Two worlds colliding

by TalkingToMyself

A special gift

Chapter 8:

Sunset was still slumped on the pillow when the door opened again. After her talk with Celestia, she felt a lot better, a huge burden taken away from her heart in a matter of minutes. But with her emotional turmoil slowing down, her mind began analyzing the events from earlier today, going through everything that had happened over and over again. She couldn't figure out what happened and what to do next, and so her mind kept going in loops which eventually led to two dead ends: Worrying about her friends in the human world and blaming herself for what happened.

She sighed. She had seen them seconds before she closed the portal and strengthened the wall and they had been fine, but the empty feeling inside her remained. She hadn't realized how deep she was connected to the six girls and was hit very hard by the loss. Despite the promises and consolation from the Princesses, she felt more alone now than she had during her first months in the human world. Of course back then she was mostly driven by anger and thoughts of revenge. Now all she felt was worry and guilt. And no matter how often she remembered the image of that wall she created, she couldn't find a way through. Maybe she could use the notebook to communicate with her friends, just like Twilight had with her.

Another frustrated sigh broke through. The notebook. Even if the girls found it and figured out how to use it, she wasn't sure if it would still work now that there was no hole left in the wall that separated the worlds. She didn't even know if it was a good idea to even try activating the notebook again. For all that she knew, her excessive writing to Twilight might have been what finally caused the portal to break apart. She closed her eyes and felt even more guilty. Not only had she used the notebook a lot, she also begged Twilight to come visit her for selfish reasons like needing someone to talk to who understood her pony side. Or to help her with a friendship problem. Or even mundane things like spending the weekend with her friends.

Sunset buried her face in her forehooves. Before Twilight had put together her device, the portal would only open for a short time every thirty moons. Maybe that time was actually necessary to deal with the excess energy that was needed to connect both worlds. So her constant usage of the portal threw everything out of balance. Whatever happened in Canterlot High and Equestria, it became more and more clear she was to blame for it.

When the door opened, she sat up on her pillow and turned towards it entrance. She still felt exhausted, but she was more than happy for anypony who would keep her mind away from those depressing thoughts for a while at least.
She smiled when Celestia stepped in with her sister Luna following close behind, both of them carrying a few things with their magic. She saw the kind but excited smile on Celestia's face. Sunset still couldn't believe how easily the Princess had forgiven her and now even seemed eager to pick up their relationship where they left back then and move on from there. Celestia slowed down for a moment but then gave her a reassuring nod, having guessed what Sunset was thinking and most likely feeling the same.

Princess Luna looked at both ponies and just laughed softly
"Give it some time, both of you. You can't just expect this to be cleared out in a matter of minutes."

Sunset blushed but Celestia only giggled and set down a teapot and five mugs in front of the unicorn. Luna winked at Sunset and spread out the pillows and blankets she had been carrying in her dark blue magic. She formed a loose circle big enough for some more ponies before she sat on a pillow across from Sunset. Celestia sat down next to the unicorn, close enough so Sunset could feel her comforting presence wrap around her worries like a soft blanket.
Both alicorns smiled when they saw Sunset relax a little and Celestia poured in some tea for them while Luna just watched silently. Sunset gingerly picked up the mug in front of her with her hooves and took a careful sip. She frowned and her horn glowed softly. The red magic engulfed the mug for a moment before Sunset took another sip from the now steaming beverage, smiling this time.

She then noticed both sisters watching her which made her blush again and hide her face behind the mug. They just laughed and Celestia added with a soft voice
"I forgot you liked your tea so hot it'd burn your tongue, Sunset."
"Not everypony prefers lukewarm drinks, sister. That was a very well executed heat spell, by the way."
Sunset just blushed more and mumbled into her tea
"Magic with fire and heat just works naturally for me. My cutie mark is a burning sun after all."

Luna nodded and the door opened again, this time Cadance stepped in and brought a tray with sandwiches. She sat down next to the moon Princess with a happy sigh
"We finally found everypony a place to sleep. Thanks to you, Princess-... I mean, thanks to you Luna. Your rooms made it all possible."

