//------------------------------// // Life's a Party // Story: Let the Sun Shine // by LightningBass94 //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer stared wide-eyed at the myriad ponies supporting her in their hooves. She wanted to run, to hide, but her body remained stiff as a bored, frozen in fear. She felt the urge to scream or cry, but when she opened her mouth, all that she could manage was a squeak and the most pitiful whimper she had ever produced in her lifetime. Here was a group of perfect strangers treating her with respect and welcoming her to the community as if she hadn’t spent the majority of her life as a social pariah. She didn’t know how to handle it. She didn’t want to handle it. She needed to escape or fight. “I need a drink…” she decided, speaking aloud to no one in particular. Still, it got the whole crowd laughing. “They think I’m joking, don’t they? Well, funny is better than a dangerous she-devil at least. I can deal with the entire town thinking I’m a clown.” As she was sat down, Sunset got a chance to scan the area, looking this way and that at what the castle’s throne room had been transformed into. “What? No ballroom? This castle has everything else in it, but no ballroom?” Her name was strung up in gigantic letters across a banner nearly an entire story up. Sunset could guess that the banner was tied to the staircase, but she had no idea how the streamers managed to stay up. They seemed to be everywhere, and the ceiling was an entire three stories high. Sunset scarcely had a chance to look at much more, nor could she further inspect the insanity of the decorations, before she was tackled by a ball of what seemed to be cotton candy. Before Sunset knew it, the ball of cotton candy began to speak, shooting off words at machine gun speeds. “Ooo! Ooo! You must be Sunset Shimmer! Twilight’s told me so much about you! Like the time you turned into a demon who shoots fire balls and tried to mind control a bunch of teenagers to do your evil bidding!” The eyes of the ball of cotton candy swirled a bit as she mentioned mind control, and now Sunset was sure Pinkie Pie was the pony who currently stood over her. Pinkie continued. “Speaking of teenagers, Twilight said you spent lots of time with me! I mean… not me, me, of course, but human me!” “… Uh… ” “So! How am I! I mean me… I mean other me! The me that lives on the other side of the mirror! Mirror me, but not mirror pond me. You probably haven’t met mirror pond me, or even mirror pond me two, or me three even…” “… Er… I don’t …” “Am I pretty? I mean, for a not pony that is…” “… Well, you’re…” “Ooo! Ooo! Am I Happy? Dopey? Sleepy? Bashful? Sneezy? Grumpy?” Pinkie tilted her head slightly. “Doc?” “What? How can you be…?” “Not me silly! The other me!” “Pinkie Pie, stop pestering the poor girl,” Rarity interjected as she sashayed her way toward Sunset and Pinkie. She wore a crimson dress with black lace socks, and she’d added a white bow in her hair to lighten the outfit. It looked rather fetching on her, and Sunset caught herself staring a bit, hopefully before anyone else could. “She’s had a long day, after all,” she continued. She helped Sunset to her feet with a winning smile, something hidden beneath it. “Haven’t you, Darling?” “Well, duh!” Pinkie answered, though she wasn’t the intended recipient of the question. “That was the plan, remember? You all kept her busy while I set up this party.” Rarity let out a heavy sigh as she shot Sunset an apologetic look. The pink pony motioned to herself with a forehoof as she gave Rarity a slightly hurt expression. “But pestering? Moi? I’m just getting to know Twilight’s magical pen-pal from another dimension.” Pinkie tapped her chin thoughtfully as she stared up at the ceiling. “But I have been asking an awful lot about me… I mean other me….” Pinkie turned back to Sunset Shimmer. “But enough about me, let’s talk about me. My name is Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie said as she extended a forehoof. Sunset smiled as she raised her own forehoof and pressed it against Pinkie’s “Pleased to…” Pinkie quickly reached out with her other hoof and gave Sunset’s a vigorous shake. “Oh! But if you didn’t know that, you couldn’t have known I was talking about me! And if you didn’t know I was talking about me, who knows who I could have been talking about! I’m not sure I even know any more.” “Pinkie!” Rarity cried. “Give the poor girl back her hoof!” “Whoops, silly me!” Pinkie said as she released the vice like grip she had on Sunset’s hoof. Sunset shakily returned her leg to the ground, it feeling not unlike a well-cooked strand of spaghetti. “So enough about me, or even me two, or me three… What about you!” Pinkie asked with a massive grin as she placed her face inches away from Sunset’s. Sunset swallowed and leaned back slightly. “Pinkie! Personal space!” Rarity barked as she placed a forehoof on the excited pink mare and pulled her back a few inches. Pinkie simply barreled forward like a runaway train. “Are you excited to be home? I think I’d be excited to be home! I know I’m excited to have you home. A real live pony who’s been a human and a demon! Wowie-zowie! Talk about awesome~!” And suddenly, everything about Pinkie froze. She sat straight up on her haunches. One by one, the smallest of movements exploded onto her like a paintbrush to blank canvas. Eye twitch, ear flop, tail twitch, leg shake, GASP! “Someone in this party is having way too much fun without me! Gotta’ go!” Pinkie was gone so quickly one could wonder if she was ever really there at all. Rarity let out a sigh of relief with Pinkie Pie finally