The morning after the dance
As early morning broke the next day, Luna groggily woke up with a painful crick in her neck. She’d fallen asleep on the couch, as she'd been worried she wouldn't hear her guest from her bedroom. She carefully tried to stretch out as she got up and went to her bathroom. Usually on Saturdays, Luna would sleep in, but today she would likely be busy mitigating the consequences of last night’s fiasco.
She saw that Celestia had sent her a text message at 3 am to let her know she would be by around 10 am. Luna had a good 4 hours worth of time then. While Celestia tended to be an early bird, she wasn’t as good as Luna at being functional when she lost sleep.
Luna changed into some casual clothes, opting not to risk a shower in case she didn’t hear Sunset, then peeked into the guest room. Sunset was curled up in the furthest corner of the bed from the door, still asleep, though the way she had contorted herself looked to be painful. Luna quietly closed the door and returned to the kitchen.
As someone who tended to sleep until the last possible moment, Luna usually had quick breakfast items that didn’t require preparation. The teenager could survive a morning with some corn flakes and a banana. She imagined that Celestia would have made crepes from scratch, with homemade creme fraiche or something, but this wasn’t a bed and breakfast.
Luna turned on the local news channel, keeping the volume low, while looking at the news on her tablet. It seemed no one had picked up on the damage to the school yet, though that would likely be out later in the afternoon.
Luna opened her tablet, and began writing out her notes and questions surrounding Equestria, magic, Twilight Sparkle, the portal in the statue, and anything else that came to mind.
As Luna worked on her notes, she heard a phone alarm go off in the guest room, and shortly after, footsteps. Sunset walked out stiffly, looking groggy and visibly aching with pain. “Good morning.” Luna greeted her, seeming to catch her by surprise. “You look like you’re in pain. Where does it hurt?”
“Uh… my back hurts pretty bad actually, and I feel like I strained some muscles all over.” Sunset replied, as she carefully walked towards the kitchen island in her bare feet.
“Does it feel serious, or is some tylenol enough?” Luna asked with some concern.
“Tylenol and a warm shower should take care of most of it... I think.” Sunset winced, making Luna doubt her a bit.
“Serve yourself some cereal. I’ll get the tylenol.” Luna stood up from the counter and went upstairs to get the medicine.
“Thanks.” Sunset replied quietly before she quietly took the medicine and ate in silence once Luna returned.
Luna debated if she should bring up her questions before or after letting Sunset take her shower. She finally decided to read through the news on her tablet while keeping her guest in her peripheral. Sunset moved carefully as she ate, though she only winced twice, once while reaching up for the cereal box, and when she sat down.
Once Sunset was done, she cleaned up and put everything away in a practiced motion. Likely, Luna mused, it was due to living in such cramped space, where everything not in use must be put away immediately. Afterwards the girl seemed to be at a loss for what to do, simply standing there.
Sunset's body language betrayed her apprehension, as she stood there with one hand holding onto the elbow of the other arm, while hiding her face behind her hair, looking at anything but her vice principal. It reminded Luna of another student at CHS. It was an almost perfect impersonation of Fluttershy to be honest. Well, at least Sunset had reason to be anxious she supposed. No matter what, they were due for a difficult conversation, though Luna would let her at least get herself ready for the day first.
“Go take a shower. The guest bathroom is the door on the right, past your room.” Luna gently ordered after a couple awkward moments had gone by, and it became clear that Sunset wouldn’t move on her own. Sunset immediately followed directions, leaving Luna alone with her thoughts once again.
Soon enough, Sunset was back out, in clean clothes, and looking much closer to her normal self. “Did the shower and medicine help with the pain?” Luna asked as she served herself her third cup of coffee, to get the conversation that needed to happen started.
“For the most part. My back still feels like someone used a cheese grater on it, and I think I twisted my left ankle since it feels a bit swollen.” Sunset aid, raising the aforementioned leg to show the bruised ankle in question, before turning around and surprising Luna by pulling up her shirt completely to show her bare back. “See? I think I might be scratched up there, but I can't tell how serious it is.”
Luna had a coughing fit as her coffee went down the wrong way in surprise. She instinctively looked away, before turning back and noticing the damage to the girl’s back. It looked as if someone had taken a cat and sicked it on her back. Patterned scratches crisscrossed her back from the top of her shoulder blades to the small of her back. None looked particularly deep, and wouldn’t likely leave any scars as long as they were kept clean, but it did seem rather painful.
“Sunset, put your shirt down, that’s inappropriate with any school employee besides maybe the nurse. Anyway, you’ve got quite a few scratches, though they don’t look deep. I’d make sure to put some antibiotic cream on them, but they shouldn’t even leave much of a mark.” Luna paused, hesitating for a moment.
