Chapter 2 – Sunset's Element
Pinkie Pie's parents were renting a house for Maud to stay while she attended Canterlot Community College, so she could be closer to campus. Pinkie had been staying in the home with Maud for the past two years. Her mom had homeschooled her through eighth grade, but she had always wanted to go to school with other kids. She felt that she belonged at CHS, and she'd made many friends there.
Pinkie loved inviting her best friends over to the house she and Maud shared. But one of her best friends was missing, and that put a bit of a damper on her cheery mood.
And so Pinkie found herself sitting at the dining room table, opening and closing Sunset's magic book, staring at the blank pages, willing words to appear.
Sunset placed her hand on Pinkie's right shoulder. “Sometimes Twilight doesn't write for a couple of days. I know you're anxious to hear from her, but try to be patient. I'm sure she's really busy.” Her tone was kind, but she wasn't saying what Pinkie wanted to hear.
“Too busy for us?” Pinkie stuck out her lower lip.
Rarity, who was sitting on Sunset's right, leaned forward and turned her head to meet Pinkie's eyes. “She has the other you to keep her busy, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” Pinkie felt a bit better. “I sure hope the other me is having tons of fun with Twilight.” She ran her hands over the plain pages. “But I'm just so curious about Equestria and magic and – everything! Like, how do these Elements of Harmony work? Can they be in two places at once? When we use them here, are we taking them away from the other us's?”
Sunset frowned – luckily it was the thoughtful kind of frown, not the sad kind. “Twilight and I have been going back and forth about that. It's hard to know where to begin.” She took a sip of her orange soda. “I guess I'll start with what I know about the Elements in Equestria. They were six gemstones that contained the most powerful magic in my home world. Princess Celestia...Well, I don't want to go into too much detail here, but she used the Elements to banish Princess Luna to the moon.”
From the other side of the table, Rainbow Dash set down her Rebel energy drink with a clunk. “Celestia and Luna? Are they...?”
“Yes.” Sunset met her gaze. “They're the alternate versions of Celestia and Luna McQueen. It was...hard at first, to see Celestia, with her not knowing who I was. She acts like a different person here.” She looked down at her glass. “We used to be close in Equestria, but I resented her for holding me back from my full potential – at least, that's how I felt at the time. I've wanted to speak to her, to let her know that I've changed, but I don't know how.”
“That's easy!” said Pinkie. “Just have Twilight pass a message on to the other Celestia!”
“I will someday, when I figure out what to write.” Sunset's smile didn't reach her pale eyes, which made Pinkie want to give her a hug. So she did. Sunset stiffened for a second before putting her arms on Pinkie's back. She didn't seem used to hugs. Pinkie imagined that ponies didn't hug much – it would have to be hard with no arms. One time she had watched Applejack's horses lay their heads across each others' necks. Pinkie briefly considered trying this equine gesture with Sunset before concluding that it would be too awkward with her large-headed, small-necked human anatomy.
“Um, Sunset, did you say Princess Celestia banished Princess Luna to the moon?” asked Fluttershy, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear.
Sunset nodded, pulling away from Pinkie. “Basically, Princess Luna was jealous of Celestia and tried to kill her. Celestia had no choice but to use the Elements of Harmony to send her to the moon.”
The girls' eyes grew to the size of balloons. “How – how could Luna do that to her own sister?” asked Rainbow.
“Do you think our Vice Principal Luna would try to kill Celestia?” Fluttershy wrung her hands.
“I don't know. I hope not, but the two worlds are becoming more closely linked. It's possible that history could repeat itself here.” Sunset gripped the edge of the table.
Rarity glanced back and forth between Fluttershy and Sunset. “Do you think we should warn Celestia?”
“Let's just keep an eye on her for now,” said Applejack, shaking her head. “No need to go accusin' the vice principal before she's even done anythin'.”
“You're right Applejack. All we can do is watch her and hope for the best.” She put her hand to her chin. “Now, where was I?”
