//------------------------------// // Funkin’ On Friday Nights (ft. ThePinkedWonder)* // Story: The Shimmer Code // by sunsetshimmer_13 //------------------------------// The Shimmer Code “Yoooo, it’s your favorite streamer back on The Shimmer Code,” a teenage girl speaks into her mic. The screen on the viewer’s perspective shows the channel logo on the live stream. “You guys ready to do some Friday Night Funkin’?” About five hundred people had entered the stream already; most types in greetings or answers of “I’m ready!” in the chat. The gamer girl changes the screen on her computer, and the audience finally gets to meet, once again, the one and only Sunset Shimmer. “Alright, my fellow coders, before we get to funkin’, how are you all doing?” she greets her viewers. The chat constantly updates itself with new messages at random speeds. “Aww, thank you! I try to keep my hair in good shape. Oh, you think you could beat me one-on-one in a PvP version of Friday Night Funkin, huh? We’ll see about that one day! Anyway, it looks like you all are all right and ready to go, so I won’t keep you waiting!” “But first, I’m sure most of you already know, but for the few that don’t, Friday Night Funkin’ is a rhythm game where you must press the arrow keys when the rising on-screen arrows reach the top of the screen, and you must outdo the computer player. It’s a pretty easy game to understand but can be quite challenging to play at first, especially on harder difficulty levels. If you have played ‘Dance Dance Revolution', this plays the same way, but you use fingers on a keyboard instead of feet on a dance pad.” In the chat, comments of “got it”, “I’m ready, I’m ready”, or other similar comments pop up, hich Sunset sees. “With that out of the way and all of us are ready, let’s begin! What difficulty do you want to see me play?” Sunset looks over the stream of answers in the chat. “Hard difficulty? Hee hee, I was hoping you’ll pick the fun choice!” Sunset furiously wriggled her fingers. “Gotta get my fingers nice and loose.” Her fingers now ready, Sunset starts the game and chooses a set of songs she will play. The first song starts, and it has a funk-esque tone and beat. A few arrows, pointing up, down, left, and right, climb from the bottom of the left side of the screen, the computer’s play area, to the top. It takes each arrow about three-fourths of a second to reach the top of the screen. Seconds later, arrows ascend from the right half of the screen, Sunset’s play area, in the same order and speed as the previous ones. Sunset’s gaze tightens; she is in her gaming zone. With both hands, she taps the arrows on her keyboard with perfect timing. A second round of arrows, a little more numerous this time, shoot up on the left side of the screen. The same pattern follows suit on the right with Sunset’s fingers going to work on her keyboard. “Ha! Easy peasy!” The arrow-mashing continues with Sunset hitting at least most of the arrows. The first song ends with Sunset dominating the computer player. Back in the chat, some comments say, “Thisis hard mode?”, “I could have done that!”, or the like from unimpressed viewers. Sunset checks the comments and assures, “Don’t worry, that was just the first song. They get harder as we go along.” The second song begins. As before, arrows rise from the left side first but faster -- it takes each about half a second to reach the top of the screen and they are higher in number -- then the right side. Sunset nails them all. The arrows begin to become more numerous, with seven or eight being visible on one side of the screen at once. Sunset’s fingers pick up speed, grunts of effort rumbling from her mouth. “I missed more of them that time, but it’s okay. I’m still winning.” A new flood of arrows attacks the left, then right of the screen. Sunset’s fingers fly even faster while her growingly frustrated grunts and scowl intensify. “Shoot, but it’s cool. Still got the lead.” Surge after surge of arrows packs the computer screen. However, Sunset manages to keep her lead. The second round ends. Comments say, “That’s better!” or similar remarks; others praise Sunset’s skills. She checks the chat. “Y’all like that? Wait until you see the last song!” The final song begins! Arrows swamp the left side of the screen even faster, in less than half a second, and in even higher numbers than before. Now the right. Sunset’s fingers whizz about and hit most arrows in time, making even the speed of light think “not bad”. She jumps out an early lead. But, during the second, larger surge of arrows that all but fills one half of the screen, she only hits around half of them, losing the lead. For the first time in this stream, Sunset is losing. Losing! Sweat flows from Sunset’s face. She can’t lose here! Not with her viewers watching, and possibly laughing at her struggle! “What?! I thought I hit those--no, focus!” Moans mix with grunts as Sunset fights to close the gap on the computer’s lead. The arrows pour on further and, in small bursts, start surging up on both sides of the screen in an arrow hurricane. “C’mon