Sunny and Shimmer Go To Heights Castle
"Sunny, are you really sure this reunification thing went off without a hitch? I mean, I'm getting some stares here," Sunset said as they made their way west away from Canterlogic towards the coast, as the sky became a continually darkening orange. With the sun below the horizon, lamp posts had started to flicker on, and while they weren't quite needed yet, they would be in about fifteen minutes as dusk turned to night.
Sunny did some quick glances, and saw that a few ponies were indeed looking at the unicorn in passing, but the looks weren't worried, concerned, or scared.
"I don't think it has anything to do with malice, Sunset. I think they're just curious. You're the only pony I've seen with two cutie marks," Sunny replied.
"What are you talking about? I've only ever had the one," Sunset said, glancing back at her flank, seeing the yellow and red yin and yang style sun.
"No, I meant on both flanks. For as long as I can remember, ponies have only had one, on the right," Sunny explained.
Now Sunset joined in on the curious glances, and indeed confirmed that everypony's cutie mark was indeed on their right flank, and only on the right flank.
"I don't suppose you have any theories for how that happened?" Sunset asked the earth pony.
"I do, actually, just one, now that I've seen the memory gems. My best guess is when Equestria lost its magic, ponies lost a cutie mark, because they had clearly lost a part of themselves."
"So, you know this place best. What are we doing for dinner?" Sunset asked as they came to Seaside Drive, the coastal road on the east side of town.
"You like hayburgers? There's a new place called Heights Castle a couple blocks down, the first pegasus-owned restaurant in Maretime Bay," Sunny answered.
Sunset's mouth immediately began to water.
"It feels like it's been ages since I've had a hayburger..."
The two mares walked down the street, being passed by the trolley as it started its evening route.
Coming up to the fast food establishment, Sunset saw that the exterior decor was indeed, very castle-like. There was a small line going through the trot-thru, so they elected to go inside to the front counter.
"Sack of ten hay sliders with cheese, please, and a medium drink," Sunny ordered, before turning to Sunset, who quickly skimmed the menu.
"Same, actually," the unicorn replied. Sunny dug into her bit bag and paid the amount due, before stepping over to the opposite side of the counter. Their twenty sliders took no time to make, and three minutes later, they were sitting across from each other in a booth.
"I wish I knew what a good starting off point was... So, what was this other world like? I don't suppose you have pictures?" Sunny asked as she started into her first slider.
"Actually, I do," Sunset said, reaching into her saddlebags and came out with her yearbook, with her cutie mark engraved with gold on the front cover. She flipped it open, turned several pages, and turned it around to face Sunny when she came to the picture she was looking for.
"Bipeds?" Sunny asked, leaning over the table after she had swallowed her first bite.
"Humans. Scientific name, homo sapiens. The fingers took awhile to get used to, as did walking on just two legs," Sunset explained, as she flipped through more pages, coming to the sophomore year Fall Formal, with Twilight up on stage receiving the crown.
"Looking back, being the protege of the ruler of Equestria was... Almost too easy. But that was probably because I was focusing on the wrong things, or not focusing enough on the right things. I still remember my entrance exam to her school like it was yesterday..."
The filly felt as if she was walking on eggshells as she made her way down the hall to the assigned lecture room.
"Nervous, Sunset? Don't be silly, you've been preparing for this for weeks. Just take a deep breath."
Sunset looked up at her only company for the past sixteen hours; her mom, Stellar Flare. The train ride over here had been uneventful, but had done nothing to calm her nerves. They should have left a day earlier, so she could get a good night's sleep in a hotel bed, not trying to get a quick nap on a rickety train.
As she got in line beside her mother, the only thing she could do is take a deep breath, and that didn't help much. She had been preparing these spells for weeks, true enough. She could perform these transfiguration spells in her sleep.
But, still... What if they weren't good enough. What if she wasn't good enough?
She wished Sunburst was here. He was half the reason her chosen spells were as honed as they were; her younger brother was right next to her reminding her of pronunciations, inflection...
