Looping Over Feelingby daOtterGuyChapters100125-2-15501200-51101-3150175200-30200300400500600650700750800-1825900-14601000-36511002000Merry Hearth's Warming100Snow melted as it made contact with the heat field emanated by Sunset’s horn. It dripped as water to the ground, mixing with the red splattered across the white landscape. Her face was set in a firm line, standing over what remained of the pony she cared for most. A twitch was the only tell to the raging inferno of rage that she kept tightly bottled up inside of her. “Do you want to start again?” The voice was raspy, like a veteran coal miner that had inhaled too much mineral dust. There was a playful tone to it, the kind a hustler uses when trying to scam a pony out of money. It grated on her nerves causing Sunset to grind her teeth just to hold back her urge to blast the annoyance in the face. “Buck you,” Sunset hissed. “That’s not a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” She growled. “Use your words.” “Yes,” She replied through gritted teeth. “See? Was that so hard?” “Just shut up and send me back.” “Very well. I shall. Merry Hearth’s Warming, Sunset.” The snow blew harder, obscuring her vision as it reached whiteout conditions. She was enveloped in its cold embrace as the tinkling of bells filled her ears. 125Sunset galloped through the halls of Canterlot Castle. A magical arrow of magic guided her way down the twisting corridors in the direction of her quarry. Bang. Bang. Bang. Crack! “Dammit!” Sunset shouted. She pushed herself, her chest becoming tight from exertion. She rounded the corner and came face-to-face with the one thing she had tried to prevent. A noble, some nobody Sunset couldn’t be bothered to remember the name of, held the head of an orange pegasus in his hoof. The tiles underneath them were cracked and stained red. The pegasus’s face looked battered from the obvious pummeling the noble had done. There was a glint of deranged madness in the noble’s eye, most likely caused by him. Two of the noble’s cronies were nearby with matching looks of horror on their faces. A maid sat trembling nearby. Sunset quickly surmised the situation. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. He was a guard and an idiot. All he had to do was call for backup, and stop sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. But that wasn’t who Flash was. “Hey! Hey, you!” The noble called out, spittle frothing from his mouth. He dropped Flash to the ground and took a step toward him. “What in Tartarus to do you think—” A blast of magic shut him up. He smashed into the wall and dropped unconscious to the floor. Sunset’s horn smoked from the intensity of the spell she cast. “Get the guards and sell your buddy out,” She said to the noble’s cohorts. “Or I get the Princess involved and we see how well she’ll take to you assaulting her staff.” “R-right away, ma’am,” one of the ponies said before they galloped off. She approached Flash. “I-I’m so sorry, I—” Sunset tuned out the useless maid and focused on Flash. His breathing was pained and raspy. She lifted his head up with one hoof and glared at him. “You’re an idiot,” Sunset declared. A weak laugh. “Sorry, Sunset. Just can’t mind my own business.” “...No, you can’t.” Another laugh followed that came out more like a wheeze. A quick scan with her magic told her that didn’t have much time left. She laid his head gently back on the tile, stood up and trotted away. “...Sunset…” Flash weakly called out. She ignored him. -2“I-I was just thinking—” “I prefer you didn’t,” Sunset groused. “W-well, it’s just—” Sunset whirled on Wallflower, her scarf whipping in the winter wind. “I. Want. To. Be. A. Lone,” Sunset tersely stated. “The last thing I want to do is spend this stupid holiday with you at your home.” Wallflower shrunk in on herself, knitted cap pulled down to cover most of her face. “W-we don’t need to celebrate the holiday exactly as is. We could instead look i-into those plants—” “Not interested.” A momentary pause. “Definitely after the holiday. Right now, I don’t want to deal with any of this.” “I-I don’t think you s-should be alone after—” Heat flooded the area as Sunset’s horn ignited. “—I-I just don’t want y-you to feel alone…” Wallflower trailed off. “I’m not like you or Flash. I don’t need constant attention to be content. Just leave me be. I have things to do.” Sunset stomped off, leaving Wallflower alone in the cold. -1“Sooo,” Cadance started. “Sooo, what?” Sunset asked without taking her eyes off her book. “Well.” “Well?” “You know.” Cadance shrugged. “No, I don’t know, Cadance.” Sunset snapped her book closed in irritation, “Stop being coy.” “I thought you liked it when I was coy?” Cadance smirked, taking a sip at the hot chocolate in front of her. “Cadance!” Sunset snapped. “O-oh, sorry.” All bemusement left Cadance’s expression. “I thought we were doing a bit.” “No, we—” A heavy sigh “—I’m not in a good mood. I’m already two for three on lashing out against ponies I care about, so please just get to the point.” “...I just wanted to ask about your plans for Hearth’s Warming.” Sunset released noises of frustration. Passerby and other patrons at the cafe they were sitting at looked at the couple curiously. “Why does everypony have to know what I’m doing for this stupid holiday!” Sunset declared. “I-I just wanted to—” “Ask to be with your family too?!” Sunset rounded on Cadance. “...Yes,” Cadance said weakly. “Ugh!” Sunset ran her hooves through her mane roughly. “I don’t want to celebrate this holiday! It’s such a pain and I’m NOT in the mood to deal with this.” She packed her book into her saddlebags and slammed a few bits on the table. “Where are you going?” Cadance asked. “Away. I’m just—” Another noise of frustration “—why can’t you all just respect that I don’t want to deal with any of this!” “We were talking and we were just worried since you’ve been so out of sorts since you came back from seeing Celestia last week. We wanted to make sure—” “I. Don’t. Need. Help!” Sunset slammed her hooves on the table. “I just want to either be left alone or at least enjoy some peace and quiet. You and Flash and Wallflower always trying to invite me for Hearthwarming is driving me crazy! Just—” A defeated sigh “—I just want to be left alone.” Cadance hung her head, ears pinned down. “O-okay, Sunset. Whatever you need. I… We will leave you be.” A pang of guilt. Sunset smothered it. She refused to feel bad about wanting to be left alone. She left. 550Sunset destroyed the room. The drapes. The carpets. The memories. Photographs and drawings and notes and little affections gathered over the course of the many years of her tutelage under Princess Celestia. All ended up as kindling to the fire conjured from Sunset’s horn. Her moth— Princess’s room was being turned to ash and Sunset didn’t feel a thing as it did. Cold burst into the room through the melted glass of the bedroom window, dousing the flames. Krampus appeared shortly thereafter in a tinkle of bells. “Are you not even going to go see her?” He asked. “Save Flash Sentry, Wallflower Blush, and Mi Amore Cadenza. Only then will Celestia be spared,” Sunset replied. “I have no interest in seeing my failure yet again.” “And if I made seeing the end a stipulation to be allowed to loop again?” A fireball burst against his head causing it to explode. Krampus easily reformed back into his prior state. “That does not mean I won’t do it,” Krampus continued. “To change the rules of the game at this point would go against the spirit of it,” Sunset replied. Her tone was dull, devoid of emotion. “I suppose I can’t go against the ‘spirit’ of something as a holiday spirit myself. Again?” “Again.” 