Why? A tale of Anon-a-miss

Chapters

Cafeteria (Edited by Icecreammac)
After School (Edited by Icecreammac)
Where's Applejack? (Edited by Icecreammac)
Slumber Party (Edited by Icecreammac)
Shopping (Edited by Icecreammac)
You Forgot! (Edited by Icreammac)
I'll Show You (Edited by Icreammac)
The Next Day (Edited by Icecreammac)
Thursday (Edited by Icecreammac)
In or Out (Edited by Iccreammac)
Secrets about Sunset (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
At Rarity's (Edited by Iccreammac)
Girl Time (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)
An Evening Relaxing (Edited by Icecreammac)
Saturday Morning (Edited by Icecreammac)
Taking Pictures (Edited by Icecreammac)
A Talk with Celestia (Edited by Icecreammac)
Getting the Photos (Edited by Icecreammac)
Delivery (Edited by Icecreammac)
Conditions and Blackmail (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Bail (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)
A Broken Mind (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)
A New Family (Edited by Icecreammac)
Heart to Heart (Edited by Icecreammac)
Reconciliation (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)
So There's This Girl (Edited by Icecreammac)
Summer Sunrise (Edited and titled by Icecreammac)
Accusations (Edited and titled by Icecreammac)
An Unexpected Meeting (Edited by Icecreammac)
Common Ground (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)
On the Run (Edited by Icecreammac)
Storming Winds (Edited By Icecreammac)
Mistaken Identity (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)
It Worked (Edited by Icecreammac)
Saying Goodbye (Edited by Icecreammac)
Unhinged (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)
Crystalis (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)
A Deal with the Dazzlings (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)
Lucky (Edited by Icecreammac)
No Compassion (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Awakening (Edited by Icecreammac)
Evil (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Insecurity (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Confession (Edited by Icecreammac)
A Sign (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Reminiscence (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Meeting and the Demon's Heart (Edited by Icecreammac)
Trixie (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Striking at the Boot (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Vindictive (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
A False Smile (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Last Will and Testament (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Visions of Betrayal (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Consequences (Edited by Icecreammac)
Battle for Apple Bloom (Edited by Icecreammac)
Beatdown (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Monastery (Edited by Icecreammac)
Hospital (Edited by Icecreammac)
Reasons to Live (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Worst Fears Confirmed (Edited by Icecreammac)
End of Her Rope (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Blame (Re-edited version by both SadisticFluttershy and Iccreammac titled by Iccreammac )
Last Words (Edited by Icecreammac and SadisticFluttershy Titled by Icecreammac)
Bearer of Bad News (Edited by Icecreammac and Sadistic Fluttershy Titled by Icecreammac)
Beyond Authority (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Chewing Out Rainbow (Edited By Icecreammac)
A Promise Worth Keeping (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
With the Wings of an Angel (Edited by Icecreammac)
Buying Time (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Offering Hope (Edited by Icecreammac)
A Story of the Past (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Trial (Edited by Icecreammac)
The Truth is Revealed (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Payback (Edited and titled by Icecreammac)
DOA (Edited by Icecreammac)
Next on the List (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Bloodbath (Edited by Icecreammac)
To Dance with Evil (Edited by Icecreammac)
Animal Control (Edited by Icecreammac)
School Board (Edited by Icecreammac)
Travel Plans (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Taken (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Choices (Edited and Tilted by Icecreammac)
The New Hideout (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
The Sirens' Prophecy (Edited by Icecreammac)
The Rules of War (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Star Swirl the Bearded (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Seeking the Sunset (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Ghost of the Mind (Edited by Icecreammac)
Battle at Crystal Ridge (Edited by Icecreammac)
A Video of the Past (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Rescue (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Pulled from Elysium
Sonata's Secret (Edited by Icecreammac)
Saving Both (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
A Dark Page (Edited by Icecreammac)
A Broken Heart, a Shattered Friendship (Edited by icecreammac)
1500 Hours (Edited by Icecreammac)
Take Me with You (Edited by Icecreammac)
Safe and Sound (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Welcome Home, Trixie (Edited by Icecreammac)
Eventide's Memories, Part One (Edited by Icecreammac)
Eventide's Memories, Part Two
Eventide's Memories Part Three
Eventide's Memories, Part Four
Drink Away the Pain Today (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Out-of-Body Experience (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Evil Rising (Edited by Icecreammac)
Sunset's Letter (Edited by Icecreammac)
Arrival at Crystal Ridge (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Six Weeks Later (Edited by Icecreammac)
Six Weeks Earlier (Edited by Icecreammac)
Le Cheval D'or (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)
Spin, Truth, or Dare (Edited by Icecreammac)
Jumping to Conclusions (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Cafeteria (Edited by Icecreammac)

Fluttershy and Rarity had gone to their next two classes, though both of which went by without much being spoken between the two of them. Fluttershy was still a little worried about the fashion show that Rarity had been planning. Yet, when she saw Sunset enter the high school's cafeteria and how wistful she looked, all of her worries went out to the door. Sunset, like Fluttershy before her, had picked the line leading to the vegetarian meals and was soon standing behind Fluttershy.

Turning to her friend, Fluttershy said with a kind smile, “S-Sunset, are...you feeling alright? You look a little upset.”

Sunset didn’t reply. Her head was down, her mind in a faraway place. This time of year always made her wistful. "It's been so long since I've been in Equestria, so long since I was adopted," she thought. Her thoughts then flowed to how she had found out of her mother and father dying before she had a chance to actually talk to them.

She had been reading in the personal library of Princess Celestia. Getting up, she bumped into a bookshelf next to her and knocked a book out of it. The book landed on Sunset's head, causing the little filly to let out a painful yelp. After rubbing her head, Sunset looked down at what had hit her. Before her was a brown, leather book. She immediately used her magic to lift the book up and was about to put it away when the book suddenly opened in her magical grasp.

“Huh?” Sunset remembered saying to herself. “What's this?”

Something within the book's pages had caught the eye of the amber-furred pony. Her eyes went wide when she saw what it was that had caught her attention. It was her birth certificate, yet where Princess Celestia's name should have been, Sunset clearly saw that there was another name. Two names, in fact: the names of her mother and father.

“This can’t be right. Why would my mother's name not be on my birth certificate?” Sunset recalled thinking to herself as she continued to read the book.

Taking the book with her and wanting some answers, she recalled heading out of the library and into the royal gardens. Finding Princess Celestia sitting in front of an ornate glass table with a teapot and two tea cups in front of her, Sunset used her magic and placed the book in front of the regal pony.

“I found this book in the library. Care to explain to me why it has my name next to the name of two other ponies that are not my father and mother.”

Sunset also recalled how Princess Celestia had narrowed her eyes at the book that she had placed in front of her during their usual tea time. She recalled as well how Princess Celestia had let out what seemed to Sunset to be a forced sigh as the Princess spoke to her.

“I was hoping that you wouldn’t have found that book, Sunset.”

“Why didn’t you want me to find this book…Mother?”

“Because of what is in it."

“So you're telling me that what's in this book is the truth then? That I'm not your actual daughter.”

Celestia had looked away, her face showing pain and sadness. Sunset recalled looking down at the table in front of her as she spoke her next words to the Princess.

“Why didn’t you tell me about my mother and father?”

“I wanted to protect you, Sunset. I didn’t think you were ready for the truth.”

"I see. And what is the truth, Mo--er, Princess?"

“The truth, Sunset, is that your mother and father gave you up because they were not ready to take care of you. They both died six weeks after the adoption papers went through, killed by a dragon, Sunset. I wanted only the best for you, so I didn’t want you to learn of this. I wish you could have known them, Sunset. Despite their failing as parents, I am sure you would have liked them.”

“So the whole story you told me about how my father had been killed during a diplomatic mission was what?" Sunset looked up, then back down again. "Nothing more than another one of your lies!?”

“I didn’t lie to you about that, Sunset. It is true that Storming Wind was killed, and he was my husband, but he would have been every bit of a father to you as I tried to be a mother to you. That is, if he had lived to see you grow into the pony that you are today.”

Sunset recalled turning around, leaving the book on the table as she snarled out in anger towards Princess Celestia, “I need to be alone now, Princess.”

Sunset recalled very well that she had been angry with Princess Celestia for keeping the truth of her family from her. It was this anger that caused her to forgo any and all teachings of friendship that Princess Celestia was trying to teach her. In her mind, every word that escaped the Princess's lips were little more than lies or half-truth. She didn't need Celestia. She could be better than Celestia, a far better and more powerful ruler, one that didn't lie to those closest to her.

During her quest to become as powerful as Celestia, Sunset would come to know about the mirror and what it could do. She would also come to learn about the true power that Celestia had and would want that power for herself. This would eventually lead to her downfall and the removal of her status as Princess Celestia's personal student. It was bad enough to find out that the Princess was not her real mother, but to remove her from the castle over a single fight almost broke her.

It wasn’t until she heard Fluttershy's soft, angelic voice calling out to her that her attention snapped back to reality.

“Sunset, please, if there is something bothering you, I would like to help if I can?”

“Huh?” Sunset looked at Fluttershy with a half-blank, confused look on her face. “Oh... No, Fluttershy. I'm…well, it doesn’t matter what I was doing.” She stepped up, took her tray, then continued, “I’ll...I’ll see you at our normal table, alright, Fluttershy?”

Applejack was just coming into the cafeteria at this time and had taken a spot behind Fluttershy. She watched as Sunset picked up her tray and headed off towards their normal table. Looking downwards for a second, Fluttershy meekly squeaked out her reply to Sunset while Applejack looked on with concern in her eyes.

“A-Alright, Sunset. I-I’ll be there in a minute after I get my lunch.”

Fluttershy got her tray of food, as did Applejack, and soon, both were following Sunset towards their normal table for lunch. Pinkie, who was already at their table, called out to them in her normal high-pitched, squeaky voice, waving her hand back and forth to get their attention.

“SUNSET, FLUTTERSHY, APPLEJACK! OVER HERE!” Seeing the three of them coming in her direction, she took out her cell phone, held it up, and snapped a photo of her three friends. “Alright, now I have another photo for my 'Favorite Friends' list. Who knows? Maybe I can show it off to the others. Oh, oh, and have a party to celebrate!. Whadda you all say about that idea?”

Pinkie beamed a great smile towards her three friends as she put away her phone, taking two cupcakes from what appeared to be pure thin air and popping both at the same time into her mouth. Both Sunset and Fluttershy gave each other passing glances as they each set down their trays onto the table in front of them. Applejack set her tray down, taking a seat to the right of Fluttershy. Sunset sat down across from Fluttershy and next to Pinkie, letting out a tired but very noticeable sigh. Rainbow and Rarity joined them just then.

Rainbow noticed Sunset’s sigh. Sitting down next to her on her left, she said, “Yo, Sunset, you alright? You seem kinda down.”

“You know,” Sunset began, placing her fork down and looking right at Rainbow, a look of slight anger in her eyes, “I am getting real tired of people asking me if I am alright. Yes, for the hundred millionth time, I am fine! I don’t need you or anyone else worrying about me, alright? Please, just leave it alone.”

A very uneasy silence fell among her friends, something that Sunset noticed but did nothing about. Instead, she got up and left the cafeteria with her lunch, leaving all five of her friends, who all had dumbfounded looks on their faces. All, that is, except for Applejack.

Turning to face Applejack, Rainbow gave her an expectant look, raising her hands and saying, “Well, don’t just sit there, AJ. Do something. We can’t just let her leave without knowing what's bothering our friend.”

“You heard her, Rainbow. She wants ta be left alone. So, Ah say we just give her some space for right now. She’ll come around when she's ready,” Applejack replied sternly.

“You have got to be kidding! That is, like, the lamest thing I've heard all day!”

The group did little else as Sunset exited the cafeteria and headed into the music room. Once she got there, she finished her lunch, unaware that Principal Celestia was coming down the hallway and had seen Sunset enter the music room. Concerned for Sunset's well-being, she, too, entered the music room and found Sunset lightly strumming away at a guitar.

“Sunset,” she said to her sweetly, getting the teenager's attention, “are you alright? You seem upset.”

Sunset rolled her eyes in annoyance, trying not to snarl or become angry with her principal. She replied, “Yes, I am fine! I just--”

“You don’t seem fine to me. In fact, you seem very upset. Is there anything that I can help you with?”

Picking up the guitar, Sunset sat down on the floor, while Celestia took a seat next to her. Sunset let out a sigh, strummed her fingers over the strings of the guitar a few times, looked at her principal, and closed her eyes as she found herself saying to her, “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you what's bothering me, but you have to promise me it'll stay between us. I really don’t want my friends to know about this. At least, not until I'm ready to talk to them about it myself.”

Principal Celestia reached out, laying a soft, gentle hand on Sunset's shoulder, saying, “You have my word that no matter what you tell me, it will remain between the two of us.”

After School (Edited by Icecreammac)

Sunset had finished her last class for the day and was making her way to her locker to collect her science and math books for her homework. She thought back to her meeting with Principal Celestia. "All things considered, I'm pretty relieved to get some things off my chest," she thought. Even then, she found it hard to look her in the eye throughout the meeting. "Every time I look at her, I think about the other Celestia, and my blood just starts boiling." Grunting, she furiously rummaged through her locker for her books, completely unaware that a secret meeting was taking placing in the high school's library.

Pinkie was already in the library, typing on one of the many computers there. While typing up her next report to her friends on MyStable, she failed to notice that Miss Cherilee was coming up behind her.

“Oh, Pinkie~,” Miss Cherilee sang out, “I hope you're not using one of the computers for MyStable~. You know the rules about that, don’t you, dear?”

With a very light blush on her face, Pinkie looked up at her music teacher, offering her a soft, warm, yet weak, smile.

“Yes, Miss Cherilee,” Pinkie began. “I know the rules about not using school computers for personal business.” Pinkie reached over to the power switch, trying to shut off the computer before her teacher could see what was on the screen. “I was, uh, just doing research for a school paper. Yeah, that it’s, it a school paper.”

Miss Cherliee had already seen what Pinkie was typing up on the computer. She smiled to herself, turned to leave, but stopped when she realized that Pinkie was one of Sunsets friend's.Turning back around, she said warmly to her, “Listen, I'm willing to let this slide, this one single time, but you need to do something for me in return.”

Pinkie smiled, her hair slightly fizzling upwards as she replied to her music teacher, “What do you want me to do, Miss Cherilee?”

Miss Cherilee looked around quickly to make sure no one was in the immediate area before she pulled out a chair next to Pinkie and sat down. Her expression became sad as she reached into her purse, taking out a photo and giving it to Pinkie. As Pinkie took the photo, she saw Miss Cherilee's expression.

Pinkie looked at the photo, which depicted Sunset and Miss Cherliree having a music lesson together. Sunset was wearing her normal leather coat and pink shirt. Both of them looked happy in the photo.

“Tell me how Sunset is doing. I'm a little worried for her.”

Confused, Pinkie handed back the photo to Miss Cherilee.

“I don’t understand why are you're worried about Sunny; she seems fine.” Putting a pink finger to her chin and looking up towards the ceiling, Pinkie continued, “Well, expect for her outburst to Dashy today at lunch. Otherwise, yeah, she seems fine to me.”

“Pinkie, I have reason to believe she might be...” Miss Cherilee looked down for a second, sighing and finishing, “living on the streets or in a homeless shelter.”

“What?”

Miss Cherilee looked conflicted. “This is something that I shouldn’t be talking about, but I feel I need to talk to someone because I'm worried about her.”

“What's wrong with Sunny? Please, you have to tell me; she's my friend!”

“I found her sleeping in the library two days after the Fall Formal. She was ready to leave, thinking that no one would ever trust her or give her a second chance. All that girl wanted was to be loved and cared for so I...took her in. Six days after, she left my home without a word to me about it. I have been trying to get her to come to the office so that I can speak to her about it. Yet I think that she's avoiding me. I think it is out of shame, but I am not sure.”

“I’ll talk to her about that. No one should be living on the streets, but can it wait till after the holidays? I kinda want to make this special for Sunny. I don’t want this to ruin the holidays for her. Besides, I am getting the sense that she hasn’t ever celebrated the Christmas spirit.”

Miss Cherilee laid a gentle, reassuring hand onto Pinkie's shoulder, smiled warmly to her, then got up to leave. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “Of course it can wait. Just don’t take too long with this.”

“Uh, before you go, why didn’t you just have Principal Celestia or Vice Principal Luna have her come to the office?”

“I did, and every time she would show up while I was there, she would turn around and leave. I swear, I have never seen a student snub a teacher like that before. But I requested that she be allowed to come to me when she was ready. Now, it is getting late, and you need to start heading home. I’ll let you and friends stay in here another hour, but after that, I am going to have to shoo you all out the door, got it?”

“Friends?” Pinkie quirked an eyebrow as Miss Cherrilee pointed a lilac finger towards four girls walking into the library. Pinkie turned to face her friends, saying only two words as Miss Cherilee walked away, “Got it.”

“Hey yo, Pinkie!” Rainbow called out to her, “You, ready to help us with this friendship problem?”

Hopping up and down, Pinkie bounced from foot to foot, much to the annoyance of her friends as she excitedly replied to Rainbow, “YOU KNOW I AM, DASHY!”

“Pinkie, for the hundredth time,” Rainbow said, face-palming, “don't call me 'Dashy'!”

Pinkie grinned widely when Rainbow yelled at her. Hearing her friend get a tad upset about being called 'Dashy' was something that Pinkie secretly lived for.

“Alright, y’all, just settle down, now.” Applejack stepped in between Pinkie and Rainbow. “I asked y'all here to talk about Sunset, not for you and Pinkie to fight, Rainbow.” Applejack gave Rainbow a stern look which caused the blue-skinned athlete to back down.

Rainbow and Pinkie both looked at each other, then at Applejack. Both had sheepish grins on their faces. Rarity took a seat next to Fluttershy, who was already sitting down at the computer that Pinkie had been using. Before anyone started, Fluttershy read what Pinkie had posted to MyStable.

“'Oh, can’t wait to spend the holidays with my girls. I am so rocking this new outfit that Rarity helped me pick out. Can’t wait to give Angel Bunny a special Pinkie Pie carrot cake.'”

Fluttershy raised a eyebrow as she looked up from the computer screen. Pinkie saw the look on her face and smirked back at her.

“Thank you for offering to give Angel Bunny a cake, Pinkie. I'm sure he will love it.”

“Oh, no problem at all, Fluttershy. Besides, seeing his little happy smile makes me happy.”

“Okay, girls. Let's get this started, shall we?” Applejack interjected as all eyes fell on her.

“So yeah, AJ, what's up with Sunset? I mean, I know we can all sometimes get under each other's skin and and all, but to blow up to us like that at lunch was way not cool of her,” Rainbow said with a slight look of irritation in her eyes.

“Well, as y'all know, she has been working hard--and I mean really hard--at reforming.”

Rarity took out a couple of knitting needles and yarn and began to knit while calmly stating to all present, “Darling, what does that have to do with how she acted today at lunch?”

“Ah'm getting to that, Rarity. If you'll just let me finish,0 Ah think Ah might be able to get to this with a good reason as to WHY Sunset acted like that.”

Everyone fell silent. Rarity put away her knitting supplies and cleared her throat as all eyes fell to Applejack.

“Now, as Ah was saying, Sunset has worked hard to reform herself from her old, nasty ways. However, she don’t have anyone ta spend the holidays with. So, Ah think we five might be able ta help her out with that.”

“Whoa, back up here, AJ. What do you mean ‘Sunset doesn’t have anyone to spend the holidays with'? What type of bunk is that? Of course Sunset has some--”

“No, Rainbow, she ain't got nobody ta spend this Christmas with,” Applejack interrupted. “She's alone in this world. We all have our families, but she don’t have a family of any kind. At least, not here, that is.”

“That’s the most terrible thing I have ever heard! How could she not have a family?” Rarity said, her mouth slightly hanging open.

“Ah know it sounds awful, and it is.” Applejack looked to Rarity. “Rarity, you have yer sister and yer mother and father.” She looked to Rainbow. “Rainbow, you have yer sister and yer mother.” She looked over to Fluttershy, who looked away, blushing slightly. “Fluttershy, you have yer brother and both parents.” She looked to Pinkie, who gave a slight smile while her hair deflated slightly. “Pinkie, you have all three of yer sisters and yer mother and father.” She pointed to herself. “And Ah have m' big brother, Granny Smith and m' little sister.”

Applejack looked down, taking her hat off and rubbing the brim of it with her thumb and index finger. “Sunset... Well, Sunset told me that she's alone in this world. Although she calls us her family, we really ain't her family. But, Ah think we can change that by starting to act like her family and showin' her that she's loved 'n' wanted.”

“That's really cool and all,” Rainbow began, jumping out of her seat, causing Fluttershy to jump in fright, “but how are we supposed to do that, Applejack? My mom would freak if I brought Sunset home to stay.”

“Simple, Rainbow. Two words." Applejack put her hat back on, a look of pure determination in her eyes. “Slumber--"

“PARTY!” Pinkie screamed, her hair going six times fluffier. “Yesyesyesyes, we are so throwing that girl the best slumber parties EVER!” Pinkie bounced around like a rubber ball, waving her arms like a chicken.

“Yes, Ah was thinking we could have some slumber parties, and once they're done, you all, including Sunset, would come over ta Sweet Apple Acres.”

Pinkie stopped bouncing around, looked at her friends, then said as she raced towards the front door of the library, “Great! I’ll go tell Sunset the good news!”

“Wait!” Applejack called out to her.

It was too late, though. All anyone saw was a pink, fuzzy blur race out of the library towards the lockers. Pinkie charged like a rampaging bull down the hallway, knocking student after student over as she made a mad dash towards Sunset's locker. Skidding to a halt when she found her friend at her locker, she ran up to her, waving her arms around like a big, pink turkey.

“SUNNYSUNNYSUNNY!” Pinkie squealed when she got up to Sunset, "Slumberpartymyhouserightnow!”

"Wait, what?" Sunset looked at her friend, confused. "Pink--"

Before Sunset had a chance to calm Pinkie down or get another word in edgewise, she was suddenly grabbed by her arm and yanked away from her locker. The only thing anyone actually heard was a loud 'yaaaaaa' before being bowled over again by the rampaging pink partygoer. All anyone that was actually left standing in the hallway saw was a red and pink blur racing towards the front doors of the school. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were both completely bowled over by the pair. While each sister helped the other up, Rainbow and her other friends were just coming up behind the two principals.

“Sister, what was that that just knocked us over?” Luna asked, dusting herself off.

“Hmmm, I think it was Pinkie dragging Sunset behind her, sister dear.”

“WHICH WAY DID THEY GO?” All four girls shouted in unison, reaching the two principals.

The two principals looked at each other, then at the four girls, who gave them expectant looks.

“That way,” both Celestia and Luna replied, pointing towards the doors.

“Thanks Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. You've been a lot of help,” Applejack called back as they raced after her two friends.

Each of the four girls got outside moments later, only to find both Sunset and Pinkie nowhere in sight. Shaking her head, Applejack just smiled, Fluttershy let out a sigh, Rarity grinned happily, and Rainbow kept looking from left to right, trying to figure out which way to go. It only took a few moments for each of them to call their families and let them know what was going on. Applejack's brother pulled up to the school, along with Rainbow's mother. Fluttershy’s father pulled up a few minutes after Applejack, Rainbow and Rarity all left. She, like the others, was eagerly awaiting the sleepover at Pinkie's.

Where's Applejack? (Edited by Icecreammac)

Apple Bloom was just getting off her school bus. The thirteen-year-old was humming a little tune to herself while she walked up the dirt path leading to her home. The farm smelt of oats, freshly cut grass and hay. But it was the apples that caught the young Apple's attention the most. They smelt fresh, sweet and pure as a midsummer's rain.

Skipping down the road, Apple Bloom opened the gate, headed inside her family's lot, and closed the gate with a loud clang behind her. Looking around, she didn’t see her sister outside doing her normal chores. It didn’t take her long to get to the house itself. Opening the front door Apple Bloom called out to the inside of the house.

“Granny Smith, I’m home from school.”

“Okay, youngun. Just drop your bag next to the door and come help me with these here pies.”

Granny Smith could be heard cluttering around in the kitchen. From the sounds of it, it seemed like she needed lots of help. Apple Bloom wrinkled her nose a bit as she made her way into the kitchen. Winona got up off the couch, barking loudly at Apple Bloom as she chased after the youngest member of the Apple family.

“No! Winona, I ain't got any treats for you! You--”

Before Apple Bloom could finish her sentence, the brown and white sheep dog tackled the thirteen-year-old to the floor, licking her and sniffing her pockets. Apple Bloom squealed and laughed trying to get the rowdy dog off of her. A loud booming "Eeeyup" got the dog to sit next to the young Apple, who looked up to see her older brother standing over her, a happy, warm smile on his rugged face. Apple Bloom held out her hand, and Big McIntosh helped her up. Wiping the dog's drool off her face with a handkerchief, Big McIntosh smiled, then headed into the kitchen, followed by Apple Bloom, who was giggling lightly to herself. Granny Smith handed both of them six pies each.

“Now you two younguns take these here pies and set them out on that there windowsill to cool.”

“Granny, where's Applejack? I didn’t see her outside doing her normal chores, and tonight is supposed to be our sister’s night.”

Granny Smith smiled while pointing to the windowsill. Apple Bloom walked over to place the pies down so they could cool off. As she turned around to speak with her grandmother again, she heard a loud crash from behind her. Spinning around on her heel, she saw to her shock and dismay that Winona had jumped up towards the windowsill, knocking over four of the pies and eating them. Granny was not amused by what Winona did as she screamed out in anger towards the dog who continued to eat the pies that had splattered on the kitchen floor.

Oh, fiddlesticks!” Granny Smith looked at Apple Bloom, who was just grinning like a Cheshire cat back at her and the dog. “APPLE BLOOM, YOU GET THAT DOG OUT OF THIS KITCHEN RIGHT NOW!”

“But, Granny, Winona didn’t mean a thing by it. She just wanted to try your pies is all.”

Winona tucked her ears against her head and her tail between her legs, letting out a soft whimper. Granny sighed, then pointed to the door behind Apple Bloom leading into the backyard. Apple Bloom lowered her head, letting out soft sigh of her own. Looking to the dog, then back to Granny Smith, the youngest member of the Apple family knew when she was beaten.

“Come on, Winona, let's go get you cleaned up.”

Winona barked and ran outside, rolling around in the dirt and getting even more messy. It took Apple Bloom most of the afternoon to get Winona to calm down enough to take a bath. Once she was done, Apple Bloom came inside, soaking wet and looking rather grimly to her grandmother. Granny Smith tried to contain her laughter yet failed miserably at it. She let out a slight laugh when she saw Apple Bloom standing in the kitchen dripping water all over the floor.

Apple Bloom stomped into the kitchen as she yelled out to Granny Smith, “It’s not funny! Now Ah'm all soaking wet! How am I supposed to spend sister night with Applejack like this?”

“Yer not. Yer sister is at 'er friend's house for some sort of party or some fandangled thing like that,” replied Granny, still trying not to laugh.
Apple Bloom's eyes went wide when she heard this.

“What...What do you mean Applejack isn’t going to be here tonight?”

“Yer brother brought her home a half-hour a-fore you showed up. She got 'er stuff together, then headed out to spend the night at 'er friend's house.” Putting a wrinkled finger to her chin, Granny Smith tapped her chin a few times. “Hmmm. I think it was Inky. No, that’s not right. Uh, maybe it was Linky…”

“You mean Pinkie, right, Granny?”

“Eeeyup,” her brother chimed in.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Anyways, yer sister is over there, now.”

Apple Bloom looked down, angry at her sister as she made her way out of the kitchen upstairs to get changed. She began to think to herself, “How could Applejack forget about sister night like this? I mean, it doesn’t make a lick of sense.”

“Oh, her friend Sun-something is also there. Why don’t you give them a call 'n' see how they're a-doing?” Granny Smith called out to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom came back down, dressed in a green T-shirt, blue jeans and red boots. Her pants were rolled up to her shins. She had a pink bow in her hair. Walking over to her backpack that she had left sitting next to the front door, she opened it up, took out her homework, and brought it into the kitchen, setting it down on the kitchen table. Granny Smith saw a look of sadness on the young Apple’s face. Closing her eyes and lightly shaking her head, she walked over to Apple Bloom laying a gentle hand onto the child's shoulder.

“Now, lookie here, Apple Bloom. I know you wanted ta spend this night with yer sister 'n' all. But, Applejack has 'er own life to live, and she needs some time away from the farm. You do understand, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Ah understand. Ah'll call her after dinner, Granny, alright?” Apple Bloom began to work on her math homework, not looking up at Granny Smith. “I just want to get this homework done and then get some dinner. I'll get my chores done after that, alright?”

“Well, perhaps Big McIntosh can help you with yer homework. He's always good at that sort of thing.”

“Eeeyup,” Big McIntosh said, coming back into the kitchen from the backyard.

Apple Bloom looked up at him, then at her homework, thinking to herself while her brother took a seat across from her, “How can Sunset be more important than me?”

Apple Bloom pushed her homework over to her brother, who picked it up and looked it over as she said to him, “Alright, Big McIntosh. You think you can help me with this here homework?”

“Eeeyup.”

Apple Bloom and her brother both spent an hour working on her homework, with the youngest member of the Apple family arguing back and forth with her brother. Granny Smith got dinner ready, and once the homework was all done, the three sat down to a hot, home-cooked meal. Apple Bloom, once dinner was done and her chores complete, found herself sitting alone in her room with her cell phone in her hands. She was thinking to herself as she looked at a picture of her and her sister.

“Should Ah really call her? Ah mean, Ah know Granny Smith wants ta know how she's doin', but Ah really don’t wanna deal with her after she missed sister night and all.”

Apple Bloom came back down stairs and found Winona lying on the couch. As she sat down next to Winona, the loyal family dog laid her head onto Apple Bloom's thigh, letting out a soft, sympathetic whimper.

“What’s that, Winona? You want to go outside?” asked Apple Bloom, looking into the dog's big, brown eyes.

Hopping off the couch, Apple Bloom walked over to the front door with Winona in tow, her tail wagging back and forth. The young Apple took out the dog's leash, hooked her up, and headed outside and down the dirt path leading to the dirt road outside of her family's land. Getting to the gate, she stopped when she heard from behind her, “Eeeyup.”

Turning around, she saw her brother Big McIntosh coming up behind her. Slung over his powerful, muscular shoulders were a shovel, rake and pick axe. He was completely filthy. Looking at his younger sister and at the dog sitting next to her with her tongue hanging out to one side of her mouth, Big McIntosh nodded to Apple Bloom, who smiled back warmly.

“Big Mac, can I ask you a question?”

“Eeeyup.”

“Should Ah call our sister like Granny Smith asked me to earlier today?” Looking down for a few seconds, Apple Bloom only looked back up when she felt her brother's gentle hand on her shoulder. “Ah don’t wanna get into a fight with her over her not being here tonight. You know where Ah'm comin' from, right?”

“Eeeyup.”

“Do...Do ya think she might be a little upset with me for wanting her to come home 'n' spend tonight with me?”

“Nnnope.”

“Will you take Winona fer me so Ah can go call our sister?”

“Eeeyup.”

“Thanks, Big Mac. Yer the best big brother EVER!”

Apple Bloom handed the leash to her brother and ran off towards the house to get her phone. Getting inside and rushing upstairs, she got to her bedroom a few minutes later. Sitting on her bed, she was about to press the ‘call now’ tab on her phone when she looked over to a photo of her and her mother and father.

The photo showed Applejack, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom, the last as a little three-year-old in the arms of her mother, while her father stood next to his wife. Everyone looked happy and in high spirits. Letting out a soft sigh, she pressed the tab and held the phone up to her ear, waiting for Applejack to answer.

Slumber Party (Edited by Icecreammac)

The girls were just making their way up Pinkie's driveway. They could smell the sweet scent of baked cupcakes, cookies and cakes from Pinkie's oven. As the four girls walked up to the front door, Pinkie opened it for them, greeting them warmly while each of her friends walked into the house.

“Welcome to Party Central!” Pinkie squealed happily.

“Darling, what is that wonderful fragrance?” Rarity asked with a warm smile.

“Oh, it's the cookies that Sunset is baking in the kitchen.”

Getting into the kitchen after dropping each of their bags off by the front door, Applejack looked around at all the cakes, cookies and cupcakes that Pinkie and Sunset had made. Tipping her hat back a bit, she grinned widely to Pinkie, saying to her with a slight twinkle in her forest-green eyes, “Y'all bought out the entire store, Pinkie. Ah mean, wow, you two must've made at least six hundred cupcakes, cookies and cakes.”

Sunset was in the kitchen, sitting at the table. A timer was sitting in front of her. She looked up from her journal and smiled warmly to the girls as they all filed into the kitchen. Setting her pen down, she nodded to Pinkie, walked over to the oven just as the timer dinged, signaling that the next batch of cookies was ready. Fluttershy smiled when she saw the bunny-shaped cookies being brought out of the hot oven. Sunset noticed this and smiled back warmly.

“Would you care to try one of these cookies, Fluttershy? I made them myself.”

“Oh, yes. Why thank you, Sunset.”

Fluttershy ate her cookie happily, while Rainbow and the others headed into the living room. Once Rainbow got there, she raced forward, yelling out, “Dibs on the games!” Looking at her friends as Sunset and Fluttershy joined them, she continued, “Someone wanna play me in Magic Drive Four Deluxe?”

Sunset sat down on the couch behind Rainbow, who sat on the living room floor holding a game controller in her hand and handing off the other one to Fluttershy.

“Here, Fluttershy. Try a round.”

Fluttershy looked at the controller now in her hands, then at the game on the TV screen, replying to her softly, “Um, thanks, but I don’t think--”

“C’mon, it’ll help you relax!” Rainbow interrupted.

Sitting down next to her friend, Fluttershy again looked from the TV screen to Rainbow with a slightly worried look on her face.

“Thank you, but--”

“Look! You can play as a fuzzy bunny! With a monster truck!” Rainbow said.

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide when she saw on the TV screen a white rabbit with a large red monster truck and a blue hat. Her peaceful demeanor suddenly shifted to an aggressive one as she picked up the controller. Her eyes shifted to a cold, calculating glare. She almost snarled out, “I will destroy all my enemies.”

Pinkie was busy pouring Rarity and Sunset cups of soda while Rainbow fully engaged Fluttershy in a one-on-one match of Magic Drive Four Deluxe. Much to Rainbow’s shock, Fluttershy was actually a challenge to her, as she found her own character to be in second place throughout most of the match. Sunset watched the two play the video game. She had a slight look of confusion on her face as she said aloud, “So is this what you do at slumber parties?” She looked around as everyone was enjoying their time together and Pinkie handed over the cups of soda to her and Rarity. “Just hang out?”

Applejack and Pinkie laughed. Both girls looked to Sunset, who looked back to them slightly more confusedly than she was before. Applejack tipped her hat back, a slight grin on her face.

“Pretty much, Sunset. Y'all mean ta tell us this is yer first time at a sleepover?”

Sunset looked down at her cup of soda, took a sip from it, cleared her throat, then looked back up at Applejack. Her face showing slight embarrassment as she blushed lightly.

“Uh, yes, this is my first time at a actual slumber party, AJ.”

Applejack smiled to Sunset, who returned the smile in kind.

“Well, you do more than just play video games, Sunset.” She started listing on her fingers, “You also eat, gossip, watch movies, tell scary stories,” Applejack grinned widely, “and oh, let's not forget the most important part of slumber parties: the pillow fights.”

“Pillow fights, huh?” Sunset replied with a raised eyebrow.

“AAACK!” Rainbow exclaimed as she mashed the buttons on her controller.

All eyes fell to Rainbow and Fluttershy, who were playing the video game until Rainbow lost to Fluttershy.

“Uh, I think Fluttershy needs to lie down for a while,” Rainbow stated while leading Fluttershy away from the TV towards a recliner.

“Use your limit break, Mr. Fuzzles,” Fluttershy muttered as she sat down in the chair. Her eyes were as wide as possible.

Just as Rainbow got Fluttershy into the chair, everyone heard a loud knocking on the front door to Pinkie's home.

“Ooh! I got it~" she sang out as she bounced up and down excitedly, moving towards the door, a happy smile on her face.

Opening the door, her sister Maud walked in, carrying sixteen pizza boxes. She looked to Pinkie, who wrapped her arms around her sister's neck, squealing out, “MAUD, YOU CAME! Now we can really get this party started!”

“Hello, Pinkie,” Maud replied in her monotone voice. “The sixteen pizzas you ordered from Pony Hut Pizza and Delivery are here.”

“Oh, Maud! You’re the best sister EVER!” Pinkie replied happily as she kissed her sister on the cheek.

“They're dripping grease on my shoes,” Maud said.

Everyone laughed as they each walked out of the living room into the kitchen to help Pinkie take the pizzas and set them onto the kitchen table. Fluttershy, still in shock at beating Rainbow, remained where she was. Rainbow looked over to her, giggling slightly to herself. Twenty minutes later, the group found themselves upstairs in Pinkie's bedroom, each of them with a box of pizza in front of them. Applejack was holding out her hand to Rarity while the latter applied nail polish to Applejack’s fingernails.

“Aaaand done!” Rarity said to Applejack as she applied the last of the nail polish. "There! Now, dear, don’t touch anything until they dry. You don’t want to get any of this on your clothing. If you do, it will never come out.”

Applejack looked at the nail polish on her hands, then at Rarity, while Rainbow could be heard growling slightly to Fluttershy. All eyes fell to both girls, as Fluttershy could be heard saying to Rainbow, “Hold still, Rainbow. I'm almost done.”

“Fluttershy, do you really have to fuss over me like this? I mean, come on, I like the way I look!”

Fluttershy was busy brushing Rainbow’s hair and tying it into a braid, while Rainbow was fussing about letting Fluttershy tie up her hair. Both girls, though, had pleasant smiles on their faces. Sunset giggled while she took out her phone and snapped a photo of the two. No sooner did she press the capture button on her phone did she hear Rainbow yell out to her, “THAT BETTER NOT HAVE BEEN A SNAP I JUST HEARD!”

Before Sunset could reply, she and her friends all heard Applejack say to Rarity, “Ah dunno how y’all can use this stuff all the time, Rarity. I mean, I like to get all dolled up for fancy stuff myself and all, but to wear this stuff all the time would drive me nuts.”

Rarity said nothing, only replying with a slight chuckle. Pinkie was too busy scarfing down her pizza to say anything. Sunset smiled happily to herself while she sat down on Pinkie's bed, laying back into the soft pillows.

“Thank you, girls. I haven’t done anything like this in so long.” She let out a soft, contented sigh. “It’s good to have friends.”

Fluttershy finished with Rainbow's hair, smiling to her warmly as Rainbow got up and plopped down on the bed next to Sunset, resting her chin on her elbows.

“Hey, Sunset, I feel the same!” Rainbow grinned. “I don’t know what I’d be like without you gals!”

“Same here, Sunset,” Applejack chimed in. “It means a lot ta me, having friends to support me makes--”

Applejack’s phone rang out while she lay on her back at Sunset's feet.

“Oh, golddurn it! That’s my phone! Can somebody get that for me? Y’all know Ah can’t touch anything while this here nail polish is still dryin'.”

Sunset rolled over to her side, picked up Applejack's backpack, opened it up, and took out her phone. Looking at the phone in her hand, she was about to say something when the farmer said, “Three, two, six, then press enter, Sunset. After that, put it on speaker, will ya?”

“Right, sure thing, Applejack,” Sunset replied, punching in the numbers and setting the phone to speaker.

Sunset laid the phone down next to Applejack.

“Whoever this is, y’all just ruined a real heartwarmin' moment!”

“Hey, big sis.”

Applejack rolled her eyes playfully as she shook her head.

“Granny wanted me to call you and, uh, make sure you're doin’ alright.”

“'Course I’m alright, Apple Bloom! I’m with all my friends, so tell Granny Smith to quit her worrying!”

Sunset grinned. Placing a hand next to her mouth, she called while the phone was still on speaker, “AJ’s fine! She’s wearing nail polish!”

“Alright, alright, Ah'm just the messenger. Sheesh!” Apple Bloom said.

Applejack again rolled her eyes this time in slight annoyance.

“Have a good night…Piggly Wiggly.”

“What Apple--”

‘Click’

All eyes fell to Applejack, who suddenly looked very embarrassed by her little sister's antics. Sunset had a look of pure confusion etched on her face.

“Uh, did your sister just call you ‘Piggly Wiggly’, AJ?” Sunset said still looking confused.

Sitting up and pulling her hat down to the bridge of her nose, Applejack grunted grimly. “Yeah, Sunset, she did. Ah was hopin' not ta hafta tell this story again.”

“Hey, it's okay. If you don’t want to talk about it, it's perfectly fine with me. I mean, if you feel it's too embarrassing and all,” Sunset replied kindly.

“No, no, it’s alright, Sunset. Besides, it’s better that ya hear it from me rather than someone else.” Applejack lifted up her hat, letting out soft sigh. “Anyways, when Ah was really little, Ah used ta follow Granny Smith around while she did her chores at Sweet Apple Acres. Ah ‘specially loved it when she fed the pigs. So one day, while she was feeding 'em, Ah sorta climbed into the pigpen and started playin' in the mud with 'em. Granny said she laughed herself sick when she saw me in there with 'em. She told me that I stayed in there for hours, just playing with the pigs and oinking like them, too. Well, she starting calling me ‘Piggly Wiggly’, and it sort of stuck as the family nickname. Apple Bloom likes to use it when she thinks Ah'm getting to big for m' britches.” Letting out another sigh, Applejack looked at Sunset, holding up her hand. “Well, that's family for ya. Y’all gotta take the good with the bad.”

Sunset nodded, letting out a tired but contented yawn.

“Uh...” Applejack looked around, seeing that everyone had fallen asleep. She smiled to herself. “Maybe we should get some sleep. Ah mean, Ah know we don’t have school tomorrow and all, but still, we should at least get some shuteye.”

Sunset also looked around at her sleeping friends, letting out another yawn and nodding to Applejack, who soon fell asleep next to Rarity on Pinkie's bedroom floor. Not able to sleep herself while she thought of what Applejack said to her, Sunset looked over to her bag, took out her journal, and tiptoed out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen. Setting the book down in front of her, she began to write to Twilight.

Dear Princess Twilight,

I just wanted to let you know that everything here at CHS is going very well for me. I thought you should know I'm having my first sleepover. It's a blast, and I'm having so much fun! I wanted to take this time to wish you a happy and warm Hearth's Warming Eve. I also wanted to simply say ‘Thank you.’ If it weren’t for you and your kindness, I wouldn’t be the pony--or person--that I am today, so again, thank you.

Your student and friend,

Sunset Shimmer

With that, Sunset closed her book and headed back upstairs to bed. She soon fell into a deep, restful sleep, dreaming of all the fun times she would have with her friends.

The sun rose the next day, warming Pinkie's room. each of her friends woke up groggy but otherwise well-rested. All but Sunset, who was tired from all the partying she did with her five friends the previous night. Applejack called her brother, who came and picked her up. Rarity also called her mother and was picked up a half-hour after Applejack left. Fluttershy and Rainbow left shortly after Rarity, and Sunset stayed with Pinkie, helping to clean up the mess she and her friends made of Pinkie's home. She left shortly after getting the house cleaned up, happily knowing it felt good to have friends that she could call family.

As Sunset walked out the door, Pinkie couldn’t help but wonder if what Miss Cheerilee said to her was true or not. Unbeknownst to her, each of her friends wondered the same thing as they all headed home as well.

Shopping (Edited by Icecreammac)

The afternoon was cold. Chilly, but not so cold that one would freeze to death outside. Rainbow had called Sunset earlier in the day and invited her to spend the day with her at Canterlot City Mall. Sunset wasn’t particularly into shopping but had wanted to get out of her home for a while, and spending the day with Rainbow seemed like the best choice. After picking a place to meet with Rainbow, Sunset found herself standing next to the sign beside the school, waiting for Rainbow’s mother to pick her up.

She didn’t need to wait long, though. Rainbow’s mother pulled up in a blue SRT Hellcat Charger twenty minutes after she had gotten off the phone with Rainbow. Sunset whistled when she saw the car. It had black and blue trim on the front of it and rainbow designs on the sides. The car roared like a lion when Rainbow's mother put her foot on the accelerator.

Sunset was about to get in when Rainbow's mother stopped her, saying, “Hold on, Sunset. I would like to talk with you for a minute, if I may.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sunset looked at Rainbow for a quick second. “Rainbow, I’ll be back in just a second.”

Rainbow looked from her mother, then back to Sunset.

“Mom, please don’t make a scene. She's my friend, and I'm trying to give her a second chance. I don’t need you to throw a fit just because you, well...don’t think she's cool.”

Rainbow's mother looked from Sunset then to her daughter, replying, “I won’t make a scene, honey, but I do need to speak with Sunset before you spend time with her.”

With that said, Rainbow's mother shut off the car, got out, and led Sunset down the street away from her daughter. Looking at Sunset dead in the eyes, she grimly said to her, “I want you to fully understand that while my daughter may have forgiven you for all that you did to her over the past two years, I have not. If you hurt my daughter, Sunset, I will make your life a living hell. Do we understand each other?”

Sunset swallowed hard. She knew that Rainbow's mother was but one of many that she was trying to make amends to for how she treated Rainbow and her friends.

“Yes, Miss Dash, I fully understand you. I understand clear as crystal.”

“Good. Now that we got that out of the way, where are you and my daughter going today so that I might be able to keep an eye on you and her as well?” Rainbow's mother replied grimly.

“We had, as far as I know, planned on shopping at the Canterlot City Mall today. Although if you would rather I spend the day with her in your home, then that is more than alright with me.”

Folding her arms over her chest, Rainbow's mother glared at Sunset. The look on her face caused the redhead to recoil slightly in fright.

“I would rather you didn’t spend any time with my daughter at all, Sunset. But, you are my daughter's friend, and I am willing to give some leeway here. And I do fully mean some leeway. However, if you screw up and hurt her again, you’ll have more to worry about than sitting in the principal's office getting a stern lecture. You'll have a lawsuit on your hands. Understand?”

“Miss Dash, I am trying to prove to you, to everyone at CHS, and to those that I hurt the most that I have indeed changed and that I am indeed a different person. I really don’t understand why you can’t accept that I've changed.”

“Because, Sunset, I have heard it all before!" Rainbow's mother snarled out in anger, her eyes brimming with rage. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, she continued, "Now, let's go before we make Rainbow wonder why we are taking so long.”

Rainbow's mother headed back to the car, leaving Sunset to breathe in deeply as she thought to herself, “Just calm down. There's no need to get angry with her. This is all a part of redeeming yourself. It's only been, after all, four months since the Battle of the Bands. And only six months since they all took you in after the Fall Formal.”

Sunset walked back towards the car. As she approached the car, she heard Rainbow say to her mother, “Mom, I don’t need you worrying about me. Sunset is a good person now! Besides, I want to spend the day with her at the mall, not at home where you would be hovering over everything she and I do with each other.”

“Rainbow Dash--”

“No, Mom, enough is more than enough! Sunset has been there for us when the Dazzlings tried to take over the school. She has proven herself to me, and I'm sick of you saying stuff about her, so just get over it and let us enjoy our day together.”

Before her mother could reply, Rainbow got out of the car, slammed the door shut, took Sunset by her arm, and led her away from the car. Rainbow's mother got out of the car to chase after her daughter, only to stop when her daughter turned around and yelled back to her, “You know, just because Dad left you with me doesn’t mean I'm going to turn out like him. Sunset's my friend, and I trust her, so just...just leave us alone.”

Rainbow's mother looked away, clearly hurt by what her daughter said. She let out a angry scoff, got back into her car, and drove off, leaving Sunset standing next to Rainbow a bit bewildered. Rainbow looked to her right, saw that a city bus was coming down the street, and quickly grabbed onto Sunset, leading her towards the bus stop.

The bus stopped, and Rainbow and Sunset both got on. Sunset took a seat, and Rainbow paid for both of them. As Rainbow came up to Sunset to sit down next to her, she took out her phone and promptly shut it off. Looking to Sunset, who was looking out the window next to her, she said grimly, “I’m sorry my mom had to act like that, Sunset. I want you to know that I do fully trust you and that I do want to spend today with you. So, how about we forget this ever happened and enjoy our time together? We should be at the mall in about fifteen minutes...I think.”

Sunset closed her eyes, letting out soft sigh, and nodded to Rainbow. Fifteen minutes later, the two of them got off in front of the mall and entered it. Sunset smiled when she saw how beautifully decorated the mall was. There were lights and wreaths all over the place. Sunset looked up and down the main entryway of the mall. Her eyes beamed with anticipation of the fun she was about to have with Rainbow. Rainbow took Sunset by her hand, causing the redhead to let out a half-stuttering gasp, something that Rainbow picked up on.
Letting go of her hand, Rainbow looked at Sunset as she said to her, “Are you alright, Sunset? You look a bit upset. Is this because of everything my mother said?”

“What? No, I just… Look, can we just enjoy this time together without worrying about what was said or done today, please.”

“Sure thing, Sunset.” Rainbow turned looked down the main entryway of the mall and smiled brightly. “Hey, I know the best way to get rid of your holiday blues, Sunset.”

“Really? How?”

“Come on. I’ll show you.”

Rainbow took Sunset by her hand and led her to the amusement park of the mall. Getting there about ten minutes later, Sunset suddenly found herself riding a carousel, laughing hard. Rainbow was laughing just as much as Sunset was, and the two of them ended up riding the carousel three times. Each time they got back on, they each picked the same bench to ride on. Rainbow would, during each time, place her hand onto Sunset's. Sunset was beginning to wonder, while they rode the carousel for the third time, if Rainbow was trying to tell her something.

Getting off, Rainbow smiled and pointed to a nearby bookstore. She knew that Sunset liked books and said to her while walking towards the store, “How about you go into that store? I’ll meet you here in, oh, about ten minutes, and we can go see what else there is to do around here.”

“Uh, okay, Rainbow. I guess that would be alright.” Sunset headed inside. Stopping just before the checkout lines, she turned around to say something, but was surprised when Rainbow was gone. “Huh, I guess I’ll have to speak to her about her actions on the carousel when she gets back,” she said to herself.

Rainbow had taken off towards a sports store just around the corner. She had been to the mall many times and knew where the best stores were. Or, at least, the ones she liked to go into. Getting into the store, she let out a quick sigh as she muttered to herself while poking through the sports memorabilia, “I really can’t tell her that I think she's, like, so super cute, not to mention hot as heck! She’ll just laugh at me and think I'm a total dork.”

“Muttering to yourself, are we, Rainbow? Hmm,” a voice behind Rainbow said warmly.

Rainbow turned around to see Sunny Heart standing behind her. She had a pleasant smile on her face and was wearing one of the shop's top-selling jerseys. She had her hair tied behind her head and was wearing another of the shop's top-selling items: a baseball cap with the Shadowbolts' emblem on it. Rainbow grinned to her as she lightly blushed.

“Caught some of that, did you, Sunny Heart?”

“Well, I'm glad to you see you finally learned you can’t slip anything by me, Rainbow. Yes, I heard you. Listen, if you like this girl so much, why not just tell her?”

“B-Because I can’t!" Rainbow eyes slowly went wide with fear. "She’ll think I'm, like, totally not cool or some--”

“Really, Rainbow. You really think that girl--” Sunny Heart laid both hands onto Rainbows shoulders. “What’s her name?”

“Sunset. Sunset Shimmer,” Rainbow replied, blushing hard, her face turning beet red.

“You really do believe in your heart that Sunset Shimmer would think of you like that? I saw you two today in the amusement park while I was eating lunch on the second level. You both looked so happy to be with each other. Heck, one might even have said you both were already dating.”

“What? No, I--”

“Go to her, Rainbow. Tell her how you feel. Don’t wait. Don’t make the same mistake that I made. You have a chance at something really special here, so get out of my shop and go to her.”

Rainbow looked to the opening of the shop, then back at Sunny Heart. Rainbow had seen the pain on Sunny Heart's face the day she had told her friend Shadowflare how she had felt but had waited too long. Rainbow promised herself she wouldn’t go through the same thing that her friend Sunny Heart went through. Smiling, Rainbow nodded to Sunny Heart and headed out of the sports shop back to the bookstore where she left Sunset.

Getting there, she looked around the store yet couldn’t find Sunset anywhere. Approaching a clerk, who was looking pretty anxious, she asked, “Excuse me. Have you seen girl around here with red and yellow hair?”

“Yes. She's in the restroom. I think she might be having a panic attack.”

Rainbow's eyes went wide when she heard this. She quickly said, “Which way is the restroom from here?”

“Just go down the aisle you're in now and turn to your right. I was about to call security to see if they can help her.”

“No, don’t do that. Please, I can help her. Just let me try. Please.”

The clerk gave Rainbow a stern look, but nodded. Rainbow headed to the restroom. Once she got there, she could hear through the closed door Sunset talking to herself.

“You're a good person, Sunset,” Rainbow heard Sunset say to herself. “Rainbow isn’t trying to use you. Your f-friends love you.”

Entering the restroom, Sunset could be seen with her back facing Rainbow. As Rainbow approached her, she heard Sunset say out loud, “Rainbow cares about you, Sunset.” Sunset turned the water on in the sink, cupped her hands under the water, and splashed her face. Looking into the bowl of the sink, she continued, “Oh, who am I kidding! She’ll never love me. Not after all that I did at the Fall Formal and before that. And I can’t tell her that I love her; she’ll just think of me as a freak.”

“Sunset, are you...are you alright?”

Sunset’s eyes went wide when she heard Rainbow's voice from behind her. Quickly grabbing some paper towels, she wiped her face off and turned to leave the bathroom. She walked past Rainbow, clearly showing signs that she was anything but alright.

Rainbow was left alone in the bathroom thinking to herself, “Sunset...loves me!?”

Taking out her phone, she turned it back on to see what the time was, only to see that she had eighteen missed texts from Scootaloo. Closing her eyes tightly, she turned and left the bathroom, calling out to Sunset, who was just leaving the shop, "Sunset, wait up."

Sunset stopped in front of a large pretzel vendor and ordered herself a pretzel with butter and cheese. Once Sunset got her snack, she looked at Rainbow, who was breathing heavily.

As Rainbow came up to her, Sunset heard her exclaim, “Shit, I forgot about Scootaloo's swim meet today!”

You Forgot! (Edited by Icreammac)

The mall was getting more and more packed with people. Sunset noticed this as she sat down on a nearby bench and began to eat her snack. Rainbow followed her to the bench, looking very worried. She breathed heavily while Sunset ate her pretzel. Rainbow began to get annoyed with the whole situation. She started to head for the door, stopping when she noticed that Sunset wasn’t following her. Turning around quickly, she looked at her, then back down at her phone as it bleeped out that she had another text message coming in.

“Wer r u Rainbow?” the message read.

“Sunset, we have to go, like, right now!” Rainbow exclaimed.

Sunset remained where she was. She finished her pretzel, then let out a soft, quick breath before speaking.

“Hold on there, Rainbow. Look, I know you want to get to your sister's swim meet, but getting all worked up over it won’t help you at all.”

“But I--”

“No buts about this," Sunset interrupted. "Now, take a deep breath and calm down. You’ll feel better afterward.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes as she did as she was told, taking a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth, slowly calming herself down. Sunset walked over to her, laying both hands onto Rainbow's shoulders. Rainbow looked at Sunset, nodded to her, and said, “Thank you, Sunset. You're right, I can’t show up all worked up like that. Now can we go?”

“Sure thing,” Sunset replied warmly, “but it won’t be me that's going. I'll head home, while you head to your sisters swim meet.”

The two headed out of the mall together. Sunset started to walk towards her bus stop, stopping when she heard Rainbow call out to her.

“Hey, Sunset, I’ll catch you at school tomorrow, alright?”

Sunset turned around, smiled, and waved back to Rainbow as she watched the blue-skinned athlete get onto her bus headed into the city. Her own bus came within twenty minutes of Rainbow departing the mall. Sunset got on and was soon on her way home.
Rainbow kept looking at her phone while another message from her sister popped up on the screen.

“Y r u not hre Rainbow?”

Rainbow quickly texted back to her sister, “I wil b ther s%n Scoots dw.”

“Yea sur u wil! U shud hve bin hre 2 hrs ago RD!”

Rainbow winced when she saw Scootaloo’s reply. She knew she had royally screwed up with her sister. She texted back, “I shud b ther n 45 mins.”

“Fin w/e! Jst git hre!!” Scootaloo texted back. Rainbow looked at her screen. She could tell that her sister was not happy with her.

“Where were you!?” Scootaloo screamed angrily when she saw her sister getting off the bus an hour later.

Putting her hands up in a slightly defensive posture, Rainbow waved her hands back and forth a few times as she said, “Whoa chill out, Scoots. I didn’t mean to forget about your swim meeting.”

“You forgot!” Scootaloo spat back in anger. “How in the hell could you just forget about this!?”

Rainbow replied to her sister with a slight half-smirk on her face, “I was kinda shopping with Sunset, and I sort of,” Rainbow cleared her throat, “lost track of time is all. It’s no big deal, Scootaloo. I'll be at the next meeting. I promise.”

“THERE WON’T BE A NEXT MEETING!” Scootaloo screamed back at her sister. Rainbow could only stare back at her like a deer caught in headlights as Scootaloo stomped her foot into the ground.

“What do you mean there won’t be another meeting? Of course, there will be another meeting. I mean, it’s not like you got kicked off the team, right?” Rainbow replied, trying to comfort her sister.

Scootaloo looked away as tears began to slowly trickle down her cheeks. She sobbed out in anger, “That's exactly what happened, Rainbow. I got kicked off the team because I was so worked up about you not being here that I wasn’t able to complete my lap on time. I got four minutes and forty-eight seconds. I lost confidence in myself, and you were having a blast spending your time with Sunset instead of me!”

Before Rainbow could get another word in, Scootaloo raced forward, pushing past her sister as she ran towards an approaching bus. Scootaloo boarded the bus, leaving Rainbow standing at the pool completely dumbfounded. By the time Rainbow realized what Scootaloo had said to her and had turned around, the bus was already halfway down the street. Quickly taking out her phone, Rainbow dialed her mother for a fast pick-up.

Answering her phone, Rainbow's mother was greeted with, "M-Mom, I need you to p-pick me up. S-Scootaloo just took off, and I think I know where she's going."

“What did you say to her to make her take off, Rainbow?” Her mother almost snarled back.

“It's not what I said. It's more of what I didn’t do that caused this.” Rainbow facepalmed as she began to walk back and forth. “Look, we can hash this out later, Mom. Right now I need you to pick me up and take me to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Where are you right now?”

“At the Canterlot Administration Membership Building. I can’t believe I forgot that today was Scootaloo’s swim meet.”

“Wait, stop. Back up! What do you mean you forgot about her swim meeting today, Rainbow?”

“Just what I said. I forgot about it because I was busy having too much fun with Sunset.”

“Dammit, Rainbow Dash! I have reminded you about your sister's meeting for almost three whole days now. This is why I don’t want you around that girl. She is a bad influence on you, Rainbow!”

“Mom, it wasn’t Sunset's fault that I forgot,” Rainbow snarled back. “Now, we can fight about this later! Right now, I need to take care of Scootaloo.”

“I’ll be there in about twenty-five minutes.”

Rainbow hung up the phone and waited for her mother to show up. Unbeknownst to Rainbow or her mother, Scootaloo was already texting Apple Bloom. As the two of them talked, they both decided to meet at the tree house just outside of Sweet Apple Acres.

Scootaloo got off the bus thirty minutes later and headed into the orchard, where she soon found Apple Bloom, looking just as grim and lonely as she was feeling. Taking a seat next to the normally perky redhead, Scootaloo let out a forced sigh as she said, “I don’t get it, Apple Bloom. How could Sunset Shimmer be more important than us?”

Apple Bloom didn’t reply right away. She was still too upset with her own sister for missing sister night. Getting up from her place inside the clubhouse, Apple Bloom walked outside, getting to the first level of it a few moments later. She let out a loud grunt of anger, kicking some rocks into the nearby trees, while Scootaloo watched her from the windows of the clubhouse. She turned to look up at Scootaloo and said, “You wanna help me get Sunset out of our sisters' lives so we can get our sisters back, Scootaloo?”

“You bet I do!” Scootaloo exclaimed back.

“Good! Because Ah know just how ta do it,” Apple Bloom replied.

I'll Show You (Edited by Icreammac)

The late afternoon was getting chilly, and Apple Bloom was starting to get antsy and cold. Wanting to go inside and warm up a bit, the youngest Apple looked at her friend, who remained sullen and angry with her sister. Not wanting a fight to break out between the two of them, Apple Bloom beamed a bright smile to Scootaloo, who simply scoffed back at her. Realizing how hurt Scootaloo was, Apple Bloom said, “Scootaloo, how 'bout we head inside fer a bit? Ah have somethin' really good to show ya.”

“I don’t see how we're gonna get Sunset out of our sisters' lives, Apple Bloom. I mean, we can’t just walk up to her and say, ‘Hey, we don’t want you to hang around our sisters any more.’ We'd just get laughed at or told off by all three of them, not to mention by Sunset herself.”

Apple Bloom led Scootaloo to the front door of her home. Opening the door, she turned to her friend and said, “Ah'll show ya what Ah have in mind.”

She led her over to the family's computer. Scootaloo had a slight look of confusion on her face as she approached the computer. Looking around, she took notice that Applejack wasn’t around.

“Where's your family, Applebloom? I don’t see your sister around.”

“Oh, they're all at the market sellin' pies 'n' other stuff. They should be home in about an hour. But enough about that. Why did you leave your sister today? You told me it was because you got kicked off the swim team. But I know yer on a special team for people with disabilities. So how come ya got kicked out?”

Sighing heavily, Scootaloo turned around, crossing her arms over her chest. She closed her eyes as she said, “It's because I have brittle bone disease. I can’t be in the water if I can’t move my legs. Swimming was my last chance at doing something great despite my disability. The doctors that I see twice a week all tell me that my bones are getting better, and for a while, I believed them. I made the swim team, and I was doing pretty well in practice. But this time, I don't know, I just had couldn't move my legs. I could only use my arms, and that didn't cut it. I don't believe my doctors anymore. I'll always be a freak. Nothing more and nothing less.”

Apple Bloom looked at her friend as she saw tears coming down the thirteen-year-old's face. Scootaloo sighed, then continued, “The coach said that she regretted having to kick me off the team, but she didn't exactly sound like she regretted it.” Her anger finally reaching a boiling point, Scootaloo kicked a nearby coffee table, screaming out, "This is all Sunset's fault!"

Not wanting her friend to hurt herself, Apple Bloom got up and laid a gentle hand onto Scootaloo’s shoulder as she said, “Scootaloo, you ain't no freak. Yer m’friend, and that means Ah'm gonna stick by ya no matter what. So, how 'bout ya help me with Sunset. Then, Ah'll help ya find something that yer good at and turn into somethin' really special for you. What do ya say?”

Sniffing hard, Scootaloo turned around her, eyes shining with joy as she reached out, grabbing onto the redhead and pulling her into a tight hug.

“Alright, Apple Bloom. I'll help you, but we can't let Rainbow or Applejack know about this.”

“Of course. You think I want them ta get mad at us. Ah've seen both of them when they're mad, and it ain't a pretty sight. So my lips're sealed.”

“Thanks, Apple Bloom.”

Once the hug was ended, the two went back to what they were doing. Turning the computer on, Apple Bloom got up out of the chair and offered it to Scootaloo, who sat down and looked at the screen. Not sure what she should do, Scootaloo looked back at her friend and said, “Uh, okay, so you turned your computer on. Now what?”

“Bring up the MyStable website,” replied Apple Bloom with a slight smirk on her face.

Scootaloo did so. On the screen in front her was a dark blue background which read, "Welcome to MyStable. Please sign in or create a new account." Scootaloo signed in with her username and password, earning her a slight scoff from Apple Bloom. Her friend reached over her and moved the mouse cursor over to the "sign out of MyStable" tab, then promptly clicked on the tab, signing Scootaloo out of MyStable. Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom, but before she could say anything, Apple Bloom said, “Click on the 'create new account' tab and leave it at that.”

Scootaloo moved the mouse cursor to the correct tab, clicked it, then looked back at Apple Bloom again. “Now what?” she asked.

“Now, scoot yer rear over so Ah can take over,” Apple Bloom replied.

Scootaloo moved over, and Apple Bloom knelt down, then began to type up in the "create screen name" box “A-n-o-n-a-M-i-s-s”. Once she finished, she looked to Scootaloo, who furled her eyebrows together. Apple Bloom saw the look on Scootaloo’s face and laughed lightly. She gestured back to the screen.

Scootaloo returned her gaze to the screen as she heard Apple Bloom say to her, “We can use this ta make Sunset leave our sisters alone.” Apple Bloom grinned widely. “Then, we'll get our sisters back and be a family again.”

“Uh, okay. That really doesn’t make much sense to me at all, Apple Bloom. How is a screen name going to do that?”

“Simple. We post our families' secrets on this website 'n' make it look like Sunset is the one doing it. With her past being what it is, she won’t have a leg to stand on, 'n' no one will be the wiser.”

“Alright, so what will you post, then? I’m sure that our sisters won’t just take this at face value. They'll need more than a screen name to turn on her.”

With a smile on her face, Apple Bloom began to type, “Hey, did you all know that when Applejack was little, she used to follow her grandmother around while doing chores. According to her, she got into the pigpen one day and played with the pigs for hours while her grandmother laughed herself sick. Her family now has called her ‘Piggly Wiggly’ ever since.”

Getting out of the chair and stepping aside so she could see the screen better, Scootaloo almost fell over laughing when she saw what was on the computer screen. Apple Bloom scowled at her as she nearly snarled out to her, “Hey, it’s true. M’sister really did do that, and Ah have a picture to prove it.”

Hearing this, Scootaloo stopped laughing and cleared her throat. “Has anyone else seen that photo other than your immediate family, Apple Bloom?” she choked out, trying not to laugh again.

“Well, no.” Apple Bloom looked down, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. “We sorta take it out of the photo album whenever someone stops by just to make sure that no knows about Applejack's nickname. And so it won’t embarrass my big sister. Or, at least, that's what Granny always says when she takes the photo out of the album.”

“Even if you have a picture,” Scootaloo started, standing up and looking at her with a clear deadpan look in her eyes, “you can’t post it.”

“And why in tarnation not!?” Apple Bloom shot back. “This is ta get rid of Sunset and get our sisters back, remember? So why can’t Ah post that photo?”

“Because we want Sunset to be the one that's blamed for this, not us, remember? Think about it. If you post that photo, your family will know right away it was you that posted it, right?” Scootaloo looked down as she continued, “Just like if I posted anything about my dad and his aff--” She swallowed hard, then slowly looked back up to her friend. "It doesn't matter. Rainbow would know right away it was me and not Sunset that posted that information.”

“Yer dad and his what?”

“None of your business, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo snapped back. Softening her voice a bit, she said, “Do you get why you can’t post that photo now?”

Looking back at the screen, Apple Bloom hung her head low, knowing her friend was right. “Well, yeah, I guess so,” she said softly while Scootaloo stood next to her.

Apple Bloom knew that photo had only ever been seen by her and her family. No one other than she and her family knew it existed. She also knew that posting it would completely ruin her plans to get rid of Sunset so she could have her sister to herself again. The youngest Apple let out a forced sigh as she pressed the ‘Enter’ button on the keyboard. The computer screen changed to a new background and a new tab popped up on the screen.

‘Input background photo,’ the new tab read. Looking at the screen, then over at a nearby photo of her sister with Sunset standing next to her, Apple Bloom got a wonderful idea. She reached over, picked up the photo, placed it into a scanner that sat next to the computer, and scanned the photo.

“Whatcha doing now?” inquired Scootaloo, who watched her friend closely.

“Ah’m scanning this here photo into Photoshop Express. Ah'll then use Sunset as a silhouette and add her hair color to the background to help make this seem as if she did this 'n' not us. That way, when our sisters see it, they'll think she did this 'n' all the blame'll be on her. Oh, before I finish this, what're ya gonna add to this website to help get Sunset out of our sisters' lives, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo thought for a few minutes, then smiled as she said, “Oh, don’t worry. I got something that might help. But I need to make sure I'm able to get it to you without my sister finding out about it, first.”

“Alright. Now that the account is all set up, all you hafta do is email me whatever ya want me to post. Ah'll even create an email account just for posting secrets so that everyone that hates Sunset can have some...fun with this.”

“Sounds good to me. But again, we need to make sure we don’t let anyone else--especially our sisters--know about this, other than maybe Sweetie Belle,” replied Scootaloo sternly.

Apple Bloom giggled slightly. Just as she pressed the ‘Enter’ button again after setting up the email account, both she and Scootaloo heard a car pulling into the driveway. Heading to the door, Apple Bloom saw Rainbow getting out of her mother's car. She didn’t look happy one bit. Rainbow headed for the front door, stopping when Apple Bloom came out to great her.

“Uh, hello Rainbow. What brings y’all here today?”

“Is Scootaloo here, Apple Bloom?” Rainbow snarled out. “I need to talk to her right now!”

“Y-Yes she is.” Apple Bloom had seen Rainbow mad, but not like this. This was scary mad, and she didn’t like it one bit for the blue-skinned athlete to come to her home this mad. Apple Bloom knew that Scootaloo must be in real trouble with her sister. “S-She's inside. Hang on w-while Ah go get her for ya.”

Apple Bloom headed back inside, returning a few moments later with Scootaloo in tow. The young girl looked upset to see her sister standing outside. Rainbow closed her eyes as she snarled out in anger, “You're damn lucky I know you well enough to know where you were heading, squirt! What would've happened if you had gotten hurt or lost or-or something terrible like that, Scootaloo!?”

“Rainbow, I--”

“Get your ass in the fucking car now!”

Looking down, her face clearly etched with shame, Scootaloo looked away from her sister. Rainbow shook her head grimly, her face showed pure anger as Scootaloo didn’t reply to her. Scootaloo headed to the car and got in slamming the door shut. “Scootaloo, seriously! Don’t slam the car door like that!” her mother yelled out angrily.

Rainbow who had remained on the front step of Apple Bloom's home, turned to face Apple Bloom, who simply grinned back to her with a very sheepish grin on her face as she said, “Well Ah, uh, gotta go get my homework done now. Ah’ll see you around, maybe.” Before Rainbow could say anything, Apple Bloom shut the door, locked it, and headed back upstairs to finish posting to her newly created Anon-a-Miss MyStable account.

Rainbow headed back to the car and got in, letting out a loud grunt. Scootaloo sank into the cushions of the car seat. As her mother pulled out of the driveway, Scootaloo looked out the window, thinking to herself, “Soon, Rainbow, you’ll be paying more attention to me than to Sunset, and we can be a family again.”

Her mother, though, wasn't content to let them drive in silence. Angrily, she said, "How could you just run off like that, Scootaloo? Honestly, what would your father have thought?"

That set Scootaloo off. Taking her eyes off the window, she yelled, "It doesn't matter what he'd think! He isn't here! He never will be!"

The car rounded a corner and Scootaloo was able to see Applejack and her brother's truck. They and Granny Smith were all standing by the curb of the road. The truck was puffing out grayish-blue smoke and Big McIntosh was clearly not happy. Slowing down and pulling over, Rainbow's mother said, "We'll finish this discussion when we get home." She got of out of the car and walked over to the group to offer help, while Rainbow and Scootaloo stayed in the car.

Rainbow lowered the visor in the car so she could look at her sister in the back without having to take her eyes off the front window. “Look, Scoots, I know it's hard and all, but you can’t just take off like that. That was totally not cool. I know it's hard being my--”

“Can we talk about something else, Rainbow!” Scootaloo snapped back with all the venom of a viper in her voice.

“Hey, there is no--”

The car door opened, and Rainbow quickly stopped talking as she raised the visor, angry. Her mother noticed this, yet said nothing to either of them, pulling away from the Apple family, she drove her daughters home. The rest of the night Scootaloo spent alone in her room as she cried herself to sleep, her thoughts dwelling on her father and on Rainbow's betrayal.

The Next Day (Edited by Icecreammac)

Snow had fallen throughout most of the night. Rainbow, her mother and Scootaloo had gotten home an hour before a large snowstorm hit. The entire city of Canterlot was blanketed in thick, heavy snow that Monday morning, making it difficult to walk in, something that Sunset didn’t really mind all that much. She loved to walk through the snow. The sound of it crunching under her boots and the smell of it made her mind rest easy.

Sunset had been up for most of the night thinking of what to ask Rainbow when she saw her next. Most of her thoughts were dwelling heavily on what Rainbow did with her while the two spent their time together at the mall. The casual touching of their hands, the uncertainty in Rainbow's eyes, the softness of Rainbow's smile to her. It all kept Sunset up throughout most of the night. Sunset hadn’t told her yet that she was crushing on Rainbow and wasn’t sure if she should. Something to think about later.

Getting to CHS, she saw Applejack walking towards the doors of the school. Sunset called out to her, waving her hand to get her attention.

“Hey, AJ, hold up for a second. I want to talk to you.”

Applejack looked behind her after taking a hold of the cold, steel door handle to see Sunset was just coming up behind her. Offering her friend a pleasant smile, Sunset came up to the door as Applejack opened it and held it open for Sunset to pass through. Slightly tilting her hat back, she smiled back to her friend as she watched the happy redhead go through the doors of CHS.

“Howdy, Sunset. How're y’all doing today?” Applejack said, happy to see her friend.

“Good, and yourself?” replied Sunset with a happy smile on her face.

“I’m doing good. Say, you didn’t happen ta see Apple Bloom anywhere while you were walking ta school today, did ya?”

“Apple Bloom?” Sunset looked at Applejack with a raised eyebrow. “No. I take the bus to school, remember? Why do you ask?”

“Ah went to wake her up this mornin' but found she was already gone. I thought she might've walked here with you today and Ah didn’t know you always take the bus.”

“Yep, I always take the bus when I come and leave school. But, in case you're wondering, I do sometimes take walks. There's a park, oh, I would say eight, maybe ten, blocks from here. I like to go there after school to sit and read or to feed the ducks in the pond.”

“Wait, yer not talking about that park with the man-made pond that has that yellow fence in the back of it, are you?” Applejack replied.

“Yeah. You know of it?”

“Yes, Ah sure as tootin' do. Ah take Apple Bloom there all the time when dodgeball season is up and runnin'.”

“Dodgeball, huh?” Sunset replied with a slightly raised eyebrow. “You know, I never actually played that game, AJ. Perhaps you could--”

"Teach ya? Why, sure thing, but can we head inside now? It's actually gettin' a little chilly out here for me.”

Sunset laughed and nodded to her friend, happy to have someone as wonderful as Applejack in her life. Applejack was one of the first people to forgive Sunset for her actions at the Fall Formal.

The two headed into the school and proceeded to go to their lockers. As Applejack passed a group of students standing next to the boys' bathroom, she heard someone call out to her, “Hey, Piggly Wiggly”

Spinning around on her heel, she said, “Who said that!?”

All she got back was a lot of laughter. Turning back to Sunset, her friend offered her a simple smile as they continued towards their own lockers.

“Ah could've sworn I heard someone call out my nickname,” Applejack muttered to herself.

“It was more than likely your imagination, AJ.”

“You heard that?” Applejack's asked, slightly surprised.

Sunset smiled warmly to her friend as they both came to their lockers. She looked at her locker, then over to Applejack.

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Sunset placed her hand onto Applejack's shoulder. “Yes, I was able to hear that. Didn’t I tell you that I have really good hearing?”

Sunset opened her locker and put her backpack away. She then reached into it, taking out her history book and a notebook. Applejack also put her backpack away into her own locker. The two were just about to leave when Apple Bloom came running down the hallway, yelling out as she got closer to them, “Applejack, you need to look at this!”

“Why in tarnantion are you runnin' in the hallway, Apple Bloom?”

“Never mind why,” replied Apple Bloom, thrusting her phone into Applejack's chest. “Just take a look at this.”

Applejack took her sister's phone and looked at the screen, her face going almost white when she saw what was displayed.

Hey, did you all know that when Applejack was little, she used to follow her grandmother around while doing chores. According to her, she got into the pigpen one day and played with the pigs for hours while her grandmother laughed herself sick. Her family now has called her ‘Piggly Wiggly’ ever since.

Below were several comments:

What a pig!

I knew she was an animal!

Ha Ha Ha! I bet her grandmother makes her do it just for fun!

Applejack stammered on her words as she held Apple Bloom’s phone in her hands, pure shock and dismay on her face.

“How the--What the--”

“It got posted a couple of hours ago,” Apple Bloom chimed in.

Pinkie came up behind Applejack, curious over why Applejack and Sunset where standing around in the hallway instead of heading to class. Looking over Applejack’s shoulder, she saw what Applejack was looking at. Before she could say anything, however, Applejack asked what she was about to.

“Who’s this Anon-a-Miss person?”

Applejack and Sunset, as well as Pinkie and Apple Bloom, all failed to see Rainbow and Fluttershy coming down the hallway with Rarity in tow.

“Hey, AJ, did you--” Rainbow called to them as she got up to them. “Oh, I take it you already saw the posting, then?”

“Darling are you going to be alright?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, I’ll...be alright, you guys,” Applejack replied, her head hung low. Suddenly perking up, she continued, "Yeah, I'll be fine! I ain't gonna let a little teasing get to me. I can handle some teasing."

“Okay, AJ, that's fine and all, but what about this Anon-a-Miss person? I mean, like, how did this person know about your nickname?” Rainbow said. Her anger dripping off each word, she spoke, “I mean, to post something like that online? Come on!”

“And why would she post it for all the world to see it? That's just, well, cruel, don’t you think?” Fluttershy said. “It doesn’t make much sense to me why anyone would want to be that cruel to you, Applejack.”

Before anyone else could say anything, the school bell rang out, signaling the start of classes. Applejack turned to leave, but she stopped when Sunset reached out, placing her hand onto her shoulder and saying kindly to her, “Let us know if we can help you, AJ.”

“S-Sure thing, Sunset. Ah’ll let ya know if Ah need anythin'.” Applejack looked down, shrugging slightly. “Ah guess the questions'll have to wait till after school, y'all.” She looked up at Sunset, who smiled back to her.

Sunset replied kindly, “Alright, take care. We'll see you outside in front of the Wondercolt statue later on today, then.”
Everyone turned to leave the hallway except Apple Bloom, who remained behind to talk with her sister before taking off for her own class.

“Applejack, can Ah ask ya something?”

“As long as you make it fast, kiddo. Ah gotta get my rear end to class too, ya know.”

