Sunset had kept the box Princess Luna had brought along with the other things she had collected from the Palace. All neatly set near the portal, so she would remember to return with the parcel and so she wouldn't be tempted to open the box early. Princess Luna wouldn't have asked her to wait without reason.
When it came time to go home, the visitors gathered in the library. Of course, many well-wishers were with them. “You'll have to tell me what is in that box.” Twilight had been burning with curiosity over the potential contents since Sunset had brought it in, mentioning the request from Princess Luna.
“Of course I will Twilight.” Sunset took the simple bag of things in her magic, it would be interesting to see happened when they took it through the portal.
“Come visit again soon!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down. “I have sooo many more cakes to bake for you!”
“I am quite glad that flying works off so many calories.” Celestia whispered to her sister, she had flown plenty with Rainbow, even if she hadn't equalled her first feat of a Rainboom. However, it had offset the amount of sweet treats she had indulged in.
“Fortunately for you, that seems to have been the case.” Luna smirked, she had enjoyed the feeling of the living earth speaking to her instead of eating as many cakes as she could. An hour of blissing-out onver the life of a tree had no fat content but was wonderful.
“We would love to have you visit again.” Princess Twilight waved as the group stepped through the portal to return home.
-*-
Anticipating the drop as she exited the portal, Sunset held to the bag and rolled with the force as she was ejected. Landing in the human world was much easier than landing in Equestria, she was so used to having two legs.
“Ouch!” Discord had landed, butt first onto the asphalt. He caught Celestia as she landed in his lap. “How nice of you to drop in.” He grinned and shuffled them away from the portal, wisely considering Chrysalis came flying out.
With a drop and roll that would bring a tear to any Drill Sargent's eye, she was poised and ready for action, which ended up unnecessary. With graceful movements, Luna landed neatly on her feet, bending her knees to absorb the shock. “Nailed it!”
It was fortunate that no students were at the campus, it would have been the sight of the century to spot the head of discipline doing a fist pump in victory.
“I'll fetch our things from the safe.” Celestia maintained her decorum as she stood and made her way to the office.
Sunset held back her curiosity, she had to wait until she was home to open the box Princess Luna had given her. Not least because memories of her birth mother would certainly be emotional.
-*-
Celestia collected the keys and the journal from the school safe, locking up behind her. Handing over Luna's and Chrysalis' keys, they parted ways. Sunset and Discord getting in to Celestia's car, it had been simple to leave it secure in the staff parking lot, along with Luna's car.
The drive home had a little extra anticipation on Sunset's part. Just what was she going to find in the box?
-*-
Home at last, Sunset went to her room, the bag from Equestria the most important thing on her mind.
Sunset sat on her bed and took everything from the bag. Setting the box of things sent from the palace aside. She looked over what she had brought back. It had been emotional to be in her old room, so she hadn't tracked exactly what had gone into the carry-all.
There were a few trinkets and keepsakes Sunset had from her stay at the palace. Items with good memories attached and a sentimental nostalgia she had ignored the first time she had packed and left. There were some plush toys, a little phoenix and an ursa-minor she had been gifted on her first night in the palace. Setting them aside, she picked out a scarf of Saddle Arabian silk and a small box she knew held the marbles that were part of a levitation exercise.
Relics of her time as a student to the Princess.
The plushies had been a comfort to the overwhelmed filly in a grand palace. True, her foster family had been well-off and she had not lacked comfort in their care. But their home had not been an actual honest royal palace.
It was an odd nostalgia she felt, Sunset took out the marbles and rolled them in her palm. The red glass of each was smooth and cool. She had only ever picked them up with her magic in the past, weaving them into complicated patterns, choreographed by her power to demonstrate her control. They were a pretty toy here, even with her magical skills, but they would be a reminder of a time in her life she had been happy.
Setting down the marbles, Sunset turned to the box. She'd had few possessions in the palace, all she could need was provided but never owned. One more thing that had fuelled her feelings of not belonging, to being out of place.
