Equestria: The Prodigal Daughter
Equestria: The Prodigal Daughter
Sunset stood and peered at the restroom door. Why did Twilight have to chose a girl's washroom of all places, let alone one at Crystal Prep? Thankfully it was surprisingly easy to get into the academy, as there were weekend study options available for students to partake in. She had slowly made her way through the school before ending up in front of the girl’s washroom on the third floor. This one never saw much use, being in a corner surrounded by club rooms made it so that this was a nice little spot to take a breather.
“Guess I should let her know I’m here…” Sunset muttered, digging into her backpack for the journal that crossed the two worlds.
Ready on this end!
Awesome! Find somewhere to stash your journal and we are good to go!
Let me run it down to my locker, it’ll take like 2 minutes~
Careful not to trip! Whoever the janitor is there used waaay to much wax…
Sunset did indeed see what looked like scuff marks when she peered at the floor, and chuckled softly as she departed the restroom towards her locker. She hurried her way down two flights of stairs and jogged to her locker, stopping just before it as she raced to unlock it. A strange feeling of giddiness was rushing through her, she was going back to Equestria! After all these years! And to top it off, Celestia was waiting to see her!
“Sunset?” came a startled voice, “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“Oh! Hi Dean Cadence! I was just stopping by quick.” Sunset gave the best smile she could, even if she was sweating bullets on the inside.
“I was going to stop by this evening but seeing as you’re here, could I borrow a couple minutes of your time?”
Horseapples. “I don’t see why not, what’cha need?” Sunset frowned when the woman turned her back to the teen, following while cursing her obedience.
“It’s about the Friendship Games,” Cadence said as she sat down behind her desk, motioning to Sunset to sit on the other side, “I know you are really hesitant on going back to that school, but Crystal Prep could really use you! Especially since Twilight refuses to participate.”
Sunset frowned, looking around carefully before beckoning the cerise skinned woman close.
“Did Principal Cinch put you up to this?”
The Dean of Students grimaced, nodding in confirmation.
“Can’t she take no for an answer?” Sunset complained, “I mean, really? From what I’ve seen Crystal Prep should wash the floor with CHS!”
“Not everything is based on straight questions and answers though, Sunset.” came the response from Cadence, who was obviously understanding of the teen’s predicament. “The Games will have all sorts of events, and from what we have scouted it seems like it may not be so easy this time.” She sighed as she reached out a hand to the silent girl, “I’ll tell Cinch I talked to you about this, you get back to whoever is waiting on you. Judging by your look at your locker it must be someone very special.”
Sunset gaped at the teacher, blush coming to her face. She slowly stood up, bidding farewell as she departed the room hurriedly. She made good time through the halls, certainly drawing the ire of students who had to waste their weekends studying with her loud rushing. It wasn’t long before she stood before the washroom stall once more.
“Okay, Sunset, you can do this! You are just returning to your native land full of talking equines all with different magical powers, with your teacher who controls the literal sun awaiting to see you after you betrayed her.” Sunset chuckled nervously. “What could possibly go wrong?”
She slowly reached forward to grasp the door handle, only to pass through the door with a yelp of surprise. The strange sight of rushing face first towards something believed to be solid was shocking, but not as shocking watching her entire body pass through it.
Sunset was overwhelmed by the feeling of stretching around in a spiral, the feeling of rushing through an immense ocean of nothing while magic suffused everything. She could feel magical enchantments falling off her, revealing-
*Splap*
“Owww…” Sunset groaned, slowly flickering eyes peering at the… crystal floor? “That was not as comfortable a ride as the first time…”
“Sunset! There you are!” came a worried voice, “I was just about to come through the portal and look for you!”
A steady clop filled the air as four lavender hooves appeared in her vision. She slowly craned her eyes up to take in the appearance of Twilight.
“Hiya, Princess!” Sunset reached an arm out to shake the girl's hand, only to realize that what instead reached out was a hoof. A brilliant amber hoof. Her hoof. “Oh, right… no hands here in Equestria.” Sunset slowly got up, wobbling slightly as she assumed the four legged stance that her Pony body demanded. “Just like riding a bike!”
“What? Riding a… bike?” Twilight gave her friend a perplexed look.
“Human expression, don’t worry about it.” She shook her head, revelling at the shortness of her mane here. “Sorry I was late, Dean Cadence sidetracked me just as I was dropping off the Journal in my locker.”
“What’s a… Dean, was it?” came a familiar voice, not one Sunset expected to hear on this side of the portal.
“Dean Cadence?” Sunset cried out in response, before shaking her head, “No, wait. Princess Cadence? What are you doing here?”
