In another world, both similar to and vastly different from Equestria, something was happening.
Yet another thirty moons had passed, meaning the portal outside Canterlot High was active once again. Sunset Shimmer stood in front of it, her friends beside her.
"You sure you wanna do this?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes." Sunset nodded. "I've put this off long enough. And besides, I have no real reason to be here, besides my own. And I still have plenty of mistakes to atone for. It's time I went home."
"Good luck, pardner." Applejack smiled.
"We'll miss you!" Pinkie beamed.
"Safe travels, Sunset." Fluttershy declared.
"It's been fun, darling." Rarity added.
"Tons of fun." Rainbow agreed.
"Thanks, guys." Sunset smiled. "Thank you for being my friends, for standing by me. For... everything." She held up the magic book she used to communicate with Twilight. "Hang onto this for me, okay? Just in case."
"Of course, Sunset." Rarity took the book.
"Farewell hug, farewell hug!" Pinkie chimed.
After sharing one last group hug with her dear friends, Sunset passed through the portal.
Back in Equestria, Caboose and Iron Hooves were walking along through the halls of the Crystal Empire, helping out with the reconstruction.
"Yeah, O'Malley always did like to have the last word." Caboose recalled. "Even when we were falling to our apparent death, he just had to scream 'Noooo!' Funny, right?"
"Hilarious." Iron said awkwardly.
Suddenly, a light shone through the cracks of a nearby door.
"Hey, check out the light show." Caboose declared.
"Might be trouble." Iron noted. "Let's check it out."
They opened the door, finding the room within containing a glowing mirror.
"What's this?" Caboose asked.
"Beats me." Iron shrugged. "Some old mirror, or something."
"But what was that glow?" Caboose asked, "I was sure it was coming from in here…"
Suddenly, the mirror glowed.
"What the?!" Iron and Caboose gasped.
As the mirror glowed, a form emerged from it, as none other than Sunset Shimmer stepped out. Sunset's pony body had aged, just like her human form, but retained most of her beauty.
"Holy crud…" Iron gaped. "What in the world-"
"MIRROR MONSTER!" Caboose yelped. "AH!"
"Lieutenant, wait!" Iron called after him.
But Caboose was long gone, running out of the room, screaming and hooves in the air, right past Slot as he was carving his name into a wall.
"Hey, bro, ya mind?" Slot said indignantly. "I'm making a masterpiece here!" He finished carving the words 'Slot wuz 'ere'. "Beautiful."
Meanwhile, Sunset and Iron looked on where Caboose had ran off in silence.
"Oh dear, what was that about?" Sunset asked, perturbed by the unicorn's action.
"Um, please forgive him. He has…well, he's not your usual pony." Iron shrugged, as he then maintain his royal guard composure, "May I help you with something, ma'am?"
"Yes." Sunset nodded. "Do you happen to know where princess Celestia is?"
Celestia and Shine, overseeing the reconstruction of the Crystal Empire, saw Caboose racing out of the castle.
"Aaah!" Caboose yelped.
"What's wrong, Caboose?" Shine asked.
"There's a mirror monster in the castle!" Caboose screeched, as he hid behind Celestia.
"'Mirror monster?'" Celestia repeated.
"It came out of this weird looking mirror back there." Caboose declared.
"Seriously?" Shine said sceptically.
"I'm not making this up!" Caboose yelled. "I've seen some weird things in my time: Tyrants, Pyramid Head, Metroids..."
Sunset walked out of the castle. It had been many years since she had adopted her natural, four-legged gait, so she was a little out of practice, her steps were shaky and hesitant.
"There it is!" Caboose quivered. "Save me!"
"I don't believe it." Celestia whispered. "She's back, after all these years..."
"You know her?" Shine asked.
"Indeed I do, Shine." Celestia nodded. "This is Sunset Shimmer, my former protégé."
"Hello, my old teacher." Sunset smiled.
"Hello, my old student." Celestia beamed. "It is so good to see you again. What brings you here?"
