The Quickverse Chronicles

by Quick Fix

Crossing the Line Part 1 (Sunset Shimmer)

Author's Note:

Part 4 of the Sunset arc. <Previous/Next>

Contains major spoilers for Secrets of the Heart. You're not missing too much if you haven't read it though.

Canterlot Castle
August 11th, Year 20 under the Four Princesses

---

It was mid-morning in Canterlot and for many ponies of the capital, it was a late summer's day like any other. The streets were filled with residents and tourists making the most of the scattered clouds and light wind that kept the heat that seemed to permeate every inch of the city from becoming uncomfortable. As busy as things were, the normally active grounds of the royal castle had been closed off to the crowds and access to the castle itself had been restricted. The extra security was more an indication of important activity than for any precautionary measures. After all, a diplomatic meeting between Equestria and the Crystal Empire was hardly likely to cause concern, even if King Shining Armor himself was present for the discussions. That didn't mean that security was lax however and right now only ponies who could prove they should be in the castle could get in at all.

Sunset Shimmer knew that her position meant that such restraints didn't matter to her, nor any of the other hassle that came with major events in the castle. Being the personal protégé of Princess Celestia herself for twenty of her twenty-five years did had its perks.

The castle library was silent around Sunset as she finished going through her notes on matter duplication spells. These kind of study sessions were her favourite, thousands of books to learn from and Princess Celestia sitting in with her to observe and advise. It was also the kind of session where she pushed herself hardest, doing her best to impress her mentor with the most advanced spells she could find. Coupled with all the things she had learned in her time with Princess Twilight Sparkle, she had managed to learn dozens of spells that the princesses had said could only be achieved by the highest strength unicorns. This would still be her greatest challenge yet though, and she relished the prospect. Matter duplication was something she could do with only a little effort, now she was trying the more advanced variant. A cloning spell.

A red tulip in an unassuming clay pot stood on the table before her, the target for today's attempt. Celestia sat on the opposite side of the table, smiling softly as she observed the proceedings. Sunset took a breath as she put her notes down and focused on the plant. Complete focus and knowledge of what you wanted to do, that was the first step. Her horn lit up with its familiar aqua glow and she let her strength gather for a moment before a spark of magic launched off her horn and landed a foot to the right of the pot. That was part two, the point you wanted the duplicate to appear. Now for the hard part. Sunset shut her eyes and focused harder, placed her front hooves on the table as she leaned forward. Her magic glowed brighter and gave the faint whine of building power, a sound that lasted for several seconds before she unleashed a tight beam of magic straight at the potted plant.

The spell hit with a flash and Sunset dropped back into her chair, sweating from the effort. After a few moments she opened her eyes to see the result. It was...Disappointing. The spell had worked perfectly on the plant pot and a second one was now sitting exactly where her spark had landed before, though that was all that had appeared. Both pots were also devoid of soil and the tulip was now wilted and dead.

"Wha...?" Sunset said quietly as she wiped her brow clean and checked her notes again. They had been copied directly from the spellbook of Meadowbrook herself, so there was no way the error lay there. She had followed them to the letter as well. By all accounts, she had performed the spell flawlessly. "I don't understand. Princess Celestia, what went wrong?"

"Your casting was impressive as always," Celestia said as she got up and moved round to Sunset's side. "However, there is one aspect to the spell I'm a little surprised you overlooked. Matter duplication is a highly impractical spell. Material cannot simply be created from nothing, so the newly created object takes its compounds from the one the spell is cast on. For inorganic things, this means the spell works but the end result is incredibly brittle."

Sunset paused as she took the information in. She'd never given much thought to how her previous successes had come out. She reached forward and gave the pot on the right an experimental poke. The section she touched broke away under her hoof with barely any resistance and shattered on the table.

"This is why a cloning spell is not only very rarely taught, but only used under strictly controlled circumstances," Celestia continued, her expression becoming more serious. "The draw of energy and matter is more than most living things can safely withstand. If this spell were used on a pony..."

"It wouldn't be pretty," Sunset finished, looking over at the princess to see her nod in agreement. She had seen mention of something like this in the book, as well as a theory that highly magical beings could survive the spell being cast on them as it might use their magic reserves instead of their organic parts. She wasn't willing to risk testing it right now though. "But if you knew all this, why didn't you tell me before I set everything up to try?"