The dark blue mare smiled and was about to answer but found herself interrupted by Sunset
"How bad are things? In Canterlot?"
The three Princesses turned their heads to her and Sunset stared at her tea again when she saw their worried expressions. While she had been sulking and crying like a filly, the Princesses had to work hard to keep everything together. She needed to know at least how much misery she caused.

Celestia was the first to answer
"Considered all that happened, we're doing great so far. No casualties, nopony went missing. And after seeing Princess Luna personally head to town and help, everypony was inspired to help as much as they could."
Cadance nodded and smiled to Luna
"I promised at least a dozen of ponies to tell you how honored they feel to stay in your rooms tonight and even more want to thank you for what you did for them in the city. And, I might have promised a group of foals you'd tell them a story tomorrow. I hope that's okay."
Now the pink princess started to blush but Luna just laughed and put her hoof on her shoulder
"I'm looking forward to that. And I suppose everypony will have to stay in the castle for at least another night. The buildings in the city took severe damage."
She turned back to Sunset at those last words
"Luckily, my sister and Cadance were able to organize accommodation for all those ponies. In the end, the disaster only brought everypony closer together, figuratively and literally."

Sunset nodded at that but kept her gaze glued to the floor. Celestia shared a glance with the others and then softly touched her shoulder
"Sunset, you can't blame yourself for this. We still don't know what exactly happened."
Luna nodded and added
"Whatever caused the quakes, it was you who stopped them. And everypony know this as the story spreads fast through the whole castle. You saved them all, and this counts more than any mishap that happened or not."

Before Cadance could say something, there was a puff of magic and Twilight stood next to the door, carrying a few boxes with her magic.
"I'm sorry I'm late! But I had to wait for some special snacks to be prepared."
Oblivious to the gloomy mood, the purple alicorn smiled and levitated a box towards Sunset
"Donut Joe says hi and welcome back home. He'd love to talk to you again sometime."
Sunset blinked and carefully opened the box. Then her eyes went wide when she saw a baker's dozen of fresh donuts with sprinkles. Without a second thought, she picked one and took a big bite, smiling brightly and almost crying in joy
"So good~! I even dreamed about those a couple of times!"

The princesses laughed while Sunset quickly devoured her donut and Celestia watched amused
"I think I've never seen anypony enjoy pastry this much."
At that Luna laughed even harder
"Unless of course it's cake, right Tia?" she teased softly.
The white mare just smiled
"Should I have ordered some cherry pie for you, dear sister?"
Luna rolled her eyes but then looked genuinely surprised when Cadance gave out a longing sigh
"Gosh, I would trade my crown for some cherry pie right now!"
Both Luna and Celestia blinked surprised and Twilight only giggled
"As tempting as that sounds, I'll let you keep your crown for now, as long as you leave me a slice."
She set down the other boxes she brought and revealed more pastries, including a large cherry pie.

All ponies laughed again and Twilight sat down between Cadance and Sunset. Snacks and drinks were shared between the mares and they enjoyed some friendly chat while they ate. Sunset first seemed shy around the four Princesses, but she soon smiled along as Cadance shared her latest adventures with her daughter Flurry Heart. When Celestia asked her about the human world, she gave out a few facts and differences, trying to not mention her friends too much. Twilight talked about her experiences among humans as well and Sunset fell back to listening and watching the Princesses.

Celestia and Cadance seemed very interested and kept asking questions, but Luna just listened with her eyes mostly closed. Sunset suspected she might have fallen asleep when the Princess didn't move for a couple of minutes, but then her blue eyes opened and she sighed deeply. At that point, Twilight fell silent and Celestia softly brushed one of her white wings down Luna's back.
She asked with a concerned voice
"Are you alright, Luna? Is it too much?"
The Princess of the Night shook her head
"No, sister. I can handle my duties, but catastrophes like today keep ponies busy, even in their dreams. I hope I can help them forget their fears and worries, at least for the night."

