Book One, Chapter 2 (Side Sunset)
"This body actually does that?" Sunset wondered aloud with a disgusted grimace. "That's actually a thing girls do here? Gross!"
It was just past six in the morning. The sky outside was already beginning to glow with the early hues of daybreak, and Sunset had been awake for almost an hour. As soon as the disoriented fog of sleep had cleared from her brain, she had picked up her tablet and resumed her studies.
Given everything she'd experienced the day before, she decided that human physiology was top priority for today, and that meant brushing up on parts of the human body, differences between male and female anatomy, and—presently—feminine intimate health, a subject she had become acutely aware of through context links in other articles.
She had just finished reading about menstruation. The idea of regularly experiencing cramps and bleeding from her sexual organs filled her with disgust and dread.
On the plus side, at least she finally knew what breasts were. And why they thought she'd be more concerned about having bruised one. She'd also discovered, through...less clinical research...more about the real importance of breasts in human culture and society, and that she had evidently hit a particularly perverse jackpot in her transformation into a human. Her new body came with a devastating psychological weapon. She couldn't wait to use it.
But first, she had more pressing concerns. Setting down her tablet, she gingerly levered herself off the bed, took hold of her IV stand, and crossed over to the bathroom. Fumbling for the light switch just inside, she turned it on, then approached the toilet.
She set her mouth in a determined line, hiked up her gown, and sat down.
After relieving herself, she carefully cleaned herself, then washed her hands and left the bathroom. The sky was brighter now; she walked back over to the bed. Her ribs were starting to hurt. As soon as she was back in bed, she pressed the nurse call button.
In less than three minutes, Sugar Pill—the curly-haired nurse from the previous day—entered. "Good morning, sweetie!" she said. "Do you need help going to the bathroom?"
"I already went," Sunset said. "I just need some ice for my ribs."
Sugar Pill blinked. "You went? By yourself?"
Sunset smiled gamely. "When you gotta go, right?"
Sugar Pill giggled. "Alright. Let me go get you an ice pack." As she left the room, she paused to check the bathroom, then glanced back at Sunset, eyes wide in surprise, before heading out.
Sunset smirked.
As soon as Sugar Pill returned with the ice pack and went through the routine of checking up on her, Sunset picked her tablet back up and pursed her lips, trying to decide what to look up next. Her earlier information binge had been driven by specific cues and acknowledged gaps. Now, she had to decide what to look for information about next, and nothing seemed to stick out in her mind.
She glanced up at the TV, reached for the remote, and turned it on. There was a man in an expensive suit giving an impassioned speech about...something or other, it made no sense to her. She thought about flipping through the channels idly again as she had done the day before.
She paused, glancing at her tablet.
The Internet had a lot of information. What if...
After a few false starts, she found what she was looking for: a schedule of programs whose channel numbers matched what she'd seen before. "Basic cable," she murmured, brow furrowed in thought. "Let's see...television transmission is divided into...terrestrial wireless signal transmission, cable transmission, and satellite transmission, whatever the hay that is." Having a program schedule turned out to not be very useful when she had no idea what the programs actually were, so she opted to tune into a morning news program.
During the hour before breakfast arrived, Sunset continued her research, beginning with learning the difference between the three major forms of television transmission. As she read, she kept half an ear open to the news; occasionally, she would look up something that was talked about on television. Breakfast today was different from yesterday's offering, consisting of a large, flaky, buttery croissant, two strips of crispy bacon, more of those slightly off scrambled eggs, and a bowl of thin, watery farina. There was also a small fruit cup with some peaches in heavy syrup, as well as the same milk and orange juice from the day before. There were salt and pepper packets, sugar packets, and a packet of strawberry cream cheese spread. The latter was obviously meant for the croissant, but as Sunset looked her breakfast over, she decided the farina probably needed it more, so she carefully opened the perforated notch at the end and squeezed the entire tube into it, then stirred it with her spoon. For good measure, she added sugar as well, then carefully emptied the salt and pepper onto her eggs.
"Getting better at this," she mused happily to herself as she ate. The bacon had an interesting taste to it; once she was done eating, she decided to look up bacon on the Internet to find out what the difference was between bacon here and bacon in Equestria.
By the time they came to clear her tray, Sunset knew just how much animal flesh she'd consumed in the past day, to say nothing of what animals humans routinely consumed. It took her a good half hour to wrestle with the implications, but further research told her animals in this world—including equines, which mercifully were not normally used for food—were not sapient, and humans had been hunting animals for food and, later, raising them as livestock since the beginning of recorded history.
*Well, Sunset...you're human now, so if that's what humans do,* she told herself. Besides, her stomach and taste buds certainly weren't complaining.
Unbidden, a mental image of the now-human Celestia entered her mind, scowling disapprovingly at her for participating in anything as barbaric as eating meat. *Oh, shut up, you old nag, you're in the same boat I'm in.* The mental image of a disapproving Celestia changed to one of Celestia salivating over a hapless cow, knife and fork clenched in her hands. Sunset giggled.
"You're in a good mood this morning."
