Change of Plans
Shimmer ended the call and sighed. She put her phone in her pocket and hooked her thumb around one of the belt loops of her pants. She didn't know why she got so nervous calling her. It wasn't like Sunset was a stranger or anything; they were... friends(?). As much as her counterpart liked to bother her, she couldn't deny their friendship. That is, if you can call constant arguing, death glares, smirking; who-is-better competitions (hosted by Twilight), forced interactions (also hosted by Twilight); cursing, and low key sabotage; a friendship.
Shimmer blew a piece of hair away from her face before tucking it behind her ear. While that was what they did seventy five perce-- no, eighty, no...
...
A good 99.9% of the time. While that was what they did 99.9% of the time, there were moments that weren't so hectic and backstabby. Sunset could be kind and gentle when she wanted to. Problem was, she didn't want to be that way a lot of the time. Shimmer growled under her breath and muttered.
"You'd think someone would be nice to themselves rather than be mean, but no. That's just how she operates."
She sighed and face palmed, feeling her temple pulse. Why did I even tell her I'd come over? Ugh, it's like I'm asking for hell...
She glanced down the hall through her parted fingers. "Well...she did save me. And her head injury; I could never leave her without knowing if she'd be ok..."
Shimmer groaned. "Something tells me that this isn't going to be a simple trip..."
Just then, the PA system dings and Principal Evermint's voice echoes through the halls from the speakers at each end of the hall.
"Sunset Shimmer, please report to the main office. Sunset Shimmer, to the main office."
"...Huh?"
Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow in curiosity before changing course, walking in slow, hesitant steps to her new destination. The office? What does the principal need from me? She gently scratched her head and glanced at the bandages around her hand.
Ah, maybe he wants to know how I'm doing after the car incident. I wouldn't be surprised that the news spread to him. I have been getting questions from my classmates about it and even a 'get-well-soon' card. It did happen close to the school so...
Shimmer shoved her hands into the pockets of the borrowed hoodie and continued on her way. As soon as she walked into the office, she was greeted by the secretary who looked up from her work with a look of concern.
"Hello, dear. How are you feeling? I heard about that awful incident. Is your sister doing well?"
Shimmer scratched the back of her head. "Um, I'm ok. My... sister's recovering at home."
The secretary gave her a small relieved smile. "Please tell her I hope she feels better. Your father and Mr. Evermint will be out of the principal's office soon."
"My dad's here?"
"Yes," said the lady as she pushed up her crescent moon spectacles, "I believe he's going to pick you up early today. I'm surprised you came to school today. You should have rested at home with Shimmer."
The fiery headed girl blinked before responding. "Oh, I'm not Sunset. I'm--"
"Shimmer!"
Both the nurse and said person turned to the door leading into Mr. Evermint's office and found a tall man with dark red hair rushing out to meet her. She could already tell from the way his lips quivered that he had a barrage of questions.
"My little girl, are you alright? How are you feeling? Did you eat and drink plenty of water? You should've called me this--"
"Dad, I'm ok."
"--morning. Why did you come to school? Darling, you should have rested. Does that mean your friend's here with you? Where is she? Can I speak to her? I'd like to thank her in pers--"
"Dad!" Shimmer huffed in exasperation, stopping the man in his tracks. She rolled her eyes and smiled before she walked up to him for a gentle hug. "I'm ok. I did eat and drink some water. I'm sorry I didn't call this morning. I didn't know you'd be coming..."
Mr. Flare's tense shoulders dropped as he sighed loudly before placing a hand on her head and ruffling her red and gold hair. "Of course I'd come. I sent you a message; did you get it?"
Shimmer took out her phone and looked at the cracked screen. The connection flickered on and off.
Ah, my phone... it's still vey much damaged from last night. It was a miracle I was able to make that call just earlier.
"My phone's a little busted... I should've borrowed someone else's at least. Sorry..."
Mr. Flare sighed quietly before giving her a small scolding glance. "You better be sorry, young lady. I was pacing the floor all night. I'm glad I called the school to see if you came today."
