That night found Sunset sitting on Fluttershy’s bed with the book sitting in front of her. For such an innocent object, it suddenly had the fear factor of a manticore.
“Are you sure you’re ready to do this?” asked Fluttershy, sitting on the bed with a kitten held in her lap.
“No,” said Sunset. “But if I don’t tell someone now, I’m just going to bottle it up and ignore it again.”
“Is this about what you were like before you came here?” asked Fluttershy.
“Kinda.” Sunset shrugged. “But also what I was like when I first came here. I wasn’t a good person, Fluttershy, or a good pony.” She began to pluck at the fluffy blanket, so Fluttershy put a kitten in her way before bending to scoop a cat up off her bedroom floor.
Sunset cuddled the kitten, rubbing her face against its soft, fluffy body. She left tears behind, but the kitten either didn’t feel it or didn’t care.
“But you’re good now,” said Fluttershy, looking at her firmly. Fluttershy could match a cockatrice for a stare, somehow Sunset just knew this. It saw through everything, right to her soul, black as it was.
“I killed her.” It came out quiet, and then she was crying again. No amount of petting the kitten could make her feel better, only Fluttershy’s hugs could do that.
“Oh, but I’m sure that you didn’t mean to. And you obviously feel sorry for it now,” said Fluttershy.
Behind Sunset, the book vibrated.
“I can’t write it,” sobbed Sunset. “You write it and t-tell Twi-twilight that I c-can’t.”
Fluttershy opened the book and read Twilight’s message aloud.
“Dear Sunset Shimmer,
It’s night now so I can only assume that you’re at Fluttershy’s. Are you ready to talk now?
Twilight Sparkle.”
“Write it,” said Sunset, lying on her side. The cat rubbed against her back and the kitten played with her hair, so at least she could speak. If she sobbed too much, the cats would be disturbed and that, at least according to Fluttershy, was a cardinal sin.
“How about you dictate and I write?” asked Fluttershy. “I’ve already wrote that I’m writing it because you’re too upset to put pen to paper. Oh, and I told her why I was crying earlier.”
Sunset could just tell that Fluttershy had a cat twining around her- she sounded too calm.
“Okay,” said Sunset. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began.
When Sunset came through the mirror, she took a moment to adjust to her new body. Fingers and toes, just like a dragon. But they weren’t tipped with claws. Her mane hung down her neck, brushing against the leather jacket she now wore, and her tail was gone. She had a nice dress on, though, and boots. The boots were her favourite.
“So this is what Celestia was hiding,” she mused aloud. “An interesting realm.”
“Hello?”
Sunset looked around and soon spotted the source of the voice- her mirror image.
“Oh, I thought I heard someone talking. Who are you? Where did you come from? And why do you look like me?” The other girl came towards Sunset, looking confused.
“I’m Sunset Shimmer,” she supplied. “Who are you?”
“Sunset Shimmer,” said the other girl. “Wow, did you come through a mirror portal or something?”
“Something like that,” said Sunset. “I’m new to this realm.”
“Do you not stand in your other realm?” The other girl was almost laughing. The nerve of her!
“Not on two legs,” said Sunset. “You can help me get accustomed to this realm. Although I don’t know how we’re going to explain the fact that there’s two of us.”
“Yeah, I don’t know either.”
Sunset had been rummaging in her pockets, and now her hand touched something that she thought she’d left in the other realm. It was a blade, sharp and curved. Her hand closed around the hilt.
“Tell me, other Sunset, do people here all walk and talk like you?” asked Sunset.
“Why, yes,” said the native Sunset. “I mean, not exactly like me, but similar enough, you know?”
“Yes,” said Sunset. “Thank you for your assistance. Perhaps you can take me to your house?”
The native Sunset was all too eager to talk about the town and high school along the way. She never shut up, much to Sunset’s annoyance. It was almost as annoying as the fact that she couldn’t use her magic. Stupid human bodies not having a horn.
