When all the tears had been shed and Sunset had been given a simple meal to settle her rowdy stomach, she began regaling her tale of the human world to Celestia. Ashamed as she was to recount the beginning of her story, Sunset told it anyway. She owned up to all her mistakes and shortcomings, though she couldn’t look Celestia in the eye as she did. Finally, she got past the Fall Formal and could talk about her journey of making friends and making up for her past.

She talked about Halloween, the Winter Ball, living with the Lulamoons, the Battle of the Bands, accepting her past at Prom, Shining and Cadence’s wedding. She slowed down when she approached current events.

Throughout her tale, Sunset couldn’t bring herself to tell Celestia the exact nature of her relationship with Twilight. She was just her ‘best friend.’ That didn’t lessen the difficulty of describing what had happened in Starlight’s lab, and the creature that had emerged from the rift in spacetime, without breaking down anew or getting into the emotional impact of it all.

She knew Celestia wouldn’t be the kind of pony to hold prejudices towards her regarding her sexuality. Equestria was far more progressive in that regard than the human world. Even still, Sunset wasn’t ready to tell her. Calling Twilight her best friend was painful enough. Describing Twilight as her girlfriend and then explaining that said girlfriend was now threatening the reality of an entire dimension felt more incriminating to Twilight and Sunset herself. Especially since her decisions had played a part in turning Twilight into what she was now.

Her girlfriend being the doppelgänger of her arch-nemesis and Celestia’s successful student was the icing on the awkward cake.

It was well past sundown when Sunset finished. Celestia had listened attentively, smiling, frowning, and gasping in all the right places, but never once interrupting Sunset.

Sunset’s throat hurt from the amount of talking she had done. She laid back in bed and accepted the refilled cup of water Celestia offered her.

“You have certainly lived quite a life in such a short time, my little sun,” Celestia said. “Let me start by saying, I am immensely proud of you.”

Sunset’s entire face turned red. Even after all these years, Celestia’s praise sent a warm feeling from her stomach to her ears. “Thank you, Princess.”

Celestia beamed at her. “My only regret is that I could not be there to see your beautiful transformation. But it warms my heart to see the path you walked led to such growth.” Her smile wavered. “Though, joyous as I am to see you, I have mixed feelings about how you came to be here again.”

Sunset lowered her eyes. “Yeah, me too. I… I’m worried about the human world. I’m worried about my friends.”

“I share your concern. But if this… you said she called herself Midnight, correct? If this Midnight can tear holes in reality and knows about our world, how long before her curiosity leads her here?”

Celestia looked out the window to the night sky. “Part of me is admittedly a little unnerved at the idea of a variant of Twilight Sparkle being corrupted by wild magic. I’m not sure how to break the news to our Twilight.”

Your Twilight, Sunset thought bitterly. My Twilight is back there.

Out loud, Sunset said, “I know the mirror is only meant to work once every thirty moons, but is there any way to override that?”

Celestia sighed. “I’m not sure. Starswirl the Bearded is the one who constructed that mirror. If we were to override his enchantments, we would have to find his notes on it. And besides, you are in no condition to go back there and fight.”

Sunset looked down at her arm in the sling. Her bone still ached but the pain was far less than before.

“You know pure healing magic is rare. I did the best I could with my powers, but your anatomy is foreign to me,” Celestia said somberly. “I settled for accelerating your body’s natural mending, but you still need time to rest.”

“How long?”

“A week. Maybe two—”

“Two weeks?” Sunset nearly jumped out of bed. “Princess, you don’t understand! Twilight—Midnight is going to remake that entire world! And that’s if Tirek doesn’t take her out first! I need to get back there ASAP!”

“Sunset, I understand your haste, but even if you could return this instant, it would be foolhardy at best,” Celestia said in a firm but not unkind tone. She rested a hoof on Sunset's chest and eased her back against her pillow. “Let me remind you about the time dilation between the two worlds. Two weeks here would only be a few days there.”

“That’s still a lot of time for everything to go wrong!”

Celestia shook her head. “I’m afraid that’s the best I can offer.”

Sunset sank deeper into her pillow, despair eating at her insides. She had already spent a whole day traveling and another day sleeping. She didn’t know the exact math in her head. All she knew was, the longer she spent here doing nothing, the worse things would get for her friends.

No, you have to believe they can fight for themselves, at least for a while.

That may have been true, but how were they going to stop Midnight and her sphere of mass magic? How was Sunset going to stop her if she joined the fight in time?

First thing's first, get back to them.

Sunset took a deep breath, though it did nothing to untighten the knot in her stomach. “I can rest and do research at the same time. That way, the second I’m done recovering, I can go back to the human world.”

“I think doing anything while resting defeats the purpose of resting.” Celestia let out a soft chuckle. “But I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. I will merely urge you not to overwork yourself.”

