The Return

Chapters

An Unexpected Arrival
A Fallen Sunset
Old Wounds
Mended Bridges

An Unexpected Arrival

Although he would like nothing more than to spend a day on patrol or otherwise being active, even Flash could admit to enjoying a relatively quiet day every once in a while. And so it was, in the shadow of the great palace of the Crystal Empire, that he was given such a day. There were no plans for training, forays into the wastelands beyond the Empire's borders or even a routine patrol around the city. No, today was about one thing and one thing only: Inspections.

It was something every guard in Equestria had to deal with from time to time. Flash, along with every other guard stationed to the Empire, would be trotted out before the palace, asked to stand in their regular formations, and await review by their commanding officer. It was, needless to say, a rather uneventful and boring thing to have to go through. But, being a guard for as long as he had, Flash had become rather used to such days. Besides, he'd tell himself, his direct superior was once a guard himself, and was fully aware of just how tedious such days were. At the very least this shouldn't take too long.

And speaking of whom,, it was here that the doors of the palace began to creak open, signalling the guards to stand at attention. They all waited as their leaders emerged from the palace and began walking towards them. Princess Cadence, and her husband, Shining Amour. Flash kept his eyes on both of them as they approached, seeing the occasional squirms of his cohorts, Thunderlane and Bulk Biceps. They had not been guards here for nearly as long as he had, so it was understandable that they would be more nervous about this.

But even so, Flash kept his attention on the two royals, who were now standing in front of the large formation of guards before them. As one would expect of a former soldier, Shining Armour was looking upon every mare and stallion here, with the kind of piercing gaze you'd normally find on a bird-of-prey. Flash had been through this a few times before. If he stood firm and stayed the course of his usual stances and appearances, he'd be fine. As Shining walked long the front row of troops gathered there, his eyes befell each and every one of them, looking for any flaws in the way they held themselves.

Soon enough, the Prince stood before Flash himself, and the young guard could have sworn that his gaze intensified even more, if that were even possible. But he did not begrudge the older stallion for this. After all, Flash was dating the guy's sister. It was only natural that Shining would be placing greater scrutiny on Flash than the others. It was an attitude the Prince had towards him that he'd just had to get used to, even though he took solace in the fact that Shining was understanding about the whole relationship. After a few rather serious moments, Shining let out a sigh and gave a short nod to Flash, indicating that he had passed his inspection.

Flash resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief after that, and instead looked on as Shining continued his observations of the other guards there for the rest of the afternoon, with even the nervousness of Thunderlane and Bulk not causing any real issue. Once the inspections were complete, Shining moved away from the assembled guards and began speaking to his wife, Cadence. Being as far away as they were, Flash could not make out what they were saying, not that he wished to pry or anything.

In fact, he was glad that the Prince's eyes were no longer on him, for it gave him a chance for his thoughts to wonder to other things besides the inspection. However, anypony who knew him would have known immediately what, or rather who, he was thinking of. It had been a long time since he last laid eyes on the one he once called "the most beautiful mare in Equestria", and nothing would please him more than to see her again. To fly away from the Empire, arrive at her doorstep, and embrace her lovingly was a notion that was on his mind constantly. It was only through Twilight's frequent correspondence to him that he'd been able to last as long as he had without her.

Fortunately, he knew he had some leave coming up, and knew exactly where he'd be spending it. That thought caused his stoic demeanour to break and a smile to form upon his face, one which he hid again soon afterwards as he looked on at his two monarchs. The two gave a small smile at each other and Cadence began to walk back towards the palace, while Shining stood before the guards once more. The silence that had been there all afternoon was broken when the Prince spoke out.

"Guards! I am pleased to inform you that you have all passed inspection."

Once those words were said, Flash could hear the deep exhales of mane of the guards standing before him. But, ever the soldier, he kept his own composure while the Prince continued.

"There are no further plans or excursions planned for today, so all of you are to report to..."

But the Prince was cut off from finishing his words by the sudden, and very loud, bursting open of the palace doors. Spinning around in an instant, Shining looked on, along with all the other guards there, to see one of the native crystal ponies, an earth pony mare, run out of the palace, only just missing Cadence as she charged forward. The Princess of love began running after her, just as concerned as her husband, who was now walking towards the mare himself. Flash saw as she approached that she bore an expression of great concern.

