Only Love Can Make You New

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 8
Chapter 7

Chapter One

A chorus of cheers surrounded the field as Rainbow Dash sent a soccer ball soaring into the netted goal of her opposing team, cinching the win. She jumped up and down, fists in the air in victory, reveling in the glory. From the bleachers her friends watched as people poured onto the field in celebration, all of them smirking or shaking their heads as the rest of Rainbow's team hefted her up onto their shoulders to parade her around the field.

“She's certainly in her element,” mused Rarity, chin in her hand. “Look at her. You can barely see her amid the throngs of her adoring fans.”

“You can't really blame her this time,” Pinkie Pie admitted. “This was the last game before the playoffs, after all.”

Fluttershy grimaced. “Her winning means everyone is going to stop her in the halls to congratulate her.”

“Great,” drawled Applejack. “Because her head wasn't big enough to begin with, now it's gonna be extra inflated for the rest of the week.”

The crowds were shifting and Rainbow's elevated form was lost among the moving bodies, impossible to find until she broke through and jogged across the field. Looking up at her friends, her face was beaming with pride. “Did you guys see that? How awesome am I?”

“Super awesome!”

“Really great!”

“Wonderful job!”

Amid the compliments being thrown down to Dash, Sunset Shimmer smiled to herself and watched the way the five friends interacted. It was a fairly predictable scenario that played out before her now. Though they'd just spoken about Rainbow's growing ego they were all quick to give her genuine praise as she recounted the game they'd all just watched play by play. None of them seemed to mind, always giving appropriate comments at the right time. They each had their own roles to play within the web of their friendship and they did it so flawlessly. Sunset Shimmer had been friends with them for close to two years now and they always greeted her with open arms, but oftentimes she felt she was an outsider looking in. She still didn't quite feel like she belonged.

“Great game, Rainbow,” she offered when the chatter began to quiet. “I think that was the best you've played all year.”

“Thanks, Sunset! I know, right? I was on fire!”

Pinkie's head tilted unnaturally far to the side, big blue eyes blinking. “You were? I don't remember seeing any smoke.”

Dash gave her a side-eye and said,” Aaaaaaaanyway. The whole school is going down to the ice cream parlor to celebrate. We should all totally go!”

Though everyone was quick to agree and begin discussing exactly what they would get, Sunset felt a little hesitant. This year, her final year at Canterlot High had been the best out of all of them. She'd finally made amends to everyone and for the most part, her classmates accepted her for the person she was now. But it was hard being around the bigger groups of people. Though they'd all forgiven her of her past mistakes, she wasn't so forgiving of herself. Sometimes she could only see the faces of people she'd hurt and not the faces of new friends.

Fluttershy turned a winning smile to her, teal eyes wide and full of excitement. “It's the perfect ending to a perfect day, don't you think?”

Sunset scratched her neck and gave the pink-haired girl an awkward smile. She was the one Sunset always felt the worst about letting down because they were the closest. Though Fluttershy was the one she'd tortured most out of all the girls, she was also the one to open her heart quickest and make the timid reformed girl one of her closest friends.

“I don't know,” said Sunset, hesitance on her face. “I should probably go home and study for finals.”

“Aw come on, sugarcube,” Applejack protested. “If anyone here's gonna ace 'em it'll be you already. More studyin' will only make your brain all muddy.”

Pinkie nodded vigorously. “And no one likes muddy thoughts. They stain.”

Sunset gave an apologetic shrug. “Rain check?”

The rest of the girls looked around at one another to take a silent poll: would they let her out of the group date or harass her into going? Rainbow looked ready to put up a fight but Fluttershy put her hand on Sunset's knee and smiled kindly. “It's all right. We understand.”

“We do?” Dash asked. Rarity cast her a dirty look.

“Of course we do, darling.” Turning her attention to Sunset Shimmer, her expression softened. “You hurry home and get to work if you feel you must. Perhaps we'll drop by later with a pint of your favorite ice cream for you to enjoy when you feel like it.”

“Thanks, Rarity. All of you. Have fun.” Sunset stood and slung her bag over one shoulder. “I'll see you girls later.” With a little wave she jogged down the steps of the bleachers and out across the field.

The walk across campus was a slow one. She could feel the familiar weight of depression forming in the pit of her stomach while words of self-depreciation began echoing in her mind. She wasn't good enough to be friends with anyone in the school, let alone Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. There was so much darkness in her past, things she'd done wrong, she wasn't deserving of such friendship. Yes, she'd made things better here, but what about Equestria? She had a life there once, too. Ponies had been hurt because of and by her actions and things she'd said. Ponies who probably still thought of her and bared their teeth, if they thought of her at all.

Looking up at the sky as she walked, Sunset Shimmer tried to imagine seeing some of those ponies again. Her roommate while in school, classmates, teachers...all ponies she thought she was so much better than. How could she ever feel worthy of friendship when she knew those relationships were still broken? How could she possibly make amends for all her wrongdoings?

She didn't feel like going home and instead walked down the familiar paths that would take her to the park. Here there were swingsets for children, a big pool already open for after school hours, and a large stage set at the bottom of a sloping hill with benches built into the landscape as stadium seating for summer concerts. It was here she decided to sit, alone and far away from everyone with only the sound of birds and distant laughter from children to keep her company.

Setting her bag down beside her, Sunset pulled a thick book from inside with a two-toned sun – her cutie mark from her days as a pony – on the cover. Idly, she flipped through the pages and skimmed over some of her earliest entries and letters to Princess Celestia. Even writing as a young filly she could see the craving for power in her own words. As the letters progressed and Sunset aged there also cropped up themes of resentment and anger in her letters, as well as a strong sense of jealousy. Memories of what a horrible pony she'd been were still so vivid and now so painful that it brought tears to her eyes. Her last letter to Celestia was so mean and hateful...and then there was a break, and finally:

Dear Princess Twilight...

That was the beginning of something amazing and wonderful. Well, a second beginning. Meeting Twilight had turned her world upside down in more ways than one, and it had all been for the better. Without her influence and power, Sunset would have taken over the school and reigned over everyone as a raging she-demon. But Twilight and her friends defeated her and showed her what true friendship was like. They forgave her and as time went on she tried to get her to forgive herself. But it wasn't so easy.

A pink hand holding a tissue jutted out to catch a falling tear, and Sunset Shimmer gasped. Looking up from the book, she found Pinkie Pie right beside her with a sympathetic smile and an offering of a fresh tissue. The other four girls were there as well, all looking at her with concern, and it only made her all the more emotional.

No one said a word but all five girls huddled around Sunset to cocoon her in the middle of a tight group hug. Even Rainbow Dash was silent as they all simply let their friend cry and purge herself of all the pent up emotion she'd been trying to keep to herself. Each one of them understood what it meant to feel the need to carry a burden by themselves. But they also knew now how important it was to let someone else come alongside them and help carry those heavy emotional burdens.

“There, there,” Fluttershy cooed after awhile, drying Sunset's face with yet another tissue. “Everything's going to be all right.”

“I'm sorry,” Sunset sniffled. She looked down in embarrassment and shook her head. “I didn't want you girls to see me like this.”

Applejack frowned and rubbed Sunset's arm. “Isn't that what friends are for? To be there when you're needin' a shoulder to cry on?”

“Whatever possessed you to come here on your own?” asked Rarity. “All you needed to say was that you were burdened by something and we would have gladly come along with you so you could talk to us.”

Sunset reached up and dried her last tear on the sleeve of her shirt. “Because I didn't want you to feel like...I don't know. Sometimes I feel like such an obligation.” Cries of protest went up around her and she was quick to clarify the meaning of her words. “I make myself feel that way. None of you ever have. It's hard because I just don't feel worthy of your friendship sometimes.”

“Because of the past?” Fluttershy asked. When Sunset nodded mutely, Fluttershy took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You've made amends for all of that. No one holds any of it against you anymore.”

“Maybe I've fixed everything here, but I had a whole other life before I even knew any of you, others I hurt that I haven't been able to apologize to.”

“In the alternate universe where everyone is a pony and have to face things like a three-headed dog, bumblebears, an evil magical centaur overlord, and a Draconequis?” Everyone looked at Pinkie who in turn looked blankly at all of them. “What?”

Sunset continued as if Pinkie hadn't even spoken. “I just wish there was a way I could go back and ask for forgiveness. I wish I could talk to Princess Celestia again. The last thing I said to her was that she was making the biggest mistake of her life. I was so angry at her and I was so wrong.”

Sitting and resting an elbow on her knee, Dash's brow was furrowed. “You want to go back to Equestria?”

“Is that even possible?” asked Applejack.

“I don't know.” Sunset looked down at the book. “I know the mirror still works every thirty moons but that mirror was the catalyst for my downfall. I'd rather not use it.”

“There may not be any other way,” Rarity told her. “And didn't Twilight make it so that the portal could be opened any time she wanted it to be?”

Sunset was hesitant. “Yeah, but...”

“But nothing!” the purple haired girl declared. “If you feel the need to return to Equestria and set things right as you've done here, why shouldn't you?”

“You think so?”

Fluttershy nodded. “We'd all miss you of course, but if your heart is telling you this is something you have to do, you should listen to it.” Her eyes slid to the book. “Write to Twilight. Tell her what you feel.”

Sunset's expression fell and she turned to the very end of the book. “I only have one page left.”

“Well then,” said Rainbow, “you better make it count.”

Back in Equestria, Rainbow Dash had just finished saying the same thing to Twilight. Along with the rest of their friends, they stood at one end of a long corridor that glimmered and shone like a mirror in the sunlight that poured in through the windows. At the other end of the corridor, stuffed animals were set up in a triangle formation. In the direct center of the corridor between the ponies and the plushies was a blanket.

“C'mon Twi!” Applejack cheered. “Last shot!”

“Which is why I said 'make it count,' “ goaded Dash. “Let's go. We don't have all day!”

Twilight straightened from her “ready to charge” stance and quirked a brow. “We don't?”

“Well maybe...I don't know. You never know when that map in there is going to start sending us all over Equestria.”

“Good point.” Twilight spread her hooves and lowered her head. With eyes narrowed in determination, she took off, running at top speed. When she was just close enough to the blanket she leaped into the air and landed in the middle of it, her centripetal force sending her and the blanket sliding across the floor. With a whoop of joy, she crashed into the stuffed animals and ran into the wall of pillows that had been set up behind them.

Rarity looked up from the book she was hoofing through by the corner and counted dispassionately. “Four.”

“YES!” shouted Rainbow. “I win by three!”

“Can we stop playing this game now?” Fluttershy begged quietly.

“Aw, it's okay, Fluttershy.” Pinkie slung her foreleg around her friend's withers. “They're not real animals.”

“That doesn't mean they don't have feelings,” squeaked the pegasus.

“Now what do we do?” Twilight righted the knocked over stuffed animals and folded the blanket they'd been using in mid-air with her magic. “It's been so long since all of us had a day together where nothing was threatening Equestria, I just want to do as many fun things as we possibly can.”

“We could watch a movie,” Pinkie suggested.

“Or go for a nature walk,” supplied Fluttershy.

Rarity sighed happily. “Or go get a massage.”

Rainbow Dash made a face. “I'd rather stick a screwdriver in my temple. C'mon, let's do something fun! Something adventurous! Something-”

“Something about the flashing in the other room.” Everyone looked at Applejack only to find her looking into one of the rooms off to the side.

“It must be the map,” said Twilight, no small amount of disappointment in her tone. “All right girls. Guess it's time to go to work.” But as they all trailed into the great hall one after the other, they found the map itself was silent and still. Confused, Twilight hurried further into the room to see the source of the light was coming from a book on one of her many shelves. As her magic wrapped around it to pull it free, it vibrated in the grip of the magenta aura, giving her a funny fizzing sensation that made her eyes rattle.

“Sunset Shimmer must have sent me a letter.” Setting the book on a nearby end table, Twilight shook her head to rid herself of the fuzzy sensation before turning to the very last page. The other five ponies gathered around to eagerly hear how Twilight's friend was doing, but when Twilight finished reading, she looked up with a thoughtful expression that made them all lean in a bit closer.

“What did she say?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“She wants to come here.” Turning around to face her friends, Twilight's brow was furrowed. “She wants to come back to Equestria.”

“Whoa,” Applejack breathed. “What makes her want to do that? I thought she was getting' on fine there with her new friends.”

Twilight nodded slowly. “She is. They're as much her best friends there as you are mine here. She's fixed everything she's done wrong and made a brand new start. But she wants to fix what she did here too.”

Pinkie Pie bounced. “What are you waiting for? Tell her to come right away, duh!”

“I don't know, Pinkie. It's a little more complicated than that.” Twilight turned back to the book and flipped back through the pages to some of the earlier entries, those addressed to Princess Celestia and not herself. “When Sunset Shimmer left here to have a life in the human world, she left behind a lot of hurt and anger in her wake. Not only with Princess Celestia, but other ponies as well. I told you all about how worried I was about upsetting my friends from school...well Sunset's lasting impression is ten times worse than what I imagined mine to be.”

Fluttershy sank to the floor, her hooves covering her head. “She was a bully here too?”

“To put it mildly.” Twilight frowned. “I understand her wanting to come back here to try and make things right...but I just don't know what the best thing to do is. I know she's different than how everypony remembers her to be. I've seen the change in her.” The lavender alicorn gave a small smile. “Actually, I think you girls would really love her.”

“This sounds like too important of a decision to make on your own,” said Rarity. “Perhaps it would be best brought before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

“I think you're right, Rarity,” said Twilight softly. She floated the book to her and tucked it under her wing. “I should go right away. I'm sure Sunset Shimmer is waiting for an answer.” She looked at her friends with regret. “I'm sorry our day of fun together was interrupted.”

“Are you kidding?” asked Dash. “This is important Princess of Friendship stuff. We get that.”

With a smile of appreciation, Twilight couldn't help but be thankful for the friends she had. She could almost picture Sunset Shimmer among them. Everypony deserved a chance to feel worthy of friendship. If Sunset needed to come back to Equestria to try and make up for her past mistakes so she could move on with her life, Twilight would fight to see that she had that chance.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “Wish me luck!” before disappearing in a burst of magic.

Two seconds passed before Pinkie screamed, “GOOD LUCK!” Unfazed by the sight of the rest of the girls covering with their hooves in their ears, she asked, “Think she heard me?”

Chapter Two

There was no real reason as to why Twilight should have been nervous, but butterflies fluttered through her stomach as she paced back and forth before the closed doors to the throne room. Though Canterlot wasn't her home, she was a princess now and could walk in at any time. Yet she knew Celestia never closed the doors unless whomever she was meeting with required privacy. The last thing she wanted to do was barge in on somepony who needed to confide in the older alicorn.

“Twilight Sparkle.”

She looked up at the sound of her name and resisted the urge to bow to Princess Luna as she approached. Then upon seeing the state she was in – a robe draped around her withers, mane and tail a mess, and a steaming cup of coffee floating before her in a magical bubble – Twilight had to fight the urge to giggle. Instead she kept her voice as steady as possible to offer an apology. “I'm so sorry for waking you up. I know it's the middle of the afternoon and you don't usually get up for a few more hours-”

Luna waved a hoof and took a rather un-princess-like slurp of her coffee. “Do not trouble yourself over it. As they say, I can sleep when I am dead.” Twilight grimaced and Luna looked to the closed doors. “Why have you not gone in to see my sister?”

“I didn't want to interrupt.”

The navy alicorn rolled her eyes. “The only thing you are interrupting is Tia's binge-watching of 'The Trotting Dead.' ”

“Oh! I...” Twilight's ears fell flat and she made a face. “She watches that show?” Luna said nothing in reply but walked past the guards and pushed open the tall doors blocking their way.

Celestia was draped across her throne, forelegs behind her head over one arm of the ornate chair, back legs crossed and hanging over the other as she stared up at the ceiling. The gory show about zombie ponies was being projected above from some sort of device on the floor. Popcorn sat in a big bowl beside Celestia but as soon as her solitude was invaded, she jumped to attention. The device stopped playing just as Twilight was pausing to examine it. It folded into itself and shot downward into the floor, a tile sliding seamlessly into place over it.

“Breathe, sister,” Luna chuckled. “It is just us.”

Twilight cast a questioning look to Celestia and the pale pink alicorn had the grace to blush. “We all need a break from our everyday lives.”

“No judgment here!” said Twilight.

“Is anything the matter?” Celestia slid the tub of popcorn behind her, eager to to get to the reason for the interruption.

Twilight shook her head. “Everything is fine. In fact, today has been blissfully peaceful. Or at least it was. Until this.” She floated the book up to Celestia and let the older alicorn take it in her own magic. “Look at the last page.”

Both Luna and Celestia leaned in close together to read what had been written. A wrinkle formed between Celestia's brows as her eyes moved over the page. After a moment she said a very quiet, “I see.”

“I haven't written back yet because I wasn't sure what to say.” Twilight sat and looked at Celestia and Luna. “And I didn't think it was within my rights to tell her either way. After all, I was just a filly when she was your student here at the castle. I wasn't here for anything that happened while Sunset Shimmer was still a pony under you tutelage.”

“But you have spent time with her in the human world,” Luna offered. “You know her perhaps better than my sister because you know her as she is today.”

Twilight nodded. “I do. And she's very different from the girl I met when I first stepped foot in that world. Just in talking to her through these letters I've even seen a change in her since the last time I was there. She is genuinely repentant of what she's done and strives to make it up to everyone.” Twilight fixed her eyes on Celestia, trying to glean something from her unreadable expression. “Princess, I know how power-hungry she was and that she refused to listen to reason.” Twilight took a deep breath. “But I am willing to vouch for her if you let her come back.”

For a long moment Celestia was silent. Her purple eyes were hard and it was clear that she was remembering all the moments she'd spent with Sunset Shimmer. But when Twilight was sure she was going to say no, Celestia's harsh exterior softened some and her gaze turned sad. “Sunset was once very dear to me, as dear as you are to me now, Twilight. She broke not only my trust and my confidence in her...but she broke my heart as well.”

Twilight's ears drooped. “I know that, Princess. I promise you, she's changed.”

