The Shimmer to the Sun

by One with the Sand

Understanding the situation

Why am I doing this right now? I couldn't help but let a little groan slip out at my current predicament. Granted, at least she seemed like decent company, but looks can be oh so deceiving. I brought my eyes back up from looking at my swanky new boots, and looked at this girl with a furrowed brow.

“Why are you doing this? Surely you don't have to take me…” I trailed off, thinking about what I wanted to ask. “Where are you taking me anyway, and why?” I finally asked, putting extra emphasis on the are to let her know that I was more than a little curious.

“To my place, you'll thank me later, I promise. Right now, I just wanna get home and eat this ice cream though, I'll fill you in and tell you why I decided to believe you when we get there.” I glanced down at the bag in her hand I've somehow been missing, and noticed that it did indeed have ice cream in it.

No fair, I want ice cream, doesn't help it's my favorite flavor either. I actually rolled my eyes at myself with that thought. Sometimes I let my mind drift too much. It is true though, now that I've been moving around so much I'm not really tired anymore, so a little midnight treat would be awesome. Oh well…

“So how far out is your place anyway?” I turned my head slightly to look at her while she pointed to a road running parallel to a small park, and answered me.

“It's actually the third building on that road up there, so not too much further now.” Within about a minute of her finishing her sentence, we turned onto said road. As soon as we did so, I peered at the third building on the right side that had the park landscaped behind it, and was mildly surprised by what I saw.

A small, two story building sat flanked by a few more of a similar style expanding out on each side from itself. I took notice of the couple of windows on each floor, two on the first and two on the second; all of which were on the front of the building. A small staircase lead up to the entrance to the still yet to be named girl's abode, and some sort of potted plant sat on the railing right beside the door. She turned to look at me fully as we reached the stairs.

“Sooo,” she started, “I obviously wasn't expecting to get a visitor at midnight, coming into my home.” When she finished talking, I raised an eyebrow slightly and looked down at her; however, before I could even open my mouth, she continued. “I'm basically telling you the place is a mess, and while usually I'd clean it up if I had company, I can't bring myself to care tonight. It's been a rough day, and I just wanna eat this ice cream and go to sleep. That's not gonna happen very soon though, at least the sleep part, I can tell.” If the sigh she let out was anything to go by, she seemed just as, if not more, weary than me at the moment.
As she fumbled with getting the door open I spoke, “You don't have to worry about that, I can go find a hotel or something and you can just do your thing. While I appreciate the help, I should be able to handle this myself.”

Also what's the point of you bringing me here in the first place? I knew she told me that I'd get let in on that piece of information when we got in, but I couldn't help but think about it again. I was really curious. I didn't want to intrude on her home though, what with us not even knowing each other's names.

“Good luck with that.” she paused and smirked a tiny bit, “It's already been said you have no idea where you are, so how do you expect to find one?” She looked at me, waiting for an answer. I didn't have one to give though.

“Alright, I see your point. I'll stay then, but I'm not going into your house without knowing your name. Seems a bit wrong to me. I'm Aaron Wright.” I gave her a small smile, waiting for her response.

“Fair enough, I'm Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet ya, even with the weird circumstances.” A short laugh echoed in the quiet night air. A sound I didn't mind hearing in all honestly. It was a bit cute. “Well, come on in, I'll let ya in on what I think is going on.”

I stepped with her into her house and glanced around as I followed. What I thought was two stories was actually just a super open building, albeit pretty homey. The only thing that could really be considered a second story was a section in the back right corner. A staircase lead up to a platform with what I assumed was a queen sized bed that had two nightstands on either side of it. The platform it was on actually doubled as a small room itself, and I managed to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a bathroom.

The rest of the house was completely open, only a few walls making dividers for the kitchen and dining area on the right as we walked in. A rather large window covered up the majority of the back wall, giving a wonderful view of the lush, green grass of the park that sat illuminated by streetlights behind her home. The left side was pretty much a living area. A small loveseat sat closest to me with a recliner on the back end and a couch sandwiched between the two. All of which were angled to face a tv that was sitting on a stand against the wall.

I looked over at the now named Sunset, which complimented her looks, but was still a strange name to me. Parents these days I guess. As I turned to speak, I noticed her grabbing a couple of bowls from a cabinet in the kitchen, along with some spoons which she put on the table, and I decided to wait for her to finish. She grabbed a scoop and filled both bowls up with some delicious mint chocolate chip ice cream, and motioned me to the table while speaking.

“I guess I can't just eat this in front of you without offering some. Come on and sit down, and I'll tell you why I just let you come into my house like this.” I nodded a bit and sat down across from her at the table. It was a small rectangular one made from sturdy wood, and could seat six comfortably.

