Sunset dropped the heavy load in front of her locker at the end of the day and hoped it would be the last time she had to bear it. Fluttershy stood nearby holding a couple books that didn’t fit and watched expectantly. It had been almost a week since her locker had last been vandalized, almost a week since the confrontation with Trixie, and it appeared that the ongoing torment had passed. Her locker was clean and, as she opened it, empty.
“Looks good,” said Sunset with a nod. “Hopefully this isn’t a trap.”
“Have you seen Trixie since last week?” asked Fluttershy as she handed over the books in her arms. Sunset began putting them on the shelves in the locker.
“I’ve seen her, but not talked,” said Sunset. She finished putting the three textbooks books away and then opened up her bag. “She has continued to give me nasty looks but I think that’s it.” She looked at the cover of the history textbook in her hands. “For the attacks, anyway.”
“I hope so,” said Fluttershy. She bent over and began picking up books out of the bag and handing them off to Sunset who put them in their right places.
There was a general order to Sunset’s locker, not one of any scientific derivation but she liked to keep similar topics and similar sized books together. When she couldn’t accomplish both, it was usually a judgement call based on how frequently she needed the tome. Still, she didn’t have that much, and it was only a couple minutes of sorting before Fluttershy was holding the last book in the backpack.
“Oh,” said Fluttershy suddenly and Sunset turned to look. She was holding the large, leather bound diary that Celestia had given her back in Equestria. It was one of two books she still had of the collection she crossed the mirror with, and the only one she couldn’t sell for cash in those early days. Sunset looked on it sadly, and wondered about the connection she was supposed to have with Celestia.
Fluttershy ran her fingers over the cover, adorned simply with Sunset’s cutie mark. “It’s yours,” she said. “Did you write this?”
Sunset gently took the book from Fluttershy and shook her head. “It’s blank. An unfortunate relic from my youth.”
“Unfortunate?” asked Fluttershy.
Sunset nodded. She turned the book over in her hand and casually flipped through the blank pages. “It was supposed to make me feel close to my teacher, but it didn’t work. I ignored it as a foal and it brought me no comfort afterwards.”
“Why do you still have it, then?” asked Fluttershy.
Sunset chuckled wryly. “I couldn’t sell it,” she said. “Was only worth the leather binding which was next to nothing. I kept it because it was wasteful to sell it for what I was being offered. But it’s really not worth anything.” She sighed. “I should probably throw it away.”
“You could use it,” offered Fluttershy.
Sunset smiled. “I’m not sure what would happen if I—“ she stopped abruptly as she reached the front of the book. Inside, opposite the cover, there should have been a blank page but instead it had writing. Sunset was sure it didn’t have writing when she received the book, she had initially thought it was a puzzle after all and spent days trying to make the surely invisible text appear.
It now appeared they had, though not in the manner her younger self imagined. There were only seven words on the page and it was the only page she noticed with writing. They had to have appeared after she’d crossed the mirror into the human world. The words stared back at her and she felt a lump in her throat up a little.
“Sunset?” said Fluttershy softly.
Sunset closed the book quickly and coughed to compose herself. “Sorry,” she said. “Got lost in thought.” She quickly dropped the book onto the floor of her locker and shut it roughly. “I-I need to run to my detention. I’ll see you afterwards.” She paused.
Down the hallway behind Fluttershy, past the throng of students, she saw her. Trixie. She was standing before two other students, a dark pink-haired girl with blue eyes who Sunset believed was named Fuchsia-something. She was pointing animatedly at Fuchsia's dress and then at herself. She had that self-assured smirk the whole time.
“Okay,” said Fluttershy with a smile, pulling Sunset’s attention back to her. The girl leaned in and quickly gave Sunset a hug, then waved goodbye.
Sunset waved absently back and headed towards Luna’s office. She felt slightly adrift again. The tightness in her chest was hard to ignore and the words in the book seemed to be lingering in her mind:
I always loved you, Sunset. Good luck.
*** ( MLP ) ***
Years earlier…
Sunset struggled against the two royal guardponies holding her down as Shining Brow rummaged through her saddle bags. They were heavy with books that she’d pulled from the secret compartment in the chest in her room. It hardly mattered at this point that anyone knew.
The titles of the books made Shining Brow’s eyes widen and she brought one over to where Princess Celestia was standing. Celestia’s expression was grim, It was almost as if her hair began flowing slightly lower in response.
“I asked you not to go near these books, Sunset Shimmer,” said Celestia. “You aren’t ready to understand them.”
Sunset’s teeth ground together. “You lied to me,” she seethed.
Princess Celestia blinked quickly. “It’s a subjective opinion, I’ll admit, but--”
“You said becoming an alicorn and a princess was a long and complicated journey,” interrupted Sunset. “But you can simply make me one!”
With a shake of her head, Celestia turned away and faced her throne. “I can do nothing of the sort,” she said. “Unless you are worthy.”
“You are holding me back, again!” shouted Sunset Shimmer. She struggled against the guards who were holding her. “It is my destiny to become one! I don’t need to prove anything! You’ve seen it in the mirror!”
“The visions in the Crystal Mirror are for those who look upon them only,” said Celestia. “I did not see what you saw.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“More to the point, my student,” said Celestia. “You have demonstrated no fondness for any of the positive virtues that might empower you as an alicorn. A pony fueled by envy and ambition will become no better than the tyrants you spoke so negatively of before.”
“This land needs someone to protect it from all your waffling!” said Sunset Shimmer. “You need strength! Luck won’t keep you safe from the all the people lined up to conquer Equestria!”
Celestia put the book down on her throne and kneeled down in front of Sunset Shimmer. “And you, Sunset Shimmer? Are you at the front of that line?”
Sunset Shimmer glared at her. “I wanted to protect us. But, I don’t need you anymore. I now know there are other worlds out there. Worlds safe from Nightmare Moon, and Sombra, and even Tirek.”
Celestia’s eyes widened. Then she glanced back at the mirror beside the throne. As she did, Sunset released the spell she’d learned from Tirek’s book, sending a shockwave of magic at Celestia and knocking her to the ground.
Sunset took advantage of the scrambling guardponies to pull herself free of her captors and grab the saddlebags between her teeth. She ran towards the crystal mirror as quickly as possible, channeling the opening magic through her horn and open the gateway between worlds. She stopped, halfway through the surface, and looked back at her once-mentor.
Celestia was getting onto her hooves again, her brow furrowed and her lips thin. Her guardsponies were staying behind her for some reason.
