The Unwilling Sunrise
The Canterlot High horse statue had once been a masterpiece of stone crafting that had been the pride of the school. Unfortunately, thanks to the crazed misuse of otherworldly magic committed over a year ago, it had been reduced to a mere stump of rock. Fortunately for Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle, what mattered wasn’t the statue itself but rather its base, which served as a portal to their homeland, Equestria. Years ago, Sunset had used that same portal to escape to the human world in her efforts to attain power and glory that she did not deserve.
Now, on an early Saturday morning, with the sun just coming up over the horizon, Sunset, now older and much wiser, was prepared to use the portal once again to return to the land of her birth and face the consequences of what she had done.
“Do you really have to go?” asked Fluttershy sorrowfully.
Sunset turned to face all her friends who had come to see her off. There was, of course, Fluttershy, the kindest, most timid, and in her own strange way, strongest girl Sunset had ever known. Then there was Applejack, one of the most reliable people in either world, always happy to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed her. There was Rainbow Dash, who would always have your back no matter how hot the fire got, Pinkie Pie, who would do anything to put a smile on your face when you were feeling down, and Rarity, who thought nothing of sacrificing her time and resources to help someone look their best with no thought of reward. There was also Flash Sentry, once Sunset Shimmer’s bitter ex-boyfriend and now one of her most trusted friends, a guy who would gladly risk everything to defend those in need. Finally, there was perhaps Sunset’s strangest friend, the human world’s Twilight Sparkle, or SciTwi as her friends had come to call her; once a lonely and fragile girl, now thanks to the help and support of all her friends, she had evolved into a bright and strong young woman.
All of them were Sunset’s most precious friends in the entire world, and it broke her heart that she had to say goodbye to them, even if she knew it wasn’t forever. But this was something she needed to do.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back,” she said, cupping Fluttershy’s cheek in a comforting gesture. “Besides, you knew that this was going to happen sooner or later.”
“But why couldn’t it be later?” whined Pinkie Pie, her expression just as sorrowful as Fluttershy’s, if not more so. “Sooner is just so…SOON!”
“I’ve already put this off for more than a year, Pinkie Pie,” said Sunset,
“But it was such a short year!” cried Pinkie Pie, tears gushing from her eyes in literal water spouts.
“Oh pull yourselves together already you guys!” snapped Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes. “It’s not like she’s going to be gone-gone, she just won’t be here.”
“I think what Rainbow Dash is trying to say is that instead of being all weepy fer ourselves, we should be happy fer Sunset finally going home,” said Applejack. “Even if that don’ make it no easier fer us,” she added glumly.
SciTwi stepped forward. “Honestly, Sunset, I’m not sure what I’m going to do without you,” she admitted.
Stepping up close to her, Sunset grasped SciTwi’s shoulders and looked her in the eye. “You haven’t needed me for a long time now, SciTwi,” she said emphatically. “You are more than capable of standing on your own, and even when it gets to be too much for you to handle, just remember that you have plenty of friends who’ll help pull you through.”
Smiling, SciTwi pulled Sunset into a hug, which she returned. When they parted, Sunset turned to Rarity.
“Well darling, we’ve certainly had our ups and downs together,” said Rarity warmly. “It may not have always been pleasant, but I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change a thing. Except for one; I regret that I was never able to beat you for the title of Princess of the Fall Formal.”
Sunset laughed awkwardly. “Sorry about that. I swear, I was so sure that I wouldn’t win,” she said.
Finally, Sunset turned to Flash. “Well Flash, I guess I’ll be seeing you in my nightmares,” she said with a smirk.
Flash smiled as well. “Just get yourself and your pony smell out of here, it’s making my eyes water,” he quipped, brushing away what was obviously not a tear from his eye.
Rolling her eyes, Sunset grabbed Flash and pulled him into a hug, which he returned.
A jolt of pain tore through Sunset’s body, causing her to jerk back and grunt.
“Sunset, what’s wrong? I didn’t mean to!” cried Flash frantically.
“It wasn’t you,” said Sunset, waving him off. “This happened earlier this morning. I guess I must have slept in a bad position and pulled a muscle or something last night. Don’t worry, I’m fine now.”
A hand on her shoulder called Sunset’s attention to Princess Twilight Sparkle, Sunset’s last and dearest friend, the one who opened her eyes to friendship and saved her in more ways than she could count. Although outwardly she looked exactly like SciTwi, Sunset Shimmer knew better than most how different they really were.
“We should get going Sunset, Princess Celestia is waiting for us,” she said.
