Equestria Girls - The Tale of Two Sunsets

by HumanSunset63

Chapter 1: Canterlot High Memories

As Sunset set off to find her friends, she noticed that the hallways were surprisingly empty, despite the fact that it was only around 9 AM in the morning. Suddenly, her realization sank in, that the seniors weren't even supposed to be on school grounds, now that all their classes were officially finished. This likely meant that most of Sunset's classmates were either hanging elsewhere, staying home, sleeping in, or simply enjoying their one week of freedom. As a result, the hallways throughout CHS remained a ghost town, while classrooms were still in session, and full of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

Given how this was going to be her last week at Canterlot High, Sunset decided that before she followed through with her plan to meet up with the rest of her friends, she would first take a moment to reminisce on all the memories she's made at this particular school. After all, CHS was the one main location she had gotten accustomed to, ever since she first stepped through the mirror, and Sunset could never forget how rough of an experience she had, especially in the very beginning. In fact, it didn't take long for her to realize that she was standing in the same hallways where she had bullied and belittled Fluttershy, all those years ago.

"It's crazy how much everything's changed since then." Sunset reminisced, as she remembered calling Fluttershy 'pathetic', and how it wasn't any surprise that her only friends were animals. "I can't believe I used to be such a jerk to Fluttershy, nor could I imagine how I was able to sleep at night, when I regularly behaved that way. Well... I'm glad that everything worked out between us in the end, I certainly wouldn't treat anybody like that, nowadays."

While Sunset continued to reminisce on her memories here at CHS, one of her classmates came around the corner, and greeted her in a positive manner, boosting her optimism at being a changed person. She was mostly there to grab her cello from the music room, which also reminded Sunset that she needed to do the same with her guitar, though she believed it would've been better to prioritize cleaning out her own locker, and having a serious talk with the girls, before doing so. As she entered CHS's main lobby, Sunset turned to the right, and noticed that the tacky-looking walls of the school's front doors were still there, even after all this time.

How could she ever forget the night she had turned into a raging she-demon, demolished the entrance with her new telekinesis powers, and was then forced to repair the damages, brick by brick? In some ways, the incident had always traumatized Sunset, deep down, knowing that she somehow ended up acting the way she did, shortly after putting on Twilight's crown. After all, Sunset knew that she was arrogant, prideful, and tyrannical when she was running CHS with an iron fist, but just as she once told Twilight herself, she was certainly no monster. This statement admittedly always seemed ironic on hindsight, since she even acknowledged numerous times that she had literally turned into an actual demon.

"I'm still not entirely sure what came over me that night." Sunset sighed. "I mean, I know I was definitely mean and coldhearted back then, but what drove me to almost decimate Twilight and the rest of the girls, back during the Fall Formal? It's like I had no control over myself, or the power had somehow corrupted me. All I can say for certain is, it's a good thing Twilight was able to snap me out of it... or else, who knows what would've happened?"

Just as these thoughts kept Sunset pondering on the past, one of the CHS faculty members had made their way into the main lobby, furthering some preparations for the upcoming graduation. Vice Principal Luna took her attention off of her clipboard, and noticed Sunset Shimmer on school grounds, despite the fact that her classes were already finished.

"Ah, good to see you, Miss Shimmer." The vice principal acknowledged. "I'm a little surprised to see you back on school grounds again, since most of the seniors had already cleaned out their lockers, and are now enjoying their week off, before graduation."

"Well, I just wanted to take a moment to reminisce about my time here at Canterlot High, and make sure I wasn't forgetting any important memories, before I move on with my life." Sunset explained. "I'm also pretty sure that the rest of my friends are currently somewhere in the school right now, and I was about to go find them, to discuss a more... serious matter. Have you by any chance seen them?"

"I'm afraid not, Sunset." Luna shrugged. "The school has been fairly empty today, with only a few staff members here and there, making sure everything's in order for the big day. But at the very least, this means I no longer need to be on anybody's case for parking their car in the faculty lot."

"I understand." Sunset nodded. "Well, if you happen to see them, or if they come back, could you please let them know that I'd like to meet them in front of the school? It's pretty urgent, let's just say."

"Of course, Sunset, I'll make sure to let them know." Luna agreed. "Well, if I manage to find them at all, that is."

"I appreciate it." Sunset gave a thumbs up. "In the meantime, I've been staring at these front doors for a few minutes, now. I definitely remember all that work I've done to rebuild everything, after what happened that night at the Fall Formal. Three whole months of manual labor, but hey, I would've certainly taken that, over you and Principal Celestia turning me in to the police."

