5 Moving On
“W-what? No, I couldn’t have. You had to have the Elements of Harmony, AND the blessing of an alicorn, AND you were the Element of Magic.”
Twilight crawled to her feet, practically squealing as her mind began to spin. “Remember the Battle of the Bands? When our Magic melded to defeat the Sirens? That was essentially what Celestia did to me to initiate my Ascension! And your geodes- the fact that you all were the representation of an Element of Harmony, and your traits were so strong and mixed frequently with Equestrian magic… I think your geodes might literally have been this world’s Elements of Harmony!”
“That doesn’t make any sense, Twilight! The elements were-”
“I know! The elements were destroyed! I just- I don’t- this is so exciting!”
Twilight began hopping around, acting as though she was once again a filly, jubilant in a way she hadn’t been for decades.
As quickly as her excitement swelled, it was deflated. “Oh…”
“Yeah, Twilight. My geode is gone…”
“...and none of you are friends anymore.”
Sunset looked down, suddenly very interested in her grimy feet. “Yeah.”
She sighed, turning to look at Twilight. “So… what now?”
Silence.
“I mean… I don’t know what to do,” Sunset continued, “If I’m an alicorn, I’m even more dangerous, Twilight- I can’t get back to my friends, I can’t do anything while this world’s version of me is alive. I’m going to go mad if I spend another decade alone in here…”
Sunset sank back down to her rear, bringing her knees against her chest and wrapping her arms around the knobby joints. She buried her face in the crooks of her elbows. “I can’t do this anymore, Twi.”
Twilight shot her a look of sympathy, scooping the old blankets from the floor and plopping down besides her friend. She slipping an arm over Sunset’s shoulder, pulling the blankets around the pair tight. “Sunset, we’re- we’re not that different, now.”
Sunset let out a weak laugh, lifting her head just enough for her gaze to pan across the crumbling room. “Twilight, please.”
“Seriously, Sunset. You know that there is a significant time dilation across the portal, right?
“Sure.”
“You were here for four years, Sunset. I was practically an infant when you crossed over. It’s been two decades for you… but nearly 80 years back home.”
Sunset looked to Twilight, disbelieve written across her brow. “Ei-eighy years? Then… my parents... “
Twilight nodded, tightening her embrace. “My friends... Pinkie, Dash, AJ, Starlight. All gone. Rarity isn’t far behind, and Fluttershy… she doesn’t recognize me, doesn’t remember any of our adventures. I’m just another muzzle in the rotation of nurses that keeps her comfortable. Even with Discord’s help- did I tell you about him? He’s good now- she just… can’t remember.
Worst of all? I have no one to replace them. I was the Princess of Friendship, but I didn’t actually make any other friends. I just clung to my group, the only ponies who had ever broken me out of my shell. And now that they’re gone…”
“You don’t know what to do.” Sunset whispered.
“I holed myself up in my castle, reading and writing and doing everything I could to ignore the fact that everyone I’ve ever loved is gone.”
They sat, basking in the gentle glow and quiet roar of the shop heater.
“Sunset, come back with me.”
The immortal teen sighed, leaning her head against Twilight’s shoulder and staring off into some distant space beyond the ceiling. “I don’t think I can, Twilight. After what I did… I can’t face her.”
“Sunset, she wants to mend things with you! Every time I crossed the mirror, I came back to her, nervously asking question after question, mostly about you. Sunset, she blames herself.”
“But what if she-”
“It doesn’t matter what she thinks! I want her to be happy, but… Our friends are gone. And I’m sorry Sunset, but this-” she frantically gestured around the room “and what I do, this isn’t any way to spend eternity. And it will be eternity, Sunset. You’re not going to find the kind of magic it takes to kill an alicorn in this world.”
“It’ll just end up the same, Twilight. What am I supposed to DO, over there, forever?”
“Sunset, until I came over to find everyone, I hadn’t slept for months. I’m doing a job meant for two, after all.”
“A job meant for two?”
