Sunset Shimmer is reunited with the love of her life from so long ago.
Sunset Shimmer never forgot the girl she met at a school dance before she left Equestria. She accepted the fact that she would never see her again, but she never forgot her. Of course you should never say never, because fate doesn't always play out like you would expect.
"Sunset dear, hurry up, you don't want to be late!" Sunset's mother called from downstairs.
“I’ll be down in a minute!” Sunset replied. She set her copy of “Ancient Equestrian Magic: Volume 3” down on her nightstand.
As Sunset walked downstairs she thought about how silly all of this was. Her mother was taking her to the Canterlot Formal, which was some silly dance for the students of the various canterlot schools to take part in.
As Sunset arrived downstairs, her mother couldn’t help but notice something was missing.
“Sunset, are you not going to be wearing anything formal to the dance? You never know who you might meet while you’re there,” her mother asked gently.
“I don’t plan on meeting anyone, mom, it was your idea for me to go to this stupid dance anyway,” sunset said slightly annoyed.
“Okay, well let’s get going then, so we’re not late,” Sunset’s mother said with a slight sadness in her tone. She really wanted Sunset to take this dance seriously. Her daughter almost never goes anywhere outside of her house and school, and She hoped this dance would help Sunset come out of her shell a bit.
Sunset was quiet on her way to the dance, she was busy lost in her thoughts. She was trying to think of spells that would revolutionize magic. If she could figure out even a single spell to change the way magic was thought of entirely, she knew Celestia would see that she is worthy of being a princess.
Sunset Shimmer was Princess Celestia’s star pupil. She excelled at advanced magic techniques, she was the top of her class in every subject, and on top of that she was well versed in nearly every aspect of spellwriting. She was able to hold these tremendous titles, because she would study constantly, anytime she had any free time. Sunset was so studious, because she knew that eventually it would all pay off. She would eventually become the princess of magic, she just needed a breakthrough.
Sunset Meadow on the other hoof, was worried about her daughter. Although she had always told her daughter that she needs to do well in school, she didn’t ever dream that Sunset would take her words this seriously. She was proud that her daughter did well in school, but she felt her daughter needed to get out and socialize more. This dance was the perfect opportunity for Sunset to have some fun, and Sunset Meadow was not about to let her daughter throw that opportunity away.
The walk was not very far, only a few blocks away from Sunset’s urban home in the heart of Canterlot. When the pair finally arrived at the dance they looked up to see the large sign that was hanging from two flagpoles a few meters above their heads.
Welcome to the 10th Annual Canterlot Formal
This dance is to commemorate the work that everyone has done in the past year.
Please find your school sign in sheet and enjoy the dance!
-Princess Celestia
As the two mares headed into the entrance, they noticed the line split into four distinct lines, one for each school. The first line was for Canterlot High School, followed by The Agricultural Institute of Canterlot, Canterlot Classical Academy, and finally Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Sunset and her mother made their way through the fourth line and got Sunset signed in.
“I’ll pick you up in a few hours dear, you have fun!” Sunset Meadow told her daughter.
“Ok mom, I’ll be waiting on that bench in the corner when you get,” Sunset replied uninterested.
“Please do try to have a little fun, sweetie,” Sunset’s mother said warmly.
“I’ll try,” was the only response she received.
Sunset then made her way over to the very bench she had mentioned. She did not plan on doing anything else while she was here so she decided to try to come up with that game-changing spell she needed to prove to Celestia she was princess worthy. Of course it was much harder to come up with ideas for a spell when you don’t have anything to write down your progress in, which was something Sunset noticed early on. This did not deter her however and she was determined to come up with something, and she would be sure to log everything she could remember as soon as she got home. As she was contemplating how a new concept of magic would even work, a magenta mare with a pink mane had appeared in front of her.
“Hey, I’ve noticed you’ve been sitting here alone for a long time, do you wanna come dance with me?” The mare asked.
Sunset blinked. “Oh um, no thank you,” She replied
“You’re supposed to be having fun, sitting in the corner by yourself doesn’t seem like fun to me,” the magenta mare said caringly. “Just come on, it’ll be fun!” The mare said with a smile.
Sunset replied, with a tinge of annoyance in her voice “I don’t even know how to dance, why don’t you go find someone else.”
“But you’re the only one alone here, and dancing is easy, you couldn’t mess it up if you tried!” the magenta mare replied, still smiling.
“Ugh, fine, one dance!” Sunset reluctantly agreed.
The two ponies made their way to the dance floor, a pop song was blaring through the speakers. The DJ was a grey stallion with a dark mane and dark sunglasses. While they walked sunset noticed the mare was wearing magenta legwarmers, some colored bracelets, a checkered bandana, and blue lighting bolt earrings. As they approached the dance floor, the magenta pony spoke up. “My name is Cheerilee, by the way, how about you”
“Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset replied.