Shimmer smiled sheepishly. Her father's sudden change in attitude, from genuine worry to gentle lecturing, made her feel guilty. Solar Flare prolonged his gaze before allowing it to soften and pulled his daughter into another hug. "Now let me just get a good look at you."
He pulled away from the tiny embrace and examined his daughter closely. Her slightly messy hair, eyebags, and tiny scratches along her cheeks and hands were the only visible signs of that night's hectic events. His eyes glanced down worriedly at her bandaged palms. Shimmer subconsciously hid them in the pockets of the old blue hoodie and reassured her father that the bruises were medicated and nothing serious. The red-haired man kissed his daughter on the forehead in relief and turned to the principal and secretary.
"We'll be going now. Thank you, Mr. Evermint, for the talk. I really needed someone to help calm me down."
"You're very welcome, Mr. Flare. I completely understand how you feel. If anything happened to my children I'd be just as shaken up by it."
Shimmer and her father said their farewells and the school staff sung their wishes of good health. As Shimmer and Solar Flare headed out the main office door, the secretary called out one last time.
"Please rest up, Sunset, and don't come back until you and your sister are well. I hope your daughters will recover soon, Mr. Flare."
Shimmer's heart jumped into her throat as she turned around. Her father had stopped and peeked back into the office much to her horror. Oh my god...
"Daughters? I only have o--"
Before he could finish his sentence, the bacon-haired teen grabbed his jacket sleeve and blurted out," Haha ha! Thanks, we should get going..!"
She quickly escorted her old man out the school doors to their black car. Mr. Flare, stunned at the abrupt exit, cleared his throat. "I-Is there something wrong, darling? Don't move too fast; I don't want you to strain yourself."
"Everything's fine, dad," the teenager replied quickly, muttering under her breath shortly after," Absolutely peachy..."
When her father didn't move, she flashed a thumbs up before nervously rapping on the passenger side window. "C-C'mon, dad. Open the door..."
Mr. Flare stared at her quizzically, reaching into his pocket. "Alright, just give me a second," he mumbled as he pulled out his keys and unlocked the car doors.
The two of them got into the vehicle. As soon as her father started the car she turned on the radio, hoping it would delay any conversation. She hopped around the different stations until an old 80s rock tune cut through the white noise. Her father's eyes lit up as he began to hum along. "Ah, I loved this song when I was your age." The bacon-haired teen internally sighed a breath of relief when her old man took the bait. Her father began to sing as he gripped her headrest, looked out the back window, and put the car in reverse. It wasn't until they pulled out of the parking lot that the teenager let herself settle down a little.
Damn it, this isn't good; dad's here! I've distracted him for now so I have a little time to prepare myself, but if he asks about Sunset...
Shimmer looked out the window and frowned with worry. She hadn't predicted her father would pick her up. She assumed that she'd take the bus to Pointeville High, go to class, and return to Sunset's by the same mode of transportation. But this wasn't just any other day, was it. Glancing down at her hands, she bit the inside of her mouth in annoyance. It was all she could do to stop a fierce eye roll and slap to the forehead.
Idiot.
She had just got involved in a hit-and-run yesterday! How could she have forgotten that she had parents who were halfway scared to death? She scrunched her brow in self-loathing. She had gotten too caught up in her own head space to even recall that.
Sunset's human counterpart looked to the man beside her. There was no way she would get out of having to talk about the incident. She knew her parents; they were the worrying type, and when they worry they ask questions. Too many questions. The bacon-haired teen glanced at the passing cityscape. Sunset was no doubt going to come up. And something told her he wouldn't stop at asking how she was doing.
Think quick, think quick!
Before she knew it, the song on the radio had ended and he took a deep breath; a tell-tale sign that he was preparing for a serious conversation. The human girl bit her lip and braced herself.
"Shimmer..." he began shakily," I'm very, very grateful that you're ok. Your mother and I were so scared! If it weren't for the car breaking down I would have gotten you immediately. I'm so glad your friend was able to let you stay over last night."
"...Yup. Me too..."