“Now… I’d say those look like they came from the magic battle… is there… did it do anything else… I mean..." The older woman seemed nonplussed with how to continue until she remembered her notes. "Ok, I have some questions I wrote down, and I want to go over them with you now that we’re rested. Here read them, then let’s begin going down the list, starting with what exactly was that crown, and what’s on the other side of that portal.”
Sunset turned around after pulling her shirt back down, sighing before once again following Vice Principal Luna’s directions.
Celestia had arrived with a half dozen donuts at precisely 10, and apparently decided to be chipper this morning. After a few minutes dancing around all the subjects that brought Sunset to Luna’s home in the first place, Luna had simply asked Sunset to give them a couple minutes to get each other caught up.
“Tia, we are in over our heads with that girl.” Luna told her sister as Sunset marched into the guest room.
“Luna, can you give me the high level points? I think you would have told me if anything urgent had come up.” Celestia asked, some of her exhaustion from a sleepless night creeping into her voice.
“You’re right, we’re not in any immediate danger. Sunset can’t do any magic without a source or relic, and the reason she hadn’t gone back home to steal one before now is that the portal only opens a couple nights every 30 moons or so. That’s the good news and the bad news in a way… Sunset is pretty much stranded here for the next couple years as a human.” Luna looked her older sister in the eyes, her face dead serious as she gave her that piece of news, though it seemed Celestia focused on a different point.
“What do you mean ‘as a human’?” Celestia asked, ignoring her sister’s odd emphasis, focusing on the last piece of information.
Luna rolled her eyes, but couldn't really blame her for wanting to understand that doozie. “So apparently, Sunset and Twilight only look human on this side of the portal, kind of a camouflage effect to mingle with the locals if you will. In their normal bodies they would have access to the magic all the time.”
“Oh… so was the she-demon her original form or something? Gah! This is sounding like we are living in a cliche anime…” Celestia mused as she tried to make sense of it based on what little she saw last night. Luna barked a laugh at the unexpected comment.
“Not exactly. That seems to have been corruption from using the crown in a body not built for containing that amount of magic, from what she thinks. Apparently her original body is actually a lot less… human looking… than even the demonic look she had.” Luna took a moment to refill her mug.
After it became clear Luna wouldn't continue without some prodding, Celestia spoke up to continue prodding her. “What do you mean Luna?”
Luna seemed somewhat embarrassed at first by how ridiculous she was about to sound. "Ok… so… She’s apparently... I can't believe I am saying this... She says she's a unicorn Tia! Though, she debunked most of the stereotypes associated with them besides their magical nature. We don’t have any way to verify it though, and she’s 100% human right now, so it’s not too relevant." Luna suddenly looked gravely at her sister. "What’s more worrying to me is whatever the magic from the battle did to all our minds, Sunset included. Actually... she's probably the worse one off.”
“You-you’ve noticed it as well Luna? The more I look back at my actions, at all our actions, at the end of the dance, the more I feel as if we weren’t quite ourselves. It was as if we were acting out roles in a play. I should have called the police and laid criminal charges against her! I've always tried to give kids a chance, but after last night... What can she possibly say that would change that?” Celestia’s grip on her mug tightened, as her eyes darted around the kitchen.
Luna continued to stare seriously at her sister. “I felt the same way, though I figured out something more important this morning Tia… That girl in my guest room is not the one from before the dance.”
Celestia suddenly regained her focus, becoming indignant. “Come on Luna! I know you are likely feeling the same influence, but people don’t change that quickly. She’s spooked by what happened, but once the effects from last night pass, we’ll have a little terror in our hands. We need to figure out how to contain this so it doesn't hurt the children”
Luna simply shook her head at her in disagreement, but replied without raising her voice. “Tia… I don’t think you understand what I’m saying… we are feeling after effects of whatever hit her full on. I doubt she is going to return to her old self. That girl in there can barely think for herself Tia! She doesn't seem to be able or willing to tell any lies. She doesn't seem to have any drive to do anything unless I tell her to do something. She can barely function. She doesn’t talk like Sunset Shimmer, walk like her, or think like her."
Luna's throat felt like it closed up a bit, but she forced herself to voice her fears. "In a very real way, Sunset Shimmer I knew as a student for the last few years… she ceased to exist last night. That girl is just someone that happens to look like her, but there are things... missing.”
Celestia looked askance at Luna. “Are you talking about… possession? Mind control?! Luna, this sounds insane.”