1200“Why can’t you just swallow your pride and apologize?” Krampus asked. Sunset glared at him within the wreckage of the smouldering garden. Though thoroughly devastated by her magic, Celestia’s body lay untouched. “Because I deserve one, not you,” Sunset remarked. “You insulted the holiday. You insulted the Founders. I cannot stand by and let you get away with that. How does that not warrant an apology?” “I am allowed to not like—” “This is not a question of like. It is a disdain for its principles.” Krampus’s voice was calm, but backed by unchecked rage. “You had every opportunity to be with your loved ones and refused. You looked down on the holiday purely for selfish reasons and—” “I am not selfish!” Sunset retorted. “I just didn’t feel like celebrating and dragging myself through this stupid—” The snow intensified. Krampus snarled. “How dare—” “Don’t. Even!” Sunset yelled. “How could you even understand how I’m feeling?! To know that I can’t amount to anything! That I’m going to be the worst thing that happens to ponies I care about!” Tears budded in Sunset’s eyes. “You’re just some spirit that harasses ponies because you have nothing better to do!” Silence. Krampus looked down at her coldly. “...Fine,” he said. “Be that way. Are you going again?” “Obviously!” “So be it.” The snow consumed her. -5110“What’s even the point of this holiday?” A younger Sunset pulled at her itchy sweater, a scowl on her face. “Being together with ponies that matter to you,” Celestia answered, a serene smile on her face. “And to hold back centuries old monsters, but mostly the first one.” Sunset looked over the small gathering of ponies. She recognized a few, Inkwell, the Captain of the Guard, but most she didn’t. They chatted amicable amongst themselves. “So you care about all the ponies here?” Sunset asked. “I do,” Celestia answered. “...Including me?” In lieu of answer, Celestia pulled Sunset closer to her and wrapped her amongst her wings. Sunset leaned into the contact. 1“...What are you?” Sunset asked. The Entity, a warped pony of pure black covered in a harness of bells, grinned at her, a mouth of sharp teeth. “Krampus,” he replied. “I punish those ponies that truly disrespect Hearth’s Warming.” “Weird pastime, but good luck with that.” Sunset made to leave. Krampus stopped her. “I would love to inform you that you are exactly the pony I’ve come to punish,” Krampus said. “What did I do?!” Sunset snarled. “By spurning the ideology of the Founders, my counterpart, you threaten the nature of this important holiday.” He leans down, slit red eyes wide and mouth stretched too far. “We cannot have grinches bring Wendigos upon us.” “I’m one pony! Besides, what could I have possibly done to deserve being harassed by you?” “Your friends and family reached out to you and you denied them. You keep to yourself and refuse to acknowledge their presence thus hurting them. Those four alone are fighting back the cheer that keeps the Wendigos at bay.” “Four…” Sunset muttered. “Flash, Wallflower, Cadance… Wait.” Sunset’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious, Celestia? No way. There’s no way.” “Believe what you wish, but you will understand or die,” Krampus said. “I have set up a little—” “Yeah, buck off,” Sunset snarled. “Excuse me?” A manic gleam sparkled in Krampus’s eyes. “I’m not falling for your cheap stupid sentimentality. This holiday is bogus, totally meaningless, and you’re an idiot for perpetuating it.” Sunset scoffed. “What kind of loser shores up a holiday? On top of that, you’re punishing me? I’m the one owed an apology from them and I’m not playing some stupid lame game to… show…” Sunset trailed off. Snow and ice had steadily covered the entire area. Krampus stared at her, face contorted into a wide smile stretched tight and thin by rage. The bells tinkled slightly from the vibrations of his body as he seethed in place. “...I had thought a simple game would do, but I changed my mind.” There was no playful tone in his voice, replaced by a deep guttural growling. He still smiled. “I will have you suffer first, learning what you missed, then—” He leaned in close, his heat smothering Sunset “—you will apologize to me.” Sunset glared. “Bring it.” The snow and sound of bells swallowed her whole. -3“Sunset!” Sunset groaned. She snapped her book shut and dismissed the magical shield she had around herself that kept the snow out. She was bundled up tight against the cold, but quickly becoming warm from sheer irritation. The whole point of reading in this snowstorm was so she didn’t have to deal with other ponies. Though, Sunset did admit that Flash barely qualified as one. “What are you doing out here?” Flash asked. He was an easy grin bundled up in a too-big-for-him knitted scarf. He looked like a dork. Correction, was a dork. The prior statement implied there were times in which he didn’t look like one. “I’m trying to read. Privately.” Sunset punctuated the last word with a glare. “Well, if you want you could read privately at my—” “Not interested.” “Oh, come on, Sunset. It’s almost Hearth’s Warming. You can’t sulk through—” “Not. Sulking.” “Yes. Sulking,” Flash countered. “And you’re gonna end up getting sick if you just stay out here and read.” “Good. That’ll keep that harpy away from me.” “As her guard, I can guarantee that Princess Celestia will not keep away and instead absolutely mom the Tartarus out of you if you end up sick.” “Why would she want to be around a sick mare?” Flash quirked an eyebrow. “Well?