Author's Note
This story originally belonged to HarryBuilder. He gave me permission to re-write and continue his story.
A Holiday Shock.
Loneliness, sadness and betrayal. Those were only three words that Sunset could say how she felt as she walked in the cold streets of canterlot.
It was just so hard for her to Believe just about a week ago she was celebrating christmas with her friends. The five girls who were there for her, who helped pull her into a new life, who treated her like family.
But now they, like everyone else at CHS, had turned their backs on her because they believed she had returned to her old ways again. All because of a Mystable user known as Anon-A-Miss who had been spreading secrets around the site.
She felt her phone vibrating, meaning another post was out, she didn’t bother taking out her phone and looking at it, knowing it was just another reason for everyone to unjustly hate her. But that too wouldn't change anything.
"Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow. Why?" Sunset wondered for the umpteenth time as tears slowly trickled down her face.
How could they abandon her like this? They promised they’d always be there for each other. Did they honestly forget all they've been through since the Fall Formal to the Sirens at the battle bands?
Or were what they promised just empty words? She thought that she finally had the family she never had back in Equestria.
As she was crossing the road, Sunset thought back to the day she and Applejack were talking about the holidays and how she was never really close to her family.
She stopped in the middle of the street as she thought back to her days growing up within the city of Canterlot. She was only a four year old filly when she was found in the royal gardens of princess Celestia.
She didn’t remember anything before Celestia found her and brought her to her castle. She learned much later that she was diagnosed with amnesia. Even though she did have family, she couldn’t remember any names. All she did remember were the words to a song and part of her name which was just 'Sun' which left her clueless.
When Celestia took her in as her pupil and named her Sunset, she was the only pony Sunset ever considered a mother. She had raised her, took care of her, taught her and she repaid her kindness by running away and betraying her.
“This is the biggest mistake you’ll ever make.” Sunset remembered yelling to the princess before she fled through the mirror to the human world.
But she was wrong. That wasn’t the biggest mistake Celestia ever made. That was the biggest mistake that she'd ever made.
“I’m so sorry, princess.” She whimpered, wishing she could just go back in time and tell herself to not turn her back on Celestia. Maybe then none of this would ever have happened to her.
She had written to Princess Twilight what had happened, but she had yet write back. She was worried if Twilight was too busy to answer or if she actually cared to reply.
'Stop thinking like that! Twilight would care about what's happening!' She told herself mentally, but right now she would've loved a hug from the princess or anyone else who would care about her.
She looked to the sky, and saw some shooting stars, she than remember stories that if you make a wish on a shooting star before it disappeared it would come true.
Now normally she wouldn't believe that superstitious nonsense but right now, feeling so alone and sad she was willing to take any chance to take it away and have the one thing she always wanted.
So she closed her eyes, brought her hands together and began to chant.
"Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish a I wish tonight." She then looked up and spoke her wish as she saw a star race across the night sky, "I wish to finally have a real family." She whimpered, more tears flowing down her cheeks.
She waited. and waited for something, anything or anyone to show up and grant her wish.
But there was nothing.
Nothing but silence.
Sunset walked back to the school and sat on the steps, crying into her hands as she sobbed. Her heart full of pain and grief.
The Shine family were in their family car when they passed by CHS. The matriarch of the family, Golden Shine, looked out of the window and noticed a girl that looked like their missing daughter that had disappeared all those years ago.
One thought came to Golden's mind as she stared at the girl.
“Sunray?”
Sunset sat alone on the steps of the school. She sobbed into her hands as she thought about her friends betraying her.
As she was about to leave and head back to her apartment, she was stopped by a family of four. She felt like she knew them, but at the same time, she didn't.
"Excuse me, what's your name?" Golden asked, hoping that in her heart, this was her missing daughter.
"My name is Sunset Shimmer, ma'am." Sunset replied, watching the look on the woman's face turn from hope to sadness.
Golden felt like her heart had been shattered. The girl looked like her little Sunray.
Flame Heart noticed his wife's look and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He'd never forgive himself for what happened that day. He'd let go of the guilt and forgive himself the day that Sunray came home.
"I apologize for my wife's erratic and emotional outburst. You look like our daughter, who we lost many years ago because I turned away for a second and she went missing." Flame Heart quietly said, feeling the same pain that seared his wife's and son's heart.
