• Published 26th Jan 2016
  • 3,845 Views, 160 Comments

Revenant - Muramasa



Sunset Shimmer is coming home.

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Mint Chocolate Chip

Dimensional travel, despite the romanticized accounts often presented through the science fiction medium, is not an effortless task equitable to snapping one's fingers or taking a step. It was painful; your molecular structure being taken and suddenly reformed in a world entirely different than the one you came from was by no means pleasant. It wasn't something done for kicks; if you were traveling from a one dimension to the other, it was something you needed to do.

I needed to do this. I'd been away from home too damn long, and after all these years, I was ready. I knew that much will have changed, but then again, so have I. In reality, Equestria and I were perfect for each other.

The room was as ordinary as I remembered it. It wasn't lit up, as usual. The walls were dark grey, and I remembered an old wooden bench pushed up against the left side wall; it looked to have been rotting for a little bit, though I wouldn't have expected any less. The mirror I had just entered the room through managed to gleam and shine beautifully, despite the fact that there wasn't a light source to do such a thing. Magic would be magic, I learned, and besides, I had seen this mirror before. I had seen this mirror before, and what I had seen in it before wasn't a reflection; it was a perversion.

That mirror ruined everything.

I laughed to myself at that thought. I had ruined everything, but it had all started with that damn mirror. I saw a beautiful pair of wings sprouting from my back, and promptly convinced myself that I was going to become Equestria's next great ruler. I attached myself to that dream, to that fantasy, and throughout my days as Celestia's protégé, I never let it go. I saw a picture in a damn mirror, and it drove me insane. So insane, in fact, that I actually decided to hop through it to obtain my goal; that's a story for another time, however.

"Miss Shimmer?"

The world catapulted back into view. I blinked twice rapidly, taking in the surroundings of the room once more; I must have been staring at the mirror and zoned out. I rapidly turned around, only to see a problem I didn't believe I was going to run into during my time at the castle.

It was one of Celestia's royal guardsmen, but it was a particular one I knew all too well; Dawning Spear, one of the two ponies guarding Celestia's throne room. Whenever Celestia and I would get into these arguments, verbal shouting matches that seemingly went on for hours on end, I would usually storm out of the room by flinging the door open with my magic, causing the double doors to fly outwards at rather high speeds. I always knew I hit the two guards every time I did it, but one time, Dawning Steel pulled me aside upon my exit. He, calmly asked me to be careful when I opened the doors next time, and that they were hitting him and his friend on the way out.

I must have been having a worse day than usual, because I don't think I've ever unloaded on anypony more than I did Dawning that day. I told him he was nothing, and that if he was destined to be important to this planet he wouldn't be staring at a door for twelve hours straight. It wasn't really different from any other rant; the only reason I remembered it so well was due to the fact that the incident had taken place on my last day in Equestria before hopping through the portal.

"Princess Celestia is waiting for you out on the balcony. I'm to take you there," he said, in his usually gruff voice. It was hard to tell if he was getting old, as his fur was light grey already, though I could just barely make out a few grey streaks in his dark orange mane and tail.

"Dawning..." I began, in a slow voice. I could almost feel the red flooding across my face at the moment. "There's something I gotta tell you--" Before I could finish, Dawning lifted a hoof in the air, signaling me to stop. He gave a reassuring smile to go along with the gesture, and I felt a wave a relief encompass me.

"There's time for that later," he began. "Your mentor longs to see you again."

I expected many things to change during my time in the human world, but the Canterlot Royal Palace was exactly how I remembered it. The long, soft carpet that I knew must have cost a fortune still lined the floor. Artifacts from Equestria's past still adorned the off white walls; Commander Hurricane's sword was positioned on the wall at just the right angle so that the light from the window would always catch the blade. Sure enough, as we walked by it, it still managed to blind me for a split second after all these years; this time, though, I wasn't mad.

We finally reached the maroon velvet stairs that led to the balcony. I had been here before, but none of the memories were pleasant; especially in the days leading up to my departure. I took two steps up, but noticed that Dawning did not ascend with me. I turned to him, his uptight stance still remaining at the bottom of the stairs, and gave him a quizzical look.

"This isn't my climb, Sunset. It's yours. Go on," he said, gesturing upwards. I nodded, and began the slow ascent where all my fears would finally accumulate. With each step, I felt a lump in my throat become more apparent.

It took forever. My vision was flooded with maroon, and every time I turned a corner it greeted me again and again. It should have all made sense; the palace was absolutely massive, and it would logically take about five minutes to reach the top balcony, but to me it seemed as if my nerves were mocking me at the moment, prolonging the flight to the balcony just to see the sweat slowly drip down my face. I could feel it; I could feel everything. Some sort of hypersensitivity was beginning to kick in, and I was certain not to make it happen. I stopped at the stairs, took a few deep breaths, and slowly, my nerves began to calm.

I looked up, and the door to the balcony ominously stood right in front of me.

