An exhausted sigh escaped Princess Celestia’s mouth. A painful crick in her neck had built up after hours of sitting in that chair doing nothing; nothing but sitting and working. Suddenly, the door opened wide, with two guards trotting in the room. The one thing that caught Celestia’s eye--and her primary attention--was how one of soldiers was holding Sunset Shimmer by her left foreleg, completely ignoring her attempts to escape.
“What is the meaning of this?” the Princess called, her voice crackled and weak.
One of the guards in charge of Shimmer’s capture stepped up with Shimmer in toll.“Princess Celestia, we caught Sunset Shimmer studying dark—”
“It’s a lie!” Sunset Shimmer shouted, looking at Celestia. “Don’t listen—”
Princess Celestia held a hoof that silenced Sunset Shimmer. Her glare made the young unicorn uneasy, as the room grew silent. “You are certain of this?”
The guard nodded.“Yes, your Majesty.”
Shimmer said nothing and kept her attention on the floor, as it were more of an interesting thing to look at. It didn’t matter much, though, because, off the shining surface of the floor beneath her, she saw her angered mentor’s reflection, looking down in shame. Sunset Shimmer looked up at Princess with a frown upon her face.
Princess Celestia looked at her guards and gave them a nod. She waited until she heard the door close before her steely look faded and was replaced with concern. Sunset Shimmer stood still, not moving a muscle as Celestia looked down at the table as if it held any interest. The silence began to bother Shimmer, making her groan. “Princess, I--”
“Sit.”
“But, I--”
“Sit.” Princess Celestia repeated. “Please.”
Sunset sighed and sat down on the chair.
Princess Celestia looked at Shimmer for a while, letting the silence sit in. She turned to her right and levitated a cup over to the Shimmer. “Tea?”
Sunset looked at Princess Celestia with a confused look. “No, I don’t want tea right now.”
Celestia set the cup down and returned her attention back at Shimmer. “Alright, just being polite. Mother always told me politeness is the way to start a conversation.” She sighed. “Sunset Shimmer, you do know you can share anything with me.”
“I can’t believe this.” Sunset Shimmer leaned back in her chair and looked at Celestia with shock rendering her eyes. “You believe their words over mine, don’t you?”
“Sunset Shimmer, the guards swore an oath to never spread lies. I trust them with--”
“You trust a hunk of metal over me!” Shimmer scoffed. “That’s insulting. It’s like the time we spent meant nothing.”
“I enjoyed our time together.” Princess Celestia said. “I’m just wondering why you lied about going into the archives without my permission.”
“I didn’t!” Sunset slammed her hooves down on the table. “Why, all of a sudden, do you not trust me?”
Princess Celestia didn’t looked threatened when Shimmer made her outburst. All she did was sigh and shake her head. “Shimmer, do you remember the lessons we went through?”
Shimmer sat down and laid her head against her hoof and looked at Celestia with a bored expression. “Of course.”
“Humility.” Princess Celestia said. “Humility has to do with everything. Until you learn that, you’ll never understand.”
Sunset Shimmer gasped. “How dare you.” She lifted herself from the chair and shot a hoof at the teacher. “You have no right to tell me I have no humility. I’m the most talented and—!”
“That’s enough, Sunset Shimmer!”
Sunset Shimmer took a step back at the sheer volume from the calm and collected mare. She never thought she would see the day Celestia lost her temper and shouted at her.
“Sunset, I believe you,” she said. “I believe in you. Just please, take my lessons with more thought. You’ll never know when it might come into play.”
Sunset opened her mouth to protest, but sighed instead. “Fine.”
Princess Celestia smiled. “Thank you.”
Shimmer looked at Celestia, ignoring as the guards opened the door. Without a word or even a bow, she turned around and walked out the room.
Sunset Shimmer ran across the bridge that separated the two castles. She held her head down to keep the rain from blinding her vision. She picked up her speed when she heard thunder clap in the skies, echoing through Canterlot.
The sound of her hooves stomping against the ground was all she could hear over the pouring rain. She looked up for a moment as she approached a door in the distance. She looked back down, not just because the rain, but because she hated seeing how small she was in comparison to the spire.
She opened the door and sprinted inside, closing the door behind her. She sighed and removed the hood from her head, breathing in the warm aura the room contained. She could hear the rain dropping onto the rug off of her soaking wet cloak. “Ugh, it had to rain today.”
Sunset Shimmer looked at the window next to the clock, its glassy surface watered down by the rain outside. It was heavy too, pitter-pattering against the glass like tiny pebbles, with the dark, thick tarp of clouds shrouding the world outside in darkness. It was no surprise that her face was soaked, despite having a hood on. Sunset vigorously shook her head to be rid of the water.