Nodding, Sunset moved to let Twilight and Flash say goodbye to each other while she said her final goodbyes to everyone else. There were even more hugs and tears until she came to Rainbow Dash.
“Well then, see you around,” said Rainbow Dash as she held out her hand for a shake.
Sunset tried not to feel hurt by Rainbow Dash’s attitude, reminding herself that she just wasn’t into “all that touchy-feely crud” as she called it. Grasping Rainbow Dash’s hand with her own, she shook it firmly.
“See you soon,” she said before turning to leave-only to be stopped by Rainbow Dash who hadn’t let go of her hand.
“What is it?” she asked.
“What are you talking about?” asked Rainbow Dash innocently.
Sunset frowned and tried to walk away again, only to be stopped once more when Rainbow Dash pulled her back again.
“Is everything alright?” she asked.
“Never better,” said Rainbow Dash. She had a casual smile on her face, but her grip on Sunset’s hand was getting tighter.
Getting annoyed, Sunset tried to pull away, and this time Rainbow Dash let go, only to drop to the ground and wrap her arms around Sunset’s legs.
“Sunny, don’t go!” she wailed.
Sighing, Applejack knelt down and attempted to pry Rainbow Dash loose from Sunset, but the other girl held tight.
“Um, a lil’ help here, please?” she asked.
It took the combined efforts of Pinkie Pie, SciTwi and Flash to help Applejack pull the distraught girl off of Sunset. Once it was done, Rainbow Dash seemed to immediately regain her composure, standing up and dusting herself off.
“Ahem, sorry about that thing that DIDN’T happen just now of which we will NEVER talk about,” she said.
Rolling her eyes, Sunset turned back to the portal and walked up to stand beside Twilight. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into it.
--------------------------------------------------
The sensation of having her entire being liquefied, altered, and reconstructed before being violently spat out was just as unpleasant as Sunset remembered it. When asked, Twilight had assured her that it never got better.
Once the room stopped spinning, Sunset took a moment to take in her equine body. It felt both strange and comforting to stand on four hooves again. Lifting a hoof to her head, she sighed in relief when she felt her horn on top of it. While she had mastered the ability to use her unicorn magic while in her anthro form, having an actual physical appendage to channel it gave her a sense of security.
Turning her head, Sunset saw Twilight, also restored to her true equine form. It hit Sunset at that moment that she had only seen Twilight as a pony once before on that fateful day she had stolen her crown. While there was no mistaking that purple mane with a violet streak, it still took Sunset a moment to register that the alicorn beside her was her friend. To her dismay, Twilight now stood a good inch taller than her.
Sunset then noticed two figures standing before them. The first was an alicorn mare like Twilight, except she towered above both of them. She had a dark blue coat and a long sapphire blue mane that twinkled like the night sky and rippled as if it was floating on a wind nopony else could feel, and was ornamented in royal regalia. Sunset immediately knew who she was. In the human world, the existence of Luna and her status as the sister of that world’s Celestia had baffled Sunset for years, until Twilight told her the story of how she became the element of magic and restored Equestria’s long-lost Princess of the Night and co-regent. Since then, Sunset had been eager to meet Equestria’s version of Luna.
At the moment, however, Sunset’s attention was focused on the final pony in the room. Another alicorn mare who stood even taller than Luna, with a pristine white coat and shining rainbow mane that rippled just like Luna’s, and the warmest eyes Sunset had ever seen, although at the moment, they were completely unreadable.
Swallowing a lump in her throat, Sunset walked up to face Princess Celestia, the mare who had given her everything, and whom she had repaid with nothing but spite and treachery. She tried to think of what to say to her; that she was sorry; that she was wrong; that she should never have left.
Taking a deep breath, Sunset began to speak, “Princess Celestia, I…”
She was cut off when Celestia swooped down and enveloped her in the biggest hug she had received yet, wrapping her wings around her like a warm, feathery blanket.
“It’s so good to see you again,” she said in a trembling voice.
Just like that, something inside Sunset broke, and she buried herself into Celestia’s chest and bawled her eyes out.
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Twilight Sparkle wanted nothing more than to join in the heartfelt reunion taking place before her, but she forced herself to keep back. This was a personal moment between the two of them, and she already felt like she was intruding on it simply by being there.
After several long moments, Sunset and Celestia pulled away from each other. Tears continued to flow from their eyes as they gazed lovingly at each other.
