//------------------------------//
// Book One, Chapter 3 (Side Sunset) 
// Story: Cheer Princess 
// by MythrilMoth 
//------------------------------//

Humans, Sunset Shimmer mused as she lay in bed, propped up on thick, fluffy pillows with her phone in one hand, were ridiculous creatures.

Take, for example, the device she currently held in her hand. Anywhere in the world, at any given time, as long as she had enough battery charge and a signal, her smartphone could perform hundreds, if not thousands, of useful functions. It could take pictures, record videos, connect her to thousands of people all across the world on a variety of platforms discussing a broad spectrum of topics, access national and international news, precise weather for her exact location, connect to the vast resources of the worldwide web, provide hundreds of hours of music for her listening enjoyment, and offer a pocket-sized library that put the vast expanses of the Canterlot Archives to shame.

It could even make phone calls.

They say knowledge is power. In Equestria, such a device would make a pony more powerful than Celestia herself.

And yet, Sunset mused as she idly browsed the app store on her phone, humans chose to squander this incredible information technology on hundreds of nearly-identical match-three puzzle games.

There was a soft knock on her door. "Sunset?"

She looked up. "Come in, Mom!"

Sunset Satin opened the door and walked in. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Sunset said.

Satin pulled the desk chair over by the bed and sat down. "Whatcha doing?"

"Just browsing the app store," Sunset said. "Looking for something to do when I need a break from studying."

Satin raised an eyebrow. "You mean you actually take breaks from studying?" she said in a teasing tone.

Sunset shrugged. "Gotta let my mind rest sometime," she said. "Kinda got a lot to take in." She looked at Satin and smiled. "I mean, if I'm gonna be ready for high school, I need to be ready for high school, right?"

"Well, true," Satin said. "But a girl your age shouldn't just..." She shook her head. "Nevermind."

"No, go ahead," Sunset said.

"Well, it's just...I know you're still healing and all, but you should be out enjoying life. Getting some fresh air. Making some friends!"

Sunset pressed her lips together in a thin line. "I don't really have time for that," she said.

Satin sighed. "Sweetie, you're fifteen. It's summer. I know things are...strange for you right now, but really, you do need to..." She gesticulated vaguely. "Be a normal kid for a change. It's healthy. It'll...it'll help."

Sunset pursed her lips, her brow furrowing in thought. "I'll think about it," she said. "Really, I promise I will. I just...I don't think I'm ready yet."

Satin sighed and nodded. "Alright, dear. Just promise me you won't burn yourself out, alright? And if...if you need to talk about anything..."

Sunset rolled her eyes and smiled. "I know, Mom. Thanks." She blinked, then rubbed at her eyes. "Actually, you know? I think I do need to get out of this room for a bit. Need any help around the house?"

Satin smiled. "I have a better idea. I'll make some popcorn and we can watch a movie together and play Yahtzee. Just the two of us."

Sunset smiled. "Sounds good."


* * * * *


When Satin went to bed that night, Desert Sunrise was sitting up in bed reading a worn-out old novel. "You two were sure having fun," he commented.

"Oh, sorry dear...did we keep you up?"

Sunrise shook his head. "Nah, I was reading." He chuckled. "How's she doing?"

Satin sighed as she changed into her nightgown. "Well, I got her to at least say she'll think about going out," she said. "You know, it's funny? Back before she ran away, I'd have given anything to see her so obsessed with learning. Now, though? It's almost too much."

Sunrise sighed. "Yeah," he said. "She reads every inch of the newspaper every morning before I even get my hands on it. The old Sunset wouldn't even look at the funny pages."

Satin grimaced as she slid into bed next to her husband. "Maybe...maybe we need to stop doing this," she said. "Maybe we need to let go of the past, forget about...forget about everything from before, and just..."

Sunrise frowned. "I want to," he said. "I want to, but it's just not that simple. There's so many questions we'll never have answers to, and she's...she's just so different from how she used to be." He shook his head. "She really isn't the same girl anymore."

