Equestria Girls A Christmas Carolby ShimmertimeChaptersAn Unpleasant VisitorThe First SpiritThe Second SpiritThe Last SpiritA New DawnAn Unpleasant VisitorSunset Shimmer was dead, dead boring. It was the last day of school before the Christmas holidays and, as luck would have it, the day before Christmas Eve. At this time of year, everyone was happier than usual, just like back in Equestria right before Hearth Warming Eve. Sunset could only roll her eyes at all the merriment. She had the school completely under her control at this time too, but somehow it didn't feel quite as satisfying to rise above her classmates. She always got what she wanted, but unlike usual, her victims were most of the time cheerful afterwards and her intimidation didn't have the long-term effect she intended. All the power she possessed in this world came from the fact that people were afraid of her, no one should even think of messing with her. But at this time of year, some confused souls even threw a 'Merry Christmas' at her and there was little she could do about it. If the two weeks over Christmas and New Year hadn't been school holidays, the whole thing might have been different, but as it was, the rank and file slipped away from her on Christmas Eve at the latest. Well, she would use the time to rigorously plan the new year so that everyone knew their place straight away, just like in all the years before. A diabolical grin flitted across her face at the thought. Have fun while you still can, Sunset thought to herself. The lessons in the week before Christmas always went the same way, not at all. The teachers, like the pupils, seemed to be in a good mood, so it didn't help to throw a little oil on the fire. It was just lunchtime when Sunset approached one of her victims to take his lunch money. It was actually just routine, but this time the boy was a little coy. “B ... but Sun ... Sunset ... it's Christmas after all. Can't ... can't I keep my lunch money th... this one time?” the boy stammered to himself. An irrepressible rage rose up in Sunset. “Oh right, it's Christmas, that must have slipped my mind,” Sunset mocked the poor boy, whose eyes were slowly coming to the realization that he should have just kept his mouth shut, "I think it's really very nice of you to offer me not only your lunch money, but also your glasses." Sunset's mouth turned up into a smug grin. “M ... my glasses?” he asked. “Yes, your glasses or do you have something with your ears either?” Sunset snapped at him. “But...” the boy began, but this time Sunset hit him directly. Who did this wretch think he was? “I really hate to repeat myself! Where is your Christmas spirit now? You know very well that I can make your life a living hell. You should be grateful that it's only your glasses I'm asking for!” That was enough to make the boy tremble like a leaf, she got the glasses and his money, but as he was about to leave, Sunset added, “Haven't you forgotten something else?” The boy immediately stopped, “Th ... thank you Sunset!” he said like a trained dog. Sunset was strolling along the corridor contentedly when suddenly Pinkie jumped into her path from the side like a flash of pink. “Ooooohhhhh Sunset Shimmer!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. An exasperated groan left Sunset's body. Pinkie Pie was the last person Sunset wanted to see, normally she had Pinkie under control like everyone else, but at Christmas nothing could spoil her mood and she didn't even seem to want to leave Sunset in peace for some reason. “What Pinkie?” Sunset asked, annoyed. “Uh, uh, uh, I just wanted to know if you were coming to my Christmas party the day after tomorrow,” Pinkie replied excitedly. Sunset couldn't help but laugh. “Do you really think I want to go to your stupid party?” mocked Sunset. “I was hoping yes. There's gingerbread, Christmas decorations, ....”, Pinkie began to list before Sunset interrupted her, "I'm not interested in any of that Pinkie, you can try to have fun in this boring way, but I don't want anything to do with your lame party!", Sunset made clear. With that, Sunset left Pinkie standing behind her, who called after her dejectedly: “But it's Christmas. Aren't you all alone?” Sunset didn't turn around again: “Yes, and I hope it stays that way!” Sunset was glad when the day was finally over and she could retire to her sparse bed in the boiler room, maybe make herself a ready-made meal in the microwave and start thinking about the new year. Even before the bell could ring to end the last lesson, the Christmas spirit entered Cranky Doodle and he dismissed them early. All her classmates cheered and hurriedly packed up their things, especially Rainbow Dash. Sunset simply couldn't miss this opportunity. She unobtrusively tripped Rainbow at just the right moment while she was calmly packing up her things. And so the rainbow-haired girl crashed into the teacher's desk in a high arc. All her things landed scattered on the floor. Now a little spiteful comment and the crowd would laugh out loud. “Oh Rainbow Crash are you okay?” Sunset asked with feigned concern. Everyone started laughing at the name. Sunset smiled diabolically at Rainbow, who clenched her hands angrily and began to blush. Breathing heavily, Rainbow straightened up and pointed her finger at Sunset. “You...” she began angrily. “Me?” Sunset replied. “Yes, you! You...” Rainbow was at a loss for words. It was almost cute how easily Sunset could make Rainbow dance. Rainbow was self-confident, strong-willed and loyal, all qualities that Sunset could not tolerate. So she kept Rainbow as small as possible, and thanks to her temperament and arrogance, it wasn't that difficult. “Maybe you'd better save your breath, you seem to be out of breath already, you top athlete,” Sunset teased. Laughter again. Rainbow's face grew redder and redder, she was about to explode, but then. “Oh you know what just forget it, you boss bitch.” Rainbow turned away from her, picked up her things and started moving. Sunset stayed behind smiling, that had done her good. She left the school with all the others so as not to arouse any suspicion that she actually lived in the boiler room. Sunset now had her own key for the school basement, which she always used to sneak back in later. Outside, she spotted Rainbow Dash again, but she didn't like what she saw. Rainbow had met up with little Scootaloo, some disabled child she seemed to spend a lot of time with. Her face broke into a joyful smile, all her anger just gone. It annoyed Sunset so much that she got carried away and shouted something at her. “Hey Rainbow Crash! Merry Christmas!” Sunset waved and smiled at her from afar. And Rainbow did indeed give her a venomous look, her expression darkened, but unfortunately this was again only short-lived, because Scootaloo brought her back to her good mood. Scowling, Sunset strolled through the town, scattering angry looks and poking a few familiar faces here and there when she felt like it. Later, she went to get herself a hot chocolate. She didn't have to queue up for it, a few vivid reminders of what was in her drawer and the riff-raff from her school let her go first. It was already dark when she was about to insert her key into the lock to the boiler room when she was suddenly startled and dropped the key. Sunset rubbed her eyes in amazement, had the doorknob just had the face of a pony on it? Oh humbug! She was simply tired and it was already really dark. Sunset picked up the keys, put them in the lock, turned them and entered her little kingdom. Sunset had set herself up in an old abandoned boiler room that was no longer used for anything and therefore no one came to see it. Nevertheless, Sunset had changed the lock, because safe was safe. She warmed up some noodle soup, listened to some rock music and was then ready to curl up in her countless blankets and go to sleep. But just as she was about to turn off the light of her lamp, an icy wind blew past her. “Sunset!” Sunset looked around the small boiler room, startled. It wasn't cozy and warm down here, but there was never really a draft and had she just heard her name? Oh, she was probably just tired, it wasn't too late, but somehow the day had got to her and she just wanted to sleep. Just as she was about to turn off the lamp again, the head of a pony stared at her from the light bulb. „Aaaaahhhhh!“ a loud scream escaped Sunset and she staggered back as the room around her suddenly began to vibrate and the light on the ceiling began to flicker. A cold draught whipped through the cellar and the rattling of chains and strangely agonized sounds could be heard. “Sunset Shimmer!” a heavy and theatrical voice suddenly rang out! “Who are you? Come out and show yourself!” Sunset shouted angrily at the intruder. All at once, a bright beam of light sprang from her little floor lamp, causing Sunset to squint her eyes. “My name is Moonglow Flicker and I'm here to give you a message!” The figure of a floating, transparent pony had manifested itself in front of her, with endless chains wrapped around its entire body, hanging from all kinds of boxes and chests. “Are you a creature from Equestria?” Sunset wanted to know. “Yes, to be exact Sunset I am your predecessor as Celestia's pupil!” replied Moonglow her voice still howling loudly. Celestia, Sunset could have guessed that this pony was behind it, but how was that possible, the mirror wasn't supposed to be operational for another 10 lunar cycles. “If Celestia sent you, I wish you good luck with whatever she told you to do!” At Sunset's words, the pony began to laugh. “I'm not here on Celestia's orders Sunset!” Moonglow clarified, "I was like you Sunset, a talented pony who wanted more! I was arrogant, selfish and hungry for power. I trampled on every pony around me and ended up like you in this world, where I finally met my end!" “That's interesting,” Sunset pretended, "And what do you want from me then?" All at once, Moonglow roared, her chains slamming through the room and frost formed around Sunset, driving into her bones. Moonglow's face stepped closer to Sunset's. “You may still think you're something better and invincible Sunset, like I used to, but believe me, if you don't change, my fate will be yours too!” Moonglow's chains had started to float around Sunset and wrap themselves around her, "Do you see these chains Sunset? I forged them myself with all my vile deeds in life! Link by link! And now in my death I am condemned to wear them around me forever!" “You're dead?” Sunset suddenly felt the scales falling from her eyes. “Yes!” Moonglow's ghost replied, "and believe me Sunset your chain is already as long as mine, if you don't change you'll be even worse off than me!" The chains were now really constricting Sunset and felt anything but ghostly. “And what does that mean?” Sunset asked, annoyed. “The others will tell you that! I'm just here to announce them to you and show you what could happen! In death I am condemned to drag these chains around with me every day and to live in eternal coldness and joylessness. Warning you Sunset is part of my penance and the last bit of joy I have left! I can only urge you to take their advice Sunset!” Moonglow's voice had become even heavier and more howling. “What advice? You're talking in riddles! I'm not like you!” protested Sunset, struggling against the chains. “Oh yes you are!” Moonglow announced, pointing her hoof at Sunset, "Tomorrow night three spirits will come to visit you Sunset, expect the first one as soon as the clock strikes midnight! And let them guide you on the right path. It's not too late yet!" With these words, the wind died down, the lights went out and Moonglow and the chains around Sunset's body disappeared. In the distance, Sunset heard only a faint whisper, “Listen to their advice.” Then Sunset lay on her bed in the dark and it all felt like a bad dream, a dream that was far too real. Sunset immediately turned on the small light next to her bed. Her room looked the same as before, as if nothing had happened. Had she really dozed off for a moment? A glance at her cell phone told her that not much time had passed, strange. It took a while for Sunset to fall asleep, but the night went without a hitch for her. Author's Note I hope you enjoyed my first ever published chapter here. I will be releasing a new chapter every Advent so that the story is finished over the Christmas time. I am also happy about evry comment and remark. Have a great Christmas time! The First SpiritThe next morning Sunset was up early, much to her annoyance, she would have liked to have missed as much of Christmas Eve as possible, but a cold breeze had blown through the boiler room and given her a restless night. But maybe that wasn't a bad thing, she definitely had to go into town again today and get some food for the holidays. A little exercise would also do her good before she barricaded herself in for the next two days. Sunset put on her clothes and packed her gym bag full of all her dirty clothes. Unfortunately, living in the boiler room had some disadvantages, so Sunset used the shower at the local gym, which was the first place she went. The advantage of this, however, was that she kept herself in good shape. With all the garbage that people ate, Sunset was still able to maintain her flawless appearance. Without this, she probably wouldn't be able to wrap the people she wanted to charm around her finger as much as she needed to. As expected, the gym was quite empty and the people inside weren't exactly spreading Christmas cheer, which Sunset was more than happy about. A little wistfully, she left the center and made her way to the supermarket. It would probably be full to bursting, but this would at least ensure a bad mood around her. There wasn't much left of all the festivity once the stress of Christmas dinner, presents and all the relatives began. It outright put a self-satisfied smile on Sunset's face. After all, Christmas was nothing more than a huge hypocrisy and that was exactly why it was so easy for her to pick up in the new year exactly where she had left off this year. As Sunset stood at the entrance to the store in the vegetable section, she couldn't help but notice Rainbow's rainbow-colored hair standing at the checkout counter. She seemed to be in a great hurry. Sunset grinned sardonically, her good mood had also given way to the stress of Christmas. Sunset grabbed one of the oranges displayed in front of her and played around with it in her hand. Rainbow couldn't wait to start shooting from the cash register. When Sunset saw this, she immediately dropped the orange unobtrusively on the floor. In an almost fluid motion, she matched Rainbow's movements. She also had to leave the store through the entrance at Sunset's back. At the moment as Rainbow shot off like a rocket from the cash register, Sunset gave the orange a little kick with her heel. It took a bit of luck for Sunset to get the timing right, but Rainbow made it easy for her with her predictability. The orange rolled unerringly across the floor, unhindered by all the other people, and came to rest right in Rainbow's path. And in the very next second, Rainbow flew through the air and crashed to the ground. The only two things she had bought, a bottle of cocoa and marshmallows, flew across the room in a high arc. The bottle shattered into a thousand pieces and the contents hit Rainbow's clothes, which let out a painful groan. But that didn't seem to bother her as much as the loss of the cocoa. “Damn it!” she heard Rainbow's almost whiny voice. Sunset was torn as to whether she should show herself to Rainbow or not. But Sunset was smart enough not to, seeing Rainbow miserable was all it took. Sunset didn't want that to be replaced by anger at her person. Although, of course, Sunset couldn't avoid running into Rainbow one way or another while shopping. But contrary to expectations, Rainbow didn't enter the store again to buy a new bottle, but quickly ran out of the store. The cherry on the sundae was that no one had bothered to help the rainbow-haired girl up. So much for the festival of love! With blissful satisfaction, Sunset finished her shopping, the last stop on her list being the local laundrette. Not surprisingly, it was quite empty, so Sunset was able to enjoy her music and scroll through the internet in peace. By the time she left the salon, it was already dark and the streets were largely empty. Almost everyone must have been with their families now, “enjoying” Christmas Eve. Bah such humbug! The world kept turning and just a few hours after bumping into each other in the supermarket, everything was supposed to be perfectly harmonious again, even if they were probably shouting at each other at the table. It was just like in Equestria, where everyone acted as if the spirit of Hearth Warming Eve had entered them as soon as the clock struck 6:00 p.m., but everything stayed the same. Well not quite, Sunset would make life even harder for her subjects, she used all her free time to be productive and not indulge in these silly illusions. So, the first thing she did when she got back to her boiler room was to open her laptop and, listening to music, start organizing all her incriminating material and drawing up a plan of who to bully and how to bully them as soon as the new year started in order to restore the natural pecking order. In between, she made herself a few sandwiches and drank lots of hot tea. She was so much in the flow that she only realized how late it actually was shortly before midnight and remembered the strange dream from last night. “Listen to their advice!” echoed in Sunset's head, sending a cold shiver down her spine. It was entirely possible that magic from Equestria was at work, but even if it was, what should she be afraid of? A few ghosts that couldn't hurt her? Eternal damnation? Celestia had been alive for over 1000 years, so Sunset saw death as something extremely avoidable. And let's see how long her chain was once she ruled Equestria as well and as wisely as nopony before her. A smile played around the corners of Sunset's mouth at the thought, oh yes, she was destined to do great things! Celestia and all the others would see. Those narrow-minded idiots who only wanted to keep her down! The digital number on her laptop jumped from 11:59 p.m. to 0:00 a.m., Sunset held her breath for a moment before laughing to herself. Of course nothing had happened, why would it? She reached for her cup of hot tea and took a sip with relish. “Aaaaaahhhh,” a contented moan escaped her, that felt good. “Aaaaahhhhhh”, “Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh”, “Aaaaahhhhhhhhh”, “Aaaaaaahhhhhhh”, it echoed through the boiler room and it was unmistakably her own voice. But Sunset had never heard an echo here before, and certainly not in canon. Irritated, Sunset looked around as it echoed again. “He?”, “He?”, “He?”, “He?”, again it was Sunset's astonished voice that echoed off the walls. Sunset jumped up tensely and scanned the entire boiler room with her eyes. “Oh!”, “Oh!”, “Oh!”, “Oh!”, it went on, as Sunset got too tired and reached for her baseball bat. But to her astonishment, she suddenly heard a strange giggle as she put her hand around the handle of the bat. Astonished, she turned around and saw that her hand was not wrapped around the baseball bat, but around a candle. Sunset's eyes widened in shock as the candle protruded from the head of a white transparent pony, which itself resembled a candle. The skin looked like wax crawling from a burning candle, like the one on her head. “Boo!” the pony giggled and flew straight through Sunset, who jumped up in fright. Full of rage, she turned around, this time grabbing her baseball bat and struck. “Whoa!” the pony exclaimed as her bat went through her body, followed by another laugh. “That tickled!” she continued laughing, ”You're very hilarious, Sunset!” Hilarious? What was that pony talking about? “It's a good thing you've kept your sense of humor, because what you and I are about to watch isn't funny at all! At least most of it!” the pony continued, still ignoring Sunset's confusion. “I'm not going to watch anything with you, do you understand?” Sunset clarified! “Oh ho!” mocked the pony, ”I can see now why you're so difficult!” “Good! Then you'd better get out of here before I show you how difficult I can become!” Sunset threatened her. “I'm afraid,” the pony began as the candle on her head slowly went out and came back on again, “I can't!” She floated through the air as if she were swimming and as if her body really was made of liquid wax. Sunset couldn't help but watch her in fascination, nevertheless she kept her guard up and her hostility high. “Then I wish you good luck messing with me!” she crossed her arms tightly in front of her body. The pony started laughing again: “Oh you're really hilarious!” It stopped just in front of her face and Sunset tried not to flinch, “I don't want to mess with you Sunset! I want to help you!” All at once, the pony dissolved into a whirlwind of wax until it finally reassembled in front of Sunset and now stood before her at eye level with its back straight. “My name is Candlelight Flare and I am the Ghost of Christmas Past!” she said with a grin on her face, ”I'm here to teach you the meaning of Christmas so that you can change your life!” Now it was Sunset who let out a mocking laugh. “I already know the meaning of Christmas. Feigning peace and happiness only to go for each other's throats again afterwards. So, thank you very much for your visit, but it looks like you can't teach me anything more. However, I promise you that I will change and pretend to have some peace, joy and pancakes! So, you can tell Moonblow Flipper that you've done a great job and my chain is already starting to shrink!” “Hihihi.” the ghost giggled, ”I don't understand how people can be so afraid of you, I think you're adorably hilarious Sunset!” “Are you making fun of me?” Sunset snapped angrily. “Oh no, oh no not at all! Really not!” Candlelight swore, still hovering in place, “I promise you I'm taking my job here deadly seriously, but you have to have a little fun otherwise life would be so depressing, don't you think?” Candlelight had turned theatrically onto her back. “Sure, whatever you say,” Sunset replied, annoyed, ”Now what? Are we going to tell each other jokes all night long or should I start thinking about how I can make sure the baseball bat hits you after all?” Again, Candlelight couldn't stop her laughter: “Oh we're going to have so much fun Sunset! Since you can hardly wait, I'm going to get started right away!” Before Sunset could say anything back, Candlelight came flying towards her and swept through her, being pulled up into the air by one of her hooves. They headed straight for the ceiling. A loud scream escaped Sunset's throat, who hadn't expected the ghost to be able to touch her physically when her baseball bat obviously couldn't. But to her amazement, they both passed the ceiling with ease. They continued through the corridor of the school, through the roof and up into the sky. They climbed 10, 20, 30, 40 meters until Sunset could see all of Canterlot. “Okay, okay, okay, it's okay,” Sunset gave in, ”You win, I'll listen to you and I won't interrupt you again, but please, please don't drop me!” As was to be expected, a giggle sounded from Candlelight's mouth, “So hilarious!” was all she said as they suddenly flew into a bright light that engulfed them completely and shrouded everything around them in brilliant white so that Sunset could no longer see anything. Suddenly, Sunset hit the ground softly. Oh thank God! She straightened up and looked around. Her breath caught and her jaw dropped, this couldn't be! She was in Equestria and not just anywhere in Equestria, she was in a place from her past that she had hoped to see again only when she had become the ruler of Equestria. “Well Sunset surprised?” Candlelight wanted to know. “How?” was all Sunset could get out. “I told you I am the Ghost of Christmas Past and as such I have insight into all Christmases past. I think you know this place very well Sunset don't you?” a slight grin in her voice. Sunset's astonishment quickly gave way to the anger she felt towards this place. “Of course I know this horrible place! This is where I spent my childhood!”, Sunset blurted out. Candlelight startled a little and then looked disapprovingly, “Horrible? I mean certainly not the nicest place for a little foal to grow up, but it wasn't all bad was it?” Sunset's pupils narrowed menacingly: “But it was pure hell here at Mrs. Cherry Blossom's orphanage! I hated it here so much!” Sunset's hands were clenched into fists. Only now did she realize that she was still human. “Why?” she began, when Candlelight interrupted her. “You're still human because this is just a memory of you Sunset. The past, we are just spectators, no one can see or hear us! Like me, you're just a ghost in this place! A place where, contrary to what you say, everything wasn't always terrible, shall we take a look at it? A happy memory?” Candlelight asked expectantly. “Good luck with that!” Sunset wished sarcastically. There was nothing at all cheerful that she remembered here except for the day Celestia had taken her away. “Let's go then!” with these words, Candlelight dragged her behind her and they flew into the orphanage. It was the evening of Hearth Warming Eve, Sunset had completely forgotten how the orphanage was decorated that evening. It wasn't much but they also had a Christmas tree decorated with things they had made themselves, a few small presents under the Christmas tree and a small feast, which was already a lot for them, as all the other days they only had disgusting porridge, bread and water. And sometimes not even in sufficient quantities. “Look!” Candlelight pointed to a little foal with a flaming red mane, “If it isn't little Sunset Shimmer, but no?” Candlelight wondered, ”What's that? I thought you were just unhappy in this place, but now look at you, you're beaming with joy!” In fact, now that she saw everything, Sunset remembered all too well how happy she had been that day. Or rather, how stupid she had been back then. That these little things had blinded her so much from all the misery around her. “I was stupid and young. I let myself be blinded by all the appearances at Hearth Warming Eve,” Sunset admitted. “Semblance?” asked Candlelight in astonishment, ”I think your joy is very real!” “Because it was, but I had no reason to be happy!” explained Sunset. “And why not?” Candlelight wanted to know. “Because my life was horrible and just because it was one night of the year less didn't make it any better. I should have realized that instead of being an idiot and singing along to all the carols,” Sunset felt like an idiot as she saw herself there. “So you would rather have been unhappy?” Candlelight wondered. “I was unhappy!” protested Sunset. “Well, I've seen a lot of foals and I can tell you that being unhappy looks different,” Candlelight assured her. “You know what I mean, so stop pretending you don't!” Sunset snapped at her. “Oh ho, who's losing their