Intermission: Better to have loved and lost - Part 2

“Well isn’t that… Peculiar…?”

A quiet, excited whisper in the cold, with eyes fixed through a telescope.

Wind raged outside. Another blizzard, one of many. Neither inhabitants of this station minded. Far, far, far into the deepest northwest reaches of arctic Equestria, where few souls ever thread, and fewer souls even wanted to.

He recoiled from the telescope, and rubbed his eyes, wiped his glasses, shook himself off, and even breathed in once and twice.

And upon looking through the scope once more, he shouted in excitement. “Ha-HA! I am NOT imagining it!!” With determined, clumsy movements, he began writing the coordinates, any annotations he could think of to record this event, even the date, frantically wondering who he could report this to.

He did not allow the thought that no one would care to stop his excitement, or even the thought of having to return to the mainland to relay these wonderful news would be incredibly difficult.

A hatch opened, and the observatory wasn’t as quiet, for a brief moment, the wind raged inside.

“Shimmer!! Oh my goodness, Shimmer!! I’ve found something incredible!” He shouted out from the upper floors, acknowledging his research assistant having entered the observatory. “Hohooo This has got to mean something enormous! Something huge! Something groundbreaking!”

“Doc.” Her voice called out from below, as she shook herself slightly, the snow falling out of her winter coat, huffing, trembling with both nerves and unease. “Come look at this.”

“It’s incredible, Shimmer! I-I-I I’ve never seen anything like it!! My, this is why I changed my degree to astronomy, you know?? For wonders such as these!!” He chanted, not yet looking down.

“Doc, get down here!” She called out, a bit angrier, as she relieved herself of the burden she had carried into the observatory, and closed the hatch behind her.

“O-of course, of course!” He still couldn’t contain his excitement, finishing the papers he was organizing. “It’s incredible! Far off, past the Andalusian, past Praxis, even, I saw… Movement!! Dozens upon dozens of little lights!! Is this proof of extraterrestrial life?! And why would they be heading this way!! My, it’s so exciting, I can barely–”

“HERMES!” Sunset Shimmer yelled.

“My goodness, Shimmer. What’s got your mood more sour– OH!!” He paused and exclaimed immediately upon looking below the railing.

Right beside Sunset, on a couch, sprawled out and unconscious, there was an alicorn.

An alicorn that looked exactly like his assistant.

“Can you come down here? And bring a med pack. I think she’s bleeding, but– I’m not sure.” Sunset came closer, inspecting the significantly larger body to her own in front of her. Slowly, she touched the wings, moving them aside, inspecting them. “...What the fuck are you…?”

Frantically, and with a few whimpers of confusion, the scientist made his way down, carrying a med pack with him. “G-good heavens, who is this? How did she end up here?? Is she dead?? Where did you find her?? Is she YOU?!”

“Not dead. I found her in the ice, right next to me– She was just… There.” Sunset noted, coming closer to her other self’s head. Larger mane, more scars, larger horn– This was an alicorn in every way.

Except it had her face.

Which was contorted into a grimace, a snarl. Her eyebrows moved slightly, her teeth were bare, her nose wrinkled.

”...Bad luck… No limits…” The alicorn muttered.

“...She’s sleeping.”

SparkleInator9000
When do you go visit the Princess?

Sunset Shimmer’s fingers simply clutched her phone, for a moment, as a response failed her. She closed her eyes, and the noises of the city became more apparent, the cars, the honking, the hustle and bustle…

She let out a sigh, leaning forward on the window of her apartment.

ShimmerNShine
Afternoon. Before rehearsal. Shouldn’t take long.

SparkleInator9000
Really? I thought there was a big commute!

ShimmerNShine
Nah, she moved the mirror to Canterlot. The only commute I’ll have to deal with is traffic, lol. And maybe other dignitaries wanting to get her attention.

SparkleInator9000
It must be incredibly difficult, having to deal with so many moving parts of an nation, all at once. I don’t envy her!

ShimmerNShine
Twilight, not envying Twilight. Now that’s ironic. In all fairness, I'm sure she doesn’t envy you either.

SparkleInator9000
Probably not, I suppose that is the simple laws of diverging dimensionality. The grass is greener in your side.

Are you going to be okay, though?

Her brows instinctively furrowed– An underlying anger that nearly bubbled, and she let out with an exhale– Why would she not be okay? The insinuation that she wouldn’t be okay in itself was not okay. The insinuation that there was a problem at all was a problem.

ShimmerNShine
Why wouldn’t I be? Tell the girls I’ll text as soon as I cross the mirror back– I’ll text them before, too. I don’t imagine anything will keep me there for long.

SparkleInator9000
It’s only meeting a Princess, what could be so slow and tiring about that?

She looked behind herself, to her apartment floor, and frowned– Everything in its due time. She would deal with that soon. Soon.

ShimmerNShine
😂😂😂

But srsly though. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry

SparkleInator9000
Worrying about each other is a friend thing. It’s our jobs, part of the contract we signed.

That garnered a genuine smile from the redhead, who stopped biting her nails to chuckle.

ShimmerNShine
Always gotta read the fine print. Damn you, Sparkle. You’ve doomed me to eternal friendship with you foolish humans.

SparkleInator9000
And you fell for it, foolish pony.

She stopped, placing her phone down.

Looked back.

Then picked up her phone again.

ShimmerNShine
Is Timber going to watch us play?

SparkleInator9000
I don’t think so, he’s got work today. Why do you ask?

A groan of relief escaped the girl, a sigh she held on to, and felt a bit guilty over.

ShimmerNShine
No reason. Gtg, need to deal with something. Text you later.

SparkleInator9000
Good luck in ponyland!! I hope it goes great! I’ll call you before you go!

She absentmindedly dropped her phone on the couch, and got on her knees on the floor.

Laying before her, comatose, was another Sunset Shimmer.

Bigger, significantly stronger, full of scars, and staining her rug with near-dried blood.

And also, distinctively, asleep.

“My promises aren’t… Anything.” The sleeping Shimmer mumbled, gritting her teeth.

“W-what?” The very much awake girl leaned forward.

No response.

No need to panic. Not yet. No need to jump to conclusions on what the hell this meant or was. The girls were all busy, she could handle this on her own for now.

Twilight Sparkle was either a call away or a pen stroke away. And she was busy.

This was a Sunset Shimmer problem, clearly. She could deal with it.

With hesitation, she clutched her geode… And touched her sleeping counterpart.

It was just another casual not day/not night on the chaos pocket dimension of Discord, as he casually bird watched.

There was a beautiful, prismatic, iridescent, magic feeding robin, flying with a flock of its young, proudly teaching them to fly.

“Jeffrey, you scamp, you found a mate!” Discord snickered to himself, focussing the binoculars further.

His ears twitched, and his tail whipped about, as he felt a certain pony call for him.

His groan of annoyance resulted in a bird the size of a building flew away, scattering into smaller birds.

He huffed, ears twitching, groaning as he put his comically large binoculars away, taking a better listen.

Somewhere, somehow, Princess Twilight Sparkle was demanding his presence, and although he did not particularly care to have his routine interrupted, her tone implied something… Strange.

And Discord loved strange things above all.

“Alright, everything and nothing, nopony and everypony!” He proclaimed to the void with a bow. “Don’t go anywhere! Hopefully this will not take long.”

With a snap of his fingers, and a simple step through space, he found himself in the Canterlot Palace– evidently, on a sunny day, in an archway near the gardens.

“DISCORD! COME OUT HERE ALREADY!” The Princess yelled to the very air, not noticing he was right behind her.

“If you are going to summon me like a common pet, I would at least appreciate a treat!” He crossed his arms, huffing.

With a light yelp, she turned, carrying on her face an exhausted frown. “There you are! I’ve been calling for half an hour! I need you to look at something– Well, somepony.”

“Apologies, your majesty, commuting through time-and space was simply an agony today.” He amused himself, waving a hand away. “Now– What would you– Oh?” He stopped.

He felt it in his tail and the tip of his toes– There was something quite strange afoot indeed. Almost like he could smell something that did not belong.

