//------------------------------// // Deserved // Story: Starlight Glimmer Regrets Her Mistakes // by MagicS //------------------------------// Starlight Glimmer and Spike both stood in front of a very familiar mirror held deep inside Canterlot Castle. The room was dark and dusty and yet the mirror still reflected their images perfectly. The atmosphere was heavy, nervousness clearly written on both their faces. Even for Starlight this was a maybe too reckless decision. But she was sure it still needed to be done. They absolutely had to find Sunset Shimmer and bring her back here for Princess Celestia to see. It was the only way to help the nervous wreck of a Princess pull herself together. And it was probably just a good idea in general to check up on the unicorn. Starlight couldn’t say for sure exactly how her life might have gone after she was thrown into the portal early. “Are we sure this is a good idea?” Spike asked, clearly on the same wavelength. “I know it seems like a detour or something we probably shouldn’t do—but yes,” Starlight nodded. “We have to find her, Spike.” “I don’t think she’s going to be happy to see us...” “It’s been years for her, Spike.” “And the last time we saw her she was screaming how much she hated you as you threw her into another dimension. After you told her Princess Celestia was going to find a better student than her in the future.” Starlight coughed. “Y-Yes, well, I gave her some good advice too and since she obviously hasn’t tried coming back into this world, unlike the Sunset we know better, she can’t be that bad or anything. She must be having a good time in the human world.” Spike shrugged. “If you say so.” “Let’s just hurry up, Spike. Wake Discord up so he can activate the mirror portal for us,” Starlight said. “You’re going to have to convince him this is a good idea again, you know?” Spike said as he pulled the hibernating Discord out of his bag. A few flicks to the head and a shake later and Discord was sputtering his way awake “Hm? What? Is it time for us to go to the next world already?” The “sleepy” Draconequus asked as he blinked his eyes a few times. “Noooot exactly...” Starlight awkwardly grinned at him. Discord frowned. “Why do I get the feeling I’m about to hear something I’m not going to like again?” “Just let her make her plea first,” Spike sighed. “We need you to use your magic to activate the mirror portal here so we can travel to the human world of this timeline,” Starlight said. “...why?” Discord raised an eyebrow. “Because-” Starlight frowned. “We need to find the Sunset Shimmer of this timeline to set things right and apparently fix one of the bigger mistakes I made.” Discord smirked. “Well at least you’re taking a little responsibility.” He glanced at the mirror portal. “And well… since this isn’t the same kind of world-hopping we’ve been doing I don’t think there’s a problem. These two worlds are supposed to be connected after all. The timing might not exactly be right but our own little Twilight has subverted that with her version of the portal in our home world.” A big grin split Starlight’s face. “So we’re good to go?” “Just don’t wake me up again until we’re ready to leave this world,” Discord snorted and snapped his fingers, the surface of the mirror shimmering and rippling, becoming slightly brighter. He stiffened back up and went into stasis right after, Spike shoving him back into his bag. “Come on, Spike! Let’s get going!” Starlight cheered and grabbed him by the hand, jumping right into the mirror portal and pulling him through with her. Meanwhile… The ponies who had been left behind, waiting for Starlight and Spike to return from whatever it was they were doing, were now sitting at Celestia’s dining table in the castle. An awkward silence mostly hung over the table as nobody was exactly in the mood to talk or knew what to talk about. The most talkative of the group happened to be a strung out mess at the moment and was busy fussing over Twilight Sparkle’s mane while the unicorn frowned and tried to push her away. Naturally the two of them were sitting right next to each other. On one side of the table, a certain former Empress was shyly looking down at the table, trying to see if she could shrink down to nothing to avoid the gaze of her twin-tailed alternate sitting across from her. That Starlight was currently frowning deeply at the gray shawled mare. Her brow was furrowed to the degree that it seemed like just the existence of this other Starlight annoyed her. Whatever thoughts were going through her head they didn’t seem friendly. And the former Empress could feel that, and being a much more subdued and withdrawn mare now she didn’t have it in her to speak up under such a withering gaze. The only stallion present could feel how