Once the mare had reached Shining, she stopped and began panting furiously in an effort to catch her breath. Cadence managed to keep up with her soon afterwards and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"It's alright. Just breathe!" she said calmly.

The mare nodded at her Princess and took in a few deep breaths. Flash was becoming worried now. Ponies didn't just run towards royalty like this unless something bad was happening. Eventually though, the mare finally caught her breath and began to speak.

"It's the mirror! Something's happening!"

Flash's eyes widened at that. The mirror? That could only mean one thing. The magic mirror stationed here by Princess Celestia herself after the Empire re-emerged a couple of years ago. That object served as a doorway between Equestria and another world, inhabited by a race of creatures known as "humans". Flash had heard much of that world from Twilight, who had herself visited that world some time ago. But that thought caused a sudden bitter feeling in him, as that adventure of hers had also been connected to one he once knew.

Regardless, he kept his attention on the Prince and Princess, who were now giving each other glances. Cadence gave a nod to her husband, who returned the gesture with his own, bearing a look of utter seriousness as he did. After this, he turned and looked straight at Flash, causing the latter to stand at attention once more.

"Sentry! Thunderlane! With me!"

The two pegasi needed no explanation, and raised their hooves to their heads in salute.

"Yes Sir!" they said in unison.

Shining spun around again and began running towards the palace, with Flash and Thunderlane running behind him. Although he had not seen as much action as more experienced guards, Flash was still ready to face what might be causing all this trouble. Though he knew that, with the mirror being a magical item, there may well be little anypony like him could do to solve it. Nevertheless, he kept up with Prince Armour as the three of them ran fast through the hallways of the palace, eventually coming to the chamber of the mirror.

Although he'd heard much about this thing, this was the first time he'd ever laid eyes on it. It was old, and certainly magical-looking. But what caught his eye most was that the reflective surface looked, for lack of a better word, wrong. It shimmered brightly, but with many dark colours, and it possessed a faint glow all around it, indicative of some magical goings on. Unfurling their wings and spreading them in a battle-ready stance, Flash and Thunderlane took their positions, flanking Prince Armour, who himself was lowering his horn to point it at the mirror.

"Be ready. Anything could happen," Shining commanded.

The two pegasi nodded at that and prepared themselves for what might happen next. And it did not take long for something to finally occur, for all three saw that the surface of the mirror seemed to be moving from the inside, as though something was pushing out of it. Before any of the stallions could react, there was a hum of the magic of the mirror before it was bathed in a blinding flash of light. All three raised their hooves to cover their eyes just in time, and waited for the light to die down before they looked upon the mirror again.

When the light eventually faded, Flash looked ahead, and what he saw made the colour drain from his face. There were two figures lying at the base of the mirror, the one behind obstructed by the one in front, though he knew that both were ponies. But it was the one in front that caught his attention, and for good reason. As the figure rose, Flash could not believe his eyes. It was a unicorn mare, with a yellow coat and a bright red-and-yellow mane. A mare that Flash had told himself he would never see again.

His eyes then darted to Prince Armour, who was taking a step forward in an aggressive manner. But Flash stepped forward and raised a hoof, stopping Shining and catching his attention.

"Sir...I know her."

Shining raised his eyebrow in confusion over that, but nevertheless allowed his guard to continue to move forward. As Flash approached, the mare began to stand up from her lying-down position. After that, she looked up, with a look of shock upon her face, not unlike the one that was now on Flash's own face, as he broke the silence between them.

"Sunset?"

There was a pause from the mare as she looked upon him, but after a while, she responded with a silent nod. Sunset Shimmer, a one-time student of Princess Celestia, and a mare who had once been very close to him. But, as astonishing as this unexpected return was for him, what followed was even more so. For it was here that his eyes finally locked onto the second figure that had arrived with her. His eyes widened even further as the figure got to it's hooves, albeit in a very unsure way. It was a pegasus stallion, whose coat was a bright orange and whose mane was a dark blue. But this stallion was very familiar to Flash, as his next words could testify.

"Is that...me?"

A Fallen Sunset

The moment she'd stepped off the arriving train, she'd been running. Under normal circumstances, Twilight would be making more of a casual pace towards the palace of the Crystal Empire during one of these visits. But today, this was no mere vacation or visit to her brother. For something had occurred which required her full attention. It had been less than a day since she received the letter from her brother, informing her of what had happened, but even so, she could not believe it.