Hastingly, he moved in a serpentine manner behind the Princess, and saw the target of such strangeness.

Resting on the carpet, laid down and unconscious, was an alicorn with fiery mane, and dozens upon dozens of scars– Some more recent than others.

“Oh my goodness…!! Isn’t this odd–” He quickly gave the sleeping alicorn a sniff test, then a poke test. No movement.

“One of the guards found her in the gardens– They found her laying by a bed of flowers, near one of Celestia’s trees…” The Princess noted, coming closer, with a somber tone. “Nopony knows how she got here– Or who she is. Frankly, I’m… I’m really worried what this might mean. Can you figure it out? Alicorns don’t just fall from the sky, much less unconscious ones…”

Deep in thought, Discord nodded. “Hm. Hm. Shall I call our dearest rulers? If nothing else, Luna is the most powerful sleep-magic wielder in Equestria, she could wake up this snoozefest easily. In fact, I…”

He gave her another sniff test, and his eyebrows shot up as he smiled involuntarily. “--How strange!! This mare, she’s been cursed by Luna herself!!”

“W-what?! No way.” Twilight stepped forward, beholding the alicorn. “Literally– No way! They’re miles upon miles away! How could she do that?”

“I could simply call the sisters here and we could clarify all this, it’d be a hop and skip to get them!” Discord shrugged, grining. “We could simply ask them ourselves.”

“N-no! No. They’re enjoying their vacation, and I wouldn’t want to take that away from them. Besides, that’s a whole other reason Luna couldn’t have cursed this mare. And heck, why would either of them know her identity anyway? Look, let’s just figure this out ourselves.”

“Eugh, please, Princess, don’t make me be the rational one here, you know how much I despise it…” He grimaced, shuddering.

“Hmpf. I don’t know what you mean.”

“Seriously?!” he crossed his arms in annoyance. “Why would the only other two alicorns we know, possibly know of a new alicorn that just popped into their gardens?!?! Why would they recognize her?! No reason, I suppose!”

Groaning, she pointed at the sleeping mare. “Look, just help me figure out who she is, okay?!”

“Oh, I believe I already have, and it is oh-so exciting!” He shook his hands emphatically, giggling like a schoolgirl.

“R-really?! What?!”

“Well, you see… I always wondered about the possibility of alternate universes, but never before have I seen such evidence! This mare, she carries a curse from another Luna. She carries more than one curse, actually! In fact, she carries several certain… How do I say it, how do I explain it…? They are smells– Smells that are not from this world.” He stated proudly, wagging his finger, leaning forward. “This alicorn here, she must be from another universe entirely! And has accidentally crash landed in ours, evidently. Oh, how exciting!! Please, let us find a way to wake her up!”

“W-what? The multiverse is real?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “And… You didn’t know about it? I figured if anypony would, it’d be you.”

“Oh please, you flatter me. But why would I care?” He shrugged, giddy.

“I don’t know. Wasn’t your whole thing in the past taking over every plane of reality?” She frowned.

“Every plane of our reality.” He clarified. “Our universe is vast, it is teeming with life and it is beautiful. Yes, I wondered if there were others, but why would I care about any other than ours? It’s home! Other universes have their own Discords, who can care about their own realities, I am sure. And we have plenty of pocket dimensions, mirror dimensions, astral planes, yadda yadda in our world, right here. I can attest to that, the fun never ends!”

“Ugh, good point.” She shrugged, sitting down, observing the alicorn. “...But why is she here, exactly…?”

Discord clapped with excitement as his tail wagged at the joy of a mystery. “I know, right? And who is she? Is there a counterpart of her in this universe? And why did she appear in the gardens? Why did she–”

“Stop, stop, I…” Twilight leaned forward, ears twitching.

“...You call this… Fighting…?” The comatose mare snarled.

“T-there!! She just said something!! Oh gosh…”

“Sleep talking, I am sure. Are we just going to wait for her to simply wake up, then? A dull choice, but I am excited enough to do so!” With a snap of his fingers, he summoned popcorn and a lawn chair to sit and watch.

“M-maybe.” Twilight sat down, incredibly close to the alicorn. Gently, she moved her wings, inspecting the body of the mare. Bandaged, bruised, dried blood, scars… and still no reaction. “...I wonder how she became an alicorn, whoever she is…!”

“Oh please, Princess. Don’t forget your intellect! How does anypony become an alicorn?” He crossed his arms, spilling popcorn, grinning. “...They earn it.”

“I’m not carrying her alone. You better help out.” Sunset stated with a huff, much to Starlight’s annoyance.

“Yes, yes, together, and with magic, obviously.” She rolled her eyes, leaning forward, inspecting the comatose mare that laid before them, in the outskirts of her village. “...But not yet. I want to… I want to inspect her some more.”

Sunset suppressed a chuckle. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

“Not like that!” Starlight flustered.

“She is pretty strong. Like… Freakishly so.” Leaning closer, Sunset fiddled with her counterpart's wings a tad clumsily. “She’s like… How alicorns were depicted in the books I studied when I was a filly. Godly.”

“Godly’s certainly the word I’d use...” Starlight flustered a bit more, fiddling with the comatose mare’s mane. “...Now, why won’t she wake up…?”

“Cursed, I bet.” Moving lower, the other inspected the lower side of the alicorn. “...You don’t want to just take her cutie mark before she wakes up?”

“H-hey!! I’m not a thief.” Starlight pouted, genuinely offended. “Once she wakes up, I’ll ease her into it! I bet she would make a fine addition to our village– And I’m sure she’ll see my way!”

“If she’s anything like me, she won’t.” Snickering, Sunset shrugged.

“Psh. I convinced you.”

“You convinced me of the benefits of ruling over a village and expanding our territory through incorporating others into an ideology.” Sunset raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I still, for the life of me, don’t get why you think cutie marks are evil. And frankly, I don’t care. This works.”

“U-ugh. S-shut up–”

They both flinched, as the comatose mare snarled. “...Swimming against a current...”

Silence, as the two unicorns looked amongst each other.

“...What did she say? I didn’t catch it.”

“Me either. Ugh, this is weirder by the second...”

“Let’s just take her back to the village. Sort it out after.” Sunset shrugged, then grinned. “Maybe we can convince her to help us with our princess problem.”

“Meh… I doubt it. But it’s worth a shot.”

A barren world.

No life for light years. Everything extinguished, long ago.

No atmosphere, no biomes, the earth itself cracked, floating about.

In this dead world, a comatose mare uttered the only words that would be uttered in that land for billions of years still.

“...You're not real...”

“I must admit, I am letting my curiosity get the better of me… What is it that you want to show, possibly be?” Zecora tilted her head as they walked by the Everfree forest quietly.

“It’s kind of easier to show than just tell…” Sunset grimaced in semi embarrassment, mostly confusion. “It's, um, weird. Super weird.”

“If you wish to solve whatever this is before tonight, we could always call Twilight.” Zecora stated with a knowing grin.

“Harr harr. No.” Sunset frowned, looking forward. “Never.”

“Sunset, dear, help is always near…”

“Get off my rear.” She mocked.

They finally made it. Sunset’s shack was incredibly secluded, even more than Zecoras, built surrounded by trees, and even hidden by a bamboo grove. “She’s inside, c’mon.”

“Did you say she? Curiosity is getting the better of me.” The zebra’s eyes widened.

They stepped inside Sunset’s cozy, lonely home, and the Unicorn’s eyes widened. “W-wait, what?! Where did she go?! She was right here?!” Leaping forward, she inspected her couch, now empty.

“Oh, my word… Is that blood?” Inspecting the cushions, Zecora saw some dried stains.

“Y-yeah, she was… A bit wounded.” Sunset’s brows furrowed, as she inspected the couch, looked around, then forward. There was no evidence of her counterpart having taken or broken anything. “Well… You know what?” She shrugged and smiled. “Not my problem. Want some tea?”

“I would still like to know what happened to you– But tea would indeed be good, thank you.”

“Your rhymes are getting sloppy, Z.”

“It is the age catching up to me.”

“The great Pinkie collective calls to action a trial! Please bring forth the accused!” Pinkie Pie slammed her rubber hammer into cold wood, making a squeak noise.

