Interlude II: Sunset in a Strange Land
Even with all the strangeness going on at Twilight Sparkle's castle, Princess Celestia insisted on having a private breakfast with Sunset Shimmer at one of Ponyville's more upscale cafes, where Celestia ordered an elaborate breakfast spread and some privacy for the two of them.
"We had so little time to catch up yesterday," Celestia said as she buttered a croissant. "I'm pleased to see you looking so well."
"Thank you," Sunset said.
"I am a bit curious," Celestia said as she stirred milk into her tea. "You survived in an alternate dimension for a long time...not just survived, but by all reports thrived. Yet when you left, you had nothing." She looked up at Sunset. "How did you get by in a world without magic, with no family and no money?"
Sunset grimaced. "It's...a long story, and..." She looked up, guilt in her eyes. "I'm afraid...you'd be very disappointed in me."
Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Sunset, I do believe we're LONG past that. I've forgiven you for everything you've done...and still feel I don't deserve your forgiveness for driving you away. But if we are to truly clear the air and forgive each other for the years of heartache and pain that have separated us..." She pierced Sunset with that penetrating, insurmountable gaze that had so often broken Sunset's will as a filly. "I need to hear the truth. All of it, no matter how terrible."
Sunset sighed. "Alright..." She drank some juice, then took a deep breath...
* * * * *
Sunset Shimmer glanced around the library, then covertly sniffed herself. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "I'll need to con someone into borrowing their shower again, and soon..."
After leaving Equestria, Sunset had lived on the streets and on the move, taking care to remain hidden when she didn't want to be seen, and highly visible when she needed to exploit people for small favors. At night, she would check vending machines for forgotten change. Wherever she went, she searched for dropped or forgotten money lying around. None of what she found was enough to even eat off of for a day, but she saved it all.
Occasionally, she would shoplift a small amount of food, taking care not to get caught, then move on several blocks from the store she'd ripped off and remain at a distance for some time.
She'd cleverly found places to sleep that weren't obscenely filthy—she had no intention of living like a homeless person, even though she was one. She marveled at how easy it was to sneak into an upscale home's yard at night and sleep on their patio furniture without being caught.
As the days wore on, she observed and learned more about the human world. With her wanderings to evade detection and trouble with the authorities, she managed to develop a decent working knowledge of the human world's Canterlot fairly quickly. She knew that finding a way to stay near the portal without attracting attention to herself was important, but she reasoned that it would be some time before she could manage that.
As for hygiene...she'd found an inventive solution for that as well.
She'd managed to keep herself and her clothes just clean enough that she didn't look obviously homeless or filthy. Every day or two, she would spy a group of teenagers hanging out in some diner or cafe or other; she'd follow them, hang back, listen to their conversations, and gradually ease her way in. She would ingratiate herself to the locals, make up some story about being on a trip or something, take an interest in whatever schoolwork they were working on, then offer to tutor them. After following one of them home and helping with their homework—which was beneficial to her in return, as she learned more about the human world in the process—she would casually say something like, "Oh, by the way...do you mind if I use your shower? I need to freshen up a little bit before I head back."
She'd found that boys were especially agreeable to this—for reasons it hadn't taken long to figure out. It worked more often than Sunset thought likely, but she was in no position to question her good fortune.
She had been in the human world for almost five weeks, staying under the radar despite all the illegal and unusual things she'd had to do to get by, and she knew that her bizarre run of good luck was unlikely to last forever. To that end, she had availed herself of the public library to do some research. Having quickly picked up on the similarities between this world and Equestria, her top priority was finding her own human counterpart and her family.
On her third day at the library, she learned that her counterpart had died when she was three. Reading the article left her with a strange, numb sensation, as though her own bones lay in some forgotten grave somewhere.
More importantly, it meant she couldn't trade places with her human counterpart—not without coming up with some grade-A Mares Monthly serial novella manure, at any rate.
She was smack in the middle of her fifth day of research, and beginning to despair of finding anything useful, when she hit paydirt. An article about a lawsuit, a drunk driver, and... "Evening Sky?" Sunset's brow furrowed. "That name sounds familiar..."
DRUNK DRIVING SUIT SETTLES FOR $2,000,000
In a decisive victory against drunk drivers everywhere, software developer Source Code was ordered by the district court to pay two million in damages to bereaved Canterlot resident Evening Sky.
Five months ago, Ms. Code, while driving with a blood alcohol level almost three times the legal limit, sideswiped a car driven by Starry Skies, the 48-year-old wife of Mr. Sky. Mrs. Skies was killed instantly in the collision.
Less than a month earlier, the couple lost their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter in an automobile accident. The family was driving to Canterlot when their brakes failed on a treacherous mountain road.