Celestia and Luna looked at one another, a silent conversation passing between them that Twilight didn't quite understand. Luna placed a hoof on top of one of her sister's and gave a nod before saying, “Very well, Twilight. If you feel Equestria should give Sunset Shimmer another chance, we are willing to trust you.”

The same butterflies from earlier gave a joyous leap in Twilight's stomach. “Really? You'll let her come back?”

“We will allow it,” Luna conceded. “I will return to your castle in Ponyville with you to await her arrival.”

The happiness Twilight felt gave way to confusion and she looked at Celestia. “Oh! I guess I just thought...”

“We will be a sufficient greeting party.”

Twilight looked at Luna and gave a slow nod. “Okay. Yes, of course.” One more glance at Celestia gave her no insight to the older alicorn's thoughts. “Then I'll write back to Sunset Shimmer right now and let her know. I assume she'll be coming as soon as possible.”

Luna finished the rest of her coffee in one gulp. “Then we shall leave at once. Um...once I have brushed my mane.”

The constant beat of the soccer ball against Rainbow's knee as she bounced it up and down was beginning to get on Applejack's nerves. They'd all been waiting in near-silent apprehension, sure of Twilight's quick reply. When more than an hour had passed, they were losing hope one by one, and patience with the way each of them waited was growing thin. The fumes from Rarity painting and repainting her nails was giving Fluttershy a headache. Pinkie Pie, head in Fluttershy's lap, kept grabbing her curls and tugging on them, only to let them go to a loud “TWAG!” over and over. It was making Sunset Shimmer feel like she was on a pogo stick but without the fun of the actual toy. Applejack, pushed to her limits, sprang forward and snatched Rainbow's soccer ball mid-bounce and kicked it all the way down to the stage.

“Hey!” Dash cried, watching her ball soaring away. “What did you do that for?!”

“You're drivin' me nuts, that's what for!”

“Um, Rarity...” Fluttershy nervously twirled a strand of her light pink hair around her finger. “Don't you think seven coats is enough?”

“Nonsense!” The purple-haired girl held her sparkling blue nails up to the setting sun. “It is the only way to ensure total coverage.”

Sunset casually reached over to Pinkie to still her hand. This seemed to bring the younger girl back to reality and make her aware of what she was doing; her smile at Sunset was almost one of embarrassment but Sunset gave her a smirk of reassurance in reply. “Maybe we should all just head home.”

A cacophony of rebuttal surrounded Sunset for a minute before she raised her hand. “Seriously. We've been waiting long enough. Twilight doesn't always get back to me right away. I mean, from some of the stories she's told me she's away from her castle for days on end and I doubt she takes her book with her everywhere she goes.”

Rarity frowned. “If I had my very own castle you would be loathe to get me out of it for even a couple of hours, let alone days.”

“She's got her own castle because she's a princess,” reminded Pinkie. “Princesses have to do princess things and that means leaving the castle to go be a princess who does stuff.”

Rainbow Dash scratched her neck. “Still. I don't like the idea of just giving up. That's not really my thing.”

“We're not giving up,” said Sunset. “It's just waiting. I can't ask you girls to give up your fun evening to hang around with me just in case Twilight writes back. That's not fair.”

Applejack nodded. “You're right, it's not fair.” Her lips curved upward. “It's friendship.”

“Besides,” Rarity added, finally putting her nail polish away, “we wouldn't be able to have any fun knowing you're at home by yourself awaiting this important answer.” She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder, a firm look of determination on her face. “Rainbow Dash, you go get your soccer ball and catch up to us at the gate to the park.”

“Where are we going?” asked Fluttershy.

“We are going to get ice cream, of course.” Sunset opened her mouth to argue but Rarity held up a finger, having none of it. “We are going to get ice cream and bring it back to Sunset Shimmer's house where we will play games, put on mud masks, watch horribly sappy romantic movies, and do everything we can to keep ourselves busy until Twilight replies.”

“Mud masks?” Applejack deadpanned.

“Romantic movies?” Dash pretended to gag.

“Come along!” Rarity commanded. She ignored Dash and Applejack and pulled Sunset Shimmer to her feet, linking an arm with hers. “We have a night full of fun to get to!”

But just as Rainbow was turning to run down to her ball and the rest of the girls moving to leave the stadium area, the book in Sunset Shimmer's grasp began to pulse with light. “It's glowing!' shrieked Pinkie. “Open it! Open it!”

All of them sank back into the positions they'd just been in and Sunset hurriedly turned to the last page in the book. Her eyes moved back and forth quickly, all five of the other girls leaning in closer. When she lifted her head they all moved back, staring at her in question.

“Well?” asked Rainbow. “What did she say?”

Sunset's blank expression slowly shifted into that of worry. “She said I can come back, that she's eagerly awaiting me on the other side.”

“Why do you look so scared?” Applejack asked. “Isn't this what you wanted?”

“It is.” Sunset tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down at the book once more. “I guess a big part of me kind of thought or maybe even hoped the answer would be no. Then I could just write it off as something I couldn't do anything about.” Looking up, she took in the faces of her friends. “Now I actually have to go back to Equestria and face up to my past.”

Fluttershy squeezed her hand. “You can do it. We all believe in you.” Sentiments of agreement echoed around her but Sunset didn't feel any more at ease. As if sensing this, Fluttershy took her other hand and pressed them between her own. “Just look at all the wonderful friends you've made here at Canterlot High. It may have taken everyone a little while to understand how truly sorry you were, but they see you now for who you are; someone who apologizes for her mistakes and strives to be a great friend.”

“Well what are we doing just sitting around here talking?” Rarity demanded, trying to lighten the mood. “Twilight is waiting for you my dear, and you simply cannot keep a princess waiting!”

Sunset Shimmer had almost no choice in the matter. She was tugged to her feet and ushered along back toward the school. A flurry of emotions swirled inside of her at the thought of really going back to Equestria. She was a bit excited about returning to her pony form but also bit nervous in knowing she could use magic again. She's grown so hungry for it before she'd left that there was a deep fear of seeking that addiction once again. Maybe she could get through it all without having to use magic at all. If she could just avoid the very temptation, maybe she could avoid falling into old patterns all together.

So lost in her thoughts was she that Sunset Shimmer was surprised to find herself standing in front of the portal conveniently hidden in a statue at Canterlot High. She suddenly didn't know if she wanted to go through with it, summoning up every excuse she could think of and shouting them in her thoughts, but her lips refused to move. Her entire body seemed frozen before this choice she had to make.

All of her friends were giving her words of encouragement. Fluttershy was crying and squeezing her tight, whimpering, “I'm so glad we got to be friends!”

Bemused, Sunset looked down at her and muttered, “I'm coming back.”

“Goodbye!”

“Good luck!”

“You'll be fabulous, darling. Just fabulous!”

“Have fun being a candy colored pony!”

Her feet moved of their own accord. Sunset only had time to glance back at her friends before everything around her began to swirl and spin. Their familiar faces blurred into streams of color that ran together and faded into a light that was too bright to look at. She could feel her body changing even if she couldn't open her eyes to see it. There was no pain, just an uneasy feeling of general discomfort as bones shrank in some places and grew in others. She fell forward to dig her nails into the nonexistent ground to brace herself, but found her fingers were gone. With a gasp of surprise she opened her teal eyes. The light was slowly giving way to something in the distance, an image of sorts. On four hooves she walked toward it, feeling as though the journey was taking forever when in reality, the pass through the portals didn't even take a second.

As the image grew closer she could make out colors, shapes, and soon enough a smile on the face of a familiar pony. The last time she'd seen Twilight Sparkle in this shape she'd stolen her crown. Shame flooded her for the quickest moment, but Twilight's welcoming smile spurred her on again. Then, as though no time has passed at all, Sunset Shimmer set hoof onto the gleaming floor of the great hall in Twilight's castle in Equestria.

“Sunset Shimmer!”

The poor amber coated pony barely had time to get her bearings before Twilight was pulling her into an embrace. It took only a second to remember how to move all of her appendages and she returned the hug happily. When they parted, Sunset gave her a bashful smile. “It's so weird. We didn't get to hang out all that much the last time you were in my world, but we've written back and forth so often that I feel like we've been friends forever.”

Twilight nodded. “Me too. I'm so glad you're here. There are so many ponies I want to introduce you to!”

A pony standing just behind Twilight cleared her throat, causing Sunset Shimmer to look up in surprise. She was so excited to see Twilight that she hadn't noticed the taller navy blue alicorn watching them, her mane of blue and translucent purple looking like the night sky. Her expression was somewhat stern but mostly unreadable, and it made Sunset lower her ears.

“Whoops!” Twilight giggled. “That's right. You're here for a reason, not just a visit.” Stepping aside, Twilight motioned to the alicorn behind her. “Sunset Shimmer, this is Princess Luna. Luna, this is my good friend Sunset Shimmer.”

Luna took a step closer and came more into the light. Her expression was still stone, though she dipped her head. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset bowed and kept her gaze downward. “The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty.” Chancing a look up, she searched behind Luna for another pony. Twilight touched her withers and she rose to see the look of understanding on her friend's face.

“Princess Celestia is still in Canterlot.”

Disappointment flooded the amber pony. Was Celestia still so angry with her that she wouldn't even see her? Attempting to rid herself of the terrible weight that had formed in her stomach, Sunset Shimmer looked around. “You weren't lying about having your own castle, were you?”

This made Twilight giggle again. “Nope. Everything I told you was true.”

“Sunset Shimmer!”

The exclamation drew all three ponies' attention to the door to the hallway. Spike came rushing in and jumped, Sunset catching him mid leap and giving him a nuzzle as Spike wrapped his short little arms around her neck. “Hey, Spike. It's so good to see you.”

As he was set down, the baby dragon practically bounced on his feet in excitement. “I couldn't believe it when Twilight told me you were coming back to Equestria! How long are you here for? Are you going to stay forever since, you know, this is sort of where you belong right? Or is it just for a little while? Where are you staying? There's plenty of room here or maybe somepony could let you stay with them in Ponyville if the castle's a bit too drafty for you. It really does take some getting used to. Or-”

“Easy, Spike.” Twilight smirked at her assistant. “She just got here.”

He shuffled his feet in embarrassment. “Aw, I know. I'm just really glad to see you is all.”

Sunset couldn't help but smile at Spike. His joy as seeing her spread a warmth through her she hadn't been expecting, and it was a nice feeling. “Thanks, Spike.” She glanced at Luna. “I don't really know how long I'm staying and I guess I just assumed I would be staying in Canterlot.” Twilight and Luna shared a look that made her uncomfortable. “Forgive me, Princess Luna. I'm sure you know all about me and what I've done, but-”

“Save your apologies, Sunset Shimmer.” Luna's expression still had not changed and it was unnerving. “As I once had to learn, words may only take you so far. It is your actions that truly show a heart of repentance.”

Sunset ducked her head. “Of course.” She was not unfamiliar with the tale of Nightmare Moon and, for a time at least, had actually been close enough with Celestia for the older pony to confide how much she missed her sister. Knowing how Luna must have had to win much of Equestria back after such a betrayal, Sunset had hoped the princess of the night would be a little more sympathetic to her plight. So far that didn't seem to be the case.

“There is plenty of room here if you'd like to stay with Spike and me,” Twilight offered. She glanced at the gigantic map Sunset had failed to notice, a half-hearted smile on her face. “Though I can't promise I'll be around all that much. The map pretty much dictates my life right now and when it says to go, I have to go.”

The idea of being in such a big place all by herself – assuming Spike accompanied Twilight on her adventures – was not overly appealing to Sunset and it showed on her face. “That's really generous of you, Twilight. I was kind of hoping to stay somewhere...less easy to get lost in.” Twilight laughed making Sunset feel better about turning down her offer. “Actually, I was wondering if I might be able to stay with Fluttershy.”

Twilight's good humor faded into a sad smile. “I know you and Fluttershy are really close in your world, but you have to remember that nopony here knows you, save what I've told them about you.”

“Oh.” It was beginning to feel like Sunset's ears would be at a permanent droop. “Right.”

“That, and she has a frequent house guest who would have a field day with you. Plus, you know how Fluttershy can be around new people...er...ponies. Once she gets to know you she'll be fine but until then...”

“No, I understand.” She truly did but it didn't make her feel any better. She'd forgotten all about having to come here and basically start over with ponies she recognized in her own world but who had no idea about her here. Save what Twilight had told them. What had she told them? Would they run screaming from her? Be defensive? Ignore her all together? Maybe it would be better for her to stay within the protection of Twilight's castle. But then, wouldn't Twilight's friends come and go as they pleased? She had a strong urge to sink to the floor and cover her eyes with her hooves.

“If I may...” Luna cool voice was thoughtful and drew the attention of everyone in the room. “You are here for the sole purpose of seeking forgiveness for the actions of your past, correct?” Sunset Shimmer nodded. “And those you seek absolution from are both in Ponyville and Canterlot?” She nodded again, making Luna tilt her head and narrow one eye. After a moment she looked at Twilight. “I may have a solution if you would excuse me for a few moments.”

“We'll be right here,” said Twilight. Without further prompting, Luna disappeared in a flash of magic, and Sunset felt herself let go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Twilight smirked. “Luna's really a wonderful pony once you get to know her.”

“Is she always so...formal.”

“Not alw....well....now that I think about it, yes. But you'll see, she has a really unique sense of humor.”

“Is that what that was?”

Twilight laughed. “Come on. Spike and I will give you a tour of the castle while we wait for Luna's return.”

Spike hopped on Sunset's back, putting her more at ease. He grinned at her. “Yeah! And you can tell us all about what's been going on in that weird freaky other dimension of yours.” As the three of them set off together, Sunset began telling her two friends about everything that was going on back at Canterlot High. Just talking about her friends made her more relaxed and she realized, though she'd not been gone very long at all yet, she already missed them terribly.

Chapter Three

“Once the Sirens were defeated and you left, things actually started to calm down.”

It had been an hour since Luna left and a tour of the castle had been completed. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight sat on one of the many balconies of Twilight's castle with Spike, enjoying snacks and catching up with one another. “And you're part of the Rainbooms now, right?” Twilight asked.

Sunset nodded, finishing her tea. “Yep. Every now and then it still feels like it's Rainbow Dash's band and we're just there to make her look good, but when someone points it out to her, she's usually pretty good about reeling it in.”

“What about the whole 'ponying up' thing?” asked Spike. “Does that still happen when you play?”

“Not every time, but sometimes.” Sunset shook her head, her brows coming together. “It's strange, really. When you two were first there it was the magic of friendship that made you transform. The second time it was directly linked to the music, and the bond that was shared between everyone. Now it seems to be changing again, evolving.”

Twilight's eyes were wide. “Evolving magic? That sounds exciting! Maybe I need to take another trip back to CHS and study it for myself!”

Sunset couldn't help but laugh. “I'm sure the girls would be more than happy to see you.”

With a warm smile, Twilight floated another pastry from the tray on the table between them toward herself. “I'm so glad to hear that you all are such good friends now.”

“They've taught me a lot. All of you have, really.” Awkward, Sunset reached out and grabbed a pastry with her teeth to set on her plate, prompting an odd look from Spike she didn't seem to notice. “I've learned a lot about forgiveness this past year.”

“Did you forget you have unicorn magic here?” the baby dragon asked. The question brought a stain of color to Sunset's cheeks.

“Oh, um...yeah. Completely forgot. Guess I'm going to have to get used to that again.” Twilight and Spike shared a laugh, Sunset joining in to hide her embarrassment. She didn't want to admit her fear at using magic again, or that she was going to avoid it at all costs for fear of what had the potential to happen. She'd survived as a human for over three years without magic. Surely she could make it a few days as a pony without it, too. If it was at all possible to prove to Celestia that she'd changed, it would be better done by showing her she could control herself enough to not rely on magic.

“Twilight, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course!”

Sunset hesitated, weighing whether or not she really wanted an answer to the question that kept floating around in her head. “How much convincing did you have to do to get Princess Celestia to let me come back here? She must really hate me if she didn't even come to see me arrive.”

“She doesn't hate you,” Twilight answered quickly. “Just like the relationships you had to repair in your world, it will take time to do the same here.” The lavender alicon grimaced. “To be honest, I think there's a part of her that's really glad you wanted to come back, but when you left before-”

“How I left before...”

“That left a mark. Princess Celestia is one of the most gracious and forgiving ponies I know. She won't hold a grudge, but she's still wounded.”

Nodding, Sunset Shimmer looked down at her untouched pastry, her appetite no longer there. That was exactly what she had been afraid of. Celestia had been like a mother to her. It felt like a knife in her side to know she'd turned her back on that kind of love and encouragement, all for the want of more power. “I was a fool.”

“Maybe,” Twilight offered her a kind smile, “but everypony makes mistakes, Sunset. It's part of growing and learning. She knows that. She also knows how much you've changed from the things I've told her. Just give her a little time, and give yourself some time. The important thing is to learn from your past and to make sure you don't stray down those darker paths anymore.”

Again Sunset nodded, unable to come up with anything to say in reply. Thankfully there came a voice from inside to spare her from having to say anything at all.

“Twilight? Are you there?”

“We're out here, Luna!”

Princess Luna's shoes could be heard clicking across the polished floor inside before she poked her head out the doorway. “How do you navigate through this castle without a map?”

The other two ponies and Spike laughed, and Twilight shrugged. “I used to think the same thing about Canterlot!”

Unamused, Luna looked at Sunset Shimmer. “I have found a place for you to stay. It is not so grand as a castle, but it is right between both Ponyville and Canterlot.”

Sunset glanced at Twilight, who only shrugged once more, before returning her attention to Luna. “O-okay. Thank you.”

“Do not thank me, thank the pony you will be staying with.” Luna stepped aside and motioned somepony behind her out onto the balcony with a wave of a hoof. A pegasus with a pale blue coat and cerulean ribbons in her mane and tail of sky blue, white, and silver, walked shyly past the navy alicon and out into the light with the others. Her orange eyes cast about to take in the faces, and she bowed when her gaze found Twilight.

“Princess.”