“I’ll get stronger,” Sunset Shimmer said. “And after you lose to the enemies that are coming, I’ll be back to show you the savior you wouldn’t let me be.”
With a snort, she stepped through the mirror and was felt an odd tug on her being that pulled her forward, back and threatened to turn her insides out. There wasn’t pain so much as loss, as her body was plunged into a myriad of sensations she could make neither heads nor tails of.
Sunset Shimmer stumbled and fell on the other side of the mirror because her legs refused to move properly. Her balance was off and she tumbled forward, smashing her face into a stone staircase and rolling down onto a grassy plain. Her face felt horribly sore while her whole body was assaulting her with feelings she had no idea how to interpret.
“What’s happened to me?” she asked herself. Her voice echoed strangely in her head and she reached up to rub her snout again. Her hand touched her face and she realized her entire head was a different shape. She wasn’t a unicorn anymore. She wasn’t even a pony anymore.
Straightening her legs, Sunset Shimmer tried to walk but found that her legs were not all the same size anymore. Not to mention, she was wearing clothes on her hind legs and not her fore legs. Her hind legs were shod in boots as well. Perhaps whatever she was, it stood on two legs like dragons?
Sunset Shimmer tried to get onto her hind legs and stand upright but found balance to be difficult and she fell again, this time onto the saddle bags she had brought with her. The books inside scattered about the grassy field. She growled at the idiocy of not being able to even stand, and then used her magic to pick up the books and put them—
The books refused to move.
Sunset Shimmer glared at the tomes and tried again. Still they refused to budge. In fact, she barely felt a tingle of magic remaining. She reached up with her paws to touch her forehead and then remembered she had no horn.
No horn meant she wasn’t a unicorn. Not being a unicorn meant she didn’t have magic.
“NO!” screamed Sunset Shimmer at the night sky.
She grabbed her head with her paws and tried again to use her magic. To summon a storm, to teleport, to pick up a blade a grass. Nothing! Nothing responded at all!
She had no magic at all.
She had no power at all!
She crawled back towards the stairs she fell down and discovered a tall statue of an horse. She didn’t even bother wasting time on an ironic remark. She threw herself at the statue’s base hoping to escape back to Equestria. She slammed into the cool marble and yelped as she fell back again.
“NO!” she yelled again, as she climbed up and ran her paws across the surface of the stone. It was hard and unyielding. She pounded her fists into it and begged for it to open again. She couldn’t be trapped in a world without magic! She had to have magic. It was why she was special. It was her talent!
She slammed herself into base of the statue again and again until she fell to her knees in tears.
The doorway was closed. Nothing but a faint trickle of energy remained. She couldn’t go back.
She was trapped.
Her sore paws clenched into fists and she growled.
She was tricked! Tricked by Celestia!
She rubbed her tears away and leaned against the closed portal to get onto her hind legs. Experimentally she moved her hooves about and tried to keep her balance. It took her six tries but she finally took two steps without falling.
She would master this. She would find a way. She would find whatever power this world had to offer and make it bend to her will.
Then she would return to Equestria and give Celestia exactly what she deserved!
*** ( MLP ) ***
Present Day
Sunset managed to compose herself after visiting Luna and went down to the classrooms. She had been teaching maths the last few days to students who were in detention that needed help and she was starting to enjoy it. Though it was a little frustrating that most weren’t all that interested in learning despite their poor grades. It was even more frustrating when she encountered students she knew.
“Again, girls?” said Sunset as she entered the classroom and saw who her students were. “What was it this time? Boxcar racing? Snake charming? Rabble-rousing?”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Rabble-rousing is not a thing. I checked.”
“Good on you for checking,” said Sunset dryly. “It is a thing, though, just not what you think it is.”
“Our video page is getting more hits now,” said Apple Bloom. “We have to, ya know , kick it up a notch so it’s still entertainin’!”
Sunset tried to smile. “Do you girls know why people are coming to your site?” she asked. “So you can be sure it’s really something you want to exploit?”
“It’s to see how awesome we are,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Ah,” said Sunset. She didn’t quite want to burst their bubble, they probably wouldn’t listen anyway, but she had a pretty good idea they weren’t becoming popular because of how ‘awesome’ they were. “So what was it this time?”
“Skateboarding off the loading dock onto a pallet ramp,” said Scootaloo proudly. “We got some awesome video of it before we got caught.”
“You’re going to get killed,” said Sunset. “The loading dock is like four feet stall. If you fell the wrong way that distance you could break a leg.”
“We were fine,” said Apple Bloom.
Sunset sighed. “Well, don’t ever say I didn’t try to help you.”
“Why would we say that?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Sunset smiled at Rarity’s sister. “Nevermind. Let’s get back to calculus.”
“Awww,” pouted the trio.
“This is detention, not gossip hour,” said Sunset. “What did you expect?”
“That you’d be a totally awesome teacher that understood we don’t really need to learn calculus?” offered Scootaloo.
“Why would that be an awesome teacher?” asked Sunset. “You do need calculus.”
“Nah, ah’ve never seen Applejack use it. When am I ever going to need it?” Apple Bloom waved Sunset off dismissively.
“Well, maybe you don’t want to be Applejack,” said Sunset. “And there are all sorts of things you can figure out with calculus that might be useful to you.”
“Like what?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Sunset shrugged. “Alright, how about your video.”
“Our video?” repeated Sweetie Belle.
“While I don’t advocate this at all,” Sunset warned, knowing full well this was probably an endorsement to these three thrill seekers. “Let’s say you wanted to know how high you could jump off a ramp with your skateboard without breaking either a, the board, or b, your legs. This is the sort of thing you don’t want to get wrong, right?” She hesitated. “You don’t want to break your legs... right?”
“Right,” said Scootaloo after far too long of a hesitation.
“Hmmm,” mused Sunset. “Well, calculus is your answer there, as long as you can find out reliable values for the break points of the various parts of your board, their combined strength, your legs, and reasonable guesses about falling speed, you could figure out how high and how fast you can go before you do some tragic damage to yourself.” She sighed. “Please don’t actually do this though.”
“Calculus can do all of that at once?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Well, differential calculus can,” started Sunset. “That particular equation is probably going to involve quite a number of multivariate equations and a graph that looks like six electrocardiograms stacked on each other, but generally speaking, yes. The answer can be derived.” She paused. “And really, thanks to computers, you really don’t have to solve those by hand.”
The three girls looked at her in a mixture of total confusion and awe.
“Alright, let’s start with Scootaloo and go around until you don’t have any more questions,” said Sunset. She pointed at the dark purple-haired girl.
