The next week did not change. Sunset stayed locked in her room, working on spells, and Starlight decided to stay in her own room as well. This left their parents staying on the couch. Everyone felt like their whole world had been turned around, except Sunset. She didn't even notice she had been doing these things to her family.
As time went on, Starlight never even got to see her sisters' face. The only thing she had from Sunset was pictures, and her little stuffed doll. She held this and cuddled with it every night, in comfort. She would cry herself to sleep most nights because of how lonely she was, and cursed Sunset secretly for it. She felt that nothing could fill this empty space. That big, empty, dark place in her heart, she felt, would never be filled ever again. Until one day, that may all change. Starlight's birthday.
It was a joyous occasion for the filly. All of her cousins would come to finally give her someone to play with. And on this day, Sunset would be forced out of her room. Finally, Starlight would see her sister again! She couldn't wait! Her parents made all kinds of food for the party, too. They made dandelion sandwiches, hay burgers and fries, all kinds of apple things, and cake! The cake was Starlight's favorite, too. Chocolate cake with strawberry icing. She could smell it being baked all the way from her room. The amazing aroma of chocolate and freshly made strawberry icing; she drooled at the thought of its taste!
When the party started, Starlight jumped around, saying hi to every pony she passed. She had her favorite beany on, and her hair was braided very nicely. Her mother had helped her do so, and she honestly really liked the look. She played with her cousins – some her age, and some much older than her. She looked over at Sunset, who was reading the same spell book on the couch. Starlight frowned and trotted over to her sister, sitting next to her. Sunset flinched in shock and looked at her.
"Oh, hi Starlight!" she said. "Happy birthday!"
"Thanks," Starlight said, sadly. "It would be better if you'd put the book away."
Sunset's eyes widened and she looked at the book. Secretly, Sunset was actually practicing a spell for her sister's birthday, and it wasn't yet ready. But, she assumed it would be okay to do anyway and nodded, closing the book.
Starlight's big purple eyes widened and she looked in Sunset's bluish green eyes. Sunset smiled and hugged her sister tight; Starlight hugged back.
This was the first time Starlight had hugged her sister in months.
"Hey, show me what you've learned!" Starlight smiled.
Sunset just replied, "Okay!"
Starlight giggled. "You can pick up the book!"
"Oh!" They laughed as Sunset went to the book.
Their father looked over at Sunset, and smiled. "May I have everypony's attention please? Sunset would like to perform!" Everypony gathered around Sunset, Starlight sitting right in the front and center.
Sunset turned page after page after page, looking for the right spell. She skimmed the page and closed it and smiled.
This trick was one of the very famous tricks of Starswirl the Bearded. Sunset would use about half as much force as she did when hatching the phoenix, and would fill balloons-Starswirl would fill such other, more serious, things-with candy-Starswirl also used more serious items-and make them so large they popped, sending the candy everywhere.
Sunset used her magic to pick up a balloon and started blowing it up so big, and then she quickly put candy in and continued blowing it up.
The fillies' eyes were growing bigger as the balloon was, with smiles almost as big.
The balloons pop, making the fillies scream, but then smile and laugh as the candy went everywhere.
They scattered, chasing the candy into other rooms of the area, some even went outside! Sunset ran off after her sister, but as Starlight ran into another room, and Sunset turned the corner, she bumped the electric fireplace, turning it on. Some of the paper from the candy went in there! Sunset didn't realize what she did, and kept running.
The proud parents turned around and gazed up at the flames, as they got out of control and reached higher and higher. "Get out!" The colt yelled, and ran off into other rooms to make sure that no other fillies were in there.
Sunset and Starlight darted out before their father. Starlight stopped and gazed up in fear at the flames. The room was getting hotter and hotter and more demolished by the second. "Get out!" The colt yelled, pushing them outside. The two ran back in to make sure no one was still in there. The fire made its way to the kitchen, and the house exploded into flames.
The fillies were screaming, and thrown back a couple of feet from the blast. Most of them were already bursting into tears as the fire ponies came in. Mare after mare, colt after colt were running in to get their child.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Starlight was sobbing her little heart out, running to the house in flames.
"Starlight!" Sunset herself was also sobbing, but she couldn't lose her sister too, and she ran after her.
One of the mares from the fire department saw them running, and ran up to them and held them back.
"Stop it!" Starlight screamed. "My parents are in there!" She stared at the flames, as she tried to fight her way to the flames. Sunset too, was staring, and crying.
Starlight fell to her knees as they sprayed the burning home. Most of their friends were gone already. The only fillies in the yard were Starlight and Sunset.
Two motherless fillies. Two fatherless fillies. Many brother-less stallions, and sister-less mares. A mother, and a father, missing a daughter. A mother, and a father, missing a son.
After the fire had been contained, Sunset and Starlight were still found on their needs in their crisp yard, crying. One of the stallions walked up to them, and kneeled down, and hugged them. The two sisters hugged him so tight, and cried a little bit harder.
