On a hot summer afternoon, the sun scorched down upon the Earth so furiously. Temperatures were at an all-time high, so hot in fact that a passerby could crack an egg upon the sidewalk and cook it. It was the perfect time for all the students of Canterlot High to spend a summer day at the beach, the chance to cool off along the refreshing waters of the beach. Of all the students enjoying this day, a particular group of students were enjoying all forms of activities.
Up along the boardwalk, Pinkie Pie just placed an order for some ice-cream from the local vendor. The ice cream man pulls out two different ice creams: A ‘Tutti-Fruitt’ ice cream bar and one chocolate coated caramel ice cream bar with krispy rice. Pinkie Pie pays the ice cream man with a couple of bucks, as she takes the frozen treats.
“Thank you!” Pinkie replied, happily.
Pinkie Pie than bounces her way along the sand, absent-mindedly hopping around the hot sandy surface. Eventually, Pinkie Pie makes her way toward the beach reuniting with one of her friends, Applejack, who sat along a beach towel under an umbrella to keep out of the sun.
“One ‘Tutti Fruitti’ bar for my bestest friend a.k.a possible cousin!” Pinkie replied cheerily. “I even got your favorite! Green Apple!”
Applejack pulls the paper off the ice cream and sure enough it was as green as Granny Smith… The ‘apple’, not her granny.
“Thank you kindly, Pinkie!” Applejack smiled, opening the icebox. “Care for some of my made-from-scratch fizzy apple cider?”
“I can never say no to a cold one!” Pinkie answered.
Applejack proceeds to pull out two fizzy apple ciders in glass bottles, handing one to her best friend. The two girls clink their bottles together before sitting together on the beach towel, sipping their cider, and eating their ice cream while watching their friends.
Not too far away, Rarity lied stomach first under her own umbrella. She wears a hat to block the sun, while also wearing sunglasses. She has one of her friends apply some sun lotion onto her marshmallow white back, while she moans from the pleasure.
“Be a dear and apply some lotion under the left shoulder if you please?” Rarity asked, sighing. “Now, just a bit lower darling. A little to the left… Hmm, more to the right… A little off the top… Wait! There… Right there, that’s it! Keep at it.”
As it turns out, it’s not one of the girls at all, but rather it was Spike, Twilight’s puppy. With his purple paws dipped in suntan lotion, he carefully brushes his paws against the spot around Rarity’s back making sure every bit of exposed skin is protected from the sun’s rays. Feeling how smooth Rarity’s bareback was, with each trace of lotion applied, visions of fantasies danced in the pup’s head.
“Dream come true!” Spike thought, smiling.
“WOO-HOO!!!”
Far beyond the shores of the beach, surfing across the rolling waves of the sea, Rainbow Dash surfed along the waves. Right beside her is Fluttershy, who actually wasn’t doing bad herself, but she was clearly nervous as the fear was as plain as the nose on her face.
“Feel that breeze, right Flutters?!” Rainbow called out.
“Y-Y-Yeah!” Fluttershy spoke, nervously. “R-R-Really fun!”
Fluttershy’s words were trying to be assuring, but her face was saying otherwise. But at least so long as Rainbow Dash was surfing alongside her, she didn’t have too much to worry about out on the open seas. It was just a means of having something for the two girls to do to enjoy the summer. Even if that one activity was more Rainbow Dash’s activity and not so much Fluttershy.
At least one spectator was watching the pair, while everyone else was busy doing their own activity. Or at least, that’s what she would be, if her eyes weren’t more transfixed toward the beaming sun hanging over the beach. Her red and yellow hair flowed against the wind, as the rays shined upon her light amber skin and her moderate cyan eyes. The way she sat upon the rock one would think she was posing as the next poster child for a teen swimsuit magazine. With her black bikini top with the bit of gold along the lines with her cutie mark on the front while the bottom of her swimwear was covered in a towel that looked like a flame blended in red and orange. She just sat there, watching the horizon, noting that when the sun hit the seas at this hour the water sparkled and glittered like diamonds.
“Hey Sunset!”