“What is an electro... cardiogram?”
“That’s not really all that relevant to what I was saying, but an electrocardiogram is that machine in hospitals that shows your heart activity as a wavy line on a screen or piece of paper,” said Sunset.
“How does that work?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Sunset tried to smile as she launched into a variety of topics she had only casual knowledge of.
An hour and a half later as the trio – who she learned called themselves the ‘Crusaders’ though by what calling and upon what force they were crusading it was never made clear – departed from detention, Sunset found Luna standing in the hall just outside the door. She nodded kindly but looked at her disappointingly.
“I would have come by,” said Sunset. “I always do after detention.”
“I know,” nodded Luna. “I trust in your activities here, this is not about monitoring your activities.”
“Then, what?” asked Sunset as she walked past the Vice Principal and headed back towards the front offices.
“I wished to see your teaching style,” said Luna as she walked alongside her student. “You strayed far from the topics assigned.”
“Ah, you were listening,” said Sunset. “I didn’t really want to, but they had questions I could mostly answer and you told me to ‘inspire learning’ so I thought giving them the truth instead of a future promise was better.”
“It is fine, I just hope you were giving them the right answers,” said Luna. “And that you were not encroaching on topics we should not be teaching in school.”
Sunset thought back over the discussion and slightly blanched. “I... was... offering a well justified reason why they should not be killing themselves in order to post videos online.”
“I see,” said Luna. “And this reasoned argument was one they listened to?”
Sunset bit her lip. “They definitely heard it.”
Luna laughed softly. “I will caution you that not even the most logical argument can sway all minds, and you are probably better trying to avoid any dangerous topics altogether.”
Sunset sighed. “I’ll try to remember that,” she said.
They walked in silence for a minute
“Did you enjoy it?” asked Luna
“Talking about skateboard tricks?” asked Sunset.
Luna smirked. “Teaching.”
“Oh,” said Sunset. She reddened slightly as her misunderstanding. “It’s not bad, certainly better than cleaning.” She thought about the last few days since she started teaching other detention students. “I like the dialog, and it’s nice that I actually can answer the questions they have. Though I wonder if doing that day in and day out would become enormously tedious.”
“You need not consider your full career in this conversation,” said Luna.
Sunset was quiet for a moment as she turned the conversations around in her head. Would she have liked herself as a teacher? She believed she would, though in a formal teaching situation she might have the freedom to go into basic biology during a calculus discussion. Or maybe she would? She didn’t know how it all worked.
But if she were to consider, beyond all of the formalities of teaching, the actual act of passing on learning, then, well..
“Yeah, I liked it,” said Sunset. “I am, uh, I’m glad there is a use for some of the knowledge I’ve gained other than to cause destruction and bitter disappointment.”
Luna nodded but said nothing, urging Sunset to continue.
“I still miss my magic,” she said softly. “It was what everything I learned was for and now I can’t even feel it.”
“You still believe you would return to your home world, given the chance?” asked Luna.
Sunset shook her head. “It’s not that, I still wouldn’t have a place there unless some pretty powerful people took pity on me.” She thought back to the book with her cutie mark on it and the words written inside. “Though I suppose it’s not unlikely they would, I just don’t want to live that way.”
The two arrived at the front of the school and Luna turned to face her student. The vice principal looked strangely serene and at peace, an attitude that had grown ever more prevalent as Sunset’s detention had stretched on. She made a small, comfortable smile.
“You know you shy away from anything you view as a gift,” said Luna.
“I...” Sunset frowned and her mind rebelled at that thought. It couldn’t be right.
“Your talents are never enough for you,” said Luna. “The things people offer are viewed with skepticism and distain, and even the friends you’ve made were not welcomed until you had created a struggle to overcome to properly admit them.”
There was a moment where Sunset believed she was sleeping and this some crazy nightmare. She couldn’t come up with any reason to think that, other than the strangely talkative and suddenly all too prescient Luna staring down at her.
“How do you even know—“ Sunset started but felt she probably didn’t want to know the answer. “No, I-I don’t do that.”
“If you say so,” said Luna with a nod. “Then perhaps I have over-orchestrated this opportunity to see you teach.”
Sunset frowned again. “You—why?”
Luna turned and looked out the front doors, largely glass with a metal frame, and stared out at the stone statue in the courtyard lit by the nearly set sun. She seemed to be composing thoughts in her head and her lips slightly moved as if reciting. Eventually she tipped her head slightly to catch Sunset in the corner of her eye.
“I have held off on talking with you about this,” said Luna. “Because I did not want to distract from your recent... adjustments, but I feel this should no longer be a concern.”
Sunset’s eyes widened. “Talk about what?”
Luna folded her arms and turned away from the doors to look at Sunset. “I thought it was just strange dreams at first, but they became increasingly lucid to the point that I could no longer ignore them.” She cleared her throat. “There is another me in them.”
“Another you?” asked Sunset, wondering what was going on. “Like a mirror?”
Luna shook her head. “Like a version of me that is a winged unicorn, that enters my dreams from another world.”
Sunset’s brows rose. “You’ve met Princess Luna?”
Luna sighed and nodded slowly. “She came to me not long after your detention started. We have talked a great deal about the many worlds and the responsibilities of someone who can enter and calm dreaming minds.” She looked unsteady. “She has begun to teach me certain things, which she admits may not work but wanted to try all the same.”
Sunset nodded. “She wants to teach you how to cross dreams?” she asked.
Luna nodded. “It may not work, for the same reason you cannot perform magic, but it is intriguing none the less.”
“That’s incredible,” said Sunset. She was actually hadn’t been sure Luna could reach her here. There had been that one dream, where a strangely composed Luna had talked to her, but it was brief and had not recurred. She had begun to believe it was just her mind or the Elements of Harmony playing tricks on her.
But if what Luna was saying was true, then perhaps their worlds weren’t so distant after all. If Princess Luna could come here, could someone go back?
“I admit to a certain degree of relief that you know what I am speaking of,” said Luna with a breath. “I was worried I had begun to go insane.”
“I know Princess Luna can enter dreams,” said Sunset. “There are old books I’ve read that speak of it, but that was all I knew. Luna, that is, Princess Luna, was trapped when I was young and I’ve never met her face to face.”
Luna nodded. “Nightmare Moon,” she said with pretty obvious shake to her voice.
“She told you, then,” said Sunset.
Luna nodded. “Her world – your world – is so strange to me. It is hard to even imagine what it would be like to be her.”
