Eternal Slumber

by Shimmer305

Ch. 1: New to Ponyville

I looked up from the map I was holding at the small town of Ponyville. The town looked pretty peaceful from where I was standing. There were some ponies chatting on dinner tables, a colt chasing a ball, a pony reading a newspaper while sipping some juice, and other ponies simply walking around and enjoying the day.

Taking a deep breath, I made sure my blouse was secured tightly, and pulled the cart which held boxes containing my stuff, levitating the map with my horn. As I walked into the town, some ponies stared at me, and then went back to what they were doing.

“All I need to do is ask for directions. Can’t be that hard, right?” I said to myself. Suddenly some rabbits hopped by. A soft voice could be heard saying, “Excuse me, excuse me!” Following the rabbits was a light yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail. On her flank were 3 pink butterflies that served as her cutie mark.

“Hey, uh could you tell—“ I began, but the pegasus was too much in a hurry to acknowledge me. I sighed. “Well, better luck next time.”

Out of the blue, somepony shouted in a southern accent, “Coming through! Ah gotta whole lotta apples here!” An orange mare with a yellow mane and 3 apples as her cutie mark walked by, carrying, pulling, and pushing carts and barrels full to the brink with apples.

I trotted alongside the orange pony. “Hey, do you need some he—“

"Nah, Ah've got it covered," she interrupted, clearly straining against the weight of all those apples.

"Well, could you at least tell me where--"

“Can’t talk now, sugarcube, gotta carry these apples!” I stopped and watched as an apple fell to the ground, the pony not noticing. I picked up the apple off the ground and waved it in the air.

“Hey, you dropped an apple!” I shouted to the orange pony.

“You can keep it!”

Sighing, I took a few huge bites out of the giant juicy apple before continuing to wander around town. Before I could get far, a loud boom sounded throughout the town. A giant rainbow-colored circle appeared in the sky, expanding outward. Coming in my direction from the center of the rainbow circle at top speed was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow trailing behind her. I panicked for a moment, because she was coming straight at me! Before I could do anything, the pegasus zoomed right by me, kicked off of the ground, and made a rainbow in the sky. Ponies around me ooh-ed, aah-ed and applauded as the cyan pegasus landed back on the ground, grinning. All I could do was stare at her with a wide open mouth and bulging eyes.

The pegasus signed autographs, posed for pictures, and answered questions from an interviewer, blowing her rainbow-colored mane out of her face. Her cutie mark was a red yellow and blue lightning bolt.

I unlatched myself from the cart and walked towards the pegasus while pushing my way through the fanponies. “That was amazing,” I congratulated the pegasus.

“Why, thank you,” she said, flexing her legs. “Sonic Rainbooms are my specialty.” The pegasus slung a hoof around my shoulder. “Is there anything I can do for ya? You look new here.”

“Well you could tell me where—“

“Didn’t think so,” said the pegasus, patting me on the head. With that, she trotted away, the crowd of fanponies following her.

I muttered random gibberish under my breath. “Well, I better find my house.” I picked up the map with my horn, latched onto my cart, and continued walking around the town. Unfortunately, I had no idea where I even was.

Up ahead I saw a light pink mare with a frizzy raspberry-colored mane walking in my direction. She had 3 balloons as her cutie mark. She also seemed really bored and trying to find something to do.

“Hey, maybe she could give me directions!” I said to myself. When she was close enough, I began, “Hey, could you please tell me where—“ Before I could finish what I was saying, the pink pony did a loud, exaggerated gasp.

“Oh. My. GOSH!!!” she screamed, jumping up high into the air. When she landed back on the ground, she began hyperventilating. “YOU’RE NEW HERE!!!”

I began to back away, intimidated by the screaming pony. Before I could break into a run, the pony took my hoof and shook it vigorously.

