//------------------------------// // Harmonys judgement // Story: My past does not define me // by General Alduin //------------------------------// “What. Is. Happening!?” Sunset Shimmer yelled as she was engulfed in the brightest rainbow she had ever seen. She screamed as it swirled around her, it’s embrace feeling like she was being thrown into the sun itself. And to think, she had thought the transformation into a demon was excruciating. Her mind was lifted of the foggy haze that had claimed it since she had out on the crown. Right in time for her to experience the rainbow searing her skin and painfully burn away her wings and tail. She couldn’t take it anymore and squeezed her eyes as tight as they could go. She gingerly opened them up after a minute, finding herself in a black void. Sunset looked around fearfully, her mind racing a million miles an hour. Was she dead? Why was she turned into a demon? Why did she try to kill those girls? She’s not a murderer! Why did that rainbow hurt so much? Why did the crown do that to her? Where was she? Perhaps the rainbow had killed her and this was her eternal punishment. But this seemed rather excessive! She wasn’t that bad a person right? She had a family she had to get home to, she didn’t deserve death! It was all Celestia's fault anyway. If she just gave her Princesshood like she deserved, Sunset wouldn’t have had to resort to such desperate measures to begin wi- She wasn’t alone. Sunset didn’t know how and she didn’t know what, but something else was here with her. The devil perhaps? Celestia? Maybe Faust herself? When she looked around to find any evidence of this unseen observer, she realized she was completely naked. She yelped in alarm and tried to cover herself the best she could. She understood why the humans were so particular about clothing. At least back home you had a tail for modesty (mostly) and fur to protect you from the elements. These humans, for some ungodly reason, had lost that a long time ago in their evolutionary history. It seems she had spent too much time among them, or at the very least she was insecure with an unseen presence ogling her. Sunset opened her mouth to speak but recoiled in pain as her head felt like it was being split open. Soon, a torrent of hundreds of different memories from all manner of people flooded her mind. Sunset saw memories of how each of her family reacted to the news she had run away, how Celestia felt when she found Sunset in the forbidden section of the Canterlot library, how hurt somepony was when she belittled them. Sunset fell to the ground, shaking as hundreds more followed.  Memories of every hurtful word, every time she sabotaged someone, every awful thing she did to someone from their perspective. She heard what they heard, saw what they saw, felt what they felt. Lyra crying after Sunset sabotaged her chances at being princess. Applejack fuming at Sunset for implying she sleeps with her brother. The fear her presence instilled in all around her. After what felt like an eternity, the memories subsided. Sunset was left sobbing on the ground. The full weight of her actions made clear to her in the worst way possible. Sunset curled into herself pitifully, whispering a hundred desperate apologies for each and every single one of her new memories. She didn’t even notice when the void began fading, engulfing her in bright light. “You will never rule in Equestria!” ‘W-what?’ Sunset found herself staring down at the dirt, her shoulder blades screaming in pain as she felt blood trickle down her back. She groaned as she shifted her body, her muscles sore beyond reason, skin sensitive to even the softest touch, and dozens of scratches prickling her body. “Any power you may have had in this world is gone!” ‘T...Twilight?’ It took Sunset a moment to remember everything. Where she was, who she was, what had happened, vague memories of trying to kill Twilight. And with the sudden clarity given to her, she remembered the void she had found herself, and all the memories came pouring back. “Tonight, you’ve shown everyone who you really are.” Sunset's eyes welled with tears and she began crying profusely. “You’ve shown them what is in your heart.” Sunset shakily lifted her head to look up at Twilight, her body protesting every small movement she made. “I… I’m sorry.” She turned to look at the whole school as they gathered around the crater, shame filling her heart as she stared into the faces of everyone she wronged. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know there was another way…” “The magic of friendship doesn’t just exist in Equestria.” Sunset cried harder at that. She had never taken Twilight as the gloating type. “It’s everywhere.” ‘She’s going to execute me.’ Sunset thought bitterly. ‘She’s going to take me back home, put me on trial, and execute me in front of a cheering crowd.’ Sunset shook with fear, worried what fate would befall her family. Surely others would retaliate against them when they found out what their daughter d- “You can seek it out!” “What?” Sunset said quietly to herself, looking up at the craters edge. ‘She's… not going to execute me?’ Sunset began climbing up the walls of the crater, her body aching in pain, hoping she had been wrong about Twilight. “Or you can forever be alone… the choice is yours.” “But…” Sunset finally reached the top of the crater. “But All I’ve ever done since Being here was drive everyone apart! I don't know the first thing about friendship!” How true that was. Sunset had never had a friend, she never needed one. She had her brother, his weird friend, and her giant pig tails. How could Sunset ever hope to seek out friendship, especially now? Sunset gasped lightly as Twilight grabbed her hand softly. She helped lift Sunset out of the lip of the crater and onto her feet. ‘I just tried to kill her. Why is she helping me?’ “I bet they can teach you.” Sunset looked towards Twilight's friends. She didn’t know it was possible to feel even worse with herself than she already was, but looking at the smiling faces of Twilight's friends filled her with such indescribable shame that Sunset nearly fell to the ground. Sunset had tuned everything else out by that point, her mind overwhelmed with the mixture of shame, pain, humiliation, and the hundreds of new memories she had to sort through. She stood there stupidly, staring at the ground as the world continued on without her, much like it would if she had died, which at this point seemed like a mercy. ‘I deserve to be dead.’ Sunset thought bitterly. ‘I deserve to be dead…’  She didn’t know how long she was like that, but eventually she was snapped out of it when Vice Principal Luna grabbed her shoulder, holding a shovel out to her. Sunset grabbed it without a word and was corralled to the pile of debris her transformation had left behind. She was surprised to find Snips and Snails there with her, wheeling in a wheelbarrow. She turned to Luna to protest their punishment, but was immediately shut up by the woman’s harsh glare. Soon, the three of them got to work shoveling the debris into the wheelbarrow, occasionally wheeling it away and dumping it out whenever it got too full. Sunset meekly hid behind a wall as she watched Twilight say goodbye to her friend's while she held a trowel. Twilight disappeared into the statue a few seconds later and Pinkie crashed head first into the statue's base. She sadly thought back to the meeting between her and Twilight earlier.  “Sunset shimmer, for your crimes you are hereby exiled from Equestria.” Sunset Shimmer began sobbing, she’d never see her family ever again.  She quieted down when Twilight put a hand on her shoulder. “However, in thirty moons I will return. If I find that you are an honest, generous, loyal, and kind person filled with laughter, you will be welcomed back home.” Sunset just stared forward glumly. There was no way that was going to happen. Those girls weren’t going to give her the light of day. Hell, she’d probably be expelled after tonight. “Sunset Shimmer!” Sunset flinched at Luna’s authoritative tone. “Stop slacking off and spread mortar onto these bricks." She looked to Snips and Snails. They looked absolutely miserable, all because of her. "Vice Principal Luna… Can you let Snips and Snails go?" The two boys stopped why they were doing and looked at her in shock. "Excuse me?" Luna crossed her arms and raised her left eyebrow. "They only did everything I told them too. I didn't give them a choice in being transformed into demons. I’m entirely at fault for their actions." Sunset said awkwardly. "Can you let them go? They don’t deserve to stay here any longer." The two boys whispered among themselves, clearly surprised by Sunset's concern for them. Luna meanwhile just stared at Sunset quietly with an unreadable expression. "Fine." She finally answered. "But only for tonight. You can't save them from their punishments, up to and including expulsion." The two boys paled at that. "You two can go." Snips and Snails quickly ran off without a word, deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and disappeared into the night. Sunset let out a small sigh of relief, though couldn't help but be a little jealous of the freedom she won for them. "Now." Sunset was pulled from her thoughts by Luna. "I don't expect you to clear away all the debris or fix the entire wall, you are a teenager after all. Just do what you can for tonight, and me and my sister will decide your punishment later." "I… I understand." Sunset nodded and began applying mortar to the bricks. “I’ll do what I can.” "Don't expect to come back Monday." Luna added as she turned and walked away. “Other then to clean out your locker of course.” Sunset winced and she wiped away the tears welling in her eyes. Well that just confirmed it. How was she supposed to make friends with anyone when she was expelled?  Hell, she shouldn’t even be worried about that. How was she supposed to finish her high school career? You couldn’t make it in this world without a high school diploma, and there’s no way any other high school would take her after everything she did. Surely this would be added to Sunsets permanent record. She’d run out of money by the time Twilight came back, and there’s no way her exile would be lifted by then. She’d be flipping burgers till she was eventually fired from even that. At best she’d live on the streets and at worst she’d have to sell her body to make even a meager living- “Sunset?” Sunset yelped in fright and fell to the ground, wincing as she fell on her back. Sunset looked up and found Fluttershy standing over her, a hand placed over her mouth. “I’m so, so sorry!” Fluttershy said. “I didn’t mean to frighten you!” “It’s… it’s alright.” Sunset groaned as she pushed herself up, shakily going back to applying the mortar. “Did you need something?” “Um…” Fluttershy stood there awkwardly as she watched Sunset work. “I know you probably have a home, but I was wondering if maybe… you could stay with me tonight?” “What?” Sunset turned her head towards Fluttershy, who visibly jumped when she did.  “I-if you don’t want to, th-that's fine.” Fluttershy awkwardly added, looking off to the side and smoothing out her dress. “We just d-don’t want you alone r-right now.” Sunset stood up, making Fluttershy take a step back. “Sunset?” The two girls just stared at each other for a long moment. The moment Fluttershy opened her mouth to say something, Sunset practically tackled her and knocked the air out of her lungs.  “I'M SO SORRY!” Sunset bawled, wrapping Fluttershy in a tight hug. The poor girl was at a loss of what to do as she held onto Sunset, trying desperately to prevent the red head from falling to the ground. Sunset made a hundred desperate, barely coherent apologies to Fluttershy, who merely held onto her. “Shh… it’s ok, just let it all out.” Fluttershy said softly, stroking Sunset's hair as the red head bawled into the crook of Fluttershy's neck. “Everything will be ok... I promise.”