“Me? Overwork myself? Never.”

Celestia quirked an amused eyebrow. “Need I remind you of your third-year finals?”

“Hey, when you’re taking six advanced courses, coffee makes you think you can do anything.”

Celestia leaned in and nuzzled Sunset’s cheek. “Get some rest, Sunset. Twilight should be here in the morning. The two of you and Moondancer can decide on your next course of action then.”

Sunset’s earnest smile stretched into an uncomfortable jaw clench. “Great. Can’t wait.”

******

Moondancer looked down at the thick crack running along her mask. She hadn’t noticed it until she had looked into the vanity her guest room provided. Picking it up, Moondancer could see how deep the crack ran. The poor thing was a tight grip away from snapping in half.

Lifting her face, Moondancer looked at herself in the mirror. She lifted a hand to the four scars running across the left side of her face.

If Sunset had shown her any mercy, it was that she had missed Moondancer’s eye. One of the scars ran just over the corner of her eyelid to the bridge of her nose, and the other three stretched from her ear down to her cheek. They had simmered from blistering red to just red now, and no longer constantly burned. They would still flare up occasionally, but it was far less frequent.

Moondancer stared at her reflection, cleaner after the shower she had taken. Her freshly washed hair was the only graceful thing left about her. The light in her eyes was dull and bags sat underneath them. There was a crack in her lips from one of Twilight’s blows. And of course, there were her scars.

Looking back down at her mask brought the temptation to put it back on despite its fragility. She could hide her ugliness, her schemes, her fears.

But who is there to hide from?

Moondancer forced a laugh. She was in a castle in a dimension full of magical talking ponies. Of which, Sunset hailed from. Sunset. The firebrand who once had an actual demon inside her.

Lowering her hands and gripping the corners of the vanity, Moondancer laughed again. Tracing the path her life had taken so far, even with all the wrong turns and pitfalls, she couldn’t understand how she had ended up in this situation.

“It’s okay. It’s just another detour. We just have to get back home, and then…”

And then what? What was going to be waiting when she finally made it back to her world? Would Twilight still be crazed with magic? Would Tirek have his body back? Would there even be a world to return to?

“Don’t think like that,” Moondancer whispered. “Don’t falter now. We’re almost there. We have to be.”

We’re a dimension away! This is the furthest we’ve ever been from our goal!

Moondancer spun away from the mirror. “Keep going. Get home. Kill Tirek.”

What about Twilight?

Moondancer gripped her chest. A piece of her wanted to grasp onto the delusion that that creature hadn’t been Twilight. But her heart of hearts knew it was true. And Sunset had confirmed it. Sunset would lie about many things; Twilight wasn’t one of them.

What did Moondancer do about Twilight? What could she do? She had tried standing up to her once and…

Moondancer winced at the beatdown she hazily remembered taking. With the Deus Ex Machina, perhaps she could fight back. But that was meant for Tirek, not her best friend.

Even if Twilight hated her, even if she had ignored Moondancer’s desperate pleas to stay out of this, Moondancer didn’t know if she could fight against Twilight. But if she was going to stand in the way of getting to Tirek…

Moondancer walked over to the bed, picked up a pillow, and screamed into it. None of this was fair! None of this made any sense! Heroines had to struggle, they had to suffer to become stronger and stand up to the darkness their story unleashed upon them. But this? All of this?

She dropped the pillow. Screaming wasn’t good enough. She needed to walk around, maybe escape her own head. She turned toward her vanity and looked at her mask. Should she still put it on?

Why? There’s no one to fool here.

No one here knew who she was. No one could judge her. And if they did judge her, why did it matter? She was set to return to her own world soon.

Moondancer looked at herself in the mirror one last time, gingerly running a finger across one of her scars. The only person she didn’t want seeing them was herself, and she just needed to avoid looking in the mirror to do that.

She walked across the room and pulled the door open. Posted outside was a single guard dressed in blue armor with a spear strapped to its back. This one was a pegasus. Like the other ponies Moondancer had encountered save for the princess, the guard only came up to her waist.

“Excuse me,” Moondancer said, her measured voice bouncing down the quiet corridor, “is it alright if I walk around for a little while?”

The guard nodded. “Certainly. The princess has permitted you to explore the castle. She only asks that you do not leave the grounds or enter any restricted areas,” she said.

Moondancer stepped out of her room and bowed. “Thank you.”

Night had settled in over this foreign world. Moondancer had slept half of the day and felt quite alert. The magic that permeated through the air didn’t hurt either. The only time Moondancer had felt constant power like this was when she had worn the Archon Amulet for far too long. It tingled like static just under her skin and felt like a warm hearth rather than the angry heat the corrupt magic had given her.

“You could have had real power. Now, you’re a failure, just like your mother!”