“No no no… Just-look, just be around her and you’ll see what I mean. It’s like… she has all the memories, but she’s rebuilding her personality from scratch. I...she… look just… maybe treat her like you would a… well… a survivor ok? Or as someone that went through brain damage? That crown did more to her than our justice system ever could have! ” Luna pleaded. Her sister’s face becoming inscrutable as she took in Luna's words.
Sunset could barely hear the murmurs of conversation coming from the other side of the door. She tried not to think about what the sisters were saying to each other, though it was pretty obvious it was about her. She walked over to the bed and laid on it, covering her head with a pillow in order not to hear anything. She curled up around the other pillow, hugging it tightly to her abdomen. She focused on keeping her breathing even, as her eyes almost betrayed her by tearing up again. She'd had a good cry in the shower earlier after seeing her reflection, and it came on in an instant, just like this time around.
Her emotions were still all over the place, and she just felt fragile. She would be numb, but then suddenly it would all hit her at once. She knew that Vice Principal Luna had felt unsettled by Sunset's compliance, but she just didn't feel a need to argue at this point. Sunset was just drained, and it was easy to let the older woman tell her what to do. She was glad it had been her and not Principal Celestia that had decided to supervise her. Sunset had always felt uncomfortable being around the older sister. Seeing her mentor's face look at her with such distance, as if she were a stranger, was almost worse than the disapproval she knew she would receive if she ever returned to Equestria. Well, if one forgot the dungeon or exile.
The ringing of her phone proved a welcome distraction. "Hello, who is this?"
"Sunset, is that you? It's Rarity darling. Is now a good time?"
"uh... sure" Sunset sat up. "What's up? Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong! Why-why would there be anything wrong?" Rarity replied nervously, before catching herself. "Actually, I was calling to ask you if you would meet with me later this afternoon? I can pass by your house if you prefer, or we could meet at the boutique?"
"I-I'm not sure if that's a great idea Rarity. I don't know that I can handle being in public right now." Sunset replied as she looked at the closed door of her room. "If-if it's really important to you... Let me double check something first... but you could come by where I'm staying right now."
"Thank you darling, and it IS important. The girls and I just wanted to... well, to make sure you were alright after what happened. Princess Twilight explained things a little bit to us, but we could all tell something more happened that night that none of us noticed until much later." Rarity's voice was in earnest, her earlier bout of nervousness completely gone.
"Oh... ... ... I'll text you the address as soon as I confirm you can come by." Sunset's grip on her phone had progressively tightened till her knuckles were white. Her stomach was rebelling against the donuts from earlier, all from Rarity's concern for her well being. Sunset could not for the life of her label the feelings going through her right now.
"That's fine. I've got to go back to work, but I'll try to head your way as soon as I'm done here for the day. Ta ta!" Sunset stared at her phone after Rarity hung up, before adding her number to her contact list.
"Vice Principal Luna? Mind if I ask you something?" Sunset called out as she opened the door. Both sisters looked up from the table.
"Yes Sunset?" Luna asked, suddenly noticing how much time had passed since she'd asked the girl for some privacy with her sister.
"Rarity called and asked if she could meet with me later this afternoon. Is it ok for her to come by here?" Sunset blurted out, aware of how delicate it may be for someone to know she was staying there. Luna frowned and seemed about to respond before Celestia interrupted her with a chortle.
"Oh, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if a friend of yours came by to see how you were doing Sunset!" Celestia looked at Sunset slyly, consciously ignoring how her sister Luna looked on in growing frustration. "I know from Luna's comments that you're feeling a bit down, so it's good that a friend is coming by."
"I think it's mostly because Princess Twilight asked her to look after me. I think it's too soon to say I have friends ma'am." Sunset's reply seemed to have surprised Principal Celestia enough to cut her teasing short.
Celestia looked at Sunset's eyes, seeming to look for something before sighing. "Sunset... that makes it's even more important for you two to hang out. Luna? Sorry for volunteering your place like that, it's your decision. However I am sure that it can only help her if she has a support network, though you're the expert."
"Well, I agree Tia. That does means I won't be able to go with you to the school as I will need to stay and chaperone... I suppose you can do all the paperwork on your own however." Luna replied easily, getting the last laugh. "Now, I know you need to go to the campus soon, but why don't we all chat for a bit before you go. You were just saying that you and Sunset haven't really had a chance to know each other that well before now."
After spending an hour around Sunset Shimmer at her sister's place, Celestia had to concede that her sister's words no longer seemed far fetched. It was eerie how much the girl had changed in demeanor. That didn't mean that Celestia agreed completely with Luna's prognosis. She felt that there was more of Sunset still in there, and that her shell shock was temporary, but for the short term, they definitely couldn't leave that girl unsupervised.
