A Past Returned

by TacoTues4Eva

Saturday Dec 17 c

Entering the Silver Dragon along with Fluttershy was definitely an experience for Sunset. The place wasn’t busy, but it seemed as soon as they entered all eyes were drawn to them and while most turned away a few lingered much longer than either was really comfortable with at the moment. Then again with only one mumbled voice being insulting, most other voices they heard were compliments on how beautiful they looked with their exotic skin tones and hair. It actually managed to stroke Sunset’s ego a bit shoring up her confidence while it embarrassed Fluttershy.

They were seated in a small booth off to themselves much to the appreciation of the two girls as they were promised to have someone take their orders in a few minutes. Neither said much as of yet as Sunset literally run up to Fluttershy just as the girl was entering the building. Now she was dreading what her pink haired companion would have to say since they were alone.

“Did you find anything?” Sunset asked a few moments after Fluttershy picked up her menu to look at it.

“I was thinking the fried rice.” Fluttershy replied, her voice a little stiff.

“That’s not what I meant, Shy.” Sunset sighed, “I meant did you find anything at the mall?”

“I didn’t go to the mall, I just hung out around town a little.” Fluttershy said as she put her menu down. “Did you find anything?”

“No, I’m saving my money since I’ll likely need it for groceries until after the holidays.” Sunset replied with a yawn before she looked up at Fluttershy like a deer trapped in the headlights of a speeding car. Her mouth moved faster than her brain.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked shocked.

“It’s nothing too big, I just have reduced hours at work because I wanted to enjoy the sleepovers with you girls. On top of that, people is shopping more than watching my streams right now and when they do watch they spent all their money on presents so they don’t send any my way. And finally, commissions have been slow lately which I think is because of Anon-A-Miss.” Sunset explained, “It isn’t a big deal, I’ve done it on less when I didn’t even have the extra income sources. This hundred will last me well into the new year.”

“Oh Sunset, why didn’t you…oh. I’m so sorry, Sunset.” Fluttershy gasped in realization that they had hurt Sunset’s hours at her job and hurt her like they did and the younger trio had caused it as well as hurt Sunset’s commission business.

“Fluttershy, please stop right there.” Sunset said, thankful when a girl about their age came up with dark twin tails.

“Hi, I’m Hay Lin and I will be your server tonight.” The girl said studying both Sunset and Fluttershy, “Wow, both of you are gorgeous. Are you new here or out of town? I just ask because most people like you like in Canterlot. Not that I don’t think you shouldn’t be here, because you should. Well only if you want to.”

“That’s enough Hay Lin, you don’t have to get so nervous.” Sunset chuckled as Fluttershy giggled. Hay Lin was blushing brightly and trying to hide her face behind her order pad. “I’ll just have my regular.”

“Your regular?” Hay Lin asked confused as she managed to get her embarrassment under control and lower her order pad.

“I’m sorry, everything just seems so familiar.” Sunset sighed, “I’ll have an order of sweet and sour chicken, a spring roll and some dumplings with a Pepsi.”

“I’ll have the vegetable fried rice and a couple of spring rolls with an iced tea please.” Fluttershy said handing the girl her menu along with Sunset’s.

“I’ll have them out to you in just a few minutes.” Hay Lin said with a large grin that seemed a little off. She hurried off to the kitchen while Sunset kept blinking trying to figure what was wrong with her. She recognized the girl from somewhere yet she didn’t, it was like a feeling of De Ja Vu that she had been having all day. Everything she let her exhaustion come close to overcoming her it seemed like she would have these weird moments of recognizing someone or something when she knew for a fact she had never been here before.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked reaching over the small table and putting her hand on top Sunset’s only to have the other girl to snatch her hand away.

“I’m fine, I just have a lot on my plate.” Sunset sighed.

“Maybe if you start at the beginning and start small and take it one step at a time. Don’t let it overwhelm you.” Fluttershy suggested not noticing the spark in Sunset’s eyes. “Let me apologize for what I’ve done, please. I love you Sunset, your one of my best friends.”

“You don’t get it, it isn’t just about Anon-A-Miss! I have nothing! Zip! Zero! Nada!” Sunset growled out, “Sure I have a few physical things but I don’t have the one thing I’ve wanted since I was a filly! I had no parents, I can’t even remember my past before the princess. Then she took me in and I thought I finally had a mother yet no matter how hard I tried she pushed me away while welcoming a damned stranger!”