"Well, I can't speak for my big sister, but I'm glad you took responsibility for your actions, and didn't try to blame it all on anyone else." Luna smiled, warmly. "It shows true character, and I'll always be proud of you for your decision in the end. Unlike a certain other student that I remember my sister ended up expelling, here at CHS. In fact, it was the first and only expulsion she's ever had to go through with, in over 15 years."

"Wait, really?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Who are you referring to, exactly? I assume... someone other than me?"

"I'm afraid that information is confidential." Luna replied. "But yes, it was somebody else completely different. However, I'll let you in on something that my sister had discussed with me, in and out of the office, back when you were first enrolled. See, we had been contemplating for a while on whether or not to expel you as well, especially when we had gotten numerous complaints about a certain red-haired girl in a leather jacket, pushing around the other students, and forcing them to give her their lunch money."

"I... I still can't believe that was ever me." Sunset shook her head in disgust at her past self. "But hey, I've certainly come a long way now, right?"

"I'd say so, for sure." Luna nodded. "But as far as our consideration back then, as to potentially dismiss you from CHS, my sister and I had almost come to that decision, especially after what happened that night, during the Fall Formal. However, shortly after the dance, when we both saw that you had shown remorse for your actions, and would've rather fixed your errors by repairing the CHS front doors, instead of turning you in to the authorities, that was when we had decided not to do it. And considering everything else that the school's been through, following that night, we were both able to say with certainty, that we didn't regret our decision to keep you enrolled."

"Thanks, Vice Principal Luna." Sunset nodded. "That means a lot to me, really. I've definitely learned from my past mistakes, and I hope that I can keep growing as a person, even after graduation."

"I know you will, and that you're already on the path to make a difference in society." Luna patted Sunset on the back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go take care of some last-minute graduation details. Let's just say... the band we had already hired, months ago, just called in sick at the worst possible time. Fortunately, we've received an email from another band, mentioning that they'd be willing to take the job, if we'll have them. My sister and I were admittedly still a little skeptical of hiring them, considering our past experience, but we came to the conclusion to give them another shot, especially when you yourself had already set a good example for us, Sunset. The past is in the past, after all."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, and I hope everything works out for you." Sunset smiled. "You've always been there for us students, so I'm more than happy to hear I've made a positive impact."

"You've grown into a fine young woman, and I'm sure you'll continue to make us proud, as you move forward in life." Luna responded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must get back to the office. I hope you have a good rest of your day, and remember to enjoy your graduation. Oh, and please don't forget to clean out your locker, if you haven't done so, already."

"Don't worry about it, I'll make sure to do so." Sunset waved goodbye, as the vice principal walked off.

With a sigh, Sunset sat down on one of the benches near the lockers, staring off into the distance. The graduation ceremony was in a week, and she was both excited and nervous about what the future would hold. Sunset couldn't help but wonder what the rest of her friends were doing right now, getting ready for the big event. A small smile crept onto her face, as she imagined them all sitting together on the CHS bleachers, laughing and sharing stories. It was going to be a day to remember, though Sunset kept in mind that she needed to address the elephant in the room, prior to the event.

"I still need to make sure the girls understand that we're all going to be moving on with our lives, after graduation." Sunset said to herself. "More specifically, with me, if I'm metaphorically going to be moving away, back to Equestria. Certainly no easy way for us to keep in touch if I choose to go back, so... maybe we can have a heart-to-heart, at least some time before the ceremony."

As she sat there, Sunset realized that since she was already here at CHS, it was likely a great time to clean out her locker, as Vice Principal Luna had reminded her, moments earlier. She stood up and walked over to her locker, inputting her locker combination and unlocking it. As she opened the locker door, a flood of memories came rushing back, as she noticed various items that had been accumulating in there, throughout the year. There were countless notes and cards from her classmates, pictures of her and the girls during the three prior years, and even some old homework assignments and essays, which she had gotten A's on.

"Well, I guess I should start by taking out the stuff I don't need anymore, and then I can go through the rest, later." Sunset said to herself, as she dug through the old papers.

Sunset carefully organized her locker, removing the old books and notebooks that she no longer needed, along with various other trinkets she had accumulated over the years. As she sorted through her belongings, she eventually brought her attention to a worn journal, tucked away in the back of her locker. A journal that she... hadn't really used in a while, ever since she had communicated with Princess Twilight regarding the Time Twirler, back at the Starswirled Music Festival. In fact, because of the overall lack of supernatural occurrences recently, Sunset realized that she hadn't really kept up with Twilight in what felt like ages.

"Hmm, speaking of going back to Equestria, I wonder what Twilight's been up to, lately." Sunset said, as she opened the journal.

