Twilight had vanished and nopony seemed to remember who she was. Sunset was now an alicorn princess and may have taken over Twilight’s life. Now it was up to Sunset to find Twilight no matter what.
Sunset knew something was wrong when she woke up in Twilight’s castle since she had no recollection how she even got there. She soon discovered that Twilight was missing and nobody seemed to remember who Twilight was. But that was the least of her worries when she found out she has become an alicorn princess and may have taken over Twilight's life. With no clue as to where Twilight was or why they had switched roles, Sunset was determined to find Twilight. With the help of Spike and Twilight’s friends, Sunset set out to find her presumed missing friend.
I jolted awake from a dreamless sleep as immediate gasps escaped my lips.
But soon, my bed enveloped me in its comfort as my eyes began to droop; fatigue began to overwhelm me. Not that I’m complaining, but every morning I’d often feel like I was hit with a brick, run over by a truck or had one of Pinkie Pie’s special cupcake surprises laced with chili sauce or some other bizarre concoction. I didn’t ask what she had put in that muffin last week and I didn’t want to know. It might work as a morning pick-me-up, but I didn’t think I’d need something like that today. Although my mind seemed to be vivid as I tried to fight against the bed’s fluffy exterior. A losing battle blatantly obvious, but my refusal to give in (if you could even call it that) allowed me the luxury to at least flutter an eyelid.
I shuffled around in my sheets, a sign of permission for the enemy to win. Why should my bed be my enemy? After all, the sunlight radiating through the room was reason enough for me to welcome my comforting friend. It was a pure sign that today was going to be a fine day for relaxation and there was no way I could pass the chance to sleep in and bask in the sun’s glow.
But even after saying all that, I was having this peculiar feeling in my chest. Alarm bells had been ringing in my head ever since I had woken up. Much like my abrupt awakening, they were odd signals that required further investigation.
I finally had the motivation to rise from my bed, my sheets still wrapped around me like a gown. I scanned my surroundings and recognised a familiar setting, provoking an outlandish question to pop inside my head.
Why am I at Twilight’s castle?
It was Twilight’s room all right, but I couldn't recall how I had even gotten here. I looked down at myself and recognised two familiar hooves with the same fiery amber coat attached to my body. This reinforced another interesting question.
Why am I in Equestria?
The room had the same purplish-blue crystalline walls prominent throughout the entire castle, while the furnishings somehow brought the room to life, assisted by Celestia’s sun shining into the room. The study desk decorated with quills, inks and parchment papers, and bookshelves which I suspected was filled with intelligent academic literature, courtesy of Princess Twilight. There was also a large purple bed containing a queen-sized, fluffy mattress and matching lavender quilts which embraced me in their robust texture, and a stylized red-and-gold Saddle Arabian rug on the floor. Twilight sure had some taste with the rug, but the room was nonetheless suitable for the studious bookworm. As much as I’d like to admire Princess Twilight’s dwelling, I needed to find her as soon as possible.
I trotted off the bed, untangling myself from the pristine fabric. I headed out into the hallway pertaining the same crystalline walls as the bedroom. Nothing was out of the ordinary, at least from the last time I visited this place. It still didn’t explain why I woke up here instead of my own home. There was no sign of life either that might provide me that answer. All the while I’ve been racking my brain, searching for my most recent memory that could give me some explanation. Alas nothing was coming up except for the strangest sensation. I could remember going to college ‘yesterday’. The image was so vivid that it might be proof that I wasn’t going through amnesia; at least, I didn’t think I was since amnesia I believed was when you’ve lost some memories and I was doubting I lost anything.
I contemplated my bearings and tried to initiate a plan as to where I should go next. I finally decided on a destination and came to a staircase at the end of the hallway. If the library was anywhere it would be downstairs on the ground floor, one of the most likely places Twilight might be, if not the only place. At least whenever I went to go look for her, she would usually be there.
I headed down into the main hallway. Much like upstairs, there was the same purplish-blue infrastructure albeit wider and much longer. I was beginning to understand the concerns Twilight spoke about when living in her castle. The rooms and hallways were too spacious to house only two residents, which reminded me that Spike might also be around. Still there was no sign of him or Twilight as I scanned around. The deafening silence echoed throughout the hallway that you could hear a pin drop. It was kind of getting on my nerves.
The library was a few steps away, and I powered towards it. I flung open its doors, the creak resonating throughout the castle as if making up for the perpetual silence. Books lined up, housed within the bookshelves along the walls; several tables were scattered throughout the room, each touched with a mahogany finish. It was, however, the lack of a certain alicorn that got most of my attention.
“Hello?” I called out within the vicinity.
I went further into the library making thoroughly sure I didn’t miss the Princess of Friendship or her dragon friend, alas to no avail. I frowned and retreated back the way I came, that was, until I saw Spike waltz into the library just then. The same green frills protruded from his purplish scaly body, and the same green, draconic slits for eyes. He had certainly grown over the past couple of years that he had caught up to my height. He also had a longer tail as well as his snout but only slightly. His voice was also noticeably deeper. I couldn’t help but feel proud for the little guy. Correction, he wasn’t so little anymore.
“Morning Sunset. I was making breakfast just now. You sure were sleeping in later than usual today,” he said. He was wearing a white-pinkish apron with fluffy frills confirming he was indeed in the kitchen. You know for a male dragon, I’d like to protest his fashion sense, or maybe he had been hanging around Twilight and her friends far too long and were a bad influence on his taste in clothing. I would have to guess the latter.
“So, what’s up?” he asked.
“What?”
“You called for me, didn’t you?”
“Oh, right.” Well I didn’t exactly call for him specifically. Admittedly, I was taken aback by his earlier question, having traversed around the castle thus far without any indication of anyone had me at wits end and spacing out. Nonetheless I responded. “Morning Spike. You said you were making breakfast?”
“Yeah, pancakes. I was about to come get you until I heard you call out. I just finished the first batch.”
“Oh, ok. That’s great,” I said, as I started to relax a little.
I gathered my thoughts as to what my next words should be. Doesn’t help when you’re not exactly sure what to ask. Guess I’d start with how I was feeling that morning.
“Listen Spike, the thing is, I’m feeling a bit confused this morning and I was wondering if you could help me.”
“Sure. What do you mean by confused though?” Spike inquired, tilting his head.
“Like, I don’t remember anything yesterday. I don’t even remember how I got to this castle.”
“You don’t remember how you got here?” Spike raised his brow.
“Yeah, ever since I woke up, I’ve felt like my memories are a blur. Can you enlighten me what happened yesterday? What was I doing exactly?”
Spike put his claw up to his chin. “I don’t really know what to say. I mean, yesterday was like any normal day. We didn’t have anything important going on so we just stayed here in the castle.”
Yesterday was like any normal day? We just stayed here in the castle?
“Hang on Spike, are you saying I was here yesterday?”
“Yeah, you were… Where else did you think you’d be?”
To answer that question, I would have said my dorm room at Canterlot College. I was still ways away from finishing my course and it was also around my semester exams, so it was impossible for me to be here. It just didn’t fit. But the way Spike said that as matter of fact, I doubted he was lying. There must be something more to this.
“Was I staying here for a while? Like on vacation or something?”
Spike gave me this nefarious look, like his eyes were piercing through me. I didn’t like that look.
“What are you talking about? You live here Sunset.”
I narrowed my eyelids at the absurd claim. While I did travel back here to Equestria on a few occasions, and met Twilight and her friends, I never planned on staying here. My plan was to finish college, spend some more time with my friends as much as possible then maybe, possibly consider moving back here. But this was way beyond my expectations.
“Wait, what? What do you mean I live here? I don’t live here. I never decided to come back to Equestria.” I noticed my voice was getting cracked and rigid.
His face hardened even more, clearly getting irritated for whatever reason. It wasn’t exactly fair—I’m the one who’s most confused about all this.
But then Spike softened his expression, his irritation replaced with a dash of concern. He looked down for a moment before finally offering his next few words to me.
“Are you all right, Sunset?”
