//------------------------------// // One Bad Day, One Bad Dream // Story: In Search of Sunset: The Mysterious Island // by Jongoji245 //------------------------------// “Then explain this!” Applejack’s yell echoes through the hallway as she holds her cell phone towards Sunset Shimmer. For the last few weeks, someone’s been posting embarrassing information from AJ’s childhood nickname to something that almost had Derpy commit the unthinkable. All the writing points to a single suspect, the one person who the Rainbooms reformed with the Elements of Harmony, who then helped them defeat a pack of Sirens. The unicorn in human’s clothing gently clutches the device, holding it up to her face as a sense of despair creeps into her.   “But, guys-” Sunset tries to find the best words she can, “I didn’t do this! I wouldn’t do this to you, any of you!”   “But you did!” With disdain, Pinkie Pie swipes her phone back, “You must’ve been pretending to be our friend just so you could cover up your… your… Flank, you secret stealer!”   “No! no...” appalled, Sunset tries to reason with them again, though it appears that she’s losing, “I don’t know how she got this stuff, but it wasn’t me! I’m not this person.”   Rarity is the only one to collect herself, taking a deep breath as she approaches her.   “No, you’re not…” the fashionista places her hand on Sunset’s cheek. The feeling… is as sharp as a slap, “You’re not the person we thought you were! You’re not our friend!”   “No…” Betrayal starts to conquer her mind; Sunset can’t find any better words out of this, “I…”   “We’re sorry, Sunset.” Applejack, along with the other five, turn their backs to her. “But we stood by you, trusted you, let you into our homes. And you… I don’t know what to think of you anymore.”   The trust is shattered, the world she lived in for almost two years against her, Sunset runs out the hallway and down the stairs before slowing to a walk as to look less conspicuous. Not paying attention, she bumps into someone and falls on her knees.   “Oops,” Sunset looks up; Derpy looks at her with a vicious glare, focusing all her mental effort to get both eyes focused on the flame head, “I don’t know what went wrong.”   “I can’t believe she did that.”   Sunset turns around, seeing Lyra and Bon Bon giving her the same glare while conversing with each other.   “Yeah,” Bon Bon leads her equal around Sunset before kicking her with her heel, “Secret stealing bitch.”   “Quite so,” Time Turner walks beyond her, head held high.   “Yeah, thanks a lot.”   “Anon-a-Miss.”   “Secret Stealer.”   “Friend Crusher.”   “She Demon.”   Everywhere she turns, the insults are coming back. She tries to walk away, but the students keep cutting her off. She tries to reason with them as she had with her five friends, but the insults drown her saddened voice.   “THAT’S ENOUGH!!!!”   The onslaught silences as every student turn their attention to the schoolmasters. Celestia and Luna part the sea of children, the former crouching to tend to the disheartened teenager. Comforting as it is, the damage is already done. Sunset dashes forward to the exit, her steps echoing through the halls. Disheartened, Celestia takes a deep breath before facing her students.   “Don’t you all have classes?” She asks before walking to her office, her sister following with a glare.   The Rainbooms store their belongings, though Fluttershy does look in the direction Sunset just ran to.   “Uhm, girls.” She turns to her disheartened friends. “Was that really the best thing to do?”   “Yeah,” Rainbow Dash slams her locker, “Serves her right for using us.”   “Rainbow,” Applejack scolds before wrapping her arm around Fluttershy, “Whatever happened then, it’s over. She’s had her chance and she blew it. Maybe with time, she’ll come to her senses, but for now…”   In the blustering, snowy weather, Sunset curls up underneath a bridge, weeping, muttering indistinguishably after what just happened.   “We won’t see her for a long while.”   Feeling a buzz in her backpack, Sunset pulls out her journal. What hope does she hope to achieve at this time? Perhaps a friendship lesson to be had? One better done from the Princess of Friendship herself. She opens the last page she wrote and flips it over.   “Sometimes, all you can do is stay strong. Be yourself. And find your family.”   Strong? Yes. Herself? As she said many a time to her friends… To no avail. These would be the people she would call a family? Sunset scowled at the book, her one link to the world she was born, where she felt superior. She stands up and looks at the cloudy sky.   “You said they would teach me friendship!” She spins and tosses the book a great distance to the wilderness. Angry as three hells and twice over, Sunset grabs her backpack and walks towards the snowstorm, to where not even she knows.   As her prized possession soaks up snowflakes, a small, purple dog sniffs in the distance. He catches its scents, turning his head to the partially covered book. After a few more sniffles, he bites the book and lifts it up with little effort, carrying it to where he came.      The suns sets over the great mountains that house the castle town of Canterlot. High on her tower, Celestia cancels out her magic, watching her younger sibling take over for the evening. She returns to her chambers, lighting up the fireplace with her magic. Celestia takes off her crown, chest piece and slippers, straightening her ruffled coat with her wings. As the warmth of the fire comforts her and the dusk begins to settle, the great Alicorn stretches her wings one last time, laying down as the sandmare takes her to another venture in dreamland.   When she opens her eyes, this venture is less than pleasant. Far less. Her dreams usually involve a pleasant stroll in a sunlit field with all the cake she can eat. This time, she’s in a dark jungle alit in flame. Who could have caused this, she has no clue. But across the flowing river stands a figured dressed in a long cloak. As if it sensed her, the figure turns, showing part of her face in the light.   As she tries to get a closer look, the Alicorn turns her head to her left, noticing water starting to churn. A creature erupts, roaring at the sky. Supporting itself with two muscular arms, the reptile points it's white snout at the tall pony, flicking its forked tongue at the sight of new prey. Yet, Celestia remains motionless; powerful it might appear, she has dealt worse things. The animal approaches her, towering the alicorn with jaws open.   