• Published 3rd May 2021
  • 5,168 Views, 265 Comments

Spirits of The Elements - Eternal Sunset



The Mane 5 try to help Sunset Shimmer convince the Rainbooms of her innocence

  • ...
4
 265
 5,168

Heart To Heart Part 1

The following morning, the Mane 5 and Sunset are in the kitchen discussing what their next move is going to be.

“Maybe we should talk to our counterparts separately,” E-Rarity suggested. “We might have better luck if we’re alone with them.”

“It’s worth a try, are you sure you girls will be alright?” Sunset asked with concern as she looked at Applejack. “I don’t want things to escalate between you and your counterparts.”

“Don’t worry, Sunset. Ah won’t start anythin’ with my counterpart. “E-Applejack promised.

“Same here,” E-Rainbow Dash also promised.

“But what about your counterparts?” Sunset questioned. “What happens if they take it too far?”

“Then we’ll de-escalate the situation,” E-Rarity answered.

“We know the tells of when we’re upset so we have this covered,” E-Applejack said.

“Okay,” Sunset said as she took out her phone and called Pinkie Pie


The Rainbooms are waiting in The Sweet Shoppe, they didn’t look too happy to be doing this again.

“This is a waste of time,” Applejack spoke up. “Why are we humoring Sunset?”

“Because we’re trying to make our counterparts see through her lies,” Rarity answered.

“Sunset’s got them so convince that she’s innocent that she could use them to tell the whole school that she isn’t Anon-A-Miss,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Wouldn’t she have done that already instead of doing this?” Fluttershy questioned.

“Yeah, she would’ve used them to turn the whole school against us!” Pinkie Pie agreed with Fluttershy.

“Maybe she’s not as smart as we thought,” Applejack mumbled but her friends heard her.

“Applejack, are you sure you’re up to this?” Rarity asked. “Ever since we cast Sunset out of the group you’ve been in a bad mood.”

“Can yah blame me, ah wanted Sunset to experience what Christmas is like with those yah care about and she throws it back at our faces,” Applejack explained. “Ah can’t believe she was deceiving us this whole time.”

“I guess people don’t change,” Rarity sadly said.

The door chime rang which caused the Rainbooms to look towards the front door to see their Equestrian counterparts and Sunset Shimmer.

“I hope we didn’t keep you waiting,” Sunset said as she and the Mane 5 approached the Rainbooms.

“No biggie, we didn’t wait long enough to complain about it,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “So we’re doing the same thing as yesterday?”

“Kinda, you’re going to pair up with your counterpart for the rest of the day,” Sunset explained.

“Figures,” Applejack scoffed. “Yer trying to pick us apart individually just like last time.”

“Would yah knock it off already?” E-Applejack asked, rolling her eyes. “Yer anger at Sunset is showing.”

“So what if it is?” Applejack questioned.

“Save it fer when it’s just us,” E-Applejack said. “Ah reckon yah got a lot to get off yer chest.”

“Aint that the truth,” Applejack glared at Sunset. “Ah got chores to do so we can talk as we work.”

“Sounds fine to me,” E-Applejack agreed.

Applejack got up from her seat and walked towards the exit but stopped next to Sunset.

“What are yah going to be doing while we talk with our other selves?”

“Finding out who Anon-A-Miss really is,” Sunset answered as she looked Applejack right in the eyes.

Applejack stared back before breaking eye contact and leaving with E-Applejack.

“Well then,” Rarity said, rising from her seat and adjusting her skirt. “I hope you don’t mind helping me work on some designs.”

“I would love to,” E-Rarity happily agreed. “It will give me a good opportunity to see what the fashion trends are for this world.”

Rarity left the Sweet Shoppe with her counterpart, Sunset could hear them sharing fashion tips.

“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Rainbow Dash said as she stretched. “Time to see how awesome the other me is.”

“Bring it, I can take anything you throw at me,” E-Rainbow Dash challenged.

“Would you like to help me at the animal shelter?” Fluttershy asked her Equestrian counterpart, a small smile on her lips.

“I would like that very much,” E-Fluttershy agreed, returning Fluttershy’s smile.

“Let’s have a twin party!” Pinkie cheered. “Even though I already have a twin!”

“Me too!” E-Pinkie gasped. “We have so much in common already!”

Pinkie and Fluttershy left with their counterparts, all of them had smiled on their faces.

“At least I don’t have to worry about those four starting a fight with each other,” Sunset said in relief, she ordered a coffee and muffin before heading home to resume her work but bumped into someone.