I didn’t care for pity—I had enough of it back at Canterlot High. Even though the girls back there were warming up to me after what I did, I still sensed some tension from them. But it was that face Spike was giving me that made me scowl, not that I should brush off the poor guy.
“No, I’m not,” I said through clench teeth. “I did say I was feeling a bit confused this morning.” My hoof was plastered on my forehead while massaging its scalp to emphasise my point.
“Yeah, you did mention that.” Spike nodded his head in agreement, while I was shaking mine in contempt.
“Look, maybe, you can go ask Twilight. Maybe she knows what’s going on with me.”
Now Spike was giving me a blank stare. What’s with all these faces he keeps pulling? I thought. I swear I was the one getting frustrated the most especially when Spike was emitting an annoying agitation from his expressions.
“Spike, what’s wrong? What are you giving me that look for?”
He stood like a statue as I awaited his reply, like something was wrong with the way I asked that question. Naturally his uneasiness was discomforting for me. He finally answered me with the same deadpan look on his face.
“Who’s Twilight?”
My pupils dilated and I took a step back. There was a moment when reality shattered and fell to the ground, breaking into a million pieces. Silence befell the room, filled only by quickened breaths as I began to hyperventilate.
“Spike”—I gulped down my throat as if swallowing something I never realised was there before—“what do you mean ‘who’s Twilight?’ She’s your friend. Your guardian. Your caretaker. Your sister. The one who hatched you from an egg…”
“I don’t know anypony by that name…”
I knew I should’ve been calm and collected, but instead, my frustration that had been building up for the past few minutes spewed like venom. “Spike, if you are messing with me, stop it! I’m not in the mood right now!”
That never helped any situation, evident with the way Spike flinched at my outburst. He broke away from his petrified state and began treading backwards out the library. His gaze never left my sight, containing what I saw was… fear?
He was at a loss for words. I was at a loss for words. My quickened breaths were exasperated, tears clouded my vision, and heat rose to my cheeks. I wasn’t getting dizzy, but it felt like I was starting to get a headache. I massaged the base of my skull in a failed attempt to calm myself. Afterwards, I pushed forward.
“How can you not know who Twilight is? This is her castle isn’t it?”
“No, it’s yours, Sunset. It’s always been your castle. You’ve been living here soon after you became a princess.”
“No I haven’t! I don’t live here Spike! I’m not even a princess! I’ve never been a princess!”
“Yes you are! You even have your wings to prove it!” Spike said, pointing at me.
I glared at him in bewilderment. To think Spike thought he could get away with such a ridiculous claim like that. I knew my own life to know there was no way I was or ever became a princess, let alone an alicorn.
But then I turned to my sides and witnessed two feathery limbs attached to my body. I was able to outstretch them and deduced that these were indeed my wings. A thought came to mind as to how I didn’t notice them before, but more importantly, when did I even obtain them?
Nothing was making sense. Spike made several assertions that I was an alicorn princess and this castle belonged to me and that I’ve been living here. He also claimed he didn’t know Twilight and yet I could recall her in my memories.
I jerked my head up and ran past Spike into the empty hallway upon a horrifying realisation. Nobody needed to be familiar with this castle to know where I was headed. I threw those two doors wide open, again the creaking echo reverberated throughout the entire hallway and rushed in.
There, the six thrones, tall, white, and majestic, adorned by the cutie marks of the Elements of Harmony. But the middle of the room was empty, missing a large map in the form of a round table. But I didn’t falter, as it made it more accessible for me to confirm my suspicions. I shot my head up at the cutie marks of Twilight and her friends as I inspected each one: a rainbow-coloured lightning bolt coming out of a cloud, three pink butterflies, three different-coloured balloons, three blue gems and three strong red apples. They were all there, except…
No, it can’t be…
Instead of a bright pink star surrounded by five smaller white ones was a red and gold bicoloured sun.
I was dazed, parking myself in the centre of the surrounding thrones, staring at my own cutie mark. I suppressed any movement, or rather, my body refused to move. Even when I heard steps coming from behind me, I didn’t turn around to meet Spike’s attention. Moments passed while he hovered around me, not knowing what to say or how to act. Can’t blame him since my erratic behaviour earlier couldn’t justify a simple response. But things were now clearer to me as I finally understood why he was looking at me strangely, why he asked me those ridiculous questions and said those ludicrous claims which made it all the more terrifying.
“Spike,” I began, as I slowly turned around and met his gaze. “I’m going to ask you a few questions, but I need you to be straight and honest with me. Can you do that?”
“Yes, but what’s going on—”
“Spike,” I interjected, getting his full attention. With a determined disposition I ventured forward with my inquisition. “Do you know a mare named Twilight Sparkle?”
“No.”
I simply nodded. “Do you know a princess known as the Princess of Friendship?”
“No… I don’t.”
I nodded again. It may have been a bit redundant, but I needed to make sure there wasn’t another princess with the same title. Surprisingly enough it wasn’t me.
“When did I become an alicorn princess?”
“A few years ago. You were chronicling the Magic of Friendship for Princess Celestia. She then made you an alicorn princess when she thought you were ready.” His answer was less useful than I hoped, but I did sense some form of memory adjustment since he ‘remembered’ when and how I became a princess, more likely a memory attuned to Twilight.
“What title of princess am I?”
“You’re the Princess of Hope.”
Huh, that was unexpected. Admittedly I actually liked the sound of that, as if it was catered to me.
“Do you know any of these mares: Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie?” I could’ve logically determined those mares did exist but it didn’t hurt to make sure.
“Yeah, they’re our friends.”
Satisfied, I contemplated upon his several answers. It wasn’t much to go by but it was a start, plus his answers painted a picture that reinforced my general conclusions and reflected my previous concerns—and it wasn’t a good one.
“…Sunset?”
“Spike”—I looked him straight in the eyes as I made my declaration—“I think something terrible has happened.”
Twilight’s friends finally arrived. Applejack was the first to take her seat followed by Rarity, while the rest of the girls were just coming into the throne room.
“So what’s all this ‘bout, sugarcube?”
“Yes, darling. I mean, Spike seemed quite frantic when he came to get me for this emergency meeting.”
Rainbow Dash flew in onto her throne. “You got that right. I ain’t seen anypony as freaked out as he was. Although he didn’t exactly use the words ‘emergency meeting’ and more like ‘Sunset has gone crazy.’”
I guess subtlety wasn’t part of his agenda when I sent him out to relay my message. The same applied for Rainbow Dash since her comment made Applejack and Rarity look at me apprehensively.
By the time Spike went out on his errand, however, I could see he wasn’t impressed. I felt empty when he left without hesitation, having no disregard or questions about it. I knew he wasn’t taking all this too well, but his less than subtle attitude hurt me.
“I can’t wait for the super-duper surprise!” Pinkie Pie bounced onto her throne.
Applejack raised her eyebrow. “What makes ya think there is one?”
“There wouldn’t be one if Spike wasn’t acting all excited like that!”
“Um, Pinkie, I don’t think there’s any surprise here,” Fluttershy meekly claimed.
You have no idea, Fluttershy. I chuckled wryly to myself.
They were how I remembered them the few times I came here to Equestria. I was hesitant at first when I got to meet them, and being the very counterparts of my friends back home, that first meeting felt oddly uncanny. It was fair to say that I got along with them pretty quickly, albeit with a rough start. After being with them for a while, you’d rarely spot minor differences between the two, though I still kept in mind Equestria wasn’t the human world.
Applejack was still the diligent and hardworking earth mare as shown by her strong and sturdy build from being the proud owner of Sweet Apple Acres, with the same tied-up blonde mane and Stetson hat upon her head which I’ve never seen her without.
Rarity was still the strikingly beautiful unicorn mare emanating such flair and radiance, tantamount to the established high-class fashionista at the Carousel Boutique we all knew and loved. From what I heard she became increasingly successful making her own lines of clothes for important ponies around Equestria, and I would agree her designs were breathtaking.
Fluttershy came to a close second when it came to pretty mares. The shy pegasus would often hide away behind her beautiful, long pink hair from time to time. Although true to her namesake, I couldn’t help but feel she had grown more confident.