“I’m so sorry, Princess Celestia,” whimpered Sunset. “I screwed everything up! I should never had left you, or treated you the way I did! I-I don’t deserve…”
“Hush now, my little pony,” said Celestia gently. “I have forgiven you for everything long ago, and you have more than redeemed yourself. But above all else, I am simply happy that you have finally returned to me.”
Smiling, Sunset wiped her eyes and nuzzled Celestia. “I missed you so much,” she whispered.
Returning the gesture, Celestia then stood up straight, a smile on her face as well. “We have much catching up to do, Sunset,” she said. “But first, allow me to introduce you to my sister, Luna.”
“Hello, Princess Luna,” said Sunset, bowing low. “Princess Twilight told me all about you. It is an honor to meet you.”
“Rise Sunset Shimmer,” commanded Luna. “The honor is mine. Twilight Sparkle has spoken to me of all the great deeds you have performed.”
Sunset blushed. “Your too kind, you highness,” she said bashfully.
“Nonsense; if anything, my words are insufficient to describe your valor,” declared Luna. “You have protected an unsuspecting world from the countless threats Equestria has, regrettably, dumped upon it over the centuries; the sirens, Grogar, the Witchweed, and so many more. Furthermore, you have made advancements in magic that even Starswirl the Bearded himself never imagined possible. Truly, your deeds are of the variety that shall change the course of history.”
By now, Sunset’s face was as red as a tomato. “You give me far too much credit, Princess Luna,” she said. “I couldn’t have done any of it without my friends.” Despite her modest words, Sunset’s smile nearly reached her ears.
“Then I shall be certain to sing them their praises as well when I finally meet them,” said Luna. “Now then, I believe I have kept you from my sister for long enough, but perhaps we could talk more later over tea?”
“I’d like that,” said Sunset.
After Sunset and Celestia left, Luna turned to Twilight. “You have done a wonderful thing today, Twilight Sparkle,” she said.
Twilight wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m just glad those two were able to patch things up,” she said.
Luna nodded. “Yes, and now, at long last, Sunset will finally receive her just reward.”
“Oh? Celestia never mentioned that she was going to give Sunset a medal or anything,” said Twilight.
“I didn’t say that she was,” replied Luna.
“Than what did you mean?” asked Twilight, her curiosity piqued.
Luna simply flashed Twilight a grin and cantered away.
“Where are you going?” Twilight called out, trotting after her. “I asked you a question. What’s going on? Do you know something I don’t? Luna!”
--------------------------------------------------
For the next few hours, Sunset and Celestia walked through the palace gardens, talking. Sunset vaguely noted that there had been some changes since she had been there, but she was far too busy listening to Celestia as she regaled her with stories about her younger sister to really think about it. She nearly passed out from excitement when Celestia promised to speak to Luna about teaching her spells even Celestia herself did not know. Once she was finished, Sunset started talking about all of her friends.
“Seriously, I think SciTwi may be smarter than me and Twilight combined! I never thought about combining magic with technology, even after everything that happened during my experiments. Luckily she managed to figure it out, or we’d all be Catrina’s chew toys. And did Twilight tell you about what Flash did? The guy actually created an entirely new kind of magic out of nothing but bits and pieces of the Elements of Harmony and saved all of our butts! It was amazing! Honestly, I’m a little disappointed that he and Twilight actually managed to make their inter-dimensional relationship work. …You CAN’T tell Twilight that I said that.”
“My lips are sealed,” Celestia assured her, drawing a hoof across her lips. She smiled fondly. “Honestly Sunset, I can hardly recognize you from when last I saw you,” she said.
“Really?” asked Sunset, examining her body. “I guess I have grown a little over the years, but not that much.”
“That is not what I was talking about,” said Celestia. “When you left me, you were filled with so much anger and hatred. You looked down on everypony and expected everything to be handed to you on a silver platter.”
“A golden one, actually,” said Sunset dryly.
“But look at you now,” Celestia continued. “You are using your gifts to help and empower others rather than abuse them for own gain, and you have finally opened your heart to true friendship.
“When I took you as my personal student, I had such high hopes for you; and when you turned away from the path of harmony in favor of pursuing your own selfish goals, I feared that the bright future I had foreseen for you was lost forever. But in the past year alone, you have proven to me how wrong I was. You have not simply met all of my expectations; you have surpassed them completely. And now, at long last, you are finally ready.”
“Ready for what?” asked Sunset, right before another wave of pain hit her. This time it was so intense, she fell to the floor, clutching her sides while moaning in agony.
“Sunset, what’s wrong?!” asked Celestia frantically, kneeling down beside her.