“Thanks, Sunset, I wasn't gonna ask obviously, but this is my favorite flavor.” I grabbed the spoon she offered and took a bite, savoring the sweet taste, and continued. “So ya think you could help shed some light on this situation then? It's really getting to me honestly. Something just doesn't feel right.” She looked up and softly spoke, which automatically concerned me. She was trying to keep me calm.

“Look, this may shock you, but you're not in your own world anymore.” She took in my admittedly suspicious expression, and spoke even slower. “I know this because it happened to me. I came through that portal too, although it's been closed for some time after a little… mishap.” I stared, an incredulous expression on my face.

“So you're telling me I came through a portal?” She nodded, “One that took me to another world, or dimension, or whatever?” Again she nodded, slower this time. A concerned look adorning her features. I continued, “I… suppose that makes sense, doesn't mean I'm gonna believe it anytime soon though. Hell, I could be dreaming for all I know.” I hit myself in the leg, and felt pain. Confirming I was most definitely awake.

“Let's say I believe you. Why go through all the trouble to bring me into your home? You don't know me, and I don't know you. I probably woulda just kept on walking past someone if they mentioned they came through a statue. I was honestly expecting you to do just that.” After my little moment, she put her spoon down and gave me her full attention.

“Because when I came through that portal, I had absolutely no one. It was the most lonely time of my life; no one to turn to, or talk to, or comfort me, or just be around in general. It hurt. So when you mentioned you came through that statue, I made up my mind to keep that from happening to someone else.” My expression softened, and I understood her a bit more now. The way she spoke told me she meant every word, and I was a little more inclined to believe her now.

“I guess I understand what you mean, even though I've never been through anything like that.” I took a deep breathe and slowly let it out. “So what am I supposed to do then? How do I get back?” The look on her face made a feeling of unease settle in my chest.

“I'm sorry, but I really don't know right now. That mishap I mentioned closed it, and it hasn't reopened since, not even a friend I have on the other side can get it open again, and she's been trying for months.” She undoubtedly noticed my face drop and body sag with every word, and continued much more softly this time. “That's why I let you come here. The minute you mentioned what happened, I knew you'd probably be stuck here. Unfortunately, it also seems you didn't come from the place the portal connects to normally, if you not hearing about Canterlot is anything to go by. The capital of the country on the other side goes by the same name.” I nodded my head. That was true, I've never heard of any country with a capital named Canterlot

What am I supposed to do? If she's right, I'm in a completely different world, although the similarities are uncanny. If she's right, no one I know exists here. If she’s right, just like she said, I'm completely alone. I stopped that line of thought before it continued. I didn't want to end up as a depressed mess. I was brought from my musings by a hand softly resting on my shoulder. I looked up to see Sunset had moved without me noticing, and was now standing beside me. She motioned for me to follow her into the living area, so I finished the last bite I had and stood.

We sat down on the couch at opposite ends. I just stared at the blank tv, not willing to break the silence between us. After a minute or two, Sunset finally spoke, and I listened intently to what she had to say.

“Aaron, I can't say everything will be fine, I can't say you'll be able to get back in no time at all, and I definitely can't say that I'll even be able to find you a way back. As much as I want to, there's not much I can do to help you. Especially because the portal itself may not be active at all anymore. Doubly so because you came from a completely different world than either the one on this side or the other.” She stopped to take her boots off, and lifted her legs onto the couch, wrapped her arms around them, and faced me.

“You're really not pulling any of your punches, huh?” I was about to keep talking but she cut me off.

“Sorry, but I don't wanna give you any sort of false hope. Sometimes it's better to realise that what you don't want, is what has become your reality. I'm not saying give up, it may be possible, but what I am saying, is that it's relatively unlikely.” She paused once more, and thinking she was done, I opened my mouth. However, she started up again, so I listened. “I can tell you this though, if I have anything to say about it, you're not gonna go through what I did. I couldn't stand to see someone else go through that. So if you want, you've got a place here until you can get your own. You seem like a nice enough guy, and someone to help out around the house would definitely be appreciated. Plus, it gets kinda lonely here, having a roommate will make it more lively.” I looked at her, studying her face for any sign that she wasn't absolutely certain, and replied.

“I'd say no, but I honestly don't have anywhere to go. I suppose I'll stay then, and I'll repay you as soon as I can. On that thought though, if this really is a different world, then how am I supposed to get a job, go to school, anything, ya know, normal? I won't be in any database.” As she softly drummed her fingers on her legs, she put more worries to rest.

