• Published 15th Jan 2020
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The Sunset of a Frozen Princess - DaylightHobbyist



Sunset Shimmer is lost in a world that she can't move on from. Twilight Sparkle is lost in a world that moves on without her. Together, they each try to find their way again.

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Chapter 5: Caught in a Flurry

The castle of Canterlot was well known for being the most regal and pristine place in all of Equestria. Under the dutiful watch of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and now Princess Twilight Sparkle the castle stood as a timeless beacon of peace, harmony, and order to all who looked upon it.

However, certain creatures could rightfully tell you that the castle was rarely as peaceful within its walls as it first appeared outside of them.

“Hey! Watch it!”

“Sorry, Spike! I’m kinda juggling a lot right now.”

One of the many labs within the castle, usually occupied by Princes Twilight Sparkle, was currently in a state of total disarray as countless objects floated about, suspended in a red magical aura.

“I can see that. You know that some of that stuff belongs on the ground, right?” Spike asked as he ducked a passing bookshelf.

“I’m multitasking,” Sunset Shimmer waved off as she sat at a table, tinkering with a small strange device. “Did you know that the waves produced by magic in Equestria bear an incredibly similar resemblance to the waves comprising the electromagnetic spectrum?”

Spike had to admit, as somepony who had been practically raised by Twilight Sparkle, he didn’t think there was any level of nerd left in the world that could possibly leave him clueless. He was wrong.

“Sunset…what the hay are you talking about?” Spike questioned, at a loss for understanding any of the words that had left the unicorn’s mouth.

“Look at this!” Sunset exclaimed as she quickly turned around, looking incredibly frazzled, and levitated the device she had been working on into Spike’s face. “I somewhat modeled it after the cell phones of the human world. Isn’t it great?”

Spike had known more magical prodigies than your average pony. Each one of them were very dear to him in some way or another. In spite of that, he couldn’t deny there tended to be a common theme surrounding them. The theme being…they were all slightly nuts. “Well gee, I’m sure I could tell you, if I had any idea what it actually is.”

Spike found himself worrying when the unicorn took on a blank expression, clearly processing what Spike had just said. Sunset remained unresponsive for a few more seconds before violently shaking her head, which only served to further mess up her already unruly mane.

“Right, getting ahead of myself. You know those big machines Twilight keeps in all her labs to collect data from her experiments?” Sunset questioned, once she managed to reorganize her thoughts.

Spike wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, but he knew that this would go smoother if he played along. “Yeah, why?”

“Well, this is the same as those, but smaller and better!” Sunset explained as she bounced in her seat and floated the machine around Spike’s head. “It can take all the same readings as those machines, but it also organizes, labels, and saves any data it records. Plus, since it’s portable, you don’t even need to be in a lab setting to use it! Right now, there’s just the one I made, but with a little time I can make even more so that you can share your findings with other creatures!”

Spike had to admit, from the bits he understood, Sunset’s invention sounded impressive. He’d hauled around enough of those large machines Twilight used to appreciate a more compact design. Still, he didn’t need to be getting distracted from the reason he came here in the first place.

“That sounds great, Sunset, but do you know how long you’ve been in here?” Spike questioned while trying his best not to glance at the pile of empty coffee cups lying in the corner.

Again, Sunset seemed to have short-circuited as she deciphered what Spike was saying. “Well, I started this weekend, as soon as the sun came up.”

The dragon scratched the back of his head, all too aware of where this was headed. “Yeah…and then the sun came back down…and now it’s up again.”

“…Oh”

The entire lab came to a halt as the magic guiding everything around the room fizzled out and roughly deposited the contents of the room onto the floor in a resounding crash.


“Ms. Shimmer, I understand you’re free to use your weekends however you wish, but we would all appreciate it if you took care when pursuing your personal interests,” Cercus admonished the pony hunched over before him.

“I told you, it’s Doc-oh, forget it,” Sunset huffed out as she collapsed onto the table Spike had practically carried her to after injecting her with a hard dose of reality.

The changeling had apparently seen fit to get the mare some fresh air and food before sending her off to bed. Personally though, Sunset felt he just wanted an opportunity to lecture her.

“What in the world were you slaving away on for so long anyway?” the Changeling asked.

Sunset sat up enough to answer the changeling’s question. “Well, at first I just wanted to perform a few basic performance tests on my magic. It turns out that whatever happened to me also gave me A LOT more stamina. I guess I got carried away after that,” Sunset finished lamely as she began to focus on the sandwich that had been prepared for her.

“If it makes you feel any better, Twilight used to do this sort of thing all the time. If the entire day didn’t literally depend on her, I’m pretty sure she still would.” Spike offered as a roundabout comfort.

