//------------------------------// // past of Sunset shimmer part 5 // Story: Sunsets on Sonata // by Witchrblizzad //------------------------------// “-And that is how I got here.” Sunset finished telling her story as she sat facing the siblings. “Wow… Red, that’s… I mean.” Astral couldn't seem to know what to say and Comet seemed to still be wrapping his head around it. “No pony should have had to go through that” Comet agreed. “So, what about you two?” Sunset had shared her story and was eager to learn about theirs. The two siblings looked at each other nervously until they both needed. “Alright..” Astral took the lead. “Long story short, our parents were the nicest poneys you could imagine. Until they were killed in a dragon attack. Then we were sent to an orphanage and… it wasn't the best” This is where Comet put his piece in. “When we were there, they gave us a trash bag to hold our things as if it were trash. Then we were lucky enough to go to the same orphanage. About three years later we were both set to be adopted but, two different families. We were all each other hard and it would have killed us to be torn apart, so we had no choice to run away and here we are. Time Skip Sunset has been living with Astral and Comet for the last month and they were on their way to the arcade with the few extra bits they had managed to make with Sunsets job as a painter, Astrals work as a farm hoof and Comet’s job as a paper delivery boy. Comet spoke to Sunset privately, telling her that Astral’s birthday was coming soon and they should try to get her something. So, after playing the two combined their tickets and got her a Hoof ball. She seemed to be really pleased with her gift and ran outside to use it, Comet ran out too. With Sunset walking behind them on her still braced leg. “When is this ever going to heal?” Sunset wondered out loud. After some time watching the two siblings Sunset had nodded off, waking when a sudden bright light flashed. Opening her eyes to see Astral Opal with a cutie mark! It was a set of clouds with the silhouette of a pony. Not only that but Comet chaser also had a cutie mark, it was a record with music notes surrounding it. “What did I miss!” The siblings looked at each other “It's a long story” After tales have been traded Sunset was still in shock. 2 weeks later Sunset awoke to Astral shaking her awake. “What is is Astral?” “Someone is trying to break in” “What!” “I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE BRAT” Sunset knew that voice… “Run!” Three hours later… Sunset, Astral, and Comet had managed to escape the crazy mare. Hiding in an old library with the windows busted, the books were still there though. Seeing an open book on the floor she decided to take a look it was a poem. She came clad in blue attire, The air seemed to have grown cold. Claiming to be youngest child of the sire, Her stance was cold. With eyes raging fire. Just as it was foretold, As if she rose from dark fire, Her stature was almost twofold, None know what would transpire. Her voice was one to behold, loud as cannon fire. She a corrupt harrold. Her eyes, may be blue afire, Yet her fur was midnight bold, She was grim and in dire, For she is the fool that sold, Her mind to desire. After finding her love of knowledge Sunset began to delve into her reading, especially her love for magic and after becoming good enough to cast spells she tried a heat spell. After she got her own cutie mark, a red and yellow sun. This cycle of studying went on for four years until Astral told her that the Princess of the Sun was taking in a student, so she applied and passed. Now the fourteen-year-old pony was a student of Celestia a month later Sunset turned to see Celestia standing at her door but, something was wrong. “Sunset Shimmer, meet me in the downstairs.” The princes of the sun seemed to be barely restraining her rage and this terrified her. Celestia was the most level-headed of the three princesses and was sure to hide her whenever she was angry. Having said her piece Celestia teleported to the library waiting for Sunset to do the same. So as Sunset heard the princess call to her she flinched, and froze, a memory freezing her. One made six years ago. “Sunset Shimmer! I want to speak with you.” This did little to calm her fears and served only to freeze her more. Sunset could tell that her teacher was getting impatient and feared what would happen if she- Her thoughts were interrupted by a shout “SUNSET SHIMMER! COME DOWN HERE NOW!” However, in Sunsets mind it wasn't the voice of a princess. It was the voice of a drunken stallion. In a burst of fear, she bolted out the door and ran to the library, completely forgetting about her magic. When she arrived she saw Celestia with a furious look on her face but to the fearful teenage pony it wasn't Celestia, it was Starset. In her magic, Celestia held a crumpled page close to Sunsets face. “What. Is. This.” Sunset took a step back with shaking hooves but saying nothing, knowing that she would be hit if she did so without permission. However, this only served to anger Celestia more so she repeated. “What. Is. This?” again Sunset said nothing. The princess could barely hold back from outright yelling at the young pony before her. “Tell. Me. What. This. Is. NOW!” Sunset took another step back as Celestia took one forward. Not realizing that it was her teacher. “I-It's a page?” Sunsets response and lack of confused the princess, she had known Sunset to be a brave and confident girl, she was also the most behaved pony Celestia has met in a long time. So why was she afraid? Of course… Celestia thought. It could be the yelling but, Sunset had stood up to bullies twice her size and standing through yellings as loud as Celestia was. Sunset had also gotten into small fights, but only to protect others and protecting herself well. So why was she afraid. Celestia tried to lower her voice but realized that only served