“She and Celestia are rather unique in our world,” said Sunset. “Most of us are just ponies with rather normal lives.”
Luna made a small smile. “Even the life of a speaking pony causes some distress to me.”
“Well, you humans are pretty strange too,” teased Sunset. Luna’s smile vanished and Sunset worried she had become too casual.
“She has asked me to look out for you,” said Luna, seriously. “Several times, in fact. And while she does not get specific, she worries you will hurt yourself out of anger.”
Sunset felt Luna’s somewhat serious gaze to be intimidating and she turned away. “I’m not going to hurt myself,” she said.
“Not all hurt is physical,” said Luna. “I’ve worked with children around the globe, and while many suffer physical abuses, the worst in the long run are the mental ones.” She moved slightly to get into Sunset’s line of sight. “You often hate yourself.”
Sunset turned more to get away. “Anyone who is honest with themselves should hate themselves.”
“That is simply not true,” said Luna. “You are young, too young to carry a burden so heavy.”
“Well I did some terrible things,” said Sunset. “I somehow got off without much punishment.”
“How much punishment would have been enough?” asked Luna. “Banishment? Stripped of magic? Forced to spend your time with us strange humans?”
Sunset growled and looked back at Luna. “This isn’t a joke.”
Luna looked serious. “No, it’s not, and your hatred of your past choices is only going to cause more suffering if you don’t allow for the potential of good things happening to you.”
“I can’t just stop... being skeptical,” said Sunset. “Trust is just as dangerous.”
“Perhaps,” said Luna. “But skepticism is not the same as pessimism. I have been trying to show you more than you have perhaps seen before, the possibilities and vibrancy of this world and this life. Detention is, admittedly, a poor vehicle for this, but it has still worked. You have become comfortable with me, with our talks, and now with students who look to you for knowledge.”
Luna spread her arms wider. “Accept this at face value, Sunset, and let these things become part of your worldview. You are not without option and this world is not absent of excitement, even for someone who was born a unicorn.”
Sunset looked at her and tried to push down a gnawing sense of betrayal. Luna had intentionally manipulated her, forcing her through detention to do and see what she wanted. It was crazy that she expected Sunset to thank her for the chance.
But Sunset knew this was an overly vicious view. Luna was trying to help her, and while her intentions were misguided, she believed she was being a good teacher. And Sunset did not honestly hate much of what she had been asked to do these past four weeks, though she found the bulk of it boring. In another situation, with a different administrator, would she have fared better or worse?
“I don’t know what to think about this,” said Sunset quietly. “I thought I could trust you.”
“Then continue to,” said Luna. “I have not done anything underhanded, only presented you with options. Did I ever force you to like something? Forced you to dislike someone? I only instructed you to participate, any reactions you had were your own, absent of manipulation.”
Sunset sighed and shook her head. She was feeling more than a little overwhelmed by this revelation and wasn’t sure how she wanted to respond.
“I-I really need to leave now,” Sunset said.
“You are free to,” said Luna. She stepped to the side. “You need not return if you don’t wish to.”
Sunset took several steps before stopping and looking back. “Wait, what?”
“You are done, Sunset Shimmer,” said Luna, who was still standing there waiting. “Your detention is over. Unless you break the rules again, you don’t have to report to my office anymore.” She smiled. “I still need good tutors, though, and I think you could be a great one, but that is your choice alone.”
Sunset stared. It seemed strange, but she had expected to finish her detention soon, just not tonight. She thought she was due to continue until next week. She wasn’t sure if she should say anything or just accept it and move on.
In light of the conversation Luna just had with her, she made herself turn away and leave.
*** ( MLP ) ***
Sunset was back at the school a few hours later, long after Luna presumably had left the school and only a few maintenance people remained. It was dark, and late, and Sunset thought she should be tired, but she was too excited to be sleepy. The tall stone pony loomed overhead, perched atop its pedestal, keeping vigil over the school grounds and the forms of two slightly shivering teenagers.
Fluttershy, was not quite as resilient to the time of night. She yawned deeply but simply rubbed her eyes. “I didn’t think it’d be so late.”
Sunset smiled back at her and apologized. Then she looked at her watch. “The moon will be at its peak in just a few minutes, the flow of magic will be at it’s highest, and I’ll try to peer past the veil then.”
Fluttershy nodded, though her eyes were slightly droopy. Sunset realized she should have resisted Fluttershy’s requests to come along tonight. She wasn’t used to it and it would undoubtedly be something she’d pay for tomorrow morning at school, but at the time, Sunset was glad to have someone to share this with.
Fluttershy shivered and then rubbed her arms with her hands. Sunset got up from her place beside the statue in the courtyard of Canterlot High School, and moved closer to her friend. She pulled off her jacket and wrapped it around Fluttershy’s shoulders.
“You’ll be cold,” said Fluttershy quietly.
Sunset felt the chill on her shoulders but ignored it and shook her head in response. “It’s alright, I’ll be fine.” She tapped her chest. “Don’t worry about me.”
Fluttershy pulled the jacket tighter around herself and sat down on the steps around the statue. “I always worry about you,” she said.
“You shouldn’t,” said Sunset. “I’m made of sterner stuff.”
Fluttershy tried to tuck her chin down beneath the collar of the jacket to cover herself even more. “Everyone can get hurt,” she said. Her words were slightly slurred as she blinked heavily.
Sunset smiled despite herself. This girl was both impossibly strong and strangely helpless at times. She bent down and wrapped her arms around her, trying to share her body heat with her friend. In response, Fluttershy stopped trying to hide in the jacket and instead rested her head on Sunset’s shoulder, nestled up against her neck.
“Just a couple minutes,” said Sunset. “Then I’ll be able to see back to Equestria. I’ll try to describe it. Is there anything you want to know about? I have some control.”
Fluttershy shook her head slightly. “I know you’ve waited a while, it’s the first time you’ve tried since Twilight left. You should see what you want to.”
“I don’t actually have anything in particular I’m looking for,” said Sunset. “I should probably spy on Princess Luna in revenge, perhaps check in on Twilight too, so I have something to tell everyone else.”
“Sounds good,” said Fluttershy. She only sounded half there. Sunset held her tightly and hoped she would stay warm enough.
Sunset’s mind drifted as she waited and she quickly returned to Luna’s statements earlier this evening. She wasn’t so blind to her thoughts that she could reject the idea that she hated parts of herself, specifically the parts that resulted in demons rampaging over the school. She absolutely knew that to be true and it was those parts she was actively trying to change. Though into what hadn’t really been clear.