As Sunset began skimming the journal's pages, she could still see the various entries and exchanges they've had over the years, from asking for Twilight's help in defeating the Dazzlings, to seeking further assistance, when her friends' memories had been erased by the Memory Stone. Realizing that she hadn't been up to date with Twilight for months now, Sunset knew that it was likely in her best interest to check in, at least to get an idea on any current events within Equestria. She grabbed a pen and began writing on a new page, hoping that she could get a usual response from the princess, and that Twilight wouldn't jump to the conclusion that she had forgotten all about her.

Dear Princess Twilight... I've been meaning to check in with you for a while now. I just wanted to see how you've been doing, and if there's anything I should know about, back in Equestria. Graduation at Canterlot High is finally coming around the corner, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to perhaps come back to Equestria for a while, especially now that I have a free week off. And if you're wondering, things have been going great in the Human World lately, as I haven't really encountered anything supernatural, within these past few months.

Your friend, Sunset Shimmer.

---

Unknown to Sunset, Princess Twilight herself was also on the verge of celebrating a large and impactful milestone, back in Equestria. Following an emotional and confrontational final battle against three major foes, Twilight was ready to finally become the princess of all of Equestria, the very role that Celestia had held for over 1,000 years. This was going to be her second major coronation, as she still had fond memories of her very first one, celebrating her ascension into an alicorn princess. Initially, the second coronation had already been planned to take place much sooner than the current day, especially after Celestia had already announced that she and Luna had finally made their decision to retire.

However, Twilight had specifically postponed this upcoming coronation for a while, in order to allow Canterlot's main castle to be reconstructed, following the damages done by Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. After the many months of hard work and determination by Canterlot's construction team, the castle looked just as good as before, if not better. Though Twilight realized that the revamped throne room seemed much emptier than before, likely because the old stained glass windows had been damaged beyond repair, thanks to the Legion of Doom. Twilight had always admired such artistic murals, depicting and symbolizing the various milestones and significant events over the years, making the impact of those foes hit much harder than she had really anticipated.

As the princess continued staring at the windows, she would soon be accompanied by Spike, alongside one of the main employees in Canterlot, Gourmand Ramsay.

"Hey, Twilight!" Spike waved, as he entered the throne room. "I sure hope you're looking forward to your big day! You've worked so hard to get here, and we couldn't be more proud! I just know you're gonna be such a great leader for Equestria!

"Oh, Spike." Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement, before turning to the dragon. "Thank you, you're always so sweet, though to tell you the truth, I'm just a little nervous. Celestia and Luna have been such great mentors, and I'm going to miss working with them on a daily basis. But now that the day's finally come, I think I'm ready for this responsibility now."

"There's no need to worry, Princess!" Gourmand Ramsay assured. "The plans for the coronation have been going swimmingly, and everything's already been set up, just as you've requested. The decorations will be breathtaking, and the food will be incredible! You're going to have the best day ever!"

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be wonderful." Twilight nodded. "Thank you Mr. Ramsay, your assistance has always been wonderful. I've already seen what you've done with the preparations, and I can't thank you enough. I'm certainly looking forward to trying what you ended up preparing, once dinnertime comes."

"Actually, Princess?" Mr. Ramsay began reminding Twilight. "If I remember correctly, you had assigned your friend, Applejack, to take care of the meal preparations. I'll be in charge of overseeing the coronation parfait today, though I won't be involved in actually preparing it, now that I've resigned from work in Canterlot. Today's technically my last day here, though I'm more volunteering, than anything else."

"Oh, that's right, I must've forgotten about that." Twilight replied, sheepishly. "Again though, I hope this resignation didn't have anything to do with somepony treating you badly in the kitchen?"

"Not at all, Princess." Mr. Ramsay shook his head. "If anything, I dare say I'm the one to often become heated, especially when I have to keep reminding some donkey in the kitchen to prepare the lasagna from fresh, instead of using the store-bought frozen type. It's more just, me wanting to seek a new opportunity to share my culinary experience with the rest of Equestria, now that this new position's accepted me. Nothing personal toward Canterlot, but it's just something new and exciting for me."

"I understand, and I wish you the best of luck with that, Mr. Ramsay." Twilight nodded. "You'll make a great addition to whatever kitchen you find yourself in, I just know it! And speaking of new and exciting, I hope that we can fill these stained glass windows with up-to-date memories. It certainly is a shame that the Legion of Doom had to go out of their way to destroy those old, wonderful memories of Celestia and Luna, they were such historical monuments. I know I'll be in charge of the castle pretty soon, but to tell you the truth, I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out what to depict on them. The throne room just doesn't have the same vibes, when those windows are so... blank and empty."