“Do you go to Canterlot High School?” Asked Cheerilee
“No, I go to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” Sunset responded.
“Wow! You must be a really smart pony then, huh!” Cheerilee Said excitedly.
“I guess you could say that,” Sunset replied proudly.
Cheerilee then pulled Sunset into the middle of the dance floor exclaiming “We’re here, now let’s get moving!” Cheerilee started moving somewhat erratically, but somehow managed to keep her movements in harmony with the rhythm of the song. Sunset was reluctant at first but soon joined in as well.
This actually is kind of fun. Sunset thought to herself. The time seemed to fly by quickly while they we’re on the dancefloor, and they were taken by shock when the DJ’s voice came through the speakers instead of a song.
“This is your DJ Neon Lights Speaking, and I wanted to let you know that the dance will be ending soon, but we have one more song left before the night ends,” the words of the DJ echoed through the speakers.
Suddenly the lights dim and the last song is quite a bit slower than the others. Cheerilee then turned to Sunset “Wanna have a slow dance?” She asked calmly
Slightly taken aback Sunset replied, “Uh…Sure.” Cheerilee came closer and draped a hoof over Sunset’s shoulders, prompting her to do the same. Both mares wore a slight blush now, but they were enjoying the moment.
As the song came to a close Cheerilee pulled away from Sunset,only to immediately lean in and kiss her. Sunset was shocked, but soon melted into the kiss with her. As they pulled away the only thing Sunset could say was “Wow.”
Sunset walked out of the building with Cheerilee and saw her mom waiting.
“Did you have fun, sweetie?” Sunset Meadow asked her daughter.
“Yes, I think I’d like to hang out with Cheerilee here more often!” Sunset replied
“Really, that sounds great,” Cheerilee said slightly blushing.
“I’m glad you’re finally talking to someone,” Sunset Meadow told her daughter.
Sunset then gave Cheerilee her address, and told her to come see her when they didn’t have school.
“Alright can’t wait, but I gotta go my mom’s waiting for me over there, see you soon Sunset,” Cheerilee responded.
Sunset meadow was relieved that her daughter had finally started talking to someone that wasn’t a teacher or her mother. Sunset shimmer couldn’t believe she had just had her first kiss. As she walked home with her mother, she wondered what this would mean for her future.
Sunset Shimmer was ecstatic, shed had started working on this spell after she had got home from the dance last night. She was certain that this was the spell that would prove herself to Princess Celestia. As she walked to the meeting room to present her newfound knowledge to Princess Celestia, she thought back to Cheerilee. How would Cheerilee react to me becoming a princess, she thought to herself. I know I would be overjoyed to know that I was dating a princess. Finally Sunset arrived at the meeting room doors.
As Sunset entered the room, Princess Celestia was smiling.
“Hello Sunset Shimmer,” Princess Celestia said gently.
“Hello Princess,” Sunset replied with a bow. “I come bearing great news,” Sunset added.
“Wonderful, and what might that be, Sunset?” Princess Celestia asked with a smile.
“I have discovered a spell that will revolutionize magic forever,” Sunset replied.
“Oh? Please elaborate,” Celestia said with fascination.
“I have discovered how to store objects within fourth dimensional space, and project them in the third dimension, essentially i can create a box that is bigger on the inside,” Sunset said with a smile. “You can use the spell to enchant any container, and I will demonstrate using this box.” Sunset opened the small box she had been carrying with her and pulled out a tall lamp with her magic.
“Amazing! I would have never believed, such a thing could be possible,” Celestia said with a beaming smile. “I will make sure to add this spell to the Spellcrafter’s Memoriam and credit you as the creator.”
A few seconds of silence passed.
“Um… is there anything else you want to add Princess?” Sunset asked awkwardly.
“No, that is all, although i had figured you would be more excited, the Spellcrafter’s Memoriam is one of the highest honors one can be bestowed,” Celstia replied.
“Does this not prove my worth!” Sunset retorted aggressively.
“Sunset, I know that you desperately want to be bestowed a crown, but you are not ready, I promise I will let you know if, and when you are,” Celestia said with a slight frown.
“BUT WHY AM I NOT READY!” Sunset yelled angrily. “I have the highest grades of anyone in all of my classes, my knowledge on magic is almost unmatched, and on top of all that I just created a spell that is going to change magic forever!”
“I understand, Sunset, but you can’t possibly expect to be a ruler if you don’t interact with other ponies,” Celestia replied warmly.
“What good would other ponies do in helping me become a princess!” Sunset yelled with extreme annoyance.
“A princess is a ruler, Sunset, she must know how to interact with her subjects.” Princess Celestia replied sternly.