“This'll only take a second.” Apple Bloom sighed lightly. “Who'd ya tell about yer family nickname?”

“What're you gettin' at?” Applejack replied.

“Well, if you told someone, then they could've set up this whole thing ta cause trouble fer you. So, who'd ya tell? Ah mean, other than yer kin, who else knows about that nickname?”

Applejack, closed her eyes, thinking of the people she had known in her young life that actually knew about her nickname. Opening her eyes, she couldn’t think of anyone who would want to hurt her.

“Ah only told Sunset about it when we were at the sleepover together. But Ah don’t think she did this, Apple Bloom.”

“Are ya sure ya didn’t tell anyone else but her, Applejack?”

“Positive. Wait, what're you sayin'?”

“Well, the sleepover was only two days ago, an' the colors of the Anon-a-Miss page match her hair. An--”

“APPLE BLOOM!” Applejack yelled out angrily. “HOW COULD YOU?” Applejack took a breath to calm down. “How could ya think such a thing about Sunset? Sunset's m' friend! We're Apples. We don’t go around sayin' stuff like that.”

“Okay, okay! Sheesh, it was just a thought, that's all.”

“You best get yer rear to class right now, missy.”

“Fine!” Apple Bloom headed away from her sister, stopping to look back at her. “Ah’ll see you after school, AJ!” Apple Bloom called back to her sister.

Applejack headed to class, took her seat, and began what was about to be a really long day for her.

The next several hours ticked by slowly. Applejack would head from class to class, getting oinked at or hearing others call out to her as she passed them by in the hallways of CHS, “Hey, there goes Piggly Wiggly!”

As her day came to a close, she felt relieved to be leaving CHS. Getting outside, she found each of her friends standing in front of the Wondercolt statue. All of them were there except Sunset, who was busy in home ec, helping a teacher clean up and get ready for the next day. Applejack took off her backpack, dug out her phone, called her brother to pick her up from school, and leaned against the statue’s base, waiting for Big McIntosh to show up. While she waited, unwanted thoughts started surfacing, and try as she might, she couldn’t shake the thought that maybe Apple Bloom was right about Sunset.

Her little sister came out a few minutes later, a slight smirk on her face. She knew from the expression her sister shot her that the seeds of doubt had been fully planted.

Thursday (Edited by Icecreammac)

Thursday came with a chilly wind and dark grey clouds, snow lightly falling outside, though it threatened to worsen throughout the day. A soft clicking could be heard coming from one of the two offices in the school. A dark-blue-haired woman was sitting at her desk typing on a computer. Vice Principal Luna reached over, picking up a hot cup of coffee and taking a sip before setting it back down next to a manila folder, going back to typing. While typing, she heard a soft knock at her door. Without taking her eyes off of her computer, she said, “The door is open.”

Her assistant Pearl Dusk walked into the office carrying in her hands a small stack of papers. Pearl set the stack of papers down on Luna’s desk and turned to leave, when Luna said to her, “I take it these are from Applejack Smith Apple's locker?”

Turning back around, Pearl looked at Luna before letting out soft sigh. “Yes and no. I found them on Ms. Apple's locker as well as other lockers. Some of them are, well,” Pearl shuttered a bit, something that Luna picked up on, “rather lewd, to say the least.”

“I see. Very well,” Luna replied, picking up her coffee cup again. “How many did you take down today, Pearl?”

Pearl looked at the stack of papers next to Luna, then to Luna herself before replying, “Fourteen so far.”

Luna continued to type without looking at the newly acquired papers sitting next to her. After a few moments, she stopped typing, picked up the papers and added them to the file sitting next to her. Looking at the file’s label, which read "Aj.S.A - L, 346", Luna let out a forced sigh then went back to work.

Pearl was about to leave, when she stopped, turned around, and said, “Vice Principal Luna, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Pearl. What is it?

“Who do you suspect is this Anon-a-Miss person?”

Not taking her eyes off her work while she continued to type on her computer, Luna shook her head lightly as she said, “I wish I knew, Pearl. I have only yesterday just started my investigation, but rest assured that if it is whom I suspect it to be, that person will rue the day that this whole affair got started.”

“I see. Well, in that case, I'll leave you to your work, then.”

Pearl left Luna’s office, leaving the vice principal to continue her work. An hour went by without much else other than Luna typing away. Feeling the need to talk with her sister, Luna got up, stretched, then looked at the file again. Sighing, she picked up the file and headed out of her office.

Walking down the hallway towards her sister's office, she rounded a corner and stopped in her tracks when she saw a group of students who called themselves the Diamond Dogs taping pictures to Applejack's locker. They were laughing and snickering among themselves. Once they saw that she was standing in the hallway, they took off towards the school's entrance doors, leaving her to clean up the mess. Placing the file she was going to give to her sister under her arm, Luna walked over to Applejack’s locker and began to take down the pictures, stopping when she heard a stern yet calm voice from behind her.

“Luna, what are all these pictures? And why do they resemble Applejack?”

Turning around while holding one of the pictures in her hands, Luna looked at Principal Celestia with a steady look in her eyes.

“I take it you have not heard of the incident that occurred on Monday, sister?”

Looking at her sister with a confused look, Celestia stepped up to Applejack’s locker and began to help her sister take down the remainder of the pictures. While holding three of them in her hands, Celestia said, “What incident are you referring to, Luna?”

Taking down the last pictures, Luna handed over the file she was carrying to her sister as she replied, “I have been conducting an investigation into these pictures.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Celestia gave her sister a stern look.

“What investigation? I have not heard of anything of this sort.”

“Apparently, one or more of the students here at CHS have created a MyStable account called Anon-a-Miss,” Luna replied.

“I see.” Celestia looked at the picture in her hands, then back up at her sister. “That doesn’t really explain why these pictures were taped to Applejack's locker or why they all say ‘Piggly Wiggly’ on them.”

Taking the pictures from her sister, Luna added them to the ones she already had, then handed the entire file over to her sister, who looked through it. While Celestia looked through the file, Luna said, “According to Ms. Apple, her family's nickname for her was and is Piggly Wiggly. She didn’t go into full details about it with me. So, because of the lack of information forthcoming from Ms. Apple, I looked it up on the MyStable account. Sister, what I found on that website was, well, rather disturbing. I am shocked, to say the least, that someone would find it amusing to post such private information about Ms. Apple online like that.”

“Please, Luna, must you keep referring to Applejack by her last name?”

“Well, how else would you want me to refer to her?”

“By her first name. Anyways, this is what I want you to do. I want you to continue your investigation and keep me informed of any new postings to this website. Also, I want this handled quietly. I don’t want a huge mess over this. Right now, all we have are a few pictures. I would like to speak with Applejack about this matter myself. Please have her come to my office.”

“You should know before you speak with her that I have already spoken to her, and she assures me that she isn’t going to let this bother her.”

Celestia handed Luna the file back and walked away towards her office. Luna also headed back to her own office. Getting there a few moments later, Luna set the file down on her desk, then sat down in her chair. She reached over and pressed the intercom switch, speaking into it, “Applejack, please come to the principal's office. Applejack, to the principal's office, please.”

Celestia had made it to her office shortly after she heard the announcement over the intercom. Opening her door and leaving it open, she entered, sat down, and waited for Applejack to show up. A minute or two later, Applejack knocked on Celestia's doorjamb. Celestia looked up and said sweetly to her, “Ah, Applejack, please come in, won’t you? And shut the door too, please.”

Applejack did as she was asked, closing the door and taking a seat in front of Celestia’s desk. She took off her hat placing it into her lap. Celestia smiled warmly to the seventeen-year-old farmer, who smiled back just as warmly.

“Applejack, the reason I called you in here today is because I wanted to discuss with you the pictures that both I and Vice Principal Luna have found on your locker.”

“Ah see. Ah can assure you that I ain't about ta let it bother me. Not one bit. Ah can handle a little teasin'.”

“While I am glad to hear that you are not going to let this bother you, you need to understand that while you are willing to let this slide, I, however, am not.”

Applejack looked down at her hat, then back up to Principal Celestia, who simply looked back at her with concern in her eyes.

“Ah appreciate you lookin' into this. Ah want you ta know that Ah ain't got no clue as to who set up that account.”

Getting up from behind her desk, Principal Celestia walked over to her office door and opened it, saying to Applejack, who also got up, “And I want you to know we will get to the bottom of this, Applejack.”

“Thank ya kindly, Principal Celestia.”

Applejack headed back to her classes, and Principal Celestia closed her office door, then went back to her desk. She turned on her computer and started going over MyStable for any and all information about the Anon-a-Miss account. While looking over the account, she didn’t see her sister walk into her office with a grim look on her face.

“Sister, we need to talk about the Diamond Dogs.”

Looking up from her computer, Celestia clearly was not pleased to have yet another problem to deal with.

“What have they done now, Luna?”

“I caught them tagging school property with markers and spray paint.”

“Oh, for God's sake!” Celestia exclaimed angrily. “That's it! I have given them more than a few chances. I want them in my office before the school day is over Luna!”

Luna smiled, turned, and walked out of Celestia's office, returning a few minutes later with all four Diamond Dogs in tow, one of which she had by the ear, the other three looked too scared to actually do anything. Sitting them down in front of her sister, Luna smirked slightly as Celestia glared at all four of them. Celestia let out a very slow, angry sigh as she looked from the three Diamond Dogs to her sister and back again.

“I hope you three know how much trouble you are all in right now. I have given each of you plenty of chances to clean up your behavior. But now, if what Vice Principal Luna tells me is even remotely true, all three of you will be expelled.”

Rover looked from Celestia, then to Luna who stood next to her sister. Feeling confident, he said, “You go ahead and kick us out if you want to, lady. We don’t need this stinkin' school. We can get by just fine without an education.”

“I would like to see how you ‘get by’ in jail for defacing school property, Rover," Luna said. "And that is 'Principal Celestia' to you, not 'lady'.”

Rover and his two friends suddenly had a look of fear in their eyes. Celestia saw this, yet said nothing to them as she picked up her phone. Looking at all three Diamond Dogs sitting in front of her, Celestia couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Even so, Celestia called the police while her sister stared coldly at the three gangbangers in front of her and her sister.

A half-hour went by before three police officers walked into Principal Celestia’s office. As the police were cuffing the three Diamond Dogs to take them away and reading them their Miranda rights, Rover said coldly to Celestia, who simply stared back at him with sad eyes, “This isn’t over.”

In or Out (Edited by Iccreammac)

Friday had come with three emails posted to the Anon-a-Miss account. Scootaloo was a little apprehensive to share that she and Apple Bloom where the ones behind the account. Scootaloo sat at a table during the school's lunch hour, with Apple Bloom sitting across from her. Both looked over their phones, each happy to see that the two had already gotten another email for their Anon-a-Miss account, boosting the total emails that day from three to four.

While looking over her phone, Scootaloo didn’t see Sweetie Belle setting down her lunch tray in front of her. Sweetie Belle looked from one to the other as neither of her two closest friends said ‘Hello’ to her. Sitting down at the table next to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle noticed what was on Apple Bloom’s phone. As Apple Bloom pressed the send button, Sweetie Belle said, “I can’t believe you're actually sending stuff to that Anon-a-Miss person, Apple Bloom.”

Looking up from her phone, Apple Bloom smirked, then looked over to Scootaloo, saying, “Should we tell her, Scootaloo?”

“Tell me what?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Scootaloo set down her phone, put it to sleep, then looked at Sweetie Belle with a dead serious look to her eyes, a look that even Apple Bloom didn’t like.

“If we tell you something, Sweetie Belle, you gotta promise us that you won’t tell anyone else about it.”

“Uh, okay. What are you two going to tell me?”

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged glances before they both said in unison, “We’re Anon-a-Miss.”

Sweetie Belle started to laugh. She only stopped laughing when she noticed the unamused looks on Apple Bloom's and Scootaloo's faces. Clearing her throat and looking at both of them, Sweetie Belle swallowed hard. “You're joking about this, right? Please. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, tell me you’re joking about this.”

Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each, then back at her before Apple Bloom handed over her phone, replying, “It’s true. Ah'm the one that told Scootaloo about my sister's nickname. Then, together, we talked about it, and on Sunday, Ah posted it. Monday is when Ah met with Scootaloo before Applejack showed up, and she gave me the courage ta go through with it. We planted the seeds of doubts about Sunset Shimmer.”

“ARE YOU TWO NUTS!?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, her eyes going wide. “Why in the world would you both do something so selfish and stupid!?”

“Hey!, Keep your voice down,” Apple Bloom chided, looking around as all eyes suddenly fell upon the three of them. “We don’t want anyone ta know about this, let alone fer our sisters ta find out about it.”

“Yeah. Besides, all we're doing is trying to get Sunset to leave our sisters alone so that we can be a family again,” Scootaloo said, not taking her eyes off her phone.

Crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at her two friends, Sweetie Belle said sternly to both, “I have a good mind to report you both for this. What you two are doing is selfish and wrong.”

Glaring back at Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom also crossed her arms over her chest, replying coldly to her friend, “Ah, but you won’t report us, will you, Sweetie Belle? Because if you do, Ah'll post what Ah have on yer sister.”

Swallowing hard, Sweetie Belle stammered on her words to Apple Bloom. “W-What do you have on Rarity?”

Apple Bloom leaned back into her chair and smiled as she slid her phone over to Sweetie Belle. Feeling very confident, she said, “Press the picture button and bring up the picture retrieval page.”

Sweetie Belle did so, pressing the button and bringing up the photo retrieval page. She saw, to her shock, a picture of her sister. Rarity was at a party, the normally very ladylike girl holding a bottle of beer in one hand and a joint in the other. The date on the photo showed it was from the previous year. The party was clearly at Applejack's farm.

While Sweetie Belle looked over the photo she began to tremble. “How... How did you get this, Apple Bloom?”

“You recall Ah was sick that day. Well, Ah snuck out of the house and took some photos with my phone. Ah couldn’t believe it when Ah saw your sister more wasted than last week's casserole. So, Ah took the photo, waited for a few days, showed it to her, and made a deal with her. She could either get herself help, or the photo could be sent to her mother. Now, before you think or even consider deleting that photo, Ah have at least six other copies of it stashed in a private place. So, are you in or out?”

Looking back up from the phone to Apple Bloom, then to Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle gulped hard, something that her two friends clearly picked up on. She tentatively set down Apple Bloom's phone, letting out a rough, hard, cold sigh as she said, “I’m sorry, Apple Bloom, but I am out. I don’t want any part of this.”

“Be that as it may, so long as we have that photo, you're gonna keep quiet about our...let's say 'extra credit', Sweetie Belle. Otherwise, we'll send that photo to the Anon-a-Miss site, and your sister will have a world of trouble to deal with,” Scootaloo said with a wicked smirk on her face.

“You know what, you two make me sick! I'll keep your secrets about the whole Anon-a-Miss deal for now. But if you go through with this, if you actually post this on that site, my friendship with you is over! Got it?”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both looked at each other. Each had a worried look in her eyes. Sweetie Belle got up from the table, taking her uneaten lunch with her. Scootaloo watched with sadness in her eyes as her friend wiped away a tear from her own eyes. Apple Bloom turned to her and said bluntly, “This is all your fault, Scootaloo. If you didn’t actually threaten her like that, we wouldn’t have risked our friendship with her. This whole Anon-a-Miss deal was supposed to be to get Sunset out of our sisters' lives, not to wreck our friendship with Sweetie Belle!”

“Me!? You're the one who had the damn photo on your phone!” Scootaloo exclaimed, her eyes going wide with shock. “I may have threatened her and all, but you're the one that took that damn photo.”

Looking back at her friend as they both watched Sweetie Belle take a seat at another table not far from them, Apple Bloom sighed while Scootaloo smirked. Feeling confident, Apple Bloom said as she picked up her apple juice taking a sip from it, “She’ll come around. You’ll see. Besides, Ah'll be more than willing to give her the copies of the photo that Ah have on her sister. Ah'm sure we can use something else on Rarity that only Sunset would know about.”

“You do understand that if you had posted that photo--”

“Which Ah wasn’t gonna do at all.”

“But if you had actually gone through with it, not only would you have wrecked Anon-a-Miss before we actually get anything really good but you also would have cost us our best friend. And besides, Rarity is nobody's fool. She would’ve known right away that photo would not have been taken by Sunset, because Sunset wasn't even friends with her back then. So really, who were you trying to fool: yourself or Sweetie Belle?”

Looking down at her tray of a half-eaten salad and ham sandwich, Apple Bloom sighed as she said grimly, “Ah was trying to keep us from getting into trouble about this. But that doesn’t matter now, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t. Now we need to find some way to get her on our side about this without Sweetie Belle going to her sister or, worse yet, Principal Celestia about this.”

The two finished their meal, got up, and headed over to Sweetie Belle's table. Seeing that she was alone, both of them sat down in front of her. Apple Bloom cracked a smile, while Scootaloo sat in front of Sweetie Belle with a sad look on her face.

“Sweetie Belle, can...can you forgive us for threatening your sister like that?” Apple Bloom asked softly.

Sweetie Belle remained silent for several minutes before she looked up at both of them. By the look on her face, she was still upset by her friends' actions towards her. She picked up her fork, poked at her mashed potatoes a few times, then replied, “I don’t know. You both hurt me by going after my sister like that.”

Scootaloo sniffed. Wiping away a tear from her eyes, she said softly to her friend, “We both are really sorry, Sweetie Belle. We didn’t mean to threaten your sister like that.”

“Don’t you two ever threaten my family like that again.” Sweetie Belle lowered her head. “I will keep this between us. I don’t really like Sunset either, but that doesn’t mean I want to hurt her like how you two are doing.”

The lunch bell rang, and all the students started heading to class. Sweetie Belle got up and left for class, getting there several minutes after exiting the lunch room. She saw Sunset in the hallway and wanted to talk to her, but remembering her promise to her friends, she stayed silent.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both got to their own classes, and the rest of the day was spent with both completely unsure if Sweetie Belle really was going to keep her word to them or not. When the last bell rang for the day, both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom headed outside to see both of their sisters standing outside next to the Wondercolt statue. Applejack could be heard saying, “What in tarnation was that idiot Flash thinkin', doin' that to himself!? Ah know his break up with Sunset was bad, but ta sink that low to do somethin' like that? Really?”

“I don’t think we should show this to Sunset. It would only upset her. She may not love him anymore, but I doubt she wants to see or hear that he's going to be in the hospital for a while,” Rainbow said coldly.

“Yeah, Ah agree. Ah don’t wanna upset her, not with us spending the weekend together with her.”

“Yer gonna be spending the weekend with Sunset, Applejack?”

Applejack's eyes went wide when she heard her sister's voice. Gulping softly, she slowly turned around to see both Scootaloo and Applebloom standing behind them.

“Uh, yeah. We were gonna tell ya both, but we, well, we--”

Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shot their sisters cold, hard looks as they said in unison, “Go ahead. Spend all the time you both want.”

Looking down, Rainbow rubbed the back of her head, then approached her sister who took a step back from her. Rainbow noticed this. Thinking she was still upset with her over the missed swim meet, Rainbow tried to play it cool.

“Hey, squirt, listen. So, about this weekend, I know I was supposed to watch over you and take you to a movie and all, but I can do that after my sleepover with Rarity and Sunset, alright?”

“Fine, Rainbow. You just go ahead and spend all the time you want with her. See what I care about it. I’ll just get mom to take me. It's no big deal.”

“Really?” Rainbow beamed a happy and relieved smile. “That's great, and it's cool that you're not upset about this, either. So now, all we gotta do is tell Sunset, and then our plans will be all set.”

“Uh, speaking of Sunset, where is she?” asked Scootaloo as she looked around. “I don’t see her outside.”

“Ah think Ah might know where she is and how she slipped out without anyone seein' her. You three go ahead without me. Ah’ll call Rarity for a pick up. Ah think this is somethin' Ah need to deal with on my own.”

“Uh, you okay, Applejack?” Rainbow said, looking at her friend with concern in her eyes. “You look a little worried.”

“No, Ah'm fine, Rainbow. Ah just need some one-on-one girl time with Sunset. Besides, Ah think Ah might know what's botherin' her. Y'all have been worrying about me, yet none of you bothered to see how she looks at you, Rainbow, or ta see the pain in her eyes whenever she's around ya.”

“Just what's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow raised her voice as Applejack started walking away. "Applejack! Applejack get back here!”

Applejack walked off without another word to her friend. As the snow crunched under her feet, she heard Rainbow exclaim loudly, “Damnit, Applejack, this isn’t the time to be stubborn!” Applejack simply smiled to herself as she walked away from the school towards the park, hoping that Sunset was there.

Getting there forty-five minutes later, she found Sunset sitting on a bench, looking down at her journal. Applejack approached the bench. The crunching of the snow beneath her boots caused Sunset to look up from her journal. She looked back down when she saw Applejack. A tear slipped from her right eye, trickled down her cheek, and splashed on the cover of her magic journal. Applejack knelt down in front of her friend, laying a gentle hand onto her shoulder as Sunset closed her eyes. Applejack let out a sigh.

“Ah think you and Ah need to have ourselves some friendship time, Sunset. Mind if Ah join ya?”

Secrets about Sunset (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Pinkie was in the bakery of Sugar Cube Corner, mixing various ingredients for a batch of cupcakes she had planned to bring over to Rarity's sleepover. The entire eatery smelled of cake, cupcakes and all sorts of tasty treats. While she was busy pouring in the last of the cupcake mix, she heard Mr. Cake clattering around in the pantry, knocking over all sorts of pans and dishes. Pinkie laughed to herself as she finished her work, when Mr. Cake came out with a frying pan on his head and a big pot stuck to his right foot. Looking at his employee, then down at his foot, he sighed.

“Pinkie,” he started, not noticing his wife coming up behind him, “can you help me get this confounded pot off my foot?”

“Dear, why do you have a pot stuck to your foot?” Mrs. Cake asked with an amused look on her cheerful face.

Grinning, Mr. Cake turned around, scraping the pot on the brick floor of the cafe as he looked at his wife. Before he could say anything to her, though, he heard Pinkie laughing, causing him to turn around again.

“Now, Pinkie, I know you might think this is funny, and in a way, I guess it is, but this pot is,” Mr. Cake huffed slightly, trying to pry the pot off his foot, using his other foot as a lever, “really uncomfortable for me to be walking around in.”

Mrs. Cake walked out into the dining room of the cafe, returning a few moments later with a chair in her hands. She set the chair down in front of her husband, then motioned for him to sit. Once she got him comfortable, she knelt down, and took a hold of the pot with both hands, while Pinkie placed her cupcakes into a nearby oven and set the timer. Pinkie looked over to the two as they both struggled to get the pot off of Mr. Cake's foot, smiling widely at the spectacle of Mrs. Cake twisting her husband's foot to the near-breaking point, her husband howling up a storm from the pain. Mrs. Cake looked up at her employee, exclaiming, “Don’t just sit there, Pinkie. Help me get the pot off my husband's foot!”

Pinkie walked over to Mr. Cake, took hold of the pot, twisted it to the left, then pulled downwards, pulling both the pot and his shoe off his foot. Mr. Cake stood up, a bit in pain but nevertheless grateful to be out of the predicament he had found himself in. Pinkie set the pot down on a nearby table and happily skipped away into the kitchen.

Cluttering around in the kitchen, she let out a loud yelp when a book fell off a shelf, hitting the fluffy-haired girl in the head. Rubbing her head and looking at the book, she noticed right away that the book belonged to Sunset. With a slightly confused expression on her face, Pinkie picked up the book and brought it out for the Cakes to look at.

“Uh, Mr. Cake, why do you have Sunny's math book in your kitchen?”

“Oh, so that's where she left it.” Mr. Cake looked at the book, then back at Pinkie, who smiled at him. “I spent half the night looking for her math book so I could help her with--”

Mr. Cake stopped in mid-sentence when he saw a look of realization come over Pinkie's face. Remembering her conversation with Ms. Cheerilee from earlier in the week, she looked from Mr. Cake, then to his wife, who simply offered her a weak but happy smile.
“You know, don’t you, Pinkie?” Mrs. Cake began. “You know that Sunset was out on the streets.”

Pinkie's hair deflated almost instantly when she heard Mrs. Cake confirm that her best friend had been living on the streets. Mr. Cake saw the look of sadness on Pinkie's face. Letting out a soft sigh, he got up and offered the chair he had been sitting on to Pinkie. Pinkie took the chair and looked at the Cakes with confusion in her eyes.

“I think we need to explain to her where her friend has been staying for the past two years, my dear,” Mr. Cake said, looking at his wife.

“I think you're right, Carrot. We should start by showing her where we found Sunset.”

Looking back to Pinkie, Mrs. Cake held out her hand to the pink-haired girl. Pinkie took her hand, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake led the seventeen-year-old out the back of the cafe. In the alleyway leading down to another street, Pinkie saw what looked like a really poorly-built shelter and a small pile of burnt wood. Looking from Mr. Cake to his wife and back to the shelter, Pinkie said as she choked back a sob at how her friend had been living, “I don’t understand. Are you saying this is where she went after she left Ms. Cheerilee's house?”

“Yes, Pinkie. This is where we found her living. She was digging through our dumpster trying to find anything she could use for both warmth and food. To say it was a bad idea to do something like that is an understatement,” Mr. Cake replied, wiping away a small fragment of a tear that threatened to seep out of his eye.

“You see, dear, your friend didn’t trust us and wouldn’t let us help her. Not at first. It took several hours of coaxing just to get her inside. And another three hours to get her to go upstairs for a hot bath and plate of warm food.”

“Wait, I thought the upstairs was just a storage area and used for holding all the food that needed to be trucked out of here.”

“No, Pinkie, it’s actually a small living area that we have upstairs. We would normally rent it out to college students during most of the school year, but your friend needed a safe and warm place to live, so Mrs. Cake and I talked it over and gave the room to Sunset. She may come and go as she sees fit as long as she lets us know where she is. We have no problems with her bringing people over here to sleep over or hang out.”

Looking at both of the cakes with a confused look on her face, Pinkie was about to say something, when Mr. Cake added, “Let me explain. Although we have not had a chance to actually talk to Sunset about this yet, both Mrs. Cake and I would like to adopt her as our daughter and let her stay with us permanently.”

“You both really mean that? You mean to tell me that Sunny wouldn’t have to live on the streets anymore and that she would have a family?” Pinkie squealed happily, nearly bouncing up and down with joy.

Mr. Cake looked at Pinkie with a pleasant smile on his face. He said to her while she shot back a big happy grin of her own, “Yes, we both very much mean that. The only problem is approaching Sunset with this news. We know she has some...issues. We want you to know that we are more than willing to work with her on her issues if it means she will actually let us adopt her.”

Just then, Pinkie heard the buzzer go off in the kitchen and happily bounced out of her chair. Getting to her cupcakes a few moments later, Mrs. Cake came in after her and said to her while handing her a pair of oven mitts, “Pinkie, dear, it's important to Mr. Cake and myself that you don’t tell Sunset about our plans to adopt her. We want it to be a surprise for her for Christmas.”

“Okie--Wait, you what? I don’t like keeping things from Sunny, Mrs. Cake,” Pinkie replied, her hair losing a bit of luster.

“I know, dear, but this time, you really need to keep this to yourself, okay?”

Taking the cupcakes out and setting them down on the counter top nearby, Pinkie looked from the cupcakes to her two friends and employers. She picked up a pouch of pink icing and slowly started to frost the cupcakes as she said to both Mr. and Mrs. Cake, “I really don’t want to, but I will if it means that Sunny will be happy.” Finishing the last cupcake, she looked up at Mrs. Cake, who smiled back warmly to her.

“Do you know why Sunny left Ms. Cheerilee's house only six days after she moved in?”

Mr. Cake swallowed hard as he looked at his wife, who looked back to him with worry in her eyes. Looking at Pinkie, then to her husband for support, Mrs. Cake said softly, “I understand fully that you want to know what happened between those two, Pinkie, but Mr. Cake and I made a solemn Pinkie Pie promise to her not to say anything. You understand, don’t you, dear?”

“You know about the secret Pinkie Promise?” Pinkie exclaimed, her eyes going as wide as possible.

“Yes, we both know of it,” the Cakes replied in unison.

“But how did Sunny know about it when I still haven't taught her the words?”

“That's something you might want to talk to her about,” Mr. Cake replied.

Pinkie stood in the kitchen, pondering the Cakes' words to her while she waited for her cupcakes to cool. She took out her phone and called Rarity. When Rarity answered, Pinkie said, “Hi, Rarity. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be a little late to our sleepover at your place. I should be able to get there in an hour or so, depending on traffic.”

Hanging up a few moments later, Mrs. Cake smile warmly to Pinkie, saying to her softly, “Pinkie, if you're going to be late to your sleepover, then I'll drive you there. You don't need to worry about missing a fun time with your friend.”

“Really? You'd do that for me?” Pinkie's hair inflated to three times its normal size. “Thank you both so much!”

“It's not a problem, dear. Now, why don’t you get ready for your sleepover, and I'll meet you outside in the car, okay?”

Pinkie bounced upstairs to get ready to go. As her foot came down on the second-to-last step, she heard a soft click. With her balance thrown off slightly, she stumbled and fell to her hands and knees. Getting back up and turning around, Pinkie looked at what she had tripped over. To her surprise, she saw the second-to-last step was sticking out, revealing a hollow, secret hole.

Looking inside the hole, she saw a black box with intricate runes carved on it. Picking up the box, she looked at it carefully before setting it down next to herself. The box was made of dark Cocobolo wood. It was a small but well-made box.

Opening the box, Pinkie saw a heart-shaped crystal inside, wrapped in silver metal made to look like thorns. The crystal seemed to be wrapped in such a way that there was a sharp, needle-looking part at the bottom of it. Wanting a closer look at it, Pinkie set the box down on her lap. Reaching a very tentative hand towards it, she stopped when she heard Mrs. Cake. “Pinkie, I'm ready to go if you are. I’ll see you outside at the car,” Mrs. Cake called out to her, shutting the door behind her.

Pinkie looked up, then back down at the crystal in front of her. While looking at it, she noticed that the crystal seemed to be pulsing like a heart. Not wanting to be further late to the sleepover, Pinkie put the box back where she found it, covering the hole back with the step. She made a mental note to herself to talk to the Cakes about what she had found.

Heading back downstairs, she went outside, got into Mrs. Cake's car, and the two of them were soon driving towards Rarity's house and to her sleepover with her five friends.

While on the way over, Pinkie’s thoughts kept dwelling on what she had found. She kept thinking to herself, “What was that strange crystal that I found? Why does Sunset have it, and do the Cakes know that Sunny has it?”

At Rarity's (Edited by Iccreammac)

It was already five p.m. Friday was slowly coming to a close, and Rainbow had gotten home tired but eager to go to the sleepover at Rarity's. Although Rainbow had argued before with her mother about going, Rainbow's mother caved, allowing her sixteen-year-old daughter to go.

Rainbow grabbed her backpack and was just getting to the door when she stopped and looked back to see Scootaloo sitting on the couch playing a video game. Her little sister didn’t look happy at all, but, being in a hurry to get out the door, Rainbow simply shrugged it off.

Opening the door, Rainbow was a little surprised to see her childhood best friend Fluttershy standing outside, about to knock on the door herself. Looking over the other girl's shoulder, Rainbow saw Fluttershy’s mother sitting in her family's car, waiting to take both girls to Rarity's for their sleepover.

“Are you ready for the sleepover, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked with a pleasant smile on her face. “I think I have everything that I need for this.”

“You bet I am!” Rainbow punched the air with her fist. “I am so ready for this. This is gonna be great. I can’t wait to show off my awesome new dance moves to Sunset.”

“I bet you two will look really cute dancing together.” Fluttershy blushed when she saw a shocked look on her friend's face. “I mean, you like her, don’t you, Rainbow?”

Rainbow chuckled lightly, handing her bag to her friend as the two made their way to Fluttershy’s mother’s car. Scootaloo stopped playing her video game and went outside. Rainbow was just getting inside the car when she saw her little sister standing on the front step of her home. Shutting the door and walking back over to her sister, Rainbow knelt down, laying a gentle hand onto Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Hey, Scoots, I know you're still a bit upset with me, but I promise I’ll hang out with you on Sunday.”

“Okay, Rainbow, but you better keep your promise to me this time, got it?”

Rainbow smiled, ruffled Scootaloo’s hair a bit, then headed back to the car, calling back to her as she opened the door to get in, “Don’t worry. I won’t let you down again. I really will be there this time, kid.”

Rainbow got in the car, and Fluttershy’s mother backed out of the driveway. An hour later, the two friends found themselves standing in front of Rarity's house. Rarity was inside, making the last preparations for her friends' sleepover.

Sweetie Belle was upstairs doing her homework when she heard, “Sweetie Belle, dear, have you seen my diamond earrings lying around anywhere?”

“I think they're in the living room, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle called back.

Rarity headed into the living room and looked around while her sister came downstairs, also helping to look for her sister's earrings. While they both looked around the living room, they both heard the doorbell chime. Rarity looked up from the couch she was searching under as a look of shocked fear came over her face. Sweetie Belle was already at the door ready to open it.

“Sweetie Belle, don’t you dare--”

Sweetie Belle opened the door before Rarity could finish her sentence, allowing Fluttershy and Rainbow into the house. Seeing her two friends standing in the foyer of her home caused Rarity to look completely aghast at her little sister. Sweetie Belle noticed the look on Rarity's face and started to laugh, while Rainbow and Fluttershy both set down their bags. Rainbow looked from Sweetie Belle to Rarity, who stood mortified like an deer caught in headlights, as her friend stammered on her words to her sister.

“S-Swieetie Belle! How could you open that d-door when you knew I-I wasn’t ready?”

“What do you mean you're not ready? It's not like we're going to go dancing tonight or out to a fancy restaurant,” Rainbow said, slightly confused.

“Well, Rainbow, a lady always makes herself presentable, even if her friends are just coming over for a sleepover.”

“Speaking of friends,” Fluttershy chimed in, “Are Sunset, Applejack and Pinkie here yet?”

“Uh, no. I thought they were with the two of you,” Rarity replied, trying to crack a half smile.

Rainbow and Fluttershy exchanged glances as they both looked back at Rarity, who exclaimed while throwing her arms up into the air, “I don’t believe this! I go to all this work to get this place ready, and I even get us a nice dinner at my favorite resturaunt, and those three don’t bother to show up!”

“Dinner? What dinner? What resturant?” both Fluttershy and Rainbow replied in unison.

“I got us a nice dinner at Le Cheval D'or."

Rarity took a few deep breaths to calm down. As she did so, Fluttershy said while looking at the ground,“R-Really?” Fluttershy began to look a bit flustered. “That's very n-nice of you, Rarity. Uh, just one question. How is Sunset going to join us when she can’t, well, dance?”
Everyone looked to Fluttershy, who suddenly became very embarrassed.

“What the heck do you mean Sunset can’t dance, Fluttershy? That's crazy.”

“Rainbow Dash, she told me should couldn’t dance after the Fall Formal. It was a week after the Formal, after I forgave her about how she treated me. She decided it was time to share a few things about herself, and one of those things was the fact that she doesn’t know how to dance.”

Everyone fell silent as Fluttershy looked down at the floor, a soft sigh escaping her lips. Rarity placed a gentle hand, onto her shoulder, saying kindly to her timid friend, “Then, it's simple. We will teach her how to dance on Saturday morning so that way by the evening, she will at least have learned a few steps.”

“I think that's a wonderful idea, Rarity.” Fluttershy looked up, beaming.

“Now that that matter is solved, darling,” Rarity looked at her two friends and at her sister, “does anyone know why they are not here yet, let alone why Sunset--the guest of honor at this sleepover--is late?”

“Rarity, Pinkie is more than likely on her way now.” Sweetie Belle began fidgeting with her shirt. “I thought I told you before we got home that Applejack headed off earlier today towards the park. She said something about needing some girl time with Sunset.”

“She better not be trying to steal Sunset from me! I swear, that is so not cool!” Rainbow said.

All eyes suddenly fell to Rainbow, who, once she realized what she had said, went as red as a tomato. A very uneasy silence fell upon the four standing in Rarity's living room. Trying to break the tension, Fluttershy said, “H-how about we head upstairs, put our things away, and then, Sweetie Belle can show us any new fashions she has?”

“Alright, that’s cool with me. Come on, Rainbow, or should I call you Love-bow instead?” Sweetie Belle teased playfully. “I have all sorts of stuff to show you two. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Rarity shook her head as Rainbow grumbled to herself while following Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle upstairs. Once the three got to Rarity's bedroom, Sweetie Belle opened up Rarity's closet and took out a green dress with a blue bow on the front of it. She held it up for her friends to see. Fluttershy’s eyes went wide as she looked at the dress, while Rainbow just shook her head, saying, “Your sister will never get me into something like that, Sweetie Belle.”

Looking from the dress, then to Rainbow, Sweetie Belle laughed. She put the dress back into the closet and shut the door. “That was the most beautiful dress that Rarity has come up with. Don’t you think so, Sweetie Belle?” Fluttershy asked, letting out a soft whistle.

“Yeah, it was pretty cool of her to make it for me. Anyhow, how have you been, Fluttershy? Any new animals at the pet shelter?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, we got an injured hawk and hurt kitty this morning. I'll be taking care of them on Sunday. Then, on Monday, they go up to the main care center for further treatment.”

Fluttershy sat down on an armchair that Rarity had in her bedroom, while Sweetie Belle sat down on her sister's bed. Rainbow took a spot near Rarity's TV and flipped it on with a remote she found next to it. Sweetie Belle watched as Rainbow clicked through a few channels before picking one about soccer. While Rainbow got into the game on the TV screen, Fluttershy said to Sweetie Belle, “Tell me what you and your two friends have been up to, lately, Sweetie Belle.”

“Well, lets see.” Sweetie Belle tapped her chin a couple of times. “Oh, yeah, Apple Bloom told me she's excited about learning how to ice-skate this year.”

“Are you going to learn how to ice-skate as well, then?”

Sweetie Belle thought for a few minutes before replying as she watched the game on the TV screen play out, “Hmm, not sure. I mean, it sounds fun and all, but I don’t know if it's something that I really want to do. I mean, spending the entire winter on my butt doesn’t sound all that fun.”

“So you don’t think you’ll be good enough to keep from falling over, then?”

“Well, I--”

“Oh, come on, Sweetie Belle, you're totally graceful. I know someone like you can learn how to skate in no time flat. If you like, I can teach ya how to do it. Who knows, you might be as good as me, and it might only take you, oh, say twenty-five lessons, give or take a lesson or two,” Rainbow chimed in, not taking her eyes off the screen.

Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle both looked at Rainbow, then back to each other, before Sweetie Belle switched the conversation from herself to Scootaloo.

“So, um, Rainbow, how's Scootaloo doing?”

“What? Oh, umm, she's doing well, I guess.” Rainbow still didn’t take her eyes off the TV screen, something that was beginning to annoy Fluttershy. “I left her playing a video game before being picked up by Fluttershy's mom, and I--”

Fluttershy got up out of the arm chair, walked over to the TV, picked up the remote control, and with a push of the power button, turned the TV off. Rainbow’s eyes went wide when the TV shut off just as the team she was rooting for were about to score.

“HEY!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air. “What did you do that for, Fluttershy?”

“You're a guest in your friend's home, and you're not even paying attention to your host, Rainbow Dash. Now stop paying attention to the TV and start acting like a good friend and pay attention to your host.”

Fluttershy stared coldly at Rainbow, who looked from her to Sweetie Belle as Sweetie Belle started to laugh. As Fluttershy started to argue with Rainbow about the TV and proper manners while at someones else’s home, all three heard a loud ringing coming from downstairs. Rarity picked up her phone, answering it in her usual manner, “Hello, darling. How are you today?” Sweetie Belle stopped laughing, got up, and headed downstairs to see what was going on.

Getting downstairs within a minute, she heard her sister say, “Of course that won’t be a problem. You just show up when you're ready, dear.”
Hanging up the phone, she looked at her sister, who had a confused look on her face.

“That was Pinkie. She will be here in about an hour,” Rarity stated while slipping on her coat. “Now, I want you to get your homework done and be good for Rainbow and Fluttershy while I am out, Sweetie Belle. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, I understand, but where are you going?”

“I am going to go to the park--the one that is a few blocks past school--to get Applejack and Sunset.” Rarity looked at her watch, then back to her sister. “I am sure they have solved whatever issues they had earlier today by now, and besides, this sleepover is supposed to be for Sunset. It would be terrible manners for me to have a sleepover for her and not have the guest of honor show up, now. Don't you think so, Sweetie Belle?”

“Oh, yes. I’ll go let Rainbow and Fluttershy know that you're heading out.”

Rarity hugged her sister good-bye and left, while Sweetie Belle headed back upstairs, taking a seat on her sister's bed. Fluttershy looked out Rarity's bedroom window and saw that she and her mother where driving away from the house. Confused, she looked to Sweetie Belle and said, “Uh, Sweetie Belle, where is your sister going?”

“What? Oh, she's going to go pick up Sunset and Applejack from the park. I don’t know if Applejack called her or not, but that's where she's going.”

“I see.” Looking from Rainbow, then back to Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy said, “Don’t you have homework to do, Sweetie Belle?”

“Oh, come on, Fluttershy. She can do it on Saturday. Fridays were made for goofing off!” Rainbow exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air.

“Well, uh, if you say so. I just don’t want her to get into trouble, is all.”

“She’ll be fine. Besides, what's Rarity gonna do, ground her for life just because she wants to hang out with us?”

“Uh, guys, I think I better go get my homework done. I really don’t want to get in trouble.”

Sweetie Belle hopped off the bed, headed into her bedroom, sat down at her desk, and took out her homework. While getting it done, she began to think that maybe Rainbow was right about putting it off until Saturday. She quickly dismissed the thought as she heard Rainbow in the next room turn the TV back on and switch it to another sports channel.

Fluttershy knocked on Sweetie Belle's door and entered her room, saying as she looked at her young friend sitting at her desk, “Would you like some help, Sweetie Belle? I don’t really like the program that Rainbow's watching, so I thought I'd come in and help you out.”

Girl Time (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

“Ah think you and Ah need to have ourselves some friendship time, Sunset. Mind if Ah join ya?”

With those words, Applejack looked into her friend's teal eyes as Sunset slowly reopened her eyes. Applejack wiped away another tear that was threatening to leak out of her friend's. Sunset slowly breathed out, her breath clouding in front of her. Applejack stood up and wiped away the snow that was on the bench next to Sunset. She sat down, gently pulling the redhead into a warm embrace and laying her head onto her shoulder. She softly stroked her fingers through Sunset’s hair, whispering to her as she did so.

“Shh, Sunset. It's gonna be alright. Everythin' will be alright.”

Applejack’s soothing, soft voice hit Sunset like a ton of bricks. It brought back everything she had done, from leaving Equestria to the Fall Formal. Even The Battle of the Bands paled in comparison to how she was feeling now.

Applejack soothed her friend as she said to her while stroking her red and yellow hair, “Whatever's botherin' ya, Sunset, know that Ah'll never leave ya. You have a family with us, and yer my family. Family is more than just who yer born to. It's who loves you and cares fer you. Don’t you ever forget that, Sunset.”

Sunset fought back her tears. All of her pent-up rage and emotions had been building up to this one single moment in time. Sunset shuddered, trying hard to keep herself from crying on her friend's shoulder. While Applejack’s words might have sounded pleasant at any other time, today they only served to bring her further pain and misery.

Sunset let her thoughts dwell on something she wanted to tell her friend yet was scared to do so. Something that was so dark and so vile that it was causing the redhead to feel as if she would never belong anywhere. Not in Equestria, and not in the human world. While choking back another sob, she said, “Why, Applejack? Why are you my friend? I don’t deserve friendship like yours. I don’t deserve to be happy or to have a...a family.”

Wrapping her arms around Sunset's shoulders and holding her tight, Applejack gently said, “That ain't true, Sunset. You do deserve m' friendship, and you do very much deserve ta be happy. You do deserve ta have a family that loves ya and cares fer ya.”

Sunset pushed herself off Applejack and looked out towards the half frozen pond. Getting up, she walked over to it, just staring off into space, lost in thought and completely numb to the living world around her.

Applejack, fearing that her friend was about to do something really foolish, also got up and followed her. Coming up behind her, she gently wrapped her arms around Sunset's waist, just as Sunset said, “Tell me about your mother and father, AJ.”

“What? Ah don’t see how talkin' about my family is gonna--”

“Please, AJ. I want to know what it's like to have someone that loves you. Please, tell me about them.”

Sighing heavily, Applejack rested her chin on Sunset's shoulder, saying to her while she held her friend in her arms, “Come back to the bench, Sunset. Ah’ll...Ah’ll talk ta ya about them if ya come back to the bench.”

Sunset closed her eyes. Gently removing Applejack's hands from around her waist, Sunset turned around, looked into her friend's forest-green eyes, and nodded. The two returned to the bench, and Sunset laid her head back down on Applejack’s shoulder while Applejack spoke to her.

“My ma and pa were the most kindhearted and most lovin' people anyone on this here planet could find. Ah strive to live by their example of being an Apple, showin' kindness, truthfulness, love, understandin', joy, and above all, faith. Ma always said, ‘Applejack, ya have ta have faith in those that're in yer life,’ and Ah always will. Or at least, Ah try to. It hasn’t always worked out fer me, though.”

Sunset breathed in and out slowly, wiping away another tear that had formed. She longed secretly to have a family like Applejack’s. She wanted someone to take care of her, to help teach her right from wrong, and to simply be there for her.

“Sugarcube, why'd ya want me ta tell ya about m' family? Ah know you don’t have anyone back where yer from waiting fer ya ta come home, but still, why'd ya want me ta tell ya?”

“I wanted to know about your family, because I...I have no memory of anything about mine. I only remember Celestia and Cheerilee, but I have no memory of the ones who gave me up...” Sunset's voice trailed off as she considered telling her friend the truth of her origins.

“That's really sad Sunset. Ah wish ah could help ya Sunset ah just don't know what ta do is all.”

Again, Sunset pushed herself off of her friend. Sitting up, she crossed her arms and legs, staring coldly into the blankness of the park. Applejack shook her head. Getting up, she stood in front of Sunset, blocking her view of the park. Kneeling down, she said while taking Sunset by her hands, “Sunset, please whatever's really botherin' ya, please don’t do this. Don’t shut me out. If there's one thing Ah learned--”

“It was my fault,” Sunset said. Her words came out of her mouth coldly, so distantly, it was as if she was reliving a part of her past that was so dark that she had pushed it to furthest reaches of her mind. “It was all my fault. I caused it to happen. I don’t see how you can forgive me for what I did to you…Cheerilee.”

Looking directly into Sunset's eyes, Applejack almost fell over as she tried to step back. Sunset's eyes were completely devoid of life.

“Sunset, please come back ta me.”

Applejack reached out a tentative hand, taking Sunset by hers, causing her friend to jump. Sunset looked around, then saw her friend looking right at her with a very worried look on her face. As Applejack got up and sat back down next to Sunset, she said, “Sugarcube, Ah know it's none o' m' business, but what were ya talkin' about? And why did ya call me Cheerilee?”

“I'm sorry, AJ, I didn’t…” Sunset sighed. “Can we talk about something else, please? Anything at all other than myself?”

“Ah don’t think that's a good idea, Sunset. You were actin' mighty peculiar.”

“Please, AJ, don’t ask me anything about my past. I really don’t wanna talk about it.”

Applejack shook her head, letting out another sigh. She leaned back into the bench, allowing Sunset to rest her head against her shoulder again.

“I don’t know, Applejack,” Sunset started. “I guess I'm really homesick, is all. I came out here with the intent to read my journal, yet I haven't read it since our sleepover at Pinkie's”

“Wait, ya mean ta tell me ya ain't read that book fer a week? Why on Earth have ya waited so long ta see what Twilight has ta say ta you?”

“Because I'm scared, alright?” Sunset snapped back. “I'm scared of being alone, that to Twilight, a sleepover is a waste of time when I should be out there learning about friendship, not wasting her time with stupid reports about what it's like to get hit with a pillow or to sleep over at someone's house.”

“Now, you lookie here, Sunset Shimmer. You've wasted nobody's time, and you definitely haven't wasted Twilight's time.”

“How can you say that, AJ?” Sunset’s eyes went wide as she sat up, looking at her friend, who simply smiled back warmly to her. “How can you possibly justify saying that to me? You don’t know what I've done!”

Applejack's warm smile dropped, her patience finally gone. “Ah know all Ah need to know about you, Sunset Shimmer!” Applejack shot back, almost seething with anger. “Ah know that yer my friend and that yer a good person. Ah know that to me, yer family, that you have a home here with all of us. Ah know we all love you, and we all fuckin' care about you, ya jerk. Now, how about Ah sit with you, while you open yer journal and see what Twilight has ta say ta you?”

“Before I do, just tell me. Why do I truly deserve to be your friend? What have I actually done to show you that I am indeed your friend?”

“Oh, fer--Look, ya helped us stop the sirens during the Battle of the Bands!”

“Not good enough. Anyone could've done that.”

“True, but could anyone have pulled us together when Trixie dropped us under the stage? Or could anyone else have showed me that Ah was a real jerk ta you back then.”

“Wait, what?”

“Ah never did apologize ta you for the awful things Ah said ta you durin' the Battle of the Bands. Ah knew you were havin' a hard time copin' with breakin' up with Flash. Yet Ah went along with m’ friends and completely ignored yer feelings on the matter. Ah kept right on remindin' you what a awful person ya were until we needed ya, and Ah mean we REALLY needed ya. But, you showed me that day what true friendship is and what true honesty is, and for that, Ah'm very grateful. So, what do ya say, Sunset? Will ya forgive me fer how Ah treated ya back then?”

Applejack got off the bench, took off her hat, and held it in one hand while holding out her other to her friend, hoping she would take her hand. Sunset looked down at her friend's hand, then slowly got off the bench, taking Applejack's hand, saying while she looked at her friend with a warm smile finally showing on her half-frozen face, “I fully forgive you, Applejack, and...and I'm sorry for being out here in the cold like this.”

“Think nothin' of it, Sunset. Now, shall we see what Twilight has ta say, or do ya still need ta vent some more?”

“You just don’t know when to quit, do you, AJ?”

“Nope, but Ah’ll let it alone. However, before Ah do, Ah want ya ta know that Ah'll be there fer ya when ya need me ta be there.”

“Thanks.”

Sunset sat back down, with Applejack sitting next to her. She breathed out hard at first, then slowed her exhale before opening her journal to see Twilight's message to her.

Dear Sunset,

I am truly happy to hear that you are learning about friendship and that you have had your first sleepover. I, too, know what it is like to have a first sleepover and how fun it can be. I hope you played lots of games and are learning more about friendship every day. I also wish you a very happy Hearth's Warming Eve. Although I can’t get away right now from my duties here in Equestria, I want you to know that you will always be in my heart. I can’t wait to hear from you again. I hope you have a wonderful time this time of year.
Sincerely,

Twilight Sparkle

Sunset closed the book, looked at her friend, and let out a contented sigh. Applejack got up, saying while she held out her hand to Sunset, “Come on. We have a sleepover to get to and a dance on Saturday.”

“D..Dance? Like, an actual dance? A dance where you dance on a music floor with...someone...else?”

“Uh, yes?”

Sunset gulped, something that Applejack noticed. Applejack’s eyes went wide when she realized why Sunset suddenly looked so nervous.

“Don’t tell me ya can’t dance.”

Before Sunset could get a single word in, Applejack took out her phone, pressed a few buttons on it, then held it to her ear, saying, “Hello, Rarity. It's me, AJ. Listen, can ya pick me and Sunset up at the--oh, you are? Well, if that doesn’t just beat all. Listen, since yer on yer, way can you bring some sort of music with you? Ah'm gonna teach Sunset here how ta dance before we leave the park.”

Sunset suddenly felt like she had been kicked in the stomach by one of Applejack's horses. As Applejack hung up the phone, she saw the very worried look on her friend's face and smiled warmly to her.

“Hey, don’t worry. You won’t hurt me, Sunset.”

“It's not you I'm worried about, AJ. I mean, what if I look like a fool? What if I stumble and knock something over? What if I trip over the other person's feet, or--”

“Sunset.”

“Yeah?”

Applejack looked past Sunset over her right shoulder and saw a brown station wagon pull up Rarity got out and waved to the two of them she had a pleasant smile on her face.

“She’s here.”

“Great." Sunset replied slightly rolling her eyes. "You sure we can’t just, I don’t know, skip this?”

Applejack laughed. Taking Sunset by her hand, she helped her friend up, then walked her over to Rarity, who turned to her mother and nodded. Rarity’s mother switched on a turntable, and soft violin music could be heard coming from the car.

Applejack gently took Sunset by her hand and waist, and the two slowly but surely began to dance, with Sunset trembling with each step she took and Applejack trying not to get stepped on. Rarity cut in about halfway through to show Sunset how to lead her partner in the direction she wanted her to go in.

The next few hours were spent with Applejack switching off with Rarity, each showing Sunset how to dance. All in all, Sunset began to enjoy the lessons, even starting to lead instead of being led by either Rarity or Applejack.

When it was all over, and when the three returned to Rarity's house, they saw Pinkie standing on Rarity's front porch. Pinkie had a big box of tasty treats for everyone in her hands. She waved happily to her friends, even though her thoughts dwelt mainly on the strange box she found back at the Cakes' cafe.

An Evening Relaxing (Edited by Icecreammac)

Rarity's mother pulled into their driveway, shut off the car, then got out, waving a pleasant hello to Pinkie, who continued to wave back to her and her three friends. Turning to Sunset, Rarity said, “Sunset, dear, if you would like to call this evening off, I...I would understand. After all, darling, you have been through enough for one night.”

“No, Rarity, I'd like to stay. Besides, I wouldn’t be all that good a friend if I took off when we're all supposed to be having a good time. Just give me a minute to collect my thoughts, and I'll join you both inside in a few minutes.”

Rarity nodded to Sunset, who smiled back warmly. As Rarity opened the car door, Applejack said, “Take all the time ya need, Sunset. Like Ah said, Ah won’t leave ya. Yer family, and that means Ah need ta stick by ya no matter what.”

Rarity got out of the car first, followed by Applejack. Sunset took a few minutes to collect her thoughts, wondering if it was a good idea to tell her friends about her origins. Deciding to put it off for a bit, she got out of the car, smiled to both of her friends, and headed for the house. Sunset looked to Applejack and nodded to her as she got up to the front door of Rarity's house. Applejack smiled back and headed inside of the house, saying as she walked through the door, “Are y’all ready for the sleepover, Pinkie?” Pinkie beamed a great smile back to her three friends as she walked through the door followed by Sunset.

“Yep. I got us a box of cupcakes right here,” Pinkie held up the pink cardboard box for Rarity, Applejack and Sunset to see, “and I think I have everything I need for this party”

“Sweetie Belle, dear,” Rarity called out, “we’re home. Did you get your homework done?”

“Almost. I'm having trouble with my math homework. I can’t figure out problem four,” Sweetie Belle called back.

Rarity's mother headed upstairs to Sweetie Belle's room. Standing in the doorway, she said, “Sweetie Belle, I'll be leaving for my trip in a few minutes. I'll be back in a week. Until then, your sister is in charge. I want you to be on your best behavior for her.”

Sweetie Belle looked up from her homework while Fluttershy stood next to her. She replied, “Alright. Have a good trip, and tell Grandpa that I said hi.”

Rarity's mother went back downstairs and entered the kitchen just as Sunset said, “Rarity, would you mind if I went upstairs and helped Sweetie Belle with her homework?”

“No, of course not, dear. While you do that, I’ll get dinner ready. Just be sure not to do the work for her.”
Sunset chuckled. "Of course, Rarity."

“Oh, and would you mind also letting Rainbow and Fluttershy know that dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes?”

“Sure,” Sunset replied, turning to leave the kitchen. “I’ll go ahead and tell them before helping Sweetie Belle.”

Nodding gratefully, Rarity began to putz around in the kitchen, getting pots and pans out of the cupboards and setting each of them on the countertop. She took out a box of noodles, filled a large pot halfway with water, and set the pot on the stove to boil. She opened up the refrigerator, took out several bags of fresh vegetable, and set them on the countertop as well. Pinkie, wanting to help, took the vegetables and began to cut them up for the noodles. Soon enough, the food was in the pot and cooking.

Meanwhile, Sunset stopped by Rarity's room and said to Rainbow, who was still watching TV, “Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes, Rainbow.”

“Okay, cool. Thanks, Sunset,” Rainbow called back, not taking her eyes off the screen.

Sunset shook her head, smiled, and headed into Sweetie Belle's room, saying as she got into the room, “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes, girls.”

“Thank you, Sunset,” Fluttershy replied kindly.

Sunset headed over to Sweetie Belle's desk and looked down at her homework, saying gently, “If you move over, I can go over your homework for you.”

“Sure thing, Sunset. I’ll sit next to Fluttershy while you check my homework. I'm having trouble with problem four.”

“Well, let me see what I can do to help.”

While Sunset sat down at Sweetie Belle's desk to look over the homework, Pinkie started to help out around the kitchen, while Applejack took a seat at the kitchen table. As Pinkie checked the boiling food, she said, “So which one of you two taught Sunny the Pinkie Promise?”

Both Rarity and Applejack looked back blankly at Pinkie. Eventually, Rarity said, “It wasn’t either of us, dear. Perhaps Rainbow or Fluttershy taught her. Are you...mad at us, Pinkie?”

Pinkie slumped down into a chair as Rarity took the pot off the stove once it was done cooking and began serving the food. Pinkie said, “No, I'm not mad. I'm a just tiny bit disappointed because I wanted to be the one to teach her the words. But she already knows them and even taught it to the Cakes.”

“Rarity, dear,” Rarity's mother interrupted, “I'll be leaving for my trip to Las Pegasus in just a few minutes. I'll be back in about a week. Until then, you're in charge, understand?”

Rarity looked up from carrying the last two plates to the table as she replied, “What? Oh, yes, Mother, I fully understand. I'll make sure that my sister gets her homework done and that she stays out of trouble. Is there anything you want me to do to help you on your trip?”

“No, I don’t think so, dear.”

Rarity's mother kissed her daughter on the forehead and headed for the door.

“Have a good trip, mother,” Rarity called.

Rarity watched her mother leave, then headed upstairs to her sister's room. Entering the room, she found Sunset looking over Sweetie Belle's homework. Fluttershy was sitting next to Sweetie Belle on her bed, reading Sweetie Belle's science book. Sweetie Belle was reading her history book.

Sunset could be heard mumbling to herself as she corrected Sweetie Belle's homework. “Carry the two, add the one, take the three, carry the four,” Sunset mumbled, not noticing Rarity standing behind her. Rarity reached out and taped Sunset on her shoulder, causing the redhead to jump.

“SWEET CELESTIA’S HOOVES!” Sunset exclaimed, jolting in her chair and knocking over Sweetie Belle's homework, “Don’t do that, Sweet--”

“Relax, dear, it is only me,” Rarity said soothingly. “I didn’t mean to cause you to jump like that, darling. I am terribly sorry.”

“No, it's alright.” Sunset began to clean up the mess that she had made. “I was almost done with Sweetie Belle's homework. I got lost in thought is all. You sure have one smart sister, Rarity. She only missed one problem out of forty.”

“Really? Well, that's good. I will double-check her homework later on tonight, but for now, we have a party to get on with, and I am sure Pinkie wants us to try her cupcakes. So, Sunset, will you be a dear and join us downstairs for some fun and games?”

Sunset smiled happily and nodded, handing over the homework she had been looking over, both she and Fluttershy headed downstairs for the party, leaving Rarity alone with her sister. Rarity looked at Sweetie Belle, who beamed a happy smile back to her.

“Now, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity began, causing her sister's smile to instantly drop, “I am a little apprehensive about bringing you to our dinner tomorrow night because of your age. Where we are going it is for grown-ups, and I am not sure you are able to handle it. However, I want you to experience true fine dining. So, if you are on your best behavior tonight, I will take you with us tomorrow. But any out-of-line behavior, and you’ll have to stay here. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you for allowing me to go with you. So uh, where are we going?”

“I got us a table at Le Cheval D'or. I will call them tonight and make arrangements for you to join us if you are on your best behavior.”

Sweetie Belle smiled greatly to her sister, then headed down stairs to join Fluttershy, Sunset and Pinkie, while Rarity headed into her bedroom. Rainbow was still watching TV when she looked up and saw Rarity standing next to her. Rarity said, “Darling, we are all downstairs. Would like you to join us for the par--”

Before Rarity could finish, Rainbow shut off the TV and raced downstairs to join her friends, taking a spot next to Sunset, who sat on the couch in Rarity's living room. Sweetie Belle sat on the floor in front of them, while Fluttershy took a recliner next to the couch. Rarity shook her head, mumbling to herself as she headed out of her room and downstairs to join her friends. “Should have known all I had to do was mention a party and Rainbow would be off like a rocket.”

Once Rarity joined her friends and her sister in the living room, Pinkie began to pass out the cupcakes to everyone. Making sure that all of her friends had a cupcake, she smiled, saying to everyone, “Let's get this party started!” Cheers erupted all around.

Rarity gestured everyone to the kitchen for their meal, and everyone got up and took a seat at the kitchen table. Sunset and Rainbow sat next to each other, with Applejack sitting across from them. Sweetie Belle sat next to her sister, and Fluttershy and Pinkie sat at the far ends of the table. The rest of the evening was spent with the group laughing and enjoying their time together.

Saturday Morning (Edited by Icecreammac)

Sunset woke up bright and early Saturday morning to the pleasant aroma of fresh coffee brewing. Looking around as she stretched, popping her back and neck back into place, she noticed that the only one of her friends that was actually up was Rarity. Rarity winced at the sounds of Sunset's bones popping and cracking. Getting off the couch that she had chosen to sleep on the previous night--much to Rarity's disapproval--Sunset cracked her neck, then yawned as she headed into the kitchen.

Rarity got up from the kitchen table, poured Sunset a mug of hot, fresh coffee, and handed it to her. Sunset smiled warmly to her friend and said, “Thank you, Rarity, and thank you again for allowing me to sleep over last night. I know I haven’t been the best friend right now, so I just wanted to thank you for everything.”

“Think nothing of it, dear. Now, you drink that and allow yourself to wake up, and then we can see were the day takes us.” Rarity turned to go back to the table, stopping to say, “Oh, uh, there is one thing, though. If you choose to sleep over again--and I would love it if you would--no more sleeping on the couch. I can and will provide a proper bed for you to sleep in.”

Sunset giggled slightly, then nodded to Rarity, who smiled back warmly. Finishing her coffee, Sunset said pleasantly, “Rarity, would it be alright with you if I use the shower?”

“Of course, darling. There should be fresh towels and shampoo in the cupboards above the sink. While you get yourself ready for today, I will go about waking up our friends.”

“Sure thing. But you might want to be careful with how you wake up Rainbow. From what AJ told me, she can be, well, a little temperamental when it comes to being woken up.”

"Darling, I've slept over with Rainbow before. Believe me, I know what she's like."

Rarity grinned happily as she watched her friend head upstairs. She, too, headed upstairs, stopping by her sister's room first. Softly knocking on the door, she opened it and went inside to wake up her sister. Sweetie Belle was curled up in her blanket with her head lying on her pillow. Rarity smiled, then tapped her sister on the shoulder, saying, “Sweetie Belle, it's time to wake up.”

Sweetie Belle waved her hand at Rarity, moaning out, “Meeeh, go away, Opal. I’m trying to sleep."

Rarity giggled. “Come on now, Sweetie Belle. You need to get up to help me make breakfast for everyone.”

Sweetie Belle cracked an eye open and looked at her clock, which read seven in the morning. Groaning, she slowly yawned, then sat up, her hair a complete mess. Rarity let out a gasp of shock when she saw her sister's hair full of knots and tangles. Looking over at her sister's vanity, she picked up a brush, then proceeded to sit down behind her sister on Sweetie Belle's bed. Rarity started to brush her sister's hair, much to her little sister’s complaning about the unwanted attention.

Once finished, Rarity got up and smiled to her sister, saying, “You head downstairs now. I will go wake up our friends, and then we can all have a nice breakfest together.”

“Uh, Rarity, what is that noise? It sounds like running water.”

“Oh, Sunset is taking a shower. Why do you ask?”

Sweetie Belle's eyes went wide as she gulped. “Sunset is in the shower, like, right now?”

“Uh, yes. Again, why do you ask?”

“Because Opal is in there with--”

Before Sweetie Belle could say another word, both of them heard a loud meow, followed by a slight splashing about. That was followed by the bathroom door opening and a very wet cat scurrying out, running under Sweetie Belle's bed. Sweetie Belle grinned nervously to her sister as Sunset came out wrapped in a towel looking very unhappy. Rarity looked back to her sister. “Why was Opal in the bathroom, and why didn’t you say something sooner, Sweetie Belle?”

“She was meowing last night, and it drove me nuts, so I put her into the bathroom to get some quiet. I kinda forgot she was in there.”

Sunset shook her head, then turned to head back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day. Rarity closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh, while Sweetie Belle hopped off her bed and headed into her own bathroom to take a shower as well.

Rarity headed into the guest room, where she found Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow all sleeping on the floor. Pinkie's head was on Applejack's stomach, Rainbow was sleeping with her head propped up against the closet and her feet over Applejack's mouth, while the farmer herself was snoring soundly.

Rarity knelt down next to Pinkie and tickled her left ear, causing the pink-haired girl to sit up and yawn. She was about to wake up Rainbow, when Sunset, finished with her shower and already dry, came into the room. Rarity looked at her friend, who was dressed in pajamas, then down at the sleeping, rainbow-haired girl in front of her. “I think it would be a better idea to wake up AJ first, then wake up Rainbow. I have something in my bag that might wake her up much faster than you asking her to wake up,” Sunset said.

“Well, if you insist, then I will leave this up to you, dear,” Rarity replied, getting up and walking back over to the door of the room. “But are you sure you can do this without Rainbow causing any trouble?”

Sunset didn’t reply. She very gently tapped Applejack on her shoulder, causing the farmer to wake up and see that Rainbow's feet were in her face. Applejack let out an angry grunt as she shoved them off of her, got up, and went downstairs without a word to either Rarity or Sunset, who smiled and reached into her backpack.

To Rarity's shock, Sunset pulled out an air horn, placed it next to Rainbow's head, and pressed the button. A loud 'HONK' shattered the silence of the room. Rainbow jumped up, nearly knocking Sunset over as she yelped out, “DON’T DO THAT!”

Sunset smiled as Rainbow picked herself up off the floor and headed downstairs to join her friends. She looked to Rarity, who stood with her mouth hanging open. “What?”

“Sunset, why did you have to wake her up like that?”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it? Mr. Cake told be me once that he found Rainbow sleeping in a booth at Sugercube Corner one day. He told me he had tried everything to wake her up, from banging pots and pans together to dumping water on her, yet nothing worked. So then, when he was at his wits' end, he took out his air horn, pressed the button, and presto, she woke up.”

“Yes, but to wake up someone like that, I mean, that is so rude.”

“Would you rather she slept the entire day?”

“Well, no, but what would the neighbors think? And I certainly hope you don’t plan on waking up Fluttershy like that.”

“I won’t have to wake her up, Rarity.”

“Oh, and why is that, Sunset?”

“Look behind you.”

Rarity turned around to see Fluttershy standing behind her, holding in one hand a soft, tan teddy bear and in the other her blanket. Fluttershy looked from Sunset, then to Rarity, smiled and yawned at once, then headed downstairs as well. The sounds of chattering teenagers and pots and pans being set on the countertops could be heard from the downstairs area. Sunset looked to Rarity, then said with a slight smile on her face, “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to get dressed without you staring at me.”

“What? Oh, yes, of course. Come down when you are ready, dear. I’ll have some more coffee ready for you.”

“Thank you, Rarity. I’ll be down in just a little bit.”

Rarity noticed that Sunset looked a bit lost in thought. She was about to say something, when the sound of a loud crash and dishes breaking drew her attention to the clattering from downstairs. After Rarity went downstairs as quickly as she could, Sunset sighed, then took out her journal and sat down on the floor to begin to write a letter to Twilight. Once finished, she closed the book and took out her notepad, starting to write a letter to Applejack. When she finished that letter, she noticed her journal was buzzing and glowing. Opening the journal, she saw that Twilight had replied, arranging a time to meet up with her later that day.

Putting the journal away for the last time that day, she got up off the floor, got dressed then headed downstairs herself. Rarity was in the kitchen, with Sweetie Belle and the rest of her friends all sitting at the table except Pinkie, who was standing in front of the stove, crying.

As Sunset was about to ask why her friend was upset, Applejack said when she noticed how concerned Sunset looked, “Don't worry, Sunset. She's just cuttin' onions.”

"Oh. What was that crash, then?"

"Pinkie was a bit too eager pullin' plates outta the cupboard. Some fell on the floor and broke. And speaking of loud noises, what in tarnation was that noise upstairs?"

"Well," Rarity piped up, shooting an irritated look at Sunset, "Sunset wanted a surefire way of waking Rainbow up, and apparently, that meant blasting her with an air horn."

To Rarity's frustration, Pinkie and Sweetie Belle started giggling, and Applejack started chuckling. Fluttershy merely smiled good-naturedly, while Rainbow Dash was the only other person in the room with a scowl on her face. Ignoring Rarity's glare, Sunset said, “Well, now that that's settled, what are we having?"

“Eggs. With onions, garlic, cheese, tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms,” Pinkie said with tears running down her cheeks.

“Here, Pinkie let me do that so that you can take a break,” Sunset said, walking over to her friend and picking up the cutting board. “Besides, you look like you could use some coffee. How about you go sit at the table and get yourself some coffee, and I’ll take care of this?”

Pinkie was reluctant at first, but the smell of fresh coffee won out, and she happily handed the tray over to Sunset, who finished cutting up the onion. A few moments later, everyone was sitting at the table, eating their eggs.

Once finished, Sunset cleaned up her plate, put it into a dish drainer next to Rarity's sink, then headed for the door, stopping when she heard Fluttershy call out to her, “Uh, Sunset, where are you going?”

“What? Oh, I'm meeting with Twilight at the portal. I need to talk with her about some…things.”

“Oh. Would it be alright if I come along? I would like to say hello to her as well. If that's alright with you, I mean,” Fluttershy spoke, barely above a whisper.

“Sure. In fact, you all can come if you want.”

“Thank you, Sunset, but I am going to stay here. I need to feed Opal, and she can be a bit cranky if I don’t get her meal to her on time.”

“I'll go, Sunset. Besides, I want to hear what new, awesome stuff Twilight learned about since we last saw her,” Rainbow chimed in, a look of determination in her eyes.

“Ah'll go along too, if only to keep Rainbow here outta trouble,” Applejack said, tilting her hat back. “Besides, it would be nice seein' her again. Maybe Ah can get her to buy some apples from m' farm, or at least take some pies home to her friends back in Equestria.”

Finishing her coffee, Rainbow got up, stretched, then headed upstairs to get dressed. A few minutes later, she came back down, carrying's Sunset buzzing journal in her hands. She handed it over to Sunset saying, “I noticed it was buzzing, and I didn’t want you to miss a chance to talk with Twilight, so I thought I'd bring it down here.”

“Thank you, Rainbow. You, uh...” Sunset blushed slightly as she rubbed the back of her head, trying to think of the right words to say. “You didn’t, you know--”

“What? Read your journal? No way, that'd be so not cool. What kind of awesome friend would I be if I did that? Besides, doesn't the journal stop buzzing when you open it?”

“Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry I thought you read my journal Rainbow. I'm a little skittish about other people reading it. Do you forgive me?”

“Of course, I do. Now, let's let Fluttershy and Applejack get dressed, then we can all head out, okay?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Ten minutes later, both Applejack and Fluttershy were completely dressed and ready to head out to the school and the portal. Sunset, with her friends in tow, headed outside and down the street towards the nearest bus stop. While waiting at the bus stop, Sunset sat down on the bench, opened her journal, and read Twilight's second message to her.

Dear Sunset,

I am very happy with all the progress that you have made and are making. I have the item that you asked for and will meet you outside of the school, though I can’t stay long. I look forward to hearing from you again.

Your friend,

Twilight

The bus came, and everyone got on. In half an hour, Sunset found herself and her friends standing in front of the portal. Twilight was sitting on the front steps, holding a small, metal box in her lap. She looked up and smiled pleasantly to Sunset, who smiled back to her. Twilight got off the step, handed over the box, which Sunset took and put into her backpack, then hugged her friend.

The next twenty minutes were spent with Twilight talking about Equestria and the rest of Twilight's friends laughing. All but Sunset, whose thoughts dwelt mainly on the letter that she had written to Applejack.

As Twilight waved her goodbyes to her friends, she said to Sunset while taking her hands in her own, “Hey, don’t worry. I'm sure everything will work out for the best. Now, before I go, is there anything you would like me to do for you while I'm in Equestria?”

“There is one thing, Twilight. But I'm not sure I should ask this of you. I'm not sure if you'd be able to do it.”

“Well, how will I know unless you tell me? Please tell me.”

“A-Alright. I would like you to tell Princess Celestia that although I want to come home right now, I simply can’t. Also, I need you to check on something for me.”

“Sure. What do you need me to check on?”

“I need to know if Crystal Ridge is still standing.”

“Uh, okay. Why do you want to know about that old town? I mean, it was used as a lookout during King Sombra's rule over the Crystal Empire.”

“Please, Twilight. It's really important to me that I get this information.”

“I’ll have to clear this with Princess Celestia first before I go there.”

Looking down at her feet, Sunset let, go of Twilight's hands. As she began to fidget with her coat, she said, “I...I understand. Thank you, Twilight”

Twilight saw the look of uneasiness in Sunset's eyes but said nothing, feeling that Sunset was simply worried about coming home and facing Princess Celestia.

Finally, Twilight turned to leave, waving one last time to her friends. As she disappeared through the portal, Rainbow stepped up behind Sunset, chuckling nervously and saying, “So, uh, Crystal Ridge. What's that? Sounds kinda cool.”

Sunset didn’t reply. Instead, she wordlessly crossed the street to the bus stop, leaving her friends to wonder what she was talking about. Rainbow looked at her friends, who all looked back at her with concern in their eyes as each of them headed over to the bus stop to get back to Rarity's house.

Everyone got onto the bus when it came a few moments later. While each of her friends sat on the bus waiting to be dropped off at the bus stop near Rarity's house, Rainbow couldn’t help but think about what Sunset was referring to and what the metal box that Twilight had given to Sunset before she left was.

Taking Pictures (Edited by Icecreammac)

After dinner, everyone had gotten changed into their pajamas. Sunset was wearing a pink, short-sleeved shirt with a sun on the front of it, and purple pants. Rainbow was wearing a white-and-red T-shirt with a pair of baggy sweatpants. Rarity had opted for an evening gown, while Fluttershy had custard-yellow pajamas on with rabbit prints on the front and back of them. Pinkie had on a T-shirt with cupcakes on the front of it and a pair of blue, baggy pants on. Applejack had on a green, long-sleeved shirt and black sweatpants.

Everyone had gathered in the living room that night to play Spin the Bottle. Everyone, that is, except for Sweetie Belle, who remained upstairs in her room. Rarity, feeling a bit guilty that her friends were having a good time while her sister was being left out due to her actions at the dinner earlier that night, decided to head upstairs to check on her sister and invite her to play a few games with her and her friends. Before heading upstairs, though, she looked at Pinkie, who was just taking a seat next to Rainbow on the couch, and said, “Darling, I'm sorry, but Spin the Bottle can be a bit too...mature for Sweetie Belle to be playing. I must insist that we play something else.”

Pinkie thought for a moment, then beamed a big smile as she squealed out, “How about Truth or Dare, then?”

Everyone agreed and got up. They went upstairs into one of the three guest rooms that were across the hallway from Sweetie Belle's room, while Rarity headed to her sister's room. Rarity knocked on her sister's door. “Sweetie Belle, can I come in?” she called out.

“Go away!” Sweetie Belle yelled back. “I don’t want anything to do with you!”

Hearing how upset Rarity's sister was, Sunset walked out of the guest room she and her friends were in, saying gently to Rarity, “Come on, Rarity. Let's give her some time. I think she needs to be left alone for right now.”

Rarity sighed as she followed Sunset into the room, taking a seat next to Rainbow on the floor. Pinkie was sitting next to Fluttershy on the bed, while Applejack and Sunset both sat on the floor. Sitting down, Rarity said, “My sister, it seems, will not be joining us tonight. She is still too upset from being punished for her dreadful behavior from earlier tonight.” Rarity looked at Pinkie, who smiled back widely. “So, Pinkie darling, if you want to still play Spin the Bottle, we can still do that, or we can play something else.” Pinkie, looked around, beamed greatly as she said excitedly, “Who's ready for a game of Spin Truth or Dare?”

“Uh, what type of game is that?” Sunset asked with a confused look on her face. “I don’t think I know the rules to that game.”

“The rules are simple, silly. We spin a bottle, and if it points to you, then you have to either kiss the person next to you, or choose Truth and get asked a question that has to be answered with either true or false, or choose Dare and do as the person dares you to do.”

“Darling,” Rarity began looking at her friends, “How are we going to select who goes first? I mean, selecting by our ages won’t really work.”

“Really, why not?” Pinkie looked at everyone with a sheepish grin on her face.

“Because I am the same age as Fluttershy, Sunset and Rainbow. We can’t all go first at the same time.”

“Why not do it by selecting numbers?” Fluttershy chimed just above a whisper. “You could write down one through six, and we can draw from a hat.”

“That's a great idea! I’ll go get a pen and paper.”

Pinkie bounced towards the door, stopping when Sunset called, “Pinkie, could you bring me my backpack while you're out? There's a plastic bottle inside that we can use for this game.”

"Sure!" Pinkie headed out the door and downstairs, returning a few minutes later with a pen, paper, a hat, and Sunset's backpack. Setting the bag down, she was about to start writing down the numbers when everyone heard a soft ringing coming from Sunset's bag.

“Oh, I better get that. It might be the Cakes calling to find out when I'll--” Sunset suddenly froze when she realized only too late what she had just said. Looking at her friends, she saw they all had confused looks on their faces, except for Pinkie who must already know why the Cakes would be calling her phone. Sunset looked down, folding her arms over her chest as she began to tug at her shirt. “I guess I have some explaining to do, don’t I?”

“Uh, darling, why would the Cakes be--” Rarity's eyes went wide when she realized why the Cakes were calling Sunset's phone. With a gasp, she said, “Darling, is it really true, then, that you've been living on the streets?”