Moondancer froze in the deeper shadows of one of the colonnades. Twilight’s whispered words slithered back into Moondancer’s head. Cruel, pointed… possibly true. Twilight had known the perfect button to push to get Moondancer to act erratically.

She held her arms to keep the creeping cold away and continued walking.

Had her mother failed? Perhaps, from a certain perspective. Despite her sacrifice, Night Shade had worked with Tempest to restore Tirek. But the old warlock wasn’t truly resurrected, not yet. Apalla was no failure, and neither was Moondancer. Her reckoning was still to come.

But what if she had missed her chance by not siding with Twilight? Moondancer had felt the magic radiating off of her. She saw the impossible feats Twilight performed. What if Twilight could make a perfect world?

And what of all the people she is willing to sacrifice?

Moondancer drew a sobering breath and nodded. She had already been complicit in innocent people losing their souls. She would not further involve herself in the loss of life.

She came to a crossroads in the hall. Unlike yesterday night when she and Sunset skulked about at an ungodly hour, it was early enough in the evening that most of the braziers were still lit. It didn’t particularly help with navigation though, as the adjoining halls looked identical even in the light. Moondancer simply chose to keep moving straight.

She climbed a flight of stairs, walked down a corridor lined with beautiful tapestries depicting moons and constellations, then climbed another set of stairs. Despite the residents of this world being half her size, almost everything in the castle looked like it had been made with human-sized creatures in mind. The windows, the paintings, the doors, the stairs. Even the bed and shower back in Moondancer’s room fit her comfortably. Only the occasional suits of armor and the guards themselves reminded her that she was not on earth.

At the end of the next corridor, she found tall, double doors engraved with a crescent moon. There were no guards to obstruct her, so Moondancer pushed one open and stepped out onto a hanging bridge. The night air swept against her, leaving her arms covered in goosebumps.

The bridge connected the main castle to a tall tower. Moondancer didn’t realize how high she had climbed. From here, she could see the majority of the city, shimmering with enough light to illuminate the entire mountainside.

Moondancer walked to the midpoint of the bridge to get a better view. This version of Canterlot was far smaller than the bustling city and sprawling suburban neighborhoods Moondancer knew, but it was also far more organized. Most of the city had been arranged in a circular pattern on a massive disk that jutted off the mountain. Smaller disks had been added, no doubt to accommodate for city growth.

Pearly white houses with purple or gold roofs made up the majority of buildings around the city except for the center and the main road that led to the castle: taller buildings decorated with brass finishing and marble statues that spoke to their importance. To the west, on one of the additional disks, was what looked to be a marina. Only instead of sailing boats, Moondancer observed airships docking and unmooring. Long dirigibles and actual ships held aloft by large awnings and propelled by mechanical wings.

“This place is amazing,” Moondancer whispered. She had said it to Sunset, but the more Moondancer saw, the more she was thoroughly convinced she was actually in a child’s fairytale. Ponies and princesses and magic and castles and airships. Who would want to leave a place such as this?

The click of a lock drew Moondancer’s attention to the tower. The door at its base opened up and out stepped a tall pony with a coat the same blue as the night sky. She didn’t have hair for a mane, instead, a starry nebula flowed from her head and made up her tail. She wore black regalia and silver horseshoes, and like Princess Celestia, possessed a horn and wings.

As she drew near, Moondancer felt an aura of regality flow from her. The pony only came up to the base of Moondancer’s neck, not including her horn, yet she managed to somehow look down on Moondancer. It wasn’t condescending or intimidating. It was a look of authority that stated this pony knew she was in charge and compelled Moondancer to bow.

So, bow she did. She placed her arms at her side and bent as far forward as her back allowed. “Um, good evening, miss.”

The blue pony silently regarded her with bright teal eyes and an unreadable expression. “You must be the human Moondancer. My sister told me we had received visitors from that world.” Her voice was deep and regal.

Moondancer straightened up. “Your sister?”

“Celestia. You met her, yes?”

“Oh! Yes, briefly.” Princess Celestia had given her a cordial enough welcome but quickly left Moondancer in the care of the castle staff while she saw to Sunset. “Then, you’re a princess as well?”

“Indeed. I am Luna, Princess of the Night.” Luna dipped her head in greeting.

Moondancer hastily bowed again. “My apologies for my rudeness, Your Highness! It is very nice to meet you!”

Princess Luna let out a soft chuckle, and whatever tense aura she had presented melted. “Your cordiality is appreciated, but not necessary, young Moondancer. It is a pleasure to meet you. We have not met a human in well over a thousand years.”

Moondancer stumbled back as she straightened up again. “You’ve met a human before? A thousand years ago?”

“Quite. When Starswirl the Bearded experimented with gateways to other worlds, yours was one he opened. T’was a brief encounter, yet a memorable one. Yours was one of the few worlds we encountered with no magic. Though it sounds like that has changed recently.”