“Sunset.” Fluttershy eeped out, tears singing as they threatened to spill as she retreated behind the curtain that was her hair.

“Go make friends she said, every pony either wanted to use me or tell me how worthless I was and shouldn’t have been her student. I somehow knew friendship was a waste of time before I tried, I knew all they would do is hurt you. Case in point, the girls who said I was family. Where was that family when I needed them the most? Where were you?” Sunset sobbed out, “And now I have a woman claiming to be my mother which I would give anything for if I didn’t know how it would end. Then again, if she is my mother then my entire life has been a lie! How the hell am I supposed to handle that? Tell me, what part do I start with?”

“Shhh, it’s okay dear. Why don’t you two girls come with me where we can talk alone.” An older Asian woman said with a sad smile patting Sunset’s shoulder, “My name is Yan Lin.”

Sunset and Hay Lin allowed the older woman to lead them downstairs while Sunset hugged herself tightly humiliated at breaking down like that in public like that. Neither was sure what to say as Fluttershy sat in a chair by a round table while Sunset walked past her and sat at the edge of a cot away from the pink haired girl.

“It sounds like you have had a rough life, child, but if you give up you won’t ever find the light at the end of the tunnel.” Yan Lin said softly.

“I don’t plan to give up, I’m just tired.” Sunset sighed, meaning what she said. She was beaten down but not yet broken in her opinion, though at times she felt she was getting close. Pulling out the Heart Sunset turned it this way and that in her hand looking for some kind of answers in it. “You know, a lot of my problems started with this.”

“It’s very beautiful.” Yan Lin said, recognition flashing over her eyes as she finally recognized the two girls from videos she has seen. Leaning over holding out her hands she gave Sunset an encouraging smile. “May I see it a moment?”

“I guess.” Sunset sighed as she dropped the jewel in Yan Lin’s hand with the cord still around her neck.

---

“If red didn’t insist on keeping everything a secret from Elyon then my best friend would be safe. Why couldn’t you be the one they took!” Cornelia yelled at Will who was having a hard time keeping from breaking down at the blonde’s onslaught of anger. She couldn’t really blame her seeing it was her fault Elyon willingly went with Prince Phobos and Cedric.

“Can it Corny!” Irma snapped out.

“She has a point, Irma. If we just talked to Elyon and explained everything to her we might not be in this mess.” Taranee sighed, agreeing with Cornelia.

“Okay, Elyon might still be here but we would still be fighting the snake skin purse and Voldermort.” Irma snapped.

“Can’t you take anything serious?” Cornelia growled.

“Girls, please, let’s just go home and rest before someone says something you can’t take back.” Hay Lin urged them.

“It isn’t like I asked to be leader.” Will sniffed out.

“And you shouldn’t be, I should have been picked as leader.” Cornelia huffed.

“Will!” Hay Lin cried out after Will retreating form as the redhead ran home away from the painful reminder of her screw-ups and realization that maybe her friends wouldn’t have even been her friends if not for the Heart of Kandrakar.

“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you to get home, you knew I had a date with Dean.” Susan demanded, an angry look in her eyes. Yan Lin noticed something in the vision though that Will missed. A green sheen washed over the woman’s eyes a moment as if fighting against something before the look grew angrier. “That’s it, go to your room. You are grounded for the rest of the week and weekend, maybe then you will start being responsible.”

“I can’t take this anymore!” Will snapped as tears flew as she spun around and ran from the apartment intent on ending it one way or another.

“Is this Will’s memories?” Yan Lin asked softly as she was still unable to break free of the vision.

“No, they are ours.” Said several voices at once from all around her.

“Who are you?” Yan Lin asked, not sure if this was some trick.

“We are the Spirits of Kandrakar, those who power and safeguard the actual source of the Guardians’ powers.” The voices echoed.

“You’re the spirits of the nymph and four dragons.” Yan Lin gasped in understanding and just a bit of awe and fear.

“We are, now watch.” The voices said as the scene shifted to Prince Phobos’s throne room.

“Pathetic.” Phobos sneered at Will who was on one knee with her head bowed as she panted. “You should never have come alone, not that you could have bested me with all of your sorry excuse for friends by your side.”