“ Sunset demanded. “Yeeeah, even if I told you, I don’t think you’ll get it. Look, no one should be alone on Hearth’s Warming. Fine, you don’t want to be around Celestia, but I haven’t pissed you—” Sunset quirked an eyebrow. “Okay, I haven’t pissed you off recently. My point is that I don’t want you to be alone during the holidays.” “Well, I want to be alone for the holidays,” Sunset declared. She stood up, a scowl firmly affixed to her face. “I don’t need you around to pity me.” “Sunset, I don’t—” “Buzz off, Flash. I don’t want to deal with you right now. I’m finding a new place to read. Don’t find me again.” She stomped off, not looking back. 150Sunset smashed through the door with a burst of magic. Snow came in with her as she stomped through the foyer to the kitchen. A green earth pony was laying down on her side, sprawled out on the floor. A pink plant with curling leaves lay amongst the debris of shattered clay emitting a faint mist. She wasted no time burning the flower to a crisp and bending down to check the earth pony for a pulse. Some of the residual mist entered through her mouth and caused her to hack a few phlegms of blood. She ignored it. Bloodshot eyes. Shallow breaths. Too much sickly fluid spreading across the tiles. If the poison wasn’t killing her, the impact to her head was. Beginning her work, she tried every spell imaginable to attempt to heal her. She knew the pony kept a first aid kit and various herbal remedies nearby, but she needed to stabilize the victim before she could leave or they would die before she could get back. “S-Sunset…” the pony rasped. “No talking. I’m trying to save your life, Wallflower,” Sunset reprimanded. She started through more obscure recovery magic. Lesser known spells only known by specialized medical professionals and historical magic nerds like herself. “Y-you can’t, it’s—” “I said no talking,” Sunset interrupted. “... B-bye,” Wallflower rasped. Sunset paused in her casting. She knelt, checking Wallflower for life. Nothing. She had passed. Standing back up, Sunset’s expression set to a firm line, her emotions firmly repressed inside of her. She didn’t have time to indulge, nor did she have time to linger. She left. 175Screams. Ponies galloped around in a panic. Sunset knelt below the awning with Cadance in her hooves. She’d tried to enter a store, the door had gotten stuck and when she yanked it too hard, the icicles above… She refused to focus on that. The owner raved about how it wasn’t his fault. That this wasn’t due to his negligence. He wasn’t to blame! It was the alicorn! Normally, that kind of declaration would be followed by a fireball to the face, but all Sunset could do was run a hoof through Cadance’s soft mane just like how she did when they were entwined under the covers at home. “It’s just like candy floss…” Sunset muttered softly. She continued even as the chaos got worse around her. 200There were many places Celestia could be in the Castle. The throne room was always the first presumed spot. Next was her office. Her bedroom was a close third. However, Sunset knew that Celestia was feeling guilty and when Celestia was feeling guilty— She went to the gardens. Every moment was clear in her mind. The crunch of snow underhoof. The howling of the wind as it attempted to consume the small garden tucked away off the main path. The moon as it shone down, lighting her form like a spotlight on a stage. Celestia looked at peace. So much so that Sunset wondered if she had possibly wanted this. The cause of death was obvious. A hollow where her heart once was. Impossible by normal means, but for him that was more than manageable. She felt roiling emotions inside of her. She was quick to squash them. It was the end of this loop and that meant that she needed her wits about her to deal with him. A looming shadow signified his arrival. It covered her in its darkness, quieting the howling of the wind to a mere whisper. It provided temporary shelter from the snow, but was significantly more dangerous than anything mere weather could do. “Merry Hearth’s Warming, Sunset.” “Buck you, Krampus.” -30“I deserve this!” Sunset declared through hot tears. The Princess looked at her with a mixture of complex emotions that she could not even begin to decipher. It was like an abstract painting, a bleeding mess of colours muddled together and impossible to discern individually. “Sunset, no,” Celestia said. There was a hint of helplessness to the sound. “That is not your future. It's not—” “Don’t tell me what my future is or isn’t!” Sunset stomped a hoof. “The mirror showed that I would become an alicorn! You told me it shows me my potential!” “Alicorns aren’t—” A pause. A wave of different emotions. Her face settled on a stern line. “The mirror is not absolute. You cannot solely rely on it.” “Then why would—” “To get you to let go of this… this nonsense!” “It’s not nonsense!” “Sunset—” “No! It’s not! I’ll become an alicorn! I’ll be powerful! I’ll never be looked down on again! I’ll inherit the throne from you so you can rest! So I can be with Cadance! So…!” There was a look in Celestia’s eyes. It was how the nobles looked at her when she tried to participate in day court. It was how the doctors had looked at her when her parents had passed. It was how the staff looked at her when she followed after Celestia. Pity. “...I’m done,” Sunset whispered, voice hoarse. “Sunset—” A wing outstretched. She smacked it away. “No! Don’t touch me! I’m done. I’m done! I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. I—!” A pause. She knew the next words to come. Celestia had tensed, braced for the words to spill out of her mouth. Two more words. She’d never be able to take them back. She’d been so close to saying them. Too close. It filled her with self-revulsion. Sunset galloped away. “Sunset—!” “Don’t come after me!” Sunset yelled back. She tackled her way through the door and raced through the halls holding back bitter tears. 200Krampus was a monster. He was pony-like. The same general shape, but several times bigger. Two massive curved horns coming out of just above slit red eyes. Covered in writhing coarse black fur that ungulated and pulsed. Bells were collared around its body like some perverse version of a reindeer’s harness. Every step he took would cause those bells to tinkle, but it sounded off. Like the bells were somehow out of key. Normally an impossibility, but this was Krampus and he had more than proven his abilities. Krampus stalked toward her, back arched, and a sharp toothed grin on his face. He moved with deliberate, careful movement. Every motion made to keep her uneasy and off her game. “We have reached the end of the loop.” Krampus announced. He circled her, a predator measuring up its prey. “...We have,” Sunset admitted. “Are you ready to apologize?” Krampus said. She glared. “I have nothing to apologize for.” His face was in hers. A wide grin with narrowed eyes. Equal bemusement and utter loathing. “Such utter disrespect,” Krampus spat out. “Your pride is insufferable.” “I was wronged,” Sunset declared. “I should get an apology, not you.” “Delusional as always. How disappointing.” He stood up, looming over her and blocking out the moon from her vision. The snow blew harder, obscuring his face. “Then we play another round?” “Until I win,” Sunset tersely replied. “Yes. You save the ponies you ‘totally’ don’t care about and then I apologize to you for doing this.” He didn’t roll his eyes, but Sunset could hear it in his voice. “You better keep your word.” “I plan to, even though I know you will never succeed.” Krampus shook his head causing a cascade of sound from the bells on his body. An offkey symphony. Sunset’s vision began to fade in the blizzard as it approached whiteout conditions. Only a faint outline of Krampus could be seen. “I will get that apology from you, Sunset.” A flash of malice in his eyes. “Whether it be sooner or much, much later.” Sunset had no chance to reply before she was whisked off to the beginning again. 