She hoped Celestia forgot about yesterday. She almost came close to finding out that she did indeed search for dark magic, but her skills of weaseling her way out of things proved to be useful. She just hoped Celestia wouldn’t bring it up today.
Turning around the corner to the eastern hall, Sunset could see a pair of large, purple double doors as tall as Celestia, bearing her sunny symbol right in the middle. She felt the nervous trembles stirring into a spin inside her chest, as if her heart was inside a washing machine. As she confronted the door, a guard stepped forward, using his spear to block the entrance to Celestia’s chambers. “State your business!” Sunset Shimmer removed her hood from her head, making the stallion gasp. “Oh, miss Shimmer. I didn’t know it was you!”
Sunset shot the stallion a glare.“You’re lucky I’m not in a sour mood. Is Princess Celestia around?”
He shook her head. “The princess is currently not within her quarters.”
Sunset Shimmer groaned. “This is just swell. She’s the one who wanted to see me, I bet for another boring lesson and she’s the one late!”
The guard gulped. “I-I could let you in if you like. She shouldn’t be too long.”
Sunset smiled to herself. “Proceed.” She waited at the door as the stallion walked to it and opened the door for her. She walked in and heard the door closing behind her. Celestia’s room had a royal look to it with red carpet underneath Shimmer’s hooves, the golden bars that held Celestia’s king-sized bed, which was well made, the blankets matching the color of the carpet. Shimmer was not too fond of Celestia’s paintings, always the ones with the opened field surrounded by grass, maybe because she liked the thought of just roaming there with her student.
She whistled and looked around for something to read or look at while she waited. The wallpaper Celestia had chosen was the color of the clear blue skies, although Shimmer couldn’t really tell. There were shelves of items covering wall to wall, stacked with treasures Celestia collected from her trips across the world, however Sunset couldn’t care less about any of them. She stopped looking as her eyes hit on a chest sitting inches away from her. The locks were sun-shaped to resemble Celestia’s cutie mark, all coated in gold. The hood of the chest was white just like her teacher’s coat.
She looked behind her to see the door still closed then turned her attention back to the chest. What was in it? A crown Celestia crafted for when Shimmer would become the new ruler of Equestria? Was it a diary from Celestia’s time, exploring more weakness for Shimmer to hurt. Her curiosity got the best of her and she placed her hooves on the lid of the chest near the bed and slowly lifted it up.
Shimmer fished through the chest, the sound of crinkling parchment and jewelry filled her ears until she spotted a distinct red book. She laid the book on Celestia’s bed and opened the journal, skimming over Celestia’s horn writing.
She stopped once she found the page that started with a few select words: “I think he has found the way to travel through time and space,” she read. “I fear Star Swirl has lost his way.”
Her eyes widened and her brows rose along with them. She knew the wizard was insane—everyone did—but this. Discovering this was taking insane to a completely new level.
Regardless, she read on, so enthralled that she began to hear a gentle and calm tone echo in her mind--
“The structure is so simple, I cannot believe I didn’t see it before,” he says with much confidence.
This stallion would always come to me with theories, most of them were considered insane, but I knew better. Although I still have doubts of his well being. “The theory of time travel and our relation to the spectrum of space are interconnected. You see, time and space are not so different.”
We perceive time as a constant, moving force that only goes forward, but it is not. Rather, it is how my old friend, Star Swirl, described it—like a big twisted ball of yarn. When you loosen all the strings and lay them out neatly, they are all linear and straight, but in this ball, all parts of the strings are connected and tied, and similar to how we can move in any direction of space, we can pick any of the many choices in time. The former is how we see usually time, with both a beginning and an end with no detours, but the true reality is the latter, where time can branch off into numerous different paths, interacting with other strings and forming new pathways and futures.
The future for the all of us.
I fear for my friend’s life.
Page after page she studied closely, her mind taking all the information in pages. She stopped flipping when she passed a certain page that caught her eye. Time travel spell. Her eyes scanned over what Celestia had written about the spell, the instructions on how to perform it now stuck in her head.
But there was one error within the spell, the user couldn’t use the spell to travel back in time, only forward.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
Shimmer cursed to herself and turned to behind her, and her breathing quickened at the sight of Celestia herself standing before her in all her glory, a frown on her face. A normal pony would have cowered under her glare, but Sunset Shimmer considered herself not like most ponies.
The Princess kept her distance, and the stallions did the same. The guards closed the door behind her, emitting a sigh from the Princess. She then turned to Sunset Shimmer again, her frown disappearing. “I cannot believe this. Even after our talk, you still disobey me. I’m very disappointed in you, Sunset Shimmer.”