A familiar voice has Sunset Shimmer turn to her left, where her eyes catches a familiar face: Twilight Sparkle, in her one-piece swim wear with the shade of purple and blue with a pink ribbon, waving toward her friend. Of course, seeing her made Sunset think of another ‘Twilight Sparkle’ she encountered during her time in this place, the major differences being she came from another land… And she most certainly didn’t wear glasses. The Twilight Sparkle approaching Sunset was known as ‘Sci-Twi’ to most, given her desire to use science to understand magic (But that was a long time ago).
As Twilight Sparkle wandered toward her orange friend, Sunset Shimmer could see the curiosity and concern expressed on her face. Sunset had a rough idea what Twilight must be thinking, but she just turns back toward the glittering sea. Twilight takes her seat beside her friend and for a moment all is quiet between the two girls.
“What are you doing here by yourself?” Twilight asked.
It was not until Twilight spoke that the silence was broken, breaking Sunset Shimmer of her thoughts. She slowly turns toward Twilight, to let her know she was listening.
“Just watching the ocean,” Sunset responded. “Kind of my way to reflect, in a sense.”
Twilight was described as many ways, but she was not oblivious. She could tell Sunset Shimmer was purposely evading her question, how she wasn’t exactly providing the answer she was asking for. If there’s a thing to know about Twilight, she’s not one to just turn a blind eye from her friends. She could just sense something was off, but she needed to be absolutely sure.
“Shouldn’t you be hanging out with your friends?” Sunset asked, giggling. “They could use that smarty-pants knowledge of yours.”
“No, I’m pretty sure they’re having fun without me,” Twilight shook her head. “To be honest, I’d much rather talk to you. I feel I have more in common with you than the other girls.”
“What makes you think they’d have fun without you?” Sunset asked, half-perplexed.
“Well, it’s kind of like when I try to explain things with my old Crystal Prep class, only the girls are more… Nicer. I give some interesting facts concerning the beach, but they don’t seem interested. I can talk about the many types of seashells that sit along the shore and then they just jumble off about something completely unrelated.”
That got a laugh out of Sunset Shimmer, but not out of malice. She understood what Twilight was talking about and while their friends are nice they tend to bounce off with something unrelated to what either of the two would like to discuss. Twilight takes her smartphone from the bag she carried around her shoulder, displaying a picture of a sapphire necklace adorned with seashells.
“Like this one, for example,” Twilight continued. “Looks similar to every other shell around here, right?”
“Um… Right?” Sunset asked, staring in confusion.
“Wrong! If you take a closer look, these shells are actually turquoise. You can tell it’s unique due to the different colors compared to all the other shells.”
For what felt like hours, Twilight and Sunset talked about the variety of seashells and their differences. Twilight Sparkle would present and explain each shell, while noting the confusion in Sunset’s gaze. Still, the two friends had a good laugh over the topic.
“You’re such a dork, you know that?” Sunset chittered, gently nudging her.
“Says you!” Twilight shot back playfully.
They laughed before their turning their gaze back towards the sea, sharing the view of the beautiful sun over the horizon. It’s funny how something so simple as either a sunrise or a sunset, no matter how they look at it, offers more than a single breath away from any troubling dilemma. Whether it’s something school related or Equestria magic affecting everyday life, none of it matters once they were caught in this peaceful moment. But even then, it was always short-lived... That was always the disappointing part for these two best friends.
Eventually, Twilight Sparkle turned back toward Sunset Shimmer, the similar concerns coming back into view.
“Sunset?” Twilight spoke. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“What is it?” Sunset asked.
Twilight Sparkle fidgeted, twirling her fingers, mentally searching for the right words to say. But Sunset Shimmer knew this Twilight too well, and whatever she had to ask was bound to be of importance. Sunset waited until the right moment before Twilight knew just what to ask.
“You told me how the ‘other’ Twilight Sparkle got here and even ‘why’ in the first place,” Twilight began. “But… What about you? Why did you come to this world? Surely you must have a reason.”