“Shall I finish her my lord?” Cedric hissed out as he slithered towards Will.

“Go ahead and bring me the Heart after. When I drain every last ounce of life from my sister I’ll see if I can’t drain it from that wretched world that thought they could stop me.” Phobos laughed, not hearing the gasp from the hallway as both Elyon and Vathek overheard. Both was about to step out before the entire room was bathed in a bright light.

“You won’t ever hurt anyone ever again.” Will growled as her body seemed to change back and forth between her guardian form and a being of pure energy. Raising her hands she shot what seemed to be an unending stream of power through Phobos and Cedric electrocuting both. It only took a few moments before Will collapsed on her knees as five beings of light surrounded her.

“Wilhelmina Vandom.” The voices said in unison.

“It’s Will.” Will choked out as she could feel her life on the edge of slipping away. She wasn’t sure if it was just her pulse and heart rate shooting through the roof and her stomach feeling like it dropped into an eternal abyss or if she was just close to fainting. A part of her felt as if she should be hoping for the later, but a large part of her was hoping for it to just end.

“Will!” Two voices screamed from the hallway that she barely heard and she didn’t notice two figures banging on an energy field blocking their entrance into the chamber.

“Will, you have risked your life time and time again for a world you didn’t know while dealing with so much pain at home as well as the lack of confidence in some of your companions. You have accomplished so much here tonight and we feel you have so much more you can accomplish in the future.” The voices said earning a snort from Will, “You have suffered so much with so little in return and have earned our respect and we have decided you deserve something in return for all that you have done. We will grant one single wish if it is within our power.”

“Can you send me back in time, maybe I can fix things and have a better life.” Will whispered though it still echoed throughout the chamber.

“If that is your wish it is within our power to grant.” The voices echoed.

“Wait, no, I want a new chance at life. All I have is misery, my dad left us and my mom is pushing me away for some jerk. She doesn’t even care about me anymore. I’m starting to think that they wouldn’t even care for me if it wasn’t for the Heart.” Will cried.

The voices were quiet for several seconds before finally asking, “Are you sure this is what you want? If it is we can grant a combination of your wish and send you to have a new chance at life on a world that is closed off to Kandrakar. It will take a lot of power to take you there and it will take time regaining our strength with you before we can come back ourselves.”

“Yes, please, I have nothing left here.” Will sobbed.

“Very well, however you will be responsible for making what you want of your life as we can not control those around you.” The voices echoed as once again the room was awash in light from energy as Will was covered in it. She could feel her body getting smaller and began to change as everything around her spun. She opened her mouth to scream as pain washed over her as if she was being overloaded.

“Be calm my little pony, I am here to help.” A white alicorn with pastel colored ethereal mane and tail in golden regalia cried out as she landed before the wildly thrashing energy before a bolt struck her and went through her. It surprisingly didn’t hurt the pony, but it did seem to transfer something from her to Will as the winds and energy died down Will was passed out on the ground in the form of an amber colored unicorn with a bright red mane. A few moments later golden streaks began forming through her mane and tail as a two toned sun image began to appear on her flanks.

“You don’t see that everyday.” Yan Lin said in shock, unsure what to make of this.

“No you don’t.” New voices agreed startling Yan Lin. “Do not fret ex-guardian of Kandrakar, we bear you no ill will. We are the Spirits of Harmony from the world you just saw. We are similar to the Spirits of Kandrakar in we protect our homes.”

“So I take it these are your memories.” Yan Lin asked.

“Yes, as the Spirits of Kandrakar was drained reaching out to us asking for permission to bring the poor child here. The Heart would have recovered much faster if Princess Celestia had not taken it to make sure it didn’t pose a threat to the ponies of her world.” The voices said.

“So the child is Will? Can you give her memories back? Yan Lin asked hopefully.

“She will never be Wilhelmina Vandom outside of her guardian form again. She has the memories locked deep inside of her of her past life and will recover some here and there, but it is too dangerous to return those memories as it could destroy who Sunset Shimmer is now and possibly end up destroying both in the process.” The spirits said, a little sadness in their voice.

“It is our fault for that as we hadn’t anticipated the magic surge changing her caused nor the damage copying parts of Princess Celestia would add to it. It fundamentally changed the girl in ways we haven’t expected.” The Spirits of Kandrakar explained.