“Hey there my name’s Pinkie Pie and sorry if I got so loud it’s just that you’re new here and I rarely get to see new ponies ‘cause I know everypony around here and the last time somepony new came to down was a cranky donkey and the time before that was my best friend Twilight Sparkle who is an alicorn princess now ruling Equestria in Canterlot but she comes here whenever she doesn't have a royal assignment along with Luna and Celestia all because she learned the magic of friendship and saving me and my other friends from a spell which changed our cutie marks but she comes here whenever she doesn't have a royal assignment anyways what’s your name?” Pinkie Pie said, and squeed.

“Uh…I’m Shimmer,” I said slowly.

Pinkie Pie did another exaggerated gasp and leaned in close to my face, eyes narrowed. “You’re not related to Sunset Shimmer, ARE YOU???” she demanded.

“Um, no. Wh-wh-who’s Sunset Shimmer?”

“Okay, you’re not.” Pinkie stood upright again, smiling widely.

What is wrong with this pony, does she have a mental problem or something? I wondered. Nevertheless, she could help me get to my new house.

“Hey, could you—“

Pinkie widened her eyes and brought her hooves to her face.

“I ALMOST FORGOT TO DO THE WELCOME SONG!!!!” And with that, she disappeared for a moment, and came back with a cart. “HERE GOES!!!” A bunch of balloons and streamers and party stuff flew out of the cart as Pinkie sang a really catchy welcoming song. When she finished, a hatch opened in the cart, and sprayed confetti in my face.

I had to admit, this was sort of brightening up my day and making me feel a little welcome. So I did a crooked smile.

“YAY!!! YOU SMILED!!! And my work here is done,” said Pinkie Pie, turning around and walking away. I threw my hooves up in the air. Nopony else was going to reject me again!

“Wait! Um…Dinky Die—no, Flinky Fly, gah—Slinky Sly, wait—TwinkieTie! Pink Lie! Pink—Pink—Pink!” I thought hard for a moment. Then I remembered: “PINKIE PIE!!!”

Pinkie was back to me in a flash. “Yeeeeeeeeeeees?” she asked, grinning.

I pointed to the spot on the map where my house was with my hoof. “Could you tell me where this is? It’s my new house.”

Pinkie swiped the map out of my hooves and studied it carefully. When she was done, she shoved it back to me.

“Why, sure I could! That’s right next to the Carousel Boutique where my best friend Rarity lives! But first, you have to pass inspection.” For a moment, she disappeared, and then appeared again with a fake mustache, a detective hat, and a magnifying glass.

“Inspection?!”

“Well yeah, silly. You could be a Changeling or somepony else who is bad,” explained Pinkie. “Now hold still.” I was about to explode from impatience. But I complied and just sighed.

Pinkie examined my black-and-white-striped mane and tail, my medium blue coat, my green and tattered and ripping-apart-at-the-seams vest that covered nearly my entire torso, my cutie mark (red lightning bolt surrounded by black stars, still not entirely sure what it represents), and my blood-red eyes, which stared her down.

“You look young. How old are you?” asked Pinkie.

“I’m 17, gonna be 18 in a few weeks.”

“Okay, you’re clear!”

“Can you please just take me to my house now?” I asked as politely as I could.

“Well yeah! Come along!” Pinkie Pie and proceeded to bounce instead of walk towards my house. I pulled my cart and followed her. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally made it to my new house. It was cream colored, with two stories. On the roof was a small hatch, leading to a balcony, perfect for stargazing at night and other things.

“Well, here we are!” said Pinkie. “If you ever need anything, Sugarcube Corner is just a hop, skip and a jump away in that direction!” She pointed in a direction and hopped away.

I put away the map and opened the door and levitated boxes into my new house. When I was done with that I went inside and slipped off my blouse, arranged some boxes to resemble a couch, and just crashed onto them. Only then did I realize just how physically spent I was. Just as I began to doze off, a knock came from the door. I screamed and hid inside a box, startled.

“Hello? Is everything alright in there?” asked a feminine voice with a slight English accent. I peeked out from inside the box. The head of a dazzlingly beautiful unicorn with a curly dark purple mane and white coat peeped through the window next to the door.