“You know what, I’m finished with this place! I’m going to go somewhere where people will respect my knowledge!” Sunset retorted with tears welling up. She then ran full speed with tears in her eyes towards the throne room. As the doors flew open she knew exactly where she was headed. Sunset Shimmer ran full force into the mirror in Princess Celestia’s throne room.
}~~~|~~~{
Sunset Shimmer was glad to finally be home after having lived the same day for months. Now that Sunset and the rest of the Rainbooms were finished with school, they could finally focus solely on their music career.
High school sure had been a wild ride for them all, fighting monsters and discovering that they were all tied to equestrian magic. Sunset alway had fun but she still hoped the monster fighting would slow down a bit, she really enjoyed just hanging out with her friends, and playing with them in a band.
All the band members were currently writing song lyrics, each member was writing a song for their new album. Each member felt it would only be fair if each member got to express themself in the album that was likely to cement their career as a rock group. After the lyrics had been written, the band would get together and create the instrumental.
Sunset hadn’t come up with anything yet, she wasn’t sure what she wanted her song to be about. The Rainbooms wanted the album to be finished by next month, so Sunset still had quite a bit of time to come up with something.
Sunset decided going to the park today would be a great way to clear her mind, and after her mind was clear writing her song should be a lot easier. So she grabbed her backpack, packed a notebook and a pencil, and headed off towards Canterlot Central Park.
Sunset enjoyed the walk to the park, the time was around noon on a monday, so not many people were out and about. The walk was peaceful and gave Sunset a lot of time to think about what she could write her song about.
When sunset finally arrived at the park, it was unsurprisingly empty. She walked over to a bench and sat down, letting her mind drift away. She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the midmorning sun on her face. As she meditated she slowly started to fall asleep.
}~~~|~~~{
Sunset suddenly found herself at a beach. Shed had no idea how she got here, which was strange, but stranger still was the fact that she was alone. She was confused at how the entire beach was empty, including all of the concession stands, and surfboard rental booths.
She walked across the beach, and as she stepped towards the water she noticed the next strange thing about this beach. She was walking on water! “How is this possible!” she exclaimed.
Then the water transformed into bottomless void below her feet, and as she looked to the sky, she was able to make out some words.
Chaos will reign, when a good girl rings the bell.
Good friends will know pain, when a good girl rings the bell.
It’ll break a chain, when a good girl rings the bell.
Calm be thee, but at what cost, a mind is free, but a world is lost.
Sunset heard a spotlight flick on. She looks toward the sound and notices a silhouetted pony, and a bell with a seemingly endless rope. Then the pony becomes clearer, and she sees who it is.
“CHEERILEE!” Sunset calls.
Cheerilee does not hear Sunset and instead proceeds to ring the bell. The sound the bell makes is incredibly loud and deep. As the bell rings the world begins to crack around Sunset.
}~~~|~~~{
Sunset awakens with heavy breathing, quickly takes out her notebook and writes down the words of the poem. She needs to bring this to someone that will know what to do.
Sunset shimmer had ran as fast as she could to the statue that stood in front of Canterlot High School. When she arrived she attempted to walk through the portal side, she found it was solid.
Why isn’t the portal working, she thought to herself.
Sunset did the only logical thing she could think of at the moment, she called Twilight Sparkle. The phone rang a few times before Twilight picked up.
“Hello,” Twilight answered.
“Twilight I need you to come to the statue in front of the school, the portal isn’t open and I need to talk to Princess Twilight,” Sunset replied.
“Alright I’ll be there with my equipment as soon as possible, see you soon,” Twilight responded.
“Alright Twilight, see you then,” Sunset hung up the phone.
As Sunset waited for Twilight she read and pondered over the words in her notebook. They seemed so ominous, but she couldn’t decipher their meaning. But the strangest part of the dream was the fact that Cheerilee had been in it. Cheerilee had been the one to ring the bell that the poem spoke about, and Sunset needed to know why.
Twilight arrived albeit a bit winded.
“I… huff… made it… puff,” said Twilight out of breath.
Twilight then took out her magic detector and started scanning the statue.
“The levels of magic in the statue seem to be normal,” Twilight said a bit confused.
“But if the portal is fine why isn’t it open,” Sunset replied slightly annoyed.
“I’m not certain, but maybe the other side of the portal is the problem,” Twilight suggested.
“I need to talk to Twilight right now, how am I supposed to do that if something is wrong with the portal!” Sunset exclaimed worriedly.
“Don’t you still have that book?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, I had forgotten about the book, I need to get home right now!” Sunset replied excitedly.
Sunset started running back to her apartment. All this running was probably going to be a problem for her tomorrow, but she didn’t care, she just needed to figure out what this dream was about.
