Another day had come to close at Canterlot High. Several minutes had passed after the school bell rang and, by now, almost every student and teacher had left the school and travelled home.
All save for a select few. One of them being Sunset Shimmer.
As she sat on the stairs on the school entrance, she enjoyed the view of the sun setting over the horizon. The orange and purple hues mixing together to make a stunning sight was something that gave her a warm smile.
Sunset leaned back, rest her hands on the concrete step, and stared at the sky above with the same warm smile, relishing in the peace and quiet.
After the last few months, dealing with every magical mishap that came near her, moments like this were nothing she’d trade anything for.
And soon, she knew her friends would meet up with her as they leave the school and join her in this moment. The thought of that made her smile more.
Then, her thoughts turned to another friend of hers, the one who saved her from herself.
’Hmm, I wonder how she is?’ Sunset pondered with a tilt of her head. It had been a while since she had communicated with the Princess of Friendship.
Sunset turned her head to look at her bag that sat near her, she had the means to communicate with her friend.
Feeling content in the idea of speaking to the Princess again, Sunset began to reach over to her bag.
She almost had her hand on it when she was surprised to see that her bag was vibrating before her. Her means of communication, the book that allowed her to talk to the Princess was vibrating.
To Sunset that meant only one thing; the Princess was trying to get ahold of her.
After shaking off her surprise, Sunset chuckled. ’Maybe she read my mind.’ She undid her bag and pulled out the thick book and opened it to the latest entry, excited to speak to her friend.
’Sunset, this is urgent. Do exactly as I say, alright?’
As those words appeared on the page, Sunsets excitement vanished and was replaced with dread. She quickly stood up and stepped off the entrance stairway, gripping the book.
’I need you to’
That was all the came on to the page.
Sunset waited, pacing back and forth as she stared intently at the page.
After a few more seconds of nothing, she frantically rushed to her bag, pulled out her pen and sat on the stair step again to quickly write a response.
‘Twilight, what is it? What’s happening?’
Her eyebrows furrowed in worry as the seconds rolled by.
No response.
Getting in touch with her was one thing, receiving a warning about something was another thing entirely.
Biting into her bottom lip, tapping her foot and gripping the edge of the book, stress began to overcome her as she continue to stare at the last words Twilight sent her.
What was it? What could it possibly be that has got her to warn Sunset?
Was Twilight under attack? Did something happen to the other Princesses? To Celestia? To Equestria?
’No!’ Sunset mentally chastised herself, forcing herself to stop rapidly thinking of the worst case scenario, as she stamped her foot in place.
“Calm down.” Sunset told herself aloud as she began to take slow, deep breaths.
“I’ll wait for her to respond.” Sunset commented firmly as she took another breath, stepping over to the stairs once more. She sat and focused on the page infront of her.
As she did, she reread the message Twilight sent to her; ’I need you to’
What did she want Sunset to do?
’Alright, Sunset, let’s be logical here.’ Sunset thought to herself as she began to look at her right hand and closed it.
She straightened out her thumb and thinking of logical scenarios;’Maybe she wants to warn me of a magical being that’s here in this world.’ Sunset hung on that thought for a moment before moving on.
Then her index finger, ’Maybe there’s someone who found the portal as is trying to come here.’ A frown formed on her face at that scenario but smiled confidently, she knew that she and her friends would be able to handle it.
Then her middle finger, ’Maybe she’s in trouble and wants me to stay here.’ That scenario made her pause a little too long.
The thought of Twilight and, by extension, her old home in trouble filled with her unease.
She took eyes away from her hand and turned attention to the statue across the way from her. But, more importantly the stand that held the statue where the portal to her old home, Equestria, was.
She could go to her, speak to her face to face. Find out the problem for herself and help her friend. However…
’I need you to’
The more she stared at the page, the more anxious she felt. Even after the last few minutes had passed, Twilight still hadn’t sent a reply.
Should she wait? Maybe all this worry is all over nothing? Or…
She glanced at the portal once more.