Twilight’s manic giggle played back in Moondancer’s ears. “Y-yes.”

One of Luna’s ears folded back. “My apologies if we have brought up a sore subject. We are not aware of all of the details.”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Moondancer said quickly, putting on a smile. “Or, it will be!”

Luna regarded her, her eyes quickly but carefully roving over Moondancer’s scars. “There’s no need to put on a brave face in front of us, child. We know hardships and tribulations well.”

Moondancer’s smile faded. “Sorry. I suppose it’s a reflex. It’s hard to… take off the mask.”

“A mask you say?” Luna took a step closer, examining Moondancer with a blend of sagely wisdom and childlike curiosity. “Hmm. Your eyes carry much sadness for one so young.”

Moondancer regarded her reflection from earlier and chuckled darkly. “I’ve known a lot of sadness for one so young.”

“Such burdens are easier to carry when one shares them with others.”

It was Moondancer’s turn to examine Luna. She was everything the wise queens from Moondancer’s fairy tales had been, condensed into a winged unicorn. Though Moondancer no longer felt the need to bow, she still felt an aura of authority from this princess. But within Luna’s eyes, she saw something other than authority and wisdom. There was a vulnerability, deep and venerable. Yet, tempered by joviality and warmth. It was like looking at the rings of an ancient tree.

Yes. This pony had known hardship and tribulation in her time. Still…

Moondancer turned away and looked out over the sparkling city. “I would never expect others to take upon my burdens for me. And even if I did, I do not have anyone I would trust to do so.”

Luna followed her gaze. “What about Sunset Shimmer?”

“Ha!” Moondancer couldn’t help herself. “She’s the last person who would want to help me, and the last I’d seek help from! More than strictly necessary anyway. Us getting here was a partnership of convenience, nothing more.”

She grabbed the bridge railings and squeezed until her knuckles were white. “I have only one true friend, and she’s… missing.”

Luna stood by Moondancer’s side, unresponsive for a time. She tilted her head toward the girl and said in a soft voice, “Friendships can grow in the most unlikely of places. Perhaps your partnership can blossom into something more if you allow it.”

Moondancer clicked her tongue.

To her surprise, Luna gave a mirthful chuckle. “Of course, we are no princess of friendship. That title belongs to another. We have little moral high ground to lecture you on such matters.”

She turned her head to the sky again and let out a small hum. “We have somewhere to be. But if time allows, we would like to speak with you again, if you are willing.”

An unexpected butterfly fluttered through Moondancer’s stomach. A princess wished to spend more time with her? “Truly?”

She turned her head, but Luna had already crossed by her and was on her way toward the castle proper.

“Indeed. But for now, I must meet my own friend for our weekly astronomy nights.” Luna paused and looked over her shoulder, a mischievous look in her eye. “I would invite you to come along, but I don’t think you’re ready to meet yourself just yet.”

Moondancer gaped at Luna’s retreating form. She lifted a hand, but Luna had crossed the threshold and vanished into the dimness of the castle. What on earth had she meant by that?

She shook her head of Princess Luna’s cryptic thoughts, making way for her ridiculous ones. Make friends with Sunset Shimmer? Her hatred for the girl had greatly diminished, but it would be a cold day in hell when she tried to actually make friends.

******

Sunset couldn't help but smile as the guard pushed open the door to the throne room for her. So many nights, she had glimpsed it from the other side of the mirror. Now, at long last, she stood once again before the golden dais.

She and Moondancer crossed under the arched ceilings, walking up the crimson carpet to the base of the throne. Fountains flowed on either side, watering small potteries of ever-blooming flowers. Princess Celestia sat on a velvet pillow, backed by a golden chair. She smiled as the two girls approached.

“Good morning, ladies.” Her smile lingered on Sunset for an extra second.

Sunset did her best to bow with her arm in a sling. “Good morning, Princess.” Save for her leather vest, Sunset was dressed in the clothes she had come here in. They were washed and most of the holes had been stitched, but it felt odd to be wearing yesterday’s outfit, especially knowing that this would be her only clothes until the tailors could learn how to fit a human.

Moondancer bowed as well. “I never got a chance to thank you for the room you gave me, Your Highness.”

Celestia shook her head. “Think nothing of it. Any friend of Sunset’s is welcome here.”

Sunset and Moondancer side-eyed each other and both let out stilted laughs. Sunset hadn’t commented on it when she had first regrouped with Moondancer outside her room, but it was the first time Sunset had seen her without her mask on. Looking at the angry red scars running across her face, Sunset wasn’t sure how to feel.

On one hand, after everything she and Moondancer had gone through, Sunset felt a little guilty about having permanently wounded Moondancer’s face. On the other hand, Moondancer had helped steal her soul and tried to hurt her friends, and Sunset would never take that lying down.