Solar Flare took his eyes off the road and glanced at his daughter. "How is she? Is she hurt badly? I know her parents must have been so shaken to see her after that incident... and having you over as well! Must've given them a fright..."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched her father give her his undivided attention. Shimmer sucked in her bottom lip and inhaled sharply. She really wished she could get around this conversation somehow.
"Sunse-- She's in need of rest right now. She hit her head and all that..." Shimmer faltered near the end of her sentence and winced as she felt her father tense up.
He raised his voice in alarm, "She hit her head? That's horrible!"
"Dad, it's ok!" Shimmer put her hands out in an insistent manner. "She got treated and everything! It was probably nothing more than a minor concussion or... something like that. But trust me; she's totally fine. A-Ok."
The girl flashed what was her second thumbs up of the day and hoped it didn't make her story seem phony. Which it did. The look on her father's face was enough to tell her that he was doubtful.
"Suns-- Sunrise Shine just needs a few days rest. And with Spring Break starting Saturday, she'll have enough time to recover."
Mr. Flare nodded thoughtfully and focused on the road. "Well alright. I'm relieved she'll have time." He exhaled noisily through his nose, tension finally leaving his body.
Shimmer felt herself relax a little. She felt like she had successfully dodged a bullet. Hopefully that's the end of it. Thank goodness... Now I have to contact Sunset. I don't think I'll be able to meet her today.
The human girl took out her phone and grimaced. Normally, a measly text took little to no concentration, but between the cracked screen and her disdain with having to rescind her previous engagement, the level of effort quadrupled. If only it were a normal day... With a tentative tap of a button, she turned on her cell. The action, unbeknownst to the sophomore, grabbed the attention of her father, whose eyes widened in recollection.
"That reminds me. Officer Armor got in touch with me today. He said he was the policeman who helped you last night."
Shimmer replied with a grunt, not paying him any mind. She moodily squinted at her phone as she scrolled through her texts, far too distracted by her new objective.
"He called to make sure you came home safely. I let him know that you were with your friend and that I'd come get you. After, he said you 'ran out of his car while it was in motion'..."
Peering over his glasses, he found his daughter absorbed in her task, which comprised of angrily pressing her thumbs over an unresponsive screen.
Mr. Flare cleared his throat and continued. Something told him he'd have to discipline her about that later. "Well, anyhow, your mother and I were so grateful to him for his help, we decided to invite him over for dinner."
Shimmer's disgruntled fumbling ceased for only a moment as she paused to think about her father's words. Dinner..?
Seconds later, the glitch she was working through cleared up.
"Sounds great," she said enthusiatically, grinning when her phone decided to cooperate with her. Awesome. On to the message...
The red head man smiled at the dimensional twin's satisfaction. He nodded and continued on with his news, misinterpreting her agreeability.
"I'm glad you agree but it won't be tonight. We were thinking of asking if Ms. Shine and her parents would like to come!"
Never had she ever whipped her head up so fast. The blood in Shimmer's cheeks ran cold as she stared at the older man.
...What?
"We didn't want to schedule it right away since she's in need of recovery but we'd really love it if they came. It'd be a nice supper with all of us. Your mother and I are indebted to them; it's the least we can do to show our thanks."
Shimmer's mind raced. A dinner with Sunset and her family. There was no way this was happening.
It can't be!
An event like that could not, should not, and above all else, will not occur. What would happen if her parents found out about Sunset? How would she explain that she has an interdimensional, magic-wielding pony creature doppleganger? And from what she could gleam from last night's conversation, there were definitely way more inconsistencies in their lives than she thought. The young goddess of the evening sky panicked. She herself didn't even know what her look-alike really was, much less the reason why the alien was there!
Shimmer cursed herself. She was so focused on getting Sunset out of her life that by the time she accepted her (barely), she asked no questions. All she had to go off of were Twilight's theories. Only some of which were proven. Shimmer just knew that Sunset came from magic pony land, acquired 'the crown', fought a princess version of her friend, and somewhere in the midst of that, a magic beam and rainbow helix blast blew up CHS' facade and lawn.