“Yes, Rarity, it's true I was living on the stre--”

Before Sunset could finish, she found herself the recipient of a warm group hug from all of her friends. Each of her friends hung onto her tightly, not wanting to let her go as they all tried to show the red- and yellow-haired girl their love for her. Sunset blushed from the unexpected attention.

As the warm hug ended, Fluttershy said while trying to fight back her tears, “You do have a place to stay now, don’t you, Sunset? I mean, if you don’t, you're more than welcome to come stay with me and my brother.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy, and thank you all. I really needed that hug. I...I feel like I'm apart of a family again.”

“Sunset,” Applejack said, reaching out and putting Sunset into a headlock while ruffling her hair a bit, “when are ya gonna get it through that thick skull o' yers? You ain’t part of a family. You are family.”

Sunset squealed and laughed heartily as she gently pushed her friend off of her. Pinkie looked to her right and let out shriek, sending Fluttershy behind Sunset. As Fluttershy poked her head out from behind her friend, Pinkie held up a karaoke machine that she had spotted against the wall. Plugging it in while Sunset giggled lightly to herself from Fluttershy jumping behind her, Pinkie picked up the microphone and being to sing.

“Hey, hey, we may be different from night and day. But if you look a little closer, you’ll see~” Pinkie sang into the microphone.

Fluttershy soon joined in, as did Rainbow. Sunset stepped out into the hallway, taking her phone with her and closing the door behind her. She headed downstairs to call the Cakes.

Stopping in front of Rarity's work room, to her shock, she saw Sweetie Belle trashing the entire room and muttering to herself, “I hate you, Rarity. You and damn holier-than-thou bullshit. You'll never understand me.” She punctuated her sentence by throwing a manikin to the side of the room.

Setting her phone to silence, Sunset video-taped the tantrum. She watched as Sweetie Belle knocked over piles of ribbons and bolts of cloth, tossed sewing thread through the air, all while cursing up a storm. When Sunset had enough, she walked into the room, saying, “Sweetie Belle." Sweetie tensed. "You need to stop this right now. Your sister is going to throw a fit.”

Looking up from what she was doing, Sweetie Belle was seething with anger. She threw a small bolt of cloth at Sunset, who ducked just in time. The bolt hit a manikin, knocking it over and causing a bucket of red paint next to it to spill onto the dress the manikin was wearing. Instantly, the dress was completely soaked in the red paint.

Hearing the crash from upstairs, Rarity came running downstairs with everyone following her. Sunset was just straightening herself up when Rarity came into the room. She let out a loud gasp when she saw the state of her work room.

“My...My work space! What have you done?!” Rarity exclaimed in shock. Looking around at the mess, she let out an even bigger scream when she saw the dress. “NO! THAT DRESS WAS FOR COCO POMMEL’S SISTER'S WEDDING!” Looking at her sister, then to Sunset, who looked down while gripping her phone tightly in her hands, Rarity exclaimed, “HOW COULD YOU BOTH DO THIS TO ME!?”

Seeing an opportunity to try to get out of what she had done Sweetie Belle said, “Sunset was the one that did this Rarity! It wasn’t me, honest”

“WHAT!?” Sunset exclaimed in shock, her eyes going wide, “No, that isn’t what happened at all!”

“I will give each of you one last chance to tell me the truth!” Rarity quivered with anger. “Now, what happened? Which one of you did this?”

Sunset looked to Sweetie Belle, who had a slight smirk on her face. She closed her eyes and said, “I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle, but I can’t let this slide.” She turned to Rarity and handed over her phone. “Press the playback tab, Rarity. You’ll see what happened.”

Rarity took Sunset's phone and pressed the playback tab. To her shock and horror, she watched as a video of her sister played back everything that her sister had done. Shaking with anger, she looked up from the phone to Sweetie Belle, who was no longer smirking after she realized that Sunset had proof.

“Go to your room this very instant, young lady! You are hereby grounded until Mom and Dad come home!”

“What! That’s not fair, Rarity!”

“'Not fair'? You want to talk to me about 'not fair'? You think it was fair of you to lie to me about doing this? You think it's fair that I have to tell Coco that her dress is now ruined and that I can’t get another one to her before her sister's wedding? You think Sunset here thinks it's fair that you tried to blame her for your actions? Honestly, Sweetie Belle! First, you flat-out punch Diamond Tiara in the face, and you threw a fit when I punished you for that. Now, you've wrecked my work room, you destroyed a client's dress, and on top of that, you lied about it and tried to frame Sunset! I really don’t know who you think you are, young lady, but this behavior needs to stop and stop right now.”

Sweetie Belle, seeing that Rarity's words were final, ran past her sister up to her room, slamming the door behind her. Sliding against her door, she muttered to herself while she wiped away her tears, “This is all Sunset's fault. I will make you pay for this, Sunset. To think I actually stood up for you at the restaurant. My friends are right. Sunset is turning our sisters against us.”

After Sweeite ran off, Rarity sighed and began to clean up the mess that her sister had made. With her friends' help, she was able to get the room back to working order. Before heading back upstairs, she headed into the kitchen, picked up the phone, and called Coco, giving Coco her most profound apologies for the dress and agreeing to pay her client back the money that she had spent on it.

After hanging up, she trudged upstairs headed into the guest room and sat down on the bed. Her friends soon joined her. Sunset sat down on the floor, still holding her phone in her hands. She looked at Rarity, who had a sad look on her face, and said, “Hey, don’t worry, Rarity. Your sister made a horrible mistake, but I'm sure she'll come around before too long.”

“I hope so, Sunset. She is going to be grounded for almost a week, and I am sure our mother will add to that grounding, either taking away her phone or by making sure she doesn’t spend any time with her friends. I am really sorry you had to see her act like that and that she tried to place the blame on you.”

“Meh, don’t think anything else of it, Rarity. I'm,” Sunset looked down and swallowed hard “used to it." Looking back up at her friend she beamed a pleasant if not fake smile to hide her anger as she finished "Now, can we get back to having at least a little fun before bed?”

“Of course, darling. Although I'm not in the best of moods right now, I will at least try to have a good time.”

Sunset looked to her right when she heard Pinkie and Fluttershy singing. She held up her phone, pressed the record tab, and turned the volume back on. Rarity, seeing this, asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, “Are you recording them them, darling?”

“Yep. I want to capture the memories.”

As Sunset was putting her phone away, she and Rarity both heard Pinkie yell out, “STAGE DIVE!”

“Eeek,” Fluttershy squealed, diving out of the way as Pinkie came crashing down into Rarity's closet.

Helping her friend up, Sunset saw that Pinkie was covered in clothing. As she pulled the pink-haired girl free from the wreckage of the closet door, Sunset said, “What are all these clothes, Rarity?”

“Huh? Oh, that." Rarity grimaced briefly. "That is the Closet of Shame. I toss old clothing in there that didn’t quite work out how I had planned. Sadly, Coco's dress will be going in there as well. You all are welcome to try them on if you want to.”

“So, this is, like, what, the sixth door you busted, Pinkie?” Rainbow said, helping herself to some of Rarity's old clothing.

“No, this would actually be the twelfth one. I've been keeping score for Twilight.”

“Really, darling, Twilight wants to know how many doors you've broken?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, actually," Sunset piped up. "Speaking of which, how about I write her after I get a few snapshots of us all dressed up. That way, she'll have something fun to look forward to when she comes for a visit.”

“That's an awesome idea, Sunset! I’m totally down for that!” Rainbow exclaimed, slipping on a oversized tuxedo shirt and coat, along with a top hat.

The rest of the night was spent with the girls trying on outfit after mismatched outfit and Sunset snapping picture after picture--a total of eight, in all--before yawning and putting away her phone. Sunset smiled wearily to her friends, who all noticed how tired the redhead was getting. Looking at her watch, which read 11:30 p.m., Rarity gasped out, “Goodness! Is that really the time? No wonder you're so tired, Sunset.” Sunset yawned again, then smiled as she sat down on the bed next to Rainbow, back against the headboard. "Yeah, no wonder," Sunset said. She tried to stay awake but found she was getting too sleepy. She made the mistake of closing her eyes, and she fell asleep immediately.

Right on Rainbow's shoulder.

Looking at their friends, Fluttershy whispered out, “Don’t they look so cute together, Rarity?”

“Hmmm, yes, they do. Now be a dear and help me get Sunset under the covers so she can get a good night's rest.”

After a few moments, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow were able to ease Sunset down on the bed until she was lying flat. They placed a pillow under her head, and Rainbow pulled the covers up to Sunset's shoulders. Once she was satisfied that Sunset was sleeping soundly, she and her friends all departed the room. Rainbow stopped in the doorway of the room to take one last look at her sleeping friend thinking to herself as she slowly shut the door. "I'll tell Sunset tomorrow about how I feel about her." Rainbow closed the door a light blush was on her face. Rarity noticed this as did the rest of Rainbows friends yet no one said anything as Rarity headed to her own room, while Fluttershy took the first guest room and Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow all took the third guest room.

Sweetie Belle, in the meantime, was on her computer, talking with Scootaloo. She had just enough time to send one last message to her friend before her sister walked in.

“I’m in.”

Seeing that her sister was on the computer, Rarity balled her hand into a tight fist as she said angrily to her sister, “What part of being grounded don’t you under--”

“Oh, relax. I was just telling Scootaloo and Apple Bloom that I won’t be meeting them at the library tomorrow like we had planned because I'm grounded. I didn’t want them to come over here and hear you scold them. Now, I'm going to bed, and I will thank you to get out of my room!”

Rarity huffed and did so. After the door closed, Sweetie Belle smirked.

A Talk with Celestia (Edited by Icecreammac)

Princess Twilight woke up the next morning with the rising of Celestia’s sun, the warmth of the sun making her feel at peace. The clouds, although few in the sky, made the sky above look inviting. She stretched and yawned, then climbed out of bed. Spike entered her bedchamber, carrying in his clawed hands a silver tray that held on it a teapot with cup, toast, eggs and strawberry jam. Twilight smiled to him warmly. Using her magic, she took the tray and set it next to her bed on an end table to begin her breakfast.

After finishing her breakfast, Twilight headed out of her bedchamber, ready to start her day. She headed to her library, where she found Spike dusting the many books that lined the shelves. Looking to her friend, she said, “Spike, would you please take a letter for me?”

“Sure thing, Twilight. Let me get a quill and paper.” Spike ran off, returning a few moments with a quill and paper in his hands. With a smile, he said, “I’m all set to take that letter.”

“Good.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin, tapping it a few times before saying, “Okay, Spike, I'm ready.

“Same here.” Spike put his quill to the paper, ready to write as soon as Twilight began talking.

Twilight began to pace back and forth as she spoke to her words to Spike, who quickly wrote them down for her.

Dear, Princess Celestia,

I would like to talk with you, if I may, about Sunset Shimmer. I have good news for you about her. I spoke with her yesterday, and she is doing rather well and is well on her way to learning about true friendship. She has already had two sleepovers and has learned the importance of good friendship from the human world's counterparts of my friends. She even asked me to bring her a wax and a stamp made in the impression of her cutie mark, so must really be serious about this. She seems to be very happy there. In fact, I think she has actually started to fall in love.

Sunset has stated to me that she wants to come home yet feels that she can’t. I am not sure as to why she feels this way. There is something she has asked me to look into for her, but I feel that I should clear this with you first before I do. She wanted to know if Crystal Ridge is still standing. I do not understand why she would be interested in that old town, though. If you would be willing to give me a little more information on this, that would be so wonderful.

Sincerely your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Spike finished writing the letter. After he read it back to her, she nodded her approval of it, then said to him, “Okay that should about do it. Please send that letter right away.”

“Will do,” Spike replied cheerfully. Holding up the parchment, he blew green fire onto the parchment and sent it on its way to Princess Celestia. “There, all done.”

A few moments later, Spike burped out a letter from Princess Celestia. Before opening the letter, he looked at her, then at the letter, saying, “Princess Twilight what's Crystal Ridge? Why's it so important for Sunset to know if it is still standing?”

“I honestly don’t know why she wants to know about it Spike. But perhaps Princess Celestia can tell us more.”

“Alright, I’ll read what she wrote back to you, then.”

Clearing his throat and opening the letter, Spike began to read the letter aloud to Twilight.

My faithful student,

Please come to Canterlot Castle right away. There are some things that we need to discuss. I look forward to talking with you.

Finished, he looked up at her, confused.

“That's it? That’s all she said?” Twilight said, just as confused herself.

Looking over the letter again, Spike rolled it up then set it onto a nearby book shelf, replying while dusting off his claws, “Yep that's all that was in the letter, Twilight. So, when are we going to go to Canterlot Castle?”

“We will not be leaving.Iwill be going immediately, while you stay here and finish your chores.”

Spike looked down, whining out, “Aww, but I never get to go the castle and have any fun.”

“I’m sorry, Spike, but I need to speak with Princess Celestia alone in this matter.”

“Alright, but at least do me one favor.” Spike looked up, a gleam of hope shown in eyes. “Would you please bring me back a comic book from the comic store?”

Giggling slightly to herself, Twilight patted Spike on his head, then started to head out for Canterlot Castle. Looking back at her friend as she walked out of her library, Twilight said, “Sure thing, Spike. Just make sure you get all of your chores done before you go and play, alright?”

“Thanks, Twilight. Say hello to Princess Celestia for me.”

Spike ran off to complete his chores while Twilight headed out. Getting outside a few moments later, she took the air and flew towards the train station. Landing a few minutes later, she boarded the next train to Canterlot Castle, letting out a soft sigh as she sat at her window looking out the countryside. Her thoughts dwelt mainly on Sunset's request about Crystal Ridge and on what Princess Celestia wanted to speak with her about.

Twilight stepped off the train two hours later once it had pulled into the Canterlot City train station and soon found herself standing in front of the main gates of Canterlot castle. Looking around, she saw two castle guards positioned outside of the castle.

Walking up to them, she bowed to both of them. Each of them bowed back and allowed her access to the castle. One of the guards said,
“Princess Twilight, if you are here to speak with the princess, you will find her in the royal gardens.”

“Thank you,” Twilight replied, bowing again to show respect to the guards. “I very much appreciate that information.”

Twilight spent almost no time at all navigating the long hallways and corridors of Canterlot Castle and soon found herself standing outside in the royal gardens. Twilight opened the door to the royal gardens and found Princess Celestia pruning a rose bush.

Celestia looked up from her work and smiled warmly to Twilight as she came up to her. Setting down her gardening tools, she said sweetly to Twilight, “Ah, Twilight, it is good to see you today. Please, won’t you join me for some tea and muffins?”

“Oh, thank you, Princess Celestia. That would be lovely.”

Princess Celestia lightly clapping her hooves together. A guard appeared from the nearby door, saying as she bowed, “Yes, Your Highness, what can I do for you and Princess Twilight?”

“Please bring us some tea and muffins from the kitchen,” replied Princess Celestia looking to her student. “I assume you will want milk with your tea, Twilight?”

“What? Oh, uh, yes, thank you, Princess Celestia.”

The guard bowed again, then went off to fetch the tea, muffins and milk, leaving Twilight and Princess Celestia to talk.
Celestia brought Twilight over to a nearby glass table, pulled out a chair for her student, then took out a chair for herself. Sitting down, Twilight looked at her mentor then at the rose bush, saying as she looked back again, “I thought you had a royal gardener that took care of the gardens for you, Princess?”

Princess Celestia giggled and smiled warmly to Twilight. As the guard came back, placing the teapot, milk and muffins down in front of the two before bowing and leaving, “I do have a royal gardner that normally would take care of the entire garden, but I like to do the work myself every now and then.”

“Does it help you to relax when you're under stress, Princess?”

“Yes, it does. Now, I believe you wanted to talk to me about Sunset,” Celestia replied taking a sip of her tea.

“Sunset is doing well Princess. I think she is making great progress in learning about friendship. As I said in my letter, she has had two sleepovers so far, and I think--but I'm not sure--that she might be falling in love.”

“Ah, yes, I remember. Sunset in love..” Celestia set her teacup down and levitated a muffin over to Twilight, who took then set it down on her plate. Sighing wistfully, she said, “It pleases me greatly to hear that. When she left, I feared that I had failed her so badly that she wouldn’t be capable of loving somepony other than herself.”

Sipping her tea, Twilight said gently to Princess Celestia, “You miss her, don’t you, Princess?”

“Yes, I do. I keep hoping for the day when she will return, but I fear that day will never come.”

“She does want to come home, though. But, she feels that she can’t, and she won't tell me why.”

Princess Celestia looked down at her cup. Letting out a stuttering sigh, she said, almost whispering, “I am the reason she doesn’t want to come home, Twilight.”

A tear in her eye, Princess Celestia picked up her tea with her magic, taking a sip from it.

After a somewhat uncomfortable silence, Twilight changed the subject. “Princess Celestia, can you tell me why Sunset wants to know if Crystal Ridge is still standing?”

"Ah, yes. Crystal Ridge. That's the reason I wanted to talk to you personally." Princess Celestia set her teacup down. Her eyes went out of focus, as if she were staring at something in the far distance.

“Princess? Are you okay?”

“Twilight, listen to me very carefully,” Celestia began, taking a deep breath, “you are absolutely forbidden from going to Crystal Ridge.”

“But--”

“I'm sorry, Twilight, but my word is final.” Celestia looked over to Twilight, who looked confused and worried. “I am sorry, Twilight. I know you're curious, but you must not go to Crystal Ridge. This is for your own safety and good.”

Seeing that her mentor's words to her were absolutely final, Twilight, rather than risking her mentor's wrath, quickly changed the subject.

“I gave Sunset a seal stamp of her cutie mark and some candle wax with it yesterday. Although, I'm not sure why she'd want them. I know we use them for very important letters here, as far as I know, humans don’t send letters of any type using wax seals anymore.”

Princess Celestia looked down at her teacup then slowly back up to her student, saying, “Oh, uh, that's nice, Twilight. I am sorry to do this, but I have some things that I need to take care of. I hope to meet with you again.”

Twilight nodded, got up, then headed out, leaving Celestia to her thoughts. As Twilight made her way to the front gates, a bright light flashed before her. When her eyes recovered, she saw Discord before her, smiling. She didn’t return the smile.
Seeing how upset the princess of friendship was, Discord said, “Why, Twilight, dear? Whatever is the matter?”

“It's nothing, Discord. Why are you here?”

“Well, far be it from me to pass up an opportunity to spend some time with my pal Twilight. Besides, Fluttershy is off with her woodland friends. So, I thought we could spend some time together. What do you say? Want to spend some quality time with little ol' me? Hmmmm?”

Twilight shook her head and moved on, leaving Discord a bit perplexed. Snapping his talons together, he popped up right in front of Twilight. With a smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes, he said, “Let me guess. It has to do with this place, am I right, Twilight?”

"What pla--"

Before Twilight could finish, Discord teleported her and himself to another town. Snow, tundra, and silence surrounded the ghost town. Looking around, Twilight saw what looked like an old store, its sign intact. It read, "Crystal Ridge Commissary". Twilight snarled out bitterly to the master of chaos, “Discord, take me back to Canterlot this instant!”

“Aww, come on, Twilight,” Discord cooed. “Aren’t you at all the least bit curious as to why Celestia doesn’t want you up here?”

“Princess Celestia forbade me from--”

“Twilight~” A voice suddenly sang out to her from a nearby mansion. “Twilight~”

“What was that?” Twilight asked, nervous.

Looking to Discord for answers, Twilight was not surprised to see that he had vanished. Grumbling to herself, she said, “I swear, when I get home, I am going to give that draconequus a earful.”

Twilight looked around and saw a burnt-out old mansion. Hearing a voice coming from an open door of the mansion, Twilight walked up to it. Looked into the foyer of the mansion, she called out, “Hello? Is anypony there?”

Twilight was just turning to leave when she heard it again. "Twilight~"

Twilight stepped into the mansion’s foyer and looked around. She saw a mysterious figure dart down a long hallway. Without thinking, she chased after the figure calling out to it as she ran further into the mansion. “Wait, I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to know if you need my help.”

The figure ran into a side room. Twilight rushed in after it, and the doors slammed shut behind her.

Discord, in the meantime, had teleported back to the Canterlot Castle throne room, just as Princess Celestia was entering. She took a seat on her throne, glaring at him as she said, “What are you doing here, Discord? I'm not in the mood for your games.”

“Games!? Why, Celestia, you wound me!" Discord shouted, putting his paw to his head in mock offense. "I was just taking Twilight for a quick tour of some of my favorite locations. We went everywhere. Los Pegasus. Yakyakistan." Discord smirked at Celestia. "Crystal Ridge."

“WHAT?” Princess Celestia exclaimed, her eyes going wide. “How could you bring her to that place, Discord?”

“Come on, it's Twilight. You know that when she gets curious, she's going to find out what she wants to know. I just helped her along, is all. Besides, it's not like anything bad is going to happen to her. This is Twilight that we are talking about. You know, your student, the princess of friend--”

Celestia bolted from the throne room. Unfurling her wings, she took the air as fast as she could. Getting to Crystal Ridge a few hours later, she saw hoofprints leading into a mansion near the center of town. Stopping in front of the mansion, she called out, “Twilight, where are you?”

Before too long, she saw Twilight slowly emerging from the darkness of the mansion. Celestia's relief quickly turned to horror when she saw the state her former student was in.

Twilight's eyes were opened as wide as possible, while her pupils were shrunk to pinpricks. Her mane was a complete mess. She had drool leaking out of the left side of her mouth.

Twilight took a few steps and collapsed into Celestia's hooves. Princess Celestia looked down in alarm at her student. As she looked back up, she was horrified at what appeared before her. It was just as she feared.

“No! It can't be!”

“Hello, Celestia,” the ghostly image began. “By the time you see this image, I will have long since been gone from Equestria. I left this message here in the hopes that I would find you. But if you are seeing this now, after so long, then it means that I have instead found Twilight. I do hope you like what I did to her. If you need me, I will be in the human world looking for my--”

Before the image finished its sentence, it faded away, leaving Celestia to care for Twilight. After cleaning up the drool and tidying her mane a bit, Celestia took to the sky. A few hours later, she rushed into her bedroom, laying the unconscious Twilight onto her bed.

Stroking Twilight's mane and weeping quietly, Celestia whispered, "Oh, my dear Twilight. Why did this have to happen to you?"

Getting the Photos (Edited by Icecreammac)

Rainbow woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of Sunset’s voice coming from an air vent in the wall next to her. Listening for a few moments to Sunset’s moaning, Rainbow sat up, wondering what was happening. Rainbow got out of bed and carefully crept past Applejack and Pinkie Pie, who both were asleep on the floor next to the bed.

She was about to open the door when she heard a soft snort from behind her. Fearing she had woken up her two sleeping friends, she turned around to see that Applejack had rolled over on top of Pinkie Pie. Giggling to herself, Rainbow turned back to the door, opened it, and stepped into the hallway.

Rainbow carefully opened Sunset's door, walked into her room, and looked at her friend. Sunset's hair and face were drenched in sweat, and she was groaning and talking in her sleep.

“No, Cheerilee. I...” Sunset turned her head to the right, gripping the sheets tightly in her hands, “Stay back...hurt...you again,” Sunset moaned out. She gripped the bed sheets tightly in both hands. “I...Musical Skies...didn’t...” She continued to moan, tossing back and forth.

Rainbow reached out her hand laying it on Sunset's shoulder, saying, “Sunset, wake up.” She gently shook her friend's shoulder. “Sunset, wake up. You're having a nightmare.”

Sunset’s eyes snapped open. Her mouth opened, but before she had a chance to scream, Rainbow quickly covered her mouth. Whispering to her as she placed a finger to her own lips, she said, “Shh, you're gonna be alright, Sunset. No one's gonna hurt you.”

Sunset breathed in and out heavily, and she swallowed hard. Rainbow removed her hand from Sunset's mouth and nodded to her. Sunset looked down at the sheets she had been gripping. To her shock, the sheets were torn where her hands had gripped the sheets. Rainbow, seeing how upset Sunset looked, pulled the covers back and climbed into bed with her friend.

She gently pulled Sunset to her, placing her friend's head onto her breast as she said to her while running her fingers through her hair soothingly, “Hey, I'm here now. No one is going to hurt you, Sunset. I'm here.”

Sunset breathed out slowly while Rainbow soothed her.

“Rainbow, you know Rarity is gonna throw a fit if she gets up and catches you in here with me.”

“Let her. This is more important than her saying what we should or shouldn’t be doing. Besides, you need me by your side. You were having a nightmare, and I wanna make sure you're gonna be able to sleep. So come on, just lie down and sleep.”

Sunset wrapped her arms around Rainbow's waist and closed her eyes as Rainbow pulled the covers back over the two of them. She soon fell fast asleep in Rainbow's arms, while Rainbow looked out into the darkness of the room, thinking to herself, “What happened to you, Sunset? What hurt you so much you'd have such a bad nightmare?”

The next morning came with a light snowfall. Sweetie Belle sat at her desk, turned on her computer, and sent her friends Applebloom and Scootaloo a message. Then she quickly turned it off before her sister entered her room.

Seeing that her sister was already up, Rarity said sternly to her, “Sweetie Belle, I want you downstairs in less than ten minutes. You are going to help get breakfast ready for everyone. After that, you are to stay in your room today. There will be no going out, no cell phone usage, and no having your friends come over to hang out and play video games with. You are grounded for your actions yesterday, both towards Sunset and my workspace.”

Sweetie Belle looked down and snarled out bitterly to her sister, “Fine, whatever!”

“Don’t push it, young lady. I am appalled by your behavior of late. You may see your friends during school. I can’t stop you from seeing them during lunch, but I can keep you from doing any after-school activities until mom and dad get home. Oh, and for your information, I have already called both of them. They are most upset by your behavior.”

Rarity turned to leave Sweetie Belle's room. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “I fully expect you to apologize to Sunset when she gets up. Now get dressed and come downstairs.” With that, Rarity left Sweetie Belle’s room and headed downstairs to start breakfast.

Sunset woke up with Rainbow still in bed with her. She smiled lightly to herself. She slowly began to sit up waking Rainbow up in the process, who yawned, stretched, and looked at her. She blushed lightly and climbed out of bed, saying as Sunset also yawned and stretched, “You feel better now that you had some sleep, Sunset?” Sunset looked out the window, then to Rainbow, and nodded. “Good. I'm going downstairs now, but if you wanna talk, just tell me. I’ll always be there for you. I promise.”

“Thank you, Rainbow. I want to talk about my past, and I really do want to open up to you and the others. I just don’t know if I should.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it. When you're ready, you’ll know. Until then, I'll be right here for you. Now, how about some breakfast? I’m so hungry, I could eat a hor--” Rainbow's sentence was halted when a pillow struck her face, causing her to laugh.

“Har har, very funny, Rainbow. Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to take a shower before breakfast.”

Rainbow turned to head out of Sunset's room when she noticed Sunset’s phone was sitting on a table next to the guest bed. Rainbow picked up Sunset's phone and grinned while Sunset said, “Rainbow don’t you even think--” Rainbow quickly pressed the camera button, much to Sunset's annoyance, then said as she smirked to Sunset, “Aaaand send.”

“Rainbow.” Sunset's eyes went wide with slight shock “What did you just do?”

“Relax. I just sent a picture of the second most awesome person in CHS to my phone. I'm gonna use it as my background.”

Before Sunset could protest any further, Rainbow made a hasty retreat out of Sunset's room and downstairs. Sunset placed her phone back onto the table, shaking her head as she smiled to herself. She unlocked her phone so she could quickly use it when she got out of the shower to call the Cakes. She got up and headed into the shower to start her day.

Sweetie Belle came out of her bedroom fully dressed, still fuming about getting in trouble. She closed her eyes and said to herself, “Sunset has to have something that I can use to pay her back for all she did to me.”

Sweetie Belle went into Sunset’s room and looked around. She saw Sunset's phone on the table, and she saw that the phone was unlocked. She picked it up, unplugged it from its charger, and brought it back to her room. She plugged it into her computer, and after waiting for a few moments, Sunset's entire phone catalog popped up on the screen.

Looking through it, she found the pictures that Sunset had taken of her friends from the previous night. Pressing the download tab on her computer, Sweetie Belle downloaded every picture. Once finished, she unplugged the phone, then returned it to Sunset's room. She was just turning to leave the room, when Applejack came out of the bedroom next to Sunset's and saw Sweetie Belle in Sunset's room.

“What in tarnation are you doing in Sunset's room, Sweetie Belle? Haven’t ya caused enough trouble already?”

“I was looking for Sunset. And this isn't Sunsets room. It's Rarity's guest room, which is in our house.”

“Uh huh.” Applejack put both hands on her hips and stared coldly at Sweetie Belle. “Lookie here, Sweetie Belle. Ah, don’t think Sunset is gonna like that you're snoopin' around in her room. Now, why don’t you run off before ya cause any more trouble.”

“Fine, whatever. I was just gonna say I was sorry for my behavior and ask her to forgive me, is all.”

“Well, you can do that at the breakfast table, where something like that should be done. And it should be done in front of all of us. Now get before I go and tell Rarity you were acting like a fox trying to get to the chickens.”

Sweetie Belle headed back into her room, leaving Applejack to head downstairs. She took out her phone and called Apple Bloom, saying when she picked up, “Apple Bloom, it's Sweetie Belle. Listen I'm sending you some photos. I don’t have time to explain much, but I need you to look through them and take out any photo that has Sunset in it. There will also be a video as well. I need you to look over it and mute anything that has Sunset's voice in it.”

“Will do. What's this email that Ah got here from you?”

“That was me telling you that I'm grounded for a week. When we meet at school, I'll make my conditions to taking part in this clear to you both.”

“What conditions?”

“I can’t talk now. I have to go. Just look at the video and the photos, then once you've edited them, show them to me, and I'll take it from there.”

Before Apple Bloom could say anything further, Sweetie Belle hung up and placed her phone onto the charger next to her bed. Rarity came upstairs, knocked on Sweetie Belle's door, then entered, saying to her sternly, “Are you ready to head downstairs and help out with making breakfast, Sweetie Belle?”

“Yes, Rarity.” Sweetie Belle looked down at the floor. “I’ll help out, and once breakfast is over, I’ll head back to my room and remain here for the entire day.”

“You're lucky it's Sunday and I don’t have anything to do today, so I will expect you to remain in your room the entire day. If I catch you using your phone, your video games, or your computer, I will be most upset. Now come along. Everyone except Sunset is already downstairs.”

Sweetie Belle headed downstairs, smirking to herself. She quickly dropped the smirk when she got into the kitchen. Fluttershy was outside on the porch, feeding some birds. Pinkie was sitting at the table, reading the Sunday comics. Rainbow was sitting across from her playing some a game on her phone. Rarity headed to the stove, turned it on, and started to take pots and pans out of the cupboards to begin breakfast. Applejack was sitting in the living room, talking on her phone to her brother.

Sunset, meanwhile, finished her shower, dried off, then dressed and headed downstairs. Seeing Sunset, Sweetie Belle let out a forced sigh.

“Sunset,” Sweetie Belle began, trying not to snarl out her words, “I'm...sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Rarity said, handing her sister a pot. “Your apology won’t mean anything if you don’t say what it is for.”

Sweetie Belle looked at her sister, then to Sunset, who smiled back warmly to Sweetie Belle.

“I'm sorry for trying to frame you for what I did last night. It was wrong of me to do that to you, and I would like to make it up to you if I may.”

Sunset laid a gentle hand on Sweetie Belle’s, shoulder saying softly to her, “It’s alright, Sweetie Belle. I forgive you. Now, how about we all move past this and try to enjoy our time together.”

Everyone gathered at the table and enjoyed a nice breakfast. Afterwards, Sweetie Belle headed back to her room, while Sunset and her friends headed into the living room. Pinkie was beaming a bright smile as she placed a bottle down on the coffee table in front of everyone. Grinning mischievously at her friends, she said, “It's time to play Spin Truth or Dare.”

“Oh, boy.” Rainbow facepalmed. “We should have known this was coming.”

“Yep. Ah, guess we shoulda known that Pinkie was gonna somehow slip this game in,” Applejack stated, sitting back down on the couch. “We didn’t play this last night, so now is as good a time as any to play it.”

“Do you really think we should play this with Sweetie Belle in the house. I mean, don’t you think this is a bit, well, mature for her?” Fluttershy almost whispered out as she sat down to the left of Sunset. “We should probably pick something else to play before we head home later this afternoon.”

“Oh, come on. As long as we don’t dare any of us to do anything illegal, it'll be fine. And the rules do allow us to just kiss each other on the cheek. There shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Rainbow stated bluntly while throwing her arms out. “Besides, if Rarity grounded her sister, she won’t be here for this.”

“Rarity, this is your house, and I'm willing to play, but if you want us to play something else instead, I'm sure we would all understand,” Sunset chimed in.

“I'm not sure, darling. What else would we do? I don’t have any R-rated movies around due to Sweetie Belle being a bit too, uh, curious. So, as long as we keep the kissing part of this game to just giving each other a very quick peck on the cheek, then I don’t have a problem with this game. Oh, and I do suggest we leave Sunset's past out of our Truth or Dare questions, everyone. While I am sure she wants to us tell more about herself, a game really isn't the time to be asking such questions.”

Everyone looked to Sunset, then nodded in agreement. Pinkie pulled out of thin air a pen and paper and started to jot down numbers one through seven on the paper. She crumpled up the paper and tore it into seven pieces, then held out her hands. Each of her friends took a piece of paper. Once everyone had a piece of paper in their hands, she beamed a large smile as she squealed out, “Alright, let's get this game started!”

Delivery (Edited by Icecreammac)

Everybody made it to Sugarcube Corner safely, and Sunset was just opening the front door. With a soft sigh, she looked at her friends and smiled warmly to each of them. Pinkie bounced inside happily, while Rainbow and the others came in, wiped their boots, and headed to a nearby table.

Sunset headed into the back of the cafe, looked around, and found the boxes of doughnuts and cake she was supposed to take with her to the mall. Looking on the wall behind the boxed-up items, she saw a clipboard with the order manifest on it. Taking it down and looking over the order manifest to make sure she had the right order, Sunset smiled as she took the piece of paper off the clipboard and placed into her right, inside coat pocket.

She then walked into the storage room, returning a moment later with a cart. Soon, all nine boxes were loaded up onto the cart, and Sunset was ready to take them out into the dining area of the cafe. Sunset came out into the dining area with the boxes on the cart.

Her friends looked from her to the boxes. Applejack tipped her hat back, saying as she stared at all the boxes of food in front of her, “That sure is a lotta pastries you got there, Sunset. Here, let me help ya with those. We don’t want those to fall and splatter all over the place.”

“Thanks, AJ, and thank you all so much for helping me with this. If it weren’t for you all, I'd have to make at least six trips.”

“Well, that's what friends are for, Sunset. Friends help each other out, and that's exactly what we're going to do for you,” Fluttershy said, looking at all the boxes in front of her.

Sunset began to place the boxes in front of her friends so each of them could take a box when she heard Pinkie exclaim excitedly behind her, “Oooooh, pink and strawberry doughnuts! My favorite!” Pinkie pressed her face up to the glass display case. “Now let's see if I have enough money for the one on the right.”

Sunset turned to see what Pinkie was looking at and giggled. “Here, Pinkie, let me get that for you before we go.” Sunset walked behind the display case, opened it, then took out the doughnut that Pinkie was looking at. Looking over the display case, she continued, “I need to clean off the display case. Can’t have Pinkie prints on it, you know.”

Pinkie burst out laughing as Sunset walked back around the counter. Pinkie took out her money for the doughnut, which Sunset took and put into the cash register, letting Pinkie munch happily on her doughnut. Once finished, Pinkie took out her cell phone, called her sister Maud to ask for a quick pick-up and drop-off at the mall.

Thirty minutes later, the group soon found themselves climbing into the back of Maud's Van, with Sunset taking the front. Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow took the back, while Fluttershy took the seat behind Sunset.

Getting to the mall a little while later, Sunset began to get out, when she heard Applejack say, “Sunset, is there anythin' you'd like us to order for ya while we're at the food court?”

Thinking for a few minutes while everyone else got out of the van and carried their boxes with them, Sunset finally said as she shut the door to Maud's van and thanked her for the ride, “No, I'm good, AJ. I might be a few minutes, though, so take as much time as you all want to.”

“Okay. We'll see ya in a little while, then.”

The group headed into the mall, then up an escalator and down a small corridor to Daisy Green’s flower shop. Sunset placed her box onto the counter, as did her friends. To her right, she saw a small silver bell with a sign on it that read ‘Ring for service’. She pressed down on the bell, ringing it once, then turned to her friends, saying as she waited for Daisy to come out from the back of the shop, “Alright, you all go ahead. I’ll catch up in a little while.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, with Rainbow saying to Pinkie as the two of them headed out of the flower shop, “Hey, Pinkie. I bet I can beat you to Pony Burger.” Pinkie grinned widely as she and Rainbow raced off towards the fast food restaurant while Applejack and Fluttershy both shook their heads in amusement.

Soon afterward, Daisy Green came out from the back, looked at Sunset, who was facing away from her, and said, “Are you the one that's supposed to bring my order from Sugarcube Corner?”

Sunset turned around to see Daisy Green scowling at her. She replied to her with a confused look on her face, “Yes, ma’am, I am. I have here eight boxes of doughnuts and one boxed-up cake, which I believe is your order.” Sunset looked at the manifest then up at Daisy Green. She continued as she handed over the clipboard to Daisy, “If you could sign on the dotted line, indicating that I delivered your order, that would be great.”

Daisy Green looked at the boxes, then at the clipboard. Taking it from Sunset, she smiled warmly to her, signed the paper, and said, “Oh, before you leave, I have your order for you.”

“Uh, my order?” Sunset replied, confused. “I don’t understand. I didn’t order anything from you.”

Looking a bit more closely at Sunset, Daisy turned her head slightly to the right as she said with a rather unsure look on her face, “You sure you're not here to pick up six pounds of crushed monkshood?”

“No, ma’am. I wouldn't order something that's poisonous, let alone six pounds of it. Heck, I wouldn’t even know what to do with it.”

Pursing her lips, Daisy took out a pad of paper and handed it to Sunset, saying as Sunset took the pad of paper in her own hands, “So, that name that you signed there not more than an hour ago is not yours, then?”

Sunset looked at the paper, dropped it, and bolted from the store, saying to herself as she ran out into the hallway, “It can’t be her. She can’t be alive.” Repeating those words like a mantra, saying them more quickly with each repetition, she ran toward the food court, leaving a very confused Daisy Green to pick up the pad of paper and return it to its proper place. As Sunset ran down the hallway someone else came out of a shop she passed and entered the flower shop she had just left.

"Hey lady you got my order ready" a voice snarled out from behind Daisy Green.

Daisy Green turned around to see the same girl that had just left her shop standing in her shop again only this time she was wearing a full black leather biker outfit. Daisy Green scrunched her eyebrows together as she stammered on her words to the new comer, "I--I don't understand f-first you say you didn't order anything. Then you leave my shop running out of here like your worried about something. Now your back in my shop demanding that I get your order?"

Looking at Daisy Green the new comer frowned deeply snarling out bitterly to her, " Yeah OK, lady whatever you say. You got my order yes or no I don't have all day."

With a heavy sigh and more than a confused expression on her face Daisy Green turned around headed into the back of shop, returning a few moments later with the order of Monkshood. She placed it on the counter the rang up the order while the woman in front of her took out her money Daisy Green said as she took the money from the woman in front of her, "You do know this stuff is deadly if you ingest it right?"

"I am not going to eat it lady." The other woman snarled angrily "I use it as fucking Potpourri!"

"I see," Daisy Green sighed heavily "very well that will be 10.50 please."

After paying for her order the woman in the leather biker outfit left the shop a few moments later she met up with another woman in a brown leather flight coat and sporting a white Mohawk. Gilda Griffin smiled taking the order from the other and stuffing into her cloth bag she had on her back. Grinning to the other woman she said, "You head downstairs I saw a few people that are just ripe for you to pickpocket. I am going to head into the food court to see if there is anyone in there worth stealing from."

With a nod the other woman turned and entered the shop that Gilda had come out of found the escalator leading down and was soon on the first level. Within a few moments of entering the first level the other woman soon would find her first victims. A few moments later, Rainbow and Pinkie both made it to Pony Burger, each of them excited to order the biggest burger possible. Applejack walked over to a railing overlooking the first level of the mall. Looking down with Fluttershy at her side, she suddenly exclaimed, “What in tarnation!?” To Applejack’s complete shock she, witnessed a girl dressed in a full biker outfit pickpocket an elderly couple. From the back, the two girls could easily see the mystery girl's red-and-yellow hair. “What the hey is Sunset doin'?” Applejack said. “Ah can’t believe Sunset did that.” Fluttershy raised a hand to her mouth when she saw the same girl walk over to another couple and pickpocket them as well.

Before either of them could react, they both heard a loud crash from behind them. Spinning around, Applejack saw Rainbow being held by her shirt in the hands of a girl with a brown, leather coat and a white Mohawk. Fluttershy looked back from Rainbow to the first level, saying as Applejack ran off to help Rainbow, “That's odd. Where did Sunset go?” She looked back again to see Applejack getting up to Rainbow and Gilda. “Sunset couldn’t have gotten away that quickly.” Fluttershy didn’t have time to ponder her predicament as she also ran off to help Rainbow deal with Gilda. Unaware that the Sunset look-alike had taken a elevator and was indeed already upstairs watching the fight between Gilda and Rainbow with a wicked smirk on her face.

Gilda had Rainbow by her shirt collar. Fluttershy heard her say to Rainbow as she got up to the two of them, “Give me your money and food right now, Crash, or I'm gonna rearrange your face.”

“Let me go, Gilda. I don’t want any trouble.”

“Not until you give me your money and food, Crash.”

Gilda shoved Rainbow backwards and landed a clean punch to Rainbow's stomach. Rainbow's eyes went wide as she doubled over and fell to the mall’s floor. Applejack immediately jumped in to help her friend. Pinkie also jumped in, throwing a soda at Gilda, hitting her in the back of her head.

Gilda turned around, cracking her knuckles, snarling out to Pinkie, who merely grinned back widely to Gilda, “You’re gonna wish you didn’t do that, loser.”

Applejack moved in to try to tackle Gilda to the floor, only to be knocked to the ground by someone who had managed to sneak up behind her. Applejack rubbed the back of her neck, stuttering out as she slowly looked up, "W-Who in tarnation did that to me?"

Applejack heard soft yet wicked laughter coming from behind her. Fluttershy gasped when she saw just who knocked Applejack to the ground. Looking up, both Rainbow and Applejack were shocked to see a girl wearing a full leather biker outfit and smiling wickedly to both of them. She had red and yellow hair, light amber skin, and cyan eyes.

Exactly like Sunset.

“Security's coming, Gilda,” she said. The girls' eyes widened even further; even her voice sounded like Sunset's! Gilda smirked, kicked Rainbow twice in the stomach, then ran off with the new girl towards the exit just as security arrived and started taking statements. In the end, Applejack and Rainbow were getting to their feet, Fluttershy was panicking, and Pinkie simply stood in stunned silence as she watched the Sunset look-alike run off with Gilda Griffon.

Sunset also arrived a few moments later, but when she saw the security officers, she immediately headed away from the food court and headed for the exit. She was about halfway there when Fluttershy saw her and ran after her, calling out to her, “Sunset, wait. You need to talk to us.” Sunset dashed and got outside just in time to see herself get onto a motorcycle with Gilda seated behind her. The two were laughing as Sunset watched the two of them drive off.

“Sunset, please wait up,” Fluttershy called from the doorway, trying to catch her breath. “Sunset, you need to explain this to us.”

Sunset turned to face Fluttershy, her face as white as newly fallen snow. She began to breathe in and out rapidly as she said quickly, “it can’t be her. it can't be her. It can't be her.” Fluttershy reached her friend, along with the rest of her friends and the security guards. Sweat began to pour down her face as Sunset continued to have a full-blown panic attack. Rainbow turned to the officer that had taken her statement, saying to him, “If we don’t press charges, are you gonna take her away in handcuffs?”

“If you don't press charges, there's little that I can do other than ban her from coming back here again,” he replied. “But after what I saw her do to your friend, I would suggest you file assault charges on her.”

“Good. We ain't about ta have our friend dragged off like some cow ready for slaughter,” Applejack injected sternly. “Besides, from the looks of her right now, she won’t be of much help to you now, anyhow.”

“It can't be her,” Sunset said rapidly. She gulped for breath every now and then, then continued repeating herself.

Rainbow raised her hands up slowly and began to approach Sunset, who began to shake and tremble with fear. “Easy, Sunset. No one's gonna take you away. AJ and I aren’t gonna press charges. Calm down. You’ll be alright. Just breath, Sunset.”

Rainbows words fell on deaf ears, as Sunset began to fully panic. Her breathing got worse as she tried desperately to catch her breath, only to fail completely. Rainbow tried again to calm Sunset down, saying gently to her, “Sunset, listen to me. You need to breathe. You're gonna pass-”

Sunset's eyes rolled up in her head. She stumbled forward, collapsing into Rainbow's arms. “Out,” Rainbow muttered to herself. She very gently laid her down on the ground as Pinkie, her hair limp, took out her phone to call Maud for a fast pick-up. A few minutes went by before Maud pulled up, got out, and helped to get Sunset into her van. Rainbow was adamant about not taking Sunset to a hospital, and nothing Maud, Applejack, or Pinkie said could convince her to relent. Eventually, Maud agreed to drive to Sugarcube Corner.

Maud pulled up to the curb of Sugarcube Corner a half-hour later. Pinkie hopped out of the van, opening the door for Rainbow and Applejack to get out. They both took Sunset by her arms, each draping one arm over their shoulders as they helped the nearly-unconscious red- and yellow-haired girl into the cafe. Mr. Cake was just coming out of the back, carrying a cake for the display case off to his right, when he saw Sunset being brought--almost carried--into the cafe. He dropped the cake, exclaiming, "WHAT HAPPENED!?"

Rainbow looked to Fluttershy, saying to her as they switched places, "Take her to a booth so she can rest. I'll explain what happened to Mr. Cake."

"Alright." Fluttershy looked at Sunset while she and Pinkie helped her to the nearby booth. "Hold on, Sunset. You'll be alright. Just hold on. You're safe now, don't worry."

Rainbow approached the counter, saying to Mr. Cake with concern, "She had a panic attack. She saw someone that I think she knows from Equ--" Rainbow stopped mid-sentence, unsure if she should say anything about where Sunset was actually from. "Er, I mean from her past," she continued, "and she's having some issues." She looked to Fluttershy and Pinkie as they set Sunset down into the nearby booth. "You're not gonna like what else I have to say, Mr. Cake."

Mr. Cake looked from Rainbow to the two girls who had just set Sunset down. "Bring her upstairs into her own bed. My wife and I will tend to her there."

"Alright," Rainbow replied, turning to face Fluttershy and Pinkie. "We need to take her upstairs. I'll get the door while you two help Sunset."
Both Pinkie and Fluttershy nodded in agreement, and within a few minutes, the girls had gotten Sunset up to her room, while Mr. Cake headed down the hallway to get his wife. Upon hearing the news, she rushed to Sunset's bedside without a word to her husband. Mr. Cake entered the room a few moments later, carrying a cup of water with him. He looked at Rainbow and said sternly to her, "What else do you need to tell me, Rainbow?"

Rainbow sighed, then replied while looking down at the floor, "Someone that looked like her attacked Applejack while we all were at the mall today. I'm really confused. How can there be two Sunsets? I thought Sunset didn't have any family."

Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake exchanged worried glances to each other before Mr. Cake replied, "I see. Thank you for telling me this, Rainbow. Just so you all know, she doesn't have any family that I know of. The only thing that I can say to you about this is that you must be mistaken about seeing another Sunset Shimmer."

Rainbow scrunched her eyebrows together tightly. She couldn't believe that Mr. Cake would say that to her. She knew she saw someone that looked like her friend, yet with how this other person acted, she wasn't sure if it was Sunset or someone else entirely.

Before Rainbow could say anything, Applejack snarled out, "No, we ain't mistaken, Mr. Cake. You can't mistake that fire-red and yellow hair or the cyan eyes for someone else's. It just don't make a lick of sense. We saw her, and then we all saw this Sunset outside of the mall having a panic attack. She kept a-sayin', 'She is alive,' or somethin'. What in tarnation does she mean? Who was that other Sunset?"

"Umm, I saw her too, but she didn't act like Sunny would. She acted like Sunny would have two years ago, back in sophomore year," Pinkie chimed in, her hair flat. "I threw my soda at Gilda during the fight, which she didn't like one bit. I was all ready to go all karate on her party-pooping butt, but when I saw the other Sunset tackle Applejack, I-I froze. Now I don't know what else to do but try to help Sunny out of this mess."

"Sunset was really upset. The only other time I've ever seen her that frightened was at the Fall Formal when we blasted her with Rainbow Magic," Fluttershy said, looking down at her friend while holding her hand. "I hope she'll be alright. I want to know what's going on, too."

"Girls, you need to understand. Sunset has--" Mrs. Cake began, but stopped, remembering her promise to Sunset. "Well, she's complicated," Mrs. Cake said. "I'm not sure if it's our place to actually say anything. Besides, we Pinkie Promised her, and according to Sunset, once you make a Pinkie Pie promise, you can't go back on it."

"That's right," Pinkie said, sniffing hard, trying to fight back her tears. "You can't. A Pinkie Pie promise is very, very sacred. You never break a Pinkie Pie promise."

Their talk was interrupted as Sunset stirred, moaning out, "She's alive." She turned her head to the right, gripping the sheets tightly in both hands. "Crystal." She turned her head to the left. "Mom."

Fluttershy let go of Sunset's hand and let Mr. Cake sit by Sunset, saying as she stood up and walked over to Rainbow, "She must miss her mom. I guess her name's Crystal."

"Fluttershy dear, that's not what Sunset is talking about. Her mother's name is not Crystal, although that would be far less confusing than sharing a name with your principal."

"Oh, so she's Princess Celestia's daughter, then?" Fluttershy almost whispered out, looking very sad as she watched Sunset breathing rapidly. "Please, Sunset, wake up. We aren't mad. We just want you to talk to us. We won't judge you."

"Yes, she told us who her mother is, Fluttershy. She told us everything--literally everything--about herself, including the many things she's kept from you five." Mr. Cake looked down before continuing. "Girls, I need you all to head downstairs now. I'll call you back up here when she begins to wake up." Looking at Sunset, Mr. Cake gently took her hand into his own. "Shh, Sunset. It's going to be alright. You're not over there. You're right here with us."

Rainbow's eyes went wide when she realized that the Cakes knew about Sunset's past and about where she came from. She began, "You know she's from--"

"As my husband has already stated," Mrs. Cake interrupted, "she has told us everything, Rainbow. Now we can't say anything else to any of you."

"Can't or won't?" Applejack snarled out bitterly. "Ah aint gonna file charges on her for what she done to me back at the mall, but Ah at least wanna know the truth about her and about why there are two of them. If there really are two of them."

Three hours slowly ticked by before Sunset began to stir in her bed again. She could clearly hear Fluttershy's soft yet sweet voice say, “Hey, I think she's waking up.”

“Okay, everyone out now!” Mr. Cake's voice came loud and clear. “She needs some time to rest.”

"But we wanna stay and help Sunny,” Sunset heard Pinkie say as she began to wake up, her vision blurring badly. “Why can’t we stay here with Sunny?”

“Because you can’t, Pinkie. She needs some time to be alone, now scoot,” Mrs. Cake’s calming voice came out. “We'll contact each of you when the time is right. Now please leave.”

“Alright, we’re going. Just call us if--make that when--she cares to explain herself to us, got it?” Applejack said as Sunset opened her eyes. “Ah just hope she really will be alright.” Applejack stopped in the doorway, saying to Mr. Cake as he held Sunset's hand in his own, “We don’t want any trouble for her or for us. We just wanna know what's really goin' on, is all. Please tell her that for us.”

“I will. Now will you all please just leave so we can tend to Sunset?”

Sunset woke up to find herself in her bed in the Cakes' cafe. Mr. Cake was sitting next to her, saying as he held a glass of water to her lips, “Shhh, it's going to be alright, Sunset. No one is going to hurt you.”

Mrs. Cake, sitting to Sunset's right, nodded. “Yes, Sunset. You're safe now. You just had a really bad panic attack,” she said. “But you're going to be just fine. You're safe now, back in your room. You’re not going to get hurt.”

Sunset drank the water. When she finished, she said as she laid back deeply into her pillow, “She can't be alive.”

“Hush now, Sunset. Just sleep. You’ll stay home from school tomorrow. We'll take care of getting your homework,” Mr. Cake said, gently pulling up the covers to Sunset's shoulders. “You're safe now. You're home, and that is all that matters.”

“Yes, Sunset, you're home now, so just sleep for now. You’ll feel better. You'll see in the morning.”

Sunset closed her eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep. Mr. and Mrs. Cake headed out of Sunset's room. Each looked at the other worriedly. Mrs. Cake stopped in the threshold of Sunset's door to take one last look at the sleeping red- and yellow-haired girl in bed. She wiped a tear from her eyes, saying to her husband, “She can’t keep this from her friends any longer. She has to tell them.”

“I know, honey, but I'm very worried about how they will react when they find out what she really is and how she came into existence. For now, though, let's let her rest.”

“We can’t let this go on any further, Carrot. Our daughter needs us now more than ever. She may not be ours by blood, but she's our daughter nonetheless. We have to do something.”

Sunset, meanwhile, slept soundly for the rest of the day and well into the night. Mrs. Cake headed into a spare room and climbed into the spare bed they kept in the room in case Sunset ever wanted a sleepover. Mr. Cake entered the room as well. He could hear his wife crying softly to herself. He sat down next to her, pulled her into a warm hug, and gently ran his fingers through his wife's hair. He soothingly said to her, “I know, honey, I know. It hurts, but we will make every effort to help Sunset get through this. I promise.”

“That's not why I'm crying, Carrot.”

“Then why are you crying? Please tell me so I can help make things right for you.”

“I'm crying because Sunset is going to be a big sister but only if we adopt her. I can’t hold off on telling her any longer. I want to tell her the happy news, and I want her to be ours so she can be a part of our family.”

“You mean you're--”

“Yes, Carrot. I'm pregnant. Please don’t make us wait any longer to ask her to let us adopt her.”

Mr. Cake held his wife warmly in his arms as she cried into his shoulders, soothingly running his fingers through her hair. It wasn’t long before she cried herself to sleep. Laying her down next to him, he thought to himself as he kissed her goodnight, “We'll tell her tomorrow. I promise. We'll tell Sunset about our plans to adopt her tomorrow, honey.”

Conditions and Blackmail (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sweetie Belle woke up bright and early. She headed downstairs to make herself breakfast, thinking to herself, “Damn that Sunset Shimmer. I'm in trouble with Rarity because of her. This is all her fault,” as she sat alone at the kitchen table.

Looking out of the kitchen towards a small hallway, she could see that there was light coming from Rarity's workroom. Getting up from the kitchen table, she headed down the hallway towards her sister's workroom and entered. Looking around, she saw her sister was busy at her sewing machine, trying to repair Coco Pommel’s dress.

Getting a little closer as she tried not to disturb her sister's work, Sweetie Belle spied her phone sitting on a nearby end table. Reaching out for it, she heard her sister mutter to herself, “Sweetie Belle, where did I go wrong with helping to raise you?” Sweetie Belle looked at her sister for a few seconds as she thought she could see tears falling down her sister's cheeks. Sweetie Belle picked up her phone and headed back into the kitchen. Once there, she placed her phone into a cabinet under a plastic bucket, then headed upstairs.

A few moments later, with her eyes dried and her tears spent, Rarity came out of her workroom and entered the kitchen. Rarity called out, “Sweetie Belle, it’s time to go. I don’t want you to be late for school.”

“I’ll be down in a minute. I just need to finish brushing my teeth,” Sweetie Belle called back.

Rarity opened up the cabinet that Sweetie Belle had hid her phone in, took out a few tea bags, and put them in her purse. Sweetie Belle came down stairs just as her sister was shutting the cabinet door, thinking to herself as she watched Rarity move from one cabinet to the next, “Please don’t find my phone.”

Rarity went to the refrigerator, taking out her lunch and her sister's. Handing Sweetie Belle's lunch over to her, Rarity said, “Put your lunch in your backpack and put on your boots. I will meet you outside.” Rarity headed for the door after placing her own lunch into her backpack and walked outside, leaving Sweetie Belle alone in the kitchen.

Quickly opening up the cabinet door she had hidden her phone in, Sweetie Belle was relieved to see that her phone was still there. She had just enough time to stuff it into her coat pocket before her sister came back inside. Watching Rarity carefully, Sweetie Belle saw her sister head back into her workroom and return a few moments later, saying, “Do you know where your phone is, Sweetie Belle? I thought I placed it in my workroom last night.”

“Uh, no. You took it, so you should know where it is. Are you telling me you lost my phone?”

Looking at her watch, Rarity frowned, saying sternly as she opened the front door for her sister, “We don’t have time to search for it now. Get your boots on, and let's go. We will look for it once we get home.”

“Fine, whatever, but if my phone is broken after you lost it--”

“You had better not finish that sentence, young lady! Now stop fooling around and get your boots on so we can go,” Rarity snapped back.
Sweetie Belle complied without further protest, slipping her boots on and heading outside. Rarity walked out as well, locking the door behind her. She was about to head down the sidewalk to join her sister but stopped about halfway to the sidewalk, saying to her sister who frowned back to her, “Did you remember to grab your set of house keys before heading out, Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle felt her pockets, then shook her head when she realized that, in her rush to get her phone and get outside without being caught, she left her keys on the kitchen counter. Rarity closed her eyes and began to count from ten to one. Once finished, she turned around with a slight huff, headed back inside, and returned a few moments later with the extra set of keys. She handed them to Sweetie Belle, saying, “What would you have done if I had not been home to let you in and you completely forgot your keys?”

“I would have headed to Rainbow's house and waited there until you came to pick me up.”

“Right. Now let's go. We are going to be late.”

“Fine, whatever.”

Fifteen minutes, later the two stood waiting at the bus stop. While they waited, Rarity reached into her purse and took out her Pony phone, plugged in her ear buds, and started listening to classical opera. Sweetie Belle stood next to her, stewing in her anger towards both her sister and Sunset.

Twenty minutes slowly went by before the pair found themselves entering the school's main doorways. Sweetie Belle raced ahead towards her locker, much to her sisters irritation. After putting her things, away she took out her phone, looked around to make sure her sister wasn’t nearby. She set it to record and silenced it. Once done, she headed for the cafeteria.

Getting to the cafferata a few moments later, Sweetie Belle quickly found her two friends sitting at their normal table. She confirmed that it was recording, slipped it into her pants pocket, and approached the table.

Sitting down, in front of her two friends, Sweetie Belle said to Apple Bloom, “Alright, before I agree to help either of you out, I have some conditions to make clear. But before we get to that, I want to know a few things first.”

“Like what?” asked Scootaloo. “You already know that Apple Bloom and I are Anon-a-Miss and that we're using MyStable to post everyone's secrets. What else is there to know?”

Sweetie Belle took a soft, quick breath. “I want to know why you both did this. I'm doing this because Rarity doesn’t pay any attention to me at all. The only time I get to spend any time with her is when I'm being used as a model for one of her,” Sweetie Belle shuttered slightly, “dresses. Don’t get me wrong, I think she has some pretty good Ideas, but I don’t like having to wear them all the time.”

“Well, because o' her, m' sister skipped sister night, and Ah also want Applejack back in m' life. Ah don’t like that Applejack makes me do so much work around the farm yet is never around when Ah need her for somethin'. She's always spendin' time with Sunset.”

Scootaloo looked down at the table in front of her, “I'm doing this because Sunset made my sister forget about my swim meeting. Because of that, I got kicked off the team.” Looking back up, Scootaloo saw a confused look on Sweetie Belle’s face. “I'm not gonna talk about it, Sweetie Belle.”

“Alright, I guess that's a pretty good reason. Now, on to my conditions. One, I want you both to hand over whatever you have on my sister, and I mean everything.” Sweetie Belle looked from Apple Bloom to Scootaloo as they both nodded in reply. “Two, once Sunset is no longer friends with our sisters, you need to shut down the site, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I only want to see her lose her friends. That's it. Three, you will not post anything about my sister other than what I've already given to Apple Bloom. If you do, then we're not friends anymore.”

“Alright, we agree to that.” Apple Bloom smiled. “Ah have the video and the photos ready for you ta look at. Pick out which ones ya want me to post, and Ah’ll post them. Ah'll also give you the password to the Anon-a-Miss account.”

“Good. Now let me see what you have, and I'll take it from there.”

After spending ten minutes looking through the photos and the video, Sweetie Belle said with a slight smirk on her face, “Go ahead and post everything you have. But remember, any further pictures of Rarity need to be cleared by me first. I don’t care what you post about the other students as long as you clear what you want to post about my sister first.”

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded in agreement. “Oh, by the way, Sunset isn’t here today,” Scootaloo said, grinning. “Rainbow came home last night and told me she had some...issues at the mall. Between that and her past, she's pretty much done for.”

“I see," Sweetie Belle replied. Turning to Apple Bloom, she said, "Alright, Apple Bloom, give me the password and let me use your phone so I can test it.” Seeing the confused look on her friend's face, she quickly added, “My sister has my phone on lock-down since I'm grounded for the next week.”

Apple Bloom handed over her phone, told Sweetie Belle the password, and waited for her to sign in. A few seconds later, Sweetie Belle signed in, then smiled to herself as she handed the phone back to Apple Bloom after signing back out.

“Thanks. Now, I need to go to class. I’ll see you both at math class today.”

Sweetie Belle got up and headed out of the cafeteria and down the hallway. Once she was sure her two friends were not following, she took out her phone, pressed the stop button, and then signed back into MyStable. It took only a minute or two for her to change the password. Taking a quick breath, she called Apple Bloom’s phone and waited for her to answer.

Looking at her phone, Apple Bloom scrunched her eyebrows together tightly as she said with a confused look on her face, “Why in the world is Sweetie Belle calling me on her phone? Ah thought Rarity had hers on lock-down.”

“Well, you better answer it to see what she wants. And to find out why she lied to us about not having her phone,” Scootaloo replied, also a bit confused.

Holding the phone up to her ear, she said, “Hey, Sweetie Belle. Why're you calling me with yer phone? Ah thought yer sister had it on lock-down.”

“And she thinks it's still somewhere in the house. Listen, while we were talking, I recorded what you each said to me. I also changed the password to MyStable. Now neither of you can go back on your word to me. This is the price that you both are going to pay for threatening my sister. And if you try to take my phone from me, I'll simply send this to Principal Celestia.” It wasn't missed on Sweetie Belle that if she did so, she, too, would be in trouble for her part in the Anon-a-Miss account. “So, you either do as you're told when your told, or you both will be in the principal's office, got it? Now, I need to go. Hope you two have a nice day, now.”

When Sweetie Belle hung up, Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo a very worried look as she said, “We are in so much trouble, Scootaloo.”

“Uh, why?” Apple Bloom replied with a confused look on her face.

“Because she recorded everythin' we said. If that gets out, we're in big trouble. We have no choice; we have ta do what she wants us ta do.”

“Great, so now we have to worry about Sweetie Belle turning us in!?” Scootaloo exclaimed, her eyes going wide. “I don’t believe this! If you hadn’t threatened her sister in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Ah know that!" Apple Bloom shot back her eyes slowly widening. Looking down she continued. "S... what do we do now?”

“We change the pass--” Scootaloo suddenly had a look of realization wash over her face like ice-cold water. “She wanted the password so she could change it. That little traitor!”

“Look, for now, we hafta do what she says, at least until Ah can think o' somethin'.” Apple Bloom replied holding up her hands.

"Well, you damn well better figure something out and figure it out soon! We can't let what she recorded on her phone get out!" Scootaloo shot back with anger clearly showing in her eyes "We'll be done for if she sends that to Principal Celestia or to Vice Principal Luna."

Apple Bloom got up and headed out of the cafeteria, followed by Scootaloo, neither of them knowing what to do. They each headed to their own classes and waited to see Sweetie Belle again during math class.

Rarity was just getting into her own class when her phone chimed out, “Incoming call.” Taking out her phone, she quickly answered it, getting Sunset's voice on the other end.

"Hello, Rarity"

“Hello, darling. How are you doing today?”

“I'm...doing well. I think. Listen, I won’t be in today. Can you pick up my homework and ask the others to do the same for me, please? Just give it to Pinkie and ask her to take it to Sugarcube Corner when she comes in to work today.”

“Of course, dear. I do hope you feel better. Rainbow told me about what happened. If you want to talk, I’ll be there for you, darling.”

“Thanks, Rarity. I need to go, though. Bye.”

Rarity hung up her phone and started the rest of her day, all while thinking about Sunset. During most of her day she went from class to class, collecting Sunset's homework and making sure her friends did the same. By the end of the day, she had six assignments ready for Sunset to work on while she was out. Pinkie took the assignments in her backpack and bounced along the sidewalk happily, looking forward to seeing if Sunset was really feeling better, while Rarity and the rest of the girls all headed home.

Sweetie Belle smirked to herself, which quickly fade when Rarity turned to her, saying, "When we get home, I want you to get your homework done, then come downstairs so we can talk."

Bail (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Luna finished her last report before taking her lunch break. Filing the paperwork and drinking the last of her cofee, she got up with a slight huff and walked over to her mini-refrigerator that sat to the left of her desk. She took out her lunch and carried it to the teachers' lounge.
Entering the lounge, she saw Pearl already sitting at one of the many tables. Luna placed her lunch into the microwave, set the timer, then sat down across from Pearl, saying, “How is your day going so far, Pearl?”

Pearl looked up from a newspaper she was reading and smiled warmly to Luna. “I'm doing well. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. More than usual, that is,” she replied with a chuckle.

“Oh? Why is that?” Luna replied, setting her lunch down. “I mean, other than maybe watching the Wondercolts play for the state finals and cheer our team on.”

“It’s about our anniversary.” Pearl grinned back at Luna sheepishly. “Which reminds me. I need to ask you something.”

“Our anniversary?” Luna replied with a confused look on her face. Her face lit up in recognition soon afterward. "Oh, you mean your anniversary with Brushed Jade. Sure, what do you need?"

“Well...” Pearl sighed as she began to bite down on her fingernails, something Luna always hated. “W-which do you think would be b-better: red or black?”

“What do you mean?” Luna began as she took her lunch out of the microwave and to the table. “Are you talking about a new car. I hope so. I must say that car of yours really needs to go. I mean, come on. Puke green with lemon-colored hubcaps on a bug? Those bouncy antennae things on the roof? Really, Pearl, that is not you at all.”

Pearl cleared her throat, biting back her retort. “I was actually talking about a dress. Seeing as how you know me best, I want to know what do you think I should wear when I take Brushed Jade out this weekend?”

Before Luna could offer any reply, the break room phone rang, and she got up to answer it. Picking it up, she saw that Pearl was biting nervously on her nails again. Luna forgetting that she was still holding onto the phone, said, “Stop that.”

“Stop what, honey?” came a kindly voice over the phone.

“What? Oh, no, I wasn’t talking to you, Snow Charm. I was talking to Pearl. Anyway, what's up?”

“I just wanted to make sure we're still on for dinner tonight at seven.”

“Yes, we are. I’ll see you then. Oh, don’t forget to bring the champagne this time.”

“Alright. I'll pick some up on the way over. See you then.”

Luna hung up the phone, then smiled kindly to Pearl, who quirked an eyebrow to her in return. Pearl looked down at her hand, which she had stopped chewing on, saying, “I know it's a bad habit, but I'm really nervous about this anniversary.”

Luna sat back down scrunching her eyebrows together while rubbing two fingers on the bridge of her nose. Looking back up and smiling reassuringly, she said, “What do you have to worry about, Pearl? You're a beautiful and intelligent person. Always have been and always will be.”

“Well it's been almost ten whole years since you and I dated and almost as long since I have been on an actual, fancy-dinner date.” Pearl looked down at her meal, saying as she stirred her food, “What if Brush Jade doesn’t like my dress? Or she doesn’t like where we'll be going out to eat?” Pearl looked back up, letting out a slight but noticeable gasp, “What if she wants to use this time to-to break up with me? What am I going to do!?”

“OK, number one,” Luna said, holding up a finger and shaking her head, “you're going to calm down.” Luna held up a second finger. “Number two, you don't have to worry about her. I'm very sure she will like what you have planned and--”

Luna was cut off when the phone in the break room rang out again. Picking it up, she saw that Pearl was about to say something else. Luna cut her off, saying, “Hold that thought.”

“Hold what thought, Luna?” Celestia’s sweet voice came through the phone.

“Oh, I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to Pearl," Luna said, fighting back her feeling of deja vu. "What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you got your report on Anon-a-Miss done yet. I need to file that report soon.”

“Uh, no, not yet. There have been twenty-five more postings to the website since last Thursday. I am still tracking down all the students that made those postings.”

“I see. Alright, please have what you've compiled so far typed up and ready for me to review by the end of the week. I’ll be leaving for a bit. I have someone I need to check on.”

“You’re going to check on her. Tia, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, Luna, I am. She needs someone to look out for her. She won’t be living with me very long, only until the paperwork is done. Then, she will be placed into an actual home, and she’ll finally be away from her mother.”

“I had--dealings with her mother in the past, Celestia. Please, just...just be careful when dealing with her.”

“I will. I have to go now. I’ll read your report when you get done typing it up.”

Luna hung up, then sat back down. She was about to take a bite of her lunch when she heard her cell phone chime out, “Incoming post.”

Taking out her phone, she looked at it, then grumbled out, “Not another one. I swear, Sunset is really just getting herself into more and more trouble.”

“Luna.” Pearl said, causing Luna to look up from her phone. “Do you really think that Sunset is the one doing this?”

“Yes, Pearl, I do. Everything thus far--”

“--is circumstantial. Please don't jump to conclusions like this, Luna. Remember when I jumped to conclusions when we dated back in college? We didn't see each other for ten years, Luna. Didn't that teach you anything?”

“What else am I supposed to think? All the postings so far are what she would have gathered when she was bullying students before Twilight came.”

“That was several months ago, and she's made so much progress since then. Why would she throw it all away just to make life a living hell for everyone? She has friends now and people that really care about her. What could she gain by doing this?”

“I--” Her pager chirped, relaying that someone was in her office to see her. Growling and annoyed at being interrupted for the fourth time in ten minutes, she said as she got up from the table, “Can we finish this some other time, Pearl?”

“Sure, Luna. Just be sure not to jump to conclusions. I really don’t believe she's doing this.”

Luna headed out of the break room towards her office. She entered her office a few moments later to see a man in a well-made, black suit sitting in front of her desk. Whatever pleasant thoughts she had left were quickly dispersed when she saw who it was. Taking her seat in front of him, she glared at him as she almost snarled out, “What are you doing here?”

“Now, Luna, I have not come for a fight. I came here because I wanted you to know that Rover Diggsby, Fido Miner, and Spot Sniffer have been released into my custody. I paid for their bail, and I--”

“YOU WHAT?” Luna exclaimed, her eyes widening, “HOW THE HELL COULD YOU PAY FOR THEIR BAIL!?”

"Why, I'm the only one those boys look up to. Their parents want nothing to do with them when they get in trouble with the law. Who am I to refuse that honor?"

Celestia rushed into the room. “What’s all the yell--” her voice froze like ice when she saw who Luna was yelling at. “Sombra.” She took a step back.

Luna got up from behind her desk and stepped between Sombra and Celestia, placing her sister behind her as she said, “Get out, and don't come back here again!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m going. I just wanted you to know that Rover Diggsby, Fido Miner, and Spot Sniffer--the 'Diamond Dogs', as they like to be called--are out of jail now. I’ll see you around, Celie.” Sombra chuckled wickedly as he walked by Celestia, brushing up against her right shoulder.

Celestia closed her eyes, shaking as Sombra walked by her. Luna took notice of this as she brought her sister into her office. Sitting Celestia down at her desk, Luna said gently to her, “It's going to be alright, Tia. He won’t be able to hurt you again. You two aren't married anymore. That was a lifetime ago.”

“I--I know. It's just, it still hurts, though. Just seeing him makes my blood boil and freeze at the same time.”

“You should take a few minutes to compose yourself. You don’t want your houseguest to see you like this, do you?”

Celestia cleared her throat, taking a few moments to calm down. Luna made some tea, which Celestia took gratefully. A few minutes went by with the two sitting sipping tea together before Celestia looked at the time, nodded gratefully to her sister, and left.

Luna, meanwhile, closed her eyes, thinking to herself as she recalled why Celestia was taking care of the girl she was legally entrusted with, “Damn you for putting this on my sister.”

A Broken Mind (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This chapter was heavly inspired by

Bluecolton's "A Sound In The Dark"

http://www.fimfiction.net/stories/relevance?search=A+sound+in+the+dark

Cover art that help inspired this chapter done by Koeskull

A Broken Mind (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Princess Luna was just getting off of her chariot when she felt a sudden coldness she had not felt in a long time, not since her single night as Nightmare Moon. Recognizing the sensation, she headed inside Twilight's palace of friendship immediately and soon found herself in Twilight's bedchamber. Celestia was still holding onto Twilight, sobbing to herself. Getting closer to her sister, she heard Celestia whisper, “This is all my fault.”

“Celestia,” Luna began, causing her sister to look up through blurry, bloodshot eyes, “what happened? I can sense dark magic at work here.” Luna looked around, then back to her sister. “Is Twilight alright?”

Shaking her head, Celestia replied, “No, Luna, Twilight is not alright, and I fear the dark magic of Crystal Ridge has had a vile effect on her.” Gently laying Twilight’s head down on a pillow, Celestia could clearly see that Twilight’s face still showed no sign of recovery. Her eyes were still wide open, and drool was still slowly dripping from the left corner of her mouth. Luna looked at Twilight, then to her sister, saying gently to her, “Let me see if I can help her, sister. I might be able to bring her out of this.”

“Luna, don't. If you where to get hurt while you were in Twilight's mind, I don’t know what I would do.”

“Celestia, I am the princess of dreams. I will not get hurt. Now please, let me help.”

Luna’s horn glowed bright blue as her sister gently nuzzled Twilight's cheek. As Celestia's final tears fell, she said, “Don’t worry, my little Twilight. I won’t lose you again. Luna will take good care of you. You’re in good hooves with her.” Before Luna could say anything, Celestia got up and headed out of Twilight's bedchamber, leaving Luna to tend to Twilight alone.

Within Twilight's mind, Luna saw Twilight sleeping. Luna called out to her, “Twilight, you must awaken from this drea--”

Luna was cut off when she heard a dark, sick laughter coming from the farthest reaches of Twilight's mind. Luna watched as Twilight got up, hopped out of bed, stretched, then--completely ignoring Luna--headed into the library to see if Spike was attending to his chores. Reaching the library, she saw that it was completely empty, Twilight turned to head out of the library when she spotted Spike entering another room a few doors down from her location. Thinking Spike had forgotten to dust the books, Twilight walked towards the room Spike entered. Getting inside the room, she said, “Spike,” getting his attention. “Why aren't you in the library helping me clean?”

Spike turned around, took one look at Twilight, and ran out of the room screaming. Twilight blinked a few times, her head tilted to the right. With a confused look etched on her face, she muttered to herself while she ran after him, “What in the wide world of Equestria brought this on?”

Twilight continued to chase her little friend from room to room, all while Spike continued to scream and run away from her. Twilight chased Spike to a nearby room. As she entered the room, the scene shifted from her home in the crystal palace of friendship to Crystal Ridge. Looking around, Twilight muttered to herself as she began to walk forward, “Why am I at Crystal Ridge?”

“Twilight, you must awaken from this dream,” Luna called out to her. If Twilight heard her, she gave no indication. “Twilight, listen to me. You must awaken.”

Twilight looked around the old, derelict mansion. To her right were large stone pillars carved of the finest marble and jade stones. To her left were shelves upon shelves of books, beakers and other variables of science and occult magic. Luna could only watch as Twilight ignored her pleas. Twilight headed further into the mansion, muttering to herself, “Why I am back here?”

Twilight entered a door, and Luna followed. The scene shifted again. This time, Twilight found herself battling Sunset in her demon form. Again, Luna called out to her, “Twilight, you must awaken. Equestria needs you,” and again, Twilight ignored her pleas. “Twilight, that pony you're fighting isn’t real. Please, listen to me.”

Luna watched as Twilight rolled to the right, then to the left, while Sunset Shimmer fired wave after wave of green energy at her. Sunset quickly gained the upper hand, locking Twilight in an aura of green energy. Twilight screamed in pain as she could feel her bones snapping like twigs. Luna ran forward, only to have the scene shift again.

This time, she saw Twilight standing in front of a large pony with red and black patches where its skin use to be. It’s mane was knotted and filled with bugs. Where it once had eyes, now only two dead sockets remained. Its tongue flicked back and forth as drool dripped from its mouth. Luna watched in horror as the pony stepped towards Twilight. Twilight smiled, reaching out a hoof to it.

“Twilight, stay away from that creature,” Luna called to her, only to be ignored again. “Twilight, please, stay away.”

Twilight smiled, then began to laugh. Tears slowly poured out of her eyes, trickling down her cheeks. The skinless pony grinned a broken, toothy grin to Luna, who backed away from it. It opened its wings, allowing Luna to see the bones of the right wing and torn flesh of the left. Twilight slowly disappeared from sight as she merged with the skinless pony in front of her. To Luna’s shock, the two began to speak as one.

“What’s the matter, Princess Luna? Didn’t your sister tell you about my failure? This is what happens when you fail her: She leaves you like this.”

A voice from the dark caught Luna off guard. “Princess Luna, wake up.”

Luna woke up with a gasp. Looking around, she saw Spike standing next to a stallion. He was wearing a multicolored scarf and had an hourglass cutie mark on his flank. Bowing to her with Spike, he softly said, “My name is Dr. Whooves.” Dr. Whooves gestured to Spike with a hoof. “When Princess Celestia showed up with Twilight, Spike came into town and got me. I am the only pony that can save her. Please, let me help.”

“Is that why you've awakened me from Twilight's dreams? So that you can help Twilight?” Luna snarled out bitterly, causing the doctor to take a step back. “You could have done more harm than good, doctor. Now be off with you. I must return--”

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness,” Dr. Whooves began as he bowed very low to Luna, “but you must not go back into her mind.” Standing up, he took a step towards Twilight as he continued, with Luna being ever watchful of his movements. “I know what is happening to Twilight, and for you to go back into her mind now would only further what is happening to her.”