Sunset arrived at her apartment complex, she got in the elevator and went up to the third floor. The elevator doors opened and she made her way to her apartment. She got out her keys and opened the door. Once she was inside she made her way over to her closet, and opened it. After a bit of rummaging around, she found the book with her cutie mark displayed on the front.
Sunset made her way over to her desk, reached for her pen, and opened the journal.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
This is Sunset Shimmer, I know it’s been awhile since we talked, but I’ve recently had a strange dream and I need to talk to someone about it. The contents of the dream have led me to believe that the dream is tied to Equestrian Magic, and I would like to discuss the dream with you in person if possible. I tried to enter the portal, but it appeared to be closed. Twilight examined the portal with her magic detector, and the magic levels appeared fine. I was wondering if anything had happened to the mirror. Please respond as soon as you have time.
Sincerely,
Sunset Shimmer
Sunset waited eagerly for a response. While she waited she thought back to the girl she saw in her dreams, She thought back to that dance, and kiss they shared. It’s been nearly five years since then, but Sunset remembers it like it had just happened. Sunset feels bad about leaving her like that, she almost wishes she could take it all back. But as she ponders more she realizes that going through that mirror lead her down the path that made her the better person she is today.
Finally Sunset is taken out of a daze by the sound of the journal vibrating. She opens the book to the next page and sees Twilight’s response.
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
The mirror is not broken, but the device that I built to keep the portal permanently stable is. I am not even sure what happened to it, some of the pieces are just gone! I need to find the pieces to fix the stabilizing device, but until then the portal will be on it’s normal opening cycle. The cycle occurs every thirty moons and stays open for one moon. The good news is I have done some research and concluded that one equestion moon is equal to three of your world's days. My research has also concluded that twenty-nine moons have passed since the last portal cycle. I am unable to fix the stabilizer at present, but the portal will open in one moon so if you can hold out for three days we will be able to talk then.
Sincerely,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
As Sunset finished reading Twilight’s response, she felt relieved. Ok Sunset three more days until you can talk to twilight, Sunset thought to herself. Sunset thought that maybe she should try to get as much help from this world as she can in the three days until the portal opens. So while she waits she decided that she should consult all of her friends and see what they think about the situation.
Sunset opened up her friend’s group chat and asked if they would all like to come over to her house for a sleepover. Once they were all together, Sunset could talk to them all about the dream, and see if any of them could make sense of it. Everybody was happy to have a sleepover and would be over soon.
Sunset Shimmer made a mental checklist of everything she needed to talk to them about. Which included everything about the poem and the dream, and her letters with twilight.
Sunset shimmer waited patiently for her friends to arrive. Finally There was a knock at the door, and Sunset walked over to the door to let the person in.
Pinkie Pie was the first to arrive to the sleepover, which makes sense since Pinkie Pie loves parties more than anyone else Sunset knows. Sunset wanted to wait until everyone was here before she explained her situation.
Around thirty minutes later, Rarity and Applejack showed up. They had been at the theater watching some sort of murder mystery movie, so they came together.
Twilight showed up next, she had been working to try to figure out if there was some way to reopen the portal. Sunset made sure to tell her that Princess Twilight’s device to keep the portal open was missing, and that the portal would open itself in a few more days.
Last to arrive was Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had been at her first regional soccer match where she played for Canterlot against Crystal Heights. Fluttershy never missed Rainbow’s High School games, and she wasn’t going to miss her Regional League games either.
After everyone arrived, Sunset ordered a few pizzas for the sleepover. Veggie pizza for Fluttershy and herself, Pepperoni for Rainbow and Applejack, and Supreme for Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.
Once the pizzas arrived, and everyone had settled down to eat them, Sunset decided to tell them what was going on.
She explained to everyone how she had gone to the park, and then had that weird dream. She told them about how she had walked onto the water, and how the world had transformed into nothingness. Sunset told them all about the poem, and got out her notebook to show it to them. She then told them about the girl from Equestria that she met at her highschool dance, and how she rang the bell in the dream.
“Who knows, darling, it could just be a dream and nothing more,” said Rarity.
“I’m not really sure about that, especially since we know equestrian magic exists in this world,” Sunset replied. “Dreams were a big part of magic prophecy in Equestria, and I’m betting this dream definitely means something.
“Sunset is probably right, especially since she herself is from Equestria, it would only make sense that Equestrian phenomena would still occur to her,” Twilight added.
“We’ve dealt with Equestrian magic before, and we can handle it again, I mean it couldn’t possibly be worse than anything else we’ve dealt with right,” Rainbow stated.
“Never say that, Rainbow, you know things can always be worse,” Applejack responded.
“If you don’t mind me asking, could you tell us who the pony you met at that dance was? maybe finding out if they have a human counterpart here could help,” Fluttershy asked politely.
“Oh, sure, her name was Cheerilee,” Sunset responded.
“The librarian?” the five other girls questioned simultaneously.