Sunset had never seen it before, but for the first time ever, she saw the fear of failure in Celestia’s eyes, and she loved it. She knew she would fail as a teacher; a ruler. If only Celestia had seen her potential, it would not have come to this.
Princess Celestia’s eyes traveled down to the book laid out open on the floor then turned to her opened chest. “You always did let your curiosity get the best of you.” She levitated the book and flipped through the pages, a small smile spreading across her face.“Star Swirl had a brilliant mind, just like yours, Sunset Shimmer.”
She shut the book and turned to Sunset Shimmer, a frown on her face. “And, just like you, he failed to achieve his destiny because he failed to learn humility.” Princess Celestia sighed. “You’ve left me no choice, Shimmer, but by disobeying my orders and taking advantage of my trust, you will no longer will be my student.”
Sunset Shimmer shook her head. “No, no, those words--”
“But you are welcome to stay in--”
“No!” Sunset Shimmer shouted, silencing Celestia. She stared at her, mouth agape. “You… you can’t do this. I-I came so far, I’ve worked hard to get where I am!” She felt her heart pounding from her rage boiling up inside her. “You can’t do this!”
Princess Celestia sighed. “You never humbled yourself, Sunset Shimmer. That was always a flaw of yours. A flaw that I can’t no longer stand.”
Sunset Shimmer growled. “I can’t believe I ever thought you were wise, but you’re just like them.. Naive!”
Princess Celestia glared, snorting with building rage, her friendly act melting. ”I was optimistic for you Sunset Shimmer, but you have proven you only care for your own desires. You’ve shown me that you are not ready to rule Equestria.”
She stared this time, not moving a muscle nor doing her usual rant. This time, Celestia struck a nerve and left her speechless. Sunset Shimmer growled at her. “You can’t do this! I was supposed to rule!”
“I’ll have the guards escort you out,” Princess Celestia said, preparing to turn around.
“Don’t turn your back on me. We’re not done talking!” She gasped as Princess Celestia turned around and headed for the door. “Don’t ignore me!” She shouted as she released blasted a beam of magic at Celestia.
Princess Celestia saw this and formed a shield around her which quickly vanished the blast. Celestia looked at her student- former student with shocked eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but words to express what Shimmer had just done wouldn’t come out.
Sunset Shimmer looked at Celestia with shock in her eyes. She just attacked her teacher, the ruler of Equestria. She couldn’t shake the feeling buried beneath her shock, the pleasure followed when she attacked her, it felt… good.
The door burst opened and Celestia quickly snapped out of her brief trance. The guards stopped beside Celestia and shielded her with their bodies, pointing spears at Shimmer. “Surrender now, Sunset Shimmer!” one of them shouted.
Shimmer snapped out of her trance. An intense red glow emerged from the spirals of Sunset Shimmer’s horn, the spell expanding outward like a bubble and pushing the guards back. They tried to break through, but the shield was proving to be too much for them. The guards began hammering away at the shield, but despite their assault, it continued to grow sturdier. Sunset Shimmer saw Celestia charging up a spell.
The Princess’s horn lit up the room. The light flew across the room the time that Celestia blasted a spell that broke Shimmer’s shield and sent her falling to her haunches. Shimmer grunted as she felt Celestia’s magic coursing through her body. She looked up to see Celestia holding out a hoof.
“I take no pleasure in doing this. Please,” Celestia lend out a hoof. “Be the better pony and leave now.”
Growling, Shimmer charged another spell, blasting it as she shouted. “I hate you!”
Princess Celestia was too stunned to react as the spell hit her chest, however it only pushed her back a couple feet. Sunset Shimmer wasn’t surprised that the spell didn’t put Celestia on her haunches. She was her student, and thus she wasn’t powerful enough to bring down a goddess.
While Celestia stared at her, catching her breath from the last attack, Sunset Shimmer’s mind raced for an exit plan. The thought of teleporting came first, but without focus, she could appear anywhere. She considered the idea of taking that chance, but then the image of her demise woke her up.
”The time spell!”
Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes and focused. She felt something wet trail from her nose, and her body trembled with pain. Star Swirl did not mention this in his journal, but she hoped the stallion’s notes were correct.
An orb suddenly engulfed Sunset Shimmer, shielding her in a golden aura similar to Celestia's. Her enemies looked as if they were shouting something out, but she ignored them. They all stood outside the bubble, just staring at her, full of a hesitant, delicate frustration. Sunset smirked and stood back, watching as the three stood helpless outside.