temper?” Candlelight wondered. “Seriously?! You think I'm just losing my temper now?” Sunset replied, stunned. “There she is again, my hilarious Sunset!” Candlelight said happily. This ghost really was even crazier than Pinkie Pie! “So here I see a foal filled with the magic of Hearth Warming Eve. Despite her humble life, she can be happy on this one day of the year and not just because there is better food or because everything is so beautifully decorated, no. At this time of year, everything is much happier, no one has to feel alone and you can forget that you're miserable,” Candlelight was suddenly mesmerized and her voice was soft and sweet as she spoke. No comparison to before, when she only seemed to laugh and not stand still. “You're right Sunset, humans and ponies unfortunately forget what that feeling is far too quickly and they only remember it at this time of the year, but that doesn't make it any less magical, in fact, it should remind you to carry that feeling with you all year round. Tell me Sunset, would the orphanage have been so horrible if every day had been like this?” Sunset was amazed to see Candlelight like this. She had only known the ghost for a few minutes, but the change in her character made Sunset forget her frustration and anger. “Well, it certainly would have been less horrible. The food alone.” Sunset glanced at her past self, sitting happily at the table with the other orphans, singing songs and enjoying herself, “It might have been really nice.” Sunset whispered softly. Immediately regretting it. Anger rose up in her and she was ready to lash out at Candlelight's response, but nothing came. In fact, Candlelight didn't even look at Sunset. But Sunset could tell she was smiling as she watched the feast before her. “Is it okay if we stay a little longer?” Candlelight suddenly asked. “Sure,” Sunset said, shrugging her shoulders, no longer paying any attention to the scene. But what Candlelight said next took her completely by surprise, “Thank you.” “For what?” Sunset said reflexively without thinking about it. “For allowing me to experience this moment.” They stood there silently for a while before Candlelight turned away. “On to the next station, Sunset!” Candlelight announced. “Next stop?” Before Sunset had finished, she was snatched up into the air again, towards the white light. This time, however, she didn't land on the ground but they came out in the air and she could already see where they were heading this time, Celestia's castle. Of course, this was where the next big chapter in her life had begun, it was only logical that Candlelight would bring her here and she could already imagine what she wanted to show her. They flew towards the balcony on the top floor, which adjoined the princess's private chambers, and landed there. “I bet you remember this Christmas, don't you?” Candlelight's voice was filled with joyful excitement. You bet Sunset could do that, it was her first Christmas as Celestia's student, she looked spellbound at the scenery in front of her without answering Candlelight's question. In front of her, they saw an older Sunset, who was alone with the princess in her chambers. A beautiful Hearth Warming tree stood in the middle of the room, the fireplace crackled and the smell of cookies was in the air, honey oat cookies to be precise, which Sunset loved so much. Sunset's younger self jumped excitedly around the room. “Oh Sunset my dear, calm down!” Celestia's warm voice rang out, sending a chill through Sunset's spine. How long it had been since she had heard that familiar voice. Sunset's younger self stopped jumping abruptly, but the joyful tension was still written all over her face. “Oh I'm sorry princess, I just still can't believe it, it's like a dream come true!” Sunset lost herself in her joy. Celestia began to giggle: “Believe me Sunset, the joy is all mine. You are a very special unicorn and you spread a lot of joy in my castle. You can't imagine how lonely it has been here during the past Hearth Warming Eves." Sunset's former self had suddenly become very quiet. “Lonely?” she asked in amazement, “But you're the princess, how can you be lonely?” Celestia let out a heavy sigh: “For that very reason. Besides, I find it hard to let other ponies get close to me, when you're as old as I am you've seen a lot of good, as well as bad. Not all my Hearth Warming Eves were lonely, you know. And I'm glad they won't be from now on either." Her former self began to smile, “Does that mean?” “Yes, that's what it means,” Celestia replied with a smile and Sunset let out a loud cry of joy, which made the princess and then Sunset laugh even more. “Now don't tell me you weren't happy at that moment,” Candlelight poked. Sunset didn't take her eyes off the scene and said with difficulty: “I was young and naive.” “Here.” Celestia's voice rang out as she floated a gift over to Sunset, “This is for you!” Sunset's former self could hardly believe it, her eyes grew as wide as they could possibly be and a look of sheer bliss was reflected on her face. “Oh my God, oh my God, a present for me?” she said excitedly. “Of course!” said the princess warmly and graciously, “You mean a lot to me Sunset!” Tears of joy welled up on Sunset's former self's face, “You mean a lot to me too. I'm just afraid I don't have a present for you,” Sunset admitted ashamedly. “Oh, but you've already given me a present,” Celestia replied. “I didn't give you anything,” Sunset insisted. "You certainly have. With your presence, you have given me the best gift of all. You've made me happy again for a long time at Hearth Warming Eve." Sunset's former self threw her arms around Celestia's neck: “I promise to keep making you happy!” Sunset swallowed hard at the words of her past self. “So, do you want to stay here a little longer this time?” Candlelight wanted to know. Part of Sunset wanted to say yes, but another part just wanted to get away from here as quickly as possible, away from this incriminating scene from her past, and so she finally said, “No. No, we can go.” “Good!” This time Candlelight was waiting for her and they flew off together. Their path was very short this time, the light opened up in the air directly in front of them and they flew just a few meters further into the tower of the castle where Sunset lived. They walked through the wall and stood in Sunset's old room. Everything was just as she remembered it, the large, soft four-poster bed, the many magical devices and ornate paintings and sculptures. Not to mention all the books, parchments and shelves. And, of course, Sunset's large, always cluttered desk, at which she was currently sitting. Sunset knew what was coming and it gave her a queasy feeling in her stomach. Candlelight remained silent while there was a knock on Sunset's door. “Come in!” Sunset's voice sounded emotionless and cold. Celestia's towering figure appeared in the doorway, wearing a worried expression on her face. “Yes?” asked Sunset, annoyed. “Sunset, what are you doing?” Celestia's voice was still warm and kind, but it seemed weak, almost sad. “I'm studying,” Sunset replied, not looking up from her documents. “But Sunset, it's the evening of Hearth Warming Eve,” Celestia said anxiously. “So?” Sunset replied disinterestedly. "I was hoping we could spend some time together in my private chambers. You're so buried in your studies all the time, it's not good. And even now, this evening.” Celestia had moved closer to Sunset's desk and put on an affectionate smile. “No good?” Sunset looked up from her documents for the first time her voice fierce, “I thought as your private pupil you'd be proud of me for being more studious, well-read and talented than all the other ponies! I can't waste my days wagging my tail in the sun. I have expectations to fulfill!" "Sunset I've told you often enough that I'm proud of you and that your learning progress is overwhelming, but there's more to it than just knowledge from books. You also need to take care of the world around you, take care of yourself, do what makes you happy!” Celestia tried to encourage her, but all Sunset heard was the worry in Celestia's voice that Sunset might become more powerful than she was and wanted to keep her at arm's length. "But that's what I'm doing! I'm learning about the world through all these books! I take very good care of myself every day, exercise and eat a balanced diet. And this, this is what makes me happy, not staring at some Hearth Warming tree!” Sunset countered all of Celestia's advice. The princess let out a loud sigh: “I miss you Sunset!” she finally said. “That's strange, I've been here the whole time,” Sunset replied coolly. “I mean, I miss the old Sunset, who used to laugh with me and just keep me company and not always bury her head in books!” Celestia's expression was now openly sad and Sunset thought she could see tears now as she saw the scene from outside that she hadn't seen back then. Or had she? “So you're not happy with me, are you?” Sunset asked defiantly. "No, it's not like that Sunset. You mean a lot to me and I just want you to know that I would like to spend more time with you again,” Celestia assured her. “But we're just spending time,” Sunset replied defiantly. Celestia finally gave up with a heavy sigh, “If you change your mind, I'll wait for you in my chambers! Merry Hearth Warming my little Sunset!” With that Celestia left her room and Sunset buried herself in her parchments again without returning the princess's wishes. For Sunset, this scene from her past was hard to watch. She didn't regret anything she had said, but seeing Celestia like that after everything still left a bitter taste in her mouth. “And did you still go to visit her?” Candlelight wanted to know. “You know that very well!” Sunset replied angrily. “Oh, you don't seem to have enjoyed this look into your past so much, do you?” There was no trace of Candlelight's laughter, only her annoyingly cheerful voice remained. “Can we just go?”, Sunset asked. “Right away, of course. I'd just like to know Sunset, do you really think it was the right decision to break your promise to Celestia?” Candlelight sounded genuinely puzzled and interested in Sunset's answer. “What promise?” Sunset asked, irritated. “To continue to make her happy,” Candlelight replied dryly. “Oh.” Sunset thought about it, “I did try,” she finally said, ”But I could never satisfy her. You saw how she criticized me.” “Oh did she?” asked Candlelight in amazement, ”She seemed rather broken, close to tears to me. And it didn't look at all like you were trying to make her happy. And you didn't look happy yourself either,” Candlelight noted. “But I was happy, okay?” Sunset clarified. “And why did you run off then?” asked Candlelight. “I ....,” Sunset began, ”I had to! Celestia wanted to get rid of me!” Sunset didn't get any further. “You're just telling yourself that, but we both know it's not true. But just in case, I'll show you one last thing,” Candlelight promised her. This time they didn't fly through the air, but teleported directly to another location. This time it was the school's boiler room again, where Sunset spent her first Christmas in the human world. This world was still so strange to her and she was all alone. The nights in the basement were still a little scary and it was so uncomfortable compared to her bed in the castle. Sunset looked at her own hard expression fixed on her cell phone in which she typed various things. “I bet you're about to tell me you were happy here too, aren't you?” mocked Candlelight. “No.” came the unexpected answer from Sunset's mouth, ”No, I wasn't happy! I never was on this goddamn holiday, okay?” Sunset slipped out. “I see,” said Candlelight, ”Well there's one last thing I promised to show you. Maybe then you'll understand what misfortune really means.” The scenery changed again before Sunset's eyes and they suddenly found themselves back in Celestia's chambers. “That's not from my past,” Sunset said. “No, but it's the same Hearth Warming Eve as your Christmas Eve in the human world,” Candlelight announced. What Sunset saw before her took her breath away. Celestia's private chambers were dark, with only a faintly decorated tree in the room and a small fire burning in the fireplace. The smell of foggy dew was in the air and Celestia was crouched in the middle of the room, sniffling and whimpering. “What's wrong Sunset?” Candlelight pulled her out of her thoughts. Sunset was at a loss for words. “I thought Celestia wanted to get rid of you and now look at her, does a happy pony look like that?” inquired Candlelight. Sunset was still silent. “So from what I've learned today, she must be the happiest pony in the world! Not a smile on her face, not a soul around her, just tears and darkness embracing her. Isn't that right?” Candlelight continued to tease. Anger rose up in Sunset: “Just leave me in peace! Why are you showing me all this? Heh?! Do you think that changes anything? I'm not the bad guy here! Just because I didn't behave the way everyone wanted me to at Hearth Warming Eve, but let me tell you something, my life sucked outside of that, I had no reason to be happy that night. You can show me as many pictures from my past as you like, they won't change my present!” Sunset blurted out. Candlelight smiled faintly, “That's right!” Sunset was surprised by her approval. “That's what the next ghost is there for!” Candlelight explained to her, ”But here's my advice to you Sunset. Learn from your past so that you can take a different path in the present. Carry the spirit of Christmas past within you! Don't forget it!” With that, the scene dissolved and everything around Sunset went black. Author's Note As promised, just in time for the first Advent. Hope all of you are in Christmas spirit already! The Second SpiritSunset woke up in a cold sweat and looked at the clock, it was just before 1:00 a.m. She must have fallen asleep and had a terrible nightmare. She could still remember everything. Had it really been a dream? It was so real and detailed and another ghost had really appeared to her. Sunset quickly dismissed the thought, her head must have been playing tricks on her. She must have been subconsciously thinking about it the whole time and the moment she fell asleep, all her inner turmoil had been released. Oh man, Sunset crawled over to her little fridge in the corner to take out a nice cold bottle of water. Her whole body felt completely dehydrated, as if she really had been on a journey across her past. When she opened the fridge door, she was met by a powerful snowstorm that swept her away with loud laughter. “Ho ho ho ho ho!” echoed through Sunset's room. Sunset landed in a small snowdrift, but to her surprise she wasn't cold and the snow didn't melt. In fact, it didn't feel like snow at all. Sunset let the white powder run through her hand. Artificial snow. The renewed sound of raucous laughter caught her attention; in front of her, in the middle of her room, which was now covered in artificial snow, lights, treats and toys, a big fat man had appeared. Sunset looked around in amazement, her first reflex was her baseball bat, but she couldn't possibly find anything in this chaos. In fact, she wasn't even sure if this was still her room, it seemed bigger with all the stuff lying around. “Grab it, grab it my child!” thundered the man's powerful voice. Sunset scowled, “Let me guess you're the second ghost, right?” “Oh yes, that's me! My name is Saint Nicholas the XIII, the spirit of Christmas Present!” the man announced. Only now did Sunset realize who was standing in front of her. “Seriously? Santa Claus?” she mocked Nicholas. Not only the name, but also the whole appearance was like that of Santa Claus, a figure that people had invented to give their children a magical mythical figure who brought them presents at Christmas, but only if they were good, of course. Nobody was supposed to get the idea that they were loved unconditionally. Nicholas had a long white beard, wore a fluffy red cloak with white fur on it and was over all chubby, only his cap was missing, instead a wreath of fir branches adorned his head. He carried a large goblet in one hand and a leg of goose in the other, no wonder he had weight problems, Sunset thought. “Ho ho ho ho, I wouldn't call myself one, but I'm flattered that the people of Earth have made him in my image. That always makes my Christmas celebrations over the last few years even sweeter!” said Nicholas happily. Sunset looked around disapprovingly and, to her annoyance, she had to resist the urge to eat some of the treats in front of her. And then, all of a sudden, that fabulous smell of honey oat cookies hit her nose, making her jump immediately. “Ho ho ho it seems to me that a little Christmas cheer has entered your body!” Nicholas said. “No!” protested Sunset, ”It's just that pungent smell!” “Oh yes, I can see where it's coming from, this determination, this will! What a shame that there's no joy!” sighed Nicholas after his initial euphoria. “That's too bad,” Sunset replied bored, ”Can't we keep this short and get it over with quickly? I don't have much nerve right now and I'm really thirsty. You...” before Sunset knew it, she was whirled into the air and placed at a richly laid table in front of her, a carafe of water pouring into a goblet that was offered to her. “Thanks,” Sunset grumbled to herself and drank the water in large gulps. “Oh, what do I have to hear, thanks?” Nicholas rubbed his ear with his finger. Sunset knew it had been a mistake but she had manners and she certainly didn't want anyone to think she owed them anything. “Yes, I may be the personification of evil for you ghosts, but I still have some manners. But don't think you'll get more than that,” Sunset made clear. “More than that?!” Nicholas exclaimed, completely overwhelmed, ”Oh Sunset, a thank you is the best thing you can get!” “I see.” Sunset looked at her fingernails, bored, ”I could think of 20 things that are far better.” “Ho ho ho, but maybe that's only because you've never heard a thank you from the depths of a heart!” Nicholas tried to convince her. “Well, if you say so.” Sunste stood up, ”So you're the ghost of Christmas present, what do you want to show me Celestia lying all alone in her dark room crying again? Boo hoo I'm so unhappy because I treated Sunset badly, boo hoo.” Sunset faked tears with her hands, ”The act worked once, a second time is just embarrassing! And you can see my Christmas live right here. So thank you very much for your visit and the delicious water, but I don't think you can really show me anything of value to me.” Sunset smiled wryly and waved it off. Sunset's expression quickly faded as Nicholas piled up in front of her with a raging voice, growing taller like a mountain with every word! “So much knowledge and cunning in your head, but your heart is cold and so you can't imagine anything but that! Don't worry Sunset I promise I will show you something you didn't expect!” With these words, everything in the room began to turn into a whirlwind and circle around them until they were both completely enveloped by it. Sunset let out a loud scream and before she knew it, they were outside in the open. Sunset looked around in amazement. “Isn't this Sweet Apple Acres?” the question slipped out of her mouth. “Yes!” Nicholas, now back to normal, answered her. “And what are we doing here, you want to show me how Applejack's family has fun. Yay, I get it, everyone is pretending to have fun except me. Lesson learned, can we go now?” Sunset was already moving in the other direction but Nicholas didn't give her a glance, Sunset was slowly wishing Candlelight back. Nicholas and Sunset made their way to the window of the farmhouse through which they could see a large party. Everyone there seemed to be having a great time, it was almost as if half the school was there. Let them have their fun, next year it would be over again. “I suppose...” Sunset continued. “Yes, they can't see us,” Nicholas confirmed. Sunset looked bored through the window, looking for something funny, but everyone was just acting childish, talking and dancing. How dull. “Isn't that your friend Pinkie Pie back there?” Nicholas pointed to the girl with the puffy pink hair. “Pinkie is not my friend!” Sunset clarified energetically. “Oh yes, there was something.” Nicholas scratched his chin, ”But she still invited you to her Christmas party tomorrow, didn't she?” “So what?” Sunset replied, annoyed. “That's rather nice of her, isn't it?” Nicholas followed up. “Yes, super nice or super annoying!” Sunset turned the tables. “Ho ho ho.” Nichola laughed, ”She looks like she's having a lot of fun. Let's go inside and hear what she has to say.” Sunset didn't have time to object before Nicholas started moving and she dutifully followed. For a moment, Sunset had considered just walking away, but then she remembered how creepy the guy could be and thought it best to be at least a little cooperative. They strolled through the crowds and although Sunset was invisible she tried to avoid people, it was a strange feeling to walk through someone else. It was somehow different from stepping through a wall. When they reached Pinkie Pie, they saw her standing with Applejack and praising her party. “This really is a great Christmas party Applejack! I just hope my party tomorrow is just as good!” said Pinkie Pie, sipping excitedly from her drink. “Ah it's nothin’ Pinkie I know how much effort ya always put into yer parties, we both know ya'll go the extra mile tomorrow!” Applejack told her, although her tone sounded restrained. “Thanks Applejack. I just wonder if Sunset will come too.” Pinkie said nervously. Applejack's expression darkened: “So ya really invited her, did ya?” Pinkie looked puzzled: “Yes, of course you don't?” “Sunset Shimmer is the last person Ah want to see here at mah party. Ah'm glad she hates Christmas and Ah don't have to worry that she might not just turn up here anyway!” Applejack's voice was full of resentment. Very nice thought Sunset, Applejack was much like Rainbow in that regard her temper was her downfall. That and her stubbornness when it came to being accused of lying or being lied to. This had made it easy to manipulate her and turn her against her friends. Which made Sunset think it was weird that she was talking to Pinkie Pie and that she was invited to the party. Actually, the two of them had nothing to do with each other anymore thanks to her. “But Applejack, it's Christmas! You invited me too,” Pinkie tried to convince her. “Are ya seriously comparin’ yerself to Sunset right now?” Applejack snapped at Pinkie. “No, I'm just saying. Christmas is such a magical time and it brings out the best in people. I thought when Sunset opened up to that...” Pinkie's voice had become melancholy. “Open up to that?!”, Applejack snapped, ”Sunset Shimmer is the meanest girl in the school, before she opens up to anyone Ah'll clean the pigsty for a year.” Applejack seemed to have realized that her temper had gotten the better of her and looked embarrassed. “Ah'm sorry Pinkie, Ah just don't want ya to get yer hopes up. It's really nice that you're getting’ so involved, but the fact is ya should pray that Sunset doesn't show up to yer party tomorrow. It's better that way, believe me!” Applejack's voice was suddenly loving and conciliatory. Sunset almost threw up. “But no one should be alone at Christmas, Applejack. Not even Sunset,” Pinkie replied. The words didn't sit well with Sunset. Applejack was right about every single word she had said and yet Pinkie gave a damn about her, why? “Why?” Nicholas also muttered. Sunset looked at him in amazement, had he had the same thought as her? “I'll tell you why. Because Pinkie has a big heart and loves to spread joy around her, the thought that on this day of love and happiness there is someone who is unhappy hurts her a lot.” Nicholas' voice was full of maudlin sentimentality. Sunset simply couldn't resist the urge: “If you ask me, it's idiotic and weak, I could take advantage of her really well if I wanted to. Lucky for her that I'm so nice,” Sunset grinned. “Yes, what luck,” said Nicholas, sobered. “Oh man Pinkie, ya really are beyond help,” Applejack confirmed with a smile, “But here's a toast to the spirit of Christmas!” Applejack raised her glass and Pinkie did the same, adding, ”And a toast to Sunset, may she have a great Christmas!” Applejack suddenly pulled back her glass. “WHAT?!” she blurted out, ”Ah'm not toasting that snake in the grass!” “Oh come on Applejack, it's Christmas, there's no harm in it,” Pinkie tried to convince her sweetly. “But ya only make a toast if ya mean it. And Ah'm not wishing Sunset a Merry Christmas,” Applejack made clear. “Not even a tiiiiiny bit?” Pinkie leaned forward. “No!” said Applejack vehemently. “Not even a very, very itsy bitsy bit?” Pinkie moved her thumb and forefinger very close together so that there was only a wafer-thin gap of air between them. Applejack scowled: “Well, at least Ah hope she doesn't freeze to death somewhere miserable.” “There you are!” Pinkie rejoiced, ”I knew you had the spirit of Christmas in you! Here's to Sunset!” Pinkie exclaimed and Applejack toasted, muttering grumpily and barely audibly, ”Here's to Sunset!” Sunset should have been happy that these two idiots were actually toasting her, but a sense of confusion won out over her. Pinkie was deluded, of course, and Christmas brought out the worst in her, but after all Applejack had said, why was she toasting Sunset too? “Well, if you ask me, they'd be two great friends! And I think if you went to their parties and behaved yourself, they'd be happy too,” Nicholas shared his assessment. “Of course, who wouldn't be happy to have tamed the ruler of the school. As soon as Christmas is over, their festive mood will be gone anyway. It's all just a big hypocrisy!” Sunset reminded herself. “I didn't expect anything else from you Sunset, but I can't wait to hear what you have to say about our next stop!” Nicholas' voice sounded happily refreshed as everything around them began to spin again. After all, Sunset thought to herself, this way of traveling was far more pleasant than what Candlelight had done. When the whirlwind had stopped, they were in front of the Canterlot Youth Welfare Center and Sunset already knew which way the wind was blowing. “Wow, so you want to show me the equivalent of my orphanage in this world. News flash I don't care if it's super happy in there or not. This place sucks!” Sunset spat at Nicholas. But he just pointed his finger in front of him. “What? ...” Sunset's breath caught in her throat. Rainbow Dash was standing at the front door of the youth center, visibly out of breath and waiting for someone. “I know Rainbow Dash doesn't live in the youth home, what is she doing here?” Sunset wanted to know. “Just watch,” Nicholas instructed her, who was spellbound by the scene. “Heeeey!