> The Origin of Sunset Shimmer
>  by Godslittleprincess
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One: A Golden Fillyhood
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Once upon a time, on the outskirts of Trottingham, there lived a happy, bright unicorn filly named Sunset Shimmer.  Her family consisted of her father Mixer Match and her mother Prissy Pen, and she loved them both dearly, and they loved her in return.
Mixer Match was a perfumer by trade, a rather unusual choice of occupation for an earth pony.  Even more unusually, he had a penchant for experimentation.  He had a small laboratory next to their house where he would spend countless hours trying out new scent combinations, new perfume-making techniques, and new ideas for products.  If he hadn’t discovered his passion for perfumery, Match would have likely become a chemist or a potion-maker.
Fortunately, most of Mixer Match’s experiments ended in success.  Unfortunately, these successes came at the expense of several relentless attempts of trial and error.  As a result, the air quality surrounding his family’s humble abode was only barely tolerable on most days, which was why they were living in the outskirts in the first place.
His wife and daughter didn’t mind much.  They were accustomed to the results of Mixer Match’s overactive creativity.  In fact, Sunset Shimmer seemed to take comfort in the rather pungent odor that surrounded their home.  She saw it as a sign that her beloved father was doing something that made him happy, and when her parents were happy, she was also.
Now, Mixer Match owned a perfume shop and factory in the middle of Trottingham that made his creations readily available to the ponies of Equestria, but although Match’s skill in making his products were unparalleled, his skill in selling them was somewhere between abysmal and nonexistent.  If the success of the factory and the shop had depended solely on him, he would have had to take a job at a rock farm just to survive.  However, he had been able to find an outstanding business partner in his wife of many years, Prissy Pen.
Prissy Pen was a unicorn and had originally hailed from Canterlot, and as her name indicated, she was a master at turning chaos into order.  She was seldom seen around the business without clipboard containing several lists which kept track of things such as products that were selling the most during a given month or how much to charge a certain item so that the price was profitable for the business yet affordable for the customer.  Prissy’s competence in the management department was so amazing that her husband would often brag that by the time he tells her that the store was running low on bottles, she would have already ordered enough to last the year.
Prissy’s talent for organization not only manifested itself in the business but also in the home.  She kept a corkboard on which she always posted fresh reminders and to-do lists for Match and Sunset every morning after waking, and every night before sleeping, she would throw out the old ones.  This was not an easy feat since she was almost always the first one to wake and the last one to sleep.  Prissy would even have breakfast prepared and on the table at the same time every day and still somehow have time to clean the kitchen to a spotless shine, all before either Match or Sunset even started waking up.  In Sunset Shimmer’s eyes, her mother was the most amazing mare in the world, even if Prissy can be a little uptight and bossy sometimes.
Though, admittedly, Sunset and her father were somewhat difficult to keep up with, especially Sunset.  You see, Sunset Shimmer had an amazing talent in magic and had already taught herself to perform spells that most unicorns her age didn’t even know about.  She also inherited her father’s love for hooves-on learning, and each new spell that she learned gave her new ideas for possible untried variations and applications of the spell.  Unfortunately, she lacked the experience necessary for her experiments to be much success, and Prissy Pen would often come home from managing the shop to find that her preciously precocious little filly had yet again accidentally blown a piece of furniture to bits or destroyed the garden or set the curtains on fire.
One day, Sunset Shimmer had decided to try out a spell that was supposed to merely straighten her mane.  Imagine Prissy Pen’s surprise when her darling daughter entered the house with every single hair on her mane standing straight on end.
“Oh, horror of horrors!” cried Prissy, rushing her daughter to the bathroom.  “Your beautiful mane! Oh, Sunset dearest, what have you done to it?!”
She levitated a stiff brush from the sink and began to run it through the briar patch that was once Sunset’s mane, but no matter how forcefully Prissy pushed the brush down, the defiant locks refused to bend to her will.  After what felt like an eternity of brushing, combing, shampooing, conditioning, and detangling, Sunset Shimmer and her mother finally exited the bathroom, Sunset’s mane as limp and soggy as a wet sheepdog’s.
“Now, dear, I don’t mind you testing and sharpening your talents, but please do be more careful,” sighed Prissy.  “How did you even become so accident-prone in the first place?”
As if in reply to her question, a loud crash rang outside, coming from the general direction of Mixer Match’s laboratory.
“Nothing to worry about, sweet pea,” shouted Match from outside, coughing a bit.  “Just a minor setback.  Nothing that I can’t fix.”



Later that night, as the family sat down for dinner, Sunset propped her right foreleg up on the table and rested her head on her hoof.  She let out an exasperated and somewhat obnoxious sigh.  Her parents turned toward her, looking at her quizzically.
“Now, now, my little miss sunshine, what’s the matter?” asked Mixer Match affectionately.
Sunset Shimmer only sighed once more, pushing away her plate and letting her head fall on the table with a soft thud.
“Come on, now, sun-shimmer.  Just tell Papa what’s bothering you,” prodded Match.
Sunset raised her head, threw her forelegs up into the air, and cried, “I’m never going to be good at magic!”
At Sunset’s outburst, Prissy Pen shook her head and chuckled lightly, “Now, sweetheart, don’t be so modest.  Most unicorns your age don’t even know half of the spells you do.”
“I guess,” shrugged Sunset, “but I just wish I could stop messing up all the spells that I came up with.  I’ve already thought up dozens of ideas for new spells, but so far, none of them have worked.”
“You just have to keep trying.  That’s all,” Match encouraged his daughter, “I know what it’s like not to have an idea work out right away.”
“But Papa, a lot of your ideas have actually worked.  No matter how hard I try, none of mine have even left the drawing board.”
Sunset Shimmer took in a breath of air and heaved out a sigh, once again letting her head fall to the table.  Mixer Match and Prissy Pen glanced at each other and frowned sympathetically before turning back to their daughter.  Match put one hoof around Sunset while running the other through her previously silky but now coarse mane.
“You know, sunspot, I had the same problem when I was your age,” recounted Mixer Match. “I had a ton of different ideas for new potions and experiments, and just about every single one of them blew up in my face, often quite literally.”
“Really?” asked Sunset Shimmer, raising her head to look at her father in the eye.
“Really,” answered Match, nodding. “None of my ideas started working out until the old perfumer took me under his wing and taught me in the ways of chemistry and perfume.  Well, not literally, under his wing, of course, since the old stallion was a unicorn.”
“Now, darling, are you suggesting that we find Sunset a teacher?” asked Prissy Pen. “You know how hard it is to find a good magic teacher outside of Canterlot, and I’m afraid that I won’t be of much help since I don’t know much beyond basic telekinesis.”
“Well, we have to try something.  Why don’t we talk about it some more, and well, we’ll see?”
With that, Sunset’s parents each gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead and lovingly sent her to bed.  As Sunset Shimmer lay awake in her room, she began flipping through the pages of a notebook that she kept, by the light of a small candle on her bedside table.  Once Sunset had reached the page where she had written about the spell that she had attempted earlier, she sighed, picked up her quill, and wrote the following:  “Caused mane to stand straight on end.  Problem remedied with several hours of treatment using mane care products and vigorous brushing.  Mane became coarse and somewhat brittle after drying.”
Sunset Shimmer stuffed her notebook under her pillow and blew out the candle.  She could not help but think about what her father had said earlier that night.  Maybe he was right, and all she needed was a teacher to help her.  How she and her family were going to find one she did not know.



The next morning, Sunset Shimmer woke up to the smell of fried eggs and buttered toast and smiled.  She trotted into the kitchen to find her parents smiling at her knowingly.  Her mother hummed merrily while her father whistled a light tune.
“Good morning, my beautiful, dear daughter,” greeted Prissy Pen, blithely.
“Good morning, Mama.  Good morning, Papa,” replied Sunset.  “Is today a special occasion?”
“Now why would we need a special occasion to be happy to see our little sunflower?” asked Mixer Match with a playful twinkle in his eye.
“Well, Papa, you and Mama only whistle and hum when the two of you have a surprise for me.  Is it a good surprise?” inquired Sunset.
Mixer Match chuckled and patted his daughter on the head.  Then he looked at his wife and asked, “Well, honeysuckle, looks like our daughter knows us a little too well.  Should we tell her?”
Prissy giggled, looked at her daughter, and said, “Well, sweetie, your father and I decided that somepony with a gift like yours needs a magic teacher as soon as possible.”
“And since the best place to find a magic teacher is in Canterlot, we are going to be moving there,” added Match excitedly.
“Really?” exclaimed Sunset.  “When?”
“Of course, we still have a few details to work out,” explained Prissy.  “We’ll need to find a new home and a place to set up shop, and that’s not even mentioning how we are going to afford to do so.”
“Which is why we are going to start saving up for the move,” said Match placing a rather large coffee tin on the table.  “Of course, we are going to need a lot more than just one tin of bits.”
“That’s the best news ever!” squealed Sunset.  “Oh, thank you!  Thank you so much!”
Sunset Shimmer rushed to give each of her parents a hug.  Afterwards, Mixer Match scooped her up in his front hooves and pulled Prissy Pen into the hug as well.  At that moment, Sunset Shimmer could not have felt luckier or more loved, and she wished that she could have stayed right at that moment in time forever.