The alicorn made her way over to the wilting unicorn. “Don’t be so worried, Sunset. Twilight invited me and Shining Armour to come down and see you. Sadly Shiny is stuck taking care of the Empire, but I managed to sneak away for a little while.”
“Don’t be worried?” Sunset exclaimed as she slipped in her rush to backpedal. “But I broke into your castle! Knocked out some of your guards even! Plus I stole Twilight’s crown! Why aren’t you trying to imprison me?”
Twilight and Cadence both looked at each other, before falling to their backs in furious bouts of laughter. Sunset could only stare in utter disbelievement at the reactions of the two princesses.
“Ummm…” Sunset continued to watch the pair as they rolled around in laughter, surprised that they didn't injure their wings. “Am I missing something here?”
“Hehehe, sorry Sunset!” Twilight was having a hard time calming down, giggles still tearing through her body, “I guess I should explain the situation. You see with the exception of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, my friends here in Ponyville, and myself, nobody knows or even really remembers anything about what happened when you showed up through the portal while it was up in the Crystal Empire.”
“And while Celestia gave us a basic understanding of why you fled,” Cadence continued, “No one really judges you about it. You have a clean slate here by all of our accounts, and if what Twilight says is true, you have definitely improved since you originally left.”
Sunset peaked an eyebrow as she looked at Twilight. “What did you tell them?” She asked, trying to keep worry out of her voice.
“Just that you have made an amazing amount of friends, and became a really great pony- er, person?” Twilight’s face changed from feigned innocence to furrowed in contemplation in an instant, letting Sunset relax her body. She slowly turned around and looked at the mirror, the gateway between two different worlds, and an amber unicorn with a short styled mane of gold and crimson stared back at her.
Slowly Sunset brought a forehoof up to touch her horn, gingerly pressing along it as old instincts started to come to the front again. She looked to the side and saw a small pile of books, before concentrating on one that lay shut. Slowly she felt energy start to build around the tip of her horn, and though she failed to see it a pale turquoise aura surrounded it, and she reached out to the book mentally. It was slowly enveloped in the same pale turquoise aura as her horn, and it slowly started to disobey gravity by floating up into the air, before pausing.
“Ah, right! You probably haven’t had the chance to use your magic over there much, have you?” Twilight asked, watching as her friend started to manipulate the book in different directions. “That world was pretty magic barren now that I think about it.”
Sunset didn’t even respond, instead setting the book down gently. The feeling of a long unused muscle stretching washed over Sunset, as well as a small euphoria from the amount of raw magic all around her. She never realised how much she missed this! She slowly scanned around the room, eyes locking on a vacant area near the front door. She slowly smiled, a smile that Twilight had wore once before when she thought she was forced to make a friendship problem. The two Princesses noticed only in time to watch as Sunset popped out of existence, only to have the same popping sound come from behind them moments later.
“Hehehe!” Sunset cackled maniacally, before bursting out the door and into the hall, leaving the two alicorns to stand and stare, the sound of more popping echoing through the halls.
“After her!” Twilight called out, breaking into a hurried run.
***********************************************************
The pair eventually found Sunset outside the castle, laying down and rolling across the grass, not much unlike Winona did in snow in the winter. They slowly cantered towards the extremely giddy unicorn, making sure to pause a fair distance away.
“Y’know, I guess the humans were right,” Sunset said, craning her neck to look at the two watchers, “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone!” She slowly stood up, coming to stand before the pair. “Sorry about that, kinda had the sudden urge to just go crazy.” She blushed as she kicked the ground with a hoof.
“Nothing… a good breather… won’t fix.” Twilight panted, collapsing in a gangly mess onto the grass, as Cadence chuckled.
“Well I’m glad you got it out of your system,” the Princess of Love said, “because I don’t think it would be good to have that kind of an outburst when we meet with my aunt.”
Realization slowly dawned on the unicorn. One of the main reasons for this cross world trip. To meet with the ruler of the entire kingdom. The one who rose the sun and the moon themselves.
“Princess Celestia…” Sunset said softly, staring at the ground. “I wonder how she’s actually going to react…”
“I told you how worried about you she was, Sunset.” Twilight said, finally standing up from her momentary breather, “She cares deeply about you.”
“I know that, Twilight… It’s just… How can I expect another to forgive me if I can’t even forgive myself?” Sunset stared at Twilight, tears starting to run down her muzzle.
“But how can you not forgive yourself? We all have. We know that you are a better pony -person, sorry- then you were in your youth.” Twilight said as she walked forward, wrapping her neck around Sunset one way, while the opposite hoof came up and completed the hug.