“So Susan truly has lost her daughter.” Yan Lin sniffled.

“No, Sunset Shimmer is as much Susan Vandom’s daughter as she is Princess Celestia’s.” Both sets of voices intoned as Yan Lin blinked and found herself back in the basement of her family’s home.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked helping the swaying woman to one of the chairs as Sunset fell back on the cot in a loud snore startling the two left awake.

“I’m fine, Granny’s just getting a little old.” Yan Lin sighed unsure of what to do with what she learned.

Author's Note:

Not much of a note tonight, I've had a very rough day and was starting to think I wouldn't be able to finish this tonight. Thankfully I did and for those who wonder about the vision, it was something Yan Lin saw that the spirits wanted her to see. Sunset didn't see it and won't remember it. Thank you everyone who reviewed or messaged me with votes and comments, have a great night everyone.

Comments

[Sunny Scriber]

“Be calm my little pony, I am here to help.” A white alicorn with pastel colored ethereal mane and tail in golden regalia cried out as she landed before the wildly thrashing energy before a bolt struck her and went through her. It surprisingly didn’t hurt the pony, but it did seem t transfer something from her to Will as the winds and energy died down Will was passed out on the ground in the form of an amber colored unicorn with a bright red mane. A few moments later golden streaks began forming through her mane and tail as a two toned sun image began to appear on her flanks.

Seem to transfer

[TacoTues4Eva]

11482853 Thank you, I was sure I got all of them. I fixed it.

[HarmonicPriest]

11482358
It's actually pretty easy to comprehend and at least in my mind I draw similarities to D&D Sorcerers where Auramere is "Sorcerous Origin" and Mana Pool is kinda font in this case. That actually puts both "I.T.C.H-y for violence" girls (pure Sorcerers in this scenario using earlier comparison) and especially Sunset (3 parts sorcerer-2 parts wizard- 1 part bard hybrid) higher on my personal power scale. As far as I can tell Sunset is at least capable at this moment to:
-beat all 4 I.T.C.H-y girls 4v1 even in ambush scenario
-beat any 2 not-empowered Knights of Vengence 2v1
-solo Phobos 1v1 (I don't have a high opinion of basicly energy vampire with ego size comparable to the width of any continent)
-collapse at the maximum 6-floor building in one shot (only collapse not destroy/vaporize/craterize)
-in a straight 1v1 fight against Twilight barely pull out draw two out of ten times (Twilight may not have that much battle experience but sheer power and knowledge gives her a rather big stick in battles of attrition)
-cause or stop Skynet-type scenario (Let's be honest animating any kind of computer server with Quintessence could cause that)
-pull a victory against a counter-terrorist unit with 6 members without heavy weaponry or 3 member X-Com rookie team (Less sure there because it's X-Com, their luck and accuracy is bipolar enough to lose against an ant or win against a greater daemon of chaos)

My estimation is probably rather wrong considering that I tend to overestimate magics and ponies, not like battle capability has any matter for the story to be good, and to this point, it is a good story. I also had a couple of thoughts:

1. Considering access to elemental lightning Sunset could dress in the black cloak and give the entire school a heart attack and need for new pants/skirts on Halloween by doing the "You pushed me into becoming Sith" prank. After all non-banite siths of the old republic were kind of terrifying.

2. I wonder which of the girls would have an opinion of how non-threatening Equestria is ... and then quickly change that opinion. I mean Meridian is scary but in a more visual way, truly horrifying things are sandpit and those smell-seeking snails, the rest is ... kinda meh. Equestria ... kinda has an entire list of pastely-horrory fauna and flora (and comics add more to my opinion that it is a death world beaten into submission by inhabitants).

3. I kinda never liked treants of Zamballa...ot any kind of treants...for reasons. Am I the only one that would like to engage in some of bio-terrorism and throw via a portal a small jar of parasprites and watch effects?

4. If there would be a need to get Heart of Earth Sunset kinda has a natural advantage... I mean what kind of kindergarten girl with a dislike for her older sister would not give absolute power for petting then befriending a unicorn with the option of tourism/emigration with family to the pastel land of ponies at will? There are sacrificial cults started on much worse principles *Looks at Silent Hill*

By the way , your updates are very fast, I hope you don't burn yourself out