“Celestia banished Luna to the moon,” answered Pinkie.
“Oh, yeah. So, after Celestia used the Elements, they disappeared. No one knew where they were for a thousand years. Then...I left Equestria before this happened, but I understand that Princess Luna escaped and threatened to bring eternal night. Twilight and the pony versions of you tracked her through the Everfree Forest. On the way, each one was tested and proved that they embody one of the Elements.”
Rainbow's brow furrowed as she reached for the bowl of peanuts in the middle of the table. “So like, they played their instruments?”
Sunset stared. “What are you talking – oh. Twilight never told you, did she.”
“Told us what?” Rarity wrinkled her brow, sharing Dash's confusion.
“Each of the Elements of Harmony represents a virtue necessary for friendship and cooperation. And each one of you shows one of these virtues more than anyone else.” A grin spread across her face. “I want you to guess what they are.”
The other girls screwed up their faces in thought.
“Is there a Self-confidence Element?” Applejack smirked, jerking her thumb to her left, toward Dash. “'Cause I don't know if ya'll have noticed, but Rainbow here thinks her poop don't stink.”
“Heh. If there's a Self-confidence Element, I bet there's a Stubbornness Element.” Dash dug her bony elbow into AJ's arm.
“Okay, I think I'd better give you multiple choice. Your choices are: Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, and Generosity. Go!” She pointed in their general direction.
“Ooo!” Pinkie raised her hand as if she were in class. “I'm Laughter, right?”
Sunset's grin widened. “Nailed it!”
“Yes!” Pinkie pumped her fist.
Rarity tapped her chin with her finger. “Kindness...I think that's you, Fluttershy. You always think of others first.”
“Yeah, and you've helped me out more times than I can count.” Rainbow put her arm around her shoulders. “And you never complain about it either.”
“Right again!” said Sunset.
Fluttershy smiled as her cheeks turned pink. “Well, what about you Rarity?” she said, gazing across the table at her friend. “I think you're Generosity. You're always lending us your clothes and giving us money whenever we're short a few dollars.”
“That's just what friends do.” Rarity waved her hand.
“Exactly,” said Sunset. “That's why it's one of the Elements of Harmony.”
“So, Rarity's Generosity, Flutters is Kindness,” said Dash, counting them on her fingers, “and Pinkie is Comedy.”
“Laughter,” corrected Sunset.
“Right. What did I say?”
“That leaves Honesty and Loyalty.” Rarity tapped her pencil against her neglected biology textbook.
“I think Dashie and AJ could fit both of them equally. Neither of you girls have ever been afraid to tell me how you really feel.” Fluttershy rubbed her arm.
“Yeah, and AJ's loyal to her family, and Dashie's loyal to her team!” said Pinkie.
Rainbow pretended to polish her nails on her sleeve. “I'm awesome that way.”
AJ threw a peanut at her.
“And so's AJ,” she added.
“Each one of you has all the virtues that make up the Elements, but only one person fits each Element the most,” explained Sunset.
“Well now, Honesty has always been important to me.” With a thoughtful frown, Applejack softly tapped the table. “It's better to earn people's trust than tell 'em a lie to make 'em like you. And it's also better to deal with a hard reality than a false hope.”
Sunset nodded with a gentle smile. She was starting to remind Pinkie of a teacher. But the five of them had to learn about magic, and who better to teach them than someone who had studied it for years?
“And Rainbow, you've been lookin' out for us for a long time,” added AJ, nudging her arm.
“And you inspire others to be loyal, too,” said Rarity.
Dash folded her arms. “Yeah, it's just what I do.”
“Hey, wait a second! That's only five!” Pinkie threw her arm over Sunset's shoulder. “What about you, Sunny? What's your Element?”
Sunset's cheeks reddened as she looked down at the table. “I've been trying to figure that out. Twilight's Element is the Magic of Friendship that holds the other Elements together. In Equestria, there are six Elements. But they don't work the same way in this universe. Magic here is very strange. It's almost as if this universe doesn't know what to do with magic, so it makes up its own rules as it goes along.”