Sunset blinked confused and Twilight whispered to her
"Since her return, Princess Luna has been taking care of the dream realm again, helping ponies with nightmares and such. She's the only one who can control dream magic and she takes her duties very serious."
Sunset's eyes went wide and she looked at the dark blue alicorn with new interest. She seemed so different than her sister, not only physically but also in the way she acted. Celestia was warm and open and smiling a lot, while Luna seemed distant, almost cold, even when she smiled. Then again, Sunset remembered the two sisters teasing each other over cake and Celestia being overwhelmed by emotions when they talked. Maybe this distance was just necessary when Luna entered dreams and got confronted with everypony's innermost feelings. Just as necessary as Celestia had to keep smiling most of the day during her royal meetings. Both of them were Princesses after all, and both of them had important roles to fulfill for the sake of Equestria.
"Maybe they're not so different after all..." Sunset mumbled, not realizing she said the words out loud.

Luna's ears perked up and she gave the unicorn a weird look, but she then just turned to the other alicorns
"I usually don't talk about what I see in the dreamscape, but I think you can all guess anyways. Ponies are worried about what happened and they don't understand it, not even those who were present when Sunset Shimmer performed her spell."
The Princess sighed and closed her eyes
"They trust us enough to not let their worries go overboard, but we have to tell them eventually. But to be honest, I'm not sure I understand everything myself."
The other Princesses nodded and Sunset found four pairs of alicorn eyes on her. Luna spoke again
"Sunset Shimmer, I'm sorry I have to ask this after all you've been through today. But could you please tell us what you know? How it all started?"

Sunset sighed and looked down at her mug again. She knew this was inevitable. They had all acted nice and friendly around her, but those mares were Princesses of Equestria after all. They had every right to demand answers and interrogate her. And they'd pass judgment on her if they thought she posed a threat to their subjects.
She swallowed hard and shivered, bracing herself for whatever might happen, when Twilight spoke to her again
"Sunset, this in not a royal hearing or anything. You don't have to be nervous."
She looked up again and back into those eyes on her. Twilight smiled reassuringly and gently put a hoof on her shoulder. Princess Cadance met her gazes and her eyes shined with support and concern, not for a kingdom but for her friend
"We just want to figure out how we can help you. We all promised, after all."
Princess Luna didn't look away either, but her ears flopped against her head and her wings twitched a little. Sunset realized she felt bad for being the one who asked those questions and in her blue eyes she saw the same glow of care she'd seen from the others before. She finally tilted her head up to look at Princess Celestia. The white alicorn smiled and the only word Sunset found to describe it was 'motherly'. Love and care shone in her eyes, strong and unconditional. She slipped a little closer so Sunset could feel her warm and soft flank against her own. She leaned gently into the comforting presence and started talking
"I don't know how it all started. The first thing I noticed were dark clouds that suddenly blocked out the sun..."

Sunset kept talking for more than an hour, explaining everything she saw and felt in detail, especially the veil and how she repaired it. She told them about the strange blue energy she could only use once it had been affected by Twilight's spell and the final burst that turned the veil into solid crystal. She told them about their friends and how they'd 'pony up' to get a similar spell going in the human world. She explained how it felt to have alicorn magic flow through her body and that her cutie mark started to glow once she made the decision to finally close the portal.
None of the Princesses interrupted her or asked any questions. Only Twilight started to take notes on a scroll at some point and from the expression on her friend's face she could tell there'd be questions later. But for now, the four alicorns just listened and gave her sympathetic nods, especially when she talked about her human friends.