“Sorry about that,” Sunset quickly apologized before realizing that she bumped into Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. “Hey girls.”

“H-hey there, Sunset,” Applebloom nervously greeted, she didn’t expect to run into Sunset.

Sunset smiled at the girls before resuming her way home.

“Our sisters weren’t with her today,” Scootaloo pointed out before looking at Applebloom. “Are you sure you saw them together yesterday?”

“Of course Ah’m sure! Me and Diamond Tiara saw them gettin’ out of the grocery store,” Applebloom said, raising her voice.

“Easy there, Applebloom.” Scootaloo tried to calm down her friend. “I’m not saying you're a liar, it’s that we’re not seeing what you saw.”

“Ah know,” Applebloom said as she calmed herself down. “Ah’m sorry ah raised mah voice, ah’m just upset that after what we did to break them up they just got back together.”

“How did they get back together?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“The way they broke off their friendship looked bad,” Scootaloo said, rubbing her arm nervously. “It made me feel bad for Sunset.”

“Same here,” Sweetie Belle agreed, she almost cried after witnessing Sunset breakdown after her friends rejected her.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Applebloom said. “How can they be friends again after that? Mah sister even threw away everythin’ that reminded her of Sunset.”

“Rarity too,” Sweetie Belle said sadly, she watched Rarity tearfully throw every photo, sketch, and outfit that was related to Sunset before she collapsed on her bed and cried while eating a bucket of ice cream.

“Girls, do you get the feeling that maybe we made a mistake?” Scootaloo questioned.

"We can’t think like that!” Applebloom said. “If we start having doubts then everything’ we’ve done would’ve been fer nothin’.”

“But how long can we keep this up?” Scootaloo questioned.

“We’ll keep this up as long as we have to,” Applebloom answered as she took out her phone, and logged into the Anon-A-Miss account.


“What’s yer history with Sunset?” E-Applejack asked her counterpart as they are both shoveling the snow from the driveway.

“She made a liar out of me and broke up me and mah friends,” Applejack angrily answered. “Ah thought she had changed and given friendship and us a chance but ah was wrong.”

“Is that all?” E-Applejack questioned.

“What do yah mean?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We value our honesty and our family and don’t take kindly to those who mess with that,” E-Applejack pointed out. “Be honest with me, did yah want to be friends with Sunset?”

“No,” Applejack answered without hesitation.

“Then why did yah agree to teach Sunset about friendship?” E-Applejack questioned.

“Because ah promised Twilight,” Applejack answered, pushing a pile of snow until she got stuck. “After what she did for me it was the least ah could do.”

“Why didn’t yah refuse?” Applejack questioned as she helped her counterpart. “Ah’m sure Twilight would’ve understood.”

“There was no time, Twilight had to return home.” Applejack said as she and her counterpart struggled to push the pile of snow.

“Did yah even try to talk to Sunset?” E-Applejack asked.

“No!” Applejack answered as she and Applejack got the snow shovel unstuck and pushed the snow into a pile. “Ah had nothin’ to say to her.”

“Then how were yah able to become friends with her?” E-Applejack inquired. “Yah couldn’t have become friends if yah still hated her.”

“Because ah was stupid enough to believe that she had changed,” Applejack answered angrily. “Ah thought after the Battle of The Bands Sunset understood friendship, that she finally opened up to us but she was just waitin’ to stab us in the back.”

“Horseapples!” E-Applejack raised her voice. “It sounds to me like yah still had yer doubts about her, how else would yah accuse her without hearing what she had to say?”

“Yah don’t know anythin’!” Applejack argued.

“Ah know yah because ah made the same stupid mistake,” E-Applejack argued back. “When ah and mah friends were helping with Princess Cadance’s wedding, Twilight tried to warn us that she wasn’t the real Princess! But instead of believing the pony who knew Cadance better than any of us, ah believed the Princess, and it turns out ah was wrong!”

Applejack was taken aback by her Equestrian counterpart’s outburst, she could see the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

“The fake Cadance was an evil Changling Queen that almost took over Canterlot with her Changling army and if it wasn’t fer the real Cadance and Twilight’s brother Shining Armor stopping them then she would’ve succeeded!” E-Applejack explained. “After the wedding, we all apologized to Twilight, and despite her sayin’, she forgave us we could all tell how hurt she was.”

E-Applejack wiped away her tears before glaring at her counterpart.

“Do yah have any idea how much yah hurt Sunset? Because of what yah did she couldn’t bring herself to be friends with us,” E-Applejack turns away from Applejack. “Yah said that Sunset made a liar out of yah but yah had no problem lying to her.”