“P-please! I’m innocent!!” Pinkie Pie pleaded, in tears.

“Save it to the judge! Who is me! What were you saying?” Pinkie Pie questioned, fiddling with her judge's wig poorly.

“She was pleading for mercy, your honor.” Pinkie Pie raised a hoof, pointing at the weeping Pinkie Pie.

“Oh. Right.” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Death, then.”

“WHAT?! YOU HAVEN’T EVEN HEARD THE CASE!!” Pinkie Pie was undignified.

“And I’m booooooreddddd!!” Pinkie Pie complained. “C’mon, can we get a snack break?!”

“Nahhhh, let’s hear this case. We never do anything fun anymore!” Pinkie Pie groaned.

“The accused has henceforth committed a crime many of us Pinkies thought was hereby impossible in Pinkuestria…” Pinkie Pie took a somber tone, shaking her head darkly. “She has found… Somepony that is not Pinkie Pie.”

“WHAT?!”

“IMPOSSIBLE!”

“THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!”

“Is she cute?”

“DEATH!!”

“Now now, calm down, Pinkies Pies.” Pinkie Pie hit her foam gavel onto the cold wood once more. “Please, bring forth the strange non Pinkie Pony Pie.”

With a tarp being dramatically swooped off, the subject was revealed, and, much to the dismay of dozens of Pinkie Pies, she was not a Pinkie Pie.

“...Why is she asleep!?! This is a trial!” Pinkie Pie complained.

“Yeah, we couldn’t get her to wake up. She’s super eepy!” Pinkie Pie stated with a shrug.

“And hot! I mean, look at that ass!” Pinkie Pie whistled. “Awooga!!”

“Keep it in your pants, Pinkie!!” Pinkie Pie groaned.

“Hangon, girls! I think she’s waking up!!” Pinkie Pie shushed the other Pinkie Pies.

They leaned forward, ears twitching, tilting their heads in unison.

...Five years with you...”The non-Pinkie mare snarled.

“Did anypony catch that?” Pinkie Pie questioned, looking around.

“Um, did she say that she wants smooches? Maybe cuddles?” Pinkie Pie raised a hoof.

“She didn’t say that, Pinkie!” Pinkie Pie groaned. “Okay, alright, I call into action the snack break edict. We must all take a break and gather our energy! Hopefully after, this sleepyhead will be awake, and we can continue the trial in question. Sheesh.”

“Okay, okay, hihi!” From inside her cage, Cozy Glow looked around pensively. “I spy with my little eye something beginning with… F!”

Sunset, with a snarl, struggled against her chains, if only for a frustrating moment, her demon wings restrained, trying to unfurl. “...Oh, let me guess. Is it fucker?”

“Hey!! Swear!!” The Child pouted.

“It’s fire. Eugh.” Tirek leaned on his bars with a groan of defeat. “Can we please play any other game. I tire of such childish playthings.”

“How do you think I feel, asshole?”

“Stop swearing! Sheesh! What makes a demon so foul-mouthed!!?” Cozy crossed her arms, lifting her muzzle.

“Having to deal with you two idiots.” She barked, narrowing her eyes.

“Hey pot, this is kettle.” Tirek raised an auspicious eyebrow, unamused. “You’re down here with the rest of us, and you know what it implies.”

“Oh! Oh! Golly, I know! That we’re besties!!” The child flapped her wings with glee.

“It means she is no better than us!” He complained, exasperated. “Now please, another game. Anything at all.”

“How about we play ‘get to know’? I want to know more about you, demon lady!!” The child came closer to the bars with a smile. “C’mooooon can you please finally tell us what you did to get here?”

“Are you kidding me? …You know what, fuck it.” She shuddered in anger. “What do you think I did? World domination, targeting the throne. Were you expecting something creative?”

“Bah. We really do deserve each other.” Tirek crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. “All trying to take bites of the same pie…”

“The tasty pie of world domination! Yummmm!” Cozy declared with a giggle. “Shame, the way you act, I was really expecting something super cool! But I guess what else is there to do?”

“Hmpf.”

“Are you going to finally tell us your name, since you’re feeling chatty?” She gave Sunset her signature innocent eyes of coercion.

“Hah. No. as far as you two idiots are concerned, I don’t have a name.” She looked as far away from them as she could.

“Okay! I spy with my little eye, something beginning with B!”

“Is it bitch?”

“H-hey!!”

“Is it… brimstone?”

“Yay!!”

“Urgh.”

She closed her eyes, pleading for silence, a silence that was rarely present in tartarus.

“Now here’s the thing I don’t get…” Tirek leaned forward curiously. “Why are you in chains while also encaged? Surely, a cage would be enough, like it is for us?”

“Hehehehehe…” A raspy, malicious laugh erupted from her; For this was a question she would delight herself in answering. “Because unlike you two idiots, I could actually get past Cerberus if I broke out of this cage. Celestia needed more than just him to contain me, heheh…”

“Hah. Absurd.” Tirek blew raspberries. “That wretched hellhound was quite literally made to stop monsters like us, and he is impeccably diligent. Why would a measly demon be capable of surpassing it?”

“Heh. I have my ways.” She spoke with undeniably earned confidence.

“Cooooould you share those ways with us?” Cozy gave her the big wet eyes once more.

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Pretty please?”

“No.”

“Pretty pretty pre–”

They all flinched and recoiled, as the comatose Princess of Hope crashed through nowhere, and fell inside the cage of the demon.

“Wh-what…” Her eyes widened, inspecting the sleeping mockery of her old form. An alicorn, much like she never managed to be– An alicorn, hurt, vulnerable and exposed. And she was incapable of hurting her due to her restraints. “W-what the fuck are you?!”

“For the love of Tartarus– Is that an alicorn?!” Tirek was nearly salivating, as he moved to the closest point of his cage. “An unconscious alicorn, at that?! Here?! Oh, if I could drain even a fraction of her magic…!!”

“Hey! Why’s she sleeping! Get up, sleepyhead!!” Cozy girl tried and failed to toss a pebble at the alicorn. “Why is she even–”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!!” The demon silenced the two of them, as she breathed unsteadily, observing her counterpart with faint snarls stifled by her muzzle. “W-what. What are you doing here, who are you, what are you, why now, why this?!”

“Um… Are you okay–”

“CELESTIA!!! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!!” The demon declared to the dull, barren air of Tartarus, and began shaking her chains viciously. “COME DOWN HERE!! CELESTIA, DO YOU HEAR ME?! WHAT’S THE MEANING OF THIS?!”

“Hah! The poor demon’s lost it. Celestia can’t hear us down here– She would never bother monitoring–”

A bright portal opened, and the Queen of the Sun stepped through, with a stern, serious gaze, directly before the demon, immediately silencing the other two. “Are you rethinking your choices, Sunset? Perhaps you are ready to–”

“IS THIS A TRICK? A TEST?! SOME FORM OF JOKE?!” The demon snarled, shaking her chains, pointing at her comatose alicorn counterpart.

“O-oh good heavens!!” The Queen stepped forward with tremendous concern, opening the cage and approaching the comatose mare. “H-how– Who, why does she look like you?!”

“You tell me! She just appeared here!!! Is this your doing?!” The demon barked out, shaking her chains.

“Why… Why, little one…?” The queen of the Sun muttered, inspecting the sleeping alicorn carefully, seeing her scars, seeing her wounds, seeing everything.

Quietly, with a mutter, the sleeping alicorn’s voice was barely audible. ”...I was never bound to your harmony.”

“Is this some form of joke? Did you make a perfect clone of me?” Bitterly, the demon muttered. “What is this, Celestia. Why?”

“...I assure you I am not responsible for this.” With a shuddered, mournful exhale, the alicorn shook her head. “...But she is wounded, and requires medical attention. I will provide such things.”

Carefully, gently, she carried her daughter’s counterpart in her back, and opened a portal. Before stepping through it, she turned to her, with a mournful gaze. “...And still, Sunset. Have you learned anything at all, here…?”