This box though, this was from her first home. Her home with her mother.
Opening the lid, the first thing she saw was a doll in the box. Oddly it was human shaped. She took it out, holding it gently, almost reverently, in her hand.
“Lady?” Sunset whispered in wonder, remembering the toy. Old and distant memories of being tucked up in her tall bed with her special doll, her mommy kissing them both goodnight. Before life had become so sad, then endlessly angry.
As a foal she had never wondered about the doll being a form not familiar to Equestria, when she was taken to the orphanage, Lady had been forgotten in her grief. The doll had slipped her mind as she grew up, now the memories were returning.
Sunset carefully set the doll on her bed for later. Lady was a mystery to work out after the box was emptied. There were still things left to look at, probably from the little cosy house in Canterlot,
Sunshimmer's things.
Steeling herself a moment, Sunset whispered. “Celestia is my Mom now, she loves me, she chose me. I am not alone, I have a family.” She needed to keep that in her mind. Remembering the loss would hurt and she would surely remember, looking at her Mother's things.
Jewellery; a few simple necklaces in colours and styles that would still look good here in the human world. A folded silk scarf, one Sunset remembered her mother wearing from time to time. Sunshimmer had been practical, not really wearing the fancy outfits like the Canterlot Elite and those ponies who wanted to be part of their society.
A purse was in the box, it looked really like a human accessory, but then something else drew Sunset's attention.
A book.
One Sunset had never seen before. It had the red gem and swirling pink streams that were Sunshimmer's cutie-mark; a common feature of personal notebooks and diaries in Equestria.
“A journal?” Sunset lifted the book out and started to scan the first page.
Hi Journal
Hey Book Thing
Whatever.
My name is Sunshimmer and the princess gave me this book so I could write out my thoughts and feelings, I can't exactly go talking to all the ponies about state secrets and concealed magical portals can I? She said that I can always talk to her, but as a giant horse goddess who rules a country and moves the sun and moon she gets pretty busy.
This world is really weird compared to Earth. But I am trapped here for something like three years nearly. Which kind of sucks. For a start none of my birthing plans were set up for a horse.
Sunset nearly dropped the book.
Her mother was from Earth.
Her mother had accidentally gotten trapped in Equestria while pregnant. Pregnant with Sunset.
“I'm supposed to be human?” Sunset whispered to herself, re-reading the words on the page.
There it was, in her mother's own words.
Sunset Shimmer was a human. Born a unicorn, but she was human.
Taking the book and doll in hand, Sunset left her room to seek Celestia and Discord. They had left her to look at the things brought back from Equestria, but she knew they would be close. She heard voices from the lounge.
“I enjoyed the other world, my form was entertaining indeed. But holding you like this? I could never compare phenomenal cosmic power to this.” Discord's voice was a low rumble.
The sound was comforting to Sunset as she tried to keep her balance, mentally, after this shocking news. She reached the lounge, Discord was sat on the couch, Celestia in his lap, they were cuddling and it was sweet to see.
“Sunset?” Celestia was immediately concerned when she saw her daughter. The look on her face was so conflicted.
“Mom. The book! I, I'm Human! I should be. Mom, she was! The portal-” Sunset hurried over, book in hand her words were scattered from this revelation. “The book!”
“Sit here Sunset, breath.” Celestia could recognise the onset of panic and guided the girl to a seat next to Discord. She took the book Sunset held, noticing the doll too. A doll that looked human, it was a puzzle but Sunset was most insistent that the book be read.
It was a wonderfully crafted book, it looked like the one Sunset used to speak with Princess Twilight. The cover was decorated with a mark she recognised from the grave marker in Equestria. It belonged to Sunset's birth mother.
Celestia opened the book and read the first page.
She read the page again.