A sigh escaped from Sunset Shimmer’s lips. It was bad enough that most of the girls already knew, considering what happened years ago. But this Twilight was ‘not’ like the ‘other’ Twilight as previously mentioned. True, there were some details that Sunset Shimmer had told of her, but not ‘all’ of it. This Twilight Sparkle wasn’t there when Sunset Shimmer did all those mean things, things that she came to regret for most of her life.
“Sometimes it’s better you don’t know,” Sunset answered.
The confusion on Twilight Sparkle’s face was clear, just as the depression that began to form from Sunset. As if the questions alone hit some nerve out of her orange friend, in some form or another. Still, even if this Twilight Sparkle were the last person Sunset Shimmer should explain to, the curiosity and urge to know would not be denied.
“Why?” Twilight asked. “Was it truly that horrible?”
“… That’s the nicest way to put it…” Sunset answered, hesitantly.
Then, Sunset felt a soft grasp upon her hand and looked down. Her left hand was held tenderly by Twilight’s own hands, one holding it and the other brushing along the top gently. Sunset turns her gaze to a reassuring look from Twilight Sparkle, as she spoke with a gentler approach.
“Sunset, you know you can always tell me anything. I know your past is something you don’t like to think or talk about, believe me I’ve been there too.”
Sunset Shimmer silently nodded her head. She knew Twilight Sparkle wasn’t too far behind Sunset Shimmer, especially when it came to regrets. Like that fateful day during the Friendship Games, when Twilight’s pursuit of magic corrupted her, turning her into more of a monster than even Sunset Shimmer. Neither one could ever forget those moments, even after all the forgiveness granted to them.
“I don’t like seeing my friends suffering,” Twilight continued. “Whatever you can tell me, it will stay between us. Please, Sunset… Just let me in.”
Sunset can feel the hands work their way toward her shoulders, the comfort of her hands rubbing the tension along her bare shoulders. Sunset Shimmer can feel herself tear up as she reached over and touched Twilight’s hand. Her eyes never leave Twilight’s gaze, even as the sun reflected against her glasses.
“Don’t keep me in the dark…”
Sunset Shimmer thought for the moment, uncertain as to what to do. It’s not as if Sunset’s past was a complete secret, there were some things that Twilight Sparkle did know about. A sigh escapes her lips again, knowing Sunset Shimmer had no other choice.
“… It didn’t entirely start with the humans,” Sunset began, facing Twilight. “It happened years ago, before I joined this world… Became more ‘human’ than a ‘pony’. I served as an apprentice to the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. The wisest and fairest alicorn in Equestria, with magic more powerful than a unicorn and a wingspan that puts all Pegasus ponies to shame. You’d like her, any pony back home would be lucky to be her protégé, given she ruled the land for thousands of years.”
“A thousand years,” Twilight nodded, curiously. “Your teacher, this Celestia, would you consider her immortal?”
“That was always the question I knew I would never get a straight answer for. Besides, even then, I knew better than to ask.”
Sunset Shimmer turns toward the sun again, as if the very mention of her old teacher reminds her of the sun. But then again, her teacher wasn’t the ‘Princess of the Sun’ just for the fancy title alone.
“You see, the ‘other’ Twilight Sparkle and I are very much alike in terms of our magic and our studies…” Sunset continued, frowning. “But… I wasn’t as clean as the pony I knew. When it came between Celestia and I, no amount of teachings or magic spells were ever enough for me. I wanted more than what she gave me, and she… Well, she said I was being impatient.
“That didn’t matter to me, given I had been under her wing for many years. I was always loyal to my teacher; I was ready for everything she could give me. But still she’d say I wasn’t prepared. She would always tell me, ‘Patience is the Key’ or ‘My time would come’, but never once did she ever say ‘when’ that would happen… It always frustrated me, to little or no end.”
Sunset Shimmer was getting angrier the more she spoke of her teacher. It wasn’t that she hated Celestia, Sunset could never do that. It was just hard to think of the good moments when all Sunset could remember is all the bad stuff mostly around herself. She massaged her forehead, as if she could faintly recall her previous life back when she was a unicorn.