It was simple. A brown wooden door, although there was a tree-like pattern on it that appeared to be crafted from gold. There was no door handle; it had fallen off long before I had come to the castle, and I never really bothered to ask about it. I looked through the hole where the doorknob used to be, but the only thing I could see was the bright blue Canterlot sky I had missed so dearly.

I breathed in. I breathed out. I Looked at the door one last time, and with all my power and might, I opened the door.

The balcony had always been small. There was a singular, round table, exquisitely crafted from granite, with a mural in the center of it depicting Celestia and Luna rising to the sky amongst the sun and moon. The Princess of the Sun herself sat at the end opposite of me, and, much like everything else here at the castle, she hadn't changed a bit.

Her unfathomably long mane, bursting with colors of pink, teal, and blue, was flowing and swaying in a wind that wasn't there. She still had that huge, imposing figure, even when she was sitting down, and the fact that her horn was almost 3/4ths the size of a baseball bat did nothing to consel me. However, her wide, beaming smile, just like I remembered from my youth, did. My eyes fell off her for just a second, and I caught a glimpse of two small objects on the table, immediately causing my stomach to drop.

Ice cream. Not just any ice cream, but Mint Chocolate Chip. There were two little spoons dug into the middle, just like the kind I used to get when I was little.

I made a promise to myself before I entered the portal. I would not, under any circumstances, cry. I was never fond of showing my emotions too much in public, and I had already done so after my transformation back from that corrupted demon form the elements had created. I promised myself, right before I walked through the mirror, that I would be strong upon meeting Celestia for the first time in years.

It was very sudden. I remembered every cruel, horrid thing I have ever done and said, to everyone, all at once; the slurs, the humiliation, the shouting, all of it, at the mere sight of mint chocolate chip ice cream. An army of emotions violently coursed through my body all at the same time, and I fell to the stone floor and broke down sobbing, tears flowing from my eyes like an Everfree waterfall. I didn't see Celestia's initial reaction--water wouldn't let me see much of anything--but I felt her giant wing wrap around me.

She didn't say anything. That was probably best, now that I think about it, because any words she had for me would have went through one ear and right out the other. I recovered fairly quickly, though I'm sure it was hard to tell whether the red all over my face was from the tears or an extreme case of embarrassment. Either way, I got up from my prone position and slowly made my way to the chair she had laid out for me. Celestia followed closely behind, and took the opposite chair where she had previously sat.

It was my turn for silence. I dug into the ice cream, taking a bite and leaving it in my mouth for quite sometime. It had been so long since anything truly reminded me of Equestria, and at the moment, I couldn't be happier. I knew it couldn't last, though; I had some words to say.

"I had this whole thing planned where I'd say I was sorry," I began to Celestia, who had been silently watching me, in an uneven voice. "But I really don't think it'd be enough. I've done, and said, some horrible things, and there was a time in my life not too long ago that really wouldn't have cared less," I said. Celestia didn't change her expression, though I knew she was still listening.

"It wasn't until your current--former--student showed me what I was missing that I finally understood. I want to stay, Celestia. A few months ago, I know I wasn't ready. But now, I am, and the first thing I need is your forgiveness. Not for you, but for me. So I can finally know."

Slowly, Celestia brought that grin she had back, and reached across the table to once again wrap a wing around me.

"You've been forgiven for quite some time. Welcome home." she said softly.

We talked over ice cream for hours. I told her all she wanted to know about the human world, and what I learned while there, along with describing events like the Friendship Games in vivid detail. She was quite fascinated by some of their customs, but I assured her that they were very much like us. I asked her about Equestria, and what I had missed since I left; she told me I haven't missed much, save for some riveting invasions from a motley crue of dastardly villains, including Chrysalis, Discord (I would have loved to see that) and even King Sombra, ready to take Equestria. Judging by the current state as I saw it, they hadn't succeeded.

It took a while, but there came a topic that I had dreaded once I fully realized my situation.

"I'm delighted you're back, Sunset," said Celestia, still laughing at one of my human world stories. "But I'm not entirely sure where you're going to live. You're old room has been converted into a ballroom, further asserting my point that it did not need to be that big," said Celestia with a smile. I matched it and rolled my eyes; that was one of many tantrums I was glad to put behind me.

I did come up with a living plan before I stepped through the portal. It took a few nights of frustration before I realized how simple the solution was, but dove back into a sea of frustration once I realized that it may not go down very well. I reasoned that it didn't hurt to ask, and I wasted no time once the question was posed.

"Well, I could live with Twilight for the time being," I stated.

Celestia had been taking the very last bite of her ice cream. She stopped dead, leaving it in her mouth for about two seconds, and then slowly finished the process of eating it. She magically levitated her spoon back into the cup which previously contained the ice cream before sitting in an uptight posture and cocking her head to the side in confusion. She only had a word to offer.

"Why?" she asked. I sighed, knowing that the lighthearted nature of the conversation had just tipped his hat and left.