Rainbow Dash was the definition of impatience and overconfidence if I ever saw one, though she made up for it with her enthusiasm and determination when it came to her friends and lifestyle. They were especially necessary traits when it involved the Wonderbolts; the last time I heard she actually made the team as a full-fledged member. Nonetheless the lean blue pegasus, with her dishevelled rainbow-coloured mane, was as athletic as you could get.
And last but not least, Pinkie Pie, Ponyville’s very own party pony. The all-pink earth mare was a whole bundle of energy who could literally defy the laws of physics if she wanted to; I’ve seen her do it. I didn’t mind it, although I felt I’d lose something if I’d ever question it. But as far as normal routines went, she lived and worked at the local bakery known as Sugar Cubed Corner, along with planning parties for the ponies at Ponyville.
Now that they were here, how was I supposed to proceed with this? My body was shaking and my gasps were ragged. Sweat began to perspire across my forehead, and my mind was clouded with thoughts of our dire situation.
The girls eagerly awaited my response. Spike was slumping in his seat, resting his chin in his claw while exhibiting a frown. He was avoiding my gaze no matter how much I looked over to him beside me. Anyways, like I did with Spike, I’d try to start off slow and from the beginning.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice. I wouldn’t have called you all here if I thought this wasn’t important. First of all, I need to ask you guys something. Have any of you heard of a mare named Twilight Sparkle?”
As expected, their headshakes and ‘no’s’ reinforced my suspicions.
Just as I thought.
I took a deep breath and continued. “There’s no easier way for me to say this, but I think something major has happened. Something really unexpected.”
“Whatever do you mean, darling?”
“What I mean, Rarity, is that when I woke up this morning, I think I might have taken over somepony else’s life. The pony I’m referring to is that same mare I asked you about, whom you all are supposed to know.”
They looked at each other then back to me as if trying to process whatever it was I just told them.
“Hang on, sugarcube, what do ya mean ya took over somepony else’s life? Also, like we said, we don’t know anypony by that name,” Applejack objected with a raised hoof.
“I know, but I have good reason to believe everypony has somehow forgotten about her, including you girls. It’s as if she has vanished from existence. I know this because I’m the only one who remembers her and that my life right now—whatever it is—might be in fact Twilight’s.”
Rainbow Dash eyed me suspiciously. There was a slight pause until she finally spoke up while crossing her forehooves. “You’re joking, right?”
Pinkie turned her head like a confused puppy. “Yeah, Sunny, I mean, if this is supposed to be a joke, it’s not a really good one.”
But it was Applejack who was examining my mannerisms closely, not once looking away from my facial features. “Ah dun think she’s jokin’, ya’ll.”
Their eyes followed Applejack’s as they pierced through me. I scrunched down and gingerly looked up at their intense gazes.
“Are you perhaps feeling sick? Maybe you’re feeling a little under the weather without knowing it,” Fluttershy suggested.
My attention was then put to her. I studied her momentarily before I reactively chuckled. Typical Fluttershy to make that assumption, but at least that allowed me to steel my resolve despite their hardened glances.
“No, Fluttershy, I don’t think that’s it. Thank you for your kindness though.” I took a minute to collect myself before addressing the rest of the group.
“I wish I was joking. But this morning I woke up as an alicorn princess. Not once can I remember a point in my life of ever becoming one. This castle—” I gestured with my hoof “—is supposed to be Twilight’s, and she is supposed to be the princess living here. As far as I’m concerned our lives have been switched and nopony seems to remember who she is.”
“You don’t remember your own coronation? Or when you got this castle?” Rarity asked, holding a hoof to her mouth. I shook my head.
“Wait, wait, wait, how can you not remember any of that?” Rainbow seemed agitated, and the only response I gave was a wordless shrug.
“Surely you must remember something. Those were some of the most important days of your life—of our lives even,” Rarity exclaimed.
“I agree with Rares. I remember ‘em like it was yesterday. They ain’t somethin’ ya can easily forget,” Applejack added.
“Plus you keep insisting on talking about this Twilight pony when we have no idea who she is,” Rainbow concluded.
I could see their points, but what else could I say to them? It was beginning to look hopeless for any slight understanding from any of these girls. I knew this was difficult, but I was not going to stop—the situation was too dire to give up now!
“I know, and I’m not exactly sure what is happening right now; I’m having a hard time believing all this myself. I know this is a lot to take in, but it’s quite possible that maybe I came from a different world and that the Sunset Shimmer in this world was indeed an alicorn princess and we somehow switched places. Or maybe our timeline has been altered and for that reason Twilight no longer exists.” I postured my back and took a deep breath, then looked the Bearers of the Elements straight in their eyes. “The point is, I don’t think I’m supposed to be here, and that something is seriously wrong. I want to know what exactly happened and I would like—need—your help to help me find out what’s going on.”
They pondered my argument for a bit, which seemed to make sense to them judging from their expressions. I could see a few nods and their resolves hardened upon what I explained—except Fluttershy who looked uneasy.
“Fluttershy?” She didn’t respond to my call. She looked down at the ground, with a slight frown on her face. I seemed to have gotten everypony’s attention when they also looked in her direction. “Are you ok?”
“So you don’t remember anything?” I was taken aback by her sharp inquest. “So you don’t remember when we first met?”
She finally looked up and entrapped me with her eyes. I was speechless, not because I was unable to answer her question but because of her odd behaviour. Not that I could answer her question in the first place since that was a memory affiliated with Twilight. The only time I remembered when I first properly met these girls wasn’t too long ago, just before me and my friends went off to college. That was an edgy time for me when I decided to come back to Equestria to meet Princess Celestia and ask her for her forgiveness, to apologise for what I had done to her in the past. But when I analysed Fluttershy’s gaze, I knew that wasn’t the answer she was looking for. In the end I couldn’t say anything.
And after what seemed like a long time, Fluttershy trotted off her throne. “I think I need a minute…” She then strolled off outside of the room.
“Ah jeez…” Rainbow dashed out of the room before I could even call out Fluttershy’s name.
My hoof was stretched out while I speculated whatever happened with Fluttershy. Inadvertently, I expressed my thoughts out loud, “What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s upset, Sunset.” I instantly turned to Spike who all this time had not spoken a word until now. He sat up against his miniature throne, breaking away from the immobile position he held since before the girls arrived. “How would you feel when your best friend suddenly told you they lost all their memories you both shared? It doesn’t feel good, does it? At least for me it isn’t…”
Applejack adjusted her Stetson a bit and sighed. She then gave me a tentative smile. “I agree with Spike. I mean, I know yer heart is in the right place, and that ye’re not the one at fault here—not that anypony’s blamin’ ya or anythin’ like that—but I gotta admit, this whole thing is mighty nerve-wrackin’.”
“I agree with Applejack,” said Rarity. “What you’re saying is a lot to take in.”
So that’s what it was, huh, I thought. I slouched into my seat, sunk my face into my hooves and breathed a heavy sigh into them. It was happening again, much like my interaction with Spike earlier.
“Awww, cheer up, Sunny!” Pinkie suddenly enwrapped me in one of her famous special heart-warming bear hugs no sooner before I realised what was happening. “You just wanted some help for your little problem, right?”
Her elongated smile put me at ease a little bit. “Thanks, Pinkie.” I disentangled myself from her, my hooves still situated on her shoulders. “It’s just that I’ve just been really confused since this morning and this whole thing seemed so unreal. It hasn’t been easy for me, especially when…”
“When what?”
My mouth froze. I couldn’t finish the sentence, let alone understood why I couldn’t continue my train of thought. Pinkie again appealed to me for a response after which I subconsciously looked up at my throne which Pinkie seemed to have picked up on. She projected a warm smile on her face, as if convinced that she understood something.
“You’re worried about this Twilight pony, right?” I nodded, amazed at her simple powers of deduction. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you find this mystery mare of yours!”
“Pinkie, she’s not a mystery. She’s a real pony.”