“Yeah, but I feel like Equestria’s Cheerilee is far different than the one here,” Sunset replied. “She’s probably some big name popstar by now, she definitely dressed the part.” Sunset smiled at the memory.
“Well if Miss Cheerilee can’t help us, we could ask Marble, She was taking college psychology classes while she was in high school,” siad Pinkie.
“Your sister was dual-enrolled in college classes?” Sunset asked.
“Yes, and she had amazing grades as well, and since you guys are my friends I’m sure she’d help us out,” Pinkie replied.
“Alright we’ll go see her tomorrow then,” Sunset said.
“You guys wanna watch a movie?” Rainbow asked. “This is a slumber party after all.”
Everyone seemed to agree that was a great idea.
“Alright guys but just one, we need to try to get to the bottom of this situation tomorrow.” Sunset voiced her concern.
Sunset went over to her movie collection, and got her copy of Dr Dolittle. She chose a comedy movie to lighten the mood of the sleepover a bit.
Rainbow dash fell asleep within 20 minutes of the movie starting. She was probably tired from the soccer match she had played earlier that day. Fluttershy had always loved this movie since she was a kid, but loved it even more now that she could relate to being able to talk to animals. Applejack was tired and chose to go to sleep at some point.
After the movie was over everyone got ready to go to sleep, they were going to go see Marble Pie tomorrow, and see if her knowledge of psychology would help them to interpret Sunset’s Dream.
Sunset had lied awake in her bed for awhile after that, she couldn’t stop worrying about what this dream meant, and why Cheerilee was part of it.
}~~~|~~~{
Sunset found herself in Canterlot. Strangely nopony was around except her, and this other pony in a dark hood over by one of the streetside food stands.
Sunset trotted over to the pony and asked who they are. As soon as she asked them the question everything went dark around the two. The pony then removed her hood.
The pony had a dark purple mane with speckled stars.
“The bell has been rung and the clock is ticking, Sunset Shimmer,” The pony said.
As she finished talking a clock started chiming in the distance. Then the pony disappeared
A scroll appeared in front of her, she read the contents.
The Sun Sets in Canterlot
The time of it’s day is now Twilight
When will the sunshine return
After Sunset finishes reading the haiku, a mirror appears in front of her. She touches the mirror to find out it’s a portal. Sunset walks through the mirror.
}~~~|~~~{
Sunset jolted awake to find that morning was just cracking. She went to go get her journal to write down the new poem. After she had finished writing the new poem in her journal, she decided to make breakfast while she waited for the others to wake up. Today they were going to see if Marble would be able to make any sense of the dreams. Sunset also wondered if she should talk to this world’s Cheerilee.
Sunset had finished making breakfast for everyone just as Pinkie Pie was waking up.
“Keep it down, I’m trying to sleep,” Rainbow responded.
“What time is it,” Applejack asked.
“It’s seven fifteen,” Rarity responded looking at her phone.
“Well since we’re up, we might as well stay up,” Fluttershy voice what everyone was thinking -- sans Rainbow of course.
“Can’t we just sleep for like a couple more hours!” Rainbow expressed her concerns annoyedly.
“No, we are helping Sunset today!” Applejack responded.
“Fine,” Rainbow reluctantly and tiredly agreed.
After the group of girls finished eating their breakfast, they headed out to Pinkie Pie’s house. Rarity had recently gotten a new minivan, so she was able to drive everybody there. The trip was a fairly short one, as Pinkie only lived about 10 minutes from Sunset’s apartment.
Once they arrived the girls made their way to the door of Pinkie’s house. Pinkie Pie then took out her key and unlocked her door. The group made their way inside, and Pinkie Pie went to get Marble.
Marble shared a room with Pinkie Pie since the two were twins, and because the house had a limited amount of rooms. Pinkie Pie emerged with marble and the two way to the living room where the rest of the group was.
“Sunset has been having some crazy dreams, and she needs you to analyze them for her,” Pinkie said to Marble.
“Huh… wh-why does she want m-me to analyze them?” Marble responded meekly.
“Because you’ve been studying psychology, and you’re the top of your class,” Pinkie said.
“Pinkie... I-I’m not qualified to be someone’s psychologist,” Marble responded.
“You’ll do fine, besides you know Sunset, it’s not like you’ll be talking to some random person,” Pinkie said nonchalantly.
“Pinkie, I don’t know if---” Pinkie cut Marble off “Trust me you’ll do fine, plus this is a serious issue, Sunset thinks equestrian magic might be the cause of them.” “Okay I-I’ll try to see what I can do,” Marble finally agreed.
“Okay, Sunset, c-could you tell me about your... uh... dreams,” Marble nervously asked Sunset.
