“There. It is finished.”
Celestia could hear the muffled voice of her sister calling from an indistinct location. Her eyes gently pushed themselves open, and found herself sitting inside a plain grey room, devoid of any other distinguishable features.
“Luna?”
“Tia?” said Luna. “Is that you?”
“Luna!” Celestia cried out. “Oh, thank Epona! Please, tell me you’re alright!”
“Everypony here is unharmed... though perhaps only for a given definition of ‘harm.’ Fortunately, I have already completed a spell which I believe is our key to being restored to our former selves. Miss Pinkie was the one to come up with the idea for us.”
Celestia blinked. “A spell? What kind of spell?”
“Planting an idea within Sunset’s mind, of course!” Pinkie Pie’s voice called from afar. “See, the Sunset that we’re in right now is just a manifestation of her rage and anger, but there’s also a good Sunset, and this idea will totally help the good Sunset take back her life! Just you wait and see!”
“I see,” she said. “If you don’t mind me asking, just what is this plan of yours, Pinkie?”
“Easy!” said Pinkie. “Right now, we wait. Later is when it gets really interesting.”
————————
I found myself standing inside the throne room of Twilight’s castle. I was really getting the hang of this long-distance teleportation thing. And now it would all come to its conclusion here.
But even as I observed my surroundings, a distinct sense of unease crawled up my spine. I felt like there was something I was forgetting, but couldn’t quite say what it was.
The gentle fall of hoofsteps approaching from the far side of the room put that thought aside, for now. I looked up and saw Twilight approaching from the hallway, her body drooping like she’d just had the most miserable day of her life. She looked up at me with wide, tear-soaked eyes.
“Sunset,” she said. “Is it true? Are you the one who stole everypony’s souls?”
“That I am,” I replied. “You’re very perceptive. I can see why they call you the smart one.”
Twilight shrunk back, looking as though she’d just been swatted. “B-but... why? Why would you hurt so many ponies like this? What about our friendship? Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
My mouth split open into a grin. “Friendship? Come on, you didn’t actually fall for that, did you? I’m astonished those crocodile tears at the Fall Formal managed to fool you. It was easy to get you to lower your guard by palling to you like you weren’t the one who stole my entire life.”
“So, it... it was all a lie, then?” Her voice shook and quivered as she only barely managed to hold herself back from sobbing. “I... I thought...”
I gritted my teeth. Anger clutched at my heart as I shot the fiercest glare I could muster at her. “You stole the wings that should have been mine to begin with. You took your place by Celestia’s side and replaced me. I’m not going to suddenly forget that after being blasted by some magical rainbow laser. I’ve been playing the long game, Sparkle, and it’s a game that I intend to win.”
A pathetic whine pushed past Twilight’s lips. It must be hard, having someone you trusted so thoroughly hurt you so badly. I certainly knew the feeling. She sniffed loudly, and then stared me right in the eye. “I... I’m not fighting you, Sunset. I don’t believe our friendship was never real. It may not have been real to you, but it was to me. I’m not just going give up on that.”
My spine stiffened. What Twilight had said to me felt like a joke, like some sort of mockery. I’d taken away so many people she’d cared about and she still isn’t going to try to fight back? I wanted to yell at her for it, but then something unexpected happened.
I had an idea.
It wasn’t a very strange idea, given all that I’d done, and it wasn’t too different from the things I would normally do. But what was strange was how it just... popped into my head. I couldn’t really explain it, it just felt like it didn’t have a logical connection to any of my previous thoughts, even though it very much was in line with all my others. But it was such a good idea that I couldn’t help but take it.
“Actually, you know what?” I said. My grin broadened further, and my horn right away began to ignite with dark power. “I’ll humor you. Because I won’t be the who’s fighting you.”
————————
The flash of light within the throne room immediately alerted Sunset to the presence of another magic user, and right away she found herself staring at her own body, standing further in from the door. Instinctively, she shrank away, huddling back against the edge of the door to make herself as small as possible. The last thing she wanted to do was let her other self notice her.
It was shortly after the flash of light that another set of approaching hoofsteps echoed across the crystal chamber. As Twilight approached, Sunset felt her heart drop. She looked absolutely miserable. Miserable, scared, and alone. And as she listened to the ensuing conversation between Twilight and her other self, she was horrified. The other Sunset twisted her words like a knife, speaking exactly the things that she needed to in order to hurt Twilight the most.
If the other Sunset was a part of her, then did that mean that a part of her truly felt that way? Could any part of her have ever been so spiteful and petty? It was unthinkable, and yet...