Twilight was clearly trying to pull a name from memory and struggling with it. She looked at the cutie mark of the unfamiliar mare, an orange and red quill beside an unrolled scroll, and recognition lit her expression. “Scribes! You take notes for the princesses sometimes, right?”

“I do, though it's been a long time.” Her voice was higher pitched than the others, sweet and girlish in a way that reminded Sunset of Fluttershy. “Your castle is beautiful, by the way.”

“Thank you. My friends really helped make it that way.”

“Scribes has a cottage on the road to Canterlot,” said Luna, getting right down to business. “I asked her if she would be all right with you staying there, Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset looked at Scribes with a reserved smile. “I wouldn't want to impose...” Really, she'd rather stay at the castle than with somepony she didn't know, no matter how nice she seemed, but Scribes gave a return smile that was warm and genuine.

“It's no imposition at all, really.”

“Only if you're sure.”

“Absolutely.”

Luna looked pleased that her arrangement would work out. “It is almost time for the sun to go down. If the two of you leave now, you will be able to make it to the cottage before it is too dark. Unless Sunset Shimmer wishes to teleport you both there.”

“That's okay!” The amber unicorn's quick reply had all eyes on her. She laughed and waved a hoof in a effort to appear casual. “I think it would be nice to walk, see a bit more of Ponyville as we go. Besides, I wouldn't really have any idea of where to teleport us to.”

“She's got a point,” said Twilight. “Teleporting without knowledge of your destination could be extremely dangerous. For all we know, you could end up in the middle of a wall, or the lake, or a tree!”

Scribes' smile seemed frozen on her face but there was uncertainty in her eyes. “Walking it is then!”

“Walking it is,” Sunset echoed. “Thank you for everything, Twilight. I mean it. You too, Spike.”

He waved a clawed hand. “All I did was get food and drinks.”

“But they were delicious food and drinks. I'll see you both soon, okay?” There were hugs all around, and Sunset felt unease creep back into the pit of her stomach. She bowed once to Luna before passing the older pony, still unhappy with the lack of expression the princess wore when addressing her. This was something she kept to herself, however, as she and Scribes walked down winding staircases and long, echoing hallways before reaching the outside once more.

Side by side as they walked, they looked like fire and ice with their differences in color. Every now and then Sunset would glance at Scribes, both hoping a conversation would be struck because she hated awkward silences, and also hoping Scribes wouldn't ask her too many questions. As it was, she already felt uncomfortable. It had been a very long time since she'd had to try and make a friend on her own. Even with the group back at CHS they had at least known her. Though she had to work on redemption with them, she was as much a stranger to herself as she was to them, and the progression into friendship had been almost natural, even if a little bumpy to begin with. Scribes was a completely unknown entity and that made Sunset nervous for some reason.

“How long are you staying?”

The question took Sunset Shimmer off guard simply because of the silence. “Oh, um...I don't really know. If I end up staying too long and you want me to find someplace else to go-”

“Of course not.” Scribes looked at Sunset with a confused smile. “I wasn't asking because of that, I was just making conversation.”

“Oh. Right.” Sunset felt a little foolish. “Sorry. I'm not used to situations like this. Where I'm from, I pretty much know everyone and they know me. Being here is such a transition in and of itself. To be dumped on someone who probably has better things to do than babysit me makes me feel even worse about the entire situation.” The bitterness in her own voice surprised her, but Scribes looked ahead as they walked, her expression thoughtful.

“I don't feel like you were dumped on me at all. Honestly, it'll be nice to have somepony around to talk to. The cottage gets lonely.” Now she looked sideways at Sunset, a brow lifting. “Has anypony ever told you that you talk weird?”

It was impossible not to at least chuckle. As soon as Scribes said “somepony” instead of “someone” Sunset Shimmer became acutely aware of the differences in pronouns. “You're definitely the first, but I'm sure you won't be the last.”

The sun was sinking quickly, and Sunset took in what she could see of Ponyville. It hadn't changed too much from what she remembered, though it had certainly grown. How strange it was to be back in a place she never thought she'd see again, much less want to see again. Some ponies she saw in the distance occasionally looked familiar, others were certainly strangers. It was an odd mixture of emotions, hoping to see someone she knew and dreading it at the same time. No doubt there were quite a few ponies whose opinions of her were no higher than Celestia's. She had done a lot of damage in her time here and in Canterlot, and it made her feel ashamed.

“This way,” Scribes urged gently, leading up a path at the back of the town. Leaving Ponyville behind them, they began a quieter walk up the well worn trail that Sunset knew eventually led to Canterlot. Behind them, they could still hear the voices of ponies when bits of conversations drifted to them on the evening breezes. Most of the noises around them, however, belonged to the birds and the bugs that were enjoying the solitude. If she squinted, Sunset could almost make out a small house far in the distance, down a road branching off from the main path.

“What made you want to live way out here?' Sunset asked.

“It used to be that I was at both Canterlot and Ponyville a lot. As Princess Twilight mentioned, I sometimes take notes for both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. It's mostly when they hold audience with a great number of ponies or animals from other lands so that they don't miss or forget anything important, but it's been awhile since they called on me. I was in Ponyville a lot before as well because I was a part-time librarian. Once Twilight came and moved into the library to be there full time, I wasn't needed much there, either. I wanted this cottage originally because it was halfway between two jobs.”

Sunset's brow wrinkled. “And then you pretty much lost both of them.”

Scribes nodded. “Yep. But I like the quiet out here still. It helps me write.”

“What do you write?”

“Everything, really, but right now I'm trying to finish my first novel.”

Sunset's eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

“Really.” Biting her lip, Scribes looked sideways at Sunset. “Can I make a bold assumption?”

The unicorn shrugged. “Sure?”

“You said being here was a transition and you say some things a little differently. When Princess Luna mentioned teleporting you looked...well...kind of freaked out. I've overheard things in the castle, things about another world that Twilight went to with humans, and a school, and girls who turned into monsters.” Sunset flinched but didn't say anything. Lowering her voice, Scribes asked, “Are you from that world?”

Sunset looked at her hooves as they walked on, unsure of what to say. There was something hurtful about knowing she'd been called a monster. It was likely that term was used for the Sirens, too, but still. “I...was...am. Sort of.” She shook her head. “I'm originally from Equestria, but I've been in that other world for a few years now.”

“What made you come back?”

How could she explain it? She had only just met this pony and didn't exactly want to launch into her life story. That kind of trust had to be earned and while Scribes seemed nice and all, Sunset really didn't know enough about her to know whether she could be trusted or not. She weighed the options of lies to tell, but eventually decided to settle upon a very tame version of the truth. “I wanted to come back and see some old familiar faces.”

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Scribes nodded. “Is it very different being a pony again after being a human for so long?”

She had to think about that one, too. It wasn't so long ago that she'd been a pony, only a couple of years. The night she came back to steal Twilight's crown had been a bit awkward at first, but it was, as they said in the human world, “like riding a bike” and something she fell back into fairly easily. “It is different,” she admitted. “Humans walk on two legs and wear clothes. They have fingers and toes. For the most part, no one has pony ears or tails, no wings and no magic.”

Scribes smiled widely. “I've always been fascinated with humans. They're like fairytale creatures here. Do you think maybe I could interview you about them? I want to write a book about them but don't want to get anything wrong.”

“Uh...sure.” This was quite possibly the strangest conversation she'd had in a long time. Still, there was something a bit endearing about Scribes. She seemed a little flighty but it was easy to see she was pretty harmless. The two of them were absolutely nothing alike, though, and Sunset could only hope that Luna knew what she was doing when she decided to pair them up together.

The cottage, as it turned out, was bigger than it seemed in the distance. They reached the front porch and Scribes went in first, beckoning Sunset in after her. “Gallifrey! Where are you? We have company!”

There was a loud thump overhead and Sunset looked up at the ceiling. She could hear the muted thud of feet moving across the floor above them, then come bounding down the stairs before them. A fluffy orange tiger cat with a mane of white around his neck gave a cry so high and weak that he sounded like a kitten, though he was big enough to be a full grown cat. “Gallifrey, this is Sunset Shimmer. She's going to be staying with us for awhile.”

As if able to understand Scribes, he looked over at the unicorn with bland disinterest, then gave another cry up at Scribes. “Yes, I know you're hungry. You'll just have to wait for supper.”

“Gallifrey, huh?” asked Sunset as she looked around. They had come into a sort of dining room with a small kitchen farther back and a living room off to the side. Glancing at the cat, she asked, “Where did you get a name like that?”

Scribes gave her a look of disbelief. “Seriously?”

Somehow, Sunset felt like she'd offended the pegasus. “I've never heard it before.”

“It's the home planet of Doctor Whooves. You've really never heard of it?” Sunset shook her head. “Oh my gosh, I have so much to teach you. The Doctor is wonderful. So funny, and smart, and...oh my goodness, so handsome. Anyway, his home planet is Gallifrey and it's orange and white like my kitty.”

Unsure of how to respond, Sunset let out a dry, “...cool.”

“There's a pony here who looks and sounds like him. He's even all science-y like the Doctor is, but he says his name is Time Turner – though I kind of think he might be the REAL Doctor - and he's totally out of my league.” Scribes sighed longingly, then, realizing she was gushing, blushed profusely and headed for the stairs. “Come on, I'll show you your room.”

Chuckling to herself, Sunset followed Scribes to the second floor. This was certainly going to be an interesting visit if she was going to be living with a rabid fangirl...filly.

Scribes opened a door to the left at the top of the stairs and went in, Sunset right behind. “This is the best room in the entire cottage.” The unicorn took in the standard bed, dresser, night stand, then turned around and immediately understood why. The back wall was almost entirely constructed of windows and overlooked a wide river with a small bridge over a waterfall. The trees on the other side of the river were lush and aglow in the light of the sun that was dipping low behind them.

“Wow,” Sunset breathed. “Why isn't this your room?”

“I like to sleep in total darkness and haven't been able to find curtains big enough for these windows. Besides, you're the guest. You should get the best room.” With a sweet smile, Scribes turned around and started downstairs. “How about I make us something to eat? Do you like berries and greens?”

“Love them,” Sunset called after her. She looked back out the windows and took a deep breath. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad staying here after all.

Author's Note

Guys I am so sorry for the long delay in between chapters. The past two months have been insane. Between personal loss, taking an emergency flight to Texas for a week, apartment issues, then NaNo, I just didn't have time to work on this. But I'm back at it and hopefully will be able to update this thing a bit more regularly. Thanks for being patient and hanging in there with me.

So disclaimer stuff: This takes place after Rainbow Rocks and as if Friendship Games neeeeevvvvvveeeeeerrrrrrrrr happened. Because I plotted the entirety of this story out before the movie was even close to being released and had no idea what the plot entailed. So keep that in mind. Any likeness to FG or what seems to be the alternate sub-plot to FG are honest coincidences. The end.

Chapter Four

Sunset Shimmer woke up to the smell of waffles and maple syrup drifting up to her from downstairs. She yawned and tried to scrub her hand over her eyes, but when it was a hoof that touched her face she gasped and nearly fell out of her bed. Wildly, she looked around, trying to get her bearings. Tossing back the covers, she launched herself from the bed without thinking and hit the floor with all four hooves. Noise that had been coming from below paused at the thud, and a sweet voice called, “Are you okay up there?”

For some reason the question and the voice were the very things to anchor her, to remind her what was going on. She was back in Ponyville, there to atone for her past mistakes, and she was staying with a pegasus mare called Scribes. Breathing out, Sunset looked down at her hooves and shook her head. “Get a grip,” she murmured, still trying to shake off the residual confusion. To Scribes she answered, “Fine. I'll be down in a minute.”

A minute turned into more than a few more minutes later. She decided to take a hot shower and use the time alone to mentally prepare herself for whatever the day had in store for her. There were so many ponies with which she had negative memories from the past, it was hard to decide where to start her journey to forgiveness. When the water began to run cooler and she knew she'd used up all the hot water, she dried off quickly with a towel. Not seeing any sort of hair dryer or curling iron, the amber unicorn looked her reflection in the foggy mirror, frowning at her pin-straight mane. This had all been done with magic before. Teal eyes went to her reflected horn with disdain. Fine. If magic was the only way to get her hair to look the way she liked it, she'd just have to learn to live with it straight. With an annoyed huff, she flung her wet towel over the towel rod and sulked her way downstairs.

There was a plate on the dining room table that was stacked high with golden waffles. Little dishes filled with syrup, whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries, along with coffee that, she was sure, had once been steaming hot, sat waiting for her on the table. Sunset looked around but Scribes was nowhere in sight. Guilt welled up inside of her for taking so long. The pegasus had clearly gone through a lot of trouble to make her feel welcome and Sunset thanked her by draining her hot water tank. She blew her mane from her face and made herself a plate, grateful for the food even if it was all cold now. Maybe she could make it up to Scribes by doing the dishes once she was done.

It was certainly a lonely meal; even the cat was nowhere to be seen. Once Sunset's stomach was full she carefully picked up every dish, put things away in the icebox, and washed down the table and everything that was dirty. With no hands and her refusal to use magic it was not an easy task, but she was finding things were not as hard as she imagined they would be. The thing she struggled with most was her mane constantly getting in her face. She was continuously flipping her head back in an effort to clear her vision, fearing she'd give herself whiplash sooner or later.

A sneeze from somewhere outside caught her attention. Sunset looked around the cabin and saw two big glass doors off of the living room that she hadn't noticed the night before. As she drew closer to them, she glanced over the book cases she passed that were stacked inelegantly with books and piles of papers. Scribes sure was sweet, but well organized she was not. Opening one of the glass doors, Sunset Shimmer poked her head outside to find her hostess sitting at a table with a quill in her mouth and parchment before her. When Scribes noticed Sunset, she dropped the quill and smiled.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.” The fact that the greeting was so warm made her feel even worse for taking so long in the shower. She shuffled outside like a filly awaiting discipline and offered Scribes an apologetic smile. “Sorry for taking so long, and for ruining the breakfast you made. It was still good, even cold.”

Scribes looked at her with sincere kindness. “You didn't ruin anything. Once I heard the shower I figured you'd be awhile so I ate while it was still hot. Did you sleep okay?”

Sunset jerked her head back, blowing her mane away from her face once more. “Yeah, I slept great. Probably a little too well, really. When I woke up I forgot where I was and what I was.”

“Gosh, I can't imagine what I'd do if I woke up and was a human.” There was no nervousness in Scribes' voice, only awe and wonder. “To suddenly have to walk on two feet, and have fingers and toes.”

“They're not all they're cracked up to be,” said Sunset dryly. “Way more hygienic things to worry about.” Scribes gave her a look of confusion, but Sunset hardly noticed. She flicked her hair back again and looked around, out over the river to the forest and Ponyville down below. “Wow, this really is a great view. If I lived here I doubt I'd leave very often.”

Scribes gave a humorless chuckle. “It's definitely a pretty prison.”

Now Sunset was the one confused. “Prison?”

Waving a hoof, Scribes shook her head. “Nevermind. You look like you need a little help with you mane.”

The offer made Sunset sigh thankfully. “Yes, please. I forgot how hard some things are when you only have hooves to work with.” She sat and let Scribes get to work on her mane. “Sorry if I interrupted you. It looked like you were working on something.”

“I'm always working on something.”

“Where's Gallifrey?”

Scribes shrugged casually, pulling one of the blue bows from her own mane. “He's around here somewhere. During the day he likes to wander but he always comes home at night.” She was silent for a moment as she twisted sections of Sunset's forelock back in a rope of red and yellow, then tied them up behind her ear with her bow. Stepping back, she smiled at her work. “There. Maybe now you can see a little better.”

“Much.” Sunset turned around to look at her reflection in the mirror. The hair that was pulled back looked soft and sweet, something she wasn't used to, and that which was left down and loose to drape over her withers was already curling naturally. The bright blue bow behind her ear made her look almost girlish and it took her aback. “Thanks, Scribes. I really like it.”

“You're welcome.” The pegasus went back to the table, her own tri-colored mane now hiding half of her face. She picked up her sheets of parchment to gather them all together and make them into a neat pile. “I have to go into town today to get a few things and didn't want to leave until I knew you were all set. I wasn't sure what your plans for the day were.”

Sunset shrugged, clueless. “I honestly don't know. I'm kind of making this up as I go.”

“Well you're free to come with me if you like, or if you want to stay here, that's fine, too.”

“You'd really be okay with me staying here without you?”

Scribes gave Sunset a curious look. “Why wouldn't I? You don't strike me as the kind of pony to steal things, not that I have much worth taking, and if you did, well I'd have to assume you needed it more than me. I don't really have any secrets either, so snooping doesn't wouldn't even be that big of a deal. I know you're here to do something big. Princess Luna didn't tell me what, only that she knew you would need a safe, quiet place to be able to go when you needed it. That's what this is. While you're here, it's your home, too. Come and go as you like. If you need time alone, you can tell me without hurting my feelings.” She smirked. “I'm a writer. Trust me when I say I understand the need for alone time.”

For a long moment, Sunset wasn't quite sure what to say. She was used to the kindness of her friends at CHS because that's what they were: friends. Scribes had only met her the day before, not even a full day before and here she was offering something so kind. Either she was genuinely this nice or she was entirely too trusting. Whichever the case was, it both endeared her to Sunset and made the unicorn worry for her. She knew how harsh the world could be and how easily it would eat Scribes up. As much as a day in Equestria all to herself sounded good, she wanted to get to know Scribes better. After all, there was no telling how long she would be there before going back to the human world. She really should get to know her temporary roommate better.

“If you don't mind,” she said, watching Scribes carefully pack her papers into a satchel, “I think I'd like to come with you.”

Scribes beamed, slipping the satchel over her head. “I don't mind at all. Let me just do the dishes and we can go.”

Now it was Sunset's turn to grin. “Already taken care of.”

Scribes nodded as she trotted inside, impressed. “It's handy having a unicorn around.” Sunset's only answer was a nervous chuckle.