Sunset then described the dream where she had ended up on the beach to Marble. She explained how the world had cracked and disappeared, and how Cheerilee had been there ringing the bell. She also made sure to tell Marble about the poem.
Sunset then told Marble about the next dream that she had just had this morning. She told her about the pony in the cloak, and how the pony seemed to be Princess Luna. Finally she told Marble about the haiku.
This new dream was a complete shock to the girls, as she had not told them about it yet.
“So, what do you think?” Sunset asked Marble.
Marble had been taking notes of everything that Sunset had said, and she came up with her answer, “Um.. I-I think the first dream indicates your subconscious telling you th-that you miss Cheerilee.”
“And as for the s-second dream, I believe that is your subconscious telling you th-that you miss E-Equestria,” Marble amended her response.
“So… what about the poems, what do they mean,” Sunset asked, a bit confused.
“I-I don’t know, I study psychology, these dreams seem like a magical problem, n-not a psychological one,” Marble responded softly.
“Well it was worth a shot anyway, come on guys let’s go see Cheerilee,” Sunset told the girls.
}~~~|~~~{
The ride from Pinkie’s house to Canterlot High School was a fairly short one. Canterlot High was closed for the summer, but the library stays open for the public. Sunset knew that she would be able to find Cheerilee there.
“Alright guys we’re here, let’s go talk to Cheerilee,” Sunset said upon arrival at the school.
The halls were familiar to them all, after all it had only been a month or so since they we’re all here as students. Sunset and the girls hastily made their way to the Library.
“Oh, Hi girls!” Cheerilee said upon seeing the group enter the library. “Any kind of books you wanted to check out, we’ve got plenty.”
“No, I actually wanted to talk to you about something,” Sunset said.
“Alright, what’s on your mind, Sunset,” Cheerilee replied.
Sunset explained all the details of the dreams she had, with Cheerilee. She explained to her the two poems, and how Cheerilee had rang the bell in her dream. She talked about the hooded figure who seemed to be Luna.
“Oh… well that’s certainly interesting.... I’m not really sure I know why I’m a focus in the dreams though,” Cheerilee responded puzzledly.
“Well… I might know why, but it’s kind of awkward,” Sunset replied blushing.
“And… why would that be,” Cheerilee asked worriedly.
“Well… I kinda met your pony counterpart at a school dance five years ago, and she… kissed me. ...Then I got caught up in my own arrogance and left equestria to come here,” Sunset said embarrassedly.
Cheerilee was in shock and blushing furiously. All of Sunset’s friends were similarly shocked.
“YOU NEVER TOLD US SHE KISSED YOU!” the group shouted out in unison.
“Oh… um did i forget to mention that part,” Sunset said awkwardly.
Cheerilee cleared her throat. “Maybe… you should talk to the other Cheerilee about the dreams,” Cheerilee said still feeling incredibly embarrassed.
“Well, I can’t, until the portal opens in two days, so I figured I’d see if you could help me while I’m here,” Sunset replied
“Well… Thank you for trusting me enough to ask for advice, but I definitely think you need to talk to her,” Cheerilee said, her embarrassment finally dying down a bit.
“Alright, thanks for your help Cheerilee,” Sunset said.
“Anytime,” Cheerilee replied.
As the girls left, they saw Microchips entering the library and gave him a small wave. He waved back, then continued into the library.
The girls made their way back to Sunset’s apartment, In lieu of the new information they received they decided to have another sleepover.
After the girls were inside and settled down, Rarity was the first to speak up. “Oh my gosh, you and Cheerilee, darling please do tell.”
“Well, it was really only one night, not much to tell, I was alone, she found me, we danced then she kissed me,” Sunset replied.
“Aw really, well how was she dressed, was fashion any different back then,” Rarity replied intrigued.
“Oh yeah she was dressed like a popstar, a bandana with pins around her neck, an armband leg warmers and earrings… She was beautiful.
Sunset had one more day to get through before the portal was open again. She really didn’t know what her plan of action was today. She had already talked to marble and cheerilee so there wasn’t anyone left she desperately needed to talk to about her dreams. She figured today could just be a bit of a relaxing day for everybody.
Sunset was up earlier than the rest of the girls, so she decided she would just ask them what they wanted to do when they woke up. She spent the time waiting on the girls to wake up to do some thinking about her dreams, and what they could mean. The most logical conclusion that she could come up with was that it was her subconscious missing Cheerilee, but that answer wasn;t good enough for her. The main problem with that reasoning is that it doesn’t explain the bells or the poems, which she knew had some significance.
Everyone was finally up by nine, and Sunset decided to ask everyone what they wanted to do today.
“Is there anything we can do to help figure out your dreams?” Rarity asked back.
“Not really, the portal opens tomorrow so I thought we could just have a relaxing day,” Sunset replied.
