27th of June, 2008
A 19 –year old girl with pink hair rubbed the golden ring on her finger.
"And you promise you'll be back?" She asked with her timid voice to her partner. Said partner looked back, her yellow-and-red hair whipping behind her.
"Yes, Flutters. I promise I'll be back." The yellow-and-red haired girl said. She stood up at her full height, standing almost an entire foot over her partner. She raised her hand, pointing to the golden ring exactly like the one the pink-haired girl had on her own finger.
"Fluttershy, I made a promise at our wedding, didn't I? If I remember, I said 'I vow to always be there by your side no matter what happens. From world-conquering sirens to power hungry high school principals, I will always stand by your side.'" The taller of the two gave her wife a cheeky smile, that very same smile Fluttershy fell in love with oh so many years ago.
"Oh, Sunset, I remember our wedding perfectly. Like how you thought you had the worst haircut ever and decided to shave part of your hair, and we had to cover it up with a fedora! Oh, such a wonderful day that was!" Fluttershy giggled, using her hand to cover her mouth. Oh that giggle, that wonderful giggle Sunset Shimmer fell in love with all the way back in high school. Sunset put her hands on her wife's waist, pulling her and kissing her lips. Fluttershy smiled during the kiss, her hands going through her wife's hair. Sunset Shimmer pulled away with a smile.
"Does that convince you, my dear wife?" Fluttershy simply rolled her eyes.
"Fine! You win! But you owe me when you come back." Sunset gave kissed the top of Fluttershy's head, and whispered:
"Don't worry. I'll make it up to you, promise." Sunset walked away from her wife, and opened the door.
"See ya soon, Flutters!"
"Be safe, my Sunshine!" Sunset Shimmer walked away holding a brown bag, and entered the military jeep that was parked in front of her house.
3rd of July, 2008
A couple of days after Sunset Shimmer had left on an army mission. Fluttershy, for her part, had spent the previous night in the house of her best friend Rainbow Dash. The two had a sleepover to study for an upcoming test. Fluttershy woke up, feeling weird. Looking to her left, she was Rainbow Dash in a sleeping bag as the two spent the night in Rainbow's living room. The pink-haired girl raised a hand to her forehead, checking for a fever. She had none. The young adult wondered what could be wrong with her, and she got her answer. In an instant she stood up and ran to the restroom, kneeling in front of the toilet bowl and emptying her stomach's contents. The girl spent almost half an hour in the bathroom. After few minutes had passed since Fluttershy had woken up, Rainbow Dash had woken up and rubbed her best friend's back.
"It's okay, Shy. Juts let it all out." The rainbow-haired girl said to her friend. After Fluttershy finished puking, she stayed there for a few minutes just in case. Rainbow had gone and gotten her a glass of water as well as a tooth brush for Fluttershy to wash her mouth.
"Think it was last night's food?" Rainbow asked her best friend while Fluttershy washed her mouth. The pink-haired girl shook her head and then spit out.
"No. I, um… I have an idea what it was." Fluttershy said quietly.
10th of April, 2009
Sunset hadn't come back yet, and Fluttershy was worried. Not just for Sunset's safety, but for what she was missing too. The pink-haired 20 year old girl was lying on a hospital bed wearing a blue hospital gown. To her left was Rainbow Dash holding her friend's hand as she screamed.
"Keep pushing!" The doctor in front of Fluttershy exclaimed. Beads of sweat streamed down the pinkette's face as she pushed harder.
"Come on, Shy, you can do this." Encouraged the rainbow-haired girl next to Fluttershy, her hand was red from Fluttershy's squeezing.
"I see the head." The doctor spoke:
A few hours passed, and the room was filled with happiness. On the bed laid Fluttershy with a small bundle on her arms. Around her were the most important people in her life, her friends and her parents, all talking happily. And while she was happy, Fluttershy was also sad. Sunset hadn't come back yet, and Fluttershy was worried. Not just for Sunset's safety, but for what she was missing. The pink-haired young adult looked down at the bundle in her arms. The baby girl had Fluttershy's own pink hair, but her skin was the same yellow as Sunset's, and she had Sunset's blue eyes.
"Don't worry, Sunshine, I'm sure your mother will come home soon."
10th of April, 2017
It was Sunshine Shimmer's ninth birthday, and thus Fluttershy had thrown her daughter a small birthday party. There were around five kids, including Sunshine herself. Two of the kids were the nine-year old twins of Rainbow Dash and Soarin', Rainbow Blitz, Sunshine's best friend, and Color Splash. The fifth kid was six-year old Cheesecake, the daughter of Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich. Blitz, much like his mother, was the most egotistical of the group and loved sports. Meanwhile, his sister Color Splash was nothing like their parents. She loved painting above all else, and would often times be distracted by her drawings. Cheesecake definitely filled the role that Pinkie Pie held with the Rainbooms, being the most energetic and friendly of them all. And Sunshine filled the roles of both Fluttershy and Sunset, as she was the caretaker of the group and the quietest of them like Fluttershy used to be, but Sunshine was also like a leader just like Sunset. Fluttershy saw it as a weird mixture, as Sunshine didn't seem to be shy with her friends, but whenever they went out in public, it was like seeing a Mini-Me.