She knew her ambition had driven her to do senseless things in pursuit of more power. But ambition itself wasn’t bad, or Rainbow Dash would be just as demonic as her. Rarity as well had no shortage of desires and she hadn’t become a monster.
Though she had her own demons that haunted her. Perhaps she wasn’t a good example to study.
As usual, her thoughts returned to Fluttershy. She had no idea what to do about the girl and the fact that her recent accomplishments came in no small measure to her influence had made the matter infinitely more complicated.
“Fluttershy?” asked Sunset softly. The girl nodded in response. “Do you think I’m too hard on myself?”
“Yeah,” said Fluttershy, though she said it in a way that Sunset wasn’t sure it was agreement or just an acknowledgment that she heard Sunset.
“Don’t you worry I’ll go crazy again?” asked Sunset.
Fluttershy nodded, but said nothing.
Sunset felt adrift. “Then—what am I supposed to do?”
Fluttershy was motionless save for her gentle breath against Sunset’s neck. It was entirely possible – and not really unexpected – that she had fallen asleep and didn’t even hear her. Sunset was about to let her be when the girl spoke.
“Trust us,” said Fluttershy.
Sunset was confused. “To do what?” she asked.
“To keep you safe,” said Fluttershy. “We’ll help you if something happens again.”
“But—but what if you don’t notice?” asked Sunset. “What if you can’t see what I see? It might be too late.”
Fluttershy picked up her head and looked at Sunset. She spoke quietly but looked into her eyes without any sign of tiredness. “Then tell me. Don’t hide your feelings. If you’re afraid, then let me give you strength.”
Sunset felt her cheeks turn red at the intensity of Fluttershy’s stare. She swallowed and nodded stiffly. She didn’t dare move, their faces were so close she didn’t want to accidentally do something she didn’t intend.
Though what she intended right now was a little murky.
Her watch beeped, and Sunset glanced down at the timepiece, breaking eye contact with Fluttershy. “It’s time,” she said breathily.
Fluttershy gently sat up and pulled the jacket tight around her body again. She watched as Sunset turned away and began kneeling in front of the base of the statue. She took a deep breath.
Then Sunset reached out her palm and placed it against the smooth stone. It was cold to the touch, almost like ice, and the feeling snaked through her hand and up her arm. She shivered but ignored it as she closed her eyes and opened her mind to try and to push through the—
She felt nothing.
Sunset’s eyes shot open. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against the stone. She tried to shut out everything else in the world and focus purely on her sense of magic. Something to feel the tendril of mana seeping through that she could use as a bridge to see Equestria.
But there was nothing. No mana, no delicate tingle of magic, no bridge. The portal was numb to her, she couldn’t feel anything different than a normal statue of stone.
“What?” she breathed. She closed her eyes and pressed her whole body against the stone and tried again to feel.
“What is it?” asked Fluttershy.
Sunset’s face screwed up as she felt the grief bubbling up inside of her. It was gone. Even the last, barest drop of mana from the portal had dried up. The distant foggy connection to Equestria had closed.
Closed because Twilight came through.
Sunset turned away sharply and balled her fists and-- No! She told herself to stop. She couldn’t let herself get that way. She had no idea why it was gone. It could have been Twilight. It could have been herself. She didn’t know. She couldn’t blame.
The bitterness in her heart refused to die completely away.
“Sunset?” said Fluttershy.
Sunset opened her eyes and looked up at her friend. Immediately Fluttershy looked surprised.
“It’s gone,” said Sunset. “I can’t see anything. The connection is broken.” She swallowed again and then looked at her cold, sweaty hands. They were shaking. She was cold, she thought. She couldn’t feel it though.
She felt her heart racing. She at least thought she’d still be able to look. She just wanted to see her home. One day she was going to stop, she knew, she couldn’t look on for another three years, but she had believed she would make that choice.
But the choice had just been taken from her.
She felt empty and numb. Even the skin on her face felt hard and slack. The world actually was darkening even more than—
Oh. She fell into blackness.
*** ( MLP ) ***
Sunset awoke with a start, sitting up at the first rays of dawn. She looked slowly around and realized she was in Fluttershy’s bed again. Her mind was foggy. How had she ended up here? She was saying at her foster parents’ home now, not here.
Slowly the details filtered in from last night as she blinked away the sleep. She felt warm under the blankets piled on her. Then she felt a chill when she remembered the closed portal.
“Hey,” said a soft voice from the doorway. Sunset turned to see Fluttershy there, fully dressed and made up for the day, holding a steaming mug.
Sunset sat up and rubbed her forehead. “What time is it?” she asked.
Fluttershy came over and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Almost seven,” she said. “I was about to wake you up so you could get ready for school.” She put the mug down on the desk and the reached out to gently touch Sunset’s head. “Your fever is gone.”
“I had a fever?” asked Sunset. She felt a little stiff and had a headache right now, but otherwise was alright. She didn’t remember having a fever last night, though she didn’t really remember getting home from the school.
Fluttershy nodded. “I think you were pushing yourself a little too hard and then the shock of... um, well, you passed out.”
Sunset was still. The bitterness and sense of loss was still there, maybe even stronger today than last night. “The portal’s shut,” she said angrily. “Well, it was already shut, it’s sealed.”
“What does that mean?” asked Fluttershy in a calm and even voice.
“I don’t know yet,” said Sunset. “It may mean I’m cut off forever, it might just mean that the portal closed more fully this time. I won’t really know until it’s supposed to open again.”
“You said that was almost three years?” asked Fluttershy. She got up and grabbed her mug and took a sip from it. It smelled like honey as it wafted near her.
“Yeah.” Sunset said. She sighed. “It... well, it sucks. I had expected to check in and keep track of what’s going on in Equestria but now I’m just – just not going to be able to.” She felt her chest tighten again and she put hand against it gently. “It was silly, but... I wanted it. And now I’ll be even more out of touch with my home when the portal opens again. If the portal opens again.”
“Oh, Sunset,” said Fluttershy. “I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Sunset said after a moment. “I can’t do anything about it. I just need to-” She grimaced for a moment before throwing the covers off and getting up. “I’m going to take a quick shower.” She walked out of the room without hesitating.
*** ( MLP ) ***
Much of the day passed in a blur for Sunset Shimmer. She remembered the events that happened, including a number of impromptu congratulations from Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity when they learned that her detention had finished (slightly) early. There was talk of party – from Pinkie, of course – but Sunset said little. She declined almost everything until she realized she had nothing to do after school anymore and was stuck either going to her foster parent’s house or wandering the city. At the last minute, Rainbow Dash invited everyone to discover the ‘joy’ of the Rainbooms and Sunset reluctantly agreed to come.