Sunset Shimmer had returned to Equestria.

There were so many questions that were plaguing her mind when she discovered that. Why was she here? How could she have come back through? Was this another attempt to seize power in some way? These an many others were buzzing about in her skull. It occupied her every waking thought, so much so that she did not even slow down to return the many greetings that the passers by in the street were giving to their nation's latest Princess. But Twilight felt nothing but concern right now. Sunset had once been a great adversary to her, and though she'd left her in the human world with the feeling that perhaps she could better herself, her return here cast serious doubt on that.

But regardless, she had to keep her attention on just getting there, and with the gates of the crystal palace in sight, she knew it was only a matter of time before these questions were answered. The guards at the gates saw her approach at speed and quickly used their magic to open the doors for her. Once inside, Twilight made straight for the lower levels of the palace, where Sombra's old dungeons were placed. Those old rooms had not been used ever since he was driven out, and even though they'd since been renovated to far more fitting accommodation, not once had they ever been used for the purposes of putting ponies in them. But, according to her brother's letter, that's where Sunset was being kept.

She did not like these lower levels, as they reminded her all too much of her first visit to the Empire a couple of years ago. Cold and still in an unused state, they were an unpleasant place for anypony. However, it did not take long for her to reach her place, as she saw Shining standing vigil outside one of the chambers. As she approached, Shining broke into a smile, albeit a small one, and Twilight did the same. When the two were within just a few feet of one another, Shining raised a hoof and placed it on his sister's shoulder affectionately.

But, as pleasant as this moment was, Twilight's attention was then drawn to the one standing guard by the door. Her smile grew even more as she saw that it was none other than her mate, Flash. The young pegasus couldn't help but return the smile to Twilight once he saw her, but it was rather brief as he returned to his previous stance, ever ready to assume his guard duties. Twilight would have loved nothing more than to catch up with Flash and her brother, but she knew that more important things were at stake right now.

So, with her expression now more serious, she looked up at her brother once more.

"She's in there?"

Shining nodded silently at that before turning his gaze upon the door, as did Twilight.

"Yeah. We don't know anything else about all this, but I figured you'd want to speak to her."

Twilight nodded back at her brother before returning her attention to the door. With that settled, Shining began to walk off, giving his sister one final glance before continuing back down the halls. No doubt he was off to make further arrangements regarding their new arrival, but whatever the reason, Twilight took a deep breath before moving forward, glancing one last time at Flash before raising her hoof and turning the knob of the chamber door. It creaked open loudly and the young alicorn stepped inside. Her eyes widened with shock when she saw that it was true. Her one-time enemy, Sunset Shimmer, was there, standing near the far wall of the relatively small room.

The moment Twilight entered, Sunset looked at her, with a mixed expression. At first it seemed like it might have been disdain, as one would expect when looking upon the one that had once defeated her. But, that soon changed to a look of resignation, as the unicorn let out a sigh. If she was here to start a fight, she wasn't showing it. However, as Twilight stepped inside, she caught sight of another pony standing near Sunset, and the moment she saw him she had to fight the urge to have her eyeballs pop out of her head in sheer shock.

It couldn't be, she told herself, but her eyes did not lie. For there, standing before her, was Flash. She stared at him for a few moments, as he did to her, and once she broke herself out of her daze, she immediately backed up out of the chamber, looking to see her Flash still standing outside. Her Flash, who unlike the one in the chamber was clad in the armour of the guard, turned to see Twilight's confused expression. He knew just from looking at her what she'd seen in there and let out a deep exhale, nodding to her, a sign that he knew what was going on in her mind and that this was no illusion before her.

That did not help things however, as it soon dawned on her exactly who it was that stood in the chamber with Sunset. For this was none other than Flash Sentry's human counterpart, no doubt transformed by the power of the magic mirror, much like she and Sunset had been made into humans when they passed through it. But even with that point being as easy as it was to figure out, it still left a very important question. Why was he here, and with Sunset of all people?

This silence from Twilight had lasted for quite some time, and Sunset had been patiently waiting for her to speak the first words. However, as time passed and Twilight just stood there with a dumbfounded look on her face, her patience wore thin, and she stepped forward and spoke in her usual commanding tone.