300A blast of fire whizzed by impacting against the assailant. They went flying backward, becoming buried in a snowbank. Flash was lying dead on the ground in a ring of red stained snow. Another dud. Sunset bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. 400Sunset tried to siphon the poison out. A jury rigged combination of a vacuum and detox spell. Wallflower’s breathing was becoming more and more shallow. Bystanders in the busy store peered at the scene in concern. “B-Bye, Sunset…” Wallflower said, voice hoarse. She checked her vitals. Dead. Sunset ended the spells. No saving a corpse. Grabbing a shelf in her magic, she pulled on it and smashed it into the ground, startling the ponies around her. 500Cadance was heavy in her magic. Froth gathered in Sunset’s fur, freezing immediately in the cold. The drifts were piling up and the hospital was too far away. All the while, Cadance continued to die on her back. “...I … love…” Cadance rasped out. Heat emanated from her horn. The snow dissolved in a rough circle around her. She placed Cadance gently onto the cleared road. A quick vitals check told Sunset what she already knew. The cobblestones began to bubble from the heat of her magic. 600“I’m… glad you’re here.” Flash died. 650“S-sorry I couldn’t…” Wallflower died. 700“My fiery… love…” Cadance died. 750Celestia lay lifeless on the ground. Sunset noticed frozen tears in her eyes. She didn’t know what the tears combined with her smile meant. 800Sunset smashed the objects in the room as castle staff screamed at her to stop. She had no idea which room she was in. She had no idea what its purpose was. She only needed something to break and this was the closest room for it. She didn’t utter a single word. -1825“You’re pretty spunky for a nerd.” Sunset glared at the stupid pegasus sitting next to her. “And you’re pretty strong for a moron,” Sunset replied. The pegasus laughed. His jovialness was interrupted by a whimper as he clutched his injured jaw. “Moron,” Sunset stated bluntly. “If I’m a moron what does that make you?” She glared harder at him. He chuckled just enough to not set off his wounds. “You didn’t have to help me fight off those jerks.” “Yeah, well… It didn’t sit well with me that parents could ever do… that,” Sunset said the last word as a whisper. “Ponies suck,” the pegasus replied. “...Yeah, they do,” Sunset agreed. “...But not as much as that awful right hook you tried to do.” Another round of laughter and whimpers of pain. “I like you. You got a good vibe.” He held out a wing with a huge dopey grin on his face. “Flash Sentry.” Sunset regarded the outstretched wing. She shook it with a hoof somewhat reluctantly. “Sunset Shimmer.” 900Flash was dead. -1460“U-um.” Sunset regarded the quiet green mare. Even with her eyes covered by a fringe of mane, she could see the anxiety in her form. She’d met the mare only a hoofful of times as her new herb supplier but the mare had barely said more than necessary to her in past visits. “What?” Sunset asked. “I-I was— Well, if it's not— We, since you— Could—” “Stop stuttering and just—” “W-would you want to be friends with me?” She narrowed her eyes. Sunset hadn’t expected this mare to be so… earnest. It was an unexpected request and she would normally immediately turn it down, but Flash had been… useful, so it might be worth the shot. “Sure.” “R-really?” “But what exactly did you even have in mind to do as… friends?” “... I-I have an entire greenhouse of untraceable poisons that we could study and figure out which would make that ponce Blueblood suffer the most.” Sunset placed a hoof on Wallflower’s shoulder, a grin on her face. “We are going to get along very well.” 1000Wallflower was dead. Wallflower was dead. Wallflower— -365“I love how shy you get when we’re like this,” Cadance teased. Sunset attempted to hide her blush behind a book as she tried to not think about how they were holding hooves on the bench. If Cadance noticed, she would never let her live it down. “W-well, we’re in public and doing s-such open displays of—” Cadance slid closer to Sunset. They made contact. Sunset choked down her startled ‘eep’. “—I-It’s f-fine o-obviously—” “Just admit it, Shimmer.” A mischievous grin. “You’re embarrassed.” “N-no!” “You are.” “Am not!” “Are.” “Not!” “Are.” “N—!” Cadance pecked Sunset on the cheek. She clamped up, book forgotten and her marefriend’s proximity readily apparent. “See? Are.” Another of Cadance’s cheeky grins. “...A little,” Sunset relented. Cadence giggled. It was Sunset’s favourite sound. “I’m glad you’re with me,” Cadance said. She wanted to deny it, but in the moment, she couldn’t help but reply, “I am too.” Cadance leaned her head on her shoulder. 1100Cadance was dead. Sunset rocked back and forth, her head cradled in her arms. Cadance Was Dead. She failed again. CADANCE WAS— 2000Sunset stood in the snowfield. The town was blanketed in white, consumed by a snowstorm. Tears were frozen on her face. A tinkling of bells signified Krampus’s presence even though she couldn’t see him. “...I’m sorry,” Sunset whispered. “I’m—!” The final words were drowned by sobs. “Merry Hearth’s Warming, Sunset,” Krampus said. The snow drowned the rest of the area out. Merry Hearth's WarmingSunset cozied up in her blankets, a cup of hot cocoa in her hooves. Celestia was nearby chatting happily with Cadance. Wallflower was staring at Flash in distaste as he acted out some stupid joke with broccoli. They were set up in Sunset’s room, a tree erected in short order and the fireplace brought to roaring heat. She had asked them to come. A begrudging solution to keep Krampus away. She had apologized to him… even if she hadn’t really meant it. She still felt that burning resentment and the discomfort of the unresolved issues between her and the Princess. If she was being honest with herself… she didn’t really know why she was putting up with this. She couldn’t achieve her dreams here… but maybe… somewhere else… Through a mirror. As plans began to solidify in her mind, promises of future grandeur and a triumphant return, she spied a toothy grin past the glass. He couldn’t have possibly thought she’d meant that apology. Not really. They had learned too much about each other over the course of those loops for him to not be able to tell. If she had to guess, he had become as weary of the loops as she had. Even an immortal eventually reached their limit. Sunset would eventually make him pay. Once she ascended, he was the first one that would get an extra special visit from her. For now though— “...Buck off,” Sunset whispered, a hard glare on her face. The sound of laughter was drowned by the tinkling of bells.