Together they took the same road they'd traveled the day before, conversation between them coming just a bit easier than it had the last time. Scribes had a lot of questions about the human world and it was hard for Sunset not to laugh at times, especially when some of the questions seemed so far out there. “Do humans really sleep standing up?” “Is it true that if a human goes out in the rain they melt?” “Can a human truly turn their eyelids inside out?” Sunset answered as best as she could, sometimes having to bite the inside of her cheek before answering so as not to potentially offend her new friend. Before too long, however, she was eager for a change of subject. Talking about her other life made her miss her friends greatly, and she would rather not think about what fun they were having without her.

“What about you?” she asked as they crossed over into Ponyville. “What are your friends like? I'd love to meet some of them.” The words surprised her, but even as she said them she knew it to be true. There were so many unfamiliar faces in Ponyville alone, she'd be interested to get to know some of them and see what life here was like when one wasn't trying to become the most powerful pony in all of Equestria. But the question didn't seem to sit well with Scribes. The pale blue pegasus gave an awkward smile.

“You'll have to do a lot of reading if you want to meet my friends.”

Uncertain how to respond, Sunset looked at Scribes with a furrowed brow and an uncertain smirk. “Funny. What about real friends? Pony friends?”

It was unsettling to see the way all the joy drained from Scribes, her orange eyes looking to the ground as they walked. A slight blush stained her cheeks and when she spoke, her voice was very quiet. “I don't...really have any.”

Sunset didn't understand and it was obvious by the way her brows drew together. “What do you mean? Everyone - everypony has friends. Even me once I stopped being an evil she-demon and you're nowhere close to that.”

“Not everypony.” Scribes looked so embarrassed the Sunset felt horrible for even bringing it up, but the pegasus shook her head and continued. “Sometimes it's not worth having friends.”

“Not worth-” Sunset was cut off by her name being yelled. Both ponies stopped in the middle of the busy park they were walking through and looked around. Sure enough, Twilight Sparkle was heading her way with four other ponies right behind her. No one had to tell Sunset who they were; it was easy to figure them out by similar characteristics. Pinkie Pie was bouncing, Rainbow Dash had the unmistakable hair just like Applejack had her Stetson, and Rarity looked simply glamorous. Without thinking, she rushed forward to greet them as though they were all familiar, but a look from Twilight had her drawing up short. Right. These weren't her friends. They didn't know her, at least they didn't know her like her CHS friends did.

“How are you?” Twilight asked her. “Everypony, this is Sunset Shimmer. Sunset Shimmer, this is...well...everypony.”

A cacophony of sound went up around the amber unicorn as both greetings and questions were thrown at her rapid fire. From what she could gather, they all knew quite a bit about her, making it feel even more awkward that she knew nothing about them except who they were. For a few minutes she answered what she could, but quickly felt overwhelmed at all the attention. Looking around, she saw Scribes standing several feet away, just watching, and cleared her throat. “Um, hey everypony, can I introduce you to my friend, Scribes?”

All the chatter stopped almost instantaneously and everypony looked at the pale blue pegasus. She took a few steps forward, encouraged by the shift in attention, and offered a timid smile to the group. “Hi. I've met all of your briefly before at different times. Well, all of you except for Rainbow Dash. She and I went to Flight School together.”

The group was silent for a moment as though letting the information sink in, then Dash said a quick, “That's cool,” before turning back to Sunset Shimmer and asking, “So compared to the other me, how awesome are my flying skills?” All of the others started up their questioning as well, save Twilight who could only watch with a bemused expression. Sunset watched Scribes lower her head, her ears drooping. Trying to change the subject in hopes of finding some neutral ground, the amber unicorn looked at Twilight.

“Where's Fluttershy?” If anypony could make Scribes feel welcome in a group it would be the kindest of them all.

“She should be here soon. She's had to deal with – uh – let's just call him an unwanted house guest.”

Pinkie Pie began bouncing up and down again, pointing back in the direction they had all just come from. “Look! Here she comes now!”

“Oh how marvelous,” Rarity sighed. “She's brought a friend.”

Fluttershy trotted down the lane to join her friends, a curious looking creature hovering in the air beside her. As soon as he spotted Sunset Shimmer he disappeared in a pop of magic, only to reappear right in front of her and in the middle of the group of ponies. “Sunset Shimmer!”

“Aw, c'mon Discord!” Applejack gave him the dirtiest look of all as she backed away, though the others hardly had any warm smiles of greeting for him either. They all took a few steps back, helpless to watch as the Draconequis picked up Sunset under her forelegs and hugged her to him like a cherished old rag doll.

“I have heard so much about you!” he enthused. “Finally somepony who enjoys a little chaos as much as I do!”

Twilight glowered up at him. “Put her down, Discord.”

“Now don't be jealous, Twilight. You'll still be my favorite purple pony princess.” He batted unnaturally long lashes at the alicorn, but did as she ordered when her stern look didn't go away.

Sunset, now back on the ground, took a step back as well and looked up at Discord in confusion. “Should I know you?”

He slithered through the air like a snake, circling around her to twirl a claw through the loose strands of her mane. “Should you know me? Of course you should know me. Everypony should know me! But the real matter at hand here is that I know you.” He snapped his talons and her pony head was replaced by her human head. “You're the hot-headed unicorn who tried to overthrow dear old Tia – emphasis on the old, am I right? - and ended up running away to the human world only to come back and steal the crown from poor naïve little Twily here and bring it back to your world to use it so you could try and gain -” He grew to quadruple his size, blocking out the sun with his massive form, and flexed his muscles. “-ULTIMATE POWER!” Like a deflating balloon, Discord shriveled back down to his original size. “Does that about sum it up?”

Sunset Shimmer stared at him, speechless and a little horrified until her head turned back to normal. When her mouth dropped open but no words came out, Discord tapped her under the chin. “Close your mouth, dear. You'll catch flies.”

“Discord, that's enough.” The quiet command was almost a whisper, but still fierce enough to draw his attention. Fluttershy looked at him with disapproval. “How would you like it if a total stranger reminded you of your past?”

The question made the draconequis hunch over and pout. “Oh, all right.”

Thankful for the help from the pony equivalent of her best friend from CHS, Sunset Shimmer looked at Fluttershy with a grateful smile. The pale yellow pegasus, however, only regarded her with careful respect. Once more Sunset was reminded that this was not her group of friends, but this interaction above all of the rest of them hurt the most. Once Twilight had gone back to her world here in Equestria, Fluttershy had been the first one to really give Sunset a second chance. It had meant so much because Sunset had always been the cruelest to her. Yet her kindness toward Sunset in those first few weeks after Twilight had gone was what made them such strong friends. To have pony Fluttershy look at her so coldly felt like a slap to the face.

“Anyway,” said Applejack, breaking the awkward silence, “we were all about to head over to the ice cream parlor. You should come with us.” Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Dash, and Rarity agreed and weren't shy about trying to talk Sunset into joining them. That took some of the sting from Fluttershy away, and Sunset smiled, though the good feeling didn't last long. She quickly realized the invitation was for her alone and that the others seemed to forget Scribes was even there. Turning around, she saw the pegasus watching the group with a mixture of sadness and hurt on her face. Now what? Should she ask if Scribes could join them? Except it didn't look like she would want that. She knew she certainly wouldn't want to join a group that had forgotten her and feel like some sort of tag-along. She also didn't want to abandon her new friend, especially the way she was obviously feeling, but wanted to spend time with the others as well. She'd never felt so torn before.

“Um...” She knew what she needed to do and gave a thankful smile to the group. “Maybe a raincheck? I have a lot that I really need to do.”

The group protested, but Twilight gave a knowing nod and shushed them all. “We understand. Good luck, Sunset. We'll catch up with you later.” With waves of goodbye, the group all headed off as one, Discord floating along with them. It was hard to watch them go, but when Sunset turned around to rejoin Scribes, she felt she'd made the right decision.

“Are you okay, Scribes?” The pegasus nodded slowly and Sunset tilted her head. “Wanna talk about it?”

“There's nothing to talk about.” Scribes wouldn't even look Sunset in the eye, making the unicorn uneasy. “You should have gone with them. They're your friends.”

“You're my friend, too.” She looked after the retreating forms of the group. “Besides, it's really only Twilight who knows me. We're all still pretty much strangers to each other.”

“Well then it's a good time to get to know them.” Mustering a small smile, Scribes finally looked at Sunset. “Go on. I have some errands to do anyway. I'll see you back at the cabin later.” There was no time for Sunset to argue. Scribes spread her wings and took to the air, flying away as quickly as she could.

Sunset there for a moment feeling terribly conflicted. She'd never had to deal with a situation like this before where she had to choose between friends. Was the whole principle of friendship different here in Equestria? What was she supposed to do now? There was really very little choice. Scribes was gone and she could still see Twilight's group in the distance. She could go with them now and hopefully talk to Scribes later. With a deep breath, Sunset started to run to catch up to the group, but another group of ponies suddenly appeared before her blocking her way. Sunset skidded to a halt before running into them, gasping upon seeing faces that had once been so familiar. Lyra, Amethyst Star, and Twinkleshine all stared at her as though they were seeing a ghost from their past, but it was Lyra, standing in the middle of all three of them, who spoke.

“Well...if it isn't Sunset Shimmer.”

Chapter 5

When she was a filly, Lyra Heartstrings always had a look about her that suggested she was either plotting something, or was in on a joke no one else in the world understood. For that reason, among many others, Sunset Shimmer had an instant disliking for the younger unicorn. She was determined to be the best at everything herself, and that included having the upper hoof on everypony around her. Lyra's constant antics or, at the very least, allusions to antics, always made Sunset uneasy. They'd been forced to room together at school and the amber unicorn was vigilant in keeping an eye on Lyra. She didn't really care what the musical unicorn did, so long as it didn't effect her.

Though the room they shared was small, Lyra often had at least one or two friends over on a regular basis. They were all unicorns of course, what with them being in magic school, and annoying giggly and childish. Sunset had constructed a curtain for herself that she could shut to give her at least a small bit of privacy on her half of the room. Lyra was wise to her from the beginning, seeing she was a very private and focused pony, and didn't want to be bothered. Her friends, however, weren't as quick on the uptake. Moondancer, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Minuette took turns getting verbally abused each time they interrupted Sunset's studying until they all realized she was not a pony to be bothered.

When her friends weren't around, the two unicorns tolerated each other. Sunset kept her curtain open and Lyra was much more introspective and thoughtful than she appeared to be around everypony else. Sunset knew her game; she'd seen it before in other ponies. It was insecurity that made Lyra act so differently around others, uncertainty about how well she fit in that made her become somepony totally different when the others were around. Well, all the others except for some earth pony she'd somehow befriended. Bon Bon. What a stupid name. That practically doomed her to obesity, didn't it? Still, when she was around Sunset observed a more sensitive and open side to Lyra that hadn't been expected.

On the day Sunset took her magical exam mid-term she was so confident in herself and her abilities, she wasted no time with theatrics. Juniper Berry, one of her classmates, had just tried a similar spell with less than pleasing results. Sunset wanted to blow away not only her competition, but everypony else as well. She could hear the mutterings of the judges, wondering how her growth spell would fare and whether or not it would be enough. It only made her smirk to herself and revel in the reaction that was sure to come. She was, after all, Princess Celestia's star pupil. If she couldn't give them a proper show, who could?

Her horn glowed in a pale teal aura of magic, seeds in the pot before her levitating in midair and glowing in a similar color. Then all at once, BAM! Vines shot forth, growing as thick as giant water serpents, slithering out doorways and windows, shattering the ceiling above her and reaching up as if to wrap around the very sun itself. Amid it all, Sunset stood alone with a wicked grin on her face, distress over the destruction her spell had caused greatly overshadowed by pride. When her instructors applauded – even as they were wrapped in the thick vines themselves – it only made Sunset all the more confident in who she was and what she was able to do. With a show like that, it wasn't long before the stories of her power spread throughout Canterlot.

It was later in the morning that Sunset decided to take her studying to the park. All was relatively quiet, save a little purple unicorn filly being watched over by two older ponies. It was noise easily tuned out, and Sunset settled down at a picnic table to get to work.

“Sunset Shimmer!”

She looked up upon hearing her name. Who in Equestria would be calling for her and sounding so excited? Then she spotted them, the group of young mares coming her way. It was the usual motley crew with Lyra among them. Minuette led the procession as they hurried toward her, breathless and with wonder in her eyes. “That vine you made was AMAZING!”

Sunset looked at her like she had three heads and one of them was leaking snot.

“Really exquisite,” Twinkleshine added, oblivious to the disgust on Sunset Shimmer's face.

Lyra stepped forward, hesitant, and offered her roommate a smile. “Would you like to come have lunch with us?”

The question seemed so out of the blue. Along with the other three, Moondancer and Lemon Hearts watched her with expectant smiles, expressions that only made the repulsion of their company take deeper root within Sunset Shimmer. She got to her hooves and shut her book, magically levitating it into her saddlebags before carefully looking at each one of them. Saving Lyra for last, she snorted and flipped her mane. “I have better things to do than socialize. I'm going to re-read 'Advanced Elemental Magical Practices' and then practice for my Advanced Summoning Spells exam. What are you studying for?” Lyra's pupils had gone wide, a flush of embarrassment on her cheeks, but Sunset narrowed her eyes at the younger unicorn and sneered. “Nothing, that's what.” With nothing left to say, she trotted away with her head held high.

When Lyra came back to the room they shared that night, she slammed the door behind her and ripped Sunset's curtain back with such force that it tore from the metal rod holding it up. Her eyes were red and poofy from having cried recently, and anger swelled her cheeks with color. Sunset Shimmer threw herself against her wall, surprised, her foreleg raised to protect herself. When she saw Lyra, however, she relaxed and took her in with scrutiny. “That is damaged property!”

“Do you have any idea how much you embarrassed me today?”

Sunset sighed and rolled her eyes, relaxing back down onto her bed with her book. “No, and I don't really care.”

“I have tried to be nice to you all year, Sunset! I've tried to include you in on things, to study with you, tried to be your friend and help you get to know my friends. And what do you do? You throw it back in my face as if my friendship was worth nothing more than a moldy bale of hay.”

“I don't need friends,” Sunset hissed, ears flat against her skull. “Why does everypony insist that I make friends? That is not what is important in life. Being the BEST is what matters most.”

Lyra sat back on her haunches, deflated, “What good is being the best if you're lonely?” Sunset didn't say anything, and Lyra shook her head. “I've seen you watch other ponies. I've seen you watch me with my friends. You have this look in your eyes that says you wan to join, want to be able to confide in somepony and laugh with them. I'm offering that to you. I've been offering that to you all along. Why won't you let anypony care about you?”

Sunset was silent as she stared down at her book, though her eyes stayed still to betray the fact that she wasn't reading. For the briefest moment there was a flicker of sadness in her teal eyes, something heavy and deeply powerful, yet as quickly as it was noticed, it disappeared. She turned her head toward Lyra, her glare cold and her brows low over her eyes. “I don't need anypony to care about me, do you understand? I am PERFECTLY happy on my own. I don't need you, I don't need your stupid, babbling, idiotic friends, and I certainly don't need anypony caring about me. If that's what you need in life to feel good about yourself, then that's your weakness, your issue.” She turned back to her book and quirked a brow, a dark half-smile turning up the edge of her mouth. “Maybe you should see if you can get what you need from Bon Bon, because you're definitely not going to get it here.”

The sound of Lyra's sobs as she ran from the room echoed in her ears that night. Now, standing before Lyra, it felt like a chorus of her crying in her memory. Sunset Shimmer swallowed hard and looked into the golden eyes of the younger unicorn. That was the last real exchange they'd had with one another, other than an empty look passing between them as Lyra moved her things into a different room.

“Lyra,” Sunset said uncertainly. “You haven't changed a bit.”

“Neither have you. What are you doing here?”

The question wasn't unkind, though it was not exactly friendly, either. It made Sunset glance at the other two. “I'm, um...I'm...” What was she supposed to say? How much did they know about everything she'd done since the last time they'd all seen each other? It felt lame to say she was making her rounds in Ponyville and Canterlot with hat in hoof, ready to apologize for the way she'd been. It was so strange to be there now. Lyra had been the one to cower before Sunset Shimmer, not the other way around. Yet at that moment she felt so vulnerable and powerless, she couldn't even hold her gaze for long. “I, uh...” She sighed and looked down, ears drooping. “I guess you could say I'm here to try and fix the mistakes of my past.” None of the other three said anything, only shared looks with one another that meant nothing to Sunset. She swallowed again, nervous, before lifting her head. “Amethyst, Twinkleshine...I can't tell you how many times I've thought of that day you all came to find me to tell me you liked my spell. You girls were all so nice to me even after I'd been less than friendly to you all year. I should have been gracious and thanked you.” Her eyes slid to Lyra's expressionless face. “I should have accepted your invitation to lunch.” But she knew the biggest mistake she'd made of all of them and it showed in the sadness of her smile. “I should have accepted your friendship.” There was so much she wanted to say, to Lyra especially, but words wouldn't form cohesive sentences. Instead, all she could say was, “Please for give me.”

For a long moment, none of the three unicorns said anything. Amethyst Star and Twinkleshine looked at one another over Lyra's head, a wordless conversation going on between them. Eyes were narrowed, widened, gestures were made with hooves. When they seemed to come to a decision, both of them elbowed Lyra, who'd been standing there with no expression on her face at all. She looked at Amethyst, who'd nudged her the hardest, and seemed to understand the nod the purple unicorn gave her. Her mouth curved downward in a frown, and for a minute it seemed as though she had nothing to say, but just as Sunset was about to accept the situation and walk away, Lyra shook her head.

“That night we fought is one of the clearest memories I'll ever have. I can't tell how how broken my heart was.” Her withers slumped and she looked down. “I wish I could say it – you - made me make some bad choices but they were my choices to make. I own them.”

“We own them,” Twinkleshine corrected quietly.

Confused, Sunset took them all in in turn. “I don't understand.”

“Remember how you were studying for your Advanced Summoning Spells exam?” asked Lyra. “All that next week you kept getting so close, and just when you thought you'd had it, something unexpected popped up?”

She nodded. “I was in the school library, trying to summon things from my room or from one of the classrooms but the first day, all I could summon was a cat. Then it was a bowl of stale popcorn, and after that, a half-deflated ball.” Amethyst Star grinned widely, the other two looking at her, and Sunset's brows shot upward. “That was you?”