“Yeah, but her mysterious disappearance is a HUGE mystery that needs solving”—Pinkie produced a deerstalker cap and gentlepony’s pipe from out of her fluffy pink mane and started blowing out bubbles—“and Chief Detective Pinkie is on the case!”
I chuckled. If there was one pony I wanted the most support from it would be Pinkie. Her radiance and exuberance simply brought smiles to everypony. It was truly inspirational.
“Have you been able to uncover anything regarding this dilemma?” asked Rarity, breaking me out of my reverie.
“No. I did try to look over some books here in the library, but to be frank I’m not sure where to begin. I figured maybe you girls could help me out with that.”
“Well, we’ll just wait for Fluttershy and RD t' come back.”
Upon Applejack’s suggestion, it was a short while until the two ponies in question came back into the room. Fluttershy still looked down but comparatively better before she left.
“Sorry for leaving everypony.”
“It’s ok, Fluttershy,” I reassured her, who responded with a meek smile.
“So what’s the plan, everypony?” Rainbow began.
“Well, Sunset wanted us to figure out where we should go from here,” Rarity explained.
“I did a little research in the library earlier and tried to find sources related to alternate worlds and timelines, but I came up with nothing. I would have to go through that again though,” I said.
“If you want my opinion, I think you just lost your memories, or something else happened with that little noggin of yours,” Rainbow suggested.
Amnesia was one of the first things that came to mind, but that wouldn’t explain why I remember a mare name Twilight Sparkle and all the memories of my previous life. The worst case scenario would be if Twilight Sparkle was an imaginary friend I made up or my entire life turned out to be a lie.
“Wait a minute, RD, let’s not just decide that Sunset belongs in a looney bin,” said Applejack.
Hmph, thanks for the reassurance, AJ…
“That’s not what I’m sayin’ at all. Maybe somepony messed around with her memories and she’s thinking up stuff that wasn’t there before. That is possible, right?”
Her theory was something I hadn't considered before. I still couldn’t deny the possibility that it was everypony else’s memories that have been adjusted, and from that was the possibility that we were in an altered timeline. For somepony to even attempt altering the memories of everypony in Equestria was highly improbable, but not impossible. A unicorn or magical creature could have the capability to manipulate my own memories, but they would require a very complex spell.
All in all, these possibilities brought up the question as to what exactly were these memories that we’d been given. Exactly what memories did these girls have about me? Was I simply a replacement for Twilight and that their memories were once attuned to her? That’s what I had gathered after speaking with Spike, claiming I was chronicling the Magic of Friendship for Princess Celestia when I knew otherwise. That would mean all the hardships Twilight had to go through were now affiliated with me. Either way, I’d still have to address this issue with them. But as I looked over my options again, I noticed a crucial flaw, something of which required explaining.
I failed to notice the girls were continuing the conversation without me while I was deep in thought. Fortunately, the conversation didn’t hold anything substantial, going back and forth of what had already been discussed.
I decided to grab everypony’s attention. “Guys, I think Rainbow is right.”
The girls stopped to face me, but it was Rainbow who seemed the most confused. “…Really?”
“You sound surprised,” Rarity teased.
“Hey, well, I surprise myself sometimes with how awesome I am.” You’re not fooling anypony Rainbow. Even Rarity tried to stifle back a chuckle.
“Wait, so ya do belong in a looney bin?” Applejack seemed adamant to want me crazy. What made it worse was how she said that so casually with her eyebrow fully raised.
“What? No!” I said. “What I meant was, it’s possible that memories can be manipulated, but it requires a lot of power and skill to conjure up a spell for that. That’s why I still think it was everypony else’s memories that have been changed and not mine.”
“But wouldn’t it be easier to change only one pony’s memories instead of everypony else’s?” Rarity interjected. “No offense to you, but for all we know you could be the one making things up.”
I sighed. “You have a point there. Like you said, I’m probably the only one whose memories have been changed. Anything’s possible with magic, and while a spell like that is difficult, it’s not impossible.” It was a hypothesis worth testing, but really we had very little to go on.
“What about somepony like Discord? You saw what he did to Equestria when we went up against him,” Rainbow proposed. Although I’m not sure if she had forgotten about my alleged amnesia since I never did face him. From the few times I did meet him, his power was indeed extraordinary albeit obnoxious and nonsensical.
“Yes, a creature like the spirit of chaos himself certainly has a lot of power. From what I remember, you guys weren’t acting like yourselves at that time and that was caused by his influence.”
“Don’t remind me…” Rarity made a pained expression.
“What? You mean Tom?” Rainbow snickered then gave Rarity a snarky grin.
“Rainbow!” she hissed. She was glaring at her. “I thought we agreed never to speak of that again!”
Am I missing something? I thought, although I kept my mouth shut on the matter.
“Anyways, let’s get back on topic, shall we?” I urged, still somewhat perplexed.
“Hey, maybe it was Discord that caused this mess in the first place.” Rainbow’s chuckling fit seemed to have died down.
“Rainbow Dash that was rude!” said Fluttershy with a wag of her hoof. “You know Discord has been reformed. He has been a good boy and he hasn’t hurt anypony recently.”
Was she talking about a pet?
Rainbow simply rolled her eyes. “Says you, Fluttershy. I’m just sayin’, he probably did it just for kicks.”
“You may be right, Rainbow,” I said, “at this point, I’m practically open to anything.” It was something to consider at least.
Fluttershy didn’t seemed please though. “You’re not suggesting he’d do anything bad, are you?”
“I’m not, but I’d still like to speak with him though. Even if he isn’t the cause of all this, he may have an idea as to what’s going on.” Fluttershy seemed content with my answer.
Pushing the matter aside, I brought up again the previous issue. “I was going to bring this up anyways, but for the moment, I was curious as to what kinds of memories you girls have about me. I feel that’s important and I think that needs to be cleared up first.
“Before that however, I need to clarify something.”—I turned my attention towards my right—“Spike, I’ve been meaning to ask, wasn’t there supposed to be a map here in the middle of the throne room?”
Spike looked to where I pointed. “What do you mean? I don’t remember any map.”
“There’s supposed to be a round table here, right?”
“There hasn’t been anything like that, Sunset.”
Now that is strange, I thought. “Do any of you girls remember a map or a round table being here?” As expected—or rather I hoped it would be the opposite—the girls shook their heads. I then decided to follow through with a different perspective. “Can you girls tell me which of the Elements of Harmony are you?”
The girls shared a look of confusion, and Applejack asked, “Why do ya need t' know that?”
“I just want to make sure everything is okay.” While they still acknowledged its pointlessness, they obliged nonetheless.
“Well, um, mine is Kindness,” Fluttershy spoke first.
“Mine’s Honesty,” said Applejack.
“And I’m Loyalty, which is like the best one ever!” Rainbow Dash sure was hamming it up.
“Pish posh, I think Generosity is the most elegant,” Rarity declared, and in such graceful posture.
“LAUGHTER!” Confetti suddenly spewed from behind Pinkie’s throne.
“All right, that just leaves me with Magic then,” I concluded, yet something felt off.
I got off my throne and started towards the castle entrance. “Guys, come with me. I want to check out something…”
******
I drank in my surroundings. The overcast darkness by the overarching flora, the luscious, soft, fresh mound beneath my hooves, the musky smell of mildew and scented aromas of foliage wafted through the air. The atmosphere was indeed gloomy true to its reputation, but in my opinion, the Everfree Forest was a model for tranquillity, if not for the supposed dangerous creatures lurking within.
The stroll through the forest wasn’t as perilous as I suspected—not that I was looking forward to anything bad happening. It was that the Everfree Forest was famous for being an area where nature was ‘wild’ and that anything went with this place. Historically, it’s where the Castle of the Two Sisters resided, and at its prime was where the two regal sisters, our Princesses of the Sun and Moon, once ruled Equestria in a cooperative diarchy. When Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon and was banished to the moon by her sister, Princess Celestia decided to continue her reign elsewhere of which became Canterlot, controlling both the sun and moon. Now it was supposed to be a desolate ruin from what I’d heard, although I’d yet to see it with my own eyes—at least that was what my current memories told me.
