Lvl. 2: Operation Double Trouble
Sunset's Point of View
An apparition. A ghost. An illusion...
One moment, nothing. The next, she was there. I stood still with my feet grounded to the floor staring at what had just appeared before my eyes. It was her...Glowing turquoise eyes looked directly into mine, they being filled with astonishment, confusion, and...fear. She had light orange skin so healthy and flawless that there'd be no end to Rarity's jealousy. Her hair was pulled up into a bun; red and yellow curls spiraling down the back of her neck. A close knit white shawl rested on her left shoulder while slipping off the right, exposing her bare skin. She wore a beautiful cyan dress with a floral design. It hugged slightly at her waist and flowed to her knees.
It was her alright. It was Shimmer. My breath escaped me. It was so sudden and unexpected, her arrival. What was she doing here?! How did she get inside the building? What the hell...Her hand was still on the doorknob, grasping it tightly. I noticed one of her feet taking a step backward into the hall. Without thinking, I lunged forward and grabbed her arm. Yanking her into the room, I slammed the door shut. I heard a thud and turned around, pressing my back to the door. Shimmer had fallen to the floor and she was looking up at me with accusing eyes.
"What...Why did you do that?!" she yelled.
Luckily, the practice room is soundproof. She could yell all she wanted. I ignored her question and crossed my arms.
"What're you doing here?! You can't be walking around here like that or you'll get caught."
I sighed.
"I'm not allowed here," I added quietly.
"I know that," she answered bitterly, her voice shaking. "Everyone here seems to hate you."
I walked across the room to the window and sighed. I'm not shocked that she knows about that. It was obvious enough, this hatred. The room was dark. None of the lights were turned on to provide me cover. Having them on would increase my chances of being found out. Now that I know my other self is here and had been wandering around, my chances of being discovered have been doubled. I turned to face her with a glare.
"Answer my question: what're you doing here?"
Shimmer glared back at me before getting up from the floor.
"I came here to find you."
I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Really? And what would you want to do that for? I have no business with you as far as I know."
Her mouth opened to speak but no words came out. I frowned at her deeply with impatience. I really have nothing to do with her, despite the fact that we have the same face. Bumping into her that fortnight ago wasn't fate. It was bound to happen at some point in time. I mean, living close enough to one another would result in us one day meeting in passing, though the chances are slim; Canterlot is a big city.
Shimmer's defensive stance slackened and her serious face fell. Her eyes widened before looking away. It seems to me that whatever confidence she had slipped away. An uncomfortable silence rested between us.
"I...I...The issue I came here about..."
Shimmer stammered uselessly. I looked directly at her and she backed away. Something about the way she looked back at me wasn't right. I knew she was afraid already, yes. I wasn't someone that many people would open their arms to. But the level of fear I saw she had...it was unreasonable. It was deeper than what it should be. Like she knew something...
Slowly, I began to realize that it was only a matter of time before my past was revealed to her, if not already. It was clear that she had at least an idea of who I was. Did she know that I truly was a demon at heart? A creature whose greed and hunger for power was left unsatisfied? A person who yearns to hold the position as queen once again, but refrains? Or did she not know...Shimmer could possibly have clues only but not the full picture. Something told me that I should keep her from finding out, if it wasn't too late to.
***
Shimmer's Point of View
Her cold, cold eyes...They stared at me with such malice it was unbearable. As soon as she said those words, those words stating she did not know of my reasons for seeking her out, my mouth went dry. I knew she was telling the truth. But it was how evil she appeared to me that scared me. My confidence went away and my knees began to shake. I could feel my heart beat race out of fear. Was this how the students of Canterlot High felt when under her gaze? Afraid? Speechless? Over whelmed? Outside, I could see the clouds part and the moon shining; its pale slivers of light came in and stretched across the floor. The soft moonlight outlined Sunset's frame and gave her more of a mysterious look than the frightening one I had just seen seconds before.