“I was failing all my classes except for that one. They say every unicorn has a specialty and apparently that's mine.” She gave a nervous chuckle. “I'm really sorry. Forgive me?”

“And it was me who put pepper in your toothpaste,” giggled Twinkleshine behind a hoof. “I'm sorry for laughing. It's not funny. But it kind of is.”

Sunset couldn't help the soft laugh that passed her lips. “No, it really is funny. Now, at any rate. My breath smelled like I'd been chewing peppercorns for a week after that.”

Lyra grimaced, her brows coming together. “The last time I saw you, you were going to the pool. I don't know if you ever figured it out, but it was me who threw those chocolate candies into the water where you were swimming.”

Eyes widening, Sunset took Lyra in with astonishment. “You did that? Everyone thought I had...well...you know! They all screamed and couldn't get out of the water fast enough!”

“I'm so sorry, Sunset,” Lyra groaned. “That was a terrible thing to do to a pony. We were dumb kids.”

“Yeah, we were,” Sunset agreed, unable to stop the laughter bubbling up from within her. Together, all four of them relived the moments of Sunset's torture, the humor in the situations easily seen by all now that they were older. The levity, however, didn't last long. Eventually Sunset Shimmer wiped the tears from her eyes and sobered, shaking her head. “We were dumb kids, but that doesn't excuse our behavior, least of all my own. I was awful to so many ponies because I thought friendship was a weakness. Now I know how much of a strength it really is. I would never expect you to want to be my friend after everything that happened...I may not even have any right to ask for your forgiveness...but-”

Her words were cut off when pale aquamarine forelegs wrapped around her neck in an embrace. For a moment she simply froze, unsure of what to do. When the realization of what the embrace meant sank in, her eyes filled with tears once again, though this time it wasn't from laughter, but from a grateful heart. She slid her eyes closed and wrapped a foreleg around Lyra to return the hug, then felt herself enveloped by Twinkleshine and Amethyst Star as well. Soon enough they were a big, colorful ball of tears that passersby gave odd looks to before hurrying on their way.

When the moment passed and the girls extracted themselves from one another, Sunset wiped her eyes once more. “Wow,” she managed, “that was so not what I was expecting.”

Lyra shrugged and gave a watery smile. “I can't stay mad, not when someone is obviously genuine. You have my forgiveness, Sunset Shimmer, but only if you accept mine.”

“All of ours,” Twinkleshine amended.

Sunset nodded, unable to keep from grinning. “Of course!” A weight she didn't realize was as heavy as it had been felt lifted from her shoulders. There were still a great many ponies to talk to and she knew not all of them would be this easy. The revelation of the lengths these three had gone to get revenge for the way they had been treated was definitely an eye opener. She hurt them, so they hurt her. “Hurting people hurt people.”

The quiet mutter was met with confused gazes. Lyra tilted her head. “Who the what now?”

“I just realized how powerful hurt is, and not in the good way. It's like we feel like the only way we can make ourselves feel better about what was done to us is to make someone – somepony – else feel just as horrible as we do.” She made a face. “What a backwards way of thinking.”

Amethyst gave a sad shrug. “That's the way of the world, isn't it?”

“But it doesn't have to be.” Sunset took the three unicorns in, determination in her eyes. “Think of how different things would be if we offered kindness instead of malice, forgiveness instead of held onto grudges. What if, instead of letting wounds fester and grow, we talked about how the actions of others affected us?”

Lyra was nodding slowly. “Maybe then, things like what happened between us wouldn't have a chance to get so out of hoof.”

“I don't know,” said Amethyst, rubbing her chin. “How many ponies do you know who actually want to talk about things and ponies that hurt them?”

“Not many,” Sunset conceded, “but not many ponies believed the earth was round until someone was brave enough to set out and show them another way of thinking. Why can't we show ponies that there is another way instead of paying their hurt forward?”

Twinkleshine grinned wickedly. “We're gonna start a revolution.”

“Heck yeah, we are!” cheered Lyra, throwing a hoof in the air. “We totally need a cool name. Or capes!”

Sunset's ears folded backward and she gave a small chuckle. “How about we just start with seeking and offering forgiveness to those we've hurt and who have hurt us?”

“I guess we can start there,” Lyra mumbled, reigning her enthusiasm in with a blush. “But we need a game plan. We can't just go running around to every random pony asking them to forgive us of things they may not even know about or remember. We'll be thrown into the Ponyville Sanitarium before the day is out.”

Twinkleshine shivered, her pupils going to pinpricks. “Not again.”

Lyra touched her withers with a reassuring pat. “How about we go back to my place for lunch and some strategizing? Bon Bon made peach pie last night and there's still plenty left.”

Sunset looked at the younger unicorn, surprise lifting her brows. “You're still friends with Bon Bon?”

“Totally. We've been living together so long now that everypony automatically assumes we're a couple, but she's been my best friend since were fillies. She's always been there for me without question.”

“Let the haters say what they will,” Amethyst growled, waving her hoof. “Most of 'em are just jealous they can't find another pony who will stick with them as long as you two have stuck together.”

Sunset shrugged. “Whatever your situation is, Lyra, all that matters is that you're happy.”

Lyra beamed. “Thanks, Sunset. Now come on, who wants pie?”

Twinkleshine shook herself from her terrified reverie and squealed, “I like pie!”

Author's Note

Guys, I am so sorry AGAIN for this long delayed and short update. I was SOOOOO burdened with my publishing deadline for my second novel, I moved, I had some family issues...there was a lot going on. This month is actually quite busy for me as well with four days of book signings, I'm giving my testimony at Celebrate Recovery (huge, vomit inducing anxiety) and family visiting, but I am really hoping to get back into this story big time and wrap it up. Please forgive me for being so slow with this thing. I'm trying!

Anyway, I have mixed comic canon with show canon for Sunset's background story - some of the dialogue and situations in this chapter were actually taken straight from the comic so as to stay true to the canon story.

I think that's about it. Again, sorry. I'll try to be better.

Chapter 6

It was late in the afternoon by the time Sunset Shimmer arrived back at Scribes' cottage far above Ponyville, under the shadow of Canterlot in the distance. She'd spent most of her day at the small home Lyra and Bon Bon shared, rekindling friendships that had almost been but now were on the path to being real bonds. As they ate the delicious peach pie Bon Bon had made, Sunset discovered all four of her new friends were all so different from each other, and really brought out the best in one another. Lyra was very much in tune with the emotions of all the other ponies in the room, always doing her best to make sure they were happy or, at the very least, not miserable. What Sunset used to see as her trying to fit in with everypony she met was now shown to be a very strong sense of compassion.

Amethyst Star was sarcastic and snarky, and was definitely the pony of the group who cared the least about what other ponies thought of her, or so it seemed on the surface. She later admitted that her humor was her defense, that if she laughed first, no one could laugh at her. Then there was Twinklshine. She was so flighty (and a bit dense) that it seemed like there wasn't much under her cotton candy pink mane, but she would spout random bits of wisdom that made them all pause from time to time.

Sunset apologized to Bon Bon early on in the day, knowing she'd never said anything intentionally cruel to the earth pony's face, but that she'd made many a comment to Lyra about her. Whether or not Lyra passed them along hardly mattered to the amber unicorn. She was ready to try for a clean slate and wanted to get everything off her chest. It seemed Bon Bon would have reserved her forgiveness, had Lyra not given her an encouraging nod.

As Sunset came up over the crest of the hill and walked inside the cottage, she carried with her a mixture of emotions. The girls spent all day coming up with a sort of moral inventory. They took stock of who they'd hurt in the past and who had hurt them, and what causes and effects they'd seen. Her list had been far longer than the others', but it was freeing to be able to purge it all, to get it off her chest and off her conscious. Yet seeing it all before her, in black and white, made her feel incredibly heavy at the same time. She had been hurt when she was very young, and because of it, she'd gone on to hurt many others. If nothing else, she learned how powerful a hurting heart really could be, and it often showed its power in the worst of ways.

“Hello?” She knew Scribes would be home and had taken her journey back to the cottage slowly, needing time to process all that was going on in her head. When the only answer to her greeting was a high pitched meow from the ball of orange and white fuzz on the steps to go upstairs, Sunset looked at the cat, bemused. “Hey, Gallifrey. Where's Scribes?” He flicked his tail and blinked slowly, turning his head as though in distaste of her question. The pale blue pegasus had been in the back yard this morning, maybe she was there now. Upon searching, however, Sunset found she was quite alone. She'd wanted time to think but it was strange being there by herself.

A search of the ice box revealed enough ingredients for a nice salad, so, biding her time, Sunset began getting dinner ready. She still refused to use her magic which made cutting all the veggies a bit tricky, but she was proud of how skilled she was becoming at adapting to no hands. Once the salad was put together and stuck back in the chill chest, she made some lemonade to go with it. Still alone, and with the sun starting to go down. Sunset decided to scan one of the many bookshelves to see if she could find something to read.

There were books on every subject, from every different genre, with no rhyme or reason to their placement. She imagined Twilight seeing it and having a bit of an eye twitch before insisting something be done about the chaos. Eventually, Sunset Shimmer settled on the first book in an apparent series with a castle on the spine. Pulling it from the others, several papers came fluttering down from on top of the book, settling on the floor in careless heaps. Gallifrey sniffed at them, then walked into the center of the paper pile and lay down. Sunset looked at the cover of the book in her hoof – a kilted stallion with a swooning mare entitled, “The Trottish Warrior” - and shoved it back into it's place. She then turned for the papers instead, delicately pushing the cat out of the way so she could clean up her mess.

“What is all this?”

They were all hoofwritten, chunks of text in different colors on the same sheet as though written at different times. Some sentences were obviously notes scribbled in haste, there were some short to-do lists, but there were also bits that rhymed and flowed like poetry.

“I don't remember how I got here, or when my rose colored glasses disappeared.”

“I will hold my head up high. You will never see me cry. I'll smile and say, 'I'm good,' but I would fall apart if I could.”

“I'm tired of being afraid. I'm wondering how I got this way. I'm trying to remember what life was like before panic moved in without even knocking on the door.”

Sunset read them over with a furrowed brow. “These are all so sad.”

The door opened, making her jump. Without time to do much else, her horn glowed in a teal aura of magic, catching all of the papers up and shoving them unceremoniously back onto the shelf. Scribes came into the room just as the magic faded, and Sunset gave her a great big smile. “Hey! I was wondering where you were!”

The pegasus was out of breath, though there was a tired smile on her face as she brushed her tri-colored mane from her face. “Sorry. I got caught up in my research and totally lost track of time. Once I realized how late it was, I zoomed back here as fast as I could. Sorry dinner's going to be late.”

“No need to worry,” said Sunset happily. She helped Scribes with her saddlebags, taking a step back in shock when they thunked to the floor. “I whipped up a salad and made some lemonade. What in the world do you have in there, bricks?”

Scribes laughed and undid the latch on her bags to reveal their contents. “Just a spell book, a couple of history books, a thesis I found interesting, and some new toys for Gallifrey.” She tossed a bright orange stuffed mouse to the cat, who looked at it with mild disinterest. “Let's eat. I'm starving!”

While Scribes poured ice cold lemonade for the both of them, Sunset took a deep breath to calm herself, and allowed herself to use magic one again to get dishes down and portion out the salad. She was purposeful as she concentrated on the task at hand, rather than the surge of power that ran through her body. It was adrenaline-filled and tempting, but once the salads were on the table, she let go of the magic and sat to enjoy her meal. “So, what are you researching? Is it something for the princess?”

“Oh no, this is for something I'm writing. Fiction, obviously, but I want to make sure the fact I have in there are correct. See, I've had this theory for a long time about a pony here.” Scribes made a face. “Well...I think she's technically a pony...or not a pony...anyway. I've tried asking Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about it, and Princess Twilight says neither she nor Princess Cadance know anything about it, so since I have gotten no information to either prove or disprove my theory, I'm writing a book about it.”

“What's your theory?”

Chewing her salad, Scribes pulled the spell book over and flipped to a page that was already bookmarked. “A long time ago, way before anypony still alive can recall, there was a prince who was in love with this alicorn princess. He made a love potion and drank some, somehow getting her to drink it as well. Except something went wrong.”

Sunset nodded, swallowing her lemonade. “Right, the story of the first Hearts and Hooves Day. I remember hearing that when I was a filly.”

“Then you know how it ended. They were so wrapped up in one another that they forgot everything else in their lives. Everything was falling to ruin, but they didn't care. Even when a dragon attacked the princess' castle, all they could think about was each other. The stories tell us that the prince saw the dragon was about to swallow his princess, so he threw himself in front of her to protect her and was gobbled up instead. But everything I've read ends there. No one ever wrote about what happened to the princess once her prince was gone and the spell wore off, except to say that chaos reigned.”

“I assume this is where your theory comes in.”

“This is where my theory comes in!” Scribes hit the table with her hoof hard enough to rattle the glasses upon it, excitement in her orange eyes. “I think the princess turned into none other than Queen Chrysalis.”

Sunset raised a brow. “Who the what now?”

“Chrysalis, the changeling queen! She was so distraught and desperate for the love she'd lost that even when the potion – later dubbed more of a poison – wore off, that her kingdom only fell farther into ruin. I believe her heart changed, that the poison changed her and she became what she is now. Changelings need love, they feed on it to survive. Her one true love was forever taken from her, making her forever searching for the one thing she'll never have enough of because it will never be from the one pony she really wants it from.”

Flipping through one of the history books, Sunset nodded, impressed. “That's actually not a bad theory. I still have no idea who this Chrysalis pony is but...the story adds up.”

Scribes giggled. “Thanks, Sunny. I appreciate the support.” Stopping short, her eyes went wide. “Is it okay if I call you that?”

Sunset tilted her chin, thinking. No one had ever given her a nickname before. It felt...nice. “I kind of like it.” When Scribes smiled and finished her salad, Sunset closed the book and pushed her already empty plate away. “Since we're good enough friends now that you've got your own name for me, can I ask a personal question?”

“My life is an open book.”

She hesitated a moment, wondering how Scribes would react. “Earlier today, when we ran into Twilight and her friends...what happened?”

The levity in the room seemed to deflate and Scribes swallowed her bite of salad like she was swallowing a rock. “What do you mean?”

“Right before we saw everypony, you were telling me that sometimes it wasn't worth having friends, and then the way you reacted when they were all there, talking at once...” She trailed off, thinking of the poetry she'd found. It was depressing and lonely. “I guess I'm kind of worried about you, that's all.”

“I don't really want to talk about it.” The pegasus rose to clear the table, but Sunset wasn't about the let the subject closed and helped her, following her into the kitchen.

“You told me this morning that you were here if I needed to talk about anything. I want you to know that goes both ways. That's what friends do for each other.”

Scribes paused over the sink, her eyes downcast and her expression unreadable for a moment. When she did finally turn back to Sunset, she gave the unicorn a small, albeit genuine smile. “Thanks, Sunny. That means a lot. I just don't want to talk about it tonight, if that's okay.”

“Of course it is.” She had the strange urge to hug Scribes and knew that was because of her friends back at CHS. It seemed everything was done with a hug. Sad? Let me hug you. Celebrating a victory? Hugs all around. Got a zit on your nose? A hug will clear that right up. Just had a fight with your arch nemesis? Hug it out, bro. Instead of doing something that would very possibly weird Scribes out, Sunset elevated the dish cloth in the sink to herself. “How about I do the dishes?”

“The cook shouldn't have to clean,” Scribes argued. “Besides, I didn't want to be rude and say anything, but you kind of look terrible.”

Confused, Sunset trotted over to the mirror beside one of the bookcases and looked at herself. Her mane, tied up so prettily by Scribes just that morning, was coming loose and falling flat. There were bags under her eyes and a piece of celery in her teeth. She touched a hoof to her cheek and dragged it down to reveal eyes that were slowly going red. “Oh...wow. I look special.”

Scribes laughed as she filled the sink with soap and water. “Okay, we can go with that.”

It was impossible not to laugh as well, and Sunset looked at her friend. “If it's all the same to you, then, I think I'm going to go upstairs and crash.”

“By all means. I'll try and stay quiet down here. I'll be up writing for awhile.”

The statement made the unicorn pause before heading up the stairs to her room. “You don't happen to have any blank journals lying around, do you? I think I'd like to document my days so I don't forget anything.”

With a snort, Scribes smirked. “Do I have any blank journals? Are you kidding? I have a whole collection!” She nodded to the shelf from which Sunset had taken the book and found the poetry earlier. “The entire bottom row is free for the taking and there should be a quill in the desk in your room.”

Sunset examined the different shapes and sizes of the notebook, finally settling on a soft gray one with a dyed-to-match leather thong that tied it closed. “Thanks, Scribes. Good night.”

“Sleep well!”

With her new prize on her back, Sunset Shimmer headed upstairs. She stopped only briefly to give Gallifrey a pat on the head, to which she was rewarded with a slow blink and a building purr. In her room, the windows overlooked the pond that was reflecting the moon high above. Sunset put her notebook on the desk and stood at the window, breathing slowly. What a day it had been. It felt like it had been several days wrapped into one. Even just thinking to her state of mind when she'd woken up only that morning was a bit strange. She'd already been a bit irritated, thinking about the reason why she was there, how she was avoiding magic and trying to figure out how to get everyone to forgive her that she needed to. Her day with the girls changed her way of thinking. She knew now that it didn't matter so much that she was forgiven, only that she offered her apologies with a sincere heart. What the recipient of that apology did with it after that was not under her control, and that was okay.

Holding her own gaze reflected in the window before her, she laughed at herself. Control, power...they used to be the only things she wanted. Now, as her horn lit with magic, she realized they weren't the only things in life worth living for. There was still that enticing thrill that ran through her, pulsed in her veins when her magic was activated, but the fight against it would get easier, she knew it would.

Sitting down at the desk, she found the promised quill and an ink well in one of the drawers. There wasn't a detail she wanted to forget, both from today and the day before. As she wrote, she could hear music wafting softly from downstairs. This life was so different from the one she'd been living for the last few years, challenging in a different way, but somehow...natural.