Her memory went back to the fire she’d felt within herself in Canterlot High, after reforming her old ways. The burning resentment whenever she thought about Princess Celestia, and about how Twilight had taken her place as Celestia’s student. She’d spent so much time and effort pushing it away that all it could do in response was push back.
What happened next was even more horrifying than any words her other half had said, no matter how cruel. The other Sunset’s horn flashed with a black veil of magic, and all at once, all of the souls that she had absorbed up to that point came spiraling out. Their bodies were translucent and devoid of substance, and each of their eyes were each glazed over and blank, entirely under the control of dark magic. They approached Twilight from all sides, closing in as the other Sunset grinned with killer teeth.
Twilight didn’t even stand a chance, Sunset realized. If she fought back in any capacity, she could risk damaging her friends’ souls permanently. What Sunset saw was not a fight, but desperate attempt by Twilight to run away as her own friends tried to attack her.
The first thing Twilight did was take to the air, attempting to flee out the nearby window. She was almost immediately intercepted by Rainbow’s soul, which tackled Twilight out of the way so fast that she appeared only to be a blur.
As Twilight wrested herself free from Rainbow’s unexpectedly solid grip, she dove in the air to the side, only to be surrounded from front and behind by both of the Royal Sisters. Beams of energy erupted from their horns, and Twilight was immediately struck on both wings, shrieking in pain as she spiraled out of the air and collapsed onto the floor.
With her wings injured, she turned to run towards the door, only to be instantly stopped by Fluttershy, who stared into her with empty, lifeless eyes. Twilight froze in place, then quickly turned in the other direction, only to freeze when Rarity appeared in her path. She turned around again, and came face-to-face with Pinkie. Then, one final turn, and she was cornered by Applejack.
With a single swift kick, Applejack sent Twilight flying through the air, only to crash-land right on top of the now-inert Cutie Map. When she struggled again to her feet, a blast from the other Sunset’s horn knocked her back again. She tumbled backwards, and lay prone against the ground.
Twilight groaned in pain, placing a hoof against her forehead. She cracked open her eyes as the other Sunset approached.
“I’ll admit, I’m a bit disappointed you didn’t even try to fight back,” said the other Sunset. “But I guess that’s what friendship does to you, isn’t it? Now, hold still.”
The other Sunset’s horn pulsed with dark magic, and Sunset gasped as she watched her own body from the distance. Twilight shrieked as the magic tugged against her, and the white, wispy presence of her soul began to exit through her mouth...
But then, as Twilight’s soul poured out of her body, it began to shine with a brilliant inner light. Almost instantly, the dark magic surrounding the other Sunset’s horn dissipated into nothing. There a loud snap like the release of a rubber band sounded through the air, as Twilight’s soul retreated back into her now-unconscious body.
“W-what? How?” said the other Sunset. She let out a sharp groan of frustration. “You think you can save your soul, huh? Well, think again! I’ll just keep trying until I get it right!”
As the other Sunset’s horn ignited again, Sunset found her fear melting away, replaced by sudden understanding. The planeswalker spark, she realized. Twilight’s spark saved her. And this is the moment Pinkie told me about. Steeling her nerves, she shouted as loudly as her tiny voice would allow.
“STOP!”
As Sunset called out, her other half froze, jaw nearly dropping in astonishment. Sunset’s tiny porcelain hooves clacked against the crystal floor as she galloped at full speeds, past the ethereal forms of Twilight’s friends and under the legs of her own true body. She positioned herself directly between her other, larger half and Twilight’s unconscious form.
“You!” the other Sunset snarled.
“S-stop! Just stop!” Sunset cried out. “Please, don’t do this! I know you think you’re getting what you wanted, but you’re making a huge mistake! Please! I’m begging you!”
“Shut up, parasite!” said the other Sunset. “You don’t know anything about what I want!”
“But I do!” Sunset replied. “I lived as a part of you for most of our life! You want to hurt Twilight because you think she hurt you! But this isn’t going to solve anything! You’re not going to make it any better for yourself!”
“Gah!” the other Sunset grunted in annoyance. “Y-you... gah... Why can’t you just leave me alone, huh!? It’s not enough that you constantly hang out in my head and tell me how to feel, you have to keep doing it outside of my head! I ought to crush your miserable little body into powder!”
“You will be doing no such thing.”
Both Sunsets turned their heads around to face the source of the voice. There, Princess Luna stood tall, her eyes restored to their normal brightness. All of the other souls stood beside her, each one glaring angrily at Sunset’s darker half.