uncomfortable this whole situation was and was doing his best to not break out in a nervous sweat. This was a really weird day. Sunburst cleared his throat, deciding to try and break the ice with some small talk and maybe get everyone on better terms with each other. He grinned as best he could as he looked across the table at this new and unfamiliar Starlight Glimmer. “S-So I heard you tried to brainwash and enslave Equestria in your world. What was that like?” The former Empress let out a sad whimper and shrunk even further into herself. And now his grumpy childhood friend Starlight was even looking at him as if he was an idiot. “Ahem, s-sorry, I’m not very good at small talk…” Sunburst bit his lip and wiped away some of the sweat gathering at his forehead. “I think she could already tell,” twin-tailed Starlight snorted. “Oh, Twilight, I just can’t get this last lock of your mane down perfectly… I really need a brush,” Princess Celestia said, oblivious to the rest of the table. “Princess, please. I’m not a child!” Twilight grumbled. It was going to be a long and awkward afternoon. Starlight plopped out of the mirror portal onto the ground right in front of the Canterlot High statue. A second later Spike plopped out right after her. Starlight stood up—and immediately wobbled a bit as she got used to being on two legs once more. “W-Whoa, easy going there, me,” Starlight said to herself as her legs shook. “Pretty much the exact opposite problem as me,” Spike said. Starlight looked down at him, now a dog standing on all fours, and grinned. “I’ve never seen you as a dog before, you’re cute.” Spike just glared at her and looked at his sides. “Really missing my wings right now… why can’t dogs fly?” Starlight finally gained control of herself and gave her body a closer inspection now. Taller, thin, less fuzzy, no tail, and no hooves. Just like she remembered. It was only the one time—and technically a different dimension—but Starlight seemed to have the exact same appearance as her last trip to the human world. Her clothes were the same too and a quick reach up of her hands told her she was wearing the same beanie hat. “Great! At least we don’t really have to get used to anything too extreme,” Starlight said. She raised an amused eyebrow down at Spike. “Also I don’t think dogs talk either. Careful not to let anyone see you.” “Thanks, Starlight, I know how to act here,” Spike sarcastically grumbled and adjusted the little backpack he was now wearing instead of the usual bag. “Been here more times than you...” “True. But unlike “our” human world, no one here is going to know us. They won’t know anything about Equestria or magic, so we can’t just go around casually. We might have to spy around a bit to find Sunset and get her somewhere alone where we can talk,” Starlight said. “Could you try and not make it sound like we’re trying to mug her?” Spike asked. “Unfortunately that may be what we need to do depending on how the conversation goes...” Starlight muttered. “No. There is no way we will need to do that. No,” Spike narrowed his eyes. Starlight rolled hers. “Stop expecting the worst, Spike.” “You’re the one-” Spike groaned and shook his head. “Let’s just find her already.” “Shouldn’t be too hard actually. I think it’s probably right around time school should be getting out judging by what time it was in Equestria,” Starlight said. For the first time both of them really took a look around—the reason they had been able to chat so casually after stepping out of the portal being that no one else was around right now. School was in session and no one was out by the statue, sidewalk, or street. Starlight didn’t have a watch but it was definitely well after noon, the bell should ring within the hour. “Are we just staking out the entrance to the school?” Spike asked. “Better idea?” Starlight shrugged. “Not really… but she might be driving a car or motorcycle or even just have a regular bike chained up in back,” Spike said. “Right… lot of different ways to travel in this world. Twilight taught me a little bit about cars,” Starlight said. She subconsciously started to rub her chin. “Let’s get closer to the entrance and hide behind the corner. When Sunset comes out we’ll drag her off to the side of the school.” “You don’t mean drag literally… right?” Thirty minutes later and the two of them were hunkering down on the side of the school that faced the bleachers and sports field, looking around the corner to keep watch on the entrance. It was definitely an odd place to be and they certainly would’ve looked suspicious to anyone that happened to wander by. But nothing interrupted them as they waited and shortly later the loud bell of the school rung—signaling the day was over. Starlight and Spike watched the front of the school expectantly, waiting for all the students to start filing out. They did so fairly quickly, most of them eager to get out and go home or start extracurriculars, either way the entrance and grounds outside the front of the school became loud and crowded pretty soon. Starlight and Spike saw a lot of people they recognized. Both alternates and those they didn’t know from Equestria but had seen in previous trips here. There was Bulk Biceps’ large form, the flower trio, Lyra and Bon Bon, Flash Sentry, and of course—there were some of their closer friends as well. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie came out together with Rarity and Applejack right behind them. Starlight wondered just how many other versions of her friends she had seen by now. And in another minute Rainbow Dash came out, waving at some other group behind her before running off to join Rarity and Applejack. And that was when they saw her. Sunset Shimmer walking on out of the school—a frown on her face that seemed to be her typical expression. She wore a leather jacket with spikes and studs on it over a purple shirt and black jeans. Yep, definitely Sunset Shimmer. Spike was a little surprised by the way she carried herself and the way others around her acted—she didn’t seem to be the fearsome ruler of the school he remembered the other Sunset to be at first. She walked more like a normal student and had others casually hanging around her. Like Trixie, which didn’t surprise Starlight one bit. There were a few other girls in the group who Starlight didn’t know though, but it didn’t really matter, they just had to talk to Sunset. “Psst! Sunset! Hey, Sunset!” Starlight started whispering and waving from around the corner to get the girl’s attention. It didn’t seem to be working though as there were too many others and too much noise around her. “Sunset!” Starlight said louder. “Sunset Shimmer!” That did it. Sunset stopped and looked around for a moment, her other “friends” wondering what she was doing. Finally the fire-haired girl looked over to where Starlight and Spike were and saw the other girl waving at her. She was confused to put it bluntly. The other girls with her were similarly so after they saw Starlight over there. Sunset raised an eyebrow, looking kind of annoyed, but said something to her friends and started walking over without a fuss. Trixie just shrugged and they started walking away across the grounds. Starlight couldn’t keep the big stupid grin off her face and it made Sunset Shimmer a little wary—but either way the high school student still calmly walked up to her. Folding her arms over her chest, Sunset stood her ground and glared at the other girl. “What is it? Who even are you?” Spike internally breathed a sigh of relief. Sunset didn’t recognize Starlight immediately so at least a fight wouldn’t break out just yet. “Hi!” Starlight waved giddily at her and then pointed behind them around the corner where they could be mostly out of sight. “Okay, I know this is weird but can we talk privately over here? I just need to talk to you.” Spike glared up at Starlight, could she possibly be creepier about this right now? “Do you even go to our school? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before?” Sunset defiantly put her hands on her hips. “I don’t, but seriously, can we just talk? I promise you’ll be interested in what I have to say,” Starlight said. Sunset briefly looked behind her at all the other students leaving school and frowned. Who would do anything crazy or criminal in a place like this? She looked back at Starlight and shrugged. “Fine, you weirdo. But my friends saw you so don’t try anything funny.” Together the three of them walked back along the side of the school, temporarily out of view from most others. “Okay, so what the heck do you want to talk about? Do you know me or something?” Sunset asked. “I do! And you actually know me too,” Starlight smiled. Sunset backed up a little. “You’re kind of creeping me out...” “It’s not like that,” Starlight reached forward and put a “comforting” hand on her shoulder. “Now don’t shout or anything—but I’m from Equestria too.” Sunset’s eyes bugged out. “You’re-” She immediately clapped a hand over her own mouth to keep herself from shouting, calming down in a second she lowered it. “You’re from Equestria too? But how did—who are you?” “Ehehe...” Starlight nervously chuckled and shrugged. “Well like I said, you know me. Do you remember me from a few years ago? Starlight Glimmer? The unicorn you met in Canterlot?” Sunset just stared at her so Starlight cleared her throat. “Ahem. You know, you have to remember me, I’m-” She couldn’t finish her sentence as the fist of Sunset Shimmer plowed into her face and knocked her to the ground. Spike snorted in bemusement