> Chapter Two: A Grey Cloud
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Almost a year had passed since Sunset’s parents had made that fateful decision to move to Canterlot, and since then, Sunset and her little family had managed to scrape together twelve tins of bits.
“Do you think that’ll be enough, Papa?” asked Sunset, peering into the nearly full tin.
“I hope so,” replied Mixer Match, “but we won’t know until we find out how much the new house and the new store are going to cost.”
“Well, we’d certainly have an easier time finding out if we could just find a house that meets the bare minimum of our requirements,” huffed Prissy Pen, flipping through her clipboard.  “Match my love, do you really need space for a laboratory?”
“Now, sweet pea, you may as well be asking me if cake needs sugar,” teased Match.
“I know, my darling, but housing in Canterlot doesn’t come cheap, you know.”
“How many more tins are we going to need, Mama?” Sunset asked, perplexed.
Prissy quickly flipped to a blank page and worked out a series of quick calculations.  Then, she set her quill and clipboard down with a sigh.
“We’ll need about another two jars or so,” she answered, putting her head between her front hooves.
“Only two jars?” boasted Mixer Match.  “That’s not much.”
“Yet at the rate we are saving, we will need another two to three months before we have enough,” sighed Prissy, “and that’s not even counting the time we will need just to prepare for the move.”
“Don’t fret, peach blossom,” Match assured his wife.  “Two months will be over before long.”
“I know, my wonderful husband, but I really want to find a teacher for our daughter as soon as possible.  I don’t want to see all the potential that she has go to waste.”
Sunset Shimmer frowned.  She didn’t like seeing her mother so worried.  Also, she was in a bit of a hurry to move to Canterlot herself, and she wasn’t sure if she could wait another two or three months.  If only she could think of a way to help her family get bits faster.
Suddenly, Sunset Shimmer’s eyes lit up as if a light had turned on inside of her head.  She quickly hopped down from her chair and galloped towards her room.  She ran back, levitating her notebook and a pencil.
“I just had a great idea,” she gushed as she scribbled furiously in her notebook.  “What if I set up a stand for selling hot chocolate?  Then, we can earn more bits for the move.  We won’t even have to spend money on chocolate or heat.”
“Now, love, how do you expect to make hot chocolate without heat or chocolate?” asked her mother.
“Well, I could combine a heat spell with a transformation spell to turn regular milk into hot chocolate.  We could even charge extra to have ponies watch me make it.”
Prissy Pen stiffened.  Although she had no doubt that her daughter was talented, Sunset had yet to create a spell that didn’t backfire in some way.  Additionally, since the weather had gotten colder, the only places where Sunset Shimmer could practice her magic were either inside the house or in Mixer Match’s laboratory, and Prissy certainly had enough to worry about without having to worry about her precious little filly setting the house on fire.
“Sunny, why don’t you test out your idea before you get too ahead of yourself?” suggested Match.  “I’ll even let you work in the lab.”
“Really?” squealed Sunset.  “Alright!”
Sunset Shimmer rushed into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of milk from the refrigerator, and dashed out the door.  She had a feeling that she had thought up her best idea yet, and she couldn’t wait to try it out.  Her mother watched as she sped toward the laboratory.
Then, she turned to Mixer Match, narrowed her eyes, and said, “Don’t let her out of your sight even for a second.  I swear, Match, if one hair on our daughter’s head is even the slightest bit singed…”
“I’m sleeping on the couch tonight,” finished Mixer Match.  “Relax, my lovely.  You can trust me with our little filly.”
Mixer Match stood from his place at the table, and followed his daughter to the lab.  When he entered, he found her waiting for him with the most adoring smile on her face.  The milk bottle was on the table, waiting for Sunset to work her magic.  Match smiled back and patted the top of Sunset’s head affectionately.
“Well, sun-shimmer, you ready to show Daddy what you can do?” asked Mixer Match.
“You bet,” replied Sunset Shimmer.
Her face tensed with concentration as her horn began to glow.  Nothing happened at first, but then, the milk began to bubble and steam a little bit.  Then, it slowly began to turn brown.  As soon as the milk reached the desired shade of brown, Sunset relaxed, but before she could end the spell, to her horror, the milk suddenly turned black and began to smoke.
“Well, umm,” began Mixer Match, “I think you burned it.”
“Obviously,” retorted Sunset, slamming her face on the work table.
“I know I’m not going to be much help, being an earth pony and all, but why don’t you let me look at your notes?”
Sunset dejectedly pushed her notebook towards her father.  Match flipped through the pages until he reached the last page that had writing in it and began to read.  As he read Sunset Shimmer’s notes, his facial expression changed from one of curiosity to one of realization.  He looked at his daughter and chuckled.
“Sunflower, were you trying to change the milk into hot chocolate all at once?” he snickered.
“Uh-huh,” Sunset nodded.
“Well, there you go then.  All you have to do is do the whole process one step at a time.  Wait here.  I’m going to get another bottle of milk.”
Mixer Match was already halfway out the door before he remembered something and quickly stuck his head back into the lab.
“Don’t touch anything,” he quickly commanded.  “Don’t even move.  Mom’s threatening to make me sleep on the couch if anything bad happens to you.”
He hurried back out the door, forgetting to close it behind him.  A cold wind blew in, and Sunset Shimmer shivered a little from the chill.  Despite her father’s instructions, she got up and shut the door.  She went back to her seat and rested her head on her front right hoof, wondering why grown-ups make such a big deal about being sent to the couch.  She was still pondering this when Mixer Match returned with a fresh bottle of milk.
“All right, my sweet sunspot, which spell do you want to cast first?  The heat spell or the transformation spell?” asked Match.
“I think I’ll try the heat spell since that one’s easier,” replied Sunset.
She once again twisted her face into a look of complete concentration, and the milk once again began to bubble and steam.  Sunset relaxed, ending the spell, so far so good.  She took a breath of air and exhaled, mentally preparing herself for the transformation spell.  Sunset Shimmer gritted her teeth and willed the milk to turn brown, and almost immediately, the milk turned the perfect shade of brown.
“YES!” Sunset cheered.  She could hardly believe it.  Finally, one of her own spells actually worked.
Mixer Match let out a whoop, picked her up, threw her in the air, and caught her, spinning his daughter around in celebration.
“You did it!  You did it!” praised Match.  “I’m so proud of you.  Come on.  Let’s go show, Mom.”
Sunset excitedly levitated the bottle from the work table and dashed out the door, her father following close behind.
“Mama!  Mama!” she called, bursting into the house.  “Look what I did!”
“Oh, sweetheart, that’s wonderful,” said Prissy Pen, taking the bottle from her daughter.
Then, she squinted, closely examining the milk.  Something wasn’t right.  She swirled it around curiously, further contorting her face in confusion.
“Is it supposed to be that thick?” Prissy questioned, setting the bottle on the kitchen table.
“What do you mean thick?” replied Mixer Match, entering the house.
Prissy Pen said nothing but dipped a spoon into the brown liquid in the bottle.  When she pulled it out, the entire surface of the spoon was coated with a layer of brown.  Gingerly, Prissy lifted the spoon to her mouth and sampled the substance.
She grimaced and said, “I’d hate to disappoint you, dears, but this isn’t hot chocolate.  It’s melted chocolate.”
“WHAT?” Sunset cried her jaw dropping.
Match dripped some of the viscous liquid onto his front hoof and sampled it as well.
“Well, what do you know?  It is melted chocolate, pretty good melted chocolate, too,” said Mixer Match matter-of-factly.
Sunset Shimmer groaned and collapsed belly-first onto the floor.
“Oh, sunny, don’t be so hard on yourself,” assuaged Match.  “That was the closest you’ve gotten to getting any of your ideas to work, and that’s something to be proud of.  Besides, you can still make money off of this.”
“We did just get a new order of molds for the decorative soaps,” added Prissy Pen.  “I think we can let Sunset use a few for her chocolate.”
“And we can charge ponies extra to watch her make it.”
Sunset lifted her head off the floor and rubbed her chin.
“Yeah, you’re right,” said Sunset, brightening, “and I can use a quick-cooling spell to help the chocolate harden faster.”
At the moment, there was a knock on the door.  Sunset Shimmer got up and opened it, revealing a warmly dressed mailpony standing at the doorway, holding an envelope in his hoof.
“Mail for a Mr. Mixer Match and Mrs. Prissy Pen,” the mailpony announced, reading the name on the envelope.
Prissy’s ears perked up at the sound of her name.  She got up from the table, rushed to the door, took the envelope from the mailpony, and gave him a bit for his trouble.  Then, she closed the door and tore open the envelope.
She lifted a sheet of paper from the envelope, her tail and ears twitching in anticipation.  She hurriedly scanned the contents of the paper, her eyes bulging the more she read.  Then, to the surprise of her husband and daughter, she squealed in delight.
“Match, this is from the owner of that property we wanted for the store.  He’s taking our offer,” gushed Prissy Pen.
“He is?” exclaimed Mixer Match, his ears pricking upwards.
“He is.  We just have to sign this document, and bring it along the payment to Canterlot by next week.”
“Well, we certainly have enough bits for the payment,” chuckled Match, motioning to the family’s collection of filled money tins.  “Besides, I’ve already put most of my new ideas through research and development, so I definitely have time to travel to Canterlot.  Umm, you fillies will be able to take care of everything by yourselves, won’t you?”
“Of course, we can, Papa,” crowed Sunset Shimmer, rushing to hug her father.  “Just hurry back, okay?  We’ll miss you if you’re gone too long.”
“And I’ll miss my two favorite girls,” agreed Mixer Match, gathering his wife and daughter for a hug.  “Everything is definitely looking up for us.  We’ll be in Canterlot before you know it.  You’ll see.”



A month had passed since that fateful day, and Sunset Shimmer once again found herself staring at her family’s collection of tins.  This time, she was wrapped under a thick quilt.  Thanks to her chocolate stand, her family had managed to collect another tin and a half of bits.  However, in that time, Mixer Match had also come down with a particularly severe case of pneumonia.
Sunset shivered with cold and worry as she heard her father let loose yet another coughing fit from her parents’ bedroom.  He had been coughing louder and more frequently as of late and probably needed professional medical attention.  Unfortunately, a malfunction at the Cloudsdale weather factory had left most of Trottingham snowed in, so running to fetch the doctor was out of the question.
Sunset Shimmer turned towards her parents’ bedroom and saw her mother walking out of it.  Prissy Pen’s eyes glistened with tears, and Sunset could see her lip quivering from underneath the surgeon’s mask she was wearing.
“Sunset, darling,” began Prissy, her voice breaking, “your-your father would-would like to see you.”
Sunset got up from her seat and cautiously approached her parents’ room.  Prissy Pen carefully dressed her daughter in a surgical mask similar to her own and slowly opened the door to let her enter.  Then, she followed after Sunset and shut the door.
Inside, Sunset could see her father curled under the covers of her parents’ bed, shaking with cold.  Her throat tightened as she approached her father’s bedside.  His light blue coat had faded to almost a gray color, and his bright yellow mane was limp with sweat.  His eyes were shut tight, and his hooves practically clawed at the bedsheets.
“Daddy?” Sunset whimpered, fighting the urge not to burst into tears.
“Hey,” croaked out Mixer Match, barely cracking open his eyes, “how’s my little sun-shimmer?”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Don’t you worry about me, alright?  Whatever happens, just keep working on your magic, and do whatever you need to do to get better at it.”
Immediately, Mixer Match began to cough ferociously, splattering blood all over the sheets.  Sunset Shimmer grabbed on to her father’s hoof, gripping tightly, utterly terrified of letting go.  From behind, she could feel her mother pressing fearfully yet gently on her shoulder.  After his coughing subsided, Match lay back on his pillow and tenderly cupped his daughter’s face with his free hoof.
“Sunset, sweetie, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m going to make it,” said Match.
“No!” cried Sunset, tightening her hold on Match’s hoof.
“Shhhh,” Prissy Pen whispered, squeezing slowly on Sunset’s shoulder.
“Listen to me, sunspot,” pleaded Match, “You and your mom are going to be okay.  Don’t give up on yourself, and keep working hard on your magic, okay?  I’m not going to actually be there when it happens, but you’re going to grow up to be an amazing pony one day.  I just know it.”
“Dad,” Sunset whimpered, tears pouring freely down her face.
Mixer Match set his hoof down, letting Sunset’s chin drop to her chest.  With his final words, Mixer Match said, “I love you both.”
Sunset felt her father’s grip on her hoof loosen and saw his eyes shut.  His breathing became stone silent.  Her heart collapsed on itself and dropped to her stomach.
“NO!,” she screamed, “No, no, no!”
Prissy Pen pulled Sunset Shimmer from the bedside and wrapped her forelegs tightly around her daughter.
“Sunset.  Sunset!,” yelled Prissy, desperately tightening her embrace.
Sunset struggled to break free from her mother’s grip.  Then, she finally went limp and fell against Prissy’s chest, sobbing heavily.  Prissy buried her muzzle in her daughter’s mane and began to sob with her.