“Other than lessons of personal expendability, Tartarus has failed to educate me.” She gritted her teeth, refusing eye contact. “Why don't you wait a decade or two, I’m sure I’ll have seen the error of my ways then.”

With a tired sigh, the Queen of the Sun stepped through the portal, suppressing her regrets.

Silence befell the prison once more.

“...How in the world did Celestia know you?”

“Golly! So your name is Sunset! That’s nice!”

Viciously, enraged, the demon shook her chains, every bit of frustration of her existence let out all at once, emotions she didn’t understand, just felt, just lashed out, just screamed.

And then, for the first time since her imprisonment, the demon began crying.

A lonely gravestone, in a distant town.

An alicorn mare laid unconscious atop it, not a single pony around for a mile.

There, alone, she muttered in her sleep.

“...I’m the unlucky one.”

ShimmerNShine
Ok girls. I’ll be back soon-ish. Get started without me if I’m not there, ok?

PartyMASTA420
You got this, Sunset!! Woo!!🥳🥳🥳Have fun back in Ponyland!

Applejac
Aright, partner. I’ll have some apple fritters ready for all of ya!

FlutterButter
We’ll be waiting, good luck, Sunset. 💖

Good things are better when they’re me✨💎
Don’t forget to dress well!

SparkleInator9000
Good luck!

Sunset let out a sigh, and stretched, locking her phone, and placing it back in her pocket.

The dim light of her namesake hiding behind the city skyline, and the few spotlights that still lit the way in the main street in front of CHS were more than enough for her to see the path forward, as she stepped closer and closer to the mirror statue.

She shot a glance to the high school, and tried reabsorbing the many memories she had spent there, a meaningless, fruitless effort, one could consider as stalling.

She thought about Celestia. Both Celestias. How she hadn’t talked to either in a while.

Her phone buzzed, waking her up.

“Come away with me, be the legend you were meant to be, you will always be, Everfree!!” Twilight’s voice called out on her ringtone, instinctively making her smile.

Taking the call, she chuckled instinctively. “There’s no cell reception in Equestria, how is it that you’re calling me exactly?”

“W-what? Did the phone go through this time?!” That familiar, friendly voice called out from the other line.

“I’m joking, Sparkles. I haven’t stepped in the mirror yet.” She couldn't help but laugh a bit more. “So why are you calling me? I’m about to go.”

“Through my great sense of intuition, I figured that you required some emotional assistance.”

“Detective Sparkle signing in for duty, I see.” She snickered, shaking her head, leaning on the statue. “You know, you’d make a terrible protagonist for a detective show.”

“Um, because I'm incredibly competent and capable?”

“Exactly! You’d solve every crime in five minutes and spend the rest of the episode explaining the code of conduct and doing paperwork.” Fidgeting with her hair, she watched the skies. “Twenty minutes of autism overcharge. I’m not sure there’s an audience for that.”

“Um, I’m the audience for that. You just conceptualized my ideal show.” Sunset snickered at the thought. “And don’t lie to me and say you wouldn’t watch me do it either.”

“Oh, no, I'd totally watch you. I can be your incompetent but hot partner.” Her smile was wide.

“Elementary, dear Shimmer. Bring your lovely fiery mane to the crime scene, please.” The voice she made made Sunset chuckle even more.

“Right away, detective Sparkle.” She closed her eyes, and felt the evening wind. “So, you’re just checking on me?”

“Yep. And the way in which you changed and avoided the subject is quite noticeable, you know?”

Sunset let out a quiet sigh.

“Sunset?”

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Visiting Equestria is just weird nowadays, that’s all.” She lied.

“Good weird or bad weird?”

“...I’ll get back to you on that.” Bad weird.

“...Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’d rather just go. We can talk later, alright? After band practice.” She muttered, wanting to escape the subject. “...Did Timber confirm if he’s going or not?”

“Left me on read. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” There was a reason.

Silence.

“...You don’t see me complaining that you let Wallflower watch our rehearsals, you know?”

“Flash goes. Our friends like to watch us play. Why are you singling her out?”

“No reason.” There was a reason.

Underlying anger bubbled inside of her, but she suppressed it. “Look, I’m going now. Thanks for checking on me, okay?”

“It’s what friends are for. I worry about you, you know?”

“Likewise. Thanks for calling. Goodbye, Twilight.” With an exhale, she turned off the phone before she said more stupid things.

And with a breath, she stepped through the mirror.

And there she was, back on all fours, back on her original home, a bit dizzy, but none worse for wear.

She quickly trotted in a circle, analyzing her surroundings– The mirror was indeed on the back of a room, in between shelves, and there were several artifacts, tomes, memorabilia and even books piled all the way to the ceiling surrounding her, on this ancient storage crawlspace.

An old one. One she knew back when she studied here.

Easily finding her way around with the light of her horn, she fiddled with a lever that opened the way to the pristine halls of Canterlot, passing through a secret passage into the outside.

She stepped out of it, and acted natural, heading without issue towards the throne room.

As expected, she was halted by guards, gave them her name, and after a few minutes, was allowed in.

No proper reforms yet. The throne room still held two thrones, as expected, and there was a distinctive notice of recent damage repairs made to the innermost walls, an event Twilight had described to her as an attack from three villains at once.

Princess Twilight Sparkle sat on the throne of the sun, hounded by a few servants, messengers and royals, giving out orders and notices swiftly at each of them, and they would leave to inform her will, and be replaced by others arriving, much like Sunset.

It wasn’t an orderly line. Twilight multi tasked talking to them while writing; Giving out orders from arrangement of tables to economic organization on a larger scale, to diplomatic message delivering.

Sunset watched as the crowd thinned, but slowly.

She watched the Princess, in the position she had once coveted so desperately, look tired and worn.

She watched with mixed feelings.

The Princess took notice of her, and smiled shortly, waving with a wing apologetically, as if to say ‘I'll be right with you.’

Sunset sat down and stopped watching her. She was only one of the dozens upon dozens of creatures that required the Princess’s attention, after all.

Finally, when there were only three or so ponies surrounding her, she decreed: “I’m about to meet a friend, so please, no more solicitations for at the very least half an hour. Guards, please…?” The royal guards followed her will, and left Sunset and Twilight to have the closest thing the Canterlot throne room allowed to privacy.

Still, there was a small line of nobles at the door, and several guards inhabited the room. Far from real privacy.

She stepped closer to the throne, below the staircase at first, but then climbed it to be even closer, getting to observe the finer details of the princess. Bags under her eyes, the occasional yawn, plenty of fidgeting, and the throne very much not made for her body shape, just yet.

As Celestia always expected, her successor would ‘grow into it’. Twilight, had not yet done so.

“...You’ve gotten the hang of things, then?” Sunset feigned a smile, waving a hoof at the general direction of the many royals and dignitaries that were leaving the throne room, if only temporarily.

“S-sort of.” The Princess let out a yawn, and fidgeted. “Lots of delegation, lots of commanding, so much to keep track of… A bit too many lists, even for me, hahah…!”

“And… Your friends?”

“In Ponyville, why?” She tilted her head, not understanding the insinuation.

Sunset shrugged, unsure of what to expect. The Princess of Friendship, in an empty throne room with no friends. Was it ironic, or was she projecting?

It didn’t matter.

“...So… where’s Celestia and Luna?” Sunset asked curtly, sparing a brief glance to the throne of the moon.

“On… ‘vacation’, unofficially.” Twilight stated, stretching lightly.

“...And officially?”

“...Officially, I am being tested, for a month or longer, on how it is to rule Equestria.” Her tone was tired, weary, yet it had no hesitation. “Once they return, they’ll evaluate my performance, and we’ll repeat the process for longer than a month. Once I can do this properly for a year, it’s likely they’ll retire.”

“...Retire.” Sunset swallowed any bitterness she felt towards the idea of not even getting to say goodbye to Celestia, or wanting to say goodbye to Celestia, or wondering if Celestia wanted to say goodbye to her.

It didn’t matter.

“...And how are you feeling about it?” It was a loaded question, a question that was impossible to answer with mere words, the weight of a godly burden imposed on a singular alicorn’s shoulders.