“In that case, there is a Battle of the Bands competition taking place in Indieville today, we’d be a late entry but I’m sure they would make an exception for The Rainbooms,” Rainbow offered.
“Sure, I’m down for that as long of the rest of you are,” Sunset replied.
The rest of the crowd agreed, thinking it would be a great way to get back into the groove of playing.
}~~~|~~~{
Rarity had taken everyone to their house to get their instruments, and Sunset had called the Battle’s moderator to ask if it was fine if The Rainbooms were entered. The moderator said that they accepted entries up to one hour before the competition, and that The Rainbooms were clear.
Rarity was now driving to the theater where the battle was taking place. Indieville was still in Canterlot District only about 20 minutes away from the city, so it wouldn’t take long for the girls to get there. A little time after they crossed into indieville, Fluttershy made an interesting remark. “Does anybody know why there is a telephone booth over there?”
“What do you mean?” Rarity asked.
“There's an old manhattan style telephone booth at that cross section. Why would there be one in Indiville?” Fluttershy asked.
“Now that you mention it, it is slightly odd that old style Manhattan architecture would be in Indieville,” Rarity responded. “Perhaps it’s just some modern art project, dear.”
When the girls checked the lineup to see if there were any notable bands that had signed up. The girls had never heard of most of the bands, save for one.
“Trixie and the Illusions,” all seven girls remarked.
“You rang, “ Trixie responded, walking towards the girls.
“Wow Trixie, your band is still making music?” Sunset asked.
“We stopped for awhile, but I had to get them back together, because my magic shows weren't gaining the attention that they deserved,” Trixie responded.
“How has the band business been working out for you?” Sunset asked.
“It’s been great, we must be pretty good, because the band gets more attention that I ever did with magic shows,” Trixie Replied.
The battle was starting in 10 minutes, so everyone went to their respective practice rooms.
“Okay, so I say we play it cool, with less intense songs at the beginning and then as we climb up the ladder, we swing harder!” Rainbow said.
“I agree, we can’t play the same song twice, so we need to save the harder songs for harder opponents.
There were ten bands in attendance, so the competition would start out with five battles. The Rainbooms vs Power fist was the fourth battle of the qualifiers. The Rainbooms decided to play a mellow song since the other band was a strictly punk rock band.
“The winner is... POWER FIST!” said the announcer.
“Did The Rainbooms, seriously already lose?” Rainbow Asked. “I thought we were better than this.”
“Not yet rainbow, this just means we are in the loser bracket,” Twilight responded. “We can still win this, but I think we should definitely stick to harder songs, a mellow one to stick out didn’t work as much as we hoped.”
Each band carried on the battle with winner semifinals being between Trixie and the Illusions and Dancing with Spiders”
“Trixie and the Illusions will be moving on to finals,” the announcer said. “And now the loser bracket semifinals, The Rainbooms versus Blind Love”
The Rainbooms played a very upbeat song, while Blind love played a soft emotional song. Surprisingly the results were very close.
“Wow The Rainbooms managed to scrape by with one more vote than Blind Love, which means they will be moving on to finals,” said the announcer. “Finals will be Between The Rainbooms and Trixie and the Illusions.”
Rainbow convinced everybody to play “Awesome as I Wanna Be,” While Trixie’s band played “Tricks Up My Sleeve.”
The announcer excitedly announced the winner “The winner is… Trixie and the Ilusions.”
“Okay so now we lost right,” Rainbow said annoyedly.
“Yeah, but we definitely put up a fight, and it was a lot of fun,” Sunset replied.
“Trixie’s band must have practiced a lot, they sound really good,” Fluttershy added.
“Yes they did really well, I’m glad Trixie finally found something she’s really good at,” Rarity said.
“And just what is that supposed to mean?” Trixie asked while walking over to the group of girls.
“Nothing, you’re just a really good singer Trixie,” Rarity responded.
“Thank you, Rarity,” Trixie added.
Each of the girls gave their goodbyes to trixie and her band, and headed back to Canterlot.
When the girls got back to Canterlot, Rarity dropped everyone off at their respective houses.
Sunset went to sleep early, because she wanted to be well rested for when she went to equestria tomorrow.
Sunset awoke early in the morning. Today was the day she would finally be going to Equestria. Sunset made herself breakfast, and took a shower. After she had finished her daily routine the time was around nine, so she started her way to Canterlot High School.
Sunset decided to walk rather than run, because she needed to save her energy. She finally arrived at the school at around ten.
“Ok, It’s time to figure out what these dreams mean,” Sunset said to herself while looking at the portal.
Just as she was about to enter the portal, she saw a flash in it that startled her. Sunset jumped back and waited for something else to happen. After a moment she tried to enter the portal again, of course this time she was successful.
}~~~|~~~{
Sunset exited the portal on her hind hooves and was a bit wobbly.