“I’ve learned every form of magic I could study, yet I always felt unworthy,” Sunset spoke. “I was so angry at her, furious even. When she soon discovered by deepest darkest ambitions, I immediately fled from Equestria, away from the home I knew, and came here thinking I could seek my heart’s desire for myself.
“All I ever wanted was for her to be proud; to give me some title I felt I deserved after years and years of work. Was that too much to ask of her? I don’t really know. While I hid here amongst the humans, I wasn’t focused so much on trying to blend in but mostly I had been preparing for when I could come back. When Celestia’s defenses were down and I could retrieve that crown right from under her nose. All just so I can get my revenge and prove to her that she was wrong about me, that she was wrong about ‘everything’.”
Twilight Sparkle listened quietly as Sunset Shimmer continued to talk. She could hear the hurt in Sunset’s words as she spoke, the former Crystal Prep student could always tell her to stop. But Twilight didn’t, she knew Sunset had a lot to let out and she couldn’t force that. Sunset Shimmer had already begun, and she needed to continue, no matter how much it hurt.
“When I finally did go back to Equestria, I hadn’t accounted for all the guards in the area,” Sunset continued. “Of course, I hadn’t realized the mirror had been moved to the Crystal Empire, which I thought was only a story… But I’m getting off topic.
“Anyways, even though my chances were slim, I had no intent of going back empty-handed. Getting around the guards wasn’t even an issue, actually they’re not that good at their job. But it was how Celestia kept the crown secure, how it was passed down to Twilight Sparkle, and she in turn kept it so close to her. Somehow, I was ‘somewhat’ successful, I did take the crown. But Twilight and her friends, they pursued me all the way to the portal… Fortunately I escaped.”
“Yes…” Sci-Twi nodded. “I do remember how you told me that part.”
“Unfortunately, the chase didn’t end there. Twilight Sparkle followed me to the human world, just her… Her friends didn’t come. Probably so as to not spoil some ‘balance’ between worlds I suppose, something I know only Celestia would advise. I figured it be easy to get her off my back, faced her head-on even… To prove who’s the better woman.
“But everything I did, every stereotypical high school maneuver I could pull, and every advantage that I had with me living amongst the humans… That would never be enough. Not enough to get the job done. And with the help she had with the friends she made, our friends… They were going to take me down even if I had my magic with me.”
Sunset Shimmer clutched her chest, feeling her own heart pulsing. Sunset knew what happened next, the desperate means she had to do to get even… The worst mistake of her life. It was too much for her to go on. Even turning back to the Twilight beside her, she could only wonder why she would even want her to continue especially if she already knew where the story was going. But she just looked on, so calmly, her eyes imploring for Sunset to go on.
“You know what’s really ironic?” Sunset asked, sighing.
Twilight Sparkle shook her head in silence, not uttering a word.
“Even though her aim was to retrieve the crown when I looked in Twilight’s eyes… I didn’t see anger; I just saw… Pity. Even after the threats to her life, all the humiliation, Twilight would still do the right thing. But the hatred in my heart refused to let me see that, I refused to lose to some pony who views me with pity. Call it a sense of pride, an act of Ego, but I just didn’t want to lose… Even to the Princess who came to this world not just for the crown, but for me.
“I know now that she wanted to save me, to prove that some pony like me still has a chance, and I continued to fight. Even if she had the advantage over me, whether her advanced magic or the support of her friends, not once to she try to beat me down. Back then, I didn’t understand… But it was only when I realized I was fighting a losing battle did it all come down on me. When I realized that the one thing I wanted, it was never about being a princess myself or having absolute power… This pony, this ‘alicorn’, she wanted to be friends… With me.”
Finally, Sunset Shimmer could not hold back anymore. She covered her face with her hands, trying to prevent the tears from falling down her face. So that the Twilight next to her would not see her cry even as she hugged her, whispering to her ‘It’s okay, it’s okay’. All Twilight could do is just hug her, letting Sunset free the emotions bent up within her. It was the only way for Sunset to show her true feelings. Sunset lowered her hands, as her reddening eyes turned back to the open ocean.