“...It’s my duty. And I’m proud to be undertaking it, making Equestria a better place.” She stated almost rehearsedly, looking away. “It’s an honor known to few, and I’m one of them. I’m… Proud.”

“Yeah, but how are you feeling about it?” Sunset reinforced.

“T-tired.” Twilight let out an exhale, and the mask faltered, the unicorn could see the Twilight she had known before, an anxious, nervous wreck. “So many things trying to get my attention, big and small, so many people, responsibilities, so many dangers, so many burdens, so many—” She gritted her teeth, shaking her head. “Everything, every corner of Equestria calling for your attention all at once. ‘Overwhelming’ is a simplification of the feelings that this ‘job’ gives me. I… I can do it. I was made to do it, I’m destined to do it. But I’m tired.”

Sunset instinctively gritted her teeth, as her brows furrowed. This princess, the one that had taken the role she herself had wanted for so long, hadn’t even been truly in duty for a month, and she was already getting tired.

Did she not understand what she signed up for? Did she not get the burden that came with such a role? Everything Sunset wanted desperately so long ago, to be a beacon for her home, loved, adored, respected, Twilight had it all now. And yet, she was faltering with the weight of responsibility.

The anger, however, dissipated quite quickly, as she saw the pain on the Princess’s face.

After all… There was no form of greater divine vengeance than this. To have the pony that took her role to not enjoy said role.

And then and there, watching the great princess falter, she came to a stark realization.

That the future of Equestria didn’t matter to Sunset Shimmer. That her home was elsewhere now, that this world could crash and burn for all she cared, that she had her friends, she had her own Twilight. That this one, this one before her… Would never see and care about her in the same way her friends did.

The realization that it– This– Didn’t matter.

So, accidentally, she instinctively smiled.

“I’m… Sorry. That sounds pretty rough. I’m sure it’ll get easier eventually, but, um…” For a moment, a fleeting moment, Sunset felt the wicked joy of being the queen bitch of Canterlot High once more. “...You could always ask Celestia for you to step down if it’s too rough.”

And of course, the jabbing remark went right over the Princess’s head. “H-hah! Hihihi… Ah, you’re so funny. It’s good to see you again, Sunset. How are things going on back in the human world…?”

It all felt like a blessing now. “Pretty good. College isn’t so hard when you’ve got friends near– Our band is pretty popular, but still kind of indie. Working on getting an art degree or teaching degree maybe, not sure yet. Oh, and of course, we’re still ready and willing whenever any threat caused by Equestrian magic surfaces. It’s been less active lately though… And I’m thankful.”

“Good, good…!” Twilight nodded along like she wasn’t listening properly. “And you’ve decided you’re staying, then…? Not coming back to equestria…?”

“I’ll visit. But frankly, I don’t have much here.” She stated bluntly, and for a moment, her glare landed on the sun throne. “I don’t want my parents to know I’m still alive– After all this time, it’d only make them feel worse. And tell Celestia that if she ever wants to talk, I… Actually, nevermind, don’t tell her anything.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure.”

“No, I mean… About not returning here.” Twilight motioned with a wing, towards what lied beyond the glorious stained glass windows. “Back… Home.”

“Not home.” Sunset looked back, thinking about the mirror. “Equestria hasn’t been home for a long time, Princess. Actually, I… I really like what I do for the human world now.” Again, she suppressed a malicious smirk, and suppressed the emotions that stirred with being deliberately mean, all mixed with genuine joy. “Keeping it safe, but without the burden of ruling over it. It’s a good spot.”

“I… I see.” She looked disappointed by the answer. Maybe even let down. And Sunset found that the Princess’s feelings didn’t matter as much to her anymore.

“Well. Good luck ruling, Princess. I’ll still be in touch through the book whenever you want, but hey, you’ve got more on your plate.” She turned around, intent on leaving. “See you around, Sparkles.”

“A-already? Shoot, I thought we’d have more time to chat, maybe over tea…?” The Princess found herself desperate for social interaction with a friend, nearly shuffling out of her throne..

Sunset stopped, if only for a moment. “I’ve got band practice, then dinner with the girls... And don’t you have to worry about other things? Dignitaries, royals, whatever…”

“...I do, yes. Sorry for keeping you. I’ll write to you from time to time.” The Princess sat back down on the throne, unsure what she could ever write to her friend other than venting. “...Goodbye, Sunset.”

A nod was all the unicorn responded with, before leaving the throne room in a hurry.

As soon as she was alone in the halls of the palace, anger burst out of her. “Motherfucking little FUCKER.” She snarled, looking down at the carpet as she moved back towards the mirror. “Ohhh look at me, I just got divine purpose, but it’s a bit tiring! It’s a bit of a chore! I’m sad because my friends aren’t around!! Well maybe don’t take the fucking job if you’re not up to the challenge, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, you prissy princess motherFU–”

She stopped herself, groaning, gritting her teeth, leaning on a wall.

No, this wasn’t fair. This anger was pointless, and directed at an undeserving target.

Sunset was meant to be better than this. Better than the years of lashing out, years of feeling unjustly treated by the world. This was only a moment of weakness, one she quickly regretted.

Twilight Sparkle was going to be better at this job than she ever could have been, she had earned it with flying colors, likely to bring about a golden age on Equestria that would last for a thousand years, and what's more, she shouldn’t feel anger for her situation.

She should feel pity.

As Sunset snuck her way back into the crawlspace her mirror was hidden on, her expression softened, and she felt a cold chill cross her heart.

She stood there, in front of the mirror, but looked back, and thought of Twilight Sparkle, and felt pity.

Pity for a lonely ruler that no matter how qualified, would be undoubtedly missing every friend she made, as she aged past their lifespans.

Pity for a ruler that would have to endure much of what Celestia did. A millennium of solitude.

She considered going back. Apologizing to Twilight. Telling her that she hoped with all her heart that she would be okay. That she hoped that the burden wouldn’t weigh as heavy in the following months, years, decades, centuries.

Telling her that she would help her carry this burden if she could.

With a sigh, she shook her head. Twilight had friends, closer friends than her, that’s what they were for. She could handle this, and they would help her.

If Twilight needed her help, she’d write.

And why would she need her help? Sunset was only an unicorn. She didn’t matter to this world, or any pony in it anymore.

She didn’t matter.

…But she mattered elsewhere. Her gaze turned back to the mirror, and she was intent on stepping through it, and never returning unless necessary.

Another Twilight was waiting for her.

Until another Sunset Shimmer manifested out of thin air, and fell before her, comatose.

“GAH! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU!?” She nearly leapt to the ceiling out of surprise.

No response.

She spent critical, unnerving seconds, observing her counterpart. All of her scars, and the wings.

She poked her other self, then shook her lightly, and still, she did not wake up.

She heard the faintest snarl out of the sleeping alicorn. "...Princess of nothing.”

She looked at the mirror, then back at her comatose counterpart.

With determined movements, she grabbed hold of the sleeping mare, and placed her upon her back, and turned around.

Band practice could wait. She and the Princess had to get to the bottom of this strange mystery.

She didn’t need any more divine intervention than this.

She would go back, and tell the Princess she was sorry.

Sunset barged into Applejack’s barn with determined, yet aloof movements, carrying her guitar with her, ignoring the group of friends that greeted her from the small makeshift ‘stage’ they had made.

Small favors, Timber was not in the very small audience that was ready to watch them rehearse– Which consisted only of Wallflower Blush, who stopped tapping on her phone to watch the redhead come in with concern. Downsides, Flash hadn’t made it today, nothing was perfect, after all.

Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Twilight waved at her in a friendly manner.

“HI SUNSET!” The party girl declared with her typical unendingly peppy demeanor. “Are you frowning? You better not be frowning!”

“Heya, partner!” Applejack tilted her hat in a friendly manner. “How was the commute? I hope everythin’ went alright!”

“You look tired, darling. Are you sure you’re up for this?” Rarity tilted her head with a worried expression.

“You’re a bit late, dude. What happened?” Rainbow raised a confused eyebrow.

“We can talk before playing if you need…!” Fluttershy observed her carefully.

Sunset paid them no mind, as she unpacked her guitar in one of the seats, and strapped it around herself.

