her long-lost family.

Returning to Equestria whenever she wanted was never an issue, especially when Sunset had already done so several times, ever since Twilight used Princess Celestia's old journal to keep the mirror's portal open, indefinitely. With a renewed purpose and clear goal in mind, Sunset slowly began planning out her schedule before graduation, especially when it came to reuniting with her biological parents. Although she had no immediate clue on where they might've lived, Sunset dismissed the thought, believing that Celestia would most likely know, and give her a clear answer, especially after their reconciliation meeting in Canterlot.

Now that Sunset had a potential plan to fill her week before graduation, she immediately continued thinking of her plans after the ceremony, including her future life after CHS. College tuition was certainly through the roof in Canterlot City, but she paid no mind to this burden, given how stable of an income she already had with her ShimmerCode monetization. And even if money was somehow going to be an issue, she could certainly still apply for scholarships, due to her remarkably high grade point average. In fact, this had prompted Sunset to walk over to the CHS awards bulletin board, to check where she herself had ranked among her peers.

"Hmm, I think I remember Twilight mentioning that Crystal Prep Academy ranked their students." Sunset recalled, as she went over to the CHS awards. "Thankfully, I'm glad that CHS never did this, that would definitely make everything incredibly toxic and competitive."

As Sunset began reading the bulletin board, she was pleasantly surprised to learn that although she herself hadn't been chosen as the CHS valedictorian, she had still been awarded to be salutatorian, for having the second highest grade point average of 3.9. The holder of the only 4.0 GPA and award for valedictorian was instead, Twilight Sparkle herself, which was admittedly unsurprising, as Sunset remembered Twilight mentioning that she was ranked #1 back at Crystal Prep Academy, even beating Sugarcoat in the ranks.

"Well, I may not have gotten valedictorian, but second prize isn't too shabby at all." Sunset said, proudly. "And it seems like the Twilight I know, is just as much of a success as her princess self. Makes sense, though... would the same be said about me? If there was also a Sunset Shimmer native to the Human World, would she also be proud of earning the second highest rank at school? Then again, I might just be overthinking things like I usually do, especially since I've never even met her before."

Moving past this, Sunset felt assured in realizing that she was definitely set for being accepted into any college she wanted, especially with the 3.9 GPA, and upcoming award of salutatorian on her diploma. But after some more deep thought, would this plan for moving onto college, and finding a stable job outside of ShimmerCode, really be the best solution? In fact, the main reason she had even applied to numerous colleges at all, was purely because everybody else at CHS was doing the same, though some of the students had already decided against college, in favor of trade schools. But what was Sunset's true end-goal, after finally receiving her high school diploma?

"I still have no idea which college will accept me when the time comes..." Sunset said, as she began contemplating. "Sure, I've got numerous skills that could help me land a more stable job in the future here, but is this really what I want...?"

Just then, Sunset suddenly thought of something that hadn't even crossed her mind, ever since the Friendship Games. Has the Human World always been too... ordinary, and not very magical, outside of the occasional catastrophe, caused by Equestrian Magic? After all, since her former life entailed studying magic in Equestria, which resulted in her traveling dimensions, making friends, and defeating evil, Sunset knew that this interest that had sparked within her, had always originated back in Equestria. Her thoughts from the very beginning had began slipping back into her mind, remembering that she still needed more, than something as bland and simple as... intramural sports.

While an office job after college might not have seemed as dull and boring as intramural sports, Sunset could still foresee it to be nothing more than unfulfilling and distasteful, lacking both the excitement and adventure that she so craved. The daily grind of sitting at a desk, working on mundane tasks, and never really making a tangible difference in the world, it would most definitely, slowly eat away at her spirit and ambition. In fact, the ambition in her life was always such an important aspect, that she specifically sang about it frequently, ever since her performance atop the roof of CHS's main building.