Oh, and that Sunset was a total bitch.
NONE OF THAT WOULD SUFFICE AS REASONABLE THINGS TO TELL HER PARENTS.
"Oh," Solar Flare said, cutting through her thoughts. "Since you're on your phone, do you mind giving her a call?"
[Insert Internal Screams Here]
Shimmer picked up her cellular device and cringed as she slowly looked up her contact. "You know, she might be resting right now. Wouldn't want to interrupt her recovery, right?"
"Leaving a voicemail should be ok then."
[Insert Internal Screams Here]
"We're going to need to get you another phone, by the way," the tall, dark man added in thought.
The teenager pressed the call button and prayed to every god, deity, demi-god, and spiritual being that she could name. Please, please, please! DO NOT PICK UP!
Brrrrr... brrrr... brr-- "What do you want."
Shimmer almost shit her pants.
"S-Sunrise Shine! Haha ha! How are you doing? Pretty rough dealing with a head injury, eh?"
Mr. Flare mouthed to his daughter to put it on speaker. She reluctantly pressed the button. Unfortunately, that decision allowed Sunset's next response to blast loudly in the vehicle.
"Yeah, it fucking is, and it ain't getting better listening to you shout in my ear. And what's with the 'Sunrise Shine' business?"
Captain Flare's terrestrial version frowned in disapproval. "Uh, hello, Ms. Shine. This is Sunset Shimmer's father. I hope we're not interrupting anything."
The sound of banging and ruffling could be heard on the other side of the call.
"O-Oh! Mr. Flare, hello! Um, excuse me for my... brash language. I don't normally speak to your daughter that way, I swear."
A thin line made its way across the sophomore's lips.
"Ok, well, we were calling to ask if you and your parents wouldn't mind having dinner with us, maybe some time next week? It can really be any time you feel comfortable with. Officer Armor, who was there at the scene, would be there as well. My wife and I just wanted to gather a little get-together as a thank you for all you've done to save my little girl. Really, we can't thank you enough, young lady."
The line was quiet and the atmosphere grew tense (from the perspective of Shimmer). She pressed her palms together in anticipation. All of this will be avoided and derailed with a simple, one-word response. She just needed to contain her relief when it happened. Of course, she felt bad for her mom and dad since they came up with the idea and seemed to want to put it into effect, but somethings just had to fall through. And this was one of them.
The car pulled up into the driveway of her residence. Mr. Flare parked the car and waited with his daughter for a reply, a small sparkle of hope in his eyes. After a while, a small crackle picked up on Sunset's end and a voice spoke.
"Yes, I would love to attend. Next week should be fine."
[insert internal screams here]
Wow, I had to go back and read my own story to make sure I didn't make a plot inconsistency. A lot. That's what happens when you pull back from the writing game and sit back with the readers. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's my longest one to date. Seventh longest to date (thank you Sciz for fact checking 
). Going back, I saw a few minor details I needed to fix in the story. Nothing too serious.
If my story gets featured, let me know. That'll mean I still got it! Thanks for hanging around. Hope to see you all for the next chapter.
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wonderful to see this story updated after so long. And yes, it has made it to the featured box.
Oh, it finally updated? I've been tracking this story since around the time I first made my account.
Yup you got featured.
Awesome! I still got it, guys. After all this time, I'm still feature material.
9225681
I remember you commenting on my story. Welcome back, bud.
9225717
Yup.
9225717
And now I'm a junior in high school doing four AP classes at once while balancing four stories and a (small) social life.
Eighth grade is a long way away from then.
9225735
Haha yeah and now I'm a senior in high school completing my associate's degree at college with a plan to become a naval officer. Eigth grade is the equivalent of asking me if I remember when I was 4.
9225765
I feel you. Though, high school's been enjoyable so far.
9225779
Yeah, it's been real fun for me.
9225782
I've since joined the robotics team, nearly made nationals twice on said team, (we got 4th place on regionals) and am currently bulldozing my way through the engineering program with flying colors.