Her cat like eyes glowed turquoise and looked at me impatiently. She had her arms crossed and her back pressed against the window pane. Her red and yellow hair fanned out from around her face like a lion's mane. The light made it look soft to touch and more beautiful. The shadow her figure cast on the floor extended out toward me as if it were someone's hand eagerly waiting for mine to take hold of. Was she real? How could she really exist? There can't be two of us right now...shouldn't we have exploded or something?
Old questions that had been plaguing my mind the past week came back to me. It was useless to even assume there was a definite answer to any of the questions I just asked myself. Nothing was yes or no. Those two words no longer had meaning. Instead, the words 'maybe', 'possibly', 'it could also be...' replaced them. There was no real answer to much of anything.
I kept staring at Sunset, feeling afraid. But then something about her expression changed. Her eyes softened and the hard line that was her mouth slackened and became a sad frown. Her eyebrows lowered over her sparkling eyes. She was conflicted, and no doubt from the visible fear on my face. I wanted to say something to her. I wanted to ask if what I heard was true. Did she really nearly cause a catastrophe? Was she responsible for the crazy light beam Twilight and that boy had seen? I wanted to know and would've asked but I couldn't. Not without creating a problem.
Sunset turned to look out the window and asked her question again.
"What're you doing here, Shimmer?"
I swallowed before answering.
"I came here b-because I want you to set things straight...with my friends..."
There was a pause.
"Your friends?"
"Yes. They were the people you met in the cafe that night..."
"Oh, them."
"Them?" I repeated defensively. She made it sound like they were vile creatures!
"...So you want me to set things straight with them. How?"
"I want you to apologize to them! You destroyed the friendship I had with them when you did that-that thing! You nearly hurt Double Diamond!"
Sunset chuckled to my surprise. Her shoulders shook and her tense shoulders relaxed a bit. I stood there and waited for her response. She turned to me looking amused. This angered me. I could feel my face blushing and my eyebrows furrowing down above my eyes.
"What're you looking so happy for?!"
She chuckled once more and shook her head.
"It's just...It's just that I seem to have a habit of breaking friendships wherever I go. No one can ever stay friends with me around to coax them into being otherwise."
She sighed, looking sad.
"Looks like I still cause such problems even after my reformation..."
"Your reformation?" I repeated.
She quickly looked up at me and smirked. Waving a hand dismissively, she dodged the question. She walked over to me.
"Nothing. It's nothing you have to worry your pretty little head over, you strawberry blonde."
Her hand patted the top of my head and somehow I felt that she meant it to be a joke, but it felt insulting for a reason I didn't know. I pushed her hand away; I was no dog to be patted like that.
"You and I need to find my friends so you can apologize to them!"
She kept smirking at me and made her way to the door. She cracked it open and looked out into the area behind the door. After a few seconds she opened it all the way and held the door for me, bowing her head slightly and waving a graceful hand toward the hall.
"My lady," she said with a chuckle.
I glared at her before stepping out into the hall. She was annoying. Her jokes did little to amuse me. Once out of the room I looked down both ends of the corridor. I heard the door click behind my doppleganger and I turned to see she was headed westward. I followed her closely, remembering the importance of not getting caught. Lagging behind wasn't an option. As we came around the bend, Sunset turned her face to me and said," Did I ever tell you that you look lovely tonight?"
Dodging in and out of random groups of dancing teenagers is hard work. It wasn't any easier to get around being bumped and pushed by seemingly everybody. Especially if you're an alternate version of a pony princess that happened to have saved a high school from some never-mentioned threat. Everybody knew her. Everyone.
Yet, Twilight didn't know a single person in that school.
Teens constantly waved to her and gave her their best speech about how happy they were to see her and the gratitude they had for what her counterpart did. They hugged her and shook her hand vigorously. They included her in pictures and made funny jokes, making her laugh. All of them were so friendly to her. Before long, Twilight saw that her awkwardness didn't even bother them and she began to relax. Twilight even involved herself in some of their conversations. Most of them were about school gossip and interesting rumors. Though she didn't know these people, it still was entertaining to hear the chatter about them.