Going back to this potential life after college, Sunset knew deep down that she would yearn for something more, something that challenged her both intellectually and emotionally, just like her days at Canterlot's School For Gifted Unicorns. In fact, the thought of spending the rest of her life in such a dreary and stagnant environment, it would be nothing short of torturous and draining for her. Sunset had even heard horror stories from the residents of Canterlot City who DID work nine-to-five jobs, and absolutely hating every aspect about it. The demanding management, the required overtime, the stressful workloads, and even the pay not being sufficient enough to allow them to afford their rent.

"What if... this isn't what I want at all?" Sunset pondered. "I know that I can go back to Equestria whenever I want, without having to worry about waiting every 30 moons... so maybe there's more to do back home? I don't want to be stuck in a drab and boring office all day, pouring coffee for a boss who probably hates me more than his wife..."

This would pretty much sum up her 'adult' life in the Human World, should she choose to stay here and continue her current path. Meanwhile, going back to Equestria could allow her to not only reunite with her lost family, but even reexplore her main desire and interest from a young age, to study magic, ambitiously. Though this would seemingly keep her busy for quite some time, Sunset didn't particularly care about how long it would take to relearn the skills in magic she had forgotten. The School For Gifted Unicorns had likely already long erased her records of being there, but it didn't seem to matter too much. If anything, it just gave her a fresh new mind to continue doing what she had loved from the very beginning, especially since she was truly this close to graduating from there, had it not been for her and Celestia's heated feud that night.

However, as these thoughts clouded Sunset's mind, she had suddenly remembered something else rather crucial, which would definitely also force her to reconsider everything. Sunset knew for sure that there were already multiple incentives for her to start a new life back in Equestria after graduation, but... what about her closest friends here at CHS? Much like most of the other students, keeping in touch was certainly a valuable way for them to stay connected, even well into their adulthood. Unfortunately, this idea didn't really apply in Sunset's case, especially since she had technically originated from another world.

Sunset knew that unlike the other students, she wouldn't even be able to connect with any of the girls back in the other world, even by texting, as there were no cell phones in Equestria, at least, none that she was aware of. She had even remembered acknowledging this during one of Pinkie's slumber parties, mentioning that the closest thing they had to cell phones back in Equestria, were magic, burping dragons. Plus, Sunset knew that she couldn't simply take any of the girls to live in Equestria with her, since they all already had predetermined human lives that they were accustomed to. This was especially evident during their spring break cruise, when Twilight had freaked out upon entering Equestria, and the rest of the passengers immediately wanted to return back to the Human World, after getting stranded on that desert island.

Either way, the point still stood, in the fact that Sunset absolutely had to make a choice in the end, and she wouldn't have much time left, before that moment inevitably came. This would quite possibly be the biggest decision in her life, as it seemed nearly impossible to live a life in two separate worlds, simultaneously. With graduation quickly approaching, Sunset was glad she had entertained all these thoughts, as it gave her a head start to contemplate what she would end up doing in the end. What was once a carefree week before graduation, suddenly turned into the ultimate test of decision-making for Sunset, alongside the many CHS students who were also planning to go to college, under parental pressure.

"Well, looks like I'll have to weigh my options, carefully..." Sunset sighed to herself. "Should I stay in the human world and see where it takes me, or should I go back home and start anew? It's not like I'm afraid of the responsibility that'll come with starting a new life back in Equestria, but I don't want to leave my human friends behind, either..."

As Sunset pondered this, she went over to the music room, ready to take her guitar back to her apartment. But before she could even do so, she had immediately noticed a small stack of gifts, placed down on a table near the center of the room. Reading the tags, she saw that the rest of the Rainbooms had gone shopping for graduation presents, and had decided to surprise her with them. Sunset couldn't help but smile, feeling touched by their thoughtfulness, as this was just another reminder of how much these girls had truly meant to her, and how much she would miss them, if she were to leave.

"I've got to go find my friends and sort this out, myself!" Sunset said, feeling more determined than ever before.