//------------------------------// // The quiet talk // Story: The Loss of Sunset // by SquiggelSquirrel //------------------------------// “Mommy?” The word was spoken in a manner that suggested quietness, but it was in fact loud enough for the other girls to hear clearly, and followed by a silence long enough for them to absorb it. Indeed, Sunset's voice had taken on an almost child-like quality. She had never really spoken to her human friends about her family back in Equestria, except to note that she was “not close” to them, the one time the subject had arisen. There had been no mention of exactly what kind of family she by implication had, that she could be not close to. The events now unfolding seemed to imply that there had been more to it. From the way this woman was acting, it seemed as if perhaps they'd had some sort of terrible fight shortly before Sunset had left — or more accurately, run away from Equestria — or at least, her repeated apologies and please for forgiveness indicated something of that nature. The girls looked at each other, from one to another, confusion abounding among them. Had Sunset's mother really travelled all the way from Equestria, through the portal, to try and make reparations? If so, why now? More importantly, why unannounced? To the best of their knowledge, she couldn't have made the journey without Princess Twilight Sparkle's help, yet the pony princess hadn't written to Sunset in advance? The woman was smiling, in the stretched-out way that people smile when they have too many emotions to express. “Sunset, darling, I… I know I said some horrible things, but you were right, you were right about everything. Please, please let me be part of your life again. I promise things will be different, please…” “Mommy…” Sunset's voice was a whimper. “You… you want me to come home? I can come home, with you? We can be a family again?” “Yes, yes please darling, please come home, my beautiful Sunny-set.” “Yes,” Sunset gasped, “yes, I-” She was cut off when Applejack put a hand on her shoulder, pulling the two of them apart. The farm-girl's expression was stern, and when she spoke, her voice was low. “Sunset?” The woman identified as Sunset's mother looked Applejack up and down, a concerned expression forming as she read the body language between the two girls. She stepped in, placing herself part-way between them and turning mostly towards Applejack. “Sunset,” she asked calmly yet with definite serious undertones, “is this girl a friend of yours?” Sunset stepped aside, to loosen some tension from their formation. “Oh, yes. Mom, this is Applejack, a-and these girls are Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle.” Sunset reeled off her friends names in a slightly hurried manner, bouncing her pointing finger from one to the next. The girls who weren't Applejack smiled and waved uncertainly (or in Pinkie Pie's case, enthusiastically) when their names were called, but Sunset's terse introduction gave them little time to interject words of their own. At this point, moreover, none of them had deduced why Applejack was suddenly acting so hostile towards Sunset. “Everyone, this is m-my mother, Honey Swirl.” Sunset was hard to read. Her eyes were moist, she seemed ready to cry. Her voice and expression were both cheerful, but seemed a little… forced. Her eyes darted around, seemingly unwilling to let any of those present out of her sight (despite the impossibility of keeping them all within her vision, from where she was standing), yet not making eye contact with any of them. Honey Swirl smiled. Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, lifting a hand. “It's a plea-” “I know we had plans,” lied Sunset, immediately talking over her timid friend, “but I'm gonna have to give it a rain-check. You girls go on without me, and I'll, ah, I'll see you later.” With this, Sunset stepped away from the group, and raised a hand to Honey's arm. Applejack blocked her way. Her arms were folded and she was glaring. “Sunset, we need to talk.” “I-” “Now.” Honey Swirl stepped forward to once again place herself between them, squaring up to Applejack despite the obvious difference in height and build. “Excuse me,” she interjected, “but my daughter does not have to talk to you right now, if she doesn't want to.” “It's okay, mom.” Sunset reassured Honey, “You just, uh, you wait right here.” Then to the other girls: “You girls go on ahead, Applejack will catch up.” With that, she took Applejack's arm, and pulled her across the courtyard and around the corner, glancing back to where her other friends, and Honey Swirl, stood waiting. The other girls, contrary to instruction, did not go on ahead, but waited expectantly for the situation to begin making more sense. Once around the corner, Sunset smiled. “Okay,” she exclaimed jovially, “what did you want to talk about?” Applejack continued to glare. When she spoke, her voice was low and a tad hoarse. “Sunset, are you about to tell me that that woman,” she jerked her head back in Honey's direction, “is really a pony who travelled all the way here from Equestria, without telling us first?” Sunset stared at the sidewalk, and wrung her hands together. She chuckled nervously. “H-who else would she be?” “Sunset,” Applejack's voice was outright menacing, “look at me.” Sunset did as instructed, though it seemed to take her some effort. “You wouldn't lie to me, would you?” Sunset continued to squirm, but said nothing, long enough for Applejack to determine that no spoken answer was forthcoming. “Because I seem to recall” Applejack then continued, “Princess Twilight telling us that everybody in our world had a magical twin over in Equestria — and it occurs to me that if you're the Sunset Shimmer from there, there might just be a Sunset Shimmer from here. A Sunset Shimmer who might maybe have had a falling out with her mother, who would be this world's version of your mother.” Sunset stood motionless, looking wretched. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She continued to say nothing. “Which,” Applejack concluded, “would make her not your mother at all.” Sunset once again said nothing audible, but nodded, gaze fixed on her own feet. Applejack sighed, then continued in a more resigned tone. “Alright. Well, no use fretting over what's been done; I guess we just have to tell her it was all a mix-up or something.” She didn't seem to comfortable with the notion, but turned to head back. As Applejack made to pass her, Sunset leapt forward, grabbing the other girl's arm and stopping her. Applejack stepped back, their positions now reversed. Sunset hesitated, clearly not having planned this far ahead. Applejack raised an eyebrow. She did that sometimes. “M-maybe we don't?” stammered Sunset. “Maybe we could just… pretend?” A hiss escaped from between Applejack's teeth. A moment of outrage flashed across her face; She swatted Sunset's hand aside and grabbed both the other girl's upper arms. “Sunset, what the hay's gotten into you? This woman is looking for her daughter — her real daughter — you can't just… If you want to see your family so back, go back to Equestria! You can always come and go, you…” “No, I can't.” “But you…” “But what if this world's Sunset isn't… what if she's never coming back?” “Sunset, do you know something about…?” “No, but, but what if… what if something did happen to her? We don't know? Isn't it kinder… we could be a family!” “No, you couldn't! Why can't you see that?” “Of all people, why don't you understand?” “What do you mean, of all…” “Wouldn't you!?” Applejack froze, horrified realisation spreading across her face. Sunset continued. “If it meant you could see them again? If it meant all the things you never got to say, never got to hear, never got to tell her?” Sunset's face was soaked, tears streaming in full flow. “If it was you, if you were me, if you had another chance, wouldn't you?” Applejack's jaw worked soundlessly, her arms fell to her sides and she stumbled back, limp and horrified, against the wall. “Sunset?” Honey Swirl's concerned voice carried across the courtyard. Applejack and Sunset's eyes met. A wide smile broke out across Sunset's face. To Applejack, it looked very much like a grin of insanity. “Coming, mommy!” Sunset turned and ran back to her “mother”, before Applejack could regather herself. For a moment Applejack almost ran after her. Instead, defeated, she fell back and slid down the wall.