“I’m fiAUGH!” Sunset shrieked as yet another surge of pain tore though her body. “A-Actually, I think there’s something wrong with me,” she admitted. “I need to see a doctor.”
“That may not be necessary,” said Celestia as she examined Sunset. “Has this happened earlier today?”
“Yes, twice,” grunted Sunset. “Do you know what’s happening to me?”
“I do, and we haven’t a moment to lose,” answered Celestia.
Before Sunset could ask her what she meant, Celestia’s horn began to glow, and everything turned black.
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When Sunset could see again, she found herself in an endless void filled with nothing but stars, as if she was standing in the night sky itself. Even her hooves hovered over an endless abyss, yet it felt like she was standing on solid ground.
“Sweet Faust, I’m dead, aren’t I?” she moaned.
“I assure you Sunset Shimmer, you are not,” said Celestia, appearing out of nowhere.
“Princess Celestia, where are we?” asked Sunset.
“We are in a twilight realm of existence and oblivion, a space between all that is and that from whence it came,” explained Celestia.
“OK, pretending that I understood any of that, why are we here?” asked Sunset.
“It is because…” Celestia started to say before Sunset cut her off with another scream. This time the pain lasted even longer and was particularly bad along her backside.
“What’s happening to me?!” cried Sunset, fear tearing at her heart.
“I’m sorry Sunset, I had a new song prepared for you and everything, but we are out of time,” said Celestia quickly.
“For what?!” demanded Sunset.
“Your destiny,” proclaimed Celestia as she reared back on her hind legs and began to glow.
A streak of golden light emerged from Sunset’s chest and began to circle around her. In an instant, her pain disappeared and she began to rise up into the air, or whatever passed for it in this strange place. As she tried to process what was happening, a strange warm feeling filled her chest, growing stronger and stronger until it felt like it was enveloping her entire being.
Then everything burst.
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Out of respect for Celestia’s privacy, all of Twilight’s friends had stayed behind in Ponyville rather than travel to Canterlot with her and the mirror. As such, she and Luna took the opportunity to spend some time together. In between conversations about friends, family, and the differences between spatial compression fields and mass-reduction based transfiguration spells, Twilight tried to trick Luna into revealing what she knew of Celestia’s plans, only to be evaded every time.
They were in the middle of having brunch at an outdoor café when without warning, a brilliant ball of light appeared in the sky, shining like a second sun. The effect was instant bedlam. Ponies everywhere began to run around in circles while screaming their heads off, proving that a big city like Canterlot had more in common with a small town like Ponyville than one would think.
“The end is neigh!” wailed one pony.
“All is lost!” cried another.
“Half-off on all items this Friday…I mean; Faust help us all!” shouted one rather confused pony.
“BE SILENT!” roared Luna, pushing the Royal Canterlot Voice to new heights. Twilight’s eardrums nearly ruptured from the thunderous boom, but it did have the effect to silencing the panicking mob and making everypony freeze in place.
“Listen well all of you,” commanded Luna at a somewhat quieter yet still deafening volume. “What you are witnessing now is no catastrophe, but a joyous moment for Equestria.”
“What’s happening Princess Luna?” asked Twilight, her anxiety causing her to slip into old forms of address. When Luna did not answer, she watched as the sphere of light descended, coming to a rest at the center of the café, where it faded to reveal Sunset Shimmer, who looked tired and disoriented, but otherwise fine.
For a moment there was absolute silence. Then Sunset unfurled a pair of golden wings.
Twilight’s gasp was lost in the chorus of them that filled the air. With a flap of her own wings, she flew forward to wrap her forelegs around the newest alicorn.
“Ugh, Twilight? What’s going on?” asked Sunset as she came out of her stupor.
“Sunset, you have wings!” Twilight cried in glee.
“Wings?” echoed Sunset. Turning her head, she gasped when she saw new wings for the first time. Raising a hoof to her head, she tapped her horn as if to confirm that it was still there.
“I have wings and a horn,’ she whispered. “But that means…”
“You’re an alicorn now,” Twilight finished for her. “This means that you’re a princess!”
“I’m a princess,” whispered Sunset.
Twilight turned to Luna. “You knew about this, didn’t you?” she asked in a faux accusing tone. “This is the reward you were talking about.”
“Indeed it is, Twilight Sparkle,” said Celestia as she descended from above, much the same way she did after Twilight had become a princess herself. “I had wanted to tell you at first, but Luna convinced me that it would be more fun to surprise both of you.”
Sunset was like a deer caught in the headlights, to borrow a phrase from the human world. After a moment, she found the ability to speak again.