as Starlight roughly landed on her back. “Yeah you definitely had that coming.” “AAAAAAAHHHHHH!” Sunset yelled and jumped onto Starlight, beginning to pummel her with her fists. “Spike, get her off me!” Starlight shouted as she held her arms around her face to withstand the worst of it. “Sunset, stop!” Spike said as he ran up beside her and Starlight. “I know you’re angry at her but you’ve got to stop!” Surprisingly—Sunset did so. Her fist held up and ready to deliver another punch while her other hand held Starlight down, she looked weirdly over at Spike and raised a confused eyebrow. “Why is there a talking dog here?” Spike facepawed. “I’m Spike—the dragon—remember?” “Oh,” Sunset sat back, calming down slightly. “Dragons become dogs here?” “Apparently so,” Spike answered. “Can you please get off Starlight now? You definitely have the right to be angry at her but this is a little much.” Sunset glared down at Starlight and the now somewhat bruised girl helplessly shrugged back up at her, smiling as best she could. “Fine,” Sunset growled and stood up. “Thank you,” Starlight said and got back up as well, rubbing her face where she was punched. “Ow...” “Why are you here now after all these years? I really never wanted to see you again,” Sunset angrily demanded to know. “Maybe we just wanted to see how you’re doing? After all, the reason I sent you here was so you could make friends and have a happier life. How’s that going?” Starlight asked. Sunset’s eye twitched and Spike was worried the punches would start flying again. “Oh yes—thank you so, so much for sending me here. To a world without magic without any knowledge of that fact beforehand. Where I’d be transformed into a completely different sort of creature. That was a truly wonderful first few days I spent here. Almost being hauled off to the insane asylum, almost arrested repeatedly, attacked by cats when I tried living under a bridge at the park. Yes, those are some very happy memories,” Sunset ground her teeth. “It was even better when the entire time I was going through that, all I could think about was how Celestia would just be getting a better student than me and I wasn’t wanted anywhere.” Starlight coughed. “Well, I can understand why you might have some residual anger towards me for all of that—but it certainly looks like you’re doing better now!” Sunset rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Yeah. It just took a long time to adjust and stop feeling so worthless and useless. Fun first year overall. If you still want to talk some more let’s go behind the bleachers, I don’t want anyone else seeing us for sure.” She walked over to where the shadows of the bleachers fell over the ground and Starlight and Spike followed her. Here they were invisible to the crowds leaving school. “Now I know you aren’t happy to see me, Sunset, but I think you’re really going to be happy with what I have to tell you soon,” Starlight started. “But first I want you to tell me a little more about your life and your friends here. I saw you getting along with Trixie and—are you smoking?” Sunset, who was lighting a cigarette before snapping the lighter shut and putting it back in her pocket, glared at Starlight. “What’s it to ya?” “Well this is a little different...” Starlight rubbed the back of her head. “Seems this Sunset never became as bad or as good as our Sunset. She’s just like a “bad girl” from this world,” Spike shrugged. “Excuse me?” Sunset frowned. “And what do you mean “our” Sunset?” “We can talk about that later. I just—I really do honestly want to know how you’re doing here,” Starlight asked. Sunset took a drag on her cigarette before breathing the smoke out and gazing at Starlight. She shrugged. “Things are fine. Knowing I would just be a failure back in Equestria, thanks to your lovely insight, I didn’t want to go back. Magic and being Celestia’s personal student was my life, but if there were better unicorns at it? If I couldn’t be the best? Then what was the point? So yeah, I was depressed for a while but I’m over it now. I don’t know what I want to do here yet—playing guitar is pretty fun though.” “And you do have some real friends? Last time I saw you you were pretty opposed to getting any,” Starlight said. “I’m friends with those girls you saw earlier. Trixie, Gilda, Lavender and Fuchsia. Some other casual acquaintances. And these girls from the school across town, Sunny Flare, Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, and Sour Sweet. Met them at the Friendship Games and got along pretty well with them.” “That’s good. Ish,” Spike said. Truthfully without the positive influence of Twilight on this world he wondered how good and friendly most of these people actually were. “What about… what about Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy? What