“My goodness.” Suddenly the tragedy Chrysalis had uncovered became bittersweet. Sunshimmer had gone to Equestria. The woman had been trapped but still raised a daughter. Sunset Shimmer was a truly a human, conceived in this world even if she had been born in another.
“You're from here.” She said softly, handing the book to Discord, she lifted to cup Sunset's face in her hands. “You're from Earth.”
That's actually a nice way to explain away the lack of a Sunset Shimmer on Earth. Though a new question arises: Is there a Sunset Shimmer that's a true native of Equestria?
The truth is out, and it was worth the wait!
Well that is one way for Sunset to find out the truth. I hope she can take all this well and hopefully forgive Celestia for not telling her sooner. Still as Sunset reads her moms journal she can learn much about her heritage.
All things considered The Box is probably in the top three most ominous things to reference following The Device, and The Ritual.
So all that's left is to find out what happened to her dad.
*squee*
Loved this! Nice and emotional, with a horrible, awful, no good, amazing cliffhanger.
YAY your back, loved the chapter, also I can relate on so many levels with obsessions. It's a side effect of my ADHD. I'll get consumed by a topic or interest for a period of time ranging from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, I call them micro-obsessions.
I've always thought that Sunset had more than a little human in her nature, it'll be interesting to see what she does with this.
Awesome update. Ironically, I was just thinking about this story the other day 😏
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I’m so happy you updated! Really good chapter and I’m glad Sunset finally knows.
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Probably, and with the Princesses knowing about the double, it would be a lot easier to cover up.
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One should never forget The Thing.
Just as one should never mention The Ritual to Remove The Thing from The Box Inside The Device.
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Egads!
Also, thanks for the positive comments everyone! My micro obsessions distract often, but now that I have hammered out a few (make that 40) pages of a fic for Acceleracers that I will probably never publish 'cos no one remembers it... I should get back in the groove for this story and maybe others.
Take your time, you still have readers happy to pop in for a chapter. This was enjoyable and I look forward to where this goes.
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I love that movie! John Carpenter films are the best.
Great chapter. Now here's the real ringer. Who's the birth father?
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We have the who from earlier chapters. We just don't have the where. Not sure that it wouldn't be completely disgusting to bring him into the picture at this point though.
glad to see this story back and i get the feeling its winding down to the end soon
after re-reading this, A thought popped into my head, Since Sunset is technically a human born as a pony, which is why Crys couldn't find any records of her or anything, Does that mean that Sunset's doppelganger is actually somewhere on Equestria?
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There is a possibility of that. But who knows what differences between the two universes there is? After all, the Mane 6 are all different ages, but the Human 6 are in the same school year; there could be other things that do not match up
I have really enjoyed your story, the characters are fun, the relationships are all interesting.
But I'll be honest, I actually kind of hate this reveal. Like, really hate it. I'm not even entirely sure why, it just really bothers me. Maybe it is because on some level I feel like the fact that her Mom was a born human cheapens Sunset's accomplishment in fitting in in such a different world. You even spent all that time in the Equestria visit talking about all the pony things that felt right, and how it made Sunset feel better to experience them again, but now, nope, you're meant to be a human. To me it also takes a little bit of the importance away from Sunset's choice to live in the human world because that's where she feels most at home due to the Principal and her family. It means more to choose to live in the human world if you have no ties to it beyond love, in my opinion.
I feel like this revelation actually detracts from your story's overall message of choosing and making your home where your loved ones are. Because it feels like her "choice" has become "you were always meant to be here" instead.
That being said, your story, your interpretation. And I still do like the rest of the story in a general sense. But this particular point drew quite the emotional response from me, and I needed to get it out there.
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Actually considering she knew nothing of human world and Celestia tried to shortcut telling her about it only for it to backfire she did pretty good even if she had been a jerk.
Not really surprised by the name for the toy.
Well I figured she'd find out but not like this. Although I had a feeling that princess celestia would tell her but guess not.
Well at least it answers the information Chrys found on sunshimmer.