Sunset cleared her throat. “So, when is Princess Twilight supposed to arrive?” She made sure to keep the impatience out of her voice.

“She should be along shortly. I did not disclose the entire situation, but she understands the urgency you both have.”

Moondancer lifted her hands and began gesticulating like she was setting things into categories. “So, we have a Twilight at home. And there’s a Princess Twilight here. And there was Lamia who was you—” She pointed to Sunset. “—but the human version. And we had a Principal Celestia at school. Is… is there a pony version of everyone from my world here?”

“Theoretically,” Sunset said. “At least, around Canterlot. Your Canterlot. I don’t think the human world is an exact copy of Equestria and the lands beyond it.”

Moondancer looked around the room with renewed awe. “That means there’s a pony version of myself here?” She gasped and held a hand over her mouth like she had just discovered something else.

“Yes,” Celestia said with a nod. “But let us try to keep the mirror interactions to a minimum. We don’t know what prolonged exposure to our other selves will do.”

Sunset thought about her experiences with Shimmer. Other than not being able to touch one another without seeing the other's past, nothing terrible had ever come about. Still, two Moondancers were the last thing she needed in her life.

A knock sounded at the throne door, and Sunset turned as it was pushed open, a painful knot tightening in her stomach.

Princess Twilight Sparkle trotted in. She looked exactly how Sunset remembered her, coat obnoxiously purple, hair cut terribly, wings nervously strapped to her sides. Something rolled in on wheels behind her, a large blanket covering it. Judging by the ovular shape, Sunset could guess what it was.

The purple alicorn stopped a yard short of Moondancer and Sunset. She spared Moondancer a smile and a sheepish wave before focusing her attention on Sunset.

Sunset tightened her good hand into a fist. The urge to punt the princess back across the room was unbearably strong. Here she was again; the mare who had taken everything from her. Yes, Sunset had shot herself in the foot by being a spoiled brat. Yes, it had been Sunset’s own fault she had run away. And yes, Sunset had chosen to steal the Element of Magic and abscond with it.

But here was the girl who Celestia had chosen to replace her. The annoying purple brat that spouted friendship and shot rainbows and left her alone in a magicless world after ruining her plan. Yes, it was an ill-conceived plan, but that wasn’t the point!

Sunset took a deep breath through her nose. Celestia she would grovel and kneel before, but it would be a cold day in Tartarus before she asked for Princess Twilight’s forgiveness. But, for the sake of keeping cordial in front of Princess Celestia, Sunset unballed her fist and exhaled.

“Princess,” she said curtly.

“Um, hi, Sunset Shimmer.” Princess Twilight pawed the carpet. “How are you doing?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and twiddled the fingers in her cast.

“Right.” Twilight looked away and rustled her wings. “I’m sorry you got hurt. Princess Celestia said it was… the other me that did it?”

Sunset tightened her jaw and looked away. “Something like that.”

Silence.

Moondancer cleared her throat and made a stiff half-bow. “Um, hello… Princess Twilight. My name is Moondancer.”

Princess Twilight turned her attention to Moondancer. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you. I actually have a friend named Moondancer. You look… rather different from her.”

“Oh, um, thank you?”

More silence.

Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, let’s just get to the point. I know the mirror portal only works once every thirty moons—”

“It what?” Moondancer asked, eyes wide.

“—but we need to find a way to bypass that. Our world—I mean, the human world—is in critical danger. And Equestria might be next.”

Princess Twilight nodded. “I understand the urgency, and I would be more than happy to help, but…” She bit her lips and pawed the ground again.

Sunset clenched her jaw. “But what?”

“Umm…” Twilight ignited her magic, her horn lighting up in a magenta aura. The curtain lifted off the mirror, revealing the silver frame encrusted with purple gems and placed atop a crystal dais. But when Sunset caught sight of the reflective glass, she let out a short scream before covering her mouth.

A crack ran down the center of the mirror. It couldn’t have been longer than Sunset’s index finger, but it might as well been a death knell. Sunset ran along to the back, but the crack cleared through to the other side.

“Oh dear,” Celestia whispered, drawing a hoof to her mouth.

Sunset dropped to her knees. Bypassing an enchantment was one thing. How did they cross through if the mirror itself was broken?

Moondancer looked from the crack to Twilight’s horn. “But, surely you can fix it, right? I’ve seen my mother cast repair spells before.”

Celestia shook her head. “If only it were that simple. For an object like this that reaches across worlds, if there’s a crack on one side, it means there must be similar damage on the other.”

“Similar damage…” Moondancer clapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh no… Twilight.”

Princess Twilight cocked her head. “Yes?”

Moondancer jumped. “Oh sorry, not you! My Twilight! She… she used a device to drain some of the magic from the portal on our end! She must have damaged it!”