Sunset winced at the woman's expression as the lady sobbed into her husband who comforted her.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Sunset said softly,
"Don't be. So how come you're outside school?" Flame asked, raising a brow in confusion. He had no clue why she'd want to sit outside in the freezing cold and snow.
"My friends betrayed me. They kicked me out. Now I have nowhere to go." Sunset muttered, closing her eyes as she lowered her head, not wanting pity from the couple.
Suddenly, Golden had an idea. They could bring the girl home with them and look after her. She didn't want the girl to suffer in the cold, alone by herself. She didn't know if was the maternal instinct in her, or the desire to help out.
"Sunset? Why don't you come with us. Nobody deserves to be outside in the freezing cold by themselves. Why don't you come with us and stay for the night?" Golden offered Sunset, smiling warmly with a motherly smile.
"Sure. Why not?" Sunset said, agreeing with the woman's wishes.
Golden looked to her husband and nodded to him. They'd assumed what Sunray would look like growing up. It seemed this girl looked exactly like her baby girl.
Sunset followed the couple and their kids to their car. Once they were all in, they drove back home.
The family, plus Sunset, climbed out of the car and walked into the home. Sunset looked around in awe at the place.
She was introduced to their kids, Helios and Honey Glow. She knew that she'd get on with the both of them.
They enjoyed a family dinner together and eventually went to bed.
As soon as Sunset laid in the bed, she passed out from exhaustion. The redhead slept peacefully, her mind blank and silenced.
Author's Note
Sunset/Sunray and her family reunite with their long lost daughter.
Sunset also has an older sister named Sunrise Shine.
Expect Sunset to be overprotective towards Honey Glow as she is her older sister. Also expect family fluff chapters.
A Family Reunited.
The Shine's residence was a large and cozy two story house located on in middle of town, with a balcony over the front door painted golden yellow with a red roof and white doors to compliment the family who lived there.
The front lawn and roof was covered by white blankets of snow, but an amber skinned woman in a purple coat, her red hair braided over shoulder, waited by the door outside for her son and husband to return home safe and sound while her daughter was playing in the living room.
Golden Shine had come far in her modelling career. She was practically on the cover of every fashion magazine in Canterlot. With the fortune she earned from her modelling she was able to afford her and her family a nice house in the city.
But while her career did keep her busy, she always managed to make time for the family that she loved. She first met her husband Flame when he was still a rookie cop when he protected her from a pair of muggers.
After that, she and him worked around their careers, started dating, got married and had two of the most wonderful children. Her son Helios Shine and her daughter...Sunray Shine.
She glanced downwards in sadness as she pulled out a locket from her coat and she opened it. On the left side was the picture of a little red haired, pinkish white skinned boy and on the right a girl's who's hair style resembled her own but had yellow stripes in it and aquatic green eyes.
She rubbed her finger on the girl's picture as a lone tear slid down her cheek. She never got over the loss of her baby girl.
"My little Sunray." She whispered sadly. It had been twelve years since her little girl had disappeared and had not been easy.
Fortunately her husband, her son, siblings and friends helped her through it, and a few years after she had given birth to a new baby girl she named Honey Glow who had been told about Sunray.
While Honey still didn't fully understand, she still comforted her mom when she needed it. She long since accepted that Sunray was probably dead, but she remember what Helios had said to her earlier.
'Could she really still be out there?' Golden thought, but immediately denied it, not wanting to get her hopes up.
Honey Glow was a young girl with pale yellow skin and reddish orange hair was sitting on a couch in her family's living room, drawing a new picture with her toys next to her.
The walls were painted peach and had pictures of herself, her parents and her big brother having fun. Pictures of them at parties, visiting the police station or at one of her mommy's photoshoots hanging on the walls in frames.
On the wooden floor were brown leather couches and chairs next the walls. In the corners and in front of the couch she was sitting on was a flat screen tv with her brother's gaming consoles, more pictures and other things on the table underneath it.
She was happily playing while her brother had to run errands for the family Christmas Dinner coming up and waited for him and her daddy to come home. She gladly passed time by doing some doodles and showing them to her toys.
"See these shadows, Grace? Just trace them like so and you can see how easy they blend." She said to a brown haired doll on her left as she pointed parts of her picture to it.
"Oh and Toby don't you worry. There'll be plenty of color in this picture." She assured the teddy on her right. As she continued to draw she thought about the new school she and her brother were going to.