"Because I knew you would take it as a challenge and probably wind up going through the entire royal gardens attempting it." Celestia explained, unable to hide the hint of a humoured smile at her pupil's determination. Sunset looked down in thought for a moment before straightening up again.

"Yeah, I would." She replied with a small chuckle.

"While it is good to see you putting such effort into your studies, I hope you understand that there are limits to what you should attempt to learn." Celestia said as Sunset got down from her chair.

"I do, but I find it so easy to lose track of myself when I find a new spell," Sunset said, pacing round slightly. "I feel like 'I can do this. It'll be helpful, or it'll be impressive.' and then I've committed myself and it feels like nothing else matters until I get the rush of knowing I've got it all figured out."

"This is why I suggested you look into new ways to relax between study sessions. In fact, I have one for you today," Celestia watched as Sunset stopped and looked up at her, though her expression made it clear she enjoyed seeing her student so happy. "Sunset Shimmer, I would like to ask that you join me for today's diplomatic meeting with the representatives of the Crystal Empire."

"Princess Celestia..." Sunset looked down for a moment, trying to find the right words. "With respect, I'm not exactly the most tactful of ponies. Are you sure I should be there for something so important?"

"I am. You have the potential to be a great leader one day, Sunset. What kind of leader you become depends upon what you learn of what it may require. Although..." Celestia's voice dropped to an exaggerated whisper as she leaned in toward the unicorn. "Between you and me, these meetings are mostly an excuse to catch up with my friends. With how good our relations are, Shining Armor and myself would likely go through the dullest parts in ten minutes."

Despite her reservations, Sunset couldn't help but chuckle more as she nodded and dropped into a bow.

"As your wish, your highness."

---

Sunset was regretting her decision very quickly.

There was just such an air of formality surrounding the whole affair, long-windedness. Even though the room where the discussions would take place had been arranged to try and be casual, with the negotiating table itself just a simple round table with seats for three and enough tea and cake for them all, there were enough tapestries adorned with the flags of Equestria and the Crystal Empire to bury a yak. Crystal statues had been brought in and some of the more ornate pieces of art had been transferred to the room. Sunset had a sneaking suspicion that they were more for the benefit of helping the half-dozen guards that were present get bored slightly slower. She didn't envy them, those poor unicorns, pegasi and crystal ponies that had to just stand there for however long it had been while the talking went on.

She was bored too, but at least she got to be bored sitting down.

Part of her wished that Luna was present for these discussions. The princess of the night might come across as somewhat strange, but she had such knowledge of the world that any conversation with her could be kept interesting for hours. As it was, she only had Celestia by her side and no real way to interject into her ongoing discussion with Shining Armor. Sunset had read up on him a little before coming into the meeting and was impressed by what she had seen.

He was a competent warrior, only fitting for being the Royal Guard commander before the return of the Crystal Empire. Even as she looked over to him she could see that his body was in peak physical shape, extra impressive considering he was forty-seven years old. He also had a shrewd mind and phenomenal magical potential second only to her own. More than anything though, he was a still a husband, a father, and a leader. Even with all the rumors of political instability within the capital of the empire at present, he and Cadance had helped the crystal ponies adjust to the modern world and now lead a kingdom that rivalled Equestria for happiness and security.

As she shifted in her seat and did her best to not look as bored as she felt, Sunset's mind started to drift back toward going through her studies, as it usually did when she had nothing else to focus on. She thought back to her attempt at cloning earlier and everything that her mentor had told her about it, combining that with what she remembered reading. There had to be an alternate way to make it work, the spellbook had said that it was possible. The fact it gave no mention of the end result was slightly disconcerting, but she was Sunset Shimmer, she was good enough to find a way to pull it off without any adverse side effects. The real question was where she could find a pony with enough physical and magical durability to withstand the drain.

Her eyes shifted to Shining Armor and focused on him, actually leaning slightly left in her seat for a better angle. The more she thought about it, the more she realised he might actually fit the requirement. She could see he could meet the physical requirement at a glance and she could believe his status as the most magically gifted unicorn stallion in Equestria. She had only been four years old at the time but she had heard how he was strong enough to perform shield magic strong enough to cover the whole of Canterlot AND briefly withstand an external barrage, all while actively being weakened. The real kicker was that had been twenty years ago, he'd had plenty of time to learn and grow since. Yes, if she wanted to try it again he would be the ideal candidate. Maybe his son, Aurora, would also be an option as well if what had she had read about him was true...