Twilight mainly was listening to see if anyone would bring up anything useful to her studies. Sometimes she hinted at the Fall Formal, but every time she did that someone deliberately changed the subject to that of happier times, it seemed. After about a good fifteen minutes, the scientific girl saw she was getting nowhere with her information gathering. Everybody there was willing to talk to her but no one was willing to speak about the Fall Formal.
There was no doubt in her mind that that dance was a sore topic to all who attended the school. But despite this, she wanted answers. She quickly made her way around all those dancing and searched the crowd for possible subjects to quiz about the past events. As she searched, she spotted the boy who had admitted her into the dance. He was by the refreshments drinking soda by himself. That's when it clicked in her mind.
"As Treasurer of the Student Body, I only take care of finances. Trixie's our Ambassador. You'd have to ask her. All I did was read the draft written by the Student Body Secretary and approve it."
That's right! Riff Raff, the Student Body Treasurer, had referred her to Trixie. She could ask her about what had happened. All she had to do was bring up the contract that she had and ask why Shimmer--ugh, no, why Sunset needed to sign it. Yes, that's the plan. Twilight hurried toward Riff so she might catch him in time. He, out of everyone she had met, would know where Trixie was and if not, he would have a better idea of where she might be. With nothing else on her mind, she sped toward Riff.
Nearly sprinting through, Twilight felt her foot get caught by someone else's and she tripped. It was all so quick; the heart-stopping moment of knowing you were falling, the feeling of someone grabbing you, the pull to safety. Twilight felt paralyzed. It was too quick to comprehend.
"T-Twilight??"
She turned around to see a boy with spiky blue hair and yellow skin. His blue eyes looked down at her in surprise and embarrassment. He wore a black tuxedo with a rose pinned to his hankerchief pocket. Twilight thanked him for the save and then turned to leave only to be grabbed by the wrist.
"Wait! Don't leave so fast! I...I thought you wanted to say hello..." the boy told her.
She looked at him and tilted her head. He was blushing deeply and looking at her before quickly looking away. His hands were holding her gently. Twilight squinted at him. Something was odd about that blush...
"Do you not feel well?" she asked.
He stuttered.
"O-Oh I'm, uh, I'm fine, Twilight! Heh! J-Just fine!"
Twilight eyed him before nodding and turned to leave.
"Hey, why do you keep trying to leave? I thought you were glad to see me!" the boy said.
"Um...I guess I am? But right now I'm busy so please. I need to go."
And just like that, she slipped away from him. The boy stood there feeling dejected. Without warning, a hand slapped him on the back. He straightened up and heard a distinctive voice say his name.
"Hey there, Flash! What yer standin' here for?"
He sighed and looked to see Applejack standing behind him as well as Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash smirked and punched him on the shoulder.
"Man, you look like a girl rejected you!"
Flash glared at her from the side of his eye before sighing deeply.
"Ooh..." Rainbow Dash mumbled.
Rarity flicked her on the forehead before pulling her away from Flash.
"How did it happen, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked.
"I didn't get rejected necessarily. It's just that...Twilight...well, she--"
"TWILIGHT?!" all of them exclaimed.
Flash jumped back.
"Y-Yeah! She's here! I-I thought you all knew..."
"Where did she head off to?" Pinkie Pie squeaked.
The boy pointed ahead.
"She went--"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the girls all sped off in the direction of his pointed finger. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Flash groaned and tried his best to enjoy the rest of the evening.
***
She was standing right by the punch bowl filling a cup, not even five feet away. Twilight felt her excitement skyrocket. Finally, she could get some answers around here! With Trixie, she should have everything she needed to know. Hopefully. The girl Riff pointed to had white hair and pale blue skin. She was wearing a dress with stars on them, making Twilight think of a magician. Cautiously, the nerdy girl made her way up to her.
"Um, hello," Twilight said.
