World 4: Chapter 2
Sunset continually stared down at her broken watch. The train chugged along at a rapid pace, passing much of the Equestria she’d never seen, but she didn’t care. Coughing and sniffling were the only things heard amongst the cabin besides the creaking wheels. Though Princess Cadance was royalty, she did not get a cart all to herself. Still, she was an important pony, and that came with workers who blocked any sort of paparazzi or overenthusiastic fan from coming up and talking to her. It was clear Cadance only did this to have a talk with Sunset, but Sunset had no interest in playing along. She was trapped in her own little world of anger.
One of the hands of her watch had broken off, the seconds hand, while the other two twirled freely around within the broken bits of the glass face. A part of the metal band was crooked, making the fur push down even more, scratching at the skin below. She would have to take it off. It was a gift from Twilight, she remembered as she stared down at her reflection in the bits of glass. I’m going to make him pay. Her body felt tense, the straps of her backpack were cutting deep into her shoulder blades again, though it didn’t help that she was sitting in an awkward position. On a bench close to a window, she had curled into a ball, her back legs were close to her chin while her front legs pushed between. It was something she often did as a biped, another memory that made her feel at home.
This place wasn’t home, though the greeting she received from Celestia had been one she expected of her own world. Perhaps it would be different having Twilight soften the blow. Still, seeing this reception only stifled her own desire to see the Celestia of her world. And don’t even get me started on Tirek. Her teeth clenched together as she pictured the centaur. What was that I was thinking before? Don’t judge someone based on the previous worlds? What a load of hay. Tirek’s an evil centaur, no amount of parleying will change that.
“Sunset?” Cadance spoke up, having remained as quiet as Sunset for most of the ride. “You said you’re not from our world, right?”
Sunset didn’t acknowledge the alicorn, though. She didn’t care about why or what Cadance wanted. There was no way she’d change her mind about Tirek. Without magic, they focused on technology, focused on building. That’s the reason. Their most brilliant minds were put to work elsewhere. Magic wasn’t a problem in Sunset’s eyes, it was a solution. Whether it be ordinary magic or the magic of friendship, it was a tool meant to be helpful. In the wrong hooves, or hands, it could be used for bad, but the good always outweighed the evil.
“You’re married in this timeline, right?” she answered Cadance with a question of her own.
“That’s correct. Why do you ask?”
“Good,” was all the unicorn replied before focusing back on her watch.
The chugging along of the train was the only thing that remained of the stagnant conversation. Cadance tried again, regardless of how silent Sunset wanted to be. “You said you were Princess Celestia’s student. I don’t remember you, though. When was that?”
But again, Sunset did not acknowledge the conversationalist alicorn. Sunset remained too focused on Tirek. In her mind, she was playing out humiliating fantasies she could pull off on the evil centaur. Her plan of taking down Blueblood had gone off successfully, and it only aided in sparking a creative outlet from her subconscious. I once convinced the school that Twilight had ruined our gymnasium’s decorations. Maybe something on that scale could be done again.
“Sunset,” Princess Cadance said with a commanding boom to her voice.
Sunset didn’t answer, but she did turn her head to the alicorn.
“You’re going to hurt your jaw,” the alicorn pointed out.
Sunset hadn’t noticed it, but her teeth clenched roughly together the entire ride. Releasing the tightly held grip of her mouth, she moved her jaw and popped it, feeling bone crunch against bone. It hurt for a second; the muscles relaxing. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, trying to get the normal feeling to return. “What do you want from me?” she asked the alicorn.
“Princess Celestia seemed convinced you were a magical demon bent on tearing the world apart. I suppose the troubled past of a student-teacher conflict might have something to do with that. But you mentioned your greatest embarrassment, and that got me curious. I’ve helped a few people who were once evil reform for the world. Did you? Were you? Something evil?”
“In my world, I stole an Element of Harmony from a princess named Twilight Sparkle. I used it in the world beyond the mirror, turning myself into a raging she-demon. I was so powerful that I could mind control the students of my school, turning them into my own slaves for evil. Let me know if any of this is confusing for you.”
Princess Cadance shook her head. “It’s not confusing. I’m not entirely sure what some of the things you said are exactly, but I believe it all.”