“So, um, what are we looking for Sunset?” Fluttershy asked.
“I remember Twilight once mentioned how you girls had to give up the Elements of Harmony. It was later that she was given her own castle which appeared in Ponyville. Soon after that, a map then appeared in the middle of the throne room in the form of a round table. Its purpose was to pin-point destinations where Twilight and the rest of you girls were supposed to spread the Magic of Friendship.”
“But we didn’t see any map,” said Applejack.
“Exactly, which I think is highly unusual. If I was simply a replacement for Twilight, then a map should’ve been there. It’s why I want to visit the Tree of Harmony to make sure nothing’s wrong.”
I never even knew such a thing existed until Twilight told me about it. I asked her whatever happened to the Elements of Harmony as they had been an intricate part of Twilight and her friends. I was taken by surprise from her unexpected answer of the tree’s existence.
Not ten minutes had passed since we entered the forest and already I was experiencing signs of vertigo. “We’re going the right way, aren’t we? How far is it?”
“It’s not too far, dear. If we continue this way, we’ll reach there in no time,” said Rarity.
Satisfied with her answer, I asked the girls to begin telling me of their memories.
They recounted their versions of important events to me. It helped listening to these stories as it made the trek felt much quicker. A short while after the girls had finished, I broke into a reverie, revising everything that had been stated.
I was the personal student of Princess Celestia who arrived in Ponyville to organise the Summer Sun Celebration. I then met each of these girls one by one, and it was later that night that Nightmare Moon was released from her prison and brought forth nighttime eternal. Me and the rest of the group then went to the Castle of the Two Sisters to find the Elements of Harmony. With them, we were able to defeat Nightmare Moon, and in turn, saved Princess Luna. And so began my eventual stay in Ponyville to chronicle the Magic of Friendship and my new friendships with these girls.
Discord, the spirit of chaos, broke out of his stone prison and caused havoc throughout Equestria. Me and ‘my friends’ then defeated Discord with the Elements of Harmony. Queen Chrysalis tried to take over Canterlot with her changeling swarm but the love between Princess Cadance (who was my old colleague) and Shining Armor (who was apparently my old high school crush—which I had no words for) defeated the changeling queen; they were married shortly after. The Crystal Empire then reappeared and they had to confront King Sombra, who had ruled the empire with an iron hoof but who was also soon defeated. Finally, me and my friends had to give up the Elements to the Tree of Harmony and soon after that was the fight with Tirek from which I was then given my own castle as the Princess of Hope. Nothing else significant came after that, except several more pleasant memories I was supposed to have.
It wasn’t much longer when we finally arrived before the bridge leading to the Castle of the Two Sisters.
“We’re here!” Pinkie cheerfully announced.
I froze, having broken out of my daydream. All of a sudden I felt uneasy. Shivers immediately ran down my spine and I breathed through my nose much heavily, all the while I kept my head down, refusing to look up. I made efforts to calm myself, to keep control of my breathing and uncontrollable shaking but my attempts seemed to fail me again. Still, I refused to concede, and I closed my eyes and brought my hoof up to my forehead, massaging the base of my skull.
“Ya okay there?”
I jolted up to find Applejack and the rest of the girls look at me with concern. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Just go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you.”
Applejack nodded albeit hesitantly signalling the others to move on forward.
I took a deep breath and exhaled my worries in the meantime, reminding myself this wasn’t going to be like last time. I continued towards the open cliff where I noticed a flight of stairs nearby conveniently constructed from the dull grey rock of the surrounding ravine which led down towards a large cave on the other side. The girls had already descended and I soon followed. The stairs were wide enough to accommodate only one pony, but at least they weren’t steep to pose any immediate danger.
I cautiously made my way down when I suddenly heard, “Everypony, come quick! Something’s wrong!” It was Rainbow Dash.
We broke into a sprint. I was the last to enter the cave, unable to enjoy the tranquil beauty it was exuding, and halted right behind the group. Applejack inquired first, “What’s wrong, RD?”
I forced my way through and stood before a majestic structure, displaying the same crystalline motif as the castle I woke up in. It looked like it was carved from stone from the ground up; its trunk and branches, pointed, jagged and multifaceted, decorated of vines and miniature pearly orbs emitting a translucent white. I noted the five stone orbs on its branches, the large six-pointed star at its centre, and symbols depicting a sun and a moon at its trunk. It was my first time seeing the Tree of Harmony and I was paralysed in all its glory.
“Where are the Elements supposed to be?” I asked.
“They’re supposed t’ be on those orbs and that there star in the middle.”
I slowly moved up towards the tree, attempting to figure out the Elements’ disappearances. I was interestingly focused on the star Applejack described that it looked remarkably familiar. That’s when I kicked something on the ground that resounded a tinkle. I looked down to see a star-shaped gem. It was the Element of Magic!
…Except…
“Girls, look around the ground nearby! Hurry!” The girls scattered at my command. I picked up the gem before me and studied it, whilst motioning my head back and forth between the tree and my hoof. It didn’t feel like how I remembered it for some odd reason, especially from the way I easily picked it up.
“Hey, I found one!” Rainbow Dash held up a lightning-shaped gem. The others followed suit as I heard them announce their findings before arriving back into a circle.
“I don’t understand. Why were the Elements lying on the ground?” The girls racked their brains upon Fluttershy’s question, while Applejack pondered over a different concern.
“I think that’s the least of our worries,” Applejack stated, which I nodded in agreement.
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Rarity tilted her head perplexed at her own Element. “First Sunset gives us some ludicrous story of taking over somepony else’s life, and now we find the Elements like this. No offense, dear.”
“None taken.” At least their lack of subtlety was the same as my friends back home, not that I minded.
Bewildered looks were drawn upon their faces as they observed the gems delicately in their hooves. I came to join the group while holding out the Element of Magic for their perusal, when Applejack responded in a grim tone. “That ain’t right.”
I looked to her with disbelief written on her face. “What do you mean?”
“Well, for starters, the Element of Magic ne’er look like that. It’s supposed t’ look like yer cutie mark like when we went up against Nightmare Moon.”
She’s right, that is, if those chain of events played out the same way they were supposed to. Yet here it was unchanged, a mute declaration confirming Twilight Sparkle as the rightful bearer of the Element of Magic. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Still, I felt a slight tug in my chest that maybe if possible that wouldn’t have been the case. Nonetheless this was an important clue.
“This is Twilight’s cutie mark, the same one that’s on the tree,” I surmised, but what did that mean? It was by fate that the Elements had chosen six ponies to become their rightful bearers, and from what I could tell, it seemed Twilight was predestined for something much greater if her cutie mark on the tree was any indication. But then why was the map at the castle missing? Why was the Element of Magic the only one to retain its form? That was probably a misgiven since the other original bearers were still here, but then why were the Elements on the ground? Did something happen to the Tree of Harmony? And yet, like Applejack mentioned before, there was a much more pressing issue.
I levitated the gem in my hoof, albeit hesitantly, and scanned it thoroughly with my magic. I then asked the girls for me to do the same to their Elements but the results were just as I expected.
There was no magic left within the Elements of Harmony.
“That explains the grey colour,” I thought out loud, delivered in a snarl.
“Did you find out something, Sunset?” Fluttershy asked.
“I can’t sense anything from them. The magic in these Elements are gone!”
Their reaction was almost instantaneous. “What!?”
“B-but how?!” Rainbow exclaimed.
That question invaded my mind before she even dared ask it. From having taken over Twilight Sparkle’s life, her home, her princesshood, and her title as the Bearer of Magic, this one took the cake.
Whilst I pondered the question, I tried to place the Elements in their respective places on the Tree of Harmony, however, they wouldn’t latch on, as if the tree couldn’t recognise the Elements themselves. At this point, my face was sour, but that couldn’t compare to the expressions of horror on the rest of the group.
Why did the Elements not have any magic in them? I figured something happened with the Tree of Harmony which was why I wanted to come here to investigate. The map in that throne room was supposed to be connected to the tree after all, which Twilight had informed me at some point whenever she visited me in the human world.