"Yes, it's me. Yes, this is the Flash from the human world. And yes, we both came here via the mirror."

Her old rival's word's did a good job of getting Twilight out of her self-imposed daze and the young Princess cleared her throat, out of sheer embarrassment if nothing else, before speaking.

"Yes, well...um. I must say...I wasn't expecting to see you again."

Her eyes darted from Sunset to the formerly-human Flash.

"Either of you."

Sunset gave a rather annoyed look at Twilight before replying.

"Believe me, when we last met I wasn't planning on coming back either. But...things change."

Twilight looked at her as she said that, as her eyes turned away from the young alicorn, as though trying to hide something. She then noticed the other Flash walk towards her and placed a hoof on her shoulder, gaining Sunset's attention. The two looked at each other for a few moments and, to Twilight's surprise, Sunset cracked a small smile. They way the two were looking at each other was very familiar, as it was often the way that she would look at her own Flash. But, she shook herself out of that thought as Sunset stepped forward.

"Truth is...I've missed this place. I may have lived in the human world for a few years now, but Equestria is my home. The thought of never coming back here was...too much. So, one day, I put my hand against the statue by the High School, out of foolish hope that something would happen."

Sunset then let out a small chuckle.

"Imagine my surprise when my hand actually passed through it."

Twilight nodded at that. it would have certainly been a surprise to her had their positions been reversed. Such a thing was not even supposed to be possible. And that thought led to Twilight's next question.

"But how? It hasn't been that long since I left, and the portal should still be closed."

Sunset nodded.

"That was what I thought too. But then I realised something. You and I weren't the only things to pass through that mirror."

Twilight tilted her head in confusion over that, not quite sure what Sunset was saying. But the latter merely stared at her in silence, waiting for her to figure out her meaning. It did not take long however, and soon Twilight's eyes were wide with surprise.

"You don't mean...the element of magic?"

Sunset nodded at that, and Twilight's mouth was agape. She did not know exactly how, but the element must have affected the magic of the portal somehow. That thing was created to allow the passage of people between worlds. Those who made it in ages past probably never considered having a powerful magical artifact travel through it also. And the element of magic was one of the most powerful there were. It then dawned on Twilight that the element may well have made the portal open permanently now, allowing free travel whenever the need demanded it. The possibilities of this revelation were mind-boggling to say the least. To have the worlds of ponies and humans open to each other forever? It could change everything.

For a brief moment, Twilight lamented the fact that the element was no longer in her possession. Had she and her friends not been required to return those artifacts to the Tree of Harmony a few months ago, she would have wanted very much to test just what kind of effect the element truly had on that mirror. Looking up at Sunset once more, it was clear from her expression that she too knew just how momentous an occurrence like this was. But even so, Sunset carried on.

"Once I realized that I could go home, I knew I had to. There a few...loose ends back here I needed to take care of."

Twilight wondered for a moment what those loose ends might possibly be, but her gaze then fell to the other Flash who spoke for the first time in this entire exchange.

"Sunset told me about this a few days ago, and I said I'd go with her."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that.

"Why? The last time we met you two weren't exactly on the best of terms."

Through the corner of her eye, Twilight could see Sunset give a somewhat annoyed look at her, but even so her attention remained on the other Flash, who was responding to Twilight's words with a nod.

"True. But, like she said...things change."

Once he'd said that, the other Flash turned to look at Sunset, who smiled back at him. Looking at the two of them, at the way they were behaving around each other, Twilight could only describe such gazes as affectionate. It then dawned on her that some time had passed since she last saw these two, and though things might not have been the best between them last time, the situation may well have changed. Perhaps the two had grown close for a second time? She knew that it was a very personal thing, but even so, she knew she had to ask.

"So...are you two...you know...?"

The two looked at her for a moment before glancing at each other for a second time. After that they turned back to her, both wearing big smiles on their faces, Flash breaking the silence.

"It took a while, but yeah...we are."

To say that Twilight was shocked would have been an understatement. After all, it was hard for her to grasp that Sunset could have changed so much that Flash was willing to be with her again for a second time. But, even though she'd only known him for a brief time, Twilight knew that Flash was not fool enough to want to be with her if she was still the same as she was when they first met. But, even putting that aside, there was her own involvement with him to consider.