Sunset closed her eyes, an unremorseful smirk on her face. “Really? How about this next part. Since I’ve been so good, I decided to return to Equestria for a replacement journal. It allows me to talk to my friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Except, when I returned, I was sucked into this stupid battle between the past and present. Now, I’m trapped in each world until I unite the bearers and have them sit on this dumb table which opens a portal to the next horrible world.” When she opened her eyes, she looked at Cadance who was no longer paying attention. “Hey, are you even listening!?”
Princess Cadance perked up, her hoof to her chin. “You said Twilight Sparkle, correct? That’s not Shining Armor’s sister, is it? It couldn’t be the same one.”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
Cadance leaned her head back, exaggerating an exhale. “Wowie,” she said as she gave an anxious half-smile. “That’s some bad luck that you ended up here, then. Twilight Sparkle’s not in Equestria anymore.”
“What!? Where is she?”
“Well, though you may not like to hear it, Lord Tirek is not evil. When he and my auntie made a deal, they gave everyone in Equestria the opportunity to leave Equestria of their own free will, their magic intact. Very few had a desire to do so, but after much consideration, Twilight Sparkle was one of those few. She had spent so much of her life with magic, it being her cutie mark, that she couldn’t see herself without it. The griffons of Griffonstone and the yaks of Yakyakistan both did not host any of these magical adepts, and so we can only assume these few ponies settled in an uncharted territory, east of Griffonstone or into the unmapped west.” Cadance shrugged. “I highly doubt they went south, from what I hear that’s not the most pony friendly area.”
Sunset clasped her hooves to her temples. “I knew I should have looked at the map when I had the chance. That might have told me where everyone is.”
“The… map?”
“I’m from another world, but I’m not the only one. A crystal table just outside of Ponyville reveals a map when I touch it. It also lights up the bearers positions and sometimes has a glow for the Tree of Harmony. It would certainly lead me to Twilight Sparkle along with the other bearers,” Sunset explained.
“Wonderful!” Cadance clapped her hooves. “I know my Shining Armor would brave the dangers of this world if he could only see his baby sister again. Even if it is to see how she’s doing, I’m certain he’d take the opportunity. I never really got to know her, I had only babysat her a few times, but she meant the world to Shining Armor.”
Sunset uncurled herself, forgetting about the mean old centaur. “Only a few times, you say? In the last world, you and Shining Armor weren’t married. You two weren’t even together. You had said that you had only babysat Twilight a few times before you were no longer required, but you say it’s the same in this world. How could you two not meet or date in one world but get married in the other, even though both have the same starting points?”
“I’m not an expert on time travel or the influence of other worlds. When we arrive in the Crystal Empire, I’ll make sure to introduce you to our magic advisor. He might know more on the subject,” replied the princess.
“Why do you have a magic advisor? Hasn’t Tirek taken all the magic in the world?”
“Somewhat. Zebras use a particular form of magic that doesn’t involve things normal ponies would consider as ‘magic’. Alchemy, mathematics, crystals, ancient artifacts, and those sort of things. Believe it or not, but the Crystal Heart that resides within the city is completely untouchable by Lord Tirek.”
“Really?”
Princess Cadance nodded, then hesitated. “I mean, technically, it is. He could go and physically break it if he wanted to, I suppose.”
I could always break it and blame it on him, she snidely thought.
“It’s good that our magic advisor was brought up. He’s actually someone I really want you to meet. I think you two will get along. Before that, however, I’d like to get you to take a walk around the Crystal Empire with Shining Armor and myself. The city has grown rather large, so I can’t imagine we’ll get to all of it, but I’d like to try. Walking around the Crystal Empire, getting a sense of ponykind, nothing beats taking it all in. You’d think it’d get tiresome after having lived there for so long—but every time I take a walk I always get a renewed feeling in my heart.”
Sunset turned back to her window, her breath started to fog the glass though no snow could be seen. It was another hour before they hit snow, followed by the return of green fields. Crystalline buildings of magenta, cerulean, and fern sprung out in every direction. When she leaned her head out to get a better view, Sunset saw they were nowhere close to the castle, much like Canterlot. She was disheartened to find Rarity and Pinkie Pie were right, Tirek had made an improvement to all the cities, turning Equestria into a thriving, bustling home for its citizens.