Luna took a quick look around, noticing her sister was not in the bedchamber with them. Spike tapped her on her left flank, saying to her gently, “Please, Princess Luna, let him help. He's the only doctor around in Ponyville.”

Looking from Spike to the stallion, who offered her a pleasant but sincere smile, Luna stepped back, saying as she locked eyes with Dr. Whooves, “Very well. If you can help her where I have so far failed, you may try.” Looking to Spike, she continued, “have you seen my sister, Spike?”

“Yes, Princess Luna. She's outside. She looks really upset. Let us help Twilight. You go help Princess Celestia.”

“Very well, but be careful. If what I saw within Twilight's mind was real, then she could very well be going insane.”

“We will, Your Highness, and thank you for letting Dr. Whooves help Twilight.”

Luna nodded to Spike and headed towards the front of Twilight's castle. She soon found herself outside, standing behind Celestia, who was weeping silently to herself. As Luna approached, she heard her sister say, “It’s all my fault. I never should've let this happen. Now I've lost her all over again.”

“Sister, you should know that Dr. Whooves is here. He seems to think that he can help Twilight.”

Celestia sniffed, wiping a hoof over her eyes, trying to dry her tears. Looking down and shuddering, she slowly looked up at Luna, her eyes bloodshot from crying. Luna gently wrapped her front legs around her older sister, saying to her softly, “It’s going to be alright, Celestia. I promise.”

Celestia sniffed again, replying, “No, Luna, it won't be alright. I am going to lose her.” Celestia ended the warm embrace. Turning her back on Luna, she opened her wings and took to the air, leaving Luna a bit confused. Unfurling her own wings, Luna also took to the air, giving chase to her sister.

The two flew for almost twenty minutes before Celestia banked low to the ground, landing a few feet from the train station. Luna followed suit, landing just behind her sister. Tucking her wings gently yet, tightly against her body, Luna said, “Sister, I don’t understand what you mean by 'I am going to lose her'. You acting very strangely towards Twilight. Such behavior is not appropriate for you to be displaying seeing as how she is you're student.”

Celestia didn’t reply right away. She looked at her reflection in a pane of glass in a nearby window of the building she and her sister had both landed in front of. Letting out a slight stilted sigh, she said, “There is something that I have kept from you since you came home, Luna. But once I tell you, I'm afraid you will hate me for it.”

“My sister, I will not hate you. I love you. All of Equestria loves--”

Celestia turned around narrowing her eyes to her sister. “I don’t deserve their loyalty or their love. Not after what I've done and allowed to happen.”

Celestia sighed, and she told her sister her true connection to Twilight, to Crystal Ridge, and to Sunset. Once finished, she saw that Luna had a look of pure shock etched onto her face.

Luna stammered on her words to her sister as she tried to make sense of what Celestia had told her, “Sh-She can’t be. Twilight is--and Sunset i-is--” Looking down, she continued, “This can’t be! Celestia, how could you?”

“I must go now to Crystal Ridge. You must remain here and look after Twilight. She will need you.” Turning away from her sister as the train could be heard coming into the station, Celestia continued, “Promise me one thing before I go, Luna.”

Luna looked up, her eyes still wide with shock and her face ghostly pale. “Y-Yes, sister?”

“Promise me that if I do not come back, Twilight will become the next to rule Equestria. She has a kind heart and a good sense of what is right and what is wrong. She will make a fine ruler, better than I have been.”

The train came, sounding its horn as it squealed to a stop. Celestia took a hold of her sister, whispering into her ear. “I love you, my sister. I will always love you.” Celestia boarded the train, leaving her sister at the station to weep silently to herself.

As the train slowly disappeared from sight, Luna turned to leave, but then turned around, unfurled her wings, and began to follow the train, saying to herself, “I love you, too, my sister. That is why I cannot allow you to go to that horrible place alone.”

Several hours later, Princess Celestia departed the train and flew the rest of the way to the mansion. Landing in front of it, she was about to enter the ominous building when she heard from above her, “Celestia, wait. I am going to help you.” Luna landed several feet from Celestia and the mansion.

Celestia looked over her shoulder to her sister. As she watched Luna approach her, she snarled out, “What in all of Equestria are you doing here, Luna? I asked you to stay back at Twilight's castle.”

“I know, sis--”

Luna was cut off when Celestia landed a clean, single right hook into Luna’s right temple, knocking her sister out with a single blow. As Luna collapsed to the snowy ground, Celestia whispered, “Forgive me, Luna, but I must face this darkness alone.” Celestia used her magic to gently carry her sister to a nearby pile of boulders. There, she laid her unconscious sister down onto the ground, clearing away any snow. She quickly searched the buildings for an old blanket and laid it on Luna to keep her warm. Her work finished, Celestia took one last look at her before entering the mansion.

The doors slammed shut behind her. Celestia turned to face the doors. Using her magic once more, she sealed herself in and shut Luna out. Turning back around, she proceeded to head deep into the bowels of the mansion, ignoring everything until she came to a crude lab. To her right were large cylinders filled with oozing, thick, green liquid. To her left were screens, papers and machines that she recalled seeing when Sunset had first come here seventeen years ago.

Looking over the cylinders, Celestia saw that each one had a number on them, ranging from one to twelve. All of them were broken, the glass shattered. Looking down, she saw the bones of infant pony bodies. The sight still sickened her as she recalled very vividly what was done to her own daughter at this place, what Sunset was, and what Sunset learned here.

Entering another room, she saw one more cylinder with "14" carved onto it. Looking around, she also saw where a second cylinder had crashed through a broken marble balcony overlooking a deep cliffside ridge. Celestia closed her eyes as she thought to herself, “I am so sorry I let this happen to you, Sunset.” Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a deep, feminine, and oddly echoed laughter coming from behind her. Spinning around quickly, Celestia came face-to-face with Queen Chrysalis, who smirked to her as she said, “Hello, Celestia. I am surprised you actually came back here again. Especially after what happened to Twilight and what happened here seventeen years ago.”

A New Family (Edited by Icecreammac)

Pinkie skipped happily down the street after saying her goodbyes to her friends and making sure she had all of Sunset’s homework. Arriving at Sugar Cube Corner a hour after leaving school, she headed inside the building, waving a pleasant hello to Mr. Cake.

Mr. Cake was just bringing more doughnuts out for the display case when he looked up and saw Pinkie entering the building. He smiled warmly to Pinkie, saying as she walked around the counter, setting her backpack down behind the cash register, “Sunset is in the back, helping us get ready for a big order, Pinkie.”

Looking up after taking out Sunset's homework, Pinkie smiled back, “How is Sunny doing, Mr. Cake?”

“She’s doing well.” Mr. Cake looked at the papers in Pinkie's hand. “I take it that's Sunset's homework.”

“Yep, sure is.” Pinkie grinned widely. “All six assignments.” She headed for the stairs leading up to Sunset’s room. “I’m gonna go put her homework in her room, then I’ll clock in and help you out.”

“Alright,” Mr. Cake called after her as she headed upstairs. “Be sure to leave her homework on her bed. And don’t snoop around her room. Sunset wouldn't like that.”

Pinkie bounced away, completely ignoring Mr. Cake's warning as she headed for the stairs leading to Sunsets bedroom. Getting there a few moments later, she opened the door, went inside, and looked around. To her right was Sunset's bed. Next to it was a end table with Sunset's journal on it and a vase filled with flowers that gave the room a pleasant smell.

Entering the small but quaint room, Pinkie saw Sunset's phone hooked up to a computer to her left. Setting Sunset's homework down on the end table next to her bed, she was about to leave the room when she heard, “Download complete.” Looking at the computer, Pinkie pulled out the chair in front of it and sat down. Wiggling the mouse a few times, the monitor came to life, showing what was last used on the computer. Pinkie giggled to herself when she saw Rainbow's picture in the background.

“Aww, Sunny, you really do have Rainbow on the brains,” she muttered to herself while clicking on an icon that read "Downloaded Photos". She brought up a file containing all the photos that Sunset had taken while at the sleepover at Rarity's. Looking through the photos, she laughed when she saw a few with herself in them. “Sunny, come on, now. My hair's not that puffy.” Pinkie smiled and shook her head, muttering to herself as she got up to leave. Her eyes caught another icon, this one was labeled ‘Journal’. Sitting back down, she clicked on it, bringing up Sunset's journal.

“Dear Diary,” Pinkie read, “I can’t believe that Rainbow actually slept with me. I mean, nothing happened, but she still slept in the same bed with me. They're all so nice to me, always trying to make me comfortable, even when I'm hiding so much from them. I know I need to come clean about my past, but I'm scared to do so. They’ll hate me if I tell them the truth about what I--” Pinkie couldn’t bring herself to read any more of Sunset's journal after she scrolled down further. Getting up and wiping away a few tears that threatened to fall, she headed downstairs and soon found Sunset coming out of the back of the cafe.

Rushing up to her friend, she wrapped her arms around Sunset, saying to her as she hugged her tightly, “It's gonna be alright, Sunny. We won’t freak out. We all love you.”

Sunset ended the warm but rather unexpected embrace from her friend, saying as she looked at Pinkie with a look of confusion on her face, “What brought that on Pinkie? I mean, I appreciate the hug, but why'd you do it?”

“I just wanted you to know that no matter what you're going though, we'll always love you and care about you.” Pinkie wiped away the last of her tears. “I hope you know that, Sunny.”

“I do, Pinke. I'm still a bit conf--” Sunset's eyes went wide when she suddenly realized why Pinkie had hugged her. “You...You read my journal, didn’t you, Pinkie? Please tell me you didn’t actually read my journal, Pinkie.”

Looking down and taking a step back from her friend, Pinkie swallowed hard, something Sunset picked up on. Her hair slightly deflated, Pinkie closed her eyes, bowing her head as she said, “Yes, I read your journal. I didn’t mean to, and I am very, very sorry that I did it, Sunny.” Looking back up with tears threatening to run down her cheeks again, she continued “A-Are you mad at me?”

“No, I'm not really mad. I am a bit annoyed that you didn’t ask me for permission to read my journal, though.”

Sunset took Pinkie by her hands, leading her over to a nearby table. Looking at her friend, she reached out and wiped away the tears that had threatened to slip past Pinkie's eyes. Gesturing to the bench that was behind the table, she said gently to Pinkie, “Sit down. I’ll get us a couple of hot cocoas and we can talk.”

Sunset left Pinkie at the table and headed into the back to retrieve the cocoas. Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake were just coming back into the cafe, passing Sunset on the way in, each offering her a gentle smile as she walked by them. Stopping before she got through the door, Sunset said to both, “Can Pinkie and I have a few moments alone. I want to talk to her about something.” Mr. Cake looked over, seeing where Pinkie was and how upset she looked. He nodded his reply. Sunset smiled back warmly and continued to head into the back of the cafe.

Pinkie got up from the table she was sitting at and walked over to Mr. Cake at the cash register. She said, “Mr. Cake, when are you gonna ask Sunny about being adopted? I really want to throw her a party for it.”

Sunset, who was coming out of the back with a tray of hot cocoa and doughnuts, froze when she heard what Pinkie said. She decided to stay back a bit and listen in.

Unaware of Sunset's presence, Mr. Cake replied, “Soon, Pinkie. We also need to ask her about how she feels about being a big sister, too.”

“Big sister?” Pinkie asked with a confused look on her face. “But Sunny doesn’t have any fam--” Pinkie stopped when she realized what Mr. Cake was talking about. “You really mean that you're going to have both Sunny and a baby?” Pinkie was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

Unable to hold herself back anymore, Sunset walked out into the open, saying softly, “You want to adopt me?”

Mr. Cake’s eyes went wide when he heard Sunset's voice from behind him. Turning around he almost stammered on his words to her. “H-how long have you been there, Sunset?”

“Long enough to hear everything.” Sunset set down the tray. Letting out a soft sigh, she turned to face Mr. Cake, who looked back at her with worried eyes. “Here's my answer,” Sunset said. Stepping forward, she immediately wrapped her arms around him warmly. Laying her head onto his shoulder, she continued, “Yes, I want to be your daughter. Please, for the love of all of Equestria, say that we can fill out the paperwork tonight!”

Mr. Cake immediately returned the warm hug, saying as he stroked Sunset's hair through his fingers, “Yes, Sunset, I have all the papers. All you need to do is sign them. Then, we can go to the courthouse, and you should be able to become our daughter.” Ending the warm embrace as Mrs. Cake came downstairs with her arms full of towels, he continued “Even if they say ‘no’, no matter what, I want you to know that you will always be our daughter to us, Sunset. We love you very much. Now, how about you have your chat with Pinkie and enjoy your cocoa. I’ll be by in a little while to check your homework and to help you pack.”

“Pack?" Sunset replied, “I-I don’t understand.”

“Sunset, dear,” Mrs. Cake said behind her, causing Sunset to turn around, “you don’t really think we would let our daughter live alone in this dreary cafe for the rest of her life, do you?”

“Well, actually, yes, I did kinda think I would be staying here, seeing as how I have nowhere else to go other than to the streets again.”

Mrs. Cake dropped the towels she was holding, rushed over, and hugged Sunset warmly around her waist, pinning Sunset's arms to her sides.

“No daughter of mine is ever going to live like that. I won’t allow it.”

Sunset coughed out, “Too tight. You're squeezing me too tightly.”

“What? Oh, Sunset, I'm sorry about that.” Mrs. Cake let go of Sunset and backed away. “But I meant what I said. You are not and absolutely will not be going back to those streets again.”

“Then where am I gonna go if not here? I have nowhere else to go other than this place,” Sunset protested. “I am really very grateful that you both want me as your daughter, but I'm beginning to feel like you didn’t think this through.”

“Well, you can stop thinking like that right now, young lady,” Mr. Cake said with a smile, “because we have thought this through. We'll be your parents, so you're coming home with us, and neither I nor my wife--I mean, your mother--will take 'no' for an answer.”

Sunset, when she heard that Mrs. Cake was now referred to as her mother, couldn’t contain her joy any longer. She pulled both of them into a warm hug, saying as they both held her tightly in their arms, not wanting to let go of her, “I can actually call you both 'Mom' and 'Dad' now, and I'm going to be a big sister.” Happy tears slipped past her eyes, down her cheeks, and onto Mrs. Cakes head as the woman laid her head onto Sunset's shoulder. “I don’t believe this. I really do have a family.”

“You will always have a family with us, Sunset, dear. Now dry your tears and go have your chat with Pinkie,” Mrs. Cake said, ending the warm embrace. “Go on, dear. Enjoy your night with her. Actually, you both should take tonight off to enjoy the happy news together.

“Alright...Mom,” Sunset replied with a slight chuckle. “We'll take the rest of the night off.”

Pinkie and Sunset both headed over to a nearby table, leaving the Cakes to look upon Sunset not as their guest but as their soon-to-be daughter. The two girls talked for nearly two hours while Mr. and Mrs. Cake silently left the cafe, headed home and entered, what would soon become Sunset's new bedroom.

Looking around, the cakes both smiled warmly to each other as they each added the finishing touches to the bedroom. Mrs. Cake opened up a pair of drapes done in Sunset's favorite color--sky blue--with Pegasus wing prints on them, while Mr. Cake hooked up a new computer. Dusting himself off, he smiled to his wife, and they both left the room and headed back to the cafe.

They each entered through the back and soon found both girls still at the table, only this time, Sunset had her homework in front of her, while Pinkie was reading to her from her history book. When the Cakes saw this, they both grinned, and Mrs. Cake said, “I can’t wait to see Sunset do that for her little brother or sister.”

Heart to Heart (Edited by Icecreammac)

The cold winter's air hung heavy in the late afternoon. Sweetie Belle and Rarity were just stepping off the bus, heading home. After Rarity had said her goodbyes to her friends, she had made it clear to Sweetie Belle what Rarity expected of her. To that end, Sweetie Belle headed upstairs to start her homework after getting home, with her sister heading into her workroom.

Sitting at her desk, Sweetie Belle took out her phone, plugged it into her computer, and pressed the ‘Download All’ tab on her computer. A few moments went by before the download was completed. After checking to make sure she had the entire confession downloaded to her computer, Sweetie Belle unplugged the phone, breathed out slightly, then started her homework. Once completed three hours later, she headed downstairs and soon found her sister in her workroom. Walking up behind her and placing her phone into her pocket, Sweetie Belle said, “You wanted to talk.”

Rarity looked up from her sewing machine and set her glasses down behind it, replying, “Yes, Sweetie Belle, I do want to have a word with you. Please go to the living room and wait for me there. I shall be there shortly.”

“Fine, whatever, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle snapped back in anger. “I’ll wait. It’s not like I have anything else to do, seeing as how I am grounded.”

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity exclaimed. “You got yourself grounded because you tried to frame one of my good friends for your horrible actions.”

Sweetie Belle didn’t reply. She left and headed into the kitchen. As she was getting herself a sandwich from the refrigerator, she took out her phone again. Looking back towards Rarity's workroom, she sighed, then called up Apple Bloom.

The phone on the other end rang a couple of time before she got a soft but pleasant, "Hello, this is the Apple residence. Apple Bloom speaking.”

“Apple Bloom, it's Sweetie Belle,” Sweetie Belle began. “I was wondering if--”

“What in tarnation do ya want, Sweetie Belle? Ah'm still mad at you fer lyin' ta me about not havin' your phone earlier today. And about ya changin' the password on us like that. Not to mention threatenin' ta take us ta the principal's office fer this.”

“Yeah, well how does it feel to have your friend threaten you? Because that's how I felt when you tried to go after my sister.” Sweetie Belle smirked to herself, turning towards the hallway that led to her sister's workroom to make sure Rarity wasn’t coming. “I didn’t like how you tried to blackmail me into doing what you wanted, and I know I should've gone to the principal's office right then and there. The only thing that stopped me was our friendship, which is on really thin ice right now. So stop complaining, and listen to me.”

“Fine. What d'ya want?”

“I want to know when you're going to post the pictures that I gave you.”

“Ah’ll post them today. They should be up on MyStable in a few moments. Ya still need ta tell me why ya lied to us.”

“I lied because I wasn’t sure you would agree to my conditions. You also need to send me everything that you have on Rarity.”

“Ah’ll give that to ya at school tomorrow.”

“Alright, I’ll see you then.”

Sweetie Belle hung up her phone, then headed down the hallway back into her sister's workroom. Seeing that Rarity was still there, she took her phone out and placed it under several piles of cloth, saying to Rarity, “How much longer do you want me to wait, Rarity?”

“I’ll be there--”

Rarity stopped in mid-sentence when she heard Sweetie Belle's phone chime out, "One missed call."

Looking at the same pile of cloth that Sweetie Belle had just hid her phone under, Rarity picked up the cloth, retrieved the phone, and continued “Now that we--er, I--have found your phone, we can have our talk. Please head back to the living room. I’ll join you shortly.”

“Fine, whatever!” Sweetie Belle said, rolling her eyes, “just don’t take too long. I want to get this over with.” Before her sister could protest, Sweetie Belle turned around and headed back to the living room.

Looking at her sister's phone, Rarity pressed the Call Back icon on Sweetie Belle's phone. Holding the phone up to her ear, she got a pleasant,

"Hi, Sweetie Belle. It’s Scootaloo.”

“Scootaloo, this is Rarity.”

“Rarity? Uh, why are you calling me with your sister's phone?”

“I saw that you were trying call my sister. I think you should know that she is currently grounded for the next week, maybe even for the entire month. She won’t be able to hang out with you or with Apple Bloom until she has completed her grounding.”

“Ah, really? That stinks. What did she do?” Scootaloo replied.

“I am sorry, Scootaloo, but I would rather keep that between myself and my sister. I need to go now. Is there anything you would like to me to tell Sweetie Belle before I go?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’ll see you and Sweetie Belle at school tomorrow. Goodbye.”

Rarity hung up and headed into the living room, where she found her sister sitting on the couch. Walking over to a nearby window, Rarity pulled the blinds up. She looked out the window to the frozen streets and sidewalk in front of her home.

“Sweetie Belle,” she began, “I don’t know what has happened to you or why you think it is okay to do what you did to Sunset.”

“Does it really matter? You'll never understand what it's like to be bullied.”

“I do understand, Sweet--”

“NO, YOU DON’T!” Sweetie Belle screamed back in rage. “YOU DON’T KNOW HOW I FEEL! HOW COULD YOU?”

Sweetie Belle got up off the couch and headed upstairs to her room, slamming the door behind her. Rarity followed her, entering her sister's room. She found her sister on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. “I hate her. I hate her so much,” Sweetie Belle cried into her pillow. “I hate how she picks on me all the time.”

“You hate who, Sweetie Belle? Please, tell me so I can help you.” Rarity sat down on the edge of her sister's bed. “I don’t want us to fight. I want us to be a family. Please, will you just talk to me?”

“Go away! You’ll never understand how I feel, so just--just go away.”

Rarity fought back her own tears, reaching out to take a hold of her sister and gently pulling the distraught thirteen-year-old into a warm hug. Sweetie Belle couldn’t contain her tears any longer and began to cry into her sister's shoulder while Rarity held her warmly in her arms. After a few moments, Rarity said, “Sweetie Belle, I can’t help you unless you tell me who it is that you hate.”

Pulling away from her sister, Sweetie Belle sniffed, wiping away her tears. She looked away from Rarity. “I hate Diamond Tiara.” Sweetie Belle shuddered a bit, holding herself. “I hate how she thinks that just because she has money, she can treat me like dirt.” Wiping her eyes, with her hands Sweetie Belle continued, “It’s my fault that she's bullying me. I must've done something to cause her to pick on me.”

“Sweetie Belle, listen to me. It is most definitely not your fault that little brat treats you so badly.” Rarity once again took a hold of her sister, laying her down into her own lap while the thirteen-year-old fought hard to contain her tears. “People with power and money will always look down on those that have neither. Diamond doesn’t hate you Sweetie Belle. I...I think she actually hates herself and wants to be friends, but due to how she was and is being raised, she more than likely doesn’t know how to express herself other than making life miserable for other people. But one thing is for sure: Her actions towards you are not your fault.”

“I know, but it still doesn’t make me feel any better. I go to school each day hoping that I won’t run into her and that she’ll just leave me alone."Rarity sighed, stroking her sister's hair through her fingers, “Come downstairs, Sweetie Belle. I’ll make us some dinner, and you can help me fix Coco's dress.”

Sweetie Belle sat up, wiping away the last of her tears. She hugged Rarity tightly, then slowly climbed out of bed. She headed downstairs with Rarity. As Sweetie went into Rarity's workroom, Rarity went into the kitchen to plug her phone into the wall outlet.

As she turned away, she heard her phone chime out, "Incoming post." Remembering she had set her phone to MyStable earlier that day to help keep an eye on the Anon-a-Miss page for Applejack. She looked at the new post. Her face went six times whiter than normal when she saw what was posted to the website.

“No,” Rarity gasped in shock when she saw her picture on the website. “How could she do this to me? I thought she was my friend.”

Rarity immediately dialed up Applejack after thumbing through the pictures. Thumbing through all eight pictures, she saw that each of her friends also had their photos displayed for all the world to see on MyStable. After a few moments, Applejack answered, “Well, howdy, Rarity. What can Ah do for ya?”

“Darling, have you seen what was just posted to MyStable?”

“Uh, no. Why?”

“You need to see what Anon-a-Miss posted. You're not going to like it.”

Rarity heard Applejack cluttering around on the other end. Rarity waited for a few moments, then suddenly pulled the phone away from her ear when she heard a very loud scream.

“WHAT IN TARNATION!?”

Rarity decided that it was better to switch the phone to speaker rather than hold the phone to her ears and risk going deaf. As Applejack swore up a storm, Rarity tried twice to calm the angry farmer down, only to fail.

Unbeknownst to either Rarity or Applejack, Sweetie Belle was standing in the hallway, watching the spectacle before her unfold. While Rarity tried a third time to calm Applejack down, Sweetie Belle smirked to herself as she easily guessed what Applejack had just seen. Her smirk very quickly faded when Rarity turned around, saw her sister standing in the hallway, and hung up on Applejack.

“I am sorry you had to hear that most unladylike behavior, Sweetie Belle.”

“What happened?” Sweetie Belle asked trying to look as innocent as possible. “That was Applejack, right? She sounded really upset.”

“Uh, nothing really happened, Sweetie Belle. Why don’t you go back to your room. I need to talk to my friends, and I might be a while.”

Sweetie Belle headed upstairs, smiling to herself as she thought, “Yes, it worked! Sunset's finished.”

Rarity watched her sister go. Once she was sure her sister was back in her room with the door closed, she called the rest of her friends, getting nearly the same response she got when she called Applejack.

Rainbow Dash swore up a storm at the top of their lungs, causing Rarity to pull the phone away from her ear once more and place the phone on speaker again.

Fluttershy replied with a very meek but understandably shallow, "Oh, my."

Pinkie replied with, "Sunny couldn't have done this," causing Rarity to point out that the photo of Pinkie was the same one as was taken during the sleepover at her home.

Once everyone had been called and all was said and done, Rarity hung up the phone, balled her hand into a tight fist, and headed into her workroom. She remained there for the rest of the evening, working on Coco Pommel's dress. Tears filled her eyes, making it hard to work. While working on the dress, a single thought crept into her mind.

"Why, Sunset? Why would you do this to us after all we've been through together?"

Reconciliation (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

For those of you wondering the word 'Peytral' is a style of armor worn on a horse to cover up the chest while in battle. In this case it is the golden armor that Celestia wears around her chest and neck.

Reconciliation (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Celestia took a step back as Chrysalis laughed coldly. Stepping forward, Chrysalis's horn slowly glowed green, illuminating the surrounding area. Chrysalis smiled wickedly to Celestia, saying as she slowly began to circle her, “What’s wrong, Celestia? Surprised to see me? I would think you would have remembered seeing me here all those years ago.” Celestia said nothing, simply standing her ground while keeping a very watchful eye on the changeling queen.

Soon, Celestia, watching for any signs of attack, said, “What are you doing here, Chrysalis?”

Chrysalis didn’t immediately reply. She stopped circling Celestia and looked around, saying, “Ah, memories. They are such fickle things, aren’t they, Celestia?”

“What do you want!” Celestia shot back, her patience running thin. “I don't have the time to deal with you.”

Chrysalis laughed coldly as she started to circle Celestia again. Both the queen and Celestia kept the other in constant sight, each locking eyes with the other. Soon enough, Chrysalis, her anger finally reaching a breaking point, fired a green energy bolt at Celestia, causing the latter to jump back.

Celestia shot back with her own energy bolt, only to be completely shocked when she saw an energy shield suddenly surround the changeling queen’s body. With a half-confused and slightly angry look on her face, Celestia snarled out bitterly, “How did you know how to use that spell, Chrysalis?”

“Hmm, perhaps I’ll tell you after I defeat you Celestia,” Chrysalis sneered back. “After all, you do have much to answer for.”

Celestia took a step back as Chrysalis began to slowly advance again. Using her magic, Chrysalis fired another bolt of energy at Celestia, only for her attack to completely fail as Celestia quickly used her own energy shield to deflect the oncoming attack.

Celestia used her own magic and fired a small round of magical energy at Chrysalis, saying, “Chrysalis, end this foolishness now, before one of us gets hurt!”

Chrysalis laughed wickedly and jumped at Celestia. Reflexively, Celestia flew and landed safely a few feet from where Chrysalis landed. She called out to the changeling queen while her horn glowed bright pink, “Chrysalis, I will ask you again to end this encounter! I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hurt me?” Chrysalis replied, tilting her head to the right and smirking wickedly at Celestia. “You have already hurt me.” Chrysalis dropped her smirk and fired yet another round of energy bolts at Celestia, hitting her squarely in her peytral and knocking the princess to the ground. “You hurt me when you killed my daughter!”

Celestia slowly rose to her hooves, shaking off the pain of being struck by Chrysalis's attack. Looking down and placing a hoof to her chest, she saw that her peytral was smoking slightly from the previous attack. Looking back up at Chrysalis, Celestia said, “What are you talking about? The only time we've interacted was at Shining Armor's wedding, and that was two years ago. How could I have killed your daughter?”

Chrysalis lunged in, hitting Celestia in the chest and knocking her up into the air. With Celestia momentarily unable to defend herself, Chrysalis quickly gained the upper hand. Quickly using her magic, Chrysalis entrapped the princess in an energy field, preventing her escape. Turning her head to the right and left while keeping Celestia encased in her magic, Chrysalis began to toss Celestia about the room as if she were little more than a rubber ball, the orb moving as Chrysalis moved her head. With each blow, the force of the impacts grew that much more intense.

“You’ll pay for what you've done, Celestia!” Chrysalis snarled. “I will have my vengeance!”

Celestia tried several times to break free, only to fail each time. Seeing that her prey still had some fight in her, Chrysalis loosened up on her magic, allowing Celestia to drop to the ground like a stone.

Hitting the cold, hard ground with a loud, painful thud, Celestia screamed in pain as she rolled to a stop near the broken base of the crystal chamber with the number thirteen carved into its base. As Celestia tried to stand on her hooves, Chrysalis again charged in, raising her front hooves up in front of her and kicking the princess hard in the stomach and chest. Celestia immediately found herself toppling head over hoof, rolling towards the very same cliffside that the crystal chamber had rolled over seventeen years ago. Skidding to a painful halt, Celestia again tried to stand, only to find herself encased again in Chrysalis's magic.

“Why--” Celestia coughed, “--are you--” she coughed some more, “--doing this?”

“Why, to kill you, my dear. Why else would I do this? I hate you for what you did to Crystalis.”

Chrysalis lifted Celestia up into the air, then threw her back towards the entryway of the room. Celestia slammed into the doors, painfully screaming out. Her right wing had folded behind her back, and the bones within snapped like twigs. She hit the floor hard, coughing as another bolt of green energy struck her in her chest, knocking her through the doors and into the hallway beyond.

Chrysalis laughed as she followed Celestia out of the doorway into the hallway, saying, “You really don’t remember, do you?” A sick grin grew on her face. Chrysalis approached the badly injured princess, smiling widely. A smile which slowly diminished when Celestia began to climb back to her hooves.

“You and I used to be good friends," Celestia said. "But after your daughter was...was killed, you disappeared. You looked so very different then.” Celestia looked up, her mouth dripping blood from her split lower lip and her right wing bent in an unnatural, painful position from being broken in four places. “I can see what hate has turned you into. I beg you to let your hate go, to release yourself from your inner demons.”

Chrysalis chuckled, "Oh, now you remember killing my daughter. Good killing you now will be much more...fun." Chyralis slowly walked to the right, trying to take a better position for her next attack on Celestia. Celestia again tried to reason with the changeling queen. “Please, Chrysalis. What happened to Crystalis was an accident. I didn’t know that she was going to dart out onto that bridge. I tried to save her. I tried, but I wasn’t able to.”

“Hmph, like Tartarus you tried to save her!" Chrysalis shot back in anger "You can claim that all you want to, Celestia, but we both know that you wanted my daughter to die. You wanted me to hurt, to suffer. Well, now it's time for you to pay for all that you have done.” Chrysalis snarled bitterly. “You killed my daughter, and I have waited a very long time for you to know what that is like.” Chrysalis stepped forward, smirking deviously to Celestia. Slightly lowering her head, she continued, “You remember when your daughter suddenly and tragically died from sudden foal death syndrome? I'll let you in on a little secret." Chrysalis brought her muzzle very close to Celestia's ear and whispered, "It was all me."

Celestia took another step back, her eyes beginning to tear up as she thought of her daughter's death and the sadness still within her heart. Looking to Chrysalis, her vision blurred from the tears, she choked out, “She was innocent! Why did you kill her?”

“Innocent?” Chrysalis used her magic, wrapping a green aura around Celestia’s throat and lifting the princess up off the ground. “INNOCENT!?” Chrysalis threw Celestia through a nearby wall, causing her to scream in pain as her left wing was crushed between her body and the wall, the bones within her wing snapping and breaking like glass. Dropping Celestia to the ground, Chrysalis slowly walked over to the very badly injured princess, screaming, “MY DAUGHTER WAS INNOCENT! HOW COULD YOU JUST LET HER RUN OFF LIKE THAT AND NOT GO AFTER HER? SHE WAS ONLY SIX YEARS OLD, CELESTIA! SHE WAS ONLY A LITTLE FILLY! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HER!?”

Celestia tried to climb to her feet again, only to fall to her stomach as she began to sob heavily, saying while Chrysalis, seething with rage, grew ever closer to her, “I-I'm so sorry, Chrysalis. I never meant for your little one to die. Please, please forgive me.”

Chrysalis ran forward, slamming her front hooves into Celestia's chest. Picking her up once more, she held Celestia against a wall, glaring at her. Suddenly, a look of inspiration grew on Chrysalis's face, and she began to softly laugh. She suddenly dropped Celestia, who hit the ground with a pained yelp and lay where she landed. Chrysalis smirked as she gleefully and wickedly said, “I think I know a better way to hurt you, Celestia. I will bring your student Twilight here, and you can watch as I feed off of her love for you, not stopping until I've drained her dry.”

“N-No. Stay away from Twilight. P-Please, I b-beg you to stay away from her.”

“Now, now. It's not like you to beg for--” Chrysalis's eyes went wide when she sensed a deeper reason for Celestia's begging for Twilight's life. “Oh, I see. I see why you don’t want me around Twilight. Your failure is now complete, Celestia.”

“No, you can’t. I...I won’t let you,” Celestia stammered, trying to stand back up. “I can’t allow this to go any fur--”

Celestia’s eyes went wide when she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Looking down as darkness slowly began to creep over her vision, Celestia saw Chyralis’s horn in her chest. Shaking, she looked across the room, spotting her peytral on the other side of the room, having most likely come off while she was being tossed about. Her eyes began to roll up into her head, and her body became as weak as a newborn foal's. Darkness took over her vision as she succumbed to the oblivion of unconsciousness, hearing only Chrysalis's dark laughter in her ears as she passed out.

Satisfied with her work, Chryaslis, removed her horn from the fallen princess's chest and turned to leave, only to suddenly stop in her tracks when she felt a sudden wave of heat. Looking around in confusion, she said, “What? Where is this heat coming from?” Turning around to face Celestia, she was shocked to see the once-fallen princess rising up off the floor. “You just don't know when to die, do you? I GUESS I'LL JUST HAVE TO FINISH THE JOB!” Chrysalis screamed out in rage, charging forward.

Celestia’s mane and tail burst into bright, yellow flames. Her eyes became two perfect, white spheres. Her fur glowed as brightly as the sun. Chrysalis came to a skidding halt a few feet from Celestia, who opened her now-mended wings fully, taking high to the air. Looking down on her enemy, Celestia screamed out, launching a beam of white, cosmic energy at Chrysalis. Chrysalis, knowing she was at her own end, screamed up to Celestia, “IF I AM TO DIE HERE, THEN I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!”

Chrysalis spread her wings, flying towards Celestia’s attack head-on, screaming in rage. The resulting explosion from her attack mixed with Celestia’s engulfed what was left of the massion, reducing the laboratory to little more than mere rubble.

Celestia had quickly gained the upper hand, sending a very badly injured Chrysalis toppling head over hoof back to the mansion's laboratory floor. Seeing that her once-dear friend Chrysalis was about to hit the ground, Celestia quickly dove towards the ground, unfortunately coming just short of catching her former friend. Chrysalis hit with a loud, echoing thud and lay motionless.

Celestia landed nearby, her eyes brimming with tears. She screamed in rage, sadness and hate for her once-good friend, now fallen and near-death enemy. As Celestia walked up to her, Chrysalis coughed out to Celestia, while trying to hold her broken front right leg out to her former friend. “C...Celestia. I...I need to forgive you.”

Celestia knelt down, gently pulling Chrysalis to her. Crying, she replied, “Shhh, Chrysalis. I'm here. You’ll be alright.” Celestia trembled while holding her former friend in her hooves, tears washing over her cheeks like a broken water faucet, “Y-You’ll be alright, Chrysalis. You'll see”

Chrysalis coughed. “Y-You're a--” She coughed some more, this time coughing up blood. “You're a terrible liar, you know that, Celestia.” Chrysalis smiled lightly as she continued through fits of coughing, “You--” she coughed harder, spitting up even more blood “--need to know that not all of the changelings are like me.”

Celestia blinked a few times a look of confusion slowly came over her face, “I don’t understand. Are you saying that there is a way to save your changelings.”

“Yes. There is a way, but the one that can save us has not been freed from her own anger and hate just yet.”

Celestia swallowed hard as she felt her former friend's body slowly growing cold. Knowing that Chrysalis was close to death she said, “Hang on. I’ll get you out of here.”

“You can't, Celestia. You must save Twilight. She's...the only one...that...can...”

Chrysalis's eyes rolled up into her skull as she passed out in Celestia’s hooves.

Taking Chrysalis into her hooves and holding her tightly in a warm hug, Celestia cried silently, shaking her friend, trying desperately to awaken her, saying, “Chrysalis, stay with me, please! I can’t lose you again.” Checking for vital signs, Celestia found a very faint heartbeat. She was alive, but barely. Celestia looked down at Chrysalis, her former friend and now fallen enemy. She looked around at the surrounding laboratory where so many horrible things were done seventeen years ago. She thought of Twilight and how she was now a drooling wreck after visiting the accursed place.

And something snapped inside Celestia.

while holding her former friend in her hooves, she threw her head back and screamed in rage and sorrow, letting lose all of her power and setting the building ablaze. Pulling Chrysalis to her, she said as the flames began to do their work, “I will make things right for you. I will save both Twilight and your changelings.”

As the building exploded around her, Celestia closed her eyes, allowing the flames to do their work. Celestia felt two gentle hooves wrap themselves around her, just as the building started to come down on top of her. The only words she heard before passing out completely were, “It’s not your time yet.”

As the mansion blew up from the inside out in a large ball of yellow and red flames, Luna’s eyes snapped open. She jumped to her hooves, and without thinking, she ran forward towards the mansion. As she got close, another part of the mansion exploded, knocking the princess of dreams back against the boulders her sister had put her behind earlier. Looking to the collapsed and flaming ruins of the mansion, she screamed, “CELESTIA!” No matter which way she looked, and no matter how hard she screamed, Celestia was nowhere in sight.

So There's This Girl (Edited by Icecreammac)

Sunset let out a sigh, wondering what was troubling Rarity so much. Looking through the windshield, she could see cold, grey clouds on the horizon. The weather looked chilly and ominous. Uncertain of what to do or say, she cleared her throat, catching Mr. Cake's attention. Sunset looked at Mr. Cake with worry in her eyes as they drove past 15th and West Chester street. Mr. Cake, seeing her worry, pulled over.

Looking at his soon-to-be daughter kindly, he said to her gently while she looked down, tugging on her coat, “Sunset, what's wrong? You look very worried about something.”

Sunset gulped hard, which didn't escape Mr. Cake's notice. Trying to be as casual as she could be, she replied, “D-Do you remember when I wanted t-to talk to you about something?”

“Yes, I do.” Mr. Cake shut off the car and laid a gentle hand onto Sunset's shoulder. “Is there something bothering you? I can help, but only if you tell me what's bothering you.”

“Well, you see...” Sunset let out a soft sigh, trying to form her words, “So there's, like, this person that I know at school, and, well,” Sunset began to stammer on her words, wondering how Mr. Cake would react. “I... That is, I, w-well, I--”

Mr. Cake chuckled lightly, starting up the car again as he pulled out into the street after checking to make sure it was safe. He glanced over to Sunset, who looked even more confused and worried than she did a few moments ago. Letting out soft sigh, he said, “I take it you like this person, Sunset.”

“Well, yes, I like this person.” Sunset turned her eyes to the window next to her. “I, well, sort of like like her, you know? And I must sound like a complete nut to you right now.”

“No, Sunset, you don’t sound like a nut to me. Not at all.” Mr. Cake shook his head, a soft but pleasantly reassuring smile forming on his lips. “Does this person have the same feelings for you as well?”

“I don’t know. I'm, well,” Sunset looked away, “scared to ask her.” Sunset looked down at her miniskirt, tugging on the edges of it. “W-What would you do? I mean, I like her and all, but I'm scared that she might not like me the same way.”

Mr. Cake brought the car to full stop at a red light. Taking the opportunity, he looked at Sunset, smiled warmly, and gently said, “Tell her how you feel, Sunset. If she doesn’t like you in the same way, then that's her loss. But if she does, then by all means, explore this new side of life. However, I would at least make one suggestion.”

Sunset turned her gaze back to Mr. Cake. Chewing on her lower lip she nervously said, “And that would be?”

“That you take it slow and easy. Don’t rush into this. Take your time, and let your love for her and, hopefully, her love for you become something truly special.”

Sunset looked out her window, smiling. Then, she looked down, her smile faded, and she said, “Stop the car.”

“Why? We're still about ten minutes away from your school.”

Sunset looked at Mr. Cake her eyes pleading. He nodded and pulled over. Sunset looked down at her miniskirt again. Her hands began to sweat and tremble as she stammered on her words, desperately trying to tell Mr. Cake what she needed him to hear.

“I, well, t-that is, I think I made a horrible mistake, and y-your going to be really mad at me once you find out about it. So I don’t know what to do other than to try to ask for help.”

Mr. Cake smiled warmly to her, laying his hand onto her shoulder and saying gently to her, “You slept with her, didn't you, Sunset?” Starting up the car again, Mr. Cake said, “I'm not mad, Sunset. I'm a bit concerned, yes, but I'm not mad at all.”

“YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?” Sunset exclaimed. “But how could you know about something like that?”

Mr. Cake looked into her eyes. But where she should have seen anger or malice, she only saw love and tenderness from him. Looking back down, she she tried to calm herself by letting out a few quick breaths of air as she heard him say to her gently, “I know because I was young too, once.”

Mr. Cake was about to pull up to the curb of the school when Sunset said, “N-Nothing actually happened between me and her. She just spent the night in bed with me. And I was asleep when she got in, anyway. We didn’t have sex or anything like that.”

“While I'm glad that nothing physical happened, I do at least wish you had waited till you were a bit older to have done that with her. I understand that you're young and you want to experience life to its fullest, but something like this really needs to be taken one step at a time.”

“What do you think I should do? I'm worried that she'll hate me when I tell her how I feel about her. Besides, I think the only reason she got into bed with me was because I was having a nightmare.”

“About Cheerilee again or about the Fall Formal?” Mr. Cake asked. “I know you've had a few nightmares since moving into the cafe.”

“It was about Cheerilee again. Because of what I did.” Sunset looked down. “It was my fault that I caused her to…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to change the subject. “I need to know something before you pull up to the school.”

“Sure, Sunset. What is it?” Mr. Cake put the parking brake on and opened up the center council, taking out a small envelope and handing it to Sunset. Sunset took the envelope with a raised eyebrow and a slightly confused look on her face. “For your lunches at school for the next six weeks. Remember? We pay for your school meals, and in return, you bring home good grades.”

“Oh, right. I forgot that I need to renew my lunch card today. I take it that's why we got here so early.” Sunset looked at the clock on Mr. Cake's dashboard. It read 6:50 am. “Anyways, I need to know if I should tell my friends about that thing that I have in your safe. When should I tell them about that? How should I go about telling them?” She placed the envelope into her inside left coat pocket, then sighed heavily. “I have no idea what to say to them. All I have is my fear that they'll hate me for not telling them about it sooner. And what's even worse, I fear that I'll lose her for sleeping with her yet keeping her in the dark about my past. I really don’t know what to do.”

“I don’t think you'll lose Rainbow for not telling her right away about your past, honey. I do think she'll understand why you didn’t tell her about what happened to you in Equestria sooner.”

“How did you know I was talking about Rainbow?”

“When you work at the cafe and she's there, you always sneak glances over to wherever she is sitting. You also left your phone on last night, and I saw that her picture was set as the background. And you left your binder downstairs with her name scrawled over several pieces of paper, each i dotted with a heart.” Leaning in close, he whispered to Sunset, who blushed brightly, “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Sunset. I did the same thing with Mom as well. Besides, whenever Rainbow's around, you tend to, well, glow.”

Sunset looked down, blushing even more deeply than before. Mr. Cake was right on the money. She looked back up as he said to her, “As for telling your friends and Ms. Cheerilee, I think I might be able to help you with that. That is, if you're willing to let me help you.”

Sunset reached out, taking a hold of Mr. Cake in a warm hug, whispering into his ear gently, “Thank you, Dad. I would like that very much." Ending the hug, she said, “I've been so horrified about what she might do when she finds out what I did and what I caused to happen to...” Sunset opened the car door and got out, letting her voice trail off. Before closing the door, she said, “I’ll see you here after school, Dad. Thanks for everything and for talking with me.”

“That's what I'm here for. Now, do you have your homework?”

Sunset set her bag down, opened it, then looked up and nodded. Mr. Cake smiled and waved warmly to her, started up the car, and drove away as Sunset turned to head inside the school.

Sunset headed for the cafeteria first. Reaching into her jacket's inside pocket, she took out the money Mr. Cake gave to her. She handed it over to Apple Rose, the lunch supervising attendant, saying to the older woman who took the money from Sunset's hands, “I'd like to renew my lunch card, please, Mrs. Rose.”

Apple Rose took Sunset's envelope, opened it, counted out the money, then punched in the amount into her cash register, saying, “Will there be anything else, Sunset?”

“No, thank you. I need to get going, so I don’t have any time to chat today.”

Looking at her with a soft but very pleasant smile, Apple Rose replied kindly to Sunset, “Aren’t you forgetting something, dear?”

Sunset looked a bit confused by Apple Rose’s statement. After replying in the negative, she turned to leave, when Apple Rose stopped her. Apple Rose picked up a bright red, shiny apple, that she had in a basket located next to her register saying, “Here, dear. I think you forgot this.”

Sunset turned back around just in time to catch the apple. Smiling politely to her, Sunset said, “Thank you, Apple Rose.”

Sunset headed out of the cafeteria towards her locker, getting there a few moments later. She took notice right away that all her friends were there, and they all had very angry looks on their faces. Taking a step towards them, she said, “Hey, girls.” Sunset took another few steps. “What's going on?”

Rarity stepped forward, her face showing the purest signs of anger. She replied very glumly to her, “Sunset, we need to talk.”

Summer Sunrise (Edited and titled by Icecreammac)

As Sunset and her friends were about to have their grim discussion, in another part of the city, Gilda was waking up to the smell of something cooking. Sniffing the air while she stretched, she could tell it was bacon and eggs with toast. Looking over to the clock on her dresser, Gilda saw it was 6:52 am. Getting up, her feet touched the cold, cement floor of her apartment building, causing her to shiver a bit. Looking around her room, she found an over-sized shirt and slipped it on.

Walking out into the living room, she saw that her roommate was at the stove, cooking breakfast. Gilda watched as her roommate placed the last of some freshly cooked bacon onto a plate next to her, then set the plate on the counter next to a coffee pot. Turning to leave and seeing Gilda standing behind her, she said, “Now that you're up, I'll leave you to your breakfast. I have other matters to attend to.”

“Like what?” Gilda replied, slightly confused. Getting her breakfast, she continued, “Is there something wrong? You look upset.”

“We haven't found her yet,” Gilda’s roommate replied with clear worry in her voice. “I don’t have much time. I need to find her.”

“If you say so, Summer,” Gilda replied, “Does this girl have anything to do with how we met three months ago." Gilda thought about it a bit and chuckled. "Man, you really freaked me out when you just hopped out of that statue like that.”

Looking down, Summer Sunrise replied with very clear worry on her face, “Yes. When I came out of the statue, I thought I'd run right into her. But instead, I ran into you--literally--while you were being chased by the city guards.”

Gilda grinned as she picked up her coffee cup taking sip she said after she set it back down on the counter. “Cops, Sunrise. They're called cops. And yeah, I remember that. I think I almost pissed myself then, especially when you were tossing all six cops around like toys.”

“Hmph!” Summer snorted bitterly. “I should've done more than toss them about. I should've killed them for putting their hands on me like that.” Summer smiled wickedly to Gilda, then laughed “Ah, well. At least I gave them a good thrashing, which was kinda fun, anyway.” Summer looked towards the bathroom, then continued, “I need to take a shower. I smell like a pigeon's been using me to roost on.”

Just as Summer was about to get into the shower, Gilda said, “Hey, don’t go using up all the hot water this time around, got it?”

Summer just waved her off, went into the bathroom, and locked the door. Gilda ate what was left of her breakfast, then turned her computer on. After surfing the net for a few moments, she logged onto MyStable. Bringing up the web browser, she was surprised at what she saw. In a private message box, an online friend of hers sent her a picture of Rainbow Dash. The message from her friend read, “Hey, Gilda. Thought you might get a kick out of this girl scaring the crap out of this other girl.” Looking at who sent the photo, Gilda saw it was from her online friend Dawn Talon. In the photo, Rainbow was dressed like a vampire, scaring some girl that Gilda didn’t recognize. Clicking on the photo itself, Gilda saw the words ‘Looks like Drac Bow wants to suck Fluttershy's blood’. Gilda was about to click on the next photo when the bathroom door opened, and Summer came out. Summer headed over to where Gilda was, saying, “Whatcha doing, Gilda?”

“Huh?” Gilda replied. “Oh, uh, Dawn Talon sent me a picture of Crash scaring some girl. It's pretty lame, though.”

“Really? Let me see.”

Gilda stood up and let Summer sit down. Looking at the photo, Summer snickered and said, “Well, if that's this ‘Crash’ person that you keep going on about, I can see why you think she is a flip-flop. Didn't you say she's cool one minute, lame the next? I wouldn't be surprised.” Summer was getting up, when an incoming video alert caught her eye. Sitting back down, she looked to Gilda, who just rolled her eyes as she clicked the video.

When the video came up Summer yelled out, “WHERE IS THIS VIDEO TAKING PLACE!?”

“Whoa, calm down there!” Gilda said. “First off, this video is almost four months old, and second, the only one that I rec--” Her voice went cold when she saw Sunset Shimmer was on the video. She yelled, “HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU ON THAT FUCKING VIDEO?” Looking at Summer with anger brewing in her eyes, Gilda screamed out, “TELL ME! NOW!”

“That isn’t me! If you watch the video, I can prove it. Look at that girl's right shoulder.” Watching the video a little further, both Gilda and Summer saw Sunset turn to her right, revealing her part of her shoulder to the camera. “Okay, see that symbol? Now, look at my left shoulder.”

Gilda did as she was told. Looking at Sunset's right shoulder, she saw a symbol that red XIV. While watching the video further, Gilda noticed that each of Sunset's friends took a quick passing glance to her when they saw her shoulder. Everyone except Sunset look concerned yet didn't do anything other than continue to sing. Looking at Summer’s shoulders, Gilda noticed right away that on her left shoulder was a symbol that read XIII.

Looking a bit confused and a bit angry, Gilda demanded, “How come I haven't seen this mark up until now, Summer? You've been living with me for three months. Why'd you wait so long to tell me about that?”

“What are you, my lover? It wasn't important before. What is important is that now that I know for sure that she lives around here, I can hopefully find her.”

Getting up from the chair, Summer was just headed back into the kitchen when she suddenly fell, holding her head in both hands and screaming in pain. Gilda rushed to her side, saying, “What's wrong, Summer?”

Summer screamed out, “It hurts, it hurts! Make it stop!”

A few moments went by before Summer was able to move about without flopping around like a fish out of water. Gilda helped her up, saying, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I'm fine." Summer breathed heavily, her eyes clearly showing that she was anything but fine. "It comes and goes.”

"What do you mean it comes and goes? What just happened to you?" Gilda waited for a reply, but none came. To her shock, Gilda noticed blood coming out of Summer's nose and right ear. “You're not fine; you're bleeding. Here, let me get som--"

“I said I'm fine! Now just leave it alone!” Summer snapped back angrily, causing Gilda to take a step back and hold up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Sheesh, I was trying to help for fuck's sake!”

“I don’t need you to worry about me. I'll be fine! It's like I said, it comes and it goes. That's it,” Summer snapped back while wiping away the blood from her nose and ear. “Now, can you tell me where that video took place or not?”

“Yeah, I think so. But I think it would be better to show you than tell you.”

“Alright. I’ll be ready to leave in ten minutes.” Summer headed to her bedroom muttering to herself, “I have to find Fourteen. I don't have much time, and with what Gilda saw, she’ll put it together sooner or later. I must find her!”

Gilda headed to her own room, got dressed, and a few minutes later was sitting down in front of the computer again. She was on MyStable, going through all the recent postings, smirking to herself when she came across Rainbow's picture again. She was about to comment on it when a loud knock came from her front door. Grumbling in anger, Gilda headed for the door and opened it. She took a step back when she saw Sombra standing in hallway.

Sombra smiled wickedly to Gilda, who slammed the door on his face, yelling out to Summer, “WE NEED TO LEA--”

"Freeze!" Sombra yelled, having simply reopened the door and entered the apartment.

At his command, Gilda stopped running, leaving Summer to run alone to Gilda's room. Gilda slowly turned around to look at him. Sombra was smirking, but his eyes were cold. "Gilda," he began. "It's been a while, hasn't it? How have you been?"

"W-What d'ya want? I'm done with you, remember?"

"Oh, I remember, alright. Do you know what else I remember?" When Gilda stayed silent, Sombra continued, "I remember when I first met you on the streets. You had just run away from home, I believe, and you needed a place to stay. And I gave that to you. You needed food. I gave you food. You needed to know how to protect yourself. I taught you how to steal and how to fight."

"Is there a point to this?" Gilda asked.

"I'm getting to it!" Sombra snapped back. Calming down, he continued, "I kept you off the streets, and all I asked was that you join our little group, that you make me some money, and that you run a few...deliveries for me. And you ran out on me!" Sombra walked up close to Gilda and said, "I spent quite a bit of money on you, Gilda. And you're going to repay it in full."

Before either person could say anything else, a baseball came sailing through the air and struck Sombra in the cheekbone. He snapped his head in the direction it came from and saw Summer standing in the hallway, a baseball bat in her hands.

"Get. Out," Summer said.

Sombra straightened up and said, "Fine. But don't think we're finished, Gilda. If you don't pay me the money you owe me, I'll make your life a living hell." Sombra turned to leave, but before he left the apartment, he stopped. Turning around, he looked to Summer and said, "Before I go, tell me: Have we met before? You look very familiar."

"No, we haven't. Now get out."

Sombra squinted his eyes in thought, and his eyes widened slightly in recognition. "Yes, I remember now. My boys spoke often of you. Oh, what was your name?" He took out his phone and thumbed through his photos. "Ah, yes, I remember now. Sunset Shimmer." He showed the girls the photograph, which depicted Sunset Shimmer holding another student against a locker. The other student was holding some money out to her. The girls saw that Sombra had entitled the photo simply "Sunset Shimmer".

"Well, I'm glad that's cleared up," Sombra said. "I'd leave quickly, Miss Shimmer. You're late enough for school as it is." With that, Sombra left, leaving two worried and silent girls behind.

Accusations (Edited and titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset stood in front of her friends, looking at each as they stared back angrily. She swallowed hard. She could see that Applejack had the most anger showing in her eyes, but it was the hurt in Rainbow's that caught Sunset's attention the most. Looking into the rainbow-haired girl's pink eyes caused Sunset to take a slight step backwards.

Applejack noticed how uneasy Sunset looked. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, trying to form her words. Finally, she said, “Sunset, Pinkie tells us that ya had yer phone hooked up to yer computer. And that our pictures are on yer computer.” Looking back up at Sunset, who stared at her confusedly, she continued, “We need ta know. Did ya download our pictures from Rarity's sleepover ta yer computer?”

“Is that why you all look so upset with me?” Sunset replied, trying not to look upset. “Yes, my phone was hooked up to my computer, but I don't see the big deal, AJ.”

Rainbow snarled out in anger, “Just answer the fucking question, Sunset!”

Applejack turned to face Rainbow, saying to her while trying to keep her own anger in check, “Rainbow, Ah've got this.”

“FINE!” Rainbow yelled back. “Just get her tell us the fucking truth, for fuck sake's!”

Applejack turned back to face Sunset, saying while trying even harder to keep her anger in check, “Sunset...” She looked down. A single tear slipped past her forest-green eyes and trickled down her cheek as she continued, “Have you lost yer phone recently, like between the time that Pinkie found yer phone in yer room hooked up to yer computer until now?”

“My phone?” Sunset replied with a slightly confused look. Digging into her coat's left front pocket, she retrieved it, showing her phone to her friends. “No, AJ, my phone is right here. I've had it the whole--”

Applejack’s head snapped up. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. Without thinking, she shoved her own phone into Sunset's chest, screaming out in anger, “THEN EXPLAIN THIS!” Applejack watched as Sunset, took her phone from her, turned it on, and looked at her with wide eyes. “EXPLAIN HOW OUR DAMN PICTURES GOT ONTO MYSTABLE, SUNSET SHIMMER!”

Everyone else in the hallway froze, all eyes turning to the group. A hushed, uneasy silence fell upon all those within the hallway. From her vantage point in the music room, Apple Bloom watched expectantly. While she remained silent, she was finding it hard to contain her excitement. Forgetting that her phone was still recording, she whispered, “Yes, our plan worked. Sunset's finished. Ah’ll get my sister back, and so will Scoots and Sweetie Belle.” Watching with sickening glee Apple Bloom, recorded the horrible events unfolding in front of her, her excitement growing ever more and more.

“First, it's Applejack, not AJ. Ah only let m' friends call me AJ. And second, just unlock the phone.”

Sunset didn't miss the implication, but she said nothing. Instead, she let out a quick breath before silently complying with Applejack's request. To her horror and shock, she saw what had upset her friends so much. Looking at the screen, she saw that her friends' pictures were on the Anon-a-Miss account. Sunset could barely believe her own two eyes as she thumbed through the pictures.
“What!?” She exclaimed. “I-I don’t understand how she got ahold of our pictures. This doesn’t make any sen--”

“They're not our pictures,” Rainbow interrupted, “THEY'RE YOUR PICTURES, SUNSET!”

Looking back up, Sunset’s eyes went wide with fear as she realized what her friends were accusing her of. Stammering on her words, she brought a hand over her mouth as she said in total shock, “I-I didn’t do this!”

“Yeah, right, Sunset,” Rainbow snarled. “Stop lying. Just tell us the fucking truth for once in your damn life.”

“No, wait, you guys. I didn’t do this. I could never hurt any of you! I swear, I nev--”

Applejack looked down while almost whispering out, “H-How did Anon-a-Miss know about m' family nickname, Sunset?”

“I don’t know, AJ. I really don’t know how she knows about your--”

“How did she get our photos, Sunset? Tell us.” Applejack pulled her hat down over her eyes, not wanting Sunset to see the hurt in her eyes.

“The photos, my family nickname, all the other postings. It all points to you, Sunset.” Looking back up, she finally let her temper flare. Thrusting her index finger outwards right into Sunset’s chest, causing her now-former friend to take a step back, she yelled out, “ADMIT IT, SUNSET! YOU'VE BEEN LYIN' TA US THIS WHOLE TIME! YOU'RE ANON-A-MISS!”

“NO! No, I'm not Anon-a-Miss. I couldn’t do this to any of you. You're my family. You all are. I would never hurt any of--”

“But you did hurt us Sunset!” Pinkie cried out, tears running down her cheeks. “You were just pretending to be our friend, when all along, you were just after our secrets! You're nothing but a--a secret stealer!”

Sunset took a step back as each of her friends stared angrily back at her. She took another step just as Fluttershy stepped forward. She, like Pinkie was also crying, and her own tears began to make Sunset cry, as well. Sunset raised her hands up, palms facing outwards. “I’m not that type of person anymore. I'm different now. I wouldn’t do this. I beg you all to just listen to me! Please, I'm not--”

“NO, YOU’RE NOT!” Fluttershy cried out in anger, pain clearly showing on her normally-calm happy face. “You’re not the person we thought you were, Sunset Shimmer. You're not the person who we all let into our hearts, who Rainbow fell in love with. You’re nothing but...but...” She buried her face into her hands, then looked up and screamed out, “YOU'RE NOT OUR FRIEND!” Fluttershy turned and bolted down the hallway, leaving her friends behind to deal with Sunset, who was up against the second row of lockers, crying hard.

“Look, I don’t know how Anon-a-Miss got ahold of our pictures. I don’t know how she got ahold of the other stuff, but it wasn’t me. Please, why won’t you all just listen to me?”

Rarity looked down, taking ahold of Pinkie, who had turned and buried her face into Rarity's shoulder while crying hard. She looked at Sunset, who was beginning to slide down the locker to the floor, and said to her sternly, “Sunset, after all we've been through with you--taking you in after the Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, finding out you were homeless, calling you family--this is how you repay our compassion our generosity?”

Applejack looked down at Sunset as she hit the floor, pulling her legs up to her chest and burying her face into her arms. Applejack snarled, “This is it, Sunset. Tell us the truth. Tell us that yer Anon-a-Miss!”

“I'm not Anon-a-Miss, AJ,” Sunset sobbed. “Really, I'm not her. Please, just hear me on this. I'm not her.”

“I’m sorry, but you did this, Sunset,” Rarity began while slowly starting to walk away, leaving Sunset to cry. “Tell whatever lies and secrets you want to about us. We're through.”

“We ain't gonna let ya take advantage of us anymore, Sunset Shimmer.” Applejack also walked away, stopping to look over her shoulder as Pinkie stood next to Rainbow, wiping away her tears. She continued, “But m' friends don’t hafta listen to yer lies no more. So go ahead and spill yer guts. Ah don’t care, and neither do my friends.”

Sunset looked up, her eyes red from crying. Everyone that had stopped to watch the spectacle play out in front of them wondered what she was about to do. Finally, Sunset stuttered, “W-What are you saying?”

“What Applejack is saying,” Rainbow said bitterly, “is that because you lied to us and because we trusted you and you broke our hearts, you're not our friend anymore. We can’t be friends with a traitor like you, Sunset.” Turning to leave, Rainbow finished, “To think I actually slept with you to help with that nightmare.” She looked back at Sunset, who had her face fully buried into her arms. “I wonder if you really were having a nightmare or if you were just trying to get me in bed with you. I guess now we'll never know, will we?”

Rainbow closed her eyes and bolted down the hallway, screaming as she ran away from her former friend, “I HATE YOU, SUNSET! I HATE YOU!”

Pinkie remained for a few more moments, saying as she, too, was about to leave, “I’ll do you this one favor, Sunset Shimmer, even though you don’t deserve it.”

“W-What favor, Pinkie” Sunset said, her face buried into her arms and her legs pulled up tight against her chest, “I don’t--”

“I won’t tell them about that crystal I found under the step in Sugar Cube Cafe.”

Before Sunset could look up or say anything, Pinkie, ran off, leaving Sunset to cry alone in the hallway. Apple Bloom waited for a few more moments before saying, “Yes! It worked. She’s toast.”

Just as she was about to come out of the music room, Vice Principal Luna came around the corner, saw Sunset crying, and went to her side. Kneeling down in front of the very distraught student, she said, “Miss Shimmer, are you alright?”

“Please, just leave me alone,” Sunset sobbed out. “I just want to be alone.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You’re in distress, and I need to help you. Come with me, please.”

Reaching behind her, Luna took out her walkie-talkie and called Celestia, who came down the hallway right away. Seeing how upset Sunset was, Celestia quickly dispersed the crowd that had formed, then helped Luna to help Sunset up. After she got to her feet, Sunset sobbed out, “She hates me. They all hate me.” Before anyone could stop her, Sunset pushed Luna and Celestia off of her and ran down the hallway towards the front door. Luna and Celestia picked themselves up and gave chase.

Sunset ran out of the front doors and down the sidewalk towards the park. Celestia was the first to get to the doors. She ran outside and looked both ways but was unable to find Sunset. Turning back around to her sister, she said, “Do you have any idea what just happened?”

“Yes. I think we now know who Anon-a-Miss is, and I think her friends do, as well.” Luna walked past her sister as she continued, “You go back inside. I’ll look for her and bring her back. Then, we can talk with her about this.”

Luna looked down at the sidewalk. Seeing fresh boot prints in the snow, she began to follow them, not giving her sister a chance to say anything further to her about the situation. She followed the boot prints until she came to the park, where she soon found Sunset curled up on the same bench Sunset and Applejack had their heart-to-heart not too long ago.

An Unexpected Meeting (Edited by Icecreammac)

Princess Celestia woke up and looked over to her dresser. She saw that her clock read 5 am. Knowing she didn’t need to lower the moon and raise the sun for another hour, she got up, stretched, and looked through the piles of paperwork she brought into her room the previous night.

A few hours later, after she raised the sun and finally read the last document, a report on trade with the kingdom of Saddle Arabia, she once more stretched the aching muscles in her neck and headed out of her bedchamber. One of her many guards greeted her with a salute and a smile. She didn’t return the gesture. Keeping her head low, she let out a soft sigh.

It had been nine hundred years since Celestia had banished her sister to the moon with the use of the Elements of Magic. Once, she loved to raise the sun and watch her sister lower the moon, but now, doing both only served to bring back painful memories of what happened to her sister.

Celestia was just making her way around the hallway corner leading from her bedchamber to her throne room when the guard who had saluted her called out to her, “Yer Highness, I need to inform you that you will have a special guest today. She will be here in a few hours.” Again, Celestia ignored him.

Star Swirl the Bearded was also just coming out of his own bedchamber. Seeing the hurt look on her face, he, too, tried to get her attention. “Your Highness, if ye please, we need ta talk.” Princess Celestia walked right on by without a single word to the bearded pony, causing him to yell out to her bitterly, “Celestia! Listen ta me!”

Hearing these words from her most trusted adviser caused the princess of the sun to stop in her tracks. Her ears flexed upwards, and her tail flicked a few times as she slowly turned around to face the one that had commanded her so. Her eyes burning with rage, she stared bitterly back at him. Never had any one of her subjects dared to address her by her name before. Celestia was about to speak when Star Swirl quickly seized the moment and promptly cut her off. “Ah, good. Now tha' Ah have yer attention, Yer Highness, it’s high time we had ourselves a wee chat. Ye've bin mopin' aboot the castle fer far too long, an' it's time tha' ye had some fun in yer life.”

“Just what am I supposed to do, Star Swirl? Do you honestly expect me to just drop everything and go running off into the wild to have this,” Celestia looked down, lowering her ears flat against the side of her head, “fun that you speak of?”

The silver-bearded pony smiled warmly to her. Placing a gentle hoof to her shoulder, he said, “Aye, in a mannor o' speaking, Ah do expect ye ta do that, Yer Highness. An' Ah've got just the idea fer ye to do tha', as well.”

Before Princess Celestia could protest any further, Star Swirl used his magic, teleporting himself and her outside. Looking around, she saw that she was in front of the castle. To her right stood two guards, each wearing his normal golden armor emblazoned with Celestia’s cutie mark. To her left was the wide open area of Canterlot, filled with the bustling of ponies of many walks of life coming and going as they all worked together to build the city of Canterlot. Looking angrily back at Star Swirl, Celestia vehemently snarled out, “How dare you use magic on me without--”

“Now, now,” Star Swirl interrupted, flashing a big smile on his face. “Ye’ll thank me once ye git back.” He raised his hoof, shaking it towards her with an ever-proud smile on his aging face. “Shoo. Go 'ave yerself a good time.”

Celestia, realizing she was all but defeated in her argument, simply grumbled to herself. She didn’t want to take any time for herself, let alone take any time to have fun. Just as she was beginning to make her way down the long, dirt path leading towards a small town far in the distance, she stopped in her tracks. Looking back at Star Swirl, she said, “Wait, I can’t leave. I have an important visitor that's supposed to be seeing me today!”

“Ah, aye, Yer Highness. Don't ye worry aboot her none. Ah'm the one who sent fer her. Ah think the two o' ye will become good friends. An' a friend is what yer sorely needing right now. So, yer ta go out an' 'ave some fun; the fresh air'll do ye some good. Ah'll entertain th' guest until ye return.”

Celestia almost shook with anger towards her friend and mentor, but seeing a slight glint of amusement in his eyes, she finally relented, allowing herself to take in the beautiful day and the fresh summer breeze that was now blowing. Letting out a sigh of both annoyance and slight submission, Celestia began to walk down the road leading to a quaint village.

Star Swirl smiled to himself, thinking as he watched her go, “Ah, good. Now tha' she's gone, my final task can be done without hindrance.”
Turning to head back inside the castle, the magical prodigy began to cough badly. Seeing how sickly Star Swirl was, one of the guards ran to his aid. As the guard helped him back inside the castle and to his bedchamber, Star Swril said to the guard softly while trying to hard to fight back his coughing, “Mah colt, Ah'm in need o' yer services. Ah need ye ta take something fer me an' nae ta tell Her Highness aboot it.”

As Star Swirl was laid on his bed, he used his magic to bring out a wooden box made out of dark cocobolo wood from a hidden cabinet under his bed. Floating it over to the guard, who took the box in his own magic, Star Swirl said, wheezing badly, “Yer ta take this case an' bury it deep wi'in th' Everfree Forest. Do nae allow yerself to peek wi'in the case, fer ye, too, will be tempted ta use this dark magic fer good. But no good will come of it. Tell nopony other than yer eldest colt, an' do nae tell Her Highness Princess Celestia aboot this. Now, go on. Hurry.”

The gaurd looked at Star Swirl with concern in his eyes. Saying nothing to him, he did as he was ordered to do. Taking the box from him, he bowed to Star Swirl and left the castle, heading deep within the Everfree Forest.

Celestia was well on her way towards the small village when she came across a butter-colored pony sitting under a tree, resting in its shade and reading a book. The pony had deep blue eyes, orange fur, and transparent, purple wings that glistened like gemstones in the hot, afternoon sun. Looking at her with slight curiosity, Princess Celestia walked up to her, offering her most pleasant smile to her, saying as she looked at the strange-looking pony in front of her, “Uh, hello. How are you doing today?”

The pony looked up from her book, smiled warmly to Celestia, saying as she let her magic close her book, “I am doing well, Your Highness. And how are you doing today?”

“Uh, I am doing well as, uh, well.”

Getting a closer look at the strange pony, Princess Celestia saw what appeared to be a crown on her head that was made up entirely of flowers. Looking a bit closer, Celestia could see that the crown was actually growing out of the pony's head. “Do you like my crown, Your Highness?” came the words from the pony in front of her, snapping the princess of the sun out of her almost trance-like state.

“Huh?” Princess Celestia blinked a couple of times, trying to form her words. “Uh, yes. It is very beautiful. If I may ask, who are you?”

“Oh, how completely rude of me!” The butter-colored pony exclaimed, placing both her front hooves to her cheeks. “Where are my manners?” She got up and bowed deeply to Princess Celestia, continuing, “I am Queen Chrysalis, Your Highness. It is a very high honor to meet you.”

“QUEEN!” Celestia exclaimed back. When she realised her own mistake, she, too, very quickly bowed, continuing, “I am so very sorry, Your Majesty, I never meant to insult you by--”

“Oh, think nothing of it, Your Highness.” Chrysalis giggled slightly. “I actually rather enjoyed this unexpected meeting. And the shocked look on your face was well worth it.” She raised her head up and smiled warmly to Celestia, who also raised her head, only showing a slightly embarrassed look in return. “It was a pleasure meeting you, although I would have preferred to meet you in your castle. But being out here among the trees, animals, wind, and sweet-smelling flowers does wonders for me, and I do enjoy a walk among all those that are living.”

Looking down as her ears slightly tilted against her head, Princess Celestia said with a half-sad look on her face, “I am sorry to be rude to you, Your Majesty, but I was told by one of my guards that I was to--”

“--meet a special guest today,” Chrysalis interrupted with slight glee showing on her royal face. “I am the one that should be apologizing to you, Your Highness.”

“Why?”

“You see, this meeting between us here was not by accident. A pony called Star Swirl the Bearded set it up. He contacted me a few weeks ago and asked that I come out here to meet with you. I think he wanted to--Oh, how did he put it?--‘make sure her highness has a good time and doesn’t spend her time moping about, thinking about the past.’ Or something to that effect, anyway. Anyways, I was asked here to get you out of that stuffy castle and help you along the road to recovery.”

Princess Celestia looked back at Queen Chrysalis with an irritated look on her face. Chrysalis only grinned happily. Stepping forward, Crysalis said, smiling pleasantly to Celestia, “I should warn you now that I do not intend to let you go without making sure you have had at least a little fun.”

“I am not at all amused by this, Your Majesty. I have no reason to have any fun at all.”

“Really? And why is that, Your Highness?” Chrysalis cocked her head to the right with a very confused look on her face. “I see that your sun is shining.” She pointed a hoof to the sky. Celestia looked up, then back down at her, still with an unamused look on her face. “I feel the warmth of the summer breeze in our manes as it blows.” Both her mane and Celestia's flowed slightly as the breeze picked up. “I hear soft chirping coming from the tree branches above me.” She pointed her hoof upwards towards the branches above her. Celestia looked up, seeing several birds. Again, she didn’t looked amused at all. “And I know the village just down the road has lots of yummy, tasty food. So why not come with me and have some fun instead of going back to your castle and moping about for something that wasn’t your fault.”

“W-What did you just say?” Celestia replied, taking a step back, her face beginning to show pain and regret. “What do you know of my pain, my sadness?” Tears began to trickle down her regal face as she continued, “How dare you say it wasn’t my fault? Of course it was! I used the magic of the Elements against my own sister!”

Chrysalis laid a very soft, gentle hoof onto Celestia's shoulder, saying tenderly to her, “I know of your pain because Star Swirl told me about it. Your sister forced you into something that you shouldn’t have been forced into. You had no choice. It was either use the magic of the Elements or lose all of Equestria to her darkness.”

Celestia shook slightly, and Chrysalis came to suddenly realize the real reason why Star Swirl wanted the two of them to meet. Her eyes slowly went wide as she said, “Y-You haven’t actually allowed yourself to cry or to mourn for what happened that night, have you, Celestia?”

Celestia tried and tried to contain her tears, to maintain her composure. It was all completely in vain. Seeing how hurt she was, Chrysalis very gently pulled the princess into her, laying her head onto her shoulder and allowing Princess Celestia to let out her bitter tears.

“WHY?” Celestia sobbed hard into Chrysalis's shoulder. “Why did I do it? I could have worked things out with her. I know I could have!” Her body trembled as she tried to fight back her tears. “What kind of sister am I to banish one that I loved so much yet paid so little attention to?”

“There, there, Your Highness. Let it out. Let out all this pain and regret that you have been keeping up inside you.”

Celestia stayed on Chrysalis's shoulder for almost twenty minutes, allowing herself to cry. She recalled while her tears ran down her cheeks that even after using the Elements on Princess Luna, she didn’t cry that night. She had kept in her anger, her sadness, her tears. She had kept it in until now, when, like a floodgate, they came pouring out of her with no end in sight.

“Shh. It will be alright, Your Majesty. You’ll have your sister home someday, and together, you both will rule Equestria with honor, duty, and above all, love.” Patting her on the back, Queen Chrysalis continued, gently saying, “Your sister loves you, Celestia, and I am sure she will bear you no ill will when she returns to you. I am sure she will forgive you, just as you must now forgive yourself for what you had little choice in doing to her.”

Celestia pulled away. Wiping a hoof over her eyes, she said, choking back her sobs, “H-How can you be so sure, Your Majesty? How do you know that my sister will return to me and that she'll forgive me, let alone that I'll be able to forgive myself for what I did?”

“I know because I, too, lost somepony that was dear to my heart.”

Celestia wanted to ask more, but thought she'd acted out of line enough. Instead, she said, “Thank you for allowing me to act so personally, Your Majesty. I am sure you must have thought of me as a complete mess for crying on your shoulder like that.”

“Oh, not at all, my dear, not at all. In fact, I am sure that it has done you good.” Chrysalis moved so that she was standing right next to Celestia. “Now, shall we head into the village just down the road and see what it's like? Perhaps we will have some fun along the way, as well.”

“Fun?” Celestia looked back towards her castle, then back down towards the road, and smiled warmly. “Yes, let's go see what this little village has to offer. I think after my crying fit I could use some, uh, fun. Who knows? I might even make a friend today.”

“I'd say you have already made a friend.”

“I have?” Celestia looked at Chrysalis, who was beaming a big smile to her. She giggled slightly. "Yes, I suppose I have."

Chrysalis continued smiling as she said, “There is a tradition among my ponies that when a pony cries on another's shoulders under a tree, the ponies swiftly become friends.”

“Really? That's interesting, albeit really specific. I'll have to see more of your ponies and their traditions.”

Side-by-side, the two continued on their way. Coming to the village in the late evening, Celestia stopped at the threshold of the village gates, smiled, and let out a contented sigh. Chrysalis looked at her, then past the gates, which were already open. Before anypony knew what was happening, the two royals raced through the town, each laughing and giggling like two little fillies. They raced up and down the streets of the village, each trying to outrun the other, neither of them gaining or losing ground. Their laughter and silliness didn’t go unnoticed, as soon, the entire village was in on the act, with all the ponies around racing each other throughout the streets.

Common Ground (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

The weather was a bit chilly, far too chilly for Luna’s personal liking; she had not bothered to head back inside of CHS to get her coat before following Sunset to the park. Finding Sunset curled up on the bench in front of her did little to put her mind at ease. Taking a step forward, Luna was able to hear soft but noticable crying coming from Sunset. Luna got as close to the distraught teen as she could before saying, “Sunset, it’s Vice Principal Luna. I would like to talk to you.”

Sunset said nothing. Her only motion was to tremble, though Luna didn’t know if it was because of the chilly air or because Sunset was crying. Wanting to help ease the girl's mind, Luna took a few more steps before kneeling down next to her. With Sunset's back facing her, Luna again tried to get the girl to talk to her. “Sunset, please. I just want to talk. Nothing more. I promise you I won’t hurt you or accuse you of anything.”

This caused Sunset to slowly sit up and face Luna, her face wet from crying. “Y-You're not going to drag me back to the school?”

Luna had a soft-hearted, kindly look on her face as she shook her head in reply. Satisfied, Sunset moved over, and Luna sat down next to Sunset. The two took some time to look out at the park together. The place was quiet and serene. Snow was very lightly falling around the pair as they both sat and looked out towards the manmade pond in front of them.

Sunset let out a stuttering sigh while shivering in the cold air. Luna noticed this, saying to her gently, “I know a warm place we can go to talk.”

At first Sunset didn’t say anything. She slowly stood up and took her coat off, letting it drop to the ground beneath her. Luna immediately got up as well. She knelt down and picked Sunset’s coat up, saying, “Sunset, it's cold out here. Put this back on. You're going to get sick.”

“I don't care.”

Sunset turned to walk away without her coat. As Luna started to walk after her, her sharp eyes instantly caught the mark on Sunset's right shoulder. Without thinking, Luna blurted out, “Fourteen."