No, she couldn't just jump in like that. Magic was rarely as clean cut as casting your spell and assuming everything would work out like you wanted. After Celestia had taken her to see Starlight Glimmer fourteen years ago, she had done some research into the 'cult' that Starlight had run and while it had provided some fascinating leads into studying the magic resistant properties of carbonado, it had also been an eye-opener on magical ethics. There was no way she could bring herself to do it without asking if he'd be willing to try, knowing the risks full well, and she'd back off if he said no. All the same, she could practically visualise it already. That delicate weave of spellwork leaving a buzzing sensation in her horn as she primed it, the intent to create another Shining Armor crystal clear. Now that she thought about it, having such a pony around almost sounded-

"Sunset!"

Celestia's voice shook Sunset from her daydream and reality hit her hard. The buzzing in her horn was still there and gravity seemed to have shifted about fifty degrees to her left. She realised that she'd been so focused on her lean to watch Shining that she was starting to fall off her seat. More worryingly, she'd had such a good visualisation of the spell going that her magic really was primed to fire it. She didn't have time to think right now, she had to shut down her magic, get her aim to somewhere harmless just in case and brace for landing.

Unfortunately, by the time she had managed to outline that plan, gravity had kicked back in and she hit the floor on her side. The shock triggered her primed magic and she opened her eyes in time to see the beam barely avoid the table. She tensed in horror as she realised that Shining Armor had started rising when she had fallen and his path took him square into her magic's path. She couldn't even move before the beam hit him in the neck, engulfing the room in a white flash. Sunset felt her energy reserves collapsing from the concentrated use of such high-level magic and didn't even find the strength to get up as myriad voices starting ringing out above her.

"Y-Your highness!"

"Secure the site, now!"

"What did you do to him?!"

"Get your weapons away from her!"

Celestia's voice being the last one Sunset heard would have been more concerning if she had the energy to focus. As it was, her strength was burned out and she lay there, obvious to the chaos surrounding her.

---

It was several hours before Sunset's energy recovered enough for her to even stand up again. She had been transferred to a room in the castle's guest quarters to recover as the castle had been placed on lockdown after she had accidentally hit the crystal king with her spell. Nopony had been by to see her in the meantime, leaving her with little but a bed, food, and her own thoughts. All those thoughts came back to the same four words.

'It was an accident.'

It sounded hollow to say it to herself, but she needed to keep reminding herself. Letting her guilt consume her wouldn't help her fix the situation.

"It was an accident..."

She had gotten carried away at a time when she really should have been focusing on what her mentor had instructed her to do and somepony else had paid the price for it. She could only imagine how it must have looked to those present, how it might look now if anything had happened to Shining Armor...The thought of what might have happened if she had been wrong sent a cold chill through her gut.

She didn't know how long she remained in there recovering, the room didn't have any windows. Eventually the door opened and Princess Celestia stepped into the room. Sunset shook her head slightly to make sure she was thinking straight again and got up from the bed, dropping into a bow once she had her hooves on the floor.

"Princess, is King Armor..." Sunset started, only for her query to die in her throat as she saw the look the princess was giving her. It was one she'd never seen before.

Disappointment.

No, disappointment alone wasn't completely new. What it really was scared her more than anything.

Disappointment that was masking anger.

"Shining Armor is alive," Celestia said, her voice betraying nothing of her emotions. That was even more unnerving. "Medical checks show severe magical exhaustion, though he's currently resting under observation at Canterlot Central Hospital."

Despite herself, Sunset let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding and relaxed slightly. The worst case scenario had been avoided.

"I hope you understand just how serious this is," Celestia continued, her voice straining slightly as she struggled to keep everything in check. "The crystal guards were holding you at spearpoint before I called them off. In any other circumstance, your actions had the potential to spark a war between Equestria and the Crystal Empire. The fact Shining Armor and myself are good friends are the only reason this is limited to a diplomatic incident. If he had died because of this..."

"I could never have forgiven myself either," Sunset replied quietly. She knew how close she had come to setting relations with the empire back to the worst they had been since the Contact War. Thousands of years of peace, nearly undone because of her moment of stupidity. "Princess Celestia, I-I can only say than I am so, so sorry for what happened, and that I never intended for any of this. If there is anything I can do to help fix this..."