Ms. Code is currently on probation and is forced to wear an ankle monitor and submit to regular drug testing. Many feel the settlement in the civil case serves as the justice the criminal court did not hand down by declining to force Ms. Code to serve jail time.
The names clicked, and Sunset's heart skipped a beat. "Evening Sky and Starry Skies...my grandparents!"
In Equestria, her grandparents—both pegasi who had somehow managed to foal a unicorn—had tragically lost their lives before she'd even been born. She only knew about them through old newspaper articles detailing their heroism; a malfunction at the weather factory in Cloudsdale created a tornado that quickly grew out of control over the mountain forests. While the pegasi attempted to dissipate it, it agitated a phoenix nest. Sunset's grandparents were still inside the tornado when it became a vortex of flames...
She shook herself, wincing at the old memory, and reread the article.
This world's version of her grandfather was alive...and all alone. If memory served, he had no other family—if her grandmother was dead, and her parents, and Sunset herself...he was all alone.
She smiled a mildly predatory smile. "Congratulations, Grandpa. You're about to be reunited with your long-lost granddaughter, alive after all these years..."
* * * * *
Eleven years alone was a long time, and it aged a man.
Evening Sky had been fifty-two when he had lost his entire family—first his daughter, her husband, and their little baby girl, and all too soon after, the love of his life. The settlement he won from the driver that killed his wife had covered all the funeral expenses, paid off his mortgage, and settled all his debts—with plenty to spare—but he had opted to continue working full-time, not for the money, but to fill the long, lonely, empty hours of his life.
For years, he went to work, came home, ate dinner, and slept. He rarely deviated from his routine. Nothing brought him joy anymore. He watched television out of habit, but couldn't tell you anything about the shows he watched. He never went to the movies or out to eat. He simply existed, moving from day to day without purpose. As the years passed, his health declined: varicose veins, an enlarged prostate, high cholestrol, hypertension, and chronic back pain defined his late fifties.
At sixty, he had taken early retirement. At times he regretted it; he spent all his time sitting around the house, watching TV and not remembering what he watched, grumbling at the political news, and reading the newspaper for an hour every morning. A service took care of his lawn; he kept his own house as clean as he could (damn his arthritis) and cooked his own meals—it was all he really had to keep himself busy with anymore.
Now sixty-three, Evening Sky was a dour, dreary man lamenting a life of loss and loneliness, marking the days until he would join his family in the great beyond. A cold Thursday afternoon found him watching some court show he wasn't paying any real attention to when out of the blue, the doorbell rang.
Frowning, he got up, grabbed his cane, and stumped to the door. He peered through the peephole and saw a teenage girl, around fourteen if he had to guess, standing there. She had vibrant copper-and-gold hair and bright teal eyes. His frown deepening, he opened the door. "Yes?"
"Mr. Evening Sky?" the girl asked.
"That's right." He frowned. "Sorry, miss, I'm not lookin' to buy anything..."
The girl shook her head. "You...don't recognize me, do you?"
He adjusted his glasses. "Can't say I do, but I don't get out much."
She sighed. "That's okay. It's been...about eleven years, I guess. I honestly don't recognize you either. It...it took a long time to find you, and I'm...I'm just so glad you're still alive..."
Evening Sky's weathered navy brow wrinkled in confusion. "What're you talkin' about, girl?"
The girl looked down at her hands, which were nervously wringing the hem of her magenta top. "My name is Sunset Shimmer," she said. "I'm...I'm your granddaughter."
Evening Sky slammed the door.
After a moment, the girl began pounding on it. "Please!" she called. "Listen to me! I know what you're thinking, but I'm telling the truth!"
Scowling, Evening Sky jerked the door open and poked the girl in the chest with his cane. "Now you look here, missy," he snarled. "Sunset Shimmer died! She was just a baby! She never got to live her life! I barely got to know my own grandchild!"
"But I am Sunset Shimmer!" the girl insisted. "Look at me!" She was near tears. "I've come so far just to find you! I've been through so much!"
Evening Sky blinked, then took a closer look at the girl. His lips worked soundlessly for a moment. "You...you do look like her," he said. "And...and you've got my little girl's eyes, there's...there's no mistake there..." He shook his head. "But Sunset Shimmer died in a car crash when she was three."
"And they never found the body, right?" the girl pleaded. "They found my mom and dad, but they never found ME, right?" She took a step forward, gesturing emphatically with a hand. "Grandpa, I survived the crash. I've been living on the streets my whole life..." Tears gathered in her eyes. "I didn't even know I had family...I found out by chance..." She sniffled. "And...and then I tried so hard to find you..."
