Sunset stared at the girl in front of her. She had the same red and yellow streaked hair and turquoise eyes. Her skin tone was a light orange, much like hers. The girl wore a light blue shirt with a sheer top underneath. Over that she had a black half jacket with brown upward arrows on the sleeves. Her top, black boots with the same arrow design, and jeans were all that differed from Sunset's own dress. What didn't differ was her face.
Sunset let go of the other girl's shoulder. She gulped and looked at the blood running down from her nose. Sunset's doppleganger had a bewildered expression on her face. There was no way...after three years of living in that dimension she was just now finding...Just now seeing her own human counterpart. The other girl stared at Sunset. Her eyes moved rapidly over her body, not even looking away for even a second.
The tension was too much for Sunset and so she backed away slowly. The other girl stayed where she was and asked," W-Who...are you?"
Her voice. It was just like hers. The low growl with a tinge of accusation to it. Sunset bit her lip and looked around. No one was there to see what was going on. She so desperately wanted to leave. Why, she didn't know. But there was a weird vibe coming from her human counterpart. Something told her that if she got involved with her life, things would change. Now for the better of for the worst, she did not know about that one either. And neither was she willing to find out. Sunset turned on her heel and got to a running position.
"Wait! Who are you?? Tell me your name! Please! Don't go!" the other girl called.
Sunset glanced back at her and felt the same vibe coming off of her. She was looking at herself. Her nose was dripping with blood, her elbows scratched with deep cuts, that wide-eyed look of shock and pure fear etched on her face...It was like a reminder of Sunset's fall from her position as queen; her reign of terror having ended when Twilight and her friends blasted her with a painful burst of color.
Sunset could see her real self with the same scratches and bruises lying at the bottom of a huge steaming crater in front of CHS. The feeling of defeat weighed heavily on her shoulders as she climbed on her hands and knees up to the edge to get out. In front of her stood Twilight looking down on her with extreme disapproval and pity. Sunset had lost. She lost to her and was given a merciful sentence. Or so she thought. Accomplishing friendship was a doomed mission she'd never be able to succeed at. Who would ever want to be her friend after all she had done?
Without a moment's thought, Sunset ran off. Images of her being conquered by her mortal enemy and the failed attempts at becoming a better person came into her head. No! She wasn't going to let Twilight have her way! She was Sunset Shimmer, former student of Princess Celestia, former queen of CHS, and the one who needed no one. Friends? Please! Friends don't mean shit!
***
Shimmer got to her feet as soon as the other girl sprinted off. She couldn't believe it. She just saw...herself! And now 'she' was running away. Shimmer ignored the throbbing pain in her head and chased her. Leaving her guitar behind she kept her eyes straight on the fiery head of her double. The other girl's reaction was so unexpected. Shimmer thought she would have stuck around to get to know her. But that assumption was wrong.
Her double looked so surprised when she saw her. But not 'Oh my Faust!' surprised. It was like she had known that would happen...Like she was aware of Shimmer's existence and once she ran into her was just like 'Oh, so this is where she is. This is her.' Shimmer had no idea why she thought that. Maybe it was the eyes, or the way she recovered from shock so quickly. Or perhaps how her face became serious; her eyebrows lowering over her turquoise eyes, her mouth turning into a thin line, the hard look she gave...
Without warning, Shimmer's double turned into Canterlot. They had been running along the city border for a while. She had gone down a street called Spurs Avenue. Shimmer pounded down after her, her heavy footsteps echoing off the close sides of old factories.
"Hey! S-Stop! I just...I just want to know who you are!" she yelled.
The doppleganger had not replied; instead she kept running.
As the breath escaped her mouth she felt herself weaken at the knees. Shimmer stumbled forward and hit the brick wall of one of the buildings. She grimaced and looked up. Shimmer's vision blurred and she saw double of her double. Shimmer was losing her. She pushed off from the wall and sprinted to catch up to the multiple girls running ahead. Shimmer had hit the concrete hard when she bumped into her other self before.