As they walked to Rainbow Dash’s house, Sunset realized she had nothing to focus her energies on, nothing to distract from the gaping hole that was left now that the last shred of Equestria had been ripped from her. She hadn’t even realized how much it mattered to her until it was impossible to see. She pushed her fist into her chest trying to stop her hammering heart.
At some point, Fluttershy reached out and held her hand, squeezing it softly, and smiling at her. Sunset realized that she must have been pretty obviously freaking out and was thankful for the distraction. Her heart eventually calmed and she simply walked in silence holding Fluttershy’s hand and tried to figure out what was next.
The foremost question in her mind was the one that she’d been hammered with for some time by Vice Principal Luna and her friends: was she going to go back to Equestria someday? Despite the closed portal, Sunset had no better answer. She wanted to. She really did want to go back to where things were normal. But she wasn’t sure why anymore.
Normal was such a bizarre word. It meant nothing on its own at all, only deriving meaning through context. Normal for her friends here in the human world was exactly what had been happening – minus some demonic activity – and they were probably happy that life had been so boring the last month. Normal for them was finishing school and going to college or starting a career or just pitching in more at the farm. Normal was what this world expected from them.
But Sunset’s normal was so different she found it hard to reconcile. This world wasn’t boring by any measure, but it wasn’t what she grew up expecting. As a foal she heard stories of adventures and magic and vast kingdoms of various creatures. As a unicorn she expected a life of new and amazing magics and research. As a student of Celestia she hoped her future included the vast potential of being close to an alicorn. Maybe even becoming an alicorn herself.
In comparison, the last three years have been a constant progression of accumulating and hording social power in the hopes of being in an ideal position to ride a wave of victories back into Equestria and...
And what?
Sunset couldn’t help but feel like some part of her plan had been erased from her mind when the Elements of Harmony scrubbed the demon away. She could clearly remember her goal of getting the crown, and then going back to Equestria to show up Celestia, but then she couldn’t remember what she was going to do next.
Vaguely she recalled imagining herself replacing Celestia as regent of Equestria but that seemed silly now. Not only was Luna there now but also Twilight and Cadance and if anything, the defeat of Discord and Sombra made it pretty clear that a single force, no matter how strong, was not going to overcome the combined might of Celestia’s alicorn friends and family.
When she was a foal, Sunset had visions of protecting Equestria from the threats she read about, showing Celestia that her policy of non-aggression was hideously dangerous to the safety of the kingdom. But then, all of the threats Sunset had imagined had actually come to pass and Twilight had overcome them all with the power of friendship, exactly what Celestia had been advocating all along.
The truth was, and Sunset found this painful to even consider, that she had been wrong. Her childlike ambitions were based on bad conclusions and her years long plans were never going to succeed because they were targeting goals that were irrelevant.
But if that were true, then what was the point of Sunset Shimmer now? Did she have any role to play that wasn’t simply ... ‘normal?’
Her spiral of mental self-deprecation was interrupted by their arrival at Rainbow Dash’s house. It was Sunset’s first time there and she was briefly distracted by the opportunity to learn something new.
Rainbow Dash lived in a simple single family ranch in a named community called Cloud Walker Ways, which was simply too accurate to be coincidental. Sunset was again struck with how closely this world appeared inspired by Equestria. If Sunset didn’t know better, she would have thought that the human world was created the instant she stepped through the mirror, using her own memories of Equestria as the base.
The house was clean and, if not quite spacious, then at least well organized. Rainbow only briefly walked the group through the house – all of them had been here before except for Sunset – making some comment about dinner being pizza because her parents were working late, before finally taking them into the garage and opening the door.
Inside the two-car garage, instead of a car, was a layer of carpet remnants across the entire floor, a drum kit positioned in the center, a few microphone stands and microphones, and a mess of wires connecting to a pair of amps and electric guitars. The guitars were simple, and most were obviously weathered with age, except for one brightly painted blue guitar with a rainbow design across it. Sunset also noticed an acoustic guitar sitting in a stand by the corner, next to a narrow bookcase stacked with music sheets.
“I’ve never noticed this before,” said Rarity, looking around, wide eyed.
“It’s not always set up like this,” said Pinkie Pie. “Only when we’re practicing.”
Sunset stared. “We? You’re in this band too?”
“Yup!” said Pinkie as she went and sat down behind the drum kit. “I’m a founding member.”
“Since when?” said Applejack.
Pinkie checked her watch. “A week ago.”
“Ah,” said Sunset. She looked to Rainbow Dash. “So you play guitar I imagine, and Pinkie drums. Is there anyone else?”
“My cousin Echo Reverb plays guitar and sings backup,” said Rainbow Dash. “She was visiting when we started, but she’s gone back home.”
“So it’s just you two,” concluded Rarity.
“Only if you all don’t join,” said Rainbow Dash.
The girls looked at Rainbow, unsure of how to respond at the sudden invitation.
“Uh,” started Applejack.
“I don’t know how to play an instrument,” said Fluttershy, looking embarrassed.
“That’s okay,” said Rainbow, offering a thumbs up. “We can teach you something. Or you can help write some lyrics. It’s like poetry.”
“Oh, I like poetry,” said Fluttershy. “I can do that.”
Sunset blinked. She had no idea Fluttershy liked poems. She’d spent much of the last two weeks with her and it hadn’t come up.
“Well, I for one have my hands full with my designs,” said Rarity. “And it doesn’t look like you have much need for someone who plays piano.”
“Aw, come on, Rarity!” said Rainbow. “You could play synth! I’m sure we could find a keytar for you to play somewhere. And you can make costumes for the band!”
“A keytar?” said Rarity with a mixture of surprise and thinly veiled disappointment. She sighed. “I suppose if doesn’t take up much time and gives me an opportunity to show off more work I could find a way to pick up a ‘keytar.’ We’d better never play somewhere my piano instructor could see, though. She’d have a heart attack.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes but grinned madly. “What about you Applejack, what’s your excuse?”
“Who says ah have an excuse?” Applejack said indignantly. She put her hands on her hips.
“Great! You can play the bass,” said Rainbow and then she turned to look at Sunset. Applejack’s jaw dropped but was ignored.
Sunset blanched. “I really can’t,” she said.
“We can teach you to play something,” said Rainbow. “Come on! I’ll be awesome!”