"First, I want to say something that's been long overdue." Sunset declared. "I'm sorry. Sorry for being such a terrible student. Sorry for ignoring your teachings. Sorry for deserting you."
"Apology accepted." Celestia smiled. "But I am not completely innocent. Perhaps if I tried harder, been more open to your feelings, things might have turned out differently."
"Hello?!" Caboose suddenly butted. "Isn't anypony going to do something about the mirror monster?"
"She's not a monster, Caboose." Shine sighed. "Hello, Ms Shimmer. I am Shine Paladin, Celestia husband."
"Husband? Really?" Sunset gasped. "No offense, but I never really saw you as the marrying type, princess."
"None taken." Celestia chuckled. "Now, what brings you back to Equestria after all this time? I find it hard to believe you came all this way to simply issue an apology."
"I've decided to return... permanently." Sunset said solemnly. "I enjoyed my life in the mirror world, but I believe the time has come for me to come home."
"Hearing you say that fills me with great joy, Sunset." Celestia told her. "I would be happy to arrange a place for you to stay in Canterlot until you get back on your hooves."
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline." Sunset refused. "I already a place in mind to stay... if they'll have me."
"Say no more." Celestia smiled knowingly. "At the very least, I can provide you with transportation."
"Thank you, princess." Sunset nodded.
"'Mirror world?'" Shine frowned.
"It's a long story, my dear." Celestia smiled.
"And they say I'm weird." Caboose snorted.
A short while later, a royal carriage touched down in Ponyville. Sunset thanked the Pegasi who were pulling, then went on her way, looking for Twilight's castle.
"Big castle in a small town like this, can't be too hard to find." Sunset mused. She stopped in her tracks as she gained sight of her destination. "Whoa. Not too hard to find at all..."
Sunset walked up to the front door, hesitated for a moment, then knocked. Moments later, the door swung open, revealing Twilight Sparkle on the other side.
"Sunset Shimmer?!" Twilight gasped.
"Hi, Twilight." Sunset grinned.
"Wh-why... what..." Twilight stuttered.
"I've decided to return to Equestria." Sunset announced. "And I was hoping you would let me stay here with you until I find my bearings."
"Well, I've never been one to turn away a friend." Twilight smiled. "Please, come in."
"Thank you." Sunset nodded.
As they entered the castle, Flash Sentry emerged from one of the side rooms.
"Who was at the door, dear?" He asked.
"Just an old friend." Twilight declared. "This is Sunset Shimmer."
"Prince Flash Sentry." Flash bowed. "Nice to meet you."
"Yeah..." Sunset said awkwardly, unaccustomed to the feeling of meeting an alternate version of somepony she had already met. "Nice to meet you too."
"Sunset's going to be staying with us for a while." Twilight declared. "Just long enough to get back on her hooves."
"Gotcha." Flash nodded. "Enjoy your stay, Sunset."
"Thanks." Sunset grinned, as Twilight led her into the study. "So, you married Flash Sentry? Big surprise..."
"Ha-ha, very funny." Twilight pouted.
"I think it's wonderful." Sunset assured. "So, is he just like the Flash from the mirror world?"
"Well, he doesn't play the guitar, if that's what you mean." Twilight smirked. "Seriously though, there are some subtle differences between the two Flashes. To tell you the truth, I was a little worried at first that I was just transferring my feelings for the human Flash to the pony one. But I was wrong. My feelings for this Flash are true."
"Aww." Sunset cooed.
"What about you?" Twilight asked. "Ever meet anypony special in the mirror world?"
"Afraid not." Sunset sighed. "I did have one or two flings, but nothing really meaningful."
"That's too bad." Twilight sighed. "Everypony deserves somepony to love them."
"No big deal." Sunset shrugged. "I had my friends by my side. As long as I had them, I was okay."
"That's the spirit." Twilight smiled.
"So, what's been going on in old Equestria lately?" Sunset asked.
"A lot, actually." Twilight told her. "For a few years, everything was quiet, but now, it's getting to be like the old days. Weddings, power-hungry villains, and more."