“My title isn’t Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. It hasn’t been for some time. It’s just Princess Twilight.”
“Like…”
“Like the Crown. The Canterlot Gazette calls me Princess Twilight, The Lone Crown… But I can’t stand it. I don’t even do much work, anymore- I’ve rebuilt the way Equestria works, made it more efficient. The Crown isn’t needed for much. Just ceremony and keeping time.”
Twilight shrugged off the blanket and pulled Sunset to her feet, the emaciated girl too shocked to resist.
____________________________________________________________________________
The two stood shivering outside the statue in front of Sunset’s old high school. She stared wistfully at the building, happier times running before her eyes. Twilight motioned to her, but Sunset hesitated, her hand kissing the rippling stone, as she turned to look over her shoulder.
Twilight snuck her hand into her bag, and pulled out the picture frame. She considered it for a moment, nuzzling the wool of her jacket, before pressing it into Sunset’s hand. Sunset turned it over, a tight smile rippling across her face as she traced over the beaming visage of her old friends.
“Thanks, Twilight.”
She unzipped her jacket and slid the frame into an interior pocket, biting down against the bitter cold that effortlessly cut into her breast through the tattered shirt.
“Twilight, I’m still scared.”
“Don’t be. Friends drift apart, Sunset. It’s just what they do. People lead their own lives. They” she pointed to the picture “haven’t forgotten you. They haven’t forgotten the good times. They haven't stopped loving you, Sunset. But they’ve still gone. Your friendship lasts through the ages- even as you lose contact, even as those friends fade away.”
Once again, Twilight grasped her friend’s hand.
“We’ll always have our memories, Sunset. We won’t forget the lessons we learned, or the fun that we had. Through that, our friendships remain. And sometimes-”
She pulled the pair towards the portal, each laying their hand against the stone.
“Those friends can reconnect, can keep making new memories, learning new lessons. Those friends can help each other, can fix each other. Now come on, Sunset.”
The tired girl nodded, gulped, and took her first step across the portal.
“You’ve got a sun to raise.”
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That was really the best way it could have ended, given the circumstances. Now, Twilight has a friend to stand beside her, and Sunset has a new purpose. Their pasts are fading into the dark, but the future might be a little brighter.
Thank you for the story. I enjoyed it.
Even though it was pretty short I enjoyed it very much, Sunset and Twilight are heading to an uncertain future but they have hope.
“You’ve got a moon to raise.” Does this mean Sunset is going to be princess of the moon? Shouldn’t she move the sun? Visually Sunset and Twilight should be the princesses of the sun and moon respectively.
That's the end of it all, you don't have anything about what Sunset does when she is BACK in equestria, I would have love to see her meet with Celestia again, also Why did you have all but two of Twilight's friends die off, why not turn them ALL into Alicorns to keep them around.
9823414
perhaps, but given that Sunset is canonicaly not a morning pony, that may cause some problems
I hope you make more with this story
It was good!
Wonderful little story, hope you decide to write a sequel.
Thanks for writing this story! It was very wonderful
and gave me the feels!
Very nice, if a tad too short for my liking. Lots of things set up that could be expanded upon.
Hope you do eventually come up with a followup to this.
Kind of surprising that you choose to end it here, I can see why, but I really hope for a follow-up to this story. One that has Sunset reunion with Celestia as well as her visiting her parents graves (always thought she was an orphan). To get some closure. Anyway I really enjoyed this story, hope you continue writing.
9823541
That seems to be a popular demand, so I'll see what I can do when I get a bit more time. Thanks for reading along!
EDIT Might actually just write a chapter or two and stick it on to this story as an epilogue. It probably wouldn't be worth a new story in it's entirety.
Pretty good, if bittersweet ending. What Twilight said is sadly true, friends drift apart and friendships fade....unless you live in a magic pony world where you can teleport anywhere you want, but then you have the issue of watching them slowly die when you yourself can't.
