Epilogue: The Wait
Sunset Shimmer’s face was blank as the cell door slammed shut behind her, mostly because she wasn’t about to give the guards the satisfaction of seeing any of the emotions that roiled beneath her calm surface. As she’d expected, her trial had been a fait accompli from beginning to end, though not for the reason she assumed it would be. Instead of trying to prove all of nasty things that Pinkie Pie had accused her of doing in the human world, Princess Celestia had decided to try her for the “crimes” she’d committed in Equestria, which revolved around the incident that had caused her self-imposed exile in the first place.
Of course, there never should have been anything controversial about it. Okay, sure, she’d used neuromancy to make a squad of guardsponies go AWOL in order to search for an ancient artifact, and most of them had gotten killed before the spell wore off, which was technically supposed to be treated as a capital offense, but there were clearly extenuating circumstances. After all, the prophesied return of Nightmare Moon had been imminent, and there was no reason to think that the Elements of Harmony would be found in time, no matter what Celestia insisted. Sunset Shimmer needed a backup plan, and she’d acted accordingly. Unfortunately, the jury was composed of easily-swayed simpletons who returned with a unanimous verdict of “guilty” within less than six hours, and now she was in a maximum-security prison with particularly resilient magic inhibitor attached to her horn, while Nightmare Moon walked free!
After peering outside her cell to make sure nopony was watching, Sunset bucked one of the walls in frustration at the blatant miscarriage of justice. She didn’t care if there were restrictions on the Nightmare’s freedom; the mere fact that she was allowed to be among the common ponies at all was an affront to decency. At least the trial resulted in Penumbra Noctis’ true identity becoming public knowledge, so hopefully she was now being treated like a pariah instead of an upstanding member of society, but Sunset rather doubted that was going to happen. Not if ponies weren’t pragmatic enough to see that her actions were perfectly justified, despite the sob stories of her surviving “victims.”
Ignoring the pain that shot up her leg, Sunset sat down on her haunches and stared at sterile gray walls of her cell, stewing in her own indignation. Eventually, though, her urge to throw a tantrum subsided, and she could finally take stock of her predicament; despite the bleakness of her situation, she did have several things going for her. First, despite the Nightmare’s rather tasteless remarks upon their return to Equestria, she hadn’t been sent to Tartarus. That meant that she would still be allowed to know about the outside world, which meant that she’d be allowed to request reading materials, and there was no reason to think that these materials couldn’t include treatises on magical theory, particularly if she demonstrated that she wouldn’t attempt to tamper with her inhibitor.
Second, and far more importantly, she knew that thoughtforms were more than just fanciful cautionary tales to keep young unicorns from getting in over their horns when dabbling in the unknown. They were real, and Pinkie Pie was one of them. In retrospect, this had to be the reason why she had been so confident in her eventual victory, even if that victory had to be “messy.” At the end of the day, it was only Pinkie’s desire to protect those hairless chimpanzees that had led her to hold back. The whole time, Sunset had been completely outgunned... but that wouldn’t be the case next time. Next time, she’d be properly informed. Sure, there was no way that she’d be allowed access to any classified information, but a unicorn of Sunset’s caliber wouldn’t need to have everything spelled out for her in order to formulate workable theories.
And no matter what the judge had said, there would be a next time, because there was no way Sunset Shimmer was going to spend the rest of her days rotting in a cell. All she needed was patience... and a little imagination.
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Oh! Yes! I never would have expected this!
Now... What's her thoughtform gonna be?? Hmm...
It'll be designed with a purpose in mind, like the Nightmare... Tirek isn't gonna aid in her escape, I think?
Wow. This Sunset sure is a lot worse than the canon one. It seems a little odd, since Sombra, Discord, and Trixie have all been more or less as evil (or not) as their canon versions.
I would have thought Sunsets Evil thoughtform would be as flexible as she could make it, as then it doesnt need powers, its only limited by what shape she can imagine and strength etc of that form.
I think the Tirek class VOM would be a Bit over the top though.
Interesting... Makes me wonder just what artifact it was that Sunset was looking for.
Also, this is the first time that I have read the idea that Sunset was on the run for multiple counts of murder. This puts a MUCH darker twist on her than what is normally seen. I like it.
I am guessing that capital punishment is forbidden by Equestrian law. That is probably a good thing, otherwise, it would place the needed sequel in jeopardy lol
I wonder who she would imagine... perhaps... STARLIGHT GLIMMER!
Sunset seems to be a severe case of General Ripper , specially regarding her views about Penumbra. I cannot await to see what horror will she unleash from her own demented head.
This is an insult to Sunset Shimmer, Celestia and common sense
Goddamnit. I knew Sunset was going to make a thoughtform of her own. Bluh.