"My little girl is growing up so fast." She said to herself as she sat on a chair in the dining room table. Fluttershy turned to her best friend of such a long time, and said:
"Time passes so fast, doesn't it?" Rainbow turned to her friend with a smile, and answered.
"Yeah, it does. Just yesterday you were giving birth to Sunshine, and now she's nine years old." She said as a tear seemed to grow in her eye. The pinkette next to her saw this and giggled lightly.
"Rainbow Danger Dash, are you going to cry?" She said with a smile as Rainbow rubbed away the single tear. With the pride she was known for, Rainbow crossed her arms and gave a smug smile.
"As if!" She said, but the crack in her voice made it obvious that it was a front. Fluttershy giggle at her friend's antics.
"It is okay, Dashie." The young woman said as she put an arm on her best friends' shoulder. Rainbow shook her head with a smile.
"You ever notice how Sunshine and Blitz are just like us? The jock and the wallflower." Fluttershy nodded.
"Oh yes. They are just like we were back in those days. Well, almost. Sunshine is smarter than I was at that age. She gets it from Sunset, you know." Rainbow looked at the pinkette.
"How are you, by the way? It's been almost nine years since Sunset disappeared. You ever think you'll get back out there?" Fluttershy looked down in thought, and then looked back up with a smile.
"No, I don't think I'll get back out there. I'm happy enough taking care of Sunshine. And I know Sunset will come back. I wouldn't want to be with someone when she came back." Rainbow smiled back at her friend and gave her a tight hug.
A few hours passed. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich had already taken a sleepy Cheesecake home, and Rainbow had taken Color Splash home, leaving Blitz at Fluttershy's house for a sleepover. The two kids had already gone to sleep in the living room while Fluttershy sat on her bed reading a book. She closed the book, placing it on her night stand, and seeing a picture next to the lamp. She gave a warm smile as she picked up the picture. You'd be so proud of her, Sunset.
23rd of March, 2018
It had been ten years. 'Ten years of torture.' Sunset Shimmer thought as she was being checked up on. The yellow-and-red haired young woman sat on a bed in the Canterlot City Hospital.
"Well, Miss Shimmer, I must say I'm quite surprised you're feeling so well." The doctor said as he flipped through all the notes on his pad.
"Why's that, doc?" The woman asked. The doctor kept reading all of the notes.
"Miss Shimmer, twenty-five percent of your body is covered scar tissue; there are second degree burns on your arms and back." He said as he put down the notes and grabbed an x-ray photo.
"And the x-rays show about sixteen fractures that never properly healed. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you're alive!" The doctor continued as Sunset Shimmer stood up.
"Can I leave now?" She asked uncaringly, wanting to go home after ten years. The doctor looked unsure about the request, but he decided that being home and getting some rest would be the best thing for the woman.
"Alright, I'm going to recommend seeing a psychologist as well as a physical therapist." He said while writing down the names of several people on a piece of paper, and gave it to Sunset. The 29-year old woman took the piece of paper and stuffed it in her back pocket. Sunset Shimmer exited the hospital to find an old friend standing next to a beat up, red pick-up truck.
"Howdy, Sunset!" Applejack greeted a smile on her face.
"Applejack!" Sunset exclaimed as she ran towards her friend and gave her a hug. The red-and-yellow haired woman then asked:
"How did you know I was back?" To which Applejack replied with:
"Mac told me. He said you were stuck on an island after yer mission went south, or somethin'." Sunset departed from the hug, a grave look on her face.
"Yeah… Ten years on a hellish island with no way to contact the ones I love." The country woman gave her friend a small smile, and said:
"Don't worry 'bout that. Yer back and that's all that matters." Sunset rubbed her arm in discomfort. Trying to change the subject, she spoke:
"Have you told anyone else? Have you told Fluttershy? That I'm back, I mean." She gave Applejack an awkward smile. Applejack let out a small laugh.
"Nah, sugarcube. Ah want ya to surprise Fluttershy. Though Ah feel like she'll surprise ya even more."
"How is she?"
"How 'bout ya see fer yerself? I'll take ya right now, hop on." Applejack said as she went to the driver seat of the pick-up truck and entered. Sunset sat on the passenger's side, throwing her bag on the backseat.
"Thanks for this, Applejack. I really appreciate it." Sunset said as she put on her seatbelt.