"Ooh, do tell." Sunset urged.
"Well for starters my brother Shining Armor and princess Cadance had a foal." Twilight explained. "A colt named Anthem."
"Good for them." Sunset smiled.
"And while I got together with Flash, my friends also found their special someponies." Twilight continued. "Even Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy."
"So did the others in the mirror world." Sunset declared. "Fluttershy met this sweet guy called Forrest, and Rainbow got together with a sporty guy named-"
"Thunder Clap?" Twilight offered.
"Yes, exactly." Sunset nodded. "Rarity met a boy named..."
"Orion." Twilight said in unison with her. Their synchronicity continued as they ran down the other pairings. "...Pinkie Pie and Cherry Fizzy, Applejack and Caramel…"
"That's... kinda freaky." Sunset declared.
"Well, it is a mirror world, after all." Twilight shrugged. "I suppose some events would be replicated."
"Speaking of match-ups, what about princess Celestia and Shine Paladin?" Sunset asked. "How did that happen?"
"Oh, that's quite a story." Twilight smiled. "The way I heard it, Shine came to Canterlot hoping the princess could help him get his Cutie Mark-"
"He didn't have a Cutie Mark?" Sunset frowned. "I've never heard of an adult pony not having one.
"Neither did I." Twilight nodded. "Anyway, Shine was caught in a storm on the way there. He crashed, and was badly hurt. The princesses couldn't solve his Cutie Mark problem, but they let him stay in the castle to recover. Over time, Shine and Celestia fell in love, and Shine gained his Cutie Mark by protecting Celestia from a pack of timberwolves."
"Whoa." Sunset gaped.
"They were married shortly after." Twilight smiled. "They even have a little filly, Miracle Morningstar Paladin."
"Celestia's a mommy?" Sunset grinned. "Amazing."
"So's Luna." Twilight declared. "She married a Unicorn named Gothic, and they had a daughter too. Her name's Constell."
"I swear, you're out of the country for a few decades, and everypony's having kids." Sunset joked. "But what about Celestia and Luna being immortal? Wouldn't that be a problem?"
"That's exactly what Shine and Gothic thought." Twilight declared. "The two went looking for an ancient artifact that bestows immortality on those who use it, and they became immortal, just like their wives."
"Incredible." Sunset declared. "And what of the artifact?"
"Placed in the Canterlot antiquities museum. The Princesses had Discord disenchant the thing so no shady characters could use it for their own ill-gains."
"Smart thinking." Sunset nodded.
"If you liked that, you'll love this." Twilight continued. "Remember prince Blueblood?"
"Boy, do I." Sunset frowned. "Pompous jerk. One part of being Celestia's student I didn't miss."
"Well, he fell in love with and married a maid." Twilight revealed.
"No!" Sunset gasped.
"Yes." Twilight chuckled. "Her name is Dusty Speck. They have twin colts, Pureblood and Vito."
"Unbelievable." Sunset shook her head. "Did he get hit on the head or something?"
"That would make a lot of sense..." Twilight mused. "But no. Blueblood changed the old-fashioned way. You'd barely recognize him."
"I can't imagine what things must be like at Canterlot Castle now." Sunset mused.
"It's pretty lively." Twilight chuckled. "Mostly due to Dusty's uncle Caboose becoming a Royal Guard. He's a bit of an oddball, you know."
"He's a lot of an oddball." Sunset countered. "We've met."
"If you think that is odd, you'll be surprised to know that when he accompanied Shine and Gothic on their quest for immortality, he met and fell in love with Daring Do."
"Daring Do?" Sunset frowned. "I thought she was just a fictional character."
"Well, she isn't." Twilight smiled. "She posed as the books' author, A.K. Yearling, and used the profits to fund her expeditions. She's put all that aside, though. She and Caboose are married, and have two foals, Hurricane and Michael."
"Amazing." Sunset smiled.