“You won't have to worry about that at least. Thankfully, whatever magic operates that portal also somehow makes an imprint on this world as if you've been here the entire time.” I raised my eyebrows at that, but given how I got here, I guess I could believe that. “You've got an ancient magic user to thank for that. As for school, I can help with that easy enough. If you're still in high school, anyway.” I answered her almost immediately.

“I am. I'm on my last year.”

“Okay, well in that case, you can enroll at CHS with me. I'm on my senior year as well. Good thing it's the weekend because that'll give us some time to figure things out. As for a job, you'll most likely be on your own there, the place I work doesn't have any openings unfortunately. I'll ask my friends if they could help though. Anyway, I'll go get some blankets for you, you'll have to take the couch for now. You can go shower if you want.” She pointed at what I'd correctly assumed was the bathroom. “Bathroom’s over there. Towels are in the cabinet under the sink. Don't take too long though, please, cause I gotta take one too.” She stood, walked upstairs, and started rifling through a drawer.

Guess I'll shower then. A nice, warm one may help me think things through. I stood as well and headed to the bathroom. After shutting and locking the door, I turned and stripped off my clothes. With the temperature perfect, I stepped in and began to soak, thinking through the events of the day.

I don't know what I'm gonna do, this is all so surreal. I like to think I'm pretty level headed, but I don't know if I can be fine knowing I may never see my family and friends again. At least Sunset seems nice enough, and I'm glad fate put her as the one leaving that store; otherwise, I may be sleeping on a bench somewhere. I guess for the time being all I can do is push forward. One day at a time. I finished up in the shower and grabbed a towel to dry off. I looked at myself in the mirror as I finished drying, and just stared for a second.

I wouldn't say I'm big, but going to the gym almost every day for the past year has definitely put me in some pretty good shape. Good enough that you could just see my abs without me having to flex. I'm definitely gonna have to get some razors. My facial hair was a slight stubble currently, and while I didn't look bad with just stubble, I couldn't grow a decent full beard, leaving me to just shave it instead. My slightly triangular jaw was set into annoyance at the sight, and my dark green eyes seemed heavy and worn out from the day. I combed my light brown hair over to the right with my hand, during which I noticed I'd also need a haircut soon. The fade from the bottom had started to disappear.

Finished examining myself, I put my clothes I was deposited with back on, minus the boots and socks which I had taken off earlier before heading to the shower, and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Finally, took ya long enough.” I heard Sunset say with a bit of mirth in her tone. “Blanket’s over on the couch, so go ahead and get some rest. I’m sure you need it.” I thanked her and started to walk towards the couch when she stopped me by grabbing my arm. “I really am sorry, Aaron. I wish there was more I could do to help, but there isn't at the moment. If you need anything, just ask, okay?” I looked at her, her soft smile seemed to be infectious, cheering me up slightly right there. I smiled back.

“Okay. Thank you, Sunset. You're way too nice, ya know? I appreciate what you're doing, and I hope we can get to be good friends. I guess we'll figure out where to go from here in the morning. Night, Sunset.” She smiled a bit bigger and started back to the bathroom.

“I'm just doing the right thing, but thanks. I think you're not the worst friend I could make,” she gave me a little smirk over her shoulder, which I chuckled at slightly, catching the joking tone she had, “Kidding, but we'll definitely figure this out tomorrow. Night, Aaron, sleep well.” And with that, she disappeared into the bathroom.

Standing by the couch, I once again took my clothing off, leaving me in only my boxers. Hopefully she won't mind, I'll be under a blanket anyway. I neatly folded them and sat them down by the couch before lying down and getting under the blanket. I closed my eyes, the sound of the shower running the only thing I could hear, and drifted to sleep.

I'll get through this, I know it.

Author's Note:

I appreciate the support so far, and I hope this chapter will keep it.

Enjoy, and have a good day!
- One with the Sand

Comments

[One with the Sand]

8483084
Thanks, I'll be trying my hardest to make that potential blossom! It's gonna be an interesting test for me. Hope to keep ya entertained!

[Genesis1212]

Alright the story so far is keeping me invested in the MCs I'll keep an eye on this for updates have a like.

[One with the Sand]

8483660
Much appreciated, and glad to hear it!

[Magnus Orion]

9/10.

Overall better than most shit.

Not liking the shipping.

My waifu.

[One with the Sand]

8483770
Lol, I understand you there. I feel more comfortable writing with an unknown character though. It allows me to build the character from scratch, and, hopefully, establish a connection to the reader. I can tell his story without anyone knowing about him, kinda like meeting someone for the first time. If I can do that, even a bit, then I know I've improved at least a little.

[Pete100]

Imagine being transported into a different world and you still have to go to school.