to terrorize the little pony more. “I know it's a page. What I want to know is, where is the rest of it?” Sunset took another step back, looking ready to bolt and soon, gluing her eyes to the floor. Her ears pinned themselves to her head “Sunset?” The princess's eyes widened as Sunset flinched as if being struck and taking another step back. “Sunset? Please look at me when I'm talking to you.” Another step back, but she did as asked. Keeping her head low, just barely meeting the princess's eyes. While her own were dilated and Sunsets coat was shaking. Celestia gasped. Was sunset cowering? Because of her, it just made no sense. Then the princess took a step forward, and Sunset took three back. “Sunset, this a very important book. It holds the cutie marks of everypony in and around Equestria, so why would you try to destroy this page?” Another flinch and another step back. Confused she unraveled it, to reveal a telescope and a quill. She used her magic to levitate the page towards Sunset when the pony looked at it she froze. “Sunset? Do you know whose cutie mark this is” Sunset nodded”Who’s?” how could just a cutie mark drive a pony to be so terrified. Again she did not wander but looked like she wanted to. “Tell me Sunset, I want to help you.” Unsure she would be answered or not. “It’s Starset” “Who is that? “Him” “Who is he?” “M-my…” “Come now my student, who is this stallion” “I don't…” “Sunset, who is-” “MY FATHER!” Sunset burst into tears and sprinted for the door, not realizing it was closed and running into it. She collapsed, unconscious. All the while this was happening it was Celestia who froze in place. Her father? She thought, what could her father had done? It was the sound of a loud thud that brought her out of her trance-like state, only to see a fiery-maned pony collapsed after running into a door. Celestia's POV Celestia rushed over to the unconscious pony checking to see if she was all right. There was a large bruise forming on her forehead from running into the door and her pulse was extremely high but, seeing no immediate danger she picked up the pony in her magic and carried her to her room. Celestia had many questions however, she chose to push them to the back of her mind. Sunset is the first priority. After arriving in the pony's room she laid her on the bed and took Sunsets cloak of, one that Sunset always wear, no matter the weather conditions. Checking for any other injuries. That's when she saw them, scars. There were so many, taking time to count them all only raised more concern for Celestia. Seventeen horizontal, twenty-three vertical and fourteen diagonal a total of fifty-four scars as if she had been wiped. “What happened to you…” Then the pony in front of her began to shake as if having a nightmare. Celestia tried to wake the sleeping pony but, to no avail. “Dearest sister, why must you be on the moon. We both need your guidance.” It had been a long time since the princess had felt so useless. Yes she could raise the sun, yes she could raise the moon but, she could do nothing to protect her student from her nightmares. Celestia reached a hoof forward hold her student's hoof. Freezing when she heard Sunset speak. “Stop… please, I will get your bits, just dont...dad… dad. DAD!” Sunset gasped and jumped up. Celestia got a good look at her face, eyes were dilated, ears were pushed back and her whole body seemed tense. It took several minutes before Sunset even noticed that she wasn't alone. She seemed to calm down before the recent events began to catch up to her, bringing her back into a nervous state. “Sunset. Tell me everything.” Celestia didn't try to hide her emotions, she was confused, angry and concerned. “I don't know what you're talking about.” Sunset had tried to act nonchalant but knew there was no point in denying it. “Fine, whatever you want to know I’ll tell you. Ask away, no strings attached and only the truth, I'm tired of keeping it a secret anyway.” “How did it start? How did it end?” Everything in between.” Sunset sighed. This was going to be a long night. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// It's been a year scene then and she was sixteen now. It has been six years since she got on a train heading to Canterlot. Never did she think that she would be in this position. She was in the restricted section of the library. A mirror to another world to her back and to her front a angry alicorn. Who looked angry enough to attack the mare “What are you DOING IN HERE!” “I'm reading.” “THAT IS QUITE CLEAR!” “LEAVE.” “No.” “WHAT! WHY NOT!” “There is information here that I need, in order to- “ENOUGH! YOU WILL LEAVE NOW!” The princess began to walk forward trying to scare the mare in front of her. Meeting the princesses eyes Sunset closed the book she had been reading and gave her response. This was when Celestia, in her rage and not hearing Sunsets response, made a mistake she would regret for the rest of her life. She reached with her magic, encased a small book and landed a strike on Sunsets face hard enough to knock her down and in fear, Sunset turned around and ran through the portal. Leaving the princess frozen in the shock of her own actions. She walked to see which book Sunset had been so insistent on reading. When she did, however, it made Celestia freeze even more so but, this time one of horror. The rights of fillies and foals, how to join pony protective services. This wasn't one of the forbidden books, it was one that Celestia gave to Sunset herself. One that Sunset had requested so she could help kids that were in the same situation that she was once in. Thinking back on the night it made sense why she was up to her. Sunset was never one for large social gatherings and there was a rather loud one going on downstairs. The only reason that Sunset was up here was due to the noise and her… “No…” Celestia tried to go through the mirror to get her student back but, it was already closed.