The mention of the alicorn princess certainly did manage to grab Sunset’s attention. “Where is Twilight anyway? I’m surprised she didn’t drag me out of that room herself.”

Spike’s obvious look of discomfort caused an uneasy feeling to rise up within her chest.

Cercus on the other hoof was not one to beat around the bush. “Her majesty was attending a funeral. I believe it was for a pony named Moondancer. Sir Spike had recently returned from the service, before I sent him to coax you out of your nest.”

Moondancer?” Sunset thought, now more alert. She could swear she’d heard that name from somewhere before. “Perhaps Twilight mentioned her in the journal? Or, perhaps I met her counterpart in the human world? No, it feels like it was before that.”

“The princess spends an unfortunate amount of time at events like those, I’m afraid,” Cercus continued, unaware of the thoughts bouncing around in Sunset’s head.

The rare change in inflection that came from the changeling was enough to bring her back to reality. “Was Twilight friends with this Moondancer?” Sunset asked, her curiosity giving her the strength to pry.

“Yeah, she was. She was one of her oldest friends actually. They met when they were both going to Celestia’s school,” Spike chimed in. “Things got sort of complicated after that, but they were pretty good friends, in the end,” Spike finished, with a depressing finality.

The brief synopsis answered Sunset’s question of where she had heard the name before. Being Princess Celestia’s personal student meant she heard the name of many of the other students that went there at least once. To think that some of the unicorns from all those years ago were still around.

Sunset couldn’t help but feel guilty that she had been locked away in the lab while all this was happening. “When will Twilight be back?”

“She should already be back by now. She needs to be here for when Flurry Heart arrives,” Spike answered.

This presented Sunset with a much more lighthearted topic to pursue. Twilight hadn’t written much about her niece in the journal, but it was evident that she had adored the newborn foal. A foal that was no longer a foal. There was absolutely no telling what the first natural born alicorn in Equestrian history had grown up to be.

Sunset told herself she wasn’t the least bit bitter about somepony simply being born with the wings she had worked for years, and failed, to attain. She had come too far and done too much to let such petty jealousy get under her skin. It really didn’t bother her. Nope, not at all.

“So, what’s Twilight’s niece like anyway?” Sunset asked, in hopes of quashing any treacherous thoughts.

“Oh boy, where to start?” Spike sighed, somehow made weary by the mere thought of the newest princess. “Flurry is…she can be difficult. Don’t get me wrong, I love her and so does Twilight, but lately she’s just been a lot to handle. Anytime she comes for a sudden, ‘visit’, it usually means she’s trying to get space from home.”

“Yes, there’s nothing quite like an eighty-year-old teenager,” Cercus bluntly added in, with a small drop of annoyance.

If the changeling was deterred or intimidated in any way by Spike’s glare, he didn’t show it.

“Look, Flurry’s a good pony at heart. She’s just got some things to work through right now,” Spike defended, “I’m sure you’ll be able to tell for yourself when you meet her.”

“At a later date, once you’ve gotten the rest you’ve been neglecting,” Cercus cut in, apparently shifting into nanny mode.

Sunset, being the grown mare she was, stuck her tongue out at the changeling. “Fine, mom,” Sunset spat out as she hopped off her chair. “I’ll go get some shut eye. Good day everyone.”

Cercus turned to look at Spike with a raised brow. “Everyone?”

“It’s…an out of town saying.”


Sunset wondered how unsightly she must have appeared trudging down the hall, when even the yaks in the palace gave her a wide berth. It seemed she had been living in the castle long enough for the staff to know to be wary of a tired Sunset Shimmer. Kind as they all were, they still had a good sense of self preservation.

As Sunset worked her way around the castle, her thoughts drifted to her royal host. It didn’t seem right to lock herself away again without at least offering whatever comfort she could provide.

There was a lot to Twilight that Sunset couldn’t relate to anymore, but she liked to think she had gotten pretty good at understanding.

Her mind had been made up before she had even left the garden. She’d find Twilight, let her know she was there for her, and then pass out.

It seemed like a good plan at the time. Only problem was, she had absolutely no idea where Twilight was at the moment. Thirty minutes of trotting around the castle halls had so far bore no fruit.

The throne room was the last immediately obvious location the unicorn could think of after exhausting the more likely options, but as far as Sunset knew there was no particular reason for Twilight to be there at the moment, as court typically didn’t happen on this day of the week. Still, there was nothing to lose from peaking inside.

As Sunset approached the large door that guarded the entrance to the throne room, she began to hear noises emanating from inside. It seemed her gamble had paid off.