You know, we probably just passed it or are going to pass it. That section where Princess Celestia’s camp once stood, she thought to herself, remembering the burning fire of the crimson tents. The memory then faded, replaced with another. Burning trees and dug out trenches. Flying debris and falling clumps of dirt. An awful memory, but only made worse by the click, click, boom that accompanied it.
The clanking of the wheels soon turned to screeching as the brakes came on. Sliding into its stop, the train halted at the crystal city’s depot. When they debarked, Sunset took in the fresh, crispy air of the cold city. It wasn’t as cold as the last time she’d come north, but the mountains that bordered the city dragged down a nice, stiff breeze.
She looked over her shoulder at the way the train had come, buildings ranged for as far as the eye could see. “The Crystal Empire, it’s gotten bigger,” she said to Cadance.
“Everywhere has gotten bigger,” replied the princess as they walked to the castle. Its blue shine was visible in the distance, and Sunset wondered just how far it could be seen. “When magic was removed from our land, many things changed. The pegasi of Cloudsdale moved to different parts of the world, their city no longer viable. The griffons of Griffonstone were forced out of their home as Lord Tirek found their city to be shambles and huts, providing them with better accommodations in our cities. Even the dragons might soon become part of our society, though I don’t think it’ll be as pleasant as he believes.”
“Why is Cloudsdale no longer viable?”
“Pegasus magic is the ability to soar amidst the sky and walk amongst the clouds, much like earth pony magic is their unmatched strength and special connection to nature and life. But Cloudsdale was, well, too far for those pegasus who were now clipped of their magic. Other forms of travel were available, but in the end, many of the citizens moved to other towns,” Cadance explained. “And before you ask, yes, our weather was affected. We are lucky here in the empire, but the rest of Equestria is not. Have you heard of the Everfree Forest? Equestria is now the same, at the whim of whatever the weather decides for itself.”
“Unless Tirek decides he wants it cloudy or sunny, right?”
Princess Cadance shrugged at the question. “He is not as strong as you believe. He could not contain the blizzardy storms that surrounded the Crystal Empire when it returned. It was too much for him. Maybe a low hanging cloud could be swatted out of the sky, but creating positive magic has never been his forte, as my aunt says.”
The Crystal Castle shadowed them as they came closer, mares and stallions greeting the returned princess as they passed. As they rounded off the street, Sunset came face to face with a crystalline statue of the centaur holding up a replica of the Crystal Heart. A groan of disgust escaped her lips as she stared at the heroic sight, a monument to the victory over King Sombra. “Of course he gets his own statue,” she hissed.
“Yes. The ponies of the Crystal Empire love Lord Tirek. I solemnly believe that the victory over the changelings and the victory here changed Lord Tirek’s attitude forever. Whatever he thought after parleying, whatever he believed of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, it was these victories, the cheering of ponies that warmed his heart more so than anything else. Think what you will of him, the hero’s mantle fits him well,” Princess Cadance said.
“And the villain’s crown more so,” Sunset mumbled.
“There’s the most beautiful mare in the world!” a stallion shouted, breaking their conversation. When Sunset turned, she saw Prince Shining Armor planting a kiss on his wife’s cheek. “And who’s this?” he asked, smiling at Sunset.
Princess Cadance extended a hoof, and said, “This is Sunset Shimmer. She’s going to be staying with us for a little while.”
“Another stray in from the cold? Well, if you’re palling around with Cadance then I know what that means.” Shining Armor put his foreleg out to shake. “Don’t worry. You won’t get treated any differently by me. Cadance has the best track record with reforming.” He looked back at his wife. “Reforming, right? That’s what we’re supposed to call them?”
“I’m not reforming,” Sunset spat, slapping away his hoof. “I’m already reformed! I was reformed by your sister!”
“My sister?” Shining Armor took a step back. His mouth compressed into a hard line as he turned to his adoring wife. “What does she mean?” he asked her.
Princess Cadance stepped beside her stallion, rubbing a hoof up his spine to comfort him. “Not your sister, dear. Don’t worry, we’ll explain everything. Are you free for a walk? I was just going to pop inside to have Sunset’s room set up and then come find you.”