about them?” Starlight asked. “Rainbow Dash is cool, we hang out sometimes. Not sure why you care about them specifically but the other four are too… goody-goody. Pinkie Pie is way too happy all the time,” Sunset shook her head. Starlight bit her lip. “And what about Twilight Sparkle?” Sunset thought for a moment. “Twilight Sparkle? I know her name, she goes to Crystal Prep. But I don’t think I’ve ever really talked to her.” “Kind of seems like things in general here aren’t as bad as they could be but also aren’t nearly as good as they could be either. Good work, Starlight,” Spike said to her. “Thanks, Spike,” Starlight rolled her eyes. “Meeting Principal Celestia was really weird… I almost fainted the first time I saw her,” Sunset mused. “Speaking of Celestia—that’s kind of the reason we’re here,” Starlight said, eager to change the subject now. She also really didn’t want to have to fill this Sunset in on the stuff her other self had gotten up to. The bad parts because she didn’t want to give her ideas and the good parts because she didn’t want her feeling envious. Sunset took another puff of her cigarette. “Why? What does this have to do with Princess Celestia? I’m over Equestria.” “Well don’t say that just yet, hehehe...” Starlight awkwardly grinned. “Could you get to the point? Why for the first time in years am I seeing you—anyone from Equestria—again?” Sunset glared at her. “It just so happens that Equestria isn’t doing so good right now and we want you to come back so you can help fix it,” Starlight said. “Not doing so good how? And I don’t see how I could do anything to fix any problems,” Sunset shrugged. “You’d be surprised. I know what I said to you back when I sent you here but you’re a very important pony too, Sunset Shimmer. You just had a bit of a different role to play than the one you thought you had. And as for what’s going on in Equestria, weeellll… it’s sort of locked into a three way war between it the Changelings, and the Crystal Empire, and Princess Celestia has been an indecisiveness nervous wreck ever since you vanished without notice,” Starlight explained. Sunset didn’t explode in either surprise or anger, instead her eyes just narrowed at the other girl. “So you want me to come back to help fix the problem you started.” “No.” “Yes.” Starlight glared at Spike. “First off, what’s even in it for me? And secondly, how would me coming back actually help any of this?” Sunset asked. “Celestia needs to see you, Sunset. She needs to see that you’re okay. And she misses you a lot, won’t it make you happy to see her again too?” Starlight pleaded. “If Celestia goes back to normal there are other ways to fix all of this.” “It’s true, you wanted to be important didn’t you? Well here’s us telling you that we need you. There’s no other way,” Spike said. Sunset considered their words, looking a little more downcast. “I guess I wouldn’t hate seeing her again. But that still doesn’t mean I’m coming. I don’t want to just be used to help you and dumped off back here. Sure—I like it here, but I’m not exactly happy with my old life being ripped away.” “What if Starlight let’s you punch her again if you’re still angry by the end of this?” Spike suggested. “Spike!” Starlight yelled. “I’ll take you up on that,” Sunset smirked. “But look, that’s still not good enough. I want to know what life I could have led if you didn’t interrupt it. You’re going to answer every question I have once I’m finished meeting Celestia. You’re going to do what I want, you’re going to tell me what I want to know, and I’m not leaving and coming back here until I’m satisfied.” Spike looked up at Starlight, silently pleading with her to take the deal. Starlight was conflicted for multiple reasons on it but they really needed to bring Sunset back. And it looked like they probably couldn’t drag her back by force. There was likely an explosion waiting down the road in the future—but Starlight would just have to deal with it later. “Alright,” Starlight nodded. “But I think you should just be happy with the life you have now, since it doesn’t seem so bad at all. I don’t think anything good comes from wondering what could have been. I know that really, really, well.” Sunset snorted and put out her cigarette on one of the back supports of the bleachers. “Just take me back to Equestria. Missing a few days of school is just a decent vacation for me.” “Not that word. Please,” Spike insisted. “We’ll need to wait a moment until no one else is around the portal before we go back through… and then you can say hi to Equestria for the first time in years,” Starlight said. “I suppose I am looking forward to it a little bit now,” Sunset smirked. And now Starlight was the one who wasn’t so sure if this was a good idea or not.