Sunset stopped dead in her tracks, holding her arms around herself. Taking her chance, Luna came up behind Sunset and carefully draped her coat over her shoulders, saying, “That mark on your shoulder, the one that looks like a scar. It is the roman numeral for fourteen.” A cold breeze blew past the two. Luna shivered and said, “Sunset, it's cold out here. Please, let me take you someplace warm where we can have ourselves a proper talk.” At Sunset's wary look, Luna said, “I swear I won’t try to take you back to school, but I can’t let you stay out here in the cold.”

“A-Alright, I’ll go with you, but remember, you promised.”

Luna nodded. Stepping aside, she allowed Sunset to pass by her. As they started on their way, Luna said, “We can head down the street from here and turn right at the stop sign. We’ll come to my favorite coffee shop.”

“You like coffee, Vice Principal Luna?” Sunset replied, slipping her arms into her coat and zipping it. “I always thought you and Principal Celestia liked tea, not coffee.”

“Yes, I do, and you can call me Ms. Luna while we're not in school, Miss Shimmer.”

The two walked for twenty minutes until they both came to a stop sign. Looking at Luna, Sunset was about to say something, when Luna said, “I made a promise, Miss Shimmer, and I intend to keep it.”

Not saying anything further, the two soon found themselves inside a coffee shop. Luna wasted very little time in ordering coffee. Soon, Sunset found herself sitting in a booth, looking out to the street from a window next to the booth. She had taken off her coat again, placing it next to her. She looked down at the bare table in front of her, then out the window next to her.

Watching all the people walk by, she failed to see Luna coming up to the table and said, “It's all happening all over again. I was innocent then, and nopony believed me. And now, I'm gonna lose everything again, like I did when Musical Skies…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to choke back a sob. Feeling something soft and warm on her left shoulder, she looked up to see Luna standing next to her, her hands holding a tray filled with two cups of coffee, some doughnuts and two large cookies. Luna set the tray down on the table, then looked at Sunset with warm, soft eyes before taking her seat.

“I know what it is like, Sunset.”

“No, you don't! You don't know anything about it!”

“I know what it is like to be accused of something you didn’t do and to lose the ones you love because of that accusation.”

Sunset's anger slowly turned into sadness. Luna didn’t say anything. She only pulled the distraught teen into her, allowing Sunset to cry on her shoulders. “It hurts, Ms. Luna. After all we've been through, how could they just accuse me like that?” Sunset sobbed into the elder's shoulders. “I just want to go home, but I can’t. I can never go home.”

“Sunset, listen to me.” Luna helped Sunset back to the booth before continuing, “You can go home again. I am sure Princess Twilight will be more than willing to bring you back now that you have changed into a good person.”

“No, I can’t. You don’t understand. I don’t have a home in Equestria. I never did, and I never will.”

Sunset looked down at the table, trying to hide her guilt, anger and sadness, but Luna saw straight through it. Before Sunset could say another word, Luna took her by the hands and placed both hands over the sides of the Styrofoam cup in front of her. The cup felt warm and soothing. Sunset looked up with slightly teary eyes. Luna smiled and said, “Drink before you burst into tears again. Trust me, you’ll feel better once you have a sip.”

Sunset sniffed but complied, taking a sip of the coffee, then another sip. Luna spoke gently to her while Sunset sipped. “As I said, Sunset I know what it is like to be accused of something you didn’t do.” Luna looked down at her own cup, letting out soft sigh as she continued, “It was fifteen years ago. I was a rather brash student back then. Because of how I was, my sister didn’t really spend much time with me. In fact, she spent as little as she could with me.” Luna looked up to see that Sunset was looking right at her, her cyan eyes holding only kindness, not pity. Looking back down, Luna again continued, “One of our school's trophies went missing, and because I was such a loudmouth jerk back then, everyone, including my own sister, thought I was guilty. I tried, Sunset. I tried very hard to convince Celestia that I wasn’t the one who stole the trophy, but no one believed me.”

“What happened?”

“Well, a few weeks went by. I was suspended from school. Mother and father were not very happy with me, to say the least. Celestia didn’t even bother to talk to me during the whole time I was home. Every time I tried to talk to her, she would ignore me. By the time culprits got themselves caught, I was already in a deep depression.” Luna pulled back her right shirt sleeve, allowing Sunset to look at her right forearm which was marred with faded, though clear, scars. Some crisscrossed, others were small, and some were thick and long. But it was the two over her wrist that caught Sunset's attention the most. One was light, while the other was jagged, as if it had been made by something with a serrated edge. Unlike all the other scars, those two were running along her forearm rather than across it.

Luna waited for Sunset to say something, but when nothing came from the rather shocked teen, she continued, “Things had gotten so bad that I tried to kill myself. I am very glad that my sister found me in time. She saved my life, and I guess, in a way, it was a wake-up call to her, as well, because things changed after that for both of us.”

Sunset gulped hard. “When you did that to yourself, d-did you not stop to think what you were going to do to your sister?”

“After the way she treated me, I didn’t care. Anyway, five years went by. Celestia and I grew very close to each other. Eventually I met Pearl Dusk while I was in college, and it all happened again, only this time with the person that I had fallen in love with.”

“You don’t have to say anything more if you don’t want to, Ms. Luna.” Sunset picked up her coffee cup, taking a sip. “It's not just what's happened today. I feel as if I don’t belong here or in Equestria because of what I am.”

“I don’t understand, Sunset. You say you can’t go home again, and you say you've never had a home in Equestria, yet you have maintained for months that you came from that world. Were you lying to us?”

Sunset set down her cup. Placing her hand over the mark on her right shoulder, she let out a forced sigh, then snarled out bitterly, “It wasn’t a lie! I am from there, but at the same time, I'm not.” Making eye contact, Luna saw only rage and bitterness in the teen's cyan eyes. “I hate her for all...” Sunsets voice again trailed off as she looked down. “It was my fault, so why are being so kind to me, Luna? Why do you care?”

“Are you saying that you are Anon-a-Miss, Miss Shimmer?” Luna studied Sunset for any sign of being caught in a lie. When she saw none, she continued, “Or are you saying that this whole mess caused by Anon-a-Miss was your fault? Which is it, Miss Shimmer?”

“You wouldn’t understand, Ms. Luna. I don't see a point in going on about this with you.”

Sunset got up to leave, stopping only when she heard Luna say coldly, “I wouldn’t understand? I wouldn’t understand what, Sunset Shimmer? What it is like to have the girl you love more than anything in the whole damn world accuse you of breaking her heart!”

Sunset spun around to say something, but Luna cut her off, “Pearl Dusk accused me of sleeping with another person! So don’t you dare go telling me that. Believe me, Sunset Shimmer. I know what it is like to go through what you went through today!”

Sunset stepped forward, saying softly, “Ms. Luna I am so sorry. I didn’t know.” Sunset watched in shock as Luna began to do something Sunset never thought she would ever see Luna do. Luna began to cry right in front of her. “Why did she have to go and break my heart? I wasn’t sleeping with Dusty Harvest.” Luna tried to maintain her composure yet failed as she recalled very vividly the day that she broke up with Pearl Dusk. “I was only there to see how my cousin was doing. I didn’t know that Pearl was so afraid of losing me to another woman.”

“Luna, I am so sorry for all the pain that I caused you that day.” Luna looked up, her eyes blurry from tears. That wasn’t Sunset's voice. She looked up and saw Pearl's pretty face. Before Luna knew what was happening, she felt Pearl's arms around her, pulling her into a warm hug. “I never should've broken up with you, and I never should've broken your heart. Please, can you forgive me?”

“What?” Luna began to return the gesture while Sunset stood by, watching in shock. “What are you doing here, Pearl?”

“I was on my way to school when your sister called me told me to stop by here. Something about Sunset and you leaving school.”

“Oh, right.” Luna ended the warm hug, then looked at Sunset as she continued. “I need to get you back to school. Are you willing to come back with me?”

Sunset turned around, wrapping her arms around herself, saying bitterly, “I don’t know. It hurts too much to know that they all think I'm Anon-a-Miss.” Sunset felt Luna’s hands on her shoulders as she continued, “I feel lost, confused, bitter and angry.”

“And you're going to feel like that for a while, but please, Sunset, let us help you. Neither I nor Luna think that you are Anon-a-Miss.” Pearl looked at Luna. “Do you, Luna?”

“No, I don’t. At least not anymo--” Luna closed her eyes, looking away. When Sunset realized what Luna had just implied, Sunset's eyes went wide as she slowly turned around to face Luna. Luna looked at her as she continued, “I am sorry, Sunset, but you need to understand with your past and all. Both my sister and I have been keeping up with the whole Anon-a-M--”

“Save it!” Sunset spat back. “I don’t wanna hear your horseshit about how you're sorry for thinking I could do something like this! I am so fucking tired of being alone! I don’t have a home to go to. I don’t have any actual real parents that miss me and love me. I don’t even have the fucking princess of the sun, who claimed to love me yet after only one damn fight, she tossed me out like some stray mutt!” Looking down, Sunset sniffed, thinking of her hurtful words, trying to hope that her words wouldn’t get back to the Cakes. “I loved Celestia, and she treated me like I wasn’t good enough to be her daughter. Then I came here and I was--Well, you both saw how well my dealings with Twilight turned out. All I have are the Cakes now, and I don't want to lose them, too.”

Luna stepped forward, causing Sunset to take a step back. Sunset watched them with careful eyes as Luna turned, picked up her coat, and handed it to her. Pearl spoke gently to Sunset as the teen watched the two of them carefully, “If you're tired of being alone, Sunset, please let us help you to make things right. Please don’t run off again. You of all people should know that running away never solves anything. It only causes more problems.”

“A-Alright, I’ll go back to school, but I want you both to know that I'm still hurting and angry about losing my friends like I did.”

“We know, Sunset. We know.” Pearl took Sunset's coat from Luna, handing it to Sunset, who took it, slipped it on, and zipped it up. “Believe us, Sunset. We both know what it is like to lose the ones you love.”

The three headed back to CHS. On the way there, Sunset thought about her actions and also thought of what she was going to say to Principal Celestia. Getting back to school about ten minutes later after Pearl gave both Sunset and Luna a ride, Sunset soon found herself sitting across from Principal Celestia’s desk. The older woman looked concerned as well as relieved to see her safely back at school.

The two locked eyes as Celestia softly said to the redheaded girl, “While I am very glad to see you back at school, Sunset, I hope you know that running away won’t fix anything. I want to help you, but I can’t if you run off like that again. Please. I am asking not only as your principal but also as your court-appointed advocate to your adoption with the Cakes.”

“Wait, you're my what?” Sunset asked, shocked. “They...told you?”

“Yes, we did.” Mr. Cakes soft, kind-hearted voice came from behind Sunset causing her to turn around quickly. “Sorry it took so long to get here, Principal Celestia. I had a large order to deliver." Mr. Cake looked to Sunset and said, "I've known Celestia for years, and since she's your principal, I figured it was important to let her know. She told me that we needed someone we both know and can trust to get the final say on your adoption. Choosing Celestia wasn't difficult at all.”

Sunset got up and raced over to her father, burying her face into his shoulders, crying tears of both pain and joy. Mr. Cake ran his fingers through her hair soothingly, saying softly to her, “It's okay, honey. I know what happened. I'm not angry. I am, however, disappointed in your friends, but we ca--”

“No more talking. Just hold me,” Sunset sobbed into Mr. Cake's shoulder. “I've always wanted to feel something like this, to feel loved.”

“You are loved very much, Sunset,” Principal Celestia said softly, watching the two. “We all love you. I hope you know that. I will sign the paperwork today, and by this time tomorrow, you will be legally adopted. But you're going to have to do something for me in return.”

“What?” Sunset replied, gently ending the warm hug.

“Smile and agree to never run away again. Can you do that, Sunset?”

Sunset gave a small smile. "Yeah, I'll...I'll try."

On the Run (Edited by Icecreammac)

Summer Sunrise and Gilda left their apartment shortly after Sombra had left, each more than a little worried about running into him. Summer had wanted to take the baseball bat with her, but Gilda made it clear to her that it needed to stay at the apartment. Getting outside, Summer looked around, making absolutely sure to keep Gilda out of sight until she was sure that the coast was clear. Once everything checked out, she signaled Gilda to join her out front in the parking lot.

The two were just headed towards the city bus stop when they both stopped, hearing a loud whistle from behind them. Turning around, Gilda saw her parole officer coming up behind her. Brushed Jade didn’t look happy at all.

“Officer Jade,” Gilda began, gulping. “Uh, what brings you out here? I thought our meeting--”

“Gilda Griffin, you are under arrest for petty theft and larceny,” Brushed Jade replied sternly, taking out her handcuffs as she approached Gilda. “You have the right to remain--”

Brushed was cut off when Summer suddenly lunged in, grabbing her by the throat. To Brushed Jade’s complete shock, she suddenly found herself hanging in the air by Summer’s hand as Summer stared coldly up at her.

“Leave or die. The choice is yours,” Summer spat out.

“NO! Put her down!” Summer looked at Gilda, shocked. “Please, Summer, don’t hurt her. She's my parole officer. I can’t afford for you to hurt her.”

Summer let Brushed Jade go, and Brushed Jade hit the ground with a loud, painful yelp. Before she could pick herself up from the ground, Summer lunged in again, swiping Brushed Jade's Glock from her holster. Summer Sunrise smirked while she held the weapon in her hands, showing it to Brushed Jade, who took a step back after picking herself up from the ground. Brushed Jade held up one hand, palm facing Summer Sunrise while coughing badly with her damaged throat.

“Nice, Summer, now we're both screwed,” Gilda snarled bitterly, throwing her arms up in disgust. “Why the hell did you take her gun?”

"Don't shoot!" Brushed Jade begged, "If you put it down, I can--"

Brushed Jade was cut off and left speechless as Summer bent her gun in a half-circle without breaking a sweat. Dropping the piece of mangled metal on the ground, Summer again lunged in, landing a clean right hook to Brushed Jade's head, striking the woman in the right temple. Gilda looked at Summer angrily, saying "Are you done yet? You wanna get us in any more trouble?” Without waiting for an answer, Gilda knelt down, sighing with relief when she saw that Brushed Jade was still alive. Once she was satisfied that Brushed Jade was only unconscious, she grabbed Sunrise by the arm and rushed to the bus stop.

The bus came a few moments later, and the two boarded it. Gilda took a seat next to a window. Looking out the window, she grumbled out, “Why did you attack Officer Jade like that, Summer? You could've killed her! Not to mention that we're both in so much trouble now!”

Summer took her seat across from Gilda. Looking out the window, she said softly to herself, “Where are you, Fourteen?”

“Summer, will forget about this Fourteen for one damn second!” Gilda’s angry voice instantly snapped Summer Sunrise back to her current situation. “Because of what you did back there, we have to find a new place to stay! Fucking hell, we can’t even collect our stuff now!” Gilda looked out the window, letting out a sigh. “Thanks, Summer. Thanks so very fucking much for fucking up our day like that!”

“What in Tartarus did you expect me to do, Gilda? I was NOT about to let that bitch hurt you. Thanks to me, she knows not to mess with you.”

“No, thanks to you, I'll be going to Bell River prison, and you'll probably be right behind me in cuffs. So thanks for fucking up my life, Summer.”

Gilda sat back in her seat, silently watching the buildings pass her by. Summer Sunrise looked out the window next to her again, then down at her lap, saying softly, “I'm so alone in this world, Gilda. I didn’t want to risk losing you. I made a promise to you that I wouldn't let anyone or anything hurt you, and I intend to keep that promise."

“Yeah, sure you do, Summer. Look, you can’t do that again. If Officer Jade shows up again, you need to promise me you’ll leave her alone and let her take me in. I know why she was at our apartment. She must have found out about what we did at the mall, and since I'm on parole, that means she's gonna take me back to jail. And I pretty sure I'm gonna be in prison for the whole sentence this time.”

“No! I won’t allow her to take you away like some dog in the street! I-I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you out of the dungeon.”

Gilda shook her head. Seeing that their stop was coming up, she reached up and pulled the stop cord. When the bus stopped, she got up and said bitterly to Summer Sunrise, “You coming or not?”

Summer Sunrise got up and followed Gilda off the bus and down the sidewalk towards a large, wooden stage. Looking around, Gilda turned to face Summer as she said, “This is it. This is the place that was in that video you saw on my laptop, which by now is more than likely at police headquarters. So, thanks for that, too. Now I have to go and steal another laptop, Summer.”

Summer Sunrise paid no attention to Gilda's ramblings, too focused on something that had caught her eye. Gilda watched as Summer headed up the stage towards its center, knelt down, and began to retrieve something from in between the floorboards. Looking up, Summer Sunrise saw that Gilda had followed her up to the center of the stage.

"Well? What'd you find?" Gilda asked.

“I’ll show you, but I don't think you'll believe me when I tell you what it's for.”

“Summer, I've already seen you take out six cops with your bare hands. I watched as you bent Officer Jade's gun in a half-circle. You're, like, superhumanly strong. I've seen a lot of things I didn't think I'd believe. So just try me.”

Summer Sunrise stood up and said, “This is a heart crystal. There were many rumors surrounding the creatures that used it.”

Gilda looked at the crystal, which had cracks all over it, then back up at Summer Sunrise. Seeing no signs of deception on her face, Gilda said, “Okay, so it looks like someone already used it, though it doesn’t look like it can be used for anything now.”

“That's because it's broken. Once repaired, it can allow a siren to feed on negative energy. It can also be used to track down other sirens.”

“Umm, okay, if you say so, Summer.”

“See, I told you that you wouldn’t believe me. It doesn't matter, though. I would like to know where Fourteen is. I think you said something about her attending school around here.”

“I didn't say that. Sombra did. There's a school not far from here.” Gilda looked around, then started to head off the stage, turning back when she realized that Summer Sunrise wasn’t following her. “You coming or what? I don’t wanna spend the night on the streets, and we need to get to a homeless shelter before dark, so come on, already. Let's go.”

“What? Oh, right.” Summer pocketed the red, crystal shard, then headed in the same direction that Gilda was going. “I can’t believe our good fortune, Gilda.”

“GOOD FORTUNE!?” Gilda exclaimed, her eyes going wide and her jaw nearly dropping. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Summer?” Gilda stopped in her tracks, turned, and looked at Summer Sunrise with pure anger in her eyes. “We lost our home, we're on the run from my parole officer-- who, by the fucking way, doesn’t give up so easily--and all we have to fucking show for it is some stupid crystal!” Looking down, Gilda closed her eyes as she continued, “I don’t call any of that ‘good fortune’, Summer. In fact, I'd call it really pathetic.”

Summer Sunrise shook her head and walked past Gilda, giving her roommate a few moments alone to stew in her own anger. A few moments went by before Gilda turned and ran after Summer Sunrise. Catching up to her a few moments later, Gilda led her towards Canterlot High school, saying as they began to approach the school together, “I went to school with Crash back when we lived in Griffon Rock together.”

“Oh, so, she's, what, your sister, then?”

“That bitch is not my sister.” Gilda stopped in her tracks, a look of unease coming over her face. “We were tight once, before some girl got in between what we had together.”

“Really? What happened?”

“I got busted for having drugs and weapons in my bag. I took them from my brother’s bag. I didn’t know what else to do with them, so I stupidly brought them to school, thinking that if I gave them to my teachers, they would tell me what to do with them.” Gilda sighed, then continued, “It didn’t go as I thought it would. Crash turned me in, and I got kicked out of school. I haven't really seen much of that bitch after I put her in the hospital for turning me in like that and breaking my heart. I thought we where friends, but I learned that day you can only count on one person in this damn world.”

"Who?"

"Yourself, Summer! You can't count on anyone other than yourself. Trusting other people just gets you hurt."

Summer smirked slightly, something that Gilda picked up on. Gilda glared back at her with anger in her eyes. Clearing her throat, Summer said, “I see. So, umm, how did you wind up on the streets, then? I mean that's what that guy said to you while we were back at your place, right?”

“Yeah. After my parents found out what I did, they kicked me out. My grandfather tried to raise me, but I was always on the move, ya know? Can’t keep this girl tied to one place for too long. So, I wound up on the streets and met Sombra. Eventually, I met you, and the rest is history.”

Somewhat disappointed in the bare-bones story, Summer said, “Uh, okay, if you say so.”

The two continued shortly afterwards towards Canterlot High School, getting there just as the fourth-period bell rang out, signaling that it was lunch time. Summer Sunrise stopped when she saw Sunset coming out of the front of the school, taking a seat next to the portal. Sunset looked slightly happy and hurt at the same time. Gilda nudged Summer, in the ribs, saying to her through gritted teeth, “Well, what are you waiting for? Go talk to her.”

“I don’t believe it. It’s really her. She really is living in this area.” Summer watched as Sunset began to eat her lunch alone. “She looks so lonely. So sad.” Summer continued to watch as students passing by Sunset glaring at her. Some even stopped in front of her and gave her a hand gesture that Summer Sunrise didn’t recognize. “I don’t get it. She looked so happy in the video. What happened to cause her to feel so sad?”

Gilda and Summer Sunrise could only stand in silence as they both watched Sunset eat her lunch. It was clear to Summer Sunrise that Sunset looked upset, but wanting to know more about her problems did little to ease her mind about her own needs. Gilda tried several times to get Summer Sunrise to walk across the street, yet failed at each attempt. Just as Gilda gave up completely, the school's bell rang out, and the two were left to watch as Sunset got up from where she was sitting, dusted herself off, and headed inside. Gilda glared at Summer Sunrise, who simply paid her no attention. Summer Sunrise lowered her head, turned, and began to walk away.

Following Summer Sunrise, and wanting to break the silence, Gilda asked, "What did you mean when you said you made a promise to me?"

Storming Winds (Edited By Icecreammac)

Princess Celestia was starting to have fun, something that she sought not to have after losing her sister to her own darkness. Chrysalis was also having as much fun, racing with the princess up and down the streets. Many of the ponies living in the small yet quaint village that Chrysalis had picked for their time together were also having as much fun as the two royals were.

Celestia turned a corner and looked behind her as she ran down the street, giggling like a little filly. She saw that Chrysalis wasn’t behind her. Instead, there was a blue mare with a golden horn and sky-blue wings following her. “That’s odd. I wonder where Chyralis is. I don’t think she could have outrun me this quickly,” Princess Celestia thought to herself.

Celestia was about to say something to the mare that was following her when she heard, “Celestia, watch out for that stall--”

Before Princess Celestia could react, she ran into a stallion who just coming out of a small tavern in front of her. Celestia found herself toppling head over hoof in a mess of hooves and wings as the two rolled down the street. Trying to pick herself up from the tangle, Princess Celestia was pleasantly surprised when the stallion's eyes locked with her eyes. His eyes were of the most beautiful purple she had ever seen, framed by a face covered in lilac fur. The only imperfection Celestia could see was a strange, circular, bald patch of rough skin on his forehead. “Oh, excuse me, Your Most Gracious Highness,” he said timidly to her, offering a weak blush and bright smile. Trotting over to the two, Chrysalis was grinning from ear to ear when she saw the two toppled upon each other.

“Oh, there you are, Your Highness.” Chrysalis changed back to her normal royal form--something that went unseen by Celestia, so entranced was she by the new stallion--then continued, “I was beginning to wonder when you were going start having fun.”

Celestia paid little attention to Chrysalis, something that the queen noticed but also liked. Smiling warmly, her horn glowed bright green while she gently picked up both Princess Celestia and the stallion, separating them. Once she was satisfied that neither was hurt from the collision, Chrysalis set them both down gently. Celestia said as her hooves touched the ground, “I am so very sorry for running into you like that, er...I'm sorry, but I don’t know your name.”

The stallion looked at her, then bowed deeply to her, saying softly, “Storming Winds, Your Highness. I am the guardian of this village.”

“Oh, I see. A guardian. Well, I again humbly apologize,” Celestia blushed as she continued, “It was not my intent to humiliate you in front of your village, Storming Winds.”

“That is quite alright, Your Highness.” Storming Winds nodded, and the crowd disbursed. “Why not join me at the tavern. I am sure your race with Queen Chrysalis left you both very hungry.”

A soft but noticeable rumbling was heard from Celestia's. Blushing more deeply, she said, “Oh, my. I, uh, I think I would like to try your food in this village. By the way, what is this village called?”

“It is called Ponyville, Your Highness. Now, if you two will please follow me, I am sure we can find something really yummy to eat at the tavern.”

Celestia smiled as she watched Storming Winds turn around and trot lightly down the street, having rolled a ways down the street. Chrysalis looked from Storming to Celestia and laughed. “Well, I must say, Your Highness, you seem quite smitten with your new friend.” Chrysalis lightly shouldered Celestia, a slight smirk on her face. When Celestia didn't respond, Chrysalis stepped in front of Celestia waving her hoof in Celestia's face, trying to get the other's attention. To Chrysalis's delight, she saw that Celestia kept looking over her, trying to take in as much of the stallion as she could. Grinning, Chrysalis poked Celestia in the side, saying, “Well, shall we join him for some food, or would you rather stay out and gawk at him some more?”

“What? Oh, uh, yes. Yes, let's go to the tavern.”

“I think somepony has a crush on that stallion.”

“Your Majesty must be mistaken. I don’t have a crush on him.” Celestia blushed deeply. “He is kinda cute though, isn’t he?”

“Cute? Yes, I suppose he is very cute, although I wouldn’t know about that firsthoof. I prefer to spend my time with--” Chrysalis cut herself off and started to walk down the street. Looking back, she saw that Celestia wasn’t following her. “Your Highness, are you coming?”

“Yes, I'm coming. I was just trying to figure out what you were going to say, is all.”

The two headed down the street. While they walked, Celestia kept looking around, something that Chrysalis noticed. “Is there something bothering you, Your Highness?”

“Well during our little race, I saw a blue mare with a golden horn and sky-blue wings following me. I thought you had gotten ahead of me somehow. Yet when the mare spoke, I could have sworn I heard your voice instead of somepony else's voice.”

“Hmm.” Chrysalis stopped placing a hoof to her chin “You must have been seeing things. I lost track of you during the race and only found you a few moments ago when I helped you out from your entanglement back there.”

Celestia looked at Chrysalis, slightly turning her head to the right. Chrysalis laughed, then began to walk towards the tavern. Celestia followed, still unsure if her new friend was telling the truth.

The two arrived at the tavern a few moments later and were greeted pleasantly by Storming Winds, who smiled warmly to both royals. Offering them, a seat he looked from Chrysalis to Celestia, saying gently to the latter, “If Her Highness will please pardon me? I must speak to Her Majesty Queen Chrysalis in private for just a moment.”

“Of course, Storming Winds. While you two chat, I will order us something to drink and eat from the tavern owner.”

Celestia raised her right hoof into the air as Storming turned his attention to Chrysalis. His face showed not delight or friendship, but anger. Queen Chrysalis swallowed hard, something that Storming Winds caught right away. Before she could protest, he pointed his wing towards the door, saying only, “Outside. Now.” Chrysalis lowered her head. Knowing she was all but defeated, she followed Storming Winds outside of the tavern.

Outside, while she still hung her head low, he snarled, “What were you thinking, using your shapeshifting abilities like that, Chrysalis?”

“I was just trying to have some fun, Storming Winds. I didn’t mean anything by it. Besides, you should have more respect for me. After all, I am a que--”

“I’ll show you the respect you deserve when you start acting like a true queen of the changelings!” Storming snorted angrily. “I am not trying to disrespect you, but you must remember what happened last time you got caught here in this village. You can’t use your magic like that again.”

“How do you know I used my shapeshifting abilities? You were not running with us.”

“I may have lost my horn twenty-five years ago, but I still retain much of my magic.” Laying a gentle hoof on her shoulder he continued, “I know it's difficult, but you’ll be able to use your shape--”

“Difficult!” Chrysalis spat back in rage. “You don’t know the first thing about it. I want to show Celestia what I can do, but I can’t, because if I do, I risk causing a panic. I would love nothing more than to be able to walk into this village, use my magic, and have the ponies cheer rather than flee in terror.”

Storming Winds was about to say something further, when Celestia came out of the tavern saying, “Is everything okay? I thought I heard shouting.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Everything's fine. Just fine,” Chrysalis replied bitterly. “I have to go. I need to get back to my kingdom and see to some…affairs.”

Looking at her a bit sadly, Princess Celestia said softly to her, “A-Alright, I’ll walk with you to your kingdom.”

“NO!” Chrysalis's eyes went wide when she realized her mistake. “Uh, I mean, thank you very much, Your Highness, but that's not necessary. I will be fine on my own. Besides it is a nice time to fly, and I think you need to lower the sun and raise the moon now.”

“Yes, I do need to that. Alright, if you insist, I'll do that, then. If you want, you may come to my castle any time you would like, day or night.”

Celestia bowed deeply to Queen Chrysalis, who returned the bow. Storming also bowed, saying, “I will escort Your Majesty to the northern border of the village.” Turning back to face Princess Celestia and ending his bow, he continued “I will be back in an hour, Your Highness. I look forward to showing you around the village tomorrow. Uh, that is, if you will be staying here tonight?”

“Yes, I think I would like that very much. I shall wait for you to return in the tavern. Until then, I wish you a safe journey.”

Storming Winds nodded, then took the air, following Queen Chrysalis. Once he was sure the two of them were out of Celestia's hearing range, he called out to Chrysalis, “Chrysalis you need to land. I need to ask you something.”

Chrysalis landed in the very most outskirts of the town and waited for Storming to land. Once he was safely back on the ground, she said, "What is it, Storming? I hope you're not planning on giving me another lecture. I swear, you're as bad as my mother.”

“Chrysalis, I have something important to ask you. It's personal, but I have to know.” After a readying breath, he asked, "Are you pregnant?"
Chrysalis's eyes went wide as she snapped, “How dare you pry into my personal life! What in all of Equestria gives you the right to ask me something like that?”

“First off, I ask because of your foolishness back there when you changed into that blue mare with the golden horn. Did you forget that same mare was the one that cut my horn off? Did you forget that same mare was the one that killed your mother and vowed to kill all changelings? Second, it is very much my right to know because I swore to you, your mother, and Star Swirl the Bearded that I would watch out for you.”

Chrysalis didn’t reply. She lowered her head, sobbing softly. Storming gently pulled her into him, allowing her to cry on his powerful shoulders. Once she was done, she wiped away her tears, saying softly, “A-Alright, Storming, you win. I’ll be more careful. I swear I won’t use my shape-shifting abilities unless I have too. And yes, I am with a little one. I will be giving birth in a few months.” Turning to leave, she stopped when a thought occurred to her. Looking over her shoulder, she continued, “How is it that I am able to walk into Ponyville without any pony attacking me?”

“That is because of my magic. I am right now shielding you from their eyes. All those ponies in Ponyville see is a white mare with a lime-green mane, but each time you use your magic, it weakens the shielding spell I have cast over you. Now please, Your Majesty, return to your home and do not come here again. I cannot protect you much longer. After twenty-five years without my horn, my magic is finally starting to fail.”

“I understand. I will obey your wishes, but I would like to be able to visit Celestia at her castle every now and then.”

“You will be able to do that, but you must remain away from this village for as long as it remains standing. I do not wish to bury you the way I had to bury your mother. So please, for the safety of your unborn baby, I am pleading with you to remain away from here.”

“Alright, I will do as you request. I don’t want to put my little one in danger. Perhaps Celestia can think of some way to help that you haven't considered. But I must be going now. Good night, Storming Winds. Despite your lecture and you scolding me like a filly again, it was good to see you. Oh, and before I go, please look after Celestia for me. I think she could really use your company, if you know what I mean.”

Storming Wind smiled to Chrysalis as he watched her go. Turning around, he, too, left for the tavern, getting back there an hour later. Landing near the tavern, he saw Princess Celestia talking with two of her guards. She had a very frightened look on her face. Sensing something was very wrong, Storming Winds held back a bit as he watched her leave with her guards. Wanting to know more, and wanting to comfort her, he followed her to her castle.

Once at the castle, Celestia took notice of him. Her guards barred his way when he tried to approach, but Celestia said, “Let him through. He means me no ill will.”

Storming Winds approached. “What's wrong, Celestia? Why did you leave in such a hurry?”

“It's Star Swirl," she said sadly. "He's dying.”

Mistaken Identity (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset Shimmer sat on the steps, waiting for her father to pick her up from school. Checking her phone, she saw the time was 3:30 pm. The last few hours of her day had been spent just trying to get from one class to another without breaking down in tears. Many of the students at CHS had shown their true colors to her, as they either threw spitwads at her or said obscene things to her face. Some had even gone as far as to threaten her. Now, as she sat on the steps, all Sunset wanted to do was get home, get her homework done, and curl up in bed.

While she waited, she heard, “Hey, Anon-a-Miss. Checking your phone to see how many more lives you can wreck?”

Looking up from her phone, Sunset was met with the cold, steel-blue eyes of Dumbbell Stallion, a senior at CHS. Looking just over his shoulder, she saw standing slightly off to his right were his two younger brothers, the twins Score and Hoops Stallion. Dumbbell grinned wickedly at Sunset. As she got up, trying to walk away from them, he reached out, grabbing onto her coat lapel.

As fear seized Sunset, she braced herself, before she heard, “Let her go this very instant, Mr. Stallion.” To her relief, Vice Principal Luna had come outside and saw the confrontation. Dumbbell let go of Sunset's coat, saying quietly enough for only Sunset to hear, “Next time, you won’t get off so easy.”

Walking away, Dumbbell motioned for his brothers to join him on the sidewalk. As Luna watched the three carefully, she said, “I think it might be safer if you waited for your father inside my office, Miss Shimmer.”

“Th-Thank you, Vice Principal Luna.”

Sunset headed inside the school, while Vice Principal Luna remained outside for a few moments, making sure the teen was safely inside the school. Once she was sure the Stallion brothers had left the school grounds, she radioed her sister to meet her in her office.

A few moments later, Sunset soon found herself sitting in Luna’s office with both principals giving her very concerned looks. Looking down at her skirt, she said timidly to both, “Th-Thank you for watching out for me, Vice Principal Luna.” Sunset looked up her face, on the very verge of crying. “Thank you for being there for me earlier today. I-It really meant a lot to me to have you be there for me.”

“Think nothing of it, Miss Shimmer. I was very glad I could help you.” Luna looked at Celestia, then back at Sunset before continuing, “Now, about what I said to you at the restaurant, I think you should know that while I and Principal Celestia don’t think you are Anon-a-Miss, that doesn’t mean that we can let all that has happened slide. Right now, everything points to you, and I am afraid that is how the school board will see it.”

Sunset gulped hard. She knew that if the school board got involved, it could be expulsion from school. Before she could say anything, she heard from behind her, “There you are!” Sunset turned around in her chair to see her father Mr. Cake standing in the doorway. Seeing the stern, grim looks on each of the older women's faces, he continued, “What happened this time?”

“Nothing, fortunately,” Luna began. “I came outside to see if Miss Shimmer had gotten off safely and found her being grabbed by one of our senior students.”

“Really? What is this student's name? I would like to have a few words with this person.”

“His name is Dumbbell Stallion. He is a senior here at CHS,” Celestia replied looking at Mr. Cake with a slightly worried look in her eyes. “Please, Carrot, don’t do anything foolish. He will be dealt with tomorrow when he gets to school.”

“Nothing happened to your daughter, Mr. Cake. Mr. Stallion only had Miss Shimmer by the coat, nothing more than that,” Vice Principal Luna said, “I am sure he wasn’t going to hurt your daughter.”

“Uh huh.” Mr. Cake folded his arms over his chest. Glaring at the two principals, he continued, “I want this nonsense with this Anon-a-Miss person stopped, and I want it stopped now!”

Sunset got up from her chair. Upset and on the verge of tears, she left the room without a word to anyone. Walking out into the hallway, she tried to hide her tears, when Pearl Dusk came up to her, saying gently, “Sunset, what's wrong? Was there another issue with your friends? I know they've avoided you since this morning.”

“No, Ms. Dusk. It’s...I just don’t want everyone to fight my battles for me, is all.”

“I understand. If you want to talk, my office is always open to you.”

Sunset nodded to Pearl Dusk, then headed outside, taking a seat next to the statue. Letting out a sigh, she looked out to the parking lot as a police squad car pulled into the lot. A woman that Sunset had not seen before got out of the car and started to walk over to her. Sunset noticed right away the badge on the side of her belt, the woman's jade-green eyes locked with her own cyan eyes. The woman's hair was a deep blue-green. As she got closer, she said sternly, “Don’t move from where you are. You are under arrest for assaulting an office of the law.”
At first, Sunset didn’t know what to think. She watched as the officer got within a few feet of her. “Umm, I think you might have me confused with someone else,” Sunset began as she slowly stood up. “I didn’t assault anyone.”

Before Sunset could say anything further, the officer grabbed Sunset by her right arm, flipped her over onto her stomach, and twisted her arm behind her back. Sunset suddenly found herself with her arm behind her back, screaming in pain and fear.

Pressing her knee into Sunset's back, the officer snarled in bitterness and anger towards the very frightened teen, “You can scream all you want to in jail. Now stop struggling, or I’ll--”

“JADE, LET HER GO NOW!” Officer Brushed Jade took her eyes off of Sunset for a split-second to see that Pearl Dusk was standing on the school's front steps, a hand over her mouth and a look of complete shock on her face. “I said let her go. She's just a child. There's no reason for you to do this to her.”

“Pearl, stay out of this,” Brushed Jade spat back. “I am charging this girl with assaulting an officer of the law.”

“Please, I didn’t do anything to you or to any other officer. Let me go,” Sunset cried out in fear. “I swear, I don’t know what your talking about. I didn’t hurt anyone. I've been here at school the whole time.”

As Brushed Jade was beginning to read Sunset her Miranda rights, Mr. Cake was just coming out of the school. Pearl again yelled out to Brushed Jade as Sunset was being placed into Brushed Jade's car, “Brushed Jade, please! For the love of God, let her go. She didn’t do anything.”

“I have no choice, Pearl. I can’t let her get away with assaulting me.”

“When did this take place, officer?” Mr. Cake asked in a bitter tone. “I think before you take my daughter away, you should at least tell us when this happened.”

“I don’t have to tell you shit, mister. If you interfere, I’ll charge you as with obstruction of just--”

Before Brushed Jade could finish her sentence, her radio chimed out, “Officer Jade, the girl you've been looking for has been spotted on the corner of Fifth and Lexington.”

Brushed Jade's eyes went wide when she heard the announcement. After fully handcuffing Sunset, who was in tears and almost choking on her own sobs, Brushed Jade pressed the button on her shoulder radio, replying into it, “Dispatch, this is Officer Jade. Repeat last transmission, over.”

“Roger that, Officer Jade. the girl you are looking for has been spotted in the area of Fifth and Lexington.”

“That’s impossible. I have the girl with me right now!” Officer Jade snarled into her radio, “There is no way she could be in that area when I have her here with me in custody.”

“The girl that you are looking for,” Mr. Cake began, looking at officer Brushed Jade with a slightly confused look on his face that quickly turned to anger, “is not the one that you have in handcuffs right now. The one you have right now is my daughter, and her name is Sunset Shimmer.”

“Mister, I don’t give a rat's ass what her name is. I'm taking her in. You can figure this out at the precinct.”

Mr. Cake looked at Sunset as she was loaded into the squad car. Brushed Jade was just about to get in when Pearl yelled out to her, “We can prove that she was here the whole time, Brushed Jade. Will you just listen to us?”

Brushed Jade paid neither Pearl nor Mr. Cake any attention. Getting into her squad car she started up her car and drove off towards the precinct. Mr. Cake looked at Pearl Dusk, saying to her sternly, “What precinct does that officer work at?”

“She works at the First Precinct in downtown Canterlot, Mr. Cake.” Pearl lowered her head as she continued, “I am so sorry about this. She's not normally like this at all. She's actually very gentle.” Sighing, she finished, “We both told her who Sunset was and that Sunset didn’t do anything. Why didn’t she listen to us?”

“I have no idea, but I intend to find out!” Mr. Cake took out his phone, pressed an icon on it then held the phone to his ear. A moment later, he continued, “I'm calling my lawyer and getting Sunset out of jail as soon as I can.”

Mr. Cake didn’t need to wait long for his lawyer to pick up. He said sternly into his cell phone, “Hello, Fancy. It's Carrot. My daughter Sunset Shimmer was arrested. Please meet me at the First Precinct.”

Mr. Cake hung up his cell phone and walked away from Pearl Dusk before she could say anything to him. He got into his car and drove off towards the station. A half-hour later, he was inside the station, waiting to see his daughter. Before long, Fancy Pants also entered the station. When he saw Mr. Cake, he said, “Carrot, do you know what your daughter is being charged with?”

“Yes, and you are not going to like it. Either way, I want her out of this hellhole as soon as possible.”

It Worked (Edited by Icecreammac)

While Sunset Shimmer was being processed at the First Percent of Canterlot City, the last bell at school had rung, and Apple Bloom was eager to get to the tree house to meet up with her friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The three had planned during lunch to meet there after school. Apple Bloom was walking down the hallway of CHS looking at her phone, when a hand suddenly reached out from a doorway that she was passing by, taking a hold of her arm tightly and pulling her into the music room.

“Aaah,” Apple Bloom yelped out. “What in tarnation?”

“It’s just us,” Sweetie Belle's voice snapped the shocked girl back to reality. “I just want to know why you wanted to meet us at the club house.”

Confused, Apple Bloom saw standing in front of her Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, both looked a bit unhappy to see her. Looking back at her phone, she smiled to them both, saying as she held up her phone for both to see clearly, “Hey, guys, Ah was just lookin' fer you two. Yer not gonna believe this, but our plan worked. Check out this video.”

Scootaloo was about to say something, when Apple Bloom, while beaming a great smile to her, pressed the playback tab on her phone. To Scootaloo’s and Sweetie Belle's shock, they both saw the fight that Sunset had with her friends. As Sweetie Belle took in the awful scene, Scootaloo said, “I don’t believe it. It actually worked! I can’t believe she's finally gone.”

“Yeah, Ah know. Now that she's gone,” Apple Bloom began while locking eyes with Sweetie Belle, “Ah think it's time ta take down the website, don’t you, Sweetie Belle?”

“No, I don’t think we should do that just yet.”

“WHAT?” both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom exclaimed in shock. “Why not?”

Both girls looked at Sweetie Belle in disbelief, while Sweetie Belle stared back blankly at them. Seeing the looks on her friends' faces, Sweetie Belle smiled, saying, “If we take it down now, and she makes up with our sisters, we'll be back where we started. We need to at least wait for a few weeks before we take it down.”

Before the three could say anything more, they all three heard loud footsteps coming down the hallway. Quickly shutting her phone off and hiding it in her pocket, Apple Bloom stepped out into the hallway, nearly getting run over by Principal Celestia as the woman ran down the hallway towards the front doors. She looked more worried than upset with Apple Bloom for nearly running the farm girl over.

Celestia looked at the teen, then said, trying to catch her breath, “Why are you in the music room, Apple Bloom. Don’t you know that school is over now?”

“Yes, ma’am. Ah was just pickin' up my sister's guitar for her, is all. She wanted ta take it home fer practice.”

“I see. Well I don’t have time to stick around. I need to go.”

“What's wrong? Ya look more worried than a cat stuck at a dog show. Why're ya in such a rush?”

Looking down for a few seconds, Principal Celestia failed to see Apple Bloom's friends listening from around the doorway of the music room. She looked back up, clearly on the verge of screaming at someone. Apple Bloom suddenly found herself hoping it would not be her on the receiving end.

“It’s Sunset Shimmer, Apple Bloom. She's been arrested. I can’t say anything more than that. I need to go now.”

Before Celestia could leave, Apple Bloom noticed a video tape in the woman's hands. "What's that tape, Principal Celestia?"

Principal Celestia didn't answer as she left the slightly confused teen standing in the hallway. Apple Bloom heard Celestia call into her radio as the principal ran down the hallway, “Luna, get to the precinct. Don’t let Sunset say anything until her father and their lawyer get there.”

Apple Bloom turned to face her two friends, a sick grin plastered on her face as she said happily to both of them, “Did y’all hear that? Sunset's in jail where she belongs. We'll get our sisters back for sure once they hear about--”

“No, we won’t. Once they find out about this, they’ll make up with her for sure,” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “We need to make sure we don’t take down the account, but don’t post anything new until we see her back at school. If we post anything now, especially since she's in jail, it'll be obvious that Sunset's not Anon-a-Miss.”

Scootaloo nodded her reply, then looked at Apple Bloom, who looked a bit worried but also nodded.

The three left the music room and headed towards the front of the school. getting there a few moments later, each of them sat down on the steps. Scootaloo said while looking out to the cold, icy parking lot, “I wonder how Sunset actually got herself sent to jail. I mean, she's been pretty good and all, and I doubt our postings were bad enough to get her sent to jail.”

Her statement went unanswered. Looking further at their account on MyStable, the girls were shocked to see actual death threats in more than one of the comments. Reading them, each of the girls got more worried as they read each one.

“You're going to pay for posting this shit, Sunset Shimmer,” one post read.

“You're a filthy bitch, Sunset Shimmer. You should burn in hell for this shit, you demon bitch. I’ll make you pay for this shit,” another one read.

“You loser, Sunset. You lost at the Fall Formal, destroyed friendships, and now you post our shit. You don’t deserve to live, you hellbent slut,” a third read.

“How dare you try to pretend to be good when you're nothing but a little bitch. This school meant something, but because of you, it's crap. I hope I see you after school so I can make you pay for this, Sunset,” the fourth and final one read.

The girls spent several moments mulling over how to proceed with the comments they had seen on the website. Scootaloo said, “Why not just delete them?”

“Yeah, we should. We need to delete them so that no one sees those comments.”

As Apple Bloom was about to start to delete them, Sweetie Belle said, “Wait, we can’t.” Both girls looked at her skeptically. Sweetie Belle continued, “Don’t you see? If we do that, then what reason does she have to leave our sisters alone?”

“Are you nuts?" Scootaloo exclaimed. "We want to make her leave our sisters alone, not drive her out of the school.”

“Think about it, Scootaloo. If we leave the comments, and Sunset does leave, we'll have what we want. I say we leave them, at least for now. We can always delete them later.”

Looking back at the comments, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. Sweetie Belle stood up just as her sister and the rest of Sunset's former friends came out, greeting the three with clear bitterness in their voices. Not wanting to start an argument in front of her friends, Sweetie Belle hastily waved her goodbyes to her friends as she and Rarity walked across the street to the bus stop. Rainbow sat down next to her sister, lightly punching Scootaloo on the shoulder, saying to her, “How about after you get your homework done, we play a video game together, Squirt?”

“Yeah, that'd be great,” replied Scootaloo cheerfully. “Can we play ‘Pony Hawks: Wondercolts?”

“Sure thing, Squirt, but you need to get all of your homework done first. No slacking off and having to rush through it like you did last time. Got it?”

“Sure thing, Rainbow.”

A few moments later, Rainbow's and Scootaloo’s mother pulled into the parking lot, beeped the horn, and the two headed home. Waving goodbye to Scootaloo, Apple Bloom looked at her sister as she watched the older teen hang up her phone. She said, “Applejack, what do you wanna do after our chores are done?”

“Well, Apple Bloom, with the day Ah've had today, Ah think Ah'll just sit on the couch and watch a movie. Wanna join me?”

Apple Bloom beamed a great smile to her sister, exclaiming excitedly, “Sure as shooting Ah’ll join ya! Can we watch ‘The Last Roundup’? Can we, please?”

“No. We sure as heck ain't about ta watch that movie, Apple Bloom. It's not suited for a young'un like yerself. We will however watch...”

Applejack stopped, placing a hand to her chin as her brother pulled into the parking lot and waited for the two to get in. “I know. We’ll watch ‘Fist with Friends’. How's that sound?”

“I’d rather be kicked by a bull than watch that lover’s couples' movie” Apple Bloom replied, scrunching her nose up. “Come on, Applejack. Can’t we watch the movie that I picked?”

“No! Yer too young fer that.”

“Well, shoot. Ah was hoping ta see plenty of rough cowboys getting dirty and talking bad.”

“Yeah, I bet ya were,” Applejack replied, grabbing her sister around the neck and giving her a noogie, causing the younger girl to squeal in laughter. “Now, let's get going. Can’t keep Big McIntosh waiting.”

The two headed over to the family's pickup, got in, and were soon off towards home. Soon after, Big McIntosh pulled into the farm's drive way. Apple Bloom hopped out and headed in, while her sister stayed outside for a few minutes. Looking around, Applejack took in how quiet and peaceful the farm was before she, too, headed inside. Lastly, Big McIntosh went inside to help prepare dinner, while both Applejack and Apple Bloom started up on their chores.

Saying Goodbye (Edited by Icecreammac)

Celestia stood in Star Swirl's room, looking hopelessly at the sickly, aged pony that had once been her most trusted advisor. His body looked weak and frail, his eyes clouded and misty from his long years of life. Her head was low, her eyes tearing, until Star Swirls weak voice called out to her from his bed.

“Your Highness, ye need not shed tears fer me. I've had a good life.”

Turning to face him, she walked over to him and laying a gentle hoof to his shoulder, replying as more tears fell against her will, “No, I'll find a way to save you, my friend. I shall not lose you. I promise.”

Star Swirl smiled very weakly to her. His breath was labored. Celestia watched as her mentor and friend struggled just to take a breath. Gently encasing him in her magic, she pulled him into a sitting position before returning to her work.

As she looked desperately through the many vials that lined the cabinets of Star Swirl's room, she again heard her mentor's soft voice call to her, “Celestia, I have ta confess something ta you before I pass on from this world.”

Curious, Celestia halted her search and gave Star Swirl her full attention. After a short pause, Star Swirl said, "Your Highness, it was my fault that the sirens attacked us fifty years ago.”

Before Celestia could respond to the revelation, she heard the door open behind her. Turning around, she saw Storming Winds enter the room, a few blankets on his back. The stallion looked from Star Swirl to Celestia and said, “Your Highness, you must let him go. There is nothing more you can do for him.”

Celestia, embarrassed at being seen in such a state and angry at the intrusion, yelled, “GET OUT! This is a personal moment!”
“I cannot obey your command, Your Highness. He was my mentor, as well.”

“W-What? How can that be?” Celestia looked back at Star Swirl as he struggled to breath. “Star Swirl has not left the castle since the sirens attacked us fifty years ago. I would've known if he had any other students.”

Star Swirl slowly opened his eyes, even though his vision was nearly gone. He said softly through wheezing breaths, “S-Storming Winds?” He wheezed hard, trying to speak. “I-Is that you, my old friend?” After he stopped talking, Star Swirl started to cough badly.

Stepping past Celestia, Storming Winds gently took the old pony's right hoof into his own, saying softly as he looked at his mentor with tears threatening to leak from his eyes, “Yes, it's me. I'm here with you.”

“C-Celestia, where are you? I must speak to you.” Star Swirl coughed, trying to fight off death one last time. “I must tell you something important.”

Celestia stepped forward, raising her right hoof to meet Star Swirl's. As Storming placed his mentor's hoof into Celestia's, he said gently, “I'll wait for you in the hallway.”

“No, my student. You must stay,” Star Swirl coughed out. "I must," he wheezed, gasping for what little breath he could take into his lungs, “speak to you, as well.”

Celestia laid Star Swirl's hoof onto his chest, then used her magic to pull the quilt up closer to him, trying to make him more comfortable. She swallowed hard, trying very hard to maintain her composure as her own tears threatened to fall once more. Storming Wings came up to Celestia, saying softly to her, “There is nothing more you can do for him. You must let him go.”

Shaking her head, she said, “No! I can’t lose him. There has to be a way to save him.” Celestia fought back her tears as she continued, “I-I’ll go to the Everfree Forest. There are plants there. Magical ones. I can use them to help--”

Storming Winds gently pulled Celestia into his powerful shoulders, whispering softly to her as he wrapped his wings around her to fight away her anger and sadness, “It is too late for him, Your Highness. He is too ill and too far gone. You must let him go.”

Celestia, unable to maintain her composure any longer, began sobbed into his shoulders. “No, this can't be the end. He can’t just leave me alone like this. He helped me through the darkest parts of my life. I can't say goodbye. It's just too hard.” Celestia tried to think of something, anything to hold off what she knew was inevitable. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. She said to Star Swirl gently, “What did you mean when you said it was your fault that the sirens attacked us?”

Star Swirl was unable to answer. All he could do was point his hoof towards his closet. Celestia walked over to the closet, opened it with her magic, and looked inside. She saw robes, hats, a wooden walking stick, and to her surprise, twelve brown, leather books. Each one had a red and yellow sun emblazoned on them. Using her magic, Celestia took out the first book, opened it up and saw that she held her mentor's diary. As if on instinct, she turned the book to the last few pages and began to read.

Dairy,
I learned today a horrible truth. The sirens were telling the truth when they came to me, pleading with me to end our travels over the Celestial Sea. Their eggs washed upon the shore today. To my horror, I saw at least two thousand eggs, all destroyed, all crushed, all dead, washed upon the shore. To think that I, a protector of life, would do such a thing. Three sisters stood by, all crying and begging me to end their lives so that they didn’t need to feel such pain and loss. I couldn’t. I told them that I would find a way to set things right, yet I was unable to do so. Admitting as much to the sirens only sparked anger and deep rage within the biggest of the three. She demanded blood for blood and is now on her way with the other two to conquer all of Equestria. It was my fault, and I must stop them! I have no choice. I must send them away.

I should have listened to them. I should have seen that my actions would have caused such pain and suffering. I told the princess that our ships would not destroy their rookies nor would our anchors damage their eggs. I should have known better. Sirens require shallow, warm water to lay their eggs, and the Celestial Sea provided such waters. Yet I was too set in my ways and to stupid to see this. I will carry this guilt and dishonor to my grave.

May the Elements forgive me for what I must do now, and may those that come after me when I am gone forgive me for my actions towards the sirens. They were innocent creatures who were only desperately trying to protect their young. I wish there was another way to end the fighting that our two races are now locked in, yet there is none. I will use my magic to send them to a world without magic, but I will give them the means to feed themselves. They have already suffered enough due to my foolishness. I hope that all eight Elements of Harmony will be able to forgive my transgressions against another sapient species.

Setting the book down, she walked over to her mentor. Taking his hoof into her own again, she said softly to him, “I forgive you for what you did, Star Swirl. I will find a way to find the sirens and bring them home. I swear it.” Celestia closed her eyes as Star Swirl slowly breathed his last. Storming Wings laid a gentle wing over her shoulder.

Celestia lowered her head as she allowed Star Swirl's hoof to fall out of her own, landing against the bedside. Silently, she wept, her tears falling off her chin and splashing on the cold, wooden floor of his bedchamber.

“Your Highness,” Storming Winds began gently, “it'll be alright. I will not leave you alone. You will never be alone.”

Looking back up, Celestia's jaw trembled slightly as she unfurled her wings, embracing Storming Winds in her own wings and hugging him tightly. She cried for several minutes in his shoulders before ending the embrace and heading out into the hallway. In the hallway, she said to her guards, “Prepare a funeral pyre. Today, we say goodbye to one of Equestria's greatest advisers, Star Swirl the Bearded.”

Several hours later, Princess Celestia stood on her balcony, overlooking her castle as she watched ponies from all over Equestria line up to mourn Star Swirl's passing. She turned her attention to Storming Winds, who stood just behind her. Gently, she said, “Please, after the funeral, don’t go. I want you to stay with me. I...I need a friend right now.”

“I will, Your Highness. I’ll stay as long as you want me to stay.”

Celestia nodded to Storming Winds, then turned back to face the crowd that had gathered to pay their respects to the fallen adviser to the royal crown. Celestia raised her right hoof and gave the signal to bring Star Swirl's body to the pyre.

Raising her voice, she said to all gathered, “My ponies, today, we say our goodbyes to Star Swirl the Bearded. Today, we mourn one that was both a good advisor and a good friend. May his soul find rest and peace in the meadows of his ancestors, and may his deeds always be remembered as good and brave.” Celestia decided not to tell the crowd of her mentor's mistake. Looking at the pyre, she continued at the same volume, “I will never forget you, Star Swirl, nor should anypony forget what you have done for all of us. May we all learn the lessons of love and kindness that you spent your life teaching us.”

Celestia watched Star Swirl's body slowly turn to ash and the embers float high into the sky. Feeling her sorrow well up again, she took hold of Storming Wind's hoof into her own and looked into his eyes, saying softly to him, “Please stay here tonight with me. I don’t think I can raise the sun tomorrow without somepony by my side.”

“You have nothing to fear. I will not leave you. I swear it.”

The two remained on the balcony for several hours, watching the funeral crowd die down to only a few ponies. Once the last ponies headed home, Storming Winds and Celestia retired to Celestia's bedchamber, where she soon found herself snuggled up tightly against his warm body. Storming Winds wrapped his wings gently around Celestia, holding her close to him. She took great comfort in his warmth and his loving embrace, and she soon found herself deep in sleep on his chest and powerful shoulders.

Though, before she fell truly into the land of dreams, a single thought crossed her mind. “Why did he mention eight elements in his diary? There are only six. Right?”

Unhinged (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This chapter is dedicated to one of Fim Fictions best reviewers http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Chiroknu

Chiroknu I hope you enjoy this chapter that you helped inspire to write. Thanks so much for the inspiration. :twilightsmile:

Unhinged (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset was led into a large room with bars to her left and bars to her right. She could see angry faces staring back at her from within the cells that lined the walls along the corridor. She stopped as fear slowly began to take over, causing the officer behind her to nearly push her over as she snarled out to her, “Move it! You're in holding cell number three. Now move, or I'll make you move.”

Sunset yelped out as the officer shoved her forward, forcing her to keep moving. “Stop! I didn't do anything!”

“Ah, shut up and get in your damn cell! You attacked a cop, and we don’t take kindly to that around here,” the officer snapped.

With the slamming of the metal door behind her, Sunset was left alone to wallow in her fear and pain. Shaking badly and with her right arm in tremendous pain from being manhandled by Officer Brushed Jade, Sunset stumbled over to a nearby bench. As she sat down on the bench which was bolted to the floor of the holding cell she placed her face into her hands and started to cry.

As she cried, she heard a stern voice say, “What have we here? A little, lost girl?” Sunset's head snapped up and saw that she wasn't as alone as she thought. Getting up from a spot on the floor across from Sunset's bench was an intimidating, gruff-looking woman. She walked over to Sunset and snarled, “What are you, deaf? I'm talking to you!”

Sunset looked up through blurry, reddening eyes. Sunset stared at the woman, who stared back with cold eyes that caused Sunset to tremble with fright. Having lost her patience, the woman walked over to Sunset and grabbed her by the throat. Sunset gagged as she tried to choke out, “L-Let me go! Plea--” but the woman simply applied more pressure to Sunset's throat. “Let m-me--”

Before Sunset could finish her words, four officers ran in and tackled the woman to the ground, wrestling to restrain her. Amidst the commotion, Sunset heard one of the officers say, "This is the third time you've attacked someone, Potter Glove! You're going to the restraining chair." As the officers finally cuffing her and dragged her off kicking and screaming, Sunset heard the same officer say, "I told them not to put anyone else in that cell!" All throughout the commotion, Sunset, finally freed from her assailant, simply began to rock back forth, muttering to herself and crying. One of the other officers noticed Sunset’s actions but did not intervene.

“Want to go home, want to go home, want to go home,” was all Sunset said as she continued to rock back and forth with her head in her hands. "Daddy, I just want to go home,” she sobbed out in fear as tears and mascara fell down her cheeks, staining them a light onyx. The door slammed shut again, and Sunset was truly left alone to rock and mutter to herself.

A few hours later, Mr. Cake and Fancy Pants were led into a room to talk with Officer Brushed Jade. Mr. Cake stepped forward, saying sternly to Brushed Jade, “Why did you arrest my daughter when both I and Pearl Dusk told you that you had the wrong girl? Hell, you even heard that from your own dispatch.”

Folding his arms over his chest, Fancy Pants said bitterly to Brushed Jade, “I want Sunset Shimmer brought into this room right now! From what I've been told, your actions have been highly unprofessional and unethical.”

“Now hold on, both of you!” Brushed Jade snapped back. “Sunset Shimmer attacked me when I was on the job this morning.”

Mr. Cake huffed at the accusation. Fancy Pants shook his head. Before either could say anything further, Brushed Jade got a call over her radio.

“Officer Jade, there are two people here at the front desk that claim they are Sunset Shimmer's friends.”

When Brushed Jade looked to Mr. Cake questioningly, Mr. Cake said, “That would more than likely be Principal Celestia and her sister Luna with proof of what I've been telling you. Now, will you go get my daughter, or would you rather have a lawsuit for how you treated her?”

Brushed Jade took her radio, saying, “Roger that. Bring Miss Shimmer to interrogation room six.”

"Roger. She will be brought up in a few moments.”

“If you two will follow me, I’ll take you to the room." As Brushed Jade stepped aside, opening the door and gesturing for the two to follow her out, she asked, "What kind of proof does Celestia have that I need to know about?”

“I would think it would be a video recording, Officer Jade,” Fancy Pants said as he walked by her, followed by Mr. Cake, “After all, you found her at a school.”

“Yeah, I did. After she attacked me. This girl is dangerous, and I have my own proof of that.”

“Proof of what? That you get off on hurting innocent children?” Luna snarled out when she saw Brushed Jade in the hallway. “I thought you would be good for Pearl, Jade. Now, I see you're nothing but a bully.”

Brushed Jade was about to say something, when Sunset came out of a doorway to her right, fully cuffed and clearly scared out of her mind. As the officer that was escorting her to the interrogation room led her past her principals and her father, they all heard Sunset repeat over and over again,“Want to go home, want to go home.”

Looking at his daughter as she was nearly forced into the interrogation room, Mr. Cake almost screamed out, “What the fuck have you done to my daughter?!”

“Carrot, please, calm down,” Celestia began calmly. “This won’t help her. Let's go in and see what we can do to help Sunset. Then we can worry if there will be legal action taken for this.”

“Alright. I just hate seeing her like this. I want my daughter home where she will be safe and not around people like this,” Carrot replied, pointing to Brushed Jade.

Everyone piled into the room. Luna, seeing that there was a large TV in the room, stepped forward, taking the video tape from her sister's hands. She placed the tape into the VCR. Turning to Officer Brushed Jade, she said sternly, “Alright, before I play this, tell us what makes you think that Sunset is dangerous?”

“Well, for starters, as I have already told Mr. Cake and Mr. Pants, she attacked me. Violently.”

Brushed Jade pulled down the collar of her shirt, showing her neck to all those in the room. A large, deep-purple, hand-shaped bruise was on her neck. Luna whistled when she saw the injury, but before she could say anything, Brushed Jade left the room, returning a few moments later with a box that read “Evidence” on it in big, black, bold letters.

Setting the box down, she opened it. Brushed Jade took out a twisted piece of metal and plastic, setting it down in front of Sunset, who only continued to rock back and forth, still very scared out of her mind. Pointing to the object, Officer Brushed Jade said bitterly, “This mangled up piece of metal used to be my Glock 22. Now, it's just a large paperweight.”

Luna looked at the gun, then looked at Sunset. Seeing how frightened she was, Luna walked over to her before Brushed Jade could say anything. Luna sat down next to Sunset, pulling the terrified teen into her, holding her tightly in her arms as she said softly to her, “It's alright, Sunset. No one is going to hurt you. You’ll be alright. Your father is here to take you home.”

“What!? Luna, she destroyed my gun and attacked me! You can't make that call!”

“Oh? Then explain to me how she can be in two places at once!” Luna spat back. Sunset flinched at Luna's tone, causing Luna to hold more tightly onto her. Luna could feel tears dampening her shirt. Looking to Sunset, she gently continued, “Shhh, Sunset. It's alright. I know you're frightened, but I won’t let her take you away from your father or your mother. I promise I’ll make sure you go home.”

Sunset trembled in Luna’s arms, while Mr. Cake stepped forward, pressing the play button on the VCR, saying to Brushed Jade as he glared at her, “Explain this, then. Because if you can’t, I swear to God, lady, you'll have a lawsuit on your hands for this shit.”

Brushed Jade looked at the video and watched in shock as Sunset was clearly shown moving through the school. Looking back at the teenage girl still being cradled in Luna's arms, she stammered on her words. “B-But that's impossible. I swear to you all that she was the one that attacked me and bent my gun.”

Fancy Pants looked at the mangled gun, then to Sunset. As the teen showed no sign of calming down, he said, “Officer Jade, you say that this girl attacked you, yet you saw on this video that she was at school. What time did this attack occur?”

“I encountered her this morning at around 7:15 or 7:30.”

Folding his arms over his chest, Carrot Cake said angrily, “Sunset Shimmer was in my damn car at that time.” Brushed Jade tried to say something, Carrot Cake cut her off, continuing, “My daughter is innocent. I want you to write her an apology and then say to her face that you will not come near her again. You know, Pearl spoke very highly of you when she asked me to cater a dinner for you two. I am sorry, but after this, I will not be taking that order. I can't speak for Pearl, but she certainly seemed disappointed when I spoke to her at the school.”

Looking back at the video, Brushed Jade lowered her head, knowing that she was completely defeated. Looking up, she said softly, “I was sure it was her.”

“Well, you can fucking see that it wasn’t. Now get out of here so I can calm her down enough to get her to her father's car,” Luna spat angrily to Brushed Jade, still holding Sunset in her arms. She gently ran her hand through the terrified girl's hair, continuing, “Shhh, it's alright, Sunset. You're going home, now. Come on, let me help you up. Then, we can get you home.”

As Luna helped Sunset up, she heard the younger girl say, “I’m sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment to you, Mommy.” Looking down at her, Luna saw that Sunset was so terrified she had regressed to an earlier time in her life.

Before Luna could say anything, Celestia said worriedly, “Mr. Cake, due to all that Sunset has gone through today, from losing her friends, to being accused of being Anon-a-Miss, to being arrested for something that she didn’t do, I'm willing to allow her to take the next two weeks off from school to rest. I fully expect her to stay home. Rest assured, this isn't a suspension. It's simply an excused leave to give her a chance to rest and let things slide back into place.”

Mr. Cake nodded appreciatively as he very gently took hold of his daughter, leading her out of the interrogation room towards the main entryway. Fancy Pants tracked down Brushed Jade, who was sitting at her desk, bouncing a ball back and forth.

Fancy Pants walked up to Brushed Jade's desk and said, “You need to know that I plan to run a full investigation into how you treated that girl and into any medical issues that she acquired during her arrest. I will have the Canterlot City Police Department pay for any costs and expenses amassed during the investigation, and I will be in touch with your captain, who I'm sure will be more than a little upset with you. This type of behavior cost you your partner last year, Officer Jade. Don’t make the same mistake that Tirek made.”

With that said, Fancy followed Mr. Cake out as Sunset clung to the lanky man, trying to calm herself down. Getting her to his car a few moments later, Mr. Cake gently placed Sunset into the back seat, where she laid down across the back seat, soon passing out from her fear-induced panic attack.

Mr. Cake glared back at Celestia, saying to her sternly, “I don’t know what Pearl Dusk sees in that woman, but I swear, if--if--” Unable to finish his words, Mr. Cake climbed into his car, moving to buckle Sunset in as best as he could. Looking up through his rear-view mirror, he continued, “Don’t worry, honey. You’ll be back in your own bed soon enough. You just sleep now. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Mr. Cake pulled out of the parking lot, then slowly drove home, leaving Celestia, Luna and Fancy Pants alone. The two principals nodded to Fancy Pants as they also headed home. Fancy Pants looked back at the precinct, then turned and headed for his own car.

Brushed Jade came out of the precinct, angry at being told off by Fancy Pants and Sunset’s father. Looking down, Brushed Jade walked down the first flight of stairs outside the building, sat down, and sighed heavily, saying to herself, “They want proof? I’ll get them proof. I won’t become what my partner became, but I'll get proof. I know that girl is dangerous. She needs to be locked up before someone gets hurt or--God forbid--killed.”

Crystalis (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Celestia and Storming Winds were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their friend Chrysalis. Storming Winds gently nuzzled his wife's cheek with his muzzle as she used her magic to brush her mane. Looking at her swollen belly, she sighed contently as Storming placed a gentle wing over her belly, rubbing her stomach. Celestia closed her eyes, saying to her husband softly, “Our foal will be strong, just like their father is. Strong and wise.”

“Yes, I believe you are right, my dear.” Storming sighed, helping his wife to her hooves as he continued, “I can’t believe we have not seen Chrysalis in over twenty years. I wonder what she's been doing all this time?”

“I would like to know--” Celestia stopped when she felt her baby kick. Looking down, she laid her front hoof over her belly as she continued, “Eh, I see our little one wants to know, as well.”

Storming chuckled, saying as he walked to the bedchamber door, "I'm not surprised. We've talked about her quite a bit, so I'm sure our foal is excited to meet her."

Celestia came up behind him, again feeling her little one kick inside her. “Oof. I swear, our little one is just as lively as their father is.” Celestia looked up and smiled, continuing, “Now, I'm feeling a bit hungry. Let's get some food before Chrysalis gets here.”

The two royals walked side-by-side. Celestia smiled warmly as they passed a guard, who saluted both of them. Looking to him, she said to him gently, “Please have the royal sous chef cook something for both myself and my husband. I think, with it being such a beautiful day, we will dine in the royal garden today.”

“Yes, Your Highness, right away. Shall I tell the new chef to prepare your normal seat in the garden, or would Her Highness prefer to sit by the pond to watch the fish and listen to the birds?”

"The usual is fine, thank you," Celestia said. As the guard trotted off, the royals headed further down the hallway, looking at all the different stained-glass windows. Throughout the journey, Celestia couldn't help but notice that Storming Winds had a small smirk on his face, as though he were thinking of something funny. Celestia was confused, but she stayed silent.

They stopped in front of one window that was covered up with a banner that bore the emblems of Celestia's and Storming Winds's cutie marks. The marks--Celestia’s sun and Storming Winds's black cloud with a yellow lightning bolt jutting towards the right, a silver cyclone making up the base of the cloud--shown brightly in the torch-lit hallway. Celestia smiled when she looked up at the window, then continued to walk towards the royal gardens with her husband in tow. Getting there a few moments later, both were surprised to see a little filly that looked like Queen Chrysalis sitting at a table, playing with a ladybug.

“Why, hello there, Your Highnesses,” A soft, sweet-honey voice came from the right. “It is good to see you both today, and oh, what a fine day it is.”

Celestia looked around, yet saw nopony in sight. She looked to Storming Winds, who simply shrugged. Walking up to the little filly, Celestia used her magic to pull out a chair in front of her, noticing right away that the little filly paid no attention to her, too busy staring at the ladybug in front of her. Celestia sat down, saying to her little guest gently, “What is your name, little one?”

“Mommy told me never to speak to strange ponies,” the filly replied, not taking her eyes off of the ladybug.

“Ah, I see. Well, your mother is right. You shouldn’t speak to ponies you don’t know. So, how about I tell you my name, then you tell me your name?”

“Celestia, her name is Crystalis, and she is six years old,” the sweet-honey voice said, and again, Celestia looked around yet saw nopony in sight. “She is my daughter. I have brought her here to meet you both. I thought it would be good for her to meet somepony that's a good friend of mine.”

“Okay, Storming, I am going to go lie down. I think being pregnant with our first baby is causing me to hear things.”

Storming Winds looked to his wife, then chuckled slightly, pulling out a chair and sitting down next to Crystalis. The ladybug flew up onto her snout, then flew away. “Awww, I was hoping she would stay and tea with me and Mommy,” the little filly whined playfully. Celestia, confused, said to Crystalis, “I, uh, would love to have tea with your mother, little one, but I don’t see her.”

Smiling, Crystalis looked up, then pointed her right hoof towards a small bush just behind Celestia as she giggled out, “Mommy is over there.” Celestia looked behind her, only to see a bush with purple flowers on it and nothing more. Turning back, she said with a slight smile on her face, “You have a wonderful imagination, Cry--”

“But I am here, Celestia. Come see for yourself.” Celestia’s eyes went wide when she heard Chrysalis’s voice. Looking back, she again only saw the bush and nothing else. “Okay, I need to cut down on the mustard and fish sandwiches before bed. This is the third time I've heard Chrysalis's voice, yet I still do not see her.”

Chrysalis stepped out from the bush as Celestia turned to face her husband, the latter unaware of the former's presence. Just as Celestia was about to say something, she heard a soft but sweet “Boo” from behind her, causing her to jump and take to the air. Chrysalis looked up and grinned widely to her friend as the alicorn landed safely back on the ground. Holding a hoof over her chest, Celestia said in a slightly shaking voice, “Chrysalis, you scared me half to death! Don’t do that!” Seeing a smirk on her husband's face, Celestia playfully frowned. “You knew about this all along, didn’t you, Storming Winds.”

Crystalis fell over laughing as Storming Winds also laughed, saying “Yes, honey, I knew Chrysalis was in the castle, but I wanted to surprise you, since you have not seen her since your time in Ponyville.”

Shaking her head, Celestia walked back over to the table and sat down, grumbling, “Alright, well, if you two are done playing jokes on me, I would like to get to know your daughter, Your Majesty.”

“Better watch out for Miss Cranky Wings, Storming Winds. She might turn you into a toad,” Chrysalis said jokingly as she took a seat with her daughter in her lap. “Now, as I was trying to say earlier, this is my daughter Crystalis. She's eight years old. As for why I wanted her to meet you, well, I need your help, Celestia.”

“What can I do to help you, Your Majesty?”

“I need you to watch my daughter for me while I go on a very dangerous and important diplomatic mission to the dragon kingdom. One of the dragons has taken it upon himself to seize my land and claim it as his own. I would prefer to avoid war if I can, so I've asked for an audience with the king of the dragons. But, with this being as difficult as it might be and as dangerous as it is, I don’t want to take my daughter. Please, will you watch her for me while I go to the dragons in the hopes of preventing a war?”

“Of course I will take care of her for you. In fact, I would like to take her to Crystal Rigde. That way, you won’t be that far away from her, only a few hours by flight.”

Standing up, Chrysalis nodded, then looked at her daughter, saying to her gently as she nuzzled her gently, “You be good for Aunty Celestia, my little flower. Mommy will be back soon.”

“Alright, Mommy. Can I play my flute while you're gone? I wanna show Aunty Celestia how good I am.”

“Of course, little flower. Now, I need to go.” Chrysalis unfurled her wings. Taking to the air, she looked back, at Celestia who looked up at her.

“She’ll be good for you. I promise. I'll come to Crystal Ridge in a few hours to pick her up, Your Highness.”

Storming Winds and Celestia waved their goodbyes to Chrysalis before the two headed inside with Crystalis in tow, the filly laughing and giggling as she skipped about. Celestia smiled, saying, “I can’t wait to see our own little one do that, Storming.” Turning to face him, she continued, “How about you stay here? I'll take her to Crystal Ridge. We can see Foal Mountain, and from there, we can see the entire valley. I think it might do her good to see it.”

“I agree with you, my dear. While I would like to go with you, I have a mission of my own to attend to, so you two go and have some fun.”
Celestia nodded, walking over to Crystalis and saying to her gently, “Hey, Crystalis, how would you like to see Mount Foal today before we go see Crystal Ridge?”

“Yeah, I wanna see that!” The little filly beamed a big smile. “When I grow up, I wanna see everything in Equestria!”

“Really? That's a lot for a little filly to want to see.” Taking Crystalis up in her wings, Celestia placed the little filly onto her back as she continued, “Alright, you hold on. I'll carry you to my chariot, then we can take off.”

“WEEEEEE!” Crystalis squealed as Celestia walked down the hallway towards her chariot. “This is fun!”

A few hours later, the two were standing on a cliff overlooking a vast, green valley. Crystalis cooed in delight when she saw how green and beautiful the valley was. Celestia stared in just as much awe as the little filly next to her did. On the way back down from the mountain towards where they had left the chariot and three of Celestia’s royal guards, the two heard a loud, mournful howl. Crystalis’s ears perked up as she excitedly said, “Timber, is that you?” Before Celestia could stop her, the little filly ran forward, Celestia trying to run after her.

Crystalis barreled down the unstable path. Losing her footing, she tripped and tumbled screaming over the cliff's edge. Celestia quickly used her magic, but to her horror, she completely missed the little filly and was forced to watch her fall out of sight. Unfurling her wings, Celestia dove down after the scared filly, trying desperately to catch up to her. Again, she used her magic, this time catching Crystalis in her magic.
Before Celestia could celebrate, she heard a loud screech from her right. Her eyes went wide when she saw a dragon flying right towards her. She thought quickly and prepared to teleport, but the dragon was flying far faster than she expected, and with a single, powerful swing of its claws, it slammed Celestia into the mountainside. The collision with the mountain caused Celestia to lose hold of her magic as she fought a losing battle with unconsciousness. The last thing Celestia saw before passing out was Crystalis falling to her death.

Waking up a few hours later and seeing that the dragon was gone, Celestia looked around, then dove off the cliff, again landing in the valley below. Using her magic to heal her wounds, Celestia looked around as she called out for Crystalis, getting no reply each time she called. It only took her a few hours to find the lifeless body of the little filly, fully broken from her fall off the cliff.

Before Celestia could do anything, she heard from above her, “Celestia what hap--” Chrysalis landed in front of her daughter's lifeless body, her eyes going wide when she saw the wreck of her daughter's lifeless body in front of her. Chrysalis knelt before the body and said, “Crystalis, speak to me! Please!”

Celestia said, “Chrysalis, I--”

“What have you done?” Chrysalis stepped forward, nuzzling her daughter. As tears began to fall down her cheeks, she looked up at Celestia, a look the pure hate on her face as she screamed, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”

Celestia stepped back, her own eyes going wide from fear and shock of what she was being accused of.

“Chrysalis, I didn’t do this. I--”

Before Celestia could finish her sentence, Chrysalis fired her magic at Celestia, blasting her through several trees and knocking her unconscious once more. Taking her daughter's lifeless body in her magic, Chrysalis took to the air, saying as she wept for her daughter, “I will do whatever it takes to avenge your death, my precious, little flower. I will have blood for blood.”

Celestia was lying in bed, finally relaxing after the birthing. Though part of her was ecstatic about finally giving birth--and to twins, no less!--another part of her kept thinking about Crystalis's death that fateful day several months ago.

Storming Winds walked into the room, a wet towel in his hoof. He walked over to her and gently pressed the towel to her forehead. Celestia took little comfort in his gentle touch, saying weakly, “The foals. Are they alright?”

