When the Sun Sets

Chapters

My Most Faithful Student
The Next Princess of Equestria
Too Easy
Bye Bye, Twilight
Twi and Sunset
I Want You to Hate Yourself
No Chance for Friendship
"So, I win, huh?"
Lost Cause
Revenge Heals All Wounds
BFFs
Life Goes On

My Most Faithful Student

"Go on, my most faithful student. I have the utmost confidence in you."

Standing in a room in the royal palace, Sunset Shimmer concentrated all the magic she could muster from her filly body. Focusing the magic in her horn, she counted down the seconds until it was time to unleash it on her target. Princess Celestia--her teacher who could do no wrong--stood close behind her, giving the type of warm smile that could calm even the most tense of ponies. Not that Sunset needed any calming. Four ponies in scholarly uniforms stood beside the princess, writing on pads as they glanced as their watches. They were yawning, and each had the snootiest look on their face. The type Sunset despised.

Never one to let anypony doubt her abilities, Sunset Shimmer smiled confidently and focused on the object a few feet in front of her, a large black metallic weight. Cracks crept out from the floor beneath it, but that only caused the filly to smirk. She shot a glance at the four bored ponies and scoffed, saying to herself, "Like you'll ever even have the power to think about attempting this." Her horn burned with a fiery aura, and in an instant, the magic concentrated in it was unleashed on the tower of weight.

The aura covered the weight and lifted it up a few inches from the ground. The four ponies in the back all dropped their jaws in quick succession, as well as their pads and pencils. Celestia stood unphased and nodded with her same motherly smile. Sunset Shimmer continued lifting the weight higher into the air, making sure to hide any sign of struggle. The thought of only being able to lift this weight a few inches made her growl, and she continued pushing until her horn felt like it was about to be ripped out right at the root.

The weight rose up inch after inch until it stood several feet above the ground. Applause broke out from the back of the room, but Sunset Shimmer held the weight where it was, growling at the fact that the four ponies were clapping already. "You think that's all I got... Ha!" she said. Her horn was enveloped by another fiery aura, and at the same time the aura around the weight began to brighten until the light produced caused everypony else in the room to shut their eyes. The light disappeared a second later, and the five ponies in the back, Celestia included, gasped from the sight in front of them. The weight was gone, replaced by a mass of fire patterned flowers that floated down onto the cracked ground.

Sunset Shimmer jumped into the air screaming, "Ha! Like I'd actually fail!" She picked up the flowers with her magic and threw them around the room, with special aim on the four ponies and the area around them. She pointed at them. "And you clowns... What was with the early clapping, huh?! What, did you think I was done?!"

Celestia’s warm smile transformed into a scowl. "Suns-.”

Sunset Shimmer stepped towards her targets, getting all up in their faces, "Did you think I couldn't do more. Is that it?! That I was too weak to do anything greater?!"

Celestia raised her voice. “Su-”

"I know what it is. You're all jealous! You know your own pathetic kids are too weak to do what I can, and always will be!" Sunset Shimmer would've continued on, but was stopped and held in place by Celestia's magic. The princess glared at her but returned to her normal look when facing the three victims she had just saved.

"Ignoring that last bit..." She shot a dirty look at her student. "I trust you see that Sunset Shimmer is still the top student in my school."

"That she is," one of the mares said, glaring at the filly. "No question there. Her behavior however is a different matter entirely. I hope you made the right choice picking her as your personal student, Princess. But all in all, yes, she passes with top marks." The four ponies began walking out of the room. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some other students to grade, as well as this one filly who's looking to join us. Should be a treat. Always a pleasure, Princess... and good luck." They closed the door, leaving Celestia alone with her student.

"So, you going to say anything or what?" Sunset Shimmer said, jumping with glee. "Admit it, I surprised even you."

Celestia paused. "That is true. I expected you to succeed as you always have, but the spell with the flowers was something else indeed."

Sunset Shimmer smirked. "Yeah, it was pretty cool. What can I say? To be honest, though... I did it to impress you... Glad it worked."

Celestia wrapped her hoof around her student and pulled her in for a hug. "You don't need to impress me... You know that."

"Yeah right. I see you always just smiling whenever I do anything... I want to see you shocked when you see what I can do. What? You can't blame me for that," Sunset Shimmer said, giggling.

"That I cannot. And yes, I was shocked. Happy?"

"Obviously!" Sunset Shimmer played around in her mentor's embrace. Celestia played back, resulting in a game where Sunset tried to escape her grasp, only to be caught again. "I'm getting out of this... Just watch me." As the game progressed, though, Celestia's smile fell into a frown.

"Hey, what's wrong? Don't tell me you're sad because you're losing," Sunset Shimmer said, actually managing to escape. "Princess Celestia...?"

Celestia sighed. "It is true that your power is greater than what even I could have hoped for... but I fear for you my student. Your behavior can be... troublesome at times, and I am unsure if even I am up to the task of reforming it.

"What?! If this this about those clowns then they deserved it. You saw how they were doubting me."

Celestia brought her student back into her embrace. "Sunset Shimmer, I accepted you as my personal student because you showed great promise. But ask yourself, is treating others with such malice really how you want to be known. Does it really do your powers justice?"

"Known? Who cares what those weaklings think. The only thing that matters is power. I mean the only reason you're princess is because you can control the sun.”

"You are mistaken. My powers over the sun are not what make me princess. Being a ruler is as much about knowing how to lead with your heart as it is knowing when to lead with your power."

Sunset Shimmer laid back in Celestia's hoof with a pouty face and crossed her hooves. "Still, not my fault they're weak. I mean, I was right when I told them off."

"Perhaps in your mind, but even if you are right, that does not give you permission to-."

"Yeah yeah, I know what you're going to tell me. I got to be modest and humble.”

Celestia shook her head and released her student. "We will continue this later. I have some important matters to attend to. In the meantime, reflect on your actions. I have high hopes for you, my student, but I fear that your ways will one day lead to your downfall." And with that she walked to the door and stepped out.

Sunset Shimmer stuck out her tongue at her. "As if..." She scoffed at the very thought of her downfall and looked around at the sea of flowers that blanketed the room. If it was up to her, no one would be allowed to clean the flowers up. They were a reminder of how far she had come from her days before being Celestia’s student--days she wanted nothing more than to forget. "Sorry, Princess, you might be wise and all, but it seems like the thousands of years you've been alive haven't taught you anything.”

With her business in the room now done, Sunset Shimmer ran through the door and into the halls of the royal palace with a confident smile. The palace staff walked alongside her, but many times also in front of her at a snail’s pace. "Really?" Sunset Shimmer made sure to barge into everyone of them, knocking the royal guards to the side and the dusters and such to the walls. A maid stopped in front of her as she ran by, and found herself almost being knocked down a flight of stairs for her offense. "Walking isn't that hard you know!"

The filly went from hall to hall, zooming past everything and everypony in her way without even considering to slow down. It was only as she ran in front of an open window did she stop, freezing from the beautiful view of the kingdom. Canterlot was basking in her mentor's rays, at the same appearing to be only a hoof away and yet so far from atop the high palace window. She set her sights on the horizon and stuck out her hoof towards the lands beyond the city, wishing they were hers.

That was when she remembered, they were already hers.

She continued on through the palace and ended her journey by ramming through a door and entering her room. She landed on her bed and stretched out her body as she gazed at her room’s many decorations. The walls around her held countless framed pictures of her and Celestia spanning back to the day she entered the palace a few years ago. There were also many pictures of herself alone, and each had a crown or other royal ornament glued to the top of her head. On the ground were several trash bins overflowing with crumbled paper. Each sheet was filled front and back with a myriad of different titles and names for herself with the word princess in front. Princess Sunset Shimmer the Magnificent and Powerful was a common one.

The centerpiece of the room was a map of Equestria on the ceiling on top of her bed. "One day... Oh, who am I kidding?" Sunset Shimmer got up and began jumping on her bed in joy. "The way I'm going, it's probably just a few years before I'm made princess.” She put her hoof on the map, but found herself beginning to frown. "But maybe Princess Celestia was right? I mean, now that I think about it, I can be a little mean. I hope I was never mean to her." But as quickly as the frown had come, it vanished. "But still, those ponies had no right to judge me like that. At least let me finish before judging me! And these stupid maids really need to learn how to walk. Seriously, it shouldn't be that hard!"

Sunset Shimmer fell back onto her bed with her future kingdom in view. "One thing's certain, though. Nopony can take this away from me."

The Next Princess of Equestria

The kingdom of Equestria greeted its future princess as she woke up. From edge to edge it hung above her, the first sight of the day, and that was just how she liked it.

Sunset Shimmer jumped out of her bed and stretched, letting out a big yawn. The sun was up which meant only one thing, another day to grow more powerful and another day to show her teacher that she was ready for more, much more. Her horn was sore from the feats of the day before, but from looking at her, nopony would ever guess that. Any pain she felt was masked by a smile that radiated with a contagious confidence. "I better not be late for training," she said to herself, running out the door.

Outside in the hallway, a horde of staff members and royal guards were locked in conversation with nearly all of them on the verge of jumping around like they had finally gotten their first kiss. Sunset Shimmer walked towards them since they were on her path, saying to herself, "Wonder what they're so excited about? Probably just something stupid." She walked past the crowd, trying to ignore them and just get out. That all changed as she walked past one of the foodservers, a stallion, who was talking to a maid.

"I'd think I was being played for a fool if somepony told me a filly could be that strong!" he screamed. "Seriously, imagine what she'll be like when she's older!"

The words froze Sunset Shimmer where she stood. Are they talking about me? Nopony around her made eye contact with her. In fact, they seemed so into their blabberings that she could've pushed one of them down the stairs and the others wouldn't have even noticed. No... but if it's not me...

She charged to the foodserver, on the verge of a heart attack. "What filly?! Tell me!"

"Oh, surprised you of all ponies haven't heard about her yet," the foodeserver said. "One of the fillies that took the test to get into the School for Gifted Unicorns yesterday blew everypony away with her performance. From what I heard, it was unreal!"

"W-What?!" Sunset Shimmer's eyes popped out.

"It's true," the maid said." I saw the whole thing... Truthfully, I thought she was cursed at first. She came in as weak as any other filly when the test started, but then there was some big rainbowy explosion in the sky and the next thing you know she went out of control! Scared me half to Tarturus."

Sunset Shimmer brought her face closer to the maid's. Her eyes popped out even further. "What?! What did she do that was so impressive?!"

"What didn't she do!" the maid said. "Transformation spells, an age spell..."

"And don't forget about the dragon," the foodserver said. "She turned a baby dragon giant like it was nothing!"

"Yes... and her eyes went all white, something I've only seen the Princess do! She got so out of control that Princess Celestia herself had to control her," the maid said.

Sunset Shimmer was left motionless from the idea that a filly could be that strong. The soreness in her horn spiked suddenly, further branding her with the truth of how weak she was compared to this mystery filly. "Who's her professor? What was she accepted as. A second year? Third?"

"Third?!" the foodserver laughed. "Come on, that's ridiculous. The only professor a pony like that deserves is Princess Celestia herself."

Sunset Shimmer stepped backwards, shaking her head. "No... No..." She ran away in the direction of Celesita's throne room as fast as she could. "No... No..." She galloped through the halls so fast that she was just a fiery haze to any onlookers. " This is definitely just some stupid joke. Age spell... Dragon... Cursed?! Even exaggerating's gotta have a limit." The throne room was only a few halls away, mere minutes but too long for the filly to bare. "Whoever started this is gonna be in big trouble. Just wait until I get to the Princess!"

Sunset Shimmer rammed through the doors to the throne room, ready to scream out the lies she had just been told. What she got instead was the sight of her mentor talking to another filly with a motherly smile. The same motherly smile that Celestia always gave Sunset.

Sunset Shimmer froze as her eyes popped out to their maximum and broke the scene. Celestia and the filly turned to her, but all she could do was twitch her eye and look on as another pony stood beside her mentor where she once did. The filly was a unicorn the same height as her, with a bright purple body and eyes. Her tail and mane were a darker purple and had two streaks in them, one pink and one a brighter purple. The filly stood wrapped in the warmth of Celestia's hoof, shivering and looking down at the ground like a scared puppy. There was no look of power on her, no feeling that this was a pony that could do the things she supposedly did. Nor was there any shred of confidence on her. Sunset Shimmer glared at her, jaw dropped and disgusted, and with only thought in mind. What. The. Hell!

"Princess Celestia, what is going on?!"

The authenticity of Celestia's smile blew away, turning it to one that was obviously fake. "Good morning, Sunset. I can see that you are quite surprised right now. Not that I expected anything different." The filly switched back and forth between facing the ground and the glaring pony in front of her. "This is Twilight Sparkle, and from this point forward she shall be your peer, as well as my new personal student."

Sunset Shimmer's blood pressure reached new heights as she glared at her peer with a newfound intensity. Celestia tightened her hoof around the filly beside her, saying, "Go on now. No need to be shy," and released her.

"Hi," Twilight said, looking more nervous than ever. "Like the princess said, my name's Twilight. What's yours?"

Sunset Shimmer redirected her glare to the Princess, completely ignoring the noise coming from the joke of a pony in front of her. "But I'm your apprentice!" she screamed, pointing at herself, "You can't just get another one! What, am I not good enough on my own? Do you need another one to feel proud, is that it?!"

Celestia's forced smile gave way. She glared at her student. "I can assure you that you have nothing of the sort to fear. Now if you can just-."

"And really, Princess!" Sunset Shimmer pointed at the pony meant to be her peer. "This is who you put me with!" Twilight turned away, frowning. "The castle staff told me the things she apparently did like age spells and that she had cursed white eyes, but just look at her. This is who you're picking to follow in your footsteps?! She can barely get her face out of the ground!"

"Enough!" Celestia screamed, stomping the ground. Her eyes glowed white, but returned to normal as her breathing softened and returned to its normal pace. She still glared at Sunset, saying, "I can assure you that Twilight is in fact capable of all she is credited with. She is your sister student, and any attack made on her I will treat as if it were on me. Are we clear?"

Sunset Shimmer just growled.

"Are we?!"

Sunset Shimmer growled again, but in the end forced up a smile and turned to her new sister. "So... Twilight, huh? My name's Sunset Shimmer. Where you from?"

"C-Canterlot," Twilight said, still shaking like she was in front of some invisible audience.

"Ugh... I'm not gonna bite you or anything." I'd really like to though. "What do keep on fidgeting around for?"

"Sorry, I'm just kinda nervous being here, that's all."

"What, you never been in a palace before?"

"Well, no... but it's not that. I just can't believe that I'm here... next to the Princess... in the palace. Yesterda,y I was with my parents... and now I'm all alone, being told that I have some special power or something."

"So that's what she's been telling you," Sunset Shimmer said, glaring at the Princess, who glared bac., "She told me the same thing when I first came. Guess special power isn't as rare as it used to be. What else she tell you?"

"Nothing much. She showed me around the castle and introduced me to the staff. They were nice, but I wish this place wasn't that big, especially my room."

Sunset Shimmer kept her focus on her mentor, glaring, and gave not a single shred of attention to the pony she was in conversation with. "Uh huh... yeah..."

"I wish my parents could be here with me, though..." Twilight said, getting saddened. "But they told me they couldn't come... I wish I knew why though."

"You're better off without them, trust me. I left my parents a long time ago. Second best decision I ever made." Sunset Shimmer shook her head at the Princess and felt a sting inside her worse than any mere soreness. "I'm going now... Got stuff to do. You know how it is." Not giving Twilight a second to say anything back, she gave one last dirty look to the Princess and ran out of the room, barging straight through the doors.

Now on the open hallways, Sunset Shimmer charged through them at record speed, growling with the face of a soon to be serial killer. The crowd of ponies lost in their conversations about the almighty Twilight Sparkle came once again, to which she did the obvious thing, ram through each and every one of them. Making the foodserver and maid hit the floor felt the best.

She ran through the door to her room and jumped onto the bed once she was inside, screaming with the intensity of a roar but the sound a little girl throwing a hissy fit. "How could she! I've done everything she's said for years, been to every stupid lesson, every stupid speech, and this is how she repays me! Why doesn't she just take in all of Equestria as her personal students?! You know what; she probably will!"

Sunset Shimmer got up and walked back and forth in front of a collection of framed pictures of Celestia and her set atop a dressing table. "I'm her personal student, me! What, am I not good enough, is that it? Yeah, doing everything you say and more apparently isn't good enough anymore. Silly me for thinking it was!" Her anger hardened her breathing, "I'm her personal student; I'm the next princess; nopony's gonna take this away from me. Definitely not a pony like Twilight.”

She turned to a picture, one of her as a younger filly riding atop Celestia like in a game of giddyup. The smiles on their faces were ones of pure bliss, like their company was all they wanted in the world, and all they needed. Sunset Shimmer remembered it as the first picture Celestia and her took together, though now, years later, it evoked not even the slightest glimpse of emotion. The frame was hoof-crafted by the duo, a symbol to commemorate their relationship for all time. Sunset Shimmer growled, after which she slammed the picture onto the floor, shattering it. She gave it one last look and shot a magical beam at it. What remained was just specks of burnt dust, too small to even be considered ashes.

Sunset Shimmer stood beside the specks, breathing heavily. As the seconds passed, though, her breathing began to calm and the sight of the dust began to bring out emotion from the filly. The picture had been there since the beginning, a reminder of who she once was and the pony that had taught her so much, and now it was nothing more than grains of dirt being picked up by the air, never to return again.

A tear broke out, but she fought it, trying to keep it from dripping onto her cheek. "Why do I act like this?" The dust scurried around on the ground, going every which way into corners and cracks unreachable by hoof. "Maybe this is what Princess Celestia mean? I mean I've always been… Well, that's not true either. No point in lying to myself." Sunset Shimmer gazed at the gallery of pictures that showcased her relationship with Celestia over the years. From her first days in the palace to now, the princess always stood beside her with the same motherly smile, unchanged by time. The only pony who changed was her.

Sunset ran around the room and went to every crack and pore that could've contained the dust she had made. The process took over fifteen minutes, but by the end of it she magically held a glob of dirt and other things in the air. Most of it was who knew what, but somewhere inside was the picture of Celestia and her, and so it would have to do. She softly placed the glob where the picture once stood, and charged out the room smiling like in the picture.

I got to learn to keep it cool. Twilight's just some nervous little pony who can't even be in the palace without her mommy. Nopony like that's being made princess. Sunset Shimmer ran across the halls managing to not ram anyypony in her way. But still... I don't like that 'special power' talk... But I'll just deal with that later. Gotta make up for how I acted first before it's too late. Don't want Twilight thinking I'm some bitch!

She increased her speed and headed towards the throne room. As she sped through a hall a few corridors away from her destination, though, a familiar voice caught her attention and froze her within an instant. The hall had a row of rooms on both sides, with every door shut and window covered. Only one door was opened, by an inch or two, and out of it leaked the voice of the pony Sunset Shimmer was running to see, Princess Celestia.

What? What's Princess Celestia doing in these rooms? They're not even supposed to be done yet, Sunset Shimmer thought, slowly walking towards the open door and peeking. Inside stood the Princess caressing a worried looking Twilight Sparkle. Behind them was a bed, closet, tables and other living accessories, the same as in Sunset Shimmer's room, only newer looking. What the..?

Celestia raised Twilight's head and looked at her with a smile so contagious even Sunset Shimmer couldn't resist it, saying to the worried filly, "Look, my child, I know this is all very new to you... but trust me when I say that this is for the best You are here because you are special, and you owe it to yourself to bring out your talent."