Her whole family would be here with her right now if dad wasn't at home with him in Sire's Hollow, watching over him as he spent yet another day with that Starlight friend of his.
Her mom would have to suffice. Who knows, in a few years he might be in this school here with her.
There were currently five ponies ahead of them in line. One of them would go in with their accompanying guardian, she would hear some hushed, muffled conversation through the closed doors, and then there was usually some flashing and glowing that would come through the windows for a few moments. The room must have had another exit, because nopony came back, and the next one went in.
By the time they moved up two in the queue, five more fillies and colts had gotten in line behind them. Over the next ten minutes, they slowly moved towards the double doors, one pony at a time. The next colt to go in did as the rest did, stepped into the room, stated his name, then the other occupants of the room said some muffled dialogue; except this time after the flash of light, there was a puff of smoke that came out from under the doors, followed by muffled coughing fits on the other side. The filly next up in line looked a little concerned, but the door attendant didn't so much as flinch.
They must have given time for the smoke to clear, because it was another couple minutes before the filly was allowed to enter the room. After that, things had returned to what could likely be considered 'normal' for an application process like this. The filly went in, a few words were shared, followed by a few flashes of light. Next up was the colt right in front of her, who looked a bit nervous. Sunset was now close enough to hear the door on the other side of the room open and close, then the colt ahead of her was ushered in along with his guardian, presumably his dad. When the door latched shut, Sunset and her mom took a few more steps forward to stand in front of the attendant, who was looking down a clipboard grasped in his magic.
"No books, no help from your accompanying guardian, all spells must be performed from memory, and lastly, the decision of the judges is absolutely final, understood?" The attendant asked them, with barely a glance up from the papers on his clipboard.
Sunset merely nodded while Stellar offered a "clearly" in response.
There was another flash of light from through the thickly frosted windows. Another few moments of near-silence, then she heard the doors open and close on the opposite side of the lecture hall. The unicorn attendant opened the doors, and ushered them in.
Sunset wasn't quite sure how to judge the size of the lecture hall. There were two large windows on either side of a chalkboard on the front wall. A podium was in the front left corner, and two long royal blue banners hung between the windows and the left and right walls.
There were seven rows of orange chairs that took up half of the room, and four unicorns sat in the top row, each with clipboards, and wearing dress shirts, vests, and ties.
Stellar stood off next to the podium while Sunset made her way to the center of the room.
"Name, please?" The pink-haired mare on the right asked.
"Sunset Shimmer," she replied, taking a breath. They each quickly scribbled onto their clipboards.
"Miss Shimmer, the floor is yours. Please demonstrate why you should be here at the School for Gifted Unicorns," the gray stallion on the other side told her.
Sunset took another breath.
"Thank you. Today I will be demonstrating transfiguration magic," she announced.
As she began to mentally recite the first spell to herself, she saw the center left judge, a light blue stallion, lean over to the center right.
"Only the twelfth one this weekend," she heard him mutter, getting the slightest of smirks from the off white, brown-haired mare next to him.
Suddenly, Sunset felt a twinge of annoyance at the four ponies observing her from the top of the room. These snooty high rollers were already bored with her, and she had barely spoken two sentences. One of them was apparently going to judge her not based on her performance, but on what he had already seen. This was what her nerves were so frayed for? She barely slept on the 3am train for this?
She took that twinge of annoyance and anger, and took firm hold of it, and stretched it out, as her horn began to glow. Squinting her eyes, she spotted the pen being held telekinetically by the stallion who had apparently seen his share of one of the most advanced schools of magic she had read up on and practiced.
"Serpens!" She cried out, shooting a thin beam of orange light out at the pen, and he ducked, but the beam connected with his pen.
He was just opening his eyes back up when he realized he had lost the grip on his pen. Or rather, what used to be his pen. He let out a mighty shriek as a blue racer snake dropped down onto the floor in front of him, and he scrambled up to the top of the back row of chairs in front of him.