"I don't think I'm done yet, Celestia. You've forgiven me, and that's more than I could ever hope for, but...I think there's more to learn, to understand. It was this world's Twilight that helped me understand the error of my ways. Of course, that was after I turned into a demon--" I got the chuckle from Celestia I was hoping for. "--but it still meant the world to me that she helped me. Listen...I fell real far, Celestia, and I'm only beginning to realize that there's a ladder. I can't climb it alone."

Celestia was looking towards the sky, deep in thought. I couldn't guess what she was contemplating, but whatever it was, it meant that my proposition wasn't as easy as I hoped. I was bracing for impact when she spoke, but the words that came out of her mouth were completely unexpected.

"Sunset, I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of what you've been doing lately," she began. "I've seen countless good natured ponies fall from grace, alienating their friends and becoming mean spirited for the rest of their life. You've not only corrected your errors, but you've understood them, and are taking an active role in becoming the mare I know you truly want to be. It's incredible...but then again, I expect nothing less from a student of mine."

I managed not to cry this time, only giving a sheepish smile. I was about to express some sort of gratitude, but my mentor wasn't quite finished yet.

"Twilight is one of the most genuinely pure hearted ponies I've been lucky enough to know; she'll be glad to have you. How long you stay is entirely up to her, you must understand," she said. I nodded in approval, and she nodded back before reaching to the side of the table. I followed her movement, and saw a simple cardboard box that I hadn't even noticed had been there the entire time.

"Before you go," she began, putting the box up on the table with a thud, "I managed to track down some of your things from a few years back. Let's see..." the first item she pulled from the box was an item I had instantly recognized; and long missed.

Sunglasses seemed mundane to other ponies. They could get lost, stepped on, and broken, so it wasn't an item that many grew attached to. These were a very particular pair, however, because it was the first thing I'd ever bought with my own money, and there was a time in my life where I would scoff at the very idea; knowing what it meant after all this time made me ever happier to see them. Of course, that was mostly a bonus; they looked also looked really cool.

I slipped them on my face, and noticed that they were perfectly preserved; there were no scratches on the lenses, just how I liked to keep them. I looked up at Celestia again only to see a particular item that was far more important; my ukulele.

I was given the ukulele for my sixth birthday. I learned how to play it pretty quickly, and during the time in my life where I was a colossal bitch, I would lock myself in my "room" and play it for hours after Celestia and I had an argument. I would usually pick up things from Equestrian Radio, but on the last Hearth's Warming Eve where me and Celestia were in remotely good graces, she gave me a book of sheet music and chord charts for the instrument. I immediately grabbed it from her levitation and strummed a few chords, noting that, unbelievably, it was still in tune.

"Perhaps I'll play a different song now," I muttered under my breath, though unfortunately, my former mentor heard me. She gave that reassuring laugh I had long for so much, and mechanically I laughed with her.

"I'll let Twilight know that you're coming. She's a little busy today, but she'll know the whole situation before you arrive at the house," said Celestia after the laughter died down. Without even thinking about it, I ran up and hugged her, gripping her tighter than was probably comfortable. I don't know how long it stayed that way, but eventually, we split, and I offered my parting words.

"Thanks, Princess, for everything. I...I'll see you around."

* * * * * *

I knew that Twilight had a moved into a "new place", according to Princess Celestia. I hadn't really heard anything about where Twilight lived during my infiltration (how stupid that seemed now) of Crystal Palace, but I wasn't nearly ready for the colossal structure before my eyes.

It was absolutely massive. It was crafted from this crystal tree of some sort; whatever it was, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It shone and glimmered in the sunlight so perfectly that I had to touch it to see if it was real, and the other part of the house that wasn't the crystal radiated the same way. There were these giant, golden double doors that greeted me upon arrival, which looked taller than some of the trees in the surrounding landscape. On those giant double doors, rather ironically, was a small sheet of notebook paper pinned to the door.

Sunset,

Princess Celestia just told me the news. I'm delighted to have you here, and I would be glad to take you in the castle! It gets considerably lonely sometimes, and you can only take so much of Spike. I have to attend to a civil matter on the outskirts of town (fun!) but I should be done around five thirty. There's a really good restaurant down the street from the old library called the Hay Burger. Meet me there at six for dinner and we'll head back down to the place from there.

See you soon!

Twilight

I looked back up at the palace again, and took a deep breath of Equestrian air. An old quote of Celestia's ran through my head as the golden doors swung inwards; a lesson about Phoenix's that inevitably became one of the Princess's words of wisdom.

A Phoenix, majestic as it is, must be burned to live again.

Author's Note:

You'll notice that the first letter of the chapter is orange; that means that the chapter is told from Sunset's point of view. Twilight's chapters will follow the same format, except her letters will be purple.

I've seen a lot of stories here that depict Sunset in the Equestria Girls medium lately, and I thought it was time for her pony self to be represented again.

NOTE: a "Revenant" is one who has returned from a lengthy period of absence. This story is in no way related to the movie of the same name.