"B-But... why can't I see my parents?" Twilight said.

"Of course you can see your parents," Celestia said, caressing her. "You can see them anytime you wish. Just because you are here does not mean you cannot see them."

"B-But why can't they live here too?" Twilight pointed around the room. "This room is so big... We can have another bed right there... and... and..."

Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes and held in her laughter.

"I am sorry, Twilight," Celestia said. "But your parents cannot join you. They have their own lives to live, as you do yours... I am sure you can understand."

"I guess..." Twilight said, still facing down. "I mean I am happy to be here... This place is everything I dreamed it would be. I just need some time to get used to it is all.

Celestia tightened her embrace with the filly. "I admire your bravery, my child." Twilight looked up at her. "It takes great courage to so suddenly change your life."

I was never called brave, Sunset Shimmer thought, growing more disgusted.

"Not many can do what you have already done," Celestia said. Twilight began to smile. "Know that I will be here whenever you need me. I know you feel alone, but there is no need, my child. I will always be here. You shall never be alone." They both embraced, caught within each other's warmth. Sunset Shimmer began to growl as the seconds passed and their embrace only tightened. The bliss on their faces was unmistakable.

Celestia and her student ended their hug but still looked on with the same bliss. "There is no reason to fear," Celestia said. "You have great power, more than I have seen in any pony, and it shall be my honor to help you unlock it. Perhaps... there shall even come a time when you no longer need to address me as Princess."

That was the final sentence Sunset Shimmer could hear. She ran away from the door and to an abandoned corner several halls away, unable to erase what she had just witnessed. Her body shook with anger and her breathing reached a point where the next gasp of air was an impossible challenge. The sight of her mentor and the filly that had come out of nowhere into her life burned within her, as did the words spoken. The look of bliss on Celestia's face. The fact that another filly had come so suddenly out of the blue with such supposed power. The fact that this was all happening the day after Celestia had seemed so disappointed at her. The thought--no, the promise that Twilight would one day join Celestia as princess. Sunset Shimmer cringed as the sting of reality tore her from the inside out, leaving her all alone, with only herself as her companion.

"Alright, Celesita," Sunset Shimmer sucked in her snot, "You wanna play me like that? Fine!" The smile on her face turned cold. Any and all memory of warmth left her heart, leaving her with only the embedded image of what she was up against and the knowledge of what now had to be done. "You wanna play me for a fool, fine... You wanna throw me away like some old crown, fine... You wanna replace me with some pony who doesn't even know what she started... Fine! I should've learned my lesson last time, but oh well..."

Sunset Shimmer slammed her hoof against a nearby framed picture of the Princess. Not satisfied, she continued slamming her hoof into it until it was nothing more than ripped paper and shards of glass on the floor. "I'll be your perfect student... Don't you worry, Celestia. And as for Twilight Sparkle, just wait until I'm done with her!

Too Easy

Sunset Shimmer stood in front of the closed doors to the throne room, ready to begin her plan. The voices of Celestia and her beloved Twilight Sparkle leaked out from the other side, no doubt from what was obviously another chat about Twilight's greatness. Sunset Shimmer could only laugh as she heard the muffled chatter, and she stood with an ever growing evil smile which was made even more apparent from the afternoon rays which struck her from the windows behind her. "This is gonna be too easy," she said to herself, cracking a chuckle. She took a deep breath and a moment later had transformed. No longer looking like the walking time bomb she did before, she now gave off the appearance of the nicest little filly you could ever meet, the last pony you'd except to push anypony.

She opened the door slowly and took a step into the throne room. Celestia and Twilight were facing one another in conversation but stopped from the sound of the doors opening. Sunset Shimmer looked upon her teacher and peer in silence with her new face. Her expression was now one of sadness and she faced down, keeping her eyes away from the two ponies in front of her. The silence lasted for a few seconds until she spoke, "Hi... Princess... Twilight... You guys busy?"

"I have time... What is needed?" Celestia said, lacking the usual gentle tone she kept for her student. Twilight looked away, uneasy.

"It's nothing like that," Sunset Shimmer paused ,"I'm actually here to say... that I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Celestia said.

"Yeah..." Sunset's voice gave off a tone of genuine sadness. "About earlier... I shouldn't have gotten angry like that." Celestia's head shot back from surprise. "Look, I know I can be pretty mean sometimes, but I just feel icky about what happened. Twilight didn't do anything. I'm the one who overreacted. I guess I was just... you know... jealous." Sunset Shimmer picked her head up and found Twilight now facing her but still with an uneasy look. "It's my bad... I feel like a jerk for exploding on Twilight like that, especially since it's just her first day here." She stared her peer in the eye. "So... Twilight, wanna start over?"

Twilight smiled, looking almost excited, and turned to the Princess who smiled as well with a look of overwhelming pride. Celestia gave a nod to her new student and Twilight began walking to Sunset Shimmer, saying, "I can't really blame you. You've been Celestia's only student forever! I'd probably be mad too."

"So, we cool?" Sunset Shimmer stuck out her hoof.

Twilight paused, "Yeah," and pounded her hoof against her new friend's.

"Great... so, you wanna do something? You know, to get to know each other and stuff... I can show you around the palace?"

"I would... but I kinda already got a tour... and besides, I don't want to do all that walking again," Twilight said, laughing.

Sunset Shimmer grabbed Twilight, wrapping her hoof around the purple filly tightly. "Yeah, but you never got my tour! Come on, I'll show everything you need to know about this place, especially what they don't want you to know!"

Twilight looked back at the Princess, "Can I?"

"Of course," Celestia said, looking more proud than ever.

"Yeah!" Sunset Shimmer screamed. With Twilight still in her hooves, she ran towards the door, dragging her new friend along for the ride.

"Twilight," Celestia said.

The two fillies braked. "Yes, Princess?" Twilight said.

"Remember what we talked about earlier... Time is not a luxury we can waste right now."

"Don't worry-" Twilight never had a chance of finishing, as Sunset Shimmer began running again at twice their original speed.

"Come on already!"

The two ran out the door smiling in each other's hooves. As Sunset Shimmer gazed at her friend's joy, all she could feel was fire burn inside of herself. You idiot.

................................................................................

"My room.... really...that's where you want to go first?!"

Sunset Shimmer relaxed on her bed and watched as Twilight walked around every which way gazing at and touching everything that could be gazed at and touched. The bed, the walls, the fan, even the trash can. Twilight paused to focus on every one of them like the only place they could ever be found was in this room. Sunset Shimmer still had her nice pony face on, but found it more of a struggle to hold it as her new friend kept on inspecting every inch of her property. "What, you never seen a wall before?" she said.

Twilight laughed, "I like the pattern you have... the color too. I'm still thinking of how to decorate my room, so I'm looking for ideas." The walls had a fiery pattern with alternating reddish-orange and bright yellow flames.

Just pick something, shouldn't be that hard. "So, Twilight, tell me about yourself... You said you lived here in Canterlot before. What kind of house? Was it big?" Sunset Shimmer said.

Twilight turned to her, "No, it was pretty normal. What do you want to know?"

"I don't know.... usual stuff I guess. How's your family like?" Probably a bunch of tools like you.

"Great! I couldn't have asked for better parents... there's also my BBBFF Shining Armor."

Sunset Shimmer looked at Twilight like she had just spewed out some random gibberish, "BBBFF?"

"Yeah!" Twilight jumped up in excitement, "It means Big Brother Best Friend Forever. My brother and I are really close." She continued blabbering on about all the things she and her BBBFF did together, but everything said went in one of Sunset Shimmer's ears and out the other. Sunset's hoof tightened into a fist with her eyes focused on her bestie's face, but she fought back the urge and reinforced her friendly smile, lest her new mask be seen through.

"Anyway... what got you into heavy duty magic?" she said.

"I guess I've always been into magic... What really got me into it though was the last Summer Sun Celebration. Just seeing Princess Celestia raise the sun in front of everypony... I knew that I had to be like her one day," Twilight said. "How about you?"

"I'll tell you some other time... I got my reasons," Sunset Shimmer said. Her tone was feisty, like she had been offended.

"Okay..." Twilight turned back to the contents in the room and restarted her exploration. She gazed at the mass of crumbled papers next to the trash can and then walked to the collection of pictures Sunset Shimmer had of her and Celestia on the walls and dressing table. The map of Equestria on the ceiling was next to hold Twilight's attention and did so for many seconds, aferwhich she said, "Why do you keep the map up there?"

"I like having Equestria be the first thing I see everyday," Sunset Shimmer said.

"Why?"

"Cuz I'm going to be princess one day, obviously!"

"You are Princess Celestia's main student... but still, being her student doesn't mean you're automatically going to be a princess too. How can you be so sure?" Twilight said.

"Isn't it obvious?! The only reason the Princess is even training us is so we can replace her... She's going to stop being princess one day, you know."

"I don't think I'd accept the position even if I got it," Twilight said, looking worried, "Being princess looks like so much work... If I had to do everything Princess Celestia does, I'd probably go crazy from the stress!"

"Yeah... except you'd still be the princess of an entire kingdom! Think about it... the entire kingdom is yours... everypony bows down to you whenever they see you... you own this whole palace... and that's just the basics! How dumb can you be not to want that!"

"Well, I don't know about being dumb, but I don't want it," Twilight said, "I just want to learn everything I can and do something good with it... Becoming princess would be great, but it's not a goal."

Sunset Shimmer laughed. Typical goodie-two shoes. You're saying that now but just wait... power is everything! Anypony who tells you otherwise is either stupid or jealous of those who have it. Remember that... though I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, considering what you did to get here."

"I don't even count that to be honest," Twilight frowned, "I only did all that because of some mysterious rainbow explosion. Without that, I'm nothing compared to a pony like you."

Sunset Shimmer paused to take in the moment, afterwhich she forced up the most heartwarming smile she could muster and stood up to caress her friend, "Yeah, you might've only did it because of some rainbow, but that still means you got all that power inside of you. No joke, and remember, I'm the last pony who'd say something like this... when you get it out one day," If you even make it that long, "You're gonna be a lot stronger than me... probably even the Princess. So stop moping around."

"Okay, now I know you're just saying that," Twilight said, blushing.

"I'm being serious... what, I can't compliment you... I'm not that selfish you know." The two fillies shared a laugh.

Twilight smiled as the laughter died. It wasn't a regular smile of pure joy, but one that had a hint of sadness mixed into it. She faced down and paused, then saying, "You know, when I met you, I was scared we wouldn't get along... I never really had that many friends back home... My brother was really the only pony I ever considered my friend. I was scared that it would all be the same here... but I'm glad it's not... thanks."

Sunset Shimmer blushed and wrapped her hoof around Twilight, "Oh shut up with the sappy stuff... same here though. Now come on, let's explore this place for real!"

The two fillies bursted out of the room and charged onto the maze of hallways and corridors before them. They ran side by side and went through hall after hall. "Now those ponies are the foodservers," Sunset Shimmer said as her and Twilight ran past one, "Like the name says, they'll serve you whatever you want whenever you want. The most hilarious thing to do to them is asking for a food that doesn't exist in the middle of the night. You don't know what you're missing until you've done it."

The two sped past a maid hard at work cleaning a spill of some unknown liquid. "Pro tip, maids gotta pick up after you no matter what!" Sunset Shimmer said, "So try to get creative, alright?"

Twilight laughed as she looked at the spill, "Ew... what do you thin that is?"

"Trust me, you'd don't want to know half of the stuff that exists in the place... Moving on!"

The fillies ran towards and into the kitchen where the head chef and an army of cooks were busy preparing plate after plate of food meant for a royal palace. "Pro tip number two," Sunset Shimmer said, "The chef will put stuff in your food if you complain about it, but he's on probation... One more strike and he's out! Just letting you know if you two don't get along."

"Thanks..." Twilight said, sounding unsure.

The two ran to the royal guard's training center, a set of halls set aside just for them and filled with rooms such as an indoor track, a weight room and a room filled with nothing but guards yelling at each other. Twilight nearly stopped while watching the intensity at which Equestria's finest trained.

"Wow... I wouldn't want to mess with those ponies," she said.

"Oh please... I know foals who can beat them up," Sunset Shimmer smiled mischievously, "Hey, you want to go someplace really intense?"

Twilight followed her friend as she led her into the far end of the palace, beyond the point the voices of anypony could be heard. They went into a tower that looked like any other and down it's circular staircase. The trip down took a few minutes. Twilight gasped once at the bottom from the sight in front of her. A prison complex lay in front of them that went so far that it disappeared into the pitch black shadows that had to be at least hundreds of yards away. The walls were all a blackish rock and dozens of cells were cut into it with the insides as dark as the rock around them.

"Welcome to the dungeons!" Sunset Shimmer said, looking a little too happy, "What, you thought this place didn't have any?"

"Uh... huh..." Twilight was frozen stiff.

"It's been a while since anypony has been sent here... or really been down here at all. But still, it's good to have places like this... just in case." Sunset Shimmer imagined her bff in a far off cell inside the shadows, wasting away. Better get used to this place... buddy. "Come on, let's explore some more."

The two fillies continued their journey through the royal palace for another hour. By the end of it, all their stamina had been sucked out of them and they were left on the floor of a hallway sucking in as much air as they could. They faced each other while on their backs and shared a laugh. "A-Any place... else you want to show me?" Twilight said.

"Maybe..." Sunset Shimmer took ten quick gulps on air in succession, "Let's just stay here for now though."

As they enjoyed the cold marble floor, the sound of quick hoofsteps approached them. A second later a royal guard stood over Twilight with a worried look. "Twilight Sparkle," he said, "The Princess requests your presence at once! She says it's urgent!"

"Aww... can you please tell her to wait a little while," Twilight said, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time!"

"No can do..." the guard said, shaking his head, "It's about... the visit."

Twilight jumped up, "Understood! Sorry for keeping her waiting!"

"Woah... woah... hold on there," Sunset Shimmer picked herself up, "What visit?"

"A griffin ambassador is coming tomorrow night with his family," Twilight said. The royal guard began to look more worried with every word she spoke until he sweated like he too had just run for an hour. He then walked away slapping his forehead. Twilight continued, "I don't know what they're going to talk about but Princess Celestia kept on saying that it was super important! I didn't even know she could get as nervous as she did."

"And how don't I know about this?! I'm always with the Princess during stuff like this," Sunset Shimmer glared. Guess I really am being replaced.

"You didn't know?" Twilight said, "I thought Princess Celestia had already told you a while ago? You sure she didn't tell you about it?"

No, Twilight, cuz I'm frggin deaf... And that was when a brilliant idea hatched in Sunset Shimmer's mind. Her glare vanished and she shot towards Twilight and held her looking more panicky than anything else, like a businesspony late for a meeting. "You're obviously going, right?"

"Well... yeah... the Princess has been preparing me for it ever since I first came here. It's weird, we've talked more about that than my studies," Twilight said.

"Good..." Sunset Shimmer sighed, "Cuz you know... the Princess needs at least one of us during these things." She laughed.

"You don't want to go? We can talk to the Princess right now and-"

"Nah... I'm fine... Don't worry about me. I'd rather train anyway."

"You sure?" Twilight said, sounding saddened, "I thought it would be more fun if we did it together."

Sunset Shimmer began walking backwards, "Like I said... it's cool," and then ran away from the scene full gallop. "See ya!" Hope you're ready for tomorrow...

Author's Note

I was originally going to add what happens "tomorrow" to this chapter but then realized that it would make it too long. Hope you're as excited for the next chapter as I am! I already feel bad for Twilight.

Bye Bye, Twilight

It was like the sirens for an air raid had just gone off; every staff member of the royal palace was scrambling on the hallways with lightning speed and bumped into each other with the wall as their next point of impact. They all shook with a worried look that had to be seen to be believed and only ran faster as every second ticked away. "Minutes, everypony!" a maid yelled out holding five stacks of plates on top of each other, "That's all we got, move it!"

In the middle of the mess of ponies and in front of the entrance to the palace stood Princess Celestia with a look of anxiety even worse than the rest's. She didn't shake or clench her teeth like the others but the fear inside her was obvious to all. Twilight Sparkle stood beside her in a custom designed dress looking nervous as well but also with a halfly formed frown. She gazed outside the window beside them at the night sky in silence while her mentor kept her eyes on the entrance doors like they were about to explode open any second.

Twilight turned to the her, saying with her head down in a saddened tone, "Princess..."

"Not now, Twilight," Celestia said, keeping her eyes glued in front, "My apologizes, but the Griffin ambassador has already arrived... It is only a matter of seconds before he reaches here." She jerked her head to Twilight's direction. "Twilight, you remember the instructions I gave you on how to behave?"

"Yes, Princess... I remember... But-."

"Good..." Celestia went back to facing the doors, "I cannot overstate how important this meeting is... If all goes well it will mean great things for the future of Equestria and our relations with the Griffins. I apologize but I will listen to what you have to say when this is finished. Now keep your head up... looking one's guest in the eye is crucial for a welcoming first impression."

Twilight picked up her head, but still frowned, "Understood... Princess" Why couldn't Sunset Shimmer be invited too?

.............................................................

A shadow watched the Princess and her protégé.

Far off in a corner, through the swarm of panicking ponies, stood Sunset Shimmer keeping an eye on the duo with an evil smile. She stood in a dark closet and watched through the space left from the slightly opened door. The space couldn't have been more than a centimeter in width, but it was all that was needed.

She chuckled with a menacing tone, "Time to get what's coming to you Twilight ol' buddy... I did a little research on this Griffin ambassador and his wife, and trust me, you can't make this any easier for me." She turned to her side where a glass vial filled with a clear liquid sat next to her. She picked it up and opened it with her magic and drank the liquid inside to the last drop. An instant later her body began disappearing until it was gone. Gotta love the potions department!

Sunset Shimmer slowly opened the door and used her magic to make sure it wouldn't creak. Her magic now had no glow. She put a magical field over her hooves to lesson the noise from her steps and began walking to the Princess and Twilight, stopping once she was a hall away.

The doors to the palace began opening. "Remember your training, Twilight," Celestia said. Once open they revealed a valet, and behind him the Griffin ambassador and his wife. The ambassador was of old age, not senior citizen but above middle age, and had the look of royalty on him which was complimented by his fine black suit and near sparkling red tie. His wife wore a flowing white dress and also had the look of a Griffin that had only known luxury, especially on her face which was packed with make up and an obvious plastic surgery. Her most striking feature though was her gold necklace which held a sky blue jewel in the center that was the size of a pebble. It reflected the moonlight in colorful sparkles.

"Greetings," Celestia said in an even more princess-like voice, "Welcome to the royal palace. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Majestic. This is my protégé, Twilight Sparkle."

"Hello," Twilight bowed, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Majestic laughed, "No need to bow young one..." He turned to the Princess, "Good to meet you too... I've certainly had quite the experience since I got here. This valet of yours has given me the best tour I could of asked for!"

The valet nodded and left the scene. Celestia nodded back, "As I expected of him."

"Aren't you forgetting someone, dear...?" the wife said.

Majestic laughed, "My apologies.... This is my wife, Radiance."

Twilight stared at Radiance's necklace with both eyes wide open, "That is a beautiful necklace."

"Why thank you!" Radiance said, putting a claw over her chest, "This is no ordinary jewel... it is an heirloom that has been in my family since we have existed. I received it on my grandmother's death bed as her final wish before departing." She paused and stared at the jewel looking emotional.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Twilight said.