“W-what!?” the other Sunset exclaimed. “No, that’s... that’s impossible! I was controlling you! Y-you’re not even supposed to be able to think right now!”
“You were controlling us,” said Luna. “Because it was I who planted the idea in your mind to do so. But by projecting us outside of your body, you risked losing your command over us should your concentration be broken. And as it so happens, the other half of your personality was more than happy to provide such a distraction. Now we are free, still tethered to the mortal realm, yet untethered to you.”
“See!” said Pinkie. “I told you guys it would work! And check out how spooky and ghosty we are now!” She stood on her hind legs and leaned over Rainbow Dash, waving her front hooves. “OoooooOooooOOoooo! I’m hauuuuunting youuuu!”
“Hey!” said Rainbow, swatting Pinkie’s hoof away. “Cut that out!”
“Darlings, can we please not spend too much time dallying?” said Rarity. “I would very much like to get back to my body before it starts, er... well, suffice it to say it could get rather disgusting.”
“You’re not getting back to your bodies,” the other Sunset shot back. “Because I’ll just absorb all your souls all over again! Now it’s time for you all to be good little ponies and get back inside of me!”
The other Sunset’s horn came alight with dark magic once again. This time, however, Luna intercepted with a spell of her own. A flash of blue light erupted from her horn, and Sunset was knocked off of her hooves as her own spell was instantly suffocated.
Celestia approached her younger sister and smiled softly. “Excellent counterspell, Luna. Shall we?”
“Indeed,” Luna replied. “Everypony, we must lend our strength to the smaller Sunset Shimmer. Join me, and let our souls all unite as one!”
Both the Royal Sisters stood by each others’ sides, crossing their horns together as they both erupted with blazing light. The other ethereal ponies circled them closely, and as the magic enveloped them all, each of the freed souls became a single mote of colored light. Sunset’s legs flailed as she found herself rising into the air, the seven souls circling around her as they came closer and closer to her porcelain body.
Then, with one final flash of light, all of the souls at once entered her own body. Powerful magic, brighter than the sun yet as warm and soothing as a well-stoked hearth filled the entirety of her being, and she felt her body expand, growing larger, more complete, more alive.
When her hooves finally touched the ground, Sunset was restored to her original body. Only now her entire form glowed softly, like a living lantern, and her mane and tail flowed with an ethereal form.
The other Sunset crawled back onto her hooves. When she looked up at her counterpart, her body froze instantly.
“No!” said the other Sunset. “No! This wasn’t supposed to happen! You were supposed to be completely powerless!”
As Sunset stepped forward, little spots of light appeared on the crystalline floor beneath her, flowing outwards from her steps as though her body was dripping with liquid radiance. “I used to think strength only came from having bigger spells,” she said. “Back when I was a part of you. Back when we were the same person. But strength isn’t just about that. It’s about being willing to do what it takes—”
“Can it!” the other Sunset shouted. “I don’t care what you think strength is! It’s about time someone dealt with an annoying little parasite like you properly! I by ‘dealt with,’ I mean die!”
A blast of teal magic burst outwards from the other Sunset’s horn. Sunset countered with her own burst of magic, a beam of light that flashed between orange, yellow and gold. The beams pushed against each other mightily, and for several seconds they remained even with each other. Slowly, however, the darker Sunset’s beam began pushing further, the full force of the attack coming closer and closer. Sunset grunted in exertion as she attempted to push back but despite her best effort, she could only slow the rapid encroach of her double’s attack.
Then, just as her resolve began to falter, a series of voices spoke out in her mind.
You can do it, Sunny! Pinkie cheered. Show that big bad evil-you who’s boss!
Yay, Sunset! a soft voice that was nearly a whisper said. U-um, hold on, let me try that one a bit louder...
You’re doing fine, Fluttershy, Rainbow’s voice chimed in. Just as long as she knows as we’ve got her back!
Don’t you give in now, y’hear? said Applejack. We’re with you a hundred-and-ten percent!
And when we’re through with this, I’ll be happy to treat you to a spa trip, said Rarity. Anypony could use some relaxation after having to deal with an evil inner self on a rampage.
Sunset felts a great warmth building up inside of her, tugging at the edges of her heart. “M-my friends...”
Sunset Shimmer, said Princess Celestia. Never think for a moment that I have not believed in you. You have always had the potential to do great things.
And never forget that your darkest side does not define you, Luna added. You are a pony of many facets, and all of them are a part of who you are.