“Yes, my wife. Our daughters are healthy and safe. You just sleep. I will take care of everything.” Turning the guards that stood by her bedside, he continued, “Let nopony enter here until further notice.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” one guard stated while he saluted Storming Winds.

“What about your daughters, Your Highness? They may be healthy now, but they both need their mother. Shall I send for a nurse to tend to them?” the other asked with a concerned look.

“Yes, send for Gold Heart. She will help us.”

The guards left, and Storming Winds spent the rest of the day tending to royal business and his newborn daughters, while Celestia slept fitfully, unable to escape the tragedy of Chrystalis's death even in the land of dreams.

A Deal with the Dazzlings (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

The sun was beginning to set in the early evening sky. The sun's orange mixed brilliantly with the grey in the sky, giving the city a peaceful demeanor. Things weren't so peaceful for Gilda and Summer Sunrise, however.

The two ducked into an alleyway. Summer leaned out, looking around. Seeing that it was safe, she motioned for Gilda to join her. Gilda came out, also looking around. When she saw no police cars around, she let out a sigh before following Summer down the street.

The two walked side-by-side down the street, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone that passed them by. Gilda kept thinking of what Summer had said to her in their apartment. “I'm so alone in this world, Gilda," she had said. "I didn’t want to risk losing you. I made a promise to you that I wouldn't let anyone or anything hurt you, and I intend to keep that promise." Those works kept replaying in her head.

Crossing another street, Gilda said as she looked around the area, “Summer, what did you mean earlier today when you said that you were alone and didn’t want to risk losing me?”

“You want to know about that now?” Summer replied with a slightly shocked look on her face “Gilda, we need to get out of the open first. Let's just focus on that right now.”

The two walked down the street some more before ducking into another alleyway. A siren’s squeal caught Summer's and Gilda’s attention. The two started to run, only to be shocked when they saw that the alley they had chosen to duck into lead to a dead end. Before either of them could do anything more, they heard from behind them, “Stop where you are!”

Turning around, Gilda and Summer came face-to-face with a police officer. He had two-toned blue hair, light-blue eyes and white skin. Looking at his name tag, Gilda saw that his name was Shining Armor.

Before the officer could say another word, Summer raced forward, grabbing onto him. Gilda watched in shock as Summer flipped the officer over her shoulder. Officer Armor let out a slight yelp when he hit the ground. Before he could grab his taser, Summer quickly knelt down on her left leg, pulled the officer's body close to her, and snapped his arm like a twig. The alley was suddenly filled with the echo of Officer Armor's screams. Summer then stood up, dragging the wounded officer with her as she picked him up by the throat.

“Leave us alone!” She started to apply pressure, choking the officer. “I will not allow any of you to harm her. Now leave us alone!”

Gilda snapped out of her shocked stupor. Racing forward, she grabbed onto Summer’s left arm, yelling out as her eyes filled with fear and tears, “Summer, don’t kill him!”

Seeing the very scared look on Gilda's face, Summer dropped the officer, backing away from both her and the fallen officer. Summer watched as fear took hold of her while Gilda checked on the officer to make sure he wasn’t too badly hurt. Once Gilda was satisfied that all he had was a broken arm, she raised her right hand, slamming it into the officer's left temple, knocking him out cold.

As Summer stood frozen with fear, she stammered on her words to Gilda, who looked at her with both anger and concern, “N-Not again. Why must this happen again? I-I didn’t mean to p-put your life in danger, Gilda.”

Taking her by the hand, Gilda turned and started to run down the street, saying as she frantically looked for any place to hide in, “Let's get the hell out of here.”

Before Summer could say anything, she found herself being pulled out of the alleyway, down the street, and around the corner. As Gilda rounded the corner, she ran right into another person. Before either Summer or Gilda could say anything, the person snapped, “Watch where you're going!”

Summer looked past the grounded girl, a girl with light-fuchsia skin and purple hair with teal highlights done up in two long pigtails, as two others came up behind her. One girl, with yellow skin and a lot of curly, orange hair, helped her up, saying to her sternly, “Honestly, Aria, would it kill you to be a bit more careful?” After the two helped Aria up off the ground, the yellow girl finally took notice of Summer. A slight smirk came over her face as she cracked her knuckles, saying grimly, “Well, well, what a pleasant surprise. I never thought I'd see you again, Sunset Shimmer. Now, we get to pay you back for wrecking our li--”

Before the girl could finish her word, she suddenly found herself getting well-acquainted with Summer's fist. As the girl hit the ground, Summer stared coldly at her, saying, “My name's Summer Sunrise, not Sunset Shimmer. But since you're looking for a fight, I'll be happy to oblige.” The girl's eyes went wide when she heard what Summer said, and she braced herself as Summer raised her fist.

"Summer, can you stop, already!? We're kind of on the run, here!" Gilda yelled.

"Why?" Summer replied. "She wanted a fight, so I'm giving her one."

Smiling coldly and ignoring Gilda's protests, Summer got ready to continue her attack when her target threw her hands up in surrender, saying, “Stop!" Summer paused long enough for the girl to continue, "We made a mistake; you just look a lot like another girl we know, a girl we have a score to settle with. Let's just put this behind us, okay?” Summer didn't look too convinced, so the girl finished with, "Your friend said you're on the run. How about we help you out? To make up for my mistake."

Satisfied, Summer stepped back, position herself between the trio and Gilda. Gilda tried to protest, but a stern look from Summer quickly quelled any further comments, though she did roll her eyes when Summer turned her head back to the trio. Summer said impatiently, “Alright, you said that you wanted to help, so get us out of here. And give me your names.”

The yellow girl got up, rubbing her already swelling cheek. She said, "I'm Adagio Dazzle. These are my sisters Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk," she said, pointing to the fuchsia girl and the third girl, a girl with blue skin and dark-blue hair in a ponytail.

Summer's eyes widened. "Adagio Dazzle? The Adagio Dazzle?"

Adagio looked wary. "Uh, yes. I take it you've heard of me?"

Not wanting to have her own misunderstanding, Summer asked, "Does Ponfo mirann Pon farr make any sense to you? 'Mother of the Fallen'?" Summer saw all three girls' eyes widen in recognition of the language. "You're the sirens," Summer said. "The sirens Star Swirl banished from Equestria."

Adagio sighed. "Yes, that's us. I guess it doesn't matter if we spill the beans since you already know our language."

"How do you know our language? We haven't taught anyone our language since we got here, and that was, like, a hundred and fifty years or something," Sonata said.

Summer opened her mouth to answer, but Gilda cut her off with, "Can we talk about this later? We really need a place to hide out."

"Gilda's right," Summer said. "We can talk about this later. Lead the way, Adagio."

Nodding, Adagio led her and Gilda back into the alleyway, then pointed to a fire escape, saying, “Take that fire escape to the top window, and you'll reach our apartment. You can stay as long as you want. But remember our deal.”

Looking from Adagio to the fire escape Summer could see that it was rusted and well in need of repair. Adigo rolled her eyes, then walked over to the fire escape, reached up and pulled a rope, bringing down the main exit ladder. She started to climb, saying as she stopped about halfway up while looking down at Gilda and Summer, “You two coming or not?”

“Yes, we’re coming,” Aria replied, folding her arms over her chest. “You don’t need to be such a bitch about it.”

“I wasn’t talking to you two idiots! I was talking to our guests.”

Aria ignored the insult as she and Sonata moved aside to let the other two move ahead. Summer turned to face Gilda, saying, “I'll keep you safe while we're here. Don’t worry, I won’t let them hurt you.”

Gilda pursed her lips in irritation but didn’t reply. She followed the three hosts up the ladder and into an apartment window. Looking around, she saw that the room, like the fire escape, was in need of repair. There were dirty dishes piled on the counters, clothing all over the floor, broken bottles and cans littered almost every place she could step. Looking at Adagio, Gilda folded her arms over her chest and scoffed, saying, “You don’t expect us to stay here, do you?”

“Well, it's here or the streets. Take your pick.” Walking over to the front door and opening it, she continued, “This is an empty apartment. No one uses it, so we use it to come and go as we see fit. Now, if you will follow me.”

Before Gilda could step towards the siren, she heard from behind her, “Gilda, let me go first. I want to make sure you're safe.”
Turning around she replied sternly, “Summer, would you quick treating me like a baby! I can take care of myself. Why are you so into 'protecting' me?”

Summer looked down and said softly, “I-I’ll explain later.” Summer looked at Adigo, then sighed as she continued, “This really helps. A lot. It more than makes up for wanting to attack me earlier.” Summer reached into her coat pocket, taking out the broken heart crystal. “Let's make another deal. I know what this is and what it means to you. I'll repair this and give it to you to feed, but in return, you work for me until I say otherwise.”

Adigo looked at Summer then down at Summer's hand, her eyes ever widening as she beheld the heart crystal. Looking back up, she said in a shaky voice, “You'll repair that crystal and save our lives?”

“Yes, but only if you work for me.”

Gulping Adigo said softly as she stepped into the corridor, “What other choice do I have? I can't just let my sisters starve to death.” Looking back over her shoulder as the group piled into the corridor, she continued, “Alright, you have deal. I will give you what you need to repair the crystal, and in return, we will do as you tell us without question.”

“Good. Now, Gilda and I need a safe place to stay and sleep until the cops give up their search for us.”

“Follow me.”

Several minutes later, Gilda and Summer found themselves sitting in a bedroom, with Summer looking out the window towards the setting sun. Gilda again asked, “Summer what did you mean when you said you made a promise to me. You never made any promise.”
Sighing, she looked over her shoulder, saying coldly, “Are you sure you really want me to tell you?”

“Yes, damnit!” Gilda snapped back. “If I'm gonna be stuck here with you because of all the things you did, then I need to know what I'm getting myself into. You can’t keep your past from me. If your past causes me to get hurt, I would at least like to know why. It's the least you could do after all those stunts you pulled today.”

“Alright. Move over. I-I’ll tell you everything, but you won’t like it.”

Gilda scooted over, allowing Summer Sunrise to sit down next to her. She saw on her roommate's face a look of sadness that she had not seen before. Normally, Summer kept such feelings to herself, but now, she looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

Taking a few soft breaths, Summer began to speak, “It was three years ago. I had just woken up in the arms of the one that was going to raise me. I didn’t know who I was or how I even got to where I was. All I remembered was waking up and falling and then pain. Endless, ceaseless pain. Several days went by, and this person nursed me back to health.”

Gilda watched for any sign of deceit from her roommate, something that Summer picked up on. Summer turned to face Gilda, allowing Gilda to look her in the eyes. Seeing there was none, Gilda said, “Keep going. I wanna hear everything.”

“Well, after I got better, I thought that it would be a good idea to explore the borders of the area that I was in. Little did I know how stupid that would be. While out on one of my exploring trips, I ran into you. Or rather, the Gilda from where I'm from.” Summer folded her arms over her chest, letting out forced sigh, “Anyhow, I told her who I was and where I was staying, and she and I became friends. I went home and told my caretaker who I had become friends with. They told me that I needed to stay with Gilda and learn from her.” Summer wiped away a few tears from her eyes as she turned around and looked out the window again, watching the sky slowly turn to black.

“A year and a half went by. I had spent a lot of time with Gilda. So much so that we were starting to fall in love with each other. Well, I was in love with her. I don’t know to this day if she ever felt the same way about me.”

“Alright, but what does this have to do with me?” Gilda asked.

“I'm getting to that. During the time that we spent with each other, we both took a blood oath that neither of us would let the other get hurt.” Summer walked back over to the bed, sat down, and stared coldly at the floor in front of her as she continued, “The two of us where walking in the Everfree forest on the northernmost border of the land ruled by my caretaker. We never should have gone there, but Gilda wanted to check it out to see if there was anything to the fairy tale of Gaia Everfree’s treasure. We didn't find anything, and on our trip back, we were attacked by a manticore.”

Gilda got up and walked over to the window, looking outside and saying with a slight scoff, “I bet my counterpart gave it a good thrashing, right.”

When Gilda didn’t get a reply, she turned around and saw to her shock that Summer was sobbing.

“No. She didn’t stand a chance.” Summer slid off the bed, landing on the floor and burying her face into her arms as she sobbed. Gilda walked over, sat down and pulled her roommate into her, allowing Summer to cry on her shoulders. “If I had been faster, or perhaps not as scared as I was, I would've been able to save her. She threw herself in front of me.” Summer tried to choke back her sobs, “The manicore stung her with its tail, and she fell into my arms. I went berserk. I killed the manticore, but I didn’t stop with just that one single manticore.”

Getting up, Summer shook with anger as she closed her eyes tightly shut trying to hide her pain. Her tears slowly stopped falling, and her anger boiled to the surface, threatening to explode. “I found the pack the manticore belonged to, and I killed them all. The males, the females, and their young.” Summer turned around and screamed, “I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM ALL! THEY LIVED LIKE FUCKING ANIMALS, AND I SLAUGHTERED THEM LIKE ANIMALS!”

Summer felt something soft and warm wrap around her, pulling her towards something even warmer. She opened her eyes to see that Gilda was holding her in her arms, gently soothing her, trying to calm her distraught roommate down. Gilda gently helped Summer back over to the bed, laid her down in it, then covered her up. Once she was sure Summer had fallen asleep, she headed out of the bedroom, where she found her three hosts all in the living room. Looking at Adagio, she said, “I hope you know what you're getting yourself into.”

“Hmm,” Adagio cood sickly, “Don’t worry, dear. I know what we're getting ourselves into. Go over to the table. You’ll find what Summer needs to help us.”

Gilda did as she was asked. She walked over to the nearby kitchen table and saw a box on it. Looking inside, she saw several pieces of the same crystal that Summer had given to Adigo. All of the crystals looked broken. Before she closed up the box, Adagio said, “Now that you have seen those and we have the last piece, we can repair them, then begin to feed again. This time, we won’t let anyone stop us from getting our revenge on Equestria.”

Lucky (Edited by Icecreammac)

The sun rose up high above the sleeping city of Canterlot. Sunset was just making her way downstairs to get breakfast for herself. Seeing that her parents were gone, she sat alone in the living room. Turning on the TV, she flipped through several channels before selecting the weather channel.

“Good morning and happy Saturday. Today, we're looking at a high of forty-six degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of ten degrees,” the weatherman said. Sunset wrinkled her nose at the announcement but smiled when she looked out the window to see light snowfall.

Two days had passed since Sunset had been arrested. All the teen wanted more than anything was a friend to talk to, yet she felt so alone and so abandoned. Finishing her breakfast, Sunset washed and put away her dishes, then headed back upstairs, returning downstairs a few minutes later, fully dressed. She left her parents a note and headed outside.

Looking up and feeling the cold air on her face, she closed her eyes, saying to herself, “I can really connect with this weather. The cold feels good yet sad at the same time.”

Heading down the street, she walked for an hour before stopping in front of a window that had lots of flowers in it. Looking in the window Sunset saw a man buying flowers, then watched as he handed the flowers to someone that was next to him. The warm scene caused Sunset to walk away in a huff.

Getting further down the street, she stopped when she heard, “Mew.”

“What was that?” Sunset muttered to herself.

As if in answer, she again heard, “Mew.”

Sunset began to look around, hearing the soft but noticeable meowing around her. Her eyes fell on a sewer grate. Walking up to it, she peered down in between the grates to see two deep, sky-blue eyes staring back up at her. “Mew,” the little creature cried out. Sunset scrunched her eyebrows together, saying as she stared at the little fellow below her, “How did you get in there, kitty?”

Looking across the street, Sunset saw a hardware store. She looked back at the little cat that had somehow fallen into the sewer below her. Sunset knelt down, saying softly to the little kitten, “You stay there. I’ll be back in a few seconds. Don’t worry, I’ll get you out...somehow.”

Getting up, Sunset headed over to the hardware store, making sure to look both ways before crossing the street. Entering the store, she smiled to a clerk, asking him, “Excuse me, where do you stock crowbars?”

The clerk looked at Sunset, then smiled back warmly, replying, “Go to aisle two. They should be halfway down the aisle on your right.”

“Thank you.” Getting to the aisle a few moments later, Sunset looked through the different crowbars, selecting the biggest one she could find. Taking out her wallet, she made sure she had enough money for it thinking to herself, “Alright, this should pry that grate up. Then, I can get the little cat out of there and hopefully find him a good home.”

Sunset brought the crowbar up to the cashier's desk, paid for the item, then headed back over to the street where the cat was. Sunset was just getting back to the grate when she heard again the cat cry out to her. Sunset placed the crowbar down into the grate, saying, “Don’t worry, little one. I’ll have you free in just a few min--”

“What are you doing?” a stern voice said from behind her, catching her off guard.

Sunset turned around to see a man standing behind her. He had a white goatee, beady red eyes with yellow sclera, and snow-white hair with a black streak. Sunset looked at him as the cat cried again, noticing the man had a long, brown trench coat on, mismatched boots--one brown, the other green--mismatched gloves--one thin and yellow, the other furry and tan--and glasses on the edge of his nose. He smiled a slightly toothy grin, which caused Sunset to take a step back from him. Again, he said, “What are you doing?” and again, Sunset heard the mewling of the cat, crying desperately to be freed from its entrapment in the sewer.

“There's a cat stuck in the sewer. I'm just trying to free it,” Sunset replied, gripping the crowbar tightly in her hands.

“Really? A cat, you say?” The man looked slightly confused before he too heard the cry from the grate next to him. Looking down, he saw the same sky-blue eyes that Sunset had seen. “Why, would you look at that? There really is a cat down there.”

“If you step aside, I can free him.”

“Oh, of course, my child. You go ahead and get to work. After all, Sunset Shimmer, that's why I put it there in the first place.”

Hearing his words, Sunset stepped back again, gripping the crowbar tighter in her hands as she snarled, “Why would you do this to such a defenseless, little cat? What gives you the right to do something so cruel? And how in all of Tartarus do you know my name!?”

“Why, Sunset, you wound me.” The person grinned even wider than before “I know your name because your parents wanted me to talk to you about what has been going on at your school. I am Discord, and I am here to help you, but I wanted to see for myself if you really were the bully that everyone is making you out to be. So, I set up this little test and, well--”

“Leave or I swear I will make you eat this crowbar!” Sunset slowly raised the bar up, making her warning clear as she continued, “How dare you put an innocent creature in danger just to see if I'm a bully. Get the hell out of here! Now!”

Sunset glared viciously at Discord, who simply batted his eyelashes and smiled back playfully to her. It wasn’t until they both heard another soft meow from the cat below them that both stopped what they were doing. Discord, seeing that Sunset was distracted, reached up and took the crowbar away from her.

Before she could protest or try to take it back, he quickly opened the sewer grate, reached in, and took hold of the cat, placing it in Sunset's arms. Looking down at the little kitten in her arms, Sunset said softly while petting the cat, “It's okay, little guy. I got you now. This mean person won’t do that to you again.”

Discord, hearing her words, smiled another toothy grin to her, saying as he set down the crowbar on the sidewalk next to Sunset, “Why, my dear, I have no intention of harming Lucky here. In fact, it is my hope that you will take him in and become friends with him.”

“Lucky?” Sunset looked up at Discord with a confused look on her face. “I don’t understand. How did you know I needed a friend?”

“I know many things, my dear. Come by my office when you're ready. I've already given your parents all that they need to get you to my office. We will talk then. I hope to see you around, Sunset Shimmer.” Reaching out, Discord petted Lucky on his head, continuing, “You take care of her, Lucky. She's your friend now, and I am sure she will take good care of you. Perhaps you can even help reconnect her with her friends.”

With that, Discord smiled one last time, turned around and headed down the street, leaving a purring cat and one very confused, slightly angry, teenage girl behind. Sunset, feeling a cold breeze blowing through the city, placed the cat under her shirt for warmth and headed towards the only place she knew she could get help for him.

A half-hour later, she found herself standing in front of the animal shelter where her former friend Fluttershy worked. Looking at her watch, she saw it was 11:00 in the morning. Sunset took a breath, then placed her hand onto the door of the shelter.

“I hope Fluttershy won’t be upset with me for stopping by like this, but I don’t know how to take care of you, Lucky. If I'm gonna keep you, I need her help.”

Opening the door, Sunset headed into the shelter and saw that Fluttershy was sitting at the front desk. Before she could say anything to her, Lucky cried out, “Mew.”

Fluttershy looked up from her computer, glaring at Sunset, who offered a week smile, saying, “H-Hi, Fluttershy. I was wondering if you--”

“You need to leave, Sunset. I don’t want to talk to you. You're not my friend, and clearly, you never have been.” Lucky mewled again. Fluttershy sighed, then continued, “Making fake cat noises to get my attention won’t help you, either.”

“That’s not me, Fluttershy. Hold on.”

Fluttershy watched as Sunset removed a small, black cat from underneath her shirt. Placing the cat down on the counter, Sunset said softly while stroking the cat's fur, “I found Lucky in a sewer drain not far from here. I was hoping you would be able to tell me how to take care of him.”

“You found him?”

“Yes. Look, all I want to do is find a way to take care of him. I don’t want to fight. I promise.”

“Then if you don’t want to fight, please leave. I don’t want anything to do with you. You hurt me when you posted my photo on MyStable.”

Sunset swallowed hard, something that Fluttershy picked up on. Sunset gently picked up the cat, placing him into Fluttershy's hands, saying, “I'm not Anon-a-Miss, Fluttershy. Why won’t you listen to me?”

Fluttershy walked away, placing the cat into a metal cage, then returned, staring coldly at Sunset as she replied, “Listen to you, Sunset Shimmer? I listened to you for two years while you bullied me, picked on me and made fun of me.”

“I-I--”

“No!” Sunset took a step back, seeing only anger in Fluttershy's face, which frightened her badly, “I'm not going to listen to you anymore, Sunset. You're nothing but a bully who gets off on hurting innocent people. And now, you hurt animals, too! Get out before I call the police.”

Sunset's jaw quivered slightly, and tears began to run down her cheeks. Her voice starting to break, she said, “I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I am so sorry for how I treated you back then. You're right, I am just a bully.”

Fluttershy raised a hand to her mouth as she watched her former friend bolt out of the shelter and run down the street, shocked at what she had seen. She had only seen big, bad Sunset cry twice before: The first time was after the Fall Formal, and the second time was when Fluttershy and her friends first accused Sunset of being Anon-a-Miss.

Fluttershy was startled to find a pattern to those tears. The first time, she and her friends had no choice but to help Twilight stop Sunset. The second time, she and her friends made Sunset cry after yelling at her and accusing her of being Anon-a-Miss. This third time, she made Sunset cry after calling her a bully and threatening her. Each time Sunset cried, Fluttershy had a hand in causing it, but this time, Sunset's tears were entirely Fluttershy's fault.

And really, what kind of big, mean bully cries that hard, that often, with tears that real?

Turning to Lucky, she took the cat out of the cage, held him in her arms, and began to cry, saying, “Oh, Lucky, what have I done?”

No Compassion (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Rarity was hard at work in her sewing room. She liked to spend several hours each Saturday working on clothes, and this Saturday was no different. Halfway through the dress of the day, she looked up at her clock, which read 2:00 pm. Realizing that she missed lunch and that she was getting tired, she made her way to the kitchen to poke around in the freezer.

Looking through the freezer, Rarity heard a soft beep coming from her right. Turning around, she saw her sister Sweetie Belle sticking a plate of food into the microwave. After setting the timer and humming to herself, Sweetie Belle stopped when she saw her sister was looking right at her.

“What,” she asked with a confused look. “Did I do something wrong again?”

“No, no, dear. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Rarity turned her attention back to the freezer, allowing Sweetie Belle to go about her business. “Ah, there you are, you little jewel,” Rarity cooed happily when her eyes finally fell on what she was looking for. “Now all I need to do is get myself a spoon and--”

Her words were interrupted by a loud beeping from the smoke detector above her. Looking back at the microwave she saw to her shock that the microwave was sparking like the Fourth of July.

“AHHH!” Rarity screamed, “The microwave is on fire!”

From the living room, Sweetie Belle, hearing her sister's screams, came running back into the kitchen and opened the door of the microwave. To both her and her sister's shock, Sweetie Belle had left her fork in her meal while it was cooking within the microwave. Looking at her sister with a silly smirk on her face, she said, “Sorry about that, Rarity. Guess you won’t be using this anytime soon, huh?”

“Sweetie Belle, why did you leave your fork in the microwave? Do you know what could have happened?” Rarity replied in shock, trying not to get to overly dramatic. “Why, the whole house could have gone up in a puff of smoke!”

“I said I was sorry! Nothing happened, okay? I’m going back to the living room to eat my lunch.”

Rarity shook her head as her sister headed out of the kitchen and returned to the living room to eat her lunch. Rarity looked to her ice cream, picked up the bucket, and tried to open it, grunting in frustration when the lid wouldn’t pop off. Finally losing her cool, she put the bucket under her arm and began trying to pry the frozen lid from the bucket, thumping the bucket against the counter and saying with each tug, “Blast you, ice cream!”

Hearing yet more screaming and now loud thumping coming from the kitchen, Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes, getting up off the couch. She went into the kitchen to see her sister playing tug-of-war with a defenseless ice cream bucket. With another yank on the lid, Rarity yelped out in anger, “Maredow Gold, you will open your lid for me and let me taste your chocolate goodness!”

Shaking her head and slightly grinning, Sweetie Belle said as she watched the epic battle continue, “Why don't you put it in the microwave?”

Rarity looked up from her ice cream bucket, incredulous surprise on her face. “B-Because you microwaved your fork. Honestly, Sweetie Belle, you don’t remember doing that no more than six minutes ago?"

Sweetie Belle grinned innocently, trying to play a cute angel for her sister, who wasn’t buying it. She replied with a wide smile on her face, “Oh, yeah. Oops.”

Looking back at the ice cream on the counter, which remained undefeated, Sweetie Belle watched as Rarity grabbed the bucket, slamming it against the counter. As the bucket bounced off of the counter and onto the floor yet remained unopened, Rarity yelled out again, “Blast you, ice cream!” Her sister took in the scene before her, trying hard not to laugh but failing miserably at it. Sniffing, Rarity continued, “Why do you have to keep all your chocolatey goodness to yourself?”

“Why don’t you just go ask Applejack for help?”

Rarity picked up the bucket and placed it back down on counter. Taking out a spoon, she started hitting the the ice cream bucket lid with the spoon. While she worked, she huffed out, “Seriously? At two o'clock? You know Applejack has church and then tea with her family and church patrons at this time, Sweetie Belle. Besides, I'm not going to go all the way to Applejack's just to ask her to help me open up a bucket of ice cream?”

Sweetie Belle just rolled her eyes in annoyance at her sister's stubbornness, replying, “Oh, please. She's your friend. I know she would understand. I mean, it is your favorite ice cream, after all.” Sweetie Belle walked over the microwave, looking at it as she continued, “Or you could still try the microwave. I'm pretty sure it still works.”

Sighing in resignation, Rarity opened the door to the microwave, placed the bucket inside, and set the timer. After a few seconds, she took out the bucket, looked to her sister, then set the bucket onto the counter, trying the lid again. It popped off easily, and Rarity smirked slightly as she looked at the chocolate ice cream inside the bucket. Sweetie Belle grinned, saying, “See? I told you it would--”

She was interrupted by the sound of keys being placed inside the lock on the front door. Knowing that it was probably their parents, the only other people with keys to the house, Sweetie Belle walked over to the door to greet them, calling back to her sister. “Hey, leave me some for breakfast tomorrow!”

Rarity looked up with a spoon full of ice cream in her mouth as she tried to say, “HUH?” which came out as “Whah?”

Sweetie Belle said just as the door opened, “For waffles tomorrow.”

Rarity just rolled her eyes in reply.

Both of Sweetie Belle's and Rarity's parents walked in, followed by Sunset Shimmer, who looked a bit nervous to be there. Turning to greet her parents, Rarity almost choked on her ice cream when she saw Sunset standing in the foyer. Rarity's mother saw this and said softly, “Now, Sunset would you like a cup of tea while we have dinner together?” while not taking her eyes off her oldest daughter.

“What? Oh, um, sure thing, Mrs. Belle, and thank you very much.”

“That's good, dear. Now, while I get dinner ready, you and Rarity can talk.”

Rarity's jaw almost hit the floor when she heard her mother offer a place at the table for Sunset, a girl that Rarity now despised. Trying not to sound rude, she said, “Mother, we don’t have any tea, and I'm sure, with it being three o’clock in the afternoon, I need to get some work done in my--”

“Rarity, Sunset is our guest for tonight. It's going to be cold out there, and I will not have you turning her away. Besides, I've already made the arrangements with her father and mother when we saw her walking down the street a few hours ago.”

“What arrangements?”

“That she would be sleeping over tonight.”

“WHAT?”

Rarity's eyes went wide as saucers when she heard her mother's words. Sunset took a step back, placing her hand onto the front door handle. Rarity's father saw this and moved in to intervene, saying to Sunset gently to try to keep her from running off, “Not to worry, dear. I'm sure my daughter is just excited that you’ll be sleeping over tonight.” Looking right at Rarity, Mr. Belle continued, only more sternly and with slightly gritted teeth, “Aren’t you, honey?”

“Yes,” Rarity snarled back with just as gritted teeth. “Just so excited to have her here.”

“I'll go into the wine cellar and get us some wine to have with dinner tonight.” Stopping before he got to the door, Mr. Belle looked back at Sunset and at his daughter as he continued “I'll also bring up some non-alcoholic wine for you two.”

A few hours went by, and dinner was tense. Sunset tried to make light conversation yet felt each time she said anything that it was the wrong thing to say. After the third time Sunset tried, Rarity finally had enough. Setting her fork down, she said sternly to Sunset, “Sunset, I hear you got suspended from school a few days ago, not to mention that you also got arrested. I suppose we will have to wait and see if you are--”

“Rarity!” her mother shot out bitterly. “A lady never brings up such conversations at the dinner table.” Turning to face Sunset, who was looking down at her dinner plate, which she hardly touched, Mrs. Belle continued, “I am so sorry, Sunset, dear. I don’t know what has come over my daughter. She's not normally like this. Please forgive her.”

“Mother, there is nothing to forgive. Sunset has been posting my picture all over the internet, and now, I'm the laughing stock of the school.”

Before her mother could say anything, Sunset asked abruptly, “May I please be excused?”

“Are you sure, Sunset?” Rarity's father asked with a confused look when he saw that she had hardly touched her meal. “I mean, you can stay at the table if you want. I'm sure my daughter won’t talk to you like that again.”

“No, it's alright. I've...lost my appetite. I'm sure the food's good, and I'm grateful for it, but I just don’t feel like eating right now. Please?”

“Of course you may, dear. It's only,” Mrs. Belle turned around and looked at the stove clock, continuing, “seven-thirty in the evening. Are you going to bed now, then?”

“Yes, I'll be going to bed. Good night, and thanks very much for having me over tonight.”

Sunset headed upstairs before Rarity or anyone else could say anything to her. Sweetie Belle thought she saw tears falling from Sunset's cheeks but wasn’t sure about it. Rarity's mother turned to her Rarity, saying very bitterly, “Rarity, I am very disappointed in you. I've a good mind to ground you for how you just treated that girl.”

“Your mother's right, Rarity. Never before have either I or she been so disappointed in you. What on Earth has gotten into you? You've never acted so rude as you just did a moment ago towards someone that clearly needs your compassion,” Rarity's father added just as bitterly. “I want you to go upstairs right now, young lady, and apologize to Sunset for your rude and distasteful behavior.”

“But, Father,” Rarity protested, “Sunset posted my photo on MyStable and betrayed my trust. Now, I'm--”

“I don’t give a shiny monkey if she put a hundred photos of you online, Rarity. In this household, you do not treat anyone as you just did. Do I make myself clear, young lady?”

Lowering her head, as she was all but defeated, Rarity almost whispered out, “Yes, sir. Clear as crystal.”

Rarity got up and headed for the steps, but stopped before she ascended. She turned around and headed back into the dining room. She looked at her father, saying to him softly, “If I am to apologize, then I need to do this right. As is tradition for our family, I will drink a glass of non-alcoholic wine with her as an act of contrition if she's willing to share one with me.”

“I am happy to see you take this seriously, Rarity. Head downstairs, get the wine, then come up and pour yourself and Sunset a chalice of it. Since she's not part of the family, do let her know that her accepting the glass signifies that she's forgiven you and that her refusal signifies her refusal to forgive you. If she refuses, Rarity, you’ll have to truly work at earning her forgiveness for how you treated her tonight.”

“I will, Father. I promise that if I truly must earn her forgiveness, then I will do so as a lady and with all due respect towards her.”

“Very good.”

Rarity headed into the wine cellar, returning a few moments later with a bottle of alcoholic wine and a bottle of her father's hard scotch. Rarity headed upstairs and soon found herself standing in the guest room, noticing that Sunset had taken off her boots and was curled up on the bed in fetal position. Unsure if her former friend had fallen asleep or not, she softly said, “Sunset, are you awake?”

“Yes.” Sunset sat up and looked at Rarity with sad eyes. “I was just thinking I should go. I don’t belong here.”

Rarity kept her relief hidden. “Well before you go, though, I have something for you.”

“Um, I don’t--”

“Oh, nonsense. Take these as a token of my attempt to say that I am sorry for how I treated you today. Now, I will go and get your things while you get ready.”

“A-Alright. I'll be ready to leave in a few minutes. I just need to get my boots on.”

Sunset knelt down and slipped her boots on. Rarity came back into the room with Sunset's backpack, which she placed the bottles into. She tried to crack a smile to her former friend, something that Sunset picked up on yet said nothing about. Handing the backpack to Sunset, Rarity watched as she slipped her backpack on, then headed out into the hallway. The sound of Sunset's boots on the stairs caught Rarity's parents' attention.

“Sunset, where are you going, dear?” asked her mother, concerned. “It's cold out there. I don’t want you walking home by yourself in that cold.”

“Thank you both for your concern, but I'll be fine. I'm used to the cold weather.”

“Sunset,” Rarity's father began, “if you don't want to spend the night, at least let me drive you home.”

Looking from Rarity to Rarity's parents, Sunset agreed, albeit begrudgingly. Getting up from the table, Mr. Belle headed into the foyer and donned his coat. Then, he looked at Rarity, who offered a weak smile in return as he said to her sternly, “I don’t know what you said to her up there, but we will deal with that later.”

Before anyone could say anything further, Mr. Belle opened the front door of the house, allowing Sunset to walk out into the cold, chilly air. Getting to the car a moment later, he opened the passenger door for her, allowing her to get in. Getting in himself on the driver's side, he started up the car, taking notice of how sad Sunset looked. “How about some soft opera music to make you feel better, Sunset?”

“Thank you, but I'm fine, really. I really do appreciate the ride home, Mr. Belle.”

“Think nothing of it, Sunset.”

A half-hour later, Sunset found herself sitting alone in her room with her bag at her side. Mr. Belle had made sure she was inside the house and safe before pulling out of the driveway. Sunset set down her backpack, hearing a soft clink from it. Opening it up, she saw the bottles of wine and scotch inside her bag. No longer caring what her former friends would think, she took both bottles to the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a cup in one hand and a corkscrew in the other.

Tonight, she was drinking away her pain.

Awakening (Edited by Icecreammac)

Celestia woke up and looked around. No matter which way she looked, all she could see was pure white and nothing more. Celestia tried to stand up yet found she couldn’t. Immediately, she noticed that Chrysalis wasn’t with her. Trying again to stand, she failed, as something heavy yet soft pushed her back down into the ground beneath her. She looked around to see what was pushing her, yet the princess of the sun saw nothing.

A soft voice caught her attention. “Celestia, my little filly, what's wrong? You look upset.”

“M-Mother? Is that you?”

“Mother? My sister, it is I, Luna,” Luna’s soft voice replied. “Rest now, sister. I will tend to you.”

Celestia again looked around yet once more saw only pure white. Peering into the whiteness for any sign of life, she soon saw a figure sitting over her and keeping her down. Although her vision was badly blurred, she was able to make out the general shape of the pony lying on top of her. Celestia could tell the pony was female. Again, Celestia called, “Mother I need you now more than ever. I have failed you.”

“No, my little filly. You have not failed me. You seek the last three Elements, two of which you already have. The last one you must let the seeker find and use on their own.”

“Tia, our mother isn’t here. You're delusional,” Luna softly replied, still lying on top of her older sister, trying to keep her down on the ground.
“Please, Celestia, just take it slow. You need to rest. I thought I had lost you after that explosion.”

“Mother, I don’t understand. What--”

Celestia felt something warm and fuzzy being dragged over her body as Luna again said to her, “Shh, sister. You’ll be alright. I’ll look after you now. You just rest.”

“Not to worry, my daughter. It will be alright,” Celestia heard her mother say as she felt something very soft pressing up against her cheek, nuzzling her gently. “You must go to Twilight. You must tell her who you really are, and you must bring Sunset home as well as the sirens. You must heal our lands, Celestia. Bring the ones lost to us home.”

“Mother, wait. Please, I can’t do this without you. I need your help to free Chrysalis,” Celestia cried out. “Please don’t leave me again. I can’t rule if all I feel is broken inside.”

“Sister, you can do this. I know you can. You have not failed our parents. You have ruled well and with honor, and I know that if they were still with us, they'd be very proud of you. Now, you must remain still. Give yourself time to recover from what you have been through.”

Trying to stand again, Celestia again was pushed back into the snow, only this time, instead of her mother's voice, she heard her sister's.

“Sister, you are alive, but you must rest. I will tend to Chrysalis. You need not worry about her.”

Celestia slowly stirred. Raising her head up, she saw that she was covered in the same blanket she had used to keep her sister warm. Looking to her left, she saw that Luna was tending to Chrysalis. Calling out to her sister as she watched Luna apply healing balms to the changeling queen's injuries, Celestia said, “L-Luna, I need to g-get back to Twilight.”

Luna looked up from her work and smiled warmly as she replied, applying more healing herbs and balms to Chrysalis's injured body, “You are in no condition to be going anywhere, my sister. You must take rest.”

“But, I--”

“Celestia, don't make me tie you down. Lie down and get some rest. You can see Twilight in a few hours after you have some proper sleep. I just pulled you out of the wreckage of the Crystal Manor. I will not risk losing you again. Now hush and get some sleep.”

Celestia laid her head down into her hooves, musing softly to herself, “Luna, when did you become the big sister. I thought I was supposed to take care of you, not the other way around.”

Closing her eyes, Celestia soon feel fast asleep. Luna, seeing that her sister was fast asleep, turned to Queen Chrysalis, snarling bitterly to her, “Alright, now that my sister is sleeping and getting the rest she needs, you will tell me how to save Twilight, or I swear I’ll leave you here to die.”

“Hmph,” Chrysalis grunted bitterly. “Go ahead. Leave me, if you must. But how do you think your sister will feel about that, Luna Evenstar. I swear, your mind is as dim as the night you're so proud of."

Chrysalis was suddenly interrupted when Luna pressed her hoof into the changeling's throat. As Chrysalis felt Luna apply more pressure, her smug smile vanished, and she said, “L-Luna, what are you doing? You're ch-choking me.”

“I’ll do more than choke you, Chrysalis. I'll tear your throat out for what you did to my sister's daughter!” Applying slightly more pressure, Luna continued, “How could you, Chrysalis? Celestia told me you two were friends once good friends. How could you do that to Sunset?” Luna pressed harder. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time. And you know what?" Luna leaned down to glare into Chrysalis's scared eyes. "When I kill you, no one will miss you. Equestria will rejoice."

"W-Wait, Luna!" Chrysalis pleaded. "You can't kill me. I know how to save Twilight. I'm the only one that knows."

Luna didn't say anything for a short while, but soon relented and lifted her hoof from Chrysalis's neck. Just as Chrysalis sighed in relief, Luna pressed into Chrysalis's nearly broken rib cage, turning Chrysalis's sigh into a yelp. Luna snarled, “I want to know how to save Twilight, and I want that information now!”

“How will I know you won't kill me when I tell you?"

"You don't. But if you don't tell me, I can make your life a living Tartarus." Luna pressed harder into Chrysalis's ribs to drive her point home, bringing tears to the changeling's eyes.

"Okay, okay. To save her, you must find Radiant Hope. Her healing powers are able to awaken or heal any pony from the type of magic that Thirteen has used on Twilight.”

“Radiant Hope is gone," Luna interrupted, "How are we supposed to get her to heal Twilight if she is dead?”

“Just because she doesn’t exist in this world any longer doesn’t mean she didn’t leave something behind that can heal Twilight,” Chrysalis coughed out. “Use her tears to help save Twilight. Once she is saved, then you can worry about me. Besides, you have far more pressing issues to worry about than me at the moment.”

“Like what,” Luna looked around while her horn began to glow bright blue. “I see nothing else that we need to worry about.”

“I know about the seeker, or as she will soon be called by your ponies, seer.” Chuckling lightly, Chrysalis continued, “You see, I found a strange creature that I have never seen before, wandering in the frozen north. She was cold and tired. She kept saying, ‘Mother, where are you?’ and ‘Yes, Sparrow, I can see the black horse in front of me.’ Well, her calling me a horse wasn't very nice, and I acted.”

“What did you do, Chrysalis?”

“I didn’t kill the little whelp, if that's what you're worried about. I just used my magic on her, but much to my surprise, she fired some sort of stick with a sharp metal point at me. It hit me in my right foreleg, and believe me, that hurt. A lot. Well, to make this really short, she got away. Where she is now, I don’t know. That was almost two years ago.” Chrysalis mused to herself as she continued, “Right after Sunset disappeared through the mirror, I believe, is when I found her wandering the frozen north. She had scars on her face and looked rather scared.” Chrysalis sighed, continuing, “She had a red and yellow mane and bore her cutie mark on her on her armor. She wasn't very fast, but with my injured leg, I couldn't stop her from escaping.”

“I see.” Luna fired a blue energy bolt into the sky, causing Chrysalis to look up. “Oh, don’t worry, Chrysalis. That wasn’t meant for you. I am just letting my guards know where we are, is all.” Luna smirked as she continued, “You’ll be in chains in the royal--”

“No, she won't, Luna.” Celestia’s voice caught Luna's attention. She turned to face her sister, who was standing behind her. “You're going to let her go. We will take her back to Ponyville and let Doctor Whooves heal her wounds. Then, she is free to go. There has been enough killing and pain for one day. I want see Twilight. But before we go,” Celestia turned her attention towards Chrysalis, “I need to ask you something, Chrysalis.”

“I've already told why I killed your daughter.” Chrysalis saw the pain in Celestia's eyes as the latter recalled her daughter’s death. “I see little reason why I should still answer any more of your questions.”

“This strange creature you claim to have seen. Did she give you her name before she ran off.”

“After she shot me, she apologized, told me her name, then ran off. She called herself Eventide Shimmer.”

Celestia's eyes went wide at recognition of the name she had just heard. Before she could say anything, ten of Luna’s personal shadow pony guards landed near the two royal sisters. It only took a few moments to get everyone onto the chariots that the guards had brought with them. Celestia looked to her sister, then nodded as her sister gave the order. The guards flew high into the air, taking the two royals back to Twilight's castle.

A few hours later, Celestia stood next to Twilight and Doctor Whooves. Spike came in, saying gently, “Princess Celestia, when will Twilight wake up?”

“I don’t know, Spike. If I can’t find some of Radiant Hope's tears, then I fear she will never wake up.”

Spike's face lit up like Hearth's Warming as he squealed out happily, “Why didn't you say before that all we need was tears of hope?” Spike dashed away as fast as his little legs could carry him, returning a few moments later with a tray of twelve crystal vials in his clawed hands. Setting the tray down next to Twilight's bed, he continued “Twilight collected all sorts of water samples and tear samples from all over Equestria. She wanted to do some sort of experiment with them. These twelve vials were placed in her Do Not Use section. She told me that they have healing properties and were not to be used unless she had no choice.”

Gently taking one of the crystal vials in her magic, Celestia pressed the vial against Twilight's lips, pouring the liquid into Twilight's mouth, making sure not to spill a single drop of it. Celestia, Luna and Spike all watched as Twilight's body glowed light blue. Her eyes blinked a few times as she moaned out, “W-Where am I?”

“Shhh, my little pony. You're safe now.” Celestia used her magic to bring Twilight's blanket up close to her neck. “You're home, Twilight. Just rest now,” Celestia said softly, tucking her in. “Your nightmare is over. All you must do now is rest.”

“Princess, will Twilight be alright now?” Spike asked, worried.

“Yes, Spike, I think she will be alright.”

Celestia gently nuzzled Twilight's cheek as Twilight soon fell fast asleep, dreaming of lectures from her mentor. Seeing that her star pupil was fast asleep, Celestia turned to face Chrysalis, saying to her gently, “Now that you have seen the magic of these vials, shall I give you one as well?”

“I would sooner eat snakes than accept your help, Celestia. You killed my daughter.”

“Chrysalis, for the last time, I did not kill your daughter. I tried to save her, and I failed. What happened to Crystalis was tragic, yes, but I didn't kill her.”

Chrysalis looked down. Taking one of the vials in her magic and drinking the liquid, she looked back up, saying as she stood up, “You have shown me kindness today, Celestia, despite the fact that we are enemies. You have spared my life when you could have left me to die at Crystal Ridge. Therefore, according to changeling custom, I will give you time.”

“Time? For what?”

Chrysalis walked out of Twilight's bedchamber, the royal sisters following. A few moments later, the three found themselves standing in front of Twilight's castle. Chrysalis smiled as she shape shifted into a common female pony with a blue mane and green coat. Looking to both of the royal sisters, she said with a sick smile on her face, “I will give you six days and seven nights.” Chrysalis laughed wickedly as she continued, “After the sun sets on the final day, we will be at war, Celestia.” Chrysalis used her magic to teleport away from the two royals, saying as she disappeared, “And this time, I will not stop until you are dead for what you did to my daughter.”

Celestia and Luna both silently headed back inside the castle, and Celestia soon found herself taking rest in front of Twilight's fireplace. Luna looked to her sister, saying to her gently as she pulled a blanket over her sister's body, “You should rest now, sister. I need to go. There are some matters that I must attend to. I will see you again in a few hours.” Celestia nodded, then soon fell fast asleep.

Luna stopped by Twilight's room to check on her one last time. Sticking her head in through the partly open door, she saw Spike placing three blue jewels into Twilight's saddlebag. Wanting to know more, she entered the room, saying softly, “Spike, what are you doing with heart stones?”

"Ah!" Spike yelped, startled. Turning around, he said, “Oh, it's just you Princess. Well, Twilight told me how she defeated the sirens. She's always felt bad about leaving them in the human world without any way to feed themselves, so she created these stones to feed them with positive energy instead of negative energy. I only hope it isn’t too late to get these to them.”

“I see. I would like to suggest something as well, if I may.”

“Sure thing, Princess.”

“Place a few of those vials that we used to help wake her up into her bag. They might come in handy in the human world.”

Spike did as we asked to do, placing three vials of Hope's tears into Twilight's bag. Once done, he set the bag down and took to his own bed. Luna covered him with his blanket before heading out of the castle. As Luna climbed into her chariot, she muttered, “It is time for her to return.”

Evil (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This chapter and the next few all take place at the same time. This one takes place on the same night as Sunset Shimmer getting drunk. I couldn't fit everything into one single chapter so thus I broke it all up into four chapters. The one where Sunset gets drunk is the first of these chapters. This one is second one the third will be about Sunsets terrifying awakening the fourth will deal with Sunset talking with Cheerilee and explaining why she left six days after she was offered a place to stay.

Evil (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

While Sunset Shimmer slept off the alcohol she had drank, Summer Sunrise was just putting the last pieces of the heart crystals back together. Holding all three heart crystals in her hand, she mused to herself quietly, “I hope this works. It's been so long since I did a repair spell, and I have no idea if my magic will even work in this world.” Looking at the crystals in her hand, she continued as she made a tight fist, “Well, here goes nothing.” She closed her eyes and concentrated hard at her task.

To her delight, when she opened her eyes a few moments later, her hand slowly began to smoke, then very quickly burst into green flames. The green flames soon turned into bright orange and red. Summer laughed lightly to herself, saying as she squeezed her hand more tightly, “I can’t believe it worked. Now, to add the final touch to make these stones stronger than they were before.”

Gilda woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of soft sobbing coming from outside her room. Stretching and allowing her blanket to fall to her waist, Gilda stood up and walked into the short hallway leading towards the sirens' bedroom. Carefully cracking the door open, Gilda poked her head into the bedroom and saw that Adagio Dazzle was curled up next to her younger sister Sonata Dusk.

Gilda watched for a few moments as Adagio gently held her sister in her arms, the yellow siren saying softly, “Shh, Sonata. I know the hunger hurts. I feel it too.” Gilda watched as Adagio gently pulled her sister closer to her, running her hands through the younger's hair and stroking her head, soothing her gently. “I know you're hungry, and I know you're homesick. Don’t worry. We’ll feed soon, and we'll be going home soon, too.” Adagio let out soft sigh as she whispered into her sister's ear, “Sleep, Sonata. Our nightmare will be over soon. I'm here now.”

Gilda closed the door and looked away, a tad envious of the care Sonata was getting, care that was never given to Gilda herself when she needed it. Walking back to the couch, Gilda was about to go back to sleep, when she sniffed the air as she suddenly smelt something burning. Quickly following the smell, Gilda soon found herself standing outside of Summer’s bedroom door. Knocking on the door, Gilda asked quickly, “Summer, is everything okay in there? I can smell something burning.”

“Yes, Gilda, everything's--” Summer's voice quickly turned to a loud scream of pain and panic as she felt excruciating pain wash over her like molten metal. “BY CHRYSALIS'S MANE, IT HURTS!” Summer screamed in agony.

Gilda began to bang loudly on the door, only to get more screaming in return. Gilda tried the door handle, only to find it was locked tight. Slamming her shoulder into the door, she yelled, “Summer, you have to open the door.”

The screaming and banging on the door from Gilda woke up all three of the sirens. Each of them came out of the two remaining rooms. Adagio, smelling the fire and seeing Gilda ramming the door with her shoulder, snapped, “What in the nine seas of Equestria is going on?”

“It's Summer. There’s something wrong,” Gilda yelled back, slamming herself into the door. “I can smell something burning. I think she's hurt.”

“Burning?” Adagio's eyes went wide when she realized what Summer was doing. “Oh, no, she couldn’t have. Tell me that stupid, little fool didn’t try a repair spell?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Gilda snapped back, slamming herself again into the door, desperately trying to break it down. “I don't care what she did. We have to help her!”

“Uh, why don’t you just use the key to open her door?” Sonata asked, pointing to a key that hung on the door frame of Summer's room.

Quickly looking up, Gilda saw a brass key hanging on the doorframe of Summer’s bedroom door. Grabbing the key, she quickly set it in place and unlocked the door. Rushing inside the room, Gilda stood in complete shock as she saw Summer holding her right hand, which was balled into a tight fist. Summer's right hand was completely engulfed in fire.

Adagio quickly pushed past Gilda, rushing to Summer’s side. “Summer, let go of the stones!” Adagio screamed out. “You need to let them go, now.”

“I can’t! It hurts too much to open my hand.” Summer fell to her knees as she continued to scream, “Make it stop! Please, I can’t take the pain. It hurts so much!”

Adagio grabbed Summer's hand, saying as she tried to pry her fingers open, “Let them go!” Summer pulled her hand back as the pain intensified, pulling Adagio toward her and forcing the siren's forehead to strike the wall behind her. Rubbing her hurt forehead, Adagio grunted and said, “Alright, we're doing this the hard way.” Quickly turning her attention to Gilda, Adagio continued, “Gilda, you hold her down while I pry her hand open.”

“But you're hurting her!”

“JUST DO IT!”

Gilda gulped, but quickly pushed Summer flat onto the floor while Adagio grabbed her by her hand. Adagio wrestled with Summer while yelling out to her two sisters, “Will you two stop gawking and get your asses in here! I can’t take her on by myself.”

Sonata and Aria quickly rushed into the room, each grabbing Summer by the legs. Gilda straddled Summer Sunrise on her stomach while holding Summer's left hand down. Adagio very quickly seized Summer's right hand in her own and pried open the screaming girl's fingers, causing Summer to drop the crystals. The flames immediately went out, to the relief of everyone present.

“Okay, now that that's over, can someone explain to me what the hell just happened?” Gilda asked. Looking down at Summer, whom she was still sitting on, she continued, “Since when did you think it was a good idea to light yourself up like a campfire?”

“Would you mind getting off me first?”

“No. Not until you tell me what the hell you did. I mean,” Gilda reached over and grabbed Summer's right hand, continuing, “You burned your hand, you fucking idiot! How the hell are we supposed to be on the run when we need to take you to the hospital?”

"I don't need a hospital. And I'm not telling you anything until they leave," Summer said, nodding her head to the sirens, who all were eyeing the crystals laying next to Summers left hand.

Gilda sighed and turned to the sirens. “Can you girls give us a few minutes? Oh, and can one of you bring me a first-aid kit?”

Adagio nodded and bent down to pick up one of the stones, only to stop when Summer quickly closed her hand around all three of them. Sonata gulped and Aria rolled her eyes, while Adagio snarled, “Hey, those are--”

“--mine until I say otherwise, siren.” Gripping the stones tightly, Summer continued, “Besides, I have to make sure that the repair spell worked.”

Adagio growled, then waved for her two sisters to join her in the living room. Once the two were alone, Gilda gulped hard and said, “Well?”

Summer turned her attention to Gilda, who was still sitting on her stomach. Looking into Gilda's eyes, Summer saw fear showing back. Not wanting Gilda to run out of the room screaming, she gently placed both hands onto Gilda’s waist, pushed her off of her body, then stood up, holding her hand out to her and saying, “I can see I have some explaining to do.”

“Yes, you do. I want to know how and why you did that, but first we need to get that first-aid kit.”

Helping her up off the floor, Summer brought Gilda over to the bed, sat her down, then sat down next to her. “I don’t need a first-aid kit, Gilda.” Summer showed Gilda her hand. To Gilda's shock it was almost completely healed. “I can do what you saw because of what I actually am."

"And...what are you?" Gilda asked warily.

"I'll tell you, but you're not going to like it. You may even want to run away in terror.” Looking down, Summer continued with tears trickling down her cheeks, “I won’t try to stop you. I won’t even try to follow you. I’ll...I’ll...” Summer swallowed hard. “I'll even break my vow to watch over you and protect you.”

Not wanting to be interrupted, Gilda got up, re-locked the bedroom door, and took the key. Sitting back down next to Summer, she wrapped her arms around Summer, pulling the crying girl into a tight hug, and kissed her.

Summer was surprised by the kiss, but as Gilda's lips continued to press into her own, she slowly relaxed and closed her eyes, returning the kiss. Gilda and Summer deepened their kiss, breathing in each other's scents and clutching each other tightly. Summer opened her lips slightly, and Gilda slid her tongue into Summer's mouth. Summer moaned slightly as her tongue played with Gilda's, losing herself more in Gilda's strong embrace.

Gilda gently lowered Summer to the bed, Summer letting it happen. Gilda lay on top of Summer as the two squeezed and stroked each other's bodies. Gilda gently nibbled Summer's lip, eliciting a stronger moan from the girl, while Summer squeezed Gilda's strong thighs, bringing a similarly pleasured moan from the gangster.

After what felt like an eternity of kissing, squeezing, and licking, the two lovers separated, panting slightly. Gilda cupped Summer's cheek and said gently, “Summer, I'm not going to leave you. You may have lost your Gilda, but you won’t lose me. Ever. Please, tell me everything. And once you're done, I want you to promise me something.”

Summer looked into Gilda's eyes, her lower lip trembling. “What?”

“That you will never do something that stupid again. At least, not without someone there to help you.” Gilda took Summer's right hand into her own and looked at her palm, seeing three perfect, heptagonal burns in her hand. She scoffed lightly, shaking her head. “Idiot. Did you just do this to show how tough you are?”

“No, I did it because I made the sirens a promise that I would fix their heart crystals, and now that they're fixed, they'll work for us.”

“So, what happened? Why'd your hand burn up?”

Summer sighed as the two sat back up. “Because I used dark magic rather than light magic to fix the heart stones. Whenever you use that much dark magic to do something significant, there's always a price.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Uh huh. Well, uh, okay, and I take it you want me to believe--" Summer thrust her right hand out in front of her, tightening her hand into a tight fist, then slowly opening her hand. A dark-green flame slowly emerged in the center of her hand, causing Gilda to gulp as she said, “That isn’t possible.” Looking to Summer, she continued with fear in her eyes, “What the fuck are you?”

Looking down as she concentrated on putting out the flames, Summer replied with only one word.

“Evil.”

Insecurity (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

As promised this is the third one of four chapters that shows what Sunset is doing all of which take place in the same time and day. As I said I couldn't fit it all into one single chapter so I broke it up into four separate chapters. If any of you want a list as to which chapter is which within these four please let me know and I'll PM you the list.

Insecurity (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset woke up to a very annoying, beeping sound. Cracking her eyes open, she found that the noise was coming from her alarm clock. Groaning in annoyance at the irritating sound, Sunset tried to bury her head under her pillow, hoping the noise would stop. After a few moments of lying in a very uncomfortable position, Sunset rolled over to her right and shut off the alarm clock. Rolling back over to her left, she closed her eyes as she tried to find a spot to get comfortable in, only to sit up a second later, muttering, “Wait a second. I didn’t set the alarm.”

“No, that was me,” a soft but kindly voice said. “You need to get up. We need to talk.”

Looking to her right, Sunset saw Princess Twilight sitting in a chair, reading from her computer. Sunset blinked a couple of times before saying, “Twilight, what in all of Equestria are you doing here?” She glanced at her clock. “It's six in the morning. And why are you reading my journal?”

“Get up. You need to get ready for school.” Twilight continued as she turned her attention back to the journal, “I am simply reading this to see if what your friends told me is true.”

“Twilight, go away and stop reading my journal.” Sunset snuggled down into her bed and rolled over so her back was facing Twilight as she continued, “I don’t have any friends. They all broke my heart. Why should I go back to school?”

Getting up Twilight walked over to the bed and looked down at Sunset, who had pulled the blankets over her head. Twilight shook her head, then said, “Sunset Shimmer, get up. That's an order.”

Sunset rolled back over to her left and looked blankly at Twilight as she replied, “What?”

Twilight glared down at Sunset, who simply continued her confused stare. The two stared at each other for a few awkward moments before Twilight broke the uneasy silence between them. “I order you to get out of that bed and get up this very inst--”

“That’s what I thought you said.” Sunset sat up, glaring back at Twilight. “First, your status means jack shit in this world, Twilight. Second, I don’t fucking care how things are done in Equestria, but here, you don’t just barge into someone's home, set their fucking alarm clock off, then demand they get up for you.”

“Are you going to get out of that bed? Yes or no?”

“Let me answer you in a way that I think you might be able to comprehend, Twilight Fucking Sparkle.” Sunset scooted back down into her bed, laid her head into her pillow, then rolled over, waving her hand to Twilight as she continued, “As the humans here say, go to hell. Now get out of my room and leave me the fuck alone.”

“Okay.”

“Wait, what?” Sunset rolled back over. “What do you mean 'okay'? Twilight, you would never agree to do leave someone alone after being spoken to like that.”

“You're right. Which is why I'm going to make you get out of that bed.”

Before Sunset could react, Twilight reached down and grabbed the mattress. With little effort, Twilight picked up the mattress, dumping a very shocked and mostly upset Sunset Shimmer out onto the cold, hardwood floor of her bedroom. Sunset let out a painful yelp when she hit the floor.

Standing up, she very quickly became aware that she wasn’t wearing anything. Grabbing the blanket, she wrapped it around her unclothed body as she yelled out to Twilight, “TWILIGHT, WHAT THE FUCKING HELL WAS THAT FOR!?”

“Like I said, get up. You and I need to talk. I will wait for you downstairs.” Twilight headed for the door, stopping to look back at Sunset, who just glared daggers back at her. “Oh, and if you try to get back into bed, I'll dump a bucket of water on you and throw you out your window into the snow. Now I want you dressed and ready to go within twenty minutes. One minute late, and I will carry out my threat.”

“You're a fucking bitch, Twilight, you know that?” Sunset spat back bitterly. “What gives you the right to--”

“Either get dressed or get tossed outside. The choice is yours.”

“Fine. I’ll see you downstairs in a few minutes. This had damn well better be worth it, Twilight.”

Sunset watched as Twilight left her bedroom. With bitterness in her heart, she got dressed and headed downstairs. Getting herself a cup of coffee, she found Twilight sitting at the kitchen table, reading from the morning newspaper. Sitting down in front of her, Sunset said, “Okay, now that I'm actually up, what the fuck is so important that it couldn’t wait for a decent hour for you to talk to me. And another thing: How did you even know that we needed to talk? I don’t recall writing to you in the journal.”

“First I wanted to talk to you about this Anon-a-Miss stuff. I mean, how could you do that to your friends, Sunset?” Twilight looked up from the paper she was reading. “Second, I came here hoping to surprise you, only to be told by your friends that you betrayed them when you posted their secrets online.”

“I don’t fucking believe this!” Sunset slammed her coffee cup down and snarled, “I am not Anon-a-Miss, Twilight. Come to school with me.” Sunset looked at her watch, which read 6:45. “If we leave now, we should get there before my ex-friends do, and then, I’ll show you that I didn’t betray them.” Turning to face the door, she continued as she looked over her shoulder towards Twilight, “They, on the other hand, betrayed me by saying that I was the one that did this shit to them. They didn't even try to listen to my side of the story.”

Twilight got up, letting out a quick sigh as she followed Sunset to the front door, saying, “Alright, now that you're actually ready, let's go to the school and see who betrayed whom.”

“Just don’t be disappointed when you see that they destroyed our friendship, not me.”

Twenty minutes later, the two found themselves standing in front of the school. Sunset looked up at the big, blue doors, gulped, and headed inside. Twilight followed her, saying as they walked the hallways, “I don’t see any indication that you are innocent, Sunset. All I see are students going to and from class.”

Sunset grumbled under her breath, but did little else. Getting to her locker, she put away her backpack, then looked at Twilight. Spying a student just over the princess's shoulder, Sunset very quickly got an idea in her head. Heading past Twilight, Sunset walked over to the student, saying to him, “Hey, you! Hold up a second. I want--”

Her words fell short as the student turned and passed through her, causing Sunset to suddenly feel cold and very scared. Looking to Twilight, who simply grinned back to her with a wicked smirk on her face, Sunset gulped as she said, “What the fuck just happened, Twilight?”
“Welcome to Tartarus, Sunset Shimmer. I hope you do enjoy your stay, because you’ll be here a long time.”

Sunset felt a hot, burning sensation on her skin. Looking down at her hands, she screamed as her hands twisted and burned, revealing her demon hands. Looking back up to Twilight as she continued to burn, Sunset screamed out to her, “Twilight, help me, please!”

“No, Sunset Shimmer, I will not help you.” Twilight backed away, letting the screaming teen fall to her knees as her body began to twist and burn, turning back into her demon form from the Fall Formal “You wanted to be alone, Sunset Shimmer. You chose to betray your friends. Now, you can stay here as a demon, forever reliving the day that I beat you and the day that your friends found you were Anon-a-Miss.”

Sunset's eyes went wide as she felt another wave of pain and agony wash over her like cold water in the desert. Screaming out as she held out a burning, clawed hand to Twilight, she screamed, “Please, Twilight! I didn’t do anything! I'm not Anon-a-Miss!”

Twilight turned around to head back outside. Sunset's body finished transforming, and she got up and looked around. She saw that the students in the hallway around her looked back at her with fear in their eyes, and instead of the pleasure it brought her last time she was a demon, it only gave her pain and anger this time.

Running out of the hallway back onto the street, Sunset ran towards the portal hoping it would lead her home and out of her nightmare. Hitting the base of the statue, she fell to the ground, screaming in pain as Twilight came over and stood in front of her. Looking down on her, Twilight sneered bitterly to Sunset,“The portal will not allow passage to a demon whose only purpose in life is to hurt those around her. You, Sunset Shimmer, are hereby banished to Tartarus forever.”

Twilight raised her right hand. A purple ball of energy formed in the palm of her hand. She pointed her hand towards Sunset. Sunset tried to get out of the way, only to slip on the ice and snow, giving Twilight the chance she needed. Twilight fired her attack at Sunset, striking the girl in the chest and knocking her back and away from the portal.

Just as Sunset was getting back up, her chest burning from the attack, something grabbed her from behind. Looking behind her, she saw her five friends, each of them with wicked looks on their faces. Sunset looked past them and screamed as she saw a chasm open up in the ground, her scream melding with the many, many screams of anguish rising from the abyss. As the five girls began to drag her towards the yawning pit, Sunset screamed out, “TWILIGHT, DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!”

The five girls grabbed tightly around Sunsets waist, arms and legs, each one pulling hard as the struggling demon teen tried to break free. “I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG!” Sunset screamed in fear. Getting her to the pit, the girls pushed Sunset over the edge. As Sunset fell, she turned to look toward the opening, only to behold it close up forever. Sunset suddenly felt pain in her right temple as she found herself falling deep into the pit, causing her to scream further. She never stopped screaming, even when her throat was torn apart by her own cries.

Cheerilee came rushing into Sunset's room, finding the very frightened teen on the floor with blood coming out of her head. Cheerilee rushed to Sunset's side and saw that she had hit her head on her nightstand.

“Sunset, wake up. You're having a nightmare,” Cheerilee said as she reached out to grab the frightened girl's arms to keep her from hurting herself any further. “Sunset, listen to me. You're okay. Wake up. Please, wake up!”

Sunset’s eyes snapped opened as she flailed around on the floor like a fish out of water. She sat up, quickly gasping for breath. Cheerilee grabbed the bucket, placing it under Sunset's chin just as Sunset threw up, emptying the contents of her stomach into the bucket. Sunset heard Cheerilee’s kind voice say, "It's going to be alright, Sunset. No one's going to hurt you."

After Sunset threw up several more times, Cheerilee gently picked the still frightened but slightly calmer teen girl up, placing her back into bed. Wiping away any traces of vomit from Sunset's mouth with a tissue she had gotten from the nightstand next to her, Cheerilee said soothingly, “Alright, Sunset, I think the worst is over. You just sleep now. I--”

Sunset shot her hand out, grabbing onto Cheerilee’s hand tightly as she stammered, “D-Don’t go. Please. I-I don’t want to be alone.”

“Alright, Sunset, I won’t leave you, but you need some sleep. Your parents, Principal Celestia, and Vice Principal Luna will be here in the morning. I'm sure they're all very worried about you.”

“Doesn't matter. I-I'm going to Tartarus for all that went down at school. T-Twilight hates me. I know she does.”

“Sunset let me bring you out to the living room. You can sit with me until you feel better.”

“Y-You promise not to leave me?”

“I promise I won’t leave you, dear. Now come on, let’s get you out of that bed and into the living room. Then, you can tell me all about that nightmare.”

Looking down, Sunset slowly climbed out bed, allowing her former teacher to guide her into the living room. Although she knew which way to go, Sunset took some comfort knowing that Cheerilee was there for her. Sitting down on the couch, she wrapped her arms around Cheerilee, crying into her shoulder as her former music teacher soothed her.

Sunset cried on Ms. Cheerilee’s shoulder for a full ten minutes before calming down enough to say, “Ms. Cheerilee, there is something that I need to tell you. Something that I should have told you when you took me in. But you're not going to like it.” Sunset swallowed hard her lower lip trembled as she thought about what she was going to say next. “It's about Musical Skies and the reason I left when you graciously gave me a home.”

Confession (Edited by Icecreammac)

Sunset finally calmed down enough to talk about her nightmare. "Well, I was in bed, and Princess Twilight was there." As Sunset finished her sentence, a nearby photo caught her eye. The photo was of Cheerilee and her former fiance Musical Skies. "A-And Twilight said she'd...hurt me if I didn't get up." Sunset thought about Musical Skies, thought about where she herself was, and thought about her current situation. "And she took me to school, and everyone hated me, and...and..." Sunset sighed, unable to think about anything but the photo, and with resolve, Sunset decided that it was time to come clean. It was time to tell Cheerilee why she left.

Sniffing hard, Sunset looked at Cheerilee and said, “Ms. Cheerilee, Musical Skies's death was...was my fault. I killed him. I couldn't bear to look you in the eye anymore, so I ran away. I didn't deserve your hospitality. Not after what I did.”

At first, Cheerilee said nothing, too shocked to say anything. Sunset, for her part, started to slowly rock back and forth on her couch. Finally, Cheerilee gulped, saying, “Sunset, you didn't kill Musical Skies. He was killed in an avalanche in Switzerland. He was--"

“Yes, I did, Ms. Cheerilee! It's my fault. I killed him, and I killed everyone with him! It was all. My! FAULT!"

After her confession, Sunset buried her head in her arms and sobbed miserably.

Gently sitting down next to and pulling the distraught teen into her shoulder, Ms. Cheerilee soothingly said, “Sunset, dear, why do you think you are responsible for his death?”

“Because I am. I caused his death and the deaths of all those at Saddle Ville.”

Cheerilee gently helped Sunset off the couch, saying softly, “Let me take you into the kitchen. I’ll get you a cup of tea and help clean your wound. Then, you can tell me about it.”

Sunset blinked a couple of times, unsure as to why Cheerilee was being so kind to her. She let herself be led into the kitchen and allowed Cheerilee to sit her down at the table. A few moments went by as Cheerilee placed a teapot and two cups down in front of herself and Sunset. Sunset looked at the cups, then said, “It began with tea and with a walk to the crystal caverns under Canterlot.” Sunset took a sip from her tea, then set the cup down as she continued, "Musical Skies made me some tea before we left for Cantorlot City. He gave me a map showing how to get there from Saddle Ville." She turned away, wiping away some tears. "That is how I was able to get there after what happened at Saddle Ville."

Cheerilee said nothing, motioning for Sunset to take the cup of warm tea into her hands, which Sunset did without question. The tea felt good as it soothed her sore throat and helped relax her mind and muscles. Setting the cup down, Sunset watched as Cheerilee headed back to the counter, returning a few seconds later with a first-aid kit. Cheerilee said gently, “Now, this might sting a bit, but it's better that it hurts now rather than letting your cut get infected.”

Sunset turned to the left, allowing Cheerilee to take a bottle of alcohol and a towel to use for cleaning the wound on her head. Gently pressing the towel against Sunset's head, Cheerilee was a bit surprised that Sunset didn’t flinch at all.

As Cheerilee set down the alcohol-dampened rag and began to get a bandage for Sunset's head, Sunset said, “We were headed into the mountains to leave for Canterlot. I remember I was happy and so excited. I wanted to see everything, I heard the caverns under the city housed some of the most breathtaking crystalline structures in all of Equestria. Even though I had never been to them while I lived with Princess Celestia in her home of Cantorlot City I still wanted to go. Even if it meant seeing her again. To this day I can't forgive her for what happened between the two of us or what she did to me. If only I had insisted that we stay home, then Musical Skies would still be alive today. I would never have come here to this world. I would never have stolen Twilight's crown!”

Cheerilee, seeing that Sunset was on the verge of crying again, quickly knelt down in front of her, taking Sunset's hands into her own. “Sunset, listen to me. You may have made mistakes in the past, but that is over now. You have family and frie--”

“No, I don’t! They all hate me!” Sunset spat back, pulling her hands out of Cheerilee's. Getting up, Sunset headed back into the living room. Looking out the window while holding herself, she continued, “I don’t blame them, either. I can’t blame them. I'm just a....monster. I don’t deserve to live, and I don't deserve to treated so kindly by you or anyone else.” Sunset took a seat on the couch while Cheerilee sat down next to her.

“Now listen here, Sunset you do deserve to be treated with love and kindness,” Cheerilee retorted with slight anger in her voice. Not trying to scare her young guest away, she lowered her voice as she continued, “I know you feel that you are to blame for Musical Skies's death, but blaming yourself won’t do at all. Please, let us help you.”

Sunset got up off the couch and headed for the front door. Just as she was opening it, she stopped when she felt something soft and warm wrap around her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Cheerilee was hugging her warmly. Sunset lowered her head in defeat. She shut the door and continued to say, “I will never forget those eyes. They were as yellow as the sun. I’ll never forget what happened, either.”

“Please, Sunset, come back to the couch and talk with me. There's no need to keep this in anymore. I won’t judge you at all. I promise.”

“A-Alright, I’ll talk.”

Cheerilee led Sunset back over to the couch, sat her down, and pulled a blanket from the back of the couch over her young house guest. Sunset snuggled up into the warmth of the blanket as Cheerilee held her in her arms. Sunset laid her head against Cheerilee’s chest, listening to her teacher's heartbeat. The thumping of her heartbeat sounded soothing and relaxing.

“Here in this world, you have creatures that most would consider myth or legend. The same is true in Equestria. We had tales of two types of Timberwolves--think wolves, but huge and made of lumber. One was said to be black as night, the other as white as snow.” Sunset snuggled deeply into the blanket, pulling it over herself, trying to get warm. Cheerilee saw this and took the blanket from Sunset, placing it back over her and tucking her in gently. “I just dismissed those stories as tall tales told to frighten little ponies into obeying their elders.” Sunset scoffed as she rolled her eyes. “'Watch out,' the elders of Saddle Vile would tell me, 'or the Charred Timberwolf will get you and drag you into Tartarus forever.'”

“Sounds like a horrible thing to say to a child.”

Sitting up, Sunset looked down as she continued, “I thought the same thing. Imagine my surprise when I found out that both the Charred Timberwolf and that Timber, the white Timberwolf, is." Sunset paused before continuing, "The Charred Timberwolf attacked us while I was with Musical Skies it was a week before my fifteenth birthday that this happened.” Sunset laid back down, and Cheerilee gently ran her hands through the teen's hair as she continued, “When it attacked us, Musical Skies fired his magic at it, but he only grazed the side of its face rather than strike the front. The blast caused a large, deep gash to appear on the Timberwolf's face. I'm sure the scar is still there.”

“I see. What happened next?”

Sunset let out a soft sigh as she answered, “I tried to fight them off, but I wasn’t able to. I fired my magic at the Charred Timberwolf, only to miss completely. When I missed, I hit the church bell in Saddle Ville, which was made of highly polished silver and quartz crystal. My magic ricocheted off the bell back towards the mountainside.”

Cheerilee pulled Sunset in closer, saying softly to her as she held the nearly sobbing teen in her arms, “Sunset, it wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known that a monster like that was going to show up and attack you or Musical Skies.”

“My magic hit the mountain, causing an avalanche. Before the rocks and broken trees came crashing down on top of me, Musical Skies used his magic to throw me into a nearby cave. I tried to get him to let me go, but he wouldn’t. The last thing I remember was seeing a white wolf the size of two small city buses stacked on top of each other fighting with the Charred Timberwolf.”

“How did you get out from the cave if an avalanche happened?”

“Timber dug me out, then left, chasing after the Charred Timberwolf's pack. I don’t know how many were killed in the avalanche, but I do know that Timber would have quickly ended the lives of those still around. The town of Saddle Ville, which had a population of forty--it was more of a hamlet, I suppose--was completely destroyed. Most of the ponies living there didn’t survive. The ones that did blamed me for what happened.”

“And did my, uh, counterpart, blame you, as well.”

“Yes. She was the worst, and I don’t blame her at all. She had just lost the one she loved very much. I could tell she would've had a hard time taking care of me from then on. So, I left. And after having not one but both caretakers end up hating me, can you blame me for holding my cards close to my chest?” Sniffing hard, Sunset continued, “I just want to be with a family that loves me and will take care of me. I want all this pain to end. Is that so much ask for? To be loved and nurtured?” Sunset choked back a sob. "It was her that chased me away from Saddle Ville. She angrily blamed me for what happened, and I knew it was my fault, so I ran."

Cheerilee pulled Sunset in closer allowing the teen to feel the warmth of her body against her own. Sunset closed her eyes taking in Cheerilee's heart beating within her chest. The soothing sound helped to relax Sunsets broken mind.

"When I saw your picture and you told me who it was that was standing next to you, I freaked. I thought you where going to blame me for his death, the same as your counterpart did. So, like before, I ran away rather than face my problems like I should've done."

“Oh, Sunset, dear,” Cheerilee said, gently picking her up against Sunset's soft protest. Cheerilee smiled warmly as she held Sunset close to her, and the teen threw an arm over her teacher's shoulder while Cheerilee carried her. “You are loved, and you do have a family that loves you very much.”

Cheerilee gently carried the exhausted teen back to her guest bedroom, placed her onto the soft bed, then tucked Sunset in. Sunset tried to fight off sleep, not wanting to go through another nightmare, but her body and her mind won out. As she fell asleep, Cheerilee pulled the covers over her and gently removed a lock of hair from Sunset's face, tucking it behind her right ear.

Cheerilee leaned closer and whispered, “Sleep well, Sunset, and always remember, we do love you very much.”

Heading back into the her own room, Cheerilee snarled to herself as she caught sight of herself in her bedroom mirror, “My counterpart has much to answer for. How could she take that sweet, young girl in and treat her so badly. It wasn’t Sunset's fault her fiance died. Maybe if my counterpart had done a better job at raising that beautiful girl, she wouldn't have lost her like this.”

Like Sunset, Cheerilee soon found herself needing sleep. Looking at the clock on her nightstand, she saw it was two in the morning. Hoping nothing else would go on, she climbed into bed, quickly falling asleep herself.

Sunset slept the rest of the night. Her dreams were of family and friends sharing Hearth's Warming Eve together. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she slept, remembering her life before she met Celestia and stole Twilight's crown.

A Sign (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

The morning sun shined through Fluttershy's window, illuminating the sleeping girl's face. Unfazed, Fluttershy continued her sleep, until she felt something soft and fuzzy pressing up against her stomach. Cracking open her eye, she saw Angel Bunny snuggled up against her. She looked at her clock and saw that it was seven in the morning.

Gently rolling over onto her back, she very gently picked up the little, white rabbit, placing him onto her chest. Stroking his soft, white fur, she said, “Is it time to get up already? I was dreaming of better times, times before Anon-a-Miss.”

Letting out soft sigh before sitting up, holding the small rabbit against her chest with one arm, Fluttershy slowly climbed out of bed. She was about to set him down to get dressed when he suddenly stood up on his haunches and climbed down her shirt. Trying not to hurt him, the surprised girl pressed both arms against her chest saying, “Angel, stay out of there. That isn’t--” Her words were cut short as his soft fur tickled her flesh, causing her to laugh. “Angel,” Fluttershy giggled lightly, “th-that tickles.” Angel didn’t listen, as he soon found a very comfortable position and snuggled deeply into Fluttershy's chest.

Frowning slightly, Fluttershy said to herself while letting out soft sigh, “Great. Now that he's in my shirt, how am I supposed to shower and get dressed?”