“But I tried to kill you Twilight! I stole your crown! And Celestia… I betrayed her, everything she ever taught me… I went and threw it in her face!”
“I can vouch with Twilight there, Sunset.” Cadence said, stepping beside her sister in law once the two younger ponies ended their embrace. “Celestia is quite anxious to see you again. Maybe it would be best if we headed there right now? That way there is less time for you to ruminate.”
Sunset was about to comment, but before she could she saw Twilight’s horn light up brightly as an immense surge of magic wrapped around the three of them. The light flashed, a loud deafening pop cutting through the air as the three vanished from Ponyville, only for reality to spit them back out before a great grey door, devoid of any sort of metalwork or decoration.
“Phew! That was more taxing than I thought!” Twilight commented, sweat beading down her face, “Thanks for the help Cadence!”
Sunset tuned out the two sisters as they made small talk, her eyes slowly widening as she realized where she stood. It hadn’t changed in all the years since she left. She slowly raised a single hoof, lightly pressing against the door. The same cold feeling washed through her as it had when she was a filly. She looked back and saw the two were paying her no heed, Twilight backing up and blushing as Cadence delivered some sort of compliment. Squaring her shoulders, Sunset took a deep breath. Now or never, Shimmer. She thought, as she pushed the door forward, the same weightless response followed as it slowly swung open.
Light poured into the room, both from the numerous ornate glass windows, but also from the massive chandelier that hung overhead. The red carpet ran along the cool marble floor, guiding the stride of any who entered towards a large golden dais, large vibrant violet displays of flowers say in golden planters while water flowed from one basin to another seemingly without end. A throne sat at the top of the third level, if it could be called a throne as the humans would know one. A large back rose up, deep crimson fabric lined it, along with a large cushion of the same material.
But everything else in the room failed to measure up to the figure who sat upon the throne, eyes closed as she breathed softly. The universe, however, hates any kind of quality nap, and so decided to have the door finish swinging open with a loud boom, causing the resting figure to shoot up in alarm and attempt to raise up to a proper stance, only to slip and fumble her way down the throne to land in a mess of sprawled limbs and flowing ethereal hair.
“Princess Celestia!” Sunset cried out in shocked horror, starting to gallop to her former mentor, praying that the alicorn was alright.
“Boop!”
As soon as Sunset stopped in front of the downed Celestia, a single impossibly white hoof, capped with an immaculate golden shoe, pressed softly into the snout of Sunset, freezing her in place. The ruler of Equestria looked up at her former student, a smile so warm the room grew chilled emanating from the royal’s features.
“You always seemed to fall for that trick, Sunset.”
Sunset remained glued in place as Celestia rose, her neck craning up to keep eye contact with the ruler of Equestria.
“Sunset?” Celestia asked, unsure how to read the expression on Sunset’s visage.
“I’m so sorry…” was all that Sunset could mutter, still unable to look away from the Princess.
Slowly the alicorn stepped forward, sitting down as she reached out with her front hooves and pulled Sunset close, wrapping the unicorn up with her great wings. “Do not ever be sorry. Sunset. You are not alone in the guilt of your actions.”
Sunset felt tears come to her eyes as she felt the overflow of love and compassion from her teacher, the same feeling she felt so many time’s in her fillyhood. “But I betrayed you… Let my ambition and pride consume me and drive me to throwing everything you taught me away…”
“But it was I who lead you down that path in the first place,” Celestia responded, “I was the one who ignored your cries for something more than just a teacher.”
“You did nothing wrong!” Sunset beat a hoof helplessly against the shoulder of her mentor, “I was the one-”
“Sunset Shimmer.” Celestia’s calm tone stopped Sunset’s struggles, “When I first brought you in from off the streets of Canterlot, I made you a promise. Do you remember what it was?”
Sunset sniffled as she shoved her muzzle into the great white body in front of her. “Please… this is all my fault…”
“I promised you that I would take care of you. I would give you a shoulder to cry upon, and ears to listen to your problems.” She pulled the crying unicorns face to her own leaving them forehead to forehead, or at least as much as their horns would allow.
“I promised that I would be your adoptive mother. And I failed you. First when I stopped listening to your troubles. Second, when I started pushing you away instead of comforting you. And finally,” Celestia paused as she pulled her face away to look at her wayward daughter, “When I let my failures cause you to run away.”
Sunset collapsed to the floor, trying to hide away from the mother she had thought lost to her. She shuddered as sobs tore through her, the actions redoubling when Celestia lay down beside her, one large wing laid over top like a blanket.