The list she'd made earlier that day began running through her head when she finally tucked herself into bed. A plan had been sketched out in her new journal, a sort of plan of attack. There were still quite a few ponies she needed to speak with before she could feel truly at peace, and it was going to take some time. The School for Gifted Unicorns was her first stop the next morning. Some of the teachers she'd had were retired and living elsewhere, one refused to even see her, but most were pleased to see her overall, and graciously accepted her apologies. No interaction went quickly, each of them turning into lengthy conversations that ended up leaving Sunset feeling better than when she'd entered. Even the few who admitted to giving her poor grades or tougher assignments because of her attitude seemed to be in better spirits when all was said and done. Forgiveness was offered and forgiveness was accepted. The one teacher who refused to see her, Sunset determined, would still get a letter in the mail. Whether she chose to read it or not, Sunset would still do her part.

The next few days brought her back to the school to seek our janitorial workers and food service ponies. After her exhausting first day at the school, she recognized the necessity of meeting with her unicorn friends (and Bon Bon) to decompress and be built back up again. They all listened to her as she recounted her day, taking encouragement from her bravery and vowing to work on their own journey to healing the next day. They all also agreed to meet again the next night.

Sunset Shimmer found out that there were days when her food was extra salty or sour when it should have been sweet as a way of retaliation for her attitude from the ponies in the cafeteria. It seemed each pony she talked to had their own ways of getting back to her, though not all of them had acted on plans of retribution. As they shared stories that evening at the cottage, she noticed Scribes listening to the conversation going on around the table, even though she said she really needed to write and was more comfortable in the main room.

Lyra revealed that her big accomplishment of the day was apologizing to Twilight for stealing books from the library. She figured they wouldn't be missed, what with the selves being so full and new books coming in all the time, but learned how absolutely batty it had driven Twilight, especially since Lyra signed them out under the name Happy M. Buttlicker. Though laughter circulated around the room, and a snicker could clearly be heard from the living room, Lyra understood what she'd done was wrong and did feel bad about it.

As the others shared, Sunset excused herself to poke her head into the main room and looked at Scribes. “Hey, you should come join us. Bon Bon made some really delicious red velvet cupcakes.”

Scribes hastily scribbled away, feigning distraction. “Thanks, but I'm really on a role here.”

“Well Gallifrey seemed on a roll with his whole tearing the head off his stuffed mouse thing, but look at him now.”

Scribes peeked around Sunset to see her cat on his back, purring loudly as Twinkleshine rubbed his fluffy white belly. “Yeah, well, his mostly decapitated mouse will still be there when you all are done. My muses may not be.”

Sunset Shimmer sighed and gave a shrug. “Suit yourself.” She rejoined the group, though occasionally glanced in at Scribes to catch her listening, only to go back to writing when she knew she'd been spotted.

As the girls got ready to leave that night, each of them stopped in to say good night to Scribes and to thank her for letting them crash her place for the night. Bon Bon even said she left her a cupcake. They were all sweet and Scribes replied in kind, but once Sunset had walked her friends out, she cornered Scribes as the pegasus began cleaning up from the big dinner they'd all shared.

“All right, my friend, we need to talk.”

Scribes slid dishes into the sink but didn't look at Sunset. “Okay.”

“I've been here quite a few days now and I never see you hanging out with anypony. You seemed totally fine at dinner but as soon as that was done, you booked it out of the room like socializing any longer than that would send you over the edge. Are you allergic to other ponies?”

Scribes actually laughed and glanced over her shoulder at Sunset. “No. What a weird thing to say.”

Levitating a towel over with her, Sunset took up station next to Scribes to dry the dishes she washed, no longer feeling the tempting pull of her power as much as she had just a few days earlier. They worked together in silence for a few minutes before Scribes stopped washing and looked down, her attention resting on the sudsy water her hooves were submerged in. “It seems like you have really great friends.”

“I do,” replied Sunset easily. With half a smile, she rump-bumped Scribes. “You're one of them.” The pegasus smiled wanly, making Sunset set the towel down to fully face her. “I gave you some time. Can we talk about what happened with Twilight and her friends now?”

“Can we finish cleaning up first?”

“Sure.”

Together, they made quick work of the dishes and cleaning up the leftovers. While Scribes made a cup of hot cocoa to go with her cupcake, Sunset made herself some tea and fed a hungry Gallifrey. It was coming up on a week that she'd been there, and they were falling into a familiar routine that made both of them feel comfortable. When they settled themselves back into the living room, Scribes set her cupcake beside her cocoa and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the story she was about to share.

“You know I reminded Dash that we went to Flight School together?” Sunset nodded, grimacing when she remembered how quickly Dash had brushed Scribes off in order to inquire about herself in the human world. “Well, what I didn't get to remind her of was how she always made me feel like I was chewed up gum that got stuck to the bottom of her hoof.”

Sunset Shimmer frowned. “Rainbow Dash did? That doesn't sound like her. She may be crazy competitive, but she's not cold like that.” Though her reaction to Scribes the other day suggested differently.

“I know how competitive she is. Every time we did schoolyard picks for teams for anything, if she was ever the captain of a team, she never picked me. The times we did end up on the same team, she actually groaned when I was picked.”

Sunset felt her heart drop. There had to be a logical explanation. Didn't there? It wasn't too hard to imagine Rainbow being irritated at being on a team with someone she felt would slow her down, but would she be so cruel as to vocally express that so openly? “I'm really sorry.”

The pegasus shrugged and looked down, poking at the frosting on her untouched cupcake. “You don't have anything to apologize for. It was just the beginning of a long road of being pushed aside and made to feel invisible.” Scribes gave a short, humorless laugh. “Even my job with the princesses makes me feel invisible. I stand in a corner, writing notes on what's being said, all but forgotten that I'm even in the room.” There was anger on her face. “I was standing right beside you when Twilight and her friends saw you, and when they ran over to see you, they all practically pushed me back away from you and ignored the fact that I was even there. I've tried having friends before, but it never ends well. I should have learned that early when I was in Flight School.”

“Scribes...” Sunset Shimmer wasn't sure what to say for a few minutes. She knew what it was like to feel slighted and how, if left unaddressed, it could grow into something so big and so toxic inside that it became all consuming. “You've been carrying this hurt for a long time.” Scribes nodded but said nothing, choosing to pick at her cupcake instead. “I can't pretend to understand how you felt back then, or even how you feel now. What I can tell you is that I know what it's like to carry the burden of holding a grudge around. It's exhausting, isn't it? It's like, you give so much energy into being angry and having this righteous indignation that you have nothing left to give anything or anypony else.” She moved from the chair she occupied to sit beside Scribes on the couch, seeing tears fill her orange eyes. Laying a gentle hoof on her back, Sunset asked, “Wouldn't it be so freeing to let it go?”

Scribes sniffled, her brow furrowing. “I don't think I can.”

“You don't think you can, or you don't know if you want to?” The unicorn took a breath, making the decision to reveal what she'd found the other day. “I read some of your poetry. It's sad and it sounds so lonely. You have ponies who are here and willing to be your friend...wanting to be your friend. You have me. You don't have to be so sad and alone, but you have to let go of the past. It's only going to make you bitter and angry.”

Tears rolled down Scribes' cheeks and she swiped at them impatiently. “I'm already angry.”

“And what has that gotten you?” The question was softly spoken, but it seemed to crush the pegasus. She covered her eyes with her hooves and gave into the sobs that shook her withers. Instinctively, Sunset wrapped her forelegs around Scribes and pulled her close to hold her friend while she cried. “I know your past hurts, Scribes. Mine does, too. But we control our futures. We control how we let other ponies make us feel, and we control whether or not things that have been done or said to us have control over us. It won't be easy, but think about forgiving Dash and letting it remain in the past. Maybe you're not meant to be friends with her, but there are plenty of other ponies who would be lucky to have you as their friend.”

Her tears slowing, Scribes sat up and wiped her eyes again. “Just...forgive her?”

“It sounds simple, but it's not. Some days you'll forget why you were ever mad at her, some days the old feelings will try and creep back in. Don't give into them, and don't cling to them as tightly as you have been. It isn't good for you.”

Scribes leaned back against the couch looking drained. “I'll try.”

Sunset offered a smile of encouragement. “And I'll be here when you need support. So will Lyra, Amethyst Star, Twinkleshine, and Bon Bon. As you make more friends, you'll find old grudges are easier to let go of when you have a good support system to hold you accountable.” She sighed, her eyes wandering to the bookshelf. “I'm sorry for snooping and reading your personal writings.”

The confession actually made Scribes chuckle. “I forgive you, even though there's nothing to forgive. I know this will probably sound creepy and pathetic since we've only known each other a week...but you're my best friend. I don't want to keep secrets from you.”

Sunset felt a warmth flood her that threatened to bring tears to her own eyes. “It isn't weird or creepy at all. You're my best friend here, too. I'm so glad Princess Luna paired us together.”

“Me, too.”

Thinking a moment, Sunset tilted her head. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“Then come with me tomorrow. I have an idea.”

Scribes regarded her with narrowed eyes, but said a slow, “...okay.”

“Right now, I want to hear more about this stallion from Trotland you seem to have a few books about...”

Author's Note

Some sad news to report... I have decided this is going to be my last fanfiction so expect some random last minute headcanon theories thrown in like the bit about Chrysalis. It's not that I don't love writing fanfic, it's just that my original writing, stuff I'm being paid to write, is taking off and I really need to focus all of my creative energies on that. I see two or three more chapters in this story and it will be completed. Thank you all for all the support you've shown me through fanfic over the years, especially with the Harbinger series and my FlutterMac pieces. You've been really wonderful.

Chapter 8

Teleportation was a strange thing. It was like your body was both exploding and imploding at the same time and, for just a fraction of a second, you felt like you were going to die. Sunset Shimmer could still remember the first time she'd done it. That familiar aura of teal magic surrounded her horn, her eyes squeezed shut in concentration as she thought about where she was and where she wanted to end up, then POP! As the years passed and she grew more adept at her craft, that dying feeling registered less and less until she didn't even feel it anymore. She was always aware of what was happening and was prepared for it. When the POP! happened this time, however, the teleportation had not been of her own volition and she felt, for just a second, she was going to die.

Reappearing among the stars didn't help convince her otherwise.

Above, all around, and below, space was her only companion. Sunset lifted her hooves, one by one to try and see what ground she stood on that felt so solid, but there was nothing. She had just been with Twilight and the others, had just given Scribes a hug. Yet in the blink of an eye, here she was...dead?

“Hello?” She felt ridiculous, calling out into the void with a tremble in her voice. Any other pony might have cried at the prospect of their life being over, but she was more curious than anything, and maybe a little annoyed.

“Sunset Shimmer.”

The familiar commanding voice behind her made the unicorn freeze. Her pulse raced and her breathing grew a touch more rapid. This was a moment she had dreamed about, had even scripted out in several different ways in her mind since the true moment of her redemption. Yet in all those imaginary moments she had never pictured meeting Princess Celestia again like this, in the after life. With a deep, calming breath in, the amber unicorn slowly turned around. Her ears drooped and her head was lowered, so many emotions flooding through her. She couldn't bear to look up into the alicorn's face, even when she noticed another set of hooves beside Celestia's and realized Luna was there as well.

Swallowing hard, she tried to push down the regret and shame she felt in the presence of the one she had betrayed so long ago. There was an urge to throw herself at Celestia's hooves and beg for forgiveness, but as Sunset Shimmer lifted her head to look upon the tall alicorn, she was rendered motionless. Though Celestia's expression was fairly unreadable, her purple eyes watched Sunset with a stern detachment that made the unicorn feel two inches tall before her.

“Princess Celestia...” Even saying her name made her feel like a foal, one who had done far too many terrible things and would never have a way to atone for them all. She dipped her head again and closed her eyes. There was so much she wanted to say, but for a moment all she could offer was a choked, “I'm so sorry.” She took another shuddering breath in and opened her eyes to look at her hooves. “When I first came to Canterlot and you took me under your wing, I was in this constant state of shock. I was just some forgotten filly from an orphanage who had never had anyone look at her the way you looked at me. It was like you were proud of me before I even had a chance to do anything. I never told you because it was so embarrassing, but...” She swallowed hard, tears prickling her eyes. “...I thought of you like the mother I never got to have. I wanted to be worthy of the pride you showed in me, the time and effort you put into teaching me and guiding me. I wanted to prove to you that I could be great, and somewhere along the line I got confused. I started feeling what it was like to be powerful and great, and I stopped pretending I was your daughter. I started pretending I was you, instead. When you refused to tell me about the mirror and I -”

“That's enough.”

Startled to silence, Sunset finally looked up. The sternness was gone from Celestia's eyes, replaced with a tenderness she recognized from years ago. “Oh, Sunset Shimmer...” The alicorn closed the distance between them and grabbed the smaller unicorn in a foreleg, embracing her tightly. “Welcome home.”

She didn't know it, but those two words were the only things she had wanted to hear since she was a small filly. The tears that had been threatening to come now fell freely. She wrapped her forelegs around Celestia's neck and cried into her withers, unashamed. “I'm sorry,” she sobbed. “I'm so sorry.”

“Shhh,” soothed Celestia, nuzzling the side of her head. “I forgive you.” The alicorn sat so she could properly embrace Sunset Shimmer, running a hoof over her mane to comfort her as Sunset always imagined a real mother would. “I have missed you.” Sunset only clung tighter to her and Luna, standing by as a silent observer, reached up to wipe a tear of her own away.

“There have been many students of mine over the years,” Celestia said after a moment, when Sunset had begun to calm. She pulled back from the unicorn so they could look at each other as she spoke. “All of them before you and yes, even the one who came after you, took pieces of my heart...but none ever made me wish for a daughter as you did.”

It was all she could have ever asked for. Celestia didn't need to say she pretended Sunset was her own; in the unicorn's heart, what was spoken was more than enough.

“I thought you would never speak to me again,” Sunset confessed, sitting back on her haunches and wiping the remnants of her tears away. “When I came through the mirror and saw Twilight and Princess Luna, I thought...”

“I was biding my time,” the princess replied softly. She beckoned to Luna and the smaller alicorn joined them. “Just as my sister is able to travel through the dreams of ponies as they sleep, I, too, have the unique ability to wander through daydreams.”

Luna chuckled. “So many ponies think we see the future, but all we really see is the heart of a pony in what comes to fruition in their thoughts when they are unguarded.”

“I did not come to greet you,” Celestia continued, “because I wanted to make sure your intentions were true.” She gave a sad smile. “I may be old, but I am not above avoiding pain. You broke my heart when you left and I did not want to go through that again if I could avoid it. So I waited and I watched. I knew you were disappointed at not seeing me, but I never dreamed it would plant the seed of self-loathing it did. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me for not coming to you sooner.”

Sunset glanced from one princess to the other, her brows drawn together. “I don't understand. I mean, I understand what you did and why...but why apologize to me after everything I've done – not only here, but in the human world, too? I know Twilight must have told you what happened. You shouldn't have to apologize to me for anything. My track record is ten times worse than you taking caution.”

“Perhaps,” Celestia conceded, “but you have changed, Sunset. I could sense it from the moment you arrived in Ponyville. Even now as you stand before me, there is a humility in you that I only witnessed your first days in Canterlot when you were small, a grace and genuine thought for others that I never would have expected.”

“We watched you closely this week,” continued Luna. “Confronting all of your past mistakes was not easy. In fact, some days it would appear that your heart had been crushed just learning the effect your actions had on some ponies. Yet you did not stop. If anything, you grew more determined to make things right, and to teach others the importance of honesty, integrity, graciousness, humility, and most important of all, forgiveness when all of those things fail.”

“You also helped Scribes see how a grudge can turn into something ugly and poisonous if it is left unaddressed.” Both of the alicorns watched Sunset with warmth and pride. Rising, Celestia and Luna shared a look before the older alicorn addressed Sunset Shimmer again. “We were secretive, and in that we hurt you.” She tilted her head in question. “Can you forgive us?”

Feeling a bit foolish at having not one, but two princess ask her for forgiveness, Sunset shook her head with a little laugh. “Of course I forgive you.”

It was happening again – she was dying. Only this time she wasn't being teleported anywhere. Magic surged through her so quickly and so powerful that she was lifted from the invisible ground she stood on. She flung her legs out from her body, her head drawing back in a silent scream. The pain had come and gone quickly, but the power that electrified every cell of her body gave her an odd sensation of being on fire; it was intense heat but there was no burning. Opening her eyes, she saw flames flickering as they rose off her extended forelegs, her legs, her entire body. A light grew around her so bright and intense that she thought it might blind her. Then, in a grand rush of magic, the light puled from her in a powerful wave and she fell back to the ground. Exhaustion fell on her like a heavy winter blanket and she lay there for a moment, a crumpled heap of confusion. Yet as quickly as she'd felt drained, the exhaustion was passing with each second.

“What...what was what?” She'd found her voice and shook her head as she rose, trying to clear the residual fuzziness in her brain. As she shook, however, something felt different, as if something rested on her back. Looking behind her, she saw fiery wings where there had been none before, silky plumage that ran from red, to orange, to yellow. Sunset gasped and turned in a tight circle as if she could get a better look at them, but just like a cat chasing its tail, she couldn't catch what went with her every movement. “Wings?” she gasped, flexing them to look at the colors and the feathers that were so different from other unicorn wings, even those that the princesses had. Turning to Celestia and Luna with urgency, she cried, “I don't understand.”

“I always knew there was something special about you,” Celestia beamed. “With your coloring and your spark, you always did remind me of a phoenix.”

“There is no better pony to represent the spirit of such a creature,” Luna agreed.

Celestia couldn't have looked more proud if she truly had been a mother watching her own daughter. “Sunset Shimmer, you embody what it is to rise from the ashes of a broken life and begin anew. You are the princess of redemption and second chances. You, my dear, are the Princess of Forgiveness.”

Sunset's pupils shrank to pinpricks. “I'm what?!”