"Limax!" She said, having quickly turned her attention to the two pieces of white chalk on the chalkboard behind her. The two beams connected, and she took hold of them as they transformed, tossing them over the rows of seats and before he knew it, two slimy white garden slugs landed on his clipboard with a plop.
"Vinea!" She called, shooting a beam up at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The golden arms holding the lights suddenly warped and turned green, becoming vines as they began to stretch out across the ceiling.
"Vita! Vita! Vita!" She shouted, firing three beams in quick succession at the chairs the other three shocked judges were standing in front of. The trio of seats suddenly came to life, breaking free of their bolted positions on the tiled floor.
"So many transfiguration spells in quick succession... Okay! Okay, you're in! Stop stop stop!" The pink-haired mare shouted, as her co-judge dropped his clipboard and it flipped end over end as it tumbled down three rows.
"What, stop already?" Sunset asked, her young voice dripping with annoyance and disdain. "I thought you had seen so much of this stuff this weekend. It's barely been twenty seconds!"
Sunset glared angrily at the four judges, and her mother was equally shocked, having never seen her daughter perform that many spells so quickly. Both mares barely heard the other set of doors open.
"That is enough, young lady."
Sunset, horn still glowing brightly, turned to the new, commanding voice in the room, and her demeanor changed almost instantly when she saw who had spoken to her.
Celestia, ruler of Equestria, and Princess of the Sun and Moon.
Sunset's anger didn't melt away entirely, but she was collected enough to close her eyes in concentration, and immediately nullify the spells she had just cast. The judge's pen clattered to the tile floor, the slugs became pieces of chalk, the center chandelier snapped back into place, and while the chairs would need to be bolted down again, they were again regular, inanimate chairs.
"P-P-Princess, I do b-believe a ten minute b-break is in order," the stallion judge stammered as he collected his clipboard and pen.
"Yes, I would say so. Please take those ten minutes to remind yourselves to keep comments about previous applicants to yourselves, and keep such comments from influencing decisions on your current one, no matter how bad you believe their hearing to be" Celestia told them sternly.
The judges collected themselves and filed out of the doors that Sunset and Stellar had entered through, while the Princess' attention now turned to the filly on the main floor.
"Ms. Shimmer, would you and your mother please come with me?" Celestia asked, before turning to exit through the opposite doors.
Mother and daughter took a moment before following Celestia through the doors.
"Well," Stellar Flare began. "I do hope the repair bill won't be too steep. Maybe we'll just be let off with a warning..."
Sunset rolled her eyes. Like those pompous prisses didn't have something like that coming eventually with comments like that.
Sunset followed her mom out into the hall, where Princess Celestia was waiting.
"Ma'am, if you wouldn't mind waiting here. Miss Shimmer, a moment of your time?" Celestia asked, beckoning her forward as she walked down the hall.
Sunset let out a quiet sigh, and followed the towering monarch down the hall.
"Seems you put on quite a show there," Celestia commented.
"Look, um, your Highness, I'm not terribly sorry for what I just did in there. I've spent months studying, weeks practicing, and hours just to get here, and to have them dismiss my demonstration before I've done anything..."
"Their demeanor can be a bit... Off-putting, I will admit," Celestia replied down to the filly. "But I do trust their judgement. This is my School for Gifted Unicorns, and we're looking for the best. Audition week can get a bit tedious, and they do the best they can."
Sunset resisted the urge to roll her eyes again with Celestia facing her this time.
"No offense, Princess, but if I'm being kicked out, I'd prefer to not waste any more of my time. It's another nine hour train ride home."
"Well, let's not jump to conclusions so quickly, Sunset. I said we're looking for the best. Once my judges get themselves collected from your, shall I say, nature-filled display, I'm fairly confident that they'll tell me that what you just did in there was more impressive than any exam they've seen all week. That you're potentially the best, of the best."
Sunset's eyes widened, and her annoyed demeanor finally started to fade a bit.
