//------------------------------// // Faith // Story: A SciTwi Shimmer Christmas // by pabrony //------------------------------// “Ugh! Why can’t they drop the subject?” Sunny groaned as she took the pillow from under her head and covered her face. I lifted the pillow slightly and smiled. “It’s because you're a celebrity. The populous around the nation thrives on knowing what their favorite actor or singer is doing.” “Do they have to constantly play the footage of me powering down and collapsing while I had ahold of Gentle Hayseed?” she asked. “It’s embarrassing enough that I passed out on national television. Then to make it worse, I let down a young girl that told me she wanted to be just like me when she got older.” I placed my left hand on her thigh. “Sunny-” “Twilight, what kind of message does that send?” I sat there on the edge of the bed, searching for the proper answer to a valid question. “I'll tell you what kind of message it sends,” she said, uncovering her face. “‘Don't look up to others because they're not as strong as you think.’ That's the message that's sent.” I slid closer to her torso, took her hands in my own and looked deep into her eyes. “I don't think that's the message it sends. Sunny, what happened to you could've happened to anyone,” I said reassuringly. “Let me ask you something. How would you feel if you were in my situation?” “Honestly, I would probably be feeling the same as you. Embarrassed and slightly guilt-ridden.” Before we could continue, there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Sunny called before looking toward the visitor. “Hey, Doc.” Doctor Goodheart, the physician who was taking care of Sunny during her stay in the hospital, walked in with a clipboard. “How are you feeling, Mrs. Shimmer?” he asked, smiling. “Pretty good. I got dizzy a couple hours ago but after I laid down for a few minutes, I was fine,” she answered. “Did you tell the nurse?” I saw Sunny subtly roll her eyes before answering. “Of course. You told me to report anything out of the ordinary.” “Well, if that’s the worst that’s happened, you’ll be happy to know that all the tests have come back normal,” he said, still smiling from ear to ear. “The best news is that you’ll be getting out of here soon.” “Everything came back normal?” Sunny asked skeptically. “Yes, ma'am.” “Heart disease?” “Yes.” “Blood pressure?” “Normal.” “Diabetes?” “Negative for that.” I interrupted the inquisition by turning Sunny’s face toward mine. “Everything is fine. Why would he lie?” Sunny finally resigned herself to the fact that the hospital couldn't find anything wrong with her. Letting out a deep sigh, she asked, “So when do I finally get released from here?” “Probably about fifteen minutes. The nurse is getting your discharge papers together right now,” he said as he reached out to shake Sunny’s hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you Mrs. Shimmer.” “Likewise,” Sunny replied. After he left, Sunny asked if we could make a quick stop to take care of something before we went home. I immediately agreed because I had a pretty good idea for what she had in mind. About an hour later, Sunny and I knocked on the door of a hospital room. After receiving permission to enter, we pushed the door open slowly, causing it to squeak slightly. “Sunset Shimmer!” a small voice cried out with glee. “Hello, Gentle,” Sunny said as she was greeted by the young girl. Small tears slid down her cheeks as she held on tightly to Sunny’s waist. “I was so worried about you,” she said. Sunny squirmed out the hug so that she could give Gentle one of her own. As they embraced each other, I noticed a warm smile on each of Gentle's parents. “Hey, guess what?” Sunny enthusiastically told the small child. “I brought you some stuff.” Gentle's face lit up like the Christmas tree that was set up in the corner of her room. “Really? What kind of stuff?” she asked. I handed Sunny the backpack I was wearing which she set down on the floor in front of her. “Well, let's see…” Sunny reached into the bag. “...there’s a headband with pony ears and a matching tail,” she said as she put the items on Gentle. “Hmmm… maybe a Rainbooms t-shirt, signed by the entire band.” “You didn’t have to do this,” Gentle's mother told us. “Yes we did, ma'am,” Sunny told her. “I promised the Give-A-Miracle Foundation that I would bring a smile to your daughter. And I intend to keep that promise.” “What else did you bring?” Gentle asked excitedly. Sunny chuckled softly at the child's enthusiasm as she pulled the next item out. “A Rainbooms CD! Oh thank you, Sunset Shimmer,” she shouted as she gave Sunny another hug. “This isn’t just any CD, Gentle,” Sunny said as she opened the case. “It’s the first copy of the new album that won't be released until late next month. Here, read the note on the inside of the cover to your parents.” I saw her skim over it before reading it out loud. “To Gentle Hayseed. Always have faith that those who love you will never let you down. Your friend, Sunset Shimmer.” I looked toward her parents and saw both of them wiping their faces as they cried happily. “You… you really mean it? You really want to be my friend?” “Absolutely. Your wonderful attitude during this rough part of your young life has inspired me to be more positive in mine,” Sunny said as Gentle latched onto her once more. “There is one more thing,” Sunny said as they pulled away from each other. She reached into the bag once more and pulled out a folder. “I need you to practice singing the song that is on the paper inside.” “Really? Why?” “Because when you get out of the hospital, we're going to record a bonus track for the new album. That bonus track is going to be sung as a duet with me… and you.” The bombshell that Sunny dropped had everyone, including me, speechless. She hadn't mentioned anything of the sort to any of the girls or even myself. “That… that’s so…” was the only thing Gentle could say. “It’s the least I could do since we didn't get to finish our song at the concert.” “Sunset Shimmer, can you do something else for me?” “What did you have in mind?” “I saw the video of you and your friends transforming into superheroes last year, and I was wondering if you would be able to do that for me,” Gentle requested. I subtly shook my head no when Sunny glanced at me. However, against my silent recommendation, she stood up and grasped her geode. Her body began putting off a bright red glow as her ears very slowly changed shape. I could tell something wasn't right when her ponytail didn't extend like it normally did. And then I was struck by déjà vu. Sunny began levitating once again and the aura surrounding her began pulsing once more. I then noticed Sunny’s breathing was becoming extremely labored as she attempted to hold her form. I quickly inserted myself into the exchange between the two of them. “Gentle, sweetheart, Sunny can't completely transform unless all of the Rainbooms are nearby,” I said. Sunny slowly set down on the floor, wobbling slightly as she powered down. She looked at me and mouthed “Thank you!” Her breathing still remained labored after regaining her the rest of her composure. “Gentle, I'm sorry… to say this… but it's time… for me… to leave,” Sunny said quietly. “But I want you… to know that… you'll always… be my friend.” She squatted down one last time to give the little girl a goodbye hug. Gentle's parents approached us and shook our hands and thanked us for taking time out over our lives to bring a smile to their daughter. We got outside the room into the hallway and Sunny just collapsed into my arms. “Twi… what's happening… to me?” she asked as I held onto her. “I get sick... twice in... as many weeks. I faint on… on national television. Then I nearly faint… again… in front of… a young child… suffering from a… a terrible illness.” “Sunny, I don't know what’s wrong but maybe it’s not a physical problem,” I said as I helped her back to her feet. “What do you mean?” “What if it's not a physical problem, but a magical problem?” I suggested. “Magical?” “Yes, magical.” She moaned slightly as I assisted her out of the building. “The only way to see if… if that's what's causing my problems… is to go to Equestria,” she said. “Isn't it Hearts Warming over there?” “Hearth's Warming,” she corrected. “And yes it is. I guess we could use that as a ruse to get checked out by one of the Ponyville doctors.” I helped her into the passenger seat, closed the door and then got in the driver's seat. “I guess we're going home to pack,” I said with a smile.