Trixie paused before looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She took a moment to study her before turning her gaze back to the cup she had in her hand.
"Well, isn't it the magical ringer, Princess Twilight Sparkle," she said calmly.
She took a sip of her punch. Twilight swallowed hard. This Trixie didn't seem too excited to talk to her. She had a feeling she'd be lucky if she got anything out of her.
"Uh...I just wanted to ask you about this..."
Twilight held out the contract Riff had given her. Trixie eyed it with surprise and looked at her suspiciously.
"Where did you get that from?"
"The Treasurer gave it to me."
Trixie looked at the boy before looking back at Twilight with a bored expression.
"What do you want to know about it."
"Could you tell me why Shim--Sunset would need these set of rules?" Twilight said, quickly catching herself.
The white-haired girl frowned at her.
"What do you mean 'could I tell you why'? Do you not remember that she ruined the Fall Formal? Because that's why."
"B-But what did she do well, specifically?"
Trixie stared at her before drinking the last of her punch, crushing the cup, and throwing it away.
"You. Tell. Me."
Trixie pushed past her and made her way to the exit.
"Wait!" Twilight cried.
She struggled to follow the other girl. Trixie burst through the doors leading into the hallway and Twilight stumbled beside her.
"I-I just want to know what happened!"
"Why did you follow me."
Twilight couldn't take it anymore. No one was willing to tell her anything she wanted to know. No one. It had been about an hour now and she hadn't gone anywhere with anything. Angrily, she began to shout.
"I want to get some answers around here! No one's telling me what Sunset did to them in the past! That's all I want to know! Why is she someone you hate? What had she done in the past that was so horrible? That's all I want to know!!"
Trixie walked on ahead down the hall as if Twilight hadn't done a thing. The nerd watched her in disbelief before sighing deeply. What was the point of her investigation? There was nothing to gain by asking stubborn people. She trudged forward. Better find an exit. Might as well just disappear and act like all of this never happened. Operation Double Trouble was a fail...
"It's because of her that I'm an outcast."
Twilight froze. She slowly looked to see that it was Trixie speaking as they walked.
"Ever since she transferred to Canterlot High during our freshmen year, she's been targeting me with her jokes and ridicule. I was well liked then before she came. Everybody loved to see my fantastic, artistic works of magic! Fireworks, sparklers, confetti; all of it for my dramatic and wondrous entrances to my amazing magic shows."
A smile broke out on her face as she said," The Great and Powerful Trixie!"
She sighed.
"That's my stage name. I performed the most intricate of magic, wowing the crowd with my skill as a magician. An amateur? Not was I! My great power could be compared to that of Houdini himself! Pulling rabbits of hats and making money appear from behind people's ears was babyish. It didn't require talent and technique. I did much more! Teleportation, transformation, flying even! No smoke and mirrors about any of it. All that was seen was real and true!"
Trixie's pride astonished Twilight. The girl had trouble not believing her. The magic acts she described did sound really hard. She must be a very skilled magician. But as Twilight thought this, Trixie's happy mood seemed to falter. Her face twisted in a way that expressed much hate and sorrow.
"One day, I was holding one of my magic shows in the school auditorium. I was performing a transformation trick. I was to turn a toad into a cat. But it didn't go too well. My magic trick...it backfired and a whole bunch of smoke burst up out of nowhere. When it cleared, all anyone saw was that the toad had been fried and had rabbit ears. It was sunset Shimmer who burst out laughing and saying that my tricks were all phony.
"Everyone joined her laughter. After that, my magic shows were seen as jokes and no one came to them anymore. Before our freshmen year was over, I quit magic. No one appreciated it anymore and no matter where I went, if Sunset Shimmer was there she'd remind me of what a failure I became. Sometimes she'd even go as far as sabotage my chemistry assignments, making them explode, and say it was my terrible magical flare that caused that. That I tried to cheat my way into having a good grade with it!"
Trixie stomped her foot down in frustration. She sighed and let a smile cross her face.