When the jaws close, Celestia saw only darkness. She could be in the belly of the beast, but this is only a dream, one that will go away as her duties return again. Then, the same figure appears again, walking towards the ruler with each step disheartening. She collapses, crying as she holds Celestia.   “Help me, mother.”   The familiar voice and eyes got the alicorn awake, panting like mad. That was no dream, it was a call for help. But how is that possible? Only Luna has the skill to venture every dreamscape. And why now after so long?   It's time for answers.   “OK, Spike, let’s check the list again.”   Spike groans, shuffling his claws to the top of a list spanning over two hundred twenty-seven feet. Three times now have the young Alicorn and Dragon organized and reorganized the entire library in her castle. Though her immense powers allow Twilight to last quite awhile before expiring, Spike is still only a child and has the stamina to match. With a yawn, he inches a dry ink quill to the inkwell.   “All right,” Spike grumbles, trying hard to keep awake. “Let’s go through this… again…”   “Right!” Twilight shouted gleefully, not looking the least bit tired. “‘From Ancient to Modern: The Races of Equestria.”   Twilight keeps her smile while waiting for a scratching sound. Teeth still bare, the pony swivels her ear, still no sound. She turns her head, seeing her companion hunched over, swaying up and down before snoring. In his amusement, Owlowiscious perches on the green spines on the young dragon’s head, relaxing as he is rocked back and forth.   “Spike!” Twilight shouts, getting the dragon alert again.   “Check!” He answers, marking it off for the third time.   “Honestly, Spike,” Twilight turns to vast shelves of literature, “How can I get this done?”   “That was a question I always wanted to ask you since you were a little filly.” That familiar voice made Twilight turn around. Princess Celestia herself stood at her doorway, keeping her warm smile despite the long journey from her domain. In excitement, the younger Alicorn trots to her former mentor, giving her a bow.   “No need to bow, Twilight,” Celestia lowers her head. “In this domain, I should be bowing to you.”   Though she has been a princess for a while now, it still feels weird that someone more powerful would bow to her. This is her house after all; best to accept the compliment than to rebutt her close friend. Still, there is the question as to why she is at her home.   “So, what brings you to Ponyville?” Twilight asks, levitating a few of her favorite books. Reading is not on Celestia’s list, and the tall Alicorn turns her attention to a special object. The Crystal Mirror; a sight to see, an interdimensional portal to a world dominated by bipedal counterparts of them, with Spike and his kind becoming dogs in that world, and the current homestead of a close friend. Celestia approaches the mirror, watching the surface ripple like a disturbed puddle.   “Twilight, have you received any messages from Sunset Shimmer lately?” She asks, not even turning a nostril from the portal. Twilight draws her ears back a little before lifting the book serving as a key to the gate.   “No…” Twilight flips to the last page she wrote. “The last thing I wrote to her is to find her family.”   “And when,” Celestia turns her head a little, her voice disconcerting, “Was that?”   “I think it was December when she was troubled by this Anon-a-miss person.” Twilight partially closes the book, looking away from the pages. “When I didn’t get a word, I assumed she took my advice.”   Celestia closes her eyes, turning her great body to her protege.   “I’m afraid something happened to her.” Twilight’s eyes widen at this news. “Something terrible.”   “Then we need get there and fast!” Twilight levitating the book to its rightful place, activating the portal once more. “Ready, Spike!”   “And this time,” Twilight, Spike, and Celestia turn to find Rainbow Dash, Pinky Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, determined to come as the first continues with, “We’re coming too!”   “Right-a-roonie!” Pinkie Pie jumps twice with excitement. “Any friend of Twilight in need is a friend of Twilight indeed!”   As great as that sounds, this determination has been snubbed twice from both Celestia and Twilight. The reason being that any further than Twilight, Sunset, and Spike entering the alternate universe might cause a rift as strong as a black hole. Celestia knew this full well, reaching her full height to answer, “No. This venture involves Twilight Sparkle, Spike… and I.”   “WHAT!?” Denied a third venture, Rainbow Dash lands on the ground, wings stretched. “We can’t go but Twilight, Spike, and now you can go? What about that whole ‘disturbing the balance’ thing?”   “I am aware of the consequences.” Celestia turns to the mirror. “But where we are going will require my help.”   “Okay…” With an uneasy grin, Twilight gets her older friend’s attention, “Let Spike and I go first just to… coax them.”   Celestia nods. Spike smacks his face a few times, shaking it with a loud sputter before hunching to a sprinting poise. The young Princess and Dragon rush to the mirror, feeling the interdimensional magic pull them across the prismatic tunnel to the light on the other side. The light at the end of the tunnel ever bright, Twilight shuts her eyes just when she nears her destination.   “Twilight!”   Twilight opens her eyes, Canterlot High is now in her sights, and standing on a picnic blanket at the front lawn, the bipedal counterparts of her friends rushing to hug her.   “We missed you so muuuch!” The human Pinkie Pie cries with delight, hugging Twilight to the point of choking.   “Nice to... see you too, Pinkie.” Twilight pushes them from the embrace. “So, what did I miss.”   The five young women look at each other before parting to Twilight’s left and right.   “Oh, I say about a lot,” Applejack says, looking to her left. In front of the Princess of Friendship and her human friends stood the most unlikely of sights,: another Twilight Sparkle. Unlike her, this duplicate wore a school uniform consisting of a purple polo, skirt, and shoes. Above all, she also wore glasses and her hair in a tight bun. Spike notices the next strangest anomaly: a dog that looks exactly as Spike does.   “Hey, Twilight! I have a twin!” The dog spoke in the exact tone as his dragon counterpart.   “Whoa!” Spike raises a paw. “Dude, that’s creepy.”   Twilight’s mouth is agape while the others look at her. The human Twilight Sparkle raises her hands and wiggles her fingers nervously.