“Sorry, there’s never a dull moment around here. Some scouts picked up something odd on the eastern board, I’m going to go check it out.” He quirked a brow back at Sunset before turning to his wife. “We’ll definitely be talking about this tonight. I’ll catch you later.”
The white stallion rushed off, leaving the two mares shadowed by the crystal statue. Cadance escorted the unicorn into the castle, and Sunset was pleasantly surprised by the décor. It was nothing like it was during the Crystal War timeline. Banners of pink and cerulean strung from every wall, potted plants pushed up in every hall, and there was not a single guard to be seen. “Shining Armor said something about scouts. I thought there was no need for guards anymore?” Sunset inquired
“That’s right,” Cadance replied as they strolled down a lengthy corridor. “City guards aren’t needed. There aren’t many pony-related disputes nowadays, and anything too big and destructive is met by Lord Tirek. Scouts on the other hoof, they’re just city guards who couldn’t accommodate to the change in lifestyle. They watch our borders, careful to spot any creature who looks to have magic. To be quite honest, this is the first time I’ve heard of a scout finding something, which is why Shining Armor was so eager to check it out. I’m curious as to what they found.”
“Besides the Crystal Empire and the changeling invasion, is there anyone else Tirek has done battle with? Discord?” Sunset asked.
“Not that I’m aware of. Though, I suppose you might include the dragons in that. They haven’t invaded or anything, but Lord Tirek did do battle with the dragon lord. Dragon Lord Torch, I believe is his name. From what I heard from my aunt, Lord Tirek wrestled Dragon Lord Torch in the Celestial Sea. Their fight sent waves all the way to Manehattan. Eventually, the dragon lord was bested and submitted, ending what is now called The Lord’s Battle. Dragons don’t have any real magic for Lord Tirek to absorb, but an alliance was the real prize. Bringing the yaks, griffons, ponies, and dragons all together helps build the dream Lord Tirek wants for Equestria.”
“And what dream is that?”
“For Equestria to be accepting of all races and species, no matter what they look like,” answered the princess.
“Why would he care about that?”
Princess Cadance pushed open a door to her throne room, which was more modest than Canterlot’s. “It wouldn’t be right for me to tell his tragic backstory. I couldn’t do it justice. If you’d like to hear it, ask my magic advisor for a recounting of the tale.”
Spending a moment within the throne room, Sunset glanced around at the seemingly normal crystal décor. Princess Cadance busily spoke with another pony who ran off as soon as the conversation finished. This is the room that Cadance was stuck inside the crystal, wasn’t it? She tried to remember, but it had become a fuzzy memory clouded by the rest. Her eyes trailed the carpet that ran to the throne. Lifting it with the back of her hoof, she tried to see if there were any cracks within the floor. Nothing was found, however.
“What are you looking at?” Princess Cadance asked.
Sunset was quick to let go of the rug and turn to face the pink alicorn. “Just looking for answers. Who was that you were talking to?”
“Just a humble staff member. She’s gone to set up your room. Come on, let me lead you to it.” As she was led to a section where bedrooms lined the hallway, Sunset remembered the room she had broken into to steal Twilight’s crown. When they came to that room, she was thankful to pass by it. “Here you are,” Princess Cadance said, twisting the bronze knob with her magic. The room was quite pleasant compared to some of the other places Sunset had stayed. A wooden headboard and footboard for the bed, no canopy. A vanity with a full body mirror. A shelf lined with books. But out of all the amenities, nothing beat having her own personal bathroom.
Throwing off her backpack, Sunset looked down at her foreleg. Her brows pulled together in a frown, saddened by her own reflection in the broken glass. Wrapping her other hoof around the band, she tugged it off her foreleg, leaving a ring of indentation left in her fur. After placing it on her backpack, she turned back to Princess Cadance.
“So? Do you like it?” the alicorn asked.
“Yeah,” Sunset answered with a flat tone to her voice. “It’s great.”
The expression Cadance held told that she understood, but Sunset didn’t want understanding. They meandered for a bit before heading back out of the castle, which Sunset was fine with. Seeing memories that I’ve almost forgotten, this world is going to be the worst out of all of them, she decided, feeling lower than before. Her body still ached to walk, though she made no expression to show it. Whatever Tirek had done to drain her magic, her physical strength suffered with it.