Luna laughed. “Please do not worry about your wings. They will only appear this way when you are accessing the full extent of your power. Otherwise, they will appear as simple young alicorn wings like my own, and like Twilight Sparkle's.”

Celestia touched a hoof under Sunset's chin. “This is what you were always meant to be, but in order to get here, you had to go through many trials. I see how strong they have made you, and I am so proud.”

Sunset looked up at Celestia with uncertainty. “Do you really think I can be a princess? Do you really think I can help others?”

“You already have,” promised Celestia. “Look.”

All around them, space parted to reveal little windows into everyday Ponyville. Each scene that was being played out showed just how much of an impact Sunset had been. Arguments were being diffused, kind words were being shared, hugs and laughter were given with much more open hearts. “I did this?”

“And so much more. What you see here is only the initial wave from a stone dropped in the water. The ripple effects that come after because of it will spread and grow.” Celestia looked at Sunset Shimmer once more. “This is your destiny.”

Even as the words were spoken, she somehow knew Celestia was right. Doubt was being replaced with certainty, nervousness with excitement.

“There is a condition to your new status,” injected Luna. “You must make a choice: stay here as a princess or return to the human world and return to the girl you have become. Only know this – whatever choice you make, it will be permanent.”

Sunset's ears dropped. “You mean...I won't be able to see my friends again? Whichever way I choose?”

“The mirror only remained open for you,” Celestia told her. “If you choose to stay, there is no need of it. But if you choose to go back, you have no more need of us and therefore no more need of the mirror.”

Sunset looked at the scenes still being played out all around her. She took a moment to watch each one, to really understand what was going on and to let the gravity of it all sink in. Looking down, she thought about all her friends still waiting for her back at CHS, how they had all been there for her and helped her grow in the past year. She replayed memories of times they'd shared together, and memories that she would have rather forgotten. But Celestia was right. She had to be refined in fire before she could have ever come to the place she was now.

Raising her head, she looked at both Luna and Celestia with determination. “I know what I have to do.”

~*~*~*~*~

“How can a pony just disappear?” Rainbow Dash cried. “Are you sure she didn't teleport somewhere?”

Scribes and the mane six were gathered outside of Twilight's castle, all of them regrouping after running across nearly all of Ponyville in search of Sunset Shimmer. Scribes shook her head in answer to Rainbow's question, her brow wrinkled in worry. “Yes! I told you, we were talking and all of the sudden she was surrounded in this golden magical aura. Sunny's magic is teal, not gold. She was teleported away by somepony else!”

“Well who the hay do we know that has gold magic?” Applejack demanded.

All of them started talking at once, each pony with her own theory. Finally, Twilight raised her head above the crowd and shouted, “QUIET!” All the commotion died and every head turned in her direction. “Princess Celestia! She's the only pony I know who has a pure gold magic aura.”

“But why would the princess kidnap Sunset Shimmer?” asked Pinkie.

“I don't think she kidnapped her, Pinkie. There must be a reason she wanted to talk to Sunset.” Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof. “I wonder if her time here in Ponyville is done.”

Scribes looked down. “That's what I was afraid of.”

“Look!” All attention fell on Fluttershy at her quiet exclamation, then turned in the direction she was pointing. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were approaching from above. As they landed, everypony but Twilight bowed in greeting.

“Princess Luna!” exclaimed Twilight, rushing forward. “Princess Celestia! We were just talking about you!”

“Do you know where Sunny is?”

Scribes rushed forward, her concern over her friend far outweighing the need for propriety. It made Celestia smile kindly down at the pegasus. “You and Sunset Shimmer have become rather good friends, haven't you?”

Color flooded her cheeks. “She's my best friend. I guess she's become the sister I never knew I always wanted.”

“I am certain she think of you in the same regard,” Luna assured.

“Is she okay?”

The sisters shared a smile before looking to the sun high above them. “See for yourself,” said Celestia.

All of them turned to look at the sun as well. On any normal day it was too bright to look at, but this time the sun seemed to be getting brighter and closer, its outside edges seemingly on fire. All at once the light got too bright for even the princesses to stand, and all of them had to turn away. In a flash the light was gone, and everyone looked to see Sunset Shimmer standing among them.

“Sunny!” Scribes flung herself at her friend in a tackling hug. Sunset laughed and returned the embrace, but it wasn't long before Scribes gasped and let go of her. “Are those...phoenix wings?” All the other ponies gathered in close to examine Sunset as well, questions coming every which way as they beheld the new alicorn among them. With a nod from Celestia, Sunset concentrated on her own power, reining it in and causing the wings on her back to transform into those the likes of Luna's and Twilight's, a solid amber in color like her coat.

“What does this mean?” asked Twilight, looking to Celestia and Luna.

Celestia looked fondly on her old student. “It means that Sunset Shimmer will remain among us and will take on the role as Princess of Forgiveness.”

Cheers went up all around, though none so loud as the one that came from Scribes. “Are you really staying?”

Sunset laughed. “Looks like you're stuck with me.”

“You can stay with me and Gallifrey as long as you want.”

This made the alicorn laugh again. “That's good, because right now I'm kind of homeless.”

Twilight bounced in glee. “This is so exciting! Friendship and forgiveness go hand in hand more than you think. I see us working together plenty in the future.”

“I don't doubt that.” She grinned at Twilight. “Thank you for everything you've done for me, Twilight. Without you, the book, the mirror...”

Twilight waved a hoof, bashful. “Aw, it was nothing.”

“Speaking of the mirror...” Sunset let out a slow breath. “It's time to close the permanent opening you set up. Every thirty moons it will still open on its own, but we don't need it anymore.” She glanced at Celestia with a smile. “It belongs to the princess and I think it should go back to her rooms at Canterlot.”

Twilight nodded her agreement. “I think that's a good idea.”

Sunset's gaze slid to Scribes. “Before we do that, though, one more trip there and back again needs to happen.”

Scribes blinked and looked around, then gulped and pointed at herself. “Me? Why are you looking at me?”

“Because. There's a very special mission that needs to be fulfilled and I can't do it. I know there are plenty of other ponies I could pick, but I think you should be the one to do it, Scribes. Besides, didn't you say you've always wanted to see the human world?”

~*~*~*~*~

Scribes fell through the portal in an ungraceful heap. Her blue, silver, and white hair was long and held back at the sides with two blue ribbons, just as it had been when she was a pony. As she righted herself, she looked at her hands and wiggled her fingers, then examined the pink tank top, denim shorts and hightop sneakers she wore. A scream of sheer joy rose in her throat, but as of yet she hadn't been noticed and it needed to remain that way.

She'd been given instruction from both Sunset and Twilight before stepping through, how to move her limbs, how to act around the people she would surely come across. All of it repeated itself over and over in her head as she pulled her legs underneath herself and stood, shaky, to get her bearings. Taking a few steps, Scribes found it wasn't too hard to get the hang of things. She'd walked around a few times on her hind legs, trying to imagine how humans felt walking that way. The school was behind her, just as big and grand as it had been described to her. Everything in her wanted to run through those doors and explore. Despite her mission, she might have done just that if it wasn't closed for the summer.

With a breath in, she pulled a small scroll free that had been tucked into one of her ribbons. They were directions to a particular place and Scribes had something of a speech to deliver when she got there. Scroll in hand, she started down the street. There were people around here and there and they all distracted her as she went along. She would slow when she saw them, careful to watch the way they walked or interacted with the people and things around them. Everything she saw was going in her book. It was an opportunity she would never get again, and one she would always be grateful for, despite her real reason for being there.

Several times she had to stop and read her scroll, hoping she wasn't lost. The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon and she wasn't sure if she could find the place in the dark. As it was, she was going to have to find her way back to the school after the sun set. There were only two more streets to go, however, and soon enough, Scribes had found the house she was looking for.

It was nothing fancy, a small home with a tiny porch and a red front door, just as Sunset described. Scribes took a deep breath and clenched her scroll. Suddenly she was nervous. “You've got this, Scribes. You have to do this for Sunny. For both Sunnys.” One more deep, steady breath, and she moved forward to knock on the door. It was only a matter of moments before a woman answered. She was tall with blue skin, her hair white and yellow, and her tired eyes blue. She looked at Scribes with reserved curiosity. “Hello, dear. May I help you?”

“Hello, ma'am. I was wondering if Sunset Shimmer was home.”

The confusion on the woman's face deepened. “May I ask who's inquiring?”

“I'm a friend. We haven't actually met in person before.” She recited the lines Sunset had fed her before her departure. “We met online. Tell her it's Daydream.”

The woman backed inside and said, “Wait right there.” Scribes did as she was told, rocking on the balls of her feet as she looked around. The neighborhood seemed nice, and the lady at the door was polite enough. She knew the situation wasn't ideal, but it could have been much worse. Soon enough the door opened again and the woman beckoned her in. “Her room is up the stairs, the door at the end of the hallway.”

“Thank you very much.” Scribes gave her a smile, hoping to convey that she wasn't dangerous or weird. Well, maybe a little weird, but she didn't have to know that. Taking the stairs as indicated, she looked at the pictures that were nailed to the walls as she ascended. So many kids and all the same woman! No wonder she looked so tired. There was only one picture that made her pause and it was only because she saw the familiar red and yellow hair. The Sunset Shimmer in the picture was downcast, her arms around herself as though she had to protect herself. It made Scribes sad to see her that way, but only further impressed upon her the importance of her being there. She pressed on and knocked when she reached the door at the end of the hallway.

“Come in.”

The voice was as familiar is if it had been the Sunset Shimmer she knew, giving Scribes a boost of confidence. She entered the room with a ready smile on her face, but stopped in the doorway when she saw the room. She didn't know what to expect, but to see walls so bare, no pictures, no tear outs from magazines or posters...it was depressing. There was only a single bed, a dresser, a night stand, and a computer desk, no other decorations whatsoever. Sitting at the desk was a girl in a black t-shirt and jeans, her red and yellow hair pulled up into a ponytail at the top of her head. She swiveled in her chair as Scribes came in, then ran to shut the door behind her. Staring at Scribes, Sunset looked her over with scrutiny. “Daydream? Is it really you?”

Scribes bit her lip and twisted her fingers. “Um...no. But I know Daydream. She's actually the one who sent me here.”

Sunset returned to her desk chair and sat with a frown. “What are you talking about? How do you know her?”

Scribes crossed the room to sit on the bed, placing her hands in her lap. “We know each other in real life. She said you two met over the...internet?” She still didn't understand what that was, but Sunset Shimmer nodded, giving Scribes a bit of relief. “Have you been friends long?”

“Not that long. We met on this forum I go on sometimes.” Sunset picked at an invisible string on her jeans. “I have social anxiety issues because I was bullied as a kid. That's why I'm home schooled now. Anyway, I found this group of people online who were going through the same thing. Daydream randomly messaged me there one day last year. She was super nice and really encouraging. She's kind of my only friend and we talk a lot. Except this week she hasn't replied to any of my messages.”

Scribes sighed. “Unfortunately, she won't be responding anymore.”

Sunset's eyes snapped up. “Why? Is she okay?”

“Oh goodness, yes! She's fine. I'm so sorry, I could have worded that better. She's good. Great, actually. She was sort of in a similar situation to you, looking for her real family.”

“She told you about that?”

Scribes nodded. “Please don't be angry with her.”

“Whatever. So why isn't she going to be online anymore?”

“Well...” Scribes gave a little shrug, her smile wistful. “She found her family. She found where home was.”

Sunset nodded, a bitter smile crossing her lips. “Well good for her.”

“There's more.”

“Isn't there always?”

“She said a few years ago you had a dream – a nightmare, really – that another you came into your room one night. She told you all these terrible things about no one at school liking you and kids just waiting to torture you.”

Sunset nodded again. “That was when I quit school and begged my foster mom to home school me. I got so nervous about going to actual school that I made myself sick. Some days I couldn't even get out of bed, I was so afraid of what I would find if I faced everyone.”

“I'm so sorry,” Scribes breathed. “I have anxiety, too. I know how awful it is. For a long time I let it keep me in my house, kind of like you. But then I met Sun...Daydream. She helped me see that great friends can make all the difference in the world.”

“Too bad I don't have any.”

“But you could.” Sunset gave Scribes a queer look, prompting the younger girl to continue. “If you go to CHS for your last year of high school, Daydream said there are kids there who will welcome you with open hooves.” She coughed and gave a nervous laugh. “Arms. I don't know why I said hooves. Crazy!”

Sunset shook her head and rose from her chair to pace to the single window in her room and look outside. “What's crazy is thinking I could have friends. No one wants to hang around with me. I'm a loser.”

Scribes felt her heart break. “No you're not. You're smart, and funny, and considerate. Anyone would be lucky to call you a friend.”

“How would you know anything about me?”

Standing now herself, Scribes sighed. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Do you trust Daydream?”

Sunset considered a moment before finally nodding. “Yeah.”

“Then trust her now. Go to CHS next year. There will be girls your age just waiting to be your friend, even a trio of younger kids who will really look up to you. No one is waiting to torture you, no one at all.” Scribes bit her lip, thinking of the look of shame on Sunset Shimmer's face before Scribes left, telling her of how she was the one who convinced this world's Sunset that she had to stay away from school and people, and then how she's tried to fix it by finding the girl online and befriending her. Now she was making it right, and filling a hole her friends would likely feel with her absence. “I can't stay much longer, but I can't leave until I know you'll give it a try. Daydream would be devastated if she knew you weren't going to at least try.”

With her eyes out the window, Sunset looked sad. “I don't know. I'm...I'm scared.”

Scribes wrinkled her nose, thinking. Her eyes went to the computer and an idea made her light up. “That internet thingy! Can you find people on it?”

“Uh...yeah.”

“Look up Scribes. I don't know if she goes to CHS or that other school...”

“Crystal Prep?”

“Yes! Anyway, look her up. She's a lot like you, I'd bet anything on it. Socially awkward, nervous...a bit of a book worm and a nerd, but I just know you two will be the best of friends. Will you do that, at least?”

Sunset hesitated, but finally gave a slow nod. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Happy with the small amount of progress, Scribes grinned. “You're about to turn a whole new chapter in your life, Sunny. I can feel it.”

An amused smirk finally lifted the corners of the dower girl's lips. “Sunny?”

Scribes laughed again, nervous. “Sorry.”

“No, it's cool...I kind of like it.” Sunset's brows came together. “Do you really have to go?”

“I wish I didn't but I do. Promise me you'll try to find Scribes?”

She nodded. “I will. Promise.”

Scribes bit her lip again. “Can I hug you?”

Breaking the tension, Sunset laugh and opened her arms. “Bring it in.” It was all the encouragement Scribes needed. She rushed forward and embraced the older girl, savoring the interaction and realizing how much closer she could be to someone else as a human. “I don't know who you are,” Sunset murmured in her ear, “but thank you.”

Scribes pulled back and held her at arm's length. “Never let anypony tell you or make you feel that you are less than. Remember to practice humility and kindness. Most importantly, never withhold forgiveness from others, but especially from yourself. You deserve second chances and your real friends, when you make them as you are most certain to, will never hesitate to give them to you.”

Now it was Sunset's turn to laugh nervously. “Anypony?”

Scribes chuckled. “Like I said...crazy!” She dropped her arms but gave Sunset's hand a quick squeeze. “Be well, Sunny. Don't deny anyone the gift of your friendship any more, okay?”

“I'll try not to.” The older girl watched Scribes cross the room and Scribes knew, when she looked back, she was feeling the same sense of loss. But both of them would be in friendship with one another again, just not in the same world.

There was a certain lightness to her steps as Scribes left the house. She looked up as she walked down the street to find Sunset leaning out her window, the summer breeze in her hair and a smile on her face. “See you soon, Sunny,” Scribes whispered. Knowing her mission was done and her new friends were waiting for her at home, she broke into a run, excited to get back to Ponyville and begin her own new chapter.

Author's Note

And with that, the end of my fanfic writing career is upon us. I know this last chapter is not my best writing; I felt that I was reading it over. But honestly, this was a really emotional thing for me to finish. I have such a love of the friendship bond between Scribes and Sunset, as well as the mother/daughter relationship I've always envisioned for Celestia and Sunset. And now I'm saying goodbye to all of it.

The positive note is that you will no longer have to wait endlessly for updates from me. Oh, and if you want to keep reading my writing, you can always buy the first two novels in my Age of Valor series!

Chapter 7

It was hard to believe that Sunset Shimmer had been in Equestria for a week now. Her days had been so busy with the hustle and bustle of running around both Canterlot and Ponyville in search of certain ponies, that it felt like the time had flown by. When she woke up in the morning on her eighth day there, she found there was no longer that pit of dread in her stomach, only anticipation for what the day may bring. Today it wasn't about her. She'd sought forgiveness and offered it to almost every pony she'd originally set out to speak with and felt, perhaps for the first time ever, almost like she was whole. The biggest thing weighing her down now was Scribes, and how the pegasus was feeling.

The revelation from the night before that Scribes was used to feeling alone and invisible had struck a nerve. When Sunset was a filly, she'd carried those exact same feelings. She'd never known her parents, having been left outside an orphanage when she was just a foal, and had been so timid that the other bolder colts and fillies found homes before she ever could. Ponies came and went, yet she was always there. Only one pony in particular, an earth pony mare by the name of Merry Treats, ever took an interest in her. She often came by the orphanage with her family to bring gifts, or food, or to simply play games. She had always been especially kind to Sunset, giving her extra attention and helping her study. She always believed Sunset was special and never held back from telling her that. There had been many a night when she'd go to bed, imagining herself a part of the Treats family. In fact, it was Merry who encouraged her to apply for the magic school in Canterlot and helped her get in, ensuring her a way out of the orphanage and onto a better life.

As Sunset brushed her mane out, she wondered what had ever happened to Merry Treats, and whether or not there would be enough time to possibly try and find her. It would be so wonderful to see her again. There was so much to thank her for. Who knew what her life would have been like if she'd never gone to Canterlot? Things would certainly be much different, of that she was certain at least.

Downstairs, she found Scribes ready to go. Sunset never told her new best friend what she had planned for the day and hoped it wouldn't backfire. She'd never really been very good at surprising people or ponies. When she did succeed there was malicious intent behind her actions. This would be something rather new for her.