While she was a little unsure about going to new school, she was happy to know that they allowed middle school kids at Canterlot High, that way she could be with her big brother.
She was looking forward to seeing Mrs Celestia and Mrs Luna there as well. The two women had been close to her family since she was a baby. They used to babysit her and Helios when they were little and now they were gonna be their new principal and vice-principal.
Sunset wasn't sure what was happening or if this was real. But what she did know was that she had to move.
"Where am I?" She said looking around her.
Everywhere she turned, all she saw was black. She wasn't sure which way to go at first, but then she saw something. A brilliant white light. It shined so bright she felt she had to cover her eyes from it. But instead, she felt drawn to it so she decided to move towards the light. "May as well be my only way out."
She walked closer and closer the light as it glowed even brighter but she didn't block her vision from it. Soon, she was in reach of the light. She took a few steps closer to the light, she hesitantly reached a hand to it before it suddenly burst out causing her to shut her eyes
When she opened them again, she discovered she was in a hallway. She turned left and right in confusion. for some reason though the room seemed to hold some form of familiarity to her. "What the? Why am I here?" She asked before she heard something.
"Sun goes down and we are here together,"
It sounded like... singing. Singing the same song she remembered when she was found in Celestia garden and it was sung by a voice that seemed to make her feel safe.
"Fireflies glow like a thousand charms,"
She turned to see the song came from a door behind her. The fiery-haired girl walked cautiously towards the door and pushed it open.
Inside she saw that the walls were dark blue with yellow fireflies and stars painted on them. She saw toys and plushies that littered the floor and a wooded crib. Finally she turned to the source of the song.
"Stay with me and you can dream forever,
Right here in my arms tonight."
There, sitting in a rocking chair was a red haired woman in a yellow robe, holding a small baby wrapped in white blanket singing a lullaby.
Sunset walked closer to see them as the mother continue to hum to her child, but stopped where she was when she got a look at the baby.
It was a baby girl with yellow skin and red and yellow striped hair. She looked like a baby version of herself, in fact it was her. "W-Wha, but how she."
Then Sunset realized that the woman had stopped humming and turned to see her hair style was very similar to her own.
"Who, who are you?" She asked with a hint of nervousness.
She turned her to Sunset with her eyes still closed and she saw her skin was yellow too but a bit paler. Sunset's breath also hitched when she saw the woman's face. It looked almost like her own.
But before she could finish that thought, she saw the mysterious woman was about open her eyes. Another bright light flashed and blinded Sunset again as everything faded to white.
Sunset groaned as her eyes fluttered open as she woke up from her rather vivid dream.
She looked up to see a ceiling over her, confused as groggily sat up she saw that she was in room she didn't recognized there was dark brown furniture against honey yellow walls and pictures she couldn't see very well. Once she realized what was happening, she started to look around for a route of escape. "W-what's going on?! Where am I?! What is this-"
"It's okay, Sweetheart. You're somewhere safe now." A feminine voice cooed, interrupting her.
Sunset froze at the sound of that voice. It was same oneshe heard in her dream. The same voice that held a sense of safety and love that felt very familiar to her.
Sunset slowly turned her head to see a silver skinned man with blonde hair wearing a police outfit. Next to him with a nervous expression was the very same woman from her dream.
In her heart, Sunset felt something that told her to hold these two close and never let go. She pushed that feeling aside for the time being and asked the first question that came to her head.
"Who, who are you?" Sunset asked, fear in her voice.
The man and woman looked at her in surprise with a hint of hurt before they looked at one another. It was almost as if they knew her.
The couple turned back to her, "S-Sunray, don't you recognize us?" The woman asked in concern and sadness. Golden's eyes brimmed with tears.
Sunset raised a brow. Sunray? Why did she call her that? Did she just resemble someone else who had that name and they just mistook her for that girl? If so then why did name sound so familiar?
Deciding to answer, she turned herself around completely, pulled her legs off the bed and sat as she spoke again.
"I'm sorry ma'am but my name is Sunset Shimmer." Sunset introduced herself, watching the reaction of the couple. The woman looked worried and more concerned at that before the man whispered something into her ear.
The woman listened carefully before her eyes widened with realization. "Oh right, she probably wouldn't remember." She said to him as he nodded in agreement.
"Perhaps you should say something to job her memory?" The man suggested to the lady.
Sunset watched as the woman put on a thinking face, before a smile formed on it and nodded as she turned back to Sunset.