She glanced over at Princess Cadance, a bit of life to her eyes, leaving Sunset with envy. “Why’d Tirek let you have your magic?” she asked, perhaps not as nicely as she could have.
“Like Celestia stated, for emergencies. It would also not look good to the rest of Equestria if their leaders did not have a least a little bit of magic. In fact, we didn’t for a while. Many ponies rejected Lord Tirek even after it was announced we princesses sided with him. They believed we were mind controlled, our power stripped from us. But that wasn’t the only reason Lord Tirek returned our power. Without Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to control the sun and moon, things went awry for a little while. Lord Tirek tried to control them, but he is not skilled in the ways of moving celestial bodies. So he relaxed his control, gave up some magic to them, and was kind enough to restore some of my own.”
“Yes, very kind,” Sunset dryly commented.
“Let us head off into the rest of the city. I’m sure you have more questions, but I would like to ask my own as well. Getting to see such beauty will loosen your anxiety of talking about such topics.” Princess Cadance trotted out of the castle, the Crystal Heart hanging in the background behind her head.
Sunset’s eyes darted between the two. She could feel herself grimacing but did nothing to stop it. “I don’t have anxiety about speaking of myself. I already told you a bunch about me.”
“You haven’t told me what you want,” Princess Cadance mentioned as she walked toward the floating heart piece. “Or why you’re here.”
“I don’t know why I’m here. If I did, I wouldn’t be. I just want to go home. I can’t. There’s something only I can do. Things I have to do.” Things I failed at doing in the last three worlds. At least Princess Luna wasn’t turned to stone, but that doesn’t make my shortcomings any easier to accept. “I’m not sure if I was chosen to be part of this journey with Princess Twilight or if it was just one big coincidence. But the Tree of Harmony wanted my help, it wanted me to set time straight. Sometimes, that’s not easy. And other times, it’s as easy as beating up a giant evil lord.”
“I see.”
“You don’t believe me, do you?” Sunset asked.
“I do, actually.” Princess Cadance looked over her shoulder at the unicorn. “Not many others know of the Tree of Harmony. Myself, Lord Tirek, and of course Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. If you know about it, there has to be some reason for that, which is why I believe every word. But enough questions for now. We must walk if we’re going to clear your head.”
I don’t want my head cleared. I’m perfectly fine, Sunset believed, but said nothing of her inner thoughts.
Though Princess Cadance hoped the fresh air and beautiful scenery would help ease the unicorn from another world, after an hour it had only helped in making her more irritable. Traveling across a park where fillies and colts played ball, Princess Cadance attempted to make small talk only to be met with grunts and groans. “And this is the stadium we use for the Equestria Games. We’ve only held it one year here so far, but that was a magical year,” the princess explained to the bored unicorn.
“Mm.”
“You’re not getting anything out of this, are you?” Princess Cadance stopped and asked.
“Not really,” answered Sunset.
“Well. I tried. Tour’s not for everypony. But at least we’re close to the final stop.” Princess Cadance continued on until she came to a home. The castle was in close proximity, just in view down the sapphire-colored street. The home itself was a dark, stout, two-story building, with a raisin or plum coloring to it that did not quite match the other reddish-purple homes. A birch door offset the dark, matching the shutters amongst the three sets of windows. “I’m sure he’ll be eager to meet you,” she said, using the door’s knocker.
A loud crash of pots and pans was followed by a word not to be uttered near fillies and colts. The stomp of hooves came closer to the door, and the flailing sounds of locks being turned echoed from behind the wood. The door pulled inward, but the home was too dark to see the pony who answered. The stallion’s face appeared in shadow, only the reflection of his glasses that balanced on his muzzle gave any indication of the pony standing in the cracked doorway.
“Hello there,” Princess Cadance greeted. “I’ve got someone here I know you’d like to meet. Someone a bit like you.”
Sunset did not know what that meant, but her curiosity was killing her. Even after the shadowed stallion pulled the door all the way open, he remained a silhouette in the darkness. It was not until he stepped closer to the sun’s light that Sunset recognized the stallion in front of her. Her eyes squinted at him. “Are you… who I think you are?”