“We’re here!” The native Sunset walked into the house, then up the stairs and into a bedroom. Sunset made a note of where it was.
“Is anyone home?” asked Sunset. This other girl was beginning to bore her.
“No,” said the human girl. “My parents are out. Do you want a tour of the house? Ooh, I can’t wait to introduce them to you! I always told them that magic was real but nobody believed me.”
“Sunset,” said Sunset, and the feeling of saying her own name was foreign, “would you take me out to get some dinner? I’m starving.” She placed a hoo-hand on her stomach for emphasis.
“Oh, sure!” And the native Sunset jumped up and lead her a few blocks away.
Sunset followed her, looking around furtively. There was really nobody around. If it was so late, what had this other girl been doing up so late? And why weren’t her parents home?
All questions were shelved for later when Sunset found the perfect opportunity.
“There’s a short cut through this alley,” said the human. “The pizzeria’s just on the other side.”
In the darkness, nobody saw Sunset awkwardly draw the blade from her jacket pocket. Nor did they see the spray of blood, or hear the tiny scream that the human managed to emit. And only Sunset saw the light fade from her confused and frightened eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said, after the tale had been told. “A-after that, I h-hid the b-body and went back h-home. Her parents never k-knew any different.” Sunset shivered, and pressed her face into the mattress.
Fluttershy was silent as she wrote far more than what Sunset had said.
“Read it back to me,” said Sunset. “What else did you write?”
“Oh, uh, just that you’re very very sorry for what you did and to please not shoot you with rainbows again or banish you or turn you in to the authorities.” Fluttershy turned a smile on her.
“You,” said Sunset, “are amazing, Fluttershy. I tell you a story about trickery and murder and you don’t even flinch, yet an animal gets hurt and you scream the house down.”
“A girl doesn’t go her life being bullied without learning to distance herself from the act,” said Fluttershy simply. “Where did you hide the body? Her parents ought to know about it.”
“Buried her in a shallow grave,” Sunset sniffed. “And I burned her so that nobody would recognise her on the off chance that she was dug up.”
Fluttershy stiffened and suddenly busied herself with petting a cat.
“What?” asked Sunset. Fluttershy didn’t respond, just kept scratching the neck of the purring kitty.
“Puppy might’ve dug her up and I might’ve thrown the remains into the river,” the other girl finally said.
Puppy was the wolf that Fluttershy had owned for a while, until she’d had to give it up (amid much sobbing) due to being a wild and dangerous animal. Apparently, it had attacked some people. That had been Sunset’s fault, too- she’d framed the animal so that Fluttershy wouldn’t win princess of the fall formal.
“And you didn’t think to report it to the police?” asked Sunset.
“I didn’t know that it was a murder case,” said Fluttershy. “I just thought it was an old grave, like an army grave or something.”
“Way out near the forest?” Sunset felt somewhat calmer now, although she dreaded reading Twilight’s reply.
“I was panicking, okay?” said Fluttershy. “But you did a good job of burning her body. Even I didn’t recognise her.”
Now that Sunset allowed herself to think about it, that night had some black spots in it. Just like when she’d turned into a demon.
“Fluttershy,” she said, shaking slightly, “I can’t remember what I did to her. I remember that I burned her, then the next thing I remember is finishing burying her and going home. Maybe I used some sort of dark magic.”
“Well, you did lose the memory of when you turned into a demon,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe you should ask Twilight Sparkle about it.”
“That’s if she even replies,” said Sunset, looking at the book the same way she might look at a spider.
“Well, I’m sure that it’ll take her a while to read over. So in the meantime, why don’t we go get some ice cream?” Fluttershy suggested. “It’ll make you feel all better. Or we can have some chamomile tea.”
“That sounds-“ began Sunset, but then a sudden noise caught her attention.
Another rock bounced off the window, so Fluttershy opened it.
“Oh, hi Pinkie,” she said, smiling at the other girl. “You do know that my house is only one storey so you don’t have to throw rocks, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I knew that,” said Pinkie, giggling. “I just forgot for a minute.”