7447270
As much potential as Starlight had in terms of power, she doesn't strike me as actually a step up from this Sunset Shimmer.
Not saying you might not turn out to be right, and I certainly like the way you think... but I think if we're going psychopathic overkill, we're going Tirek.
This story was a thrill to read. Thank you.
7447419 But then again we don't know anything about Sunset's powers, her equestrian magical powers, from the show or even in this story other than she can control people.
In the Canon of the show tho, Twilight specifically says that Starlight is STRONGER than Twilight is, while Starlight has never had any kind of magical training or teaching at all. Imagine if she DID get some magical teaching from Celestia. she would be the most powerful being on the planet. And also Remember. Starlight is a UNICORN, meanwhile Twilight is an ALICORN. That is some Raw power, just in the Canon Show. Let alone what a Fanfic can give her too.
Is Transdementia a real word?
7447600
I did point out how much raw power and potential Starlight has (though one can only assume how much she learned about magic from Sunburst before he left, as he is apparently an even bigger bookworm than Twilight).
It's her personality that doesn't strike me as what this Sunset's thoughtform would be like, both before and after her reformation. I'm not saying I know anything and it might turn out to be Starlight after all, but for me a literal monster and powerhouse like Tirek just feels... more right than a comparatively normal pony.
Dagnabit Sunset...
7447672 One google search later and..... The answer is no.
7447736 I don't think so, cause so far the story has been mostly following along the events of the show, just with little twists and differences. And in the show, Tirek has been around for thousands of years, and is in Tartarus. Maybe Grogar tho? In most stories I see with him, he's usually a Necromancer. Maybe the same will be here, made up by Sunset for having all kinds of undead slaves made from his fallen enemies.
7447419 Perhaps but it can't actually be Tirek cause it'd be impossible for that to work seeing how he was a major threat 1000 years ago and banished to Tartarus. Not to mention was Scorpan's biological brother. No way Sunset could think either of them up cause canonically like with Discord and Nightmare Moon or Penumbra now, they existed 1000 years ago and Tirek being imprisoned for his crimes while Scorpan continued learning about friendship.
7447249
If you mean the one that Sunset brainwashed the guards into looking for, she says right afterwards that it was the Elements of Harmony.
A part of me is sad that unlike the series Sunset doesn't learn about friendship ... but on the otherhand I'm super excited to see what you come up with.
7447817
Most stories you see him in, is with Grogar being a necromancer. Big difference.
It's funny how even a self-professed blatant sequel hook can make a story feel more tidy and complete. Any ending beats the sudden ending.
Well heck. Didn't expect this so quickly. Intriguing.
7447918 Sounded more to me that she was looking for a different artifact. If it had been the Elements she was looking for, then I would think it would have been "artifacts", as in plural. Also, whereas she had doubts on whether or not the Elements of Harmoney would be found in time, it seems that she was looking for something to act as an ace-in-the-hole in the event that they were not found. Maybe it was the Alicorn Amulet that she was searching for?
7448108
...Gah, reread it and you're right. She actually specifies that there was no reason to believe the Elements would be found in time. What the heck was I doing the first readthrough?
7448308 Its all golden
So even after her trial, Sunset doesn't learn that Discord and Penumbra are thoughtforms, too?
So even if she does come up with her own imaginary friend and get out of jail to fight Pinkie on more-or-less equal footing... she'll be outnumbered when Discord and Penny show up.
7447672 Beyond the loss of mind.
7448699
And that assuming Sunset´s thoughtform will be compliant to its creator in the first place. If the new entity inherits Sunset´s psychopathic mindset, "she" may as well betray Shimmer if it´s convenient enough. It would be the ultimate irony for Evil-Baconhead.
What if Sunset creates the Petricultureverse´s Sirens?
A very nice epilogue to finish things off, short and sweet. I much look forward to the implied sequel.
Been following petriculture for years. An enjoyable story here, and in many ways I like the twists the AU brings, but... I have trouble with that ending. Sunset not being redeemed without some major reason why her defeat in this AU is different than in canon EG just feels unexplained to me. I mean, yes, AU is AU, so all bets are off, but typically I expect to see major deviations from canon explained. Not that it can't happen, I just need to know why it's different. Still, minor quibble about an otherwise fun romp into Canterlot High.
I finally got around to reading this, just in time to catch the end. Overall, I think it was a very good story. I think my only problem with it was that the stakes were never really high. Like Sunset said in the epilogue, she was completely outgunned, and there was no way Pinkie could ever lose in the end, especially since Sunset was completely oblivious to everything about Pinkie, Penumbra, and Discord. It was still a very entertaining read though, and I look forward to the next story.