It was the young doctor from the day before. She coughed, suppressing her giggle fit. "Just...a silly thought," she said.
"Well, nothing wrong with that," the doctor said. He glanced at the TV and rolled his eyes. "The news again?"
Sunset shrugged. "I don't remember what I used to watch on TV, or if I even watched TV at all," she said. "I checked the schedule, but I don't even know what any of the shows they have on this morning are, so..." She gestured vaguely.
"Hmm." The doctor examined his tablet, brow furrowed. "Yyyyyeah, I see where you appear to be having some memory trouble that's not related to any injury." He gave her a mock-stern look. "You sure you're not just faking it for sympathy?"
Now it was Sunset's turn to roll her eyes. "Do I look like the kind of girl who'd do that?"
The doctor shrugged. "Honestly, you look like the kind of girl guys like me used to have crushes on in high school. The kind of girl that isn't very nice about shooting you down in the middle of the hallway, where all the other kids can hear and point and laugh..." He trailed off, ducking his gaze. "I, uhh...I'll just be...rounds." He turned and left the room in a rush.
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "That was weird." Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the news, which had just segued into the weather forecast. Fluffy Clouds was back on, and he looked excited and a bit harassed.
"Well, folks, you know what they say about the weather," Fluffy Clouds said with a chuckle. "Our five-day forecast has changed significantly ever since a storm front decided to develop over the plains yesterday. That storm system should be moving in around Thursday; heavy rains, strong, gusty winds, and thunder are on tap from Thursday around noon to late Friday. The system should make its way out of our area overnight Friday, so the weekend will be partly cloudy and humid..."
Sunset tuned the rest of the weather forecast out. She picked up her tablet, intent on doing more research, but found that her eyes were tired and blurry. "Ugh," she muttered. "Been reading this thing too long..." She closed her Internet browser and studied the assorted apps on her tablet. Her gaze lingered on the Music app. "Hmm..."
She glanced at the TV, which was now droning on about financial news. She turned down the volume on the TV, then tapped the Music app.
You have no music in your Library.
You can add music through the Music Store or start your 90-day free trial of BlueTunes, which streams a wide selection of music to your device wherever, whenever. Choose your favorite genre, your favorite band, or just tune in to one of our many Internet radio streams! Like what you hear? Buy it and download it to your device with one touch! Start your free trial of BlueTunes now?
Sunset thought about that for a minute, then shrugged. "Well, if it's a free trial..."
She touched 'Yes'.
Congratulations! Your free trial of BlueTunes has started. You now have access to tens of thousands of songs from every genre of music! Enjoy!
Note: In order to purchase music, a payment method must be associated with your account.
"I'll talk to Mom and Dad about that later," Sunset muttered as she studied the screen that popped up next. It was full of little video thumbnails, news blurbs, categories, and music stream titles. On a whim, she touched 'Classic Hits'. After a brief loading period, the tablet's small but powerful speakers burst to life with a fast drum beat and hard, fast guitar rhythms. A male singer crooned over the loud, aggressive music. A glance at the screen told Sunset she was listening to a band called 'Nipmuc', whatever that meant.
Sunset knew what rock and roll was. Her distant aunt Stormy Flare would often bring her pegasus cousin Spitfire whenever she visited, and Spitfire always brought rock records with her. *At least, she used to...before I stopped taking visitors...* Rock and roll was an interesting thing; it was so different from the stuffy string quartets and chamber music of Canterlot. The ponies who played it and the ponies who listened to it were enjoying themselves without caring how loud, obnoxious, or strange they sounded.
Sunset nodded her head along with the beat; when the song began to fade out, she tapped the little button on the screen that said 'More from this artist'. Another Nipmuc song started, and Sunset laid the tablet in her lap, idly tapping her toes under the sheets to the beat of the music.
She'd listened to several songs when Dr. Swab came in to check on her. "Well, you look like you're having fun," he said.
Sunset nodded. "I've never just sat and listened to music for this long before," she said. "Especially not this."
"Well, I have to say you've got good taste," Dr. Swab said. "Nipmuc got me through every study session for every exam I ever took in college and medical school." He checked some things on his tablet. "How are your ribs?"
"Still sore, but I've figured out how not to aggravate them."
Dr. Swab nodded. "And your memory problems?"
Sunset shook her head. "Still nothing. I spent most of the night just using the Internet to figure out where the heck I even am."
Dr. Swab pressed his lips into a thin line. "Well, you seem to remember how to do that at least."
Sunset shook her head. "Learned how last night, from the instruction manual that came with the tablet. And from Mom and Dad, of course."
"Ah." Dr. Swab nodded thoughtfully. "Well, listen. This afternoon, after your session with Dr. Slate, I've got you scheduled for one more test. We're going to do an MRI just to make sure there isn't something going on the CT scan missed. After that..." He glanced at his clipboard. "I think we're going to keep you for observation until about Friday, give you time to talk to Dr. Slate a little more, eat a little more of our world-class hospital food...use the hell out of our hospital wi-fi, apparently," he added with a smirk. "After that, I think you'll be good to go home, but you'll have to go to your family doctor once a week or so until those ribs are good and healed, and Dr. Slate might want you to follow up with a therapist every week or so. That sound good?"