Later that night, Sunset Shimmer pressed herself against her mother’s warm, rosy coat as the two of them curled up together on the couch, trying in vain to fall asleep.
“Mom,” Sunset squeaked out, “are you asleep?”
“No, darling, I am very much awake,” replied Prissy Pen.  “Why?”
“I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“About how Daddy would still be here if he hadn’t gone to Canterlot last month.”
“Darling, don’t say that.  Sometimes-sometimes, these things just happen.  It’s nopony’s fault.”
“But he only went to Canterlot because of me.”
“And he wanted to.  You mean so much to him, and he was willing to do whatever he needed to do to get you to school.  Now, we have to-we have to keep moving on, or else-or else, everything he did to get us this far along would have been for nothing.”
Prissy Pen sighed and wrapped her forelegs around her daughter and held her tight against her chest.  Sunset Shimmer could hear her mother’s heart beating and feel her chest rise and fall as she breathed.  The sensation gave Sunset some comfort in her grief and brought a small smile to her face.
“Do we have to go right away?  Going to Canterlot without Dad just doesn’t feel the same,” said Sunset, sorrowfully.
“We’ll,” Prissy began, her voice shaking slightly, “we’ll probably need to wait a few weeks before we-before we go through with the move just to-just to get ourselves sorted.”
“I miss him.”
“So do I, sweetheart,” replied Prissy Pen, stroking her daughter’s mane.  “So do I.”



Two weeks later, Sunset was in the kitchen washing dishes while her mother looked through housing listings on her clipboard.  A knock came from the door.  Prissy Pen got up and opened it, once again finding herself facing the mailpony.
“Mail for a Mrs. Prissy Pen and family,” announced the mailpony, envelope in hoof.
Prissy took the envelope, tipped the mailpony, and shut the door.  Returning to her seat, she opened the envelope and lifted out its contents, which consisted of a single card.  As she skimmed over the card’s text, her jaw suddenly went slack.  Sunset Shimmer immediately took notice and set down the plate that she had been washing.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Oh, Sunset dearest,” gasped Prissy Pen.  “It’s my brother.  It-it appears that he’s, well, passed.”
“Uncle Bit Buncher?  Oh no!”
“His wife and daughter are-are inviting us to-to Canterlot for his fu-funeral.”
“How come I’ve never met Uncle Bit Buncher or his family before?” asked Sunset, rubbing the back of her head.
“Oh, your uncle came to visit us once, when you were born.  I suppose he must have been busy with his family and business since then,” replied Prissy Pen
“So, are we going?”
“It’s only proper,” muttered Prissy Pen.  “Besides, they are family after all.”
Prissy Pen got up, took her saddlebag off of the coatrack, and gave it a quick rummage.  Then, she took out two stacks of bits and turned to her daughter.
“We have just enough to buy us some black clothes and tickets for the train,” she said.  “Start packing your bags, sweetheart.  We leave for Canterlot in two days.”
> Chapter Three:  Aunt Austerity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Two days later, Sunset Shimmer and her mother got off the Friendship Express onto Canterlot station, Sunset carrying her saddlebag while Prissy Pen levitated a small suitcase.  On her head, Sunset wore a black, wide-brimmed hat while her mother wore a black, lace kerchief around her neck.  They both craned their necks over the crowd, glancing every which way as if they were looking for somepony.  Then, Sunset Shimmer spotted a white-haired unicorn mare with a coat like warm honey levitating a sign with her mother’s name on it.
“Mom, look, over there,” Sunset called, pointing at the mare with her right hoof.
Sunset and Prissy Pen approached the mare.  She wore a simple black dress which was partially covered in the front by a white pinafore, indicating that she was a maid.  Her mane was covered by a loose black hairnet.
The mare looked at the two of them and asked, “Are either one of you Mrs. Prissy Pen?”  Her voice was tinged with a slight Germanian accent.
“I am,” replied Prissy with a small smile, “and this little one is my daughter, Sunset Shimmer.”  Her smile grew a bit as she pushed her daughter forward to introduce her.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” said Sunset with a sweet smile and a polite nod.
“I am Frau Zuckermane,” answered the mare, smiling in reply.  “Your sister-in-law has sent me to fetch the two of you and help you with your things.”
Frau Zuckermane took the suitcase from Prissy Pen and motioned for the two of them to follow her.  As Sunset Shimmer and her mother followed Frau Zuckermane through the streets of Canterlot, Sunset couldn’t help but marvel at her surroundings.  Ponies dressed in fine clothes bustled between different shops and buildings.  Craftily wrought lampposts and perfectly trimmed trees lined the streets.  However, the most beautiful part of the city, at least to Sunset, was the castle in the backdrop with its towering spires and the purple and gold roofs that shone in sunlight.
“We’re here,” announced Frau Zuckermane when the three of them had stopped in front of a white mansion with ornate oak double doors.
Although pleasing enough to the eye, Sunset couldn’t help but feel that the house seemed rather cold and aloof in comparison to the busy streets and shining castle she had seen earlier.  Although disappointed with the mansion’s appearance, Sunset remained optimistic.  Maybe it will feel homier on the inside.
Frau Zuckermane pulled a rope that was hanging out of the wall.  From inside the house, Sunset Shimmer could hear what sounded like several bells chiming.  A short while later, a young mare, also outfitted in a black dress and white pinafore, answered the door.
“Ah, Frau Zuckermane,” the mare greeted in a Prench accent.  “The madam and the young miss are waiting for the guests in the parlor.”
“Thank you, Plumeau,” replied the older mare.  Then, turning to her two charges, she said, “This way.”
Sunset and her mother followed Frau Zuckermane into the mansion, taking careful note of their new surroundings.  Sunset’s relatives were obviously ponies of fine taste.  All the furniture and decorations looked like they belonged in an art museum, almost too exquisite to touch.  Although in awe of the trappings surrounding her, Sunset Shimmer couldn’t imagine anypony living in such a place for long periods of time any more than she can imagine somepony making herself at home in a museum.
Frau Zuckermane led them down a hallway where they reached another set of oak double doors.  Frau Zuckermane opened the doors and entered, followed by Sunset and Prissy Pen.  Inside, a tight-lipped unicorn mare and a sour-faced unicorn filly, both dressed tip to tail in black, sat stiffly on two finely upholstered chairs.
“Madam,” said Frau Zuckermane, addressing the mare, “your sister-in-law and niece have arrived.”
The gray-coated mare waved a hoof, which seemed to signal Frau Zuckermane’s dismissal, for the kindly maid left the room soon after.  The mare who Sunset assumed to be her aunt got up from her chair, walked over to Prissy Pen, and looked her over up and down with her steel-colored eyes, her facial expression unchanged.
“So, you must be Prissy Pen,” she said in an affected tone of voice that somehow revealed little emotion.  “I’m Austerity.  I’m sure my husband has told you about me.”
“I haven’t kept in touch with my brother as much as I would have liked,” admitted Prissy Pen rather apprehensively, “but, yes, I believe he did mention you.”
Austerity’s gaze turned to Sunset Shimmer.  As soon as Sunset met her aunt’s gaze, she immediately felt a shiver run down her spine and realized why her mother had suddenly gotten so nervous.  The look in Aunt Austerity’s eyes was like two sharp knives ready to strike, made all the more intimidating by their almost metallic color.
“And who, pray tell,” Austerity intoned, icily, “is this?”
“M-my name is S-sunset Shimmer,” said Sunset, fearfully.  “P-pleased t-to m-meet you, Aunt Austerity.”
Aunt Austerity raised her brow and pressed her lips together even tighter.  Sunset didn’t know that lips could even flatten that much, and if her aunt’s gaze hadn’t been so terrifying, she would have laughed at the absurdity of Aunt Austerity’s current facial expression.  Then, Austerity turned to Prissy Pen.
“I didn’t know that your daughter had a stuttering problem,” she noted, matter-of-factly.  “She will have to get that fixed.”
Sunset felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment.  Then, she looked up and once again, took notice of the unicorn filly.  The filly appeared to be about Sunset’s age and had a peach coat and a deep purple mane.  Sunset could have sworn that she saw the corner of the filly’s mouth twitch upward a bit if only for a moment.  After the filly’s lip twitched for the second time, Sunset realized that the filly was laughing at her, which made her face to burn hotter.
“Prune Tart!” Austerity called, causing the plum-maned filly to come to her side.
“You called, mother,” replied the filly, retaining the same pinched facial expression from earlier, which Sunset found hilarious even though she forced herself not to laugh.
“Dear, please introduce yourself to Aunt Prissy Pen and Cousin Sunset Shimmer,” Austerity instructed.
“Aunt Pen, Cousin Shimmer, I am Prune Tart.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Cousin Prune Tart, despite what she had just said, did not look or sound pleased at all, not one bit.  Instead, she looked as if just looking at Sunset and her mother was the most tiring chore in all of Equestria, and her voice sounded almost as cold and affected as Aunt Austerity’s.  However, the same chilling voice that made Austerity seem intimidating merely sounded comical coming out of Prune Tart.
“My husband’s funeral will begin in a few hours, but until then I will have one of the servants show you to your rooms,” announced Austerity, stoically.  “I hope they are to your liking.”
Then, Austerity levitated a bell from one of the side tables next to the chairs and rang it loudly.  Shortly afterwards, Frau Zuckermane entered through the double doors.
“Yes, madam?” said Frau Zuckermane.
“Take my sister-in-law and her daughter to their rooms,” Austerity commanded, “and make sure they meet us back here in time for the funeral.”
“Of course, madam.”
With that, Sunset Shimmer and her mother began to follow Frau Zuckermane out of the parlor and over to another hallway where the guest rooms were.  Although Sunset Shimmer kept herself from saying so, she was glad to no longer be in her aunt and cousin’s company.  She certainly hoped that her first impression of her relatives was completely wrong, but Aunt Austerity and Cousin Prune Tart seemed completely insufferable.