My eyes then widened as an idea clicked in my head. “They dropped from the tree…” The girls looked up, their ears perked, intrigued by what I was about to say. “The Elements of Harmony were dropped onto the ground because something happened to the Tree of Harmony.” I wandered around a bit as I highlighted my thoughts. “The Elements don’t have any magic because they’re disconnected from Harmony. Something happened to Harmony itself.”
Rainbow took on a serious expression as she crossed her hooves while she hovered. “What do you mean about that? Could you explain it a bit more?”
“To make things simple,” I began, “Harmony is not exactly a concept nor is it an idea. While it has been adopted as a doctrine or creed in Equestria, in actuality, Harmony is a force of nature or the very abundance of Equestria itself. It is the basis of what Equestria has been built on, from the time of the unity of the three tribes, from the time of Starswirl the Bearded, and throughout the entire reign of the Princesses Luna and Celestia. It is the energy that encompasses everything.
“The Tree of Harmony is the centre of all that exists in Equestria: the citizens, the wildlife, the environment, the weather, the climate, the communities, the leadership, the sun and the moon—everything is connected. And the Elements of Harmony are the most powerful artefacts in Equestria that also represent and harness the power and force of Harmony. Or in other words, the Magic of Friendship.”
I looked down at the Element of Magic sombrely after I gently replaced our Elements back to our respective hooves. “The Element of Magic belongs to Twilight Sparkle. She was the spark that brought you girls together. But Twilight isn’t here anymore…” Those last few words weighed down heavily on me that I felt a tight pain in my chest.
“You are indeed correct.”
A majestic voice in her usual motherly tone came from behind us. We all turned to see the solar princess herself. Her white coat glistened against the shine that illuminated from the cavern walls, and her wings flared out wide as she landed softly on the ground, her imperial figure domineering over us. Her aurora blue, green, and pinkish-rainbow mane wavered and sparkled emitting the exuberance of her heavenly power and authority. Once she landed, she gently motioned towards us. “After I received your letter, I became most concerned. Now I see your suspicions are not unfounded.”
I’d almost forgotten I asked Spike to send a letter to Princess Celestia before we left. I was hesitant at first whether to get her involved in this, but I figured it was the right call.
“Princess!” The girls rushed over to Celestia and bowed before her, while I simply stood where I was.
“Please, my little ponies, there’s no need for that.” She observed the girls with a kind smile, and by her suggestion the girls eventually rose from their lowered statures. Celestia then spotted me and continued her trek towards me, but I couldn’t help feel reserved as she bored her eyes into mine.
My old teacher and mentor. Even after having made peace with my past misdemeanours, having been forgiven by Celestia, I still admonished myself for them. Granted I hadn’t had many chances to return to Equestria and spend some quality time with my old teacher. I’d been so busy and preoccupied with my own studies and friends in the human world, as if I prioritised them over her. Of course, she never held that against me. She had mentioned to me that she was proud of me having made some friends for myself, including her most faithful student. I had chuckled warmly at her little commendation for Twilight, since it was an endorsement Twilight frankly deserved—unlike the predecessor that had betrayed Celestia’s trust.
“How are you, Sunset?”
Her words drove me out of my thoughts as I looked up, realising I had lowered my head at some point. I then cleared my throat before I answered. “Not too well, I’m afraid.”
“Quite.” She kept that same gentle smile before taking on a much serious expression as she eyed at the tree. “Still, this troubles me.”
“How’d you think I felt when I woke up this morning?” I chuckled wryly. “I haven’t come across anything like this before, and this might just be beyond my control.”
“You think this situation is beyond your capabilities?”
“Well, I haven’t attempted anything yet. But when your best friend, who also happens to be the Princess of Friendship, disappears, I think that should warrant some leeway.”
Celestia gave a hearty chuckle. “There’s nothing wrong in asking others for help, and I’m always here to help you whenever you need it.”
She continuously gazed at the tree as if deep in thought, scrutinising it as much as she could. Although I doubted anypony could find out anything new from it, nor decipher why the tree wouldn’t recognise the Elements. I sensed the other girls joining us again, probably waiting upon the princess’ next words.
“This friend of yours is the one mentioned in your letter, correct? The pony that you might have replaced: Twilight Sparkle?”
“That’s right.”
“And how did you arrive at that?”
I levitated the Element of Magic in front of her. “I figure this is a big enough clue that supports that hypothesis.”
Celestia pursed her lips as she scrutinised the floating star-shaped gem before her. She took it with her magic then closed her eyes while her horn flared brighter as she contemplated something. Her expression remained as she conducted her wanted experiment. However, after hoofing the Element back to me, her demeanour changed to a questioning look.
“It is most perplexing to see the Elements in their current state. The Element of Magic especially presents further questions in need of answering, but I hardly see how this warrants replacing somepony.”
I frowned at her statement. I mean, the Element itself was self-evidently Twilight’s and as Applejack pointed out, it was supposed to be in the shape of my cutie mark not her’s. Still, I couldn’t dismiss her since we were still this early in the game, and I couldn’t really blame her for relaying any doubts to my theory.
“To be honest with you, I’m not too sure whether that is the case or not, or if it is Twilight Sparkle that I have replaced,” I explained.
Princess Celestia studied me intently as she contemplated my words. “That you might’ve replaced the Sunset Shimmer of this world, correct?” I nodded. “Yes, you did also mention that in your letter.”
“Yeah…” I looked at the girls around me before I looked back to Celestia. “I asked the girls earlier to recount their version of events for me.”
“Did you now?” Celestia seemed a bit confused by my statement.
Once again I nodded and gently closed my eyes. “Their version of events are completely different to mine.”
“I see…” Celestia looked down at me solemnly. “So you wouldn’t have any recollection of the events as we recall them?”
“Pretty much.” I pawed at the ground, awaiting expectedly some sort of reprimand by my former teacher. “The fact of the matter is, my memories are completely different to all of you. No matter how much we sugar coat it, everything is completely different to me now. It’s why I’m concerned whether I came from a different world or timeline when I woke up this morning.” And hopefully didn’t replace the Sunset Shimmer of this world either; I was already on edge with the thought of replacing Twilight.
“Have you already told anypony else about this?” Celestia asked.
“Besides all of you, the only one I’ve told was Spike.” I grimaced. “He didn’t take it very well.”
“I supposed not. He has been with you the longest after all.”
I could see why. From what Twilight has told me, Spike has always been by her side. No matter how ridiculous her request may be, Spike, her number one assistant, would always pull through in the end. From the way Twilight spoke about him, she was immensely proud of him as a friend, a sister, a teacher, possibly even as a mother. She had always been worried about his well-being, even asking me for advice on occasion. Although, I’m not exactly sure of the circumstances surrounding his origins since Spike had always been amongst ponykind, but I knew he was right at home here in Ponyville, beside his friends, especially Twilight. Taking away somepony that close was never fair to anypony. Now that I’m Twilight’s substitute, how was I supposed to relate to him? Would he expect that same sort of connection from me?
“I’m still curious though,” Celestia continued, “how did you girls found out something was wrong with the Tree of Harmony?”
Applejack decided to speak up. “Sunset here mentioned somethin’ ‘bout a map.”
Celestia turned fully around as she registered her statement. “A map, you say?”
“The Castle Map,” I corrected. “It was supposed to be in the throne room in the form of a round table, but it wasn’t there anymore. I’ve seen it numerous times whenever I came back to Equestria.”
That gave Celestia pause as she looked at me curiously. “What do you mean by ‘whenever you came back to Equestria’?”
I analysed her statement, until I realised my blunder. “Oh, right… I haven’t told you guys my side of the story yet, did I?” I looked around at the other girls who responded in kind with affirmative gestures. I turned back to Celestia to continue my explanation. “Well, the thing is, Princess, I was in another world. I haven’t been back in Equestria for a long while now.”
“You were in another world?” Celestia asked pensively, her eyebrow raised. “How in Equestria did you end up there?”
“The Crystal Mirror. I’m able to travel to that other world with it.”