"Don't worry about it, sugarcube. Ah'm just glad yer back. Ah gotta say, after a while, we all kinda lost hope, even held a funeral fer ya…" Applejack answered her friend with a sad tone. The red-and-yellow haired woman looked down.
"I'm sorry…" She said sadly. The blonde looked at her friend, taking in all the changes that had happened to her. With a sad smile, the farm woman continued.
"No need to worry 'bout it. And not all of us lost hope. Fluttershy… She never stopped believin' ya were alive. Every time someone tried to tell 'er you were gone; she'd just smile and say she knew ya were out there. Mighty glad she was right, Ah gotta say." Applejack put a hand on her friend's shoulder, using only one hand to drive. There was some quiet time after that, though it was a comfortable silence. After a while Sunset leaned forward and turned on the radio.
"Let's see how much music has changed in ten years!" She joked as music started to play.
"Lemme tell ya, it ain't what it used to be. Ah swear, we made better music when we were the Rainbooms!" The two women stayed quiet after a laugh, Sunset staring out the window. She stared at the city she used to call home, seeing all the changes that occurred over the last decade. And just at that moment, there came a song she remembered from before the island, from before she left Fluttershy to fend for herself.
And the blood will dry
Underneath my nails
And the wind will rise up
To fill my sails
So you can doubt
And you can hate
But I know
No matter what it takes
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Tell the world that I'm coming home
Let the rain
Wash away
All the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits
And they've forgiven my mistakes
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Tell the world I'm coming
Sunset stared at the landscape as she listened to the song. When she was younger, it seemed like a nice song, but not one she'd thought much of. But as she thought about everything that had happened to her, everything that happened on that island, all those years spent trying to survive with only one thing driving her to keep going, one thing keeping her alive, just one simple thing, as she spent some many nights just thinking about the love of her life Thinking about Fluttershy.
Still far away
From where I belong
But it's always darkest
Before the dawn
Applejack spared a side glance to her friend. So much had changed about her. Back in their youth, while serious, Sunset had been a rather laid back girl. Sure, she had her serious moments, but she was still joyful. Maybe that was a better description, not laid back, but joyful. Sure, she wasn't as joyful as Pinkie, but she had her moments. But now, Sunset looked much more mature. And more than mature, she looked like she had gone through a great tragedy. Which, Applejack reminded herself, Sunset had.
"Want me tah change it?" She asked. Sunset shook her head slightly, answering with a low 'No'. The red-and-yellow haired girl smiled at the song, realizing how much she could relate to it now.
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Tell the world that I'm coming home
Let the rain
Wash away
All the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits
And they've forgiven my mistakes
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Tell the world I'm coming
As the song hit its climax, Applejack's beat-up red truck came to a stop in front of the house Sunset had spent years thinking about. The two story cottage, just outside Canterlot City, seemed even more gorgeous that she remembered. There was a white jeep parked in the house's driveway, the same jeep that Fluttershy had had since their high school days. Applejack stared at her friend, and asked her if she needed any help. Sunset shook her head before both women stepped out of the car, Sunset grabbing her bag.
"Well, Ah'm glad yer back, Sunset. And ya know that if ya need anythin' at all, you can call me."
"Thanks, Applejack. I guess this is goodbye for now." Sunset said as she hugged her friend. They waved at each other as Applejack drove away and Sunset walked up to the door. The 29-year-old took a deep breath, her nervous going through the roof. This was it. After ten years spent trying to come back home, she was finally back. She raised a shaky hand to the door, and knocked three times. It wasn't long before the door was answered, but not by the person she expected.
In front of Sunset was a young girl, ten years of age by her estimate. The girl had pink hair, just like Fluttershy's, but her skin was a brighter yellow and her eyes were a brighter blue. The girl's hair reminded Sunset of her own hair style back in high school.
"H-he-hello?" The girl asked in a quiet, nervous voice with a stutter that reminded Sunset of Fluttershy's own voice. Sunset smiled at the girl.
"Hi." Sunset said, and then asked:
"Is Fluttershy here?"
The little girl nodded slightly before going back inside the house, closing the door behind her. Sunset stood there waiting for a few minutes before the door opened again.
"Yes?" Asked a quiet voice as the door opened. Sunset would've answered had she not been rendered speechless by the woman in front of her, from the woman's pink locks tied up in a loose bun with stray strands framing her face, to the thin green-framed glasses adorning her face.
"Fluttershy?" Sunset asked, releasing a breath she hadn't noticed she had been holding in. And needless to say, Fluttershy was just as shocked from seeing the person in front of her.
"Sunset?" She asked in that quiet voice Sunset had fallen in love with all the way back in high school. The pinkette stepped forward, the door closing behind her. The two women stared at each other in silence for a while, before Sunset spoke.
"Fluttershy… I've missed you so, so much…" She said quietly as tears started to fill her eyes.