After attending the funeral, Sunset Shimmer and her mother found themselves once again in the parlor.  Only this time, Aunt Austerity expected them to socialize with the rest of the funeral guests.  While Prissy Pen was able to make conversation with her sister-in-law’s stuffy guests, Sunset Shimmer, under her aunt’s instruction, was not allowed to say anything more than “Yes, ma’am” or “No, ma’am” or “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”  The tediousness of her “conversations” with the older ponies bored Sunset so much that she could have fallen asleep standing up with her eyes open.  Sunset Shimmer tried to entertain herself by eavesdropping on her mother’s conversations, but she found them to be equally dull, at least until she overheard something that peaked her interest.
“So, your daughter is interested in studying magic, you say?” asked the mare talking to Prissy Pen.
“Yes, she is,” replied Prissy, “and she’s very talented.”
Sunset Shimmer beamed at what she had heard, trying to make herself look as talented yet adorable as possible.  She often postured herself this way whenever one of her parents praised her, and despite the somber occasion, today was no different.
“Is she now?” remarked an approaching stallion.  “Then, you simply must enroll her into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”
“Oh, do they teach magic there?” asked Prissy Pen.
“Do they teach magic there?” replied yet another guest.  “Anypony who has ever made a name of themselves studying magic went to that school.  It was founded by Princess Celestia herself.”
“How much does enrollment cost?”
“Oh, not much,” replied Aunt Austerity.  “Just 10,000 bits give or take a few hundred.”
Prissy Pen frowned, eyes widening.  Sunset Shimmer’s jaw dropped.  The cost of tuition at this school was everything she and her mother had set aside for a house.
“Oh, good gracious, child,” Austerity grumbled.  “Has no one told you how unbecoming it is for a young lady to walk around with her mouth hanging open?”
Aunt Austerity then lifted Sunset Shimmer’s jaw with her front hoof, shutting Sunset’s mouth.  Even though Sunset wasn’t one of those ponies who despised physical contact, something about her aunt’s touch, despite how slight it was, repulsed her.  She had half-expected her mouth to freeze shut and fall off her face the moment Aunt Austerity made contact.
“Is something wrong, Prissy Pen?” asked Austerity, turning to the mare in question.
“Well, it’s just that 10,000 bits is a little more than we can afford right now,” explained Prissy Pen.  “Sunset and I have been saving that money for a new house.  Isn’t there another way to find my daughter a good magic teacher?”
“Well, the public school system’s magic program is fairly adequate,” stated the stallion from earlier, “but if you want the best of the best, no other school will do.  Besides, if your daughter is as talented as you say, all that talent would be wasted in a lesser school.”
“But where will we live?”
“Why not here?” suggested Austerity.  “I certainly have room to spare.  Besides, you are family after all.  It’s only proper.”
Something about the way Aunt Austerity said those last two sentences made Sunset Shimmer and Prissy Pen cringe.  However, before Prissy could get a word in, the other guests began clamoring in agreement with Austerity.
“Why, excellent idea!”
“Austerity could use the company now that her husband’s passed.”
“You certainly must accept.”
Prissy Pen glanced at her daughter who was shifting her weight from hoof to hoof rather uncomfortably.  Sunset Shimmer glanced back and saw a look of uncertainty cross her mother’s face.  Neither knew what to say in response to Austerity’s offer.
After a few moments of silence, Prissy Pen finally opened her mouth and said, “Sunset and I will have to discuss the matter privately before we make a decision, but thank you so very much for your concern.”



“Sunset sweetheart, do you want to go to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?  It certainly is the best place to study magic here,” Prissy Pen asked her daughter later that night in the privacy of their room.
“I think so,” replied Sunset Shimmer, “but do we have to live with Aunt Austerity?”  Sunset made a face as if she had just tasted something bad.
“Darling, I know your aunt seems rather, well, severe, but maybe living here won’t be so bad.  You’ll have Cousin Prune Tart to play with, and we’ll both certainly be comfortable enough.”
Sunset Shimmer rubbed her chin in thought.  She really wanted to be the best that she can possibly be with her magic, and that school seemed like the best place to learn how.  However, Aunt Austerity frightened her, and Cousin Prune Tart didn’t seem to be much fun.  Would going to that school be worth putting up with her aunt and cousin?
“We might as well try,” said Sunset, shrugging.  “Besides, maybe I’ll have so much fun learning magic at school that living here won’t be so bad.”
“Alright then,” agreed Prissy Pen, wrapping her foreleg around Sunset’s shoulders.  “I will let your aunt know first ting in the morning.  All in all, not too terrible of a start to a new life, don’t you think, dearest?”
> Chapter Four:  The Demon Seed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A month later, spring had finally arrived, and Sunset Shimmer was standing in the middle of a large lecture hall.  Before her sat a single phoenix egg in a box full of straw.  Behind her stood her mother, biting her lower lip in anticipation.  Sitting in the top row, was a group of examiners, armed with clipboards and quills.
Hatching the egg would be difficult but, thankfully, not impossible.  Sunset was just glad that she hadn’t been asked to hatch a dragon.  She furrowed her brow in determination, staring down the egg like an enemy on a battlefield.  Then, she closed her eyes and focused all her magic on the egg.  The egg began to levitate and glowed with a teal aura.  Sunset grunted, concentrating with all her might.  The egg glowed brighter and brighter until—POP—a chunk of shell went flying from the top of the egg, and a little phoenix chick poked its head out of the resulting hole.
Upon hearing the pop, Sunset Shimmer relaxed, lowering the egg and chick back onto the straw.  The little phoenix chirped merrily, prompting Sunset to open one eye in anticipation.  The phoenix chirped again and began to hop about happily on the straw.  Sunset Shimmer’s eyes flew open and her jaw went slack.  She actually did it!
Sunset felt like squealing and jumping around in a happy circle but instead composed herself, turned towards the examiners, and bowed.  Only the subtle smile playing on her face revealed any hint of her true emotions.  The examiners glanced at one another several times, muttering to one another and scribbling notes on their clipboards.
Finally, the head examiner, a tan unicorn mare with glasses, spoke, “Congratulations on your enrollment to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, Miss Shimmer.  You may start classes next Monday.”
“Th-th-thank you,” Sunset managed to squeak out, still suppressing the urge to squeal.
The examiners had the phoenix chick carted out of the room and departed, leaving Sunset Shimmer alone with her mother.  Sunset turned to Prissy Pen and finally let out an excited squeal, galloping joyfully towards her mother.  Prissy Pen caught her daughter in a tight, happy hug, spinning her around a few times.
“Oh, sweetheart,” cheered Prissy, “I am so proud of you.”
“I just wish Dad could have seen this,” replied Sunset, almost wistfully.
“For what it’s worth, dear, your father would have been proud of you, too.”