Sunset shrugged. "Whatever I gotta do," she said. "All I care about right now is starting over."
"Good girl," Dr. Swab said, clapping her on the shoulder. "Well, I'll let you get back to your Nipmuc now. Dr. Slate should be in to see you in about...an hour and a half, looks like, and they'll get you for that MRI later this afternoon." He tapped his tablet a couple of times, then left the room.
Sunset smiled, picked up her tablet, and opened her Internet browser, feeling she'd given her eyes enough rest. It was time to get back to work.
* * * * *
When Sunset's parents arrived at the hospital, they were met by Dr. Swab. "How's she doing today, Doctor?" Desert Sunrise asked.
"Better, it seems," Dr. Swab said. "I just checked in on her about an hour ago, she's in good spirits. Still claims she doesn't remember anything. She has a session with Dr. Slate in about an hour, but I'm sure she's looking forward to seeing you." He checked his tablet, then added, "by the way, we're having some difficulty getting her medical records from Fillydelphia."
Desert frowned. "Is that a problem?"
"Well, not especially," Dr. Swab said. "It's really more for our files. We just need to know if there's anything in particular we should be aware of."
Satin shrugged. "Not really," she said. "Up until she...left, Sunset almost never got sick. I mean, other than the usual things kids go through. She wasn't on any medication, she didn't have allergies..." She looked at Desert. "Right?"
Desert scratched his cheek. "As far as I can remember," he said.
"I figured as much," Dr. Swab said. "She's as healthy as a horse, but I just wanted to double-check." He smiled reassuringly. "Go on back and see her. Last I checked, she'd found the music app on her tablet."
Satin's lips quirked in a smile. "Oh dear. That'll get expensive."
Desert chuckled. "I don't mind." Putting an arm around his wife and nodding to the doctor, he headed down the hall to Sunset's room.
They found her absorbed in the tablet, nodding her head along to the beat of some rock song. "Good morning, dear!" Satin called.
Sunset looked up and smiled. "Hey," she said. She tapped the tablet twice, and the music stopped.
"How're you feeling?" Satin asked.
"Pretty good," Sunset said. "Still sore."
Desert reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a smartphone, which he handed to Sunset. "Brought you another little something," he said.
Sunset's eyes lit up as she took it. "Thank you!"
"It's already charged," Satin said as she dug the charger out of her handbag. "I spent last night setting some things up on it, putting our numbers in, installing some apps." She handed Sunset a slip of paper. "There's the lock code."
Sunset studied it, then took a moment to figure out how to wake up and unlock the phone. She glanced over the apps. "Not too different from the tablet," she said.
"It can do a lot of the same things," Desert said. "I'll need to sync a few things for you since I get the feeling you'll be wanting to download music."
Sunset laughed. "Yeah, I sorta found the music app," she said. "That's okay, right?"
"Of course it is," Desert said. "Don't go too overboard, though. I'll set that up for you too, maybe figure out a monthly allowance for music and videos."
"Thanks."
A brief silence descended as Sunset familiarized herself with her new phone. Satin coughed. "Do you...do you remember anything? Is there anything you want to talk about?"
Sunset looked up and shook her head, frowning slightly. "Sorry," she said. "I wish I did."
Satin and Desert both looked slightly disappointed, but smiled reassuringly. "It's...it's alright," Satin said. "Maybe it's for the best if we all just start over."
Sunset smiled. "I'd like that," she said.
They talked for a while about different things, with Satin telling Sunset about the house they lived in now, and Sunset asking questions about school and a few things she'd looked up on the Internet. They'd been talking for a good forty minutes when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," Sunset called.
A balding, paunchy man with pale gray skin and dark charcoal hair walked into the room. "Hope I'm not intruding," he said. "Hello, Sunset! How are we feeling today?"
"Better," Sunset said. "Mom, Dad, this is Dr. Slate."
Satin made to rise. "We'll just wait in the cafeteria until you're—"
Dr. Slate raised a hand to stall her. "No need," he said. "Actually, I'd prefer the two of you stay for today's session. If that's okay with you, Sunset?"
"Of course," Sunset said with a smile. She set her tablet aside and folded her hands atop her table.
Dr. Slate was looking at his own tablet. "Have you remembered anything new?" he asked.
Sunset shook her head. "Sorry. Still a total blank."
Dr. Slate nodded. "For the record, tell me exactly what you know about yourself and your family."
Sunset's brow furrowed. "My name is Sunset Shimmer. I'm fifteen years old. My parents are Desert Sunrise and Sunset Satin. Two nights ago I was hit by my dad's car, and I woke up here in this hospital. We're in Canterlot." She swallowed. "Apparently, two years ago I ran away from home." She shook her head. "That's everything."
"No memories of the first thirteen years of your life, no knowledge of where you've been for the last two years?"