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed happily as she got down on her knees and hugged someone. Sunset couldn't see who it was yet. “How is my favorite sports cannon doing on this most festive of days!” Rainbow had lifted the person up and spun it through the air. “Hahaha I'm really looking forward to tonight!” Sunset couldn't recognize the voice, strange, ”Thank you for letting me spend Christmas with you Rainbow.” “Of course you are!” Rainbow assured her, ”You're practically part of the family Scoots!” Scootaloo?! But ... “I guess you didn't know that Scootaloo lives in the youth home, did you?” Nicholas sobered up. Sunset was at a loss for words, she really had had no idea. “Thank you very much!” Rainbow called into the youth center, “I'll bring her back in three days!” The door closed behind Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. “Hey Scoots.”, Rainbow started sheepishly, ”I'm sorry I'm here so late, I wanted to get you your favorite cocoa, but unfortunately that didn't work out so well. I...” Rainbow didn't get any further, Scootaloo had fallen around her neck and said, ”Oh thank you Rainbow! That's not bad at all. I think this is going to be the best Christmas ever for me either way!” Why was this child so happy, Sunset wondered, remembering the look on her own face as a filly. She probably just didn't know any better. But unlike her, Sunset didn't know if Scootaloo was really coping, after all, she had a bad leg that she couldn't walk on properly and that other children made fun of. Like her, Sunset swallowed. “Hey Scoots, how about I take you on my shoulders and carry you the way?” Rainbow asked, already bending her knees with joy. Without saying a word, Scootaloo jumped up happily and the two of them began to run off, happily singing a Christmas carol. But unlike her, Scootaloo also had a friend who stood by her side, Sunset thought to herself, unable to look away. “You weren't expecting that, were you?” Nicholas asked, already knowing the answer. Sunset remained silent and continued to watch Rainbow and Scootaloo as the snow gradually blocked her view. “Well, I'll show you what happens next,” Nicholas continued as the snowstorm raged around them, revealing a shabby old tenement when it cleared. Sunset looked puzzled; her boiler room might have made a better impression. The area looked run-down, the plaster was peeling off the walls and every house looked desolate and abandoned. And in the midst of this desolation, Rainbow and Scootaloo arrived, still singing, and approached the front door of the apartment building. Rainbow didn't even have to unlock the door, it just stood open. Nicholas and Sunset followed them into the stairwell, which they climbed agonizingly slowly due to Scootaloo's limping leg. They had to go all the way up to the second floor, where Rainbow finally got out her key and put it in the lock. “Rainbow lives here?” Sunset slipped out. “Yes, it looks like your research has a few gaps,” Nicholas stated. “This place is an absolute dump! I could never have imagined that Rainbow would be poor,” Sunset continued in amazement. “Why should you?” Nicholas asked soberingly, ”You never really took the time to get to know her or observe her.” “But Rainbow is so self-confident, ambitious and full of life, how is that possible when her life looks like this?” Sunset wanted to know. “Well, apart from the joie de vivre, you two seem quite similar to me and, if I remember correctly, you come from a much more modest background,” Nicholas replied. Anger rose up in Sunset and she wanted to say something back, only to realize that she couldn't. That bearded bastard was right, where someone came from didn't necessarily mean how someone should be. Still, it sat right across Sunset's face that these two girls could be so happy despite their predicament. “We're here!” Rainbow exclaimed as they entered the apartment. The apartment was as expected lackluster, a small kitchenette in the living room with a couch, TV and small dining table and another room, which was probably Rainbows. So that meant the parents slept on the couch? And then they really had the nerve to keep a guest here for Christmas. Sunset looked expectantly at Scootaloo, wondering how she would react, but she was happier than Sunset could believe. About everything, that she was allowed to sleep with Rainbow, that there was a miserable Christmas tree in the corner of the living room, the smell of stale cookies, the sparse presents under the tree. It looked as if this really was the best Christmas ever for her. “What's that?” Sunset slipped out at the sight of the festive feast. The Dashs had put on sausages with potato salad. “They can't be serious, my meal was even more princely,” Sunset scoffed. “And yet,” Nicholas said, ”they don't seem to care. They enjoy their company and having each other.” Sunset knew he was right and it annoyed her. “Hey Scoots, how are things going with you and your friends at school?” Rainbow suddenly wanted to know over lunch. “Really great! We'll probably do something after the holidays too!” Scootaloo replied cheerfully. “She's lying,” Sunset said. “Huh?” Nicholas looked at her in astonishment. “I thought you knew everything,” Sunset teased. “Everything that matters, yes. But not everything per se,” Nicholas explained brusquely. “Anyone who lies and manipulates as much as I do can easily recognize a lie, especially when it's so obvious,” Sunset said heavily. “Tell me ghost, what will become of Scootaloo?” Sunset's voice had taken on a tone she didn't recognize herself. Why did she even care? “Why do you care about that?” Nicholas also wanted to know, ”She's just some disabled girl, isn't she?” That wretched dog, he knew everything. But the words had hit Sunset and she could hardly hide it. “Please, I need to know!” begged Sunset. “If her fate doesn't change, then I see an empty chair and no more laughter in this room,” Nicholas revealed to her. “Because they're celebrating somewhere else, aren't they? In a better apartment with...” Nicholas interrupted her. “You know what it means Sunset.” his voice had suddenly gone deep and dark as it darkened around them. “What's happening?” Sunset asked in a panic. “It's time for me to go Sunset. So take my advice now!” Nicholas' voice had become full and strong again, like the last roar of a storm, ”Live in the present Sunset! Every day you decide anew who you want to be! It's never too late to change and become the pony you want to be!” With that, Nicholas disappeared, leaving Sunset in the dark. Author's Note As it fits the theme at St. Nicholas Day. The new chapter. I hope you enjoyed it so far and stay tuned for the last two chapters the next weeks. The Last SpiritThis time, Sunset did not wake up in her room, but remained in the dark. “He... hello?” stammered Sunset, ”Nicholas?” An icy wind blew through her body and chilled her to the bone. Why did she suddenly feel the cold? The darkness slowly cleared and Sunset could see a light in the distance that she was walking towards. She could hear voices and before she knew it, she was back in Applejack's living room. This time, however, the mood was far less exuberant. In front of her were only four all-too-familiar figures, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity. What were they all doing here together? Last time it was just Pinkie and Applejack. She had made sure that the four of them never wanted to talk to each other again. Suddenly, an icy shiver went down Sunset's spine as she suddenly spotted a large black figure next to her, whose body seemed to be made of billowing darkness. “Are you...” Sunset swallowed, ”Are you the last ghost?” Two bright yellow eyes looked at her where the figure's head should be. Sunset had a bad feeling. The first ghost had been a pony, the second a human, but this was something completely different. The ghost pointed its scrawny, bony, long finger at the group in front of her and Sunset turned her attention back to the girls. “A fabulous party darling!” Rarity attested to Applejack, but her cheerfulness seemed artificial. “Thank ya Rarity it's nice to be able to spend this Christmas with ya all again!” Applejack struggled to smile, which was strange because Sunset could tell her words were sincere. “Yes, I think so too, it's just a shame that it had to come to this.” Flutetrshy's voice sounded tearful and her head was mostly covered by her hair. “Yes, I thought our first Christmas together would be a really nice party, but somehow even I don't really feel like celebrating,” said Pinkie. Sunset was confused Pinkie always wanted to party and was hardly ever depressed. What kind of future was the ghost showing her? “Ah know, sugarcube. Ah wasn't sure if Ah should invite everyone either, but Ah think Twilight and Scootaloo would have wanted mah to.” Applejack put an arm on Pinkie's shoulder. “Yes,” Rarity began, ”I think it's best to honor her with our joy. It just takes so much out of me how hard Rainbow has been hit today. She hasn't come to the party yet either, I think we should pay her a visit. What do you think?” Rarity suggested. “Oh yes, a surprise party for Rainbow!” said Pinkie happily. “Ah don't think it will help Rainbow much, we were with her earlier and she wanted to be alone. Ah think we should respect that!” argued Applejack. “Poor thing, I can't even imagine how sad she is.” Fluttershy buried her face in her hands and started to cry. All the girls gathered around Fluttershy and gave her a huge hug. Sunset wondered what had happened, but the ghost next to her was silent and just pointed at the scenery in front of them as Sunset turned around. “Thank you!” Fluttershy wiped the tears from her face, “Tell me”... she began hesitantly, ”Have any of you heard from Sunset again?” Sunset listened, now it was getting interesting. The expressions of the remaining three girls were a mixture of anger, worry and shock. “Not since we beat her on the night of the Fall Formal,” Rarity was the first to answer. “No wonder, after what happened, Ah would have run away forever and ever. It was bad enough that she wanted to enslave the whole school, but what happened to Scootaloo after that.” Applejack was literally boiling with rage on the verge of tears, ”It's better for her that we didn't see her again! God knows what Rainbow Dash would have done to her too!” The girls nodded in agreement, only Fluttershy looked mostly worried. “I know what Sunset has done is unforgivable, but somehow I'm still worried.” “Just don't think about it! Sunset can't be helped anymore. I just hope that wherever she is, she doesn't cause any more trouble!” declared Pinkie. “We should have nailed her on the spot or put her in Princess Twilight's custody. It's no good having her on the loose!” Applejack said angrily. Sunset was confused about all that had been said. The four girls were supposed to have defeated her? And who was this Princess Twilight, Celestia's new pupil? Had Sunset's plan to return to Equestria succeeded? But how on earth had they been able to stop her? And what had happened to Scootaloo and Rainbow? And what for heaven’s sake could she have done that even Pinkie Pie no longer cared about her? Sunset's mind was racing and she could already imagine how angry everyone would be if her plan had really been successful. But there was no way they could have stopped her then. “Tell me ghost, what happened to Scootaloo?” Sunset suddenly turned to the spirit. She had the feeling it would be most willing to show her that fate. Even though Sunset was afraid of the sight. The room darkened and as it slowly began to clear again, fog spread out in front of them. It took a while for Sunset to see where they were. It was the local cemetery. No! Sunset thought to herself, it couldn't be. The cemetery was deserted except for a group of people in the distance. Four of them were standing around one of them, who was kneeling on the ground with her hands in her head. In front of them was a single gravestone under a bare tree. As they got closer, Sunset realized that it was Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, and the person on its knees was Rainbow. Everyone seemed very depressed and Sunset had never seen Rainbow so upset and full of grief. She knew what that meant, but she couldn't bring herself to want it to be true. “Tell me, ghost, is what I see here what will happen or what could be?” Sunset wanted to know. But the ghost remained silent and pointed his finger at the group. “I miss you so much!” she heard Rainbow's whimper. “Why did it have to be you? I should have been much more decisive. It's all my fault.” The girls tried to placate Rainbow, but she batted each of their advice and hands away. “I love you with all my heart and I will try to be happy at Christmas for you. Even if I don't know how yet.” Rainbow promised. She wiped the tears from her face and sang a song that Sunset recognized as the one she had sung with Scootaloo. Fear and certainty rose up in Sunset. Rainbow was finally helped up by her friends and they left. The ghost pointed steadfastly at the gravestone. “I have understood! But tell me, can I change anything about this future?” Sunset tried to negotiate with the spirit. But it left her no choice Sunset had to face the truth and read the inscription on the grave. With wobbly knees, she stepped closer to the grave. It was a beautiful gravestone, full of flowers. Slowly, she read the inscription. “Here lies Scootaloo, a cheerful soul, good friend and great little sister” At the last words Sunset broke down in tears. “Why?!” she screamed, ”Why are you showing me all this? When I can't change it!” No answer came from the spirit. Full of rage and despair, she turned to him on her knees. “Please tell me if her fate can still be averted if I change!” pleaded Sunset. The ghost remained motionless. “Why don't you talk to me, am I really already lost? What's the point of all this? Is this what awaits me?” asked Sunset desperately. At these words, it had become dark around them again and an icy wind was now constantly blowing through her bones. A loud creaking could be heard and they were in an abandoned house. No light was on, no window pane was whole and only the moon provided some light. Sunset was afraid, but the ghost only pointed away from her again and Sunset followed his gaze. There was a huddled figure in the corner, hands wrapped around its knees, leaning against the corner. Sunset knew who it was. She turned back to the spirit. “I can change!” she implored. But the ghost pointed forwards. Sunset didn't move and so the room came closer and with it the figure in the corner. “If not for me, then at least for Scootaloo!” pleaded Sunset. The corner came closer and closer and she now looked her lifeless self in the eye. Her body was covered in frost and the life was gone from her eyes. She now looked as lifeless as her heart had probably always been. Sunset clung to the shadows of the ghost. “Please Scootaloo doesn't deserve this! She's not like me! Don't make her pay for the mistakes I've made!” Sunset appealed. Terrified, Sunset saw the frost settle on her fingers and feet and begin to fight its way down her body. “I can change Ghost, I can change! You haven't given me your advice yet!” Sunset interjected in desperation, but the cold continued to spread. “I want to honor the past and learn from it, live in the present and think about the future! I don't want to be the pony I was. Please spirit give me a second chance! Let me change Scootaloos and my destiny I beg you! It mustn't be too late!” Tears streamed down Sunset's face. The rest of her body was already frozen. With her last breath, Sunset breathed. “I'm sorry Scootaloo!” Author's Note We are near the end. Thanks for everyone who stayed tuned and enjoyed the story so far! A New DawnDarkness, nothing but darkness and cold. Sunset shivered all over when she suddenly woke up and screamed at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face. It took her a moment to realize that she was in the boiler room, with only an icy breeze blowing through. She hadn't really been wrapped up in her masses of blankets. Sunset clutched her face in disbelief. “I'm alive!” she exclaimed overjoyed, ”I'm alive!” Sunset jumped up and danced with happiness. Then she breathed out in relief, what a terrible dream. The thought had only just occurred to her, but her body froze instantly. No, it wasn't a dream, she told herself. And even if it had been, she hadn't been given a second chance to throw it away! Sunset hastily reached out for her cell phone, what day was it today? A status message from her news feed was emblazoned on her cell phone. “Happy Christmas Day” Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, it was indeed not too late to make things right again. Sunset hesitated for a moment, was she really willing to do what was suddenly unloading in her head? The screen of her cell phone went off and Sunset looked at the reflection of her face. Was this the pony she wanted to be? She remembered her vow from a few minutes ago ‘I want to honor the past and learn from it, live in the present and think about the future! I don't want to be the pony I was. Please spirit give me a second chance! Let me change Scootaloos and my destiny I beg you! It must not be too late!’ Even if Sunset could claim it was a desperate attempt to get out of her predicament, she still felt the power in those words and how much she had meant them. Sunset may be many things, but she was true to her word and deep in her heart she knew that what the spirits had shown her was true. But that meant parting with what meant the most to her in the world and that was power, she had sacrificed everything for it, giving it all up meant having nothing. Scootaloo's gravestone and her cheerful song came to her mind. No, that wasn't true, at least she would still be able to be happy. A sudden pain stabbed in Sunset's chest, her heart pressed hard against her ribs and beat uncontrollably. She suddenly felt warm and a smile formed on her face. A feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time, and certainly not with this intensity, built up inside her at the thought of Scootaloo. That was all she needed. Sunset looked into the reflection of her cell phone screen again, the smile and softened features suddenly making her seem like a completely different person. Sunset now knew what she had to do! And her grin grew from second to second. The very first thing Sunset did was grab her laptop and look up the number of a good restaurant nearby. She would have to give up everything she had for it, but it was worth it! Once that was done, Sunset pulled out a locked box from the far corner of the room. Sunset's heart paused for a moment, this was what Sunset had been most afraid of, it was her first real test of whether she was true to her word. What she did now, she did in the knowledge that she could not yet say whether it had all been a dream. As soon as she visited Rainbow's apartment, she would find out whether she really lived there and whether Scootaloo was an orphan. But that shouldn't matter to Sunset! At the bottom of the box, Sunset pulled out an old book adorned with a flaming sun, her cutie mark. She had taken this book with her from Equestria. It was magical and allowed her to communicate with the counterpart that belonged to Celestia. She had taken it with her to see if Celestia would contact her, but she never had. Doubts rose in Sunset's mind, why had she never contacted her if she was so sad? ‘Never mind!’ Sunset's inner voice shouted. She couldn't give a damn what others thought, especially not with what else was going on today. It was important what Sunset thought and what she did, and she was sorry for the way she had behaved towards Celestia. No matter whether she still had a spark of love left for Sunset or not. Sunset took a deep breath and exhaled again, and as soon as she put pen to paper, the words just flowed out of her. And with every word she wrote, she felt her soul lighten and a heavy shadow that she had been carrying around with her all these years lifted. "Dear Princess Celestia, I don't know whether you still have this book close to you or not. And whether I still have a place in your heart. I certainly don't deserve it for how ungrateful and spoiled I've been after everything you've done for me. I'm fine where I am now, but I haven't really changed - on the contrary, I've been a terrible pony. If you had seen me like that, you would have been terribly disappointed in me. But I don't want to be like that anymore! I want to change! I want to honor my past and learn from it, live in the present and think about the future and become the pony that I always wanted to be and that you always saw in me. And I'll start with you. I'm so terribly sorry that I broke my promise to you and made you unhappy. For what it's worth, I want to stick to my word from now on! I would also like to thank you for everything you have done for me. You saw something in me that I couldn't see in myself until now. I will probably never be able to repay you, especially not after the way I behaved. But I will not only honor you in my past, but I will always carry you with me and that you will be a part of my future again! I love you with all my heart Celestia, even if I could never really show it to you. I'm sorry that I can't be with you again this Hearth Warming Eve. But rest assured that I will give all my love and generosity to the people of this world. I wish you a wonderful Hearth Warming Eve! With love your Sunset Shimmer!" It was a strange feeling that ran through Sunset after she had written the last point. She felt incredibly liberated and light, but then suddenly there was a part of her that felt uncomfortable having written those lines. She felt so naked and helpless all at once and with that feeling came fear and regret. The scene around Scootaloo's grave suddenly flashed before her eyes and how she had been rejoicing with Rainbow Dash just a few minutes before. Any doubt Sunset had felt a moment ago was suddenly swept away. She was better than that and she was stronger than her fear! If there was one thing Sunset would not allow to be taken away from her, it was her will! She still had some time before she could go and pick up the festive meal. She thought about what she could bring as presents, not that she had much to choose from. But after pondering for a while, she thought she had found things that everyone would be happy about and that undoubtedly came from Sunset's heart. She looked in the basement of the school for something that looked like a large sack and something similar to wrapping paper with which she could wrap and transport Rainbow's present. Scootaloo's present, on the other hand, would remain unwrapped. In a good mood, as Sunset could never have imagined, she left her boiler room early in the morning and skipped happily through the streets, whistling Rainbow and Scootaloo's song and singing softly here and there. Like yesterday, there weren't many figures to be seen, but whoever she saw she greeted with all her heart and wished them a Merry Christmas. The strange thing was that Sunset was genuinely happy and meant it. It wasn't just an act of kindness to make others feel good, no, it gave Sunset herself pleasure to stroll through the streets so cheerfully. She finally arrived at the restaurant, which had fortunately accepted her more than last-minute order. The price was quite impressive and drove Sunset into bankruptcy, but it was worth it! “Merry Christmas!” Sunset announced as she entered the store and although stressed faces met her at first, not a bad word came from the staff; on the contrary, they seemed to be infected by Sunset's good mood. “In a pretty good mood for almost missing your Christmas dinner,” grinned the man who welcomed her at the counter. “How could I not be happy when I meet my rescuers in distress?” Sunset grinned ear to ear in a way she hadn't thought possible. “Hahaha, it's rare to be in such a good mood so early on Christmas morning,” laughed the man. “That's a shame, everyone should be in a good mood at Christmas!” Sunset's voice sounded surprised, partly because she was supposed to be the last person to be surprised. After all, she had been the personification of the bad Christmas mood just a few hours ago. “Well, all the worse if you have to work instead of celebrating,” sighed the employee. For some reason, Sunset felt the urge to put a smile on the man's face. “It may be little consolation, but I think it's great what you're doing here. You are the givers of so many meals on this most wonderful of days and put smiles on more people's faces than I ever could. So I for one am very grateful that you've helped me out today and I'm going to raise a glass to you!”, Sunset announced happily, before grabbing the back of her head in embarrassment, ”That reminds me, I don't even know your name yet and I don't know the names of your colleagues I could raise a glass to.” The man in front of her laughed heartily: “You really are a funny young lady. My name is Coriander Cumin. I'd be happy to introduce you to the others too, they could do with a smile.” After a short time, three people emerged from the kitchen with large boxes and trays. A grin played around Sunset's face, she knew what she had ordered but the sheer quantity delighted her. One by one they introduced themselves to her, Daisy, Lily and Rose were their names, followed by the chefs Saffron Masala, Salsa Granada and Tonic Tapas. None of them could help but smile at the sight of the beaming teenager. “Tell me Sunset,” Lily finally began, ”weren't we supposed to deliver your order? Then why did you come here?” Sunset looked a little embarrassed: “Well, the food isn't going to my house, I'm kind of on my way too and thought you might be able to take me with you.” The three girls, not much older than herself, looked at each other puzzled, but finally nodded. “Sure, why not,” Daisy finally said. Sunset now looked even more embarrassed: “There's one more thing,” she began hesitantly, “Would it be possible if I rang the doorbell first and you waited a few minutes before I signaled you to follow me with a whistle?” Sunset put on the most begging look she knew and had always used with the teachers when she wanted to appear sweet and innocent. But this time it felt different and she could see from the looks on the three girls' faces that they couldn't refuse Sunset's request. “Sure, as long as it doesn't take too long,” Rose began, as Sunset fell into her arms and started dancing with joy. “Oh, thank you! Thank you!” exclaimed Sunset, ”I just wish I could do something for you too!” They all waved them off. “Oh, it's Christmas!” Lily finally said. “Right, right,” Sunset murmured, ”It may not be much, but I'll be happy to sing you a little Christmas serenade.” The looks on the others' faces spoke volumes that they were very uncomfortable, but Sunset had already started. And although she felt embarrassed at the thought of being like Pinkie Pie, she didn't care at all. She sang the song that Rainbow and Scootaloo had sung when they had started their walk. It only took a few seconds for her audience to listen spellbound. Sunset knew she had a beautiful voice and could sing, but she sensed something was different. When she had finished, everyone applauded and thanked