7451056 - You probably need to keep in mind that I didn't see the movie before writing this story, mostly because I wanted the plot to develop organically, rather than feeling like a carbon-copy of the movie with a slightly different cast. Sunset isn't redeemed here because I could not figure out why she would have been redeemed in the first place. I've been told that her change was inspired by witnessing the power of friendship... but there's no way that would work on this Sunset. She's motivated by a misplaced sense of self-righteousness, and as such, is completely blind to her own flaws. You can't turn over a new leaf if you aren't willing to own up to your wrongdoing and admit that you were wrong. This version of Sunset is a pony who sees others as disposable means to her "obviously correct" ends. If she learned anything about the power of friendship, it's that friendship itself can be weaponized and used to bring your enemies to heel.
Ooh. I can't wait to see what original thoughtform you make for Sunset. Great ending.
Aaaand this version of Sunset clearly isn't only not redemption-fodder, but also lucky they didn't do far worse to her...!
Before the epilogue, this story was my least favorite of the Petriculture Cycle. It wasn't a bad story, but it was contrived and not as tightly constructed. Still, in the end, I liked it.
This epilogue completely recontextualizes the story and, in my opinion, ruins it.
For starters, the backstory given here for Sunset Shimmer (which I'm pretty sure isn't written prior but which the characters already knew) makes the more flippant attitude of Pinkie and company seem completely irresponsible. Sunset is a dangerous, sociopathic megalomaniac with blood on her hooves. Which incidentally makes her the second needlessly dark and totally irredeemable villain so far, but at least Sombra is treated like an actual threat.
The fact is, the plan they went with was one of the most complex, most difficult, and most dangerous that they could have come up. It has nothing to recommend to it besides the fact it's the one Twilight uses in the movie. Which would be fine if the stakes were low but, again, dangerous, sociopathic megalomaniac with blood on her hooves.
Then, there is the implication that Sunset is working on her own thoughtform for the sequel. I recognize that they are the driving force behind the series, but they're overshadowing everything else. It's gotten to the point where nothing but a thoughtform can pose a legitimate threat, and nothing but another thoughform can do anything of import about it. The rest of the cast is relegated to B-plot status, at best.
I have to give this a reluctant thumbs-down.
7447600
Where do people keep getting this idea from? There's no point in the show where Twilight says that Starlight is more powerful than her, though she does remark that Starlight is especially powerful. Plus, as far as we've been able to tell, Twilight's power hasn't increased since gaining her wings, or at the very least that it hasn't increased a significant amount. At the most, we could say that Starlight is as powerful as Unicorn!Twilight, though that's assuming Twilight's power will ever increase at all as an Alicorn.
It's difficult to gauge, due to the show's "powers as the plot demands" attitude towards magic.
7484353
Hold on. Let me get the transcript from the episode from the Wiki here. Ahem.
More Talent then anypony she has ever seen, herself included. But mainly the last part. Her magic could NOT stop her. If Twilight was stronger, she WOULD be able to stop her. But from what we saw in that episode, everything she did, Starlight matched and beat her in.
The only part in the episode they seemed to be 'equal' in was the bit just before the Nightmare Moon section, where they actually had a fight against each other. Which even then, I would say was more Starlight's side, as Starlight is constantly using magic to Levitate herself. That takes POWER to constantly do. To put that into perspective, Twilight could only levitate a few small animals in a small pattern for a few minutes in a show. Starlight can do it on herself, for as far as we know, MUCH longer. Enough she can go flying with Fluttershy and Rainbow, and passively uses it when in the air, AND even FIGHT while it is in effect. Something we have never seen Twilight ever do either. Cast 2 spells at once. Starlight was using magic to Levitate herself, AND cast lasers at Twilight.
It's never stated, but it's heavily implied that Starlight is stronger. Even in the new season, it's STARLIGHT that figures out how to fix the map for the Rarity and Pinkie map episode.
7484584
Okay, I could be VERY pedantic, point out the "almost" there, as well as talk about extenuating circumstances both times Starlight and Twilight have fought as well as different styles of casting magic (with Starlight being much more ruthless and quicker on the draw than methodical, planning Twilight), OR I could not do that, because I should have made a larger point of the fact that the show treats magic the same way writers treat Superman's powers, or Dragonball Z treats power levels...
...as ancillary window dressing before the almighty plot.