The glasses seemed out of place for the stallion’s dark features. A mane of black with sideburns shadowing down his charcoal-colored cheeks, a red magician’s cloak trailing down his back. The stallion had a jawline that most would envy, and his dark crimson horn would have matched his eyes had they not been dull and grey like the rest of ponykind. He was nothing like what Sunset remembered, missing his metal accessories, royal cape, and spiky crown. He was shorter than he had been, but Sunset chalked that up to him missing his crystal platform that he rode upon.
“Hello there,” he greeted in a deep, gruff voice. “My name is Sombra. How may I be of service?”
“This can’t be happening,” Sunset said, tripping back down the steps to get away. “You were defeated! The Elements of Harmony turned you into stone!” The stallion’s brows creased together, turning his expressionless face into a frown, something Sunset thought she would never see again. She quickly regained herself. “Sorry. I got lost in a memory for a moment.” She clunked her head with a hoof. “You’re not the same Sombra.”
“Uhm, Princess Cadance,” the dark stallion spoke in a hushed voice, covering his mouth with his hoof to hide the words from Sunset. “What is she talking about?”
Princess Cadance was as warm and friendly as ever, bobbing her head as she smiled along. “I’ll explain everything. May we come in?”
With a welcoming bow, the dark grey stallion led the mares into his home. Shelves upon shelves were lined with books, scrolls, tomes, and manuals. The windows were covered up to the top of their frames with literature, blocking most of the light from the outside world. He led them to a table which, you guessed it, was also covered in books. His kitchen sink sat filled with dirty dishes, perhaps the one place that did not have a piece of written material. The stallion was quick in preparing tea, which Sunset hoped was with a clean kettle. Princess Cadance was nice enough to use her magic to clear a bit of room on the table, but only when the stallion wasn’t looking.
“So, what brings you here?” he asked as he pressed the tea into cups, grimacing worriedly at the sudden open space on the table. “You usually request me at the castle. I’m sure seeing my fire hazard of a home is not pleasant, after all.”
“I am a bit surprised you don’t have your two apprentices clean and organize for you,” Princess Cadance replied. “But it’s good that you didn’t. Sunset Shimmer is from another world that differs greatly from our own. I wanted her to see how you live, to see she is not alone in the reformation process.”
“I already told you, I’m reformed.” Sunset slapped her hooves to her chest angrily. “I helped defeat a group of sisters who were bent on enslaving people with their music! I turned into a harbinger of light to defeat a magical darkness that took over a friend, saving two worlds from being forced together! I. Am. Reformed!”
Sombra pushed his glasses up his nose. “You did those things? I was certain Lord Tirek was the only one who remained as guardian of Equestria.”
“Lord Tirek hasn’t done squat compared to the bearers back in my world,” Sunset argued.
“Perhaps you should explain to Sombra your predicament; your placement between the worlds,” Princess Cadance suggested.
And so she did. She spoke of her Equestria, the world beyond the mirror, and the traversal through alternate universes. Sunset told them everything. Sombra was quite surprised to hear of his accomplishments in the first world. “That was not me, but I must apologize nonetheless,” he said, bowing his head to her. “I have done things that are shameful. My fellow crystal ponies lost a thousand years because of my actions. It may sound odd to hear, but I am thankful you and your friends stopped me.”
“You’re… thankful?”
“Yes. It sounds to me like I was winning. Turning my people, my kind, into brainwashed slaves has been my biggest regret, and I regret many things. Making someone lose all their emotions, their thoughts, who they are—that’s only something the worst of the worst do. That’s who I was,” replied the stallion.
Sunset winced to herself, remembering the kids and teachers she had turned into zombies with her demonic powers. “I understand where you’re coming from,” she said. “I have things I regret too. I try every day to make up for the things I did, which is why I’m stuck in these worlds attempting to right the wrongs.”
“I would assume you’re here to try and take down Lord Tirek then. From what you’ve said of your Equestria, these bearers defeated all the villains they’ve run across. But Lord Tirek is not a villain here. What is it you will do?” Sombra inquired, proving he had a sense of intelligence unexpected of the stallion.
“One of the bearers,” Princess Cadance interjected, “isn’t even in Equestria anymore. Shining Armor’s sister, Twilight Sparkle, left Equestria once Lord Tirek took over. I was hoping you might be able to solve Sunset’s issues on getting her home while also showing her that this world isn’t so bad.”