She chanced looking up slightly to try and see the alicorn's reaction. What she saw struck right at her core. Celestia sighed quietly and the anger that had been waiting behind the disappointment was fading, to be replaced by sadness.

"I would like to believe that."

Her heart sank at those words.

"I'm afraid I saw the look in your eyes when I heard your magic activating," Celestia closed her eyes, her voice slowing slightly as if she was forcing herself to hear this as much as Sunset was. "No matter if your magic use was accidental or not, I clearly saw you had some intent to use a cloning spell, a spell that I had explicitly told you is extremely dangerous under the most controlled circumstances, against an unwitting pony. Mere hours after I explained why such a spell should never be used. I expected far better of you, Sunset Shimmer. I trusted you to have more sense."

"P-princess, I-" Sunset stood up quickly, only to hesitate as Celestia raised a hoof for her to stop.

"I'm afraid, it will take some time until I can trust your advanced studies are safe to continue. Until that time, your study options will be severely limited and must be personally approved by me before you can begin a subject. Any attempts at continuing your studies outside of my approval will result in more serious penalties. Do I make myself clear, Sunset Shimmer?"

"Y-y-you..." Sunset stood up fully, desperation flooding every inch of her body, her chest clenching up to the point she could barely breathe. "Princess Celestia, please, if you just give me a chance to-"

"Giving you a chance is why we're having this discussion," Celestia countered, unable to even look Sunset in the eye anymore. "When you feel fit enough to travel, one of the guards will escort you home. Your studies will be resumed on Thursday."

Sunset could only stand and watch as the princess turned and left without so much as a second glance. The unicorn sunk back onto her haunches and stared down at the floor. She had never been subject to such a response before, the idea that she could have unleashed a disaster. The fact it truly was an accident and nopony believed her...She sunk down to the floor and buried her face in her hooves, feeling the fur on her legs quickly dampening with tears as all her stress and fear began to overwhelm her. She didn't know what was worse, that she had come so close to causing a major disaster, that everything she had strived for had been undone by a moment of weakness...

Or that nopony would believe she really hadn't meant it.

---

Celestia shook her head sadly as she paced through the castle corridors. She was supposed to have begun lowering the sun ten minutes ago but with everything that had happened today, it would have to wait a few minutes longer. Her day had already been hectic enough with preventing the royal guard from overreacting to the incident, enacting damage control to prevent a panic when news inevitably got out and making sure of Shining Armor's safety. Fortunately he seemed to be in good condition aside from the exhaustion, though the doctors had also noted that a sizeable amount of his latent magic reserves were not recovering at all. They couldn't explain it, and she couldn't tell them why either.

There was a reason though, one that she couldn't explain easily for a number of reasons. As she stepped into a lounge room that was normally set up for visiting dignitaries, her eyes went to the lone figure sitting in the middle of the room's plush rug, watching as they shook slightly through rapid breaths.

Because the only reason things hadn't ended up so much worse was because despite everything, Sunset Shimmer's spell had succeeded. It wasn't perfect, but it was a pony.

A unicorn stallion with the same build, eyes and coat colour as Shining Armor. That was where the similarities ended though. His mane and tail closely matched Shining's style but where the crystal king's were sapphire blue with darker and lighter streaks, this one's were dark green with a single viridian streak down the center. The fur on his hooves went all the way down instead of leaving them exposed. His cutie mark was completely different as well, a fruit basket loaded with a veritable bounty of tree-based fruits. The fact Sunset's spell had managed to copy enough to give its creation a cutie mark at all, through her obvious lack of focus in the moment, was a small detail that impressed Celestia. She'd have to deal with that later though.

"Hello again." She said softly, taking a quick glance around the room. Everything was still intact, so he had to have been taking the circumstances well. Aside from the hyperventilating.

"Oh, hello. C-celestia, right? I'm sorry, I really don't remember." He replied as he looked up at her, rubbing his leg. His voice was similar to Shining's as well, though it seemed to be naturally softer than his.

"It's alright, you've had a lot to take in today."