Sunset shook her head again, frowning. "I don't know anything," she repeated. "I don't remember where I've been, or what my home looked like, or what the neighborhood was like. I don't remember if I had any friends." She shrugged and waved a hand vaguely at the television. "I don't know what any of the shows on TV are. I see things advertised—foods, sodas, candy, all kinds of stuff—and I can't remember ever having used any of it." She looked down at her hands. "All I remember is running," she said in a soft, sad tone.
Desert and Satin took each other's hands and squeezed them tightly.
Dr. Slate nodded, then leaned forward. "Are you absolutely sure?" he asked. "You're sure there's nothing else you remember? At all? Try."
Sunset closed her eyes, her brow furrowing. After a moment, she shook her head. "I remember a white horse," she said. She opened her eyes. "That's it."
"A white horse?" Dr. Slate asked, raising an eyebrow. At Sunset's nod, he continued, "Where did you see the white horse?"
"I don't remember."
"Were you running from the white horse?"
"I'm not sure," Sunset said. "I might have been." She shook her head. "It's all I can remember."
Desert frowned. "A white horse..." He scratched his nose. "I hit Sunset not too far from Canterlot High School. Could the white horse be that statue out front?"
Dr. Slate scratched his chin. "It could be," he said. "Sunset?"
Sunset shrugged helplessly. "Like I said, I don't really remember."
"Mm-hmm." Dr. Slate wrote on his tablet for a minute. "By the way, I hear you seem to be more comfortable in your skin today. Yesterday, I was hearing reports of you having trouble with basic tasks like opening sugar packets and using the bathroom."
Sunset grimaced. "Yeah, I don't know what was going on with me yesterday," she said. "I guess today I just feel more...human."
"Well, we all have those off days," Dr. Slate said blandly. "Now, Sunset, I have one more very important question for you."
Sunset folded her hands and waited patiently.
"When you're released from the hospital, what is it you hope to do?"
Sunset shrugged. "Go home, get to know Mom and Dad all over again, start my life all over." She grimaced. "Probably spend all day every day studying if I ever plan to go back to school. I was on the Internet all night and everything I read was new to me."
"But you do remember how to read," Dr. Slate asked.
Sunset nodded. "Of course."
Dr. Slate's brow furrowed. "What's seven plus nine?"
"Sixteen."
"Five times twelve?"
"Sixty."
"Square root of eighty-one?"
"Nine."
"Hmm." Dr. Slate made some more notes, then drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair. He glanced at his watch. "Well, they'll be bringing your lunch any minute, and your MRI is scheduled for after lunch. I do have one or two more patients to check on, so I think I'll get out of your hair for now. I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?"
Sunset nodded.
Dr. Slate stood and looked at Sunset's parents. "If you two wouldn't mind, I'd like to meet with you later today...let's say around two? Just ask for my office at reception."
"Of course," Desert said.
Dr. Slate smiled reassuringly. "I just want to ask some questions to compare the Sunset you knew before she ran away to the Sunset we have with us now," he said. "Just to get a general grasp of the whole picture." With that, he left.
Desert checked his watch. "I think we should go grab lunch ourselves," he told Satin. "We'll be back later this afternoon, okay?"
Sunset nodded. "I'll be here," she said.
* * * * *
Fifteen minutes past two, Desert and Satin sat across from Dr. Slate, who was scrolling through his notes, his face impassive. Satin wrung her hands nervously; Desert fidgeted uncomfortably.
After far too long, Dr. Slate sighed and looked up. "There are two possibilities here," he said. "She's telling the truth and she really has no memories of her life, or she's lying."
Desert slumped a little in his seat. "That's all you have to say?" he asked testily.
Dr. Slate frowned. "That's how it breaks down, Mr. Sunrise," he said. "Honestly, going by the observations I have from Nurse Pill and Dr. Wiener, I'm inclined to believe she's telling the truth. Dissociative amnesia..." He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "It's a tricky thing." He steepled his fingers atop his generous belly. "Malingerers always have telltale signs of deception. Sometimes those signs are an absence of signs. The things a polygraph would pick up, certain eye movements, anything a scared kid trying to stay out of trouble..." He shook his head. "Things you don't even need to have training to read. In a girl Sunset's age, you'd normally see those signs if she were putting on an act, unless she's exceptionally clever. In which case, you'd see anything but those signs." He looked at his notes again. "What I'm seeing here and what I've observed from talking to her is telling me something else entirely. I'm seeing a girl who has forgotten civilization. She's a lot more savvy today than she was yesterday, but I asked the nurses to keep an eye on her, and she's been using that tablet you got her almost nonstop. Not to play games or watch videos, but to read. She's studying."
"Studying what?" Satin asked. "Studying how to pretend to have amnesia?"
"I think it's more..." Dr. Slate shrugged. "You heard about her bathroom incident, right? And how she seems to have come in here lacking certain basic daily skills."
"So we heard," Desert said, frowning. "My wife is even convinced Sunset didn't know how to open a soda bottle on her own yesterday."