100Snow melted as it made contact with the heat field emanated by Sunset’s horn. It dripped as water to the ground, mixing with the red splattered across the white landscape. Her face was set in a firm line, standing over what remained of the pony she cared for most. A twitch was the only tell to the raging inferno of rage that she kept tightly bottled up inside of her. “Do you want to start again?” The voice was raspy, like a veteran coal miner that had inhaled too much mineral dust. There was a playful tone to it, the kind a hustler uses when trying to scam a pony out of money. It grated on her nerves causing Sunset to grind her teeth just to hold back her urge to blast the annoyance in the face. “Buck you,” Sunset hissed. “That’s not a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” She growled. “Use your words.” “Yes,” She replied through gritted teeth. “See? Was that so hard?” “Just shut up and send me back.” “Very well. I shall. Merry Hearth’s Warming, Sunset.” The snow blew harder, obscuring her vision as it reached whiteout conditions. She was enveloped in its cold embrace as the tinkling of bells filled her ears.
125Sunset galloped through the halls of Canterlot Castle. A magical arrow of magic guided her way down the twisting corridors in the direction of her quarry. Bang. Bang. Bang. Crack! “Dammit!” Sunset shouted. She pushed herself, her chest becoming tight from exertion. She rounded the corner and came face-to-face with the one thing she had tried to prevent. A noble, some nobody Sunset couldn’t be bothered to remember the name of, held the head of an orange pegasus in his hoof. The tiles underneath them were cracked and stained red. The pegasus’s face looked battered from the obvious pummeling the noble had done. There was a glint of deranged madness in the noble’s eye, most likely caused by him. Two of the noble’s cronies were nearby with matching looks of horror on their faces. A maid sat trembling nearby. Sunset quickly surmised the situation. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. He was a guard and an idiot. All he had to do was call for backup, and stop sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. But that wasn’t who Flash was. “Hey! Hey, you!” The noble called out, spittle frothing from his mouth. He dropped Flash to the ground and took a step toward him. “What in Tartarus to do you think—” A blast of magic shut him up. He smashed into the wall and dropped unconscious to the floor. Sunset’s horn smoked from the intensity of the spell she cast. “Get the guards and sell your buddy out,” She said to the noble’s cohorts. “Or I get the Princess involved and we see how well she’ll take to you assaulting her staff.” “R-right away, ma’am,” one of the ponies said before they galloped off. She approached Flash. “I-I’m so sorry, I—” Sunset tuned out the useless maid and focused on Flash. His breathing was pained and raspy. She lifted his head up with one hoof and glared at him. “You’re an idiot,” Sunset declared. A weak laugh. “Sorry, Sunset. Just can’t mind my own business.” “...No, you can’t.” Another laugh followed that came out more like a wheeze. A quick scan with her magic told her that didn’t have much time left. She laid his head gently back on the tile, stood up and trotted away. “...Sunset…” Flash weakly called out. She ignored him.
-2“I-I was just thinking—” “I prefer you didn’t,” Sunset groused. “W-well, it’s just—” Sunset whirled on Wallflower, her scarf whipping in the winter wind. “I. Want. To. Be. A. Lone,” Sunset tersely stated. “The last thing I want to do is spend this stupid holiday with you at your home.” Wallflower shrunk in on herself, knitted cap pulled down to cover most of her face. “W-we don’t need to celebrate the holiday exactly as is. We could instead look i-into those plants—” “Not interested.” A momentary pause. “Definitely after the holiday. Right now, I don’t want to deal with any of this.” “I-I don’t think you s-should be alone after—” Heat flooded the area as Sunset’s horn ignited. “—I-I just don’t want y-you to feel alone…” Wallflower trailed off. “I’m not like you or Flash. I don’t need constant attention to be content. Just leave me be. I have things to do.” Sunset stomped off, leaving Wallflower alone in the cold.
-1“Sooo,” Cadance started. “Sooo, what?” Sunset asked without taking her eyes off her book. “Well.” “Well?” “You know.” Cadance shrugged. “No, I don’t know, Cadance.” Sunset snapped her book closed in irritation, “Stop being coy.” “I thought you liked it when I was coy?” Cadance smirked, taking a sip at the hot chocolate in front of her. “Cadance!” Sunset snapped. “O-oh, sorry.” All bemusement left Cadance’s expression. “I thought we were doing a bit.” “No, we—” A heavy sigh “—I’m not in a good mood. I’m already two for three on lashing out against ponies I care about, so please just get to the point.” “...I just wanted to ask about your plans for Hearth’s Warming.” Sunset released noises of frustration. Passerby and other patrons at the cafe they were sitting at looked at the couple curiously. “Why does everypony have to know what I’m doing for this stupid holiday!” Sunset declared. “I-I just wanted to—” “Ask to be with your family too?!” Sunset rounded on Cadance. “...Yes,” Cadance said weakly. “Ugh!” Sunset ran her hooves through her mane roughly. “I don’t want to celebrate this holiday! It’s such a pain and I’m NOT in the mood to deal with this.” She packed her book into her saddlebags and slammed a few bits on the table. “Where are you going?” Cadance asked. “Away. I’m just—” Another noise of frustration “—why can’t you all just respect that I don’t want to deal with any of this!” “We were talking and we were just worried since you’ve been so out of sorts since you came back from seeing Celestia last week. We wanted to make sure—” “I. Don’t. Need. Help!” Sunset slammed her hooves on the table. “I just want to either be left alone or at least enjoy some peace and quiet. You and Flash and Wallflower always trying to invite me for Hearthwarming is driving me crazy! Just—” A defeated sigh “—I just want to be left alone.” Cadance hung her head, ears pinned down. “O-okay, Sunset. Whatever you need. I… We will leave you be.” A pang of guilt. Sunset smothered it. She refused to feel bad about wanting to be left alone. She left.