The warmth within Sunset Shimmer intensified even further. Her eyes narrowed, and the power within her grew even stronger. She narrowed her eyes, and her beam of magic intensified, expanding to nearly twice the width and strength it was before. The beam pushed forward, cutting through its opposing beam like a knife as it rapidly barreled towards her counterpart.
The beam struck the other Sunset Shimmer square on the center of her horn. She was sent skidding backwards across the floor on her side, eventually coming to a halt near the far wall. Her body twitched and shivered as it came to a halt, and she slowly rolled over onto her belly.
As the darker Sunset covered her eyes with her front hooves, a soft, quiet sob escaped her throat. “I... I...” The sobbing intensified, and the once intimidating pony was left little more than crying, quivering heap.
Sunset approached her darker counterpart. A pang of sympathy struck at her heart, yet the thoughts of all the atrocities that had been committed still wait heavy on her mind. Conflicting emotions clashed, of judgment and of forgiveness, leaving her mind in turmoil. In the end, she opted to reach out to her other self with a hoof. The other Sunset instinctively reached out and held on as Sunset pulled her back to her hooves.
“Sunset,” she said, looking into the eyes of darker half. “Before I do anything else, I just want to know one thing. Why?”
The other Sunset sniffled, her eyes already slightly reddened. “You know why.”
Sunset shook her head. “I know you think that Celestia and Twilight hurt you, but—”
“BECAUSE THEY DID HURT ME!” The scream came out of nowhere, its shrieking desperation piercing through the air as it echoed off of the walls. “Y-you’re supposed to be part of me, aren’t you? Then you would know!”
“I-I...” Sunset stammered. She sighed, letting out the tension that had built within her lungs. “...Yes. I know. But those feelings, they... they aren’t right. I can’t be mad at Celestia after all she’s done to care for me. I can’t be mad at Twilight after all she’s done to teach me the meaning of friendship.”
“N-not right?” said the other Sunset. “Not right!? Is that why you gave all of those feelings to me? Because it wouldn’t be right for you to have them?”
“W-what?” said Sunset. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about!” the other Sunset shouted back. Her words were choked with tears, barely able to hold back her sobs as she continued. “Ever since we became separate at the Fall Formal, you’ve been saddling me with all of your emotional baggage just so you wouldn’t have to deal with it yourself! But we didn’t have to stay separate! I could have known what it was like to feel love, or joy, or compassion, or empathy, if only you just let me in! Instead, I’ve never known anything but anger and resentment and... and spite, because that’s the only thing you’ve ever allowed me to feel!”
Sunset’s mouth opened. As the words crossed her ears, they slammed directly into her mind, leaving her shaken by the impact. “I... What?”
“Do you have any idea— any idea just how much pain and resentment I’ve been having to deal with while you were out frolicking with your friends? I had to be the one to remember how Celestia turned us away, and left us all alone in a world we didn’t even know how to survive in! I had to be the one to remember all of the times we nearly froze to death sleeping outside in the slums! How many times we had to go hungry because we were too young to find work, and too unimportant for anyone else to care! I had to be the one to remember how Twilight robbed us of any chance we had left of returning and becoming Celestia’s student again, how she replaced us in the eyes of the only family we’ve ever had! I had to be the one to remember how she stumbled upon her wings by accident, when we’d worked so hard just to be good enough to earn Celestia’s attention in the first place! Because instead of learning to cope with any of these feelings, you passed them onto me, and then kept me imprisoned in the back of your mind so you could pretend I didn’t even exist! How was I supposed to feel about that, huh!?”
Sunset felt her stomach do a near-backflip. With every accusation her counterpart leveled at her, she shrank back further and further, barely able to look herself in the mirror she was standing in front of. And the worst part was that it was true. All of it. Every single word.
“I...”
“Sunset? I-is that really how you felt about me?”
The voice came from within her, yet she heard it from all directions, and was certain her counterpart had heard it too. There was a brief glow from Sunset’s horn, and the phantasmal image of Princess Celestia projected itself out of it. She stood, very nearly driven to tears, surrounded by the images of all of the other souls that Sunset had housed within her. All of them stared at both Sunsets with wide eyes, astonished, saddened, and some even appalled.
“I... I think I’ll let you go back to your bodies now, Princess,” said Sunset. “I need some time alone with... with myself.”
Sunset’s horn pulsed with energy, and right away she could feel the presences within her fly out, as the images of the other ponies’ souls collapsed into motes of light and flew out towards their unattended bodies. The glow that permeated her own body faded, and for the first time in a long time, Sunset felt like she was truly herself again. Except, as she quickly realized, that wasn’t true. There was something else that was still missing.