A molten anger flooded Sunset that threatened to spill out through her phoenix form before cold despair smothered it. She wanted to be furious. She ought to be. But the pain and sadness over seeing what Twilight had become overrode her fury and betrayal. She needed to stop Twilight and save her friends. But how did they do that now?

“The other me had a device that could drain magic?” Princess Twilight asked in disbelief.

Sunset reached into her pocket and tossed the amulet out onto the floor at Princess Twilight’s hooves. “It’s how we managed to get here after we got tossed into a pocket dimension.”

Princess Twilight lifted it in her magic and turned it about, giving it a discerning eye. “Given that this magic was siphoned from the other world’s portal, I’d wager that any portals we could open with it would lead back to this world.”

“Brilliant deduction, detective,” Sunset snapped. “So unless you can magically reverse engineer it, we’re stuck here!”

“Sunset,” Celestia said in a gentle, warning tone. The same Sunset had received on so many occasions as she flaunted her power and superiority.

Sunset snapped her mouth shut and bowed her head. “Sorry, Princess.”

Princess Twilight sighed. “I understand this is frustrating. I’m worried about the human world, too. But, there has to be another way there, right?”

Celestia stood and started to softly pace in front of her throne. “Unfortunately, that mirror is the only connection I know of that links our two worlds. However, it doesn’t mean we can’t make a new one.”

Sunset climbed to her feet. “You know how to make a new portal?”

“Not I, no,” Celestia said. “I was quite young when Starswirl began his portal experiments. But, as I told you yesterday, if we can find his notes, we might be able to make a new one, perhaps without the moon limitation.”

Princess Twilight’s wings flared up. “We get to build a portal to another dimension? Using Starswirl the Bearded’s notes! Oh my gosh, this is so exciting!”

Sunset snapped her fingers. “Hey, this isn’t a science fair, Princess! We’re not here to have fun!”

Snapping her wings back to her sides, Princess Twilight cleared her throat. “Y-yes, you’re right. We have people counting on us.” She took a deep breath. “So, Princess Celestia, where are Starswirl’s notes?”

Celestia let out a forlorn sigh. “I’m not one hundred percent sure. But, I believe they’re somewhere in the restricted section of the Royal Archives.”

“The restricted section of the Royal Archives!” Princess Twilight yelled, jumping and hovering in the air this time. “We get to go into the restricted section?”

Sunset pressed a finger against the space between her eyes. “Irony as she’s cast.” She got to go back to the scene of her greatest crime.

A wing draped over her shoulder, and she lifted her head to look into Celestia’s eyes. “I trust you will find what you’re looking for in there.”

It was amazing what a smile from Celestia could do. Sunset’s anxiety, deep as it was, melted, and her irritation with Princess Twilight was pushed to the back of her mind.

“Thank you, Princess.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Princess Twilight said, clapping her hooves to her cheeks. “We have a restricted section to search!”

Still, Celestia’s smile could only go so far. Sunset cast a withering glare to Princess Twilight that proved strong enough to send her back to the ground. She smiled sheepishly.

“Eheh… right, sorry.”

******

Once upon a time, Sunset had walked into the royal archives with the sole intention of finding out what the mirror did and why she had seen herself as an alicorn in it. She had put the attending archivist to sleep, snuck into the back, undid the protective ward around the door to the restricted section, and let herself in.

It had been almost too easy.

She had gotten cocky. She had gotten so engrossed in the secret knowledge stored within the withering stone walls that she stopped keeping track of time. She hadn’t just found out that the mirror was also a gate to another world, but that Celestia had the power to ascend ponies to alicornhood. Sunset didn’t have to just be the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, she could have been the next Princess of the Sun!

That was when Celestia had arrived…

Now, three and a half years later, earth time, Sunset stood once again before the olden oak doors inscribed with runes of preservation on them. Only this time, she wasn’t alone. Celestia stood next to her, trust renewed.

Princess Twilight and Moondancer were there too.

Lighting her horn in a beautiful golden sheen, the doors to the restricted section creaked open, a musty air rushing out from the sealed chamber on the other side. Before it was even fully open, Princess Twilight bolted in, with a loud squee.

Moondancer let out a small titter. “She um… reminds me of my Twilight.”

“Our Twilight,” Sunset corrected sharply. “And no, I don’t see the resemblance.”

Moondancer pierced her with a questioning gaze, but Sunset shook it off. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped into the restricted section.

It was a singular stone chamber curved roughly into a circle. Books were stored in alcoves dug into the walls rather than placed on any shelf. And there were more scrolls than books. A single table sat in the center of the room. Ancient tapestries hung from the wall, some looking like they dated back to pre-Equestrian times.

Princess Twilight zipped about the room, gasping and squeeing like it was Hearth’s Warming Day. “I can’t believe it! There’s a first-edition copy of Meadowsong’s Botched Botany! And Canterlot Cantibles Volume 36! That’s when it gets good!”