her, beaming with joy. Then they began to load the things into the car while Sunset took out her money. A whole lot of small bills, as it was when the main source of income had been her classmates' lunch money. “I'm sorry I only have it this small. This should be the price for my order. And this is for you and all your nice colleagues!” Sunset placed two large bundles of money on the counter, whereupon Coriander began to smile. “That's really very generous of you, but I see you've scraped together your savings here, I can't accept your tip!” he finally said. Sunset, however, pushed the extra bundle over again: “But I insist it's the least I can do for you for helping me out today and I want to express my gratitude for your work financially as much as I can today!” Besides Sunset's joy, there was also a little pride in her voice this time. She had just given someone more money than they had asked for and the crazy thing was that it somehow felt good. She wondered if that feeling would remain if she was left penniless tomorrow? Oh Sunset didn't care, her heart rejoiced and her soul laughed like she had never known before. She wanted to keep this feeling in her heart! So she got into the van with the three girls and let herself be driven to Rainbow's apartment. On the way, they sang a few Christmas carols, Sunset asked about their plans and the girls asked her what her plans were, to which Sunset grinned mischievously and explained that she had something to make up for and that it was going to be a very special surprise. When the car stopped in front of the dilapidated house, the girls looked on in amazement. Sunset instructed them to take their things with them and wait under the stairs until she gave the signal. Then Sunset got out and entered the house, where she knew the front door would not be locked. It was exactly the same as last night, if Sunset had needed any more proof she was now almost certain that it hadn't been a dream, which made things a little easier for her now that it was almost time. Well, almost, because Sunset had to control herself not to laugh as soon as she saw Rainbow Dash. Sunset rubbed her hands and face briefly, put her bag out of sight next to the door and then put on her unfriendly face. Full of tension, she pressed the bell. “I'll get it!” she heard Rainbow Dash's voice from behind the door. Rainbow Dash opened it in the best Christmas mood, but as soon as she saw Sunset, that changed. “What are you doing here?” Rainbow asked, visibly shocked, and Sunset thought she could hear some fear in her voice. “Hello Rainbow Crash!”, Sunset mocked in her most disgusting tone and with a sardonic grin like she had so often put on at school, “I wanted to pay my favorite looser from school a little visit at Christmas to let her know something.”, Sunset's eyes twinkled mischievously at Rainbow. The light blue complexion of her skin was already beginning to flush with anger. “Oh save it Sunset! You...” Rainbow's words must have gotten stuck in her throat because of her inner rage. This was Sunset's chance! “I'm sorry Rainbow Dash!” as soon as the words had left Sunset's lips, Rainbow's anger gave way to confusion at what she had just heard. “I'm sorry for the way I've behaved towards you all these years. There's no excuse for that! But that's over from today!” Sunset swore with deep remorse in her voice. “But that's not the only reason I came here today, I also want to give you a little Christmas present from me.” Sunset pulled a poorly wrapped guitar out of the bag she had brought with her and pressed it into Rainbow's hand, who was still standing there speechless. “Is that some kind of perfidious trick?” Rainbow asked, puzzled. “I promise you it's not!” Sunset assured her. Then she spotted that Scootaloo had approached the door like a shy deer. Torn between fear and curiosity, she looked at the scene at the door further back. “I have something for you too, Scootaloo.” Sunset bent down a little to be at eye level with her and smiled warmly at her. That was enough to make the little girl come closer. “It's not packaged, but it is my most precious possession in this world.” There was no doubt that the words from Sunset's mouth came from the heart, she took off her jacket and gave it to Scootaloo, ”This jacket has given me the confidence and courage to defy all odds and pursue my goals with determination, even if I haven't used it for good. It may still be a little too big for you, but trust me, it looks 20% cooler on you that way.” Sunset thought she recognized a fleeting grin on Rainbow's face out of the corner of her eye. Scootaloo held the jacket in her hand, both fascinated and puzzled by her gift. “I hope it will serve you well,” Sunset smiled and a feeling rose up inside her that she had never known before. A pleasant throbbing and tingling in her chest that warmed her from the inside and filled her whole being with happiness. And when she thought this feeling couldn't get any better, Scootaloo fell into her arms and said: “Thank you Sunset!” And Sunset returned the hug. Her breathing became heavier and her eyes became moist. Never in her life could she have imagined that it was the most wonderful feeling in the world to give a gift from the heart and make another person happy. When Scootaloo had detached herself from her, Sunset continued, first turning to Scootaloo, then back to Rainbow: “But that's not all!” “Oh no?” Rainbow furrowed her brow, while Scootaloo looked on curiously, wondering what surprise awaited her. Sunset put her fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle. Then they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. One, two, three people carrying large boxes and trays and waiting outside the door to be let in. “I would like to be the giver of your Christmas dinner today!” exclaimed Sunset happily! At that moment, Rainbow's parents came to the door. “Rainbow, what's going on here?” Rainbow's mother asked. “This...” Rainbow began, stammering, ”is my friend Sunset. She brought us presents and apparently a whole feast too.” Rainbow's mother also seemed very overwhelmed by the situation, so Sunset took the stage. “Mrs. Dash I'm sorry if I'm a little too pushy. I just wanted to make Rainbow and Scootaloo happy with the food. I hope I don't upset their plans and they accept the food. It would be a shame if it didn't get away.” “Well, it smells really delicious and it certainly wasn't cheap either. Rainbow is lucky to have a friend like you.” Sunset became very embarrassed: “I hope she will one day, but at the moment I'm happy if I just don't cause any problems for your daughter. I wish you a Merry Christmas and enjoy your meal!” Sunset bowed and was then ready to leave. “Wait!” Rainbow seemed surprised herself that she had said that. Struggling with herself, she added, “Don't you want to eat with us?” “No, the food is for you and your family. The last thing I want to do is impose, but I appreciate the polite gesture.” Sunset smiled and was about to disengage when Rainbow persuaded her to turn around again. “Oh fiddlesticks, you donated the food we insist you stay!” This time the words had come out of Rainbow's mouth confidently, even though her face was still struggling with all the impressions and feelings. “Are you sure about that Rainbow?” Sunset asked. “Yes, it's Christmas and you've given Scootaloo a really cool present. I'd really like you to eat with us!” Rainbow assured her. There was that feeling in Sunset's chest again and tears in her eyes. With that, Sunset entered the Dashs' apartment, the trays and boxes were brought in and uncovered and set down in the kitchen by the people. Everything Sunset had asked for was there. A huge goose, dumplings, green and red cabbage, gravy, freshly baked bread, fruit, pudding, pancakes, soup. And everything smelled so incredibly good. Everyone's eyes almost popped out of their heads at the sight. It all made Sunset very uncomfortable and she tried as hard as she could to avoid the stares whenever she felt like someone would have to thank her directly. Sunset didn't even notice it that much herself, but Rainbow couldn't help but notice that Sunset, almost more than all of them, was literally pouncing on the food as if she didn't have much to eat herself. Sunset, however, enjoyed not only the food but also simply being allowed to sit at the table and enjoy the company. Her greatest pleasure was watching Scootaloo out of the corner of her eye as she enjoyed the food and made contented noises. You would have thought, the way they were sitting there at the table, joking and enjoying each other, that Rainbow and Sunset really were friends. For a short while, Sunset had actually forgotten how she had behaved towards Rainbow for the last few weeks alone. Late in the afternoon, Sunset said goodbye to the Dash's and wished the whole family a Merry Christmas. She then made her way to Pinkie Pie to offer to help her prepare for the party. Oh how Sunset was looking forward to seeing Pinkie's face when she stood in front of the door. She was even looking forward to the hug that would inevitably come and deflate her. The whole way, Sunset just couldn't stop smiling. She came to the address Rainbow had given her. Pinkie's house looked quite normal, perhaps even a little boring. So gray and lifeless, even in front of the house there was a rock garden with very little greenery. Somehow Sunset had always imagined it to be very different. Trying to hide her anticipation, Sunset pulled herself together with all her might and rang the doorbell. She could already feel a broad grin forming on her face, there was no way she could get out more than a simple “Hey” with a serious expression. To Sunset's surprise and happiness, however, it wasn't Pinkie Pie who opened the door for her, but a slightly older girl who looked like the opposite of Pinkie. Gray and drab, even though she was wearing a brightly flashing necklace that Pinkie must have given her. Before Sunset could say anything in her astonishment, the girl began to speak: “You're probably here for Pinkie's party. I'm afraid you're a bit early.” Her voice sounded monotonously bored, but at the same time reassuringly deliberate and slow as she spoke. It was like a car accident Sunset didn't want to watch, but she couldn't look away either. She was at a loss for words for a few seconds when Pinkie's quick voice rang out from the back of the house: “Hey Maud, who is it? Is it a surprise? Is it...” Pinkie stepped into the light of the doorway and her face became the biggest eyes and formed the widest grin Sunset had ever seen on another person, let alone another living being. Sunset knew Pinkie was about to explode with joy, she just couldn't help it. “Hey.” Sunset greeted her and a smile inevitably formed on her face. “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” Pinkie screamed excitedly with sheer joy. Not a second later, Pinkie had her in a tight hug and whirled her through the air. Sunset couldn't help but rejoice and laugh from the bottom of her heart. “I knew you were coming! I just knew it!” Pinkie announced and cuddled Sunset after the fussing had stopped. Sunset grabbed the back of her head, still smiling. “I'm truly sorry Pinkie for the way I've behaved towards you over the last few years. I know I have a lot to make up for.” Sunset now looked deep into Pinkie's eyes, who was on the verge of spinning her around again. There was that unfamiliar warm feeling in her chest again, so intense and strong. “Thank you for believing in me Pinkie.” Sunset's voice was shaky, she had only now realized how much it moved her that Pinkie was happy to see her and how much it meant to her that at least one person had seen the good in her. “You can't imagine how much it means to me that you're happy to see me. You really are something very special, Pinkie Pie.” Sunset's eyes filled with tears, although she was still smiling at the same time. “Aaaaaawwwwww!” Pinkie's voice rang out and she rushed out to hug Sunset again. But unlike what Sunset was used to from Pinkie, her hug was tender and reassuring. “I'd better leave you two alone for once,” Maud's voice sounded in the doorway without even a hint of emotion. “I have to thank you Sunset for coming silly. It's going to be the best Christmas party ever with you. And you can't imagine how much that means to me,” Pinkie told her, clearly moved by Sunset's previous words. “Thank you Pinkie,” Sunset replied, wiping the tears from her face. “I came so early to offer you my help with the preparations and so that I wouldn't be the center of attention later or break up the mood at the party. I can imagine it would have been quite a shock for everyone if I had suddenly turned up.” Sunset laughed sheepishly and Pinkie laughed with her. “Oh this is going to be great Sunset! Would you like a cupcake first?” Pinkie blathered on, but she didn't even wait for Sunset's answer and carried on talking, ”Of course you want a cupcake stupid question, especially as it's a Christmas cupcake. Who doesn't love a Christmas cupcake - they're the two best things ever. Christmas and cupcakes. Oh! Oh! Oh! You have to try our hot chocolate too! You wonder...” it went on like this for quite a while. Yesterday Sunset would have loved to strangle Pinkie, but now her voice was the most beautiful melody of all. Nicholas had been right Pinkie was a great embodiment of the spirit of Christmas, Sunset could learn a lot from her. Pinkie had not understated her Christmas cupcake and hot chocolate were truly unique. Not once had Pinkie made a face when Sunset was there or made her feel unwanted, quite the opposite! They even had a lot of fun together while they made the final preparations for the party. Inwardly, Sunset began to hope that she and Pinkie might become friends, even if the spirit of Christmas had died in people's hearts. And after Sunset had given Pinkie her Christmas present. It would definitely be phenomenal, only she was sure she wouldn't come off too well herself. And yet Sunset was really looking forward to giving it to Pinkie later. If anyone deserved it, it was her! In the middle of her preparations, Sunset saw the emblem on her journal light up. Her heart slipped into her pants and stopped beating for a few seconds. Celestia had received her message and replied. Sunset reached for the journal and hesitated. What if Celestia's reply wasn't what she had hoped for? What if Sunset had ruined everything. “Oh what have you got there Sunset?” asked Pinkie, who had suddenly appeared behind her. “An old book that means a lot to me and contains a message from someone who was once very important to me. I haven't read it yet, though,” Sunset admitted. “Oh, and why not?” Pinkie wanted to know. “I'm scared,” Sunset replied. “Hey, whatever it says, I bet it's nothing you can't fix if you want to,” Pinkie assured her. “Oh Pinkie.” Sunset hugged her and opened the book before her courage could fail her. "Sunset I can't believe it! I have wished so many times that you would contact me and tell me that you are okay. I'm so sorry that I couldn't be a better teacher for you. Hearing from you and knowing that you are doing well is the best Hearth Warming gift of all! I am also so incredibly proud of you that, despite everything, you found your way back to me all by yourself! Whatever terrible things you have done, I am sure that you will find a way to make it up to them! You are the most determined and stubborn pony I have ever met. If you set your mind to something, you will succeed. I love you too Sunset and I want you to be a part of my life again! You are always welcome in Equestria! With love, your Celestia!" A few tears rolled from Sunset's eyes. That was the best Hearth Warming present of all, yes it was, Sunset thought to herself. She briefly apologized to Pinkie so that she could compose a reply in peace. "Thank you, that means a lot to me! I think I've finally understood what the spirit of Hearth Warming Eve is all about and I want to carry it with me all year round! You don't need to apologize for anything. You were a great teacher and I was just too blind and arrogant to realize it. But from now on, I want to appreciate your advice and ask for it! I will tell you in detail about my first day as a new pony later. Thank you for letting me back into your life!" Afterwards, Sunset put the book away safely and promised to ignore it until tomorrow and turn all her attention to Pinkie and the evening. When they had finished getting ready, Sunset was more than surprised when Pinkie asked her if she wanted to greet their guests together. In the past, Sunset would have felt like a trophy on display, but now she was simply happy about the kind gesture. No matter how hostile, frightened, surprised, amused or insecure people were when they met her, Sunset was happy and smiled at every single visitor and greeted them in the warmest possible way. Sunset had liked Applejack's reaction the most, her jaw had almost dropped to the floor, even more so when Sunset had wished her ‘Merry Christmas!’ and hugged her. Sunset could literally feel Pinkie's gaze saying, ‘I was right! Have fun cleaning out the pigsty!‘. When Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo arrived, Sunset had to restrain herself from hugging Scootaloo tightly and twirling her through the air like Pinkie had done to her. She was indeed wearing Sunset's old jacket and a smile formed on her face at the sight of Sunset. “Merry Christmas!” Sunset announced, taking the two of them in her arms and waving them in. Rainbow didn't say anything, but her expression was all Sunset needed, the small smile and the incredulous shake of her head, as if this was all still a dream that Rainbow could wake up from at any time, but enjoyed while it lasted. “Cool jacket!” Pinkie complimented Scootaloo, who blushed a little. Sunset gave her a little wink and thought to herself ‘Told you so!’. More and more guests arrived, so that Pinkie's house was packed, they had emptied out the entire living room so that it served as a huge dance floor, with a DJ console and a small stage right at the front. Sunset sipped the apple cider punch with relish; she hadn't been able to admit it before, but the Apples knew what they were doing. Especially in this Christmas version with the cinnamon flavor, it was simply delicious. Sunset had suggested adding a little rum to one of the bowls, but obviously Pinkie didn't have that available. Too bad, though, Sunset thought to herself as she pulled out her flask and poured some into it. The evening went pretty well despite Sunset's past, there were no arguments because of her and the people she talked to were at best very irritated by her good humor and apologies, with some she could even have a halfway normal conversation. But right now, Sunset just let her gaze wander and was happy. Until her eyes caught a very special scene. Scootaloo was stomping energetically towards four girls her age, two of whom Sunset identified as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, Applejack and Rarity's siblings, who were obviously being bullied by two of their classmates Sunset didn't know. “Hey!” Scootaloo shouted firmly as she came stomping up, ”Leave those two alone Tiara!” Tiara turned around angrily, her anger giving way to a mocking smile that Sunset knew all too well, “Oh well, if it isn't the retarded Scootaloo. Cool jacket, is that your mommy's?” Her friend started to laugh spitefully. Scootaloo didn't make a face, but stood up to the two girls' stares. “Let's see how hard you laugh when that retard kicks your ass!” Scootaloo's voice left no doubt about her seriousness. “How do you talk to...” the other girl began, but she didn't get very far. “Hey, hey, hey, you shut the fuck up!” Scootaloo yelled at her pointing her finger at her, ”If I want to see you talk I'll shove my arm up your ass and use you as a hand puppet! Do you get it?! Do you get it?!” Tiara and her friend suddenly had a worried look on their faces. “Wow Silver Spoon better let us get out of here, you seem to have burned out one too many chromosomes,” Tiara finally said and made a quick getaway. Scootaloo scowled at the two before Apple Bloom began to speak sheepishly: “Thank you for defending us from those two.” “Yes, that was really cool of you!” Sweetie Belle agreed with her. Scootaloo's anger and excitement faded and she turned a little red in the face with embarrassment. “Oh, that was nothing!” Scootaloo wiped sheepishly through her hair. “That's a cool jacket you've got there,” Sweetie Belle noted. “Do you think so?” asked Scotaloo a little excitedly. “Yes, definitely! And I know a thing or two about fashion. My sister Rarity is obsessed with it,” Sweetie Belle announced proudly, while Apple Bloom started to giggle. “I'm Apple Bloom, by the way,” she finally said and held out her hand to Scootaloo. Scootaloo grabbed it hesitantly but was then pleased: “My name is Scootaloo.” “And I'm Sweetie Belle,” Sweetie finally added. “Would you like to be our friend?” Apple Bloom looked at her expectantly. “Yes, I'd love to!” Scootaloo's mouth was filled with joy at lightning speed and the two other girls were already rejoicing before Scootaloo's face darkened a little, ”But you should know that I live in a youth center and my leg is broken.” Scootaloo's head sank at the thought of losing her two friends again. “Oh, that's terrible!” said Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle agreed. “But what does that have to do with whether we want to be friends?” Apple Bloom wanted to know. Scootaloo slowly raised her head as she began to process what had been said. “I...” she looked at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's happy faces, “I don't know either!”, she finally said and started to smile. “Hey, maybe we should get a punch and then hit the dance floor?” Scootaloo asked expectantly. “Oh yes!” cried Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and the three girls walked off. A solitary tear trickled down Sunset's face when she saw Scootaloo's smile. Well done, Sunset praised her and herself. “Heeeey!” Pinkie Pie's shrill tone suddenly sounded next to her and Sunset was startled. “Whoa Pinkie you scared me to death,” Sunset laughed heartily. “And are you having a good time?” asked Pinkie. “And how! This is a great party Pinkie!” Sunset praised her, ”Thanks again for having me here and for letting me help welcome the guests!” “Don't you want to come and dance with us?” Pinkie asked expectantly. Sunset actually wanted to say yes, but she knew she still had to give Pinkie her present and the later it got, the more difficult it would be. Well, the party had to end for Sunset at some point. “No thanks Pinkie, to be honest I think it's time for my present now. I'm sorry to have to interrupt the music for a moment,” said Sunset. Pinkie looked at her, confused, while Sunset made her way to the DJ booth and whispered something in Vynil Scratch's ear. She then handed her the microphone and turned the music down. “Excuse me!” Sunset cleared her throat and all eyes were suddenly on her, ”I'm sorry to have to interrupt your party for a moment. I've done this often enough to make myself the center of attention, but this time it's necessary to present my Christmas gift to the hostess of this party.” Sunset paused briefly, weighing her words, “To be precise, it's not just a gift for her and it's not really a gift, but something I want to give back, something I took away from the following people a long time ago and only realized far too late how precious it actually was.”, Sunset began to call out the names one by one, ”Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Rarity. Applejack. And Rainbow Dash. You used to be the best of friends and the only reason you're not anymore is because of me. Every fight you had, every misunderstanding and every mean thing you thought came from one of your friends actually came from me. I wanted to separate you so that you could stay out of my way together, but that was cruel and wrong of me. I'm so sorry for what I did to you and I hope you can forgive each other and pick up where you left off,” Sunset had to control her voice, so much did her past behavior hurt her now. The looks on the crowd's faces showed her that everyone was shocked by what she had said. And the looks she could catch from the girls in the crowd were a mixture of shock, anger and disbelief. “I think I'll go now. Merry Christmas and I hope I haven't ruined the party!” Sunset concluded dejectedly, handing the microphone back to Vynil Scratch. She left the stage and made her way out, which was generously cleared for her. No one spoke to her and it was dead silent until the music slowly started up again and people began to dance. “Hey you boss bitch!”, Rainbow's angry voice suddenly rang out behind her, ”What do you think you're doing here?” Sunset turned around hurt, she deserved that! “Rainbow, I ... I'm sorry!” was all Sunset could say, deeply depressed. “Yes, it should be!”, Rainbow's eyes narrowed in anger, ”You thought you could just get out of here without showing me your dance moves first!” Sunset had expected the worst, and when it failed to materialize and Rainbow's expression and tone suddenly lifted, she slipped out a simple, “What?” “You must be scared Shimmer!” Rainbow teased. A smile formed on Sunset's face, “You really mean it.” Sunset wiped her face and put on her bitchy voice, “Dream on Dash! I just wanted to spare you the embarrassment.” Then Sunset moved past Rainbow onto the dance floor and began to dance. Not to mention that what Sunset showed there was beyond good and evil and wouldn't have stood up in any dance competition, but she didn't care. Rainbow danced with her and had obviously forgiven her, or at least did for the day. Sunset wasn't going to complain and took what she could get. She was allowed to linger here for a few more wonderful minutes and be happy. Yes, Sunset had changed that day! And Sunset was better than her word. She did everything she promised and more, and to Scootaloo, who didn't die, she became like a sister. She became as good a friend, as good a student, and as good a person as the good old town or any good old town or community in any world knew. Some people laughed when they saw the change in her, but she let them laugh and hardly heeded them, for she was wise enough to know that nothing good happens on this globe that some people do not laugh at first; her own heart laughed and that was quite enough for her. And since that day, it was said that there had never been a pony who carried Christmas more in her heart than Sunset. Scootaloo had broken away from her new friends and run towards Sunset, who this time couldn't resist taking her on her shoulders while dancing. From up there, Scootaloo called out over the crowd, beaming with joy: “God bless us, all of us!” Author's Note Thanks for everyone who stayed 'till the end! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! Even if the Christmas Carol ends here I plan to continue the story as I found it interesting to see how things unfold if Sunset managed to change herself and has to win the people over. So if you are interested too I'd love it if you followed me.