"My condolences as well," Celestia said, "Now then, let's walk to the banquet hall, shall we? I have quite the dinner planned for us." The four of them began walking through the palace with Sunset Shimmer following them, always just a few steps away. Celestia walked beside Majestic, saying, "I trust that you are as enthusiastic about this trade deal as I?"

"Of course!" Majestic said, "The Griffins have always been close with Equestria... It's a surprise this wasn't discussed earlier."

Celestia laughed, "Agreed... I do hope all goes well. Once the fine details are sorted out this will usher in a new age for relations between our two cultures."

"And not to mention the benefit it will give to our economies," Majestic said.

As they continued together behind them walked Twilight and Radiance who walked side by side. "I've actually heard quite a bit about you," Radiance said.

"About what I did to get here, right?" Twilight said.

Radiance nodded, "I do hope for a bright future for you... a being with your potential is quite a rarity indeed. How are you enjoying your new home in the palace?"

The two continued their conversation and followed the route to the banquet hall. Sunset Shimmer remained behind them and matched every one of their hoofsteps with her own. She followed them as the doors to the banquet hall opened and entered in just a few inches behind her targets. The hall had a rectangular table in the middle with dining cloth and chairs that surpassed the quality of anything else in the palace. A dozen waiters stood on the far side of the room, standing tall with a friendly yet professional smile.

The doors closed and the four guests of honor took their seats on the table. Celestia and Twilight sat beside each other facing the two Griffins with Twilight in front of Radiance and the Princess in front of the ambassador. Sunset Shimmer tiptoed to a few feet away from them.

"What kind of a feast do you have prepared for tonight, Celestia?" Radiance said.

"You tell me," Celestia said.

The waiters went into the kitchen and came out with plate after plate, dish after dish of the finest food royalty could afford. They set it on the table and left afterwhich the four sitting down began to dive in and enjoy their banquet. "Would it be too much to ask for your chef as part of the deal?" Majestic said, laughing in between bites.

Sunset Shimmer smirked, Now to make my move... and scanned around the room. The waiters were too busy either picking up or delivering dishes and the four were completely into their endless meals. Sunset Shimmer quickly powered up her horn and used her magic to throw Radiance's current dish as she was eating onto the floor, shattering it. The food spilled all over Radiance's dress.

She screamed, "What in the world?!" and looked at her dress in horror, "Someone explain this at once!" The other three froze. "I did not do that; what is going on?!"

As she continued reacting in horror to the spill, Sunset Shimmer concentrated to her fullest and carefully cut Radiance's family jewel from her necklace and moved it across the table from underneath towards Twilight.

"I'm so sorry," Celestia said, looking worried, "Ponies, have this cleaned up at once!"

An army of staff members ran into the room and began the clean up. A waiter even came in with a replacement to the lost dish and food. As everypony at the table was drawn into the drama Sunset Shimmer slowly lifted Twilight's dress and placed the jewel into it. She then crossed her hooves and waited. Twilight hadn't noticed. Sunset Shimmer sighed and took a few steps back. And now it begins...

Radiance calmed down, "I do say... either that plate had a mind of its own or this palace is haunted."

"Agreed..." Majestic looked around with suspicion, "That was quite weird indeed."

"I can assure you neither is true," Celestia said, "It was just an unfortunate accident, that's all. I do apologize for your dress however."

"This dress was of great value... but it can be replaced," Radiance said with a grumpy tone, "As long as the next meal is not the same as the last."

"Dear..." Majestic said, "Did your jewel drop along with your food?"

Radiance looked down, "What?! Where did it go?!" and jumped out. "No... No... No! It can't be missing! No!" She began looking for it underneath the table, on top of the table and even in the chandelier. She shot around in every direction.

"Just calm down..." Majestic said, "It has to be here somewhere."

Celestia spoke up, "Yes... I can have-."

"No! I can't lose this... My grandma... No!" Her hysteria continued for another minute until she suddenly froze and then glared at Twilight. "The plate... a unicorn like you could have easily done that."

"Radiance, pl-," Celestia said, before getting cut off.

Radiance walked towards the filly, "You have been eyeing my jewel ever since I reached here... The commotion from my ruined meal is all you would've needed... Where is it?! Where are you hiding it?!" she screamed right in Twilight's face. "Tell me!"

Celestia got up, "Radiance, stop this at once! I can assure you that Twilight did not steal anything!"

"Then you won't mind if I inspect her dress..." Radiance began tearing through the filly's dress as Twilight screamed, making sure to inspect every thread and fiber. A second later she pulled out the jewel leaving the others still with shock, most of all Twilight. Majestic began glaring.

Sunset Shimmer squeed internally to the point of euphoria, Here it comes!

"W-What..?" Twilight said, shaking her head, "No... It really wasn't me... really! I have no clue how it c-could've gotten there. Princess... you believe me?"

"I knew it!" Radiance yelled an inch away from the filly, "How dare you! Do you have any idea what meaning this has to me?!"

Twilight choked back a tear, "Bu-."

"Silence! Not another word from you! First you destroy my dress and then you have the audacity to steal from me!"

Sunset Shimmer held back her laughter but found her stomach cramping. The pain was so, so worth it.

Radiance turned to the Princess, "Celestia, punish her at once! I want to see it happen, no promises!"

Twilight began crying.

"I said quiet! Celestia, execute her! Do it!"

Majestic slammed the table and got up, "I've had enough of this! Radiance, control yourself! And we're leaving this so called meeting!"

Twilight cried while repeating to herself, "I didn't do it... I didn't do it... I didn't do it..."

Majestic stormed out of the room with his wife right behind him. Celestia chased after them, "Please, do not let this taint the negotiations!"

"Negotiations? Ha!" Majestic walked away faster, "If your own student behaves in such a manner how can I possibly allow my kingdom to do business with the rest of your kind... Your kingdom may be beautiful but if this is how you conduct yourself then I want no part in it... Consider the deal off!"

"No, please... I can assure you-."

"Nothing! Good day!" And with that the two Griffins left the palace and slammed the door shut. Celestia frowned at first but then glared with such an intensity that she looked like a completely different pony. She walked back to the banquet hall where Twilight was still repeating to herself.

"Twilight, go to your room," Celestia said in an unrecognizably angry tone.

Twilight choked up from her tears, "Please, Princess... It really wasn't-."

"Twilight! I order you to report to your room at once!"

Twilight got up and left without saying another word. Sunset Shimmer watched with a smile so high that it cramped her cheeks, Bye bye, Twilight...

Author's Note

And that's why you don't steal from crazy people!

Twi and Sunset

Victory had been achieved; now all that was left was to enjoy its sweet aftertaste.

Sunset Shimmer took her time as she walked to the palace's throne room. The sun had once again risen and shot its light through and off every one of the marble laden hallways, making the air itself appear if it was a part of the sun. Sunset Shimmer had the smile of a filly that could do no wrong and even walked in such a soft and delicate fashion to match her smile. The events of the previous night kept on replaying in her head, the Griffin's tantrum, Twilight crying, a look of such disappointment on Celestia's face, and only added to her smile.

She opened the door to the Princess's throne room where she found the alicorn alone on her throne facing down and with a look of disappointment no less as strong as from the night before. Celestia looked lost in thought, now oblivious to the present happening around her. Sunset Shimmer spoke up, "Hello... Princess..."

Celestia turned to the filly, "Oh, my apologizes... I am not in the greatest of moods currently. Do you wish to speak about something?"

"Not rea... well... kinda," Sunset Shimmer looked down frowning for a moment, "I obviously heard about what happened yesterday... and even though I can't really know how you're feeling... Sorry."

Celestia grew a warm smile and walked to her student, "I am sorry as well; it was my responsibility to ensure all went well and it is pretty clear that I failed."

Sunset Shimmer chuckled, "Still though... it's not like you can do everything... and even if ya could, stuff just happens sometimes. Try not to feel too bad about it."

Celestia caressed the filly, "I will try to... Perhaps if I had made some different choices things would not have happened as they did... But what's done is done."

Sunset Shimmer frowned, "I just don't get why Twi would do that though... and even if you're going to do something like that don't do it on a night like that!" Celestia laughed. "So what did you do to her... I assume you kicked her out of the palace... right?"

"Who do you take me for?" Celestia said, jokingly, "Twilight is in her room."

Sunset Shimmer's eyes popped out. What?! "R-Really?"

Celestia nodded, "It is true that she ruined what would have been the biggest trade deal in generations, but with her potential I feel that she can be a force for good in Equestria unlike any other... I refuse to throw such potential away."

We get it; she's gonna be strong! "Makes sense, and it is the reasonable thing to do."

"Also..." Celestia looked away to the window, where the view of her kingdom lay before the two, "I am beginning to doubt that Twilight was the culprit."

Sunset Shimmer's eyes popped out further, "W-W-What?"

"Twilight does not feel like the type of pony who would do this... and more importantly, my intuition is telling me that there is more to that dinner than what we saw. Many of the guards and staff members have told me the same."

Shiiiiiiit... Sunset Shimmer stepped backwards towards the door, "True... I mean you can never know... I'm going to Twilight now; might as well see how she's doing." She then ran through the door and onto the halls with an ever rising heart rate. The events of the previous night once again played out in her head. She probably just feels guilty... There's no way I left any way for these ponies to figure it out. Everything was planned! I'm probably just stressin' myself out for nothing, but still... you can never be too sure. Sunset Shimmer reached Twilight's room, where she barged through the door to find the filly on her bed surrounded by wet cloth. Twilight was still sucking in mucus.

"My bad," Sunset Shimmer chuckled, "Heard about what happened... thought I should cheer you up. Somepony has to!"

Twilight turned to her friend; the sight of the orange filly made her smile. "I d-don't think you're going to be enough..."

"Says you," Sunset Shimmer said, walking forward.

"Re-eally... It's like... I don't even know how to feel right now."

"What do you mean?"

Twilight opened her mouth but reclosed it as her frown returned. She looked away, "Oh, just forg-get about it... it's not like anypony will believe me anyway."

"I will... and you can't just assume I won't like that... messed up, Twi."

Twilight's smile returned, "What I mean is, as sad as I am, I'm not as sad as I would be."

"Okay... so..?"

Twilight paused and took a deep breath, "Sunset, do you think I stole that Griffin's jewel?"

"Obviously not... but I'm pretty sure you already knew that, right?"

"Shouldn't have doubted you in the first place," Twilight said. "Sunset, somepony framed me last night... I'd like to think it was all one big misunderstanding, but that was no accident. I'm more mad than sad."

"That's what I was scared of too," Sunset Shimmer said, "No offense, but what can you do though? At this point everypony's sure it was you."

Twilight paused, "I don't know... but from becoming your friend these past few days I've learned a lot, even if you don't realize it." She got up and stood tall, "And what you'd do is prove that you were innocent... You wouldn't stand for this!"

Sunset Shimmer paused even longer, "Ye... s...?"

"I'm going to clear my name, and I even already have the evidence to do it." Twilight grabbed her friend and charged out of her room, dragging Sunset Shimmer along for the ride.

The two fillies sped through the palace and the entered the throne room where the sight of them caused the Princess to freeze. "Princess..." Twilight said, then taking a deep breath, "I know I'm supposed to be in my room, but I have something that needs to be said. One of the qualities you and our kingdom are known for is honesty, and the commitment to the truth... and I can not let such a lie against me exist any longer!" She stomped the floor and looked Celestia in the eye, "Princess Celestia, I did not steal that jewel last night, and I can prove it!"

The Princess and Sunset Shimmer both watched in silence.

Twilight continued, "First of all, when the Griffin's plate was knocked over there was no magical aura around it, let alone a purple one. What this means; I don't know, but Princess, as far as I know there is no way to prevent an aura from occurring... but like I said, this is as far I currently know. Secondly..."

"You have really thought this through haven't you?" Celestia said, laughing, "Do not fear, I too am coming to the conclusion that it was not you."

Twilight jumped up, "Really?!"

Celestia nodded, "Upon review, the whole incident appears too... perfect. I do not know who did this, or why, but my intuition tells me that it was not you. I apologize for coming to such quick judgment... It seems my anger clouded my better judgment... It was most unlike me."

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! Sunset Shimmer looked on, smiling.

"I will order an official investigation into the matter," Celestia said, "You have nothing to fear... I also feel that the Griffin ambassador and his wife will have a change of heart as well. Anger is a powerful poison."

Twilight ran to the Princess and embraced her, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Celestia hugged back.

Twilight walked back to Sunset Shimmer and the two fillies walked away from the throne room with smiles. "Lucky break, eh?" Sunset Shimmer said.

"Not that lucky... I wish I knew who did this," Twilight said.

"They'll figure it out eventually," Sunset Shimmer said, resisting the urge to deck Twilight in the face.

"True..." Twilight grabbed her friend by the hoof, "Or we can figure it out now!" Sunset Shimmer gave a blank face. "We're starting our own investigation! Come on!"

............................................................................

The two fillies stood busy at work in the royal banquet hall, the same hall that had nearly spelled Twilight's end just one day prior.

Sunset Shimmer stood beside the central table with a bored face; her eyes flickered between open and closed and the odd yawn escaped her every minute or two. She stared at Twilight, who ran around underneath the table and paused every thirty seconds to stare at yet another part of the table that looked just like the rest. Twilight continued like this for the next couple of minutes until her friend's yawns grew more frequent and morphed into a muffled growl. "Oh my Celestia!" Sunset Shimmer screamed, "What are we even doing right now?! There's nothing under there; there never was!"

Twilight stopped for a moment but went right back to her investigating.

"There's nothing under there!" Sunset Shimmer growled, "Just give it up."

Twilight sighed, "I know... I guess I'm just hopeful that there's a clue or some evidence... maybe too hopeful."

"It's alright to be hopeful, but not for an hour!"

"Sorry," Twilight blushed and got out of the table, "You never know what the culprit could've used or done to help their plan... as far as I'm concerned a crime scene hasn't been investigated until every nanometer has been checked five times over."

"I'll pretend to know what that is, but just give it up already," Sunset Shimmer said, "We've been doing this little investigation of yours for hours now and haven't found anything... I think it's smart to just leave it to the professionals."

Twilight paused, facing down, "I know... but I really want to figure this out myself. I've always had a thing for mysteries... I even have a whole shelf in my house's library for the genre."

Sunset Shimmer launched a friendly punch at Twilight's shoulder, "You're such a nerd."

"Guilty as charged," Twilight said, laughing.

"So are we quitting or what? My hooves are startin' to hurt from all this standing around."

"Nope..." Twilight shot a confident look, "We're just going to my second plan... interrogations!"

The two fillies spent the next chunk of time tracking down any and every pony that was in the banquet hall during the incident, before or after it. Most of them didn't comply due to still believing Twilight was the culprit, "Like I'd really answer anything for you!" or just not taking the fillies' investigation seriously. By the end only three had offered themselves, a royal guard, a stallion food server and a maid, and were drawn to the banquet hall and told to sit down.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but it'll do," Twilight said.

Sunset Shimmer rubbed her hooves together while letting out an evil laugh, "We're doing this the good cap bad cop way, right? I've always had a thing for the bad cop."

"Uh... that won't be necessary," Twilight said, "Let's begin, shall we?" Her and Sunset Shimmer walked to their first witness, the bored looking royal guard. "First of all, let me just say to you all, thank you; I'm sure you'll all be of great help. Now then, what do you remember of the incident?"

"Not much to be honest," the guard said, "My focus was on the ambassador when the plate fell... the only thing I saw was that crazy griffin having a tantrum."

"When she was getting all... crazy, was her jewel still on her?" Twilight said.

"Beats me... Like I said, I don't know much. I was half asleep as it was; never was into formal stuff."

"Is there anything you do know?"

"Hmm... we-no... maybe-nah... there was this one thing that got me," the guard said, "It was probably cuz I was half asleep... During the dinner, I heard weird noises coming from near the entrance... it was like... breathing, except it was muffled. It was probably just me being too bored though."

"Interesting..." Twilight tapped her mouth.

Sunset Shimmer glared at the guard, You're so fired...

The two fillies next went to the maid, who sat put in her chair with a jolly smile. Twilight asked her, "What can you recall from last night?"

"Many things!" the maid said, "I was part of the clean up for the griffin's plate and let me just say that something about last night wasn't right."

"Do tell," Twilight said.

"I saw the plate as it was thrown... yes, it was thrown... I'm not necessarily saying it was you, but somepony picked up that plate with their magic because in all my years working here I've never seen anything quite like that."

"You say it had to have been magic..." Twilight said, "Was there any magical aura or field or anything around the plate as it was being thrown?"

"None... I know it's bizzare but that's just the truth."

"I know," Twilight said with a worried look, "That's why I'm scared."

The fillies went to their last witness, the food server, who sat with a smirk and his hooves crossed. "I'm tellin' you now," he said, "I got no new info to tell you two about last night, sorry."

"I'd believe you if you didn't look so guilty," Twilight glared, "Nothing, huh?"

The food server laughed, "Calm down, how I look's got nothin' to do with anything... I just got nothin' that hasn't been already said."

The maid spoke up, "Now you know that isn't true." The food server mouthed something to her. "Just be a dear and tell these fillies, the secret's out as it is."

"Yes, tell us," Twilight said, "If there's a secret I'd certainly like to know it."

The food server paused before giving a dirty look to the maid, then saying, "Alright... but remember, you didn't hear this from me. My friends is the pony in charge of the potions department and he told me last night before the dinner that there was some 'mishandling.' Some potion was stolen, which one, I don't know, but it was something."

Sunset Shimmer looked on with a muffled growl.

The food server continued, "As you two can, tell this ain't somethin' you should be blabbing to random ponies... Yeah I told a few but you two just remember to keep your mouth shut, aight. Do what you gotta for your 'investigation,' but that's it."

"We intend do," Twilight said. Her and Sunset Shimmer said their goodbyes to the witnesses and ran off towards the potions department. Sunset Shimmer kept her eyes on Twilight as she ran and gave her a deathly glare.

The trip to potions only took a few minutes; it was located on an upper floor in a tower adjacent to the central and biggest tower that held the throne room. Once there the two fillies walked to a square opening in the wall with a middle aged unicorn stallion standing on the other side.

"Hey! What can I do for ya two?" he said.

"We're not here for any potions," Twilight said, "If it's okay with you, we'd like to ask some questions, about last night."

The stallion's eyes began darting around, "Okay... but why last night?"

"You tell me... I'm sure you've heard about the fiasco that happened with the griffins?" Twilight said. He smiled nervously. "Sunset Shimmer and I are conducting an investigation to figure out what really happened. I hope you'll be of great help."

"Alright then... fire away... I'll see what I can do."

Twilight nodded, "Thank you... So to begin... were you working here last night, or was there some other pony here?"

"I-It was me... Sorry, but I don't think I'll be of much help since I wasn't at the dinner," the stallion said.

"We're actually not here to ask about the dinner itself... but point taken."

Sunset Shimmer watched the two with a never ending mental growl roaring inside her, I got to figure out a way to end this quickly.

"Where are the potions kept? In the back I'd assume," Twilight said.

"Yep... I got em' all on shelves in storage; they're arranged by function... though I'm sure Sunset already knew that; she's quite the regular customer."

Sunset Shimmer snapped back to reality, "Hmh? Well... yeah... bu-just answer the questions."

"How safe would you say the potions are?"

"Pretty safe I'd say..." the stallion gulped, "My job rests on their safe keeping... I basically protect them like my own kids."

