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// Act 4, What Are They, Feet? 
// Story: Sunset Shimmer Discovers Her Feet 
// by TheOneAJ 
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“I’ll be honest,” Twilight complimented after she showed Sunset her mermaid costume for the play. “I’d thought you’d protest more,”

Most of the outfits had recently arrived, and when Twilight realized that the mermaid costume was nothing more than a green tail with a fabric shell-shaped bra, she felt it was only fair to mention it to Sunset to make sure she’d be okay with it. Having set it up on a model in the costume room, Twilight showed her the outfit and went on to explain some of the implications. For example, the scene such as the moment when her feet showed might be taken the wrong way by boys (and even some girls) around their age. To Twilight’s surprise, Sunset showed no discomfort or lack of interest because of it. Not that Twilight wasn’t relieved, but still!

“I mean, not like they’re going to see anything they shouldn’t. Right?” Sunset said, adding a smirk as she leaned against the changing rooms makeup mirror.

“Of course not!” Twilight said, a little faster than she would have liked as her face reddened. “I mean, no, never! Geez, Sunset, this is a school production!”

Sunset burst into a fit of laughter. Once she calmed down, she said, “Really, Twi, I don’t mind. For one, it’s not as if I don’t know about boy’s fantasies about me anyways,” She stuck out her tongue. “Plus, you forget I came from a world where clothing was optional,”

“Oh? Oh! Right,” Twilight chuckled, before recalling her own time as a unicorn. “Guess that would help,” She tugged on her hair for a bit before noticing how quiet Sunset had gone. “So, how are things?”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah.” Sunset nodded, before fixing her gaze onto the mermaid tail. “Just reminiscing a bit about my old life while I’m at it. Been doing so a lot lately. Come to think about it... did I apologize for the other day?”

“About six or seven times,” Twilight said, bemused. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me, but I still want to help if I can.” She kicked at the ground. “We’re friends, right? Isn’t that what friends do?”

“I...” Sunset stammered, feeling on the verge of tears. She didn’t deserve this. Any of this! She didn’t deserve friends like Twilight Sparkle. She was a selfish blow hard who only pushed away those she cared about out of arrogance and pride! And yet, the way Twilight looked at her with those violet eyes, those adorable cheeks, that gorgeous hair, and that beautiful smile, Sunset couldn’t help but feel grateful. She wanted right now, more than anything, just to hug Twilight for all she has done.

So she did.

Twilight eyes widened at the surprise hug. At first, she felt Sunset shaking, so she wrapped her own arms around Sunset. She was content to simply hold her until she was ready to talk.

“Thanks,” Sunset said after some time had passed. She pulled away, wiping at her nose. “Sorry,”

“It’s fine,” Twilight said as she tugged at her dress. “I promise not to bring it up again,”

“No, Twi! It’s just...” Sunset took in a breath. “Say, want to head to my place? Maybe we can order a pizza, play some video games and do dumb teen stuff? After I calm down, I might tell you everything,”

Eyes widening, Twilight stammered. “Sur… sure. Only…” To hide her nervousness, she smirked. “...we’re ordering pineapple,” Twilight said with a puff of her chest. “You owe me that much!”

“Ugh!” Sunset said in mock disgust. “You are evil! Pure evil, Sparky! But I guess I had it coming,”

                   🍕 🍕 🧜‍♀️ 🍍 🍕 🍕 

Things were a blur to Sunset. One moment she was drowning, the next her head was veering towards a rock. She gagged on some sea water as she pulled herself upwards to catch her breath. The first thought going through her mind once she could think clearly was;

‘I’m alive! Gods, I’m alive! I never want to go through that again,” 

For a moment, she forgot why she had even endured such pain and almost died. It had something to do with spiteing Celestia, right?

With a groan, she lifted her head up, and tried to look around. Upon moving her hair out of her eyes, she recognized this was the same stretch of beach she had deposited that beautiful human she had saved. The human that Queen Celestia so unfairly disapproved.

“Did you rescue a human?” Queen Celestia demanded.

“Well, I...” Sunset shrank back from Celestia’s glare.

“I consider myself a reasonable queen,” Celestia said, taking a deep breath. “I’ve given you plenty of space—

”Space?” Sunset clenched her fist. “Space?! You, giving me space!?” Her face heated up. “That’s a laugh!” 

Celestia dare talk to her about giving her ‘space?’ Did she mean that one time they hadn’t talked for three months, only because she was busy on a diplomatic mission? Oh! How Celestia loved to brag about that and ignore the fact that as soon as they had one-on-one time again it was the same old, ‘Sunset, get your head back in the water and obey my rules!’ 

“Don’t you raise your voice at me like a child!” Celestia snapped. 

Sunset’s mouth hung open. However, she was too mad to care anymore. If all Celestia would do was see her as a child, then why bother trying to please her anymore?

“Stop acting like you know what’s best for me!” Sunset snapped. 

“You are a mermaid, Sunset Shimmer! You’re confused and ignorant, but still one of my subjects. I love you, Sunset, but you need help, you need to be properly guided or—

“Well what would you know about being in love?” Sunset clasped her hand over her mouth. Too late she realized how over the line, even in this circumstance, that might have been.

“I see…” Celestia’s nodded. Then she sprouted a look that made Sunset’s blood run cold. “Well, I am going to get through to you one way or another, be it you willing or kicking and screaming.” She looked around in furry at the various human artifacts that lined Sunset’s grotto. “And if this is the only way to protect you, then so be it!”

Sunset’s protests went on deaf ears as bolts of lighting branched throughout the cave….

Sunset flared through her nostrils and flipped herself onto her back, resting a hand on her head. In doing so, she pulled herself up further from the water, and paused as something that wasn’t her tail rose with her.

Her jaw dropped, as she stared at the clearly human knee sticking out of the water and at the pair of appendages where her tail should have been.

A thousand emotions ran through her at once. The only thing Sunset could do was see if this was real. She commanded one of the limbs to fully lift out of the water, and stared in awe as it obeyed, revealing a human leg and foot. Still stunned, she experimentaly wiggled her new toes, and beamed as her foot did so.

The life she left behind, Celestia, the pain she had endured, the deadline that loomed over her head, even the thoughts of her prince were put on hold. For the moment, nothing else mattered to the little mer- the little human!

She had made it! It had worked, she was here....

She would show them.

                     🦵🦶🦶🦶🦵