Dr. Slate nodded. "Well, a lot of those little signs are markers of a type of dissociative amnesia we informally call Ape Boy Syndrome. It's the complete breakdown of any remembrance of civilization and self, a regression to a feral state. You see it in very young survivors of plane or ship crashes, or occasionally in homeless people with dementia. The problem here is that Sunset speaks clearly, recognizes the two of you, knows her own name, and clearly has not lost the skills to read and understand complex concepts." He sighed. "I've honestly never heard of a case that matches her specific situation. There's no discernible head trauma, she's physically in perfect condition aside from the injuries that put her in here in the first place, but for all intents and purposes, it's almost as if she's relearning how to be human." He shrugged. "She could still be faking this whole thing, but at this point, that tablet gives her an alibi that makes any inconsistency in her story impossible to catch."
Satin frowned. "Should we not have given it to her?"
Dr. Slate shook his head. "I'm not saying that at all. If anything, that was the best thing for her, since she's using it to learn. The only problem there is that because she's using it to fill in a lot of blanks, and because she's astoundingly sharp-minded, I don't think it's possible to tell whether or not her amnesia is real anymore. Like I said, either it's real and all she needs to do is learn how to be Sunset Shimmer again, or she's faking it for reasons we may never know." He spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "My official, professional recommendation? You've got your daughter back. God knows that in and of itself is a miracle. There are thousands of runaways whose families will never see them again, will never know what happened to them. I'm sure at least half of them wind up in the morgue, nameless and forgotten."
Desert and Satin shifted uneasily. "So...we should just give up? On ever knowing what really happened?"
Dr. Slate shrugged. "That's up to you. Should she continue to see a therapist once she leaves the hospital? Absolutely. I'd say once a week until September, then see where it goes from there. But until she's ready to remember—or admit to remembering—where she's been and what she's been doing for the last two years, there isn't anything anyone can do. There's no magic mind fix button for something like this. The cure has to come from inside her. And it may never come. You may have to accept that the person sitting in that bed is not the same person who disappeared two years ago. That may be a completely different Sunset Shimmer with a radically different personality, different moods, different interests, different behavior. Who she was before, whatever it is she's running from, that's gone. It could come back with time, or it could be gone forever." He stared intently at the two people sitting across from him. "I cannot stress this enough: do not try to 'force' her back to 'normal'. Don't try to trick her into slipping up and revealing a memory. Don't try to coerce her into telling you something. Let her be, and if she remembers—if she wants to remember, and if she wants to tell you or her therapist the truth—it has to come from her. It has to be something she is willing to do."
Desert and Satin exchanged an discomfited glance.
"So what you're saying," Desert said slowly, "is that we've got our daughter back, but the last fifteen years of her life are just gone? Just like that? She's starting over again?"
"Essentially, yes."
Satin took her husband's hand and squeezed it. "Maybe...this is for the best," she said. "A clean start for all of us."
Desert sighed. "You're probably right..."
* * * * *
The remainder of the week passed relatively quickly. Between long visits from her parents, the MRI (which had been an interesting experience), sessions with Dr. Slate, and visits from the various doctors and nurses for one thing or another, Sunset had continued her studies online, listened to more music—she discovered several more rock bands she liked, a few pop singers she could tolerate, and developed an intense loathing for rap—and started learning more about what was popular on television, taking care to pay closer attention to the currently airing programs, as well as watching a few older movies that were repeated on the cable channels. Thursday saw heavy rain and thunderstorms; Sunset watched the rain lash against the window and the lightning flash bright in the dark sky.
It was still raining Friday afternoon when Dr. Swab brought Sunset's discharge papers for her parents to sign. That police officer had shown up again and had had a heated exchange with Desert Sunrise, but someone from the hospital staff had shown up with a stack of affidavits for Sunset and her parents to sign, and once Dr. Slate signed off on her release, whatever legal hangups remained concerning her "runaway" status evidently dissolved, because the officer left with a terse apology.
"What was up his butt?" Sunset wondered.
Dr. Swab shook his head. "He thinks you're playing everyone for fools, doesn't believe your story. Thing is, the rest of us just want you back with your family and there really isn't one good reason to keep that from happening, so he has to file an incomplete report and get chewed out by his supervisor." He smiled gently. "None of which is your problem. You just focus on getting your life back in order."
Sunset nodded. "Okay."
Sunset was wheeled out of the hospital at just past four and helped into her parents' car, wearing a new shirt and jeans her mother had bought her, as well as the jacket and boots she had come out of the portal in—the jacket had taken a bit of a beating, but still looked good. She'd been advised against wearing a bra for a few weeks, which was fine with her; she still needed to learn how to deal with human undergarments.
By the time they pulled into the driveway of a medium-sized suburban house, the rain had let up, leaving the streets slick and the sky gloomy grey. Sunset got out of the car and looked the house over; it was a one-story brick affair with a few shade trees in the front and a nice flower garden. Once they went inside, Desert announced he was ordering pizza for dinner and asked Sunset what she wanted on it.
"Anything's fine," she said. "Whatever you guys want." *Since I have no idea what pizza toppings this world has...I've only had pizza once in my entire life, and that was back in Equestria.*
"I'll show you to your room," Satin said. "Get you settled in, then you can rest up while we wait for the pizza."