“-can’t keep doing this!”

Sunset stopped just before the door after hearing the muffled but still understandable raised voice coming from within. The voice was undoubtedly Twilight’s, but it was far more forceful than Sunset had ever heard it. Like a parent reprimanding their child.

“Why not? It’s not like I have anything else better to do!”

The second voice was not one Sunset could ever remember hearing in her lifetime, and yet something in the way it spoke was all too familiar.

“You know that’s not what I meant!”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that there was a private argument going on within the throne room. The polite thing to do would have been to respect their privacy and come back to see Twilight some other time.

So of course, Sunset used her magic to silently jar the door open just enough to peek inside. A changed pony Sunset may have been, but old habits were hard to break. Concern for her friends usually took precedence over more mundane ethics.

The throne room predictably contained only two ponies. Twilight stood at the bottom of the stairs to her throne looking every bit the part of a stern queen. Her eyes were unflinchingly locked on the pony standing before her.

The identity of this pony was easy to deduce. There were only so many alicorns in Equestria and Sunset had met all but one. This alicorn was not quite as tall as Twilight, but she was easily larger than most stallions, comparable to Luna if Sunset was remembering their very brief encounter accurately. Her hair did not possess the ethereal quality of Twilight’s, but it was distinct all the same. Long light purple hair that was split by strands of blue cascaded in curls down to her chest to compliment her pastel pink fur. Silver regalia modeled in the same fashion as the other princess’s completed the look, her chest plate adorned with what appeared to be a blue crystal heart. Pulling it all together was her cutie mark. A blue heart placed over a six pointed star.

All things considered, the alicorn that must have been Flurry Heart was the very picture of beauty. Or rather, she would have been if not for the deep scowl that was currently etched across her face.

“I thought that maybe you’d be HAPPY to see me,” Flurry Heart ground out, clearly not willing to back down from this confrontation.

Twilight visibly softened at this but held her ground. “You know I’m always happy to see you, Flurry. I just wish seeing you didn’t always mean you running away from your problems. Everypony’s worried about you.”

Flurry Heart snorted at Twilight’s concerned statement and turned around to begin pacing in the throne room. “Worried? About what? The pony with a crown but no kingdom? The spare alicorn that’s never ever going to be needed? The princess with no title? I’m sorry if my absence took away everypony’s favorite castle ornament!”

Twilight’s expression hardened again. “Your MOTHER is worried about you, Flurry. It seems like every time you come here; I get a letter from Cadance about how you stormed out after a fight.”

Flurry Heart stopped and stomped the floor, the sound reverberating off the walls. “Well, tell her not to worry. I could level half of Equestria if I wanted to, not that that seems to matter to anypony.”

“That doesn’t make you invincible, Flurry, and that’s not the point!” Twilight shouted, clearly approaching the limits of her patience. “Whatever your problem is, this isn’t the way to deal with it.”

Something in Flurry Heart seemed to snap as she quickly turned back to face Twilight. “How should I deal with it then? Should I completely throw myself into some mindless task, so I can shut everypony else out, just like you and Mom!”

Flurry Heart started to advance on Twilight, who stood motionless holding Flurry’s gaze. “Or, maybe you’d both prefer it if I ran around Equestria on some meaningless, ‘friendship’ missions. That way you can feel like you did your jobs without having to actually deal with me.”

“Flurry, what on Equus has gotten into you?” Twilight asked, her stern tone now mixed with concern.

“What’s gotten into me? Maybe, I just find it a little unfair that, aside from you, I’m the most powerful pony in Equestria, but the only thing I’m good for is smiling and waving! I need more. I deserve more!” Flurry Heart demanded, punctuating each statement with another stomp as she got to Twilight.

“Talking like that just proves you’re not ready for more, Flurry.” Twilight reprimanded.

“Oh please, all my life ponies have told me how special I am and how I was meant to do great things, but the most I’ve ever done is show up at summits and chase off monsters. You weren’t even half my age when you started ruling all of Equestria!” Flurry Heart asserted pointing a hoof at her aunt in an accusing fashion.

For the first time since the argument had started, Twilight faltered. “Flurry…there are still things you don’t understand.”

“UGH! When are you just going to admit that neither of you are planning on ever letting me grow up, because this stupid job is all you have left!” Flurry Heart finished as she brought both hooves down in a final stomp that shook the room and caused the floor itself to crack as Twilight stepped back, looking as if she had just been struck.

Outside the room, Sunset greatly regretted putting her weight on the door as the sudden earthquake level shaking quickly cost her all her balance.

“Gah!” she screamed as she toppled forward into the room, which was now deathly silent.