“No, I mean, uh, I’m not really allowed,” said Sunset. She looked around nervously, realizing all eyes were upon her. “Its part of the rules I agreed to with Vice Principal Luna. I can’t join any groups or clubs until at least the new year. If you’re doing all this for the musical showcase, I especially need to tread lightly.” She shrugged. “I’m sorry. I can cheer you on, though.”
“Hmm, we should see if Luna will make an exception,” said Rainbow Dash.
Sunset held up her hands. “Please, don’t. I don’t want to make a fuss right now. I’ll check back after Christmas to see if it’s allowed, alright?”
Rainbow Dash grumbled slightly then nodded. “Okay, but you have to hang around and tell us if we’re any good. Not that we could possibly be bad, but it’s good get some constructive criticism.”
“I’ll do my best,” said Sunset with a half-smile. She watched as Rainbow Dash flew around the room equipping people with instruments and sheet music. An impromptu tambourine lesson was given to Fluttershy, and Rarity was positioned by a dusty electronic keyboard that was pulled out from an old box and plugged in.
“Where did all this stuff come from?” asked Applejack as she plucked the strings of the electric bass she’d been given.
“Mom used to have a band,” said Rainbow Dash as she was checking the wires between the amps and the guitars and microphones. “Dad was a roadie and a bit of a singer himself. It’s how they met.”
Fluttershy looked at the tambourine I her hand. “I guess they don’t play anymore?”
“Nah, not since I was born,” said Rainbow. “They said it was a phase they got over.” She shrugged. “Dad’s a flight attendant and Mom’s in hospital administration.”
“Huh,” said Sunset as Rainbow continued moving about setting up a practice. She hadn’t known about Rainbow’s parents’ past lives as musicians. They had apparently changed gears after having Rainbow, much older than any of them were now.
Sunset didn’t really know much about how careers worked in the human world. The life at and around the school was her primary focus over the last three years and while she was aware of a great deal of other professions, she didn’t really understand how school eventually led to them.
In Equestria, once you find your cutie mark, it’s often not a very far jump from there to what you spend your time doing. There were outliers, of course, but they often were just following the path they had been set on before getting their cutie mark. Changing course midway through was fairly rare.
But here, maybe things were different. Schooling took much longer in the human world for one thing, a small microcosm of a person’s life was spent there, enough that you could almost treat it as two separate existences: the life during and the life after school.
It seemed Flash and his band-mates were doing that. And Rainbow Dash’s parents had viewed it the same way. Investing in music in a way that they had accumulated all these instruments and eventually met and fell in love over it. But it was now divorced from their current lives to the point that this equipment had been gathering dust until Rainbow unearthed it. Their professions were as distant from that first life as... well, as Sunset was from her original goals.
“Alright, this is a simple one I wrote but let’s give it a try,” said Rainbow Dash, suddenly catching Sunset’s attention again. “Fluttershy just hit on the lines I drew on your paper, and remember Applejack, just the notes I drew circles around.”
“Ah get it,” grumbled Applejack. Sunset wondered if she really intended to join and/or play the bass, but now she was doing it. Sometimes Rainbow Dash could be like a force of nature when she set it in her mind to accomplish something.
“Okay, everyone,” said Rainbow, holding her hand out. “One! Two! Three!”
It was a gloriously awful sounding mess.
But in the end, they all laughed over it. Even Sunset, who clung to the silly moment like a lifeline.
*** ( MLP ) ***
Fluttershy and Sunset walked away from Rainbow’s place at night heading back towards their homes. They had made a great deal of progress with the music, and in the end it was pretty enjoyable and low pressure. Sunset hadn’t minded listening to the same dozen bars over and over again because she got to contribute to making them better. Even Rainbow Dash’s normal obsessiveness towards doing things better and more awesome seemed appeased by the progress they were making. All in all it had been a good night, and helped keep Sunset’s mind off her troubles.
Now, in the quiet of the night, she was starting to feel depressed again.
“Do you—do you want to come over again?” asked Fluttershy as they approached the point where they needed to go their separate ways. “I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind you saying over again. She likes the – uh, the company.”
Sunset made a small smile. The truth was she really did want to go with Fluttershy. Her home was safe and warm and being with Fluttershy made her feel comfortable. She felt cared for there in a way she hadn’t in her life until recently. In fact, she wouldn’t mind feeling that way forever.
Which was sort of the problem.
“Thank you,” said Sunset. “But I should head home.”
Fluttershy nodded stiffly. “Are you going to be alright?”
Sunset held her breath. “No, not really,” she said. “But I have to go home. I have to face my foster parents and I need to decide some things by myself. I can’t rely on you to make me feel better all the time, I need to find that place on my own.” She shrugged. “You won’t always be there, and should find a way to be independent.”
Fluttershy looked a little wide eyed and her mouth moved just barely enough to let the sound out. “I could be—“
“Please,” Sunset implored before Fluttershy could finish. “Please, just give me time.” She breathed deeply. “You’re one of the best things in my life right now, but I really need there to be some distance between us.”
Fluttershy looked down at the ground as they walked and Sunset felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. She forced herself to look away.
“I’ll – I’ll be better,” said Sunset to the stars. “Once I have my feet beneath me. Then we can – well...”
Distantly, Sunset could hear a soft voice say, “Okay.”
A few minutes later they reached the intersection where Sunset had to turn to head towards her foster parents. She finally looked down and over at Fluttershy who was slowly walking away from her. She was looking over her shoulder at Sunset frequently, as if she were waiting for some sign.
Sunset frowned as she continued on her own path. Her steps felt heavy as she realized she was alone now, for the first time since the previous night. The dark streets seemed as bright as her future.
“Don’t get depressed,” came the voice of Star Swirl along with the familiar clop-clop of his hooves against the pavement.
“I hardly think this is the time for celebration,” grumbled Sunset, staring at the pavement.
“Your friends disagree,” pointed out Star Swirl. He galloped slightly ahead and stood in her way.
Looking up, Sunset reached out and pushed the phantom aside and then continued walking. The sensation was strange, she didn’t really ‘feel’ anything when she moved her arm, but all the same Star Swirl stumbled to the right and got out of her way.
“Sunset,” called out Star Swirl.
Sunset slowed her walk and then spoke through her teeth. “They don’t understand.”
Star Swirl ran forward again but stayed out of the girl’s path. “Then help them. Just last night Fluttershy—“
“How?” shouted Sunset. She clenched her fists. “Their world isn’t gone! They haven’t been cut off from the one thing that makes them special. Their lives haven’t been shoved into a blender and turned into oatmeal. They won’t get it.” She stomped forward again. “Nobody in this world will understand.”