On Monday, Sunset Shimmer galloped to home from school and burst in through the door.
“I’m home!” Sunset announced.
“Ah, Miss Sunset,” Frau Zuckermane greeted her, smiling warmly, “wonderful to see you.”
However, Frau Zuckermane’s smile suddenly dropped and her face became rather stern, causing Sunset to blink a few times in confusion.
“Little miss,” Frau Zuckermane whispered, “you mustn’t enter so loudly.  The madam runs a tight household and doesn’t like any unnecessary interruptions.”
“Oh,” Sunset replied.  “Well, is Mom home yet?”
“I’m afraid not, but your cousin is in her room if you would like to play with her for a while.”
Sunset frowned.  In the time that she and her mother had been living with Aunt Austerity and Cousin Prune Tart, Sunset had had plenty of time to learn that her cousin only played with china dolls, and Prune Tart and her dolls only played “proper” games like having a tea party or visiting the library.  If Sunset was lucky, Prune Tart would pretend to go to the ballet or the museum.  The former consisted of Prune Tart staring at her dolls through a pair of opera glasses, and the later involved walking around Prune Tart’s bedroom while Prune Tart repeatedly paused and made pouty faces at the furniture or the wall.  Just once, Sunset wished that Prune Tart would agree to a more exciting game like hide-and-seek or tag.
“You know, little miss, if you play with your cousin, I might stop by your room later with a plate of jam cookies,” said Frau Zuckermane, smiling mischievously.
“Okay,” Sunset agreed reluctantly, smiling weakly in return.
Sunset Shimmer made her way to her cousin’s room and knocked on the door.
“Enter!” Prune Tart commanded in her usual snooty tone.
Sunset opened the door and let herself in.  Sure enough, Cousin Prune Tart was having yet another tea party with her dolls.  Sunset and Prune Tart locked eyes, a look of mutual disgust growing on their faces.  Sunset, however, forced herself to swallow her dislike and offer her cousin a smile.
“Umm, mind if I hang out here while I wait for my mom?” Sunset asked, forcing herself to keep smiling.
“If you must,” retorted Prune Tart, turning back to her dolls.  “Why, yes, Lady Mauve, I am a natural purple.  Oh, do stop.  You ladies flatter me so.”
Ignoring the sickeningly inane conversation, Sunset Shimmer sat herself on the floor by the foot of Prune Tart’s bed and took her magic book out of her saddle bag.  Right now, her class was working on simple transformation spells, like turning toothpicks into matches.  She actually picked up on it quite quickly.  Next week, she and her classmates are going to work on teleporting short distances.  Sunset has definitely never tried that one before.
Sunset flipped open the book to the table of contents, looking for the chapter on teleportation spells.  Then, something on the page caught her eye.  It was the title of the very last chapter, “Higher Level Magic.”  Sunset knew that she wasn’t supposed to read ahead, but her curiosity got the best of her.  She flipped to the page written next to the chapter title.  Right on the first page of the chapter in bold letters were the words “Come to Life Spell.”
Sunset’s eyes widened as she began to read.  Apparently, this particular spell can make inanimate objects move by themselves.  Wow!  Sunset Shimmer rubbed the top of her head, trying to think of an application for such a spell.  Then, her eyes shifted to Cousin Prune Tart who was still gossiping with her dolls.
“She’s been bearable I suppose.  Unfortunately, she’s rather uncultured.  You should see how she stuffs herself with Frau Zuckermane’s cookies,” blathered Prune Tart.
Sunset Shimmer’s face burned with rage and embarrassment.  She wanted to scream at Cousin Prune Tart that she was sitting right behind her and could hear everything she was saying.  Of course, Prune Tart probably wouldn’t have cared anyway.  Sunset’s eyes shifted to her book, still open to the page with the Come to Life spell, and then shifted back to Cousin Prune Tart.  Time to make this tea party a little more interesting.
Sunset Shimmer focused her magic on Prune Tart’s dolls, performing the spell as instructed in the book.  At first, nothing happened, but then, Sunset saw the dolls turn their gaze towards Prune Tart, who, of course, was too busy pretending to be talking to them to notice.  Prune Tart did notice, however, when the dolls began passing around cups and saucers to one another.
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!” Prune Tart screeched, falling backwards.
Sunset stifled a giggle and continued to concentrate on holding the spell, making the dolls dance and somersault all over the room.  Prune Tart darted her eyes all over the room, her jaw slack with horror.  Suddenly, Prune Tart turned towards Sunset, and her eyes narrowed into dangerous green slits.
“You!” Prune Tart screamed.
The shock of having been found out so quickly caused Sunset to lose control of the spell, resulting in the dolls moving more frenziedly.  They no longer merely twirled and flipped.  They wreaked havoc on the room, throwing Prune Tart’s possessions everywhere and overturning furniture.
Prune Tart’s peach-colored coat faded to an off-white color as she shrieked, “Do something!” at her cousin.
Sunset Shimmer hurriedly flipped through her book, looking for a counterspell, as Prune Tart continued to scream at the ongoing destruction.  She hadn’t meant for her little trick to go this far.  Her stomach sank as she heard the sound of a familiar but unwelcome voice resound from outside the door.
“What in Equestria is going on here?!” shouted Aunt Austerity, throwing open the doors.
When Austerity saw the madhouse that her daughter’s room had become, her facial expression rapidly went from shock to horror to rage, pure burning rage.
“She did it!” cried Prune Tart, pointing her hoof accusingly at Sunset who began flipping through her book even more frantically.
In panic, Sunset Shimmer did the only thing she could think to do in a situation such as this.  Blast the china dolls to bits.  Sunset focused her magic and fired away, much to Aunt Austerity and Cousin Prune Tart’s dismay.  As she utterly obliterated the final insurgent doll, Sunset Shimmer let out a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, her relief did not last long as she soon found herself staring into two sets of eyes glaring at her.  Between the two of them, her aunt’s gaze was the most frightening.  Aunt Austerity’s jaw was set so tightly Sunset could have sworn that she heard teeth grinding, and Prune Tart’s face somehow became several shades redder than it was earlier.
“Look what you have done, you horrid, horrid beast!” Prune Tart shouted at Sunset.
“I didn’t mean to.  Honest, I didn’t.  I promise I’ll help clean up and fix everything,” Sunset implored.
“You will do no such thing,” spat Austerity, each word laced with venom and ice.  “You have caused enough damage for one day, and as punishment, you will spend the rest of the afternoon in the attic.  You are not to leave until I say so.”
“But—,” protested Sunset Shimmer.
“Go on now,” commanded Aunt Austerity, practically shoving Sunset out of Prune Tart’s room.  “The maids will show you where it is, and if I see either hide or hair of you anywhere but the attic, I will see to it that you go without supper tonight.”
Sunset Shimmer hung her head in defeat as Aunt Austerity slammed the door behind her.  One of the maids in the hallway had overheard the fiasco and escorted Sunset to the stairs that led to the attic, so she did not have to spend much time wandering around the mansion.  Once Sunset had reached the top step, she opened the door and peered inside.
The dusty, windowless room was dark and filled with an assortment of boxes and furniture, which casted foreboding silhouettes all around the room.  Sunset Shimmer cautiously entered and closed the door behind her, which further darkened the room to the point where she could hardly see anything.  On her right, she heard an odd rustling, which caused her knees to shake.
Sunset took a deep breath and illuminated a spark of light from her horn, but the tiny glimmer of light did little to calm her fears.  The darkness was so thick and the light was so small that Sunset might as well have gone spelunking with only one match to light her way.  Sunset Shimmer heard yet another odd noise in the attic.  This time, however, it was a high-pitched squeak.  She turned towards the sound and saw a creature in the back right corner with what seemed like large leathery wings.  The creature’s eyes snapped open revealing glowing red irises.  Sunset screamed, tore out of the attic, and raced down the stairs.
“Aunt Austerity!” she cried.  “Help! There’s a monster in the attic.”
As she frantically ran through the hallways, Sunset Shimmer suddenly bumped face-first into the very pony she was looking for, knocking her onto her rump in the process.  Needless to say, Aunt Austerity was less than pleased at Sunset’s unusual greeting.
“I will have you know that the only monster that I have in my attic is the one that I am looking at,” huffed Austerity as she righted herself and dusted herself off, “and just in case I did not make myself clear earlier, you are most definitely going without supper tonight.”
“Oh, is she?” asked a stern voice from behind Sunset.
Sunset Shimmer turned around and found her mother glaring darkly at Aunt Austerity.
“Mom!” Sunset cried, rushing towards her mother for an embrace.  Prissy Pen wrapped her forelegs around her daughter protectively while still glaring at Austerity.
“She very much is,” retorted Austerity.  “That little hobgoblin utterly destroyed my daughter’s room.”
Prissy’s eyes widened in surprise, and she pulled away from Sunset so that she could look at her daughter in the face.
“You did what?” Prissy questioned.
“It was an accident.  I was only trying to scare her by making her dolls come to life.  I didn’t know they were going to start destroying the room,” gushed Sunset defensively.
“That’s no excuse for what you have done!” snapped Aunt Austerity, sharply.  “You are living under my roof now, and there is a certain code of conduct that I expect followed.  If it is not followed, you will be punished as I see fit.”
“Enough!” shouted Prissy Pen.
Prissy sighed and rubbed her forehead with her front right hoof.  She then looked from her daughter to her sister-in-law and then back again, studying each of their expressions.  Prissy could see her daughter’s face burning with shame and anger while her sister-in-law’s expression remained as cold and unfeeling as an iceberg.
“Sunset, dear,” Prissy called, setting her face sternly, “go to your room and wait for me in the corner.  Don’t move from the corner, and don’t touch anything.”
“But—” Sunset began but then stopped when her mother hardened her gaze.
“Okay.”  Sunset sighed and began walking away, her head hung low.
Once Prissy Pen was sure that her daughter was out of earshot, she turned to Austerity and said, “I know that you are upset over the damage that my daughter has caused, but were insulting, frightening, and degrading her really necessary?”
“Oh, pish posh,” replied Austerity, nonchalantly.  “A young lady will never learn how to properly behave unless she’s brought up in the strictest environment possible.”
“Learn what?” exclaimed Prissy Pen, incredulously.  “How to belittle and shame other ponies just to make herself feel better?   How to intimidate other ponies into getting her way?  This may be your home, but Sunset Shimmer is still my daughter, and as such, I will have the final say in what constitutes as an appropriate punishment for her, and I absolutely will not have you or anyone else treating her cruelly, especially over an accident.”
With that, Prissy Pen simply turned her back on Austerity and trotted off in a huff.  When she reached Sunset’s room, she could just barely make out the sound of stifled sobs.  Prissy poked her head through the door and found her daughter curled up in a corner with tears flowing from her eyes.
“Sweetheart?” Prissy called, causing Sunset to look up at her.
“I’m in a lot of trouble, aren’t I?” replied Sunset Shimmer through her tears.
“It seems so.”
At her mother’s answer, Sunset Shimmer buried her face into her forelegs and resumed crying.
“Now, dearest, please stop crying,” implored Prissy Pen, setting herself on the floor next to Sunset and wrapping a foreleg around the remorseful filly.  “Just tell me what happened.  Don’t worry.  You’re not skipping dinner tonight.”
Sunset Shimmer breathed deeply and moved closer to her mother.  She recounted to Prissy Pen how, against her better judgment, she had read ahead in her magic book and used an advanced level spell.  Prissy sighed and merely rubbed her temples with her front hooves.  Then, Sunset told her how Aunt Austerity had sent her to the attic as punishment and how she only ran out to flee from a monster.
“A monster?” asked Prissy Pen.  “In the attic?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Sunset nodded, “it had wings and red eyes.”
“Alright, come on,” said Prissy Pen, getting up from the floor.
“Where are we going?” asked Sunset, following suit.
“To get a better look at this monster of yours.”
“What?!” Sunset cried, retreating back into the corner.
“Think of it as your punishment for what you did to your cousin’s room,” answered Prissy.  “Also, I’m telling Frau Zuckermane not to give you any cookies for the rest of the week.”
“But—”
“No buts,” interrupted Prissy Pen, looking at her daughter with a soft yet stern expression, “I know it was an accident, dear, but you still have to take responsibility for your mistakes.”
Sunset sighed and nodded, “I guess you also want me to stop reading ahead of my lessons.”
“At the very least, don’t try out any spells that you aren’t already learning about in class,” Prissy said with a smile, gently patting Sunset’s mane.  “Now, come on.  We can’t make that monster go away if we don’t even know what it really is.”



Sunset Shimmer cracked open the door to the attic, levitating a lit flashlight with her magic.  Her mother followed closely behind her with her horn lit.  Although the lights and her mother’s presence dispelled most of the fear that Sunset had felt earlier, she couldn’t help but feel just a bit uneasy.  A layer of dust and cobwebs covered everything, and spiders scurried about, building fresh webs and catching prey.  Sunset lifted her light to the corner where she had first spotted the monster.  As she did so, Sunset squeezed her eyes tight, fearfully anticipating its frightful image.
“Now, how in Equestria did this get in here?” asked Prissy Pen quizzically.
Sunset Shimmer cautiously opened her eyes and saw that her light had fallen on a vampire fruit bat.  Although the creature was repulsive to behold, it was nowhere near as scary as what Sunset had thought she would find.  Relief washed over her as she released the breath that she hadn’t known she was holding.
“Now, that wasn’t so bad, wasn’t it, dear?” Prissy Pen inquired, smirking at her daughter.
Sunset shook her head.  Then, she looked at her surroundings, remembering the dust, the shadows, and the spiders, and grimaced.  The attic probably didn’t have a monster living in it, but it was still a pretty frightful place nonetheless.
“Well, we might as well find someone to let the poor creature out of here,” Prissy Pen said, matter-of-factly.  “It probably doesn’t want to be in here anymore than you do.”
“I wouldn’t blame it,” replied Sunset, shuddering as she warily watched a large black spider crawl on top of a dust-covered chair.