The stallion rose from the table, his face a nervous, sweaty mess. He brushed his sideburns with the edge of his hoof, taking a long while to think on everything that was said. “To charge me with such a task is of great honor. I cannot say no to something like this. But, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
Sunset rose as well, staring the stallion in the grey of his eyes. “There’s a book out there, written by Star Swirl the Bearded, that holds the spell that started this whole mess. I found it in the last world, but a mistake happened and it was lost.”
“And you assume I would have this book.” His eyes darted between the cavalcades of book piles. “I do have some of Star Swirl’s work. Most of it was burned—Lord Tirek wanted nothing to do with the stallion that turned his brother against him.”
“Yeah, I kind of expected that,” Sunset muttered to herself.
“Excellent! You have a lead! I know you’ll perform admirably, Sombra.” Princess Cadance rose, a bright, cheerful smile on her face. “We shall leave you to it. Starting tomorrow, Sunset, you’ll be spending most of your time with Sombra. I believe you two will get along swimmingly, and you may learn a few things yourself. Thank you, Sombra!”
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Sunset Shimmer,” the stallion bowed as Princess Cadance showed themselves out of his cluttered home.
Stepping back out into the brisk air, Sunset said, “That was nice. A bit surprising to see, but nice. He reminds me of someone but I can’t put my finger on it.” She wiggled her hoof for a moment, thinking of the missing tendon. “It was surprising to see Nightmare Moon stand for good, but seeing Sombra this way is a bigger shock. I would never have expected it from the likes of him.”
“You’d be surprised who can change with just a little bit of love and kindness.”
The sweet sentiment brought a warmth to Sunset’s heart as she thought of the friends who supported her after she was defeated. I’m starting to miss them more than ever. For Twilight to not even be a part of this Equestria, it makes me glad that we stumbled across her Crystal Prep counterpart. She’s so new to the whole pony-up thing that she’s going to think I’m a loon when I tell her all about these alternate universes. They made it back to the castle, and her eyes drifted over to the large crystal statue of Lord Tirek. If I even make it back to my universe.
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Sunset's prolly gonna be broken by the time this fic is over... and it's all Starlight's fault. Character development aside, I ain't gonna deny that she broke time seven times.
Well this seems to be Cadance's way of trying to get Sunset familiar to a world without magic, introduce her to someone who's life used to revolve around it. Too bad for her that Sunset already has experience of being magicless, even if it was in a body actually designed around not having any. I wonder if Sunset will be able to see through her alternative motivation and just tell Cadance she already was without magic for several years. While her plan didn't work as it intended, it looks like Sunset will be able to benefit from this experience by being with someone who was so much like herself right after her defeat.
Can there be a scene where she's more angry about the fact that she doesn't have hands instead of magic?
Ah, no wonder I hate this Equestria(The setting, the writing is excellent as always), it's been loaded by social justice utopianism
Think I know why Tirek is acting like this, When he drained the changlings he also drained their need to feed on love. So he needs the ponies to love him in order to survive.
Sweet! So much new stuff! Never been down this route.
Love it!!
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Oooo....
That's actually really good!
Double absorbing powers, ACTIVATE!
Ouch, that'd be kinda fatal.
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Oh I really hope that's the case(if he turns out to be still evil) that would be so cool.
8646709 I'm looking forward to their meeting... I want to see Sunset go to town on Glim Glam. She desperately needs the slapping that she karma houdinied herself out of in canon.
".
I once convinced the school that Twilight had ruined our gymnasium’s decorations. Maybe something on that scale could be done again.
that was snips and snails and she was mad abotu that as it put her plants in danger
<del>But all I'm seeing that Cadance is trying to break Sunset. This is eerily similar to asylum fics. In those fics, everyone is treating healthy pony as insane, until they go insane for real at the end. Here, they treat Sunset as a villain to be fixed, until she turns into villain. This is worse than alienation and discrimination: instead of throwing rocks and shouting insults, they treat her with condescension and as something broken.I find Sunset being unnecessarily stubborn in this universe and hindering her own progress. What in her mind makes Tirek so different from Nightmare Moon that she was willing to go along to get along with NMM but not Tirek? Her emotions really seem to be clouding her good sense at this time...
Huh. Hey there, Sombra.
I know I've been saving my reread comments for the very end, but you accidentally a word here.