Evening Sky stared at her. His eyes softened. "You...you couldn't possibly be..."
She took his hands in hers. "Just...just hear me out, okay?"
* * * * *
"It took a while, but I convinced him I was his granddaughter. His lawyer took a lot more convincing, but...well...it's pretty easy to impersonate a dead alternate universe version of yourself that nobody's seen in eleven years." Sunset chuckled ruefully. "He adopted me, of course. Changed his will, left everything to me.
"I convinced him to sell the house and rent us a smaller apartment that'd be easier to take care of and closer to a good school for me. I'm still living in that apartment."
"And Evening Sky?" Celestia asked.
Sunset looked down at her plate. "He passed away last year," she said. "He...he died peacefully in his sleep, and..." She started to sniffle. "I pretended to care, of course, gave him a nice funeral and played the bereaved granddaughter, but all the while, I was moving forward with all my schemes and plans..." Her ears wilted. "He deserved...he deserved better..." She looked up at Celestia with sad eyes. "He really thought I was her...he was so happy, the year we were together, and...and I didn't really care..."
Celestia moved over to her and wrapped her up in a hug. "I think you did," she said softly. "Deep down, you did care. And you miss him."
Sunset started to sob. "I...I do!" she wailed. "He...he loved m-me! Like...like he was really my fa..." She choked on her own tears, then said, "...he was my family...it doesn't matter if I was a fake..."
Celestia stroked her adopted daughter's mane, saying nothing, letting her cry it all out.
After a while, Sunset looked up at Celestia. "I'm...I'm terrible," she whispered hoarsely.
"No, you're not," Celestia said. "We all...we all make mistakes, and sometimes we hurt the ones we love, or...or don't appreciate them the way we should. But..." She tilted Sunset's head with her hoof. "Evening Sky would be proud of who you've become. Of how you've changed and grown. We've only been together again for a few short hours, and already I can see you're a much better pony than the Sunset Shimmer that ran away all those years ago...the daughter I loved and...and drove away." Celestia herself began to cry; mother and daughter stood in one another's embrace, letting years of pain and regret and loss flow out, heedless of who might be watching.
After several minutes, Celestia said, "At least I know you're well provided for in your new life. I don't...have to worry about you." She smiled hopefully. "That's...that's good, right?"
Sunset sniffled and wiped her eyes, nodding. "Yeah...it's-it's good..."
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In this a canon thing that I missed somewhere, because it doesn't exactly read as terribly likely. Especially considering the painfully massive fortune a pony can fit in their saddlebags with cut, polished, precious stones of absurd size,
6267299 The only thing canon about it is that Sunset didn't really have anything but the clothes on her back when she went through the mirror--and those were given to her when she transformed.
Frankly getting tired of the 'Human Sunset is dead' ploy. WAY too many stories do.
6267309 And the magic book to write to Celestia.
Which reminds me, the so quick dismissal of returning to Equestria bothers me. Even if not counting the fact Celestia was her mother in this fic, I like to think Sunset Shimmer loved magic, otherwise she wouldn't have been Celestia's personal student. Dismissing both her magic and magc so easily... just doesn't feel ok with me
.
Sorry for the rant. I'll wait for your next chapter.
6267348 Well, getting tired is maybe a bit too much with. That would imply that I actually disliked stories that included the trope, which I do not. However, you are definitely right when you say that there could be more stories that include human Sunset.
I take it that this is the same backstory the girls mentioned in "Oops, I'm Equine again"?
6267527 when 2 out of every three stories that mention the Human Sunset have her dead. getting tired is an understatement.
Stupid feelsy story makin' me cry
I think someone is watering my eyes or something. I swear they aren't normally this wet.
Wonderful chapter.
Cute chapter.^^
DA FEELS MAKE ME SO HAPPY!!!
This was...very emotional.
Not much more I can say beyond that.
Great chapter. I like stories that take a moment to explain how a unicorn adapts to life in the human world so quickly. Though it seems like the family of Sunset Shimmer is cursed in both worlds to end in tragedy of some kind.
6267567 Essentially.
loved the update!
6267348 I'm glad I'm not the only one. That's why in my stories sunset and human sunset live together as twin sisters with human sunset's parents. I haven't seen any stories that done the live together as twins idea.
Another enjoyable chapter. I rather like your idea of how Sunset set herself up and gets by in the Human world. Good job.
Way to go Moth, managed to drain a single tear out of this ole eye ya did. Good on ya and keep being awesome!
6268572 Nope. I have seen a couple where H Sunset and H Twilight know each other and go to Crystal Heart/Prep. Or one where H Sunset was knocked out and stuck in Equestria. Twins is a whole new one.