“Pinkie Pie,” said Sunset as she climbed off the bed and made her way to the window to stand next to Fluttershy. “What brings you here?”
“I could smell tears,” Pinkie declared. “So I brought over some emergency cupcakes and ice cream. And cupcake ice cream.” She grinned.
“Come on in, then,” said Fluttershy, and Pinkie climbed through the window.
“I have a door,” said Fluttershy quietly, but Pinkie only giggled.
“C’mon, girls, let’s go have ice cream and cupcakes in the kitchen!” Pinkie declared. “And leave that book behind, Sunset!”
Sunset smiled sheepishly as she followed the girls out. Maybe this would take her mind off things.
In the kitchen, Pinkie plonked herself down at the table, opened both ice cream containers (honeycomb ripple, cupcake, and chocolate) and spread out the cupcakes. She’d also brought over some brownies, as Sunset soon discovered once she also took a seat and had a plate full of them placed in front of her.
“So,” said Pinkie after Fluttershy had got some bowls and spoons and divvied them out, “what brought on the tears? Tell your Auntie Pinkie Pie alllll about it.”
“Are you sure you want to tell her?” asked Fluttershy, and ate a spoonful of ice cream.
“I won’t tell you what I told her but… let’s just say it was a memory I’d rather forget,” said Sunset as she placed brownies in her bowl of honeycomb ripple. The slabs of cake reminded her of tombstones, so she ate one and smiled at the taste.
“Pinkie Pie’s insta-smile brownies triumph again!” Pinkie cheered. “And that’s okay, Sunset, you’ve got it off your chest now so soon you’ll feel all better.”
“Thanks, Pinkie Pie,” Sunset smiled into her ice cream. “For the emergency dessert and for helping me feel better.”
“Oh, but it’s not dessert,” said Fluttershy, “we haven’t even had dinner yet.”
“It’s always a good time for sweets,” said Pinkie seriously.
“Well, will you be staying for dinner?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m ordering pizza.”
“Weeeellll, I don’t have anywhere to be tonight so okay!” Pinkie grinned. “Make mine a pepperoni with extra olives!”
After pizza, Pinkie decided that the three of them should play video games, have makeovers, and talk about boys.
“Or girls or whatever you’re into,” she grinned.
“I’m glad Rarity isn’t here,” said Sunset to Fluttershy. “She’d be trying to get me to talk about my feelings for Twilight.”
“And what are your feelings for Twilight?”
Sunset’s face turned as red as her namesake at Pinkie’s words.
“She makes me happy,” she finally said, picking at some nail polish that had slopped onto her big toe. “But I’m sure that it’s just because she’s my only connection to Equestria. And she doesn’t judge me, even though I stole her crown and used it to hypnotise the entire school. But that’s just how she is, she’s so forgiving.”
“Well, not to everyone,” said Fluttershy. “She told me that when Discord was reformed, he had to live with my pony counterpart because she was the only one who would give him a second chance. Twilight didn’t trust him.”
“And she didn’t forgive Chrysalis,” Pinkie piped up. “Or the sirens.”
“She hasn’t had a chance to yet,” mumbled Sunset. “I’m sure that once she discovers that they could only live by leeching off emotions, she’ll forgive them and even try to help them.”
“Would you?” asked Fluttershy.
“I’d try to,” said Sunset, brushing some hair back behind her ear. “But if they said no, I wouldn’t push it.”
“So you like Twilight because she’s kind, she makes you happy, she feels like home, she doesn’t judge you, and she’s forgiving,” Pinkie summed up, counting off the points on her fingers. “Honestly, Sunny, that sounds an awful lot like love to me. It’s too mushy to be friendship.”
“You sound like Rarity,” Sunset scowled.
“No, I sound like Pinkie!” the cheery girl replied, and they all laughed.
Sunset fell asleep that night cradling the journal. It wasn’t the first time she’d fallen asleep holding a book, but it was the first time that she’d wished it was a pony.