"Has there ever been a robbery?"

"No!" the stallion yelled, "What is this, a work inspection?! I get you two have your 'investigating' to do, but I'm gettin' a lil' sick of these questions... so please, unless you have some potions you need could be so kind as to leave?"

Twilight gave Sunset Shimmer a quick smirk before returning back to the red stallion in front of her. "It seems like we have a foalnapping then, because from what I've heard there a was a potion stolen from here last night!"

The stallion paused, "That's it, leave! Now! And don't think the Princess will take your side because you're her student; you got no right to question me like this!"

"He's right!" Sunset Shimmer yelled, looking worried, "This technically counts as harassment... Sorry, Twi, but we can't question this guy anymore."

Twilight smirked, "Actually, we can... Due to the verdict of the case Pony Joe v. Mulia Mild last year this does not classify as verbal harassment and we thus can not be apprehended or given any formal punishment for this." Sunset Shimmer's jaw dropped. "Three hundred and sixty two days ago he would've been in the right, but now we are! So tell us, what potion was stolen? There's no point in denying it any longer; my sources already know it and so do we."

"Fine!" the stallion cried out, "Yeah! A potion was stolen from here... Sorry for not wanting to get myself fired! It's not like you can blame me!"

"We totally understand," Twilight said.

The stallion took a deep breath, "It was an invisibility potion... And it happened two night ago; I only realized it was gone last night though."

Twilight paused with her eyes wide open. She looked back at the potions dealer, "Is there any clue to who the robber was?"

"No... nothing; they must've come in the middle of the night. Whoever it was though, they had to have known their way back there... that place's a bigger maze than the palace maze gardens! Also... that potion ain't for any unicorn... only really powerful ones can activate it; for the rest it's just bitter water."

Twilight nodded her head while looking deep in thought, "I think we have enough. Sunset, let's go back to my room; I think I have this whole case solved." The two fillies ran away from the scene. "Thanks for the help! And we'll make sure the Princess doesn't fire you!"

The stallion sighed, "You better..."

............................................................................

The moonlight shined into Twilight's room and the two fillies inside it. Twilight laid on her bed with her eyes up and her hoof on her chin, saying, "It could've been... no... She would've benefite... but why wou... If it was me... ugh!"

Sunset Shimmer stood beside the bed and watched on looking bored, "I thought you said you had 'this whole case solved?' Just accept it, Twi, we're never gonna solve this thing on our own. Let's just give up already... I wanna sleep." How in the name of Tartarus can I get her to stop this?

"No can do," Twilight said, "I'm so close to busting this whole thing open.. I just need a few more minutes."

"That's what you said 'a few more minutes' ago!" Sunset Shimmer yelled, "Who are even your suspects?!"

Twilight tapped her chin, "Let's see... it could've been a pony who didn't want the trade deal to happen... but that seems unlikely and just plain dumb for many reasons."

"Don't know, I'm actually thinking it might be that... You know, maybe the trade deal would've cost somepony their job?"

"No... it just seems too farfetched, and if it was that then why steal the palace's invisibility potion? Stealing it here is too risky for an outsider... It had to have been somepony in the palace."

"Maybe you pissed off a staff member? A lot of them are crybabies and will hold a grudge," Sunset Shimmer said.

"Could be that... but I doubt I offended anypony here that much already," Twilight said, laughing.

Should I just knock her out? No... she hasn't solved it yet... Let's just see where she goes from here... then I'll make my move.

Twilight took a quick but deep breath, "Okay... let's think this through... Who would want not just to ruin the dinner, but make me the culprit? Sunset, any ideas?"

"Nope..." Sunset Shimmer said in an annoyed tone.

"Hmm... the criminal would have to be somepony that wants me gone, that I'm certain of... We also know they have to be a highly skilled unicorn that knows their way around the palace..."

Sunset Shimmer clenched her hooves.

Twilight continued, "It could've been a member of the royal guard? Plenty of powerful unicorns there."

Sunset Shimmer gathered her magic.

"But why would they want me gone? No... no.. it wasn't them."

Sunset Shimmer's horn glowed.

"Alright... so who would benefit from having me gone, is strong, knows the palace well and has obviously been here for a while..? Who could've I angered so much? Who am I a threat to? Sunse-." Twilight slowly turned to her friend, and froze. "Sunse-?" Before she could finish, a magical noose wrapped itself around her throat. As the noose tightened, an orange aura lifted her body and slammed it against the wall.

"Hoooray! You figured it out!" Sunset Shimmer walked to the cracking wall with a smirk, "Too bad it doesn't mean shit." Twilight let out a throat ripping gasp as her face turned blue. "Try not to die, aight? Look... this isn't personal... well actually, yeah, it is." Sunset Shimmer reslammed Twilight head first. "Nopony's taking my crown away from me, nopony... especially not some sissy pony like you! I don't even care that you know it's me; it doesn't change a thing... I'm just glad I don't have to pretend that I like you anymore."

Tears dripped down Twilight's face.

"Really?" Sunset Shimmer said, then letting the filly go. Twilight fell to the floor and coughed and gasped for as much air as she could take in. "You're lucky I can't just get rid of you here."

Twilight continued gasping, all the while letting free her tears, "I-I actually believed you were my friend."

"Guess you believed wrong!" Sunset Shimmer yelled at the downed filly's face, "And stop crying; it's just starting to annoy me now." Twilight sucked in mucus. "Look... I feel like being kinda nice, so I'm gonna give you options... Option one, you leave here, tell Celestia you don't want to be her student anymore and go back to whatever hut you came from... I'll leave you alone, and it'll be like this never even happened. Sound good?" Twilight didn't respond.

"Or then we have option two... You stay here and continue being Celestia's student... Remember what happened yesterday? See how much your throat is hurting? That's nothing... if you stay I'll make your life a living Tartarus, and no, there's no lengths I'm not willing to go to. Right now I know you're thinking of running straight to Celestia and blow this all up in my face... I know... run to her... it's not gonna make a single difference." Sunset Shimmer squatted down, "Like I said, you knowing doesn't mean shit... I just have to get... more creative now, that's all. So what's your choice? And remember, you're only getting this chance once."

Twilight paused. Seconds passed as the two fillies gazed at one another, waiting for the silence to be ended by the words that would set both their futures into motion. Twilight faced down, but transformed her gaze into a glare directed at the filly on top of her. "Isn't it obvious?" she said.

Sunset Shimmer smirked, "Alright then... your choice," and began to walk out of the room. "Enjoy breathing while you still can, Twi." She left the room, leaving Twilight alone, now with the moonlight as her only friend.

"See you... Sunset."

I Want You to Hate Yourself

The following morning, as Sunset made her way to Celestia’s throne room, she was shaking with fear. Why am I so stupid? No way Twi stays quiet and doesn’t tell Celestia. She’s probably already told her; I’m sure of it. They’re probably talking about how to get rid of me right now. Celestia wouldn’t put me in the dungeons; she’s too much of a softie for that. But she’ll definitely kick me out. I’ll be forced to go back to my house, and my mom will never let me live this down. She’s never gonna stop bragging about how she was right about me.

When Sunset reached the door to the throne room, she took a deep breath, preparing herself for what fate awaited her. I can’t go back to my mom. If Twi really did snitch on me, and Celestia really is gonna let me go… then I have to make sure I’m put in the dungeon, even if it means attacking Celestia to make sure it happens. Anything is better than going back home.

She entered the room, eyes shut and wincing from fear. She was too scared to see Celestia’s face.

“Good morning, my student,” Celestia said, sounding as motherly as ever.

Confused, Sunset opened her eyes. Celestia was sitting on her throne, smiling as brightly as ever. Twi stood beside the princess, forcing a smile, but clearly shooting Sunset a glare.

“Good morning to you too, Princess,” Sunset said. “Were you two having a meeting or something?”

“Twilight awoke much earlier than usual, and to my delight, began asking me for duties she could assist me with,” Celestia said as Twilight shot Sunset a grin.

“Did she now?” Sunset returned Twilight’s glare. “Tell me, what did she volunteer to do?”

Celestia used her wing to caress Twi. “Quite a few things, mostly to make my day a bit easier. How about you help her? Two ponies working together will get done much faster than one.”

“Oooooor… how about I do different chores?” I see what you’re up to, Twi. You really think acting like the perfect student will be enough to win Celestia over? Well, two can play at that game. I’ve known Celestia longer than you have, and know just what to do to get on her good side. After the princess sees just how much better of a student I am than you, she’ll toss you aside like the trash you are. “In fact, give me as many as you can!”

“Uh,” Celestia said, “I am not sure if that is wise--”

“If anypony can handle this, it’s me. Besides, I know how much you love having a day just to relax.”

Celestia lost herself in fantasy from the thought of a day of relaxation. “It is true that it’s been too long since I had a day to unwind.”

“Exactly. Give me everything you can. You just relax today. And who knows, I might throw in a surprise later too.”

Twilight began to panic. “Give me more tasks too. I can handle them!”

“I am sorry, Twilight, but are you still new here. Focus on completing the tasks already assigned to you.”

With a smirk, Sunset stuck out her tongue at her rival.

It only took a few minutes for Celestia to give Sunset a giant list of tasks to complete. Most were things Sunset had done before, and so she began them quickly. Her goal was to complete them before the day was done and then return to Celestia to ask for more to do. As she sped through the checklist, she gleefully thought about how jealous Twilight must have been right now. Not only that, she used her lunch break to schedule a spa date with Celestia for the evening.

It took Sunset until five in the evening to complete her list, after which she returned to the princess and said, “All done. Not that you should be surprised.”

Celestia was lying back on her bed, relaxed and reading a book. “I am not surprised in the least. You have outdone yourself, my student.”

“I know.” Sunset couldn’t help but smirk. “And remember how I said I’d have a surprise…” She took out her spa tickets. “Me and you. The spa. In two hours. How does that sound?”

Celestia’s face lit up. “That sounds wonderful! However…”

No, no. There’s not supposed to be a however.

“Twilight is not done with her chores yet. I do not wish to leave the premises in case she needs my assistance.”

Hmmm, I can use this to my advantage. “How about I help her finish? When I make sure she’s done, then we’ll go.”

“Perfect idea. I really have taught you well.” Celestia gave Sunset a wink.

Oh, you have no idea how well you’ve taught me. Sunset sprinted to Twi, who was in the royal banquet hall, in the middle of arranging a feast for the Canterlot elite. Despite looking overwhelmed, Twi was managing the preparations well, so well in fact that Sunset couldn’t help but growl when she saw how organized and efficient her rival was.

When Twilight heard the growl, she turned the source of the sound and gave Sunset her most vicious glare.

“I’m surprised you didn’t snitch,” Sunset said, making sure to look cocky. “You know, with you being the way you are.”

“It wasn’t to protect you, that I can promise.”

“Let me guess, you want to show me the error of my ways by turning the other cheek? So that I feel bad, apologize, and become friends with you for real?”

“Wrong again.”

“Or maybe you just want to kick me out the old fashioned way, by proving that you’re a much better student than me. Whatever it is, just spit it out.”

Twilight shook her head. “I want you to hate yourself. More than you already do, that is.”

Sunset was taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“It’s not hard to see that you already do. The way you act so confident, so cocky, always showing off how great you are. It’s obvious that you’re compensating for something. I don’t know what that something is, only that it has to be big. Otherwise, you wouldn’t base your entire personality around proving it wrong.”

Sunset began to shake with anger. “You don’t know a single thing about me.”

“I don’t need to. Because after you’re gone, I’ll never have to see you again.”

Furious, Sunset began to power up her horn. She wanted nothing more than to turn Twilight into a pile of ash.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Too many witnesses, don’t you think?”

With another growl, Sunset powered down her horn. “I’m gonna end you for this.”

“Sure you will.”

Shaking more than ever, Sunset sprinted away to an empty hallway, where she let out a scream filled with every ounce of fury inside her. That piece of shit, acting like she knows me. Who does she think she is, acting so confident about who I am. She doesn’t know a single thing about me, neither does my mom. Especially my mom. I’ll prove them both wrong.

Guessing that Twilight would be able to finish her tasks on her own, Sunset forced a smile and returned to Celestia. The two of them went to the spa and began their spa date. During it, Celestia was on cloud nine, but Sunset needed to use every ounce of her willpower to keep up her smile. Memories of her childhood and her mom’s words consumed her, making her want to hide her pathetic face beneath a pillow and cry.

And the worst part of it all was that her misery made her unable to enjoy her date with Celestia, the one pony who had believed in her. The one pony who had told her that she could become special. She owed everything to the princess. In fact, she should’ve been completing Celestia’s tasks every single day out of gratitude, not once only as a way to outdo Twilight.

She really was a horrible pony, and she knew it.

“Isn’t this the best, my student,” Celestia said, relaxing in a jacuzzi.

Sunset sat beside her, her sadness causing her body to feel numb. She couldn’t feel the warm water. The only thing she could feel was guilt over her scummy actions.

“Sunset?” Celestia said, noticing her student’s silence.

Twilight was right. Mom was too. Celestia, you’re such an idiot for choosing me.

Holding back tears, Sunset grabbed Celestia and gave her the tightest hug she could. “I’m sorry, Princess. I’m so sorry.”

No Chance for Friendship

That night, Sunset stayed awake, unable to sleep. She thought back to her spa date. After she’d broken down in front of Celestia, the princess had asked her what was wrong, only for her to stay silent. She hated herself for not having the courage to speak up, since Celestia was surely still worried over what had happened. But it was too late for the truth now. If Sunset told Celestia what she had done to try to remove Twilight, and what she planned to do, then she would be kicked out herself.

It was too late for her to apologize to Twilight as well. Twilight wouldn’t believe any apology, nor should she. Any chance Sunset had for friendship was gone forever, killed the moment she tried to get rid of her first potential friend. The only path left for her now was one of deceit. At the very least, if Twilight was removed, Sunset would get the crown someday. Even if she hated herself for what she had to do to get that power, she’d still have it, and that was worth more than anything.

Proving her mother wrong was worth more than anything and everything.

So how do I get rid of Twilight? With a sigh, Sunset began scheming. It only took her a few minutes to come up with a plan.

……………………………..

The next morning, Twi woke up early again to help Celestia out with her tasks. She couldn’t deny that a part of her was doing this as a way to show that she was the superior student, and not Sunset. However, as manipulative as she fancied herself to be, she couldn’t deny that her main reason for helping the princess was simple gratitude. As much as Twilight missed her family and her simple life with them, the princess had brought her into the palace more as a daughter than a student, and given her an opportunity many would kill for. For this, Twilight owed the princess a lifetime of thanks and gratitude, a debt she was eager to pay back.

As she went through the list of tasks the princess had given her, she thought back to her encounter with Sunset yesterday evening. Despite the stern exterior she had shown, Twilight had felt like crying during the confrontation. Not because of how Sunset had hurt her, but because of how she had hurt her rival. Despite everything--the betrayal, the insults, the manipulation--Twilight couldn’t help but yearn to be Sunset’s friend, and she felt pathetic for feeling this way. She had every right to be mad at Sunset, and every right to want her to suffer, and yet she was more worried about her enemy’s feelings than her own. Perhaps this was because Twilight had no real friends other than her brother, and Sunset offered the chance for actual friendship. She couldn’t deny that her biggest fear in life was to go through it without any friends, and she also couldn’t deny that every time she tried to make one, she’d either get made fun of or bullied. Was Twilight really this pathetic, that the only reason she felt sad was because she was lonely?

No, Twilight couldn’t help but feel that there was a deeper reason. She cared for Sunset, because as scummy as she was, she was still a pony deserving of forgiveness and redemption. As Twilight spent the day toiling away to make Celestia’s life easier, this feeling of regret over her hurtful words grew. It caused her to stay silent when the palace staff asked her how her day was going, and it made her unable to force a smile. And the worst part of it was that her innate love of friendship was why she was uniquely prepared to absolutely crush Sunset.

Despite being an introvert--and a pretty awkward one at that--Twilight had been able to figure out that Sunset was a self-loathing mess. And she had also realized that the best way to ruin such a self-hating pony was amplifying this hate.

And to accomplish this, all Twilight had to do was… nothing.

As long as Twilight continued following her heart--showing Celestia gratitude, being the best student she could, being grateful for this once in a lifetime chance--Sunset would inevitably implode. Sunset would continue to try her various schemes and plans, but as they failed, she’d begin to realize that there was no driving Twilight away. And once she realized that, her desperation would grow. What Sunset would do after that, Twilight wasn’t sure. Perhaps Sunset would do something so stupid that it’d cause her to immediately get kicked out. Or maybe Sunset would simply realize that she would forever be doomed to be second-best, a fate which would surely drive her mad.

Twilight hated herself for even thinking this way, but she reminded herself that Sunset was the one who’d started this feud. If anything, Twilight should’ve been this vindictive back in magic kindergarten instead of acting like a weakling. She should’ve fought back against her bullies instead of being a victim and waiting for her teachers to give help which never came. Perhaps then she would've been deserving of friendship. And if she still wasn’t, then at least she would’ve gotten sweet revenge. Besides, there would always be new ponies to meet and befriend. Even now, it wasn’t as if Sunset was Twilight’s only hope for friendship. There were so many other students in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns that Twilight could meet and befriend. Twilight didn’t need Sunset. She didn’t need any single pony for friendship.

Thankful that she’d finally seen the light regarding friendship, Twilight continued going through the list until late afternoon, when a royal guard called for her. “Hi, there,” she said, smiling at the chance to help a soldier. “What do you need?”

The guard just stared at her, as if he was some sort of mindless state. Twilight’s gut told her to back away from him, but she decided to go with her heart, which brushed off the weird behavior as just sleepiness. “Follow me,” the guard said, his voice lacking any emotion.

Once again, Twilight went with her heart and followed him. Perhaps it was because she was drunk with joy, so gleeful over her new role in life, that she went against the warnings her mind was giving her to run away. “Where are we going? Does Princess Celestia want me back in the throne room for something?” Twilight said, bouncing with glee.

“Keep following.”

The guard led her into the dungeons, where Twilight snapped out of her euphoria and froze. She began to run away, but the guard charged after her.

“Help!” Twilight screamed out, but there was nopony nearby. Barely anypony entered the dungeons anymore, and when they did, it was mostly just to clear excess spider webbing.

It only took a few seconds for the guard to grab Twilight. Powering up her horn to its maximum, she tried her hardest to magically push him away. Come on, where is that special power Princess Celestia was talking about? But the guard’s grip was too strong for her to break free from.

As Twilight continued to struggle, a cyan magical aura enveloped her. The aura was like a tight rope tied around her body. She couldn’t move and could barely breathe. “He… lp…” Twilight could barely speak and began to suffocate. The world began to spin, until darkness consumed her.

When she woke back up, she found herself lying trapped in a dungeon cell. Sunset was standing in front of her, on the other side of the grimy metal bars of the cell. Sunset was hanging her head, causing her mane and the shadowy darkness of the hallway to hide her face. In a voice consumed by sadness, Sunset said only one thing before walking away.

“You win.”

Despite her best efforts to remain calm, it only took Twilight a few seconds to panic. “Help! Somepony, help me!” She didn’t know how long she screamed for, only that nopony came.

The dungeon was pitch black, so dark that Twilight couldn’t even see her own body. It made her panic more. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and she could barely breathe. It was as if she was suffocating all over again.

No, I can’t let her win.