All three of them knew that Twilight and Flash had grown close during her time in he human world, and it was that closeness that had led to her approaching her world's Flash in the first place. And even though she'd been able to separate her feelings for the human and pony Flash's, it would have been a lie for her to say that there wasn't some small part of her that felt somewhat down for having learned of this. Even so, she'd moved past her feeling for him, however brief they may have been, a long time ago. So, looking at the two ponies before her, she too broke into a smile.

"I'm happy for you. Both of you."

The two smiled back even more, casting each other a loving glance before turning their attention back to Twilight. It staggered her to think that so much in that world might have changed in her absence. And that thought led to another, one that she was more than willing to voice.

"But why did you ask Flash to join you instead of somepony else? One of the girls for instance?"

Sunset looked away from Twilight, her expression a little uncomfortable.

"I though about it at first. After all, I knew they'd want to see you again. But...things between us haven't been perfect. They've accepted me, to an extent, but I did a lot to them. It's going to take more time than this."

Twilight's ears drooped a little upon hearing that. She was rather disappointed to hear that she wasn't going to see her friends form that world anytime soon. But, her attention was drawn to Sunset once more as the latter spoke up.

"Besides, I didn't want to bother them right now. They've got a lot of rock practice at the moment."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that.

"Er...rock?"

Sunset shook her head, chuckling a little.

"It's a long story."

Twilight was tempted to ask further about that, but decided against it. But still, her fears from earlier were beginning to fade. When she'd first heard about Sunset's return, she feared yet another plot of hers to gain power in some way. Now though, she could see that this was not the case, and could let out a sigh of relief over it. And even though seeing her with Flash was unexpected, and at first a little disheartening, Twilight was willing to accept her old rival's return to Equestria.

The young alicorn looked on as Sunset began to step forward, opening her mouth as though she were about to speak. But, to Twilight's confusion, she stopped before a single word left her mouth, and she looked right past Twilight. The young Princess did not know why, but for some reason all the colour in Sunset's face began to drain away, as though she'd just seen a ghost. It was here that Twilight began to hear the sound of approaching hoofsteps from behind, and turned to see who it was.

Her expression became one of great surprise as she saw that there, standing with a look of utter seriousness upon her face, was Twilight's beloved mentor, Princess Celestia herself. The elder alicorn was not looking at Twilight however, but at Sunset, and her tone of voice matched her serious expression as she spoke.

"It's been a long time...my student."

Old Wounds

To say that this was an uncomfortable situation would have been the understatement of the century. Twilight, having just met up with her old rival, Sunset Shimmer, was now standing between her and the one pony that the latter probably never wanted to see again, Princess Celestia. The young alicorn knew all too well the kind of history these two had, and was not keen on being here to see what words would pass between them. Glancing to her left, she saw that Sunset was still looking both shocked and, to some degree, terrified at the arrival of her old teacher.

It was also a difficult situation for the formerly-human Flash Sentry, who was glancing from Sunset to Celestia, and back again. He did not know who the elder alicorn was, only that her presence was causing Sunset great discomfort right now. Twilight couldn't help but envy his ignorance of this situation. After what seemed like an unbearably long silence, Celestia finally broke it by turning her attention to the still-confused stallion.

"You are the Flash Sentry of the world beyond the mirror?"

Flash looked up at her, clearly somewhat unnerved by the elder Princess. Twilight could not blame him for that reaction. As benevolent as Celestia was known for being, Twilight knew well that she could get very commanding and imposing when she needed to be. She looked on as Flash looked to the mares on either side of him, first to Sunset and then to Twilight, before looking upon Celestia again. He said nothing, but gave a short nod. After looking upon him for a brief moment, Celestia returned the nod before stepping further inside the chamber.

"Then I must ask you to step outside for a moment. This is a private matter."

Twilight could practically feel her blood run cold at the way Celestia was saying that. After everything Sunset had done in her past, she knew what was coming. Flash looked to Sunset, still unsure about what was going on, and the mare looked back at him, her expression changing from one of fear to a more affectionate look, smiling at him and giving him a nod, as if to let him know she would be fine. Flash paused for a moment, and Twilight wondered if he might even defy Celestia and refuse to leave Sunset, which was not something she'd want to see him do. But, in the end, Flash just nodded back at Sunset before making his way out.