Star Swirl kept pace beside Sunset. “You aren’t even giving them the chance to understand. Let them try, they want to help you.”
“Ugh!” growled Sunset. She looked at Star Swirl. “You’re in my mind, don’t you get it? I know they want to help, I know they’ll try. That’s the problem!” She felt her chest as her heart pounded furiously. She closed her eyes tightly and tried – but failed -- to slow her pulse.
Instead she continued. “I care about them now.” She swallowed. “I wish I didn’t. Great Celestia, I wish I could go back to hating everyone. It was so much easier.” Her breath was ragged. “I’m not going to dump my problems on them. They deserve better.” She shook her head. “Better than being stuck trying to fix the stone that struck them.”
Sunset sped up her walk. "Of course, you don’t understand. How could you?”
Star Swirl said nothing for a long while. He paced a bit behind Sunset then followed her when she continued on her way home. The silence was almost worse than the badgering.
Almost.
*** ( MLP ) ***
Over a thousand years ago...
A sky blue unicorn – who was not nearly so young anymore with his gray hair and beard peeking out from beneath a large brimmed hat – stood on what should have been a dusty path but was instead covered in checkerboard black-and-green tile beside overgrown weeds and grass the color of purple. The path led downwards beneath the ruins of the castle into a shadowy but not very deep cave and Star Swirl walked slowly into the depths.
As the olive sun in the magenta sky vanished from sight the cave began to echo his steps. Each scrape of his hooves becoming a clattering of noise that rang back at him for minutes. The murky light afforded by the still normal-colored green luminescent moss drained the blues and purples from his clothes leaving them all in shades of gray. Still, he walked deeper, approaching the soft sounds of water gently splashing in a pool.
Eventually the cavern opened up and revealed a deep natural pool beside a strange tree. The tree didn’t appear too out of place for the Everfree Forest save for the gentle white glow coming from the tips of the branches and little buds from flowers. Color returned to his vision as his eyes adjusted and he could see the deep etchings in the tree along its trunk, the ancient symbols that would one day mean so much more than they did today.
With a splash, the water in the pool was broken by the surfacing of a hippocampus, a mare with the body of a fish and the head and torso of a pony. Her long cyan mane was tied into a single bunch and lay across her shoulders, dripping water back into the pool. Her eyes were fixed on Star Swirl and her mouth dropped in shock.
“Oh my,” she said. She swam to the edge where Star Swirl stood and reached out with a hoof to gently touch his beard. “It’s so much worse. You look as though you’ve been gone a century.”
Star Swirl smiled kindly at her. “It is the price of power, we both knew it was going to happen.”
“Why didn’t you give up the elements earlier?” asked the hippocampus.
Star Swirl’s smile grew sadder. “You know why,” he said seriously.
The mare looked away and Star Swirl nodded. He took a step closer to the tree.
“The two sisters won’t win,” said the mare. “Discord is the ruler of Equestria now.”
Star Swirl’s expression darkened considerably. “Discord rules nothing. He is chaos incarnate and he would find more interest in losing than holding power. He has no friends, and no enemies, merely toys he discards as soon as he gets the slightest bit bored!”
The hippocampus withered visibly under Star Swirl’s rant, and she retreated to the center of the pool, treading water.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
“Don’t be sorry,” said Star Swirl, sounding slightly less angry but still not kind. “Convince your sisters to turn on him. You could inspire a change in the tide of his conflict. Or at the very least, stop supporting him.” He moved closer to the edge of the pool and got down on his knees. “Please, Sonata, I’m terrified of the day I have to fight you. I don’t want to lose...” he choked up slightly. “I can’t bear to lose someone else. Not so soon after Princess Platinum.”
Sonata drifted even further from the edge of the pool. “My sisters are my family, I can’t betray them.”
“This conflict will cost you,” insisted Star Swirl. He poked at his beard. “Look at what it’s taken from me.” He looked sad now. “From us. I know you can feel it, I taught you better than the others.”
Sonata’s eyes widened and then she sank slightly, leaving only her head above the waters. Her brow furrowed.
“The energy you get from the negative feelings you’ve been using your songs for feels different, doesn’t it?” asked Star Swirl.
Sonata nodded slowly. “They’re... sticky,” she struggled. “Makes it hard to think sometimes.”
“Turn back,” said Star Swirl urgently. “Now, while you’re still you.”
“My sisters—“ said Sonata.
“We can help them,” said Star Swirl. “The princesses can help.”
Sonata was taken aback slightly then began to frown. “The princesses?”
“They have power, the first alicorns of our generation,” said Star Swirl. “You can trust them.”
“What about you?” said Sonata.
Star Swirl sighed and got back onto his hooves. His eyes drifted to the tree. “My magic is fading. I’ve overextended myself with the elements. I don’t imagine I’ll have much left after this.”
“It can’t be,” said Sonata. She swam closer to the edge, her frown forgotten. “You’re the greatest mage there’s ever been. You created the sunset!”
Star Swirl smiled. “Something that Discord’s corruption has spoiled as well.” He shook his head. “I’m only the first, Sonata. There will be others after me who will be greater. Besides, I’d like to think it wasn’t my magic that mattered at all.” He reached up and tapped his head. “I’ll still have my mind, and my research.”
“This shouldn’t have happened,” said Sonata. “Why didn’t those sisters do it if they have so much power?”
“They did all they could,” said Star Swirl. He shook his head. “And they will do more once I’m finished, but I need to put the pieces in motion.” He looked back at her. “Help me?”
Sonata was sullen. “I can’t leave my sisters.”
Star Swirl nodded. “Then, if you could, please inspire me one more time.”
Sonata stared at him and she looked ready to cry. But when she opened her mouth, out came a serenade that more beautiful, and yet more desperate, than any Star Swirl had ever heard before. It was he who began to cry as he reached into his cloak and removed the Elements of Harmony. They began to float and began to circle his head as he pulled them out and released them. With a faint glow they hummed along with the song, spinning faster.
Star Swirl closed his eyes and concentrated on the music, the magic, and the future. When he was finished he collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. The hippocampus started to approach him, but then began to shake and instead dove back into the waters and swam away.
Above him, the Tree of Harmony pulsed with the magic of the elements, and waited.
*** ( MLP ) ***
Sunset Shimmer awoke in her bed in her foster parents’ house, the lingering thoughts from a time before she was born still vivid in her mind. She glanced out the window and saw that it was still night.
“Star Swirl?” she said softly into the night.
There was no reply.