“All set?” she asked as she reached the bottom floor.

“Ready as I'll ever be!” said the pegasus cheerfully. “I packed sandwiches and sweet tea, just in case.”

“I wouldn't mind a picnic in the park.” The two ponies shared a smile, then left the cottage side by side. They chatted as they walked down the long, sloping road that took them farther away from Canterlot and down into Ponyville. Sunset could sense a difference in Scribes after she'd been able to give voice to all of her hurting last night. She'd been perky and bubbly before, but something about her personality seemed a bit more genuine now. Not entirely, but she also knew that pony Scribes wanted everypony else to believe her to be had been a facade she'd hidden behind for a long time. It would take awhile before she knew how to completely be herself. If anyone knew how much of a process that was, it was Sunset Shimmer.

The day was warm and the sun was high, bringing a good portion of Ponyville's residents to the park to play, to gather together, or to go down to the beach for a swim and some sun. Scribes chose a spot on the grass under a tall oak tree and pulled a blanket from her saddlebags. Sunset used her magic to help lay the blanket flat, then the two settled down together to enjoy their lunch and watch the ponies all around them. At one point they saw Amethyst Star and a little lilac filly heading down to the beach. The unicorn waved, Sunset and Scribes waving back with friendly smiles.

“You've changed a lot since you've been here,” Scribes said after awhile. The sandwiches were gone and their bottles of tea were almost empty, but neither she nor Sunset had made any effort to move and get on with their day. Both of them were simply happy spending time together outside of the cottage.

Bemused, Sunset looked at the pegasus. “I have?”

“When I first met you, you seemed so nervous and unsure of yourself. I thought your withers were going to permanently attach themselves to your ears. Now, though...you're like a whole new pony. You're relaxed, you laugh a lot more. You look more comfortable in your own fur. You're...well, you're Sunny.”

Sunset smiled happily and breathed in deeply. “I don't know what it is. It's so strange. When I was a filly, all I wanted were friends, or at the very least, one really good friend. Then when friends were there waiting for me, I had discovered power and though it was all I needed. When I finally got that, I realized power doesn't mean anything when you end up hurting everyone and wind up all alone like you were to begin with. I just don't care about it anymore. All I want is to be happy and make others around me happy. I also want to show everyone how powerful forgiveness can be when it's offered and accepted with open hearts.”

“I think you have been.” Scribes nodded in the direction of a small group of young ponies. Among them stood Twinkleshine, who seemed to be overseeing what must have been a heated conversation among the colts and fillies before her. Their faces were red from anger, eyes blurry with tears. Yet as Sunset and Scribes watched, Twinkleshine offered them all gentle words that couldn't be heard from so far away, but their effect was definitely seen. The young ponies exchanged a few words when she was done speaking, then closed the distance between them to embrace, ending up in fits of giggles that continued as they ran away to play together.

“I think you've helped to start a new kinder and more forgiving Ponyville,” said Scribes as they watched the children play. “If you came here looking for redemption, I think you've more than found it.”

“Maybe that's what it was the begin with, that I came here to ease my conscience, but it's changed now. Like you said – I've changed.”

Looking down at the blanket, sadness pulled down the corners of Scribes' mouth. “I guess that means you'll be going back soon.”

Sunset blinked. She hadn't really thought of it. The first few days there she had missed her CHS friends so desperately that she felt she would burst. It would seem, however, she would soon be missing Scribes and all the friends she'd made here just as much. The thought sent a twinge of pain through her heart. A big part of her would be glad to return to the human world, to tell everyone of her adventures and everything she'd learned, but there was another part, maybe an even bigger part, that didn't want to go.

Shaking the thoughts and the sadness away, Sunset stood and held out a hoof to her friend. “Come on. Let's not think about that now.” Scribes nodded somewhat reluctantly, but accepted the hoof and stood as well. Once the blanket was folded and the trash taken care of, Sunset set off once more with Scribes right beside. “You trust me, don't you, Scribes?”

The icy blue pegasus looked at her friend with a raised brow. “That's the second time you've asked me that in as many days. I'm wondering if I should change my answer.”

Sunset laughed. “Well, I guess you'll decide that for yourself sooner or later.” They had come before Twilight's castle, pausing just outside the main door. Sunset raised a hoof and knocked, purposefully looking elsewhere when Scribes tried to meet her eyes. She didn't want to give anything away and didn't trust herself not to blurt out her plan if Scribes asked her to.

The tall doors swung open. Spike looked up at the two waiting ponies with question, grinning when he saw who it was. “Hey, Sunset!”

“Hey, Spike. Is Twilight in?”

“She's been in all morning. Actually, the whole gang has been.”

Scribes looked at Sunset with panic, but the unicorn kept her eyes on the baby dragon before her. “Well that's...convenient. Is there a friendship problem or something?” She really didn't want to have to come back. As it was, she had to get Scribes there under the shadow of mystery. There was no way she'd be able to do that again.

“Nah, nothing like that. They always crash here on hot days. Something about the crystal of the castle that keeps it nice and cool in here. Me? I prefer the hot weather.” Seemingly from out of nowhere, Spike pulled out a floating tube to stick around his belly, then drew sunglasses down over his eyes. “I'm heading to the beach. Do you know where to go here yet, or should I bring you to everyone?”

“I know my way around,” offered Scribes reluctantly.

“Great! They're in the library.” Spike pulled his glasses down just a bit. “Hey, you're the pegasus that takes note for me for Twilight when I'm sick. I don't think we've ever actually met.”

The nauseated, anxious look Scribes wore subsided slightly as she extended her hoof for Spike to shake. “I'm Scribes. It's nice to finally meet you.”

“I'm Spike. Twilight said you're writing a book with dragons in it. If you, uh, need some live subject matter to study, I know a pretty studly baby dragon who'd be more than happy to assist.”

Scribes giggled. “I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Spike.”

“See you later!”

He rushed past the two, leaving them standing alone in the open doorway. Sunset gave Scribes an exaggerated smile, then headed in with the pegasus trailing behind her. “Sunny, what are we doing here?”

She slowed in her steps so they were side by side again, following Scribes' lead. “This is where the trust comes in,” the unicorn admitted. “I had a plan for today that didn't involve everyone being all together at once...but maybe this will work better.”

“That still doesn't answer my question.”

“Remember how we were talking last night about letting go of your anger? I know better than anypony how hard that is, and I also know that you can't do it unless you face the source of that anger. You admitted that each one of these ponies have hurt you in some way, yet you've never talked to them about it. How do you know they even know they hurt you if you've just bottled it all inside? How will anything ever heal that way?”

Scribes turned down a hallway to the left with a heavy sigh. “It's what I've always done.”

“Well not anymore, sister.”

They walked on in silence, Scribes brooding and Sunset praying everything would go well. If she was going to be leaving soon, this was something she had to make sure happened. “You know I love you, right?”

Scribes slid her a look of irritation. “Uh huh.”

They reached the closed door to the library and the pegasus stopped, sweeping a hoof in the direction they needed to go next. Taking a deep breath and wearing her best smile, Sunset pushed the door open and headed inside. The atmosphere was very casual, with ponies doing their own things even while together. Rarity was buffing Fluttershy's hooves, Pinkie was coloring nearby on the floor, while next to her, Applejack was carefully sewing up a burlap sack that seemed to have developed a tear. Rainbow, on the other hand, sat listening intently as Twilight read aloud to the group a Daring Do novel. As soon as they heard the door open, however, they all paused in what they were doing to look up and see who was causing the interruption.

“No!” Rainbow groaned, dragging her hooves over her eyes. “We were just getting to the good part!” Seeing Sunset Shimmer standing there, the rainbow maned pegasus gave a half-hearted wave. “Hey, Sunset.”

“Hey, girls. Sorry for the intrusion.”

“Think nothing of it, darling,” insisted Rarity, returning to her buffing. “I'm fairly certain Rainbow Dash has read this book enough times already to be able to act out the rest of the scene for us.”

“You bet I have!” Rainbow did a flip in the air, then landed in a crouch, slinking her way across the room. “All of the sudden, Daring Do feels something brush past her leg. She looks down, ready to pounce, but there's nothing there!” Getting close to Fluttershy, Dash turned around and flicked her tail, brushing it slowly down Fluttershy's back. “That's when she felt the beard of the domovoi on her back.” Fluttershy squealed and jumped, causing Rarity to give a heated scowl to Rainbow, but the pegasus was unaffected. “Any second now, he'd drop down from above and all would be lost.”

“Look!” Pinkie cried, holding up her drawing. “This is what he looks like!”

Applejack inspected the picture with narrowed eyes. “It looks like somethin' covered in hair with nothin' more than arms an' legs.”

“And a nose,” Pinkie insisted, pointing to a spot on the page only she could see. “He's got a nose.”

Twilight closed the book and tilted her head. “Actually, Pinkie Pie isn't that far off. The domovoi is said to be a spirit that can take on many shapes, specifically that of a cat or a dog, but it's true form is little more than a small creature covered in hair, most of it being from it's beard.”

“Sss-spirit?” questioned Fluttershy. She darted for cover under the bag Applejack had been sewing. The farm pony only rolled her eyes and gave her friend's head a kind pat.

Laughing, Twilight turned to Sunset. “I'm pretty sure Sunset Shimmer didn't come here to hear stories about imaginary creatures though.”

Sunset chuckled. “Not exactly. Actually, I brought a friend with me. You remember...” She turned to look at Scribes but the pegasus wasn't there. “Scribes?” Sunset trotted back out into the hallway to find there standing there, that nauseated look back on her face. “Hey, it's okay. Don't be nervous. I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't think this was going to help.”

“Is everything okay?” Twilight poked her head out into the hallway, curious. When she saw Scribes, she smiled. “Oh, hey, Scribes! Come on in. How have you two been getting on?”

A silent exchange passed between Sunset and Scribes, beginning with a nasty look from Scribes. Sunset returned with a pleading look of her own, to which Scribes, after a second, looked defeated, making Sunset ultimately smile in relief. “Hi, Twilight,” replied Scribes through clenched teeth. “We're getting on great!”

They followed Twilight into the library where Twilight looked at her friends. “Everypony, this is Scribes.”

A round of greetings went up around the room, causing Sunset to give her friend a nod of encouragement. When all Scribes could bring herself to do was look at her feet, Sunset cleared her throat. “Actually, you've all met her at one time or another before.”

Fluttershy crawled out from under Applejack's bag. “We have?”

“Yes, actually.” Scribes lifted her head, reluctant, meeting Fluttershy's inquisitive gaze. “I had an article published in the Ponyville Gazette this spring about the monarch butterfly migration. I was talking with somepony about it in town and you came over to tell me that some of my facts were wrong. Right there, in front of this pony I had just met. I've never been so embarrassed in my life.” Her voice was quiet, unaccusing but full of sadness. With Applejack right beside Fluttershy, Scribes' attention fell on her next. “You sold me a bushel of apples this past autumn. When I got them home, I found out some of them had worms in them. When I brought them back you pointed right at me and said I must have put them there.” Her voice was rising now, getting a little louder with each accusation.

She looked at Pinkie next, her eyes lingering on the pink pony for a moment before moving on to Rarity. “One day I went into your shop to look for some new bows for my mane. I was trying on some green ones when you came over and told me they looked dreadful. You used your magic to untie them and take them out off of me, then left me standing there.” Twilight was the second to last to have attention brought upon her, and Scribes looked at her now. “You act like I'm invisible every time I'm around. Honestly, I'm surprised you even know my name.”

Rainbow had landed while Scribes accused Twilight, but the pegasus was not exempt from the anger and bitterness now showing its full self in Scribes. “And you. You were the worst of all of them. Don't you remember me from Flight School? I was that short pegasus with the blue bows just like the ones I have now. I was the one you never wanted on your team, the one you always complained about when I was.” Her anger had reached its breaking point and tears spilled from her eyes. “You all hurt me so much that I realized it was better to be on my own than to try and have any friends. After all, they only hurt you.” She felt Sunset Shimmer's hoof on her withers and sniffled. “I guess not all of them.” Looking up, she returned her attention to Pinkie. “And actually, Pinkie Pie was always nice to me when I saw her.”

The pink earth pony's cheek colored and she gave an awkward smile, the others still motionless, in shock over what had just transpired. “Actually,” Pinkie drawled, “I think that may not really be true.” Pinkie's ears drooped. She glanced at Applejack, but quickly returned her attention to Scribes. “That day you thought Applejack was yelling at you...she was actually yelling at me.”

Scribes' brows came together. “What?”

“She's right, sugarcube,” offered Applejack. “I nearly forgot about that day. I reckon it was because we talked it out an' everything was fine in the end.” She chuckled. “I was so mad at you.”

“I made holes in some of the apples and put gummy worms in them,” Pinkie Pie confessed. “Some ponies realized what had happened and thought it was super duper funny!”

“But most didn't,” Applejack added darkly. “I can't tell you how many ponies brought their apples back to me, all of 'em thinkin' I'd sold 'em rotten apples.”

Pinkie sat, an apologetic smile on her face. “I was standing right behind you when you brought your apples back. I remember because your hair kind of looks like toothpaste and I was wondering if it tasted minty. I was going to see for myself but then Applejack saw me and realized it was my prank, so she was pointing at me standing directly behind you. She was yelling at me, not you.”

Scribes made a face. “You were going to lick me?”

“Really?” Sunset asked quietly. “That's all you got out of that?”

“I didn't realize you thought I was hollerin' at you,” said Applejack, “else I would've come after an' set things right.” She tilted her head and touched a hoof to her chin. “Come to think of it, I might not have. I was wound up tighter than a yoyo on an elastic.” Together, she and Pinkie looked at Scribes. “We're both real sorry you got mixed up in it all.”

“And we're sorry if we hurt your feelings, even though we didn't mean to.”

Scribes looked as though she didn't know what to say, her expression timid and unreadable. Her lack of response caused Sunset to look around the room at the others, hoping someone else would have an explanation to offer and fill the uncomfortable silence.

“I didn't mean to embarrass you,” Fluttershy said meekly after a moment. “I didn't even think about it at the time. I enjoyed your article so much and thought you were a very good writer, I just thought you would want to know that there were a couple of tiny little facts that weren't quite right. I'm so sorry for making you feel like...well...” She dipped her head so that her mane fell and covered half of her face. “...how I feel most of the time.”

“I remember you now!” burst Rarity, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “Of course, the green tinsel ribbons. Why, darling, those WERE terrible on you, but only because of your coloring. I had some absolutely gorgeous one in the same style but with gold and silver. They would have been stunning with your coloring. I went out back to look for them but when I came out, you were gone. I thought you'd simply changed your mind.”

Twilight stepped forward and placed a hoof on Scribes' withers. “I never knew you felt invisible, Scribes. You were always writing away when meetings were over and I thought if I interrupted you for any reason, you'd lose your train of thought. I never want anypony to feel like that, especially here.”

“I didn't like you,” Rainbow Dash affirmed after a moment. “I never wanted you on my team because I liked flying against you. You definitely weren't the fastest pegasus in our class – let's face it, it was always me – but you were small and you were tricky. When you were on my team, I couldn't fly against you and try to outwit you. That's why I groaned whenever I had to pick you. I didn't like you because I knew you could beat me when it came to courses that required creativity...but I definitely admired you.”

Scribes swallowed hard, uncertainty in her orange eyes. “You did?”

“Totally! I never meant to make you feel bad.”

“None of us did,” Applejack agreed.

“I wish you would have talked to us, Scribes,” Twilight coaxed. “We never knew we'd hurt your feelings because we never meant to. It was all just a big misunderstanding.”

“Can you ever forgive us?” Fluttershy asked.

The question was enough to send Scribes over the edge. Tears ran down her cheeks again, but this time they were happy tears and not full of anger. “Of course. Of course I forgive you. I'm so sorry for letting this fester for so long!”

“Group hug!” Pinkie screamed before launching herself at Scribes.

Sunset Shimmer backed away as all the girls converged on Scribes to embrace her. The unicorn laughed to herself as she watched and shook her head. “Glad to see some things are the same no matter where I am.”

“Oooh, you do taste minty!”

“Pinkie!” shrieked Rarity.

Poking her head out from the mass of colorful bodies, Scribes looked for Sunset and waved her over. “Get over here, Sunny!” The unicorn beamed and rushed into the group, throwing her hooves around whoever was closest.

Like the group of school children in the park, the ponies ended up falling all over one another and dissolving into fits of laughter. This was the moment Sunset had been waiting for, the one she didn't even realize she'd needed. She had helped restore relationships that had nothing to do with her, and it left her feeling happier and fuller than any of her own apologies had.

“You know what we should do?” Twilight asked when the laughter subsided. “We should all go get ice cream like we should have the other day.” Looking specifically at Scribes, she repeated, “All of us.”

“I'm getting chocolate peanut butter!” cried Rainbow Dash.

“Funfetti!” Fluttershy added.

Pinkie Pie licked her lips. “Blueberry swirl!”

Laughing, Twilight headed for the door. “Come on, girls. We can all decide on the way.” In giggling groups, the ponies followed Twilight out of the library and down the hall. Sunset started after them, but paused when she saw Scribes hadn't moved.

“You okay?”

Scribes nodded, a watery smile on her face. “I'm better than okay. Thank you, Sunny. You've done so much more for me than you will ever know. I can't...” A final tear trailed down her face. “I'm really going to miss you when you're gone.”

Feeling her own heart break, Sunset trotted back across the room and threw her forelegs around Scribes. “I'm going to miss you, too.” She sniffled. “Hey, maybe you can come visit me sometime,”

With a little laugh, Scribes hugged her tightly in return. “I have always wanted to see humans for myself.”

“Hey girls, are you coming?!”

The two ponies pulled away from each other but didn't move to follow the others just yet. “We're friends for life,” Sunset said quietly.

“You better believe it.”

“Thank you for helping me see what a true, deep friendship really is. And thank you for always being here for me as I learned what forgiveness was.”

Scribes smiled and opened her mouth to reply, but a sudden burst of magic surrounded the unicorn before her, and with a POP! she was gone.