At the end, she felt completely exhausted again. She shivered despite the warm body next to her and Celestia allowed her to lean a little more against her flank. The alicorns remained silent for a while, each one following their own thoughts.
Finally, it was Luna who broke the silence again
"This is far more complex that I expected. We know now what happened, but I'm afraid the number of questions I have only increased."
Celestia nodded and sighed
"I've spent some time with Starswirl the Bearded exploring and examining such portals. But I can't recall anything similar ever happening, nor him talking about it. I suppose our best guess would be to check if any of his books contains information that could be useful."
Twilight nodded and couldn't hide her fascination as she reread her scroll
"Well, we do know a few things that are helpful already. We know that there's supposed to be a balance between both worlds, but it got disturbed. We know that energy from both worlds can flow into the other, but it will act differently in each world. And we know that it's possible to guide the human energy with magic and that Sunset can control it instinctively. It's not much, but it's a start at least."

Sunset smiled along with the two sisters when she saw how easily Twilight could loose herself in a new science project. Cadance frowned
"I don't think we can solve this all by ourselves. I'll ask Sunburst to do some research as well, he has studied all of Starwirl's books and might know where to start looking."
Twilight nodded at that
"I'll ask Starlight for her help as well. She managed to modify that time travel spell, I'm sure she'll have some useful ideas. She should be here tomorrow, along with my other friends."
Luna looked up at that
"The Elements of Harmony will arrive tomorrow?"
Twilight blushed and nodded
"Right, I haven't told you yet! When you were in town helping, I teleported to Ponyville to see if everything was okay there. When everypony heard what happened in Canterlot, they started organizing a help team right away. They would have come tonight already, but apparently the railroads took some damage so they need to load everything in carts instead. I also contacted the Crystal Empire with the help of Spike and..."

Sunset listened as Twilight talked, but she found herself drifting off. She heard the voices of the four Princesses discuss some things, but she couldn't focus on the words anymore. She felt relieved after telling everything to them and nopony blaming her right away. She felt safe in their company and for the first time today she felt that nervous tension fade from her. She gently rested her head against Celestia's neck and closed her eyes, just for a moment she told herself. She did not notice the white and soft wing that gently wrapped around her and pulled her closer, nor did she see the four Princesses smiling as the exhausted unicorn curled up and snuggled into the familiar warmth. The alicorns watched Sunset sleep peacefully for a moment before the continued their conversation with soft voices, careful not to wake their new friend.

The hallway was dark and long, nearly endless. The steps echoed through the emptiness as she ran. The end was still not in sight but she could feel the hallway disappearing behind her. She had to get there. The walls came closer, the ceiling sunk down, she was forced to duck, then crawl, and push herself through the narrow tunnel. Suddenly she fell down as the ground vanished under her. She looked up and saw only darkness. Absolute darkness, black and all consuming. She screamed and turned her head away, and saw she was falling into an even darker hole. She screamed over and over and over as she was swallowed by the dark abyss but she couldn't stop falling. She couldn't do anything and nobody heard her. She was alone and in darkness. She was falling.

After what seemed like a decade of falling, she saw something other than black. It was only a soft glow but it burned her eyes in the darkness. She crawled towards it. It was a door but it was made of thick glass, she could see through it. She heard a mumbled voice and yelled again.
Six orbs of light appeared, each in a different color: Red, blue, purple, yellow, orange, pink. They approached her and formed into shapes. She recognized the six human girls even before she could even see their faces. She yelled more and knocked at the door, calling out their names.