Unfortunately, the incident with Prune Tart’s room was not the last time that Sunset ended up at the receiving end of her aunt’s wrath.  Later, that week, while working on her own variation of the apples to oranges spell that was supposed to turn plums into limes, Sunset accidentally turned Prune Tart’s hair green.  If her mother hadn’t been home at the time, Aunt Austerity certainly would have locked her in the attic until dinner time.  Thankfully, Sunset instead merely spent the afternoon helping Frau Zuckermane polish furniture and silverware.  After her third magic-related mishap, however, her luck ran out.
Two weeks after the afternoon of the living dolls, Sunset Shimmer was out in the backyard working on a plant-growing spell that she had been struggling to get right in class.  To summarize, Aunt Austerity’s perfectly trimmed rose bushes turned into a massive tangle of thorns and flowers that overran the entire yard.
When Austerity saw what her niece had done, she immediately grabbed Sunset by the tail using her magic and began dragging her towards the attic.  Sunset Shimmer screamed and resisted as hard as she could, begging pitifully for mercy, but Austerity merely furrowed her brow, pressed her lips tighter, and kept pulling.
Turning to the crowd of maids and butlers that had gathered at the scene, Austerity commanded in a harsh tone, “Make sure that my sister-in-law does not interfere this time.  This uncontrollable little demon has wreaked enough havoc on my home, and I will see to it that she is properly disciplined.”
“Mom!  Mom!” Sunset cried out, praying that her protectress would be able to reach her in time.
From a distance, Sunset could hear her mother desperately calling to her in reply.  She even saw Prissy Pen running to her just as she was being dragged up the stairs.  Afterwards, she heard her mother arguing with the servants as they repeatedly apologized for the entire situation.  Then, Aunt Austerity threw her into the attic and locked the door.
“Let me out!” screamed Sunset, pounding on the door.  “Let me out!  Please!”
Eventually, Sunset Shimmer gave up and huddled against the door, trying to avoid looking at the menacing shadows that loomed all around her.  She peeked through the keyhole, hoping that her mother would be outside coming to get her.  Sadly, no one was waiting for her at the other side of the door.
Sunset slumped in defeat, covering her head with her forelegs.  Then, her ears perked up when she heard the sound of hoofsteps coming up the stairs.  The hoofsteps were followed by the sound of rattling metal coming from the keyhole.
“Hello?” Sunset called out.
“Shh,” answered a voice in a low whisper.  “Sunset, dear, it’s me.  Your aunt doesn’t know I’m here.  I’m going to try to get you out, but you must be very quiet.”
Sunset could hardly believe it.  Not only did her mother actually come for her but she was actually trying to help get her out.  If she hadn’t just been instructed by her rescuer to remain quiet, Sunset would have squealed.
“Ugh, Austerity has gone too far this time.  It’s like she’s never raised a child before,” Prissy grumbled to someone on the other side.
“The madam doesn’t raise children,” scoffed a familiar accented voice.  “She beats them to wet clay and molds them into her own twisted image.”
“Frau Zuckermane?” asked Sunset.  “But won’t you get in trouble?”
“All the more reason for you to be quiet, dear,” whispered Prissy Pen.  “Is it unlocked yet?”
“I’m afraid it’s no use, Mrs. Pen,” replied Frau Zuckermane, further rattling the lock.  “No matter which way I pick, this lock won’t turn.”
Sunset Shimmer and Prissy Pen groaned simultaneously.  Sunset pressed herself against the door while Prissy slapped her hoof onto her face.  For a while, neither of them could say anything.
Then, Prissy broke the silence, “Sunset, dear, I am going to get us out of here as soon as I can, but until then, you’re going to have to avoid upsetting your aunt.”
“How?” replied Sunset.  “She gets angry with me every time I mess up.”
Prissy Pen sighed.  She knew that there was only one way to keep her daughter safe from her sister-in-law’s wrath.  However, there was no easy way to say what she was about to say.
“Darling,” Prissy began, “I’m afraid you’re going to have to stop practicing your magic, at least while you’re at home.”
“What?” exclaimed Sunset.
“Just until I can find somewhere else for us to live.  Until then, we’ll have to make do.  Understand?”
Sunset groaned but reluctantly agreed.
“Mrs. Prissy, with your permission, perhaps the little miss would like a few extra cookies with breakfast tomorrow morning,” suggested Frau Zuckermane.
At the mention of cookies, Sunset Shimmer’s eyes brightened, and her ears perked upwards.  She hoped against all hope that her mother would allow her at least the small comfort of the promise of cookies to look forward to.
“Well, I suppose a few cookies won’t hurt,” Prissy Pen relented.  “Besides, after what she’s been through tonight, she probably needs them.”
> Chapter Five:  The Day of Black Sun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Months passed, and Sunset Shimmer and Prissy Pen were still living with Austerity and Prune Tart.  Raising money for a place to live took longer than Prissy anticipated.  Running a perfume shop without Mixer Match was challenging.  Without Match’s creativity to help develop new products, sales were slower than Prissy was used to, and profits were smaller than before.  Fortunately, the shop was getting a steady stream of customers.  Otherwise, Prissy’s quest for a new home for herself and her daughter would have been next to impossible.
Sunset put up with her family’s present circumstances as best as possible.  As her mother had requested, she stopped practicing her magic at home.  At first, complying with her mother’s wishes was easy.  With her magic teacher’s permission, Sunset would stay after school to practice the spells that she had the most trouble with and experiment with the spells that she had mastered.  Her teacher would even help her with some of her spells.
Then, all too soon, school ended for summer vacation, robbing Sunset Shimmer of her only refuge against her extended family’s disapproval.  Two weeks into the vacation, Sunset was sitting in her bedroom staring at a notebook full of experiments that she could not perform.  During the first week of summer vacation, Sunset had occupied herself by writing down any and all ideas that she had for magic experiments, but now, her well of creativity had run dry, and her choices for entertaining herself included playing with Prune Tart or staring at her notebook.
“I’m bored!” Sunset whined to no one in particular, tossing her notebook to the floor.
Sunset, then, picked up the notebook only to throw it down again, and so, Sunset chose to occupy herself.  A few minutes later, Frau Zuckermane popped her head through Sunset’s door.  She frowned when she saw what Sunset was doing.
“Everything alright, little miss?” asked Frau Zuckermane.
“I wish,” muttered Sunset.  “I’m really, really bored.”
Frau Zuckermane nodded sympathetically.
“Well, if you’re interested, I’m about to make some jam cookies.  Maybe you would like to help me,” offered Frau Zuckermane.
Sunset Shimmer smiled and got up from her bed, grateful for something to do.
Soon after, Sunset and Frau Zuckermane were in the kitchen happily mixing away at a batch of cookies.  Sunset then looked into the mixing bowl and thought, “I wonder if I can come up with another way to bake these cookies.”
Using her magic, Sunset portioned and flattened several balls of dough.  She levitated the discs and began to concentrate.  However, before she could even begin to cast a spell, a loud and annoying voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Are you trying to use magic on those?”
With her concentration broken, Sunset dropped the dough discs onto the counter and looked up to see Prune Tart scowling at her.
“Uh, n-no,” Sunset lied.
“Oh, you were.  You very much were,” taunted Prune Tart, laughing sadistically.  “Just wait until I tell Mother.  She will banish you to the attic for the rest of the month.”
“No, no, no.  Please, please, don’t tell Aunt Austerity,” Sunset begged.
“Say that I am even considering not telling my mother, what’s in it for me?”
Sunset Shimmer stared at her cousin disbelievingly.  Prune Tart was blackmailing her.  She was totally blackmailing her.
“I’ll-I’ll give you my dessert for the week,” Sunset sighed in defeat.
“Make that the rest of the month, and we’ve got a deal,” countered Prune Tart, smirking.
“A month?!”
“Unless you’d rather sleep in the attic with all the spiders.”
Sunset gritted her teeth and glared at Prune Tart.  It wasn’t fair.  She gets in trouble for accidents that she never even intends, and her cousin can get away with blackmail.  She wouldn’t be surprised if Aunt Austerity let Prune Tart get away with murder.
“Fine, you can have my dessert” Sunset conceded, causing Prune Tart to give a satisfied humph.
“Frau Zuckermane, my tea sandwiches,” commanded Prune Tart.
“Of course, young miss,” said Frau Zuckermane in a tone that was far too sweet to be genuine.
Frau Zuckermane turned to the refrigerator to get Prune Tart’s sandwiches.  As soon as she had her back to Prune Tart, Frau Zuckermane rolled her eyes in annoyance.  Sunset Shimmer took notice and stifled a giggle.  
Frau Zuckermane returned to the counter with the sandwiches and asked, “Shall I have Plumeau take them to the parlor for you?”
“But of course,” replied Prune Tart, turning to go to the parlor.
The maid in question came to take the sandwiches to the parlor, leaving Sunset Shimmer and Frau Zuckermane to themselves once again.
Sunset groaned, “It’s so unfair.  How come she never gets in trouble?”
“The madam believes that the young miss is practically perfect in every way and that other colts and fillies are inferior in comparison,” scoffed Frau Zuckermane.
“Wait, you mean, she’s literally never gotten in trouble with Aunt Austerity before?  Ever?”
“Not as far as I can remember, and I’ve worked here for a good long time.”
Sunset remained silent and began using her magic to flatten several balls of dough and place them on to a cookie sheet, pondering this sudden revelation of her aunt’s apparent favoritism.
Suddenly, she realized, “Frau Zuckermane, how long have you been working here?”
“Ever since before the young miss was born.  Why?” replied Frau Zuckermane.
“Well, do you even like working here?”
Frau Zuckermane paused.  In all her time working as a maid, this was the first time that anypony has ever shown an interest in her opinion, so the question took her aback.
The older mare sighed, “I can’t say I do, but I don’t hate it.”
“Have you ever thought about leaving and working for somepony else?” the little filly inquired.
“I have,” Frau Zuckermane grunted with disdain.  “I never did because without me, this place would fall apart.  Being the head housekeeper is not for the weak, and everpony else who works for the madam is too afraid of her to be fit for the job.”
Suddenly, the entire room became uncomfortably silent.  Then, Frau Zuckermane grunted and began cutting small circles out of half of the discs.  Sunset sighed dejectedly and began doing the same.
“Oh, little miss, don’t trouble yourself,” Frau Zuckermane consoled.  “At least tomorrow, you will be able to spend an entire day with your mother.”
“Oh, yeah,” said Sunset, brightening a little.
With the Summer Sun Celebration going on tomorrow, all the businesses will be closed, including the perfume shop.  With the shop closed, Sunset’s mother would have the whole day to spend with her, and tomorrow, a carnival is going to be in town just for the celebration.