Her former mentor’s frown had vanished into a sad expression, realizing she could do nothing else but only stand there in front of her. They both stared at each other, separated by different times. Celestia was moving with it, and Sunset Shimmer was not. Princess Celestia walked up to the bubble and placed her hoof on the surface. “Listen to me, Sunset Shimmer. Stop this at once and surrender!”
“Oh you would like that wouldn’t you,” Shimmer said, smirking. “To be the hero when clearly you’re the villain.”
Princess Celestia’s frown deepened. “This is insane!”
Sunset Shimmer walked close to the bubble, staring into her eyes as she said, “Never again will I bow to you.”
Celestia took a step back. Shimmer watched as her horn glowed and surrounded her and the guards. There was a bright flash of light before it died down and Celestia or the guards were nowhere to be seen.
Then it happened. No sound, no more talking, no final scream—the scene was moving forward. She watched Celestia’s room slowly change, then speed up so fast she could not tell what was happening because she was moving through time at such an incredibly rapid speed.
Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes to avoid the bright light that exploded in the room. She felt the light faded away and opened her eyes to a sight to leave her mouth hanging.
The rapid speed slowed down as the walls became smudged with mud and grew cracks within it. The orb that surrounded her popped like a bubble, making her smell something nasty, as if there were a dead body decaying in the room. She resisted the urge to puke as she studied her new surroundings. Everything was broken down and aged beyond comprehension. The curtains, the blankets, and any other kind of fabric had holes within them, or looked like a timber wolf had ripped and torn everything apart with its claws.
The unicorn closed her eyes. She grinded her teeth together as the realization set in that her only escape home was gone, leaving her stuck here. She levitated whatever was on the ground and smashed it onto the wall, hearing glass shatter onto the floor.
Shimmer turned around and picked up an old vase and threw it onto the wall. Her heart pumped with rage as she tore through the wall, smashing everything in. She didn’t realize the tears were trailing from her face as she was covered in sweat, exhausted from breaking everything.
She saw the chest across from her, still sitting in the same spot. It had green smudges smeared around it. She growled and lifted the chest in her magic. “Ugh!” she shouted as she tossed the chest outside the window, shattering the glass.
She tried to control her beating heart, but her anger only fueled it. The fact that Celestia trapped her here with the spell, made her want to break more things, but she saw nothing left. The room had been wiped clean of things to break.
As she was about to move the ground under her hooves shook.
Her cold cheek smacked against the floor, and her body felt numb. She laid there for several minutes groaning. Sunset Shimmer forced herself to her hooves. Her legs trembled, but she managed to stand as she clung to the wall and looked for a way out.
She closed her eyes as she began teleporting out of the room. At the end of her spell jump, she lost her hoofing and rolled across the ground. She grunted as she pushed herself up from the ground, looking around and noticed the door to the second spire standing across from the one behind her.
Realizing she was standing on the bridge that separated the two castle towers, she looked up at the sky. The moon hung around the edge of the cloudless sky, accompanied by the bright stars shining. She realized she was on the bridge, the bridge that was far off from the ground and that the could fall kill her. She resisted the urge to puke.
The collapsing floor beneath reminded her she did not have time to relax. She ran towards the edge of the bridge that separated the two spires, her vision became blurry as more she approached the end and it felt like she wanted to puke. She shook off the feeling and continued to run. She felt like she was going lower and lower as her hooves galloped. She looked behind her, seeing the bridge fell apart, breaking the two spires off made her sped up.
Her heart was practically a war drum as she forced herself to continue sprinting. She closed her eyes and leaped off, yelling, “Aaaaah!” while the bridge behind completely broke apart.
Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes and teleported again, and once more felt the rolling motions. She hissed as the ground scraped her foreleg and ripped some of her cloak off. Grunting as the pain numbed her body, she tried to get up, but found it hurt everytime she tried to stand on her injured foreleg.
Her ears twitched at as she heard something crashing into the ground. The ground underneath her shook from the impact. She looked up and saw the city blanketed in shadows. The once great white towers of the princesses stood out like tall, thin sticks against the darkening horizon.
All she could do was watch as Canterlot—her home—crumbled to the ground in a heap of dust. She watched the tower of the two sisters crumble to the ground, losing its imposing figure. She felt her heart skip a beat, realizing as she watched a ton of dust fly into the air and the stones of the city crumbling back to the earth, that her escape back home went down with the rest of it. She was trapped within this unknown.
Her breath was caught in her throat as she saw the cloud of dust that erupted earlier from outside was storming towards her. Everything in its path was consumed by the grey, earthy cloud, becoming a meal to the monstrous beast.
Sunset Shimmer only had time to perform a shield spell before the dust consumed her whole.