Still holding one arm under her chest, Fluttershy walked over to her dresser. Opening the top drawer, she took out a cream-colored top and a green skirt. Turning around while holding onto Angel Bunny, she said softly, “Okay, Angel, I really need you to come out from there so I can get dressed and showered for sch--” Fluttershy’s words fell short when her eyes caught sight of a picture on her nightstand.

Walking over to it with her shirt and skirt held in one hand and her other arm against her chest, Fluttershy looked at the photo. It was of her and Sunset with all of their friends at Sugar Cube Corner. Each of the girls looked happy. Sunset was sitting next to Rainbow Dash with a strawberry milkshake in front of her.

Fluttershy picked up the photo, dropping her shirt and skirt onto the floor, and sat back down onto her bed. She felt something wet trickling down her cheeks. Her tears, at first soft and slow, soon began to fall freely as she began to cry, remembering her words towards Sunset the day Sunset had dropped off Lucky. Setting the photo down, Fluttershy got up, turned around to face her bed, and knelt down on her knees. Angel hopped out from her shirt and up to her pillow while Fluttershy bowed her head and pressed her hands together.

“O, Heavenly Father,” Fluttershy began as her tears slowly came to a stop, “Thou who art full of compassion and eternal grace, please, I beg Thee to hear my words.” Fluttershy raised her head slightly. Her vision caught sight of her grandmother's cross hanging above her bed as she continued, “I humbly ask for You to forgive my sins, for I treated one of my friends shamefully.” Fluttershy bowed her head again, saying the last of her words in a near whisper, “I ask only that You show me a sign that Sunset Shimmer, who was once my best friend, is innocent of what I accused her of doing. And if she is not, then I ask that You show her the love and mercy that You have always shown me, as You guide her back into the warmth of Your embrace. Amen.” Crossing herself, Fluttershy stood up, picked up her shirt, and headed into her bathroom.

A half-hour later, completely showered and ready for her day to begin, she gently picked up Angel Bunny. Fluttershy was about to place the little, white rabbit into a carrying case to take him to the animal shelter, when he once again hopped down her shirt. Annoyed, Fluttershy grumbled out, “Angel Bunny, please. I don’t have time for these games. I have to leave.” Fluttershy again found herself giggling as Angel's soft, fluffy fur pressed against her bare skin under her shirt.

“Angel,” she giggled, “that really t-tickles.” As he settled down, Fluttershy sighed in relief and said, “I know why you're doing this. You want me to make up with Sunset, don't you, Angel?” Fluttershy walked over to her closet and took out her coat while holding the little rabbit against her chest.

Looking down as he poked his little, white head out of the top of her shirt, Fluttershy set her coat down and stroked his little head.

“Alright, you can stay there until I get you to the shelter for your check-up today, but after we get there, you need to come out, and this time, stay out.” With one arm against her chest, holding him in place, Fluttershy found it hard, but not too difficult, to slip her coat on. Once fully dressed, her keys in hand and her backpack slung over her left shoulder, Fluttershy and Angel Bunny headed out of her quaint home.

On the walk to the shelter, Fluttershy hummed to herself, trying to keep her mind off how she had treated Sunset only two days ago. Fluttershy held Angel Bunny in her shirt with one arm, making sure to keep him from wiggling around too much so his soft fur and whiskers didn't tickle her and cause her to slip on the ice.

Walking through the snow Fluttershy, looked down when she heard a soft crunch that didn’t sound like the snow or ice breaking under her footsteps. Backing up a bit, Fluttershy saw a cell phone with a partially cracked screen lying in the snow in her boot track. Kneeling down while holding Angel warmly but tightly in place, she picked up the phone and put it into her pocket, saying to herself as she continued on her way, “I’ll look at this once I get inside.” She shivered slightly and continued as she saw her breath, “It'll be much warmer and easier to concentrate.”

Getting to the shelter, Fluttershy noticed right away that her boss and friend Crystal Heart had not come in yet. Fluttershy quickly fished her keys out of her coat pocket and opened the front door to the shelter. Getting inside, Fluttershy headed into the back, where she sat down at an empty table. Leaning forward while she unzipped her coat, she said softly, “Alright, Angel Bunny, we're here now, so you need to come out so that I can get you ready for your check-up.”

Angel Bunny poked his little head out from under Fluttershy’s shirt, then almost immediately ducked back down into her shirt. Fluttershy let out a tight, slightly annoyed sigh as she realized she was going to have to struggle with her little friend to get him to cooperate.

Getting up, she headed over to the refrigerator and took out a small bag of carrots. She sat back down and took one of the carrots out of the bag. Biting into it, she held the half-eaten carrot over her shirt to entice the little rabbit to hop out. Once Angel Bunny saw the carrot, he was all too happy to come out.

Picking him up and placing him into a nearby holding cage with the carrots, Fluttershy said soothingly, “Now that that's over with, you be good for Crystal Heart while I--”

Fluttershy was interrupted by a chime that said, “Sunset Shimmer, incoming call. Sunset Shimmer, incoming call.”

Looking down to her coat pocket, Fluttershy’s eyes went wide when she realized whose phone she had found. Taking the phone out and looking at the cracked screen, she pressed a finger to it as she said, “This can’t be Sunset's phone. She never goes anywhere without it.”

Looking through the phone directory, Fluttershy noticed that Sunset's phone was set up to notify her when photos were uploaded to her computer. Going to the photo tab, she pressed the tab and saw to her shock that all the photos of Rarity's party where still on her phone. She thumbed through them and saw that each one had a little computer symbol on them. Taking out her own phone, Fluttershy said to herself as she accessed her downloadable content program, “I hope this works.” She pressed her thumb to one of the photos and downloaded it to her own phone. When the photo had finished downloading, she looked at the two phones in her hands, comparing the symbols on each phone.

“I don’t understand. If my phone has the photo of Rainbow scaring me, whose photo was downloaded to MyStable, then?”

Looking at both phones, Fluttershy decided to look at the photo on MyStable again and logged on using her phone. To her shock, the two photos looked similar, yet were clearly different. Where Sunset should have been standing next to Fluttershy with a happy smile on her face, as was shown on Sunset's phone, she was clearly not there in the MyStable photo. Fluttershy tried another photo, and another, and another. Soon, she picked through all eight photos. Like the first one, Sunset wasn’t in any of them. Knowing that MyStable didn't allow you to modify photos in its own photograph upload program, Fluttershy looked through Sunset's apps and found no way to modify photos on her phone. If Sunset wanted to modify the photos, she'd have to use her own computer. The computer that she didn't have at Rarity's during the sleepover. Meaning...

“She really was innocent,” Fluttershy began as she started to tear up again. “What have I done? I should've listened to her. Now, it might be too late.”

Running out of the shelter, Fluttershy ran the rest of the way to school to see if her former friend was there. Stopping sixteen blocks away from the school, a thought suddenly entered her mind. Looking at Sunset's phone, she thought, “Wait. Those photos were downloaded to someone's computer. If Sunset didn't have hers that night, then whose computer were they downloaded to?” Deciding to ask a friend, she used her own phone to call Pinkie. She didn’t need to wait long.

“Hiya, Flutters! How're ya doing?”

“Pinkie, listen. I really need you to pay attention to me. This is about Sunset.”

“I see,” Pinkie said in a cold voice. “Did she hurt you Fluttershy?”

“I'm fine, and it's more on the lines of us hurting her. I think--”

*CLICK*

Fluttershy blinked a few times when she heard the dial tone beeping out, indicating that Pinkie had just hung up on her. Fluttershy grumbled, “I can’t believe she did that. I am so going to have to talk with her about that when I get to school.” Thinking a bit more, she said, "Maybe I should talk to Rarity instead. I remember she texted me last night, telling me that she was forced to have Sunset over for dinner. And since the sleepover was at her house, and since she saw Sunset last, she might have some insight."

Looking at her watch, Fluttershy saw she had just enough time to make it to the next bus stop and to school before the first bell rang. She'd have to wait until school to talk to Rarity. Several minutes later, she found herself standing in front of her locker, placing her and Sunset's phones inside. As she headed past a group of three boys, she overheard one of them say, “So, you’re really gonna go through with it, Dumbbell? You’re really going to make that bitch pay for what she posted about our mother?”

“Yeah. After lunch, Sunset Shimmer gets put down like dog she is,” Dumbbell replied grimly. With a slightly wicked smirk on his face, he finished, “I’ll let her have one last meal, then I'll end her for good, and once I'm done, this school will praise me for getting rid of Anon-a-Miss.” Fluttershy was just making her way around the corner when someone grabbed her from behind, causing the timid girl to scream, “Please don't hurt me! I'll do whatever you want!”

“I know you heard me back there, girl,” Fluttershy heard Dumbbell snarl as he began to shove her towards a maintenance closet. “I think I'll put you in here until after lunch today. After that, it doesn’t matter what you say to Principal Celestia, because after lunch, Sunset will be gone for good.”

Opening the door, Dumbbell's brother Hoops Stallion grinned just as wickedly as Dumbbell was. Fluttershy tried to fight off, Dumbbell only to receive a backfist to her jaw, which sent the timid girl to the floor, unconscious.

“That’ll shut you up,” Score Stallion snarled out, picking her up and tossing her into the small room. Fluttershy landed on the cold, hard floor of the maintenance closet with painful thud. The three boys hid her behind some large, heavy boxes, closed the door, then walked away laughing, each one planning on what their next move was, unaware that a girl with two-tone blue hair, black trim sunglasses, and a T-shirt with a mirror image of an eighth note had seen everything.

Reminiscence (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Celestia woke up to the sweet smell of fresh, hot, cinnamon tea and coffee brewing in the kitchen, a clear sign that her sister was already up. Getting up, Celestia stretched, yawned, then looked at her nightstand. Her eyes fell to a small, four-picture frame. Of all the pictures in the frame on her nightstand, Celestia let her eyes come to rest on the last photo.

Picking up the frame, Celestia muttered to herself, not noticing her sister was just entering her bedroom, “Eventide, where are you? It's been nearly--”

“Thinking about her again, sister?” Luna's voice caught Celestia off guard. Luna continued as she gently took the frame from her sister's hands and looked at the photos within it, “I remember when this was taken. It was shortly before Eventide's sixth Renaissance festival.” Luna set the frame back down on the nightstand, then gently pulled her sister into a warm hug.

“I miss her, Lu. I miss my daughter so much.” Celestia tried to choke back a sob. “It's been two years, and no one has been able to find her.”

“I know, Tia. I miss her too. Her smile, her laughter, that little pout when she gets mad, all of it.” Luna ended the hug, gently placing her hands onto her sister's shoulders. “You’ll see her again someday. I know you will, but beating yourself up over her disappearance won’t help you at all. All you're going to do is worry yourself sick.”

Celestia sniffed, wiping a hand over her eyes, then sighed as she headed out into the hallway with Luna in tow. “I made your favorite tea this morning Tia,” Luna said. Celestia lightly grumbled under her breath as she and her sister made their way into the kitchen. Hearing her sister's grumbling, Luna said softly, “Now, now, Tia. You’ll feel better once you’ve had something hot to eat and drink.”

Luna and Celestia sat down at the table, pouring their respective drinks. As Celestia took a sip from her tea, she looked outside. The weather was cold and chilly. Looking back at her sister, Celestia sighed, saying when she set her teacup down, “I'm sorry, Lu. I know I shouldn’t be so short with you.”

“Oh, think nothing of it, Tia. I don’t mind at all. Besides, it gives me an excuse to be a grump on Saturdays and Sundays.”

Celestia finished her tea looked at the time. She saw she had just enough time to shower and get ready before the two had to leave for Sunset's meeting with Cheerilee. After her shower, Celestia headed back into the kitchen to get another cup of tea before heading out. Luna was just headed outside to collect the morning paper, when a police car pulled up. The officer got out of his car and walked over to Luna, saying to her gently, “Ms. Evenstar, I'm Officer Blue Shield. Is Celestia Soleil home?”

Nodding, Luna turned to open the door, when she saw a file in the officer's hands. Worried that it was her niece's file, Luna felt her heart sink into her stomach. Gulping slightly, she said, “That file that you have there... Is that Eventide’s file?”

“Yes it is. It's why I'm here.”

Feeling her heart sink even lower, Luna went into the house with Officer Blue Shield. Getting into the foyer, Luna called out for her sister, “Tia, Officer Blue Shield is here to see you.” Turning to face him, she continued as Celestia appeared at the top of the steps leading down to the foyer, “I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

“Thank you, Ms. Evenstar, but this will only take a few minutes.”

“What can I do for you Officer Blue Shield?” Celestia said, coming down the stairs. “Is this about my daughter's case? Have you found her yet?”

“Yes, Ms. Soleil, this is about your daughter's case.” Holding up the file for her to take, Officer Blue Shield continued with sadness in his deep, ocean-blue eyes. “I am afraid we have not found her yet.” When Celestia didn’t take the file, Officer Blue Shield continued as he set the file down on a nearby table. “And I have more bad news.”

Luna headed back to the living room with two cups of coffee and tea in her hands, listening to the officer's words carefully, thinking, “Please don’t say what I think is coming. Don’t say you're going to drop the case.”

“My captain decided to close the case.” Officer Blue Shield saw only despair in Celestia's eyes as he continued, “We can’t afford to spend any more man-hours on this case, and it's been two years. You should contact a lawyer and see about getting a death certificate made up for her.”

“How dare you!” Luna snarled bitterly to Officer Blue Shield. She set down the cups of tea and coffee, then quickly walked over to her distraught sister, pulling her into a tight hug as she continued, “My sister needed that case to remain open. It was the last bit of hope she had at seeing her daughter again, and you have the nerve to take that away from her!” Rubbing her sister's shoulder while Celestia began to sob, Luna snapped, “Get out! Get out this instant!”

As Officer Blue Shield grabbed the front door's handle, he said, “Look, just because I can’t look into this case any further doesn’t mean you can’t get a private detective involved. Maybe someone else might have a better chance at finding her.”

With that officer Blue Shield opened the door, muttering to himself as he got back to his squad car, “Sometimes, I really hate this job.”

Celestia ended the hug and headed downstairs into her daughter's room, Luna following along. Celestia sniffed hard, trying to keep her composure yet failing miserably at it. Luna watched as her sister let her eyes wander, looking around the room until she saw a picture of her and her daughter standing next to Luna at a Renaissance festival.

The picture showed a young, fourteen-year old girl with crew-cut, red and yellow hair and deep, cyan eyes, wearing a metal breastplate, leather armor on her limbs, with a helmet tucked under an arm. Standing next to her were her mother and aunt, both wearing Renaissance festival costumes. Celestia was dressed in full, leather armor for an archer look, and Luna was dressed in the simple robe of a monk. Eventide was standing with a unsheathed six foot high sword leaning up against her breastplate, Luna held a lute in one hand and a mug of mead in the other, and Celestia had an English longbow in her right hand and a trophy in the other. Each had very happy smiles on their faces. Eventide had her right hand up with two fingers pointed upwards in the shape of a V. The trophy, which still stood in Eventide's room, read Grand Champion, Sixth Year Running, Swordsmanship and Archery. Heading over to the picture, Celestia picked it up, holding it tightly against her chest as she sobbed. Taking her sister gently by her shoulders, Luna led her to her niece's bed and sat her down on it, saying, “Don’t worry, Tia. We'll find her. You’ll see her again. I promise.”

Celestia just sobbed out, “I just want her home safe and sound. I just want my daughter back.”

“I know, Tia. I want the same thing.” Luna gently took the picture from Celestia as she continued, “I think I know of someone that might be able to help us find her.”

Sniffing hard, Celestia looked up, her eyes red from crying, “W-Who?”

Luna gulped slightly. “I think we should...ask Brushed Jade for help.”

“After what she did to Sunset? Are you nuts!?” Celestia spat back. “I don’t want that nut any--”

“Tia, I know that Brushed Jade was terrible towards Sunset, and she still needs to apologize for what happened at work. But there is no one else on the police force that is more determined to find someone than Brushed Jade is. She won’t give up like Blue Shield did. Even if her captain tells her to drop it, she'll work on this case alone if she has to. I know she will.”

Celestia slowly stood up, wiping away her tears, saying, “Alright, I’ll let her work on the case.”

“Good. Now, we need to get you cleaned up, then we can leave for Sunset’s meeting.” Luna stood up as well. Looking back at the photo of Eventide, she continued when her eyes caught sight of Eventide's trophy, “I remember when she won this. Iron Will was none too happy to have lost to a girl that was less than half his size.”

Celestia sniffed, then chuckled lightly as she, too, looked at the trophy, saying, “Yes, I remember, as well. I was afraid I was going to have jump in and help her when that brute attacked her. I still find it hard to believe the officials let him into the tournament.” Celestia sighed, then continued “That fight was awful, and he wouldn't let up, even when security showed up. And when Eventide took his ax and broke his knee with it... His scream still gives me nightmares.”

Luna slightly frowned as she recalled the fight and his words after Eventide broke his knee. “You’ll pay for this, you little shit!” he had said.

“Yes, I know. It gives me shivers just thinking about it. I'll never forget that,” Luna said as the two went back upstairs. “Didn’t the officials ban him from the festival for life?”

“Yes, they did. He was lucky he wasn't arrested. And then, poor Eventide said she was done with the tournaments. That fight must've gotten to her, too.” With nothing more to say, Celestia headed into the bathroom, cleaned up, and headed back downstairs to get her coat on. Luna followed suit, and the two got into the car.

An hour later, the two pulled up to Cheerilee’s house, finding the teacher outside, drinking some coffee. When she saw them getting out of the car, Cheerilee smiled warmly to her friends and bosses, saying, “Sunset isn’t up yet, so I made some coffee and let her have some sleep. I was just about to wake her, though. She had a pretty bad night, but I feel the worst is over now. Come in and warm up by the fireplace.”

The two principals went inside, and Cheerilee went to the guest room to wake up Sunset. Cheerilee smiled when she saw Sunset holding a picture of Musical Skies in one arm while wrapped in her blanket. Walking over to her, Cheerilee gently tapped Sunset on the shoulder saying softly, “Sunset, it's time to get up.”

“Five more minutes, Dad. Then, I’ll...” Sunset rolled over as she started to snore lightly, causing Cheerilee to giggle lightly.

“Come on, wake up.” Cheerilee continued to poke Sunset. “Celestia and Luna are here. They're going to want to talk to you.”

Sunset cracked open her eyes, and yawned, saying, “Okay, okay, I’m up. Sheesh.” Sunset yawned again, then got up out of bed, saying when she saw she wasn’t wearing her street clothes, “Where are my clothes?”

Cheerilee sighed, then gave Sunset a stern look, saying, “I had to wash them. You spilled Scotch on them after drinking last night, remember?”

Suddenly, Sunset remembered. The debacle at Rarity's, the drinking, the nightmare, everything. Her eyes went wide as she said, “Shit, what have I done?”

Cheerilee said a bit bitterly, “Sunset Shimmer, watch your language.” Sighing lightly, she continued “Now, there will be no further talk like that in this household. I'll bring your clothes. I want you dressed and ready to meet with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna.”

Looking down, Sunset said softly, “Sorry for the foul language, Ms. Cheerilee. Before I meet with everyone, can I use your phone? I want to call Mom and Dad. There's something I need them to bring to this meeting.”

Meeting and the Demon's Heart (Edited by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This chapter and the two before it all take place in the same day for those of you that wanted to know. I can't fit it all into one single chapter so I broke up an entire day's events into chapters. I will decide what will happen next during Sunset's time at school in a few days.

Meeting and the Demon's Heart (Edited by Icecreammac)

While the phone started to ring on the other end, Sunset said, “Shouldn’t we be doing this meeting at school?”

“Sunset, I wanted you to feel safe when talking with everyone, and I believe that my home was a good, private place to have this meeting. Besides, I have today off. Now, I am going to leave you to make your call in peace. You come out when you're ready, dear.”

“Alright, and thank you for everything, including last night."

“It's what I'm here for, dear.”

Cheerilee headed back into the living room to rejoin Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, sitting on the couch while Luna stood in front of the living room window, arms crossed. Celestia was in the kitchen making tea for everyone as they waited to start their meeting with Sunset.

Luna started to pace back and forth, looking down as she said out loud to no one in particular, “I don’t like this at all.” Luna let out a sigh, uncrossing her arms as she continued, “This makes no sense at all. Where the hell did Sunset get the alcohol from? I know the Cakes. They don’t keep stuff like that just lying around.”

“I'm sure we’ll find out once she's done with her phone call. Sit down, Luna. You’ll only wear a hole in my carpet pacing back and forth like that.”

Luna stopped her pacing and looked at Cheerilee, who looked back with concern. Celestia was just coming back into the living room, a tray in her hands with tea cups, saucers and a tea pot full of hot tea.

Celestia set down the tray on Cheerilee’s coffee table, saying as she poured the tea, “I know you're both very worried for Sunset.” Celestia paused as she handed the cups to her two companions. “I'm also very worried. But I think we should wait until Sunset gets here before talking about the alcohol.” Celestia took her cup and sat down on a lounge chair, taking a sip. “In other news, I think I know who Anon-a-Miss might--”

Her words were cut short when she heard, “Dad, I understand, but I really need to do this. They have a right to know why I have it.” The three could hear Sunset pacing back and forth in the guest room as she continued, “My journal should be in my backpack upstairs. I don’t know where my phone is. I’ll pay for a new one somehow.” Sunset could be heard coming out of the room. “Thanks, Dad. How soon till you and Mom get here? Okay, I’ll see you in fifteen minutes then. Thanks again, Dad.”

Looking to her sister with slight confusion, Luna said, “Do you know what Sunset is talking about, Tia?“

Taking another sip of her tea, Celestia looked out the window next to her, then back at her sister as she set her cup down. “I made her a promise not to discuss it with anyone unless she wanted me to.” Celestia looked down for a minute. She swallowed hard before continuing, “I don’t want to go back on my word. It's all she has left to hang onto, now.” Celestia sighed softly as she looked out the window again. She continued, her head hung low, “If last night was any indication of how bad things are for her, can either of you imagine what she would do if she feels like she can’t trust us?”

Sunset entered the living, looking at everyone. She headed over to Cheerilee, saying as she handed her former teacher the phone, “Thank you for letting me use your phone, Ms. Cheerilee.”

Sitting down in another lounge chair, Sunset looked to everyone in the living room, then hung her head in shame. Before she had a chance to speak, Celestia got up and knelt down in front of her, taking Sunset’s hands into her own and saying softly, “No matter what you are going through, Sunset, please know that we are all here for you.”

Sunset slowly looked up, a single tear trickling down her cheek as she said, “I know I messed up badly. I just don’t want you all to think I did it just to get attention. It just hurts so much knowing that none of my friends want anything to do with me anymore and being accused of hurting innocent animals, too.” Celestia wiped away Sunset's tear before taking her seat again.

“Sunset, what are you talking about?” Luna asked, confused. “I don’t recall anyone saying anything about you hurting animals, nor was such information posted on MyStable.”

“I found a cat in a sewer. Some nut called Discord put it down there. He said that he's a therapist and that he did it to see if I was still a bully.” Sunset crossed her arms over her chest, looking down as she continued, “I brought the cat to Fluttershy. I don’t even know how to take care of myself, as you can all tell by my actions last night, much less a cat.”

“And I take it Fluttershy accused you of hurting the cat,” Cheerilee injected before Sunset could get another word in. “That seems very unfair of her.”

Sunset didn’t reply. The look on her face was all Cheerilee needed to confirm that Sunset told the truth. Hearing a car pull into the driveway, Sunset got up and walked over to the window, seeing her parents pulling up to the curb. She felt slightly better by their arrival, but the cold weather outside made her feel sad and lonely. Looking back at the three in the living room, Sunset said, “Why?”

Everyone exchanged glances, and Luna asked while Sunset parents made their way to the front door, “Why what, Sunset?”

Before Sunset could answer, everyone heard a soft knock at the door. Cheerilee got up and answered the door, and Sunset’s parents walked in, taking off their coats and handing them to Cheerilee, who put them into the hallway closet. Mr. Cake handed Cheerilee Sunset's backpack as well, which she placed into the closet with their coats.

Seeing Sunset standing in the living room, Mrs. Cake rushed to her side, hugging the teen tightly in her arms, a bit too tightly for Sunset’s liking.

“Aaaah,” Sunset squeaked, “Mom, too tight! You're squishing me.” Mrs. Cake ended the hug as Sunset looked at her with sadness in her eyes. Sunset had a very weak smile on her face as she continued, “Thank you for coming. I know I'm in trouble for what I did.” Sunset led her mother over to the couch, allowing the older woman to sit down as she continued. “I don’t understand why everyone, including the two of you, are so concerned with my well-being.” Taking a seat, she hung her head and sighed heavily. “Wouldn’t it be easier on you all to just let me slip through your fingers and forget about me?”

Mr. Cake took a hold of Sunset’s hands as he knelt down in front her, saying sternly, “No, it wouldn't be easier on us. You're our daugh--”

Sunset’s head snapped up as she stared coldly back at her father, which froze his words. Then, she slowly lowered her head, saying as she sniffed, trying to choke back her sobs, “But that's just it. I'm not your daughter, and I never will be. I’m...I’m...”

“Hey.” Mr. Cake put a finger under Sunset's chin, raising her head so their eyes locked. “No daughter of mine, adopted or otherwise, will ever talk like that in my presence. We love you too much to hear you tear yourself down. Do you understand, Sunset?”

“Sunset, please tell us where you got the alcohol from,” Celestia said kindly, setting down her teacup. “Please, we need to know who gave it to you. You need to understand that you could have been badly hurt. You could have frozen to death out there if it were not for Ms. Cheerilee.”

“I--” Sunset began clenching her hands into tight fights, gripping her skirt tightly in her fingers. “She’ll be expelled, or you’ll all hate me for just being friends with her.”

Sunset's mother and father both got up, each taking a hold of their daughter, allowing her to feel safe and loved in their arms. Sunset’s eyes watered. She could feel herself breaking down again. Not wanting to let herself cry, she hugged both of her parents tightly in her arms. The sadness and her anger at her former friends were crushing her.

As her tears threatened to fall, she said softly, “Alright, you win. I’ll tell you.” Letting her go and gently taking her hands into their own, Mr. and Mrs. Cake waited for Sunset to answer. “But before I do,” Sunset began, almost above a whisper, “I wanna ask you to go easy on her. I don’t want her to get expelled or hurt because of this.”

Celestia got up, laying a gentle hand onto Sunset's shoulder, saying softly, “Don’t worry, Sunset. No one will be expelled. While I can’t promise there won't be consequences, I can at least promise you that.”

Sunset knew how serious the older woman was about promises. Closing her eyes, Sunset said, “It was Rarity Belle who gave me the Scotch and wine. She only gave me one bottle of the Scotch, though.” Gulping slightly, she continued, “I got the other bottle from...my house. I found it in the refrigerator under a couple loaves of bread.”

Mr. Cake lowered his head as his fear was confirmed, recalling how he had found the open bottle of wine in his daughter's room after going in to retrieve her backpack.

“That can’t be,” Luna protested, looking at Mr. Cake with wide eyes. “I've known you both since I was in the tenth grade. You don’t drink at all. D-Do you?”

Mrs. Cake replied, “No, we don’t. We do, however, use it in our cake batter, specifically for our Scotch crumb cake.”

Sunset kept her head hung low, feeling even worse than before. Although she was relieved to hear her parents really didn’t drink, it did little to assuage her anger and guilt from her actions taken the previous night. Sighing, she was about to get up when she heard her father say softly, “As for you being in trouble about the drinking, we can discuss a fair punishment for it in a little bit, okay, honey?” Mr. Cake knelt down and hugged Sunset warmly, saying gently, “We love you. All of us--”

Mr. Cake's words were cut short as everyone heard a soft, thumping noise coming from a bag in Mrs. Cake's hands.

Luna, Celestia and Cheerilee exchanged confused glances. Seeing their looks, Sunset said, “Thank you for bringing it, Dad. It's time for everyone to know why I have this, and before you say anything, I'm planning on giving it to my frie--er, former friends at school so they can decide what to do with it.”

Mrs. Cake set down the bag, then reached into it, taking out a red, heart-shaped crystal and setting it down on the coffee table in front of her. The crystal seemed to pulse on its own, causing everyone except Sunset to look at it, disturbed. As Luna stared at the heart-shaped crystal in front of her, she said, “What is it? It's...beating, like...like a heart.”

Luna was about to pick it up when she heard Sunset say grimly, “That's because it is a heart, Vice Principal Luna.” Sunset looked right at the crystal, saying, “It's called the Demon's Heart.”

“Okay,” Celestia began with worry in her eyes, “I know you told me about your life in Equestria, but where did you get something like this?”

“I got it from your counterpart.” Sunset turned her attention to Celestia. She looked down and she gulped hard before continuing, “I stole it from...my mother Princess Celestia.” Looking back up, she continued, “I had planned on using it against her to force her into allowing me to rule in her stead. Years ago, before I was born, Star Swirl the Bearded created two mirrors. One was the one that I used to come to this world. The other was a prototype of that mirror.”

Sunset breathed in and out slowly, collecting her thoughts. She continued with a very dark, grim look to her face, “Star Swirl was a bit of a fanatic back then. He wanted to spread the word of harmony to all beings, so he created a mirror that could lead to other Equestria's.” Walking back over to her chair and sitting down, Sunset continued coldly, “He found that his magic was powerful enough to open a gateway into another Equestria. Only, this one was nothing like the one that I come from.”

As Sunset continued to tell her tale, Luna looked at her worriedly.

“Well, my world's Celestia found out about the mirror, and she was none too happy about it, I can tell you that much.”

“What happened?” Cheerilee asked, quirking her eyebrow slightly. “I mean, to want to help others out doesn’t seem too bad to me.”

“Princess Celestia and Star Swirl entered the mirror and found a good, kind-hearted version of King Sombra, who, in my Equestria, was a tyrant. With his help, the two sisters defeated the evil versions of themselves and brought harmony to that Equestria. To thank them for freeing them from their hatred, the now-good Princess Celestia of that world gave my world's Celestia this crystal. Before my world's Celestia took it, though, the other Celestia warned her counterpart that this crystal could bring back the dead or grant unlimited power to anyone foolish enough to use it.” Sunset cleared her throat, then continued bitterly, “The reason that it has the metal on it and that the metal is needle-shaped is because my world's Celestia was trying to get rid of the evil inside of it.”

Luna looked at Sunset with both fear and concern showing on her face as she said, “Well, I am very glad to see that you were not foolish enough to try something that sounds so dangerous, Sunset. But please, tell us why you have this and what you were planning on doing with it.”

“I had wanted to ask my former friends to destroy it, but I doubt they will listen to me now.”

“Sunset,” Luna began, a bit nervous about what she was about to ask, “you say you wanted your former friends to destroy it, but I see little reason why you can't-do it.”

Sunset replied coldly, “I can’t destroy something that is evil. Evil cannot destroy evil, it can only contain it, as is the case with the Demon's Heart.” Looking down, she continued, “I've already tried to destroy it. I nearly killed myself doing it. It is my hope that my former friends will be able to destroy it. I don’t want Twilight getting her hands on it, though; she’ll just want to study it, and that could put both worlds at risk.”

“At risk for what?” Cheerilee asked. “I don’t see what the problem is. You've got it, and I don't think you'd give it to the wrong person.”

Sunset didn’t reply. She instead shot Cheerilee a look that caused the older woman to raise a hand to her mouth, letting out a soft but noticeable gasp of fright. Worried, Cheerilee clammed up, leaving Luna and Celestia to ponder what Cheerilee had figured out on her own. Mr. and Mrs. Cake, having been already told about the Demon's Heart, simply sat in worried silence. Sunset reached out, taking the Demon's Heart into her hand, saying, “I’ll be right back.”

Without another word, Sunset got up and went over to the closet. Sunset placed the Demon's Heart into her coat's right, side pocket, then zipped it closed. Looking at her watch, she saw she had enough time to get to her second-period class and then continue with lunch after that.

“Sunset,” Cheerilee began, a bit nervous at what she was about to suggest as the teen came back into the living room, “not to get off topic here, but what are you planning to do about Anon-a-Miss?”

“I don’t know, Ms. Cheerilee. I don’t know who she is or--”

“I think I know who it is.” Principal Celestia interrupted. All eyes fell to Celestia as she continued, “I think it was Trixie Lulamoon that has been causing all this trouble.”

“Principal Celestia, that doesn’t make any sense at all. Why would she do something like this to our daughter?” Mrs. Cake injected just as Sunset was about to speak. “I know she can be a bit of a handful, but that doesn't mean she'd do something like this.”

“It makes perfect sense to me,” Sunset snarled bitterly as all eyes fell on her. “She hates the fact that my former friends and I beat her at the Battle of the Bands.”

“But even so, why would Trixie do something so selfish and so reckless as to set up the Anon-a-Miss account?” Luna pondered, tapping her chin with her finger. “She may hate you for defeating her, but that doesn’t explain how she got a hold of everyone's secrets. Unless she had help from Lavender Lace and Fuchsia Blush.”

Sunset looked down and sighed, saying, “I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. Whoever Anon-a-Miss is, they're causing all this chaos because they hate me.”

“Sunset, honey,” Mrs. Cake began, “you don’t need to be sorry for this. None of this is your fault.”

“I know, Mom. I just don’t know what to do. I mean, I feel like the only one who has even the slightest idea of what I am going through is Vice Principal Luna.”

Luna smiled lightly, taking Sunset's hands into her own as she said, “It’s going to be alright, Sunset. You’ll see. I know things are bad right now, but just give it some time.”

Sunset got out of her chair. “That’s just it, though. You all say, ‘It's going to be alright,’ but I feel like it isn’t ever going to alright again, even if I do ask for Twilight’s help. I'm afraid that she really will turn on me and put me into Tartarus for all that I've done and for this Anon-a-Miss stuff.”

“Sunset,” Mr. Cake began softly, taking his daughter into his loving arms as she began to cry into his shoulders, “you are not in Tartarus.” Running his fingers through her hair soothingly, he continued, “All of us here with you will help you through this. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Sunset calmed down enough for her father to gently sit her down on the couch next to Cheerilee as he continued, “Why don’t you use the journal now? Ask Twilight if you and I can come over to her world so that we can talk with her together. You'll see that she isn't gonna hurt you.”

Sniffing slightly, Sunset nodded, then said, “Alright, but what about my punishment?”

“Well, I think a two-week grounding is fair, don't you think?”

Accepting her punishment, Sunset headed into the hallway to get her things. Wanting to hide the Demon's Heart further, she moved it from her pocket to her backpack. When she was finished, Mr. Cake took her by the shoulders and said, “I’ll give you a ride to school. You should get there just before the second period.”

“Okay, Dad. I’ll send Twilight a message through the journal. I'm sure she wants to meet you as well.”

The group headed out to their cars and began their trip to school. Once buckled in and ready to go, Sunset looked out the window and waved her goodbyes to Cheerilee. The teacher waved back and went back inside, hoping that all would work out for her former student

Trixie (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Vinyl waited to make sure the Stallion brothers were out of sight before opening the door that Fluttershy had been trapped behind. She soon found the timid girl coming to behind several heavy boxes. Looking up as her vision blurred in and out a few times, Fluttershy said, “Ooooh. Where am I?”

Vinyl, not being able to speak, knelt down and started to help the dazed girl up to her feet, stopping when Fluttershy let out a yelp and quickly sat back down, saying, “Ah, I think my ankle's twisted, and my hip really hurts.”

Vinyl took out her phone, opened a text program, and typed, Should I leave you here and go for help or can you make it on your own?

Fluttershy looked at the message and said, “No, I think I can make it. I need you to help me stand up, though. I have to stop those brutes before they hurt Sunset.”

Taking her phone back, Vinyl texted again, If you think you're gonna be alright, I'll help you, but leave those guys to me. I have a score to settle with Dumbbell.

Fluttershy swallowed hard before saying, “What do you mean?”

Vinyl didn’t reply. She helped Fluttershy up and to the door. Seeing that her work was done, she turned to leave, stopping to text one last message to Fluttershy.

I need you to head to the music room first. Get a girl with black hair and gray skin. She's in a pink skirt and purple vest. Tell her it's time to settle things. She'll know what you're talking about.

Fluttershy, not fully understanding, nodded and left to get Vinyl's friend and to talk with the principals about the Stallions. Vinyl headed over to her locker and took out a small tape recorder. She slipped it into her pants pocket, then looked at a manilla folder that was hidden in the back of her locker.

As her eyes caught a picture that was paper clipped to the file, she thought to herself, “Soon, you’ll pay for what you did to us, you bastard.” Vinyl shut her locker, clenching her hands into a tight fist, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms. She mouthed only two words as her eyes became cold as ice: “I swear!”

Sunset sat in the back seat of her father's car, staring coldly out the window as she watched the houses and cars fly by. Her father looked in the rearview mirror to see Sunset’s expression. Clearing his throat, he said as he brought the car to a stop at traffic light, “Sunset, I have something I want to talk to you about. I didn’t want to say anything at the meeting, because I want you to take some time to think about this before you decide on your answer.”

Sunset didn’t answer at first. She just remained steadfast in her silence towards her father. Just as her mother was about say something, Sunset finally said, “Dad, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, honey. What is it?”

Still looking out the window, Sunset swallowed hard before saying, “Is it wrong of me to be angry with my former friends for what they did?”

“No, it's not wrong to feel hurt by what they did to you. It's what you do with that anger that matters, honey.”

Sunset lifted her backpack up off the floor of the car and put the Demon’s Heart back into her right, front pocket. Patting the pocket gently, she replied softly, “Thanks, Dad. I needed to hear that.”

“Sunset, there's something I want you to think about while you're in school today,” Mr. Cake said softly, pulling up to the curb of the school. “If worse comes to worst, I want you to know that your mother and I are fully prepared to pull you out of school.”

“And then what?” Sunset asked, not liking where this was going. “What would you do if I had to be pulled out of school?”

“We could home-school you, or we could enroll you at Crystal Prep across the city, or...” Mrs. Cake looked down, swallowed hard, then nearly whispered out, “we could move. We could move to Ponyville or some other small town."

Sunset got out of the car, not looking at her parents as she said, “I-I need some time to think about this.”

Sunset walked away from her mother and father without another word to either of them, leaving both confused and slightly hurt. A few moments later, Sunset found herself standing in front of her locker, putting away her things. When she looked to her right, she found Trixie standing next to her locker.

“Hello, Trixie,” Sunset snarled bitterly.

“Ah, Miss Sunset, how are you, dear?” Trixie cooed wickedly.

“I'm fine!” Sunset snarled back as she felt her anger brewing to the surface. Turning to face her locker, she continued, “Leave me alone, Trixie. I don't have time to play your stupid games."

Trixie, sensing she could have some fun, smirked and said, "Why, whatever is the matter, Sunset, dear? Don't you like your new life? You asked for it, after all."

"GET LOST!" Sunset shouted back in rage, slamming her locker door closed, which drew in a small crowd from the hallways. "I have enough going on in my life without you making it worse. And why do you even want to talk to me, anyway? You've hated me and my former friends for years, even after the Battle of the Bands, when I should have finally redeemed myself. But no! You just had to make that stupid account just to hurt us.”

Trixie narrowed her eyes. "What are you implying?"

"I'm not 'implying' anything!" Sunset snapped. "I'm saying that you're Anon-a-Miss!"

Trixie’s eyes widened in surprise briefly, but her face quickly turned to smug arrogance as she laughed, saying, “HA! That’s a good one, Sunset. The Great and Powerful Trrrrixie wishes she was Anon-a-Miss, if only to claim that she's the one that made you the pariah you so deserve to be.”

“Oh, come off it, Trixie. Who else hates me and my former friends enough to spread everyone's secrets around to hurt them and frame me?”

As Sunset fired her accusations, a small crowd formed behind her and Trixie, each student wondering what Sunset or Trixie would do. As more students filled up the hallways, Trixie, ever the showman, laughed out with glee.

“Oh, I'm not Anon-a-Miss, but I do wish I could shake her hand! She’s stirred up this school more than the Great and Powerful Trixie could ever do in a single week.” Sunset wasn't amused by Trixies antics, which only served to cause the latter to laugh even more as she continued, “And she's like a super spy. I have no idea how she found out that Flash Sentry was in the hospital, but--”

“What!?” Sunsets eyes went wide with fear. “F-Flash is in the hospital?”

Seeing the look of shocked fear plastered over Sunset's face, Trixie stopped laughing long enough to say, “What, you didn’t know? He tried to kill himself last week. Didn't you notice how he was absent all this time?”

Sunset trembled in cold terror and stammered, “W-What happened to him?”

“Don't know, don't care.” Trixie smiled smugly, seeing how hurt Sunset was. She wanted to savor the moment but knew it wouldn’t last, so she continued coldly “All Trixie knows is that he did it because of you.” Trixie thrust her right hand forward, planting her index finger right into Sunset's chest.

“M-Me? B-But...” Sunset's eyes began to glaze over becoming, cold and lifeless as the grave. Her skin turned a light white as her fear began to set in. “Which hospital is he in?”

“As far as Trixie knows, he was sent to Canterlot Memorial Hospital.”

“Th-Thanks. And you really don’t know who Anon-a-Miss is?”

“Why, dear, I assumed that Anon-a-Miss was you. You tricked your friends, stole their secrets and, to top it all off, posted them for all to see.” Trixie laughed. “All Trixie knows for sure is that she isn't Anon-a-Miss. Those photos of your friends were taken at Rarity's house, right? Trixie was never there, so Trixie couldn’t have done it.”

Sunset looked up, glaring hard enough so that Trixie took a step back from Sunset. Turning to leave, Trixie stopped when she heard, “If you're lying to me, I’ll make you pay for it, Trixie.”

Trixie laughed coldly as she ignored Sunset's warning. Sunset headed around the corner, ignoring the crowd that had formed around her and Trixie. Getting upstairs a few moments later, she soon found herself sitting in her Home Ec classroom in front of her computer. Not caring if she'd be caught, she began to type.

Dear Flash,

I am so sorry to hear you're in the hospital. I know you're there because of me, because of how I treated you back during the Fall Formal and probably even before that. I was such a bitch to you back then. I don’t know how else to say it. I was a controlling, manipulative bitch. I am truly sorry for all that I did to you and for how I broke your heart. I don’t blame you at all for being angry with me. I deserve it. I used you to make myself more popular and strung you along like a worm on a hook.

I don't know what to say to help you get through this difficult time in your life, Flash. Apologizing isn’t easy for me (I don’t normally do this sort of thing), but I want you to know that no matter what, I'll be here for you as your friend. When I look back on what I was back then, I shudder. Because of me, you lost everything! You gave up your scholarship just to be with me. And I didn't care.

So yes, Flash, you have every right to hate me. If I could turn back time, and I really wish I could, I would take that awful bitch that I was back then and set her straight. I love you, Flash. I hope you know that. You were my only friend back then, and I was too blind to see it.

Sunset blinked away her tears as she continued to type,

I also want you to know that I will work every day to be a better person to be worthy of both your friendship and your trust. I will walk the hard road, and I will prove to you somehow that I've changed and that I care about you.

So you get yourself better and come back to school soon. We all miss you here, and I can’t wait to see you. The band has some new music I'm sure you’ll love. I’ll make you a recording so you can have something to listen to while you're in the hospital.

Well, I have to go make that recording. Before I do, though, I want to say to you that no matter what, no matter how bad things are, no matter how dark the path ahead is, and no matter how lost in the world you are, you’ll have me there right beside you to guide you through it.

Love, now and always your friend,

Sunset Shimmer

Striking at the Boot (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Fluttershy limped, into the music room looking for the girl that her rescuer had told her about. The girl in question was setting up a cello in a nearby corner of the room. Limping over to her, Fluttershy said timidly, “A-Are you friends with a girl with sunglasses and t-two-tone blue hair?”

The grey girl replied elegantly, “Yes, I am. My name is Octavia Melody Filarmonica Treble Clef.”

Fluttershy was slightly surprised at Octavia’s rather long full name, momentarily forgetting the reason she even sought her out. Watching Octavia as she started to bow her cello, Fluttershy quickly remembered her reason for being there. As Octavia was just about to start playing, Fluttershy blurted, “She told me to tell you, ‘It's time to settle things.’ I don’t--”

Octava let her bow drop to the floor with a sharp clatter, the tip of the bow snapping off. Octavia looked at her bow, then sniffled. Fluttershy, startled, gulped and took a step towards the girl in front of her, noticing tears coming down Octavia's cheeks as she heard the raven-haired girl say, “Vinyl, you idiot. It’s not fair what that monster did, but I know you're going to go too far.”

Octava suddenly stood up from her chair and walked past Fluttershy, stopping just short of the doorway threshold. She reached into her vest pocket and took out a scrap of paper. She handed it to Fluttershy, saying, “Take this.”

Fluttershy looked at the scrap of paper in her hands, which only held a bunch of numbers, and said, confused, “What is this?”

Turning to leave, Octavia said coldly, “It’s Vinyl's locker number and padlock code.”

Before she could get out the door, Fluttershy called out, “Wait! I need to ask you something.”

Turning back around, Fluttershy saw only anger brewing on the cellist's calm face as Octavia practically barked, “What?”

Looking down, Fluttershy all but whispered, “Why are you doing this? Why are you and Vinyl helping Sunset after everything she's done?”

Turning around again and stepping through the doorway, Octavia said, “She saved my life two years ago. I owe her, and so does Vinyl. Let's leave it at that.”

Before Fluttershy could say another word, Octavia was out the door and gone. Fluttershy, not wanting to let anyone get into a fight, especially if she could prevent it, headed for the principal's office. In her rush, Fluttershy didn't pay much attention to where she was going, and as she turned a corner, she limped right into Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie beamed at Fluttershy, but her smile quickly faded into concerned anger when she saw that her friend was hurt.

“Fluttershy, what happened?" Her eyes widened. "Did Sunset do this to you?”

Before Fluttershy could answer, Pinkie turned to leave, moving towards Sunset's locker. Worried that Pinkie was about to do something foolish, Fluttershy limped after her. No matter how much Fluttershy tried to speak up about Sunset's innocence in this particular matter, Pinkie either ignored her or couldn't hear her. Knowing it was no use, Fluttershy clammed up and followed Pinkie Pie.

Sunset stood up at her desk just as the bell rang out, signaling the end of her second-period class. Heading over to the printer, she collected her letter to Flash and folded it up. Her work finished, she headed downstairs toward her locker. Once there, Sunset put the letter in her locker and retrieved her journal not noticing Pinkie standing near her locker staring angrily towards her direction.

As Sunset started to walk toward the front door with her journal in hand, Pinkie stormed over to her and yelled, “Sunset, you big meany, how could you hurt Fluttershy like that?”

Sunset turned around to face Pinkie, confused. Her confusion turned to distress when she saw that Fluttershy was limping toward them.

"Fluttershy, what happened!?"

"Like you don't know, you jerk!" Pinkie snapped.

“Pinkie, I didn’t hurt her!”

“Yeah, sure you didn’t,” Pinkie retorted. “You're just a big, mean bully, Sunset!” With tears threatening to fall from her eyes, Pinkie continued, “Why'd you hurt Fluttershy? She didn’t do anything to you other than call you out as the cyberbully that you are!”

“I swear, I didn’t hurt her, Pinkie!” Sunset looked down, tears also threatened to fall from her own eyes. Voice hardening, she continued, “But that doesn’t mean I'm gonna put up with this Anon-a-Miss shit anymore. Now get out of my way.”

“Sunset, the Stallion brothers are planning on hurting you,” Fluttershy began, trying hard to quell the alrighty volatile situation. “Please, if you are truly our friend, let us help. Then, we can--”

“But we're not friends! You all made that perfectly clear!" Sunset yelled. Calming down, she said coldly, "My parents are right to want to pull me out of school.”

“Wait, what?” Pinkie asked, shocked, “What do you mean your parents are right to pull you out of school?“

Sunset tried to walk by Pinkie, but the pink girl grabbed her by the arm, halting her. Sighing irritatedly, Sunset continued, “They offered to pull me out before they dropped me off today.” Sunset looked down, her anger beginning to boil over as she saw Pinkie's hand still around her arm. “Let go of me, Pinkie. I don’t--”

“Y-You're not going to do it,” Fluttershy began with thick tears falling down her cheeks, “are you, Sunset? You're not going to m-move away, are you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am! And why shouldn't I? After all the shit and the abuse everyone put me through, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't leave. Even you all, who were supposed to be my friends, abandoned me as soon as things looked dodgy. You didn't even let me try to explain myself! I'm leaving this damn school, and to fucking Tartarus with you and everyone else!” After her tirade, Sunset stomped away without looking back, causing Fluttershy to raise a hand to her mouth and let out soft, shocked gasp. As she walked away, Sunset said, “I’m going to Principal Celestia’s office to get the paperwork I need to leave this school behind for good.”

“How dare you talk to Fluttershy like th--”

Pinkie’s words were suddenly, and very painfully, interrupted when Sunset’s fist collided with her jaw. Sunset looked down at Pinkie, who held her jaw and stared back up in fear Sunset. As she said to her, “You know, Pinkie, it occurs to me that if your friendship with Fluttershy and--”

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Sunset!” Looking up, Sunset saw Rainbow, Rarity and Applejack staring wide-eyed at her with a mix of shock and fury as Rainbow continued, “Answer me!”

Sunset didn’t reply. Instead, she continued with her speech to Fluttershy and Pinkie.

“As I was saying, it occurs to me that if your friendship with Fluttershy and the others truly meant anything to any of you five, then two years ago,” Sunset looked up right at Rainbow, who, not liking were Sunset was going with this, gulped as Sunset continued, “none of you would've allowed me to break you all up and walk all over you like the cowardly, weak, spineless worms that you are. All it took was a few texts, and you refused to even look at each other for two years. If that's how you feel about friendship, then I'm actually ashamed to have called myself your friend or your family.” Sunset turned her gaze to Applejack. “Isn't that what you said, Applejack? That I was your 'family'? Well, I guess we all know now what family really means to a hypocrite like you.”

Sunset stepped forward to walk past her former friends, only to stop when Applejack stepped in front of her. Before Applejack could say anything, her eyes went wide as she suddenly felt pain in her sternum, and her breath left her. Looking down, she saw Sunset's knee planted firmly under her chest.

Applejack collapsed into a heap, and Rainbow knelt down next to her, checking to see if she was okay. Sunset was just getting past Rainbow, when Rainbow jumped up, grabbing Sunset by her left shoulder. Before Rainbow could get in the first blow, Sunset ended the conflict by spinning on her heel and throwing her right fist out, slamming it into Rainbow's face. The blow immediately sent the blue-skinned athlete colliding into the lockers next to her. Rainbow's head collided with the lockers behind her and instantly knocked her out cold.

As Rarity held a hand over her mouth, a look of terror on her face, Sunset said as she massaged her knuckles, “Unless you want the same, move.”

Rarity stepped aside, allowing Sunset to push past her as she headed for the front doors, tears streaming down her cheeks. Rarity began to help her three friends up off the floor, Applejack holding her stomach and saying, “Ah feel like Ah've been kicked by ol' Thunder Hooves back at th' ranch.”

“You guys, alright?” Rainbow asked, rubbing the back of her head, “Who coulda guessed Sunset could hit so hard, huh?”

“Ow...” Pinkie rubbed her jaw as she climbed back to her feet. “I think my tooth is loose. That really hurt.”

Before anyone else could say anything, everyone heard over the loudspeakers, “Rarity Belle, report to the principal's office at once. Rarity Belle, report to the principal's office immediately.”

Rarity glanced at her friends before walking away to the office, head hung low, saying, “I’ll see you girls in a few hours. There is something that I need to take care of.”

Sunset sat alone outside of the school. Most of the students around looked at her with a mix of curiosity and caution. Ignoring them, she took out her journal, opened it to a new page, and began to write.

Twilight, I need to talk to you.

Sure thing Sunset. What’s up?

Something really bad happened at school today. I may have made a horrible mistake, and I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t want to use up all the pages in the journal trying to explain, but

Sunset stopped when she suddenly felt two soft hands gripping her shoulders. Throwing her head back, Sunset looked right into Twilight's eyes. Twilight looked not with anger or sadness back at her but with compassion, loyalty, kindness, laughter, and honesty, everything Sunset had wanted to see in the eyes of her former friends. Before she could say anything, though, Twilight said, “Uh, not to be rude, but could you move so I can come out?" Twilight smirked good-naturedly to Sunset as she continued, "It's kinda hard to come all the way out of the portal with you sitting with your back against it.”

Sunset quickly got up and moved out of the way. Twilight took notice right away of the tears falling down Sunset's cheeks.

“Sunset, what's wrong?”

“I-I...” Wordlessly, Sunset began to cry, not noticing her father coming up the sidewalk. He stopped when he saw Twilight standing in front of his daughter, the girl unsure of what to do next.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Mr. Cake began kindly, “I am Carrot Cake. I think we need to talk.” Gesturing towards Sunset, who sat sobbing, he continued, “It would be best for her safety if we did this back at your realm. Please, may we have your permission to enter the portal?”

“Yes, but I want to know what's going on.”

“I’ll explain that once I'm sure my daughter is safe,” Mr. Cake stated sternly to Twilight, causing the Princess of Friendship to tilt her head in confusion. He continued while guiding Sunset towards the portal, “It's okay, Sunset. Remember, it was just a nightmare. Twilight won’t hurt you.”

“Why would I--”

Twilight was unable to finish her words, as Mr. Cake guided Sunset through the portal and into her main library, where the mirror was kept. Once there, Mr. Cake, struggling to move on his four wobbly hooves, looked at Sunset's true, pony form. He didn't know what to say; it was one thing to know his daughter was actually a unicorn, but it was another thing entirely to see it.

He didn't spend too much time pondering it, though. Moving to action, he gently led the still-sobbing unicorn over to a nearby couch. Sunset climbed onto the couch, then used her magic to help her father sit next to her while she cried in his lap.

Twilight entered a few moments later, saw how upset Sunset was, and simply asked, “What happened, and how can I help?”

Vindictive (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

While Sunset and her father were in Equestria, Gilda’s watch sounded, disturbing her sleep. Picking it up off the floor, the gangster looked at it and saw that it was eleven in the morning. Gilda let out a soft sigh of relief as she looked to see she was still held in Summer's arms.

“Shut off, you stupid thing,” Gilda snarled, trying to shut off her watch in order to allow Summer to sleep. “This stupid watch. Why do I even carry this with me?” As she held the watch in her hand, she sobered up and thought, “That's right. Because grandpa gave me this before I left home.”

The two had spent the entire night making love to each other. Though she was tired, Gilda also felt joy and happiness. Seeing that Summer was still asleep, she gently leaned in kissing Summer on her lips. Summer woke up and smiled warmly to Gilda as she pulled the biker into her, placing her lips against Gilda's. The two locked lips, remaining in each other's arms.

“I love you Summer,” Gilda began as she pulled away, ending the passionate kiss, causing Summer to moan playfully. “I won’t leave you, I promise.”

Gilda allowed Summer to pull her closer again for another kiss. Gilda slowly opened her mouth again, allowing Summer to slip her tongue into her mouth. The two rolled over, with Gilda coming to rest under Summer, flat on her back as the two continued to kiss each other. Summer slowly and seductively worked her way down to Gilda’s stomach, kissing and licking every part of her from her neck to her stomach. With each kiss and lick, the gangster would moan as the sheer pleasure of it all began take effect of her.

Just as Summer slipped her thumbs into Gilda's underwear, they both heard a loud knock on the door.

“Summer, Gilda, you two up yet?” Adagio’s voice boomed out with clear anger. “Get up! We need to talk to you both!”

Burying her head into Gilda's ample breasts, Summer let out a grunt as she snarled out, “Worst timing ever!” causing Gilda to lightly giggle in response.

Gilda sighed lightly as she started running her fingers through Summer's hair, calming the girl down slightly. Summer remained on top of Gilda, facing the door of the bedroom. Their breathing slowly became synchronized as Gilda said softly, “We better get up, Summer. We need to see what Adagio wants.”

“I know.” Summer nuzzled Gilda's left breast as she continued. “I know what she wants. Adagio wants me to return the Heart Crystals to her and her two sisters so they can feed and regain both their healthy body weight and power.”

Looking up, Summer sighed slightly. Gilda patted her gently on her lower back, saying, “Once you're done with that, we can come back in here and spend the rest of the day in bed together.”

“Yeah, that sounds like fun, Gilda.”

Summer got up and let the sheets and blanket fall to the bed. When Summer turned around, Gilda was shocked to see scars covering most of Summer's back. Several of the scars crisscrossed, as if they were made with a whip.

Summer headed over to a nearby desk. She opened the bottom-left drawer of the desk, taking out the Heart Crystals.

“You're right, Gilda; I need to give them these. I only hope my magic worked.” Holding up the stones for Gilda to see, Summer continued, “I used so much dark magic last night that I'm worried that I might've overdone it.”

Gilda got out of bed herself, allowing the sheets and blanket that covered her nearly naked body to fall to the floor. Slightly confused, she said, “Summer, what were you trying to do to those stones last night?”

Again, Adagio knocked on the door, which was followed by Sonata's voice. “Hey, get up! We just want to talk to you. For realizies.”

“Okay!” Summer spat back in anger. “For the love of Chrysalis, we will be with you idiots in just a fucking minute.” Realizing what she just said and seeing a confused look on Gilda's face, Summer continued, “Hand me my clothes, Gilda. I’ll explain everything once we're dressed.”

Gilda looked at Summer, then said softly as she dropped her eyes, “Summer, what happened to your back?”

Summer looked down, saying, “You saw the scars, didn’t you?” Noticing the nod Gilda gave, Summer continued as Gilda picked up their clothing, “This is what happens to someone that disobeys my caretaker back where I'm from.” Looking down as she slipped on her pants and buttoned them closed, Summer continued, “I disobeyed a order and was punished for it. You have to understand: For my entire life, I've been trained to obey and to kill. It's all I know how to do.”

Pulling her shirt down, Summer picked up the blanket and placed it back onto the bed. Gilda finished getting dressed, then opened the door, allowing Adagio to enter, followed by Sonata. Sonata looked worried, while Adagio looked angry.

Summer held up the stones for both of the sirens to see, saying, “I will return to you what was so wrongfully stolen. I enchanted them to make them nearly unbreakable this time.”

Adagio took the stones and placed one over Sonata’s neck, laying the stone gently onto Sonata’s chest. Adagio smiled warmly to her sister, kissing her gently on the cheek, saying, “You head into the living room and give Aria her crystal. I’ll join you in just a few minutes.” Sonata skipped away happily.

Seeing her sister was out of the bedroom, Adagio turned her attention back to Summer and Gilda. “Alright, I want you two out of our home by the time we get back.”

Gilda’s eyes went wide, then narrowed with anger as she spat back in rage, “Hey! You said we could stay--”

“Gilda,” Summer interrupted, “it's alri--” Summer herself was cut short as she suddenly felt pain wash over her like molten metal being poured onto her skin. Falling to her knees, she screamed in pain, holding her stomach. Gilda rushed to her side, pulling her gently into her, laying Summer's head into her lap.

Looking at Adagio, who simply scoffed at Summer's predicament, she snarled, “Do something, you fucking asshole!”

“What do you expect me to do, human? Sing her a get-well-soon song?” Adagio laughed coldly, feeling the magic of her Heart Crystal taking effect. She continued, “Like I said, I want you and that bitch of yours out of our home by the time we get back.” Adagio turned to leave, but she quickly turned around, saying as she narrowed her eyes to Summer, who lay in pain in Gilda’s lap, “This is what you get for attacking and threatening me, you little bitch.” Before Gilda could stop her, Adagio kicked Summer in her stomach, causing her to throw up.

Leaving the room and going into the living room, Adagio snapped her fingers, getting her sisters' attention as she headed for the front door. Sonata looked down, saying softly, “I don’t want to go with you, Adagio.”

Adagio stopped in her tracks, her hand just barely gripping the door handle. She snarled back in rage to Sonata, “Get up. You're going to go feed, then you're going to help us take over the school and get that magic so we can get our revenge on Star Swirl for what he did to us.”

Aria didn’t say anything as she got off the couch, put her own Heart Crystal on, then headed for the door. Sonata looked down at her Heart Crystal and sniffed hard, saying, “I would rather die than to go back to Equestria and relive all of the pain of losing my little ones. I don’t want vengeance, Adagio, and I don’t care if you want that for me.” Looking up as tears began to fall from her eyes, Sonata continued bitterly. “All I want is to find some place here in this world that I can live in peace.” As Adagio trembled in rage, Sonata looked away and finished, “I know Summer can do that for me, but you've become so consumed with hate and pain that you lost sight of who you are.”

Spinning around and glaring, Adagio screamed, “FINE, YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT! STAY HERE UNTIL YOU BECOME NOTHING MORE THAN BONES! SEE WHAT I CARE!” Spinning back around and grabbing the door handle, Adagio continued bitterly, “I only fed you and sung you to sleep while we lived in fear that the ponies would destroy us, for fuck sake's! Its not my fucking fault that we lost everything!” Adagio tore the door open and stomped out into the hallway, followed by Aria, leaving Sonata to cry on the couch. Slamming the door shut, Adagio and Aria left to go feed, while Sonata remained behind, too upset to leave the room.

Gilda came out of the bedroom, followed by Summer a few moments later. Summer looked paler but better overall. Gilda sat Summer down next to Sonata, who grabbed onto Summer before either could protest and started to sob into her shoulder. Summer looked at Gilda with confusion as Gilda motioned for her to take care of the crying siren. Lightly wrapping her arms around her, Summer softly whispered to Sonata, "It's...it's alright, Sonata. We're here now, s-so stop crying." Gently running her hands through Sonata's hair, Summer continued just as softly, “I...I know it hurts to lose everything you had, Sonata. I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you or to your sisters.”

Sonata slowly ended the hug, saying through her sobs and blurry eyes, “It's okay. I forgive you. But she's right, I need to eat. I’m just scared of hurting those I wanna be friends with.”

“I know. Listen, give me a few moments to explain some things to Gilda. Then, I’ll take you out and help you control your powers so you can feed without hurting anyone.”

"You can do that!?" Excited, Sonata threw herself over Summer, wrapping her arms around Summer tightly, saying, “Thank you, Summer! I knew you couldn’t be completely evil, even when I saw you use that magic last night.”

Gently pushing Sonata off of her, Summer smiled gently to Sonata. Turning her attention to Gilda, she said, “Alright, sit down. I need to explain to you what is happening to me.”

Gilda sat down next to Summer's left. Summer cleared her throat, saying softly as she looked down at her lap, “There's no easy way to say this. I-I’m dying, Gilda. That's why I've had those attacks.”

Gilda said nothing, too shocked and scared to form any words. She blinked a few times as Summer continued, “I need a transfusion of either blood or dark magic to live. Otherwise, I'll die within about three months, four tops.”

Swallowing hard, Gilda said bitterly, “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me about this sooner? We could've had you at a hosp--”

“Human blood won’t work, Gilda. I'm not human. The only one that can save me is Fourteen.”

“Fourteen?” Sonata injected with a raised eyebrow and confused look. “Fourteen what?”

“Fourteen's a person. She looks like me,” Summer replied, sighing lightly. “You three mistook me for her when we first met, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, now I remember. We thought you were Sunset Shimmer. So she's Fourteen, huh?”

“Yes. I need her blood. Otherwise, I'll die.”

Sonata hopped off the couch, holding her hand out to Summer and saying excitedly, “Alright, then it's settled. You help me to gain the weight I lost after starving for the past few months, and I--” Her words fell short when a thought hit her. “Hey, how can you teach me to control my powers. I mean, you're not a siren, are you?”

“No, I'm not. I'm,” Summer swallowed hard as she slowly looked up, causing Sonata to take a giant step back from her in fear of what she saw staring back at her, “something else entirely. Something very dangerous, but something that can and will save your life if you allow me to do so, Sonata.”

Gilda also got off the couch and looked at Summer, then raised a hand to her mouth in shock. As she backed away from Summer, she said, “You said you were evil last night." Gilda gulped. "I didn’t expect this.”

Summer stood up slowly, her eyes black as night and her canines protruding slightly out of her lips and lower lips. She had a wicked grin on her face.

“I was once a full Equestrian. Now, there's something else in me, something pure evil.” Turning around, she held her arms around her stomach and closed her eyes as she continued through a soft growl, “Chrysalis did this to me to make me the perfect weapon in her stupid war against Princess Celestia. She tortured me physically and mentally to force me to obey her. I hate her with all my being, and there's nothing I wouldn't do to give her her just desserts.”

A False Smile (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset sat weeping on a couch in Twilight's castle, not looking at Twilight, who remained confused at the situation. Sunset sobbed out, “My friends all hate me, Twilight!”

Mr. Cake looked at Twilight while gently trying to sooth his distraught daughter down by running a hoof over her mane. Seeing the confused look remaining on Twilight's face, he said softly, “Sunset was framed for cyberbullying at school by someone calling herself Anon-a-Miss.” Mr. Cake sighed, pulling his daughter into himself, giving the crying unicorn a warm hug as he continued, “She has also had bad nightmares about you.”

Hearing this, Twilight's ears drooped low against her head. She swallowed hard and said, “Do these nightmares have anything to do with the Fall Formal?”

“Yes. Some of her nightmares have been of your battle with her at the Fall Formal.” Mr. Cake gave Twilight a glare, causing the princess to take a step back. “A battle that I feel never should have happened.”

Offended, Twilight was about to retort, when Mr. Cake raised his hoof silencing her before Twilight could get a word in. Looking very coldly to her, he said, “Let's not dance around this issue, Twilight. I am not here to listen to your excuses about what happened or didn’t happen that night. All I care about right now is helping my daughter. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do,” Twilight replied coolly. Though she didn't appreciate being talked to this way by someone who wasn't fully aware of what happened during her few days at school, she kept silent for Sunset's sake.

“Twilight,” Sunset began, trying to choke back another round of sobbing. “C-Can you help me? I'm s-so scared to be alone. I can’t live like this.”

“I will do what I can, Sunset, but I need you to understand that I can’t force your friends to like or love you. I can, though, at least have a talk with them and see what is going on. Maybe I can set up a parley for you to meet with them in a neutral place that none of you have been to before.”

Sunset nodded, wiping her hoof over her eyes as she tried to dry her tears. Looking up through bloodshot eyes, she confessed, “We got into a fight just now. I just got so mad that I...I hit Rainbow and Pinkie, and I kneed Applejack in the gut.”

“Is it really that bad? What happened?”

Looking down, Sunset got off the couch and trotted over to the fireplace, staring coldly into the fire burning within it. Sunset closed her eyes, saying sternly, “I was accused of hurting Fluttershy. She doesn't seem like the type to get into fights, so I'm pretty sure someone beat her up. I don't know who did it. I just know that I'm tired of being accused of being a bully.”

“Sunset, honey,” Mr. Cake interrupted, “is that why you were crying outside?”

“Yeah. I can’t take any more of this shit from them, but I also don’t want to go back to being who I was back before Twilight helped me.”

Mr. Cake sighed, then said softly to Twilight, “Her friends have all accused her of posting pictures and their secrets on a website. I won’t get into full details about it, but you need to know that I intend to move my daughter away from the school--and the city, if I need to--if things get any worse.”

Looking down, Twilight replied just as softly, “I understand. While I can’t undo her banishment, I can at least try to stay in contact with you both. I’ll see if Princess Celestia has any more journals that I can give to you both so we can stay in contact with each other. If you do move, that is.”

The three spent the next half-hour talking about Anon-a-Miss. During that time, Sunset slowly but noticeably calmed down. Seeing that his daughter was calmer, Mr. Cake turned his attention to her as their conversation over Anon-a-Miss came to an end. “Sunset, do you feel you can be on your own for a bit while I go back home to take care of some things.”

“Yes, Dad. I feel much better.” Sunset smiled, not noticing a pink pony coming into the room and stopping when she saw the smile. “I'll be fine. I just need some fresh air.” Turning to Twilight, she continued, “Uh, if it's okay with you, I'd like to go see what this town's like.”

“Sure thing, Sunset. And you don't need to ask. Just let me know when you're going out.” As Twilight turned around to allow Sunset to trot past her, both Twilight and Sunset saw Pinkie standing in the doorway, looking very sad. “Hi, Pinkie. What can I do for you?” Twilight began. “Why do you look so sad?”

Surprised, Pinkie cracked a slightly less than convincing smile and said, “Who, me? Sad? No, I'm not sad, see? I'm as happy and giddy as can be, Twilight.”

“Well, if you say so, then I guess we can talk later on today. I need to see Mr. Cake off then--”

“Mr. Cake? But he hasn’t come back from his trip to Canterlot yet.”

“Pinkie, the Mr. Cake standing behind me is from the human world. I don’t have time to get into full details. I need you to take Sunset out into the town.”

“Twilight,” Sunset began, “I’ll be fine I don’t need a chaperone?”

Twilight turned back around with a smile on her face. “I just want to make sure you’ll be able to find your way back to the castle is all. Is that alright?”

“It's fine, I guess, but can you choose somepony that won’t remind me of Anon-a-Miss?”

Putting a hoof to her chin, Twilight tapped her chin a few times before saying, “Well, the only other pony here right now is Derpy Whooves.”

“GREAT!” Sunset yelped out with slight glee, causing Pinkie to swallow hard in concern. “I’ll catch you all later, then.” Sunset turned to her father, giving him a light hug. “I’ll be back in a little while. I need to take care of some things before I head home. You go through the portal and take care of whatever it is you need to do. I promise I’ll be fine.”

Looking at his daughter, who offered a weak but clear smile, Mr. Cake sighed as he said, “Well, if you're sure, then I’ll leave you to it.”

Mr. Cake headed into the mirror. Twilight thought she saw him tremble slightly but quickly brushed off the thought. Turning back around, she was about to say something, when Spike entered, saying, “Twilight, your--” Spike stopped when he saw Sunset standing next to her. He smiled excitedly to her, holding out his claw, which Sunset took in her hoof, as he said, “Sunset is it really you?”

“Yeah, Spike, it's me. I can’t stay long to chat, but how've you been?”

“Great! Everything's going well here." A thought came to him, and he said, "You know, Sunset, Princess Celestia talks about you a lot. She really seems to miss you.”

"Oh...really?" Sunset nervously let go of Spike's claw and quickly walked past him, saying, “Have a good day, Spike. I hope to see you again soon.”

Spike watched as Sunset walked out into the hallway, shutting the door behind her with her magic. “Uh, what was that all about?”

“What do you mean,” Twilight began, "She seemed fi--"

“That was the saddest smile I've ever seen,” Pinkie interrupted.

“What are you talking about, Pinkie?" Twilight asked. "She looked fine to me. She does seem a bit sad, yes, but her smile seemed real enough.”

Waving her hoof slightly in the air, Twilight continued, “She just needed somepony to vent to and cry on, is all.”

Leaving the room, Twilight and Spike headed to another part of her castle. Unconvinced, Pinkie followed her. They soon found Sunset outside of one of the many doors in the castle, looking around as she apparently tried to figure out which way to go. Spike, grinned, saying as he ran up to her, “Sunset, I’ll show you how to get outta the castle.”

Before Sunset could respond, she and Spike heard a loud crash from behind the door she was standing in front of. The door opened, and a grey pony with a bright-yellow mane and a bubble cutie mark stepped out. She had a bowl on her right, front hoof, several forks stuck in her mane, and a pot stuck to her left, hind hoof. Spike face-palmed, saying, “Derpy, not again.”

“Who’s your friend, Spike?” Derpy asked with a smile, ignoring the things stuck to her. “She looks a little sad.” Lowering her front to the floor and raising her rear end up, Derpy wiggled her rear playfully as she continued, “I can cheer you up! Not to brag, but I make a mean muffin.”

Before Sunset could reply, Derpy jumped in place with excitement. As she landed, she fell to the right, her hoof twisting slightly in the bowl. Derpy crashed into a nearby table, toppling it and bringing the table's contents down on top of her. Unfazed, she just looked at Sunset with a goofy grin on her face. Spike looked at Sunset, whispering, “You sure you want her as your guide? I mean, I could ask one of the girls to--”

"She's fine." Sunset smiled widely to Spike, trying hard to hide her pain from the baby dragon, fighting with all her might to keep her emotions in check. Sunset helped Derpy get untangled, and Derpy started to lead Sunset outside. Once outside, she said with a smile and light chuckle, “Derpy, is it?” Derpy nodded, smiling back as Sunset continued. “Is there a bank and apothecary around here? I have some things that I need to take care of.”

“Yeah, there is. Just follow me. I'll get you there with no problems at all.” Derpy flew into the air...and immediately crashed into a nearby home, causing the pony inside to let out a loud shriek. “Oh, sorry," Derpy yelled, "I didn’t--”

Derpy quickly flew out of the house as a brush, some soap and a shampoo bottle flew through the air after her, landing in front of Sunset. Sunset giggled at the scene, turning back to the castle, saying as Spike came out, “Perhaps you should show me where the bank and apothecary are, Spike.”

Spike rolled his eyes at Derpy's mess. He looked back up to Sunset, who had pleading eyes. “Alright, alright," he said. "Follow me. Twilight and I will deal with Derpy when we get back."

Last Will and Testament (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Spike and Sunset walked down the sunny, dirt road, Derpy flying overhead and every now and then slamming into a building. Looking up to her Sunset called, “Hey, Derpy, how about you come down here for a little bit?” Derpy looked down, smiled, and landed near Sunset. Spike frowned slightly, while Sunset smiled warmly, still trying to hide her pain. Trotting over to her, Sunset said, “You said you make a mean muffin, right, Derpy?”

“You bet I do.” Derpy hopped about with glee, giving Sunset a slight chuckle. “You want me to run home and make you some, Sunset?” Derpy wagged her tail as she shook her rear end happily while she continued, “I can make you a hundred muffins in no time flat.”

“I think I might get sick if I try to eat that many.” Sunset grinned, looking to Spike, who rolled his eyes. “Listen, Derpy. How about you take Spike here and make me eight muffins, okay?

“Sure thing, Sunset.”

Derpy flew up into the air, then crashed into a building a few feet from her, causing the pony inside to wave an angry hoof at her. Spike looked at Sunset, saying, “Now, why did you have to go and do that, Sunset? Now, I have chase her all over Ponyville to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself or somepony else.” As Spike was about to give chase, he quickly continued, “The bank's right next to the apothecary. The shop has a bright orange wood sign with a pestle and mortar.” Spike ran after Derpy, watching as she crashed into buildings and other flying pegasi alike.

Sunset sighed, muttering to herself, “Good. Now that they're gone, I can take care of what I need to do without Twilight finding out about it.”

Heading a little further down the dirt road, Sunset came to two small buildings. One had a green, thatched roof, the other had clay tiles for its roofing. Looking from left to right, Sunset entered the bank first, being greeted warmly by a stallion with money bags for his cutie mark.

“Hello, there, and welcome to Golden Hoof Bank. My name is Filthy Rich. How may I help you today?”

“My name is Sunset Shimmer. Is this bank connected to the one in Canterlot City, by any chance?”

“Why, yes, indeed it is, Ms. Shimmer. Would you like to open an account, or do you already have one with us?”

“I already have one. I need to see if my account is still open, and if it is, I need to withdraw some bits and set up a deposit for a special pony with the bits that are left.” Hearing the flat tone in her voice, Filthy raised an eyebrow at Sunset, who offered a deadpan expression in return. Filthy still smiled warmly as he escorted Sunset over to his desk. Once there, Sunset asked, “I left some paperwork and books in a safety deposit box back at the Canterlot City branch. Is there anypony around here who can retrieve them for me?”

“Yes, there is. It will take a few hours, though. Should I place them into this bank for you?”

“That's fine with me. The number to the box is seven, four, six, three, four, one.”

Checking his listing, Filthy saw that the box was already in the Ponyville branch. Looking up from his paper he said, “Well, that's convenient. That safety deposit box is already here. If you would follow me, I can take you to it.”

“Wait, what? Sunset exclaimed, her eyes wide. “But, how can that be? I'm the only pony that should have been able to gain access to that box.”

Looking back at his paper, Filthy said, “Well, according to this, both you and Princess Celestia have your names on the sign-out order key form.”

“I see,” Sunset grumbled lightly. “Did she remove anything from the box that you are aware of?”

“Not that I know of, Ms. Shimmer. Now, I need to verify that you are who say you are. I was left some instructions from the princess herself. So, if you will follow me, please?”

Sunset followed Filthy to a nearby door, then through a long, marble hallway. To the right, Sunset took notice of various paintings that hung on the walls. To the left were giant, glass windows that allowed the sun to fill the hallway with a great deal of both light and warmth. Getting to another door, Filthy opened it, saying, “Inside, you’ll find an ink pad. Place your hoofprint to the paper you’ll find next to it, then I'll check it with the one we have on record. If your hoof matches, then you’ll be given full access to the safety box.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Sunset headed into the room, finding the ink pad and paper. After placing her hoof to the ink pad and pressing her hoof to the paper, she took it and headed back out. Using her magic, she gave the paper to Filthy, who carried it with him as the two headed back to his desk. Once there, he took out a large file, opened it, and shifted through it until he came to the one he was looking for. A few moments later, he looked up, smiled, and said, “Well, Ms. Shimmer, everything looks to be in order. Now, if you will please follow me, I’ll take you to the vault and let you have your security box.”

Sunset said nothing as the two walked to another nearby door. Sunset's mind kept wandering as she worried that Celestia had removed the papers and books she had left in there two years ago. Getting into the vault, Filthy opened the door, allowing Sunset to walk past him. Metal boxes of all sizes lined both the right and left walls of the vault. The center of the back wall had only one box. Getting a closer look at it, Sunset saw it had both her and Princess Celestia’s cutie marks on it. Filthy walked up to it, took the box out of the wall, and placed it on a counter top next to the wall.

“Thank you for doing this, Filthy,” Sunset began as she watched Filthy take out from his vest pocket a roll of keys. “Can I use some paper to write a letter to somepony? It's important.”

“Of course, you may. Stay in here as long as you want. There is a quill, some ink, and paper to the left of the countertop. Now, if you’ll use your magic, I can turn the key, and you’ll have the box all to yourself.”

“What? Oh, yes, of course.”

Sunset did as instructed. Using her magic, she and Filthy both unlocked the box. Once it was open, Filthy nodded to her, then left to take care of other customers. Sunset sat alone in the vault, looking over the contents of the box. She saw that all the papers she had left there two years ago were still there. Looking at the book she left, Sunset noticed an envelope sticking out from one of the pages within the book. Not wanting to be reminded of her pain from two years ago, Sunset quickly used her magic to take the envelope out of the box. Opening it with her magic, she saw it was a letter, and it was addressed to her from Princess Celestia.