Later that night, after an early dinner, Sunset Shimmer and Prissy Pen were getting ready to go to bed early.  Everypony wanted to be awake in time to see Princess Celestia raise the sun.
“Are you excited for tomorrow, love?” asked Prissy Pen cheerfully.
“You bet,” exclaimed Sunset, crawling under the covers.  “First, we get to see the princess raise the sun.  Then, we get to spend the whole day at the carnival.  How can I not be excited?”
Prissy laughed.  She hadn’t laughed since her husband had passed, but seeing her beloved daughter in brighter spirits lifted her mood greatly.  However, the moment was interrupted by a knock on the door.  Prissy went to answer it, and to her surprise, her sister-in-law was waiting on the other side.
“Austerity, what a surprise,” greeted Prissy Pen, hesitantly.
“I am here to inform the both of you that I will be hosting a garden party here tomorrow afternoon, and I will be expecting both you and Sunset Shimmer to attend,” said Austerity.
“T-tomorrow?” Prissy shouted in surprise.
“I trust that neither of you have any pressing engagements preventing you from attending.”
“Austerity, I promised Sunset we’d spend the day at the carnival.”
“Surely, you do not have to be gallivanting at the carnival the whole day.  Just go in the morning if you must and return in time to get ready for the party.  I will be expecting you at three o’ clock sharp.  Good night to you both.”
Austerity grabbed the door handle and slammed the door before Prissy could say another word.  Prissy simply stared disbelievingly at the door before slumping against the floor with an exasperated groan.
“We’re going to have to come to her party whether we want to or not, aren’t we?” Sunset stated flatly.
“Unfortunately,” retorted Prissy Pen.



The next morning, everypony in Austerity’s household rose early in anticipation for the Summer Sun Celebration.  Prissy Pen and Sunset Shimmer got out of bed, slipped on their sundresses, and went to the front door to meet with Austerity and Prune Tart, who were dressed in some ornate yet cumbersome-looking gowns.  After Austerity took a quick look at Prissy and Sunset from tip to tail, she gave a disapproving humph and began to head out the door with her daughter following suit.
Since the sun hadn’t risen yet, it was still dark when the group reached the downtown area where Princess Celestia will be making her appearance.  However, a sizeable crowd had already gathered, and because of this, Sunset Shimmer and her family weren’t able to position themselves to get a good view of the stage.  Fortunately, they had taken their places under a tree, which gave Sunset an idea.
“Mom, may I?” asked Sunset, pointing up towards the tree’s branches.
Prissy Pen smiled and nodded, “Just be careful alright.”
Austerity rolled her eyes.  Clearly, her sister-in-law and niece still lacked knowledge about proper decorum despite the time they had been living under her roof.  She was grateful that her dear, sweet child would never do something so indecent as to climb a tree and risk ruining her carefully cultivated appearance.
Sunset Shimmer scrambled up onto the branches of the tree until she could see over the other ponies in the crowd.  Soon, the trumpets sounded, and Princess Celestia took her place on the stage.  Sunset couldn’t help but stare at the princess in admiration.  She was probably the most beautiful alicorn princess that Sunset Shimmer had ever seen.  Of course, Princess Celestia was the only alicorn princess Sunset had seen, but she highly doubted that many other alicorns had Celestia’s ethereal mane.  Then, Celestia flew high into the air as she used her magic to bring the sun up over the horizon, casting a majestic light all around her.
Sunset Shimmer eyes sparkled as she watched the golden light slowly spread throughout Equestria, casting everything that it touched in brilliant color.  Her body began to tingle as the sun’s warmth gently enveloped her.  It was the most amazing experience that she ever had in her life, and to think, Princess Celestia had the power to make it happen every day.  Why, if Sunset had that kind of magical power, she would find a way to carry that light and warmth around with her all the time.  Then, dark, terrifying places like Aunt Austerity’s attic wouldn’t be able to frighten her.
Suddenly, Sunset Shimmer had an idea.  What if she could somehow carry around a piece of the sun with her?  Maybe she could use her magic to create a smaller replica of the sun and carry it inside of a jar.  Sunset will definitely need to write down this idea in her notebook and maybe work out the rest of the details, but for now, she had an entire morning of fun and games with her mother to look forward to.
Sunset scurried down the tree and poked her mother on the foreleg, signaling that she was ready to take off and enjoy the carnival.  Prissy smiled at her and nodded.
“Austerity, I’m afraid Sunset and I must be going now.  We’ll see you later,” Prissy Pen hurriedly said before taking off with Sunset Shimmer.
“Don’t forget about the garden party!” called Aunt Austerity, frowning disapprovingly.  “Three o’clock sharp!”



Sunset Shimmer never wanted that morning to end.  Every moment that she and her mother spent together at the carnival was nothing but pure happiness, from the wind blowing through their manes as they zipped and zoomed on the roller coaster to the view they shared at the top of the Ferris wheel to the taste of chocolate hazelnut funnel cakes and jalapeño cheddar pretzels.  How Sunset wished she could live each moment over again for a thousand lifetimes!
Sadly, like all good things, that bright, wonderful morning had to end, and at three o’clock sharp, Sunset Shimmer found herself at her aunt’s garden party, wearing an uncomfortably large, feathered hat and a dress that was far too hot and heavy for the weather, being bored out of her mind.  Prissy Pen noticed the miserable look Sunset was making and gave her a sympathetic frown.  Sunset merely glared at her mother in annoyance and resumed staring at the grass dejectedly.  However, as more and more ponies began to show up for the party, Sunset had an idea.
“Maybe no one will notice if I sneak off.  Then, I can work on that idea I had for a spell from this morning,” thought Sunset.
She soon realized that she left her notebook in her room, and that she certainly couldn’t sneak all the way there without notice.  Thinking quickly, she noticed a stack of paper napkins by the punch table.  Sunset Shimmer meandered over to the table and stealthily ducked under the tablecloth, grabbing a cup of punch and several napkins.  She plucked a feather from her hat to use as a quill and began to write, using the punch for ink.
The first few napkins that Sunset tried to write on either became too wet, too holey, or both, but eventually she found the right balance of writing pressure and “ink” in order to make legible notes.  She had managed to scribble down the basic principal behind her spell and decided to use the rest of her time and napkins to write down a list of possible applications.  She would have gladly spent the rest of the party working on that list if a certain somepony hadn’t decided to poke her head under the punch table.
“Now what do you think you’re doing here?” inquired Prune Tart, condescendingly.
Sunset was so caught off guard by her cousin’s sudden appearance that she jumped and bumped her head on the table.  She silently pleaded that no one at the garden heard the rather loud thump that she made as she rubbed her throbbing head.
“Oh, what’s this?” said Prune Tart, grabbing Sunset’s stack of notes and pulling her head out from under the table.
“Hey, give that back,” cried Sunset, diving out from under the table, after her nosy cousin.
Much to her embarrassment, Sunset noticed that she was lying sprawled in the middle of the garden party, a good three inches away from where Prune Tart was standing.  She could practically feel the disapproving stares that her aunt’s party guests were sending her way.  Prune Tart held her notes just out of her reach, smiling smugly down at her.
“Why, cousin dearest, didn’t anypony ever tell you how uncultured it is for a young lady to be crouching under a table?” teased Prune Tart, her voice drenched in the syrupy goo of false sweetness.
Sunset Shimmer felt her face burn with the intensity of a million raging infernos.  She growled and pressed her teeth together with such force that they began to ache.  Her surroundings began to acquire a disturbing tint of red.
Suddenly, “AAAAAAAAAAHHH!” Sunset screamed, lunging at Prune Tart, her eyes blazing with unbridled rage.
Prune Tart managed to dodge her cousin’s unexpected attack and began to run away, still holding on to Sunset’s notes with her magic.
“YOU GET BACK HERE, COWARD!” Sunset shouted, taking off after her.  “GIVE THOSE BACK, OR I’M GOING TO PUT YOU IN A WORLD OF PAIN!”
Prune Tart galloped for her life, imploring everypony around her to save her from her mad cousin.  Meanwhile, Sunset kept herself locked on to Prune Tart at all times despite Prune Tart’s desperate attempts to evade her.  Sunset impulsively began to use her magic to try to slow her cousin down, pulling furniture in Prune Tart’s path and blasting holes for her to trip over.  Somehow, Prune Tart kept dodging everything Sunset put in her way.  Instinctively, Sunset attempted a teleportation spell.  Despite her inexperience teleporting such a great distance, Sunset successfully intercepted Prune Tart who collided into her and fell face-first into the grass.
“HA!” gloated Sunset, grabbing her notes from her prone and humiliated cousin.
Her victory was cut short, however, when she felt a forceful tug on her tail and found herself staring back at a pair of angry, metallic eyes.  Sunset looked around, suddenly realizing the extent of the damage she had caused.  The entire garden was littered with holes, overturned furniture, and splattered refreshments.  From behind Aunt Austerity, Sunset could see her mother looking at her with an expression in her eyes that can only be described as shame and disappointment.