550Sunset destroyed the room. The drapes. The carpets. The memories. Photographs and drawings and notes and little affections gathered over the course of the many years of her tutelage under Princess Celestia. All ended up as kindling to the fire conjured from Sunset’s horn. Her moth— Princess’s room was being turned to ash and Sunset didn’t feel a thing as it did. Cold burst into the room through the melted glass of the bedroom window, dousing the flames. Krampus appeared shortly thereafter in a tinkle of bells. “Are you not even going to go see her?” He asked. “Save Flash Sentry, Wallflower Blush, and Mi Amore Cadenza. Only then will Celestia be spared,” Sunset replied. “I have no interest in seeing my failure yet again.” “And if I made seeing the end a stipulation to be allowed to loop again?” A fireball burst against his head causing it to explode. Krampus easily reformed back into his prior state. “That does not mean I won’t do it,” Krampus continued. “To change the rules of the game at this point would go against the spirit of it,” Sunset replied. Her tone was dull, devoid of emotion. “I suppose I can’t go against the ‘spirit’ of something as a holiday spirit myself. Again?” “Again.”
1200“Why can’t you just swallow your pride and apologize?” Krampus asked. Sunset glared at him within the wreckage of the smouldering garden. Though thoroughly devastated by her magic, Celestia’s body lay untouched. “Because I deserve one, not you,” Sunset remarked. “You insulted the holiday. You insulted the Founders. I cannot stand by and let you get away with that. How does that not warrant an apology?” “I am allowed to not like—” “This is not a question of like. It is a disdain for its principles.” Krampus’s voice was calm, but backed by unchecked rage. “You had every opportunity to be with your loved ones and refused. You looked down on the holiday purely for selfish reasons and—” “I am not selfish!” Sunset retorted. “I just didn’t feel like celebrating and dragging myself through this stupid—” The snow intensified. Krampus snarled. “How dare—” “Don’t. Even!” Sunset yelled. “How could you even understand how I’m feeling?! To know that I can’t amount to anything! That I’m going to be the worst thing that happens to ponies I care about!” Tears budded in Sunset’s eyes. “You’re just some spirit that harasses ponies because you have nothing better to do!” Silence. Krampus looked down at her coldly. “...Fine,” he said. “Be that way. Are you going again?” “Obviously!” “So be it.” The snow consumed her.
-5110“What’s even the point of this holiday?” A younger Sunset pulled at her itchy sweater, a scowl on her face. “Being together with ponies that matter to you,” Celestia answered, a serene smile on her face. “And to hold back centuries old monsters, but mostly the first one.” Sunset looked over the small gathering of ponies. She recognized a few, Inkwell, the Captain of the Guard, but most she didn’t. They chatted amicable amongst themselves. “So you care about all the ponies here?” Sunset asked. “I do,” Celestia answered. “...Including me?” In lieu of answer, Celestia pulled Sunset closer to her and wrapped her amongst her wings. Sunset leaned into the contact.
1“...What are you?” Sunset asked. The Entity, a warped pony of pure black covered in a harness of bells, grinned at her, a mouth of sharp teeth. “Krampus,” he replied. “I punish those ponies that truly disrespect Hearth’s Warming.” “Weird pastime, but good luck with that.” Sunset made to leave. Krampus stopped her. “I would love to inform you that you are exactly the pony I’ve come to punish,” Krampus said. “What did I do?!” Sunset snarled. “By spurning the ideology of the Founders, my counterpart, you threaten the nature of this important holiday.” He leans down, slit red eyes wide and mouth stretched too far. “We cannot have grinches bring Wendigos upon us.” “I’m one pony! Besides, what could I have possibly done to deserve being harassed by you?” “Your friends and family reached out to you and you denied them. You keep to yourself and refuse to acknowledge their presence thus hurting them. Those four alone are fighting back the cheer that keeps the Wendigos at bay.” “Four…” Sunset muttered. “Flash, Wallflower, Cadance… Wait.” Sunset’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious, Celestia? No way. There’s no way.” “Believe what you wish, but you will understand or die,” Krampus said. “I have set up a little—” “Yeah, buck off,” Sunset snarled. “Excuse me?” A manic gleam sparkled in Krampus’s eyes. “I’m not falling for your cheap stupid sentimentality. This holiday is bogus, totally meaningless, and you’re an idiot for perpetuating it.” Sunset scoffed. “What kind of loser shores up a holiday? On top of that, you’re punishing me? I’m the one owed an apology from them and I’m not playing some stupid lame game to… show…” Sunset trailed off. Snow and ice had steadily covered the entire area. Krampus stared at her, face contorted into a wide smile stretched tight and thin by rage. The bells tinkled slightly from the vibrations of his body as he seethed in place. “...I had thought a simple game would do, but I changed my mind.” There was no playful tone in his voice, replaced by a deep guttural growling. He still smiled. “I will have you suffer first, learning what you missed, then—” He leaned in close, his heat smothering Sunset “—you will apologize to me.” Sunset glared. “Bring it.” The snow and sound of bells swallowed her whole.
-3“Sunset!” Sunset groaned. She snapped her book shut and dismissed the magical shield she had around herself that kept the snow out. She was bundled up tight against the cold, but quickly becoming warm from sheer irritation. The whole point of reading in this snowstorm was so she didn’t have to deal with other ponies. Though, Sunset did admit that Flash barely qualified as one. “What are you doing out here?” Flash asked. He was an easy grin bundled up in a too-big-for-him knitted scarf. He looked like a dork. Correction, was a dork. The prior statement implied there were times in which he didn’t look like one. “I’m trying to read. Privately.” Sunset punctuated the last word with a glare. “Well, if you want you could read privately at my—” “Not interested.” “Oh, come on, Sunset. It’s almost Hearth’s Warming. You can’t sulk through—” “Not. Sulking.” “Yes. Sulking,” Flash countered. “And you’re gonna end up getting sick if you just stay out here and read.” “Good. That’ll keep that harpy away from me.” “As her guard, I can guarantee that Princess Celestia will not keep away and instead absolutely mom the Tartarus out of you if you end up sick.” “Why would she want to be around a sick mare?” Flash quirked an eyebrow. “Well?“ Sunset demanded. “Yeeeah, even if I told you, I don’t think you’ll get it. Look, no one should be alone on Hearth’s Warming. Fine, you don’t want to be around Celestia, but I haven’t pissed you—” Sunset quirked an eyebrow. “Okay, I haven’t pissed you off recently. My point is that I don’t want you to be alone during the holidays.” “Well, I want to be alone for the holidays,” Sunset declared. She stood up, a scowl firmly affixed to her face. “I don’t need you around to pity me.” “Sunset, I don’t—” “Buzz off, Flash. I don’t want to deal with you right now. I’m finding a new place to read. Don’t find me again.” She stomped off, not looking back.