“Sunset?” Twilight stated in surprise.

Before Sunset could offer an apology or an explanation, her body was enveloped in a yellow aura and lifted off the ground.

Sunset was used to being far and away the most powerful magic user in the room. She could count on one of her old hands the amount of times somepony had been able to simply throw her around with their own magic.

Still, it had happened enough for the analyst in Sunset to note that the magic of each pony had a unique feel to it when it enveloped you. Princess Celestia’s magic was warm and washed over you, much like the sunlight. Twilight’s magic was perfectly controlled and soothing, her years of magical mastery immediately evident. Flurry Heart’s magic…was nothing like that.

Sunset remembered the time Princess Celestia had taught her how to swim at one of the lakes near Canterlot when she was just a filly. She had nearly drowned the first time she stepped into water that went above her head. Being wrapped in Flurry Heart’s magic felt a lot like drowning.

The magic was oppressive and smothering. The power immense, but raw and unrefined. It felt as though she could be crushed at any moment.

“Don’t you teach your servants not to spy Auntie?” Flurry Heart asked Twilight, barely acknowledging the pony she held captive in her horn’s grasp as she brought the unicorn closer. “I don’t know what kind of castle you’re running if the help thinks it’s perfectly okay to eavesdrop on a PRIVATE conversation.”

Sunset felt as though she might lose what little lunch she had at the moment as she was flipped and spun in a way she was absolutely certain wasn’t necessary, almost as if the younger princess was showing off.

Twilight came back to her senses upon seeing the display. “She’s not a servant; she’s my friend. I would appreciate it if you set her down,” Twilight said, making it clear that the suggestion wasn’t optional.

“…Fine,” Flurry Heart huffed as she roughly deposited Sunset onto the floor.

“Gowch!” Sunset cried, landing in a heap right before both princesses. As she dizzily got back to her hooves she wondered if she had ever taken so much abuse in the human world. Equestria sure seemed to like acquainting her with the floor.

“Flurry Heart, this is Sunset Shimmer, my new assistant,” Twilight introduced in an attempt to put the scene they had just created behind them.

Flurry Heart gave Sunset a curious once over but said nothing. A flash of something passed through her eyes upon hearing Sunset’s name.

“She’s going to be working closely with me from now on,” Twilight continued, dropping the not so subtle hint that it would behoove her niece to get used to the unicorn.

“Whatever, I’m going to get some fresh air,” Flurry Heart responded, her attitude unchanged but not willing to air any of her grievances to a complete stranger. Flurry Heart promptly turned around and walked out of the throne room.

The alicorn’s exit was just as well to Sunset, who had just about all she could take of her bad attitude without losing her own temper. “So, that was the beautiful Princess of Privilege?” Sunset spat out. Perhaps it did bother her that such a pony had been simply born with everything she had always dreamed of. Just a bit.

Sunset turned to Twilight, only to be met with a cross expression that was undoubtedly directed at her. “Flurry was right about one thing. Is there any particular reason you felt it was acceptable to violate our privacy?” Twilight said, for the very first time using her height to intimidate the pony before her.

Sunset silently gulped, somehow having forgotten that she had been caught red hoofed. “Okay, I know this looks kind of bad, but I was actually on my way to see you.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she lowered her head to meet Sunset’s face. “So, when you found me, you figured it would be best to just wait? By the door? While peeking inside?”

Sunset Shimmer was an accomplished liar. Another unsavory skill she had mastered in her darker days. It was possible that she could have weaved a convincing and believable story to fool almost anypony that questioned her. But that didn’t matter now, because she couldn’t bring herself to lie to Twilight, and, even if she could, nopony was more likely to see right through her.

“I was worried about you, Twi,” Sunset confessed, her cyan eyes looking directly into violet ones. “I heard about where you were this morning, so I came to see you. Then, I heard shouting, and I needed to see if you were alright. I know I shouldn’t have stuck my muzzle into your business, but I couldn’t stop myself. I’m sorry,” Sunset finished as she turned her gaze to the floor.

Twilight was quickly discovering that Sunset was a pony she couldn’t stay mad at. The amber pony wasn’t perfect, but she had one of the largest hearts of anypony Twilight had ever met. Besides, there was hardly any point in staying mad at somepony who always punished herself more than anypony else ever could.

With a small smile, Twilight’s hoof found its way under Sunset’s chin and guided her eyes back into her own. “It’s alright. I forgive you.”

Sunset met Twilight’s soft smile with her own. A moment of understanding passing between them.