After a quiet moment passed, Satin said in a soft voice, "Is that a bad thing, though? Really?" Sunrise looked at her, and she winced. "I...I feel like a terrible mother for saying this, but..." She looked away. "I feel like I like the daughter we got back, the one who's a complete stranger, a lot more than the one we lost."

Sunrise took off his glasses and exhaled slowly, putting an arm around his wife. "We went through hell with her before," he said. "This past week...it's like we're a whole new family." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Hell, in a lot of ways we are a whole new family. I don't think...I don't think anybody would blame us for...for feeling that way."

As he turned off the lamp on the nightstand and settled in for the night, neither of them heard the soft pad of bare feet as Sunset moved away from the door.

Once she was in her own room, with the door quietly closed behind her, Sunset sat down at her desk, staring apprehensively at her doppelganger's old laptop.

She'd only powered it on a few times in the week she'd been home. It frankly wasn't terribly useful to her. Her tablet could provide her with more information more quickly. The only purpose the laptop served was access to the original human Sunset's files...and there wasn't really that much other than a bunch of pictures and old homework assignments, as well as a few illegally downloaded movies. There were some things that were password-locked and looked private, but...

Shaking her head, she turned it on and waited for it to boot up. After what felt like forever, she was on the desktop. She opened the file explorer and went through the "My Pictures" folder.

Very few of the pictures showed Sunset with her parents. Most of them showed her either with two completely unfamiliar girls, or with a boy Sunset disliked on sight. He had steel-blue skin and red, veiny eyes, backswept orange hair that glowed copper in the sunlight, and in most pictures, he wore heavy black boots, ripped black pants, and a black tank top. He wore a pair of dog tags on a silver chain around his neck and had a mess of piercings: three in each ear, two in his left eyebrow, one in his nose.

She opened the web browser to check her counterpart's bookmarks and browsing history. It loaded onto her MyStable page, which boasted an eye-searing design and a number of the same photos she'd just looked through. Only one actual post appeared:




Hey! Sorry, but my page is pretty much all friends-only & private. Wanna keep my parents & teachers off my butt, don't want them knowing stuff they got no business knowing. HOLLA!




In the corner of the screen was a MyStable login prompt. Sunset frowned. "Guess it couldn't be that easy, could it?" Shaking her head, she clicked the login button...

Ten seconds later, Sunset Shimmer's entire MyStable page opened up to her. She blinked rapidly. "She...she couldn't have been that stupid..." Though Sunset had only been in the human world a little over a week, she'd quickly learned about online privacy and, most importantly, about web browser "convenience" features such as saving passwords. Shaking her head, she glanced at the newest post, dated almost two years ago:




OK I'm not saying where I am but just wanted U all 2 know Im OK even tho TC ditched me 3 days ago. Snuck in2 a libary 2 log in. I know 1 of U ratted me out when I was in trotsdale. Not cool. This is last post. Dont wanna be tracked. Goodbye. :(




Sunset frowned. *She was still posting status updates after she ran away? Stupid girl!* Clicking her tongue in disapproval, she read further, backtracking through the last several posts the girl had made.




TC & I are in trotsdale. Hes being an asshole. I dont think he wants 2B here. :( I know some of U R worried. Dont. I'm OK.

TC says I shouldnt post NEmore but I know U all would B freaking if I didnt. Were headed 2 trotsdale in the morning.

Been 2 days. Sorry no post. im OK. OTR so yeah.




It went on and on like that, with the human Sunset leaving a running commentary on her flight from her parents and, in all likelihood, the authorities. Sunset skimmed through the updates until finally she came to posts made before the girl ran away from home. Most of them were bitter, angry ranting from a troubled teen. She frowned as she looked up some of the shorthand and slang the other Sunset had used. The more of it she looked up, the uglier the picture got.

"So that's why she left," Sunset breathed, eyes wide when the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Shaking her head, she deleted her counterpart's entire MyStable profile and defriended the scant few friends the girl had. Sitting back in her chair, she tapped her fingers together in her lap, deep in thought.