"I found something." He said, calmly, and handed the two a doll. A plush unicorn with a rainbow on its chest, her cutie mark a bright yellow star. Starlight held the doll, and held its silky blue mane in her hooves. The dolls fur was a bright neon pink, Sunset's favorite color. The two cried at the sight of this doll. Surprisingly, the only damage, was a bit of split ends.
Sunset stared at the doll, and wiped her tears. She managed to say, "You kept it?" Starlight looked over at her, and sniffed, and nodded.
Sunset hugged her sister tight, and Starlight began crying again. The stallion picked the two up and put them on his back and trotted over to the fire ponies. They looked back at the home, and the only thing that stood in the yard after the disaster. The tree that they sat on every night.
The fillies were sent to an orphanage, where they made little friends. They mainly stayed in their room, comforting each other. They played together and with the doll, but refused to let any other foal or filly touch it. When they were interviewed by some ponies, they stayed together and told their story. Many times, they were offered to be adopted, but it would only be either Sunset or Starlight that world be adopted, not together. They refused each offer, never wanting to be separated.
In the night, they shared a bed and would mostly cry themselves to sleep, which was not unusual for Starlight. She was used to it. Sunset, on the other hand wasn't used to this. She didn't understand this sadness. It seemed to envelope her in darkness every night, and Starlight was her only ray of hope. The same went for Starlight, and together, they helped each other fall asleep calmly and in peace. Or what they felt was peace. They prayed to Celestia at the setting of the sun, as if that was their new tradition. They prayed that things would get better for them, and that a kind family would take both of them. But as days went on, this hope seemed to be slowly lost. No offers came in for them to be adopted, and Sunset refused to go to Princess Celestia's teachings because she didn't want to leave Starlight alone and have her potentially get adopted without Sunset. Celestia was okay with this notion, and just sent letters to Sunset explaining what she had to do in the meanwhile while she was still mother and fatherless; while they were still mother and fatherless.
Sunset also began teaching Starlight magic, since she was getting bigger and Sunset was unsure of when Starlight should start learning magic. She learned basic levitation first, seeing as that would be a helpful spell to use in her future.
Sunset and Starlight sleepily walked each other to breakfast one morning. They sat on a bench together and called their spots. It was crucial to "call your spot" at this orphanage, because the fillies were moody, snatch-y, snobby, and many other words.
After calling their spot, the two sadly made their way to the breakfast bar, where bread and butter, yogurt, hay, and many other breakfast foods were served. Starlight got herself some bread and butter and a juice, while Sunset only ate a bit of hay. They made their way to their spots, only to find two colts sitting there.
Starlight was lost for words, as she usually is, but Sunset stood up for her. "Hey, we were sitting there!" She got in front of her sister protectively, in case anything happened.
"Oh you were? Sorry, it's ours now!" One of the colts said, and they snickered.
Sunset's eye twitched angrily, and her horn twinkled.
"Sunset, are you oka-" Starlight got cut off when her eyes shrunk and her horn was slightly surrounded with black bubbles, and a purple beam was shot at the table, making the colts jump up in alarm, as well as every other pony.
Sunset's eyes went back to normal and her horn sparkled green again. She looked around at every pony staring at her in horror. "What? What's wrong?" She looked around, even her own sister was backed away. "Starlight, what did I do?"
Starlight just stayed silent and trotted to her room, leaving her breakfast in a crisp at the table.
The head mare of the orphanage came trotting in. "What in the name of Celestia happened here?!" She went around to make sure every pony was alright, and her eyes went to Sunset, as every other ponies were.
"I-I don't know what happened!" Sunset blurted out.
"Well we do!" The two colts stood up and fixed their glasses. "It's dark magic!" Every pony gasped.
"D-D-Dark magic?!" Sunset trembled. "Where?"
"There!" Every pony pointed at Sunset.
"M-M-Me?! Dark m-magic! No! Where did you get that idea?!"
"We saw it with our own eyes!"
The mare walked up to Sunset, and said with a very gentle voice. "Are you sure you didn't do that?" Sunset nodded in plea. "Call this a warning." The mare stood up and fixed the tables.
The two colts looked at Sunset and stuck their tongues out in defeat. Sunset trotted over to their room and went in.
She found Starlight sitting on her bed, rocking herself back and forth, and stroking the doll.
"Starlight!" Starlight flinched and looked her way. "It was a mistake! I never did that dark magic!"
"I saw you…" Starlight said in a quiet voice.
"I know you saw me, but Starlight, I never did it!"
Starlight looked up at her sister with her big purple eyes, and nodded.
The ponies of the orphanage weren't the only ones to see this mishap, however. A couple was about to come in to interview some children when they saw Sunset through the window. They wanted her, and they wanted her now. So that's what they did. They went in and talked to the head mare, saying that they wanted her in their household oh so deeply, but the mare said that they would also get her sister.
"She's never allowed anypony to take just her or her sister. It has to be both of them."
"Well, that's unfortunate!" exclaimed the mare. "She has so much potential with us."