“I don’t understand, I thought you said that I couldn’t become a princess,” she said.
“What I actually said was that the right to become a princess had to be earned," said Celestia. “When you chose to follow your own selfish ambitions over harmony, you strayed from the path to the very thing you sought. But now, you have finally earned the right to stand amongst…”
“Change me back!”
For a moment, Twilight thought she had imagined what she had just heard. However, there was no mistaking the horrified expression on Sunset’s face.
“I-I beg your pardon?” Celestia stammered, taken aback.
“You heard me,” said Sunset as she got in Celestia’s face. “Take away these wings and everything else and make me a normal unicorn again right now!”
“Hey, you can’t talk to a princess like that, even if you are one yourself!” cried a stallion from the crowd.
“SHUT UP!” roared Sunset, giving the outspoken pony a furious glare.
“Yes your majesty, sorry your majesty, please don’t banish me to the moon your majesty,” he whimpered as he backed away, his boldness forgotten.
“Sunset, please just calm down,” pleaded Twilight. She tried to place a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder, only to have it smacked away.
“I will NOT calm down! Not until she fixes this!” snarled Sunset, jabbing a hoof at Celestia.
“Fix what?!” cried Celestia. “I don’t understand, this is what you wanted your whole life!”
“And it ruined my life!” shouted Sunset.
She began to pace back and forth frantically. “Ever since I was a filly, all that mattered to me was becoming a princess,” she said. “I thought that I deserved to become a princess more than anyone else, and I’d lash out at anypony who said otherwise.
“When everything fell apart, I ran away like the brat I was to a place where I could hide from my problems. And what did I do while I was there? I proved just how much I DIDN’T deserve to become a princess! I cheated at contests, tore apart friendships, and hurt everyone, and for what? A cheap sense of empowerment and a stupid plastic crown that meant nothing, that’s what!”
Sunset stopped pacing and turned to face Celestia again with tears in her eyes. “When my friends finally stopped me, when they saved me, I swore then and there not only to change my ways, but to let go of my dream so that I would never make the same mistakes again. It wasn’t easy. Every day I had to remind myself that I would never become a princess and that I was better off for it. And it worked. One day I woke up and realized that I didn’t need to become a princess, that I could shine just as brightly as one my own way. And now, after all that, out of nowhere you tell me ‘Oh, guess what? You get to be a princess after all!’ No, I will NOT accept that! Change me back right now!”
For the first time since Twilight knew her, and perhaps for the first time in centuries, Celestia was at a loss for words. She just stood there stammering. Twilight couldn’t blame her, for that would require the ability to think coherently, and Twilight’s mind was stuck on a loop of what Sunset had just said. Sunset herself, meanwhile, continued to glare at Celestia, her chest heaving with anger.
In the end, it was Luna who spoke up.
“I’m sorry Sunset Shimmer, but I’m afraid that even if Celestia were willing to do so, changing you back is beyond her power.”
“I don’t believe you,” snapped Sunset, turning her glare to Luna now. “She turned me into an alicorn, so she should be able to turn me back.”
"That is where you are mistaken,” said Luna. “Celestia did not turn you into an alicorn. Rather, it would be more accurate to say that you turned yourself into one.”
“What are you talking about?” demanded Sunset.
“For ever few generations, there is born one or two, or on an extremely rare occasion, even three ponies with a special kind of magical spark inside of them,” explained Luna. “As these ponies grow in knowledge and wisdom, that spark grows as well until it reaches its peak and transforms the pony into an alicorn. My sister and myself posses the ability to sense this spark within ponies and have made it our mission to help them realize their potential. It is one of the reasons we started our tradition of taking personal students.”
“But if that’s true, than what was the spell Celestia cast?” asked Sunset desperately.
“That was meant to make your ascension faster and smoother, nothing more,” answered Luna. “Without it, the process of becoming an alicorn takes much longer and is much more…traumatic. The bottom line is that becoming an alicorn was always your natural destiny, and barring the use of the foulest of magic, it is no more possible to change you back than it is to change a butterfly back into a caterpillar.”
Sunset clenched her teeth and breathed heavily through her nose. After a few minutes, she seemed to have calmed down a bit. “Am I immortal now or anything?” she asked carefully.
Luna shook her head. “The great power and longevity my sister and I posses stems from our connections to the sun and the moon respectively,” she explained. “It allows us to draw upon the primordial magic within them, greatly amplifying our own. Only true, original alicorns such as ourselves posses this quality. Your life expectancy has increased by several decades thanks to your new Earth pony constitution, but you remain as mortal as you ever were.”