Before turning in for the night, she created a new e-mail address, MyStable page, and Tweeter account for herself, all with the username "SunnyCameHome".


* * * * *


The next morning, Sunset Satin was busy checking the pantry, cupboards, fridge, and everywhere else for anything they were running out of or low on in preparation for a major grocery shopping trip. While she worked, Sunset Shimmer sat in the living room, engrossed in a book on the history of Cavallonian popular culture on her tablet while a decades-old show about a crotchety old Southern lawyer with a flair for solving murder mysteries played on the living room TV.

Satin adored the show. Sunset barely saw the appeal. The formula got old after a few episodes. Still, lounging in the living room watching TV with her mother while she studied was a good bonding activity, and keeping her ears open gave Sunset information that could prove useful—or at least, context cues to research.

"Hmm," Satin said. "What do you think about chicken fried steak and okra for dinner tomorrow? I haven't made it in a while."

"Sounds great," Sunset said, idly opening her web browser and looking up what her mother had just suggested. Tantalizing images of golden fried steak and breaded okra met her eyes; most of them showed the steak smothered in a creamy white gravy. She licked her lips. *That actually does sound great...*

The doorbell rang. "Huh, wonder who that could be," Satin said. "No, don't get up, I've got it." She bustled out of the kitchen and headed for the door. She let out a surprised gasp. "Cherry! I didn't know you were back!"

"We got back just yesterday," an unfamiliar voice said. "It was late, so I didn't call. Then I went out for a jog this morning and, well..." The woman laughed. "Your house is on my jogging route, so I decided to just stop by!"

"Well come in, come in!" Sunset watched with mild interest as Satin ushered a woman into the foyer. From her vantage point, she could just see her: she had pale yellow skin and hair the color of dusty pink roses, which curled up like rosebuds at the ends. She wore a bright blue jogging outfit.

"I've got so many pictures to show you," the woman said. "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch, but Wisp wanted us all to, y'know, unplug."

Satin laughed. "Sounds about right. And no worries! Family vacations are for family. I completely understand." She paused, then let out a gasp. "Speaking of which, I've got something really big to tell you!"

"Oh?" the woman asked, a smile on her face. "Did you and Sunrise...try again?"

Satin smiled. "It's better than that," she said, leading her friend into the living room. For the first time, the newcomer's eyes landed on Sunset. Her eyes widened, and her face paled as her jaw dropped.

Sunset raised a hand and waved self-consciously. "Hi," she said.

She could've sworn the woman would drop to the ground. Her mouth worked soundlessly. "I, umm...I..." She shook her head, blinking rapidly. "Sa-Satin? What..."

"Cherry Rose," Satin said with a broad, happy smile, "this is my daughter, Sunset Shimmer. She...she came home."

"Oh...my," Cherry said.

Then she fainted.

Both Sunsets stared at her, blinking.

"That went well," Sunset observed.

Satin sighed. "Poor dear. Help me get her onto the sofa..."

While they worked to pick Cherry up and lay her out on the sofa with a plush throw pillow under her head, Sunset asked, "So, this is one of your friends?"

"My best friend," Satin said. "We met not long after your father and I moved to Canterlot. Des and Wisp—that's her husband, Willow Wisp—work together." She went to the kitchen and fetched a bottle of water. "Cherry got me through the worst of it, back...back when we first got here. She helped me let go of...well, of you and really start over."

"Oh," Sunset said softly.

"I-it's okay!" Satin said hastily. "I mean, that's all in the past now, so..." She trailed off. "A-anyway! Cherry has a daughter your age. Maybe you two will hit it off, be friends!"

"Maybe," Sunset said, studying the unconscious woman. "So...if this friend of yours knows all about the old me, she's probably not gonna think much of me, huh?"

Satin grimaced. "We'll explain it to her. Together."

A few minutes later, Cherry Rose woke up. As she came to, Satin spoke gently to her. "Sorry about that, Cherry," she said. "I know it was a shock. Here, drink some water. You overdid it jogging again, didn't you? This should help."