An Unpleasant VisitorSunset Shimmer was dead, dead boring. It was the last day of school before the Christmas holidays and, as luck would have it, the day before Christmas Eve. At this time of year, everyone was happier than usual, just like back in Equestria right before Hearth Warming Eve. Sunset could only roll her eyes at all the merriment. She had the school completely under her control at this time too, but somehow it didn't feel quite as satisfying to rise above her classmates. She always got what she wanted, but unlike usual, her victims were most of the time cheerful afterwards and her intimidation didn't have the long-term effect she intended. All the power she possessed in this world came from the fact that people were afraid of her, no one should even think of messing with her. But at this time of year, some confused souls even threw a 'Merry Christmas' at her and there was little she could do about it. If the two weeks over Christmas and New Year hadn't been school holidays, the whole thing might have been different, but as it was, the rank and file slipped away from her on Christmas Eve at the latest. Well, she would use the time to rigorously plan the new year so that everyone knew their place straight away, just like in all the years before. A diabolical grin flitted across her face at the thought. Have fun while you still can, Sunset thought to herself. The lessons in the week before Christmas always went the same way, not at all. The teachers, like the pupils, seemed to be in a good mood, so it didn't help to throw a little oil on the fire. It was just lunchtime when Sunset approached one of her victims to take his lunch money. It was actually just routine, but this time the boy was a little coy. “B ... but Sun ... Sunset ... it's Christmas after all. Can't ... can't I keep my lunch money th... this one time?” the boy stammered to himself. An irrepressible rage rose up in Sunset. “Oh right, it's Christmas, that must have slipped my mind,” Sunset mocked the poor boy, whose eyes were slowly coming to the realization that he should have just kept his mouth shut, "I think it's really very nice of you to offer me not only your lunch money, but also your glasses." Sunset's mouth turned up into a smug grin. “M ... my glasses?” he asked. “Yes, your glasses or do you have something with your ears either?” Sunset snapped at him. “But...” the boy began, but this time Sunset hit him directly. Who did this wretch think he was? “I really hate to repeat myself! Where is your Christmas spirit now? You know very well that I can make your life a living hell. You should be grateful that it's only your glasses I'm asking for!” That was enough to make the boy tremble like a leaf, she got the glasses and his money, but as he was about to leave, Sunset added, “Haven't you forgotten something else?” The boy immediately stopped, “Th ... thank you Sunset!” he said like a trained dog. Sunset was strolling along the corridor contentedly when suddenly Pinkie jumped into her path from the side like a flash of pink. “Ooooohhhhh Sunset Shimmer!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. An exasperated groan left Sunset's body. Pinkie Pie was the last person Sunset wanted to see, normally she had Pinkie under control like everyone else, but at Christmas nothing could spoil her mood and she didn't even seem to want to leave Sunset in peace for some reason. “What Pinkie?” Sunset asked, annoyed. “Uh, uh, uh, I just wanted to know if you were coming to my Christmas party the day after tomorrow,” Pinkie replied excitedly. Sunset couldn't help but laugh. “Do you really think I want to go to your stupid party?” mocked Sunset. “I was hoping yes. There's gingerbread, Christmas decorations, ....”, Pinkie began to list before Sunset interrupted her, "I'm not interested in any of that Pinkie, you can try to have fun in this boring way, but I don't want anything to do with your lame party!", Sunset made clear. With that, Sunset left Pinkie standing behind her, who called after her dejectedly: “But it's Christmas. Aren't you all alone?” Sunset didn't turn around again: “Yes, and I hope it stays that way!” Sunset was glad when the day was finally over and she could retire to her sparse bed in the boiler room, maybe make herself a ready-made meal in the microwave and start thinking about the new year. Even before the bell could ring to end the last lesson, the Christmas spirit entered Cranky Doodle and he dismissed them early. All her classmates cheered and hurriedly packed up their things, especially Rainbow Dash. Sunset simply couldn't miss this opportunity. She unobtrusively tripped Rainbow at just the right moment while she was calmly packing up her things. And so the rainbow-haired girl crashed into the teacher's desk in a high arc. All her things landed scattered on the floor. Now a little spiteful comment and the crowd would laugh out loud. “Oh Rainbow Crash are you okay?” Sunset asked with feigned concern. Everyone started laughing at the name. Sunset smiled diabolically at Rainbow, who clenched her hands angrily and began to blush. Breathing heavily, Rainbow straightened up and pointed her finger at Sunset. “You...” she began angrily. “Me?” Sunset replied. “Yes, you! You...” Rainbow was at a loss for words. It was almost cute how easily Sunset could make Rainbow dance. Rainbow was self-confident, strong-willed and loyal, all qualities that Sunset could not tolerate. So she kept Rainbow as small as possible, and thanks to her temperament and arrogance, it wasn't that difficult. “Maybe you'd better save your breath, you seem to be out of breath already, you top athlete,” Sunset teased. Laughter again. Rainbow's face grew redder and redder, she was about to explode, but then. “Oh you know what just forget it, you boss bitch.” Rainbow turned away from her, picked up her things and started moving. Sunset stayed behind smiling, that had done her good. She left the school with all the others so as not to arouse any suspicion that she actually lived in the boiler room. Sunset now had her own key for the school basement, which she always used to sneak back in later. Outside, she spotted Rainbow Dash again, but she didn't like what she saw. Rainbow had met up with little Scootaloo, some disabled child she seemed to spend a lot of time with. Her face broke into a joyful smile, all her anger just gone. It annoyed Sunset so much that she got carried away and shouted something at her. “Hey Rainbow Crash! Merry Christmas!” Sunset waved and smiled at her from afar. And Rainbow did indeed give her a venomous look, her expression darkened, but unfortunately this was again only short-lived, because Scootaloo brought her back to her good mood. Scowling, Sunset strolled through the town, scattering angry looks and poking a few familiar faces here and there when she felt like it. Later, she went to get herself a hot chocolate. She didn't have to queue up for it, a few vivid reminders of what was in her drawer and the riff-raff from her school let her go first. It was already dark when she was about to insert her key into the lock to the boiler room when she was suddenly startled and dropped the key. Sunset rubbed her eyes in amazement, had the doorknob just had the face of a pony on it? Oh humbug! She was simply tired and it was already really dark. Sunset picked up the keys, put them in the lock, turned them and entered her little kingdom. Sunset had set herself up in an old abandoned boiler room that was no longer used for anything and therefore no one came to see it. Nevertheless, Sunset had changed the lock, because safe was safe. She warmed up some noodle soup, listened to some rock music and was then ready to curl up in her countless blankets and go to sleep. But just as she was about to turn off the light of her lamp, an icy wind blew past her. “Sunset!” Sunset looked around the small boiler room, startled. It wasn't cozy and warm down here, but there was never really a draft and had she just heard her name? Oh, she was probably just tired, it wasn't too late, but somehow the day had got to her and she just wanted to sleep. Just as she was about to turn off the lamp again, the head of a pony stared at her from the light bulb. „Aaaaahhhhh!“ a loud scream escaped Sunset and she staggered back as the room around her suddenly began to vibrate and the light on the ceiling began to flicker. A cold draught whipped through the cellar and the rattling of chains and strangely agonized sounds could be heard. “Sunset Shimmer!” a heavy and theatrical voice suddenly rang out! “Who are you? Come out and show yourself!” Sunset shouted angrily at the intruder. All at once, a bright beam of light sprang from her little floor lamp, causing Sunset to squint her eyes. “My name is Moonglow Flicker and I'm here to give you a message!” The figure of a floating, transparent pony had manifested itself in front of her, with endless chains wrapped around its entire body, hanging from all kinds of boxes and chests. “Are you a creature from Equestria?” Sunset wanted to know. “Yes, to be exact Sunset I am your predecessor as Celestia's pupil!” replied Moonglow her voice still howling loudly. Celestia, Sunset could have guessed that this pony was behind it, but how was that possible, the mirror wasn't supposed to be operational for another 10 lunar cycles. “If Celestia sent you, I wish you good luck with whatever she told you to do!” At Sunset's words, the pony began to laugh. “I'm not here on Celestia's orders Sunset!” Moonglow clarified, "I was like you Sunset, a talented pony who wanted more! I was arrogant, selfish and hungry for power. I trampled on every pony around me and ended up like you in this world, where I finally met my end!" “That's interesting,” Sunset pretended, "And what do you want from me then?" All at once, Moonglow roared, her chains slamming through the room and frost formed around Sunset, driving into her bones. Moonglow's face stepped closer to Sunset's. “You may still think you're something better and invincible Sunset, like I used to, but believe me, if you don't change, my fate will be yours too!” Moonglow's chains had started to float around Sunset and wrap themselves around her, "Do you see these chains Sunset? I forged them myself with all my vile deeds in life! Link by link! And now in my death I am condemned to wear them around me forever!" “You're dead?” Sunset suddenly felt the scales falling from her eyes. “Yes!” Moonglow's ghost replied, "and believe me Sunset your chain is already as long as mine, if you don't change you'll be even worse off than me!" The chains were now really constricting Sunset and felt anything but ghostly. “And what does that mean?” Sunset asked, annoyed. “The others will tell you that! I'm just here to announce them to you and show you what could happen! In death I am condemned to drag these chains around with me every day and to live in eternal coldness and joylessness. Warning you Sunset is part of my penance and the last bit of joy I have left! I can only urge you to take their advice Sunset!” Moonglow's voice had become even heavier and more howling. “What advice? You're talking in riddles! I'm not like you!” protested Sunset, struggling against the chains. “Oh yes you are!” Moonglow announced, pointing her hoof at Sunset, "Tomorrow night three spirits will come to visit you Sunset, expect the first one as soon as the clock strikes midnight! And let them guide you on the right path. It's not too late yet!" With these words, the wind died down, the lights went out and Moonglow and the chains around Sunset's body disappeared. In the distance, Sunset heard only a faint whisper, “Listen to their advice.” Then Sunset lay on her bed in the dark and it all felt like a bad dream, a dream that was far too real. Sunset immediately turned on the small light next to her bed. Her room looked the same as before, as if nothing had happened. Had she really dozed off for a moment? A glance at her cell phone told her that not much time had passed, strange. It took a while for Sunset to fall asleep, but the night went without a hitch for her. Author's Note I hope you enjoyed my first ever published chapter here. I will be releasing a new chapter every Advent so that the story is finished over the Christmas time. I am also happy about evry comment and remark. Have a great Christmas time!
The First SpiritThe next morning Sunset was up early, much to her annoyance, she would have liked to have missed as much of Christmas Eve as possible, but a cold breeze had blown through the boiler room and given her a restless night. But maybe that wasn't a bad thing, she definitely had to go into town again today and get some food for the holidays. A little exercise would also do her good before she barricaded herself in for the next two days. Sunset put on her clothes and packed her gym bag full of all her dirty clothes. Unfortunately, living in the boiler room had some disadvantages, so Sunset used the shower at the local gym, which was the first place she went. The advantage of this, however, was that she kept herself in good shape. With all the garbage that people ate, Sunset was still able to maintain her flawless appearance. Without this, she probably wouldn't be able to wrap the people she wanted to charm around her finger as much as she needed to. As expected, the gym was quite empty and the people inside weren't exactly spreading Christmas cheer, which Sunset was more than happy about. A little wistfully, she left the center and made her way to the supermarket. It would probably be full to bursting, but this would at least ensure a bad mood around her. There wasn't much left of all the festivity once the stress of Christmas dinner, presents and all the relatives began. It outright put a self-satisfied smile on Sunset's face. After all, Christmas was nothing more than a huge hypocrisy and that was exactly why it was so easy for her to pick up in the new year exactly where she had left off this year. As Sunset stood at the entrance to the store in the vegetable section, she couldn't help but notice Rainbow's rainbow-colored hair standing at the checkout counter. She seemed to be in a great hurry. Sunset grinned sardonically, her good mood had also given way to the stress of Christmas. Sunset grabbed one of the oranges displayed in front of her and played around with it in her hand. Rainbow couldn't wait to start shooting from the cash register. When Sunset saw this, she immediately dropped the orange unobtrusively on the floor. In an almost fluid motion, she matched Rainbow's movements. She also had to leave the store through the entrance at Sunset's back. At the moment as Rainbow shot off like a rocket from the cash register, Sunset gave the orange a little kick with her heel. It took a bit of luck for Sunset to get the timing right, but Rainbow made it easy for her with her predictability. The orange rolled unerringly across the floor, unhindered by all the other people, and came to rest right in Rainbow's path. And in the very next second, Rainbow flew through the air and crashed to the ground. The only two things she had bought, a bottle of cocoa and marshmallows, flew across the room in a high arc. The bottle shattered into a thousand pieces and the contents hit Rainbow's clothes, which let out a painful groan. But that didn't seem to bother her as much as the loss of the cocoa. “Damn it!” she heard Rainbow's almost whiny voice. Sunset was torn as to whether she should show herself to Rainbow or not. But Sunset was smart enough not to, seeing Rainbow miserable was all it took. Sunset didn't want that to be replaced by anger at her person. Although, of course, Sunset couldn't avoid running into Rainbow one way or another while shopping. But contrary to expectations, Rainbow didn't enter the store again to buy a new bottle, but quickly ran out of the store. The cherry on the sundae was that no one had bothered to help the rainbow-haired girl up. So much for the festival of love! With blissful satisfaction, Sunset finished her shopping, the last stop on her list being the local laundrette. Not surprisingly, it was quite empty, so Sunset was able to enjoy her music and scroll through the internet in peace. By the time she left the salon, it was already dark and the streets were largely empty. Almost everyone must have been with their families now, “enjoying” Christmas Eve. Bah such humbug! The world kept turning and just a few hours after bumping into each other in the supermarket, everything was supposed to be perfectly harmonious again, even if they were probably shouting at each other at the table. It was just like in Equestria, where everyone acted as if the spirit of Hearth Warming Eve had entered them as soon as the clock struck 6:00 p.m., but everything stayed the same. Well not quite, Sunset would make life even harder for her subjects, she used all her free time to be productive and not indulge in these silly illusions. So, the first thing she did when she got back to her boiler room was to open her laptop and, listening to music, start organizing all her incriminating material and drawing up a plan of who to bully and how to bully them as soon as the new year started in order to restore the natural pecking order. In between, she made herself a few sandwiches and drank lots of hot tea. She was so much in the flow that she only realized how late it actually was shortly before midnight and remembered the strange dream from last night. “Listen to their advice!” echoed in Sunset's head, sending a cold shiver down her spine. It was entirely possible that magic from Equestria was at work, but even if it was, what should she be afraid of? A few ghosts that couldn't hurt her? Eternal damnation? Celestia had been alive for over 1000 years, so Sunset saw death as something extremely avoidable. And let's see how long her chain was once she ruled Equestria as well and as wisely as nopony before her. A smile played around the corners of Sunset's mouth at the thought, oh yes, she was destined to do great things! Celestia and all the others would see. Those narrow-minded idiots who only wanted to keep her down! The digital number on her laptop jumped from 11:59 p.m. to 0:00 a.m., Sunset held her breath for a moment before laughing to herself. Of course nothing had happened, why would it? She reached for her cup of hot tea and took a sip with relish. “Aaaaaahhhh,” a contented moan escaped her, that felt good. “Aaaaahhhhhh”, “Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh”, “Aaaaahhhhhhhhh”, “Aaaaaaahhhhhhh”, it echoed through the boiler room and it was unmistakably her own voice. But Sunset had never heard an echo here before, and certainly not in canon. Irritated, Sunset looked around as it echoed again. “He?”, “He?”, “He?”, “He?”, again it was Sunset's astonished voice that echoed off the walls. Sunset jumped up tensely and scanned the entire boiler room with her eyes. “Oh!”, “Oh!”, “Oh!”, “Oh!”, it went on, as Sunset got too tired and reached for her baseball bat. But to her astonishment, she suddenly heard a strange giggle as she put her hand around the handle of the bat. Astonished, she turned around and saw that her hand was not wrapped around the baseball bat, but around a candle. Sunset's eyes widened in shock as the candle protruded from the head of a white transparent pony, which itself resembled a candle. The skin looked like wax crawling from a burning candle, like the one on her head. “Boo!” the pony giggled and flew straight through Sunset, who jumped up in fright. Full of rage, she turned around, this time grabbing her baseball bat and struck. “Whoa!” the pony exclaimed as her bat went through her body, followed by another laugh. “That tickled!” she continued laughing, ”You're very hilarious, Sunset!” Hilarious? What was that pony talking about? “It's a good thing you've kept your sense of humor, because what you and I are about to watch isn't funny at all! At least most of it!” the pony continued, still ignoring Sunset's confusion. “I'm not going to watch anything with you, do you understand?” Sunset clarified! “Oh ho!” mocked the pony, ”I can see now why you're so difficult!” “Good! Then you'd better get out of here before I show you how difficult I can become!” Sunset threatened her. “I'm afraid,” the pony began as the candle on her head slowly went out and came back on again, “I can't!” She floated through the air as if she were swimming and as if her body really was made of liquid wax. Sunset couldn't help but watch her in fascination, nevertheless she kept her guard up and her hostility high. “Then I wish you good luck messing with me!” she crossed her arms tightly in front of her body. The pony started laughing again: “Oh you're really hilarious!” It stopped just in front of her face and Sunset tried not to flinch, “I don't want to mess with you Sunset! I want to help you!” All at once, the pony dissolved into a whirlwind of wax until it finally reassembled in front of Sunset and now stood before her at eye level with its back straight. “My name is Candlelight Flare and I am the Ghost of Christmas Past!” she said with a grin on her face, ”I'm here to teach you the meaning of Christmas so that you can change your life!” Now it was Sunset who let out a mocking laugh. “I already know the meaning of Christmas. Feigning peace and happiness only to go for each other's throats again afterwards. So, thank you very much for your visit, but it looks like you can't teach me anything more. However, I promise you that I will change and pretend to have some peace, joy and pancakes! So, you can tell Moonblow Flipper that you've done a great job and my chain is already starting to shrink!” “Hihihi.” the ghost giggled, ”I don't understand how people can be so afraid of you, I think you're adorably hilarious Sunset!” “Are you making fun of me?” Sunset snapped angrily. “Oh no, oh no not at all! Really not!” Candlelight swore, still hovering in place, “I promise you I'm taking my job here deadly seriously, but you have to have a little fun otherwise life would be so depressing, don't you think?” Candlelight had turned theatrically onto her back. “Sure, whatever you say,” Sunset replied, annoyed, ”Now what? Are we going to tell each other jokes all night long or should I start thinking about how I can make sure the baseball bat hits you after all?” Again, Candlelight couldn't stop her laughter: “Oh we're going to have so much fun Sunset! Since you can hardly wait, I'm going to get started right away!” Before Sunset could say anything back, Candlelight came flying towards her and swept through her, being pulled up into the air by one of her hooves. They headed straight for the ceiling. A loud scream escaped Sunset's throat, who hadn't expected the ghost to be able to touch her physically when her baseball bat obviously couldn't. But to her amazement, they both passed the ceiling with ease. They continued through the corridor of the school, through the roof and up into the sky. They climbed 10, 20, 30, 40 meters until Sunset could see all of Canterlot. “Okay, okay, okay, it's okay,” Sunset gave in, ”You win, I'll listen to you and I won't interrupt you again, but please, please don't drop me!” As was to be expected, a giggle sounded from Candlelight's mouth, “So hilarious!” was all she said as they suddenly flew into a bright light that engulfed them completely and shrouded everything around them in brilliant white so that Sunset could no longer see anything. Suddenly, Sunset hit the ground softly. Oh thank God! She straightened up and looked around. Her breath caught and her jaw dropped, this couldn't be! She was in Equestria and not just anywhere in Equestria, she was in a place from her past that she had hoped to see again only when she had become the ruler of Equestria. “Well Sunset surprised?” Candlelight wanted to know. “How?” was all Sunset could get out. “I told you I am the Ghost of Christmas Past and as such I have insight into all Christmases past. I think you know this place very well Sunset don't you?” a slight grin in her voice. Sunset's astonishment quickly gave way to the anger she felt towards this place. “Of course I know this horrible place! This is where I spent my childhood!”, Sunset blurted out. Candlelight startled a little and then looked disapprovingly, “Horrible? I mean certainly not the nicest place for a little foal to grow up, but it wasn't all bad was it?” Sunset's pupils narrowed menacingly: “But it was pure hell here at Mrs. Cherry Blossom's orphanage! I hated it here so much!” Sunset's hands were clenched into fists. Only now did she realize that she was still human. “Why?” she began, when Candlelight interrupted her. “You're still human because this is just a memory of you Sunset. The past, we are just spectators, no one can see or hear us! Like me, you're just a ghost in this place! A place where, contrary to what you say, everything wasn't always terrible, shall we take a look at it? A happy memory?” Candlelight asked expectantly. “Good luck with that!” Sunset wished sarcastically. There was nothing at all cheerful that she remembered here except for the day Celestia had taken her away. “Let's go then!” with these words, Candlelight dragged her behind her and they flew into the orphanage. It was the evening of Hearth Warming Eve, Sunset had completely forgotten how the orphanage was decorated that evening. It wasn't much but they also had a Christmas tree decorated with things they had made themselves, a few small presents under the Christmas tree and a small feast, which was already a lot for them, as all the other days they only had disgusting porridge, bread and water. And sometimes not even in sufficient quantities. “Look!” Candlelight pointed to a little foal with a flaming red mane, “If it isn't little Sunset Shimmer, but no?” Candlelight wondered, ”What's that? I thought you were just unhappy in this place, but now look at you, you're beaming with joy!” In fact, now that she saw everything, Sunset remembered all too well how happy she had been that day. Or rather, how stupid she had been back then. That these little things had blinded her so much from all the misery around her. “I was stupid and young. I let myself be blinded by all the appearances at Hearth Warming Eve,” Sunset admitted. “Semblance?” asked Candlelight in astonishment, ”I think your joy is very real!” “Because it was, but I had no reason to be happy!” explained Sunset. “And why not?” Candlelight wanted to know. “Because my life was horrible and just because it was one night of the year less didn't make it any better. I should have realized that instead of being an idiot and singing along to all the carols,” Sunset felt like an idiot as she saw herself there. “So you would rather have been unhappy?” Candlelight wondered. “I was unhappy!” protested Sunset. “Well, I've seen a lot of foals and I can tell you that being unhappy looks different,” Candlelight assured her. “You know what I mean, so stop pretending you don't!” Sunset snapped at her. “Oh ho, who's losing their temper?” Candlelight wondered. “Seriously?! You think I'm just losing