150Sunset smashed through the door with a burst of magic. Snow came in with her as she stomped through the foyer to the kitchen. A green earth pony was laying down on her side, sprawled out on the floor. A pink plant with curling leaves lay amongst the debris of shattered clay emitting a faint mist. She wasted no time burning the flower to a crisp and bending down to check the earth pony for a pulse. Some of the residual mist entered through her mouth and caused her to hack a few phlegms of blood. She ignored it. Bloodshot eyes. Shallow breaths. Too much sickly fluid spreading across the tiles. If the poison wasn’t killing her, the impact to her head was. Beginning her work, she tried every spell imaginable to attempt to heal her. She knew the pony kept a first aid kit and various herbal remedies nearby, but she needed to stabilize the victim before she could leave or they would die before she could get back. “S-Sunset…” the pony rasped. “No talking. I’m trying to save your life, Wallflower,” Sunset reprimanded. She started through more obscure recovery magic. Lesser known spells only known by specialized medical professionals and historical magic nerds like herself. “Y-you can’t, it’s—” “I said no talking,” Sunset interrupted. “... B-bye,” Wallflower rasped. Sunset paused in her casting. She knelt, checking Wallflower for life. Nothing. She had passed. Standing back up, Sunset’s expression set to a firm line, her emotions firmly repressed inside of her. She didn’t have time to indulge, nor did she have time to linger. She left.
175Screams. Ponies galloped around in a panic. Sunset knelt below the awning with Cadance in her hooves. She’d tried to enter a store, the door had gotten stuck and when she yanked it too hard, the icicles above… She refused to focus on that. The owner raved about how it wasn’t his fault. That this wasn’t due to his negligence. He wasn’t to blame! It was the alicorn! Normally, that kind of declaration would be followed by a fireball to the face, but all Sunset could do was run a hoof through Cadance’s soft mane just like how she did when they were entwined under the covers at home. “It’s just like candy floss…” Sunset muttered softly. She continued even as the chaos got worse around her.
200There were many places Celestia could be in the Castle. The throne room was always the first presumed spot. Next was her office. Her bedroom was a close third. However, Sunset knew that Celestia was feeling guilty and when Celestia was feeling guilty— She went to the gardens. Every moment was clear in her mind. The crunch of snow underhoof. The howling of the wind as it attempted to consume the small garden tucked away off the main path. The moon as it shone down, lighting her form like a spotlight on a stage. Celestia looked at peace. So much so that Sunset wondered if she had possibly wanted this. The cause of death was obvious. A hollow where her heart once was. Impossible by normal means, but for him that was more than manageable. She felt roiling emotions inside of her. She was quick to squash them. It was the end of this loop and that meant that she needed her wits about her to deal with him. A looming shadow signified his arrival. It covered her in its darkness, quieting the howling of the wind to a mere whisper. It provided temporary shelter from the snow, but was significantly more dangerous than anything mere weather could do. “Merry Hearth’s Warming, Sunset.” “Buck you, Krampus.”
-30“I deserve this!” Sunset declared through hot tears. The Princess looked at her with a mixture of complex emotions that she could not even begin to decipher. It was like an abstract painting, a bleeding mess of colours muddled together and impossible to discern individually. “Sunset, no,” Celestia said. There was a hint of helplessness to the sound. “That is not your future. It's not—” “Don’t tell me what my future is or isn’t!” Sunset stomped a hoof. “The mirror showed that I would become an alicorn! You told me it shows me my potential!” “Alicorns aren’t—” A pause. A wave of different emotions. Her face settled on a stern line. “The mirror is not absolute. You cannot solely rely on it.” “Then why would—” “To get you to let go of this… this nonsense!” “It’s not nonsense!” “Sunset—” “No! It’s not! I’ll become an alicorn! I’ll be powerful! I’ll never be looked down on again! I’ll inherit the throne from you so you can rest! So I can be with Cadance! So…!” There was a look in Celestia’s eyes. It was how the nobles looked at her when she tried to participate in day court. It was how the doctors had looked at her when her parents had passed. It was how the staff looked at her when she followed after Celestia. Pity. “...I’m done,” Sunset whispered, voice hoarse. “Sunset—” A wing outstretched. She smacked it away. “No! Don’t touch me! I’m done. I’m done! I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. I—!” A pause. She knew the next words to come. Celestia had tensed, braced for the words to spill out of her mouth. Two more words. She’d never be able to take them back. She’d been so close to saying them. Too close. It filled her with self-revulsion. Sunset galloped away. “Sunset—!” “Don’t come after me!” Sunset yelled back. She tackled her way through the door and raced through the halls holding back bitter tears.
200Krampus was a monster. He was pony-like. The same general shape, but several times bigger. Two massive curved horns coming out of just above slit red eyes. Covered in writhing coarse black fur that ungulated and pulsed. Bells were collared around its body like some perverse version of a reindeer’s harness. Every step he took would cause those bells to tinkle, but it sounded off. Like the bells were somehow out of key. Normally an impossibility, but this was Krampus and he had more than proven his abilities. Krampus stalked toward her, back arched, and a sharp toothed grin on his face. He moved with deliberate, careful movement. Every motion made to keep her uneasy and off her game. “We have reached the end of the loop.” Krampus announced. He circled her, a predator measuring up its prey. “...We have,” Sunset admitted. “Are you ready to apologize?” Krampus said. She glared. “I have nothing to apologize for.” His face was in hers. A wide grin with narrowed eyes. Equal bemusement and utter loathing. “Such utter disrespect,” Krampus spat out. “Your pride is insufferable.” “I was wronged,” Sunset declared. “I should get an apology, not you.” “Delusional as always. How disappointing.” He stood up, looming over her and blocking out the moon from her vision. The snow blew harder, obscuring his face. “Then we play another round?” “Until I win,” Sunset tersely replied. “Yes. You save the ponies you ‘totally’ don’t care about and then I apologize to you for doing this.” He didn’t roll his eyes, but Sunset could hear it in his voice. “You better keep your word.” “I plan to, even though I know you will never succeed.” Krampus shook his head causing a cascade of sound from the bells on his body. An offkey symphony. Sunset’s vision began to fade in the blizzard as it approached whiteout conditions. Only a faint outline of Krampus could be seen. “I will get that apology from you, Sunset.” A flash of malice in his eyes. “Whether it be sooner or much, much later.” Sunset had no chance to reply before she was whisked off to the beginning again.