Determined, Twilight took a deep breath and calmed herself. She began to survey the situation. Okay, Twilight, think. Based on the darkness, I have to be in the deepest section of the dungeons. Just based on how thick the webbing is here, I’m confident that this isn’t a place the guards or staff go to regularly, meaning I’m stuck here until Princess Celestia realizes I’m missing. But that’s the thing… It won’t take the princess long to realize that I’m gone, so why would Sunset trap me here?

Okay, let’s put myself in her hooves. She hypnotized that royal guard, trapped me here… but then what? To have me die of dehydration? If she wanted me dead, she’d want it done faster. It’d take me at least three days to die of dehydration, more than enough time for the princess to find me.

And why did Sunset say that? That I won?

Forget about Sunset. Focus on the situation. I’m in this dungeon, most likely so I’m killed. But whatever is supposed to kill me has to be coming soon.

That was when Twilight felt them, the creatures crawling all around her. There were dozens of them crawling out of the tiny holes in the wall, all squirming around like a mass of mutated bugs straight out of her nightmares. She froze, but that only made it easier for them to crawl over her, right over her eyes. Their legs pricked at her skin, and she could feel their sharp teeth brush against her coat as they covered her body.

She powered up the horn, illuminating the cell with a faint light. A part of her was too scared to learn how they looked, but she willed herself to keep her eyes open. The creatures crawling over her were like a mass of meaty, furry insects. The sight caused her to tremble, and that was when the creatures’ let out a loud hiss that reverberated throughout the hall.

The creatures began to gnaw into her body, causing her to scream with pain. She shook as intensely as she could to get them off. Most of them fell off, and what few remained, she used her magic to throw away. The horde descended upon her once again a moment later. She squished any that came close, and used her magic to push back as many as she could, at least until more began squirming toward her. The creatures surrounded her.

Teleportation! Maybe that’ll work.

Twilight gathered her magic to try teleporting outside of the cell. She had only heard about the spell from Celestia, but it was better than nothing. When her magic was gathered, mere moments from being consumed by the horde of creatures, she activated the spell. She could feel her body being taken to another place. Yes, yes, get me out of here.

But when she reappeared, she was only halfway out of the cell. Her body was stuck between the metal bars, and that was when the pain took hold of her.

Due to her failed teleportation, two of the bars were going through her body, hitting her with a pain she couldn’t begin to describe. Her innards were being stabbed by unbendable bars of grimy, rotten metal, sending her into shock. At the same time, hundreds of the creatures jumped on to her and began to gnaw on her skin. Coughing up blood, she let out a scream too terrifying for her darkest nightmares.

The pain caused her to lose consciousness, and she was glad for that. If she was to die, she didn’t want it to be through agony. She wanted to drift into the night asleep.

And asleep she went, until her eyes began to glow white. The light illuminated the hall, and despite being unconscious, she involuntarily used her magic to turn the metal bars into butterflies. With a hiss, the creatures fled back into the dark holes they came from.

The overwhelming power left Twilight a moment later, and she snapped back to consciousness. I’m alive?

She looked around the hall, feeling the gentle flutter of butterflies. It happened again. The same power that helped me get into the school.

The relief only lasted a moment, until the pain returned. She coughed up more blood, but the pain was manageable somehow. Perhaps because she knew it was her turn for revenge.

Gritting her teeth through the pain, she sprinted through the hall and used her magic to open the exit door, which led to the higher floors of the dungeons. The butterflies led the way toward the light shining from the upper floors. Twilight continued running, not giving a damn for the globs of blood she was spitting out, until she reached the throne room and burst through its door. Inside stood Celestia and Sunset.

"So, I win, huh?"

Sunset was frozen from shock. Here she was, standing beside Celestia, expecting her enemy to be dead or dying. Instead, Twilight had just burst through the doors into the throne room, so consumed by rage that she didn’t seem to give a damn about her countless open wounds and the fact that she was bleeding all over. Twilight set her glare squarely on Sunset, who did her best to look away from fear. The scene was silent for several moments, until Celestia let out a scream.

So full of horror that her royal composure shattered, she sprinted to Twilight to gaze at her wounds. “Twilight, what happened?” Her elegant, motherly voice was gone, replaced by the whimper of a weaker pony.

Shit, shit, shit, it’s all over for me. Sunset began to tremble, even more than Celestia did. Once Twilight tells Celestia the truth, I’m finished. I’ll be lucky if they send me to the dungeons. I knew I should’ve just killed Twi myself… Why am I so weak? If I had just mustered up the guts to go for the most efficient path… No, it’s too late for that now. The only thing I can do now is plan my escape. The throne room windows, yeah, I can use them. I can probably hide in some faraway place, or maybe go through that mirror portal Celestia was talking about a few months ago.

Accepting that she’d lost, and that there was nopony to blame other than herself, she quickly turned to the nearest window, prepared to sprint to it and jump out. But before she could do so, Twilight said, “I got lost in the dungeons. It was my fault.”

Sunset slowly turned to Twilight, after which she froze again.

“There were creatures there… but like I said, I take full responsibility for being there in the first place. I g-guess…” Twilight coughed up a horrifying amount of blood. “I guess my curiosity got the best of me. I’m sorry, Princess.”

Celestia needed a moment to take in the news. “There is no need to apologize, my student. It is my fault for simply sealing that section off, instead of removing the creatures in question. Please, hurry with me to the hospital at once.”

“I will,” Twilight said, turning her attention to Sunset. “But first, allow me to calm Sunset. I know how much she must be worrying about me.”

Keeping her eyes focused on Sunset, Twilight walked to the trembling filly. “Hello, Sunset. Are you okay?”

Sunset did her best to repress her trembling and force a smile. There was no way she could show fear to her enemy. “I’m just glad you’re okay. You really should hurry to the hospital, though.”

Twilight returned Sunset’s smile with her own. “Of course.” Her smile wider than ever, she whispered, “I win, huh?”

As Twilight turned to the door and walked to the princess, Celestia’s horrified expression melted away into a smile. “I’m so proud of you two for bonding the way that you have,” the princess said. “It brings me back to my days when my sister was still with me.”

Twi paused for a moment. “You have a sister?”

The question caused Celestia to hang her head. “That is a story for another time. Quickly, now. To the hospital.”

As Celestia and Twilight left the throne room, Sunset was left alone with her thoughts. The only reason Twi wouldn’t immediately tell the truth was if she’s planning revenge. A revenge even sweeter than seeing me locked in the dungeons or banished to the wilderness for the rest of my life. The thought of having to suffer Twilight’s vengeance caused Sunset to shudder, and she was quickly reduced to a trembling excuse for a pony. As her confident facade faded away, she began to ponder Celestia’s words about her sister. She couldn’t deny that she’d always wanted a sister, since it’d mean having somepony she didn’t constantly need to prove herself to. It’d mean having a real friend, somepony she could be completely open and genuine with.

Twilight would’ve been the perfect sister, she thought. But it was too late to think about such fantasies. Sunset had dug her grave, and now she had to live in it. She had two choices. One, accept Twilight’s revenge and wait. Or two, kill Twilight as quickly as possible. Both paths led to Sunset’s death. In the first, it’d be by Twi’s hooves. In the second, it’s by Celestia’s.

No, I can’t give up, no matter how hard winning is. I’ve come this far, and it’s only a little bit farther until the throne is all mine. All I have to do is get rid of Twi and cover up my tracks so nopony realizes that it was me. But can I really kill her with my own hooves?

No, I have no choice. Even if it means that I can never forgive myself… The throne is too important to worry about something as puny as my conscience. I’ll kill her, cover my tracks, and continue being Celestia’s star pupil. And then one day, I’ll replace the princess. And when that happens, the first thing I’ll do is arrive home in a chariot, just to brag to my mom’s face how wrong she was about me.

After casting aside her useless morality, Sunset waited a half-hour or so and then walked to the palace hospital. Celestia was nowhere to be seen in it, and aside from the few doctors and nurses, the only ponies inside were a couple of Royal Guards who were being treated for training injuries. Perfect. After drinking what little of the invisibility potion she had left--which she’d kept hidden in a compartment cut into her bedroom wall--she became fully transparent. She used her invisibility to creep through the hospital and checked each of the rooms until she found Twilight’s. Her enemy was lying asleep on a hospital bed, sedated from the medicine being infused into her hoof. Her many wounds had been bandaged, and her bleeding was all but gone. She was on the road to recovery, one Sunset would make sure she’d never reach.

Grinning with bloodlust, Sunset scanned the room for any security devices. She couldn’t spot any, but just in case, she powered up her horn and shot out a burst of magic to short-circuit any devices that could be inside. Now all that was left was grabbing Twilight’s throat with her magic and choking the life out of her. She wasn’t going to take any chances this time. She was going to grab hold of Twi’s windpipe and crush it. She had an insurance policy too. If Sunset failed, or had to quickly escape before Twi was dead, an assassin would finish the job for her. Whether by Sunset’s hooves or this assassin’s, Twilight was going to die, and there nothing sweeter than that.

After a deep breath to prepare herself, Sunset crept toward Twi’s sedated body, ready to bloody her hooves forever. When she made it to the hospital bed, she took a moment to take in the sight of her rival. I’m sorry, Twi. Maybe in the next life… we can be sisters. I’d like that.

She powered up her horn, casting a magical hold around Twi’s neck. Using her magic, she could feel Twi’s soft skin and her pulsating carotid arteries. The only step left for Sunset was to put Twi out of her misery, and to forever enter her own.

With all of her magical might, Sunset squeezed. Except when she did, the hospital vanished, replaced by the throne room. She was now standing in the throne room, in the same spot she had been when formulating her plan only a half-hour ago.

Did I teleport myself here somehow? No, it can’t be that. I’m nowhere near that spell yet. But if I’m here, then does that mean…? No, there’s no way that everything in the hospital had been a hallucination. But for some reason, my mind is telling me that it was.

Her heart pounding, Sunset sprinted out of the throne room. There, she saw Celestia and Twilight walking away, in the direction of the hospital. They’re still walking to it. But that means it all was a hallucination. But there’s no way. Am I really that panicked that I imagined all that?

As Twilight continued walking away, she took a moment to glance back at Sunset. She gave her fellow student a grin, one that made Sunset shudder.

As soon as she’s sedated, I’m ending her with my hooves this time. None of that magic shit.

Needing to wait a half-hour again--for real this time--she decided to go to her room so she could relax on her bed. Except when she got to her bed, her room was… different. For one, the many framed pictures of herself on the wall didn’t have crowns and royal ornaments glued to them anymore. Also, her face on some of them was scribbled out with what looked like a red crayon. In other pictures, her eyes were replaced by large red Xs. And in other pictures, there was a thick red line drawn over her throat.

The sight of all this caused Sunset to shiver and she used her magic to throw all the pictures to the floor and shatter them. I don’t know whose idea of a joke this is, but they’re dead too. I bet it was Twilight. Probably went to my room before going into the throne room.

The other change Sunset noticed was that the map of Equestria on the ceiling had a giant red X on it, on the exact location where her hometown was. The thought of ever returning to her hometown before she was a princess--the thought of even being reminded of it--caused her to let out a loud growl. She fired a magical attack at the X, turning it into a burning, black mark.

Two can play at this game, sister.

Sunset left her room and began walking to Twilight’s room. But when she opened the door to her rival’s home, it wasn’t Twilight’s room that stood on the other end. Instead, it was her own room.

Sunset froze, beginning to tremble. I’m not going crazy. I’m not!

But no matter how many times she repeated that to herself, the fact that it was her room she was walking into was inescapable. She glanced behind her to see if she’d accidently gone in a circle. There’s no way this is the hallway to my room. A moment ago, that was the hall to Twilight’s room. It was. I know it was. Either my stress is finally getting to me, or….

That bitch. She did something to me. How dare she mess with my head.

Glaring, Sunset stormed to the hospital, fully visible.

“Hello there, Sunset,” one of the nurses said, only for Sunset to angrily push her aside.

Sunset stomped her way to the hospital room she’d gone to in her hallucination. Except when she arrived there, Twilight was nowhere to be seen, and the patient identifier on the door said Sunset Shimmer.

“Hi there, Sunset,” a nearby doctor said. “Sorry, but I am afraid we can’t let you leave your room yet.”

“My room?”

“Please, it’s not safe.” The doctor put his hoof over Sunset’s shoulder and guided her toward the bed. “The nurses will check on you soon.”

Sunset stood frozen beside the bed. I’m not going crazy. I’m not going crazy.

A nurse walked by the door, but stopped when she saw Sunset. “Heya there, dear. Please return to your bed. It’s not safe for you to leave yet.”

“I’m not crazy!” Sunset yelled.

“I’m sorry?” The nurse was taken aback in confusion.

Growling with frustration, Sunset powered up her horn and magically grabbed the nurse. She then threw her to the wall, knocking her out from the impact. This caused a dozen nurses to rush into the room, where they physically restrained Sunset. “I’m not crazy! Why are you doing this to me?!”

Sunset struggled as hard as she could, but she was powerless to stop them from putting her on the bed. That was when she saw her. Twilight was standing at the door, looking on with a smile as the medical workers forced Sunset’s body onto the bed. “I’ll kill you! You hear me? You think you can take everything away from me just because you’re so special? I’ll kill you, and everypony like you!”

“Quickly, the sedatives,” one of the nurses said.

Sunset winced as the nurses punctured her skin with an intravenous needle. As the medication entered her bloodstream and began to take effect, she fought the sedation, but it was only a matter of seconds before the world began to spin around her. She lost consciousness, and her world was replaced by blackness.

As the darkness consumed Sunset, she began to hear a voice, one that made her want to shake with both rage and fear.

“So, I win, huh?” Twilight said.

As Sunset’s mind struggled to make sense of the situation, she reawoke. When her eyes reopened, the world was still blurry and spinning, but she could tell that she was no longer in the hospital room. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly where she was, only that it looked like a house, and that it was familiar for some reason.

Yes, she was surely inside of a wooden house. But whose? There weren’t any houses in Canterlot this small, nor any that looked like the inside of a cabin, like this one did. Based on the blizzard clearly visible from the building’s windows, she was somewhere far from the city, and yet, someplace familiar.

Someplace, like home.

Her heart pounding against her chest, Sunset regained full consciousness from a burst of adrenaline. She sat up with a gasp, trembling more than she ever had. She was in her childhood home, sitting in her living room. On the other end of the room, sitting on a couch, was her mother.

“Where are you?” Sunset shouted into the air, her fear transformed into blinding rage. “If you want to fight, then let’s do it.”

But as quickly as Sunset’s anger had come, it vanished from what she heard next.

“I was right about you,” her mother said, in that same disappointed tone she always spoke in.

The sound of her mother’s voice melted away Sunset’s anger, her facade of strength, and any meager amount of genuine confidence she had built during the past years. Just hearing her mom’s voice made Sunset tremble like the scared, weak filly she used to be. She had promised herself long ago that the next time she’d see her mother would be when she became a princess, when she was in a position where she could shove her success down her mom’s throat until she choked on it. The fact that she was in her mother’s presence right now--before she was worthy enough to show her face again--reminded her of just how much of a failure she still was.

“Why do you keep trying?” her mother said, her voice dripping with disgust. She glared at her daughter, as if her very existence was a mistake.

Sunset hung her head as she asked herself that very same question.

“Why not accept yourself as you are? A failure. My failure.”

Hearing that word--failure--and from her mother’s mouth made Sunset erupt with rage. “Never!” She turned her attention to the ceiling, as if to yell at the sky. “If revenge is what you want, then just kill me, Twilight. Stop being a coward and just end it. I’ll be gone forever, and you’ll have Celestia and the throne all to yourself. That’s what you want, isn’t it? Then just do it. An eye for an eye.”

“No,” Twilight’s voice erupted from above. “This will never end, not for you, at least. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Alicorn Amulet?”

Sunset froze, trying her best to remember hearing of such a thing.

“Thought not. You never did seem like the type to take your studies seriously. Even before being accepted as Celestia’s student, I did my fair share of reading, and one of my favorite topics was Equestrian history. And let me just say that our history has quite the number of powerful artifacts.”

“Get to the point, you insufferable know-it-all!”

“You will be trapped in a nightmare of your own creation. And if you ever manage to break out of it, you will simply end up in a deeper nightmare. This cycle will continue until days turn to years, and years turn to lifetimes. I would say that I want you to break, but I know you’re already broken. What I want is for you to hate yourself, so much that the fire inside you is extinguished forever.”

“And then what? You get to become princess and have all the glory to yourself?”

“Nope. I’ll explicitly tell Princess Celestia that I do not wish to become royalty in the future. She and I will develop a plan for myself that goes beyond such limiting constraints.”

Sunset let out the most vicious growl she could. “You think this makes you better than me, you gifted brat?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

Sunset was taken aback.

“What makes me better is that I’m not a coward.”

“How dare you! Do you have any idea what it’s like to run away from home before you even have a cutie mark, sleep in caves for months, beg for bits, and go on not knowing if you’ll get to eat tomorrow? You upper-class brat. You came from privilege, were born to be so great and special, and got love from Celestia that it took me years to earn. And you call me a coward?”

Sunset waited for Twilight to respond, but her voice never returned.

“She’s right, you know,” Sunset’s mom said, causing her daughter to turn her way. “You’re a coward. If you weren’t, you would’ve killed yourself. Instead, you keep the pain going, just so you can delay your suicide another day longer.”

With a glare, Sunset powered up her horn. “I’ll show you who’s a coward.” She magically grabbed her mother’s throat and began to crush it with every fiber of her being. Her mother tried her best to let out a scream, but she couldn’t due to the magical hold shattering her windpipe and constricting her carotid arteries. Sunset grew a grin, one that stretched from cheek to cheek, as her mother’s face became blue. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited, mother.”

Her mother reached out, as if to caress her daughter one last time. But before she could do so, Sunset tightened her stranglehold. The life faded from her mother’s eyes, and her body went limp. Sunset threw her mother’s body to the floor, smiling with ecstacy.

But as the sight of her mother’s corpse sank in, a feeling of regret began to consume her. As much as she despised her mother, and as ruthless as she fancied herself to be, she began to break down from what she’d done. Not because she’d done this to her mother, but because she’d killed anypony at all. As she collapsed to the floor, tears welling in her eyes, she was forced to face the type of pony she’d allowed herself to become. A murderer with nopony to love and nopony who loved her. She truly was a disgusting pony, and no amount of power or validation from her mother could change that.

“You win, Twilight. You hear me?”

But there was no response.

“I said you win! Please, just let me out.”

Still no response.

“Twilight? Twi!”

Nothing.

That was when Sunset cracked, letting out a scream filled with all her years of bitterness and self-hatred. She shut her eyes, more ready to embrace eternal darkness than the sight of what she’d done and who she’d become. She began to hear rumbling in the distance, but was too lost in her own regret to pay it any attention. The noise grew louder with each passing second, until it sounded as if she was in the middle of a deafening thunderstorm.

“Get up!”

It was the sound of a stallion, somepony she didn’t recognize.

“No special treatment. Get up, now!”

Sunset awoke to the sensation of somepony shaking her body violently. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in her room, lying on her bed. She smiled in a burst of glee, more thankful than ever before to be free from the nightmare. That was when she saw them, the royal guards restraining her.

“By the order of Princess Celestia, you’re under arrest.”

Lost Cause

Sunset didn’t resist the royal guards’ control as they led her to the throne room. Perhaps it was because she was still disoriented from her nightmare. Or maybe it was because a part of her knew that she deserved to be punished in the most painful way.