As he left, Twilight saw him give Celestia a rather cold look, though the latter's attention had now returned to Sunset, so she might not have noticed. Once outside, Twilight saw that Flash now stood just a few metres away from her Flash, and the two stallions looked at each other rather uncomfortably. Twilight could not blame either of them for that though. After all, she'd had enough experience with meeting another version of herself with that time travel business from a few years back, so she knew better than anypony how awkward it could be. But regardless, she then noticed that the door was now bathed in Celestia's magic and closed behind her, leaving only her, Twilight and Sunset in the room.

The young Princess wished that somepony would say something, ANYTHING, just to end this painful silence. Eventually, she got her wish, as Celestia stepped forward towards Sunset.

"Sunset Shimmer. You know your crimes?"

Twilight glanced to her left, and looked on as Sunset lowered her head, her gaze now upon the floor, before nodding her head solemnly. Celestia's eyes narrowed somewhat before she spoke again.

"When we last met, you violated my command, and entered through the magic mirror. When you returned, you attempted to steal the element of magic, and in so doing, tried to strike against the ponies of Equestria."

Celestia frowned deeply, a look that Twilight knew well whenever she herself had made mistakes.

"Do you deny these charges?"

Another silent nod was given by Sunset. Twilight nervously looked from one to the other, before doing something she knew she would regret. She spoke out.

"Princess, I think she..."

But she was cut off immediately as Celestia swiftly raised a hoof, silencing the younger alicorn, who immediately took a step backwards. With Twilight no longer wishing to dare intervene in this, Celestia carried on.

"What do you have to say in your defense?"

Twilight looked over to Sunset, who had remained staring at the ground this whole time, most likely out of shame. The silence from before returned, and Twilight grew increasingly uncomfortable with this entire situation. But eventually, Sunset finally broke that silence and raised her head, looking her former teacher right in the eyes.

"Nothing. In every way, I have done wrong. I rejected your teachings, your attempts to make me into a better person. I turned against you because of my own blind ambition and ran away because I saw you as my enemy. I took what was not mine in the hopes of subjugating entire peoples. There is no amount of good that I can do in this lifetime to make up for that."

As Sunset spoke, Twilight could hear her voice wobble, as though on the verge of tears. But all the while, Celestia was looking down on the young unicorn, her face as difficult to read as ever, and Twilight wondered what the elder Princess might have been thinking. Looking back at Sunset, Twilight saw that she was looking down at the ground once more.

"I am guilty. Do what you wish of me."

Twilight was, needless to say, astounded that Sunset was so ready to accept judgement over her actions. When she'd first met this mare, there was no way in Tartarus that she'd have ever been willing to go through something like that. And now, here she was, taking responsibility for everything she'd done. Twilight had never actually witness Celestia administer punishments for the kinds of crimes that Sunset had committed, nor was it something she'd ever wanted to see. But now, it seemed she would have to, as her former teacher stepped forward, Sunset clearly struggling against the urge to cower away from her. Once she was only a foot away from her, Celestia spoke.

"Sunset...look at me."

The unicorn's legs seemed to shake as her head slowly looked up, and she saw Celestia' eyes peircing into her. It was a sight that would have sent shivers down the spine of even the bravest of ponies, but Sunset endured it nevertheless. The Princess of the Sun looked down at her one-time pupil, right int her eyes. She scoured them, looking deep, as though trying to read her very soul, but even so, Sunset kept looking at her as asked. Time passed and, to the shock of both Twilight and Sunset, Celestia not only let out a sigh, but her face broke into a small smile, and she raised her hoof and placed it on Sunset's shoulder.

"I forgive you."

Twilight's eyes widened with disbelief over the words she'd just heard. Looking over to Sunset, she could see that her shaking had stopped, and instead she seemed petrified, as though frozen by the sheer shock of this moment. But her face was bearing a look of utter confusion, as she looked up into Celestia's face, trying to see if perhaps this was some kind of joke. But there was no trace of deception of the Princess' eyes, only truth. Sunset's mouth opened and closed several times, a clear sign that she had difficulty in figuring out what to say after this, for which Twilight could not blame her.

Eventually though, Sunset finally managed to get her words together.

"But...why? How could you POSSIBLY forgive me after everything I've done? I was your enemy! I betrayed your trust, your teachings! And you...you're just going to forgive me?"

Celestia, still smiling, nodded at that.