“Ah never lied to her!” Applejack raised her voice, feeling insulted that her counterpart called her a lier.

“Yah did lie, yah lied that she was yer friend, yah lied that she was like family,” E-Applejack said as she turned to look at her counterpart with disappointment. “Sunset trusted yah to be honest and yah lied to her face, ah doubt she’ll ever trust anythin’ yah say again.”

“Ah don’t care if she doesn’t trust me, it doesn’t change what she did,” Applejack said in annoyance, she picked up her shovel and started walking towards her house. “We have to clean the pig pen next.”

E-Applejack watched her human counterpart walk away before sighing and following after her.


“What exquisite designs!” E-Rarity gushes at seeing Rarity’s outfits, they are in Rarity’s room.

“Thank you,” Rarity thanked her counterpart, happy that she could impress a fashion designer from another world.

“Tell me, darling. Do you own a boutique?” E-Rarity asked curiously, she wanted to learn what other differences there are between them.

“I’m afraid not but I do want to open one in the future,” Rarity said.

“I do not doubt that you will,” E-Rarity said with confidence.

“Do you have any advice you can share?” Rarity asked.

“You have to believe in your brand and never waiver from your ideals,” E-Rarity said. “There will be those who will take advantage of your generosity which is why it’s important to have ponies you can trust by your side to aid you.”

“Ponies?” Rarity questioned.

“It’s an Equestrian terminology,” E-Rarity clarified, she had forgotten that it wasn’t just physical appearance that is different in this dimension. “Basically, trust that your friends will be there for you.”

“I’ll have no problem trusting my friends,” Rarity said with a confident smile. “We’re as close as family.”

“Is that so?” E-Rarity questioned.

“I know where this is going,” Rarity sighed. “Listen, Sunset is not who you think she is.”

“Who exactly is Sunset Shimmer?” E-Rarity asked.

“A manipulative, deceiving, and spiteful person.” Rarity listed. “She’ll do whatever it takes to get to the top.”

“You sound very familiar with her methods,” E-Rarity noted.

“Unfortunately,” Rarity admitted sadly. “There’s an event at our school called the Spring Fling, the winner would be crowned a Princess, and Sunset was also participating. She had won the previous crowns but I had confidence that I would beat her, I also had my friends by my side. But we had a falling out with each other so I had to deal with The Spring Fling alone, and Sunset made that the worst night of my life.”

“What happened?” E-Rarity asked, looking at Rarity with fear.

“Sunset had put itching powder on my dress and I had to scratch myself furiously in front of everyone,” Rarity explained, wrapping her arms around herself as she recalled that horrible night. “It was such an un-lady thing to do, everyone was laughing and I could do nothing to stop it. I ran off the stage and as I passed Sunset, I noticed the satisfied smirk on her face.”

“I’m so sorry, darling,” E-Rarity said as she laid a comforting hand on Rarity.

“Now do you see what kind of person she is?” Rarity asked as she wiped away a stray tear.

“I see, Sunset was indeed a terrible person,” E-Rarity agreed.

“I’m glad you finally see the truth,” Rarity said, happy that she finally got through to her counterpart.

“But she’s not that person anymore,” E-Rarity added, placing her other hand on her counterpart’s shoulder. “That Sunset Shimmer humiliated you to win the Spring Fling, what does she hope to gain from humiliating you now? She stands to lose everything.”

“She wanted revenge on us for defeating her at The Fall Formal,” Rarity answered.

“Do you honestly believe that?” E-Rarity questioned. “If you are familiar with Sunset’s tactics then you have to see that none of this makes sense.”

Rarity looked away, she bit her lip as she mulled over E-Rarity’s words. Anon-A-Miss’s actions certainly didn’t match Sunset’s before her reform.

“Then how do you explain the pictures of our slumber party being posted on Anon-A-Miss?” Rarity questioned, looking back at E-Rarity. “Sunset was the only one who took those photos and they were only on her smartphone.”

“I have no idea what a smartphone is but couldn’t someone else have taken them from her phone?” E-Rarity suggested.

“Are you accusing my friends of being Anon-A-Miss?!” Rarity said aghast.

“The Irony in your accusation is evident,” E-Rarity raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. “I am not accusing your friends but I do know that falsely accusing someone without going through all the facts isn’t good detective work.”

E-Rarity reached over to grab a detective-looking hat with a feather on the side and placed it on her head.

“I see you’re a fan of Shadow Spade as well,” Rarity said, crossing her arms.