Twilight and Sunset needed someone to help keep them balanced, keep them from being alone. And while it's not exactly a truly happy ending, it is atleast a hopeful one.
9823437
Because I am not of the 'turn everyone into Alicorn' camp. I'm actually generally opposed to anything that breaks the mythology of Alicorns as very rare, divine godbeings. That's why I actively choose to ignore Flurry Heart. I only like the idea of Sunset being an alicorn because in the human world, she basically is Twilight, and Sci Twi is Glimglam.
The true bittersweet ending: Sunset's life as a human is over, but she has a new purpose in life.
A purpose she gained by changing her ways.
9823607
Bit of friendly advice: Don't bet on it. That's what I thought for one of my stories (and was preparing to post my epilogue chapters) but I found myself with enough material for a full sequel.
Just sayin', nothing goes according to plan.
Given her name it would make more sense for her to control a different orb.
A good story. Well done!
This was not at all what I expected, but I loved it anyway.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Whoa, hold up there.
Haven't even read this and already I'm concerned. This suggests that, at some point, Twilight just deactivated the portal, leaving Sunset stranded in the human world with no easy means of returning to Equestria whenever she wanted to (even assuming this was written before Spring Breakdown, she'd have to get to that random island just to get through the always active portal), meaning she was trapped aside from every 30 moons.
I'm suddenly finding it hard to sympathize with this version of Twilight and i haven't even started on chapter one yet.
9851758
Nothing beyond the EqG movies are canon to the story.
9852820
so, that's a yes, meaning at some point, Twilight just deactivated the portal, leaving Sunset stranded in the human world with no easy means of returning to Equestria whenever she wanted to, meaning she was trapped aside from every 30 moons.
again, i am finding it hard to understand from that alone why i should sympathize for twilight in this story
9853115
I don't know if you have read/plan to read it so this is just a warning I guess but this may be a spoiler
My general explanation for this situation is discussed in the story. To shorten it up, Twilight didn't seal Sunset away- Sunset actually kind of pushed for it. And nothing beyond the movies happened, so it is assumed that Sunset still has major reservations regarding moving back to Equestria and dealing with Celestia. She already had a closer relationship to her EqG friends than anypony back home. It has been a proven phenomena that ever since Sunset stepped through the mirror equestrian magic had begun messing with a magic-less world. Additionally, Twilight wants to try to limit their dependence on her- for magical issues that may arise, they HAVE to be able to take care of themselves, and they need to befriend the version of Twilight that is always going to be in their world. Finally, and I can't recall which chapter it's discussed in, Sunset was still connected to Twilight. The Diary still transmits, even if the portal is down. So in short Twilight took down the open portal because it is a danger to the entire other world (magic); Sunset was on board; the diary still functioned, so if Sunset wanted she could just ask and Twilight would open it up; and as Twilight's responsibilities swell post-end of the show she is less able to securely contain such a powerful device on her own. Edit: Oh I also forgot this element- having a constantly open portal on a surface that anyone might lean against is an INCREDIBLY dangerous idea./spoiler]
9823623
What makes the whole alicorn Flurry even sillier is that nothing about the plots around her require her to be one.
They would work just as well if she was 'just' a powerful unicorn on the same tier as Twilight or Starlight. Which would make perfect sense, as her father is Twilight's brother and strong enough to shield all of Canterlot for who knows how long all while being drained by Chrysalis, and her mom's an alicorn.
As for Sunset, I always approve of her ascending. After all the teasing the show runners essentially did with the Phoenix wings in her song video and Daydream, her not getting her wings eventually feels like being gipped, especially after neither show did ANYTHING with her wielding a *seventh* Element.
Needs moar Sequel.
9937901
Possibly
Yay! Sunset's an Alicorn! Now she and Twilight don't have to be alone! I personally think this deserves a sequel. But that's just my opinion.
Nice story, I really enjoyed it.
Okay, I'll be honest. All of this would have made much more sense, and seem more likely, back after the Friendship Games aired. Even ignoring as much as this does after that, it would still work then.