Finally, that familiar, always incredibly caring voice spoke up. “How did it go with the Princess?” Twilight adjusted her glasses, being capable of reading Sunset’s body language, and clearly being able to tell that she was, if nothing else, disturbed.

“It went fine. She’s fine, Equestria is fine, and I'm fine.” The redhead muttered absentmindedly, giving her guitar a quick dull strum. “Nothing happened, and I'm where I want to be. I love you girls.”

Wallflower, who was sitting right next to where she unpacked her instrument, quietly and knowingly halted her strumming with a quiet hand. “...Talk about it. Don’t keep it in.” She advised carefully, beholding her with worry.

“...Yeah.” Sunset pursed her lips carefully. “Later.” She whispered to the gardener.

“Oh dear. She’s doing the ‘I’m fine but not fine’ routine, darlings. Brace yourselves.” Rarity gave a half hearted chuckle, masking her worry.

“Routine? What routine?” Sunset beheld them with confusion, stepping closer to the stage. “I don’t have a routine?”

Pinkie immediately blabbered. “Oh, you know, that thing where you have the weight of the world on your shoulders but don’t wanna burden your friends with it because you’re too prideful to ask for help!” She spun one of her drumsticks in her fingers skillfully while giggling. “It’s a Sunset Shimmer classic!”

“I… Do that?” She grimaced.

They all agreed, and Twilight noted. “Quite often, actually. Despite being impeccably close to us, there are times that you continue to keep yourself guarded. Sometimes. And it makes us feel bad because we would help you through anything, Sunset.”

“C’mon dude, spill! If you’re feeling bad, friends are there to help, right??” Rainbow stepped out of the stage, already reading herself for a group hug.

“Dash is right, partner. Ya got that cloud of gloom over ya head. C’mon.” Applejack came closer.

For a moment, Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle ironically. “I thought I was the mind reader, girls.”

After some quick snickers around the crowd, she was surrounded and imminently group-hugged.

Several of them asked her again, how it went, what had happened.

Through close proximity, through their loving physical contact, sunset could feel all of their love for her. A comforting blanket after a long day.

“So… The talk went fine. The Princess looked tired, and… I was a bit mean...” Unsurprisingly, none of the girls reacted negatively. “And… And…”

She inhaled, then exhaled, closing her eyes, focussing only on the emotions she felt around her. “...Look, girls. I love you. Okay? I just want you all to know that now. Because… Because Equestria doesn’t need me anymore, and… Maybe it never needed me. And… You’re all I have.”

The hug tightened around her, and she tried her best to stay tuned to her own emotions. “I… I don’t have anything else, but I matter to you girls. And I just want to say… Thanks for being here for me.” It was hard to let out a relieved smile, when she still felt that pain so tightly on her chest.

“We ain’t quittin’ you, partner.”

“You’re home, darling.”

“You’re the coolest girl ever Sunset!! We love you!!”

“Dude, relax. We’re not going anywhere.”

“Home is where the heart is, Sunset.”

“We’ll always be here for you, Sunset.” The reassuring voice of Twilight Sparkle wrapped tightly around her was so simple, and yet so perfect. “You’re right here with us, okay?”

The profound irony of having spitefully and joyfully mocked a Twilight only to be comforted by another was not lost on her. But she didn’t care. She was home, and this Twilight cared about her much more than just an acquaintance.

Maybe never in the way she hoped she would. Maybe not that close. But this was good enough.

“Thanks, everybody…” She let a frail exhale, and refused to cry. “Thanks for being here.”

Again, the hug tightened for a while, and she enjoyed every second of it. Finally, letting go, she smiled wearily. “...What say we rehearse, huh? No more of this touchy-feely crap?”

Cheers resounded, and Wallflower especially clapped for an emotional show before it even started.

They got in positions, and were ready to play their hearts out.

“ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!”

With a flash, another Sunset manifested out of thin air and collapsed in front of the stage, knocking a chair over, and making every girl scream in confusion.

The moments that preceded this were incredibly hectic and strange. The girls gathered around the comatose figure, studying her like an animal at a zoo.

“S-sunset… it’s you! But… Different?” Fluttershy noted.

“What the fuck are you…?!” The redhead leaned forward and did not yet touch her. “S-she’s…?”

“Pretty hot! Look at that fiery hair!” Pinkie stated with a giggle.

“Pink, it’s the same hair as mine. I meant she’s–”

“Super buff?” Rainbow was sitting down cross legged, poking the sleeping Sunset’s forehead. “Like. Wow. A bodybuilder. Wake up, weirdo!!” She slapped the counterpart lightly on the cheek, to no reaction. “Huh. Odd.”

“S-she manifested out of nowhere. Teleportation, or a rift through space?” Twilight pondered coming closer carefully, leaning forward. “Or maybe a clone?”

“Wouldn’t be much of a clone if she is not a one-to-one recreation, darling.” Rarity inspected the sleeping redhead’s outfit. “No offense to you, Sunset, but this girl is… Fit. Incredibly.”

“Those biceps are like basketballs, heh” Rainbow snickered. “Pinkie, help me out, I want to see her abbs.”

“ON IT!!” The party girl did not hesitate.

“Girls, can y'all not fiddle around with the weird sleeping clone?!” Applejack attempted to separate them, to little avail. “Put her shirt down!”

“Dude she’s got like a twelve pack!!” Rainbow gasped with a stupid grin.

“That’s not a thing.” Both Twilight and Sunset said in unison.

“And still, what a strange figure, look at this…” The scientist leaned forward, observing the undershirt, it’s dried blood. “L-look at these scars…!” Slowly, she smoothed her fingers over one of the strong arms of the sleeping Sunset, feeling the coarseness of recent, healed damage.

“G-gosh… What did this to her…?” Fluttershy inspected the wounds carefully.

“They ain’t all recent. Some of these are old, but she definitely got hurt in the last few days.” Applejack pointed at the discrepancies of wound severities.

“Still, an interesting choice of fashion, isn’t it? look at this!” Rarity pointed towards the back of the comatose Sunset. She was wearing a leather jacket, with the sleeves ripped off, much like parts of her jeans. In the back of the jacket, was embroiled a pair of wings.

“Hypothesis...” Twilight announced, moving a strand of hair away from the sleeping eyes. “She’s from another dimension.”

“Like… Equestria? But our Sunset’s already from there!” Pinkie questioned.

“No, that’s… A mirror dimension. It’s different, and dumb.” Sunset waved her off. “Please continue, Twi.”

“Different universes, different choices, different outcomes, different Sunset. It stands to reason that in another world you would make choices that would lead you to being, um…” Her fluster betrayed her.

“Super jacked!!!” Pinkie noted with a giddy smile, poking the comatose redhead’s biceps.

“Yes. That.” Twilight hid her blushing behind her glasses.

“Stop poking her abbs, Wallflower.” Sunset complained.

“Make me.” The gardener smiled dumbly.

All of them recoiled suddenly, as the sleeping redhead snarled. “...Why did you have to wear her face…?”

Silence.

“...What did she say?”

“I didn’t catch that! Say it again, sleepyhead!!”

More silence.

Finally, Sunset sighed. “Ugh, okay, I’ll try to wake her up, or, if nothing else, just read her mind to get to the bottom of this. Clear the way, everybody.” She knelt down, clutching her geode…

…And touched the Princess of Hope.

Swirling stars. Constellations, and shallow water, as far as the eye could see.

Light was everywhere, yet nowhere. The ground reflected the sky, and stars guided her.

But the Princess of Hope refused to move.

Her wounds, her blood, spreading into the water below.

“My Sun...”

That melodic, sweet, loving voice called out to her, and she did not move– Of course, she couldn’t help but look up, her eyes drawn to the godly figure.

Twilight Sparkle stood before her, in shimmering angelical beauty, incorporeal, beholding her with love and fear. Her mane scattered to the stars, prismatic beauty, her large wings folded close.

“Time is running out, my love. Soon you will wake up, and have to keep fighting.”

“H-hah…” Sunset scoffed, gritting her teeth, and her laughter was ironic, and not happy. “Y-you’re joking… I actually survived. My bad luck knows no limits.”