They stared at her, each one surrounded by a glow. The pink haired girl in the middle raised her hand and waved and she raised her hoof to wave back. Then she froze in fear and finally desperation. From the darkness above, a flash of lightning struck down on Pinkie Pie, her smile torn into a grimace of agony and a terrible scream breaking the silence. She watches as the girl coiled in pain and then vanished into a burst of sparks. The glow vanished and the sparks faded into darkness, leaving no trace.
She screamed and threw her hooves against the door, but it didn't budge. She looked up again and winced as another lightning struck down, this time hitting the blue glow. The rainbow haired girl screamed in endless pain for another two seconds before she burst into sparks as well, only to fade out of existence. Two more strikes, two more screams, two more lights gone. Red and orange extinguished into black void. Tears now running down as she desperately tried to push the door open.
The yellow glow flickered and cried, as did the pink haired girl inside. The next lightning hit her and her screams of pain and fear echoed long after her sparks had faded. She slammed her hooves against the door and felt her heart break into a million pieces.
Only purple remained. The girl inside the glow smiled. She clenched and felt sick. The same smile Twilight had when she last saw her. The final lightning ripped her apart and the world behind the door turned dark again.
She could see her reflection in the door now, her hands pressed against it and tears running down her human face. Her hooves pressed harder and tried to touch the hands, she felt like she could almost do it. Then another lightning struck down and her reflection writhed in agony before she disappeared.
She broke down, crying and pressing her hooves against her body. She gave up and the darkness coiled up around her, ready to consume her.

Then, through the darkness, a glow of light approached her, more brilliant and bright than she had ever seen before. She gazed at it and reached out as the black coils hissed and the glow moved closer. She saw the full moon floating up towards her, the brightness chasing away the shadows but the gentle glow not blinding her at all.
Two blue wings sprouted out of the moon and with another flash, the shape of a pony stepped closer. She had a dark blue coat and her tail and mane where made of sparkly stars on a night sky, her blue wings spread out and her horn glowing softly against the bright moon behind her. Her eyes were the most impressive though. They found hers immediately and all pain faded. The were cool and soothing and healed the burns in her heart. At the same time, they glowed with warmth and compassion and she felt like a cozy blanket being wrapped around her.

The shadows hissed again but the mare just stomped her hoof once.
"Begone! You shall not hurt this filly ever again."
The moon shone brighter and the shadows simply faded, all the images and pain she'd seen grew unclear and hazy, and she realized and remembered. Where she was, who she was, and she recognized the Princess of the Night bowing down to her and gently nuzzling her.
"Fear no more, Sunset Shimmer. Those dark thoughts won't harm you any longer."

She felt the warm touch and in an sudden instinct clung on the Princess and buried her face against her coat. She felt the other mare welcome her into the embrace, the Princess just sat down on her haunches and held her close. She felt tears erupting from her eyes again, but the alicorn didn't seem to mind at all. For the umpteenth time she turned into a sobbing mess in the presence of a pony she barely knew and once again she was not rejected. Twilight had tried to calm her with words, Cadance had shared her tears with her, Celestia had pointed out her own mistakes to make her feel better.
The Princess of the Night just held her, her presence soothing her in a way she had not felt before, the soft glow of the moon keeping the darkness away. The tears kept running down her cheek but this time it felt different. She felt Princess Luna nod while she held her close
"That's it. You can let it all out."
She stopped fighting back the sadness she felt and let her tears flow out along with sobs that were muffled against the dark coat of the alicorn. She felt them cleanse her heart, washing away the fear and the guilt of failing her friends and abandoning them.

After a while, she felt like a glacier of ice had melted inside her and poured out of eyes. Slowly the cold was replaced by warmth again. The warmth called forth happier thoughts and memories of her friends but also the recent kindness she'd received from the Princesses just today.
She looked up again and the soft glow of Luna's eyes found her again. She felt like a filly again and mumbled slightly embarrassed
"I'm sorry..." but the Princess would just smiled and indicated a shake of her head
"You needed this. It was good for you and I was happy to offer my comfort. You have nothing to apologize for, nor regret."
Sunset couldn't help but giggle at the long-winded answer and nuzzled gently into warm embrace, her embarrassment fading in the genuine words of the Princess
"Thank you, Princess Luna."