“Oh. Um, hi there!” I greeted, slightly annoyed that my nap was disturbed.

“May we chat? I’d like to know you better,” said the white unicorn.

“Uh, yeah, sure, I’ll be there in just a second!” The unicorn disappeared from the window. I put on my blouse—hey, I have to look presentable—and opened the door. The unicorn grinned at me. Her cutie mark was 3 blue diamonds.

“Hello there, my name’s Rarity, owner of the Carousel Boutique,” Rarity said, pointing to a beautifully decorated round building in the background, apparently the Carousel Boutique. “I design attire for everypony ranging from little petite fillies here in Ponyville to the magnificent fashion models in Canterlot.”

“Hi, Rarity. I’m Shimmer, and well…I’m new here.”

“Ah, yes. Pinkie Pie notified me of you, which is why I’m here.”

“Pinkie Pie? You mean that crazy pink pony who can’t seem to be quiet?”

“Yes, that pony.” Rarity suddenly gasped. “Shimmer! Your blouse!” She pointed to it.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“It’s—it’s—it’s ripped!”

My heart sped up. “What???” I twisted my head around to look at my blouse. My panic ceased when I saw that there were only the few minor rips and holes that'd always been there. “It’s just a few rips, nothing special about that.”

Rarity scowled. “A few rips, my hoof! It must be fixed at once!” She turned around and began walking away. “Come with me to the Carousel Boutique and we’ll get that blouse fixed up, my dear!”

“But—“

“No buts! Nopony should walk around with damaged attire!”

I sighed and trotted after her.

When we got to the boutique, Rarity got out her sewing machine and scissors. She sat in front of the sewing machine, facing away from me. I sat on a chair against the wall.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll just levitate the blouse off of you,” said Rarity, not even waiting for my response as she took the blouse off of me with her magic and set to work. I sat there, feeling naked and exposed. After some awkward silence, Rarity broke the ice. "So, Shimmer, how has your time in Ponyville been so far?"

I thought of the three ponies that I'd run into. "Well, I tried to ask for directions three times, but was either ignored or rejected every time."

"By whom?" Rarity asked, still facing away from me.

"Well, there was this yellow pegasus who was trailing some rabbits--"

"That would be Fluttershy," interrupted Rarity. "She's really good with animals, and like her name suggests, she's very shy--and I mean shy."

"There was also an orange pony who had a whole ton of appples--"

"Applejack. She's the apple harvester of Ponyville, along with her younger sister Applebloom, older brother Big Macintosh, and frail elder grandmother, Granny Smith."

"And a rainbow-maned pegasus who did some sort of Sonic Rainblast thingy--"

"That's Rainbow Dash. And she did a Sonic Rainboom. She's the fastest flyer in Equestria, and saved me once from falling to my death. Very loyal to everypony."

"So, she's not some arrogant, self-centered pegasus who always wants attention on herself? Because that's what she seems like."

"Oh no, she is. Just not all the time. Alas, it's ready!" Rarity said, holding up my fixed blouse. She turned around to face me, holding up the blouse so that it covered her face. I had to admit, it did look better. Rarity had even added some diamonds!

"Wow, Rarity, it's beautiful!" I said.

The white unicorn nodded, the blouse still covering her face. "Why, thank you." Suddenly something fell from its shelf somewhere in the house. Rarity widened her eyes. "I'll get it!" She dropped the blouse and ran in the direction in which the sound came. I went over to the blouse and put it on. When Rarity came back, she had a satisfied look on her face. When she saw me, her smile turned into a grin.

"You look dashing," she said.

I blushed. "Thanks."

"Now I shall escort you back to your home."

"Oh, you don't need to."

"I insist!" Rarity opened the door. I shrugged and walked out of the house, Rarity following me. We talked until we got to my house.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Shimmer. I do hope we get to talk more in the future."

"Thanks. It was nice meeting you too, Rarity."