my temper now?” Sunset replied, stunned. “There she is again, my hilarious Sunset!” Candlelight said happily. This ghost really was even crazier than Pinkie Pie! “So here I see a foal filled with the magic of Hearth Warming Eve. Despite her humble life, she can be happy on this one day of the year and not just because there is better food or because everything is so beautifully decorated, no. At this time of year, everything is much happier, no one has to feel alone and you can forget that you're miserable,” Candlelight was suddenly mesmerized and her voice was soft and sweet as she spoke. No comparison to before, when she only seemed to laugh and not stand still. “You're right Sunset, humans and ponies unfortunately forget what that feeling is far too quickly and they only remember it at this time of the year, but that doesn't make it any less magical, in fact, it should remind you to carry that feeling with you all year round. Tell me Sunset, would the orphanage have been so horrible if every day had been like this?” Sunset was amazed to see Candlelight like this. She had only known the ghost for a few minutes, but the change in her character made Sunset forget her frustration and anger. “Well, it certainly would have been less horrible. The food alone.” Sunset glanced at her past self, sitting happily at the table with the other orphans, singing songs and enjoying herself, “It might have been really nice.” Sunset whispered softly. Immediately regretting it. Anger rose up in her and she was ready to lash out at Candlelight's response, but nothing came. In fact, Candlelight didn't even look at Sunset. But Sunset could tell she was smiling as she watched the feast before her. “Is it okay if we stay a little longer?” Candlelight suddenly asked. “Sure,” Sunset said, shrugging her shoulders, no longer paying any attention to the scene. But what Candlelight said next took her completely by surprise, “Thank you.” “For what?” Sunset said reflexively without thinking about it. “For allowing me to experience this moment.” They stood there silently for a while before Candlelight turned away. “On to the next station, Sunset!” Candlelight announced. “Next stop?” Before Sunset had finished, she was snatched up into the air again, towards the white light. This time, however, she didn't land on the ground but they came out in the air and she could already see where they were heading this time, Celestia's castle. Of course, this was where the next big chapter in her life had begun, it was only logical that Candlelight would bring her here and she could already imagine what she wanted to show her. They flew towards the balcony on the top floor, which adjoined the princess's private chambers, and landed there. “I bet you remember this Christmas, don't you?” Candlelight's voice was filled with joyful excitement. You bet Sunset could do that, it was her first Christmas as Celestia's student, she looked spellbound at the scenery in front of her without answering Candlelight's question. In front of her, they saw an older Sunset, who was alone with the princess in her chambers. A beautiful Hearth Warming tree stood in the middle of the room, the fireplace crackled and the smell of cookies was in the air, honey oat cookies to be precise, which Sunset loved so much. Sunset's younger self jumped excitedly around the room. “Oh Sunset my dear, calm down!” Celestia's warm voice rang out, sending a chill through Sunset's spine. How long it had been since she had heard that familiar voice. Sunset's younger self stopped jumping abruptly, but the joyful tension was still written all over her face. “Oh I'm sorry princess, I just still can't believe it, it's like a dream come true!” Sunset lost herself in her joy. Celestia began to giggle: “Believe me Sunset, the joy is all mine. You are a very special unicorn and you spread a lot of joy in my castle. You can't imagine how lonely it has been here during the past Hearth Warming Eves." Sunset's former self had suddenly become very quiet. “Lonely?” she asked in amazement, “But you're the princess, how can you be lonely?” Celestia let out a heavy sigh: “For that very reason. Besides, I find it hard to let other ponies get close to me, when you're as old as I am you've seen a lot of good, as well as bad. Not all my Hearth Warming Eves were lonely, you know. And I'm glad they won't be from now on either." Her former self began to smile, “Does that mean?” “Yes, that's what it means,” Celestia replied with a smile and Sunset let out a loud cry of joy, which made the princess and then Sunset laugh even more. “Now don't tell me you weren't happy at that moment,” Candlelight poked. Sunset didn't take her eyes off the scene and said with difficulty: “I was young and naive.” “Here.” Celestia's voice rang out as she floated a gift over to Sunset, “This is for you!” Sunset's former self could hardly believe it, her eyes grew as wide as they could possibly be and a look of sheer bliss was reflected on her face. “Oh my God, oh my God, a present for me?” she said excitedly. “Of course!” said the princess warmly and graciously, “You mean a lot to me Sunset!” Tears of joy welled up on Sunset's former self's face, “You mean a lot to me too. I'm just afraid I don't have a present for you,” Sunset admitted ashamedly. “Oh, but you've already given me a present,” Celestia replied. “I didn't give you anything,” Sunset insisted. "You certainly have. With your presence, you have given me the best gift of all. You've made me happy again for a long time at Hearth Warming Eve." Sunset's former self threw her arms around Celestia's neck: “I promise to keep making you happy!” Sunset swallowed hard at the words of her past self. “So, do you want to stay here a little longer this time?” Candlelight wanted to know. Part of Sunset wanted to say yes, but another part just wanted to get away from here as quickly as possible, away from this incriminating scene from her past, and so she finally said, “No. No, we can go.” “Good!” This time Candlelight was waiting for her and they flew off together. Their path was very short this time, the light opened up in the air directly in front of them and they flew just a few meters further into the tower of the castle where Sunset lived. They walked through the wall and stood in Sunset's old room. Everything was just as she remembered it, the large, soft four-poster bed, the many magical devices and ornate paintings and sculptures. Not to mention all the books, parchments and shelves. And, of course, Sunset's large, always cluttered desk, at which she was currently sitting. Sunset knew what was coming and it gave her a queasy feeling in her stomach. Candlelight remained silent while there was a knock on Sunset's door. “Come in!” Sunset's voice sounded emotionless and cold. Celestia's towering figure appeared in the doorway, wearing a worried expression on her face. “Yes?” asked Sunset, annoyed. “Sunset, what are you doing?” Celestia's voice was still warm and kind, but it seemed weak, almost sad. “I'm studying,” Sunset replied, not looking up from her documents. “But Sunset, it's the evening of Hearth Warming Eve,” Celestia said anxiously. “So?” Sunset replied disinterestedly. "I was hoping we could spend some time together in my private chambers. You're so buried in your studies all the time, it's not good. And even now, this evening.” Celestia had moved closer to Sunset's desk and put on an affectionate smile. “No good?” Sunset looked up from her documents for the first time her voice fierce, “I thought as your private pupil you'd be proud of me for being more studious, well-read and talented than all the other ponies! I can't waste my days wagging my tail in the sun. I have expectations to fulfill!" "Sunset I've told you often enough that I'm proud of you and that your learning progress is overwhelming, but there's more to it than just knowledge from books. You also need to take care of the world around you, take care of yourself, do what makes you happy!” Celestia tried to encourage her, but all Sunset heard was the worry in Celestia's voice that Sunset might become more powerful than she was and wanted to keep her at arm's length. "But that's what I'm doing! I'm learning about the world through all these books! I take very good care of myself every day, exercise and eat a balanced diet. And this, this is what makes me happy, not staring at some Hearth Warming tree!” Sunset countered all of Celestia's advice. The princess let out a loud sigh: “I miss you Sunset!” she finally said. “That's strange, I've been here the whole time,” Sunset replied coolly. “I mean, I miss the old Sunset, who used to laugh with me and just keep me company and not always bury her head in books!” Celestia's expression was now openly sad and Sunset thought she could see tears now as she saw the scene from outside that she hadn't seen back then. Or had she? “So you're not happy with me, are you?” Sunset asked defiantly. "No, it's not like that Sunset. You mean a lot to me and I just want you to know that I would like to spend more time with you again,” Celestia assured her. “But we're just spending time,” Sunset replied defiantly. Celestia finally gave up with a heavy sigh, “If you change your mind, I'll wait for you in my chambers! Merry Hearth Warming my little Sunset!” With that Celestia left her room and Sunset buried herself in her parchments again without returning the princess's wishes. For Sunset, this scene from her past was hard to watch. She didn't regret anything she had said, but seeing Celestia like that after everything still left a bitter taste in her mouth. “And did you still go to visit her?” Candlelight wanted to know. “You know that very well!” Sunset replied angrily. “Oh, you don't seem to have enjoyed this look into your past so much, do you?” There was no trace of Candlelight's laughter, only her annoyingly cheerful voice remained. “Can we just go?”, Sunset asked. “Right away, of course. I'd just like to know Sunset, do you really think it was the right decision to break your promise to Celestia?” Candlelight sounded genuinely puzzled and interested in Sunset's answer. “What promise?” Sunset asked, irritated. “To continue to make her happy,” Candlelight replied dryly. “Oh.” Sunset thought about it, “I did try,” she finally said, ”But I could never satisfy her. You saw how she criticized me.” “Oh did she?” asked Candlelight in amazement, ”She seemed rather broken, close to tears to me. And it didn't look at all like you were trying to make her happy. And you didn't look happy yourself either,” Candlelight noted. “But I was happy, okay?” Sunset clarified. “And why did you run off then?” asked Candlelight. “I ....,” Sunset began, ”I had to! Celestia wanted to get rid of me!” Sunset didn't get any further. “You're just telling yourself that, but we both know it's not true. But just in case, I'll show you one last thing,” Candlelight promised her. This time they didn't fly through the air, but teleported directly to another location. This time it was the school's boiler room again, where Sunset spent her first Christmas in the human world. This world was still so strange to her and she was all alone. The nights in the basement were still a little scary and it was so uncomfortable compared to her bed in the castle. Sunset looked at her own hard expression fixed on her cell phone in which she typed various things. “I bet you're about to tell me you were happy here too, aren't you?” mocked Candlelight. “No.” came the unexpected answer from Sunset's mouth, ”No, I wasn't happy! I never was on this goddamn holiday, okay?” Sunset slipped out. “I see,” said Candlelight, ”Well there's one last thing I promised to show you. Maybe then you'll understand what misfortune really means.” The scenery changed again before Sunset's eyes and they suddenly found themselves back in Celestia's chambers. “That's not from my past,” Sunset said. “No, but it's the same Hearth Warming Eve as your Christmas Eve in the human world,” Candlelight announced. What Sunset saw before her took her breath away. Celestia's private chambers were dark, with only a faintly decorated tree in the room and a small fire burning in the fireplace. The smell of foggy dew was in the air and Celestia was crouched in the middle of the room, sniffling and whimpering. “What's wrong Sunset?” Candlelight pulled her out of her thoughts. Sunset was at a loss for words. “I thought Celestia wanted to get rid of you and now look at her, does a happy pony look like that?” inquired Candlelight. Sunset was still silent. “So from what I've learned today, she must be the happiest pony in the world! Not a smile on her face, not a soul around her, just tears and darkness embracing her. Isn't that right?” Candlelight continued to tease. Anger rose up in Sunset: “Just leave me in peace! Why are you showing me all this? Heh?! Do you think that changes anything? I'm not the bad guy here! Just because I didn't behave the way everyone wanted me to at Hearth Warming Eve, but let me tell you something, my life sucked outside of that, I had no reason to be happy that night. You can show me as many pictures from my past as you like, they won't change my present!” Sunset blurted out. Candlelight smiled faintly, “That's right!” Sunset was surprised by her approval. “That's what the next ghost is there for!” Candlelight explained to her, ”But here's my advice to you Sunset. Learn from your past so that you can take a different path in the present. Carry the spirit of Christmas past within you! Don't forget it!” With that, the scene dissolved and everything around Sunset went black. Author's Note As promised, just in time for the first Advent. Hope all of you are in Christmas spirit already!
The Second SpiritSunset woke up in a cold sweat and looked at the clock, it was just before 1:00 a.m. She must have fallen asleep and had a terrible nightmare. She could still remember everything. Had it really been a dream? It was so real and detailed and another ghost had really appeared to her. Sunset quickly dismissed the thought, her head must have been playing tricks on her. She must have been subconsciously thinking about it the whole time and the moment she fell asleep, all her inner turmoil had been released. Oh man, Sunset crawled over to her little fridge in the corner to take out a nice cold bottle of water. Her whole body felt completely dehydrated, as if she really had been on a journey across her past. When she opened the fridge door, she was met by a powerful snowstorm that swept her away with loud laughter. “Ho ho ho ho ho!” echoed through Sunset's room. Sunset landed in a small snowdrift, but to her surprise she wasn't cold and the snow didn't melt. In fact, it didn't feel like snow at all. Sunset let the white powder run through her hand. Artificial snow. The renewed sound of raucous laughter caught her attention; in front of her, in the middle of her room, which was now covered in artificial snow, lights, treats and toys, a big fat man had appeared. Sunset looked around in amazement, her first reflex was her baseball bat, but she couldn't possibly find anything in this chaos. In fact, she wasn't even sure if this was still her room, it seemed bigger with all the stuff lying around. “Grab it, grab it my child!” thundered the man's powerful voice. Sunset scowled, “Let me guess you're the second ghost, right?” “Oh yes, that's me! My name is Saint Nicholas the XIII, the spirit of Christmas Present!” the man announced. Only now did Sunset realize who was standing in front of her. “Seriously? Santa Claus?” she mocked Nicholas. Not only the name, but also the whole appearance was like that of Santa Claus, a figure that people had invented to give their children a magical mythical figure who brought them presents at Christmas, but only if they were good, of course. Nobody was supposed to get the idea that they were loved unconditionally. Nicholas had a long white beard, wore a fluffy red cloak with white fur on it and was over all chubby, only his cap was missing, instead a wreath of fir branches adorned his head. He carried a large goblet in one hand and a leg of goose in the other, no wonder he had weight problems, Sunset thought. “Ho ho ho ho, I wouldn't call myself one, but I'm flattered that the people of Earth have made him in my image. That always makes my Christmas celebrations over the last few years even sweeter!” said Nicholas happily. Sunset looked around disapprovingly and, to her annoyance, she had to resist the urge to eat some of the treats in front of her. And then, all of a sudden, that fabulous smell of honey oat cookies hit her nose, making her jump immediately. “Ho ho ho it seems to me that a little Christmas cheer has entered your body!” Nicholas said. “No!” protested Sunset, ”It's just that pungent smell!” “Oh yes, I can see where it's coming from, this determination, this will! What a shame that there's no joy!” sighed Nicholas after his initial euphoria. “That's too bad,” Sunset replied bored, ”Can't we keep this short and get it over with quickly? I don't have much nerve right now and I'm really thirsty. You...” before Sunset knew it, she was whirled into the air and placed at a richly laid table in front of her, a carafe of water pouring into a goblet that was offered to her. “Thanks,” Sunset grumbled to herself and drank the water in large gulps. “Oh, what do I have to hear, thanks?” Nicholas rubbed his ear with his finger. Sunset knew it had been a mistake but she had manners and she certainly didn't want anyone to think she owed them anything. “Yes, I may be the personification of evil for you ghosts, but I still have some manners. But don't think you'll get more than that,” Sunset made clear. “More than that?!” Nicholas exclaimed, completely overwhelmed, ”Oh Sunset, a thank you is the best thing you can get!” “I see.” Sunset looked at her fingernails, bored, ”I could think of 20 things that are far better.” “Ho ho ho, but maybe that's only because you've never heard a thank you from the depths of a heart!” Nicholas tried to convince her. “Well, if you say so.” Sunste stood up, ”So you're the ghost of Christmas present, what do you want to show me Celestia lying all alone in her dark room crying again? Boo hoo I'm so unhappy because I treated Sunset badly, boo hoo.” Sunset faked tears with her hands, ”The act worked once, a second time is just embarrassing! And you can see my Christmas live right here. So thank you very much for your visit and the delicious water, but I don't think you can really show me anything of value to me.” Sunset smiled wryly and waved it off. Sunset's expression quickly faded as Nicholas piled up in front of her with a raging voice, growing taller like a mountain with every word! “So much knowledge and cunning in your head, but your heart is cold and so you can't imagine anything but that! Don't worry Sunset I promise I will show you something you didn't expect!” With these words, everything in the room began to turn into a whirlwind and circle around them until they were both completely enveloped by it. Sunset let out a loud scream and before she knew it, they were outside in the open. Sunset looked around in amazement. “Isn't this Sweet Apple Acres?” the question slipped out of her mouth. “Yes!” Nicholas, now back to normal, answered her. “And what are we doing here, you want to show me how Applejack's family has fun. Yay, I get it, everyone is pretending to have fun except me. Lesson learned, can we go now?” Sunset was already moving in the other direction but Nicholas didn't give her a glance, Sunset was slowly wishing Candlelight back. Nicholas and Sunset made their way to the window of the farmhouse through which they could see a large party. Everyone there seemed to be having a great time, it was almost as if half the school was there. Let them have their fun, next year it would be over again. “I suppose...” Sunset continued. “Yes, they can't see us,” Nicholas confirmed. Sunset looked bored through the window, looking for something funny, but everyone was just acting childish, talking and dancing. How dull. “Isn't that your friend Pinkie Pie back there?” Nicholas pointed to the girl with the puffy pink hair. “Pinkie is not my friend!” Sunset clarified energetically. “Oh yes, there was something.” Nicholas scratched his chin, ”But she still invited you to her Christmas party tomorrow, didn't she?” “So what?” Sunset replied, annoyed. “That's rather nice of her, isn't it?” Nicholas followed up. “Yes, super nice or super annoying!” Sunset turned the tables. “Ho ho ho.” Nichola laughed, ”She looks like she's having a lot of fun. Let's go inside and hear what she has to say.” Sunset didn't have time to object before Nicholas started moving and she dutifully followed. For a moment, Sunset had considered just walking away, but then she remembered how creepy the guy could be and thought it best to be at least a little cooperative. They strolled through the crowds and although Sunset was invisible she tried to avoid people, it was a strange feeling to walk through someone else. It was somehow different from stepping through a wall. When they reached Pinkie Pie, they saw her standing with Applejack and praising her party. “This really is a great Christmas party Applejack! I just hope my party tomorrow is just as good!” said Pinkie Pie, sipping excitedly from her drink. “Ah it's nothin’ Pinkie I know how much effort ya always put into yer parties, we both know ya'll go the extra mile tomorrow!” Applejack told her, although her tone sounded restrained. “Thanks Applejack. I just wonder if Sunset will come too.” Pinkie said nervously. Applejack's expression darkened: “So ya really invited her, did ya?” Pinkie looked puzzled: “Yes, of course you don't?” “Sunset Shimmer is the last person Ah want to see here at mah party. Ah'm glad she hates Christmas and Ah don't have to worry that she might not just turn up here anyway!” Applejack's voice was full of resentment. Very nice thought Sunset, Applejack was much like Rainbow in that regard her temper was her downfall. That and her stubbornness when it came to being accused of lying or being lied to. This had made it easy to manipulate her and turn her against her friends. Which made Sunset think it was weird that she was talking to Pinkie Pie and that she was invited to the party. Actually, the two of them had nothing to do with each other anymore thanks to her. “But Applejack, it's Christmas! You invited me too,” Pinkie tried to convince her. “Are ya seriously comparin’ yerself to Sunset right now?” Applejack snapped at Pinkie. “No, I'm just saying. Christmas is such a magical time and it brings out the best in people. I thought when Sunset opened up to that...” Pinkie's voice had become melancholy. “Open up to that?!”, Applejack snapped, ”Sunset Shimmer is the meanest girl in the school, before she opens up to anyone Ah'll clean the pigsty for a year.” Applejack seemed to have realized that her temper had gotten the better of her and looked embarrassed. “Ah'm sorry Pinkie, Ah just don't want ya to get yer hopes up. It's really nice that you're getting’ so involved, but the fact is ya should pray that Sunset doesn't show up to yer party tomorrow. It's better that way, believe me!” Applejack's voice was suddenly loving and conciliatory. Sunset almost threw up. “But no one should be alone at Christmas, Applejack. Not even Sunset,” Pinkie replied. The words didn't sit well with Sunset. Applejack was right about every single word she had said and yet Pinkie gave a damn about her, why? “Why?” Nicholas also muttered. Sunset looked at him in amazement, had he had the same thought as her? “I'll tell you why. Because Pinkie has a big heart and loves to spread joy around her, the thought that on this day of love and happiness there is someone who is unhappy hurts her a lot.” Nicholas' voice was full of maudlin sentimentality. Sunset simply couldn't resist the urge: “If you ask me, it's idiotic and weak, I could take advantage of her really well if I wanted to. Lucky for her that I'm so nice,” Sunset grinned. “Yes, what luck,” said Nicholas, sobered. “Oh man Pinkie, ya really are beyond help,” Applejack confirmed with a smile, “But here's a toast to the spirit of Christmas!” Applejack raised her glass and Pinkie did the same, adding, ”And a toast to Sunset, may she have a great Christmas!” Applejack suddenly pulled back her glass. “WHAT?!” she blurted out, ”Ah'm not toasting that snake in the grass!” “Oh come on Applejack, it's Christmas, there's no harm in it,” Pinkie tried to convince her sweetly. “But ya only make a toast if ya mean it. And Ah'm not wishing Sunset a Merry Christmas,” Applejack made clear. “Not even a tiiiiiny bit?” Pinkie leaned forward. “No!” said Applejack vehemently. “Not even a very, very itsy bitsy bit?” Pinkie moved her thumb and forefinger very close together so that there was only a wafer-thin gap of air between them. Applejack scowled: “Well, at least Ah hope she doesn't freeze to death somewhere miserable.” “There you are!” Pinkie rejoiced, ”I knew you had the spirit of Christmas in you! Here's to Sunset!” Pinkie exclaimed and Applejack toasted, muttering grumpily and barely audibly, ”Here's to Sunset!” Sunset should have been happy that these two idiots were actually toasting her, but a sense of confusion won out over her. Pinkie was deluded, of course, and Christmas brought out the worst in her, but after all Applejack had said, why was she toasting Sunset too? “Well, if you ask me, they'd be two great friends! And I think if you went to their parties and behaved yourself, they'd be happy too,” Nicholas shared his assessment. “Of course, who wouldn't be happy to have tamed the ruler of the school. As soon as Christmas is over, their festive mood will be gone anyway. It's all just a big hypocrisy!” Sunset reminded herself. “I didn't expect anything else from you Sunset, but I can't wait to hear what you have to say about our next stop!” Nicholas' voice sounded happily refreshed as everything around them began to spin again. After all, Sunset thought to herself, this way of traveling was far more pleasant than what Candlelight had done. When the whirlwind had stopped, they were in front of the Canterlot Youth Welfare Center and Sunset already knew which way the wind was blowing. “Wow, so you want to show me the equivalent of my orphanage in this world. News flash I don't care if it's super happy in there or not. This place sucks!” Sunset spat at Nicholas. But he just pointed his finger in front of him. “What? ...” Sunset's breath caught in her throat. Rainbow Dash was standing at the front door of the youth center, visibly out of breath and waiting for someone. “I know Rainbow Dash doesn't live in the youth home, what is she doing here?” Sunset wanted to know. “Just watch,” Nicholas instructed her, who was spellbound by the scene. “Heeeey!