• Published 14th Jan 2015
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Sunset Shimmer: The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well - Joeycrick



During one fateful Nightmare Night, a last-minute costume choice turns Princess Twilight's student into a hero.

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Chapter 13: A Friend For Life

In the weeks that followed that fateful night, Princess Twilight and her friends were teaching me some of the many lessons of friendship that they had learned.

Naturally, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were skeptical at first, and Fluttershy continued to be frightened of me. With Twilight's assurance, however, Fluttershy eventually warmed up to me as we spent some time together. One day, she decided to show me her cabin where she raises her animals. We ran into Discord there, and he actually seemed like a nice fellow, a lot different from what I had read about him. At least, until he decided to have some 'fun' with me. Remember that monster inside me I was supposedly turning into? Well, I DID turn into it, thanks to him. Of course, I was NOT amused. Fluttershy hid behind the couch while I screamed at Discord to turn me back.

Rainbow Dash... I was surprised to find out that on top of being an incredible athlete, she was also a fan of reading. She showed me the Daring Do novels, which I hadn't read before: I was too busy sticking my muzzle into textbooks to read stories. She kept pestering me to give them a read, and both she and Twilight were happy to see me enjoying them. Daring Do's adventures, they're absolutely incredible stories. A.K. Yearling did a really great job with them.

Pinkie Pie threw me a "Congratulations On Becoming Friends With Twilight" party at the castle. I'm not really the type for parties, but I actually enjoyed myself. Pinkie kept going on about how she was super-duper happy to finally see me smile, even dragging me to the front of the party room to announce it to everypony. And she even invited Princess Celestia to join in the festivities. Considering our history together, it was a pretty awkward meeting, but she was glad to hear that I had welcomed friends into my life. Applejack also catered the party, offering up a ton of homemade treats from Sweet Apple Acres. I tried a bunch of them out, which was followed by Rainbow Dash dragging me away from the table before I devoured everything.

When the Grand Galloping Gala was coming up, I approached Rarity at Carousel Boutique, asking her if she still had that dress she made me earlier. She kept in case I changed my mind, and she offered to add in a couple extra touches. When I arrived at the Gala a week later, I was a sight to behold. Everypony's eyes were on me, all of them commenting on how gorgeous I was. It felt kinda awkward, but Rarity stood beside me to offer her support. The two of us were truly a beautiful couple... although that came to an end when Prince Blueblood approached Rarity and she began shouting at him angrily before decking him in the face.

As for Twilight... things were still tense, but not as bad as they were before. I was really nervous, and on a few occasions, I was worried about going back to the way I was. It took a while for the friendship lessons she taught me to sink in, but she and her friends continued to show their support and encouragement. It was really a confidence booster for me. Twilight showed me her friendship reports to Princess Celestia over the years, along with the journal she and her friends are writing in now. I slowly began to realize why Princess Celestia chose her to be a princess instead of me. The both of us had the magic and smarts. But there was one thing Twilight had that I did not: she was compassionate and caring for other ponies, eager to help out with friendship problems whenever she can. Me, I just wanted power and a kingdom to rule. No doubt I would've made an awful princess.

But that doesn't matter to me now. That part of my life is over. Twilight and her friends have made a huge impact on my life, helping me discover the magic of friendship and how wonderful it truly is. I'm just happy to have some of the best friends a pony could possibly ask for.


As the sun sank below the mountains in the distance, the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at Sunset Shimmer. Tears were once again rolling down her face, but this time, they were tears of joy. She let out a small smile as she wiped her eyes with her wrapped forehoof.

"Wow..." Sweetie Belle murmured. "That's quite some story. Who'd have thought a wild timberwolf would've brought you and Twilight together?"

Scootaloo's tiny wings fluttered as she jumped into the air in excitement. "I wish I could've seen Rainbow Dash fighting that timberwolf!"

"Maybe you should ask her about it," Sunset chuckled as she stood up. "I certainly wasn't expecting her or Applejack to show up, considering how hostile I was acting towards them, but I'm really thankful that they did." She walked to the edge of the cliff, her eyes looking out to the distance as her mane and cape blew in the gentle breeze. "It helped me realize how much they care for me."

The Crusaders trotted up next to the costumed unicorn, following her gaze silently for a few moments.

"Hey Sunset," Apple Bloom spoke up. "Ever wonder what would've happened if you had jumped through that portal?"

Closing her eyes, Sunset lowered her head in thought. "Hmm... to be honest, I haven't really thought about that," she answered. "However... that monster I saw that made me stop... this is just a guess, but it might've been foreshadowing what would've happened to me if I had stepped through the mirror. Would I have turned into the very thing that would spend the next two years haunting me? What if I had done something terrible to the inhabitants of the world on the other side of the portal?" She let out a long sigh.

"You want to know what I think?" Sweetie Belle piped up. Everypony else turned to the little unicorn, who was wearing a soft smile on her face. "I think that the magic of friendship would've found you there."

Sunset looked surprised at this response. "You... you really believe that, Sweetie Belle?" she asked hopefully.

"Definitely," said Sweetie Belle. "I have a strong feeling that the magic of friendship isn't just in Equestria. It's everywhere... it extends to other worlds. Even if you would never meet Twilight or her friends, I'm confident that it would've eventually found you."

Sunset pondered Sweetie's words for a few moments. After a while, she turned her head upwards, her eyes catching the stars glimmering in the sky. As she watched, she began to smile with confidence.

"You're right, Sweetie Belle," she said firmly. "Twilight said it herself: I was a pony who desperately needed friendship. If friendship was something I needed, then it would've found me no matter what... even if I ended up in another world. But the friends I have now... I can't imagine a life without them, and I wouldn't give them up for anything."