The head mare thought for a moment. If they did adopt her, there would be no more complications with her magic. But poor Starlight would be heartbroken! Maybe it's just best for the orphanage, the head mare thought. She looked up at them again. "Well, maybe we can strike a deal, but she has to be interviewed first."
The couple lit up and nodded. The head mare led them into the room where Starlight and Sunset would get interviewed, then trotted down the hallways to their bedroom to get them. Starlight and Sunset were separated, one on each side of the bed, when the mare came in. "Sunset, Starlight, someone's here to interview you."
"I'm not going," Sunset said in sorrow and stubbornness.
"Neither am I," Starlight said.
"Girls, I have really high hopes for these two! Please?"
The two sisters looked at each other for a moment, then at the head mare. "Will they take us both?" Sunset questioned.
"I have a feeling they might," she replied with a smile. "Come with me!"
Sunset looked at Starlight with a smile on her face, but Starlight didn't seem all that pleased. The orange unicorn cocked her head a bit. "What's wrong?"
"Something doesn't feel right," her sister replied. "I don't think we should go…"
"Come on! We may actually get adopted!"
"But they won't be our real parents!" Starlight argued.
"No one will ever be our real parents again, Starlight. But we can have a home again! Don't you want that?" Starlight paused for quite some time, and Sunset just stared at her with tears in her eyes. The filly nodded and they were off to the room where they found the couple in their chairs. Sunset and Starlight sat across from them, and Starlight stayed close to Sunset, afraid of what'll happen. Sunset put her arm around her sister and looked at the couple. Sunset began with an introduction.
"Hello, I'm Sunset Shimmer, and this is my sister Starlight. We were sent here just about a year ago after our parents died, and we're so glad to have someone offer to adopt us." Sunset had no enthusiasm or excitement in her voice, since she had done this dozens of times in the past. The couple smiled and introduced themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Punch (as in the fruit punch) and said that they were pleased to meet them. Starlight just rolled her eyes.
"So how old are each of you?" the stallion asked.
"I'm 7, and Starlight's 5," Sunset replied.
"Ah, and are you two always this close?"
Starlight gave him a cold look, but Sunset calmed her down. Starlight knew what was going on, and she wasn't about to let it happen.
"Yes. We wouldn't ever let one of us go and not the other," Sunset said.
"Well, that's sweet," said the mare. "But we only want one of you, I'm afraid."
"It's not gonna happen!" Starlight nearly yelled.
"Sometimes that's what must happen," the mare argued.
Sunset stood up on her chair. "No," she said harshly. "Me and my sister are staying together whether you like it or not! You will not have just one of us. If you want me or Starlight, you have to take us both, or not at all."
The couple looked at each other and paused, thinking. Then they looked back at the sisters. "Well then, maybe your hopes of getting adopted are gone, if that's your notion," stated the stallion.
Sunset looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that if you keep saying that, then maybe neither of you will get adopted."
This made the girls think for a moment. Was he right? Will they never both get adopted by the same family? Sunset was beginning to see Starlight's view on these two. She didn't like what they were saying, and they were actually making sense! Is the only way to get a home, and a new family, to split up? Sunset had to erase that image from her mind. She couldn't even begin to imagine her life without Starlight without breaking down into tears. Starlight, too, began crying at the thought. She didn't ever want to leave Sunset's side as long as she lived. And so their decision was final.
"We're not going," they both said.
The couple gave them a hard look. "Very well," the stallion said. We'll just have to take her… by force, he then thought.
The two ponies stood up out of their chairs and walked out. The stallion whispered something into the mare's ear, but it was hard to tell what. The mare nodded and they left the room. Sunset sighed in relief and hugged Starlight, a tear rolling down her cheek. Starlight hugged back and continued crying, but was calming down. "Let's go back to our room," Sunset said warmly and smiled.
Starlight smiled back and slipped off of the chair. She looked back at Sunset as she made her own way off of the chair and began walking out. Sunset turned into a doorway that led out into the lunch room, where the couple was waiting. They grabbed her and swiftly ran off. Sunset's eyes widened and she tried fighting their strong grip, yelling and beginning to cry. Starlight rushed out and immediately began crying again. She ran off towards the couple and Sunset, and kicked at them. The mare looked at her and kicked her away.
At this time, the ponies of the orphanage watched them as this all went down. Sunset reached out for Starlight, and Starlight reached back. But the couple were too quick. They took Sunset into a taxi and used their magic to keep her in place. Starlight ran out and the head mare suddenly grabbed her, keeping her from running out.
"STARLIGHT!" called out Sunset, sobbing.
Starlight began sobbing. "SUNSET!"
"Calm down, child," the head mare said.
"NO! I WON'T CALM DOWN!" Starlight screamed. "That's my sister! My only sister!"
"The couple had already signed a contract adopting Sunset. When they finished talking to you two, they asked me if I could send them her things."
Starlight looked back at the street, which was now empty. There was no Sunset, no taxi.