gone. She turned her gaze to Sunset with an almost apologetic look. “You said you needed a drink, Darling? I think I could use one myself after all that.” All Sunset could do was nod in reply, sitting in the same position she’d been in with Pinkie in her face and staring forward with a shell-shocked expression. Rarity sighed and dragged Sunset along through the crowd by her forehoof. They were going to find the drinks if it would kill them! It didn't take too long, only as long as you would expect to get through an entire town-full of ponies moving to the beat of Vinyl Scratch's new single, played live for the enjoyment of the party guests. It must be nice to be a princess living in the same town as Equestria's premier DJ. With that thought in mind, Sunset had yet to even see Twilight since arriving home. What she did see, however, was the table set up across from the door as Rarity dragged her along toward it. Along the surface of the table, Sunset noticed several large punch bowls, filled to the brim with punch, and behind those there were several empty bottles of vodka. Sunset grinned, thinking that was exactly what she needed to loosen up a bit. Even in the random strobe light of a Pinkie party, Sunset and Rarity could make out the figures of Applejack and Rainbow Dash as they shared mugs of what Sunset recognized as the extra hard cider Applejack kept for special occasions. She felt herself tearing up a bit at the thought of her arriving in Ponyville being considered anything special. As they neared, Rarity waved gracefully at the pair. Applejack waved back, but Rainbow Dash just smirked at Sunset. "Hey, Sunny. She making you wear any more saddles tonight, or does she have you completely wrapped around her hoof now?" Rainbow joked. This elicited a heavy blush from Sunset, but Rarity just rolled her eyes. "Don't tease her, Rainbow. I'm just being friendly. Besides, it's always fun to have a sexy mare model for me in my boutique. Why, if I'm not mistaken, I believe you may have been enjoying yourself too much this afternoon," Rarity teased, smirking at the pegasus. This caused Sunset's blush to deepen even further, and Rainbow provided one to match. Sunset could tell that Rainbow attempted at that point to change the subject, but she'd stopped listening, deciding instead to sneak over and pour herself a cup of spiked punch. One proved not to be enough, but after three she felt buzzed enough to return to the conversation. "O-oh dear..." Fluttershy squeaked out, blushing and cowering as Rarity went on and on about the yellow pegasus' body. It didn't take long to figure out that Applejack had thought it a good idea to give her some cider, and by this time, even Pinkie had joined the fray. Sunset sighed heavily. These ponies were almost too much like her friends in the other world. The unicorn made her way around Rarity to stand beside Applejack. She leaned in and whispered, "What the hay, AJ. How much did she drink already?" Applejack just kept staring forward. Not bothering to whisper her response, she answered, "She ain't had but one mug!" She finally turned to look at Sunset and gave her a confused shrug. "Not even I'm this honest after that much." After watching the scene for several more moments, and after careful consideration, Sunset decided she would leave. She began backing away from the ridiculous scene unfolding, thankful for the ambiance, as it helped her get away more easily. Once she judged she was far enough away, Sunset turned tail and ran upstairs to her room, locking the rest of the world out. With her back to the door and heart thumping in her chest, Sunset let out a relieved sigh. That was far too much for her to handle just yet. She felt she wasn't emotionally stable enough to deal with social events of that caliber, nor was she prepared. Pinkie parties were nowhere near as crazy in the other world, and that was saying something! "These ponies are crazy," Sunset said to no one in particular. She shook her head in sheer disbelief and walked toward her window, carefully stepping over the piles of books she'd already scattered across the floor. She slid the window open, and a gentle breeze wafted into the room, bringing with it the pleasant scent all small towns seem to carry. Sunset breathed heavily of this scent and exhaled slowly. It was relaxing almost to the point of being therapeutic. Outside, the night was nowhere near as wild as the party downstairs. Alternatively, all was calm and still. Not a soul stirred throughout the town. This would have been more surprising if every adult in the town wasn't currently occupying space in the castle beneath Sunset's feet. She sighed, staring up at Luna's beautiful moon. The celestial body was far more vibrant than in the human world, and she enjoyed that the stars were brighter as well. It was a full moon, and the night sky was clear. Everything was right with the world. "Not much of a party pony, hm?" Twilight asked, suddenly staring into the room, hovering right outside the window. She startled Sunset, nearly enough to cause her to fall to her untimely death out the window. She surely would have, had she not been caught by the violet alicorn. Twilight giggled a bit. "That was close," Twilight surmised as she set Sunset back down in her bedroom. "I was taking an evening flight around the castle. Pinkie's parties can get a bit too wild for me too, especially when I first moved here. Care to join me?" Sunset offered a glare in return. "Look, I know we're friends and all now, but that doesn't mean you can just make fun of me for not having wings. I mean, that's so low, it's probably