“Sunset, will you let me into your life again? Will you let me try and be your mother, one more time?”
Sunset steadied herself as much as her sobbing would allow, nodding as she wrapped her mother in a tight embrace.
“Mom!”
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Aaawwww!
Nice chapter, so the portal is in the door of a bathroom stall? That's like the worst place to put a portal, way more chances of people falling through then with the statue. Also did she move the portal or make a new one cause I feel one would be easier then the other.
Will we see anymore of Sunset in Equestria because I would love to see her reaction to the pony counterparts of her former friends.
8245156
^^
8245177
Hehe, it's a temporary portal, since Twilight closed the one at CHS she needed somewhere for Sunset to cross over~
I chose the bathroom cause of another story i read where Twilight opened the portal in a Crystal Prep washroom xD
I actually posted a blog about that! I do have a spin off series planned, titled: Sunset in Equestria, which shows some of Sunset's bumbling around in Equestria~
Nice to see Sunset having some fun being a pony after everything's she's been through. That should hopefully cancel out anything left of her she-demon in her now that she's getting better and making amends.
Momlestia is best lestia /)^3^(\
8245325
Will just have to see~ >:'D
8245357
Its a personal favourite headcannon of mine~ ^^
8245371
I understand all that but honestly this is just me hoping for something different. One thing I am sick of with Anon-a-miss stories is that they tends to trade out the optimistic viewpoint of the series for something much more cynical. Now there is nothing wrong with that, this is purely on me because I've read so many of these stories I always hope for something different. Frankly I am just hoping for a happy ending and I mean happy happy not bittersweet happy.
8245483
Yeah, I can see that. A lot of Anon-A-Miss stories tend to be very derivative. This is another case like Mare Do Well and A Canterlot Wedding, except with one crucial difference, which makes it very hard to do a positive spin without completely rewriting it. The key difference is that Sunset did nothing wrong in the comic itself and was thrown under the bus without any form of apology. With Mare Do Well, Dash at least was getting to the point where her showboating almost got others hurt while and with A Canterlot Wedding, Twilight was acting crazy and jealous the entire time before just barging in and shouting evil.
I'm trying to go for something much more optimistic with Firebirds' Nest, but it also didn't involve pushing Sunset to the brink. Just the idea behind the only people Sunset has left (besides Twilight), completely abandoning her crying on the floor after claiming they were family through no fault of her own (heck, My Past Is Not Today had her sing how she was left empty without her ambition and only got out of rock bottom because of friendship), and strongly considering not forgiving her, is very difficult to put a positive spin. The best I've seen it done (also happens to be my favorite Anon-A-Miss fic) is One Last Regret, which is an aftermath fic. Still, I would like to see more people try, and certain elements repeated less.
8245369
I always thought that Sunset was Celestia's daughter either by birth or adoption, it's the only thing that made sense to me, heck they both have sun shaped cutie marks and I bet Sunset's special talent is Solar Magic.
8245698
I like the idea of Celestia rescuing a young Sunset off the streets~
Allows for a bit more depth between the two in my humble opinion~
Plus now I can show Celestia being an adorable Mom to Sunset in the spin off series~ XD
8245691
Yeah I can see what you're saying. I always felt that with Anon-a-miss it had more to do with how she used to be, that no matter how hard she tries people will always remember all the terrible things she's done and Anon-a-miss was just her past catching up with her. You know like she was only so easy to frame because deep down everyone was just waiting for her to reveal that she never changed at all. But most of the time she's just painted as the absolute victim, which is why I appreciate when some fics have it so that there are other victims as well(there had to be some consequence of all those secrets being revealed). Never a fan of the whole thing being a straight black and white situation because its kind of unrealistic.
Also gotta admit I only just realized that you're the one writing Firebird's Nest, man do I feel stupid now lol. That's definitely one I'm keeping an eye on.
8245710
Cool, so will you be doing a sequel with the Friendship Games then or will that be it's own large chapter then for this story?
8245781
Competition of Rivals, the Friendship Games arc, will be it's own story, as well as Sunset in Equestria.
8245787
SWEET, I can't wait to read it, please how long until you start it?
8245801
Well~
Contest of Rivals is slatted to start release Saturday, July 1st
Sunset in Equestria will be a collection of short, One-Shot length chapters that will be done over time, and I may have time to work on the first one soon~
8391729
^^
I hope to see it done one day~
FEEEEEElS
!!!!
Okay, this reunion is a hundred times better than the one we got in Forgotten Friendship.
Awwww that was soo sweet!
I think this is one of the best Celestia/Sunset reconciliation scenes I've read
Wooo! Trollestia!