"Not only that, but Shine's little sister, Mist is my personal student, just like I was to Celestia." Twilight remarked. "She's married too, to Blue Blazes, the son of Spitfire and Soarin'. They're expecting their any time now."
"It all sounds so great."
"It did, didn't it?" Twilight suddenly frowned. "In retrospect, we shouldn't have expected thing to run so smoothly forever. Trouble was soon on the horizon."
"What sort of trouble?" Sunset asked.
"Trouble in the form of Red Eclipse, a war-mongering Earth Pony who wanted to cleanse Equestria of all other races." Twilight told her. "And he decided to start with the Changelings."
"The Changelings? Weren't they the ones who try to take over Canterlot?" Sunset asked.
"Yes. We had a few problems with them a while back, but we were able to put an end to all that with a peace treaty." Twilight explained, "However, if it was not for the heroic actions of a Unicorn magician by the name of Sleight Gambit, Red Eclipse very well might have succeeded. Sleight managed to drive Red and his forces away, and was made king of the Changelings for his troubles. Not to mention the husband to Queen Chrysalis herself."
"No kidding?" Sunset smiled. "That must have been some serious magic Sleight was using."
"You could say that." Twilight grinned, aware of Sleight's true actions. "Unfortunately, Red Eclipse wasn't done. Soon after his defeat, he was captured, and locked away for ten years before he managed to break out. As he tried to escape, he ended up having the horn of King Sombra attached to him."
"King Sombra?" Sunset gulped. Twilight had briefly told her of Sombra during her second visit to the mirror world.
"Sombra's horn gave Red Eclipse great power." Twilight continued. "But he wanted more. He attacked a royal summit in the Crystal Empire, capturing us all with his shadow pony minions, and forced us to reveal to him the location of the pieces of the Crystal Sun, an ancient artifact that could bestow limitless power on the user."
"Another all-powerful magical artefact?" Sunset frowned. "How many of those are there in Equestria?"
"It gets worse." Twilight said grimly. "He drained Luna, Cadance and myself of our magic, and planned to sacrifice Miracle to activate the Crystal Sun."
"That monster!" Sunset grimaced, outraged.
"And it turned out Red Eclipse was really a former Royal Defense Legion general, Black Knight Paladin, Shine's uncle." Twilight revealed.
"Seriously?" Sunset gaped. "Nice family tree..."
"Well, I feel it's not my place to say anything of him. He was simply a pony who lost his way." Twilight shook her head, "Anywho, Celestia managed to pass her magic along before Black Knight got to her... somehow, it ended up with Caboose, then it got passed to Shine when he came to save us. Shine used the magic to fight Black. Meanwhile, ponies, griffins, Changelings and more gathered to fight against the shadow pony legions."
"Wow... sounds intense." Sunset murmured.
"It was. Ultimately, we won, and Black Knight met his end."
"Shine killed him?" Sunset asked. "His own uncle?"
"No. In fact, Shine defended him. Unfortunately, his anger got the better of him, and it was Caboose who gave the final blow... and in the end, his death wasn't all that satisfying... all he wanted was a better Equestria without evil."
"Well, I guess not all villains are truly evil on the inside." Sunset sighed, "Poor Shine…"
"His death was hard on him, but he's certainly one of the strongest ponies I know." Twilight smiled, "After the battle, we worked to rebuild the parts of Equestria Black's forces had ravaged."
"And there I was, living the cushy life in the mirror world." Sunset shook her head. "Well, not anymore."
"Well, I for one am glad you had come back. We have much more to talk about." Twilight smiled.
At that point, Dusk Glow, Dazzle, and Sparkling Night entered the study, followed shortly after by Starlight Twinkle.
"Hey, mom." Dusk smiled. He then turned to Sunset. "Who's this?"
"This is my old friend, Sunset Shimmer." Twilight declared. "Sunset, this is my son Dusk Glow, his wife Dazzle, their son Sparkling Night, and my daughter Starlight Twinkle."
"Hey." Starlight waved.
"Nice to meet you all." Sunset nodded.