Again, Twilight stepped forward, beholding her with immense concern. “Please promise you’ll keep fighting… Please promise you’ll keep fighting so you can come back to me.”

“I promised you long ago that I’d be with you forever.” Bitterly, She looked away. “...Look how that turned out– My promises aren’t worth anything.”

“Please, my Sun…” She pleaded. “You have to keep fighting.”

“‘Fighting’?! FIGHTING?!” Sunset snarled, taking a step back, stretching her damaged wings. “You call THIS fighting?!

“Please, my Sun…”

“THIS ISN’T FIGHTING, THIS IS DENIAL!!” She yelled out, bitterly. “I-It’s me swimming against a current– No, a waterfall!”

“Please, if not for yourself… Fight for me.” She begged, coming closer, and Sunset recoiled. “I am waiting for you, my Sun.”

“No you’re not– You’re not real.” She shook her head, refusing to make eye contact. “You’re just a daydream, a shadow in the wall of a cave, I– The last five years with you, I can’t even… I can’t even remember if they’re real anymore.”

“Please… You have to keep fighting.” Her tears floated away, weightless.

“S-stop saying that. You’re not her– you’re not really here.” Sunset looked up, facing this copy, this impression down. “I was never bound to your harmony.”

“But you are…” She looked away only briefly, spreading her wings lightly. “You’ve intertwined yourself with harmony in your world… With magic itself.”

“‘Intertwined.’ What a joke.” She looked down, beholding the scars that led all the way to her hooves. “I loved her, yes. But so what? Haven’t you been paying attention? Me being an alicorn was a fluke. I’m the… Unlucky one.”

“There is no such thing as luck or destiny… You are living proof, my Sun. You made it your own. You made it.” She reassured, with a worried smile.

“P-princess of Valor… What a fucking joke.” Sunset muttered looking down. “Princess of death– Princess of nothing. That’s what I am.”

“You know you are more… You know you are capable of so, so much more…”Gently, Twilight placed a hoof on her love’s cheek. “...Can’t you see that…?”

Sunset allowed the particles and the magic of touch to spread across a side of her face, closing her eyes. “...All I see is an imitation.” She muttered, pursing her lips. “...Why did you have to wear her face…? Why did you always have to wear her face…?”

“I know it doesn’t seem fair.”Tragically, bitterly, Twilight stepped away slightly, looking down. “I know it seems like your suffering has no meaning, no purpose…”

“If suffering had purpose, every Sunset I met would have wings.” She gritted her teeth, looking away.

“Then fight for them.” Again, loving, concerned eye contact. “If you can’t fight for yourself, fight for them. The ones that are hurting… The ones that can do better, be better… Much like you.”

“I do it, until I die? Is that what this is about?” She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “Fight until I’m dead?”

“If you die, then harmony will be destroyed in our world.” She closed her eyes, her form slowly fading. “You know that. Be it with a bang, or a whimper. You are Twilight's hope, Sunset.”

“Even if I never see her again…?”

“And even if she never sees you again.”

Sunset shuddered and exhaled, looking down, forcing her eyes closed. “...I love you.” She muttered.

“Twilight Sparkle loves you too. More than anything and everything.”

“Um… Excuse me?” The human Sunset clutched her hands carefully, feeling the overwhelming wave of emotion from the scene. “What is… Are you an alicorn…?”

The Princess of Hope lunged at her. “CAN I HAVE A SINGLE MOMENT OF PEACE?! YOU DON’T BELONG HERE, HUMAN!!” Violently, she tackled her counterpart, forcing the dream to end.

Time was up.

With a scream, the Princess of Hope awoke, and immediately grabbed the hand of the counterpart that was unwelcomely searching through her memories, mind and emotions, and quickly shoved her away.

The chaotic cacophony of girls tumbling resounded through the barn.

“NOT EVEN IN MY DREAMS?! I CAN’T EVEN BE AT PEACE IN MY DREAMS?!-- Argh–” She yelled out, and immediately coughed and sputtered, feeling a horrible dryness in her throat. “S-shit, shit, shit…” With a wheeze, she gathered herself, struggling, but standing up.

The seven girls around her inspected her fearfully, some even taking battle stances, others just confused. “...Human again.” Sunset muttered, inspecting her scarred, calloused hands.

“Okay, okay!!” The other Sunset stood, and realized painfully that she was much shorter than her counterpart, who towered over all of them with her bulky figure. “What the fuck are you, and what was that?!”

“Do any of you have any water…?” The Princess looked around, narrowing her eyes.

“Here you go!” Pinkie manifested a bottle out of nowhere.

“Thanks, Pink. I swallowed a lot of salt water fighting a kraken yesterday.” She murmured, and with a single movement, tore the cap off the bottle, accidentally crushing most of the plastic. “...Shit. Your human bottles are crap.”

“Um, you’re supposed to twist it…” Fluttershy attempted to advise, but the Princess was already drinking what remained from the torn bottle, spilling a lot of it.

“Did she say Kraken?!” Rainbow gasped.

“Okay, please tell us what the hell are you, and what are you doing here!” The human Sunset nervously demanded.

“You saw through my memories. What do you think?” She gritted her teeth, ignoring the question, looking around. She then began pointing at each of the girls. “...Pinkie Pie, obviously. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash… That’s Applejack, and that’s Rarity. A-and you…”

“...Hello. Is my interdimensional traveler theory, um, correct?” The human Twilight adjusted her glasses, nervously inspecting this much taller Sunset.

The Princess of Hope took a single step forward, inspecting this small, humanoid Twilight. Even sniffed the air for good measure. “...Yeah, you smell like her too. Kind of.” She reached with a hand, then recoiled. “...Almost every universe where Twilights aren’t princesses, they wear glasses…”

“Hm. Must be something related to alicornhood, and how it alters physiology…?” She fiddled with her glasses, and couldn’t help but reach and almost touch her face. “...Would you mind telling us what happened to you…?”

“I mind.” She gritted her teeth, but her expression softened immediately, as she held Twilight's hand, and moved to inspect it. “...May I?”

“Hey! Let go of her!” The human Sunset snarled.

“No no it’s okay.” The scientist affirmed with a blush.

Slowly, the Princess compared their two hands. One large, and full of scars, and the other, small and delicate. She intertwined fingers, felt the padding of skin and flesh, and observed how they moved, testing out subtler little movements. “...The last human Twilight I met, she… She taught me about hands. She showed me how to… Move these properly.”

Gently, she placed Twilight's hand in her own cheek, and closed her eyes. “...And then she did this….”

A surge of emotions coursed through, and she didn’t bother picking them apart. She just felt the gentleness of the fingers cupping her cheeks, the cold, yet warmth that skin to skin contact brough.

This was Twilight Sparkle, undoubtedly. It felt exactly like any of the many ones she had met.

Something comforting.

“...W-what happened to you…?”

“...And then she asked that.” Sunset removed the hand slowly, giving it back. “I get it now. I get humans, I think. I get you, human me.”

“What do you mean…?” She asked carefully.

“You’re not a runaway. You found your new home, you…” She smiled wearily, looking at all the friends she had made, and finally, at Twilight Sparkle. “You found your Twilight. That’s pretty good… You did good. I’m glad.”

“I don’t know what you’re insinuating, but…” She grimaced awkwardly. “Me and Twi aren’t dating. She has a boyfriend.”

“Y-yes, um, I’m straight.” She lied clumsily.

The Princess of Hope’s face dropped into a stern frown, as her breathing got uneasy, and she turned to her counterpart. “...You motherfucker. Life is precious, and fucking fleeting– Twilight is right here, and you’re letting her slip away?! Are you fuckign serious?!”

“I-I don’t know who you think you are, but I don’t appreciate you telling me how to live my life.” The other Sunset barked back, crossing her arms standing her ground. “Me and Twilight are our own people, and that’s fine!”

The Princess grabbed hold of her counterpart's jacket, menacingly lifting her up and bringing her closer, and every other girl flinched at the motion. “You are wasting your fucking TIME. You’ve got nearly everything, don’t let it slip away. DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE, YOUR WORLD.”