Sunset let out a few choice grumbles under her breath. Loudly, she said, “You can geek out all you want later! We need to find Starswirl’s notes!”

Hugging a bundle of scrolls, Twilight cleared her throat and placed them back in the alcove. “I’m sorry. I just love learning new things. And we’re in the restricted section! Nopony ever gets to go in here!”

Sunset felt an odd mix of pride and guilt well up in her. Most ponies never came in here. She wasn’t most ponies. The urge to brag about the material she had already read (illicit or otherwise) was strong, but with Princess Celestia beside her, it would be in poor taste.

Celestia clopped a hoof against the stone to get everyone’s attention. “I will leave the three of you to get started on the search. I still have royal duties to adhere to. If you need anything though, don’t hesitate to find me.”

She nuzzled Sunset on the cheek, then gave her one more look that Sunset knew all too well. ‘Play nice,’ it said. Sunset made no promises.

The door closed behind Celestia as she made her exit, leaving the two girls and princess alone in the archive. Twilight was still making quiet ‘oohh's’ and ‘aahh’s’ as she pulled scrolls and books free. Moondancer looked around uncertainly before drifting toward the east wall.

Sunset let out a longstanding sigh. “Great, I get to work with two of the people I hate the most,” she said under her breath. Unlike the other two, she at least had an idea of where to start. She walked over to a familiar alcove and pulled out the book that had set her path years ago.

It had told her about the secrets of the mirror. Perhaps it had a few more secrets to tell.

She took a seat at the table, pushing back the intrusive memories and feelings of the last time she had held this book. Princess Celestia had forgiven her. Which meant she could forgive herself. She wasn’t doing this for power, she was doing this so she could get back to her friends.

“Oh, did you find something already?” Princess Twilight fluttered next to her, a scroll in hoof.

Sunset turned the book open, trying to not look at the purple alicorn. Though hearing her familiar voice without seeing the face attached to it might have made things worse. “I’m starting with the guide to the mirror I found years ago.”

“That makes sense. I found a scroll that might be promising.”

“Good for you. Then instead of chitchatting, why don’t you get to reading? You do love learning, right?”

“Umm, right.”

Sunset heard her take a seat and unfurl the scroll. Moondancer continued to rustle through the archives. For several blissful minutes, the room was quiet.

“So, umm… Sunset Shimmer,” Princess Twilight said.

Sunset lifted her head, eye twitching.

“Princess Celestia relayed a pretty condensed summary of what happened. It might be helpful to know a bit more.”

Sunset glared at the princess, gaining a satisfying flinch from her. “Fine. What exactly do you want to know?”

Princess Twilight fidgeted in her seat. “Well, honestly, I would like to know everything that happened since I left. But, maybe just the events that led up to you and Moondancer being trapped in limbo. And… maybe how bad the other me is now.”

“She isn’t bad!” both Sunset and Moondancer snapped. They looked at each other and blinked in surprise.

“Okay,” Twilight said slowly, leaning back. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to believe the other me is bad either. I guess I just want to know what happened.”

Sunset didn’t want to talk about it. It had been painful enough when she spoke to Celestia. But, she knew she would rather explain events than have Moondancer do it.

“My—our Twilight Sparkle was—is a good person. After you and I had our little incident at the Fall Formal, magic started popping up in the human world. And because my friends inherited Equestrian magic from you, we all started gaining magical powers. All of us except Twilight.”

Sunset interlocked her fingers and gripped them tight. “I tried to tell her that it didn’t mean she was useless or less than us. She had helped us so many times before. She could use a sword, she had gadgets to back her up. She was…” Sunset’s mouth went dry.

She pressed on. “Anyway, there’s a group of insane people who want to revive a warlock from ancient times named Tirek.”

“What? There’s a Tirek in that world?” Princess Twilight screeched.

Moondancer whipped around. “You mean there’s a Tirek in this world?”

“Yes! A few years ago, he broke loose from Tartarus and tried to steal all the magic in Equestria until me and my friends stopped him!”

If Moondancer’s face could get any paler, it would have. She let out something between a laugh and a sob and sank to her knees. “Even a dimension away, he haunts me,” she whispered.

Twilight got up from her seat and trotted over to her. “Are you okay?”

“I…” Moondancer wiped her eyes. “I’ve spent more than half my life under his thumb. Even though I’m not supposed to be here, I thought for a little while, I was truly away from him. Only to hear that you have a version of him too.”

“Yeah, remember when I said there was a group trying to revive him?” Sunset interrupted. “She’s one of them! I don’t know why she’s getting all teary-eyed!”

“So I can do what my ancestors couldn’t and kill him properly!” Moondancer yelled.

Sunset jumped to her feet. “That’s where Twilight got that from! She got this idea that we couldn’t use the Rainbow of Light on him and needed to help you lot bring Tirek back to life!”