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed happily as she got down on her knees and hugged someone. Sunset couldn't see who it was yet. “How is my favorite sports cannon doing on this most festive of days!” Rainbow had lifted the person up and spun it through the air. “Hahaha I'm really looking forward to tonight!” Sunset couldn't recognize the voice, strange, ”Thank you for letting me spend Christmas with you Rainbow.” “Of course you are!” Rainbow assured her, ”You're practically part of the family Scoots!” Scootaloo?! But ... “I guess you didn't know that Scootaloo lives in the youth home, did you?” Nicholas sobered up. Sunset was at a loss for words, she really had had no idea. “Thank you very much!” Rainbow called into the youth center, “I'll bring her back in three days!” The door closed behind Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. “Hey Scoots.”, Rainbow started sheepishly, ”I'm sorry I'm here so late, I wanted to get you your favorite cocoa, but unfortunately that didn't work out so well. I...” Rainbow didn't get any further, Scootaloo had fallen around her neck and said, ”Oh thank you Rainbow! That's not bad at all. I think this is going to be the best Christmas ever for me either way!” Why was this child so happy, Sunset wondered, remembering the look on her own face as a filly. She probably just didn't know any better. But unlike her, Sunset didn't know if Scootaloo was really coping, after all, she had a bad leg that she couldn't walk on properly and that other children made fun of. Like her, Sunset swallowed. “Hey Scoots, how about I take you on my shoulders and carry you the way?” Rainbow asked, already bending her knees with joy. Without saying a word, Scootaloo jumped up happily and the two of them began to run off, happily singing a Christmas carol. But unlike her, Scootaloo also had a friend who stood by her side, Sunset thought to herself, unable to look away. “You weren't expecting that, were you?” Nicholas asked, already knowing the answer. Sunset remained silent and continued to watch Rainbow and Scootaloo as the snow gradually blocked her view. “Well, I'll show you what happens next,” Nicholas continued as the snowstorm raged around them, revealing a shabby old tenement when it cleared. Sunset looked puzzled; her boiler room might have made a better impression. The area looked run-down, the plaster was peeling off the walls and every house looked desolate and abandoned. And in the midst of this desolation, Rainbow and Scootaloo arrived, still singing, and approached the front door of the apartment building. Rainbow didn't even have to unlock the door, it just stood open. Nicholas and Sunset followed them into the stairwell, which they climbed agonizingly slowly due to Scootaloo's limping leg. They had to go all the way up to the second floor, where Rainbow finally got out her key and put it in the lock. “Rainbow lives here?” Sunset slipped out. “Yes, it looks like your research has a few gaps,” Nicholas stated. “This place is an absolute dump! I could never have imagined that Rainbow would be poor,” Sunset continued in amazement. “Why should you?” Nicholas asked soberingly, ”You never really took the time to get to know her or observe her.” “But Rainbow is so self-confident, ambitious and full of life, how is that possible when her life looks like this?” Sunset wanted to know. “Well, apart from the joie de vivre, you two seem quite similar to me and, if I remember correctly, you come from a much more modest background,” Nicholas replied. Anger rose up in Sunset and she wanted to say something back, only to realize that she couldn't. That bearded bastard was right, where someone came from didn't necessarily mean how someone should be. Still, it sat right across Sunset's face that these two girls could be so happy despite their predicament. “We're here!” Rainbow exclaimed as they entered the apartment. The apartment was as expected lackluster, a small kitchenette in the living room with a couch, TV and small dining table and another room, which was probably Rainbows. So that meant the parents slept on the couch? And then they really had the nerve to keep a guest here for Christmas. Sunset looked expectantly at Scootaloo, wondering how she would react, but she was happier than Sunset could believe. About everything, that she was allowed to sleep with Rainbow, that there was a miserable Christmas tree in the corner of the living room, the smell of stale cookies, the sparse presents under the tree. It looked as if this really was the best Christmas ever for her. “What's that?” Sunset slipped out at the sight of the festive feast. The Dashs had put on sausages with potato salad. “They can't be serious, my meal was even more princely,” Sunset scoffed. “And yet,” Nicholas said, ”they don't seem to care. They enjoy their company and having each other.” Sunset knew he was right and it annoyed her. “Hey Scoots, how are things going with you and your friends at school?” Rainbow suddenly wanted to know over lunch. “Really great! We'll probably do something after the holidays too!” Scootaloo replied cheerfully. “She's lying,” Sunset said. “Huh?” Nicholas looked at her in astonishment. “I thought you knew everything,” Sunset teased. “Everything that matters, yes. But not everything per se,” Nicholas explained brusquely. “Anyone who lies and manipulates as much as I do can easily recognize a lie, especially when it's so obvious,” Sunset said heavily. “Tell me ghost, what will become of Scootaloo?” Sunset's voice had taken on a tone she didn't recognize herself. Why did she even care? “Why do you care about that?” Nicholas also wanted to know, ”She's just some disabled girl, isn't she?” That wretched dog, he knew everything. But the words had hit Sunset and she could hardly hide it. “Please, I need to know!” begged Sunset. “If her fate doesn't change, then I see an empty chair and no more laughter in this room,” Nicholas revealed to her. “Because they're celebrating somewhere else, aren't they? In a better apartment with...” Nicholas interrupted her. “You know what it means Sunset.” his voice had suddenly gone deep and dark as it darkened around them. “What's happening?” Sunset asked in a panic. “It's time for me to go Sunset. So take my advice now!” Nicholas' voice had become full and strong again, like the last roar of a storm, ”Live in the present Sunset! Every day you decide anew who you want to be! It's never too late to change and become the pony you want to be!” With that, Nicholas disappeared, leaving Sunset in the dark. Author's Note As it fits the theme at St. Nicholas Day. The new chapter. I hope you enjoyed it so far and stay tuned for the last two chapters the next weeks.
The Last SpiritThis time, Sunset did not wake up in her room, but remained in the dark. “He... hello?” stammered Sunset, ”Nicholas?” An icy wind blew through her body and chilled her to the bone. Why did she suddenly feel the cold? The darkness slowly cleared and Sunset could see a light in the distance that she was walking towards. She could hear voices and before she knew it, she was back in Applejack's living room. This time, however, the mood was far less exuberant. In front of her were only four all-too-familiar figures, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity. What were they all doing here together? Last time it was just Pinkie and Applejack. She had made sure that the four of them never wanted to talk to each other again. Suddenly, an icy shiver went down Sunset's spine as she suddenly spotted a large black figure next to her, whose body seemed to be made of billowing darkness. “Are you...” Sunset swallowed, ”Are you the last ghost?” Two bright yellow eyes looked at her where the figure's head should be. Sunset had a bad feeling. The first ghost had been a pony, the second a human, but this was something completely different. The ghost pointed its scrawny, bony, long finger at the group in front of her and Sunset turned her attention back to the girls. “A fabulous party darling!” Rarity attested to Applejack, but her cheerfulness seemed artificial. “Thank ya Rarity it's nice to be able to spend this Christmas with ya all again!” Applejack struggled to smile, which was strange because Sunset could tell her words were sincere. “Yes, I think so too, it's just a shame that it had to come to this.” Flutetrshy's voice sounded tearful and her head was mostly covered by her hair. “Yes, I thought our first Christmas together would be a really nice party, but somehow even I don't really feel like celebrating,” said Pinkie. Sunset was confused Pinkie always wanted to party and was hardly ever depressed. What kind of future was the ghost showing her? “Ah know, sugarcube. Ah wasn't sure if Ah should invite everyone either, but Ah think Twilight and Scootaloo would have wanted mah to.” Applejack put an arm on Pinkie's shoulder. “Yes,” Rarity began, ”I think it's best to honor her with our joy. It just takes so much out of me how hard Rainbow has been hit today. She hasn't come to the party yet either, I think we should pay her a visit. What do you think?” Rarity suggested. “Oh yes, a surprise party for Rainbow!” said Pinkie happily. “Ah don't think it will help Rainbow much, we were with her earlier and she wanted to be alone. Ah think we should respect that!” argued Applejack. “Poor thing, I can't even imagine how sad she is.” Fluttershy buried her face in her hands and started to cry. All the girls gathered around Fluttershy and gave her a huge hug. Sunset wondered what had happened, but the ghost next to her was silent and just pointed at the scenery in front of them as Sunset turned around. “Thank you!” Fluttershy wiped the tears from her face, “Tell me”... she began hesitantly, ”Have any of you heard from Sunset again?” Sunset listened, now it was getting interesting. The expressions of the remaining three girls were a mixture of anger, worry and shock. “Not since we beat her on the night of the Fall Formal,” Rarity was the first to answer. “No wonder, after what happened, Ah would have run away forever and ever. It was bad enough that she wanted to enslave the whole school, but what happened to Scootaloo after that.” Applejack was literally boiling with rage on the verge of tears, ”It's better for her that we didn't see her again! God knows what Rainbow Dash would have done to her too!” The girls nodded in agreement, only Fluttershy looked mostly worried. “I know what Sunset has done is unforgivable, but somehow I'm still worried.” “Just don't think about it! Sunset can't be helped anymore. I just hope that wherever she is, she doesn't cause any more trouble!” declared Pinkie. “We should have nailed her on the spot or put her in Princess Twilight's custody. It's no good having her on the loose!” Applejack said angrily. Sunset was confused about all that had been said. The four girls were supposed to have defeated her? And who was this Princess Twilight, Celestia's new pupil? Had Sunset's plan to return to Equestria succeeded? But how on earth had they been able to stop her? And what had happened to Scootaloo and Rainbow? And what for heaven’s sake could she have done that even Pinkie Pie no longer cared about her? Sunset's mind was racing and she could already imagine how angry everyone would be if her plan had really been successful. But there was no way they could have stopped her then. “Tell me ghost, what happened to Scootaloo?” Sunset suddenly turned to the spirit. She had the feeling it would be most willing to show her that fate. Even though Sunset was afraid of the sight. The room darkened and as it slowly began to clear again, fog spread out in front of them. It took a while for Sunset to see where they were. It was the local cemetery. No! Sunset thought to herself, it couldn't be. The cemetery was deserted except for a group of people in the distance. Four of them were standing around one of them, who was kneeling on the ground with her hands in her head. In front of them was a single gravestone under a bare tree. As they got closer, Sunset realized that it was Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, and the person on its knees was Rainbow. Everyone seemed very depressed and Sunset had never seen Rainbow so upset and full of grief. She knew what that meant, but she couldn't bring herself to want it to be true. “Tell me, ghost, is what I see here what will happen or what could be?” Sunset wanted to know. But the ghost remained silent and pointed his finger at the group. “I miss you so much!” she heard Rainbow's whimper. “Why did it have to be you? I should have been much more decisive. It's all my fault.” The girls tried to placate Rainbow, but she batted each of their advice and hands away. “I love you with all my heart and I will try to be happy at Christmas for you. Even if I don't know how yet.” Rainbow promised. She wiped the tears from her face and sang a song that Sunset recognized as the one she had sung with Scootaloo. Fear and certainty rose up in Sunset. Rainbow was finally helped up by her friends and they left. The ghost pointed steadfastly at the gravestone. “I have understood! But tell me, can I change anything about this future?” Sunset tried to negotiate with the spirit. But it left her no choice Sunset had to face the truth and read the inscription on the grave. With wobbly knees, she stepped closer to the grave. It was a beautiful gravestone, full of flowers. Slowly, she read the inscription. “Here lies Scootaloo, a cheerful soul, good friend and great little sister” At the last words Sunset broke down in tears. “Why?!” she screamed, ”Why are you showing me all this? When I can't change it!” No answer came from the spirit. Full of rage and despair, she turned to him on her knees. “Please tell me if her fate can still be averted if I change!” pleaded Sunset. The ghost remained motionless. “Why don't you talk to me, am I really already lost? What's the point of all this? Is this what awaits me?” asked Sunset desperately. At these words, it had become dark around them again and an icy wind was now constantly blowing through her bones. A loud creaking could be heard and they were in an abandoned house. No light was on, no window pane was whole and only the moon provided some light. Sunset was afraid, but the ghost only pointed away from her again and Sunset followed his gaze. There was a huddled figure in the corner, hands wrapped around its knees, leaning against the corner. Sunset knew who it was. She turned back to the spirit. “I can change!” she implored. But the ghost pointed forwards. Sunset didn't move and so the room came closer and with it the figure in the corner. “If not for me, then at least for Scootaloo!” pleaded Sunset. The corner came closer and closer and she now looked her lifeless self in the eye. Her body was covered in frost and the life was gone from her eyes. She now looked as lifeless as her heart had probably always been. Sunset clung to the shadows of the ghost. “Please Scootaloo doesn't deserve this! She's not like me! Don't make her pay for the mistakes I've made!” Sunset appealed. Terrified, Sunset saw the frost settle on her fingers and feet and begin to fight its way down her body. “I can change Ghost, I can change! You haven't given me your advice yet!” Sunset interjected in desperation, but the cold continued to spread. “I want to honor the past and learn from it, live in the present and think about the future! I don't want to be the pony I was. Please spirit give me a second chance! Let me change Scootaloos and my destiny I beg you! It mustn't be too late!” Tears streamed down Sunset's face. The rest of her body was already frozen. With her last breath, Sunset breathed. “I'm sorry Scootaloo!” Author's Note We are near the end. Thanks for everyone who stayed tuned and enjoyed the story so far!
A New DawnDarkness, nothing but darkness and cold. Sunset shivered all over when she suddenly woke up and screamed at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face. It took her a moment to realize that she was in the boiler room, with only an icy breeze blowing through. She hadn't really been wrapped up in her masses of blankets. Sunset clutched her face in disbelief. “I'm alive!” she exclaimed overjoyed, ”I'm alive!” Sunset jumped up and danced with happiness. Then she breathed out in relief, what a terrible dream. The thought had only just occurred to her, but her body froze instantly. No, it wasn't a dream, she told herself. And even if it had been, she hadn't been given a second chance to throw it away! Sunset hastily reached out for her cell phone, what day was it today? A status message from her news feed was emblazoned on her cell phone. “Happy Christmas Day” Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, it was indeed not too late to make things right again. Sunset hesitated for a moment, was she really willing to do what was suddenly unloading in her head? The screen of her cell phone went off and Sunset looked at the reflection of her face. Was this the pony she wanted to be? She remembered her vow from a few minutes ago ‘I want to honor the past and learn from it, live in the present and think about the future! I don't want to be the pony I was. Please spirit give me a second chance! Let me change Scootaloos and my destiny I beg you! It must not be too late!’ Even if Sunset could claim it was a desperate attempt to get out of her predicament, she still felt the power in those words and how much she had meant them. Sunset may be many things, but she was true to her word and deep in her heart she knew that what the spirits had shown her was true. But that meant parting with what meant the most to her in the world and that was power, she had sacrificed everything for it, giving it all up meant having nothing. Scootaloo's gravestone and her cheerful song came to her mind. No, that wasn't true, at least she would still be able to be happy. A sudden pain stabbed in Sunset's chest, her heart pressed hard against her ribs and beat uncontrollably. She suddenly felt warm and a smile formed on her face. A feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time, and certainly not with this intensity, built up inside her at the thought of Scootaloo. That was all she needed. Sunset looked into the reflection of her cell phone screen again, the smile and softened features suddenly making her seem like a completely different person. Sunset now knew what she had to do! And her grin grew from second to second. The very first thing Sunset did was grab her laptop and look up the number of a good restaurant nearby. She would have to give up everything she had for it, but it was worth it! Once that was done, Sunset pulled out a locked box from the far corner of the room. Sunset's heart paused for a moment, this was what Sunset had been most afraid of, it was her first real test of whether she was true to her word. What she did now, she did in the knowledge that she could not yet say whether it had all been a dream. As soon as she visited Rainbow's apartment, she would find out whether she really lived there and whether Scootaloo was an orphan. But that shouldn't matter to Sunset! At the bottom of the box, Sunset pulled out an old book adorned with a flaming sun, her cutie mark. She had taken this book with her from Equestria. It was magical and allowed her to communicate with the counterpart that belonged to Celestia. She had taken it with her to see if Celestia would contact her, but she never had. Doubts rose in Sunset's mind, why had she never contacted her if she was so sad? ‘Never mind!’ Sunset's inner voice shouted. She couldn't give a damn what others thought, especially not with what else was going on today. It was important what Sunset thought and what she did, and she was sorry for the way she had behaved towards Celestia. No matter whether she still had a spark of love left for Sunset or not. Sunset took a deep breath and exhaled again, and as soon as she put pen to paper, the words just flowed out of her. And with every word she wrote, she felt her soul lighten and a heavy shadow that she had been carrying around with her all these years lifted. "Dear Princess Celestia, I don't know whether you still have this book close to you or not. And whether I still have a place in your heart. I certainly don't deserve it for how ungrateful and spoiled I've been after everything you've done for me. I'm fine where I am now, but I haven't really changed - on the contrary, I've been a terrible pony. If you had seen me like that, you would have been terribly disappointed in me. But I don't want to be like that anymore! I want to change! I want to honor my past and learn from it, live in the present and think about the future and become the pony that I always wanted to be and that you always saw in me. And I'll start with you. I'm so terribly sorry that I broke my promise to you and made you unhappy. For what it's worth, I want to stick to my word from now on! I would also like to thank you for everything you have done for me. You saw something in me that I couldn't see in myself until now. I will probably never be able to repay you, especially not after the way I behaved. But I will not only honor you in my past, but I will always carry you with me and that you will be a part of my future again! I love you with all my heart Celestia, even if I could never really show it to you. I'm sorry that I can't be with you again this Hearth Warming Eve. But rest assured that I will give all my love and generosity to the people of this world. I wish you a wonderful Hearth Warming Eve! With love your Sunset Shimmer!" It was a strange feeling that ran through Sunset after she had written the last point. She felt incredibly liberated and light, but then suddenly there was a part of her that felt uncomfortable having written those lines. She felt so naked and helpless all at once and with that feeling came fear and regret. The scene around Scootaloo's grave suddenly flashed before her eyes and how she had been rejoicing with Rainbow Dash just a few minutes before. Any doubt Sunset had felt a moment ago was suddenly swept away. She was better than that and she was stronger than her fear! If there was one thing Sunset would not allow to be taken away from her, it was her will! She still had some time before she could go and pick up the festive meal. She thought about what she could bring as presents, not that she had much to choose from. But after pondering for a while, she thought she had found things that everyone would be happy about and that undoubtedly came from Sunset's heart. She looked in the basement of the school for something that looked like a large sack and something similar to wrapping paper with which she could wrap and transport Rainbow's present. Scootaloo's present, on the other hand, would remain unwrapped. In a good mood, as Sunset could never have imagined, she left her boiler room early in the morning and skipped happily through the streets, whistling Rainbow and Scootaloo's song and singing softly here and there. Like yesterday, there weren't many figures to be seen, but whoever she saw she greeted with all her heart and wished them a Merry Christmas. The strange thing was that Sunset was genuinely happy and meant it. It wasn't just an act of kindness to make others feel good, no, it gave Sunset herself pleasure to stroll through the streets so cheerfully. She finally arrived at the restaurant, which had fortunately accepted her more than last-minute order. The price was quite impressive and drove Sunset into bankruptcy, but it was worth it! “Merry Christmas!” Sunset announced as she entered the store and although stressed faces met her at first, not a bad word came from the staff; on the contrary, they seemed to be infected by Sunset's good mood. “In a pretty good mood for almost missing your Christmas dinner,” grinned the man who welcomed her at the counter. “How could I not be happy when I meet my rescuers in distress?” Sunset grinned ear to ear in a way she hadn't thought possible. “Hahaha, it's rare to be in such a good mood so early on Christmas morning,” laughed the man. “That's a shame, everyone should be in a good mood at Christmas!” Sunset's voice sounded surprised, partly because she was supposed to be the last person to be surprised. After all, she had been the personification of the bad Christmas mood just a few hours ago. “Well, all the worse if you have to work instead of celebrating,” sighed the employee. For some reason, Sunset felt the urge to put a smile on the man's face. “It may be little consolation, but I think it's great what you're doing here. You are the givers of so many meals on this most wonderful of days and put smiles on more people's faces than I ever could. So I for one am very grateful that you've helped me out today and I'm going to raise a glass to you!”, Sunset announced happily, before grabbing the back of her head in embarrassment, ”That reminds me, I don't even know your name yet and I don't know the names of your colleagues I could raise a glass to.” The man in front of her laughed heartily: “You really are a funny young lady. My name is Coriander Cumin. I'd be happy to introduce you to the others too, they could do with a smile.” After a short time, three people emerged from the kitchen with large boxes and trays. A grin played around Sunset's face, she knew what she had ordered but the sheer quantity delighted her. One by one they introduced themselves to her, Daisy, Lily and Rose were their names, followed by the chefs Saffron Masala, Salsa Granada and Tonic Tapas. None of them could help but smile at the sight of the beaming teenager. “Tell me Sunset,” Lily finally began, ”weren't we supposed to deliver your order? Then why did you come here?” Sunset looked a little embarrassed: “Well, the food isn't going to my house, I'm kind of on my way too and thought you might be able to take me with you.” The three girls, not much older than herself, looked at each other puzzled, but finally nodded. “Sure, why not,” Daisy finally said. Sunset now looked even more embarrassed: “There's one more thing,” she began hesitantly, “Would it be possible if I rang the doorbell first and you waited a few minutes before I signaled you to follow me with a whistle?” Sunset put on the most begging look she knew and had always used with the teachers when she wanted to appear sweet and innocent. But this time it felt different and she could see from the looks on the three girls' faces that they couldn't refuse Sunset's request. “Sure, as long as it doesn't take too long,” Rose began, as Sunset fell into her arms and started dancing with joy. “Oh, thank you! Thank you!” exclaimed Sunset, ”I just wish I could do something for you too!” They all waved them off. “Oh, it's Christmas!” Lily finally said. “Right, right,” Sunset murmured, ”It may not be much, but I'll be happy to sing you a little Christmas serenade.” The looks on the others' faces spoke volumes that they were very uncomfortable, but Sunset had already started. And although she felt embarrassed at the thought of being like Pinkie Pie, she didn't care at all. She sang the song that Rainbow and Scootaloo had sung when they had started their walk. It only took a few seconds for her audience to listen spellbound. Sunset knew she had a beautiful voice and could sing, but she sensed something was different. When she had finished, everyone applauded and thanked her, beaming with joy. Then they began to load the things into the car