Sunset sighed. “Alright, in that case, I guess I can live with this,” she said, emphasizing her point by extending her wings. “But I still refuse to be a princess.”
“I’m sorry Sunset, but Equestrian law is absolute on this matter,” said Celestia, finally regaining her composure. “Only alicorns can ensure equal representation for all three tribes, thus all alicorns are to be made princes or princesses.”
“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing I’m not staying in Equestria,” sneered Sunset.
Celestia gasped. “Sunset, I know you are upset, but you cannot simply abandon Equestria again just because you do not wish to be a princess!” she insisted.
“What are you talking about? Didn’t Twilight tell you?” demanded Sunset. She turned her glare at Twilight. “Didn’t you tell her?”
“I’m sorry, I tried to tell her,” Twilight insisted. “But she was so excited about you coming back that I just didn’t have the heart,” she finished, hanging her head in shame.
“What are you talking about?” demanded Celestia.
Sunset sighed and turned back to Celestia. “I’m sorry Princess Celestia, but the truth is that I was only planning on staying here for a month or so before going back,” she explained. “I’ve decided to live out my life in the human world.”
“B-But Equestria is your home!” cried Celestia desperately.
Sunset shook her head. “A part of me will always think of it as home, but I’ve thought about it long and hard, and I’ve realized that the other world is my real home now. It’s where I discovered the magic of friendship. It’s where I found my way. It’s where I belong! And you can’t take that away from me; I don’t care what Equestrian law says.”
Celestia looked like she wanted to object further, but she just sighed and hung her head. “Your right,” she admitted. “I cannot force you to leave your chosen home, no matter what the law says. And if this is truly your decision, than I cannot force the title of princess on you either.”
“I’m glad we understand each other,” said Sunset dryly. “Now, I think I’d like to go home now.”
“But Sunset, what about…” Twilight started to say before Sunset cut her off.
“I’m sorry Twilight, but…I just can’t stay here right now,” she said mournfully.
“I understand,” said Celestia, sounding just as sad.
--------------------------------------------------
Nopony spoke a word during the trip back to the castle. They just trotted through the streets, Celestia, Luna, Twilight and the dispatch of Royal Guards they had summoned doing their best to shield Sunset from the onslaught of media vultures trying to get either a picture or a quote from Equestria’s newest would-be princess. No doubt tomorrow’s papers would be preaching all about the scandal of Princess Celestia “forcing” the mantle of royalty upon unsuspecting ponies.
Sunset remained silent even when she stood before the portal that would take her home…her real home as it were. She just gave a quick half-glance back at everyone, and then jumped right in.
“I should go with her,” said Twilight glumly. “She’s going to need all the support she can get.” Walking up to the portal, she stopped at the edge and turned back. “I’m sorry, Celestia,” she said softly.
“So am I, Twilight,” answered Celestia in a hollow voice.
Sighing, Twilight walked into the portal and disappeared.
“Are you alright, sister?” asked Luna gently, although she already knew the answer.
“No, Luna,” said Celestia, shaking her head. Tears were dripping down her cheek. “This was not how things were supposed to go,”
“I have not the stars in the night sky to count how many times things didn’t go the way they were ‘supposed to’,” lamented Luna. She then draped a wing across Celestia and nuzzled her. “I know things seem bleak now, but take heart,” she said soothingly. “Sunset is hardly the first princess to object to her new status.”
“Perhaps not,” admitted Celestia. “But none of them have ever been so vehement before.”
“Just give her some time,” said Luna. “Once she understands her what her true destiny is, she’ll come around. They always do.”
“I hope you’re right, Luna,” said Celestia, gazing at the glowing portal. “The world needs Princess Sunset Shimmer-both this one, and the other.”
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Wow... that was good. When the pain was introduced, my first thought was that Sunset was dying and going back to see Celestia for the last time.
If this isn't a setup for a sequel, then I'll eat the hair of a Sunset Shimmer pony figure.
ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61GMMqO-d7L._SL1000_.jpg
This one, to be specific.
6720236
Bon appetit. This story is a stand alone; however, it does allude to events that will happen in new, future stories.
6720254
And I was looking forward to a sequel too
Well crud
Also, I think you meant stand alone, not along.