fingers, work with me here!” Finally, the final burst of arrows rise and disappear from the screen. Sunset takes one last look at the score meter, and moans. It favors the computer. “I lost! Fuck! How did I--” Sunset clears her throat, and a sheepish smile curls on her lips. “B-but don’t worry, guys! I was just getting warmed up! Uh, yeah, that’s it!” New comments flashes in the chat. “Of course I was only getting warmed up! I can play far better than what you saw! I’m going to have a rematch, and I mean business this time!” Sunset restarts the game. As before, she easily wins the first song and passes the second one with only moderate difficulty. Now, with the last song starting, Sunset is poised to avenge her previous defeat. “Eyes on your girl, guys! This thing is going down!” A pack of arrows swarms the screen in its familiar order. Sunset’s fingers work their magic on the keyboard’s arrows in a flurry of mashes. She earns an early lead for a second time. “See? I told you--ugh, no!” A few untimely misses drop the meter to a tie. Sunset bears her teeth and wills her fingers to dig deep. She can’t lose again! With no arrows on her half on the screen for the moment, Sunset says, “Uh, I could have held that lead, but I have to make this interesting for you all!” Comments of “#LiarShimmer” rolls in the chat. “Oh, very fu--” A flash of arrows flying up her play zone forces Sunset to save her fibbing for later and restart her finger dance. “I got this! Sunset Shimmer never loses twice in a row!” Sunset declares with her storm of arrows dealt with, which she had missed a little over half of. The battle wages on. More sweat drops run down Sunset’s scowling face. “I can do this! NO, I hit those arrows--don’t you fucking rob me!” The song comes to an end. Sunset is 0-2. The furious girl screams, punches her mattress on her bed, and screams again to the heavens--and makes it hide under its bed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! I hit those arrows at the right time, but it didn’t register! I knew I shouldn’t have brought this cheap-ass lap--” Comments from her streamers flow, some begging Sunset to calm down, others have “#RageShimmer” or otherwise teased her temper--since she couldn’t grab and show them that she is a reformed villain, it was safe for them to troll her. She looks at the comments, the ones imploring her to calm down, that is, and her scowl melts. She takes a deep breath and says, “I know, I know. I need to chill, but I can’t help it! I should have won!” Another round of comments comes. Sunset rolls her eyes at them. “Yes, I have beaten hard mode befe--no, don’t try to get ‘#NormalSunset’ trending, because I don’t have to lower the game to ‘normal’ difficulty. I’m gonna go again, and I’m putting all my pride into this! Watch your girl when she means business!” A string of comments reminding of what she had said at the start of the second game follows. “Yeah, I know I said it before the second game, but that ‘business’ and this ‘business’ are two different things! I’ll show you!” Sunset starts the game for a third time. She easily wins the first two songs. Now it’s the last song again. Arrows flood the screen, and Sunset’s fingers work their magic. A confident smirk curls on her lips as she snatches another early lead. She is going to win, or her name isn’t Sunset Shimmer! “See that? This is me playing when I mean it!” Some misses lower Sunset’s early lead. “Okay, a few misses is okay.” Arrows pour on the screen in a dizzying assault. The fiery teen’s fingers fly in a blur, something that a human’s fingers, even if this human’s native form is a unicorn, shouldn’t be able to do. Unless they mean business! Sunset’s lead vanishes despite the gamer’s spirit, and the meter hovers in an utter tie. Her fingers begin to feel sluggish and stiff. “It’s crunch time! Don’t give up on me, fingers!” Sunset yells a battle cry and calls forth all of her will and energy into every cell in her blitzing fingers. Those fingers will not give out! She won’t let them! At last, the last round of arrows clears. The sight before her sends Sunset into a roaring rage. I meant, a roaring cheer. “YES! I win!” She pumps her fists in the air. See? I told you all I meant business! I never lose when I mean business! Comments with #BusinessShimmy fill the chat. “That’s right, and that hashtag can start trending! Oh, that’s right: that was only one group of songs, so let’s keep--ow!” A spasm cuts into Sunset’s hands. One eyelid lowers from the sudden pain, and she grimaces and massages each hand with the other. “I must have meant business toomuch because my hands are cramping. I’m so sorry, but I will have to end the stream early and rest my hands. But I’ll be back to crush more games, so thank you for coming to The Shimmer Code, and until next time, Sunset Shimmer out!” Sunset switches her screen as she gets ready to disconnect the stream and finish it off, the chat still typing in their words as they say their goodbyes to the streamer. The stream officially ends and is now inactive as everyone gets on with their day.