They could both read each other’s emotions and memories at once, and it was both overwhelming and enraging.

“Let go of me. You can’t fight all of us.” The human muttered through gritted teeth.

“Read my memories. You know I can.” She snarled back, even angrier.

Twilight defused the situation incredibly effortlessly, by placing a hand on the princess’s shoulder, and speaking softly. “...Please, please don’t, Sunset.”

Hesitation led to resignation.

“You know what?” The Princess held back, gritting her teeth, letting out a shuddered, weak exhale. “...It’s not worth it. This isn’t worth it. I’m out. Fuck this.”

She let go of her counterpart, who nearly fell over. “W-well fuck you too, man!” She yelled back.

Unthinkingly and unwaveringly, The Princess parted the crowd easily and made her way to the nearest door in the barn.

“U-um– It’s a pull door, partner–” Applejack was interrupted by the Princess tearing the wooden door of its hinges.

“Fuck, you humans make everything so fragile!” She complained, and stepped through it, dropping what remained off the door absentmindedly.

Silence befell the barn, as the seven girls looked around each other.

“...Well, that could have gone better, darlings. Should we go after her…?”

“Don’t bother. She’ll be gone in an hour. I’ll… Explain everything.” Sunset huffed, and turned to Twilight, coming closer gently, inspecting her. “...Are you okay?”

Fidgeting nervously, still a bit flustered, she could only mutter. “...Y-yeah. I think so.”

“Man. She was so cool. A bit crazy, but so cool.” Rainbow crossed her arms, letting out a sigh. “No offense, Sunset. But like, damn.”

“And hot! Did you see that ass?!” Pinkie giggled. “Awooga!”

“Y’all, read the room.”

“U-um…” Fluttershy stuttered, looking around. “Where did Wallflower go...?”

The Princess of hope curled her hand into a fist, and punched a hole into a tree, while screaming in frustration and anger.

If nothing else, she at least wasn’t exhausted, her half-day comatose delirium had sought to that. She felt frustratingly energized.

She kicked the tree full force, toppling it over, and then falling on her back, unused to how a human body felt, rolling on the grassy field of Sweet Apple Acres.

Letting out another primal scream of frustration, she covered her eyes, spared of the blue skies that strangely differed from the ones back home.

“...Applejack is probably gonna be sad about that tree, you know?” An unfamiliar voice called out quietly, near her.

She uncovered her eyes, and saw a petite girl with messy green hair squatted down near her.

“...Hi. I’m Wall–”

“--Flower Blush. Yeah. I’ve met a few of you in the multiverse.” Sunset groaned, closing her eyes. “Not many, though. I’m surprised there’s a human you.”

Sitting in the grass next to the redhead, she couldn’t help but be curious. “H-huh… And, well… How are the other Wallflowers doing?”

Groaning, she kept her eyes closed. “I’m not sure. I don’t know a Wallflower in my universe back home, we never met– But from what I gather, you’re either a witch or mad with power due to a magical object– You and I almost ruin each other’s lives, then wind up as acquaintances or friends? …Or I just kill you.”

“...Yeah. Sounds about right.” She fidgeted with blades of grass, letting out a weak chuckle. “Sunset mostly keeps me around out of pity, but I don’t really care. I have fun watching them play… And she helps me find other friends. Plus, watching their drama is fun. They’re like superheroes, but with messy soap opera drama.”

“So Wallflowers are nosy. I’ll remember that.”

“Hah! Sure.” The gardener shrugged. “So. The multiverse, huh? Those nerdy movies were right, then. Must be rough. And you’ve just been going around…?”

“Not on free will.” She sat up and began picking away at a flower, testing out her fingers to pluck each individual petal. “It’s pointless. Being so far from home, from everything you know… Yet constantly run into these unfulfilled imitations.”

“Unfulfilled…?”

“She has everything. The friend group, the purpose, the drive… She even– She even accepted being far from Equestria. Not many me’s can.” She muttered, shaking her head. “But then, like so many other me’s, she draws the line at love. She draws the line at loving Twilight. Because it’s difficult? Or she thinks she doesn’t deserve it– Or she thinks she’s not good enough. Whatever excuse, it’s all bullshit. It’s like the universe is mocking me– And somehow the joke’s on them.”

“Hah, yeah, Twi’s boyfriend is kind of a jerk.” Wallflower’s tone trailed off, as she watched the clouds. “I don’t think they’ll last, but what do I know?”

“You have no idea what it feels like. Nopony does– How it feels like to constantly watch other failed versions of yourself make the same goddamn mistakes.” She cupped her face in her hands, exhaling. “Always, always, always…”

“...Hm. I dunno. You planted a seed here today.” She looked at the bar absentmindedly.

“...What?”

“From where I was standing, Twilight was all kinds of flustered at you. Maybe this gives our Sunset a chance? Heh. Maybe after she works out a little, but still.” She tilted her head, giving Sunset a friendly smile. “You haven’t really noticed it, but they’re kind of inseparable. Our Sunset and our Twilight, I mean. Heck, Twilight still hates me for hurting Sunset a while back. She holds a grudge even Sunset doesn’t. Sounds like overprotective lovey dovey behavior, if you ask me.”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed, as she watched the clouds. “...Hm. Yeah. Twilight would do that for me. She never holds grudges for herself, only for the people she loves…”

“I think there’s a chance. That those two dummies will sort it out, I mean.” Wallflower snickered. “I dunno, maybe someday! And I’ll be there with popcorn to watch it happen.”

“Bah. I guess. I don’t know.” She groaned, looking down. “And after all this, I… My Twilight is all alone. I’m… I’m not sure if missing me will break her, or if she’ll be able to move on. And even worse, I’m not sure which I prefer.”

“Memory is a funny thing.” Quietly, the gardener felt the grass beneath her fingers. “...Holding onto things that aren’t there, because of what they meant to you…”

“I… I think I’m better off forgotten. If it wouldn’t hurt her… I’d rather she forgot me.” She spoke coldly, in despair. “...If it wouldn’t hurt her…”

“Be careful what you wish for.” Wallflower whispered. “Trust me, it’s better to be remembered, and loved. It’s… Better to have loved and lost…”

“Bullshit.”Sunset snarled, glaring at her. “You try it.”

Author's Note

Aaaaand we're back.

This chapter was just me getting back into the swing of things, honestly! I was originally not even intending on doing it, but then I realised it'd just be fun to explore more whacky universes on such a particular circumstance. It also allowed me to have plenty of fun cameos! good times.

And hey. FINALLY EQUESTRIA GIRLS IN THE SHIMMERVERSE HOORAY!!

I wanted to make it so crossing the mirror wasn't necessarily likely, but still, it happens in many universes. Perhaps I'll still do a few other EQG sequences! This one sure was fun, heh.

Coming right out of forgotten sun I was just craving writing a scene with a chill wallflower, heh. Endulged.

And yeah, Sunset prime is MEATY. She's got the physique of a valkyrie boosted by alicorn strength. In the human world she'd basically have Applejack's strength, heh.

handing out awakenings to Twilight Sparkle left and right, heheh.

I did also take a chance to touch on the 'canon' state of Twilight, where she rules alone and Sunset never returned to Equestria. It's kind of eerie, thinking of how g5 will happen, meaning most Twilights would fuckin blow up the world. Oh well...

Also I just realized a tragedy. Flash Sentry missed out on seeing a big hotter Sunset lol. I bet he would join the Pinkie club and awooga too.

Originally I considered writing Sunset prime going after Timber, but realized it'd be overdone, even if incredibly funny. Folding that little man into a pretzel, and his last thoughts are "Wow Sunset worked out just to kill me!"

Anyways, we're officially back! I'll be writing chapters of Shimmerverse again, but waaay on the down-low. 'Cause I just had so many ideas for one shots, and I kind of want to go ham with them, heheh. Even more than the one in my last blog post! But I'll keep those ideas to myself for now. I'm even planning on writing a g5 one-shot! Nyeh.

Anyways. Okay, once more with feeling: Next chapter we finally get a strong focus on Pinkie and Discord. Time for a little chaos.