"But all that doesn't matter now since she's the laughing stock, the outcast. Now she gets to feel how she's made me and so many others feel for years!"
Twilight was silent as she listened to her continue. All of it was like a make believe story. The Sunset Shimmer she knew would never be that cruel to anyone. Trixie shrugged off her anger and kept walking.
"I heard that she's leaving school. What a weakling. Can't take all the pain and pressure she gave to all of us. She should've thought about it all backfiring on her before she started trying to rule everyone with blackmail."
Leaving school?? Isn't that illegal?? Regardless, this information helped her out a lot. Twilight now had a better sense of who Sunset was now that she talked to he--
Trixie swung an arm out to halt Twilight and it caught her in the gut. The breath was knocked out of her and she wheezed. Trixie quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and stared down the hall. Slowly, after regaining her breath, Twilight looked up and she too stared at what was there. At the end of the hall were two girls, both with hair as fiery as the sun, talking with the same voice, and appearing to be the same person.
***
Shimmer could tell that Sunset was only coming with her to get the issue over quickly. She had no real intention of being sincere with her apology. Sunset was only acting as 'friendly' as possible so that things could go smoothly. The demoness led her to the door that Shimmer had fallen through.
"This is where I came in. I'm assuming you came through this way as well."
"Yes...I fell in actually," Shimmer grumbled.
Sunset smiled at this.
"I never knew myself to be clumsy like that. You have to walk with grace, Shimmer."
"Shut up."
Shimmer was already in a bad mood since Sunset had treated her very rudely when they were in the practice room. It was best she and Sunset departed quickly she decided.
"Where would your friends be, by the way?" Sunset asked.
"They would be at the Spring Fling dance in Pointeville High," she told her.
Sunset raised an eyebrow.
"...Pointeville??"
"Yes."
"..."
Shimmer glanced back at her. Sunset didn't look too thrilled about it.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Oh...no...it's just that..."
Before she finished her sentence she waved a hand at her.
"Forget it. Take me there and we'll settle this."
Shimmer hesitated before stepping toward the door she had entered before to get in. Before she could put a hand on the knob a voice caled out to her.
"Shimmer!"
Both Sunset and Shimmer turned around, saying," Twilight?"
At the end of the hall was Twilight being held back by a taller girl with white hair and pale blue skin. Sunset's eyes widened as she gritted her teeth.
"Trixie!"
Sunset grabbed Shimmer's hand and swore loudly.
"We have to go!"
"Shimmer, you get back here!!!" Trixie yelled, referring to Sunset.
She sprinted forward and shoved Twilight out of the way. The latter followed after getting her balance back. Stepping out into the cool night air, Twilight ran after them, not sure what happened in the last few seconds. All she knew was that she saw Shimmer...and then she saw Sunset.
I tried to make this chapter 8k+, but with events for some reason all being in this one weekend, I couldn't. But I got a lot done listening to this here song. It has nothing to do with anything about the story, but it's nice to listen to while working.
Luka is best vocaloid.
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6044362 Oh, thanks for catching that!
So I just read through your whole story, and I would like to give my impressions of it. Firstly, you have an interesting premise. That's good. Secondly, your narration works pretty well, but there seems to be a bit of a problem with using the same description for Sunset and Shimmer often (so much "firey-haired girl"). Thirdly, your dialogue needs some work, especially Twilight and Shimmer talking to each other. I've found that it's easier to write natural-sounding dialogue by saying it out loud before writing it down, if that helps. Fourthly, I admire your not rushing the romance. A lot of fanfiction I've read heads right into romance without any buildup, but you've avoided that pitfall admirably. Keep up the good work, okay?
6044374 Thanks for the critique! I have noticed that I use fiery-haired girl a lot. I'll try to use other descriptions and work on dialogue. Thank you for commenting!
6044395
Sure thing. It felt wrong to not say something after you went through the trouble to write so much.