"Well, um... Twilight, I'm sure there's plenty of things we can come up with, as we go along." Spike assured. "In fact, just off the top of my head, how about depicting when you and your friends united with all the creatures of Equestria, to defeat the Legion of Doom? That was a pretty big and important event, and it showed that a united friendship can conquer any evil!"

"I suppose that's a start, alongside depicting this upcoming coronation, now that I'm taking over for Celestia." Twilight agreed. "Becoming the princess of all of Equestria is certainly another event that should go down in the history for Canterlot."

"See, Twilight?" Spike nudged the princess. "There's no need to worry about any of that right now, we'll figure something out when we reach that point."

"I guess you're right, Spike." Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed, especially with everything that's been going on, lately. After all, once Celestia and Luna are fully retired, I'm going to have to sort out many things on my own. Like I've said before, I'm supposed to be the one with all the answers, so the last thing I want to do is let everypony down."

"Huh?" Spike raised an eyebrow. "You're supposed to be the one with all the answers? When did you say that?"

"It's admittedly been a while, but I'm pretty sure I said this, back when you and I went to... that place, to help Sunset Shimmer defeat those sirens." Twilight recalled. "Yeah, I think I recall getting trapped underneath a stage, and I became desperate to find a way to escape."

"Oh, that's right, that definitely rings a bell." Spike remembered. "Especially the part where I heroically saved you all."

"Suuuuuure, Spike." Twilight rolled her eyes, amused.

"Wait a minute, now." Mr. Ramsay spoke up. "Did I hear that correctly, Princess? You happen to know Miss Sunset Shimmer, as in, the former pupil of Princess Celestia?"

"Yes, sir." Twilight nodded, proudly. "I've helped her accept and embrace the values of friendship, and we've kept in touch since then. Why do you ask?"

"Well it's just that... I've often been puzzled as to what happened to her." Mr. Ramsay replied. "Miss Sunset Shimmer and I were never that close, but I definitely recall her enjoying my cooking, when she regularly dined in Canterlot, alongside Princess Celestia. However, I distinctly recall that one day, she mysteriously disappeared, and I kept hearing all sorts of odd rumors from the other residents of Canterlot, regarding what happened. Some claimed that Princess Celestia had banished her from Canterlot, while others hinted that she was involved in stealing a crown."

"Hmm, where did you hear these rumors, specifically?" Twilight questioned.

"I've just occasionally heard this from several of the mares who regularly dine in Canterlot." Mr. Ramsay replied. "When I questioned them on the matter, they mentioned that they were Miss Sunset Shimmer's former classmates, back at the School For Gifted Unicorns. I believe a few of them also told me their names, they were... Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine?"

"Oh, I see now." Twilight finally understood Mr. Ramsay's confusion. "That certainly sounds like quite the mystery, doesn't it? Well, I assure you that Sunset's no crook, and Princess Celestia never banished her. In fact, she's quite a good friend of mine, even though we haven't really talked in a while. As for why she left Canterlot, well... that's kind of a long story, let's just say. But she's been doing well for herself, and I promise you that she's not up to anything malicious."

"Well, that's good to hear, Princess." Mr. Ramsay nodded. "It's nice to know that at least somepony's looking out for Miss Sunset Shimmer, even if she's not here in Canterlot anymore. Well, now that I've delivered my report on the coronation's decorations, I suppose I'll head off and oversee the coronation parfait, since I was told that we were expecting a shipment of Sweet Apple Acres applesauce, today. As for those stained glass windows, well... I suppose if I can come up with some further ideas of inspiration, I'll be sure to return to Canterlot and give you those suggestions. It's always a pleasure to talk to you, Princess Twilight."

"I appreciate the formalities, but there's no need to call me-" Twilight began, but realized that she was coming across as passive-aggressive. "I mean... thank you, Mr. Ramsay, you too."

As Mr. Ramsay left the Canterlot throne room, Twilight turned back to Spike for a second, realizing that this new change would be even more drastic than ever before, especially if everypony were to start treating her like a princess on a pedestal.

"I'm guessing this is likely why Celestia and Luna mentioned that they wanted to keep their new retirement home, so they're not bombarded by the paparazzi, purely for being former princesses." Twilight acknowledged. "Like I've mentioned before, just because I've got these wings and this position of power, it doesn't make me more special from anypony else."

"I don't know about that, Twilight." Spike protested. "You've always been special to me, especially since you're the one who's raised me, since the day I hatched from that egg. Certainly more of a parent than that... piece of Sludge, ever was."