Alot of readers here don't take too kindly to the "Twilight not wanting to be a princess/alicorn" business but I always had a thing for the concept of not just Twilight but other ponies too. Some writers try to make a unique story that makes it seem like it's not another whine fest while another good chunk just keeps giving us the same thing over and over again. Sadly almost all of them end the same where the character just accepts and everything is hunky dory after that where it just comes off as a temper tantrum instead of "That's not what I stand for" rebuttal. With Twilight, that's pretty much where the stories get boring and repetitive because it's almost formulaic and end the same because she has her friends keep coaxing her that her new role is a blessing. Yeah... to them. And it never comes out as her own decision either of what she wants, it's always her friends coaxing her into the role. With Sunset, there is still a sense of getting the upgrade but still saying "F this, F whatever this stands for and more importantly F the idea of princess-hood". Sure it still comes off as ungrateful to not accept the role from the princess of Equestria, but it's also ungrateful for throwing ponies who don't want change into the role. If there was a choice system where you could be either a princess or some other job honor because you turned into an alicorn, i feel that alot would pick the latter. That way the whole princess schtick wouldn't come off as cheap and groan worthy.
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I have encountered pleanty of fics where Sunset became an alicorn/princess, but I was unaware that having her reject it was such a common trend.
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Maybe I dashed your hopes a little too soon
. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you somehow, Pinkie Promise. Also, thanks for the spell-check, the mistake has been corrected.
6720655 i might have seen a couple others but honestly, this one was one of the better ones. Not Sunset rejecting the role alone, but ponies like Starlight (some reason), Fluttershy (ofcourse), and a few others. Also this is the only one I know she rejects the role.
6720676
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Good to know that I at least provide a quality version
Huh, that was sad, seeing their reunion end up like that. Not the darkest Sunset/Celestia reunion I've ever read, but in a way this is even sadder since the past arguments were forgiven, but now there's a whole new rift between them. Its always interesting seeing how redeemed Sunset might react to getting wings in fics, but this is probably the harshest reaction I can think of. Though based on Luna's dialogue, once Sunset reached a certain level of harmony/enlightenment her ascension was inevitable, but she's understandably wary of actually being crowned a princess now. I would hope Twilight could get her to come around after some time passes, but I can understand this fic was meant to focus on Celestia's disappointment more.
Sad fic, but glad there were at least a few bits of humor (what didn't happen with Rainbow and too bad they had to skip the musical number).
6720676
Here's one with Pinkie. It's called "Princess Pinkie Cometh... Not" It's really good
You can find editors and proof readings scattered around the site. I'm an editor myself and have had the honor of working on some very popular fics. If you need help, I offer my assistance.
I'm wondering if Sunset will come back with a temporarily-pony and introduce him or her as her 'special somepony'. It might help Celestia a little if it turns out that Sunset has many strong ties to the Human world.
Also... Destiny loves its jests. Could it be that Sunset was always meant to be the first Alicorn Princess of the human world?
This felt kinda silly as I read it.
Twilight doesn't inform Celestia, who based on that thinks that Sunset is going to equestria for good.
With that assumption, instead of informing Sunset of what was happening, she surprises her with it. As does Luna.
Like, I can see Luna doing it as a surprise, it makes sense as far as she knows but Twilight only giving Celestia half the story? Really?
It just felt off. I can see what you were going for but it didn't work for me. I think how fast it seemed contributed as well.
I don't buy it
6720459
Everyone, I have made a decision. If enough people want it, than I will write a sequel to this story. It won't be amything big, just all of Sunset's friends helping her come to terms with what happened and realize that it isn't as bad as she's making it out to be. Also expect to see:
an explanatiom for how Twilight and Flash were able to make their relationship work...
a look at how SciTwi grew into a strong and self-actualized young woman without becoming a clone of pony Twilight...
and some hints about what I have planned for Princess Sunset Shimmer.
If I do write a sequel, than it won't go any furthur than that, but most of my ideas will be used in my upcoming series.
6720254 Is there oing to be a sequel for this?
Well, this was a lovely little piece that disturbingly matched my headcanon's version of Sunset Shimmer on being a princess. Still, an interesting read that explored a little of Sunset's character.
While there was not a huge amount of material to go on, most characterization seemed pretty good (especially Sunset's human friends). Rainbow Dash's reaction particularly stuck with me, and seemed just so genuine.
The one exception is Celestia. While I cannot pinpoint it exactly, her reaction to Sunset's rejection seems a bit too emotional, in my personal opinion.
However, I must comment that the overall situation seems a little contrived. I mean, I can understand Sunset not wanting to be a princess, but Twilight not informing either Sunset or Celestia of what's going on or even hinting at it? I get that a surprise was wanted, but this is one hell of a thing to surprise on anyone.
But, hell, I'm using my own interpretation of Celestia here as a comparison, so who knows.