"I... Really?" She asked.
Celestia nodded.
"You have incredible power and potential if that's what a filly your age can manage in a few short months of studying and practicing. So before you go running to catch the next train, perhaps you'll consider accepting my offer of becoming my own personal protege here at the school?"
Sunset's mouth now opened to join her widened eyes.
"You'd receive one-on-on tutoring, your own private study here on campus, and the chance to hone these abilities of yours into something amazing. You could be one of the greatest students this school has ever seen. What do you say, Sunset?"
Unable to bring any words out of her throat, Sunset merely nodded silently.
"In that case, congratulations, Sunset Shimmer. Let's go see how surprised your mom is when we tell her the two of you will be dining with a Princess tonight."
"Wow, that must have been some exam..." Sunny commented, now halfway through her sack of ten hay sliders.
"I wish I could say I was a model student. Sure, back then I thought I was the greatest thing since sliced bread. But I always wanted more, and I wasn't the slightest bit interested in any lessons of Celestia's that didn't directly involve magic. Like humility. Like making friends."
Sunset paused, as she was considerably behind Sunny in terms of the amount of her order she had eaten, as she'd been the one telling the story so far.
"I never got any better. Once I had a lengthy talk with Twilight, how she had played her part in fulfilling a prophecy that Celestia was hoping to complete, and free her sister... I couldn't help but wonder if that was why she was so patient with me. That if she wasn't looking for somepony powerful enough to help free her sister, that maybe she would have kicked me to the curb long before she eventually did."
Sunset paused again to sip at her soda.
"She kept insisting that I wasn't ready, but I was a broken record asking about that magic mirror. Once I realized that my persistence wasn't going to get me anywhere with her, that's when I started going behind her back. Breaking into one of the school's restricted sections was the last straw. I kept telling myself that I was ready, that I could control darker knowledge that was kept behind locked doors. She formally ended my studies, and escorted me out. When I saw my chance, I jumped through the mirror. At the time it was only open for three days every thirty moons. I knew I wouldn't get another chance, so I decided to take my chances. I knocked out my escort, easy enough spell, and jumped through, coming out looking like that," Sunset explained, pointing a hoof at the photo in the yearbook.
"Once enrolled in the school over there, my mind was on one thing; getting revenge, and I was ready to play the long game. In my mind, I could have ruled Equestria, and she was holding me back because she was afraid of what I could do. What I could become."
Sunny saw how the unicorn's words ate at her. It clearly wasn't a pleasant subject.
"After about a year, I went back through the mirror to Equestria during a royal summit to take Twilight's crown when I learned about the Elements of Harmony. She gave chase back through the mirror to the other side, and figured out how to get to it before I did, as well as start to undo all the divisiveness I had sown. I... Wasn't a good pony back then. Just... SO much tunnel vision, dead set on vengeance. I still look back and just... Chuckle at the ludicrousness of it all. Like, what was I going to do? Seize Canterlot's throne with a few hundred mind-controlled teenagers-turned-equines? With three of the most powerful figures in Equestrian history waiting right there on the other side of the portal? Luckily, Twilight and the versions of her friends over there weren't having any of it, and stopped me right there. That... Fortunately, that was the low point for me," Sunset explained.
"You didn't come back immediately?" Sunny asked.
"I'm sure it crossed Twilight's mind, but she decided to leave me there with the mirror versions of her friends, so I could finally start to learn what Princess Celestia tried to teach me for so long. It wasn't easy. Some days I didn't want to get out of bed. But I slowly made it up to everybody. To my friends, my classmates, to the staff. When magic started to leak across dimensions, not just from the portal, but from other places over there, I was there to help. Quite a few Equestrian artifacts had popped up over there. Things eventually began to quiet down as I closed in on my fourth year over there, and I started thinking more and more about how homesick I had gotten. I mean, I won't keep going on, you've already heard this story this morning."
Sunny, now nearly done with her food, cleared her throat and took a sip of soda.