"Gam-gam!" Sparkling, using his nickname for his grandmother, raced over and hugged Twilight.
"Hi, Sparky." Twilight hugged him back.
"Look at you." Sunset smiled. "An honest-to-goodness grandma, at your age..."
"I know." Twilight chuckled.
"We're just about to have dinner." Starlight declared. "Maybe Ms. Sunset would like to join us."
"I'd be delighted." Sunset nodded.
"Why so hungry?" Dusk asked Starlight. "I saw you having a picnic with Thunder Storm just a couple hours ago."
"No you didn't." Starlight said, blushing.
Dusk continued his accusations all through dinner, with Starlight continuing her denials. Sunset drank in the happy family atmosphere, happy to be a part of it.
That night, Sunset took up residence in one of the castle's spare rooms.
"So, I'm finally back." She mused to herself. "Now what?"
The next morning, she travelled around Ponyville with Twilight, meeting several ponies, from Twilight's friends and their children to the mayor. As they continued the meet-and-greet, Sunset gradually felt a heaviness in her heart.
As the sun set, Sunset let out a sigh.
"So much has changed in Equestria." Sunset sighed. "I'm not sure if I fit in anymore."
"Of course you do." Twilight assured her. "You just have to find something you love doing, and do it."
"You make it sound so easy." Sunset murmured. "But I guess I can give it a try."
Over the next week, Sunset tried to find gainful employment in Ponyville, but failed to succeed. Her being out of practice with her pony form contributed to most of her failures. She took on a job as a waitress at the Golden Crust restaurant, but her lack of practice with her magic caused her to drop the dishes. Her attempt to being an order taker at Sugarcube Corner also failed, as she was used to holding pens with hands, and kept trying to use her hooves to write orders down.
One evening, as she lay on her bed, feeling like she had no place whatsoever in Equestria, there was a knock at the castle door.
"Sunset!" Twilight called. "You have a visitor!"
Sunset came downstairs to find Celestia and Miracle waiting.
"Princess." She bowed, before turning to Miracle. "And you must be Miracle. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you." Miracle curtsied. "Now if you'll excuse me." She sauntered off further into the castle. "Oh, Spiiiike..."
"Hmm, Miracle always seem to want to spend time with Spike." Twilight mused. "I wonder why…"
"Some form of mutual interest, I gather." Celestia smirked.
"What brings you here?" Sunset asked her former teacher.
"Twilight informed me of your employment troubles." Celestia declared. "I know you didn't want to rely on my generosity, but I believe I have a position back at the Crystal Empire that might just suit your interests."
"What kind of position?" Sunset asked.
"Well, Sunset, as you may know by now, we had a lot of issues regarding the use of dark magic over the years, and given the recent events, it is obvious that Equestria is not as prepared as we once thought when it came to the dark arts." Celestia explained.
"So I heard." Sunset nodded, "But if I may ask, what does this have to do with me?"
"If I recall correctly, Sunset, dark magic was one of your favorite subjects when you were under my tutelage." Celestia smiled. "At the Crystal Empire, there is an pony we had recently discovered to have great knowledge and yearning for dark magic and if you are up to the task, I would love it if you help him with finding all that we need to know about dark magic and how we can face it.
"Wow..." Sunset whispered, "I must say, I'm surprised you want me to do this, after being gone so long and given everything I did in the past... but I have to ask, why the Crystal Empire? Why not in Canterlot?"
"Oh, let's just say he didn't make quite a good impression on the populace when he was in Canterlot." Celestia said with a solemn shrug, "He was relocated to the Empire for his own protection... but do not worry, he is actually a very good pony at heart, and I feel he would benefit greatly with the help of one of the most brilliant students I had taught."
"Well, given how everything else hadn't worked out so far... count me in. I won't let you down." Sunset smiled.
"Excellent." Celestia grinned. "You begin on Monday."
"Thank you, your highness." Sunset bowed. "And thank you, Twilight. You've helped me again."
"That's what friends are for." Twilight smiled.