Why, oh why, did you wait so long to put this up? 2019 makes all of this unworkable in every sense. To me anyway.
10109411
Because I didn't write it until 2019, or even conceive of it until after I graduated. In the canon of this story, nothing after friendship games happened.
I really liked this and would absolutely read a sequel if you ever write one.
God damn, this was excellent. If you ever write a follow-up, I'll be eager to read it. Readjusting to a life on four legs in an idyllic world that's still technologically half a century behind the one you just left can't possibly be easy, to say nothing of moving on from so much time spent in isolation and despair... and that's all surface, obvious stuff. There's a lot of potential for more.
10336653
Pinkie has a problem with party drugs. That's why she's always in and out- she's not selling, it's all possession.
really good story <3
wish the was an epilog of how well sunset and twilight as doing
10411239
a lot of people have asked for it, so if I get sick of what I am currently working on it is a very good possiblity
10411640
well i dont hope you get sick of what you are working on ^_^
looking forward to reading it when it is done and posted
10411640
That sounds great! Love the story s ofar and man.
9823403
Couldnt agree more with you're sentiment man.
10109411
Bro its a fanfic chill.
9823623
Thats a fair Observation
AU of this fic: Sci Twi, saddened that her first *true* friends have drifted apart, uses a mix of Equestrian Magic and god knows what else, to Time Travel (I mean, it was proven to be an actual thing with the Starlight Glimmer fiasco and everything) and now all the girls (Including Princess Twilight) are back at the start of Freshman year (In the range of Twilight just coming here and Rainbow Rocks)
10586206
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
not bad. I like it a lot better than any other idea I've had for a sequel. Only issue is figuring a way that Twilight, who had mostly accepted her situation, would willing allow herself to mess with timelines after berating others for doing the same.
you give me good ideas though.
10595798
1: Thanks!
2: I said Sci-Twi, not Princess Twi (Although either would work I'm guessing)
3: I looked at Twilight's personality for a minute, and I come to the conclusion that actually, this might be plausible. I mean, while it would be hypocritical for her to do so, she has been shown to send morals out of the window if she believed that the ends outweigh the means. For example, in the Smarty-Pants incident, she went semi-stir crazy and used the Want-It-Need-It spell (Destroying the town in the process) for the sake of creating a problem to solve and send to Princess Celestia. Would it be that far off to assume that she would use Starswirls time-travel to go back and spend more time with her friends? She would probably spin it as 'It won't hurt them THAT much, right? It's not like I'm going to screw over with their past?'
Although, re-reading this, I came to several problems regarding this:
1: This isn't Back to the Future time travel, where changing the past changes your future. This is akin more to Marvel time travel, where they would just be sent to a alternate timeline instead (Again, Starlight Glimmer episode)
2: If she time travels back in time, she can't take the place as Twiight, because there is already a past-Twilight there. It's like in Endgame, where Captain America met past-Captain America in Avengers Tower.
So if you/I/ we write a sequal to this where Sunset and Twilight decided to time travel back, we'd have the above problems to deal with.
I remembered reading this story ages ago, and really wanted to read it again. So I was surprised when I went to pick it up and realized it wasn't only any of my lists.
It is now sitting nice and happy on my All-Time Favorites list, where it belongs.
Any chance of a sequel please🙏😞
11034832
I'll never say never...
frankly though I don't really know what the sequel would be about, but if I ever have time to write something again and manage to think up a decent idea I'd be down.
11037976
Yesss I can and will wait🙏😂
11037976
That would amazing 😁
Here, we see the Princess and Sunset grapple with a problem they both share:
Loneliness.
I consider Sunset's greatest fear, besides becoming the Bad Girl again, to be having to live alone with no friends, no family, or anyone else to turn to for support. To see that fear realized and to see Twilight grapple with loneliness herself... woah.
oof owie that one hit me in the emotions good job
11478709
glad to hear it had an impact.