Sunset's geode has been a small blessing. While not giving common superpowers like the others, it does allow Sunset to do something special. Forgotten Introspection. Something she has started doing quite often. Even if deep down, she doesn't want to. Even if it hurts her.
Written for the A Thousand Words II contest, as Experimental/Drama.
Special thank you's for Dewdrops on the Grass and daOtterGuy for pre-reading and EileenSaysHi for editing and helping out with the cover and ending.
Chapters (1)
Ouch. Hope Sunset learns the difference between accepting her past and moving forward with the empathy and kindness she has learned vs using it to torture herself. Kind of sad she's been unable to move forward even up to when she got her geode.
11611933
Learning to forgive oneself is certainly one of the most difficult things to do.
Oooh, painful but necessary.
Yikes, that hurt.
But great work. Best of luck in the judging!
I wonder who here victim is here.
It's nice to see Sunset taking responsibility for her actions.
Sunset 's antics rendering VP Luna dead inside explains a lot about the way she acts over the course of the series.
Wallflower? The flower sisters?
Rarity would be the best fair maiden.
Great story. You convey a lot of story a short period of time thoroughly reminding us why Sunset Shimmer is in fact a villain without any melodramatics.
I I appreciate this look into the mind of MLP's most dedicated reformer. Thanks for writing!
I wish this wasn’t just a one shot. This has such good potential. Not only does it give us more of what sunset did as a bully, but more of the geodes.
Quite a concept, trying to remember her victims through nearly purged memories, to reflect and atone.
I think there’s parallels to be drawn here between Sunset’s actions and Luna’s with the Tantabus. At what point does atonement become self-harm?
Very interesting. Best of luck in the competition!
Here is the obligatory comment:
Well, seeing how others got what was going on, it proved how me having to ask per DM what was going on was just me not getting it. I guess always expecting outside source for anything is per se not a healthy mindset, as one should also look if one yourself was the whole cause.
But well, back to the story: I love the concept, something I could see be realisticly happening. With now understanding it, the ending has an even bigger impact, something that could straight up spiral out of control into more guilttrips. Lovely unsettling, and great execution.
I reeeeaaaalllllyyyyy don't care for the geodes, but I love this story! So have a 👍
I have so many theories on why Sunset did a complete turnaround from her old self overnight that I know many others thought about. Did the elements forceher to experience all the pain she caused? Did they just erase all negativity from her? Did the completely rewrite her personality? Did they banish a dark entity that was possessing her that she attracted when looking into dark magic? No matter what it is, I loved the setup you have here as she delves into who she once was, and I am guessing that since she's writing it down she intends to try and make amends at some point besides remembering who she is.
aww yeah, that totally is what a pony encountering humans for the first time would analogize them to!
ooh, neat way to show the holes in the memory
very creepy, i love this!
oh, pre-reform Sunset!
the Empathy Stone magic seems to be good at pulling together a small selection of relevant memories, but that is different from using it on herself to systematically go through every detail of her past, and at those limits surely strange things like this could happen (and who knows if the Memory Stone ripping away all her memories and putting them back in again did anything to them on top of that?). those events also causing her to feel insecure in her reform and memories in general also makes all too much sense. sometimes having too much of the power of self-reflection can be a very bad thing! love this take, thank you for writing!
As 11613007 noted, this kind of remorseful self-flagellation smacks of the Tantabus. I do hope Sunset’s friends convince her stop dredging up her old misdeeds long after she’s atoned for them. This could lead down a tragic road otherwise.
Good bit of drama, and a clever use of mental static to compress some of the scenes into the allowed word count. Thank you for it.