The following Monday, Sunset arrived back at the Crystal Empire, and was lead through the far side of the castle by one of the Crystal Pony Guards. The guard in question was a tan Earth Pony with a light orange mane, having two serrated knives in a cross pattern for a cutie mark.
"Wow, this place is a lot bigger than I remember..." Sunset glanced around.
"Renovations had been done here and there." The guard answered in a gruff voice, "But given the whole shindig with that Black Knight character, it merely gave us an excuse to remodel the place while the royals are off on vacation."
"Well, I think you all are doing a good job." Sunset smiled.
Soon, they came to a stop in front of a double door leading in to one of the castle's many studies. Two guards were currently posted outside it.
"And here we are." The guard that was guiding Sunset gestured, "The guy you're looking for is in there."
"Okay. Thank you very much." Sunset smiled as she made to go in... before the guard stopped her. "Huh?"
"I just want to make sure you know what it is you're getting into." The guard said warningly. "This pony has issues... what kind you may ask... well, there's a reason there's two guards out here."
"Really?" Sunset frowned, as she glanced at the guards, "Well, surely, it can't be all that bad. Celestia seems to trust him, so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to."
"And that is all well and good.. all I ask is that you be careful. Wouldn't want you to hurt your pretty little self." The guard said ominously.
"I'll keep that in mind, Mister..." Sunset trailed off, not sure what to call him.
"Sterling Cross, ma'am." The guard saluted, "I wish you good luck..." He then turned and walked away. "You're going to need it."
Sunset gave a frown as she faced the doors. Taking a deep breath (and giving a nod to the guards), she opened the doors to find a deserted study, filled to the brims with books, notes, and blackboards with a bunch of scribbles. It was also dark with curtains covering the windows.
"Um…hello?" Sunset called, quite perturbed by the mess. There was no answer. She then knocked on the door, "I'm here to help you with the dark magic research…"
There was still no answer.
"Is anypony even here?" Sunset murmured as she walked further in.
She looked around the room, trying to find some sign of a co-worker.
"Hrrrnk... hrrrnk..."
Picking up the sound of snoring, Sunset glanced up to see a surprising sight: there was a bespectacled thestral hanging from the ceiling lamp. He had a charcoal-grey coat, a healthy white mane, groomed quite well, and a black star cutie mark.
"Excuse me?" Sunset spoke up. "EXCUSE ME!"
"Ahh!" The thestral woke suddenly. He tilted his head in Sunset's direction. "Um, may I help you?"
"I'm here for the research position." Sunset declared. "Sunset Shimmer's the name."
"I am Echo Alchemy." The thestral descended to the ground. "I'm the senior researcher here, not to mention Equestria's only known authority on dark magic that hasn't gone insane, got killed, or what not."
"It's nice to meet you." Sunset offered her hoof.
"I'm sure it is." Echo recoiled slightly. "Please don't think me rude. I'm just... not a very social pony."
"I know what that's like." Sunset noted, as she lowered her hoof.
"Celestia told me she was bringing in somepony to assist me." Echo sighed. "I mostly prefer to work alone, but I owe Celestia too much to refuse her."
"So, uh... where do we begin?" Sunset asked.
"Well, I... I recently came into possession of a small black ankh that looks to have some latent dark magic properties." Echo revealed. "if you would be so kind as to funnel a little of your magic into it, I will jot down the results on the chalkboard."
"You got it." Sunset nodded.
As the two went to work, Sunset found herself thinking that she had begun a new chapter in her life. Though unexpected, she had a feeling that maybe studying dark magic and unlocking the mysteries within would be the perfect method by which to atone for her past misdeeds
She glanced over at Echo, as he began drawing more complicated notes on the blackboard. She wasn't sure what to make of him or that warning that Sterling Cross gave her about him, but he seemed practically harmless, and she highly doubt he would be of any problem in the future.
Besides, she had to focus on the task at hoof and work towards finding all that there was to learn about the dark arts.
But little did she know that this new profession of hers would change her life... forever.
The End?