The unicorn closed her eyes, images of her past flashing through her mind: her argument with Princess Celestia, the Crystal Mirror, the demon that would torment her for a long time, her hostility towards Twilight and her friends, her near-death experience in the Everfree Forest... "Everything that I went through the past two and a half years..."

Slowly, her eyes opened and she smiled warmly. "I'm glad it happened. Because if it didn't, I would've never met Twilight Sparkle and her friends."

"And us too, right?" asked Scootaloo, grinning eagerly as she pulled Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle beside her.

"Of course," Sunset replied with a small laugh. She placed her forehoof over the shoulders of all three fillies. "You're my friends, too." She turned back to the starlit sky above her. "The stars tonight... they look wonderful, don't they?" she asked.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all followed Sunset's gaze, Scootaloo's eyes widening in amazement. "Whoa..."

"They're mighty beautiful," Apple Bloom murmured.

"Yeah, they are," added Sweetie Belle. All four ponies watched in wonder, mystified by the vast, starry sky while a gentle breeze blew through the air.

"Hey! Sunset Shimmer!" a voice called out. Sunset and the Crusaders turned around as Twilight Sparkle approached them, slowing down her descent before coming to a stop. "There you are, Sunset. What's been keeping... er..." She suddenly noticed the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing next to the unmasked Mare-Do-Well, and she began to rub the back of her head nervously. "Heh heh..." she chuckled. "Um... Sunset...?"

Sunset just grinned sheepishly. "Don't worry, Twilight," she said. "They're not gonna tell anypony. Right?" She raised her eyebrow at the Crusaders on that last word.

"Don't y'all worry, Sunset," Apple Bloom responded. "Your secret's safe with us!"

"Alright then," said Twilight. Clearing her throat, she turned to face the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "It's getting late, and you three should be heading home now. Your families are probably getting worried."

"I'll take them, Twilight," Sunset responded, pulling on her mask and levitating her hat onto her head. "It's kinda my fault they're still out here, anyway."

"Really?" Twilight glanced towards her costumed student, raising her eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"She was telling us this great story!" Sweetie Belle piped up, a grin on her face.

"Huh... what kind of story?"

"Oh, just a story about a lonely unicorn who discovers the magic of friendship," Sunset replied as she led the Crusaders to their nearby wagon.

Twilight chuckled. She couldn't see behind Sunset's mask, but she knew that underneath the dark blue cloth was a sly grin. "I might've heard of that one," she remarked. "It's pretty fascinating. So I'll see you when you get back, okay?"

"Sure thing, Twilight!" Sunset called out. She turned to the Crusaders and asked them, "You three ready?"

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodded from inside the wagon while Scootaloo, taking position on her scooter, straightened her helmet and started flapping her wings. "Ready!" she called to Sunset.

With a nod, Sunset galloped off, her cape flapping behind her as the Cutie Mark Crusaders followed the costumed mare.

Twilight stood on the cliffside for a few moments, watching the four ponies as they disappeared into the night. Spreading her wings, she took off, flying towards her castle on the outskirts of Ponyville.

Her mouth curled into a heartfelt smile. I'm really happy for you, Sunset Shimmer...


Sunset stood at the balcony outside her bedroom, her Mare-Do-Well costume stored away inside the enchanted pendant around her neck. A gentle breeze brushed against her mane as she leaned on the railing, taking in the breathtaking view of the night sky.

She wasn't sure why, but ever since she became Twilight's friend months ago, she had become fascinated with stargazing. During her night patrols as Mare-Do-Well, if nothing was going on, she sometimes liked to stop for a few moments and just watch as the stars shined brightly above her. Back when she was Princess Celestia's student, she didn't think much of them. And yet, after moving to Ponyville, they never ceased to amaze her.

Probably because that was the very first thing we did together, she thought, reminiscing on that memorable night.

"Princess Luna really outdid herself. The stars are very pretty tonight." "Yes... yes they are, Twilight." Closing her eyes, Sunset smiled as the memory played itself in her head. It was a night that she would never forget.

"Hey... Sunset?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, the amber unicorn turned her head around. Standing behind her at the doorway was Twilight.

"You alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Sunset answered as she looked back at the sky. "Just doing some stargazing. Never really got a chance to do it when I was studying in Canterlot."

"Ah. Mind if I join you?"

Sunset smiled. "I'd like that, actually." She took a few steps aside, making some room for Twilight as she approached the railing. The two ponies looked up at the sky in silence, the stars sparkling above them.

As she scanned the skies, Sunset's gaze fell on something familiar. It was a sight that she first saw after becoming Twilight's friend: a group of seven constellations. And even months later, it still shined brightly, giving Sunset a warm feeling inside her heart.

"Hey Twilight..."

"Yeah, Sunset?"

Pausing for a few moments, Sunset wrapped her forearms around Twilight in a hug. Twilight was caught off-guard by the sudden embrace, but she still smiled as she began to stroke Sunset's mane.

As a shooting star whizzed past the constellation group, Sunset Shimmer smiled.


"Ohh, like a star in the daylight...
Or like a diamond at night...
Your light was hidden from my sight
A friend for life... that's what you are to me..."


"Thanks... for everything."


"A friend for life... that's what you are to me..."


"Heh heh, looks like we've finally found it, Dusty Runes!"

*gasp* "Is that really it, Miss Do?!"

"Yes it is, old friend... the legendary Relic of Flight!"

Author's Note:

And that's it for Sunset Shimmer's backstory! Hope you enjoyed it! :twilightsmile:

But now, back to the action! :rainbowdetermined2: I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can!