Sunset's room was decorated in magenta and mahogany, and full of things she didn't recognize. "We brought all your things with you from our old home," Satin said. "I set your room up exactly like it was in Fillydelphia..." She frowned. "Does anything look familiar?"
Sunset shook her head as she took in the large bed, the dresser, the various posters on the walls, a shelf full of knick-knacks, a medium-sized flatscreen TV, and a laptop computer. "I don't recognize any of it," she said. "Sorry."
Satin sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot." She smiled gamely. "Anyway, I had another cable box put in yesterday for you, so you've got cable. Just don't order any movies or events without permission. The laptop...it's a bit out of date since it's your old one from Fillydelphia, but between the tablet and the phone, I think you can make do. If you need a new one for school later, we can see about it, but at least it'll connect to the home wi-fi." She paused. "You might want to look through the files on it. Maybe it'll...help."
Sunset nodded. "I will," she said. She glanced at the TV and the sleek, shiny box with a clock display on the front sitting next to it. "So we've got digital cable?"
"That's right," Satin said brightly. "I know you always wanted us to get digital, but back then..." She suddenly flung herself at Sunset, wrapping her up in a hug that sent pain shooting through her ribs. "Oh god, I can't believe you're home!"
"MOM! MOM! RIBS!" Sunset cried, tears of pain leaking from her eyes.
"SORRY!" Satin backed away abruptly, eyes wide. "Sorry," she said.
Sunset smiled a strained smile. "It's okay," she said hoarsely, grimacing. "It's okay."
"I'll get you an ice pack and one of your pain pills," Satin said. "Just...just sit down and rest. I'm sorry. I...I'm sorry." She backed out of the room quickly.
Sunset rolled her eyes and eased herself down into the padded plastic desk chair, wincing slightly as she settled her weight. She glanced around and found the TV remote. After she turned it on, it only took her a minute to figure out how to work the cable guide. She idly browsed the listings, drumming the fingers of her free hand on the desk.
Satin returned with a glass of ice water, an ice pack, and a pill. Sunset gratefully swallowed the pill and finished off most of the water in one gulp, then let her mother fuss over her as she settled the ice pack into place. "It'll be about thirty minutes until dinner gets here," she said.
Sunset nodded. "I'll just relax here until then," she said.
Satin smiled. "Welcome home, Sunset." She backed out of the room, pulling the door halfway closed behind her.
Sunset listened for her footsteps to retreat. She then smiled wickedly, allowing herself a low chuckle. "Well, that's that," she said. "Sorry, other me. Wherever you are, I'm you now." She leaned back, glancing at the laptop. "Maybe tomorrow, I'll see if I can find out more about you, but in the meantime..."
As she found something to watch—some show about a man with a talking car—she let out a sigh. "I still need to learn more about this world, but for now, I think I can afford to take a few days just to relax and get used to this new life." She frowned. "But as soon as my ribs heal, I need to figure out what happened to Celestia." She grimaced. "I hope the old nag found a way to survive here. I can't humiliate her if she's lying dead in a gutter."
A brief pang of guilt flashed through her heart. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Equestria," she whispered. "I never meant to put Equestria in danger..."
Hot tears stung her eyes. She furiously wiped them free. "No, little miss pretty in pink can figure out how to keep Equestria from..." She swallowed. "She'll figure out how to raise the sun. If she can't, then she's the most useless alicorn ever."
Even so, guilt over the fate of Equestria without Celestia continued to gnaw at her for the rest of the evening, leaving her in a somber and sullen mood. Her parents dismissed it as simply feeling down about her memory loss; they did their best to cheer her up, but she barely even registered the taste of the two slices of pizza she ate before heading to bed for the night.
*You'd damn well better be alive, you old nag...*
* * * * *
Hours had passed since Sunset Shimmer's discharge. It was a half hour until shift change. Dr. Swab was staring at Sunset Shimmer's scan results from three days earlier, face troubled.
"How the hell did we miss that," Dr. Swab said flatly, running his hands through his hair before biting the knuckles on his left hand.
"What's wrong?" Sugar Pill asked. "Looks like she's completely healthy to me, except for the ribs."
Dr. Swab zoomed in on the abdominal scan. Sugar Pill looked it over, then gave him a confused shrug. "What?"
Dr. Swab pointed at one area. "Her appendix."
Sugar Pill tilted her head. "Looks okay to me."
Shaking his head, Dr. Swab handed her his tablet and walked across the room, sitting down and lacing his hands behind his head.
Frowning, Sugar Pill studied the screen. It displayed Sunset Shimmer's medical records from Fillydelphia, which they had only received an hour before her discharge.
It took a minute for her to see the problem. When she did, her eyes widened. "What the hell?" She shook her head, turning to Dr. Swab. "This can't be right!"
Dr. Swab looked up at her. "Can't it?" he asked. "I mean, sure, it could be a mistake. Clerical error." He shook his head.
Sugar Pill's brow furrowed as she read the anomalous entry again. "But if she had...when she was seven, then...what...?" She looked from the tablet, to the MRI results, to Dr. Swab. "Doctor, this has to be a mistake. It has to be."