"It may not be where you intended to end up, but I am glad you're here, Sunset," the earth pony told her. "You may not be a Princess' protege, or archmage anymore, but you know what? You can be a living example of everything Princesses Celestia and Twilight taught you."
Sunset smiled at the earth pony.
"Thank you, Sunny. That means a lot," she replied, finally starting to dig into the bulk of her food. "I think I do want to travel a bit, see what's become of Equestria in all this time, but first I want to take a look at Canterlogic. Do they do tours over there?"
Sunny nodded.
"They certainly do. I can go with you tomorrow, I know Sprout has already started work on the trailer attachment for the truck, and he'll want my feedback. I'm sure Toots or Phyllis can arrange a tour for you."
"Awesome. In the meantime, I think I'll get in touch with Princess Pipp about seeing more of Zephyr Heights. I watched some of her videos earlier today. I wonder if she livestreams video games."
Thank you to Level Dasher for the chapter title!
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Hmm yeah I've always wonder why in the New Generation why did ponies have one Cutie Mark
I'll be honest, this chapter makes me lose some interest in the story, I hate the headcanon that Sunburst and Sunset are related.
Actually that's not far from the theory
I actually like the idea of Sunset and sunburst are related to each other
11142891
I did it primarily because I needed names and descriptions for Sunset's mom and dad, and I almost always suck at coming up with that stuff on my own.
I wouldn't pay too much attention. After all, Sunburst is long gone when it comes to G5.
11142896
I mean, fair enough, I usually tend to go the orphan route with Sunset, as it helps explain a lot of her issues with Celestia.
Besides, something like this isn't enough to get me to drop the story by a Longshot.
I'm sure pipp can help you with the livestream and yes I would love to watch her game play
Well it looks like Sunset and Sunny having a little conversation about sunsets past while eating lunch during our time back at Celestia's School talk about her family and how she became corrupted by anger and jealousy which I'm surprised she talks about that and I'm also surprised that Sunny was not too surprised seeing a human in the picture but life can be very surprising although I do like to see how pipp and sunset we'll collaborate when it comes to live streaming well we'll find out next time
11142902
One of my favorite EqG shorts.
So many of us have channeled Sunset in that.
11142891
And I hate the headcanon about Luster Dawn being Starlight and Sunburst’s daughter but it doesn’t get in the way of me loving the story Second Chances. Do you see my point?
11142909
I see you being needlessly passive aggressive?
11142912
Not my intention.
11142913
Cool, let's hold hooves and wait for the next chapter together.
11142914
Sure, why not?
11142905
Trust me we can all related to sunsets anger when it comes to video games that make us game rage
So.....they're eventually going to get the other one at some point.
So they even have their own White Castle? Good for them. I couldn't even find one near my workplace.
images.heb.com/is/image/HEBGrocery/000211961?fit=constrain,1&wid=800&hei=800&fmt=jpg&qlt=85,0&resMode=sharp2&op_usm=1.75,0.3,2,0
This was a nice chapter, I enjoyed seeing the Sunny twins getting to sit down and talk
11142956
Who's going to get what?
Reading the chapter title, I thought they were going to the castle in Zephyr Heights.
11143126
The other cutie mark. Gaining the second one would be seen as a rite of passage.
11143260
Ah. Haven't thought that far ahead.
11143261
Oh.
VERY little I can say that the other reviewers haven't already said better, but definitely a great job on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up in all the right places. Definitely see the logic behind the theory about why the ponies no longer have cutie marks on both sides. Plus, Sunset's backstory is a great nod to the IDW comics and, yeah, I actually DO like the thought of Sunset and Sunburst being siblings (after all, her having a brother only adds another similarity between her and Twilight, which isn't a bad idea and Sunburst being her younger brother instead of the older one like Shining was for Twilight makes it a slight inversion). Also appreciated Sunset's honesty about how bad she was before Twilight and the human counterparts of her friends helped her change for the better. Still enjoyed the "White Castles" analogue being worked in AND the discussion about Sunset talking to Pipp. Speaking of Sunny's new friends, I think Izzy might eventually think to ask Sunset to help her and the other unicorns learn more about the magic they only recently got back.