We can argue our points denotating how the show implies which is stronger, but the fact is that Twilight is always going to lose a magic fight no matter what, regardless of actual power level, simply because the show's not interested in a straight up magic duel. The show's only interested in magic duels in as much as they make for great sequences to animate and allow a hollow raising of the stakes by showing "oh no, Twilight's powerful magic can't get her out of this one! What could possibly help her face down this threat now?!?!1?" Of which the answer is friendship, or some variant of friendship or a friendship lesson of some sort (because friendship's the most powerful magic of all!!!). Twilight, Starlight, etc, are only as powerful as whatever kind of story is trying to be told requires. Now the writers can make allusions and imply who is more powerful, but after the 4th, 5th, 6th time this happens, the Worf Effect brings back diminishing returns.
You and I have seen the same episodes, and you've seen the subtext of the show and decided it implies that Starlight is the more powerful. While you are WRONG(or at least I think so), there isn't any way for me to disprove that. The same applies vice versa, in that you cannot prove me wrong in saying that Twilight is more powerful. So, as I would A: Rather not clog this story's comment section with an extremely pedantic argument because it's a good story and I always hate coming across comment sections embroiled in extremely pedantic arguments on good stories (especially when the argument isn't about anything that happened in the story itself), and B: I really don't want to get into a very pedantic argument anyway, there will just be too much energy spent over such little reward, so I'm just gonna agree to disagree with you and move on.
Also it's 1:39 AM where I am right now. Why am I not asleep yet?
7484855 Very well. I can agree with that at least. Sad when shows and movies do that, changing things to fit the plot, instead of changing the plot to fit the characters.
Overall this story is good, but I personally feel that Sunset Shimmer was relatively either rather poorly charactered or rather poorly utilized.
I did not feel like she was enough of a threat, even when she upped her the evil in her actions. It kind of made me root for her in an "underdog effect" kind of way. I kind of feel sorry for her.
Though disclaimer: I am rather quite disappointed that this version of Sunset Shimmer didn't get Friendship Laser Brainwashed. That was the best side of the canon one, I think.
Though given the ending, if you are going to make a sequel, I feel like she still could graduate into becoming a better utilized antagonist.
7777879 - Sweet merciful heavens, don't talk about "y'all." I've lost track of how often it starts arguments in my comments sections. Trust me, I've learned my lesson, and I do my best to make sure I'm using it as true-born Southrons* do. Seriously, there is no need to correct the people who were trying to correct me.
*That's what Southerners called themselves during the Civil War era, to anyone who didn't know.
7778542 then delete comments that mention it when you see them, especially when they're not even being 'correct' about it (insomuch as one can even be correct about slang). This person in particular seems to enjoy commenting on stories, calling out things they see as errors when in reality they're fine or even entirely subjective; given their latest response I've decided to just block them instead of wasting any more time.
It's pretty tough to make a conflict compelling when your protagonists are essentially gods; even more so when your villains aren't. I think you did a pretty good job, and I look forward to any further adventures you may write.
7780303
Just saw this. and he should delete your comment then. Since you're both wrong (as I grammatically showed, with proofs, ontop of being a Southerner (With a large group of the Southern Fanbase behind me.)).
And you're just being a flamer with that comment of yours.
Edit:
That said, none of these will get deleted, and we should end the conversation here. But next time you accuse a person of not knowing what they are talking about. Despite evidence to the contrary. At least try educating yourself first or possibly even opening a dictionary. Seriously, it's not that hard to do.
Man! I can't wait for the sequel, mostly because I look forward to seeing what Sunset cooks up. Also because I want to see what is done with getting Trixie back on her hooves. That pony really does need friends.
Also ... this series is just freaking epic. I can't stop gushing about it ^_^.
Gotta say, this is a rather bleak ending for Sunset. Which makes sense, since she is a more effective villain in this universe, but it makes me sad for the Shimmer that wasn't.
8397075
Personally it makes me a bit hopeful. Since her redemption story will be all the greater.
I'm going to break with the trend and say that I liked the fact that you made Sunset a bona fide irredeemable villain in this fic. It provides a genuine threat, especially given that your version of Sunset is smart and able to adapt as she learns new information.
A question about Discord, though. Back when I'd first read this fic, it seemed like Discord's tendency to clue antagonists in about something they should be doing differently was a running gag based on Discord's own personality flaws. It later occurred to me that he might be doing it intentionally to ramp up the amount of conflict. Are you willing to shed light on which of these would be the case?
I also enjoyed the Discord/EqG-Celestia ship-tease, though I can see how it might be hard to follow up on it without the portal staying open.
Thank you again for writing this!
8686721
Think about they both do seemingly nonsensical things heck before Discord's reformation you could argue they are two sides of the same coin, one good and one not.
8686807
No, because unreformed Discord is a cunt and Pinkie hates him.
8686852
Maybe that came out wrong but would you agree that they could be the good and evil counterparts of one another?
8686858
No.