That was an understatement. Especially after one of the more absent minded guards had told him what he was: A magically created copy of a pony. He had taken it better than expected, mostly due to the fact he simply didn't understand what that meant. It had taken him twenty minutes to regain enough composure to walk in a straight line, complex magical effects were beyond his comprehension right now. Celestia had done her best to ease him through all the questions he had had but it was clear that he would struggle immensely on his own, compounded by the fact that there was no precedent for how the situation should be approached. This was the first successful use of a cloning spell she had witness in her millennia of leadership, any approach for how to deal with a pony like this would have to be improvised for now.

"Today, just today..." He said to himself before shaking his head quickly, his breathing still not slowing down. "What happens after today?"

That question cut into Celestia. She was put on the spot to think of a solution and she already knew that anything she did now would be far from ideal. It had to be something that would allow him to be happy, at least for a time until she could prepare a true solution. It hurt that she was being forced to use a stopgap that many ponies might look down on her for using. But she looked again at the frightened stallion and knew that despite the circumstances of his creation, he was fully sapient being. He deserved a chance to be a normal pony no matter how he had come into the world.

"That is the question," She replied, doing her best to keep him calm. "There is no easy answer though, I've never seen magic used like this."

She watched as he glanced out of a nearby window that overlooked Canterlot's commercial district and saw his shaking and breathing subside slightly. His expression was still lost as he looked back to her though.

"I-I don't understand any of this." He replied quietly, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm afraid even I don't fully understand either. What Sunset Shimmer did was previously considered impossible."

He only sat down and shook his head quickly, his mouth silently working away. It looked like he was struggling to figure out just what he wanted to say. Celestia realised in that moment just how vulnerable he was. So many things that she took for granted in day to day life, he was having to learn right now.

"So...What happens to me now?" He eventually said. This was the last chance for her to change her mind on what she wanted to do. She lowered her head and paced slightly, running her plan through her mind as it finally took shape.

"While there is so much you could teach us, just handing you over to the Institute may not be best. Chief Moondancer may be moral but she knows how to run a pony ragged. Something that you don't need until your mind learns to cope with who you are."

Celestia stopped in place when she realised she'd actually said that instead of thinking it. The stallion looked down and pressed a hoof against his forehead, again struggling with all these concepts that she could discuss without thinking.

"I..." He sighed, the look in his eyes forlorn.

The sight only reinforced her decision. He deserved better than this.

"There is no clear solution to something like this," She said as she slowly walked round him, taking in every detail about him for her mental image. "Anything I might do would likely be temporary at best. However, the best I feel we can do would be to let you be free to live. To learn on your own terms without having to go through anything that would restrict you. I will give you an identity for that time, until you need to return."

"U-until I return?" He asked, the confusion in his voice suddenly replaced by concern. "You make it sound like I'll lose whatever you give me."

"The truth cannot be hidden forever, but it will be years before it surfaces again." She admitted as she moved back in front of him. "When it does, you will be ready to face the truth again."

She watched as he slowly processed this, his gaze downward as his eyes darted about in thought. Implanting false memories was morally questionable, but her options were severely limited. At the very least, this way would teach him the basics he would need to survive without taking up years of his life. If such a concept counted for somepony like him. He eventually relaxed slightly as he thought it over, looking back up at her.

"W...Will it hurt when my memories come back?"

"I hope not. The thought of directly harming one of my little ponies through my actions..." Just the thought was like a dagger to her heart. "When that time comes, find your way back to the castle and let somepony know that..."

She paused as she gave her plan one last run through. The memories he would receive would be fabricated, but it would be enough for him to get by. He would remember himself as an orchard worker from Whinnyapolis, only child, both parents since passed on from natural causes. He had come to Canterlot Castle on her request for an interview about a potential place in her garden staff. Though she wouldn't have anything, she would direct him toward Ponyville, where those she could trust could keep an eye on him without feeling regret like she would. All he needed now was a name. Her eyes went to his cutie mark and the inspiration struck.

"...That, Bounty, has need of me."

'Bounty' nodded slowly and bowed his head. How much of this he actually understood was uncertain, but she would help him understand in time. She would have a true solution to help him ready in time, when he returned. Celestia bit back any remaining pangs of concern she felt as her horn glowed a familiar yellow, preparing her magic with the memories to implant into him. While he was in Ponyville, Twilight would keeping an eye out for him and she was making sure to include a trigger in the spell for him to want to come to the castle when it began to degrade. Like she had thought before, it was far from the solution she wanted to give him, and when the time came, she would make sure to make things up to him eventually.

Then she pressed the tip of her horn against his and activated it. It was done.