At any rate, very certainly looking forward to more of this.
Sunset could not have only been in the human world one year before going back after Twilight 's crown. In the first movie, we see three pictures of sunset winning the fall formal princess crown. She also clearly ages from the first one to the present. Also, I am pretty sure their cutie marks are fake, after all, when ponies lost their magic in FiM they lost there cutie marks too.
Furthermore, your geography doesn't match up with the world of Equestria, you have things too close together. It was implied in one of the merchandise that ANG takes place in the undiscovered west, while the only place on the canonical map that comes close to matching Sunny's map is Southeast of Apploosa, and even then, you would have to rotate Sunny's map for it to work. There other logical issues I've found with your story, but I don't want to sound like I am complaining too much. It's still a mostly enjoyable read.
11143317
I've always believed in narrative before logic when it comes to fanfiction.
I've never considered the three pictures on the wall to be three Fall Formals, but three dances in the same year; Fall Formal, Winter Waltz, and Spring Fling, her dominance and division of the school took place over her first year.
Until Hasbro or Boulder tell us otherwise, I'm considering Zephyr Heights to be a pegasus-conquered Canterlot.
11142890
Interestingly I remember reading somewhere that originally the Gen 4 show was supposed to have ponies with a single cutie mark, but then because of time, money, or inexperience, they couldn't do that. So then the first toys came out there were a ton of complaints about them not being show accurate.
11143627
Yeah I'm sure it's to be toy accurate, and not any lore reason.
11143631
I think I heard it was because they couldn't get it to look right if they gave them two...
Also, where did the magic words come from? Was never a thing in the show...
Interesting choice, going with the Sunset/Sunburst family connection. It's not a theory I've felt held a lot of water, but it makes for a fun scene. Great job again!
11143679
I plan on being done with this story before anything new comes out.
I still kinda question to myself why when the G5 movie come out back in September they hasbro decided to not have the ponies have their cutie marks on both sides of their flanks as I'm pretty sure it has always been on both since the start of mlp itself. 🤔 I think, I'm honestly not sure I've only been a brony because of eqg back in 2013.
Lol, must be their version of White Castle. 😂
Huh, must be their version of a drive through.
If she does, I can already tell where that might go.
11143798
The cutie mark thing is basically to match the toys, many which only have them stamped on one side.
The cutie marks might be something similar to horn velvet, in a lower magic environment the mark doesn't express as strongly. We have to assume magic is a fundamental force(like the Force in Starwars) generated by living things, so it never technically vanished. It was how ever reduced so greatly that magical effects like spell casting, cloud walking, pegasus flight, earth pony gemomancy (rock farming, plant growth minipluation etc) and super strength vanished. It may very well be fillies and colts born post reunification gain marks on both sides and baby unicorns keep thier horn velvet. For other races the loss of magic might mean Changelings couldn't shapeshift and Kirin couldn't become Niriks anymore. For Seaquestria it would mean a totally population split, as the pearl of transformation lost power, Sea-ponies and Hippogriffs no longer able to transition between forms.
11143936
Oh
Really enjoying this series and thats an awesome look for pony Sunset
Sees chapter title.
Hears Miracle Max: "Have fun storming the castle!"
11122847
That's an underrated classic.
Scared the crap out of me as a tot, though- and gave me a phobia of disembodied noses.
In Forgotten, Sunny saw and took note of a memory gem of the Rainbooms, didn't she?
11143627
I can confirm that. I found a very early McDonald's Happy Meal Pinkie Pie just lying in a crosswalk one day. There's only one Cutie Mark on the figure.
At first, I wasn't sure if McD's was cheaping out or what.
The marks only being on one side was just a choice by the shows animators. And the whole sunset being sunbursts sister is just not true.
11700132
It's fanon. Welcome to fanfiction.