6269421 I wish more writers use the twins idea. Especially as a slice of life.
6269486 it would be interesting. especially how she would be able to pull it off.
6268853
A unicorn tear? Now I can make me some Doritos!
6269492 http://www.fimfiction.net/story/243372/mlp-when-two-worlds-collide explanation
6271185 And how would they know each other enough for Celestia to even do that?
6267299
I read somewhere that it can be super hard to sell gems. People would ask all kinda of questions. Even criminals would ask questions, because they don't want to be busted for a major heist like gems of that size could indicate.
6271894 Eh, it is and it isn't. You can't do it legal, but which sounds more likely, making a successful black market deal or being the universe-alternate of an heiress?
6272485 Either or would be risky. With becoming an heiress, I'd assume that all she'd need is a blood test.
6272660 And luck like I've never heard of.
6272699 Or plot armour. Because, y'know, MLP:Fim.
Huh. I like this. I like this quite a bit. I'm still undecided on how Sunset survived in my EG stories, but you've definitely given me something to consider.
Oh, yeah, and it was a nicely tragic story, especially with Sunset only appreciating what she had after she'd lost it.
I have emotions!
6278521 Thanks. This is a slightly modified version of Sunset Theory #3-B ("Sunset has a sugar daddy"), one of a number of possible theories on my Sunset Tree. Some of the others:
- Sunset actually DID bring gold/jewels from Equestria (least likely)
- Sunset couch-surfs
- Sunset turns tricks
- Sunset has a sugar daddy
- Sunset replaced her human self (either through murder or kidnapping)
The ugly truth is there are almost zero plausible G-rated explanations for how Sunset Shimmer gets by in the human world. X_X
6278940
She runs an Etsy store.
6289115 Sorry, it isn't.
I don't see why that's unlikely. We know that Equestrian currency is Cheap Gold Coins (two bits for a cherry), and if Sunset packed any money (which makes sense, since she was planning on staying), she'd be quite rich in the human world.
6290848 not annoying when all make the assumption that H Sunset is dead.
I think you've got the character down and her transformation. It seems to me like you've cleaned up some of the previous chapters, too. Too bad you killed off gramps; lotso potential there, but I'm liking the overall story. So, more please.
6278940 She could just be living in an orphanage. While it is unlikely for a child to survive on the streets alone (after being abandoned by his/her parents before they could leave a proper paper trail), it isn't impossible and probably isn't unheard of.
As for the matter of the human Sunset's trail, even if she isn't dead, places like an orphanage or a local school probably wouldn't look to deep into it.
P.S. I've seen several stories where Sunset is just taken in by someone. I've even seen a story where sunset has set up some income for herself by doing essay papers for other students (school or uni) presumably using the library's books and computers.
As these are just a few of the various ideas I've seen floating around regarding Sunset's situation. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of kid-friendly ways in which her living predicament could be solved within cannon
6278951 An Esty store? Like a small business? Hmmm...Sunset running a small business due using the education from her world would still be G-rated and Canon.
You switch halfway through from Evening Sky to Evening Star. Looks like someone's.p been listening to a bit too much Marcus Warner, eh? xD
6419302 *derp* I don't know what scares me more: that I didn't catch that myself, or that it took THIS LONG for someone ELSE to catch it.
Thanks for calling that to my attention, I've fixed it.
When will the next chapter come out?
6494155 When people stop asking. Or when the Rapture happens. Possibly when Pangea reforms. I don't know.
6494185 i was just wondering since the friendship games came out i was worried of what would happen to this story so sorry if I'm being rude
6494195 It's fine, I just REALLY HATE that question, especially since lately I've been dealing with writer's block, stress, and burnout, in addition to having a lot of other things going on. Contrary to popular belief, two months is NOT an unreasonable time for a story to go without an update. Neither is six months.
I don't know when this will be updated again. Because it won't be updated again until I decide to work on it. Same as with all my other stories that aren't on a schedule, and there's only one story I'm writing that HAS an update schedule.
So...basically, when it updates, it updates.
6494213 ok I get it now thanks for explaining it to me and between you and me I think your story has potential while mine wasn't even approved to be on here if you would like to hear what my story is about just let me know and I also think that this give sunset more background than before the friendship games which gave her so little also what your thoughts on the third equestria girls?
6494473 i.imgur.com/wsA9NZz.jpg
6494991 lol
I sometimes do that im sorry. what I said was your story has great potential and my story want approved by the website. if you like to hear what my story is about let me know. also I think that this story is good character build for sunset before the friendship games. Also what are your opinions of the friendship games.
6495023 I meant isn't approved by the website
6495024 Yeah, I kinda got that. I'm getting a pretty good idea as to why...