something the old me would have done." She turned her head away and exhaled a huff from her nostrils, clearly peeved that Twilight, of all ponies, would say such a thing. She was once again startled when a hoof gently rubbed her shoulder. She turned her head back to Twilight. Much to her chagrin, tears were quickly flooding her eyes. Twilight was frowning back, but a gentle smile made its way to her face after a few moments. "I meant climb up on my back, and I'll fly you around. I thought it'd be fun." Sunset blushed a bit and looked away again to wipe her tears. "O-oh. S-sorry. I shouldn't have-" Twilight cut her off. "No, no, no, no, no. It's alright. I can see why that might be a bit of a sore subject for you. I'm the one who should be apologizing." She stepped over the window sill and into Sunset's bedroom. She was promptly embraced, and a gentle gasp escaped her lips. "Apology accepted," Sunset whispered. "That actually sounds... fun." Twilight grinned as her horn glowed with a magenta aura. Within seconds, Sunset was placed upon her back, and Twilight was rearing up for take-off. "Hold on tight!" Twilight exclaimed. Sunset obeyed without question, wrapping her forehooves tightly around Twilight's neck, though not tight enough to cause harm. She squeezed her eyes shut, and as the pair shot out the window into the clear night sky, her scream could be heard echoing through Ponyville. After the initial fear of falling passed, Sunset's terrified screams gave way to joyous laughter. Twilight carried her higher and higher through the air, even going out of her way to soar through the few clouds that littered the night sky. She wasn't the strongest of fliers, but it was clear she was well practiced. Somewhere in the middle of her own excitement, Sunset Shimmer took the time to glance at Twilight; however, what was meant to be but a glance became so much more. She was mesmerized by the way the moonlight lit up Twilight's eyes, by the way her mane was whipped back by the wind, and she was once again reminded just how beautiful Twilight Sparkle really was. She felt her cheeks redden, but she held a bit of a dreamy gaze on Twilight for quite some time, only snapped from her thoughts as the alicorn spoke. "Are you alright, Sunset? Still having fun?" Twilight glanced back to see if Sunset was still enjoying herself. She was met with a simple nod at first, followed closely by, "Yes! This is so much fun. I suppose I'm just... a bit tired?" Sunset tried. The excuse was a poor one, and she didn't necessarily want this to end, but it seemed to work. Twilight faced forward once more and angled her wings in such a way that the mares glided around in a turn toward the castle once more. In no time at all, they were landing back in Sunset's room. They parted and shared a nervous moment of silence between them before Sunset once again embraced Twilight in a hug. "That was fun," she said. "Good night, Twilight." Utterly confused and mind flooded with conflicting thought, Twilight hugged Sunset back. "G-good night, Sunset. I'll see you tomorrow." She broke away and gave Sunset an awkward smile before retreating to her own room next door. It would be quite some time before either mare fell to sleep, both their minds racing as they lie awake in bed. In stark contrast to the surprisingly, and quite accidentally, romantic moment they had shared, the party raged on below them through the night. A princess in another castle was having very different thoughts nag at the back of her mind, though they too concerned Sunset Shimmer. As Luna stared up at the moon from her balcony, Celestia quietly approached her from behind, sitting down next to her sister. Celestia thought it better to remain silent and sip her hot cocoa as Luna sat just inches away, brooding. "Sister, why did you never tell me that Sunset Shimmer was your daughter?" Luna finally asked. The question had been bothering her since she first learned about Sunset's adoption. "For what reason did you keep something so important from me?" Celestia frowned and stared forward into the vast hillside of Equestria. It was lit up beautifully by Luna's moon. She exhaled a breath, visible in the cold, Autumn air. "It was easier to forget," she responded. It was clear that such a vague answer alone was hard for Celestia to muster, but Luna pressed on with the need to know more. "What do you mean? Why would you ever want to forget that she was your daughter?" Celestia hung her head. Her tears caught the light of the full moon, glistening as they trailed down her face. "Because everyone else did, Luna. It's the magic of the mirror. Those who pass through are lost to the ponies of this world. Only alicorn magic and the magic of dragons can counteract the effects. Because Sunset is a unicorn, and you were on the moon, there was not a soul in Equestria who remembered Sunset Shimmer ever existed, save myself." "And Twilight?" Luna asked, confused and surprised by the answer. She wrapped a comforting wing around her sister, and Celestia rested her head against her, crying into Luna's shoulder. "She was a unicorn when Sunset traveled through the portal, and an alicorn when she herself did so. Though the two grew side by side, almost as sisters, neither remember the other. It was heartbreaking, Luna. I couldn't stand to tell you or Twilight. It was just... too much to handle." Celestia sobbed against her sister. Her hooves wrapped around Luna's waist. "They can't know, Luna. Not yet..." Luna nodded slowly, running a hoof through her sister's mane to calm her. "It's alright, Tia. I understand. Fret not, for your secrets are safe with me..."