"Thanks, Spike." Twilight smiled, as she playfully ruffled his scales. "But seriously, we need to find some way to fill those windows with more significant memories and events. I've got to make sure that the castle's history is preserved and updated for the next millennium, otherwise, it's just going to be a sad reminder of what we've lost."

"Well, I don't really know of any other current events that would be worth displaying on those windows, other than those two we listed earlier." Spike shrugged. "But come to think of it, maybe we could get an idea from some of our friends, during the coronation? And since you brought her up earlier, perhaps Sunset could give you some form of inspiration, as well."

"Hmm, speaking of Sunset... I'm admittedly surprised that she hasn't written to me in a while." Twilight made her realization. "In fact, I remember recently checking the journal that she uses to write to me, and still, there was nothing from her. Our most recent exchange was regarding the Time Twirler artifact ending up in her world, and that was nearly a whole year ago."

"Maybe she's just busy with school, you know how much of a brainiac she is." Spike suggested.

"True, but she's usually so diligent about keeping in touch." Twilight recalled. "Plus, she's been through so much, ever since she left Equestria, so I'd expect her to have quite a few tales to tell. I'll still never forget how awkward it was to get accustomed to standing on two legs, that's for sure."

"Maybe you should give her the benefit of the doubt, Twilight." Spike insisted. "She's probably just busy, or dealing with something rather difficult. You know how much she loves writing to you, and hearing about your own adventures. Who knows, maybe Sunset has a new update for you, right now."

"You're right, Spike." Twilight put more faith into her distant friend. "Maybe I should just wait a little longer, and give Sunset some time. After all, we've been through a lot together, and I know deep down, that she'd never intentionally ignore or ghost me."

Comments

[MLPSolarDash1907]

Well when you said you were going to improve certain chapters, you weren't kidding. :) I enjoyed the reminiscing and exchanges between Vice Principal Luna and Sunset, Sunset really has a strong support of friends has become a fine young woman (or mare in this case, LOL) and catching up with Twilight and Spike was nice too. :)

[PascalMulokozi2]

How could she ever forget the night she had turned into a raging she-demon, demolished the entrance with her new telekinesis powers, and was then forced to repair the damages, brick by brick? In some ways, the incident had always traumatized Sunset, deep down, knowing that she somehow ended up acting the way she did, shortly after putting on Twilight's crown. After all, Sunset knew that she was arrogant, prideful, and tyrannical when she was running CHS with an iron fist, but just as she once told Twilight herself, she was certainly no monster. This statement admittedly always seemed ironic on hindsight, since she even acknowledged numerous times that she had literally turned into an actual demon.

That's Megalomania...

"I appreciate it." Sunset gave a thumbs up. "In the meantime, I've been staring at these front doors for a few minutes, now. I definitely remember all that work I've done to rebuild everything, after what happened that night at the Fall Formal. Three whole months of manual labor, but hey, I would've certainly taken that, over you and Principal Celestia turning me in to the police."

That's when the events of Season 4 start to happen...

"I'm still not entirely sure what came over me that night." Sunset sighed. "I mean, I know I was definitely mean and coldhearted back then, but what drove me to almost decimate Twilight and the rest of the girls, back during the Fall Formal? It's like I had no control over myself, or the power had somehow corrupted me. All I can say for certain is, it's a good thing Twilight was able to snap me out of it... or else, who knows what would've happened?"

When Twilight and her new friends scanned Sunset, they've might have only been able to scan the data/magic that was evil. Which means all of her goodness (good data) still exists, and I'd say it's growing again.

[PascalMulokozi2]

Unknown to Sunset, Princess Twilight herself was also on the verge of celebrating a large and impactful milestone, back in Equestria. Following an emotional and confrontational final battle against three major foes, Twilight was ready to finally become the princess of all of Equestria, the very role that Celestia had held for over 1,000 years. This was going to be her second major coronation, as she still had fond memories of her very first one, celebrating her ascension into an alicorn princess. Initially, the second coronation had already been planned to take place much sooner than the current day, especially after Celestia had already announced that she and Luna had finally made their decision to retire.

This Fanfic story is set during the events of "The Ending Of The End".

However, Twilight had specifically postponed this upcoming coronation for a while, in order to allow Canterlot's main castle to be reconstructed, following the damages done by Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. After the many months of hard work and determination by Canterlot's construction team, the castle looked just as good as before, if not better. Though Twilight realized that the revamped throne room seemed much emptier than before, likely because the old stained glass windows had been damaged beyond repair, thanks to the Legion of Doom. Twilight had always admired such artistic murals, depicting and symbolizing the various milestones and significant events over the years, making the impact of those foes hit much harder than she had really anticipated.