"Um, Ms Shimmer, do you mind if I ask you if you remember anything at the age of four?" The lady asked her with what sounded like... hope?
Sunset was taken back at that question and that she didn't call her Sunray again. However she decided to try and remember but nothing came up.
"I'm sorry, but everything that happened before I turned four is just a big blur." She answered before she remembered one thing. "Well there was this one song I could never get out of my head for some reason."
That last statement made the woman make a face of hope, as she breathed in and out as the man held her shoulder, "Would you mind singing it for us?" She asked.
Sunset shrugged and nodded as she cleared her throat and began to sing.
Sun goes down and we are here together,
The couple's eyes widened as a smile and tears slowly appeared on the woman face. Sunset countinued to sing,
Fireflies glow like a thousand charms,
The woman then took Sunset hands in her own causing her to stop singing and look at her in confusion but the woman started to pick up where she left off.
"Stay with me and you can dream forever,
Right here in my arms tonight."
Sunset stared in shock at the woman as she heard her sing the last verse of the song. She was now greatly confused. This woman was holding a baby her in her dreams, sang the last part of the only song she remembered when she was only four years old. Her voice sounded like she could be safe and loved around her. She resembled her so much and called her a different name that felt familiar to her.
All those facts lead to one possibility, "No. It-it can't be." She trembled as she looked into the eyes of the woman as she made a teary smile back and while she delicately placed a hand on her cheek spoke the six words that would forever change her life.
"I'm right here my little sunshine." Golden cooed, opening her arms, inviting Sunset to hug her.
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Suddenly flashing through her head were memories she had lost the night Celestia found her at the age of four years old.
She saw herself as a baby sleeping peacefully in the woman's arms. She saw herself playing with a little boy, eating with them at a restaurant, seeing fashion shows and photoshoots of the woman and visiting the police station with the man.
She saw herself celebrating her birthday with other people and finally going to the park with the boy and man where they played hide & seek, where she stumbled about a hidden lake and put a hand into it.
She ended up falling into it and landed in the regal garden of Princess Celestia.
She remembered everything. It explained how she ended up in the castle gardens. She was really a human who ended up in Equestria.
It explained why she never saw this world's Sunset, because she was this world's Sunset. And if she was the human world's Sunset that definitely meant that this woman standing before her was indeed her mother.
"M-Mom?" She said nervously as her eyes watered, fearful she was wrong. The woman nodded in confirmation.
Sunset couldn't believe it. After all this time, she had finally found her. The one person she'd wanted to meet since day one.
She then let out some heavy breaths, lunged towards her mother and hugged her tightly, making sure this wasn't another dream.
She felt her hair and shirt, as her heart rate started to increase.
It was real
She was real.
Her eyes watered as everything bubbled to the surface.
"MOM!" Sunset cried, sobbing into her mother's shoulder, letting out all of the emotions she bottled up ever since she wanted to find her mother again.
"Sunray, my sweet baby girl." Golden cooed lovingly, holding her tightly while releasing tears herself. She rubbed circles on Sunset's back, whispering sweet words of comfort and reassurance into her daughter's ear.
Sunset turned her head to the man next to them and he gave a teary smile as well. "It's so good to see you again, sweetheart." He said, making Sunset's heart burst even more than it already had as she knew who this man was as well.
"D-Daddy." She whimpered tearfully. It was enough for him as hee joined the hug. Sunset wrapped one of her arms around him whilst keeping the other on her mom. She was overjoyed. She was finally home.
'Please, please don't let's this be a dream.' She mentally begged herself and the universe.
All of a sudden, two blurs rushed into the room, jumped onto the bed and hugged Sunset from behind. The redhead turned to see a teenage boy with red and orange hair and pinkish white skin. She also noticed a girl with pale skin with orange hair hugging her too. They both looked at her as they smiled.
"Welcome home sis." Helios and Honey Glow said in unison, cuddling their sister.
Sunset wasn't sure how much more her heart could take. She just found out she had parents and now she had two siblings to top it off.
Then she remembered the wish she made out in the streets, to have a real family. 'My wish did come true.' She thought to herself as tears continued to run down her cheeks. Not tears of sadness, but of pure joy.
Her family held her close as her wish came true. This was the happiest moment of her entire life.
'I guess there is such a thing as Christmas miracles.' She thought as she enjoyed the warmth and love she felt from her family.
It looked like things were looking up now.