Who was she? That's all she wanted to know. Was she a relative? An identity thief? Someone wearing cosplay for something? Was she someone who happened to look like her by mere coincidence?
Shimmer's mind wasn't making much sense at the moment but it was all she could go on. Her own imagination. She chased her for who knows how long when finally, Shimmer had an opportunity to get her. The girl before her stumbled on the uneven sidewalk and fell on her knees. A sudden burst of energy came into Shimmer and she shot forward, determined to not let her get away. Before the other girl could move she grabbed her arm.
***
Sunset's Point of View
A firm hand gripped me by the elbow. I was on my knees then and about to take off when that happened. I knew I was caught.
"W-Why did you run...away?" she asked in between panting.
I didn't say anything and kept my head down. Seeing her face...it would only remind me of when I lost to Twilight and agreed to become reformed. Look how well that turned out. I'm never going back to that. Being reformed only caused me more misery. Those cuts on her face, that look of weakness...NO. I am strong! I don't need anyone to help me. I'm--
"Please answer."
I sighed a long and somewhat tired sigh. In all honesty, I don't know why I ran. It was just the thought of having to see her... to see me like that...It brought back sour memories. I opened my mouth and gave her a response.
"I don't know."
I felt her grip loosen on my elbow and I snatched it away. No doubt she was shocked by my answer. I rose to my feet and rubbed my knees. Keeping my back to her I busied myself by brushing off my dusty clothes.
"B-But...How do you not know..?" she whispered.
I shrugged. I just wanted to get the hell up out of there and away from her. But that didn't work out the first time seeing as how she managed to catch me. Seeming to know she wouldn't get much out of me on that topic, she asked a different question.
"T-Tell me...Are you...related to me? A twin, maybe? I mean...you look just like I do. M-Maybe not the clothes. But the hair. The eye color. The skin tone...even our voices...Almost everything is the same. And now th-that I think about it...how could we be twins and I not know you exist? My parents...they would never keep you a secret!"
She continued and I listened.
"The similarities are just...they're uncanny! Even the small details, like the way our hair is styled is the same! I...I just...none of this makes any sense...at all?! It's...It's..."
I waited for the words to fall right out of her mouth.
"...It's almost like...you are me."
And there they were. The words that had been etched into our minds the moment we saw each other. The only difference is that I knew she and I were the same. I knew I would have to say something to her. I had a feeling she wouldn't let me go without an answer. We stood there for a long time. The cold night air chilled my exposed knees and a breeze ruffled my hair. The sky held no stars; it was just a black canvas void of any real color. The buildings loomed over us like giants. They seemed to be waiting to see what would happen next.
I closed my eyes. I could hear her teeth chattering and her hands rubbing her arms. With a half jacket like that and a shirt with a sheer top underneath, she wasn't very well dressed for spring's surprisingly cool nights. I could see in my mind that the long silence was giving her time to think...and that she would realize why I said nothing. Silence is the best way to ruminate on things and seeing that I had not given her an answer after what she had said...about me being her...she should be able to understand in time.
And sure enough that 'time' came.
"...Are you...m-me?" she barely said.
I turned around and looked at her. What I saw was someone who was curious, shocked, cautious, excited, and even scared all at once. She couldn't control her feelings. Her identical turquoise eyes looked at me desperately searching for the answer in my eyes...my face. She had her arms wrapped around her torso to protect herself from the chilly night air. Her legs shook either out of shock or exhaustion. I couldn't tell. She just looked so helpless...so needy.
Much like how I was when I first came to this world. I hadn't known what to do then. I was all on my own. Many times I contemplated going back to Equestria but I soon found my way around. I still didn't need anyone's help back then. I just need to get my foot on the stirrup before hoisting myself up so I could be in control of the reins. The scratches on her face were hidden by the darkness of night. I felt my hard gaze on her soften.
"I am you...but I'm not at the same time. You and I are identical, but we're not twins. We're...copies of one another. Versions...something you wouldn't understand."
