For nearly a thousand years the ancient prophecies of Clover the Clever sat unread in Canterlot's forbidden archives. Until the day that Celestia took on an apprentice, and everything changed.
Sunset Shimmer is smart, resourceful, and determined. No matter how many new lessons Sunset learns, she just isn't satisfied. Equestria is in danger, and Celestia refuses to give her the power it would take to help defend the kingdom.
Another pony might've given up and trusted her princess to handle things. Sunset Shimmer isn't like most ponies. If Celestia won't deal with looming threats, Sunset will take matters into her own hooves. She'll find allies for Equestria even if she has to leave the universe to do it.
A prequel set in the continuity of My Little Apprentice. This story is not required to understand that one, or vice-versa.
This story was written at the behest of Two_Bit, who is sponsoring it on my Patreon. As usual, cover by Zutcha.
Okay, I'm hooked. Time to see where we're going this time. *smiles* If only I can be as good as you are when it comes to writing.
So she went through the portal, immediately got radiaton poisoning/magic depravation/poisoned by the air and then fell on something sharp. That clearly didn't exactly go according to plan.
Oh Sunset.
Full of confidence, determination and knowledge... but wisdom proves elusive, doesn't it?
Welp, time for you to learn the joys of becoming a robot mare.
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This comment is true for a lot of people.
Great start there, hoping to see more.
Interesting start. I can't quite imagine how this fits into the existing storyline, but there's been enough changes to it anyways with the more recent stories that I'm a little uncertain how everything fits together at this point.
Yeah! More MLA related stuff!
Interesting to see the culture shock from traveling in the other direction this time.
Hmm I wonder where she landed.
Well now. I have another story to read after this one. This seems like it will be a fascinating worldline to explore.
Well, in fairness, she probably wasn't going to be much more adjusted in three weeks when she still doesn't know what it is they think she should be adjusting to...
Of course, of the two human factions Sunset had to end with the cybersupremacist, better-than-you assholes.
The 2 weeks are probably designed to let them weed out people who were... aggressively rescued.
Heh. I didn't see this coming, but I should have.
What Celestia doesn't realize is that you always fight a prophecy. There's no harm that could possibly befall them from arming and strenghtening Equestria, that would be worse than the prophecy's culmination. If you leave your side unprepared, it's not going to guarantee the enemy will be any less horrible. I believe there's a human saying for that sort of thing. "Do not go quietly into that cold night." Sure you could just... let it happen, but why go through that kind of hardship? It's easier to fight, because to wait is to give into absolute despair.
I like how you've been painting the Steel Tower in more shades of grey lately. Not in the sense of a "gotcha" moment where you realize that the nurse's casual impassivity conceals pure dag nasty evil, but when they found Sunset, they immediately threw her brain in a blender and sucked her into their machine mind, without any consent or forewarning. That would seem obviously evil, but then you realize Sunset was hemmoraging from radiation damage when they picked her up. So not only could they not ask permission, they had to get her in right away, or she'd be dead.
Welp, Sunset's certainly in for a shock once she realizes just what rabbit hole she was dropped into. Of course, it may take her a while to fully comprehend that knowledge. This definitely promises to be interesting.
Also, "characters in alien hopsital rooms" seems to be a theme with you lately.
Anarchism
Oh sunset, you haven't seen all of it yet to make that assumption
I hope
Welp, I think Sunset is dying. Whatever she found on the other side of the mirror, it seems to be killing her. Clover had it so much nicer, at least in MLA. I hope those people who found her are going to save her. They probably will, or there wouldn't be any story. I guess those guys are probably the Steal Tower, given the story's name.
By the way, I found something that sounded weird. "the power to kill even the mighty dragons." It felt weird. Maybe if it was something like "the mightiest dragon.", it would sound better. Otherwise, every was awesome. Can't wait to read the next chapter. Like, now.
Welp, Sunset is inside a computer now. Or something. I thought she was in the real world at first, but then all that stuff about the Infinite Realms made me doubt it. I wonder what happened to her real body. Is it still held in storage somewhere, or is it destroyed and only her mind was preserved? Maybe the story will tell. For now, it's interesting to see that Sunset, even in the Steel Tower, is wearing her Equestria Girls clothes and got to keep her cutie mark. Those humans made a nice reality for her. Though... I wonder if all the people she will meet will be fake. Cuz, if this place was made for her, she's probably alone in there, so whoever she meets would have to be a fake. We're into creepy Friendship is Optimal territory here.
Also, I found another problem! "This ‘King Richard’ might have friends in a thousand different universes!" Kind Richard was never mentioned by name. Ever. So I dunno where she got that name from.
So she was de aged to better fit the criteria of her intelligence level? Hilarious.