“You’ve already deduced how Sunset posted your secrets which is Anon-A-Miss, the opportunity which is during the slumber parties, but you lack the motive,” E-Rarity listed. “Tell me, did Sunset seem genuine in her friendship with you all?”

“I assumed she did,” Rarity answered. “She was happy to be with all of us and enjoyed the activities we did together.”

“What about her tears?” E-Rarity questioned. “When you left her crying in the hallway, was it fake to you?”

Rarity closed her eyes as she tried to remember Sunset’s expression, she can picture Sunset’s devastated look in her mind and analyzed every detail of her face to see if there was any deception. When she analyzed her eyes, she immediately recognized the look of betrayal and devastation. Rarity felt like she was looking in her mirror from the night of The Spring Fling, the eyes of someone whose world has come crumbling down. Rarity’s eyes snapped open.

“Do you finally understand?” E-Rarity asked.

“Yes,” Rarity responded softly, her tears mixing with her mascara and leaving two dark lines down her cheeks. She had finally realized the truth. “What have I done?”

Rarity fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands as she started sobbing. E-Rarity knelt beside her and wrapped her arms around her counterpart.

“Oh Sunset,” Rarity cried. “Why didn’t I see the truth earlier?”

“Because we lacked faith in our friends,” E-Rarity said sadly.

“What?” Rarity lifted her head to look at her counterpart.

“I and my friends were tasked with helping prepare a royal wedding between Princess Cadance and Twilight’s older brother,” E-Rarity explained, managing a small smile. “Twilight was very against it at first since she is very close to her brother and feared losing him, but warmed up to the idea when she found out he was marrying her old foal sitter.” E-Rarity’s smile instantly dropped. “Which was why she knew right away that something wasn’t right with the Princess, I assumed it was pre-wedding jitters but I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

E-Rarity sighed as she took out a napkin to wipe Rarity’s eyes.

“Twilight tried to tell us that Princess Cadance was a fake but the fake gave us reasonable explanations for Twilight’s accusations, we assumed that she must’ve still been against the wedding and instead of taking the time to talk to Twilight in private, we all believed the fake and left the room to check on the fake to see if she was okay,” E-Rarity sadly said, tears pooling in her eyes as she recalled that day. “I didn’t even spare a glance at Twilight, didn’t even try to defend her, and just left her to suffer alone.”

Rarity could see the great pain her counterpart is feeling, her story sounded eerily similar to how she and her friends left Sunset.

“Because of my mistake, the fake Princess almost succeeded in taking over Canterlot but thanks to the real Princess Cadance and Twilight’s brother love, they repelled the fake and her army,” E-Rarity explained, taking a napkin and wiping her eyes.

“Love saves the day,” Rarity said. “It sounds like a scene from a fantasy book.”

“Our world can be considered fantasy,” E-Rarity said. “After the incident, we apologized profusely to Twilight, and even though she had forgiven us, it was plain to see that she is still deeply hurt by our actions. After the wedding we visited Twilight’s home to talk about what had happened, it took a bit of convincing but Twilight was finally open to us about her feelings. The incident had shaken her belief in us, she felt like she didn’t know who we are anymore and could no longer trust us.”

E-Rarity sobbed as she tried to speak.

“She told us how she cried herself to sleep the night after the wedding,” E-Rarity covered her mouth with her hand as she sobbed. “We hurt her so badly that I feared our friendship was beyond repair.”

“W-was it?” Rarity asked, fearful that her friendship with Sunset is doomed.

“Not if we had anything to say about it,” E-Rarity said, her voice clear. “My friends and I did everything we could to earn back Twilight’s trust and restore her faith in us, it took time but our friendship is stronger than ever, especially for two of us.”

“What do you mean?” Rarity asked curiously.

“Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack fell in love with each other and are now engaged!” E-Rarity gushed.

“That’s wonderful news!” Rarity’s sorrow was instantly gone and replaced with joy for her friend.

“We’re all helping out for the wedding like we did with Princess Cadance but this time we’ll make sure that everyone is who they say they are,” E-Rarity winked.

“So there could still be hope for me and my friends,” Rarity said softly.

“There’s always hope, darling. But you have to fight for it,” E-Rarity said, taking her counterpart’s hands in her own.

“I will,” Rarity nodded. “Thank you for helping me see clearly.

“Anytime,” E-Rarity said as she hugged Rarity who gladly returned the hug.

Author's Note:

Looks like E-Rarity succeeded in convincing her counterpart the same cannot be said for E-Applejack. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I look forward to your comments.