“Just. Wait.” Sunset firmly told herself as she looked back the page.
The worst outcomes running through her mind, were making her think twice.
Sunset took one more deep breath, heavily exhaled, stared at the page and then shook her head as she tossed the book aside without a second thought. She launched herself from the step and began to charge to the portal.
“I’m coming, Twilight!” Sunset proclaimed her drive to save her friend as she dove into the portal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fluttershy opened the entrance door of Canterlot high quickly, hearing her friend call out for her other friend, got Fluttershy worried at what would be the cause.
By the time she was outside, Sunset was gone.
“Oh, my.” Fluttershy commented worriedly as she inspected the scene before. She recognised Sunsets belongings before her only to catch the attention of a book glowing for a moment.
She recognised that too, it was Sunsets way of speaking with Princess Twilight.
Fluttershy dashed over to the book and picked it up, she read what was already on the page and observed the next words that came onto the page.
’Sunset, stay there. DO NOT come through the portal whatsoever!’
Fluttershys eyes widened when she read the text and looked back at the scene she came upon. “Oh no!”
Quickly, she fumbled through her bag for a pen. When she grabbed it, she quickly readied it and wrote on the page.
’Princess Twilight, this is Fluttershy. I think Sunset has already gone into the portal to go see you!”
Fluttershy didn’t even need to wait for more than a couple of seconds before a response came.
’NO!’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sensation over the portal carrying Sunset through one fabric of reality to another was something she knew she never get used to.
Though, it didn’t sway her desire to help her friend one bit.
However, Sunset found herself coming to a complete stop. When she regained her senses, she found herself upright, floating, still in her human form and still in the portal.
Sunset blinked once.
Then again.
“What the…?” Sunset said slowly as she observed the space around her.
The colours of the portals doorway between the worlds, the colours of the rainbow, the she noted that had swirled around every time she went through had come to a stop.
“What is… happening…?” Sunset commented in concern, as she turned to see more of the space.
One detail stood out to her, at one end she saw the portals colours aim for a central spot.
Curiously, she turned her head and saw that in the opposite direction it was the same.
“They must be the entrances to the worlds.” Sunset stated before she looked at the other end again, “Why did I sto-“ She gasped at the sight.
The colours were beginning to drain away from one of the entrances. The discolouration quickly spread outward to the rest of the world around her.
Whatever it meant, Sunset didn’t want to know as the tried to move away from it.
When she turned her attention back to the other end she froze wide eyed in fear. The same phenomenon was happening at both ends.
Frantically, she looked back and forth, as she could do nothing but watch as the discolouration came together in the centre of the world. Where she was.
She gulped, she didn’t want to look at herself but worry overcame her and she brought her hands to inspect herself.
Her worry doubled as she saw that she too, was discoloured.
The sound of something smashing around her caught her ears and it only served to worry her more.
Once more, she glanced at one of the entrances and then quickly to the other end. She couldn’t comprehend the sight.
The space around her, the portal space was breaking apart.
Both ends had cracks, a plethora of them, spreading quickly to connect once more at the centre.
Fearfully, she looked at her hands again and screamed. Her entire body was covered in multiple cracks.
Her breaths became rapid as she could nothing but watch.
At both ends, one by one, the cracks began to break apart like shattered glass. Only when they did, they disintegrated into nothing. And Sunset saw that beyond the cracks, there was nothing…
“No. Nonononono!” Sunset cried fearfully as the space around began to fade away, encircling her as the nothingness came closer and closer.
“No, please, no!” Sunset screamed at the top of her lungs are she tried to reach out to the nothingness where to Equestria was.
Her breath was caught in her throat as she saw that the hand she used to try and reach out to Equestria was breaking apart and fading away.
Another scream as the fear of it all came rushing to her, tears began swell as she tried to call out once more.
”TWILI-“
Author's Note
So, this is a one shot that came to my head one day and wanted to try and get it out there for Halloween. And, as a test to myself to see if I am still as crap as I remember I am.
Honest and constructive criticism is appreciated.
Happy Halloween
