//------------------------------// // Sunset Shimmer's Story // Story: Sunset's Secret // by BoredAuthor817 //------------------------------// “What!” yelled Starlight. Twilight's jaw dropped. Only jagged sounds emitted from it. Nobody moved. The guards looked to their leader for guidance. Yet, no order came. Starlight had tended to Princess Twilight, who seemed to be suffering from a bout of shock, but was recovering. Albeit, rather slowly. Princess Celestia stood tall and stern. “I imagine you have quite the story to tell. I would like to hear it.” Sunset Shimmer let out a deep sigh. Here goes nothing... “I will not begin to justify my actions” she began, “Because, frankly, there is no way I can. “My life has never been the easiest. My parents separated when I was little. My mother disappeared to parts unknown and I was left with my father. Though, I soon lost him, too. I was raised by my grandparents thereafter, but they were very old and, unable to take care of me, I became a ward of the state. “After bouncing from one foster family and home to another, I finally gave up and ran away. I lived on the streets for about two years, that's when I came upon her. “I have to admit, it was a bit disconcerting at first. It's a manic feeling to see yourself without the aid of a mirror. Even to think that there is someone out there who is exactly like you. For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating. That is till I looked at her again. She was lost, scared, and helpless. “I didn't know what I would do with another me, but something told me that I should go over and help her. And, I did. She was just as surprised to see me as I was her. Right off, I could tell she was different.. Her movements, mannerisms, even the way she spoke. She didn't belong in my world. “It took some time, but, eventually, she opened up to me. She told me stories of her native land—Equestria. She explained everything about its inhabitants. What she was, what she did, and how she ended up here. Most of all, I was interested in the magic. “Months passed and though she enjoyed my company, she slowly began to be come homesick. I know, I experienced the same thing myself. I asked her if she would like to go back. She responded, with tears in her eyes, that the portal which brought her to my world was closed and wouldn't open again for another thirty moons. Though, the exact meaning of 'moons' in my world and your world is a bit debatable, we estimated that the time span between openings was about two and a half years. So, we resolved to wait—together. “Soon, it proved not to be enough. She needed more. As Princess Twilight and Starlight can attest, it's not easy for a magical creature to be plucked up, stripped of everything that defined you and be plopped down again with nothing. Unless, it was something you had prepared for, the results are not pretty. “It wasn't enough to talk about her homeland and pull from memories, she wanted to see it. She told me of something she had read in a book about two Equestrian wizards. One was a practitioner of light magic, the other, dark. “The dark wizard had an all-seeing eye with which he could see all around the land and, some even said, other dimensions. “Well, I suppose you know this story. The two wizards came head to head in battle. The light wizard defeated the dark wizard and banished him to the nether world. The all-seeing eye, he took and buried in a distant land, said to be in an alternate dimension—one without magic, where the eye would be useless and safe. “She said that the light wizard was Star Swirl the Bearded and theorized that this was the dimension the eye was buried. Not wanting to get her hopes too far up, I explained that my world was huge and something like that, hidden so long ago, would be hard to find. Still, I helped her in her impossible quest. “It was surprisingly easy, almost mockingly. Turns out, everything from Equestria to my world can be found in the town and the surrounding area. She had memorized a map from one of her books while still in Equestria. She led us to a patch of the Everfree Forest. Despite the connection between the worlds severed, she still seemed a strong connection to magical objects. She said she could sense the eye was close. It was rather freaky as she described it called out to her; the way it pulled her. Soon, we were taking turns digging. I was resting when she hit something hard with the shovel. With a yell, I was at her side. “It was a small chest. Wooden, with a symbol painted on the top. Later, I would learn it was the cutie mark of the wizard who buried it. It was then that I learned what cutie marks were. (Let me just say, they're both kinda cool and sorta weird).” Sunset took in a deep breath. “Our hearts pounded and breaths quickened. With a small hammer, we broke open the lock. Then, with