"Yes, I am. You have made many mistakes, Sunset. But I can see you have changed. You've recognised what you once were, and what you've done, and were even willing to return to this world to pay for those actions. The Sunset who turned against Equestria would never have done that."

During this exchange, Twilight was deep in thought, and in doing so, she realised that it was not perhaps so far-fetched that Celestia would do this. While it was true that Sunset had committed a great wrong in her time, she was not the first. After all, it was not so long ago that Celestia was willing to welcome back the Lord of Chaos himself, despite all the years of misery he'd inflicted on the ponies of Equestria all those centuries ago. If Celestia could forgive him, she could forgive Sunset. And speaking of whom, Sunset looked up at her old mentor, still not believing what she was hearing. Celestia's smile grew even wider.

"Welcome home."

It was in this moment that the floodgates finally opened. Sunset's face, though initially looking as though she was fighting to hold back the tears, now simply let them flow down her cheeks. She charged forward and wrapped her hooves around Celestia in an embrace. Twilight looked on as she could hear her former enemy let out sob after sob as she buried her face into Celestia's chest. The Sun Princess knelt down on all four hooves as Sunset did this, spreading her wings forward and using them to return Sunset's embrace. As this was going on, Twilight could hear Sunset speak, as the tears kept on coming.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for EVERYTHING!!!"

But Celestia merely looked down at her, with a warm and comforting expression. As Twilight looked upon the two of them, she thought back to her own tutoring by Celestia, how there came a time in her life when she viewed the Sun Princess as a second mother. It dawned on her then and there that this may well have been how Sunset once saw her, a relationship that had been poisoned by the latter's once-fierce ambitions and bitterness. But now, after all the hardships that had occurred between these two, including an exile that had taken up much of Sunset's life, Twilight smiled to see that the great rift that once separated these two had healed, as Celestia's words made clear.

"It's alright, Sunset...I've missed you."

Mended Bridges

As she looked out of the window, one of many in the grand throne room of the crystal palace, she couldn't help but feel as though the skies now matched the mood within. When she'd first arrived here a few days ago, and witness what she'd feared would be a dangerous confrontation, the skies had been cloudy and menacing. Now, there was no clouds to be seen, and the sun was shining gloriously. It was, to be sure, a sight that would bring a smile to anypony's face.

Turning away from the window, Twilight looked upon the gathering of ponies before her. Her brother, Shining Armour, and Cadence were both discussing matters with themselves about everything that had happened. Flash stood vigil next to the magic mirror, which would soon be used. And finally, Twilight smiled as she saw Sunset Shimmer, her old rival, standing alongside the Flash of the human world, both standing before Princess Celestia. They were speaking, but Twilight could not hear them, so she began to move away from the window. Once she was only a few feet away, she could finally make out the words.

"...and so we had to give them back to the tree to make things right again," Celestia finished.

Twilight smiled to herself, knowing full well what story Celestia was telling to the two ponies before her, both of whom were enraptured about the kinds of things that had been going on in Equestria since she'd returned. Sunset Shimmer though looked somewhat down every now and again, bearing a look of regret. Twilight tilted her head, perhaps wondering if she still felt remorse from everything she'd done. To receive forgiveness from Celestia was one thing, but she knew it would take time for the unicorn to forgive herself. She listened in as Sunset finally spoke up after a long silence.

"I've missed out on...so much."

Celestia glanced to her side, seeing Twilight there. The elder Princess gave a small smile to her favoured student before stepping forward and placing a hoof on Sunset's shoulder.

"There will always be other adventures. It's not as though there's anything stopping you from coming back anymore."

Sunset looked up at her teacher, at the warm smile on her face, before breaking out into one herself. It was here that Celestia spoke again.

"And...do try not to wait so long before visiting next time."

In spite of everything that had happened between them, Sunset chuckled at that, followed shortly by Celestia. It was a pleasant moment, that much Twilight knew. The thought that all the old anger and bitterness between them had finally been buried was a relief to say the least. She never wanted any enemies in her life, and now, she knew for certain that there was one less. Looking to her left, she saw her brother and sister-in-law discussing matters that undoubtedly related to the mirror. Now that there was a stable and permanent doorway between the human and pony worlds, this could well lead to many journeys, both from this side and theirs. And with it placed here in the Empire, Twilight knew that her brother, and his wife, had a lot of work on their hooves.