"Sunset… Is that really you?" Her eyes were equally tearful as Sunset gave her a slight nod. The two stood in front of each other, just staring into each other's eyes. Sunset reach forward ever so slowly, rubbing Fluttershy's cheek as tears left both of their eyes. And ever so slowly, ever so lovingly, Sunset bent downwards, laying her lips on Fluttershy's own. Needless to say, both women were deep into the kiss, happiness after years of being apart. It was full of passion and love, and it last a long while… Until being interrupted.
"Um, w-what's going on, mo-mom?" The quiet voice of Sunshine asked. The two women pulled apart in surprise.
"Sunshine! O-oh, god. I'm sorry about that, sweetie!" Fluttershy's face burned up exponentially, the same with Sunset. The taller of the two rubbed her neck with an awkward smile. The pinkette, however awkward she felt, knelt down in front of her daughter.
"Sunshine, remember when I told you that your mother had to leave for a while before you were born? And how I told you she'll come back."
"Yeah, mom. Why?" Fluttershy gave her daughter a small smile as Sunset spoke.
"Wait, Flutters, are you saying that…"
"Sunshine Shimmer, I'd like you to meet your mother, Sunset Shimmer." And that single sentence made Sunset faint on the spot.
10th of May, 2018
It had been a strange two months for the life of Sunset Shimmer. After spending ten years trapped in an island, she had finally come back home to her wife, who luckily still loved her, and she found out that she had a ten year old daughter. Having to study up on all the major events that had occurred in those ten years had been a hassle for Sunset, but, somehow, she managed to hit a balance between catching up with her family, catching up with her friends, and catching up on all the events. At this hour, around two in the afternoon, Sunset was sitting in front of her new laptop, reading news of several crimes that had occurred recently. The red-and-yellow haired woman checked the time. Fluttershy won't be back from the clinic until three, but Sunshine should be home soon. Maybe she'll like something to eat. She thought to herself before standing up, stretching, and going to the kitchen to make a quick snack.
"Mother, I'm home!" Sunshine's voice exclaimed as she entered the cottage, leaving her backpack on the floor near the door.
"Hey, Sunshine! How was school?" The mother asked her daughter as she bent down to kiss the girl's forehead.
"It was great! We had a science project, and it was with partners, so naturally Blitz and I teamed up, and we finished super early so we got the rest of the period off! Oh, and then, during lunch, Color Splash was reading a Power Ponies comic, but the some jock threw a ball at her, which was really mean, and it tore her comic, so she got really mad! I mean, that wasn't a good thing per say, but the way she jumped at the guy afterwards! It was like seeing a lion attack a mouse, and Splash was the lion! Or, lioness in this case." Sunshine said happily and rapidly. And if she were honest, Sunset was surprised at her daughter's enthusiasm and energy, considering that two months ago, she could barely speak to her mother, and now it was like seeing a second Pinkie Pie.
"Sounds like you had an interesting day, sweetie." Sunset said as she placed a plate on the table.
"I made you a sandwich until your mom gets here."
"Aw, thanks, mother!"
"No problem, kiddo! Now, I'm gonna go down to the basement. If you need anything, call me, okay?"
"Sure thing, but mother…"
"Yeah, kiddo?"
"What do you do down there?"
"Maybe some other time."
"Okay."
"Hey, hey. Sunshine, look at me. I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything, it's just some private stuff."
"No, it's okay, mother, I understand."
"Sunshine. Tonight, I'll tell you stories from when your mother and I were in high school and fought magic, you up for it?"
"Really? Yes!"
"You got it, kiddo! At seven o'clock, sharp." And with that Sunset gave her daughter a kiss and went off into the basement of the cottage. Closing the door behind her, she turned on the lights and went down the stairs. Here, she could see several pieces of equipment that were clearly installed after she returned. There was a salmon ladder off to the left, and some weights to the right. There were some tables with different types of arrows, with a hand-made bow next to them. The walls seemed to be covered in targets, and off in the corner there was a sleek, black motorcycle with dark green accents. On the tables in the very center of the room was a set of highly advanced computers. Taking a seat in front of the computers, she put on a pair of headphones with a microphone and started an audio-recording program. Speaking into the microphone, she said:
"My name is Sunset Shimmer. On the 27th of June in the year 2008, I was sent on a mission to China. Our plane was sabotaged, and we made an emergency crash landing to a nearby island. I was the only survivor of this incident. I spent the next ten years training myself, learning how to survive, forging myself into a weapon. A weapon with only one goal: To survive. Now I'm back, and I've seen what has happened to my city while I was gone. Now I have a different goal: To save my city so that I can protect my wife and daughter. But to do so, I can't be the person I once was. To protect those I love, I must become someone else. I must become something else."
THE END