“I finally get the crown, but friendship defeated me,” Sunset sighed, melancholy. “I can’t say I regret what I did back then; I had my reasons. Were they petty reasons? Yes they were… But they were reasons, all the same. Still, if I had known sooner…”
Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath, releasing the air building up within her while Twilight Sparkle looked on. She wasn’t entirely shocked with the story, but the sadness in her eyes, after everything she heard, was there. For a woman seemingly as strong and confident as Sunset Shimmer, she had more pain than anyone, human or pony, could ever imagine. That deep down, she truly feels alone even among her own friends.
“Whenever I come to sit here, the sun always reminds me of my past,” Sunset continued. “It always reminds me of my old mentor, before Twilight became mine. Sometimes… I wonder if she is always watching me, even from Equestria, and if she could… What would she think of me now? Would she truly see that I am trying my best to change? Or am I still the ugly monster on the outside as much as I was on the inside?”
Sunset Shimmer turned toward Twilight Sparkle, as if expecting her to be brutally honest with her. To expect her to be the person to tell Sunset what she already knows about herself. That if she is truly just the same ‘monster’ who almost brainwashed an entire school to invade her former home… Who yelled right in Twilight’s face just because she wanted to understand Equestrian Magic. But there was no anger… No shock… No sadness… Just a warm smile, even with the single tear beading from her right eye. Just a smile.
“Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight spoke softly. “Princess Celestia doesn’t hate you; I could never hate you. Yes, you’ve done terrible things in the past. But don’t let it shadow what you’re doing right now. Look at our friends down there… I mean really look at them.”
Twilight Sparkle gestures toward the side, as Sunset Shimmer follows her direction. By now, all the girls were gathered together as one big group. They were laughing, sharing lunch together, just hanging out as all friends do. Sunset forgot for the moment that these were kids accidentally granted magic powers due to all the leaks. But rather, they were the very model of typical high school girls looking for a good time… And so much more.
“You’ve risked your life for these girls many times,” Twilight continued. “You’ve not only changed your own ways, but you were willing to redeem mine at my lowest point. Not many people I’ve known, not even at my old school, would ever do that for someone like me. If there’s one thing in life you’ve taught me is that nobody’s perfect, not me or you.”
A small smile formed on Sunset’s face, as the teenage girl beside her opened her arms. Sunset slowly leans toward her, as she wrapped her arms in a gentle, yet warm embrace. That was just how Sunset felt when she was so close to her, the most wonderful feeling a girl like her could ever ask for.
“Thanks for hearing me out, Twilight,” Sunset said, relieved. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to about these things.”
“That’s what friends are for,” Twilight replied, in a hushed tone. “Just remember one thing, Sunset.”
Sunset Shimmer leaned in curiously, anxious to hear what Twilight has to say.
“If you ever start questioning yourself, if you ever feel something is eating away at you, you can talk to me. Day or night, it doesn’t matter. I’ll always be there to listen when you need me.”
Sunset nodded her head in gratitude, knowing full well she could count on the girl sitting next to her. She turns her gaze toward the sea, the big blue waves splashing along the shores of the beach, rolling gently onto the sparkling sand. It was getting later in the day, by now most of the beachgoers had already packed up and headed for home. It was getting quieter and quieter with each passing minute.
“They’re probably wondering where we are,” Sunset spoke, breaking the silence. “We probably should go back now.
“Yeah, we should,” Twilight nodded slightly.
“We could always stay just a little longer. The views are perfect at this hour.”
“Yeah it is…”
It was then Twilight turned toward Sunset Shimmer, only to find she was no longer looking toward the horizon… But instead, she was looking toward her. Before Twilight Sparkle could say anything, Sunset Shimmer leaned forward and pressed her lips against hers. Twilight was caught by surprise, but the moment the lips made contact and when she felt the tongue brushing along hers, feeling the taste buds explode in her mouth, Twilight gave in, closed her eyes, and kissed Sunset right back as the sun began to dip until only their silhouettes were showing.
For these two girls, this would be a moment they would never, ever forget.