"I sure as hell hope so," Dr. Swab said, looking up at her with the most haunted eyes she'd ever seen on the man. "Because if it's not, then the girl we just sent home with Sunset Shimmer's parents...is not Sunset Shimmer."
A heavy silence descended.
"So...what do we do?" Sugar Pill asked in a quiet, uncertain voice.
Dr. Swab let out a sharp bark of sardonic laughter. "I don't know," he choked out in a disbelieving chuckle. "I don't know..."
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Yes, another Sunset chappie! Although I like Celestia's side of things best, Sunset's are always fun as well.
Appendicitis, clever!
Wouldn't it be funny if it turned out Sunset and Celestia were neighbors?
"Yes, hello? Mr and Mrs Sunsets parents? Your daughter doesn't have her appendix, this girl does, so it's medically impossible for her to be your daughter." Boom. Done.
Hot damn. That Thumbnail.
Time to binge read.
There's probably a couple of things Dr.Swab can do with that information, but somehow I kinda wants to see him meets Sunset discreetly and told her to spill the beans, but promise that he would never tell her parents about it. Sunset then lies once again, and Dr.Swab can only hopes for the best for the new family.
7293928 Maybe someone figured out how to viably clone a person
I am SO curious about what happened to human Sunset now, hopefully you'll reveal that soon.
I'm kind of expecting this to be resolved with a DNA test.
One that ends up in a positive match that is.
Nice plot twist at the end there.^^
7293974 Maybe aliens did it with a magical science fictiony clone ray.
7293994
I'd guess the same thing that happens to most teen runaways who disappear without a trace for two years. Basically, nothing you'd want to dwell on.
Its interesting to read this version of Sunset- very manipulative and ambitious, but still a bit of a conscience nagging her, especially as she knows what kind of state Equestria is probably in without Celestia. Sunset doesn't like Cadance (no surprise), but not sure it counts as respect or not that Sunset thinks Cadance had better be able to manage things in Celestia's absence.
Ah, good way for the doctors to figure out that isn't Sunset. Or rather not the Sunset her parents think she is. Sunset's covered up most of the signs, but that's hard to fake- though Sunset was really lucky with running into her counterpart's parents immediately. She's going to be a terror at school when she gets there, but that will probably still be a while off as she settles into human life more. Wonder what the doctor will do, mess with a possibly happy family or worry about what Sunset is and what her motivations are.
Yes, as Death Battle so cleverly put it, weapons of mass distraction.
Meaning you have no reason to feel bad.
She probably would.
Not if she figures out how to turns youtube videos of the songs into MP4s. What? It's that simple. Go to Youtube, find a song you like, find a converter site online, convert it into an MP4 and voila.
Smart enough.
Reminds me of a fic where a musician detected someone using a camouflage spell, not by the sound of their hooves but by the absence of noise in that area.
Thank you Doctor.
I don't know what she was like before, but, as unpleasant as EQG Sunset was, to the point where EQG became considered non canon by a lot of fans, come Rainbow Rocks and now Friendship Games and everyone wants to see pony Sunset again. My how things have changed. Her being adorable probably helps. Where was I going with this? Ah, right. Things will get better.
I like her already. Also, loathing, unadulterated loathing, for their face, their voice their clothing, let's just say, she hates it all. Every little trait however small, makes her very flesh begin to crawl, with simple utter loathing...
it's fine, you didn't mean any harm.
Geez you're morbid.
What?
Hm, I wonder.
So what exactly is the issue with Sunset's appendix here? I don't get it, how does it prove to them that she's not the human Sunset but an imposter? Did something happen to human Sunset at age 7 involving her appendix in a severe way?
Interesting reference. So, is there any particular band that's an expy of, MythrilMoth? I'm still looking forward to Sunset's reaction to seeing Princess and Principal Celestia together. And interesting plot twist at the end there.
7294249 Simple. Human Sunset's appendix was removed when she was seven, and those don't grow back.
I have to say I LOVE Sunset's side of this. Doesn't mean I'm not into Celestia's too, but Sunset's predicament and the possibility of someone finding out or believing other outrageous theories about her is just too interesting.
7294249 There's only one thing, medically speaking, that EVER involves the appendix, which is having it removed. And it kinda doesn't grow back. Get it now?
7294286
Yes, and you didn't dig deep enough, or you'd have known. Or rather, you missed the forest because you were looking at the trees.
7294249 Seriously? Standard medical practice since the discovery of antibiotics has been the removal of swollen or infected appendixes before they burst and kill the patient with peritonitis. They've recently figured out that the appendix has an actual function - when I was a kid it was infamous for being an atavistic evolutionary leftover - and helps maintain a healthy GI microbiota. Maybe in the future they'll try to fix appendixes rather than zap them at the first indication of trouble, but I doubt it's common practice now to do anything but remove them.
7294319
*sigh* Most of the the bands and songs you reference in the form of expies in your fics, I've never heard of prior. I enter "Nipmuc" and "song" into a search engine, and get nothing usable. I don't even know where to start in terms of search criteria.