That was too much of a shock for Celestia than I hoped. She reeled back, her eyes widened like dinner plates and her face skewed into a pained expression while looking down at me with what I felt was nothing like contempt, but it wasn’t anything good either.
“…Princess?” I was able to conjure a response when she blinked, but looked straight at me with a stern face.
“Why…?” she began with trepidation. “Why, after all this time, are you mentioning that accursed thing now?”
I gazed at her long and hard, the same expression on her face unmoving. It was a face I recognised when I told Spike everything of what was going on. It was the same face when I told the girls earlier about my suspicions. Except this face that Celestia was showing was also one out of sadness, while Spike and the girls revealed bewildered expressions and caution to my revelations. It was starting to get uncomfortable for me, and I wasn’t sure how to break away this silent tension since it was clear Celestia wasn’t going to be the pony to do that.
“I’m not sure what you want me to say. It’s not like I’m making all this up.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Like I said, it’s how I’m able to travel to that other world. It’s actually my only means of travel between there and Equestria.”
“I don’t doubt your words. It’s just…” Celestia looked down on me with sad eyes. “Sunset, I nearly lost you to that mirror once.”
Once again there was an uncomfortable silence. You could slice through it with a knife from how thick the tension was in the air. Thankfully, it was Rainbow Dash that interrupted our train of thought. “So, what’s up with this mirror thing?”
“Ah’m mighty curious as well,” Applejack added. “Ya two look like ya dun gone seen a ghost.”
We broke away from ourselves. The girls around us were anticipated by our next choice of words. I cleared my throat before I indulged them with my explanation. “The Crystal Mirror is a portal to another world. It only opens up for three days, every thirty moons which is roughly equivalent to around three years.”
“That still doesn’t explain why it’s such a sensitive topic for you two,” Rarity retorted.
“There isn’t anything scary about this mirror, is there?” Fluttershy lowered her head.
I looked to Celestia who was contemplating whether we should even discuss the matter, having peeked at me several times before. In the end she relented and continued on from where I left off. “It was an old magical artefact created by Starswirl the Bearded. I discovered it some years ago in his study, and after studying it for a time, I found it to be enchanted. I had Sunset take a look at it for herself.” I saw Celestia frown.
“In the original timeline,” I continued, “I used the mirror to exile myself to that other world. I was living in that world for a very long time now, even making it my home. It was there that I met Twilight Sparkle”
“You went into exile?” Fluttershy asked, surprised.
“Why in blazes would ya do that?” Applejack’s tone seemed more accusatory than sympathetic which made me wince.
“Um, things… didn’t go so well between me and Celestia. Something happened between the two of us which does involve the Crystal Mirror.” But as I reflected carefully upon my statement, a curious thought crossed my mind. “I’m kind of surprised you girls know nothing about it. Didn’t I mention the Crystal Mirror to you girls before?”
“Well,” Applejack began, “ya did mention ya had a fallin’ out with the princess, but nothin’ ‘bout a mirror.” The affirmations from the others told me that was the case.
I didn’t know why but something was seriously wrong here. I was starting to get a really bad feeling about this, but about what, I wasn’t quite sure. I collected myself while my hoof was up to my face. “All right, well, if you girls say I haven’t told you the whole story before then I guess I didn’t.”
“Would you care to elaborate for us?” Rarity affectionately suggested.
“Yes, Sunset. I would also very much like to hear this in more detail.” I could see Celestia’s face terse, determined to know what I was about to say. So far she had been somber throughout my exchange with the girls.
“Sure thing. Not sure where to begin though.”
“How 'bout the beginning? Ya can always start there.”
“All right,” I said, after letting out a heavy sigh. “Well, there’s not much to say really, but years ago, as you might already know, I was the personal protégé of Princess Celestia. I was at the top of my class in all my studies at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, having demonstrated my awesome ability in magic. At the time, however, I didn’t care about making friends, despite Princess Celestia’s insistence. Instead I felt myself superior to everypony else. Not only that but I began to see myself as Celestia’s equal, that I could rule Equestria alongside her. Of course, those thoughts wouldn’t have come to fruition if it weren’t for that mirror.”
“The Crystal Mirror?” Fluttershy asked.
I nodded. “One day, Celestia showed me this enchanted mirror, and asked me if I could see anything in its reflection. I suspected she wanted me to see something significant as part of a lesson since I wasn’t being receptive to other ponies or making any friends. But what I saw shocked me. I saw myself. An alicorn. A princess. And that convinced me or proved to me that maybe I could rule Equestria alongside Celestia, that I can become an alicorn princess.
“I wanted to know more about the mirror, and advance my studies into more powerful magic and not just be a mere student to Celestia. I became obsessed with it, persistently asking Celestia about it, and every time she refused to answer, saying that I wasn’t ready for such things. I was angry at her for denying me greatness and not giving me what I wanted. So one night, I had a thought that if Celestia wasn’t going to tell me anything about the mirror, then I would have to go find out about it myself.
“I went into the forbidden section of the Canterlot Archives where I was able to learn that the Crystal Mirror was actually a portal to another world that only opens up every thirty moons. I was also able to find more powerful spells and magic that were forbidden to everypony. So of course, I was in deep trouble when Princess Celestia showed up along with two guards. And because of my ambition and selfishness, as well as researching forbidden magic when I wasn’t supposed to, Celestia then…”
I became silent, droning off what I’d already decided to leave behind. I was shaking like a leaf, breathing heavily, and swallowing whatever was building up in my throat. I didn’t think recounting my past would be this difficult.
Celestia moved a little closer and parked herself on the cavern floor in front of me. The solemn regret in her eyes and her sad smile weren’t able to drive away my apprehension, but there was something relaxing and tranquil about them that made me calm down for a bit. Celestia then started to speak.
“I did catch you in the forbidden section of the archives. I was already concerned when you became obsessed with the mirror, and when I was informed of your transgression, I was… disappointed. When I saw you there, however, my heart shattered. I could feel the anger and resentment from you, directed towards me; I could still feel it even today. That’s when I realised how important you were to me and how much I cared for you. I asked you to follow me to my bedroom chambers so we could talk more privately. And once we were alone, I knelt down and apologised to you, asking you for your forgiveness. I shouldn’t have dismissed you from wanting to learn more, even if my actions were justified, there was no excuse for how I treated you. I just…”—she swallowed—“I just couldn’t bear the idea of losing you, Sunset.”
I couldn’t rightly believe it. Princess Celestia was hurting inside as she recounted her version of events to me, the official version of this timeline you could say. I could see it in her pained expression the torment and regret that she felt back then, and her eyes were as if they were about to tear up. But that wasn’t what surprised me the most.
What astonished me was the way the events were played out and the emotions Celestia had described to me. I’ve always known Celestia to be all-knowing and strong with a resolute temperament, but rarely had I seen her this emotional before, if not at all. This was especially true when the fault was mine to begin with, even if I was resentful towards Celestia, she was in the right to banish me. That was why I decided to meet her, to apologise to her and ask her for forgiveness, in which she also asked the same of me. While she was emotional in our first reunion since our fallout, she still kept that same temperament.
But the pony before me wasn’t even displaying that. Was this even the same Celestia? I could only assume so even if we were in a different timeline, but this was new to me because what I was seeing in front of me was a new emotion I’d never seen from Celestia: fear.
“And I forgave you.” I tried to wrap my head around this. I was so used to Celestia being a strong and authoritative figure, especially when it came to magical studies. To see her like this, having lowered her guard even now, caring for somepony unworthy such as me…
“Yes, you did. You did seem taken by surprise by my request, but eventually you did forgive me. You even apologised to me and asked me for my forgiveness. We never mentioned the Crystal Mirror ever again, and our relationship improved for the better. I hid the mirror away from prying eyes, making sure it would be kept secret. Don’t you remember any of this?”
I frowned and reluctantly shook my head, betraying her expectations of me. “I’m sorry, that’s not what happened to me, not in the original timeline anyways. After you arrived, you banished me from the castle and terminated my studies as your pupil.”
Celestia’s eye widened. “What are you talking about?”
“You came up to me and banished me because of my selfishness and ambition. You told me you were removing me of my position as your pupil, that I may stay in Canterlot but I was no longer welcome in the castle.”