The girl had still had the bad habit of shutting down even more than usual whenever speaking towards her however, and would phrase her responses to Luna whenever possible. Was it because she could feel that Luna had been convinced already, but Celestia was still wary? She had noticed that Sunset was circumspect in some of her answers surrounding her origins, and it hadn't felt like the right time to grill her about her motives.
It may be a bit morbid, but Sunset's current affliction also put Celestia's mind a bit at ease, as now she could simply focus on helping that girl pick up the pieces, and put herself back together again. Sadly she had to leave after only an hour to get back to the school and meet the contractors, and the school district representative to begin planning repairs.
There was one last thing that Celestia could do today in hopes of finding more clues about the mystery that was Sunset Shimmer. As principal she could inspect the inside of any student's locker. She would take care of it today. She wasn't sure she would find anything that would provide clues, but it would also make her feel safer that the girl did not have anything dangerous in there either.
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This is really good! The pacing flows well, and the characters come across as genuine. I really hope there is another update soon.
8952920
Thanks Esorial! I hope I can keep it flowing well one we hit the meat of the story as up till now it's really been set up of the premise. The really hard part will be timing the interactions, and developments going forward. I've noticed I have a tendency to want to over explain my character's thoughts, or over foreshadow, which I'll then have to delete out of the final version.
I completely agree with Esorial. This is an amazing premise written very well. This darker take on the familiar events is definitely something I really want to see more of. You have a hooked reader in me and I can't wait to see more. I read a lot of mlp fanfics and I have to say I haven't seen anything quite like this before. That uniqueness alone would be worth alot even if you hadn't written it as well as you have. An easy 10/10 thus far.
8957229
Thank you for the kind words! I'll try to keep doing my best! I really appreciate the feedback. I am definitely trying to go a bit darker tone, and experimenting with a very 'introverted' style of writing. Everyone at this point is stuck in their own heads a lot, because they are trying to process all the 'action' from the fall formal fiasco.
Also, here are some great fics that also try their own hand in writing about Sunset after the Fall Formal:
8957708
Thank you for the list. Long Road to Friendship I have read. As for a New Sun Rises I am rather leery of reading a story that has went with out update for so many months. Far too many unfinished stories and I try and avoid getting into anymore. I'll keep an eye on it though and if it picks back up I'll likely give it a read. Full Circle I will defiantly take a look at. It's intro blurb alone makes it seem in the same vein as yours and that in itself catches my attention.
Damn, I honestly am in love with the sheer scope this can entail. Mental magics used in any regard to affect another are something that sour mynstomach due to just how they can explode beyond the intent so easily. A way tonality others making them giddy pleasing husks that would slit wrists if asked just on a joke or ones where a person is made assertive could spiral into a tyrant with sadistic joy at control.
This covers more in the former with the latter happening during the 'she-demon' form. I've studied aspects of psychology for the id, ego, and super-ego and how the tie in with the concious and subconscious aspects of decisions. Not to mention how command interpretation goes beyond desire with self-evolving tasks.
You're doing good here and I look forward to more. If you need a psych viewpoint feel free to ask.
I like the tone of this. Interesting to see a version where everyone questions why things ended in such a fashion.
Interesting to see someone touch on the probable side effects of (what looks like) dark magic. That magic can't fix everything.
8957708
I'm 43 chapters into Full Circle and I have to say its a good story but I still like yours better. Its more unique. Full Circle like Long Road and a host of others all have the elements/harmony magic be almost deific in nature. Not quite all powerful but defiantly the ultimate authority on what is good. If the magic does something then its right end of story. In your story not only is it not nearly as omnipotent its actually making questionable "decisions". You are not writing every act it takes as something that by the magics nature is right or correct and that makes it a much deeper and more interesting story. Your harmony magic seems to basically do its best instead of just be right. Always trying for the good outcome but maybe not in the ways everybody/pony would necessary approve of and I cant wait to read more.
8986288
Yeah, glad that came across! Like most of the fandom, I also saw them that way for the longest time, until their actual origin story came out, and they were proven not to be timeless OR foundational to Equestria.
Thry are a creation of Starswirl's, who is fallible, therefore it's magic should also be fallible right?
8957229
I completely agree with this person. This story is freaking fantastic and I can’t wait to see how everything will play out. Keep up the great work!
This is a really good story so far! I hope to see an update soon! I love your explanation of Sunset's sudden change in character and personality! It was really well done and thought out! And that description! Gold! I'm telling you, this story so far is genius!
I like what I see here so far, but you really need to profread this thing. Nothing drastic, but some light editing would do wonders for the story's over all presentation.
Aftereffects, yo
Well that'll go over well, especially when she finds the dimensional barrier breaking journal.