Even in a virtual world, Sunset still ends up in high school, if not an earlier grade. Poor thing; it's not her fault she still doesn't grasp the nature of the local reality. Whoever imported her doing absolutely nothing to accommodate her unique origins isn't helping either. At least her new friend may help expedite the acclimation process, assuming she wants to stick out her neck that far.
So, the Steel Tower is sending Sunset to high school? She just can't escape it.
And Jackie's back again. She's like an interdimensional traveller at this point, popping up in all your different stories. I wonder if Ezri's around somewhere too...
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Which is strange. The first equestrian they meet in centuries, one who has managed to travel to the Steel Tower on her own, and the Knights don't bother even with a quick interview?
On the other hand, they probably have gathered all the data they may need from Sunset after downloading her brain into the Matrix, so...
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Makes sense, gives you more time to catch up amirite
Damn if Sunset isn't in store for a rude wake up call...
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It seems to be that whatever uploaded her was an outdated relic of the war, probably automated. It apparently uploaded her as an emergency option to save her life, but nobody bothered to update it as the Steel Tower moved forward.
8138048 Knowledge level, her intelligence rating was fine.
...I think...
This has been such a busy week....
I actually pictured some kind of U.N.-style entryway or museum from the initial description- I didn't get what was happening until Sunset saw the lockers.
So Sunset's been sent back to magic kindergarten.
Hi again Jackie!
I wonder when will sunset figure out that it isn't magic and all technology
Unless in this world it has magic, which is probably implied, which is sad to not feel good about not relying on magic as basic explanation for all our hard work
I don't think they quite know what they're doing teaching all of this human knowledge and tech to a Celestia-trained unicorn like Sunset. If she ever gets her body and/or magic back, she's going to be a serious contender.
I think I recall this world being some sort of magical void until q certain event in one of the other stories happens.
I'd ask how she pronounced that last bit, but I get the feeling my puny meat brain wouldn't comprehend it.
In any case, Sunset's making progress, but she likely won't grasp the truth until the computer classes. When she does, her expression should be priceless.
Also, holy crap, a two-hundred-year curriculum.
Assuming that percentage is time-based, of course.
8153985 What body? What magic?
Her body is gone. The transfer is destructive and even if she got her body back it would be a slow death in radiation and a world where magic doesn't exist.
It's a one way trip.
(Although I do wonder if we'll see some of the backstory for Gray and the omnicron)
Oh hey Bree. Or at least one of her forks. (I'd actually forgotten about forks- for a moment I wondered what natural humans thought was so bad about cutlery.
)
8154911 I did say if. Plus, assuming that the future timeline of the war even post-story revisions plays out similarly to the original conclusion, once the Steel Tower and Equestria have friendly relations there's no reason why Sunset couldn't go home and even regain her body.
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"...assignment from comparison." Obviously. [/software engineer]
Intriguing. How will she explain that she's legitimately from another world? I suppose we'll have to wait and see.
I wonder how long until someone tells sunset magic does not exist.
Sunset the Trojan horse, hahahaha!
Nice reinterpretation of the statue portal.
Somehow it feels like Sunset going off the rails here is meant to be worrisome, yet Jackie isn't exactly a corrupter.... Maybe this will lead to Sunset finally learning the Builders' magic- OF FRIENDSHIP
.
The Signamancy is strong here...
In any case, I do love how Sunset's mental training helped her skip school. And I'll especially love to see the group's reactions as they keep talking past one another. Who knows? Maybe one of them might actually try to listen beyond their preconceived notions. If nothing else, Sunset explaining her actual reason for coming here or someone else explaining her leaving meatspace behind will be all kinds of revelatory.
Ah. I was wondering when it was time for the reality bombshell would have to be dropped. All we have now is the long wait until it hits home.
Really liking the new series. Keep it up.
Great stuff, man.
The talk at cross-purposes has been pretty funny, but I'm glad Sunset's finally going to learn what's actually going on and get to try to get her mission back on track. I wonder why Jackie's so ready to believe her though? Past experience with something like Equestrian weirdness?
Finally....
Another chapter closer to explaining that it is all tech (and a simulation) and no magic
I wonder what sunset's reaction would be.
although I am also a bit curious what it is like on the outside world if it is all a simulation...
Sunset's vice, as ever, is impatience. She's barely learned how to doggy paddle and she thinks she's grown gills. Well, she's getting what she wished for. How she reacts once she realizes how deep the deep end is is up to her.
Of course, she's not the only one due for a revelation. There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Jackie, as the extraplanar unicorn can attest. A pair of priceless reactions looms on the horizon.
Finally, Sunset gets some grounding in reality... so to speak.
Oh yeah history bro