When she arrived at the throne room--her body tightly in the control of several guards--she saw that Twilight had also been brought here and was also being restrained by guards. The look on Twi’s face was one of rage, but Sunset couldn’t figure out if her glare was directed inwards at herself for getting caught up in this game of revenge, or outwards at Sunset for starting this game in the first place. Though, in the end, did the answer really matter?

Celestia was standing in front of her throne, glaring with an intensity that Sunset couldn’t ever imagine from the regal pony. Her gaze wavering, Sunset tried her hardest to look the princess in the eye, but she couldn’t maintain eye contact for more than a moment. In the end, she just hung her head.

“I know everything,” Celestia said, her words sharp like a spear digging its way through Sunset’s heart. “I know the truth of the dinner, Sunset Shimmer, and I also know of your attempt to murder your fellow student. And you, Twilight Sparkle, I know of the Alicorn Amulet and what you were planning to do with it.”

Twilight’s glare melted away into regret, and she hung her head as well. Sunset mustered up what little courage she had left to raise her head for a moment and gaze at the princess again. Tears were welling in Celestia’s eyes, a sight which caused Sunset to have to fight back tears of her own. The royal guard Sunset had hypnotized to lead Twilight into the dungeons was standing beside the princess.

“I cannot believe that both of my students are this rotten,” Celestia practically shouted, causing Sunset and Twilight to flinch. “But perhaps this is my fault, for choosing the two of you.”

The urge to break down into tears was too much for Sunset to control any longer. Her voice trembling, she screamed out, “Princess Celestia, this is my fault--”

“No!” Celestia stomped the ground, causing the room to shake as if an earthquake was happening. Sunset froze, a sharp pain stabbing at her heart. “Both of you are expelled and hereby banished from this palace.” With one final glare for her pupils, she turned around and began walking to her throne.

The royal guards tightened their grip around Sunset and began to lead her and Twilight out of the palace. As Sunset took one last gaze at her home for the past few years, she glanced at Twi, who was wincing with regret and still hanging her head. “I’m sorry,” she said, but Twi made sure not to respond or even look at her.

When Sunset was at the palace exit, the guards let go of her. “You are free to go where you wish now,” one of the guards said, before he and the others led Twilight to her parents, who were waiting for her a block away. Twilight’s mother’s face was pale from worry, while her dad was glaring. When the guards let go of Twilight and she walked to her parents, her mother gave her a tight hug, and despite his anger, her father joined the embrace.

The sight of the hug hurt Sunset more than being kicked out of the palace and losing her one shot at success. Now alone, she turned ahead, to the sight of the kingdom she had once promised herself would be hers to rule one day. She began to ponder where she would go, but it only took her a few seconds to come up with the obvious answer, as painful as it was.
…………………………………………….

With a deep breath, Sunset prepared to enter her house. After being expelled by Celestia, she had immediately begun the journey back to her village, a trek which took her a few hours by train. Since there was no chance of her becoming a princess now, there was no point for her to delay returning home any longer. She knew she’d be mocked and ridiculed by her mother endlessly for her failure, but facing her defeat head-on was a more worthy fate than hiding and running away forever.

She was standing in front of the door into her house, which was a small, one-story wooden cabin that stood on the outer edge of her equally small village. Lost Cause was her hometown’s name. It was made of only twenty or so buildings, mostly homes plus a few stores in the town center. It was located in the Frozen North. Only about a hundred ponies lived in this place, and all of them looked as miserable as Sunset did. Due to the heavy snowfall and thick layer of clouds overhead, barely any sunlight ever reached the village, and when it did, it only highlighted how dull and dreary this place and its residents looked. It was a place where dreams came to die, as Sunset had always said as a filly. She had always prided herself on being the only pony here whose color wasn’t a dull grey or ghostly white, but now, she realized that her bright orange color meant nothing. She was the same as them on the inside, which was all that mattered.

Hanging her head, Sunset opened the door and entered her home for the first time in years. Her home only had three rooms. The living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Her mother was in the living room, sitting on a splintered, creaking wooden chair, reading the newspaper. When she saw Sunset, she gave her daughter a look of indifference, as if seeing her own flesh and blood for the first time in years meant nothing and wasn’t even a small surprise. “Let me guess, you failed?”

Sunset hung her head lower, so low that her mane masked her eyes, but not her frown. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She’d often lock herself in this room as a filly as a way to be away from her mother. She’d even sleep here often as a way not to share her home’s only bed with her mom. After locking the door, Sunset collapsed to the wet, dirty floor and let out a scream filled with all the hatred she had towards herself. She pulled at her mane, wanting to rip it out of her body. She wanted to rip her very soul out of her body. She was ready to do anything to be somepony other than herself.

Sunset continued pulling until she ripped out a large chunk of hair from her mane, after which she lay on the floor, content with withering away alongside the rest of her townsponies.

“I hope this teaches you a very important lesson,” she heard her mom say. “You should never push yourself like you did. It only leads to this. Those dreams you used to talk about, they’re not for ponies like you and me. The faster you accept this, the faster you’ll be happy.”

Sunset buried her head against the floor. Just hearing her mother’s voice was more painful than any dagger or magical attack. Perhaps this was the punishment she deserved. Yes, a fitting fate for her. Only a few weeks ago, she had everything. A mentor in Celestia, a potential sister in Twilight, and the possibility of becoming ruler one day. But, in the end, she’d messed everything up, just like her mother had warned her.

Please, forgive me, Twi. You deserved so much better than me.

“Before I forget,” her mom said. “Did you buy something expensive, wherever you were?”

Sunset raised her head, confused.

“A man came knocking on our door here a few days ago, asking for money. Scary looking fellow.”

Scary looking fellow? Asking for money? There’s no way it could be… No, but that was a hallucination.

That was when Sunset realized, her hiring an assassin to kill Twilight wasn’t a hallucination. She had done that in real life, meaning there was no time to lose if she wanted to save her.

Revenge Heals All Wounds

They say time heals all wounds, but Twilight knew that to be a lie.

She was sitting at her dinner table, eating beside her parents. Hours had passed since Celestia had expelled her, but her heart ached as if she was in the throne room all over again. She could still hear Celestia’s vindictive, hate-filled words, and see her glare and face full of disappointment. Memories of her failure played on loop inside of her head, reminding her of the pony she had chosen to become, the type of pony who deserved to be expelled.

Her mother tried her best to keep some conversation going, mostly talking about how Shining Armor wanted to enter the Royal Guard, and how he had a far too obvious crush on their former foalsitter, Cadance. Twilight’s father remained silent through the dinner, other than the times he needed to ask his wife for more food.

Twilight remained silent as well for the most part, only giving one-word responses to her mother whenever an attempt at a conversation came up. She had no appetite, but ate the dinner out of respect for her mom. She also wanted to force a smile or at least a neutral expression for her parents, but she didn’t have the strength to do so. Her disappointment and regret was painted on her face, and a part of her knew that it would always be. Deep down, she wanted to ask her parents if they could all move out of Canterlot, just so she could be as far away from the royal palace as possible. She didn’t mind moving to some faraway, backwater town and living in obscurity. That would be better than ever having to show her face again.

“So, Twilight, dear,” her mother said, so obviously forcing a smile. “What would you like for dessert?”

Twilight hung her head in an attempt to hide her face. “Nothing,” she said in a whimper.

“What was that, dear?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I said nothing!” Twilight yelled. “Why are you so nice to me? You should be yelling at me for being so dumb. I had one chance--the biggest chance anypony could ever want--and I blew it.”

“Twi, we can talk about this later--”

“No! Yell at me. Hit me. Just, please, don’t sit there and try to pretend everything is normal.”

“Then I will,” her father said. “Why? That is all I want to know. Why didn’t you tell the Princess immediately when you found out what your classmate was doing? Instead, you became no better than this Sunset Shimmer. That is not the Twilight Sparkle I raised.”

“Please,” her mom said, caressing her husband’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him, “we can talk about this some other time.”

“No, Mom… Dad deserves to know.” Twilight kept her head hanging. She didn’t want her parents to see the regret engraved on her face. “I knew the right thing to do was to alert Princess Celestia, but at that same time, I was determined not to repeat the mistakes I made in magic kindergarten.”

“Mistakes?” her mom said, taken aback. “But you learned so much there.”

“Mom, do you have any idea how the other students treated me? No, how could you? Every time I’d bring it up, you’d act as if everything was alright, just like you are doing now. I felt worse than nothing, and every time I’d ask the instructors for help, they would tell me that I am simply overreacting, as if that was somehow supposed to ease the pain.”

Her mother hung her head.

“I wanted to stand up to my bully this time.” Twilight raised her head, her frown replaced by a scowl. “And I did. I have no regrets about what I did.”

Twilight’s statement left her parents at a loss for words. Her father simply shook his head and glared at his daughter, while her mother tried her best to force a half-smile, or, at least, her attempt at a half-smile.

“Perhaps it’s not too late to change Princess Celestia’s mind,” her mother said, mumbling out the words.

“Too late,” Twilight’s father said. “I’m sure Twi knows that as well.”

“But what about her future? And all that magical potential the princess was talking about--”

“End of discussion.”

“No, I will not end this discussion like this!”

As Twilight’s parents began to argue, all she could do was sigh and hang her head once more. There was nothing left for her to say. Nothing left she could do that would fix her situation.

The arguing continued until a burst of magic shot through the room, freezing everything inside and her parents as well. Everything was frozen in time, except for herself. Twilight’s heart sank from shock, but before she could react, Sunset Shimmer sprinted into the home, grabbed her, and magically dragged her to the street outside. Sunset continued taking Twilight along with her until they were several blocks away and she had to stop to take her breath. She let go of her magical hold, freeing Twilight.

“Are you crazy!” Twilight yelled, stomping toward Sunset.

“W-we don’t have much time,” Sunset said, still catching her breath.

“No, we actually have all the time in the world.” Twilight grabbed Sunset, not with magic, but with her hooves. She pushed her against the nearby wall, and used her magic to amplify her strength. “It’s not as if I have any assignments due tomorrow night, or as if I have an early meeting to shadow alongside Princess Celestia. So time is the one thing I do have.” She powered up her horn and began to tie a magical noose around Sunset’s throat. After a moment to accept that this was the pony she had chosen to become, she began to choke the life out of Sunset with all her might.

“N-No… please…” Sunset’s face turned blue as she struggled to breathe.

“An eye for an eye. Quite the irrational approach to justice, if I’m being honest,” Twilight said, cracking a smile. “But it does feel quite fulfilling.”

“I’m h-here…. To save you…”

Twilight let go of her magical hold, dropping Sunset to the ground. “No need to lie. I wasn’t going to kill you. Even with the Alicorn Amulet, I was only going to torture you for a night at most. I’m not strong like you. I’m a weakling, but at least I can look at myself in the mirror.”

Sunset needed a moment to catch her breath before she stumbled to her feet. “I’m not lying. There’s an assassin coming after you. The best in the business.”

Twilight froze. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Sunset nodded, trembling with fear.

“And I’m willing to bet that you’re the one who sent them here.” Twilight’s expression turned into a glare.

“You have to forgive me--”

“Why? Why do I always have to be the one forgiving?” Twilight began walking toward Sunset, causing her to step backward. “Why do I always have to be the bigger pony? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t choke you to death right here and now.” She powered her horn again, illuminating the block with a purple glow.

“Because I’m the only one who knows how to beat him. The assassin. I know him; he’s not going to stop now, even if I tell him to. Our only chance is to fight back.”

“No. Your only chance is to fight back. I’m going to the police. They’ll protect my family and I.”

As Twilight turned around, prepared to walk back to her home, Sunset sprinted in front of her to block her path. “You still don’t get it. I’ll be fine. The assassin is after you, not even your family. He’ll kill anypony in his way to get you. Don’t you see? I’m willing to put my life on the line to save you--”

“From the assassin you hired.”

Sunset let out a growl. “Yes, I know. I screwed up. I always screw up. But you don’t. And you’re not a weakling. I’ve heard about what you did to get into Celestia’s school. You’re stronger than you know, stronger than I’ll probably ever be. That’s why you can’t go back home, because if you do, you’ll only be getting your parents killed. And if you get the police involved, you’ll get them killed too. Everypony this guy’s been sent to kill has contacted the police, and they still died. Me and you can beat him, though.”

Twilight began to shake with anger. “What kind of a pony are you? You send a killer like this after me, and expect me to thank you for your help?”

“After this is done, you never have to see me again. I promise. I’ll put myself in jail for this. Please, just come with me. I could never live with myself if you died because of me.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m confident I’ll never see you again.” Twilight powered her horn, using its magic to slam Sunset to the concrete ground. Sunset struggled to try to move, but was unable to. With her enemy pinned, Twilight readied herself to shoot a magical attack and end her once and for all. But as she stared into her enemy’s eyes--her shaking eyes filled with regret--Twilight saw herself in Sunset. She let go of her, but not before letting out a loud growl. “Why am I this weak? Fine, I’ll work with you, but after this, you’re going to jail.”

“Promise.”

“Forever.”

Sunset contemplated this fate for a moment, but in the end, she hung her head and said, “It’s only fair.”

“In that case, we have a deal,” Twilight said, her glare unwavering.

Sunset needed another moment to come to terms with what she’d agree to. When she had gathered enough courage to continue, she raised her head, her expression fierce. “Follow me.”

Sunset began leading the way toward the outer edges of the city, where Canterlot’s fabulous homes and shopping centers gave way to a side of Equestria Twilight had never seen before. Blocks of foreclosed homes stood as far as the eye could see. Every building in sight was empty and dilapidated, and most were boarded-up. The only signs of life came from the unkept parks, which were filled with the homeless, and from the nearby blocks, where animals from the plains outside of Canterlot could be seen creeping through the lonely streets.

As tough as she fancied herself to be, Twilight began to tremble from the howling and purring of the animals, and from the neverending coughing and moaning of the homeless. “Where are we?”

“Home,” Sunset said, leading the way to one of the many abandoned houses. She used a magical attack to disintegrate a board-up window, after which she jumped inside and then pulled Twilight in as well. “Or, at least, it was before Princess Celestia accepted me into her school.”

“Oh, so you’re from Canterlot too?” Twilight said, eyeing the countless spider webs, scurrying rats, and splintered walls inside the home.

“No, I’m not,” Sunset whispered, shining a magical glow to illuminate the area. She scanned the house with one-hundred percent focus. “This is where I used to sleep after I ran away from my mom. For a few months, at least, until a group of homeless ponies forced me out.”

“You used to be homeless?”

Sunset continued scanning the area. “We seem to be alone. Perfect. He’s probably following us, so it’s just a matter of time before our presence lures him here.”

“How long were you on your own?”

“Why do you care? Besides, being homeless was a lot better than living with my mom.”

Twilight grew a frown. “I couldn’t imagine not having a home. Or not being on good terms with my parents. I know they’re disappointed in me right now, but it helps reminding myself that they still love me. Even if that love is harder right now, at least it’s still there.”

Sunset stopped and turned to Twilight, her eyes shaking with rage. “You really don’t know when to shut up, do you? Of course somepony like you couldn’t imagine being me, because you know in the bottom of your heart that you’ll never have to be me. All you’ve ever known is privilege, and if that wasn’t enough, there’s also that super special hidden power of yours. I’m willing to bet that Princess Celestia will take you in again one day, but she’ll never give me another chance. Because no matter how much somepony like me pretends otherwise, you’re special, and I’m not. And no matter what I do, I’ll never be able to change that.”

Sunset’s eyes cracked red with anger, matched by the fury causing her to stomp the floor as she stepped toward Twilight. “I’ll never be able to prove my mom wrong, because she’s right. I’m worthless.”

“Sunset, please, don’t talk about yourself like that. You’re not worthless--”

“No need to make me feel better.” The vitriol seeped out from Sunset with every word she spoke. “Because when we’re done with this, I’ll be in jail, or worse, back home with my mom. And you’ll be back in your fancy home with actual parents.”

Twilight hung her head as she struggled to think of what to say. Moments passed, but she was left without any response, because she realized that it didn’t matter what she said. Sunset was right.

The sound of faint hoofsteps came from upstairs, causing the creaking of wood to reverberate throughout the house.

“He’s here,” Sunset said. “Quick, follow me to the basement.” She led Twilight down into the cellar, where the howling of dogs reverberated throughout the floor. Sunset illuminated the basement using her horn. The room was small--only forty feet at most in width and length--but was packed with piles of boxes, machines Twilight couldn’t recognize, and a clutter of countless household items. But those weren’t what caught Twilight’s attention. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the pack of wild dogs living in the basement. The feral creatures were eying her, their mouths opened and sharp teeth revealed.

As Twilight froze from fear, Sunset ran to the dogs and began to pet them, causing them to play back. “They’re friends,” Sunset said, smiling from the dogs’ playfulness. “I’d come back here often when I was Princess Celestia’s student, so I grew up with them, in a way.”

Despite her trembling, Twilight forced herself to approach the dogs and pet them. When she did, they licked her, causing her to giggle.

“Follow me,” Sunset said, leading Twilight into the pile of trash. She entered inside a metal machine which resembled an old boiler, and Twilight followed. From inside, they could peek through the small cracks in the metal to see the remainder of the basement. “Here’s the plan,” she whispered. “When he comes down, we’re going to attack him with everything we can. Use your magic to throw whatever you can pick up, but do not try to control him with your magic.”

“Why not?”

“He has a weird ability to know exactly where you are if you do that. But that doesn’t seem to work if you use your magic to control and throw other objects.”

“You sure do seem to know a lot of this assassin.”

“He was a friend I made while homeless.” Regret consumed Sunset, causing her confident demeanor to break down. “More than a friend, actually. We dated for a bit. But, like always, I messed it up.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t mess it up by becoming an assassin.”

Sunset let out a laugh. “Morality always was a mystery to me.”

The sound of hoofsteps making their way down the staircase caused the two fillies to freeze. Making sure to hide their bodies within the machine, they peeked through the nearest cracks in the metal to confirm that somepony was making their way down the steps, camouflaged within the shadows of the room. The dogs began to bark with viciousness, but that did nothing to stop the assassin’s descent. Twilight peered into the darkness to make out the killer as best as she could. She could see that he was no bigger than a colt and had neither a pair of wings nor a horn. His face was covered by a metal mask, matching the spiky metal armor protecting most of his body. His eyes glowed an ominous lime-green light, illuminating the room with a sinister acidic hue.

As the dogs barked louder, and the assassin touched down on the basement floor, Twilight couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d seen the mask in a history book before. However, as she continued to ponder, she noticed something far more unnerving. Now that he was closer and thus more visible, she could see that he was floating.

“S-Sunset,” Twilight whispered, trembling. “You do know how to beat him, right?”

“Nope.” Sunset smiled with confidence. She began powering up her horn, but only so much that she emitted no more than a faint glow.

The dogs charged at the assassin and then leaped forward to attack him. But right when they should have made contact with him, he vanished and reappeared inches to his left, causing the dogs to fall to the floor. Twilight’s heart sank as she tried to comprehend what he’d done. Had he teleported? No, he couldn’t have, since he didn’t have a horn. The dogs charged at him again, but he kept on disappearing and then reappearing slightly to the side every time. It was as if the dogs were merely chasing a shadow of the assassin.

As Twilight’s face turned pale, Sunset’s grin grew and she used her magic to pick up various metal items from the piles of trash. As the assassin was busy evading the dogs, she launched the items at him in a hailstorm of metal. “Twilight, follow my lead,” she whispered.