“But, Sunset, I would never do that to you! You know that!”
“Well, that’s what you did!” That came out a bit too strong than I hoped. “Sorry…”
I calmed myself down with a heavy breath escaping my lips. “I was angry and resentful towards you from the way you treated me, dismissing me whenever I asked you about the mirror. So when you did banish me from the castle and terminated my position, I was infuriated. I attacked the two guards escorting me out of the castle and slipped through the Crystal Mirror without anypony noticing.”
I looked back to the other girls who seemed pretty uncomfortable from our exchange. I was feeling uncomfortable enough myself that I wanted to run away. Of course, that would be irresponsible of me to not finish what I started.
“Anyway, after I went through the mirror, the world I found myself in was completely different to our own, especially its inhabitants. Strangely enough, the world is actually populated with a different version of ourselves and the rest of Equestria. I was able to meet all of you in that world, including Luna and Celestia, and I’ve got to say, you all are very much like your counterparts. Of course, I didn’t befriend all for you at first. I wasn’t a good person—err pony—in that other world. I was a bully to everyone, making sure they answered to me. It would be much later that Twilight would come through the mirror, and then soon after that… well, she reformed me. We became friends ever since. She became my first friend.”
I looked up, my head pointing towards to the tree while I sobered over my nostalgia. “That there is her cutie mark, engraved on the Tree of Harmony. Twilight is the Princess of Friendship, the Bearer of Magic, and I need to know where she is, or at least find a way to get me back home and bring the real Sunset Shimmer back.”
There was something else as well. As much as I hated to admit it, but while they may be the counterparts to my own friends back home, they were different people, and I haven’t really thought of them as my friends. Unfortunately, Fluttershy apparently caught the uneasiness in my expression. “Is there something wrong?”
I looked up to her. “Oh, it’s… it’s nothing.”
“Ya sure about that?” That didn’t convince Applejack in the slightest, forcing me to choose my next words carefully.
“I guess I should mention this,” I began, albeit hesitantly, “but I’ve always thought of you as just Twilight’s friends. We’ve only met a few times before, and even if you act the exact same way as my friends in the other world, I would still only think of you as her friends. I mean, I didn’t go up against Nightmare Moon with you girls, or Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, or Tirek. You did those things with Twilight, and my memories are only those of that other world.”
I saw the girls look at one another with hesitation in their eyes. I lowered my head towards the ground, a bit heartbroken after saying all that. After what seemed like minutes of contemplating, Applejack came forward.
“We’ll help ya. We always will.” I looked up to meet her warm smile, the same one everypony else was displaying. “And don’t ya fret none, we’ll always think of ya as our friend. Even if ya don’t seem t’ be in the right place, sorta speak.”
“Yes, Sunset, even if your memories are different to ours, or even if you are a different Sunset, we’ll always be with you,” Rarity added.
I couldn’t help but have a weight lifted from my shoulders. “Thanks, girls. I’d have thought you’d be angry with me or something.”
“Of course not, silly! You’ve always be Sunny to us! And if you are a different Sunny, that means this is the first time we met, and I’ve still yet to throw you a “Welcome to Ponyville” party! Oh, we can also make it a party for our old friend Twilight, although I’m not even sure who she is, but I’m sure we're good friends like you said, so I’d still throw her a party in her honor!” Pinkie enthusiastically declared, while crushing me in her Pinkie-style bear hug.
This time Fluttershy was the one to speak up. “Like Pinkie and Rarity said, even if you are a different Sunset Shimmer, I’m sure we would be good friends in no time.”
The other girls nodded to that, and we all came together in one big group hug; Celestia herself smiled at our warm display. I felt my body unwind at the immense affection given to me. It was kind of ironic, since they were the counterparts of my friends, I shouldn’t have had anything to worry about in the first place.
After we broke from the hug I threw out that question much to the bewilderment of my friends. A lot had happened, and it had already been a long day. “So, what now?”
Luckily it was Celestia who suggested something. “Have you found out anything else?”
I put some thought into Celestia’s question. “Not much really—”
“We found out a whole bunch of stuff! Like how Sunset asked us whether we knew of a pony named Twilight Sparkle, but we said no, except she’s the only one who remembers her and probably took over her life as an alicorn princess, but was also worried that she might be an alien or time traveller from a completely different world or timeline, or that maybe a spell or magical creature was the cause of all this, and even Rainbow thinks this might be the work of Discord since he is a powerful magical creature and probably did this for fun, not like the time when he changed the clouds into cotton candy and made them rain chocolate which was really delicious, and I wish we can have cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain all the time, but he’d have to go back to being cheeky and evil and mean, although he’s still pretty cheeky after being reformed, which is probably why Rainbow thinks that he did it, even though Fluttershy insists he’s been really good and wouldn’t do such a thing, but then Sunset suggested she’d have a talk with him later, and then said she wanted to investigate the Tree of Harmony, and now here we are!”
The rest of us were stunned while Pinkie sported her trademark happy-go-lucky grin. Even Celestia seemed to be drawing a blank to what just transpired. Or maybe that was her stoic expression that Celestia was most famous for.
“Pinkie, how are you able to say all that in one sentence?” I asked.
“It takes practice.” She nonchalantly waved her roof around, which rose a slight chuckle out of me.
I was surprised as to how calm and collected Celestia was before Pinkie Pie’s antics. I wouldn’t put it past her though from the way she was deep in thought while Pinkie’s words still hung out in the air.
“I must say, I’m immensely impressed with the way you girls conducted yourselves already at the start of your investigation, especially with so little to go on. That includes what we have discovered here.”
“It’s mostly just speculation at this point,” I clarified.
“That doesn’t make it any less impressive. There is one thing that bothers me with your sense of reasoning however.”
“There is?”
She nodded. “You mentioned in your letter that this Twilight Sparkle pony might have vanished from existence, correct?” I confirmed her with a nod, by which she continued. “Then tell me, why do you say you took over the life of this Twilight Sparkle?”
“Well, that’s because I was never an alicorn princess to begin with and I sorely remember Twilight Sparkle being the Princess of Friendship where I came from. Not to mention, the castle that I woke up in was supposedly Twilight’s, yet everypony insists the castle belongs to me, plus other things.”
“That’s true, but then while your deduction is highly justifiable, why do you insist this Twilight Sparkle has vanished from existence?”
“…Isn’t that because nopony seems to remember her except me?” But even when I said that, doubts began to linger in my mind that may not be the case at all. “It’s not like that’s the only explanation. It’s merely a possibility, and may still be within probable cause.”
“Even if that was the case, Twilight Sparkle may have just been simply misplaced, and because of that nopony would have met her, therefore nopony would have remembered her.”
“What are you suggesting, Princess?”
“I’m just trying to figure out your choice of wording. How did you come to that idea in the first place?”
Strange. How did I come up with that ridiculous notion? In the realm of possibilities, as far as magic was concerned, it wasn’t that farfetched, except I had no evidence to support it. Several times I had made that claim to these girls, to Princess Celestia, even to myself.
So what gives?
“…I felt something was wrong when I woke up this morning,” I began. “When I spoke with Spike, I was getting confused as to what he was saying and asked him a bunch of questions. It was then that I thought she disappeared when I saw my cutie mark on Twilight’s throne.”
“So you based your theory on intuition?”
I nodded. It was the only explanation I could offer after all, although an illogical one.
“In that case, I would like you to take that in stride as you conduct your investigation. Your instinctual feelings might just be an important clue.”
I was taken aback. Even I could sense the girls giving off quizzical looks. Still, I couldn’t let this one go for rationality’s sake. “Not to go against your judgement, but I doubt feelings and instincts are exactly evidence that we can use here.”
“Not necessarily,” she countered. “While evidence is required to establish a logical connection, it is our instincts that drive us to achieve our ultimate goals.”
“I see. I’ll take that to heart then.”
Celestia accepted that with a soft nod, then looked out towards the cave entrance. “I believe it is getting rather late. Please, allow me to escort you girls back to Ponyville.”