MEGURINE LUKA-SAN!!
wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2014/02/20/262366/b78d0492b015bc2f99dc4f55e43e1f2f.jpg
She will always be tied with Rin and Len for my favorites. Especially after Let's Speak English with Megurine Luka!
Anyway, *grabs nerf gun*
Sunset, Shimmer, Glasslight! RUN! I'll hold her off!
I just had a thought: Well there are stories where Sunset somehow hooks up with both the Equestrian and the human versions of Twilight so why not reverse it? Have Twilight hook up with both Sunset's?
6045965 LOL 'Love Twiangles' is right there in the Also Liked column!
That's an idea there, Twilight hooking up with both. I mean, they're literally right there in front of her. That's a pretty interesting idea!
I like how Sunset and Shimmer are interacting. I also like Trixie's explanation of how she used to be great. It makes her ego more understandable, although I still think it's kind of annoying.
At last they meet! And boy, are their differing personalities noticeable!
cant wait for the next chapter
6046405 I'm glad you like the interaction and explanation! As for Trixie being annoying, she just has a boisterous personality; full of pride and whatnot. Kind of like Sunset, only she's more of an airhead.
Well it's nice to finally see the reason behind Trixie's behavior.
I have so many chapters to catch up on XD But summer vay-kay means I have all the time in the world~
6048617 What's the last chapter you read up to?
6048653 I ended up not being as far off as I thought! The last one I read was general something, but I'm caught up now ^^ Can't wait for more!
6050281 The next chapter should be out soon!
Trixie is after SnS, Twilight is following after Trixie... and I can only imagine 5 certain people have(or will soon have.) caught sight and is following Twilight... I am only slightly disappointed that Flash didn't join in.
Anyway...Cue music:
6056028 LOL My sweetheart told me the same thing and I just laughed in her face. I have a superior mind!
Luka? HA! Everyone knows Rin is best!
6135273 If Rin is best, so is Len. They are one in the same!
6136654 Especially since the same person voiced them!
How very, predictably, human. Constant harassment from apparently at least 70% of the student body (along with some additional pressure from a few of the teachers, it seems) that leaves her with no real peace. Yea, only a weakling would say "buck this". Oh, and let us not forget the taking pleasure or even pride in going after the newly acceptable target so that you can forget that none of you actually tried to stop her when she was "queen of CHS". Sunset and two minions vs. the whole school and she won. Now that its reversed, it is time for as much of the boot as you can get away with.
Sorry about the rant. I've seen this set-up in other Sunset stories, and like I said, it is a very human behavior, it just gripes me.
Very good story, and 6047129 is right, the personality variance is pretty heavy once they are interacting. Now to see how it works out (meaning gets even more messed up
).
Over whelmed
1. Overwhelmed, one word.
What are you doing, Sunset? Why are you flirting with your double? :D
Anyway, I wanted to point out here that it's cool how you named Shimmer and how her personality matches her name. Before you introduced her to the storyline, I wondered how she would be called and what personality she would have. And I came up with an idea that Sunset means something dark and bad while Shimmer means light and good and so on, and that their personalities would have these main qualities. And so I continued reading and saw that you did exactly so.
The first half of the story didn't let me stop reading, I really like it. Thank you!
okay, it's confirmed. Aside from the humane 5, the rest of the students are just dicks. And Celestia is SO STUPID! Did she not realize that contract was not to help Sunset, but just Trixie abusing power!?
GOD!
This is really confusing, "sunsets" the asshole pony and "shimmer" is the pointevill student?
I feel like sunset 1 and sunset 2 would be less confusing then this.
6173552
maybe she sees it as weakness because she went through something very similar, and she stuck it out.
8773675
Something similar? Yes, since Sunset seems to have bullied everyone (although she did have her preferred targets). Very similar, not in the least. Sunset had an entire school to keep under her rule with only Snips and Snails for help, except for those preferred targets, the general students had days, maybe even weeks at a time without Sunset bullying them, this is the majority of the school vs. Sunset alone, in every period and every hall.