The assassin evaded the onslaught of metal, but it was only a few seconds until one of the items--a rusty wrench--struck his head. The impact caused him to let out a loud growl and collapsed him to the ground, where the dogs descended upon him. As the canines used their teeth to gnaw into his armor, Sunset kept launching more metal at him. Twilight used her magic to pick up several items--the heaviest she could grab on to--and launched them at the assassin.

“Careful. Don’t hit the dogs,” Sunset whispered. “Aim for his head.”

The assassin let out another growl, this time clear enough for Twilight to confirm that he was around her age or only a few years older. Scared from the thought of somepony this young being this formidable, she used every bit of magical strength she had to hurl cold metal at his head. The sound of the trash impacting the assassin’s mask reverberated throughout the basement, mixing with the noise of the dogs’ endless attack. Twilight began to gain hope that she would survive the night, but as quickly as it came, the assassin disappeared and then reappeared only a few feet from the boiler she was hiding in.

Her heart pounding, Twilight froze, leaving Sunset as the only one continuing the attack. The dogs chased after the assassin again, but midway to his position, they exploded into a mass of blood and guts. Silence took over the room, leaving the sound of Twilight’s racing heart as the only noise left.

Sunset froze as well, but after seeing how scared her teammate was, she grabbed her hoof to caress her. The two fillies glanced at one another, and Sunset gave a single nod, after which she powered up her horn once again. This caused a dull magical glow, one that caught the assassin’s attention. In a split-second, he reappeared inches from the boiler, so close that Twilight lost herself in the acidic glow shining from his eyes. She was hypnotized by a mixture of fear and fascination.

“Now! Run!” Sunset yelled. Holding on to Twilight, she sprinted out of the boiler, in the opposite direction of the assassin. The assassin turned to them as they dashed toward the entrance to a narrow tunnel at the end of the room. He disappeared, the same time the boiler exploded, turning half of the basement into a raging inferno. The assassin reappeared in mid-air, being launched at a wall from the explosion. The spreading fires consumed him, and he disappeared within the flames. “Quickly, jump inside.”

Sunset let Twilight jump into the tunnel first, and she followed. The tunnel was so small that they had to force their way through like a worm burrowing through compact dirt. “Keep going,” Sunset said. “He’ll be back. He can’t follow us here, though.”

Twilight used her magic to propel herself forward faster, but it was still only at a crawl’s pace. “How is he doing this?”

“I’ll explain outside.”

Twilight continued for what was only about one minute, but felt like several, until she exited into one of the neighborhood’s many parks. More packs of wild dogs lived here and began eyeing her. Several groups of homeless ponies also lived here in tent cities or around fires set on piles of trash. When Sunset exited the tunnel, she powered her horn, but Twilight couldn’t figure out what she was using her magic on.

“Keep running. Into the park,” Sunset said, leading the way.

As Twilight followed into the park, she glanced back at the house, where she could see the assassin entering the backyard. His mask and armor were blackened by the flames which were consuming the house, but his gaze was unwavering and directed straight at her.

“Don’t worry, I’ve prepared,” Sunset said with a smirk, still running forward.

Before the assassin could disappear, a log tied to one of the yard’s trees accelerated toward him, swinging like a pendulum. The assassin disappeared just in time and dodged the attack, but when he reappeared, the ground erupted in an explosion of fireworks. The sound of this echoed throughout the night sky for blocks, and the light caught the attention of the entire neighborhood.

“Keep running. They’re distracted.” Sunset led the way, speeding into a full-out sprint. She continued for a half-mile until they entered a landfill. There, the two fillies caught their breath.

“Start explaining. Now,” Twilight said, shooting Sunset a scowl.

“What part do you want first? The part where I dated him? Or when we broke up?” Sunset let out a laugh.

“All of it. I don’t care where you start.”

Done catching her breath, Sunset began scanning the landfill. It was empty, other than for a few stray cats. “Alright, then. He’s a pegasus.”

“In what world?”

Sunset laughed again. “Look at you, you can be funny. And here I thought you couldn’t. He flaps his wings so fast that you can’t see them. Not the best for long-duration flight, but it lets him fly so fast in bursts that it looks like he’s teleporting.”

Twilight paused, trying to make sense of what she’d seen of the assassin with this new information. “But how did he kill those dogs--”

“Tell me, what do you think would happen if a pony flew that fast right through you?”

Twilight’s heart sank.

“That’s enough for now. We have to set up a defense. Luckily, I’m pretty familiar with this landfill.” Sunset began walking deeper into the landfill, and Twilight followed. “I lived here after I was kicked out of that house. I actually met him here.” She grew a smile as the memories of her days here came flooding back to her.

Twilight glanced around the area. The thought of living in such a disgusting place caused her to frown. “How can you smile like that? I know I can never relate to what you went through, but it’s nothing to smile about. Nopony should have to live in a place like this.”

Sunset gave Twilight a glare. “Says you. Coming back here reminds me of how far I’ve come, and there’s nothing sweeter than that. Or, at least it did… before Princess Celestia expelled me. No more questions. Not like they’ll change anything.” She continued walking until she reached a group of trash piles that looked no different than the others, to Twilight, at least.

“We’re going to crush him,” Sunset said, eyeing the mountainous piles with a grin. “All we have to do is get him to stand in this general area, and we can collapse all this trash right on top of him. His armor is tough, but everything has a limit.” She turned to Twilight. “I’ll be the bait.”

“No! We have a higher likelihood of success taking him on together.” Twilight’s worry continued until she remembered that this situation was Sunset’s in the first place. Nopony in their right mind would be worrying about Sunset after everything she’d done. “Never mind, we’ll go with your idea. What do you need me to do?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow from Twilight’s sudden change in behavior. “You just hide and be ready to push the pile to your left when he’s here. It’ll create a domino effect, crushing him beneath all of these piles. I don’t have any booby traps like I did in the house, but this should be enough.”

“And if it’s not?”

Sunset took a deep breath, growing a frown. “Then I kill him. I’m going to jail anyway, aren’t I? You sure you’ll have the magic to push this pile?”

As Twilight nodded, her heart sank from how casually Sunset had said the word--kill.

She began to hear hoofsteps approaching from the direction of the park, and so she sprinted behind the nearest trash pile, prepared to strike. Sunset walked toward the park, ready to greet the assassin with a brave face. Twilight peered past the edge of the pile to see that the assassin was only a block or two away from them, but was walking at a snail’s pace. Twilight began to wonder why he wasn’t flying toward them at lightning speed, but then remembered that Sunset had said that he could use his super speed for short bursts. Peering through the darkness, she could see his wings. They were folded on the side of his body. She didn’t recall seeing them folded like this in the basement. From this piece of information, she guessed that he had to first begin using his wings--flapping them so fast that they appeared invisible--before he could use his super speed. She wondered if he needed time before he could reach this state. Perhaps there was a lag time she could exploit for an attack?

Sunset created a magical force field around herself as she met the assassin. They both stopped, standing only a few feet from one another. Despite Sunset’s confident facade, Twilight could sense that her magic wouldn’t last long maintaining this shield. Perhaps a few minutes at most? And that didn’t account for damage from the assassin’s attacks.

“Been a while,” Sunset said to the assassin, looking fierce.

The assassin stood still, his ominous lime-green gaze illuminating the suppressed fear engraved on Sunset’s face. Sunset began walking backward, her gaze focused on the assassin and any possible movement he could make. Twilight powered up her horn, ready to help if she needed to.

The assassin kept his gaze focused back on Sunset and adjusted his position so he was perfectly in line with her. When he was done, his wings disappeared, and his body did as well soon after.

He reappeared slamming into Sunset’s shield, launching her into a trash pile. The impact echoed throughout the landfill, scaring away the many nearby cats and rats. Sunset grit her teeth as she picked herself up from the garbage. Her shield was cracked in many places, and it was dimmer now than before the impact.

“I know that’s not the best you got. The breakup hurt more,” Sunset said as she began walking backward again. The fear in her face was obvious now. She knew she couldn’t take another hit.

As Twilight stayed ready, she couldn’t help but think about how the assassin had first adjusted his body to be perfectly in line with Sunset’s before attacking. As Sunset neared the spot where the trap could be sprung, the assassin adjusted his body to be in line with her again. Before he could disappear, Twilight used her magic to grab him. Despite his low bodyweight, controlling him was strenuous due to his rapidly flapping wings. Before he could break free, she quickly fired a magical beam at his mask, launching him backward into the nearest trash pile. When he struck the garbage, he let out a loud growl, and he began trying to stumble back to his hooves, only to fall back down each time.

“He needs to adjust his body before attacking. That’s when he can hurt him!” Twilight yelled.

Sunset grew a smirk. “See, this is why everypony needs a pony like you.”

The assassin flew to his hooves a moment later, after which he turned in Twilight’s direction. She remembered how Sunset had said that using magic on him directly would alert him to your location. Realizing that she had no choice but to defend herself now, Twilight created a shield of her own and prepared to fight.

The assassin caught sight of Twilight and shifted his body to be in line with her. But before he could disappear, Sunset shot a beam at his mask, shattering one of his eyes. He quickly oriented herself after the attack and shifted his body toward Sunset, only for Twilight to fire another beam at him, this time at what little of his neck was revealed between his mask and body armor. This caused him to let out a loud scream from pain, a moment of weakness Sunset exploited to ram into him with her shield.

This impact slammed the assassin to the ground, where shards of glass scratched what little of his hooves were revealed. Sunset jumped on top of him, trapping his hooves beneath her bodyweight. Twilight used her magic to control his body, buying Sunset time to charge a strong magical attack. “Good thinking,” Sunset said. She was smiling, not with her usual bravado or fake confidence, but with genuine camaraderie.

Twilight smiled like this as well. “I can only control him for a couple of more seconds.”

“That’s all I need. Looks like we don’t need Plan A after all.”

Sunset’s horn shined with a blinding magical glow as she charged her attack to its limit. With a smile, she prepared to unleash it, only for Twilight’s hold on the assassin to give out. He broke free from Sunset’s grip, throwing her to the ground. Before she could pick herself up, he used his super speed to slam into her, shattering her magical shield into bits.

The impact knocked Sunset unconscious, and the assassin turned his attention to Twilight. Twi’s heart sank, and to make matters worse, she was magically exhausted from holding him down. Nonetheless, she put on a brave face and readied for battle.

She went over her options in her head. She could dodge, but there was no way she could keep that up due to his burst ability. She could wait for Sunset to wake up, but there was no guarantee that would be anytime soon. Her only chance was to fire a magical attack, meaning she had to wait for him to adjust his body toward her.

She waited until he began adjusting his body, and then fired. Except this time, the assassin waited for the attack, blocked it using his armor, and then disappeared. When he reappeared, he was ramming into her shield, causing it to shatter. The impact launched her backward to the ground. Her shield began to break apart, and within seconds, she was defenseless. The assassin stood over her, eyeing her down like a predator ready to devour his prey.

“What a waste,” he said. “You were actually cute.”

Twilight shut her eyes, ready for the worst. What she heard next was the assassin’s scream. When she reopened her eyes, she saw that the assassin was lying on the ground, reeling in pain. Sunset was awake, and her horn was giving off smoke, as if she’d just fired a powerful magical attack. “Plan A. Now!” Sunset yelled, using her magic to pull the assassin toward her.

“But you’ll be crushed!”

“My life's already over. Just do it!”

Twilight began using every bit of magic she had left to hurl the pile of trash beside them to the ground. As the pile began to sway from the force of her pull, the assassin jumped to his hooves and let out a growl filled with murderous intent. With one forceful burst of magic, Twilight pulled the pile down. As the tons of garbage rained on Sunset and the assassin, the other piles of trash began tumbling down as well. Within a moment, a hailstorm of scrap metal and shards of glass began to rain down. Twilight used what little magic she had left to create a shield and sprinted away from the downpour.

A sea of trash consumed the area, swallowing Sunset and the assassin. Her heart racing, Twilight ran back to the trash and began searching for Sunset. “Sunset! Sunset!”

She began to pant from worry. “Sunset!”

Minutes passed, but Sunset never emerged. Consumed by grief, Twilight hung her head and slammed the ground. Despite her feelings of hatred for Sunset, she didn’t want this fate to befall her. Especially not now, after Twilight had caught a glimpse of what Sunset’s childhood was like.

As Twilight lost herself in sadness, some of the trash began to move, and Sunset emerged from beneath it, surrounded by a magical shield. Revujinated by glee, Twilight sprinted to Sunset and helped her get up to her hooves. The two hugged and let out a loud squee to celebrate their victory. Both of their shields disappeared as their magic ran out, but they didn’t worry, since the day had been won.

“You’re such a softie, getting scared like that,” Sunset said with a warm smile.

Twilight playfully punched her in the shoulder. “At least I’m not a softie who’s too scared to admit their true feelings.”

The trash began to rumble again. Before Sunset and Twilight could react to the noise, the assassin reappeared in front of them, slamming out of the trash and into Sunset. The impact struck her hooves, launching her to the trash-filled ground. She tried to get back up, but this only caused her to collapse back down and scream in agony.

The assassin turned toward Twilight. His mask was ripped in half from the downpour of trash, revealing his orange coat. His eyes were as blue as his mane, but they were filled with a scorn no colt this young deserved to feel.

Left with no magic, and her friend reeling in agony, Twilight accepted that there was no way out for her. She shut her eyes, awaiting the end.

But as she continued to hear Sunset’s screams, a spark was ignited inside of her. She had somepony worth protecting--a friend. Her first friend. Not a perfect friend, but still a pony who deserved another chance.

And this assassin--he may have been a hurt pony like Sunset--but he was still a bully that needed to be stopped. Twilight was no longer the scared, weak filly she used to be, and she was ready to prove that fact, in the proper way.

A surge of magic overcame her, causing her eyes to glow white. This magical surge illuminated the landfill and caused the assassin to step backward, trembling. When the surge was complete, Twilight stood tall and faced the assassin, overflowing with magic.

“Get away from my friend.”

BFFs

The magic of friendship consumed Twilight, invigorating her. With a slight frown, she glared at the assassin, causing him to stumble backward in fear. She didn’t want to hurt him. She didn’t want to hurt anypony. But for her friend, she was ready to do what needed to be done. “This is your last chance,” she said, sadness softening her voice. “Leave.”

The assassin shot her a glare of his own. He adjusted his body to line up with her, and positioned himself in a fighting stance, as if he was ready to ram into her with everything he had.

“Please. I know you’re hurt. You don’t have to keep doing this for money.”

“This is all I’m good for,” he said, vitriol filling his words. “Not everypony is destined to be Princess Celestia’s prized pupil.”

He disappeared, but Twilight used her magic to catch him midway as he sped toward her. Trapped in her magical grip, he struggled to break free, but was unable to. Shaking her head, she slammed him to the ground, causing his mask to crack. She picked him up, before slamming him down again. And again. And again.

She continued smashing him against the metal and glass beneath them until his mask and armor shattered and fell off. She picked him up one last time, but took a moment to gaze at his features. His body was covered in scars--no doubt battle wounds--and he was built quite muscularly for his age. She figured he would’ve made a great Royal Guard with his skills and build. And then there was his cutie mark--a blue shield adorned with a streak of lightning.

“You don’t have it in you,” the assassin said with a growl.

Twilight paused, contemplating what she had to do. Despite her gentle nature, she had no problem fighting to protect others. But could she kill? Even if it was the most rational and logical action to take?

She looked into his eyes, instantly seeing the years of pain in them. Despite his murderous nature, he was still worth saving. Everypony was worth saving.

She freed him from her magical grip. “You’re right. I don’t have it in me. But that doesn’t make me weak.”

The assassin shot her a smirk. “That really what you want your last words to be?”

Twilight’s heart sank, and before she could react, he disappeared and rammed into her. The impact launched her into a pile of scrap metal, and she let out a loud scream as the metal struck the back of her head and her spine. She would’ve been dead right then and there if it wasn’t for her heightened magical state, and even with it, it was too painful for her to return to her feet.

The assassin began to stumble away. As he fled the landfill, he gave Twilight one final grin. “You think this is over? That some empty speech will change things? I’ll kill your precious Princess Celestia in her sleep. Then we can start talking about being hurt.”

Twilight tried to grab hold of him magically, but her heightened state was beginning to slip away. She returned to her original, fatigued self, too weak to stop the assassin from disappearing into the darkness in the distance.

Twilight hung her head in defeat and turned to Sunset, who was glaring at her. When enough of the pain subsided, Twilight picked herself up and helped her friend up as well.

“No, you are weak,” Sunset said. “Just what I’d expect from such a pampered pony.”

Twilight erupted with anger. “That’s enough. It is not my fault that I was born with this power. I understand that you and your ex’s upbringing has altered your morals--”

“No, you don’t understand! How could somepony like you ever understand? Please, spare me your empty moral code. Talk to me after you’ve gone a week without food, a week without sleep, with nowhere to sleep, and with no hope for the future at all. Then, maybe then, I’ll respect your so-called morals.”

Twilight shot her a scowl. “What happened to you wasn’t fair, Sunset. And it wasn’t your fault. But that doesn’t mean you have to keep letting it hurt you.”

“Letting it hurt me? After this is all done, I have to go to jail! And if I don’t, then I’m back with my mom, which is even worse. Do you know what she did to me? What my entire damn town does to ponies like me?”

“No, I don’t. So, please, just tell me already.”

Sunset began to shake with anger from the memories. “Whenever I’d bring up anything about myself--my dreams, my goals, the type of pony I wanted to be--she’d make sure to mock all of it. She’d remind me every single day how I was garbage, and how I’d always be garbage, no matter how hard I tried. Because I wasn’t special like other ponies. Ponies like you. My entire town swallows up any hope ponies have until there’s none left. Everypony mocks you and insults you if you show any sort of ambition, all so you end up bitter and resentful like them. My mom used to be like me when she was young, until she failed and gave up. Just the thought of me succeeding drives my mom insane.”

Twilight’s scowl melted away into a frown. “I see.”

“I was ready to do anything to prove my mom wrong; murder was the least of it. And I was on track to do just that until you showed up. But now, it’s all just a dream. My mom was right, about everything.”

“But isn’t getting into Princess Celestia’s school enough to prove her wrong? She can never take that away from you.”

Sunset hung her head. “I cheated to get in. I redid the test later on my own once I was strong enough to prove to myself that I was capable of doing it. But the original time--the only one that counts--was a lie.”

Twilight hung her head as well and began to caress her friend, only for Sunset to push her hoof away. “It doesn’t help, Twilight, because a hug doesn’t change reality. I’ve always had to prove myself, and I failed. But you know what the worst part of all this is?”

Twilight shook her head.

“That you could’ve been the best friend I ever made. You’re everything I always needed in a friend, but of course, I messed that one up so bad.” Sunset let out a sigh. “In another lifetime, I guess.”

With a warm smile, Twilight began to caress her friend again. “It doesn’t have to be another lifetime.”

Sunset couldn’t help but grow a smile of her own, and the two of them hugged.

“I’ll never be able to understand what you went through,” Twilight said. “But your life isn’t over yet. Your past doesn’t have to be your future, and you’re the one who has taught me that lesson.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, my biggest fear was that I’d never be able to make a friend. But after meeting you, that fear is no more.”

Sunset’s cheeks tinted a rosy pink, and she turned away in an attempt to hide her blush. “Sorry that I had to be your first friend. I actually feel bad for you.” She let out a laugh.