while Sunset took out her money. A whole lot of small bills, as it was when the main source of income had been her classmates' lunch money. “I'm sorry I only have it this small. This should be the price for my order. And this is for you and all your nice colleagues!” Sunset placed two large bundles of money on the counter, whereupon Coriander began to smile. “That's really very generous of you, but I see you've scraped together your savings here, I can't accept your tip!” he finally said. Sunset, however, pushed the extra bundle over again: “But I insist it's the least I can do for you for helping me out today and I want to express my gratitude for your work financially as much as I can today!” Besides Sunset's joy, there was also a little pride in her voice this time. She had just given someone more money than they had asked for and the crazy thing was that it somehow felt good. She wondered if that feeling would remain if she was left penniless tomorrow? Oh Sunset didn't care, her heart rejoiced and her soul laughed like she had never known before. She wanted to keep this feeling in her heart! So she got into the van with the three girls and let herself be driven to Rainbow's apartment. On the way, they sang a few Christmas carols, Sunset asked about their plans and the girls asked her what her plans were, to which Sunset grinned mischievously and explained that she had something to make up for and that it was going to be a very special surprise. When the car stopped in front of the dilapidated house, the girls looked on in amazement. Sunset instructed them to take their things with them and wait under the stairs until she gave the signal. Then Sunset got out and entered the house, where she knew the front door would not be locked. It was exactly the same as last night, if Sunset had needed any more proof she was now almost certain that it hadn't been a dream, which made things a little easier for her now that it was almost time. Well, almost, because Sunset had to control herself not to laugh as soon as she saw Rainbow Dash. Sunset rubbed her hands and face briefly, put her bag out of sight next to the door and then put on her unfriendly face. Full of tension, she pressed the bell. “I'll get it!” she heard Rainbow Dash's voice from behind the door. Rainbow Dash opened it in the best Christmas mood, but as soon as she saw Sunset, that changed. “What are you doing here?” Rainbow asked, visibly shocked, and Sunset thought she could hear some fear in her voice. “Hello Rainbow Crash!”, Sunset mocked in her most disgusting tone and with a sardonic grin like she had so often put on at school, “I wanted to pay my favorite looser from school a little visit at Christmas to let her know something.”, Sunset's eyes twinkled mischievously at Rainbow. The light blue complexion of her skin was already beginning to flush with anger. “Oh save it Sunset! You...” Rainbow's words must have gotten stuck in her throat because of her inner rage. This was Sunset's chance! “I'm sorry Rainbow Dash!” as soon as the words had left Sunset's lips, Rainbow's anger gave way to confusion at what she had just heard. “I'm sorry for the way I've behaved towards you all these years. There's no excuse for that! But that's over from today!” Sunset swore with deep remorse in her voice. “But that's not the only reason I came here today, I also want to give you a little Christmas present from me.” Sunset pulled a poorly wrapped guitar out of the bag she had brought with her and pressed it into Rainbow's hand, who was still standing there speechless. “Is that some kind of perfidious trick?” Rainbow asked, puzzled. “I promise you it's not!” Sunset assured her. Then she spotted that Scootaloo had approached the door like a shy deer. Torn between fear and curiosity, she looked at the scene at the door further back. “I have something for you too, Scootaloo.” Sunset bent down a little to be at eye level with her and smiled warmly at her. That was enough to make the little girl come closer. “It's not packaged, but it is my most precious possession in this world.” There was no doubt that the words from Sunset's mouth came from the heart, she took off her jacket and gave it to Scootaloo, ”This jacket has given me the confidence and courage to defy all odds and pursue my goals with determination, even if I haven't used it for good. It may still be a little too big for you, but trust me, it looks 20% cooler on you that way.” Sunset thought she recognized a fleeting grin on Rainbow's face out of the corner of her eye. Scootaloo held the jacket in her hand, both fascinated and puzzled by her gift. “I hope it will serve you well,” Sunset smiled and a feeling rose up inside her that she had never known before. A pleasant throbbing and tingling in her chest that warmed her from the inside and filled her whole being with happiness. And when she thought this feeling couldn't get any better, Scootaloo fell into her arms and said: “Thank you Sunset!” And Sunset returned the hug. Her breathing became heavier and her eyes became moist. Never in her life could she have imagined that it was the most wonderful feeling in the world to give a gift from the heart and make another person happy. When Scootaloo had detached herself from her, Sunset continued, first turning to Scootaloo, then back to Rainbow: “But that's not all!” “Oh no?” Rainbow furrowed her brow, while Scootaloo looked on curiously, wondering what surprise awaited her. Sunset put her fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle. Then they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. One, two, three people carrying large boxes and trays and waiting outside the door to be let in. “I would like to be the giver of your Christmas dinner today!” exclaimed Sunset happily! At that moment, Rainbow's parents came to the door. “Rainbow, what's going on here?” Rainbow's mother asked. “This...” Rainbow began, stammering, ”is my friend Sunset. She brought us presents and apparently a whole feast too.” Rainbow's mother also seemed very overwhelmed by the situation, so Sunset took the stage. “Mrs. Dash I'm sorry if I'm a little too pushy. I just wanted to make Rainbow and Scootaloo happy with the food. I hope I don't upset their plans and they accept the food. It would be a shame if it didn't get away.” “Well, it smells really delicious and it certainly wasn't cheap either. Rainbow is lucky to have a friend like you.” Sunset became very embarrassed: “I hope she will one day, but at the moment I'm happy if I just don't cause any problems for your daughter. I wish you a Merry Christmas and enjoy your meal!” Sunset bowed and was then ready to leave. “Wait!” Rainbow seemed surprised herself that she had said that. Struggling with herself, she added, “Don't you want to eat with us?” “No, the food is for you and your family. The last thing I want to do is impose, but I appreciate the polite gesture.” Sunset smiled and was about to disengage when Rainbow persuaded her to turn around again. “Oh fiddlesticks, you donated the food we insist you stay!” This time the words had come out of Rainbow's mouth confidently, even though her face was still struggling with all the impressions and feelings. “Are you sure about that Rainbow?” Sunset asked. “Yes, it's Christmas and you've given Scootaloo a really cool present. I'd really like you to eat with us!” Rainbow assured her. There was that feeling in Sunset's chest again and tears in her eyes. With that, Sunset entered the Dashs' apartment, the trays and boxes were brought in and uncovered and set down in the kitchen by the people. Everything Sunset had asked for was there. A huge goose, dumplings, green and red cabbage, gravy, freshly baked bread, fruit, pudding, pancakes, soup. And everything smelled so incredibly good. Everyone's eyes almost popped out of their heads at the sight. It all made Sunset very uncomfortable and she tried as hard as she could to avoid the stares whenever she felt like someone would have to thank her directly. Sunset didn't even notice it that much herself, but Rainbow couldn't help but notice that Sunset, almost more than all of them, was literally pouncing on the food as if she didn't have much to eat herself. Sunset, however, enjoyed not only the food but also simply being allowed to sit at the table and enjoy the company. Her greatest pleasure was watching Scootaloo out of the corner of her eye as she enjoyed the food and made contented noises. You would have thought, the way they were sitting there at the table, joking and enjoying each other, that Rainbow and Sunset really were friends. For a short while, Sunset had actually forgotten how she had behaved towards Rainbow for the last few weeks alone. Late in the afternoon, Sunset said goodbye to the Dash's and wished the whole family a Merry Christmas. She then made her way to Pinkie Pie to offer to help her prepare for the party. Oh how Sunset was looking forward to seeing Pinkie's face when she stood in front of the door. She was even looking forward to the hug that would inevitably come and deflate her. The whole way, Sunset just couldn't stop smiling. She came to the address Rainbow had given her. Pinkie's house looked quite normal, perhaps even a little boring. So gray and lifeless, even in front of the house there was a rock garden with very little greenery. Somehow Sunset had always imagined it to be very different. Trying to hide her anticipation, Sunset pulled herself together with all her might and rang the doorbell. She could already feel a broad grin forming on her face, there was no way she could get out more than a simple “Hey” with a serious expression. To Sunset's surprise and happiness, however, it wasn't Pinkie Pie who opened the door for her, but a slightly older girl who looked like the opposite of Pinkie. Gray and drab, even though she was wearing a brightly flashing necklace that Pinkie must have given her. Before Sunset could say anything in her astonishment, the girl began to speak: “You're probably here for Pinkie's party. I'm afraid you're a bit early.” Her voice sounded monotonously bored, but at the same time reassuringly deliberate and slow as she spoke. It was like a car accident Sunset didn't want to watch, but she couldn't look away either. She was at a loss for words for a few seconds when Pinkie's quick voice rang out from the back of the house: “Hey Maud, who is it? Is it a surprise? Is it...” Pinkie stepped into the light of the doorway and her face became the biggest eyes and formed the widest grin Sunset had ever seen on another person, let alone another living being. Sunset knew Pinkie was about to explode with joy, she just couldn't help it. “Hey.” Sunset greeted her and a smile inevitably formed on her face. “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” Pinkie screamed excitedly with sheer joy. Not a second later, Pinkie had her in a tight hug and whirled her through the air. Sunset couldn't help but rejoice and laugh from the bottom of her heart. “I knew you were coming! I just knew it!” Pinkie announced and cuddled Sunset after the fussing had stopped. Sunset grabbed the back of her head, still smiling. “I'm truly sorry Pinkie for the way I've behaved towards you over the last few years. I know I have a lot to make up for.” Sunset now looked deep into Pinkie's eyes, who was on the verge of spinning her around again. There was that unfamiliar warm feeling in her chest again, so intense and strong. “Thank you for believing in me Pinkie.” Sunset's voice was shaky, she had only now realized how much it moved her that Pinkie was happy to see her and how much it meant to her that at least one person had seen the good in her. “You can't imagine how much it means to me that you're happy to see me. You really are something very special, Pinkie Pie.” Sunset's eyes filled with tears, although she was still smiling at the same time. “Aaaaaawwwwww!” Pinkie's voice rang out and she rushed out to hug Sunset again. But unlike what Sunset was used to from Pinkie, her hug was tender and reassuring. “I'd better leave you two alone for once,” Maud's voice sounded in the doorway without even a hint of emotion. “I have to thank you Sunset for coming silly. It's going to be the best Christmas party ever with you. And you can't imagine how much that means to me,” Pinkie told her, clearly moved by Sunset's previous words. “Thank you Pinkie,” Sunset replied, wiping the tears from her face. “I came so early to offer you my help with the preparations and so that I wouldn't be the center of attention later or break up the mood at the party. I can imagine it would have been quite a shock for everyone if I had suddenly turned up.” Sunset laughed sheepishly and Pinkie laughed with her. “Oh this is going to be great Sunset! Would you like a cupcake first?” Pinkie blathered on, but she didn't even wait for Sunset's answer and carried on talking, ”Of course you want a cupcake stupid question, especially as it's a Christmas cupcake. Who doesn't love a Christmas cupcake - they're the two best things ever. Christmas and cupcakes. Oh! Oh! Oh! You have to try our hot chocolate too! You wonder...” it went on like this for quite a while. Yesterday Sunset would have loved to strangle Pinkie, but now her voice was the most beautiful melody of all. Nicholas had been right Pinkie was a great embodiment of the spirit of Christmas, Sunset could learn a lot from her. Pinkie had not understated her Christmas cupcake and hot chocolate were truly unique. Not once had Pinkie made a face when Sunset was there or made her feel unwanted, quite the opposite! They even had a lot of fun together while they made the final preparations for the party. Inwardly, Sunset began to hope that she and Pinkie might become friends, even if the spirit of Christmas had died in people's hearts. And after Sunset had given Pinkie her Christmas present. It would definitely be phenomenal, only she was sure she wouldn't come off too well herself. And yet Sunset was really looking forward to giving it to Pinkie later. If anyone deserved it, it was her! In the middle of her preparations, Sunset saw the emblem on her journal light up. Her heart slipped into her pants and stopped beating for a few seconds. Celestia had received her message and replied. Sunset reached for the journal and hesitated. What if Celestia's reply wasn't what she had hoped for? What if Sunset had ruined everything. “Oh what have you got there Sunset?” asked Pinkie, who had suddenly appeared behind her. “An old book that means a lot to me and contains a message from someone who was once very important to me. I haven't read it yet, though,” Sunset admitted. “Oh, and why not?” Pinkie wanted to know. “I'm scared,” Sunset replied. “Hey, whatever it says, I bet it's nothing you can't fix if you want to,” Pinkie assured her. “Oh Pinkie.” Sunset hugged her and opened the book before her courage could fail her. "Sunset I can't believe it! I have wished so many times that you would contact me and tell me that you are okay. I'm so sorry that I couldn't be a better teacher for you. Hearing from you and knowing that you are doing well is the best Hearth Warming gift of all! I am also so incredibly proud of you that, despite everything, you found your way back to me all by yourself! Whatever terrible things you have done, I am sure that you will find a way to make it up to them! You are the most determined and stubborn pony I have ever met. If you set your mind to something, you will succeed. I love you too Sunset and I want you to be a part of my life again! You are always welcome in Equestria! With love, your Celestia!" A few tears rolled from Sunset's eyes. That was the best Hearth Warming present of all, yes it was, Sunset thought to herself. She briefly apologized to Pinkie so that she could compose a reply in peace. "Thank you, that means a lot to me! I think I've finally understood what the spirit of Hearth Warming Eve is all about and I want to carry it with me all year round! You don't need to apologize for anything. You were a great teacher and I was just too blind and arrogant to realize it. But from now on, I want to appreciate your advice and ask for it! I will tell you in detail about my first day as a new pony later. Thank you for letting me back into your life!" Afterwards, Sunset put the book away safely and promised to ignore it until tomorrow and turn all her attention to Pinkie and the evening. When they had finished getting ready, Sunset was more than surprised when Pinkie asked her if she wanted to greet their guests together. In the past, Sunset would have felt like a trophy on display, but now she was simply happy about the kind gesture. No matter how hostile, frightened, surprised, amused or insecure people were when they met her, Sunset was happy and smiled at every single visitor and greeted them in the warmest possible way. Sunset had liked Applejack's reaction the most, her jaw had almost dropped to the floor, even more so when Sunset had wished her ‘Merry Christmas!’ and hugged her. Sunset could literally feel Pinkie's gaze saying, ‘I was right! Have fun cleaning out the pigsty!‘. When Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo arrived, Sunset had to restrain herself from hugging Scootaloo tightly and twirling her through the air like Pinkie had done to her. She was indeed wearing Sunset's old jacket and a smile formed on her face at the sight of Sunset. “Merry Christmas!” Sunset announced, taking the two of them in her arms and waving them in. Rainbow didn't say anything, but her expression was all Sunset needed, the small smile and the incredulous shake of her head, as if this was all still a dream that Rainbow could wake up from at any time, but enjoyed while it lasted. “Cool jacket!” Pinkie complimented Scootaloo, who blushed a little. Sunset gave her a little wink and thought to herself ‘Told you so!’. More and more guests arrived, so that Pinkie's house was packed, they had emptied out the entire living room so that it served as a huge dance floor, with a DJ console and a small stage right at the front. Sunset sipped the apple cider punch with relish; she hadn't been able to admit it before, but the Apples knew what they were doing. Especially in this Christmas version with the cinnamon flavor, it was simply delicious. Sunset had suggested adding a little rum to one of the bowls, but obviously Pinkie didn't have that available. Too bad, though, Sunset thought to herself as she pulled out her flask and poured some into it. The evening went pretty well despite Sunset's past, there were no arguments because of her and the people she talked to were at best very irritated by her good humor and apologies, with some she could even have a halfway normal conversation. But right now, Sunset just let her gaze wander and was happy. Until her eyes caught a very special scene. Scootaloo was stomping energetically towards four girls her age, two of whom Sunset identified as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, Applejack and Rarity's siblings, who were obviously being bullied by two of their classmates Sunset didn't know. “Hey!” Scootaloo shouted firmly as she came stomping up, ”Leave those two alone Tiara!” Tiara turned around angrily, her anger giving way to a mocking smile that Sunset knew all too well, “Oh well, if it isn't the retarded Scootaloo. Cool jacket, is that your mommy's?” Her friend started to laugh spitefully. Scootaloo didn't make a face, but stood up to the two girls' stares. “Let's see how hard you laugh when that retard kicks your ass!” Scootaloo's voice left no doubt about her seriousness. “How do you talk to...” the other girl began, but she didn't get very far. “Hey, hey, hey, you shut the fuck up!” Scootaloo yelled at her pointing her finger at her, ”If I want to see you talk I'll shove my arm up your ass and use you as a hand puppet! Do you get it?! Do you get it?!” Tiara and her friend suddenly had a worried look on their faces. “Wow Silver Spoon better let us get out of here, you seem to have burned out one too many chromosomes,” Tiara finally said and made a quick getaway. Scootaloo scowled at the two before Apple Bloom began to speak sheepishly: “Thank you for defending us from those two.” “Yes, that was really cool of you!” Sweetie Belle agreed with her. Scootaloo's anger and excitement faded and she turned a little red in the face with embarrassment. “Oh, that was nothing!” Scootaloo wiped sheepishly through her hair. “That's a cool jacket you've got there,” Sweetie Belle noted. “Do you think so?” asked Scotaloo a little excitedly. “Yes, definitely! And I know a thing or two about fashion. My sister Rarity is obsessed with it,” Sweetie Belle announced proudly, while Apple Bloom started to giggle. “I'm Apple Bloom, by the way,” she finally said and held out her hand to Scootaloo. Scootaloo grabbed it hesitantly but was then pleased: “My name is Scootaloo.” “And I'm Sweetie Belle,” Sweetie finally added. “Would you like to be our friend?” Apple Bloom looked at her expectantly. “Yes, I'd love to!” Scootaloo's mouth was filled with joy at lightning speed and the two other girls were already rejoicing before Scootaloo's face darkened a little, ”But you should know that I live in a youth center and my leg is broken.” Scootaloo's head sank at the thought of losing her two friends again. “Oh, that's terrible!” said Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle agreed. “But what does that have to do with whether we want to be friends?” Apple Bloom wanted to know. Scootaloo slowly raised her head as she began to process what had been said. “I...” she looked at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's happy faces, “I don't know either!”, she finally said and started to smile. “Hey, maybe we should get a punch and then hit the dance floor?” Scootaloo asked expectantly. “Oh yes!” cried Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and the three girls walked off. A solitary tear trickled down Sunset's face when she saw Scootaloo's smile. Well done, Sunset praised her and herself. “Heeeey!” Pinkie Pie's shrill tone suddenly sounded next to her and Sunset was startled. “Whoa Pinkie you scared me to death,” Sunset laughed heartily. “And are you having a good time?” asked Pinkie. “And how! This is a great party Pinkie!” Sunset praised her, ”Thanks again for having me here and for letting me help welcome the guests!” “Don't you want to come and dance with us?” Pinkie asked expectantly. Sunset actually wanted to say yes, but she knew she still had to give Pinkie her present and the later it got, the more difficult it would be. Well, the party had to end for Sunset at some point. “No thanks Pinkie, to be honest I think it's time for my present now. I'm sorry to have to interrupt the music for a moment,” said Sunset. Pinkie looked at her, confused, while Sunset made her way to the DJ booth and whispered something in Vynil Scratch's ear. She then handed her the microphone and turned the music down. “Excuse me!” Sunset cleared her throat and all eyes were suddenly on her, ”I'm sorry to have to interrupt your party for a moment. I've done this often enough to make myself the center of attention, but this time it's necessary to present my Christmas gift to the hostess of this party.” Sunset paused briefly, weighing her words, “To be precise, it's not just a gift for her and it's not really a gift, but something I want to give back, something I took away from the following people a long time ago and only realized far too late how precious it actually was.”, Sunset began to call out the names one by one, ”Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Rarity. Applejack. And Rainbow Dash. You used to be the best of friends and the only reason you're not anymore is because of me. Every fight you had, every misunderstanding and every mean thing you thought came from one of your friends actually came from me. I wanted to separate you so that you could stay out of my way together, but that was cruel and wrong of me. I'm so sorry for what I did to you and I hope you can forgive each other and pick up where you left off,” Sunset had to control her voice, so much did her past behavior hurt her now. The looks on the crowd's faces showed her that everyone was shocked by what she had said. And the looks she could catch from the girls in the crowd were a mixture of shock, anger and disbelief. “I think I'll go now. Merry Christmas and I hope I haven't ruined the party!” Sunset concluded dejectedly, handing the microphone back to Vynil Scratch. She left the stage and made her way out, which was generously cleared for her. No one spoke to her and it was dead silent until the music slowly started up again and people began to dance. “Hey you boss bitch!”, Rainbow's angry voice suddenly rang out behind her, ”What do you think you're doing here?” Sunset turned around hurt, she deserved that! “Rainbow, I ... I'm sorry!” was all Sunset could say, deeply depressed. “Yes, it should be!”, Rainbow's eyes narrowed in anger, ”You thought you could just get out of here without showing me your dance moves first!” Sunset had expected the worst, and when it failed to materialize and Rainbow's expression and tone suddenly lifted, she slipped out a simple, “What?” “You must be scared Shimmer!” Rainbow teased. A smile formed on Sunset's face, “You really mean it.” Sunset wiped her face and put on her bitchy voice, “Dream on Dash! I just wanted to spare you the embarrassment.” Then Sunset moved past Rainbow onto the dance floor and began to dance. Not to mention that what Sunset showed there was beyond good and evil and wouldn't have stood up in any dance competition, but she didn't care. Rainbow danced with her and had obviously forgiven her, or at least did for the day. Sunset wasn't going to complain and took what she could get. She was allowed to linger here for a few more wonderful minutes and be happy. Yes, Sunset had changed that day! And Sunset was better than her word. She did everything she promised and more, and to Scootaloo, who didn't die, she became like a sister. She became as good a friend, as good a student, and as good a person as the good old town or any good old town or community in any world knew. Some people laughed when they saw the change in her, but she let them laugh and hardly heeded them, for she was wise enough to know that nothing good happens on this globe that some people do not laugh at first; her own heart laughed and that was quite enough for her. And since that day, it was said that there had never been a pony who carried Christmas more in her heart than Sunset. Scootaloo had broken away from her new friends and run towards Sunset, who this time couldn't resist taking her on her shoulders while dancing. From up there, Scootaloo called out over the crowd, beaming with joy: “God bless us, all of us!” Author's Note Thanks for everyone who stayed 'till the end! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! Even if the Christmas Carol ends here I plan to continue the story as I found it interesting to see how things unfold if Sunset managed to change herself and has to win the people over. So if you are interested too I'd love it if you followed me.