Her face twisted with confusion.
"But...how? Copies? Versions..?"
She raised her hands to her head and grimaced.
"We have to be related! We have to be identical! Otherwise...none of this would make sense!"
"But you yourself said it wouldn't make sense for us to be twins. Your parents wouldn't hide me from you. Your words," I replied quietly, studying her every move. She was much unlike me. In times of confusion I kept my composure while she did not.
"Or that's what I believe! You can't be me! There's no way other than that to explain how you exist!" she cried out.
I started to feel the urge to jet off again. She was becoming a bit hysterical. I cleared my throat and answered her cry of many mixed emotions.
"You'd be surprised at what you think to be absolute; the only solution or explanation. What you find logical can be altered and completely shattered, becoming the illogical. What makes sense to you here can be complete and utter nonsense in another dimension. Ideas you believe to be myths and old legends are what reality consists of in the multiverse..."
She stared at me.
"...What are you saying?"
"What I'm saying is what you think to be fiction is improbable, not impossible."
"You're still not making any sense..."
"I'm making lots of sense here. My existence here may exceed what you humans think is logical. But it's not impossible..."
I stared at her good and hard.
"Because I'm possible."
Well, that end made my day...
5899279 I'm glad it did!
What's really sad though is that that horrible pun at the end is plastered all over the walls at my school. Don't worry though, bad puns are the lifeblood of the internet, and especially this fandom with all the horse puns this show puts out. I mean seriously, Canterlot? Fillydelphia? Manehatten? Who comes up with these wonderfully horrid things?
5899360 Lauren Faust & Friends. They are the ones behind the puns.
I hope Shimmer can find her guitar, and manages to fix up her friends.
5899469 My respect of Lauren Faust has been doubled.
I loved this! I did however, get a little lost when Sunset was talking during the end, but eventually I got it. Other than that, this was amzing. Oh wait, about the perspectives. If when your talking about Sunset, it's first person, then why when it focuses on shimmer its not first person even when it's mentioning Sunset?
Or was that the point of the chapter title ?
Dat ending
yay
New chapter!
5899516 Yup. I had accidentally written the chapter in first person and third while typing it, not realizing that's what I did.
Hm, the romance tag disappeared. Does that mean there will be friendshipping instead of romance?
Who are you? I mean, you're me. But I'm me too! How can there be two mes? It's not scientifically possible! YOU are not scientifically possible!
All this does is remind me of this
5901000 Oops. I think I accidentally removed it while getting the Sad tag off.
I'm curious in which direction this is heading. You did a good job. Time to fav this.
Dialogue got awkward to read towards the end. Didn't flow properly, choppy.
That was a pretty bad pun.
And the dialog was... um... nice?
Huh.
Really?
"Nothing is impossible; The word itself says 'I'm possible.'
~Audrey Hepburn
Everything is third person, why such to first in this chapter?
This is a strange word to use, did you mean "ruminate"? Unless Shimmer is making some sort of seasoned meat.
Since they are the same, I feel that Shimmer should be able to put this together since she would have about the same intelligence as Sunset. Though she could still be in a little shock from the situation at the moment.
How do you not know..?
1. Just the ellipses thing again.
Okay, Sunset's just talking like Spock now.
6551350 To be fair, if you were in this situation, wouldn't you? It's an opportunity to good to pass up
SUNSET:
Then give me a nice welcome, as you would any stranger.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Shimmer,
Than humankind has ever dreamed of. But now listen to me;
No matter how strangely I act,
Since I may find it appropriate to act
A little strangely in the near future,
You must never, ever let on,
With a gesture of your hands,
Or an expression on your face,
That you know anything about what happened here tonight.
You must never say anything such as
'Ah, yes, just as I suspected,' or 'I could tell you a thing or two about her,'
Or anything like that.
Swear you won't.
-- Sunset, Act 1 Scene 8, Filliam Flankspeare
8248769
Neato