“We’ll work on your friendship qualities later. First, let’s stop your ex. Given his injuries, he couldn’t have gotten far.”

“Not like we’re in any condition to get far either.”

Twilight tapped her chin as she began to think of a plan. And then, the perfect one struck her, causing her to smile.

……………………………………………….

An hour had passed since the battle in the landfill, and Twilight and Sunset were making their way through the dark tunnels beneath Canterlot Mountain. Twilight led the way, using her horn to illuminate the shadowy labyrinth.

“And you’re sure that these tunnels lead to the castle?” Sunset said, following close behind her friend.

“I am.” Twilight constantly scanned the tunnel, on the lookout for the creatures that had attacked her in the dungeons. “I’ve researched these tunnels extensively. These were once used to flee from invaders attacking the castle, but it seems nopony has used them in ages.”

Sunset rolled their eyes. “Gee, I wonder why. Who wouldn’t want to get eaten by flesh-eating creatures?” That was when she remembered how she trapped Twilight in the dungeons to get eaten by those creatures. She hung her head, drowning in regret.

Twilight playfully bumped into her friend and gave her a warm smile. “Hey, the past is just that between us. The past. Besides, I’m no less guilty. Do you know why I researched these tunnels in the first place?”

Sunset shook her head.

Twilight began to laugh nervously. “I sort of… wanted to… planned to trap you here forever.”

She waited for Sunset to lash out in anger, but to her surprise, her friend began to laugh. Twilight began to laugh as well.

Sunset playfully punched her friend in the shoulder. “Like you said, it’s in the past. No use living in it any longer, right?”

With a smile, Twilight nodded and continued walking forward. “Now then, this path should lead us right into the castle before your ex can sneak into it, assuming he doesn’t know another shortcut. Based on the maps I saw, this tunnel system should lead us a few floors below the throne room, meaning it’ll only be a five minute run at most to get to Princess Celestia.”

“Assuming the guards don’t catch us, that is.”

Twilight shot her a smirk. “After fighting your ex, I’m not too worried about them.” A momentary silence lasted until she spoke up again. “In the meantime, until we’re at the palace, I actually have a question to ask you.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Twilight began to blush. “You wouldn’t mind telling me why you two broke up, right?”

Sunset shot her a suspecting glare.

“What? I’m just curious why he’s so angry. That’s all.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “You’re such a typical dork, Twi. A guy finally calls you cute, and you start having a thing for him. If you must know, we dated for about a year, and he’s actually not a bad guy. The entire time we dated, he was saving up to free himself from some bad ponies he owed money to.”

“Gambling?”

“Slavery. His parents sold him off when he was born. His captors were going to kill him off because they thought they couldn’t use him for anything, and so he made a deal with them. He’d act as their assassin. Once he showed his worth, they told him that he could buy his freedom with enough bits, and so that’s been his goal ever since.”

“Must be a lot of money if he still hasn’t acquired it yet.”

Sunset began to laugh nervously. “I sorta stole it when he had enough, actually. I used it to pay for lessons to help get into Celestia’s school, and to pay for the entrance exam fee. That’s why we broke up.”

Twilight shot her friend a glare and shook her head at her.

“Yeah, I know… I really have been terrible, haven’t I? The worst part is that I can never take what I did back. Feeling sorry about what I did won’t reverse it.”

“I agree. I won’t.” Twilight began to tap her chin. “Only action will. And no, not killing him. There has to be a way where we can help him and save Princess Celestia at the same time.”

Sunset began to ponder as well. “I do have an idea. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Twilight nodded, and the two fillies fistbumped. “You know it!”

Life Goes On

The assassin was making his way through the Royal Palace, on route to kill Princess Celestia. Stumbling with each step from his injuries, he snuck through the halls, using the shadows for cover. Despite his injuries, he’d been able to take out what few guards were on duty tonight, though he didn't have much faith in his ability to fight for much longer. His battle with Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer had sapped most of his energy, and if it wasn’t for his roaring rage, he would’ve collapsed to the floor and fainted. The only thing keeping him going was his thirst for revenge. Vengeance on Sunset for stealing his money and fighting him. And vengeance on Twilight for being born so damn special. While ponies like him had to fight for their lives just to survive, others like her were born with everything handed to them. Celestia was no different. Born an alicorn, born to rule, while he was born as nothing. She deserved death. Twilight deserved death. And he would be the pony to give it.

When he reached Celestia’s bedroom, he slowly opened the door. It only let out a soft creak which was quickly drowned out by the sound of the princess’ snoring. With a grin, the assassin stepped toward Celestia and took out a knife. The blade was covered with globs of dried blood. He preferred it this way, because the stains dulled the blade and ensured that it would take him a longer time to cut through his victim’s throat. He knew Celestia would easily be able to overpower him once she woke up, which was why his plan was to stab the knife as forcefully as he could into her carotid artery. No matter what happened after that, at least her death would be guaranteed.

When he reached the princess, his grin crept from ear to ear. He lifted his blade, ready to strike. His gaze was focused on his target, and his mind on the two fillies he hoped would suffer. You’re next, Twilight.

He thrust the blade into Celestia’s throat. She awoke with a gasp and then a scream. The blood began to shoot out of her artery. Before she could attack, the assassin slammed his hoof into the butt of the knife, launching it through her throat and out the other side. With a shriek full of agony, mixed with the gurgling of blood, Celestia’s body went limp and she collapsed, dead.

The assassin was just about to shake with glee when Celestia’s body faded into nothing. He froze, the same time the room disappeared and was replaced by a black void. His heart sank as his mind raced to figure out what was happening. Was this a mind trick being played by Celstia? Was she going to kill him here? Or worse, leave him trapped in this alternate dimension forever?

His fear lasted until he heard a familiar voice coming from above. “You don’t have to keep doing this,” Twilight said.

The look of fear was wiped off the assassin’s face, replaced by a scowl. “You think this is a choice? What does somepony like you know about not having any choice?”

Sunset’s voice came next. “I know what it’s like, Flash. And I also know how this ends.”

The blackness began to transform into color. Within seconds, a vision of Flash’s future began to play in front of him. He saw himself as a fully grown up stallion, but he wasn’t the cool, handsome, free man he dreamed of becoming. Instead, he was rotting deep below the earth, in the dungeons beneath the Royal Palace. He was shriveled up from malnutrition, complimenting the empty look in his eyes.

The real Flash shuddered from the vision. “I-I escape, right?”

“You do,” Sunset said.

“Ha!” Flash let out a cocky laugh and grinned. “Knew it.”

“But it isn’t the victory you think it is,” Twilight said as the vision began to transform again. It changed to one of the sickly, older Flash stumbling his way through Canterlot at night. He stopped at a house that looked like any other in the city’s middle-class suburbs and knocked on the door. When the door opened, an elderly mare stood inside, one who froze from the sight of Flash.

“Son?” the mare said, her face turning pale.

With a growl, Flash took out a knife and thrust it into her neck. Too weak to put up a fight, the mare collapsed and began to bleed out. With a grin dripping with malice, Flash continued into the house. The vision didn’t show the sight of what happened next, only the sounds of screaming and gurgling blood.

“Good!” the real Flash yelled. “They deserve this. No, they deserve worse.”

“But it doesn’t heal the pain,” Sunset said.

“I don’t care! What, you think what I feel can be healed? That a song and a hug will magically make me forget what they did?”

The vision transformed again, this time to the sickish, older Flash fleeing from the police and Royal Guards. It showed him being forced to hide and live in fear from the law for weeks, then months, then years. Every night he would wake up multiple times covered in anxiety-induced sweat, and every day he would shake from unease. No matter which corner of Equestria he fled to, he knew it was only a matter of time before the law found him again. And if it wasn’t the law who found his location, it would be the criminals who still owned him.

The vision showed Flash’s body growing even more sickly over the years from anxiety. As he aged, the failures of his life gnawed at him more and more. He began to realize that he had wasted his life--his only life. While others had grown up to be happy, fulfilled, and have a family, he was nothing more than a ghost living in the shadows. He could never show himself in public out of fear and could never attempt even a single one of his dreams. He would die a failure, and he knew it. And that fact ate away at him until the bitterness and resentment was too much to bear.

One day, when he was elderly, he took out his rage by walking into the middle of a public square and attacking every pony in sight with his blade and then his burst ability. Knowing he was too weak to attack for long, he aimed at the children first, to rack up as high of a kill count as possible.

The vision ended here, leaving the real Flash frozen and trembling.

“What happens next? Tell me!” he screamed.

The vision reappeared, showing him back in the dungeon.

“I get captured again?” Flash let out a growl.

“No,” Twilight said. “You return to the dungeon voluntarily.” Flash was taken aback. “Living in fear becomes too much for you to bear, as does the pain of knowing you wasted your life. After the massacre you commit, you realize it’s best if you rot away. At least, this way, the only pony who gets hurt from your actions is yourself.”

Shaking with anger, Flash stomped his hoof on the floor. “Why am I not surprised? I bet you and Sunset end up with such happy lives, am I right? Because you’re both just so special and blessed.”

“Not if we stay on our current paths,” Sunset said. The vision began to show her future, one where she continued living with her mother. As the years passed, her mom and village’s negativity continued to rub off on her, turning her into a bitter and resentful pony who wanted nothing more than for others to fail and be as miserable as she was. The vision showed her staying in her hometown as she aged, even after her mother died from old age. When Sunset became middle-aged, it began to sink in for her that she had wasted her one shot at this crazy thing called life. This truth chipped away at her spirit at first, but eventually, it became a burden too heavy for anypony to bear. The vision ended with a still image of Sunset’s lifeless body hanging from the ceiling of her bedroom by a magical noose.

“If I continue to value myself only on whether I proved my mother wrong, then I’ll end up no better than you. Destiny can only go so far when you never learned to love yourself,” Sunset continued. “But it’s my choice whether I want this ending.”

The sight of Sunset’s corpse transformed into one of her as a happy mother playing with her children. Instead of living in her dreary hometown, she was living on the sunny hills of the Equestrian west coast. What took Flash’s breath away was Sunset’s smile. It was so bright and genuine, and made her look like a different pony compared to the one he’d dated. The sight of such a pure smile filled him with envious rage.

“We all have a choice,” Twilight said. The vision transformed into a still image of the night sky. “Yes, I was born powerful, and it’s not fair that you weren’t. But it’s still up to me what I do with that power. If I abandon friendship, then it’s only a matter of time before I use my power for disharmony. And when that happens, I leave Princess Celestia no choice but to banish me to the stars above. I become an old mare’s tale lost to time. Midnight Sparkle.”

The vision transformed into another still image, this time of an adult Twilight ruling as princess of Equestria. She was an alicorn, sitting beside five ponies who Flash couldn’t recognize. “It’s up to you,” Twilight continued. “You can continue on your current path, to where it leads you.”

The vision transformed one last time, showing Flash an older version of himself who made him cry with joy. He was living not in a house, but a home, and was surrounded by a loving wife and children. He was no longer alone and forced to kill. He was happy, at peace.

The vision was overwhelming for Flash. His scowl was replaced with a bright smile, and for the first time in his life, he felt optimistic. He was hopeful. His entire life, he’d believed that somepony as cursed by destiny as he was didn’t deserve to be happy, but now, he could see just how wrong he’d been. He deserved happiness, and now, he could finally see what it was like.

“I’ll pay for your freedom. That’s a promise,” Sunset said. “It’s the least I can do.”

“And I’ll help!” Twilight said, her voice squeaking from glee.

Feeling as if a heavy load had finally been lifted from him, Flash nodded, smiling with the optimistic radiance of a colt who had his whole life ahead of him.

The black void surrounding him faded away, revealing him to be standing within a dark, empty bathroom in the Royal Palace. Twilight and Sunset emerged from the shadows of the room, smiling.

“Not the ideal place I wanted to do this,” Twilight said with a laugh, wearing a certain red and dark red amulet.

Sunset laughed along. “Agreed. I’d really like to know what the Royal Guards have been eating recently.” She shifted her gaze to Flash, after which she gave him a warm smile. “You really do have a contagious smile. You know that, right?”

The comment caused Flash’s cheeks to blush. But as quickly as the happiness overcame him, it ended as dozens of Royal Guards ran into the bathroom and surrounded the three children.

Twilight and Flash began to shake with worry, but Sunset kept her composure. “Arrest me,” she said, offering her hooves to the guards. “I am the one Princess Celestia should throw in the dungeon.”

………………………………....

After restraining Sunset, the guards had brought all three children to the throne room, where Celestia was waiting for them, scowling. Being the respectable princess she was, she allowed the three to explain what they were doing sneaking through the palace, and why Flash had a knife on him. Sunset took the initiative and explained everything with full honesty. She explained how she’d hired Flash to kill Twilight, how she joined her former rival to stop him, and how they used the Alicorn Amulet to change his path in life.

When Sunset was done explaining, she hung her head, fully expecting to be thrown into the dungeons for the rest of her life. But despite her guilt, she smiled, because she hoped her honesty would save her two friends. To her shock, Celestia grew a smile and said, “I’m proud of your honesty, my former student.”

Everypony in the room, including the guards, was taken aback.

“It takes great courage and conviction to risk one’s own future and life to correct their mistakes,” Celestia continued. She shifted her gaze to Twilight. “And an even greater strength of character to take a chance on changing another pony for the better. I am proud of both of you.”

As relieved as Sunset wanted to be from Celestia’s reaction, she knew that she deserved to be punished. “How are you not mad? You should be ashamed, Princess. Lock me in the dungeons, please.”

Celestia stood up and walked to Sunset to calm her former student with a bright, motherly smile. “Sunset, I am upset, but I am more proud of how much you have changed. That, to me, is worth more than what any punishment could provide. However, this does not mean you are completely off the hook.”

Sunset began to shake with worry.

“For believing in this colt’s ability to transform his character, I will take back Twilight Sparkle as my student,” Celestia said, causing Twilight to jump with glee. She shifted her gaze to Flash, who hung his head from the guilt of his past actions. “As for you... Flash Sentry, is it? I will personally see to it that you receive foster parents, and that the criminals who claim to own you are brought to justice. In fact, your case may help us locate and free other ponies in your situation. However, you will be watched over very carefully, and any indication that you are returning to your old ways will be noted and dealt with.”

With a radiant smile, Flash nodded. “Understood, Princess.”

“What about me?” Sunset said. “What about my punishment?”

“Punishment may not be the correct word. You will not be permitted to return as my student... but, you will be allowed to visit Twilight Sparkle whenever you want.”

Shaking with joy, Sunset ran to her friend and gave her a tight hug. Twilight, however, began to scowl. “If Sunset is not allowed to return, then neither will I!” Twilight said. “You said it yourself, Princess. It takes great strength of character to take a chance on changing another pony for the better. I took a chance on Flash Sentry; that is why you are allowing me to return as your student. Doesn’t it make sense then that you give Sunset another chance?”

Twilight’s comment caused Celestia’s smile to grow. It was obvious that the princess was going to agree and take Sunset back as well. However, before such a thing could occur, Sunset said, “No, I don’t deserve it... at least, not yet.” Twilight was ready to respond, to yell at Sunset to come back and stop being so stubborn, but before she could do so, Sunset said, “I actually have a different idea for my future, at least, for the short term. I’m going to start my own school, except it’ll be for weak unicorns. If I could bring myself from nothing to this level, then surely I can help other unicorns too, right? I’m gonna build it in my hometown. Hopefully this school changes it for the better. And, of course, you’re free to visit any time! Teach too!”

Sunset turned to Celestia and bowed. “And obviously you’re invited too. Hopefully you approve of the idea.”

“Sunset, that is an amazing idea, and I will be sure to help in any way I can,” Celestia said.

It took Twilight a moment, but she nodded and gave her friend a fistbump. “Obviously I’ll visit.”

Sunset could barely contain her smile. “In a way, this school will be the best way to beat back my mom and town’s negativity. Even better than me becoming princess. I’m not going to let them poison me and my life any longer, and I can’t let the same happen to anypony else.”

Celestia could barely contain her smile as well. “I know you will succeed, Sunset. And I am sure Twilight will make sure of it as well. Oh, moments such as these remind me so much of my younger days with my sister.” Memories of her sister caused her to frown. When the guilt was too much to bear, she said, “Upon reflection, I have to apologize as well.”

Sunset and Twilight were taken aback.

“Sunset’s behavior was my fault as well,” Celestia said. “Sunset, I should have told you about the dinner with the griffins. The reason I chose not to was because of your… how do I put this…?”

Sunset cracked a laugh. “Rude behavior?”

“I was going to say unruly, but that works.” Celestia gave her a wink. “Despite popular belief, I am not perfect and make mistakes too, no different than how any other pony does. In fact, that was the reason I wanted you to have a classmate. I did not want you to be alone as I am right now, separated from my sister. I wanted you to have somepony your age to be friends with, so you both could eventually be given the role of princess and rule side-by-side, just as my sister and I did long ago.”

Sunset wanted to slap herself across the face for her stupidity.

“Though, perhaps, one day, you can return as my student,” Celestia said.

Sunset ran to Celestia and gave her a tight embrace. “And I can’t wait for that day to come.”

After a long hug, Sunset waved Princess Celestia and Twilight goodbye and left the room. Flash joined her, and they walked to a nearby balcony, where they could see the entire city ahead of them, thanks to the rising sun. Not only that, much of Equestria was in view from this high up Canterlot Mountain. It was a sight Sunset used to love seeing when she first became Celestia’s student. She used to imagine seeing this view as the next ruler of Equestria and finally being proud of herself enough to prove her mother wrong. She may not have been the next ruler of Equestria right now, but she was indeed proud of herself, and that mattered more to her than anything, even her mother’s approval.

“Feels weird,” Flash said, standing beside her. Head held high, he gazed at the view with a smile.

“What do you mean?”

“Feeling hopeful. Doesn’t it feel different?”

As Sunset thought back to her past--to all the years of hating herself for not being good enough, to all the years living for another’s approval--she couldn’t help but smile at how much she’d grown. “It does.” She turned to Flash and stared at the many scars and bruises over his face. What few years he’d been alive had not been kind to him, but he was still the pony Sunset had once called her significant other, as well as the pony she’d hurt. “You don’t have to forgive me, but I really am sorry. For everything.”

Flash wrapped his hoof around her body and pulled her in close for a hug. A warm feeling overcame her as she felt her body press against his, causing her to rest her head on his shoulder. “Forgiveness is overrated,” he said. “But I am glad you believed in me. I owe you everything. Both of you.”

As Sunset continued to rest on his shoulder, she noticed fragments of his shattered mask that were trapped in his mane. She remembered how scary his mask had looked during the battle, as well as how she’d never seen anything like it. “If you don’t mind me asking…”

“Since when do you ask for permission?” Flash let out a laugh.

Sunset couldn’t help but laugh along. “True. Your mask, where is it from?”

Flash let out another laugh, this time one a bit more sinister. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Sunset smirked. “Yeah, because this kingdom is so normal and lacks any surprises, right?”

“Tell me, have you ever heard of a pony called King Sombra?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

“Well, in that case, neither have I.” Flash gave her a wink.

Sunset playfully punched him, and the two shared a chuckle. They stayed on the balcony, gazing at their kingdom, for the next couple of hours, until a few guards came for Flash to send him to his new guardians.

Sunset Shimmer remained on the balcony until the sun set. When night came, she took one last look at her kingdom before turning around. She was at peace, ready to leave the palace and begin her new life.

She had come so far, and she couldn’t wait to go even further.