//------------------------------// // The First Assignment // Story: Sunset's Shine // by Princess Cadenza //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle walked through the entrance of Twilight's new castle, a crystal beauty that shadowed over half of Ponyville. The reflection of the crystal texture was met by the light of Celestia's sun and cast a magenta and indigo hue over several of the buildings neighboring the castle. So focused on the scenery that the castle made behind her, Sunset continued walking, yet still stared through the door. "Oh, uh, watch your step here, Sunset!" Twilight said. "I was gonna ask Spike to add a couple extra stairs here, and--" CRASH! Twilight gasped and lifted the now stunned orange mare with her magic. "Sunset! Are you alright?!" "And the stars gleam there for kittens and spoons..." Sunset said clumsily, feeling a small lump on her head. "How many hooves am I holding up?" Twilight held up both of her hooves. "Do we need to take you to Ponyville Hospital?" Sunset shook her head and teleported back up. "That was unexpected," Sunset replied. "I was just so focused on the hue that your castle cast over us. It would make a great painting. Would you happen to know any artists?" "That's beside the point. But don't worry! Some of my thousand lessons will help you with focus." Twilight squee'd. "One... of your... thousand lessons?" Sunset stammered. Twilight giggled. "Oh, I'm just pulling your tail. I'd say at least two thousand lessons will be covered." Sunset face-hoofed. "There's just so much for you to learn about the mystics of Equestria! But I'm sure you're already familiar with powerful magic, as Princess Celestia told me. So we'll be starting on something different today." From a nearby reading desk, Twilight pulled from it a purple leather book with six bookmarks, each a different color representing the pony who wrote there. Her magenta aura grasped the book and pushed it in front of Sunset's legs. Looking down, Sunset grabbed the book with her aquamarine aura and flipped through it. "What's this?" Sunset asked. "You're assigning me to learn more about friendship? Already?" "Princess Celestia sent me to study friendship all on my own, as I didn't feel like socializing was important. Now I want to see how much of an independent learner you are, and see how well you'll meet other ponies. Princess Celestia tells me you weren't one to socialize." Sunset continued to look at the book. "And since you told me about how you were when you went through the mirror for the first time, I'm not so surprised that a pony like that didn't see the need to make friends-- because I was once like that myself." Sunset looked up. "Tell me, Sunset: What did you think you'd be when you were older?" "I thought I'd be ruling Equestria by Celestia's side. I thought because I was her prized pupil before you came along, she'd understand how bright and powerful I was and give me the opportunity to be somepony important for once. Princess Sunset Shimmer is who I would have liked to be... but deep down, I guess I thought I wasn't ready for that yet. I realize that now." "But you were important, Sunset. Princess Celestia needed her prized pupil. Just like how I need you now. The Princess of Friendship means nothing without her friend." "Wait--" "First friend! Check!" Twilight marked something on a long list of check-boxes, all others unchecked. "Now then, let's see how well you'll do in making other friends." "Other friends? Where?" A loud knock on the door sounded through the halls. "Why, here, of course!" Twilight opened the door, Sunset at her side, to reveal five ponies. One unicorn, two Pegasi, and two earth ponies. Twilight's best friends had gotten Twilight's message to meet Sunset Shimmer. "Gah!" Sunset was struck with surprise, before realizing that there were, in fact, doubles of everypony in the two worlds. "Uh... hi. My name's-" "We know exactly who you are, Sunset Shimmer!" said Pinkie Pie as she suddenly popped up. "You're the pony who swapped Twilight's crown and took it through the mirror!" "Easy, Pinkie," said Applejack. "We need to get to know Sunset Shimmer here before you, uh, go into that stuff." "Sunset," Twilight said, "this is Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy! They're gonna join us for a picnic." "A picnic? Where? When?" Sunset asked. "At the park. Now," Twilight said, smiling. She levitated a basket covered in an eye-catching cloth, covered in nine individual sewn-on pictures of the six ponies' Cutie Marks, plus Celestia's and Luna's Marks. That made eight ponies. But Sunset saw something sewn on that looked... new. It was a picture of a sun split into two colors, much like the yin yang symbol. Red