But even so, Twilight's attention returned to Sunset, who was still smiling at her old mentor, before stepping forward and embracing her in a hug, which Celestia promptly returned. Twilight knew what this meant, that it was time for Sunset and Flash to return to the human world. Once Sunset broke away from her hug, she looked over to her Flash, who gave her a small smile. Afterwards though, he turned to Twilight, causing the latter to look back at him in an unsure fashion. She looked on as he approached her and spoke.

"It's been good to see you again, Twilight."

Twilight was hesitant about this. The two had not really spoken all that much since he arrived in Equestria, and since she'd discovered his now-revived relationship with Sunset, she'd been wary about interacting with him too much. But still, she was at least happy she could keep this Flash as a friend, if nothing else. As that thought settled in her mind however, another came to light, and she smiled back at him.

"It's been good seeing you too. And...I never got the chance to thank you."

Flash raised an eyebrow, clearly confused as to what she meant by that. Affording herself a small chuckle, Twilight explained.

"For the dance."

It took a few moments, but Flash's smile returned, and he nodded at her, now understanding. That moment, when the two were together in the human world, was the first time anyone, pony or human, had ever asked her to dance before. And even though she'd managed to get over this boy in the months following her return to Equestria, she still held onto that memory as something to be cherished. Looking at him, at the way he was smiling, she knew deep down that he held onto that pleasant memory just as well.

Turning, Flash gave Sunset another smile and nod before making his way over to the mirror, standing next to Twilight's Flash, who regarded his formerly-human counterpart with as far less wary look than he'd been giving him. Meanwhile, Twilight turned to see Sunset approach her.

"It's been good, getting all this sorted out. But, before I go...I just want to say I'm glad Flash found somepony."

Twilight stared at her for a few moments, wondering what she meant by that. However, it wasn't long before understanding dawned on her, and she realised that Sunset was referring to the Flash of Equestria, not the human one she herself was now back together with. Twilight couldn't help but feel aghast that Sunset had figured this out. But, then again, she was Celestia's prized pupil at one point. You don't get to a position like that without some perceptive abilities. She'd probably seen Flash there and the way he and Twilight had looked at each other, thus figuring out that they had a relationship.

It was not as though Twilight was afraid of telling Sunset this, but knowing that Flash had been her ex in both worlds had made her hesitant to bring it up, if only to avoid any further bad feelings between them. Knowing that there would now be little chance of denying it, Twilight endeavoured to explain herself.

"I...I was going to tell you, but..."

But she was stopped by a raised hoof from Sunset, she looked at her with a soft expression.

"Twilight, it's fine, really. The Flash from this world and me never really hit it off that well. He knows it and so do I. I'm just happy that he's moved on."

Twilight looked at her, still a little unsure.

"And you're...okay?"

Sunset sighed a little before nodding.

"Yeah, I am. Besides..."

Sunset then looked over to her right and gave a somewhat sly smile.

"...I'd say we've both done pretty well for ourselves."

Twilight looked over to where Sunset was looking and saw the two Flash's, both standing near the mirror. They'd stopped staring at each other uncomfortably and were instead just taking, and even, to Twilight's surprise, laughing on occasion. This scene was ended by the sight of Twilight's Flash, still clad in his armour, reaching out and offering his open hoof to the formerly-human Flash, which then took and shook it. Understanding Sunset's words, she turned and looked at her once more, returning her smile.

"Yeah...I guess we have."

The two mares shared a private laugh for a moment, the tension lifting from both of them. When all was said and done however, they both knew it was time for Sunset and Flash to leave. The two ponies stood side-by-side at the mirror, smiling to each other before turning and waving their goodbyes to the assembled group behind them. Princess Celestia, who stood at the head of the group, nodded at her former student, the bad blood between them finally resolved. With a look of sheer relief upon Sunset's face, she turned back to the mirror and, with Flash by her side, stepped through it. There was a brief flash of the mirror's magic before all could see that the two had gone.

Twilight sighed, happy that all this had finally been put behind her, even though she knew this probably wouldn't be the last time she'd see either of them. The silence of the situation was interrupted however by a cough to her left. Turning, Twilight saw that it was her Flash, who spoke up.

"Twilight?"

The young Princess tilted her head.

"Yes, Flash?"

Flash let out a sigh before looking back to his mate.

"Do you think he was taller than me?"