“Oh right, hehe, all fours,” Sunset told herself.
As she got down onto all of her hooves, she looked around slightly confused.
Is this Canterlot castle, why would the mirror be here? Sunset thought to herself.
Sunset walked down the familiar halls of canterlot castle and made her way to the throne room. All of the guards let her through where she wanted to go. She suspected that Twilight had told Celestia that she would be coming through.
When Sunset finally made it to the throne room, she was taken by surprise as Princess Celestia nor Princess Luna were anywhere to be seen, although Twilight was there with a brand new crown.
“Twilight, why are we in Canterlot castle, and where are the princesses?” Sunset asked while looking up at twilight in concern.
“Whoops, forgot to mention that I’m the ruler of Equestria now, must’ve slipped my mind,” Twilight responded with a nervous smile.
Sunset Shimmer was at a loss for words, she just stared up at twilight mouth agape.
“Alright so we had a dream to discuss, correct?” Twilight asked.
Sunset proceeded to tell Twilight the details of both of the dreams that she had had, and explained to her that she needed to talk with the girl that she had met back at her school dance.
“Definitely sounds like these dreams are magical in nature, so who is the girl you need to see?” Twilight asked thoughtfully. “It may take awhile to find her, but I’m sure if she’s in Equestria we will be able to.”
“Oh, well her name is Cheerilee,” Sunset responded.
“Really, it’s Cheerilee, good news Sunset I know where she lives,” Twilight said brightly. “We’re headed to Ponyville.”
“She lives in ponyville, weird I expected some big city,” Sunset responded.
“Nope, she definitely lives in Ponyville,” Twilight said.
Twilight told Spike to watch over the castle while she went to Ponyville with Sunset, to which he happily obliged.
Twilight had gotten a Royal Carriage to take them to Ponyville, as Sunset did not have any wings. A carriage flight would get them there much faster than a train would.
}~~~|~~~{
As the two stepped off the carriage, a strange stallion walked up to Princess Twilight.
“Excuse me Princess, but we need your help,” said the strange stallion.
“Sorry, I am currently very busy, but i would be happy to help you later,” Twilight said sternly. “But may I ask, who you are exactly?”
The Stallion raised up an identification card, “This should tell you exactly who I am,” he responded.
“This card says that you are the captain of the Crystal Guard, which I find impossible, considering you are a non-crystal earth pony, but I will still try to help you, if you give me a little bit,” Twilight said back to the stallion.
Twilight noticed the mare behind him. “Oh, hi Derpy, I like how you’ve grown out your mane,” She said to the mare.
Derpy had a shocked expression, but Twilight chose to ignore it, and continued on her way to Cheerilee’s house with Sunset.
The two finally arrived at Cheerilee’s house, and Twilight gave a small knock at her door.
“Coming,” Cheerilee said as she made her way to the door.
Cheerilee opened the door, and was immediately shocked at who she saw.
“I like your ear rings, where did you get them?” Twilight asked.
Cheerilee didn’t respond, instead she just stared at Sunset tears building up in her eyes.
“Sunset... Shimmer?” was all that she managed to squeak out.
“It’s me,” Sunset responded incredibly nervously.
“Please, come in you two,” Cheerilee told the two girls.
Cheerilee then listened as Sunset told the story of the two dreams, and how she believed them to be magical in nature. Cheerilee told the two that she had had a similar dream, where a mysterious figure had told her to ring a bell to see Sunset again.
“I wrote it off as just a silly dream, thats why I was so shocked when you actually came,” Cheerilee said tears forming in her eyes again.
“You really missed me that much,” Sunset said holding back tears of her own.
“Of course I did, Sunset, I was devastated when you left and I was hoping you would eventually return, but in the five years of waiting you never came… until now.” Cheerilee said with a smile.
Cheerilee then gave Sunset a hug, one that seemed like it would never end to Sunset.
“Well, I need you to come with me to figure out what ringing the bell actually did,” Sunset told Cheerilee.
“I would love to Sunset, but class starts back in a couple of months, and I have no idea how long we would be gone,” Cheerilee replied.
“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight said “I can get another teacher lined up for the job, and give your job back as soon as you return, Princess’ orders.” Twilight gave a wink.
“Alright then, Let’s do it,” Cheerile said with a big smile.
}~~~|~~~{
Twilight had given the orders for the carriage to take Sunset and Cheerilee to Canterlot Castle, and let them go to the mirror room. Twilight was staying behind to talk to the Stallion from earlier, and would fly back on her own.
The two arrived at Canterlot Castle and made their way to the mirror room. The two sttod in front of the mirror.
“Are you ready?” Sunset asked Cheerilee.
“Not really, but I trust you,” Cheerilee Responded nervously.
Sunset giggled and pulled Cheerilee into the mirror with her.