My new friend smiled and walked away. I smiled as well as I opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind me. Everything was dark since I hadn't turned on the light. Just as I began to slip off my new and improved blouse, the light suddenly turned on, and what looked like dozens of ponies surrounded me. Confetti and streamers fell from above as everypony yelled "SURPRISE!!!"

I screamed and hid inside a box. Somepony opened the lid for me and peeked inside. "Silly, now's not the time for naps!" said a familiar voice. I looked up and was met with the grinning face of Pinkie Pie. Four other ponies were beside her, including Rarity. The other three were the ponies that I'd run into earlier.

"Pinkie, what are all these ponies doing at my house???" I demanded.

"It's a party! To welcome you to Ponyville!"

I sighed and climbed out of the box. Pinkie Pie rushed beside the 3 ponies. "Shimmer! This is Fluttershy," she said, motioning to the yellow pegasus. Fluttershy smiled and in a quiet voice said, "Hi, Shimmer."

"And this is Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie hugged the rainbow-maned pegasus. Rainbow Dash grinned and said, "Hi there, newbie!"

"And last but not least, Applejack!" Pinkie sprung over to the orange pony. Applejack tipped her hat and said in her southern accent, "Well howdy there, Sugarcube."

"Then you've already met Rarity and I!"

"Um, Rarity?" I asked. "How did you get here? Because you just left a moment ago."

Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but thought for a moment before saying, "Good question...because I honestly do not know."

I stared at the five smiling ponies and everypony else behind them, and slowly managed a crooked smile that probably looked more like a grimace.

Fluttershy gasped in recognition. "Hey, you're that pony who I nearly ran into while chasing those bunnies!" she said in her quiet voice.

"And you're that pony who wanted to help me!" Applejack said.

"And you're the pony that I ran into when I did that Sonic Rainboom!" Rainbow Dash said, levitating off the ground with her wings.

"You were going to ask me a question, right?" the three ponies said in unison.

I laughed and nodded. "It's okay, the problem was solved. But so you know, I was going to ask if--"

"That doesn't matter!" interrupted Pinkie. "What does matter is that we need to..." She grabbed a balloon out of nowhere and blew it up until it was bigger than her and climbed on top of it and shouted at the top of her lungs, "PARTY!!!!"

So we did party. I got to know almost everypony in the entire town, and make friends with Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash; turns out they're really nice and fun to hang around. I also got to dance and sing and drink punch--but I almost drank the hot sauce (Pinkie Pie says that that's one of the first mistakes that Twilight Sparkle made when she first moved to Ponyville). All in all, it was the best party I'd ever attended in my whole life.

---

That night, long after the last pony stepped out of my house, I went up to the second floor and opened the hatch that led up to the small balcony on the roof. The sky was its usual dark purple, with the stars littered across the sky like little white pebbles. The night was lukewarm with a nice and chilly breeze, just the way I like it.

I stepped onto the railing of the balcony and looked at my nice view of Ponyville; nearly everything in the entire town could be seen. My real concern was how many ponies were around. As I looked around I saw none; the entire town looked desolate, almost like a ghost town. Good. I then looked down and judged the distance between myself and the ground. It would be safe to assume that the ground was about 20 feet away. Anypony who wasn't a pegasus and jumped off would probably break a few bones, or worse...

The wind blew at my monochromatic mane, making it sway like a delicate flower in the spring. My eyes shimmered in the darkness like rubies in the sunlight, indicating excitement.

Taking a deep breath, I bent my legs, and jumped off the balcony.

Author's Note:

Sorry if it was so long and boring, I promise it will get better next chapter!

And yes, Shimmer is an OC. In fact, I didn't know anything about Sunset Shimmer until after I had this Shimmer in mind. I tried to change her name, but Shimmer was the only thing that I could think of because I was too lazy fit her. So yeah, if you thought that this story was going to be about Sunset Shimmer, then you are going to be disappointed because she isn't even going to appear. Sorry 'bout that!