The Princess held her silently for a moment longer, then looked around and sighed
"I'm bound to say, this is not a dream fitting for a selfless and brave pony such as yourself. May I?"
She didn't wait for an answer and let her horn glow brightly. The darkness was quickly replaced by a beautiful scenery:
They were suddenly sitting on a soft meadow surrounded by a few gentle wings, in the distance the shape of a forest could just barely be made out. Above her they saw a beautiful night sky like Sunset had never seen before, all stars sparkling brightly and a full moon giving out just enough light to see. The grass felt soft under her like a comfy bed and she saw beautiful flowers growing in between, white and blue and lilac and purple. She took a deep breath and inhaled a delightful scent, she could make out lavender but the other fragrances her. The only sounds she could hear was a soft breeze rustling through the grass and water running through a small steam that crossed the meadow a few feet from where she sat. She could hear the soothing swish of the water though all she would see was a soft silver mist floating where the steam had to be.

Sunset took in everything with wide eyes and ears, then only would she realize the Princess was no longer holding her in an embrace but was sitting beside her. She just stared at her, lost for words in this breathtaking place and the blue mare smiled
"This dream is one of my favorites. I come here often to think, and when I try to deal with my guilt and sorrows. I hope it will serve you as well as it does me."
Sunset's eyes opened wider, looking over the meadow again before her eyes returned to the alicorn again
"You mean... I may come here again? And see you?"
The Princess laughed and nodded
"Yes Sunset Shimmer. This place will be there for you whenever you need it. As for my presence, I'll be happy to visit your dreams more often, but I can't promise I'll be around every time."
Sunset just stared floored
"Princess Luna, I love this place and I don't want to sound ungrateful... but why are you doing this for me? You just met me a few hours ago..."
The Princess just smiled
"And it sufficed to find a liking in you, Sunset Shimmer. We have a lot in common. We both came across with my sister, we both turned to darkness for selfish reasons. But we both left it behind us and entered a new path, with the help of friends, and we both sometimes struggle to find the place we belong in our worlds. And we both found Celestia rather blaming herself than us when we returned from our darker selves."

Luna looked into Sunset's eyes and the unicorn could see she was still surprised to be forgiven by her sister, a feeling Sunset could easily relate with. She still didn't fully believe herself. The alicorn continued
"When I came back after being Nightmare Moon, I only had my sister to talk with. But there are things I couldn't tell her or that she simply couldn't understand. But you have seen both sides, Sunset Shimmer. So this is my selfish reason for giving you access to this place: I was hoping you might be willing to talk with me about the things only you and me can really know."
The mare looked away and closed her eyes. Sunset smiled softly and was reminded of the time she talked with human Twilight Sparkle. The poor girl had been so afraid to turn dark again she practically locked herself away from the worlds.
Sunset reached out and gently touched the blue hoof with hers
"I'd be happy to be here and listen. Thank you, Princess."
The Princess looked back at the yellow unicorn and smiled
"Please, call me Luna. At least in here. My title barely means anything in the dream realm."

Sunset smiled back and nodded, then turned to take in the view again. She took another deep breath and felt herself relax in the soothing environment. Luna silently sat beside her and after a few minutes Sunset felt her cheeks flush
"Um, Luna? I'm not keeping you from your duties, am I? You said you're very busy tonight and Twilight told me how important your work is."
Luna chuckled and softly shook her head
"Do not worry, Sunset Shimmer. Time works differently in your dreams."
Sunset lay down in the soft grass and rested her head on her fore hooves as the calming atmosphere got to her. She mumbled softly
"I barely know anything about the dream plane..."
Luna smiled and nodded
"I'll be happy to teach you a thing or two. But for now, rest. You deserve some peace after all that happened today."

Sunset nodded and smiled and let herself go. As she sunk down into deeper sleep, the scenery grew a little more blurry, but the moon and stars above her still glowed softly and kept away the shadows. At some point the shape of Luna faded softly away but Sunset barely even noticed. She could still feel her presence in this place and with a happy sigh, she softly slipped into gentle dreams.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone,

thank you for making it this far and I hope you had some fun with it.

This will be the last update for a while, due to my job I will be traveling around some more during the next few weeks.
I hope I'll have the next chapters ready as soon as I get back home.

Until then, have a good time!

Comments

[Lara_Spithfire]

You deserve more attention. Your story’s great!