“I told her I didn’t want her involved! She threw herself into this anyway! I told her the truth because I was tired of lying to her! Starlight’s the one who convinced her to work on the Arcane Access project! I protested from the start, I knew it was a bad idea!”

Princess Twilight looked rapidly back and forth between the two screaming girls. “Wait, Starlight?”

“Yeah, Starlight Glimmer!” Sunset said heatedly. “A stupid scientist who wanted to bring magic back to the human world. Her stupid machine opened a hole to a pocket dimension where all the world’s magic had been sealed. Twilight got sucked in, absorbed all the magic, and came out with a new idea to remake the whole world to be ‘perfect’.”

“I see,” Twilight said, dumbfounded. “That’s… really different from the Starlight I know.”

Sunset and Moondancer stopped glaring at each other and fixed their gaze on the princess. “There’s a Starlight here too?” they both yelled.

Princess Twilight flinched. “Um, yes? She’s my personal student.”

“Oh, of course she is!” Sunset said, throwing her hands up. “Any other people who have ruined my life you wanna bring into the conversation now? Is Lyra waiting outside?” She dropped back into her seat and stared at the book. “Whatever. You know the important parts of the story now. I raised objections to Midnight’s plan, so she tossed me and her bestie over there into a void.”

“Midnight?”

“It’s what she calls herself now,” Sunset said bitterly. “Any more questions? Or can I finally get back to looking for a solution to our problem?”

Princess Twilight folded her ears. “Actually, I did want to know… you know, before all of that happened, how are our friends doing? I mean… they did make friends with you, right?”

Sunset glared down at the book again. “Yeah, my friends were doing great. They’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Princess Twilight let out a relieved sigh. “That’s great to hear! I knew my friends would—”

“Haha! Hold on there, Princess!” Sunset said, glaring at her again. “Your friends? You only knew them for two and half days.”

“Just because we only knew each other a short while doesn’t make us any less friends,” Princess Twilight said with a furrowed brow.

“Maybe not. But because I’ve known them for a year and have spent the highs and lows with them instead of ditching them and going home at the first chance I didn’t actually get, I would say that makes them more my friends.” Sunset was fully aware of the pettiness in her voice.

Princess Twilight scrunched her nose, looking angry for the first time. “I had to go home! The portal was going to close!”

“What happened to that whole speech about Equestria surviving without you and you choosing to help your ‘friends’ back there?”

“That was when you were threatening to take over the world with my crown!”

“So your friendship with them only matters when the world is at stake, hence why you’re helping now. Cool, got it.”

The princess flared her wings. “What is your problem with me?”

“I have a long list of problems with you!” Sunset shouted, standing up from her seat. “Let’s start with you replacing me as Princess Celestia’s student!”

“You betrayed her and ran away—”

“You got to be an alicorn!”

“I never asked to be—”

“You went back to Equestria without even asking me if I wanted to come home!” Sunset said, surprising herself with a few tears. “You just left me there and asked your ‘friends’ to take care of me for you!”

Princess Twilight flinched. “I… I never thought—”

“You’re the reason my Twilight has self-confidence issues! Because on some level, she keeps comparing herself to you!”

“But I—”

“And let’s not forget my favorite one: what you did to me with the Elements of Harmony!”

Princess Twilight snapped out of her sorrowful look and shouted, “You stole my crown!”

“You hit me with a rainbow!”

“You turned into a demon!”

“You hit me with a fucking rainbow! Do you know what that feels like? It burns! Everywhere! And I won’t even start on what they did afterward!”

Twilight pulled back, curious concern on her face. “Afterward?” She shook her head and stamped her hoof. “You were about to burn us to a crisp!”

“I’m not saying I was ever in the right! I’m just saying, I hate you,” Sunset finished in monotone.

Princess Twilight nickered. “Then if you hate me so much, why did you ask for my help?”

“I didn’t! Princess Celestia did! The only reason I’m not saying no is because the faster we get through this, the faster I can get back to my friends and hopefully away from you!”

“Our friends! And fine! Right now, the feeling's mutual!” Princess Twilight turned, nearly whipping Moondancer in the face with her tail. She took her scroll and stomped off to the west side of the room.

Sunset furiously rubbed away the remaining tears before leaning over her book again. She read the words but couldn’t process any of them.

A shadow crossed over her, and Sunset looked up to see Moondancer, a tattered book in hand and a contemptuous look in her eye.

“I know you didn’t ask, but I’m sure what you did to me burned as much as what she did to you,” she whispered.

“You had yours coming for a long time.”

“I wonder if the princess would say the same thing about you.” She took her book and sat on the wall opposite of the princess.

The three girls continued to read in silence long into the afternoon.

Author's Note

Alternate Chapter Title: Sunset Shimmer: No Way Home