“Are you suggesting that the Universe saw fit to give you your own Element and the adorable pony ears that go with it?” Rarity folded her hands under her chin, giving Sunset a sly look.
“I don't know.” Sunset's mouth quirked up in a lopsided smile. “Maybe.”
“I know what your Element is!” Pinkie waved her arms. “The best Element of all – the Element of Surprise!”
The others gave her blank stares.
“I don't know if that really fits the Elements of Harmony, Pinkie.” Fluttershy shook her head.
Pinkie lowered her arms, feeling a bit disappointed. The Element of Surprise made so much sense to her.
“What about the Element of Perseverance?” suggested Rarity. “You never gave up, even when – um, I mean -”
“I know what you mean,” Sunset said quickly.
Rarity forged ahead. “And after that, you never gave up trying to be our friend, even thought we weren't as welcoming as we should have been.” She rubbed the back of her neck.
Pinkie felt guilty about this, too. She looked down at the magical book she'd left open. It struck her that she'd known Sunset a whole lot longer than Twilight. She owed it to Sunset to be there for her, instead of always thinking about her distant friend whose first loyalty was to the alternate versions of them. With her eyelids lowered in a solemn expression, Pinkie closed the book.
Sunset didn't seem to notice, staring at the table with a slumped posture. “It's okay, I understand. I wouldn't've been welcoming either if someone had turned my classmates into an army of zombies.”
“You don't have to worry about that anymore, Sunny,” said Pinkie with a determined – and she hoped reassuring – smile. “You've done more than enough to make up for it!”
“Wait just a cotton-pickin' minute.” Applejack frowned. “Ain't perseverance another word for stubbornness?”
“Oh yeah.” Rainbow pushed AJ's hat back. “We already went over that.”
“Perhaps the reason you stuck with us wasn't stubbornness, then.” Rarity pursed her lips.
“Somethin' she said jumped out at me.” AJ straightened her hat. “Sunset, you said that you'd feel the same way we did if someone turned your classmates into zombies.”
Rarity's blue eyes widened. “Of course! Darling,” she said, putting her hand on Sunset's shoulder, “you stayed our friend because you understood how we felt! You were able to imagine how you would feel in our position.”
Sunset smiled a bit bashfully.
“Sunset Shimmer, you have the Element of...Empathy!”
A warm glow surrounded Sunset, and her ears moved toward the top of her head. Her hair grew down to the floor, waving in an unearthly wind. A second later, the same thing happened to the other five girls. Pinkie felt the now familiar tingling sensation as her human ears turned into pony ears. She was charged with energy, like she'd just eaten three donuts...which she had, coincidentally. It was never too late for donuts.
“That must be it.” Sunset grinned wider than Pinkie had ever seen. “My Element is Empathy!”
Fluttershy bit her lip. “That's great Sunset, but, um, well, I hate to sound like a worrywart, but I thought our magic only activates whenever there's a threat.” Her large eyes darted around Pinkie's dining room, as if she expected someone to jump out at her. For someone who hated to sound like a worrywart, she tended to do just that on a regular basis.
Sunset's grin faded. “I hope it's just because we figured out what my Element is. Still, we have to be ready for anything.”
At that moment, Maud moseyed into the room. She didn't seem surprised to see the pony ears and super-long ponytails, and wings, in Dash's and Fluttershy's case (Pinkie had been meaning to ask about them).
“Pinkie, do you know where my favorite pencil is.” It was a question, but Maud had never quite learned how to pronounce question marks.
“It's wherever you left it, silly!”
With a slow blink, Maud said, “Of course. Why didn't I think of that.” She turned around; then glanced at them over her shoulder. “Did you know that the graphite in pencils is a metamorphic rock.” Then, facing the doorway, Maud shuffled out.
Pinkie beamed. “She's really warming up to you guys.”