The New Timeline

by Jongoji245

The Fall of the Sunset Shimmer (New Timeline)

Ever since that day, Sunset has indeed been hanging out with Hoof Lock, Crescendo, and Flash Sentry on weekends. Being the most skilled in magic, they counted on her as their de-facto leader when it came to sports such as bowling. Issues between Hoof Lock and jet Set were easily solved with a small burst of magic. Sunset's friends hoped to see the baby again, but the days pass and he hadn't returned.

As the year's pass, Sunset's academic career became more intensive. Aside from Twilight, every other student had left with general degrees, with the student by the name Trixie being the first. She would find very little time to hang out with her friends and eventually forgot about them. With a heavy heart, they looked beyond the gate of the Castle, took one last good look at her before leaving returning to the main city.

In her room, Sunset Shimmer was working on a Thesis well before her time to leave. Already several drafts were crumpled up and littered on the hard floor. As she paced around her room, the Unicorn dipped her quill into the ink jar and continued writing.

"And I have learned that magic can be best learned by performing it after studying the methods used..." - Sunset scrunched her face before wrapping the aura around the tome and gave it the same treatment as her other drafts - "No! That's still too obvious! There has to be something new! Something I haven't discovered..."

At lunchtime, Sunset continued to ponder what she needed to find as Lemon Hearts and Minuette walked by.

"Hey, Sunset!" - Minuette walked up to her - "Moon Dancer's birthday is coming in a few weeks."

Sunset remained silent as Lemon Hearts joined in.

"You wanna come?" Asked the yellow Unicorn

"Why would I waste my time when I should be working on my thesis?" Sunset rebuked.

Lemon Hearts and Minuette scowled at her before walking away.

"No wonder her friends don't see her anymore." Minuette whispered.

From a balcony, Celestia watched her two former students leave in a huff past one of her current students. She had noticed this eight years ago, but nowadays it has become much more apparent. Later that day, both teacher and student walked down one of the halls.

"I have been told how you have shrugged them off" - Celestia turned her head to Sunset - "Sunset, we have talked about this time and again."

"Hmph!" - Sunset scoffed - "If they wanted to be my friends, they should've stayed to have the same skill level as me!"

Celestia raised an eyebrow.

"Which reminds me:" - Sunset added - "as one of your finest students, can I have permission to explore your section of the Library?"

Celestia stopped in her tracks before craning her head at her student, "Absolutely not!"

"And why not?" - Sunset cocked her head - "Shouldn't I take the next step?"

"You are not ready for-."

"Then what!?" - Sunset lashed out - "What will it take then?"

Celestia narrowed her eyes at her rebellious student before taking a deep breath and continued walking down the hall alone before her student stomped in the opposite direction. At one point, Sunset took a glare at one of the guards.

"And you follow her orders." She berated before storming off to her room, not noticing how that one guard didn't have a tail.

After Equestria was swallowed in the by the shadow of the night, Sunset snuck out of her chambers and crept down the halls. At one point, a guard with a searchlight attached to his helmet walked in her general direction. At the last minute, she applied an invisibility spell, masking her presence just before the light shines over her. The guard took a second glance at the cast shadow only to find it gone.

To her confusion, there wasn't a guard by the door to the Library, but her desire for knowledge clouded her judgement. Unlocking the door, Sunset entered the library and snuck to Celestia's section of the archives. Pulling a book from the shelves, she began to scanning the content.

"Now what can I learn from you?"

Sunset skimmed the book, noticing that quite a few spells from the book are similar to her own. Suddenly, one page of the book caught her attention. It was a Renaissance style portrait of a mare of Sunset's stature with wings and a horn. As she scanned the sentences, her eyes widened as a sneer drew on her snout.

"I knew you wouldn't take no for an answer."

Sunset turned a glare to Princess Celestia along with two guards.

"This is what you have been hiding?" - Sunset slowly turned around before putting a hoof on the cover - "How dare you kept this power away from any of us that should be rightfully ours!"

"As I've told you before, you are not ready to take the first step." - Celestia stepped closer - "You're growing ambition has made you selfish and I need-"

"I'm being selfish?" - Sunset tossed the book towards her teacher only to be bounced back by a magical force - "This book shows that you could turn any of us, even your past students into Alicorns!"

Sunset stepped closer, "If you never turned Radiant Hope into an Alicorn Princess, then make me your first student to be your equal!"

"No," - Princess Celestia rebuked - "having the title "Princess" must be earned."

"Didn't stop you from turning your "niece" into a princess!" Sunset lashed out before being stopped by the guards drawing their spears.

Celestia spread her wings as anger vented around her before she calmed down with a deep breath.

"I have tried everything to reach you, but now I see no other option." - Celestia stepped back - "Sunset Shimmer, I am removing you from my tutelage. You may still wander Canterlot but you are not allowed to enter the Castle. I hoped for the better, but if that's what it takes, so be it."

Celestia motioned the guards to escort her to her room.

Sunset gritted her teeth, "You have made one of the biggest mistakes of your life!"

As the three ponies left her line of sight, Celestia turned to a silk weaving depicting the banishment of Princess Luna.

Lowering her head, she whispered, "One of many..."

A few minutes later, a crashing sound was heard, loud enough to stir Twilight from her sleep. Sunset began destroying the place she had called home. Her books became nothing by shredded paper, her writing desk splintered, and her drawers torn apart. In her rage, she lit up her horn and aimed it at the last piece unscathed, a picture of her as a filly with Celestia. Tears drew from her eyes before shooting at it, exploding in a burst of wood, glass, and paper. Sunset lurched back and cried...

The following morning, Celestia watched as her former student left the castle, the only item her saddlebag. Before continuing her duties, the Princess entered the decimated room. She looked around before feeling something tap on her hoof. Looking down, she found a journal with her cutie mark on the cover. Celestia lifted it up and walked out.

"Take care, my student..." - Celestia thought in her head - "Take care..."