"Mmm...thanks," Cherry groaned, uncapping the water and taking a long, slow gulp. She capped it and wiped her lips, then looked up, frowning. "Satin, I...I'm sorry, but I could've sworn—"

Satin held up a hand. "Don't freak out," she said. "Des and I...have our family back."

Cherry looked past her, at Sunset, who sat there watching the two women calmly. Cherry licked her lips. "You...really did come back," she rasped.

"Yeah," Sunset said. "Umm...hi."

Cherry sat up. "Sorry, I—I'm a little confused..."

"I understand perfectly," Satin said. "It's been a confusing couple of weeks."

For the next twenty minutes, Satin and Sunset explained, in turns, the sequence of events beginning with Desert hitting Sunset with the car, and ending with her coming home. Cherry listened intently, her brow furrowed in thought. When the story was finished, she drank more water, then looked intently at Sunset. "So...you don't remember," she said slowly. "You don't remember anything. The delinquent behavior, the hooligan boyfriend, the running away...you don't remember any of it?"

Sunset shrugged. "My entire life up until two weeks ago is just gone," she said. With a grimace, she added, "I...found my old MyStable page last night. My old laptop was still logged in. I took a look, and..." She averted her gaze. "I don't like the person I saw there. I'm...honestly glad I don't remember being her."

"But you've forgotten everything?" Cherry asked. "Not just what you did to your poor mother, but...everything?"

"Everything except how to read and do math," Sunset said with a shrug. "I've spent nearly every waking hour since I woke up in the hospital learning everything. You wouldn't believe the killer headaches I go to bed with every night."

"Yes, she studies all day every day," Satin said worriedly. "I've been trying to get her to spend some time outside, look around a little, make friends. Up until now she's been able to use her ribs as an excuse to stay indoors, but she's healed enough that she really should be getting out and about. Getting used to her new home." She clapped her hands together briskly. "And that actually brings me to something I was telling Sunset after...after you passed out," Satin said sheepishly, pasting a cringing smile on her face.

One corner of Cherry's mouth pulled into a tight line. "Y-yes, well, I..."

Sunset leaned forward. "You don't want your kid hanging out with a girl who ran away from home, broke her parents' hearts, disappeared for two years, then turns up out of the blue claiming not to remember anything," she said. "I totally get it. I'd be suspicious of me too."

Cherry's eyes widened. "Oh! I-it's not that, dear," she said. "It's just, well..." She fidgeted. "My daughter...has a hard time making friends. She's, well...she's a little shy."

*Uh-huh. Yeah, not buying it.* Sunset smiled. "Well, I—"

The doorbell interrupted her. Satin blinked, then got up to answer it. Sunset remained behind with Cherry, but strained to listen to find out who was at the door.

It wasn't easy. Whoever it was, she was speaking very quietly.

"Umm, sorry to bother you, Mrs. Satin, it's...did my mother stop by here? You see, she was out jogging, but she forgot her phone, and well, I tried to call you, but it kept going to voice mail, so I thought I'd come over and...I mean, just in case, you know..." She trailed off, becoming inaudible.

"Ah, sorry, I put it on vibrate and then left it in the kitchen," Satin said. "Yeah, she's here. Actually, we were just talking about you, why don't you come in?" She walked back into the house, calling loudly, "Sunset! There's somebody here I'd like you to meet."

Sunset and Cherry both watched as a girl with pale buttery yellow skin, blue-green eyes, a soft, round face, and long, elegant cherry blossom pink hair walked into the room. She was wearing blue jeans, white tennis shoes, and a white T-shirt with a trio of pink butterflies printed on the front. Her eyes landed on Sunset and she let out a small, frightened squeak, hiding behind Satin and letting her hair fall over one eye.

Cherry grimaced, but forced a smile onto her face. "Sunset, this is my daughter Fluttershy. Fluttershy? This...this is Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset offered her a hesitant wave and a halfhearted smile of encouragement. "Hi," she said gamely.

"Oh...oh my," Fluttershy whispered, eyes wide and terrified.