To Sunset’s dismay, the moment ended, and the weight of the world retook its place upon Twilight’s shoulders as she lowered her hoof, leaving a familiar cold feeling upon the place it once rested.

Twilight sighed. “I need to apologize to you now, Sunset. For the way Flurry Heart acted.”

Sunset couldn’t repress the frown that made its way onto her face at the mention of the other alicorn, but she wasn’t about to let anypony take responsibility for somepony else’s actions. “You have nothing to apologize for, Twilight. If anything, I think she owes you an apology.”

“You don’t understand, Sunset. Flurry Heart’s just going through a lot right now,” Twilight defended, love for her niece clearly taking precedence over any pain inflicted.

Sunset couldn’t believe Twilight was actually defending the terror, family or not. How could anypony be excused for behaving in such a manor?

“You can’t be serious, Twi,” Sunset began, her famous temper starting to take over. “She’s a complete brat! She seems to think that having all that power gives her the right to walk all over everypony else. She’s arrogant, stuck up, spoiled, entitled, ungrateful, and thinks she somehow knows it all. It’s hard to believe she’s even a princess! She’s just…she’s, well she’s…”

Sunset trailed off and her anger quickly abated as she began to actually process what she was saying.
“She’s…just like me,” Sunset breathed out. Sunset ran the conversation she had overheard through her head once more, this time without being clouded by her anger. “She’s…desperate to prove herself, and she’s lonely.”

Twilight couldn’t quite make out what Sunset was saying under her breath, but she didn’t believe she had the time to dwell on it. “I need to go after her, Sunset.”

“No!”

Twilight arched her head back in surprise at the sudden exclamation. “No?”

“You chasing after her is probably only going to make her blow up again,” Sunset reasoned as she brought herself out of her own thoughts. “Let me talk to her.”

“You?” Twilight asked in surprise. “Sunset, she just met you. If you can even call that a meeting.”

“I know, but I really think I can get through to her,” Sunset pleaded, hoping she was doing the right thing here. “You trust me, right?” Sunset asked, remembering the discussion they had in the palace garden, the day she had come back.

Twilight seemed to be remembering as well. She took a moment to respond, wrestling with her doubts and fears.

“I do.”


Finding Flurry Heart wasn’t hard. Apparently, this was something of a routine at the castle. Flurry Heart would come for an unexpected visit, a nasty argument would unfold, and finally, Flurry would storm out and come to this spot to cool off.

Sunset found herself walking onto a large outdoor circular platform made of stone that gave a perfect view of the sun shining over Canterlot. The gentle breeze and barely audible rustle of the flora that decorated the platform’s stone railings being the only noise to break the silence.

Flurry Heart was found leaning over the edge, looking out to the horizon. She seemed to be too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice the new presence.

“Hey,” Sunset called out loud enough for Flurry Heart to hear without also getting too close.

It didn’t stop Flurry Heart from being startled as she jumped at the unexpected voice and quickly turned to face the pony who had called out to her, her guard fully raised. “You? What do you want?” Flurry Heart sneered out.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Sunset explained, still not making any move to come closer.

“Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t have anything to say to you,” Flurry practically spat out. “Now, leave. That’s an order.”

Sunset had known this would be taxing in a variety of ways, so she suppressed her anger at once again being treated like a simple servant that could be bossed around however the princess saw fit. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong hoof earlier and I was hoping we could get to know each other better.”

Flurry Heart’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, clearly not used to her commands not being followed. “Well, thank you, but no thank you. I’m not really in the mood to talk, especially to my aunt’s new nosy assistant.” Flurry Heart said, fully intending for that to be the end of it as she turned away to resume her earlier position.

Sunset had dearly hoped it wouldn’t come to this. She had hoped Flurry wouldn’t be just as much of a stuck-up snob as she had once been, but at this point it was almost like looking into a mirror. Flurry Heart simply wasn’t willing to listen to anypony, which meant that there was only one way to get through to her.

Sunset took a steady breath and steeled her nerves. No matter how powerful she was, it was incredibly likely she was about to bite off more than she could chew. “Alright, so you’re not in the mood to talk,” Sunset began to the alicorn that was now set on ignoring her completely.

“Then…fight me.”

Author's Note:

And here we have the first chapter completely written from scratch after the publication of the first chapter.

We also have my rendition of Flurry Heart. I knew I wanted to include her before I even started writing this story, but as the Flurry Heart in the show is only ever depicted as a small baby not even capable of speech, writing her was almost like making an OC. All I had to work off of was a design.

As you can see she's kind of a brat right now. Not without reason of course, and she'll be our first unfiltered look into exactly what's up with the royal family.

As always I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave whatever thoughts you might have.