Updated... its been a long time and I have tracked this story since I encountered it.
9225795
You go get it, my dude. Music and science are more of my thing.
9225818
Coolio.
Seventh longest, by my count. [/nitpick]
Fun way to come back, though. I missed Sunset's continued adventures in making her counterpart's life an eternal pain.
9225915
love that nitpick. Made me smile and laugh a little. Glad to see you're ready for more!
9225765
Nope. I don’t believe it. You are not a senior in high school. That’s just crazy talk. *mumble grumble* kids makin’ me feel old.
But no, it’s good to see you back and good to see you’re doing well.
Nice to see this story back.
And whoa, what a comeback. I'm now curious how Sunset is going to pull that one out.
Hmmm....I wonder who will show up for as parents for "Sunshine"
I'm reading two stories about Sunset's meeting each other, so this is bound to get confusing.
9228048
Oh, really? What's the other one?
It's really great to see a new chapter being added to this great story. Can't wait for the meeting. I think that things could be possible from Sunset coming alone to her bringing her Pony parents from equestria to somehow attend this
9228843
Shadows Cast Over the Sunset
And back in Equestria, Discord raises his head, "I do believe that somepony is calling me."
9232395
Are you still typing? My phone just tricked me into thinking there was a new chapter, and I'm kinda hoping it was not a lie.
Eager to read the next chapter, glad your back
[Insert Internal Screams of Joy Here] que the dramatic thunder
I must say that, after dropping this story for quite some time (Two -- maybe three -- years), picking up where I left off was ... interesting. I sort of had to bang around in my head to resurface some of the connections, but it came back to me. Prior to this chapter, and the chapter previous to that, I kept reading and thinking, "It's okay, she's a writer just the same and makes mistakes too. There is a reason you fell in love with this story; her voice is just falling on your closed ears as you desecrate the narrative through a lens of your own grammatical understanding." Then, after I saw your groove relocating purchase, you hit me with:
Once that little insert registered in my head, my cat flipped out as I laughed -- totally annihilating the quiet atmosphere of my room! -- and I had to step back for a minute. That was the moment I remembered, "It's those simple things that travel so much distance," but then you slew me when I saw, what was absolutely within Sunset's character:
Bravo! When marks without built-in meaning spur me to emotion before I can even figure out what's happening ... Well, to me, that's quite the spell.
And, alas, just when I thought it was over you tied together a Wham Bam Shang a Lang in the Sha La La La La La using that crossed out, so-minuscule-I-had-no-choice-but-to-look-deeper:
You know,
If I was in control of everything and had the power to force you to make another chapter right now ... I wouldn't because doing that is a terrible way to stay in power, but I sure as Hell would do nothing less than encourage you. Maybe incentivize you ... There would be meringue if you wanted it, or cookies. I can make muffins, biscuits, cake ... PIZZA! I'LL MAKE IT ALL JUST GIMME MORE!
... my family likes my pizza D:
I feel like this story is going into two directions,
the first is something like this:
https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1290592-my-hero-academia
I specifically mean the clone part only, but still, I mean they are acting weird and they are different people, blame my love and wanting for Sunset to be Happy.
and the other is friendship, like everyone accepts and Shimmer's parents adopt their other-dimensional daughter and they all live happily ever after.
Or something like that.
It occurred to me just now that the final internal scream is crossed out rather than underlined.
did she scream?
Anything I can do to help you write? I’ll buy you food, household goods, whatever you need except alcohol. I can’t get that.
Update? Please?
Very nice story so far hope you're still into/enjoying it. You don't have a patreon/kofi/etc account do you?
Just binged through all of this in a single evening! Wonderful dynamic set up between the two Sunset's, I honestly wish we'd been able to get to their one-on-one interactions sooner. A little sus that in this story Pony!Sunset is 21 and Human!Sunset is 15, but other than that, I really enjoyed sitting through this piece. You really nailed the feelings of frustration and loneliness Sunset was suffering from in the beginning chapters, I felt like I was her. Hope what ever you're up to these days that its treating you well