After the garden party’s early and abrupt conclusion, Sunset was sitting in a chair next to her cousin in the parlor, watching her mother begging her aunt for mercy on her behalf.  Unfortunately, each and every one of Prissy Pen’s entreaties fell on deaf ears.
“I know she caused a lot of damage, and I will gladly pay to have it repaired, but please just let me have a few minutes to just talk with her alone,” pleaded Prissy.
“Most certainly not,” responded Austerity, every word sharpened with cold fury. “That-that little demon that passes for a young mare has proven time and again to be nothing but trouble.  She has embarrassed my guests, my daughter, and most importantly me.  I daresay that she’s even embarrassed you.  I cannot even think of a punishment good enough for what she has done.”
Unnoticed by the two mares, Prune Tart leaned over and whispered into Sunset’s ear, “After what happened today, I bet your own father would hate you if he was still here.”
Sunset’s pupils shrank in shock.  She turned to Prune Tart ready to scream that her father could never hate her, but then she thought, “What if she’s right?”  She remembered how her mother looked at her at the garden party, as if she had done something especially shameful.  The thought of that same look on her father’s face pained her so much that she could feel her eyes begin to sting with tears.
Sunset got up from her chair and bolted out the parlor.  She raced down the hallway, ignoring Prissy’s calls for her to stop, and burst through the front door.  Sunset didn’t see the moving cart careening towards her as she ran across the street or hear its owner yelling for everypony to move out of the way, but she did feel somepony push her from behind and hear a sickening crash from directly behind her.  She slowly turned around, and what she saw brought her whole world crashing down on her, for pinned underneath a pile of boxes and various other heavy items lay the crumpled form of her mother.
> Chapter Six: Alone in the Universe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset Shimmer sat in the waiting room of the Canterlot Hospital a good distance away from where her aunt and cousin were sitting.  Her mother had been admitted only a few minutes earlier, and from the frantic state of the nurses and orderlies, Prissy Pen’s condition appeared serious.  Sunset hoped against all reasonable hope that her mother would be alright and that she would not be left alone in the world with her awful family.
A short while later, the doctor emerged from Prissy’s room with his head hanging low.  Austerity and Prune Tart rose from their seats in respect while Sunset remained in her seat, looking at the doctor with pleading eyes.
“Well?” began Aunt Austerity, rather aloofly.
“She-she’s asking for her daughter,” said the doctor, turning to Sunset’s direction.
Sunset lifted her head and slowly got up and walked to the doctor.
The doctor stooped down until he could look at Sunset in the eye and said, “Little filly, we’ve done everything we can for your mom, but I’m afraid she might not last the night.”
Upon hearing those words, Sunset turned away from the doctor’s gaze as her eyes began to fill with tears.  This was so unfair.  Her mother was all she had left that really mattered, and now, she was going to lose her, too.
“If you hadn’t been stupid enough to run across the street without looking, she’d still be here,” she thought bitterly to herself.
“Sweetheart,” the doctor called, regaining her attention.  “Your mom wanted to be able to spend her last moments with you.  You may go in.”
Sunset slowly trudged her way into her mother’s hospital room.  Aunt Austerity and Cousin Prune Tart tried to follow her, but the doctor stepped in front of them.
“Just her daughter,” deadpanned the doctor.
Sunset walked up to her mother’s bed, utterly devastated by what she saw.  The strong, loving, protective mare who was her rock lay shattered on the hospital bed, wrapped in bandages that futilely attempted to hold her together.  Heartbroken, Sunset impulsively climbed onto the bed next to her mother.
Prissy Pen, feeling something move beside her, stirred.  She opened her eyes, seeing her daughter, her one treasure, curled up next to her, trying in vain to hold in her tears.
Prissy weakly wrapped her foreleg around Sunset Shimmer and said, “Hello, love.”
Sunset looked up at her mother, her eyes glistening with tears.  She suddenly broke down into hysterical sobs.
“Oh, Mama, I’m sorry,” Sunset wept. “I’m so, so sorry.  I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“Shh,” Prissy whispered as she began stroking her daughter’s mane.  “I know.  I know.  It’s not your fault.”
“But it is.  If I hadn’t messed everything up, none of this would be happening.”
Sunset continued to sob as she pulled her mother into a hug, burying her face into Prissy’s shoulder.  Unbeknownst to her, her mother was shedding tears with her.
“Sunset, look at me,” Prissy gently commanded, causing Sunset to lift her head.  “Don’t let anypony ever, ever tell you that you’re nothing but somepony who messes things up.  You are so much more than that, and I just know that someday, you’re going to do amazing things.”



Those were the last words that Prissy Pen ever spoke.  She had died with her daughter curled up beside her, holding her hoof.  A week later, Austerity held a funeral for her departed sister-in-law.
As Prissy Pen’s casket was being lowered to her grave, Prune Tart noticed her cousin looking absolutely miserable.  Sunset Shimmer was wearing the black hat and the black kerchief that she and her mother wore when they first arrived to Canterlot.  She sat on her haunches with her head hanging in grief and her eyes shut tightly, silently crying a torrent of tears.
Such a sight would have broken the heart of the hardest stone statue in the Canterlot Gardens and melted those of an entire herd of Windigos, but years of being raised like a polished trophy on a pedestal have made Prune Tart’s heart far more unfeeling.  Instead of seeking to comfort her unfortunate cousin as one would expect, she only thought of how to further break the poor filly, and she knew just what to say to do it.  All it took were five words, five little, seemingly insignificant words.
Prune Tart leaned over and whispered into Sunset’s ear, “It should have been you.”
Sunset bit her lip, trying to choke back the sobs that were threatening to escape her throat.  She slumped forward and buried her face in the grass, practically crushed under the weight of her guilt and sadness.  Aunt Austerity noticed this and frowned.
“For Celestia’s sake, sit up properly, child,” she hissed harshly.
Sunset didn’t move.  Aunt Austerity could banish her to the attic for the rest of her life for all she cared.  She was too miserable to do anything but cry.  Sunset had felt the pain of loss before when she lost her father.  This time, no pony was there to comfort her because no pony wanted to and no pony cared.



That summer could not have passed quickly enough.  Now that her mother wasn’t around to protect her, nothing was going to stop Aunt Austerity from giving Sunset Shimmer a “proper upbringing.”  Sunset was familiar with bedtime stories about ash-fillies being mistreated by wicked stepmothers, and she would have gladly traded her fate with theirs.  At least, their misfortune could be plainly seen through the rags and cinders.  Hers, on the other hand, was hidden beneath layers upon layers of expensive gowns that were much too hot and unbearably tedious tea parties with stuffy aristocrats.
Aunt Austerity expected her niece to behave at her standards at all times, and anything less than perfection was met with a sudden, sharp rap with a ruler.  If Sunset cried, Austerity would give her another switch, claiming that a proper young lady must not stoop to inelegant sobbing but accept discipline with poise and refinement.  Aunt Austerity was especially cruel whenever she made mistakes in front of guests.  As soon as the last of guests left, she would give Sunset twice as many smacks as mistakes, complaining the whole time about how Sunset was a terrible student who was incapable of learning anything useful.
“How dare you embarrass me in front of my guests!” Austerity would yell.  “What was your mother thinking?!  Marrying beneath her station.  Moving to a backwater country town.  Having you!  She could have at least kept her misfortune to herself, but no!  She had to pass it on to me, didn’t she?”
Sunset Shimmer would have been ecstatic skip her aunt’s social events and the punishments and insults that usually followed.  She’s even begged Aunt Austerity on several occasions to allow her to help Frau Zuckermane and the other servants in the kitchen just to avoid having to attend, but Aunt Austerity staunchly refused.  Having a family member of a prominent, well-respected member of the Canterlot elite, such as herself, working as a servant was simply unacceptable.
As if her aunt’s brutal insistence on turning her into a Canterlot lady wasn’t bad enough, Sunset also had to put up with Prune Tart’s machinations to make her life torture.  When no pony was looking or listening, Prune Tart would spit hurtful comments at Sunset about how she had no one left to love her and that no pony ever really loved her among other unspeakably abusive things.  When she was feeling especially spiteful, Prune Tart would trick Sunset into getting in trouble with her mother and watch the unfortunate filly get punished with barely concealed pleasure.
Sunset desperately prayed for school to start so she can escape from the horrible nightmare that her life had become.  She vowed to herself that as soon as school started, she would throw herself into her studies, make a name for herself, and become a powerful magician. She would become so powerful and well-respected that Prune Tart and Aunt Austerity will leave her alone and never hurt her again lest they incur her wrath.
> Chapter Seven:  Princess Celestia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	On the day before school was to start, Sunset snuck away and went to the school by herself.  She needed to get away from her family, and the school was just the place to do it, never mind that it was probably still closed.  Sunset headed towards the science building and tried to open the door.  To her surprise, it opened, and she snuck inside.
None of the lights were on, so the hallways were rather dark.  Even the classrooms were rather dim despite some of them having windows.  It was the perfect environment to finally test out her sunlight in a jar spell.
Sunset carefully made her way to the science lab and rummaged through the drawers and cabinets to look for a jar.  She found one and set it on the floor.  She took out her notebook and set it next to the jar, flipping it to the desired page.  Napkins were notoriously fragile, so Sunset had made sure to take the time to transfer her notes.
Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes in concentration, focusing her magic with her horn.  She knew that she was making progress when she felt the familiar warmth from the Summer Sun Celebration condense on the tip of her horn.  Sunset opened her eyes and telekinetically pulled the bright, warm orb away from her horn towards the jar.  She carefully placed the little sunspot in the jar and screwed it shut.  She had done it.  Sunset picked the jar up with her hooves and hugged it against her chest, letting the comforting warmth permeate through her.
“Well, well, that was quite impressive,” said a voice from behind her.
Sunset Shimmer turned around and found herself face to face with Princess Celestia herself.  Sunset gasped and quickly bowed before the princess.
“Your majesty,” Sunset greeted with her head bowed.
“May I see what you have here?” asked Princess Celestia, gesturing towards the jar.
“Oh, of course.”
Celestia carefully studied the strange orb in the jar.
“Is this sunlight?” she asked.
“I saw you raise the sun during the Summer Sun Celebration, and thought about how nice it would be to have a bit of sunshine to carry around for those times when you end up somewhere dark and cold,” explained Sunset.
Celestia smiled warmly at her.  Sunset had never seen anypony smile at her like that since her mother passed.  The sudden thought of her departed mother caused Sunset to frown a bit, remembering that her mother was no longer with her.
“Well, you are clearly a very talented young filly.  I wouldn’t mind having you as my personal student,” remarked Princess Celestia, still smiling.  “Would you like that?”
Sunset couldn’t believe her ears.  Did the princess just ask her to become her personal pupil?  Was she dreaming?  Was she somehow trapped in a very realistic hallucination?
“I-I don’t know what to say,” Sunset stammered.  “Except yes!”
“Good, we can have our first lesson together first thing in the morning,” replied the princess.
“Princess,” Sunset beamed.  “When I grow up, I want to be just like you.”
“You very well might,” Celestia smiled, pointing at something with her hoof.
Sunset turned to where the princess was pointing and saw…
“My cutie mark!”