300A blast of fire whizzed by impacting against the assailant. They went flying backward, becoming buried in a snowbank. Flash was lying dead on the ground in a ring of red stained snow. Another dud. Sunset bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
400Sunset tried to siphon the poison out. A jury rigged combination of a vacuum and detox spell. Wallflower’s breathing was becoming more and more shallow. Bystanders in the busy store peered at the scene in concern. “B-Bye, Sunset…” Wallflower said, voice hoarse. She checked her vitals. Dead. Sunset ended the spells. No saving a corpse. Grabbing a shelf in her magic, she pulled on it and smashed it into the ground, startling the ponies around her.
500Cadance was heavy in her magic. Froth gathered in Sunset’s fur, freezing immediately in the cold. The drifts were piling up and the hospital was too far away. All the while, Cadance continued to die on her back. “...I … love…” Cadance rasped out. Heat emanated from her horn. The snow dissolved in a rough circle around her. She placed Cadance gently onto the cleared road. A quick vitals check told Sunset what she already knew. The cobblestones began to bubble from the heat of her magic.
750Celestia lay lifeless on the ground. Sunset noticed frozen tears in her eyes. She didn’t know what the tears combined with her smile meant.
800Sunset smashed the objects in the room as castle staff screamed at her to stop. She had no idea which room she was in. She had no idea what its purpose was. She only needed something to break and this was the closest room for it. She didn’t utter a single word.
-1825“You’re pretty spunky for a nerd.” Sunset glared at the stupid pegasus sitting next to her. “And you’re pretty strong for a moron,” Sunset replied. The pegasus laughed. His jovialness was interrupted by a whimper as he clutched his injured jaw. “Moron,” Sunset stated bluntly. “If I’m a moron what does that make you?” She glared harder at him. He chuckled just enough to not set off his wounds. “You didn’t have to help me fight off those jerks.” “Yeah, well… It didn’t sit well with me that parents could ever do… that,” Sunset said the last word as a whisper. “Ponies suck,” the pegasus replied. “...Yeah, they do,” Sunset agreed. “...But not as much as that awful right hook you tried to do.” Another round of laughter and whimpers of pain. “I like you. You got a good vibe.” He held out a wing with a huge dopey grin on his face. “Flash Sentry.” Sunset regarded the outstretched wing. She shook it with a hoof somewhat reluctantly. “Sunset Shimmer.”
-1460“U-um.” Sunset regarded the quiet green mare. Even with her eyes covered by a fringe of mane, she could see the anxiety in her form. She’d met the mare only a hoofful of times as her new herb supplier but the mare had barely said more than necessary to her in past visits. “What?” Sunset asked. “I-I was— Well, if it's not— We, since you— Could—” “Stop stuttering and just—” “W-would you want to be friends with me?” She narrowed her eyes. Sunset hadn’t expected this mare to be so… earnest. It was an unexpected request and she would normally immediately turn it down, but Flash had been… useful, so it might be worth the shot. “Sure.” “R-really?” “But what exactly did you even have in mind to do as… friends?” “... I-I have an entire greenhouse of untraceable poisons that we could study and figure out which would make that ponce Blueblood suffer the most.” Sunset placed a hoof on Wallflower’s shoulder, a grin on her face. “We are going to get along very well.”
-365“I love how shy you get when we’re like this,” Cadance teased. Sunset attempted to hide her blush behind a book as she tried to not think about how they were holding hooves on the bench. If Cadance noticed, she would never let her live it down. “W-well, we’re in public and doing s-such open displays of—” Cadance slid closer to Sunset. They made contact. Sunset choked down her startled ‘eep’. “—I-It’s f-fine o-obviously—” “Just admit it, Shimmer.” A mischievous grin. “You’re embarrassed.” “N-no!” “You are.” “Am not!” “Are.” “Not!” “Are.” “N—!” Cadance pecked Sunset on the cheek. She clamped up, book forgotten and her marefriend’s proximity readily apparent. “See? Are.” Another of Cadance’s cheeky grins. “...A little,” Sunset relented. Cadence giggled. It was Sunset’s favourite sound. “I’m glad you’re with me,” Cadance said. She wanted to deny it, but in the moment, she couldn’t help but reply, “I am too.” Cadance leaned her head on her shoulder.
1100Cadance was dead. Sunset rocked back and forth, her head cradled in her arms. Cadance Was Dead. She failed again. CADANCE WAS—
2000Sunset stood in the snowfield. The town was blanketed in white, consumed by a snowstorm. Tears were frozen on her face. A tinkling of bells signified Krampus’s presence even though she couldn’t see him. “...I’m sorry,” Sunset whispered. “I’m—!” The final words were drowned by sobs. “Merry Hearth’s Warming, Sunset,” Krampus said. The snow drowned the rest of the area out.
Merry Hearth's WarmingSunset cozied up in her blankets, a cup of hot cocoa in her hooves. Celestia was nearby chatting happily with Cadance. Wallflower was staring at Flash in distaste as he acted out some stupid joke with broccoli. They were set up in Sunset’s room, a tree erected in short order and the fireplace brought to roaring heat. She had asked them to come. A begrudging solution to keep Krampus away. She had apologized to him… even if she hadn’t really meant it. She still felt that burning resentment and the discomfort of the unresolved issues between her and the Princess. If she was being honest with herself… she didn’t really know why she was putting up with this. She couldn’t achieve her dreams here… but maybe… somewhere else… Through a mirror. As plans began to solidify in her mind, promises of future grandeur and a triumphant return, she spied a toothy grin past the glass. He couldn’t have possibly thought she’d meant that apology. Not really. They had learned too much about each other over the course of those loops for him to not be able to tell. If she had to guess, he had become as weary of the loops as she had. Even an immortal eventually reached their limit. Sunset would eventually make him pay. Once she ascended, he was the first one that would get an extra special visit from her. For now though— “...Buck off,” Sunset whispered, a hard glare on her face. The sound of laughter was drowned by the tinkling of bells.