and yellow. Her Cutie Mark. "Oh, you like that? I added it on myself based on a picture of a younger version of you and Princess Celestia. I do love your Cutie Mark, very elegant and colorful," Rarity said. "And it looks like Princess Celestia's Cutie Mark as well. Maybe you'll become a Princess one day, just like our friend here. Wouldn't a Princess be just magnificent? I'd look so beautiful! My wings, my mane! And I'm wondering if I wouldn't add just the slightest bit of rainbow on my hooves..." As Rarity kept on talking and talking, everypony smiled and started walking towards the park. "Don't mind her. Rarity's just a bit... what's the term? Imaginative today," Rainbow Dash whispered into Sunset's ear. She quickly realized that Fluttershy was walking right next to them and most likely heard Rainbow speaking. But Fluttershy just smiled and nodded. "Um... not to be offensive or anything, but she's always like this," Fluttershy added. Sunset smiled, remembering that the Rarity in the human world was practically this Rarity's dimensional twin... literally. "Once you get her started on an intriguing conversation, she won't take a break on her part," Applejack added. "Except when she finally takes a breath." The ponies knew that Rarity couldn't hear their conversation, as she was still talking and was focused on what she herself was saying, thinking that the other ponies were still listening. Rarity finally ended her fascinating topic about what she'd do if she were a princess. Rainbow was getting more irritated by the minute as the ponies paced in a slow speed. "Come on, girls! I think there are snails here that are moving faster than we are," Rainbow said. Rarity frowned. "Well, we're so sorry that not all of us bear wings, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said. "What are you expecting us to do? Run to the park?" "We could hop to the park!" Pinkie suggested. "So how would that be any faster than how we're going right now, Pinkie?" Rainbow asked the pink mare. "I don't know. I just thought it would be relevant to add." After about five minutes of silence, the ponies arrived at the park and found a nice place to lay down the picnic blankets. Rarity gasped in horror as she opened her own basket. "Oh no! I forgot the plates again! Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the--" Rarity started, but was interrupted by the ponies' pointing to Applejack, holding up the plates that she'd brought. "...Oh." "Yeah, after you forgot them the last time, we decided that AJ would be responsible for the plates," Rainbow said as she rolled her eyes. "Hey, you've been awfully quiet, Sunset," Applejack said. "Is everything okay?" "Yeah..." Sunset said. "I've just been very shy when I meet new friends. And it appears that it's quite easy in this world to be offered friendships, in a place where I haven't caused... quite as much havoc and there are people-- I mean, ponies... who forgive me for the mistakes I made in the past." "Twilight always tells us you're from the world behind the magic mirror," Rarity said. "but you were originally from Canterlot. Celestia's school for gifted unicorns, to be precise. Is this true? I bet you have quite the number of interesting stories to tell us." Sunset giggled. "Quite." Later... "...and the Rarity from that world says, 'that isn't a dress, Rainbow Dash, those are a bunch of dead animals that crawled up onto your clothes!'" "Wha? Why would I... I mean, my counterpart, say something like that?" Rarity asked. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but burst out laughing. She agreed with her counterpart that the appearance of dresses didn't really matter that much... especially for a school dance. "Nah, that's not really what she said," Sunset said, giggling. "She told Rainbow Dash that she wouldn't allow Rainbow to wear her regular clothes to the Spring Fling dance and that she'd put something together just for her." Sunset rolled her eyes. "Because she couldn't just let Rainbow try on one of the other million dresses in her shop." The other ponies, besides Rarity, laughed. "Hmph! Dresses should always be fresh and brand-new," Rarity said. "But I'm glad she made something fabulous for her friend." "Well, Sunset, instead of telling the others stories from Canterlot High..." Twilight started, "...why don't you tell us a story from your Canterlot days?" "I should have started on that first instead of diving right in on my Canterlot High stories!" said Sunset. "I'll tell you the story about how I got my Cutie Mark, but I won't remember everything..." "I do love a good Cutie Mark story!" Fluttershy said. Sunset smiled. "It all started in my days of Canterlot Elementary... fourth grade, to be exact..."