“Hey,” said Sunset approaching her counterpart. The other Sunset was now holding her head low to the ground, sobbing quietly. Sunset moved in, and gave the other her a quick nuzzle, which prompted a started squeak from her double.
“You’re right,” Sunset continued. “I shouldn’t have forced all of my negative emotions on you just because I didn’t know how to deal with them. Not when I didn’t let you experience what it’s like to love your friends, or be loved by them. I... I hurt you just as much as anyone else. And I’m sorry.”
“R-really?” The other Sunset sniffed, brushing her hoof against her nose. “I-I... I guess I’m sorry, too. I always knew what I was doing was wrong, I just... hurting people was all I ever knew. Making them feel what I felt. I didn’t know what it was like to care about anyone else. A-at least I think I didn’t.”
Sunset placed a hoof on her counterpart’s shoulder, smiling warmly. “But you don’t have to not know anymore. And you won’t have to be the only one to carry all of your pain.”
The other Sunset gazed back with hopeful eyes. “Y-you mean?”
“From now on, we’ll be facing this together,” said Sunset. “Do you need a hug?”
The other Sunset returned the smile. “Y-yeah. I think I’d like that.”
Sunset pulled in close, and wrapped her front legs around her counterpart’s torso. The two held each other in their mutual embrace, sharing each others’ warmth as they drew closer and closer together, their hearts beating together in complete sync...
...it was then that Sunset felt a new warmth wash over her, one more profound and comforting than any warmth she had ever felt in her life. It tingled against her skin, lifting her into the air as it enveloped her, like a cocoon spun from the light of purest Harmony. When the warmth faded, Sunset found herself standing alone.
Together...
The voice in her mind was her own, but she could right away that it was her other self speaking to her. No longer was there another Sunset separate from her. They were, and would forever be, as one.
“Nnnnngh...”
The gentle groan alerted Sunset to Twilight’s presence, some distance to the side. As she stepped towards her waking friend, Sunset could somehow feel the shifting air currents flowing all around her, no doubt moved by the heat produced by her magic. The floor itself provided a new sensation as well, a gentle tingling under her hooves that seemed to extend her sense of touch deep into the ground.
Twilight’s eyes blearily pried themselves open as Sunset stood over her. “...Sunset? What happened?”
“It’s... complicated,” said Sunset. “Long story short, all of my repressed anger split off into a separate pony, then started taking it out on you by stealing the souls of everyone you cared about. But the other half of me confronted her, and we learned to accept each other and became one.”
“Oh...” said Twilight, still only half-conscious. “Are my friends safe?”
“I released all their souls,” said Sunset. “They should already be in their bodies by now. The Sunset that you saw can’t hurt you or anyone else any more.” Looking down, Sunset reached towards Twilight with a hoof. She cringed outwardly, remembering everything her darker half had said as though she had said it herself. “Still, you look like you took something of a beating. Need a lift?”
“Yeah, thanks,” said Twilight. As Twilight lifted herself back to her hooves, Sunset couldn’t help but notice Twilight’s eyes were exactly at her eye level.
Wait... wasn’t Twilight taller than me before?
Twilight let out a gasp, cutting sharply through the air. Her eyes bugged out wildly, and her jaw dropped so low that it looked like it had almost fallen off of its hinges. A high-pitched noise escaped her throat as she seemed to struggle with articulating a coherent thought.
“Huh?” said Sunset. “Twilight, is something wrong? You’re acting kind of, uh... strange.”
Twilight said nothing. Another noise came from her open mouth, and her hoof slowly raised up from the ground, shaking uncontrollably as it pointed to a space just behind Sunset’s neck.
“What? My back?” Sunset reached behind her, feeling around to touch her body where Twilight was pointing. “Is there something on my—”
Sunset cut herself off abruptly as a shockingly unfamiliar sensation revealed itself to her, a very soft sensation pressing against her frog.
That isn’t hair. That is definitely not hair.
Sunset felt another odd sensation, like a part of her was moving that she couldn’t move before. She slowly turned her head around to get a closer look. Her mouth fell agape when she saw the massive, feathery pair of wings that were now flaring from her shoulders.
“Oh,” said Sunset. “Um... I think those are new?”
————————
Sunset as One 2RWB
Legendary Planeswalker — Sunset
+1: Sunset as One deals 2 damage to target opponent and you gain 2 life.
-1: Target creature gets +2/+0 and gains first strike and deathtouch until your next turn.
-8: Create a legendary 8/8 red, white, and black Avatar creature token with flying, first strike, haste, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink, and indestructible named Sunset Equinox.
4