deep gasps, we opened the chest. There, inside, was a small clear, what I could only guess glass, ball. She reverently picked it and looked at it. It seemed to respond to her. Slowly, images began to appear. I watched as tears filled her eyes. She looked at me with the biggest smile. It was her home. “She handed it to me and I took a look. To my surprise, it responded to my will. I saw mountain ranges and vast deserts, outstretching skies and ocean depths, none of which, I knew, existed in my world. “Soon, it became too much for me. Apparently, magic can be a bit taxing your first time (especially to a non-magical being). I handed the orb back to her and jumped out of the hole to get a drink. I was mystified by the whole thing. The surge it gave me, the felling if euphoria. I looked at my companion in the hole and, suddenly, I got this sensation. I saw what she had and I wanted it. I had to have it. What was this world? Suddenly, I saw it. A new opportunity. A new life. “It's all so hard to explain, but it burned within me. A want I had never felt before. A desire I never imagined. And it was all right before me, just waiting to be taken.” She closed her eyes and turned away, ashamed of her next words. “She was too caught up in the visions of her own land, she failed to notice the sledge hammer aimed for her head. “I wish I could tell you it was quick and painless, but...” Sunset let out a sigh. “I buried her body in the hole and returned to town alone with my prize. “I enrolled in Canterlot High so I could stay close to the portal when it opened. “Over the long months, I studied Equestria through the eye, planning for the day the portal would open. “I learned so much. And again I began to wonder. Why just live in that world? Surely, my counterpart from there was powerful. No doubt whatever power she had, I would inherit once I got there. I could have whatever I wanted. I could have the life I always wanted. I could have the love I always desired. “Then I saw you, Twilight, and your elements of harmony. I saw your power. And, just like with her, I wanted it. I knew what I needed to do. I made my plans and waited. “Finally, the day came, the celestial bodies aligned, the moon filled the sky and the portal opened. With baited breath, I jumped through, not fully knowing what to expect. For a moment, I got an understanding. And I thought back to her, the first night I met her. The feeling of being in a body, your body, but not your body. “Well, you know what happened at the Fall Formal. That time in the crater, I got a moment of clarity. I was going to open up and explain everything. But then, a thought filled me with fear. You had no idea who I was. You had no way of knowing. You didn't come to save Sunset Shimmer the human, you came for Sunset Shimmer the pony.” Sunset broke down into tears, “Nobody cared for Sunset Shimmer the human, the lost girl! That damned pony got everything! And I got nothing! Again, the fire surged within me. I wanted what she had. “Twilight, you extended your hand and offered me friendship. I knew you meant it for the pony, but I wanted it so bad, I took your hand and assumed her life. From then on, I became Sunset Shimmer, lost daughter of Equestria, the banished student of Princess Celestia, seeking redemption. “Though it was rocky, I became Sunset Shimmer: friend, mentor, ally, sister. Even so, so many times, I wanted to come clean. The true story of Sunset Shimmer from Equestria needed to be known. I owed her that much. After all I took from her, those who knew her and loved her deserved to know her fate. I know it was wrong. She began to haunt me. I closed my eyes and saw her face, a little pony staring back at me. Yet, every time I thought I had an opportunity, something always stopped me. “ Eventually, I convinced myself I could never be free of my secret. I strengthened my resolve and sought to live my life in a way that would bring her honor. “Still, it was all a lie. And everyday, every lie, ate me away from within. Ironically, in that time, I was the most honest with myself, and everyone else.” She wiped her tears away. “This past year has been the best, happiest year I have ever had, in possibly my whole life. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. “Please do not think of me as a bad person—not anymore. I truly have changed. Twilight, that person you first met at Canterlot High is no more. I am not her!” Sunset bowed deeply and implored the princesses. “Please,” she wept, “I know I must pay for my crimes and I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit. But, allow me to see my friends and my world one more time. They deserve to know the truth.” She collapsed and wept bitterly, her little body wracking with each sob. The other ponies in the room stood silently and watched the lamentable human in unicorn skin.