7294359 How about trying "nipmuc" and "rock band" as your search string? I guarantee you'll figure it out instantly.
7294367 Huh, so that's who it is.
I really like the way that you handled the whole memory loss issue, and avoided sitcom hijinx. Thank you.
Would never have thought of that
7294249 I'm guessing human Sunset had hers removed
Well, equines aren't used for human consumption. In this part of the world. Probably a good thing Sunset didn't go too in-depth there, not that I expected her to do so.
Sunset related to Spitfire. Hmm. That does make some sense, both in terms of appearance and age range. Headcanon considered.
Huh. Curious that Sunset mentioned anything, but I suppose giving the psychologist something to analyze will keep him from asking too many uncomfortable questions. The fact that it's true will definitely help; nothing helps keep your story straight like building the facade from reality.
Ah. Well then. A professional telling them not to ask questions rather smooths things over. It doesn't remove the chance of future bumps in the road, but it does simplify matters considerably.
Oh. And that complicates them again. The appendix is always a ticking time bomb with an uncertain fuse. Sunset's just got another layer to it.It will be very interesting to see how that plays out.
So, Sunset is interested (or at least curious) in finding out about her counterpart?
I can't blame her but I don't think it will end well...
Clever thing with the appendix!
7294556 Ok... I can't tell if you're being legit serious or just sarcastic as Hell right now. Either way, I just think that the fandom fills in a lot of the blanks left by the actual show to the point where they REALLY should be one and the same. Case in point, Sunset Shimmer's backstory. She... doesn't really have one, at least not a concrete or believable one. But the fandom has gone out of its way to try and give her one that makes her actions and motivations make sense from her point of view.
I had a much longer comment than this one, but I made a mistake and pressed a wrong link, had to start over and honestly didn't feel like typing all that in again.
Well call me a nook-sniffer and blast me to beyond.
It seems like the whirling-device just caught wind that waste is about to hit it.
OOoohooohoohoo, this is interesting~
I love how this is going!
Such awesomeness~
Also, disgusting start to this chapter! :'D''' pardon me while I gag.
Keep it up!
7294286
7294319
That makes a lot of sense now and definitely a dead giveaway given the medical records.
7294324 Yes seriously, I don't really delve into medical stuff like organs for anything much less research so I never understood the importance of one or even thought of the organ til yesterday night when I finished reading this chapter. Good to know though.
I might never had any injury of my ribs, but that part with the surprise hug still made me cringe hard. Very well done, MythrilMoth ... very well done.
I could almost feel the pain myself.
Looking forward to how things develop after that last discovery.
Wow... Now that's a twist...
You know, they say at certain professional workplaces they can monitor what websites you visit on their wifi. Maybe the hospital has something similar and they can see her browser history, containing searched gems such as "how does a tv work?", "who controls the weather?", and "what are these lumps on my torso?".
DUNT DUNT DAAAAAA!!!......
7295406 Yeah, I had thought about that. It might come up if it needs to.
Maybe she had the same mutation that Lister had, and was born with two appendixes?
Polygraphs don't detect lies. It's inventor admitted this and regretted creating it. No doctor would ever suggest using them for psychological evaluation.
7296393 You're right. They don't pick up lies. They pick up increases in certain physiological responses. Which teenagers usually don't have the willpower to control or subdue.
I want to see Cadance's story next
It seems like Sunset still has a bit of a conscience. I'd like to see how she'll continue learning about the world and living with her human parents now.
That whole appendix thing is going to be a game changer now isn't it?
I'm just waiting on the real sunset to show up or her remains to be found after this chapter
See, the appendix does do something useful.
It lets you know if your child is an IMPOSTER.
...
But seriously, didn't think about how hospital records could reveal things like that.
Appendectomy OP?
Hmm...looks like Sunset still holds SOME sort of love for Equestria and her mentor. And what's this? What did the doctors find about Sunset's appendix? All I know is that it can possibly be something big in the near future! Good work!
I've spent the last hour catching up by reading the latest chapters, and I must say that this story has gotten even more intense than before. The plot is also getting thicker, also hilarious given what Sunset and Celestia go through to become adjusted to their new bodies.
7298772
Easy. It seems that Human Sunset had her appendix removed at some point.
But Horse Sunset still has one...
Will we see the human sunset shimmer in the story?
The appendix part...
DUN. DUN. DUNNNNNN..!!
I think all girls know how devastating it is at robbing males of their intellect, they just all pretend to not know.
Oh you.
Wow, I am trying to figure out what made Sunset a bitch now. She clearly has her head on straight.
If it is just down the street from Celestia and Luna's place, I will enjoy the coming fireworks.
Nightrider?
It's clearly some malevolent fairy child.
You call the police and her parents now, doctor! Her parents would know if she had an appendix out. If he doesn't do that then in the real world he would lose his license.
Also, Sunset it pretty horrible right now. She's torturing these poor parents with her presence. Though I doubt the truth would work either.
7300600 I want to say it is "Inspector Gadget" or "The Replacements"... or "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?".
The doctors probably believe Sunset is a teenage con artist impersonating the original human Sunset to scam the parents. Unless they do DNA testing, then who knows.