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I firmly support there being a sequel to this. The writing style is just exquisite, and I would love to see how Sunset's friends react and support her, as well as how they have turned out.
HiddenMaster out.
Im not generally a fan of stories with outcomes like this, but this was certainly well written.
One thing always bothered me though. It appeared here and in some others.
Namely some supposed law that Alicorns have to be princesses. How utterly unworkable is that, if you think about it for a minute.
Sure, Alicorns will stand out, and you can write a title into some records, but you cannot force princessing, in the way that matters. I mean, what would you even do if sunset or whoever just went "no" and didnt do whatever duties shes supposed to have? Throw her in a dungeon? What would that do to the public, nevermind that as a princess, whats stopping her from ordering her way out? Threaten her or her friends with... something?
"Good and Harmonious Ruling" is not something i see as possible to force someone unwilling to do, ever.
Nevermind the problems of giving someone massive power in a system they dont want to be part of.
Is this... related to some other stories I'd need to know first? Because Flash Sentry discovering anything magical at all on his own and without any functioning knowledge of magic really stretches my willingness to suppress my disbelief. I think I'll stop reading for now until I know for sure if all the other references are just flavor text or required reading for this to make sense.
Not saying anything bad about the story itself, I just don't get where all of that came from.
That was a pretty interesting story. Keep up the good work.
sounds like one of my conversations...
Actually, it points out Ponyville's superiority. when faced with a rampaging monster, most of the residents sigh and go about their usual business, only changing their schedule so that they can pick up groceries before the monster wrecks the store.
an alternate plausible reading of this sentence implies a second Princess Sunset. which would be intriguing
Her reaction was kinda like her version of Twilight asking if there was a book on the subject.
I'm not that interested in a sequel, but rather a prequel, as some of the other stuff mentioned as having occurred, such as Flash actually being a magical MacGuyver, is simply outrageous at worst and very fun at best.
Though I am VERY interested in the fact her alicorning was actively ongoing on the human side of the mirror, which implies physical changes to that form as well.
my main complaint is the process of alicorning actually. if it is an intrinsic spark that eventually happens naturally, then why does the magic of friendship matter? It's implied that Friendship is necssary to ascend, while also saying that it would happen anyway. which is it?
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It's not so much that Flash conciously creates anything magical. Rather, his own emotions cause a reaction in the magic around him, which, lets face it, is pretty much how it works in the Equestria Girls universe. Basically, Flash Sentry's magic is a study in how Equestrian magic responds to human emotion, not of his own nonexistant understanding of it. He literally has no idea what he's doing when it happens.
And yes, the text in here refer to stories that have not
and probably never will beyet been written.6724117 Gotcha. I feel it's too much headcanon for me, but you seem to be doing quite well with the story regardless! Thanks for clarifying that.
At the behest of my fans, I have decided to continue writing for this story, but instead of posting a sequel as originally planned, I shall simply add more chapters taking place after Sunset returns to the human world, hence the Incomplete status. There will probably be only one more chapter unless I decide that it is too long and split it in two.
This sounds like something I would definitely read if you ever made it! I liked the whole story though and I could understand Sunset's anger at the situation. Another good job.
Good to see a story where Celestia acknowledges this. Almost every story I've read or heard of where someone goes through what Sunset's gone through also features Celestia forcing them to be a princess and getting all bitchy when they run off to take a day for themselves. So many people fail to consider that Celestia doesn't roll like that, and forcing someone to do high level government work when they really don't want to is basically give them motive and opportunity to create some serious trouble.
Epilogue?
6723263 When did I say that the magic of friendship was necessary for alicorn accension?
6743497 I don't remember if you/b] did actually. The show itself has, with Twilight explicitly stating that the magic of friendship is what strengthened her magic. Which would presumably be a part of her spark reaching where it needed to reach for the ascension.
I may have made incorrect assumptions about this story. I don't remember.
6743442 New chapter.
The concept of rejecting alicornification is definitely a new one for me. The story's a little rough around the edges on the technical side, but I can look past that and say that this is definitely one to watch.
6724117 6727918 Now, don't quote me on this, but this has potential. If I don't get beaten to it, I might end up making this story a reality.
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Yay!
I love the hints of things we haven't seen, and the story in general. I feel like there's a whole world here just waiting to be fleshed out.
Oh, and Sunset's reaction? Perfectly understandable.
Woah. I've never seen a drama tag so accurate.
LOL
Ugh, destiny
I love this Sunset Shimmer!
very movingand touching fic
6985521 Thank you.
What did Flash do exactly?