Swallowing hard as she opened the letter, Sunset began to read.

Dear Sunset,

I don’t know if you will ever read this letter or if you will ever be able to forgive me for what happened to you at Crystal Ridge. That night was the absolute worst night of my life. I lost not only my student that night but my daughter, as well. It was worse than losing my sister. I know I should have loved you as my daughter, but I--

Sunset closed her eyes tightly. Not bothering to finish the letter, she folded it back up, placing it into the box. Looking to the quill and paper, Sunset used her magic to write another letter to Applejack. Once done, she placed it into her box and sighed. With her magic still active, she lifted the entire box up and carried it out of the vault. Finding Filthy at his desk, she said to him softly, “I need some sort of bag to carry everything within this box. Does your bank provide such accommodations?”

“Yes, we do. Let me get you a saddlebag, and then, you can carry your items without worrying about some other pony trying to get ahold of your belongings.”

Filthy left his desk, returning a few moments later with a fresh, brown saddlebag in his hooves. Sunset placed everything into the bag, then said, “I need to know how much I have in my account, and then I need to withdraw some bits.” Quickly remembering her letter to Applejack, Sunset continued, “I also need a wax seal made--”

“--of your cutie mark. That is already taken care of,” Filthy interrupted. “It is in my desk. Let me get it for you.”

Sunset nodded, then took out her letter to Applejack, folded it, and waited for Filthy to take out the wax seal. Taking out the seal, Filthy noticed a slightly confused look on Sunset's face and quickly said, “Princess Celestia had two seals made up for you. She said one was given to Princess Twilight. The other was kept here in case you wanted to come back and start writing to her again.”

Sunset said nothing. Taking the seal in her magic, Filthy lit the candles and let Sunset do the rest. After a few moments, Sunset pressed the seal to the wax. Once she was sure that her cutie mark was properly placed onto the new letter to Applejack, she nodded to Filthy, who took out his record-keeping book and hoofed through it. Finding Sunset's account, he looked up to her, saying with a slightly shocked look on his face, “According to our records, Ms. Shimmer, you have a sum total of sixty-two million ten bits.”

Sunset’s eyes widened with complete shock as she all but stammered on her words. “H-H-How is that even possible? I-I only had six hundred and ten in there two years ago.”

Checking again, Filthy saw who the deposit was from. “It would seem that one of the royals is the reason you have so much so, my dear. What would you like to do with this large amount of bits?”

Rolling her eyes--"Of course it was Celestia," she thought--Sunset said, “I want to set up a security deposit for Twilight Sparkle. In the event of my death, she is to inherit the entire amount. However, I want it to be very clearly stated to her that she is to use this money only to help Ponyville out. It's not to be used for frivolous things like clothing and making her home look more outlandish that it already does.”

Filthy quirked his eyebrow to Sunset, who stared back at him coolly. Clearing his throat, he said, “Of-Of course we can do that, but you do understand that she will need to put hoof to paper as well to make it all legal. I can have her do this without you being there, if it would--”

“I don’t give a buck what you must do, Mr. Rich. Just get this done!”

Swallowing hard and wondering why Sunset turned so cold so quickly, Filthy Rich very quickly began to set out the proper paperwork for Sunset to sign. Ten minutes went by before Sunset was done placing hoof to paper. Using her newly acquired wax seal on the last piece, she said, “Is that all or is there more for me to do?”

“No, no, that is all. You don’t have to do anything else.” Looking over the paperwork once more Filthy Rich smiled, then continued, “Now, how much do you want to take out, Ms. Shimmer.”

“Forty-six bits should be enough, I think.”

“Alright, Ms. Shimmer,” Filthy replied, getting up and heading over to the teller's station, returning a few moments later with a pouch in his teeth. “Here are your bits, and I hope to see you again sometime soon.”

Taking the bits in her magic, Sunset turned without a word to Filthy and left the bank, walked next door, and entered the apothecary's shop.

Visions of Betrayal (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset saw a silver bell in front of her when she enterd the shop. The bell had a sign in front of it which read, "Ring for service." She rang the bell, then heard, “I’ll be there in just a minute. Look around the shop. I'm sure you’ll find something to your liking.”

Sunset, hearing the soft, friendly voice coming from the back of the shop, placed a hoof to her chin in thought. “I know that voice.” Just as she saw the curtain begin to rise up to reveal the pony inside, she muttered, “It can’t be? Could it?”

A light-yellow-furred pony with a light-green mane and a daisy cutie mark came out from the back of the shop. She had a name tag that read, "Daisy Green". Her swollen belly wobbled slightly back and forth, and she let out a quick breath, placing a gentle hoof to her belly with a warm smile. As she was about to speak, Sunset said, “How far along are you? If I may I ask, that is.”

Daisy smiled kindly, replying gently, “Almost ten months. Although,” Daisy took another quick breath, letting out a soft sigh as she felt her unborn foal kick, then continued, “I have to admit that there have been times over the past few weeks that I just wanted this to be over with.”

"I can't say I blame you. Congratulations on the upcoming bundle of joy.”

"Thank you very much."

Daisy was about to sit down, when Sunset noticed a pillow off to her right. Sunset very quickly used her magic, pulling over the pillow for the mare to sit on. Daisy smiled when she noticed Sunset's actions. She sat down on the pillow, saying softly while still rubbing her belly, “My name is Daisy Green. Welcome to my shop.”

“Hello, Daisy. I'm Sunset. Do you sell Silver Bell tea here?”

“Yes, I do. That’ll be six bits, please.”

Sunset placed her bits onto the counter, then looked around the shop while Daisy counted the bits, placing them into her register once finished. While Daisy headed into the back of her shop, Sunset took notice of a brown, leather book on the countertop sitting next to Daisy’s register. Using her magic, Sunset opened the book to one of the ear-marked pages and began to read.

“The Fuchsia divaricata plant is a very rare, tiny plant and can be found anywhere near rivers and lakes. It blooms year-round. It has tiny, spear-shaped leaves, which are usually dark yellow. It also grows decent-sized flowers, which can be orange, dark bronze, and dark silver. These plants grow within short distances from each other, but it's easy to control and maintain their growth. The plant is highly toxic and can be used as pest control in gardens but must be kept away from any plants or crops that are to be eaten. The plant’s leaves can cause a condition in ponies known as Sleep Syndrome. Ponies suffering from Sleep Syndrome lapse into a coma from which they will never awaken. Currently, there is no known cure for Sleep Syndrome. The only animals that are currently known to be immune or resistant to this plant's poison are bugbears and all species of birds. Other defense mechanisms of this plant are its foul-tasting stems and roots and its sharp green or bright-yellow thorns under the flowers.”

A few moments after reading the excerpt, Sunset closed it, muttering to herself, “I hope I can find this plant. It'll make doing what I need to do so much easier.”

Sunset didn’t notice Daisy returning from the back of her shop until she heard, “Here is your order, Sunset. Is there anything else that I can do for you today?”

“What?” Sunset looked up, a bit surprised as she continued, “Oh, no, thank you. That'll be all for today. Thanks again.” Sunset took her order in her magic, then trotted out of the shop. Looking across the street, she saw Spike sitting next to Derpy on a bench. Spike looked worn out and was huffing and puffing, while Derpy hopped about playfully. Neither noticed her. “Well, well. It likes like those two had fun. I bet Derpy gave Spike a good chase,” Sunset muttered.

Turning eastward, Sunset saw a small garden. Remembering what she had read in Daisy’s book, Sunset trotted over to it. Looking at the garden more closely, to her delight, Sunset saw the plant she was looking for. Before making her move, she returned to the apothecary. Daisy saw Sunset enter the shop and raised her eyebrow, smirking. "Heh, turns out I forgot a few things after all," Sunset said, chuckling nervously.
Browsing the shelves, she soon found a sturdy pestle and mortar and a small flask, each with tags that priced them at ten bits and six bits, respectively. Returning to the counter, she gave the items to Daisy along with sixteen bits.

"Thanks, Sunset. Now, are you sure there's nothing else you need?" Daisy asked, chuckling.

"No, I'm sure this time. Thanks, Daisy."

Waving goodbye, Sunset turned around and left the shop. Getting back to the garden, Sunset used her magic to discreetly pick several small hoof fulls of the toxic plant. Once her task was complete, Sunset stuffed them into her saddlebags to crush later and returned to Spike and Derpy.

“Are you two ready to go back to the castle, Spike?” Sunset asked with a slightly unconvincing smile on her face. “I need to get back to school.”

Spike wiped some sweat from his head then nodded, showing Sunset how to get back to the castle. Spike turned to leave, with Derpy hoping about, playful as ever. When he noticed the new saddlebag on Sunset's back, he said, “Hey Sunset, what's in the bag?”

“Oh, just some, uh,” Sunset pushed some dirt around with her hoof as she thought of something to say, “uh, some gifts for my parents back home. Now, I don’t have time for a game of twenty questions, Spike. I really do need to get back to school. Lunch will be over soon, and I can’t afford to be late to class.”

“Oh, right. Well, if you'll follow me, I’ll show you how to get back to the castle.”

A few moments later, Sunset found herself walking the hallway back to where the mirror was kept. As Spike yawned as he walked close behind her, Sunset turned to him, saying softly, “How about you tell me which way to go from here, Spike. I’ll take it from here. That way, you can get some sleep.”

Spike looked up at her with tired, sleepy eyes, saying, “Alright. Just go four more doors down from here. The door you want is the one with Twilight's cutie mark on it.”

“Thank you, Spike.” Sunset pulled the little baby dragon into her, hugging him warmly. Spike thought he felt tears dripping onto his head but quickly brushed the thought away as Sunset continued, “I’ll miss you.” Setting him down, Sunset turned and walked on ahead before the little dragon could say anything to her.

As she walked down the corridor, she heard two voices through a doorway to her right. One was clearly Twilight’s, while the other was Princess Celestia's.

“--dangerous, Princess. Why can’t you see that?”

“Because I think she can still be reformed, Twilight.”

“She wouldn’t know how to be good if you hit her with the Elements of Harmony!”

“What would you have me to do, Twilight? Just give up on her like I did before?”

“Yes! You know what she's done! Mind control, attempted murder, declaring war on you, the list goes on! For the good of all of Equestria, you have to stay away from her! She can't be redeemed.” Sunset’s eyes went wide with fear before she closed them tightly in sorrow. “She belongs in Tartarus, where she can’t hurt anypony else.”

Having heard enough, Sunset stepped through the door, catching Twilight and Princess Celestia off guard as she sobbed out, “I thought you were my friend, Twilight.”

“What?” Twilight began, shocked to see Sunset standing in the doorway with tears running down her cheeks. “Sunset, how long have you been out there?”

“Long enough to know that I can’t trust you! You're just like her!” she shouted, pointing her hoof towards Princess Celestia. “All you care about is yourself!”

“Sunset, what--” Princess Celestia began.

“SHUT UP!”

“Sunset! You can’t talk to royalty like tha--”

Without thinking, Sunset fired her magic at Twilight, hitting her squarely in the chest and sending her right into a nearby wall. Twilight yelped out in pain when she hit the wall. After checking to make sure Twilight was alright, Princess Celestia turned to Sunset, saying, “Sunset, please calm down. Don’t make--”

“I said shut up! I am fucking tired of you and all your fucking horseshit!” Before Sunset knew what was happening, her body burst into green flames, and her eyes went as black as coal “You think it was my fault for what happened to her, don't you!” Sunset screamed. “You think it was my fault for what happened to your damn daughter!” Sunset blasted Celestia in the chest, knocking her back a few feet.

“Sunset, please, don’t do this.” Princess Celestia tried to push Sunset's continued barrage aside but failed. “Sunset, please don’t repeat what happened two years ago.”

Sunset continued to rain fire on Princess Celestia, and it was all the latter could do to keep from falling over. The strain on Celestia was almost too much to bear as she used her own magic to keep Sunset from sending her flying through a wall behind her. “Sunset, listen to me! I can--”

“I am tired of listening to your lies!” Sunset spat back in rage, her power only growing with her anger “All my fucking life, you lied to me about everything!” With one final blast of magic, Sunset sent Princess Celestia flying through the wall. Turning to leave, Sunset continued through bitter, cold tears, “I hate you! I hate both of you! I trusted you both, and you both fucking used me!”

Sunset bolted from the room, thick tears streaming down her orange cheeks. Spike who had heard the commotion, came into the hallway to see what all the yelling was about, only to get knocked over by Sunset. Before he could say anything, Sunset picked herself up and ran to the mirror room. Kicking the door open with her front hooves, she ran up to the mirror and jumped through it.

Meanwhile, a very bewildered Twilight picked herself up off the floor, followed by a sobbing Princess Celestia. Twilight had thick welts covering her entire body, from her snout to her hind legs, and Princess Celestia fared no better. As she picked her aching body up off the floor, Princess Celestia sobbed out, “Not again. I can’t lose my baby again.”

Not sure what her mentor meant, Twilight helped Princess Celestia over to the nearby couch, setting her down onto its soft cushions. Twilight tended to Princess Celestia’s injuries. Once she was satisfied, Twilight headed into the hallway, soon finding Spike running towards her. As they approached each other, he said, “Sunset ran off towards the mirror. I think she went through it. She looked really upset. What happened?”

“I don't know. I'm very worried, though. Losing her friends, her home, her mentor, her reputation, I think it all caused her to have a mental breakdown.”

“Well, I'm sure you'd be able to help her.”

“That's just it, Spike. I don’t know if anyone can help her. She might even go so far as to stop trusting the Cakes, the two she's closest to in that world. Once that happens, who knows what she’ll do? Come on, we need to go.”

Twilight and Spike headed for the mirror room, stopping when they heard, “Twilight! Oh, thank Celestia we found you!” Looking up, Twilight saw Rainbow Dash zooming toward her. Rainbow continued, “AJ and I were hiking with Apple Bloom, scoots and Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom fell off the side of the mountain, and now we can't find her! You gotta help us.”

“But I--”

“Now, Twilight!” Rainbow flew towards an open window, yelling back just before she flew out, “This is AJ’s little sister we're talking about, here!”

Looking between the window and the mirror room and panicking, Twilight pointed her hoof towards the mirror room door, yelling out as she took to the air, “Spike, go after Sunset. I’ll catch up when I can.”

“Got it, Twilight. I’ll help her.” Spike gulped as he ran towards the door, opened it, then jumped towards the portal. “Somehow.”

Spike landed outside of CHS, rolling slightly. He picked himself up just in time to see Sunset enter the school. Running up to the door, Spike found it was too heavy and too big for a little purple dog to pry open by himself. Trying to get anyone's attention, Spike started whining and pawing at the front door desperately. If Sunset heard him, she gave no indication of it as she made her way to her locker.

Consequences (Edited by Icecreammac)

Rarity made her way down the hallway to Principal Celestia’s office, head down in trepidation for the scolding she was sure to receive, which caused her to miss Sunset dashing right past her down the hallway. Getting to the office, Rarity knocked on the door, hearing from behind it, “Come in, please.”

Opening the door, Rarity saw her father and Mr. Cake both sitting in front of Celestia’s desk. Principal Celestia looked up at her, motioning for Rarity to enter. Rarity quickly took a seat next to her father, hanging her head low.

“Now that we are all here,” Principal Celestia began coolly with a slight hint of anger in her normally regal voice, “I would like to ask you a question, Miss Belle.”

Rarity looked up, saying softly, “Alright.”

“Sunday evening, before Sunset left your home, did you or did you not give her a bottle of wine and Scotch to take home with her?”

Rarity gulped, thinking to herself, “Sunset couldn’t have drunk all of that liquor by herself, could she?” Looking to her father, she saw only anger coming from him. Turning back to face Celestia, Rarity saw only sadness in her principal’s eyes, causing her to look down. “Y-Yes, I gave those items to her, but I--”

“How could you do something so stupid!?” Rarity looked at her father, who glared at her as he continued, “Do you have any idea of the trouble that you have brought to our family, Rarity?”

“But, Father, I was--”

“Miss Belle,” Carrot began coldly, looking down at Celestia’s desk, “What you have just admitted to only confirms what I've been afraid of.”

“And what would that be, Mr. Cake?” Rarity asked with a slightly worried look on her face.

“I have come to fear that you are not and have never been the friend that my daughter so greatly defended to us this morning.”

Getting up, Celestia said coldly to Rarity, “Miss Belle, this is a very serious problem. You are very lucky nothing serious happened to Miss Shimmer last night.” Sitting back down and interlocking her fingers together, Celestia continued, “Rest assured, there will be consequences for what you have done.”

Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but her father cut her off, almost growling, “You have acted very shamefully. Sunset was a guest in our house trying to make amends for something that I am convinced she didn’t do. And how do you treat her? You spend the entire night insulting her, and then you give her alcohol when I specifically told you not to do so. And let's not forget that she's underage! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was, Rarity?”

“But, Father, her photo made me the laughing stock of the entire school!”

“Miss Belle,” Mr. Cake began, nearly wanting to strangle Rarity, “I don’t give a wet skunk's ass as to what you think my daughter has done or has not done. You should've been the bigger person and refused to allow those comments to affect you. No matter where you are in life, there will always be people who will make fun of you. The best thing to do is move on and refuse to let it hurt you. The worst thing to do is be petty and commit a crime that could seriously hurt someone!”

Rarity, not liking where the conversation was going, spat back, “But she attacked Pinkie and Rainbow, as well as--”

“Enough!” Celestia snarled as she continued, “While I don't condone violence, especially in school, it's about time Sunset stood up to you and to your friends, Miss Belle, friends that should have been by her side and should have been helping her to deal with this rather than turning against her, as you all have done.”

“B-But I--” Rarity stammered, “She, I mean, I--”

Mr. Cake got up from his chair, causing Rarity to end her blubbering. “I wanted to give my daughter a chance to make things right with you and your friends, but I can see that isn’t going to happen.”

“So it’s true, then? When Sunset said that you're going to pull her from school?” Rarity said, looking down as tears began to fall down her cheeks as she finally started to see the consequences of all she's done. “Please, give us one more chance to make this right! I swear, we--”

“Why should I give any of you the chance to make this worse for her! Give me one good reason why I should do that, Miss Belle!”

Looking up into his eyes as Mr. Cake stared her down, Rarity sniffed, saying as her tears fell freely down her cheeks, “I can’t. I can't think of any good reason.” Looking down, she continued, “No, I need to make this right with her. If you pull her from school, then my friends and I won’t be able to do that.”

“Carrot,” Celestia began calmly, “I can help them make this right. Perhaps I can set up a meeting place for all the girls to get together. Then, we can let Sunset say her piece and perhaps put this behind us.”

Mr. Cake replied bitterly, “Celestia, I like you and your sister a lot. Your family has been very good to mine. But I'm sorry, I don't think that's a good idea. I think Sunset's been through enough.”

“But are you sure pulling her out is the only way? I'm sure that if you give me time, I can--”

“Time!?” Mr. Cake spat, nearly screaming, “You've had all the fucking time in the world to take care of this mess and have done nothing, I'm sorry to say. My daughter has cried more times than I can count, and plenty of those times were because of this girl and her damn friends. They all promised Twilight to take care of my daughter, to teach her how to be a good friend.” Locking eyes with Celestia, Mr. Cake continued, “Well, we both know that was nothing more than a lie told by five brats that wouldn’t know the first fucking thing about friendship. So, yes, Celestia, I will be taking my daughter out of this damn school and starting someplace away from this mess where she can get the help she needs.” Mr. Cake spun on his heel before Celestia could stop him and left her office.

Spike pawed desperately at the front door, trying to get in, not noticing a girl with grey skin and bright-yellow hair coming up behind him. She knelt down and picked him up, causing Spike to let out a yelp of shock.

“How did you get stuck out here, doggy? Where are your owners?” A bubbly voice asked, and Spike felt the voice's owner nuzzle him with her cheek. “Come on, let's get you inside. I can take you to Fluttershy. She should be able to help you.”

Spike, hearing he was about to go see Fluttershy and knowing she could help him, let out a happy bark, causing the girl to laugh. Opening the door and walking into the school, the girl said happily to him, “My name is Derpy Hooves. I think I’ll call you Barky.”

Spike whimpered at this but did little else while Derpy held him in her arms, making her way down the hallway towards Fluttershy’s locker. Seeing Fluttershy limping through the hallway a few moments later, Derpy set Spike down and rushed over to her saying, “Oh, Fluttershy! What happened to you?”

“I was--” Fluttershy stopped mid-sentence when she saw Spike running towards her. “SPIKE!” Falling to her butt, Fluttershy held out her arms to him, letting the purple dog jump into her arms. “Oh, Spike, I am so happy to see you.” Getting up as Spike jumped about happily, Fluttershy continued softly, “I need to get something from Vinyl's locker before going to Principal Celestia’s office, Spike. This will only take a minute.”

Getting to Vinyl's locker a few moments later with Derpy's help, Fluttershy unlocked the locker and took out the folder inside. Opening it up, she saw it was a police report detailing a rape that took place two years ago. After reading the entire file and seeing the names of the victim and the perpetrator, Fluttershy was left speechless and horrified. Derpy, who had read the file over Fluttershy's shoulder, said sullenly, “Come on, let's get you two to Principal Celestia’s office. You can show this to her.”

“Alright.” Looking to Spike, who sat down with his ears drooping low, Fluttershy continued, “Come on, Spike. We need to get this file to Celestia and warn her about what the Stallions are planning.”

On the way to the office, Fluttershy filled Spike in on what was happening at CHS, and Spike filled Fluttershy in as to what happened in Equestria.

“So Twilight won’t be coming through the portal, then?” Fluttershy asked sadly. “We could really use her help right now.”

“I know, Fluttershy, but let's get to Principals Celestia’s office first so we can deal with the Stallion brothers.”

“Alright.”

Finally reaching Celestia's office, Derpy was about to open the door for Fluttershy, when they heard, “Young lady, as of right now, you are grounded. No recreational computer or phone use, and your sewing room is off-limits until I say otherwise. Do you fully understand me?”

“Yes, Father, I do.”

Not wanting to waste any more time, Fluttershy mustered up her courage and walked into Principal Celestia's office without knocking.

Principal Celestia looked up at her, saying, “Uh, yes, Miss Shy? Is there something I can help you with?”

“Yes. I think Sunset is in danger. I overheard the Stallion brothers a little while ago. They're planning on hurting Sunset.”

Standing up from her desk, Celestia grabbed a nearby walky-talky, saying to Rarity, “Miss Belle, return to class, please, then report to detention hall 106 after school.” Looking to Fluttershy, she conintuned, “Miss Shy, I want you to stay here. I will deal with this matter.” Noticing the file in Fluttershy’s hand, Celestia said, “What is that file, Miss Shy?”

“It's on Vinyl Scratch. It's...It's awful.”

“I see.” Celestia took the file from Fluttershy, read through part of it, then set it down on her desk. Taking out her phone, she dialed Brushed Jade's number. While waiting for Jade to pick up, Celestia continued, “Alright, Mr. Belle, I believe this concludes our meeting. While I agree with you that Rarity should be punished for what she did, are you sure you want me to go through with this?”

“I am. I want my daughter in detention and out of all school activities for the next ten months. I also want her removed from any and all fashion shows that your school might be putting on.” Seeing that Rarity was about to say something, Mr. Belle quickly said to her, “Don’t even think of protesting, young lady. You are lucky that this all you have to face. You could be in jail for what you did to Sunset. As a member of the Belle family, you will take this punishment without complaint. Do you fully understand me, young lady!”

Rarity gulped, then nodded. Getting up, she said to Fluttershy, “I am sorry, dear, but I won’t be able to help you make that dress you wanted for a while.”

“It's alright, Rarity. We can make it some other time.”

Rarity left the office, leaving a very confused Fluttershy to look at Mr. Belle, asking softly, “What happened? It sounded serious.”

“Rarity got Sunset Shimmer drunk, which led to other issues. I am very happy to hear that Sunset made it through the night safely. She could have frozen to death last night due to what my daughter did to her.” Looking down, he continued, “I know you think that grounding her for ten months and placing her into detention is harsh, Miss Shy, but please look at it from my point of view. Sunset got liquor from my home, liquor that, in her state of mind, could have done some really awful things to her. I don’t think putting Rarity into detention for ten months is too harsh, not when you consider the potential ramifications of what she did.”

Celestia, having connected with Brushed Jade, said, “Jade, I need you here right now. We've got some critical information that I can't discuss over the phone but does involve the police.”

Celestia hung up, then left her office to go find Sunset and the Stallion brothers. Mr. Belle left as well, leaving Fluttershy, Spike and Derpy behind to wonder to what to do next. Turing to face Celestia’s desk, Fluttershy picked up the file, then hobbled out of the office with Spike in tow. Derpy started to follow but quickly got distracted and headed off in another direction, leaving Fluttershy and Spike to find Sunset on their own.

Battle for Apple Bloom (Edited by Icecreammac)

Twilight and Rainbow flew high above the Everfree Forest, looking downward for any sign of Apple Bloom. Twilight had made sure to send her friends in different directions to help in the search. What she didn't account for, however, was a young warrior making her way through the forest, who stopped when she heard, “Somepony, help me. Please, anypony, Ah need help.”

The warrior ran toward the cries for help and skidded to a halt when she saw a small, yellow pony with a red mane sitting near a tree. Slowly approaching the pony, the warrior raised her hands up in peace, saying gently, “Are you alright?”

Apple Bloom looked up, and gasped. The creature in front of her was big and stood on two legs, holding a shield in one hand and carrying a backpack on its back. Weapons were everywhere on its body. Overall, It almost looked like a Minotaur, with it's bulky-looking, metal arms and torso, but going by the helmet covering its head, it didn't have a bull's head. In short, it was a creature Apple Bloom never saw before. But it wanted to help. Crying out in pain, Apple Bloom answered, “No, my right hind leg really hurts.”

Looking to the leg in question, the young warrior said softly, “I can help you. Can I get closer?”

Apple Bloom sniffed, rubbing her front hoof under her nose, saying as tears streamed down her cheeks, “Yer not gonna hurt me, are ya?” Continuing to sniff, Apple Bloom continued “What's yer name? And what are ya?”

The warrior smiled, though her helmet's visor prevented Apple Bloom from seeing it, and replied kindly, lowering her hands, “My name is Eventide Shimmer Soleil. As for what I am, that's...complicated.” Taking a step towards Apple Bloom and taking her backpack off, Eventide continued, “I promise I won’t hurt you. What's your name?”

Apple Bloom sniffed, trying to dry her tears. “My name is Apple Bloom. Ah was hiking with my friends, and...and I...”

Putting a gloved finger to her snout, Eventide soothingly said, “Shh, it’s alright, Apple Bloom.” Looking down at the pony's hind leg, Eventide continued, “I hate to say it, but your leg is broken. If I don’t set it, it'll heal wrongly, and the damage might be permanent.”

“Is it going to hurt?”

“Yes, it will. I promise I'll try to make it quick.”

“Alright.”

Standing up, Eventide set her shield down next to Apple Bloom, reached up into the tree behind her, and broke off a couple of branches to use as splints. She took out a small roll of cloth from a pouch strapped to her breastplate and tore it into long strips, laying them down next to Apple Bloom. She then pulled out one of her twelve daggers that she had strapped to various places throughout her body and armor and stripped the branches of bark.

Placing another stick into the pony's mouth, Eventide said softly, “Alright, Apple Bloom, I want you to count as best you can while holding this stick in your mouth from ten to one. When you get to one, I’ll pop your bone back into place.”

“Alright,” Apple Bloom replied, biting down on the stick and counting as she felt Eventide's hands come to rest on her hind leg. “Then, nine, eighth--”

A quick, loud crack interrupted her, and Apple Bloom spat the stick out, screaming in pain. Before she could react, Eventide quickly tied the branches to Apple Bloom's leg. Looking at Eventide's work, Apple Bloom smiled once she had calmed down enough to do so.“Thanks. It does feel kinda better. Could ya take off yer helmet. Ah wanna see who helped me.”

“I'm sorry, Apple--”

Eventide's words fell short as the sound of branches breaking from behind her quickly caught her attention. Spinning around, both Eventide and Apple Bloom saw an eight-foot-tall Minotaur stepping out from behind several trees. Looking to Apple Bloom, the Minotaur said grimly, “Ah, there you are, pony. You got a date with Queen Chrysalis, and I got a place in her army.”

Apple Bloom looked at the Minotaur, screaming out, “Get away from me! I ain't goin' with you!”

Hearing this Eventide quickly stepped between the minotaur and Apple Bloom as she had picked up her shield and began drawing one of her two axes. “You would use a child to get yourself into an army, beast!?” Taking a step forward, Eventide gripped her axe tightly in her right hand while she hefted her shield with her left. She swung her axe, slamming its hammer against her shield with a loud thunk. “If you want her, then," Eventide took another step forward, screaming, "COME AND GET HER!”

The Minotaur pulled out a spiked mace, shouting, "When somepony tries to block, show them that you rock!"

Apple Bloom watched in horror as the minotaur raised his mace and charged towards Eventide, taking a swing at her. Eventide surprised him by quickly ducking out of the way, allowing the mace to slam into her shield, then countered with an attack of her own. Bringing her axe down towards his head, Eventide had failed to notice a curved, metal blade strapped to the minotaur's left arm. Seeing the attack coming, the minotaur very quickly blocked Eventide's attack, then flat-palmed her in the center of her breastplate, sending her stumbling backwards. Eventide hit a boulder that lay behind her with a thud. Falling to her knees, she screamed in pain, “Fuck!”

Thinking the battle was over, the Minotaur lowered his guard as he approached the very frightened Apple Bloom. Seeing him approach the filly, Eventide quickly got back on her feet, shouting, “Hey, asshole!” The Minotaur turned toward her, and Eventide ran forward, screaming as she pulled her daggers from her bracers and threw out her arms, letting the daggers fly towards Iron Will, “I’m not done with you yet!”

The minotaur stumbled backwards, trying to dodge the incoming projectiles but getting hit in his right shoulder by one of them. The other three somehow stuck firmly into his wooden, spiked mace. Quickly looking from the weapon to Eventide as she charged him, he snorted out, “You wanna play rough with Iron Will? Then Iron Will's gonna bring the pain!” Iron will brought his weapon into a downward swing, Eventide raising her shield just in time.

The powerful attack broke Eventide's shield in two, leaving her with a nearly broken arm. Grabbing her by the throat, Iron Will picked Eventide up, holding her in the air, he quickly reached under her helmet, saying, “Let's get this out of the way. Wouldn't want you to miss Iron Will's fist coming for you.”

Iron will yanked her helmet off, throwing it towards Apple Bloom. At the sight of Eventide's face, Iron Will dropped her and stumbling backward in surprise. “You're the ugliest Minotaur Iron Will's ever seen. What happened to your face?”

“Fuck you,” Eventide spat back, drawing her second battle axe and charging in again.

Iron Will was completely caught off guard as Eventide hooked his right arm, pulling him towards the ground. Vaulting over his arm and twisting to the right, she ripped his mace out of his hand, sending the weapon flying. Trying to grab onto the curved blade, Eventide left herself open to attack. Seizing the moment, Iron Will pulled forward, pulling Eventide off balance.

"Take this!" Iron Will screamed out as he grabbed her by the neck and belt, heaving her through the air towards another bolder near Apple Bloom. As she flew, she decided to make a last-ditch effort and flung the last of her gauntlets' daggers, luckily striking Iron Will in the left arm. Hitting the boulder with a painful thud, Eventide screamed out in pain. Iron will laughed coldly, “Iron Will thinks you've had enough--”

Iron Will stopped mid-sentence when he saw Eventide climbing back to her feet, glaring angrily back at him. Grabbing both axes and swinging them threateningly, she screamed in rage and charged at Iron Will.

"How are you still getting up?!" Iron Will's eyes went wide with fear as he continued. "Get back, you Tartarus-born monster!"

Iron Will madly threw his fist toward her face. Eventide, seeing the obvious opening, ducked under his arm, weaving around his right side and hooking her axe around his leg. Yanking, she brought the behemoth to the ground.

“You fucked with the wrong person,” Eventide snarled as she stood over him, “Now, you’re gonna get your just desserts. Send my regards to the goddess Hella.”

Iron Will watched as she raised her axes over her head to attempt a killing blow. Looking toward her legs, he saw his opening. Sweeping her legs out from under her, Iron Will smirked as Eventide hit the ground.

“Ha!” Iron WIll snorted out. “Take that, you little pest.”

Iron Will knelt down and slammed his hand around her throat, squeezing as he used a hoof to keep her body still. Thinking quickly, Eventide drew a knife she held in a sheath on her back and stabbed him twice in the forearm holding her down.

Iron Will roared out in rage and pain. "I'll kill you!"

Iron Will switched hands, grabbing her by the throat with the arm that wasn't just stabbed twice. He yanked up to her feet, just to rush and slam her into a nearby tree, nearly knocking her unconscious and forcing her to drop her dagger. Satisfied that she lay motionless, Iron Will moved back toward Apple Bloom.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” With some effort, Eventide opened her eyes to watch in horror as Iron Will made his way over to the very frightened little pony, picking her up by her front leg. Iron Will tucked her under his left forearm as she screamed out “EVENTIDE, HELP!”

Eventide pushed herself to her knees. Judging the distance between them, she pulled her bow off of her back. Nocking an arrow, she screamed out, getting Iron Will's attention as she took aim, “ODIN!” Eventide drew back on the bow as she continued, her vision blurring badly. “GUIDE!” Eventide pulled the bowstring to near breaking. “MY!” With a quick breath, she let loose the arrow as she screamed, “HAND!” The arrow flew through the air, striking Iron Will in his left ear, severing the top of his ear off, causing him to drop Apple Bloom, who yelped as she hit the ground.

Iron Will screamed and yelled, "That's it! Iron Will's gonna pulverize you so hard there'll be no doubt you're dead!"

Smirking to herself and shaking her vision clear, Eventide grabbed her axe from the ground near her and waited. Iron Will swung his blade, which she ducked under. Seeing her opening, Eventide brought the hammer of her axe down into Iron Will’s right knee. A loud, sickening crack was heard as Iron Will hit the ground, holding his right knee in his hands he screamed in rage and pain.

“I’ll kill you! I'll kill all of you! You, that pony, her friends, her fam--” His words fell short as Eventide, overcome by rage, grabbed him by horns, slamming his head into a nearby boulder.

Standing over him, she used her boot to drive his head into the boulder over and over, punctuating every word with another stomp. "You. Will. Not. Hurt. This. PONY!"

Apple Bloom watched in horror as Iron Will’s head hit the boulder over and over, eventually ending with his left horn breaking from the side of his head as his face bled from the repeated impact, staining the boulder in red. Hearing the cracking noise, Apple Bloom squeezed her eyes closed, tears falling down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe the brutality she was witnessing.

Letting Iron Will go, Eventide quickly found her ax and swung it downward, aiming to kill her opponent.

"Sweet Celestia's hooves, she's gonna do it. She's really gonna kill him." Apple Bloom thought to herself. Apple Bloom yelped out in pain, trying to stand as she watched in ever-growing horror through teary eyes. "Ah can't let this go on anymore. Iron Will's a monster, but even he doesn't deserve this." she continued to think to herself as she watched Eventide bringing down her ax towards Iron Wills head.

“STOP!”

Stopping her swing a few inches from Iron Will's face, Eventide turned and saw Apple Bloom trying to stand, a look of pure fear on her face.

“Don’t kill him! Please. Ah know he's done wrong, but Ah'm begging ya not to hurt him anymore.”

Finally calmed down, Eventide saw exactly what she did to Iron Will. She brought her hand to her head and suddenly remembered that Iron Will had taken off her helmet during the fight. Eventide quickly covered her face as she looked around, shouting "NO! Where's my helmet?"

Eventide’s eyes darted around the battlefield until they fell to her helmet, which was near a few nearby trees. She quickly put in on, turned back to Apple Bloom and said, “Alright, Apple Bloom, I won’t kill him.” She let out a soft breath as she continued, “After everything that happened, after seeing what I look like, do you still want me to help you?”

Apple Bloom cautiously said, “Y-Yeah. Just please stop fightin'.”

“Alright.” Eventide knelt down next to her pack and pulled her out her signal horn. Raising it to her face with her visor down, she said, “You might want to cover your ears, Apple Bloom.”

“Why?”

"Because this is going to be very loud," Eventide replied.

Needing no more convincing, Apple Bloom quickly covered her ears with her front hooves. Eventide pressed the horn to a hole in the center of her visor and blew loudly into it, letting loose a horrid noise that sounded like a dying cow getting humped by a lovesick moose while getting honked at by a raving goose.

The horn's sound was soon followed by a loud, very mournful howl. Before Apple Bloom could say anything, Eventide put away her horn, took out her blanket, and gently wrapped Apple Bloom like a baby.

"There, all warm and toasty now. All we have to do is wait for a friend to show up."

Sitting down with her back against the tree, Eventide cradled Apple Bloom like the pony were her newborn daughter. Apple Bloom tried to protest but soon found herself falling fast asleep in Eventide's gentle rocking arms. Eventide looked over to Iron Will, noticing he was just climbing back to his hooves. Seeing that he was too weak and injured to continue fighting, she paid him little attention as she continued to rock Apple Bloom in her arms. Iron Will sat against the boulder, injured but alive, thinking of his fight with Eventide before passing out from his injuries.

“Hurry, Timber. I need your help.” Eventide muttered to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard, “Looks like you got yourself a nice little burrito there, Eventide. Something to snack on while you wait?”

Growling at the unseen speaker, Eventide snarled, “Shut up, Elf!"

Beatdown (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset raced to her locker, thankfully without interruption. Once there, Sunset set down her backpack, quickly taking out the books, Applejack’s letter, and the Fuchsia Divaricata. Sunset put everything into her locker except the poisonous plant and mortar. She very quickly crushed up the plant and added it to her water flask, placing it into her left inside jacket pocket once finished.

“You're going to pay for what you posted about our mom,” a masculine, angry voice said suddenly, and Sunset felt herself get grabbed from behind. “I’ll make you pay for what you did to this school, Anon-a-Miss.” The assailant wrenched her head backwards, and Sunset’s eyes locked with Dumbbell's for a split second. “This is for making a fool out of me and everyone at this school, you little bitch!”

Dumbbell slammed Sunset's head into her locker. Pulling her head back for another strike, he noticed that instead of anger or fear, sorrow was all he saw in her cyan eyes. He yelled, “What’s wrong, Sunset? Not gonna fight back? You're just gonna take your punishment? Fine by me!”

Dumbbell brought Sunset’s head down again, hitting her locker with a loud, sickening thud. The sound attracted students to the fight, each of them chanting, "Fight. Fight. Fight," on and on. Dumbbell his confidence rising with the chant, let go of Sunset, allowing her to slump against her locker.

With her back against her locker, Sunset said, “You're just like me, Dumbbell: just a lost, scared child.” Getting up and spitting at him, Sunset continued as the glob hit Dumbbell in the face, “One day, this school will see it, and then, you’ll lose everything. Just like I did.” Looking down, whatever fight she had in her left her, and Sunset continued, “So, go ahead. Do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Furious at being spit on and at Sunset's insults, Dumbbell quickly landed another punch, followed by stomping on her left ankle. He threw another punch, breaking her nose and sending her spinning to the floor. As she fell, her right eye hit the staple of her padlock, and she saw stars as she hit the floor.

“Come on, Sunset. This isn’t going to be any fun if you don’t fight back.” Dumbbell taunted as he lunged in, hitting Sunset's back several times. His powerful hands felt like bricks on her spine. “I’ll show you what we do to cyberbullies.”

Sunset didn’t bother to move out of the way, instead allowing Dumbbell to barrage her and scream profanities at her. The crowd cheered him on as he screamed, “WHY WON’T YOU FIGHT BACK, YOU BITCH?”

Grabbing Sunset by her hair again, Dumbbell yanked Sunset’s head back, again locking eyes with her. Only this time, instead of sadness, Dumbbell saw something that made him even more angry. Sunset actually smiled as she said softly, “What you're doing to me doesn’t matter. I lost everything, Dumbbell. I just don't care anymore.”

Dumbbell thrust her head forward. “YOU!” He pulled her head back for another strike. “WILL!” He slammed her head forward again. “SCREAM!” Dumbbell pulled Sunset's head back for a third strike. “FOR!” This time, her right eye caught the padlock's staple again, and this time, a sickening crack was heard. “ME!”

Letting go of Sunset, he watched as she hit the ground with a thud. Before she could relax, Dumbbell began to kick her hard in the ribs. He continued to kick her until he was sure her ribs were broken. Bending down, and grabbing her by the arm, Dumbbell dragged Sunset over to a nearby display case. Before anyone could say anything or try to stop him, Dumbbell threw Sunset face-first into the display case with all his might. The glass of the case broke upon impact, badly cutting up her face. As blood gushed from her face and scalp, Sunset heard the students start to praise Dumbbell.

“Yeah, beat her up real good, Dumbbell!”

“Yeah, teach Anon-a-Miss a lesson! Make that little bitch pay for what she did to us!”

"Finally, Anon-a-Miss is getting what's coming to her!"

Sunset was barely able to open her right eye as she scanned the surrounding students for any sign of her former friends. Seeing Rainbow standing in the growing crowd, Sunset reached out for her. “Rainbow, please,” Sunset coughed as she felt Dumbbell's foot collide with her right knee, twisting her knee badly. “I need you, Rainbow.”

"Finally calling for help, huh?" Dumbbell quickly grabbed Sunset's outstretched hand and broke three of her fingers. With a sick laugh, he sneered as she screamed, “How did that feel, you little cunt? I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.”

Dumbbell hoisted Sunset up onto her feet again, landing another blow to her right eye, followed by a knee to her stomach. Sunset toppled over, hitting the ground with a thump. Sunset laid motionless while she felt Dumbbell kick her multiple times in her stomach and ribs, each blow getting more and more powerful and difficult to withstand. She closed her eyes, praying for it all to be over soon.

Fluttershy having gotten to the fight too late to stop it, yelled out to her, “For God's sake, Sunset, fight back!” Turning to the crowd, she cried as tears fell down her cheeks, “Someone, please, help her! This is awful!”

Dumbbell laughed coldly, picking her up again and slamming her face-first into a wall, breaking and chipping several of her teeth. Again, Sunset heard Fluttershy’s voice crying out to the crowd, “Please, someone help her!”

“Rainbow.” Sunset once again tried to reach out to her, only to watch Rainbow walk away from her. “I'm begging you, Rainbow.”

Slumping to the side from the multiple blows she was taking, the Demon's Heart rolled out of her pocket, stopping a short distance away. Worried, Sunset rolled over to her stomach, crawling towards the Demon's Heart.

“Where do you think you're going, you whore?” Dumbbell sneered as he watched her try to crawl away. “I'm not done with you yet. Not by a long shot.”

Seeing what Sunset was trying to reach for, Dumbbell stomped on her hand to halt her progress. Standing over Sunset, Dumbbell knelt down picked it and said, “What have we here Sunset? Seems fancy. Must mean a lot to you if you're carrying it around with you.” Dumbbell smiled when he saw the needle-like point on the Demon's Heart. "Oh, but look at this. Looks kinda dangerous. If you're not careful, someone could get...hurt."

Sunset reached out for the Demon's Heart saying, “Please, you don't--”

“What, you want it back? Fine, here you go!” Before she could react, he slammed the point into her left shoulder just above her breast.

Feeling the Demon's Heart empty its contents into her body, Sunset screamed in pain as her body suddenly felt like someone had doused her in liquid fire. Dumbbell laughed wickedly as he watched Sunset roll around on the floor, screaming in pain. “Aww, does it hurt? Well, tough! You've hurt us for two whole years! It's about time someone pays you back.”

Fluttershy watched in horror while all the students gathered in the hallway chanted, "Do it. Do it. Do it.” Fluttershy looked around throughout the crowd, not noticing Vinyl coming up from behind Dumbbell. Fluttershy’s eyes soon fell to Applejack, who had turned away, too hurt and ashamed of herself to help Sunset.

As Sunset screamed in pain, her consciousness fading, she heard Fluttershy yell out, “Applejack, don’t just sit there! Do something, now!”

Before Applejack could do anything, Vinyl charged in, landing a clean right hook into Dumbbell's jaw. The blow sent him toppling backwards and falling to the ground. Getting back up, he laughed when she saw who hit him. “So you want to play too, huh?” Dumbbell chuckled coldly, “Well, fine with me, bitch.”

Before Vinyl had time to react, Dumbbell slammed her into a locker, dazing her. While she was dazed, he tossed her into a nearby, empty classroom before following her inside and shutting the door. As Vinyl came back to her sense, Dumbbell pushed her down onto the teacher's desk, pinning her arms. He leaned in, saying sickly. “I'm gonna enjoy this. Just like I enjoyed raping you two years back.”

Before continuing, he ripped her sunglasses off, looking her in the eyes. He saw defiance, but he also saw a hint of fear in her eyes. He smiled, practically tasting her fear, and he leaned in more closely, pressing his body against hers. Vinyl could feel Dumbbell's hot, stinking breath on her neck as he said to her with sick pleasure, “Remember that? I sure do. Fondly. And I almost got that hot, rich piece of ass Octavia, too.” Sneering in anger, he continued “Too bad Sunset showed up to stop me. Hard to believe big, bad Sunset could do something so noble, but whatever.”

Looking her right in the eyes, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife, holding it up for Vinyl to see. “You shouldn't have gotten involved, Vinyl. Because now, I get to cut you up even more.” He traced it along a very faded yet very familiar scar on her neck. “Maybe I can give this scar here a friend. I'm sure it's been lonely all these years. And you won't be able to scream this time, either. And after that, I can go back and finish what I started with Sunset.”

Vinyl, having heard enough, quickly planted her knee into Dumbbell's groin. The blow sent him toppling to the ground. While he writhed, Vinyl quickly ran out of the classroom. Dumbbell got up, flipping the knife open and placing it into a ice-pick hold. He walked out of the room and found Vinyl on top of the unconscious Sunset, shielding her. He approached her, not noticing that the crowd was gone or that Vinyl was looking somewhere past him. “You bitch! I’m gonna--”

His words fell short as he suddenly felt something cold, hard, and metallic pressing against the back of his head.

“All your going to do is drop the knife. Now!” The clicking of a gun's hammer caused Dumbbell to gulp in fear. “Drop it, or I'll shoot!” Dumbbell felt a hand on his right shoulder as the voice behind him continued bitterly, “Go ahead. Do something stupid, Dumbbell Stallion. I've been so wanting to do this to you for a long time.”

Monastery (Edited by Icecreammac)

Apple Bloom woke up to the feeling of something soft, cold and wet beneath her. Cracking her eyes open, Apple Bloom saw she had somehow fallen out of Eventide's arms and had landed in the snow.

“Huh? How'd Ah get in the snow?” Apple Bloom muttered to herself. “Eventide must've fallen asleep, Ah guess.”

Wiggling around as best as she could, Apple Bloom managed to get herself out of the blanket that was covering her.

“T-Timber,” Apple Bloom heard Eventide moan. Looking over, she saw that Eventide was slumped over. “C-Crystalis,” Eventide continued as Apple Bloom approached her cautiously. Hearing her moan again Eventide moaned out, "S-sister."

“E-Eventide, y'all alright?” Apple Bloom asked hesitantly.

Apple Bloom very quickly took notice of a large, red stain on the tree that Eventide had been leaning against. Before she could examine it further, she heard the sound of growling coming from behind her.

“W-Who’s there?” Apple Bloom looked behind her and screamed. Taking a step back, she shouted, “GET AWAY FROM ME YOU MONSTER!”

Before her stood a huge wolf with piercing, red eyes. It's head and front legs were covered with white fur, but the foliage growing out of its body and the traces of wood peaking out betrayed its true identity: a timberwolf. It was the oddest timberwolf Apple Bloom had ever seen, but it was a timberwolf nonetheless, and Apple Bloom knew she was in danger.

Apple Bloom, ignoring the pain in her leg, quickly covered Eventide with her own body as she yelled, “Eventide, there’s a timberwolf here!” She placed her front hooves onto Eventide's breastplate, shaking her as she desperately tried to wake her up. “Wake up! Wake up, already!”

“T-Tim-Timber,” Eventide moaned out softly. “Mother...”

The timberwolf took a step forward, eyeing Eventide, causing Apple Bloom to scream, “No! Y'all can’t have her! She ain't a snack!” Apple Bloom hit the timber wolf with her hoof. “Get back, you monster! Ah won’t let y'all take her without a fight.”

The wolf shook off the blow, then tilted its head to the right, whimpering sadly. Apple Bloom remained between the wolf and Eventide. Quickly looking down, Apple Bloom spied one of Eventide's axes. She grabbed it in her teeth as she swung it back and forth in her mouth. The weight started to hurt her neck, but she kept a strong front.

“Ah said get back!” Apple Bloom tried to say with the axe in her mouth. “Ah'll use this. Ah mean it!”

Apple Bloom watched as the wolf began to back away from her, growling at her while clearly showing signs that it was about to attack. Before the attack could come, both she and the wolf heard a loud stern voice call out from above them, “Stay your attack, Timber!”

To Apple Bloom's delight, a large pony suddenly landed in front of her, wearing silver armor. The pony continued sternly, not taking her eyes off of Timber, “Apple Bloom means you no harm. She is only trying to protect Eventide, as you yourself are doing.”

Hearing this Apple Bloom dropped the axe, asking, “How do you know my name? Who are you?”

Turning around once she was sure that Timber wasn’t about to attack, the pony said softly, “My name is Braveheart. The wolf behind me is called Timber.”

“Well, that's one question answered.” Apple Bloom mumbled, not getting off of Eventide. “How do you know--”

“APPLE BLOOM!” a very familiar voice called, causing her to look behind her.

“Oh, thank Celestia we done found y'all!”

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom yelled while she tried to run to her sister as happy tears ran down her cheeks. “Applejack, am Ah happy to see ya!”

Hugging her sister and her friends warmly, Apple Bloom very quickly filled them in on what had occurred only moments ago. Looking to Iron Will, Fluttershy said softly, “Oh, my.” Trotting over to him with Twilight and Dr. Hooves in tow, Fluttershy said softly, “It doesn’t look good, does it, Twilight?”

“No, it doesn’t. Eventide did a real number on him.”

“He’ll be in bed for at least six months, maybe longer,” Dr. Whooves said sternly. “What type of monster could do this to him?”

A loud, quick whistle quickly got everyone's attention. “If you're done insulting my charge, I need your help to get her medical attention. The minotaur's not the only one hurt here.”

Twilight began to trot back over to Braveheart, stopping when she felt something cold and metallic under her right front hoof. Looking down she picked up a locket in her magic, opened it, and stared almost bug-eyed at the photos within the locket.

“How can this be?” she muttered to herself. “There are photos of Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna here in Equestria.”

“Put that thing away and get over here,” Braveheart snapped. She looked over to Fluttershy, who remained back a bit, trying to stay out of the way as Braveheart almost barked out to her, “You are the one called Fluttershy, yes? I need you to call Discord here now.”

“But, I--” Fluttershy tried to protest, “I mean, he isn’t--”

“Eventide will die without medical treatment.” She stomped to punctuate her declaration, the gesture causing Fluttershy to take a step back. “I can’t carry her on my back; she's too big. Discord is the only one that can save her.”

Before Fluttershy could protest further, Braveheart took Eventide's helmet off and set it down next to her. Everypony present immediately gasped in horror. Rainbow and Twilight looking sick, Applejack looking away in horror, Fluttershy looking like she was about to faint, and even Dr. Hooves looking slightly ill at the sight. Upset, Braveheart said, “Really? You all fought against Queen Chrysalis before, and a few scars cause you to lose your lunch?” Looking back at Eventide as she moaned in pain from her injuries, Braveheart continued bitterly, “If this is what an Element holder does to one that needs their help, I am fully ashamed to call myself an Equestrian Guardian of the First Order.”

Rainbow's eyes widened as she suddenly realized whom they were dealing with. Before she or anypony else could say anything, they all heard Eventide moan in pain. A soft whistle from Fluttershy, and Discord suddenly popped out of thin air next to her, saying with a lopsided smile, “Why, my dear Fluttershy, what a surprise seeing you here! And oh, look, is that Braveheart the guardian of Snowflake Monastery? What a surprise, indeed!”

“Either help Eventide, you monster,” Braveheart snarled out, ignoring the fact that all eyes were watching her, “Or I swear I will send you to Tartarus!”

“My, my, is that any way to talk to the one creature that can save your friend?" At Braveheart's glare, he continued, "Eventide, you say? Why, is that strange pony that thinks she is a creature from another world still around?” Discord batted his eyes playfully, looking just past Braveheart. “Why, so she is! I don’t believe this! After all the trouble I went through, giving her a body more suited to the world she's convinced she's actually from, she goes at gets herself mangled! The nerve!” Seeing the angry looks on everypony's face as they all realized why Eventide looked like pony with a human body, Discord smiled and said, “Oh, did I say that out loud?”

“DISCORD!” Braveheart screamed. Discord turned to face her, clearly more afraid of her then he was of either Twilight or Fluttershy, who stared bitterly at him. “Take us to my monastery now!” Quickly looking around, she added “Don’t forget her weapons, her shield--which you will fix, by the way--and Iron Will.”

“Oh, very well, if you insist, Braveheart. I was trying to have some fun, is all. Honestly, you ponies have no sense of humor.” Before Braveheart could retort, Discord quickly said, “Which way?”

“North by north-northwest. If you get us there in one piece, I’ll forgive what you did to her when you first met her two years ago. Now hurry up and get--”

Discord wasted little time. Snapping his fingers, everyone soon found themselves standing in front of a large, stone monastery. Braveheart quickly trotted up to a large, silver gong, kicked with her hind legs, then said to the monks that came out of the monastery. “Take Eventide to the lower chambers and bind her wounds, then put her to bed and make sure she stays there.” Turning to face Twilight, who looked worried, Braveheart continued, “Fear not for her, Princess Twilight. Eventide Shimmer Solies is very tough and rather stubborn. It will take more than a minotaur to take her down for good.”

As everypony went inside, Twilight turned to Discord, saying to him softly with tears falling down her cheeks. “I can’t stay here. I want to learn how she's doing, but I have to get to Sunset. Discord will you please--”

“Say no more, Twilight.” Discord snapped his talon again, sending himself and Twilight to her castle. Twilight ran inside, calling back, “Thank you, Discord! I will not forget this, I promise.”

“Take care of Sunset for us, Twilight. I fear she will be needed soon enough.” Snapping his talon again, Discord popped back up at the monastery, finding Fluttershy outside, sobbing. “Why, Fluttershy, what's wrong, my dear?”

“It’s Eventide, Discord. She has severe bruising on her back and eight broken ribs,” Fluttershy sobbed, “How could Iron Will do that to her? Her spine is so damaged, she might not be able to walk again.”

“Fluttershy, let me see if I can help her. It's the least I can do for what I did to her.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I disappeared the time after you told me off, I went to the Crystal Empire and found her crying. She was a complete pony, at this point. She had a photo in her hooves, and sobbing, she told me she wasn’t a pony at all. So, while she cried herself to sleep, I used my magic to try and help her.”

Sniffing hard and whiping her hoof under her eyes, trying to dry her tears, Fluttershy said just barely above a whisper, “And how does Braveheart know of this?”

“She,” Discord answered, rolling his eyes in disgust, “is the pony that saw me and demanded that I change her back. I tried to tell her that I couldn’t change her into what was in her photo but that I could make it so she could at least walk upright, and that's what I did.” Looking to the entryway of the monastery, Discord continued, “I think it was shortly after I returned to your side and cleaned up my actions at Applejack's farm that Eventide was taken here and shown how to survive in this world.”

“I think you're keeping something from me, Discord. What--”

“Oh, would you look at the time! I have to, uh, go now!” Discord interrupted, showing Fluttershy a clock that read "Run!', "Retreat!", "Vamos!", and "Skedaddle!" where the twelve, three, six, and nine should've been. As she stared at it, Discord made a hasty retreat, leaving behind a medium-sized photograph. “Bye, Fluttershy!” Fluttershy simply shook her head, picked up the photo, and headed into the monastery.

Twilight, meanwhile, had gathered her belongings and headed through the mirror. Stepping through the other side a few moments later, she quickly made her way into the school.

Hospital (Edited by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This chapter was written for the following reasons:

to show how badly hurt Sunset Shimmer really is. I needed a means to show this and to try to give a good reason as to what happens in the follow up chapter that picks up right where this one leaves off.
to try to give a very good reason for Twilight's decision that take's place in the chapter that again picks up right where this one leaves off.

and lastly:

To try to help explain why another character that shows up in next chapter is there and what her purpose is.

For those of you that have not been in a coma before please don't judge this chapter or the next one to harshly. For those of you that have been in a coma I hope my attempt to explain things in the next chapter makes at least a little sense.

Hospital (Edited by Icecreammac)

“Drop that knife and lay flat on the ground with your hands behind your back! Now!”

Dumbbell dropped the knife, blurting out as he was forced into the ground by the officer behind him, “Officer, I wasn’t going to hurt Vinyl! She attacked me first. I was only trying to scare her so she'd back off, I swear!”

Looking over towards Sunset, Officer Brushed Jade said into her shoulder radio after she was done handcuffing Dumbbell, “Assault and battery at Canterlot High School. Need an ambulance ASAP. Location, main hallway just past the principal's office, someone will be ready to receive. Repeat, assault at Canterlot High, victim needs immediate treatment. Over.”

“Roger that, Officer Jade. Ambulance is en route. Over.”

“Copy that.” Picking Dumbbell off the floor, she snarled as she ended her transmission, “Alright, Dumbbell Stallion, you want to tell me what the hell happened here?”

“I swear, Officer, I was just defending myself. Vinyl--”

His words fell short when he and Officer Jade both heard, "I'm gonna enjoy this. Just like I enjoyed raping you two years back. Remember that? I sure do. Fondly. And I almost got that hot, rich piece of ass Octavia, too. Too bad Sunset showed up to stop me. Hard to believe big, bad Sunset could do something so noble, but whatever. You shouldn't have gotten involved, Vinyl. Because now, I get to cut you up even more. Maybe I can give this scar here a friend. I'm sure it's been lonely all these years. And you won't be able to scream this time, either. And after that, I can go back and finish what I started with Sunset."

Dumbbell's eyes widened with fear as he looked to Vinyl, who was holding a small tape recorder. A slight smirk was on her face as he yelled out, “You little bitch, I’ll kill you for--”

His words fell short again when a charcoal-grey fist suddenly slammed into his jaw, sending him into the lockers behind him and knocking him out cold. Fearing that another fight was about to happen, Vinyl quickly dropped the tape recorder, wrapping herself around Sunset's unconscious body.

“Vinyl, you can let go of Sunset now,” An elegant voice said soothingly. “You don’t need to fight anymore. He won’t hurt Sunset again.” Vinyl looked up with eyes full of pain and anger as she slowly released Sunset, allowing Octavia to help her off the floor. “I am happy you didn’t take your vengeance too far, Vinyl,” Octavia whispered into her ear while hugging her warmly. “I’ll ask my father to help you in this case, if you'd like?”

Vinyl nodded, then looked to Officer Jade, who was looking to her now unconscious suspect lying in a slump in front of the lockers he had hit. Octavia said, “Are you going to arrest me for doing that, Officer?”

“No, Miss Treble Clef. I'm going to look the other way just this once.” As she looked back at the downed criminal, Brushed Jade finally got a good look at the knife that Dumbbell had been holding in his hand. Taking out an evidence bag from her pants pocket, she put on gloves and carefully picked it up. “No. It can’t be.”

Before she could say anything further, Fluttershy spoke up, “Officer Jade, I have a file here for you.”
Taking the file and looking through it, Jade suddenly spat, “That bastard! That fucking bastard! I should've fucking known Tirek was the one that took this knife.”

Twilight, in the meantime, was just making her way into the school and down the hallway when she heard from behind her, “Get out of the way!”

Quickly looking behind her, Twilight saw four paramedics rushing down the hallway pushing a gurney in front of them. One of them yelled out as they all rounded a nearby corner, “Everyone out of the way! Move!”

Before she could say anything, a hand grabbed her and pulled her into a nearby office. Twilight yelped in surprise as Principal Celestia quickly said, “Twilight, it is good to see you, but I don’t have time to talk with you right now. Go to my office and remain there until I get back.”

“But--” Principal Celestia ran out of the office before Twilight could finish. Wanting to know what was going on, Twilight followed her. To her shock, she soon found Sunset being loaded onto the gurney and being taken away by the medics. “Sunset!”

“Miss, please stay out of the way!” one paramedic yelled out. “This is a very serious situation.”

“But that's my friend! Let me--” Twilight began, only to be grabbed by Principal Celestia

“Twilight, didn’t I tell you to stay in my office?”

“Yes, but--”

“Twilight, this is a very stressful situation, and I need to get things under control. Will you please just do what I ask and go to my office.”

Twilight scowled and turned around, only to notice Fluttershy standing nearby, a look of horror on her angelic face. Quickly moving past the medics, Twilight grabbed Fluttershy by her arm, pulling her into a nearby room.

“Fluttershy what happened here?”

“D-Dumbbell! He--”

The girls stopped talking when they both heard, “Let's get her to the ambulance!”

Twilight rushed out of the room with Fluttershy in tow, yelling out, “I’m going with her!”

Principal Celestia quickly got in front of Twilight, saying, “You can’t. Only family can go with her at this point.”

“But--”

Before Twilight could finish, Principal Celestia heard Luna's voice over her radio, “Celestia, we have a all-out food fight in the cafeteria. It's chaos in here! Send us more faculty now! I can’t--”

The radio went dead. Principal Celestia snarled, “Great! What else can go wrong!?”

One of the medics suddenly yelled out, “WE’RE LOSING HER!” as they raced down the hallways.

Twilight, fearing she was about to lose a close and dear friend, screamed out in fear, “SUNSET!” She immediately gave chase as the medics rushed Sunset down the hallway to the awaiting ambulance outside.

Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, was coming out of the music room, wondering what all the noise was. Spotting Fluttershy sitting in the middle of the hallway, she quickly rushed over. “Oh, gosh, Fluttershy, what happened?” Pinkie looked around and paled when she saw Sunset's damaged locker, the broken display case, and the blood all over the floor. “What happened, Fluttershy!?”

Fluttershy, unable to form the words, pointed towards the front door. Pinkie looked towards the door just as Principal Celestia ran through it. Pinkie helped Fluttershy up and walked outside with her, only to freeze in shock as she saw Twilight getting into Principal Celestia’s car and an ambulance loading Sunset into the back of it.

“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?” Pinkie exclaimed, not noticing Fluttershy slumped down on the stairs and sobbing. “Who did that to Sunny?”

“No!” Fluttershy yelped out in anger. “You don’t get to call her that! None of us do, not after...after...” Fluttershy sobbed hard as Pinkie knelt down next to her, pulling the tender girl into her and allowing Fluttershy to cry into her shoulder. “We treated her so badly when we should have been her friends. I watched as no one helped her while Dumbbell brutalized her. Rainbow walked away, and Applejack just stood there.” Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Pinkie, holding tightly onto her. “If it wasn’t for Officer Jade, he wouldn’t have stopped.”

Sniffing hard, Pinkie held Fluttershy in her arms until they both heard Fluttershy’s phone chime out, “Incoming post to MyStable.”

Fluttershy fished her phone from her shirt pocket and gave it to Pinkie, who saw the new post. Confused, Pinkie said, “This is from Anon-a-Miss. But, Sunny--er, Sunset--couldn’t have posted this. We just saw her getting loaded onto that ambulance. So... So Sunset really is innocent.” Putting away the phone, Pinkie continued as she held Fluttershy with one arm wrapped around her. “But, if Sunset didn’t do this, then who did. And why?”

Ten minutes went by before Principal Celestia called into her walkie-talkie, “Luna, if you can hear me, I am not on school grounds right now.” Stopping at a red light and taking notice of the very fearful look on Twilight's face, Celestia continued, “I am in my car, driving Twilight and myself to the hospital. Sunset has been attacked and is on the way there now. Over.”

Celestia pulled up into the parking place, turned the car off, and said softly to Twilight, “Listen, Twilight. While you may be a princess in your world, you're just a normal girl here. If the doctor's okay us to see Sunset, we will be able to do so. However,” Celestia sighed, “If they don’t, then we will have to leave or get permission from the Cakes to see her, although I am not sure they will let us, considering all that has happened over the past few weeks.”

Twilight gulped and said, “I hope Sunset will be alright. I had some...issues with her in Equestria. She...” Twilight looked down, not wanting to continue her words.

“Let's talk about that some other time, okay, Twilight? Right now, we need to focus on Sunset's health.”

“Alright.”

Getting inside the hospital and finding the reception desk, Principal Celestia asked the receptionist, “Can you tell me what room Miss Shimmer is in, please?”

Looking up, the clerk said, “I need the full name of the patient you plan on visiting today, ma’am.”

“Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight injected before Celestia could say anything. “Can you tell us how she's doing?”

“Let's see,” the clerk replied, typing in the full name. “Oh, here she is.” Looking back up, the clerk continued sternly, “She is in operation room four. That is all I can tell you. You’ll have to wait until the doctor comes out.” Looking back at the computer, the clerk added, “I’ll let the doctors know that you are here to see Miss Shimmer. Are you friends or family to her?”

Confused, Twilight was about to answer, when Principal Celestia reached into her purse, taking out Sunset's adoption papers. Pointing to her own name, she said, “I am her guardian. This girl with me is her...cousin.”

Before Twilight could react to the lie, Celestia took her by the hand and led her over to a nearby waiting room. Seeing the angry look on Twilight's face, Celestia quickly said as she sat down, “How else did you expect me to get you in to see Sunset?” Seeing that Twilight wasn't satisfied, Celestia put a hand to the bridge of her nose and explained, “I have no idea how it's done in your world, Twilight Sparkle, but in this world, you can’t just see anyone that you want to in a hospital. We have visiting hours, and even family usually have to obey the faculty when told to leave. Shoot, some patients aren't allowed to have visitors. They do tend to be lenient with family, though, so I figured telling them that you were Sunset's cousin might win you some extra time.”

Twilight didn't argue further, and they resigned themselves to waiting in silence. A few minutes went by, then twenty, then thirty, and before long, one hour passed as Twilight paced back and forth, waiting for any news on Sunset's condition. Celestia had used the time to call the Cakes, both of whom were upset by the news, as was clearly evident when Mr. Cake and his wife walked into the hospital twenty minutes after getting off the phone with Celestia. Mr. Cake looked mad enough to deck the principal, while Mrs. Cake looked more worried than anything else.

Before either party could say anything, though, they all heard, “Excuse me, but which of you are Sunset Shimmer's parents and Celestia Soleil?”

“We are,” Mr. Cake explained sternly. “The person standing next me is Principal Celestia. The younger girl is our daughter's cousin.” Mr. Cake frowned at having to tell a lie but kept silent, wanting Twilight to see Sunset.

“Very well, then,” the doctor replied. “If you all will follow me, I will take you to her.”

“How is she, Doctor?” Twilight asked, looking very worried “I really want---”

A soft hand on her shoulder cut her off. Principal Celestia said softly to her, “Twilight, let him tell us when we get there alright?”

“Alright,” Twilight replied, sighing.

“Her cousin has good reason to be worried for Miss Shimmer.” The doctor stopped just short of a nearby room as he continued, “Miss Shimmer has eleven broken ribs, bruising on her lower and upper back, a severely twisted right knee, three broken fingers on her left hand, a severe stab wound with some foreign substance in the wound itself that we have yet to identify, a badly broken nose, and a fractured eye socket that will need several operations, which may yet fail to restore sight in that eye. She also has a twisted right wrist with indentations that appear to be a shoe-print, leading us to believe that whoever did this stomped on her wrist.”

Mrs. Cake gulped hard as the doctor continued to lead them towards Sunset's room. As the small group all headed around a nearby corner, the doctor continued, “She also has seventy-six stitches in her face and scalp to close the wounds from the glass that we pulled out. And worst of all, she's suffered severe brain trauma that has resulted in her slipping into a coma.” Looking down and closing his eyes, the doctor continued. “The next forty-eight hours will let us know if she will be alright.”

Opening the door to Sunset's room, the doctor led everyone inside, and Mrs. Cake gasped in horror at seeing her daughter hooked up to all sorts of machines. Tubes stuck out of Sunset's mouth, her face was half-covered in thick bandages, and her right hand was placed into tight, splinted casts. Her right leg was also covered up with a movable, metal knee brace. Her fingers on her left hand were in casts and splints, and a heart monitor was hooked up to her chest.

Twilight looked to Principal Celestia and grabbed onto her. As Celestia soothingly ran her fingers through the very distraught teen's hair, Twilight sobbed, “I hate this world. I want Anon-a-Miss to pay for this.”

Laying a hand on her shoulder, Mr. Cake said, “Anon-a-Miss will pay for this outrage, Twilight, as will the person that did this to our daughter. I will make sure of it.”

Reasons to Live (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Twilight finally found her way out of the hospital and quickly spotted Sonata Dusk crossing the street with the mesmerized doctor. “Sonata,” she called, running to catch up to the pair. Sonata looked back toward Twilight. “Sonata Dusk, what are you doing here?”

Not sure how to answer, Sonata paused, standing in the middle of the street just as the light turned from green to red. A loud honk sounded, and the three all turned to face an angry driver as he yelled, “Get the fuck out of the road, you idiots!”

Before Sonata could respond, she suddenly felt something grab her hand. Almost falling over while being pulled towards the sidewalk, Sonata yelped in shock and looked behind her. She relaxed when she saw that it was just Gilda leading her back over to the bus stop.

“Sonata, you need to be more careful! What would you have done if that driver didn't stop?” Gilda asked with slight worry on her face and in her voice. “Summer is lying on the bus stop bench behind me, but I need you for this.”

Sonata nodded to Gilda, then turned to face Twilight, who was staring at her a bit blankly as the four of them made their way to the sidewalk. “Twilight, I don’t have time to fight with you,” Sonata began. “If you wanna fight, I’ll do it after I get this blood thingy done.”

“Sonata, what's going on?” Twilight asked. “Why is there another Sunset Shimmer in this world? Why does she need a blood transfusion?” Twilight paused as she thought to herself, "Is this... Is this Sunset's human counterpart?"

Sonata was about to answer, when Summer moaned out in pain, “Gilda, it hurts so much.”

Gilda sat back down on the bench pulling Summer into her lap gently, saying to her, “Shh, I'm here, Summer. Just close your eyes and try to think of something other than the pain.”

Twilight stepped forward, stopping when Gilda pulled out a switchblade. Clicking the blade open with an angry look in her eyes Gilda snarled, “If you wanna hurt her, you’ll have to go through me first!”

Sonata looked to the doctor and said, “Well? Get on with it already! You are, like, the worst doctor ever!”

As Sonata handed over the blood bag to him, Twilight saw how dark and black the blood was. Lunging forward, she yelped out, “No, wait! Don’t use that blood; it's tainted.” With growing fear in her voice as the doctor took the blood, Twilight continued, “You’ll kill her if you use that blood. I have something that can work.”

“But Summer keeps saying she needs Sunset's blood.” Sonata said, confused as she held up her hand to halt the doctor. “Do you, like, have any magic that can fix this?”

“No, but I do have a vial of Tears of Hope. If we can get Summer to Equestria, then I am sure the Tears can heal her completely.” Immediately after Twilight said that, Sonata's words sunk in. "That's Sunset's blood?" she shouted.

"Well, yeah. Who better to get blood from than the one who looks just like you, right?" Sonata said.

"B-But how? Why does it look like that?"

"Don't know, don't care. We went through too much trouble getting this. We can't back out now," Gilda said.

Summer reached up, taking a hold of Gilda’s hand, saying softly, “Please, G-Gilda. Let her tr-try.”

“But, I...” Gilda closed her eyes tightly and sniffed hard, lowering the knife. “Fine.” Opening her eyes again, Gilda continued, looking at Twilight with tears streaming down her cheeks. “If you hurt her, I’ll end you.”

Kneeling down next to Summer, Twilight gently laid her hand onto Summer's shoulder saying softly, “It’ll be alright, Summer. I won’t hurt you, nor am I going to let you die here. Sonata can take you back to Equestria once I give her a vial of the Tears.”

"I get to go back to Equestria!?" Sonata asked, surprised and delighted.

"Yes. I'm trusting you with this, Sonata. Don't make me regret it," Twilight said sternly. As she gave the vial to Sonata, she continued, “Do not use it until you are in my castle, Sonata. Otherwise, it won’t work.”

“How do you know that?”

“I've already tried to use one vial on Sunset. The Tears healed her mind but not her body.” Twilight got up, sighing heavily as a dark-purple car pulled up to the hospital across the street, followed by a brown car, which was also followed by a police car, which definitely got the group's attention. Vinyl and Octavia got out of the brown car, while Luna got out of the purple car while Brushed Jade got out of the police car with Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo. Twilight quickly excused herself and headed back towards the hospital.

Gilda took out her phone, sighing to herself, “I have no choice.” She looked down at Summer, who was anything but alright. “I have to call him. I need to get you home, and I doubt you’ll make it walking.”

“Gilda,” Sonata began softly, taking a seat next to her. “Summer can’t go back to the apartment as she is. My sisters would tear her apart.” Looking down with a soft sigh, Sonata continued, “Please, let me help you. I know how to get her to Equestria.”

“Why are you so hell bent on helping us?” Gilda flipped her phone open, placing her thumb on the call button. “What the fuck did we do to make you want to help us so badly?”

“Well, besides fixing my heart gem, I want to be part of a family, and so far, you and Summer haven't treated me like a complete idiot. That's more than I can say about my sisters.”

“Gilda, let her help us,” Summer wheezed. “I need to go home, and Sonata is the only one that can get me there.” Summer struggled to sit up, and Gilda swallowed hard as she helped her. “You're going to have to come with me. I doubt Sonata has the strength to carry me through the portal.”

“Portal? What portal? Is this more of that magic stuff you can do?”

“Yes and no.” Taking a deep breath, trying to relax and keep her mind off her physical pain, Summer continued, “I'll explain everything to you, and I'll understand if you decide to walk away once you see my true form.”

“True form?” Gilda had a look of confusion and worry on her face. “You're starting to freak me out a little, Summer, but I told you I won’t leave you, and I meant it.”

“Heh,” Summer scoffed lightly. “You might change your mind when you see what I and Sonata look like in our natural states.”

Twilight made her way back across the street and was entering the hospital. Spurred on by the memory of Sunset's blood and bits of conversation she overheard about some commotion in Sunset's room, she rushed to the second floor and stopped in her tracks when she saw Luna holding her sobbing sister in her arms. The Crusaders all had their heads hung low, and Twilight heard Sweetie Belle saying, “What have we done?”

“What does she mean?" Twilight thought before it clicked. "No. It couldn’t have been those three. They're Anon-a-Miss?” Twilight stormed over to the girls and demanded, “Tell me it wasn’t you three. For the love of all that is good in Equestria, tell me it wasn’t the three of you that helped to put Sun--”

Her words feel short as she heard a loud "Clear!" Twilight watched in horror while a doctor pressed the paddles of the defibrillator to Sunset's chest and side, causing her body to jolt painfully. Twilight backed away from the window, tearing up and saying, “Why? Why did this have to happen to her?” A sudden hand on her shoulder caught her attention, and she turned around to look behind her.

Mr. Cake's sad eyes locked with Twilight's own as he said softly while pulling her into him, “I don’t know why these three thought it was a good idea to bully our daughter, Twilight.” Looking to the three as they all watched in horror while Sunset received another jolt from the defibrillator, he continued, “But don't worry. Justice will be brought!” Feeling Twilight shake in his arms, Mr. Cake softly continued, “Vinyl and Octavia will be here shortly. They and my wife are getting something to eat, which is just as well; I don’t want my wife to see this. I don’t think she can handle it, not in her condition.”

Looking up Twilight sniffed, saying, “C-Condition?”

Mr. Cake met her eyes, and Twilight could swear that she saw a bit of pride in the sea of sorrow that stared back at her. “Well, you see, if Sunset lives, she'll be a big sister, and I--”

Mr. Cake’s words fell short as he and everyone else heard a soft blip from the heart monitor still hooked up to Sunset's chest. Twilight let go of Mr. Cake and pressed her hands into tight fists as she said, “Please fight, Sunset. You have to win. You have to come back to us. Your baby brother or sister will need you. I need you. We all need you.”

Worst Fears Confirmed (Edited by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

As promised to you all I give you all the reason Sunset was pushed over the edge. I look forward to reading your comments about this chapter. :twilightsmile:

Worst Fears Confirmed (Edited by Icecreammac)

Twilight watched through the window as Sunset’s heart monitor showed that her heart began to beat steadily. Before anyone could stop her, Twilight rushed into Sunset's room.

Sunset slowly opened her eyes her vision blurred badly. Twilight, seeing that Sunset was trying to reach out for someone to grasp onto, quickly took a hold of Sunset's hand as Sunset moaned, “Rainbow?”

“No, Sunset, Rainbow isn’t here. It's me, Twilight.”

“T-Twilight isn’t here. She's in Equestria,” Sunset groaned. “Sh-She couldn’t have come here, not after what I did to her back home.”

Gently laying her other hand onto Sunset's shoulder, Twilight sniffed hard. She opened her mouth to speak, when she heard from Mr. Cake, “I want you three out of here now!”

Looking up through the window, Twilight watched as Brushed Jade led the Crusaders away, clear looks of shame on their faces as they were led down the hallway. Celestia and Luna went with them, both looking furious. Twilight gently laid Sunset's hand down over the wounded girl's chest, leaned in, and very softly kissed Sunset on her forehead.

“You just rest now.” Twilight said, looking into Sunset’s weary, weak eyes as tears slowly streamed down Twilight's cheeks. “I’ll be back soon. So you just sleep now. I have some things I have to attend to, but I promise I’ll be back soon.”

Mr. Cake, noticing Vinyl, Octavia, and Mrs. Cake walking down the hallway toward Sunset's room, quickly went to greet his wife. Upon hearing that Sunset was awake, Mrs. Cake rushed into Sunset's room, followed by both Vinyl and Octavia. The three stood around Sunset's bed, with Mrs. Cake taking her daughter's hand into her own after Twilight had backed away from Sunset's bed.

“Sunset, thank God you're awake! Mom's here now. You have nothing to worry about.”

Octavia and Vinyl exchanged glances. Vinyl took out her phone, pressed the speaker button on it, and began to type. With each press of the enter button, her phone chimed out, “Will. She. Be. Alright. Now?”

Mr. Cake looked at her with slight confusion. “Yes, I think so. But why are you two here? I mean, I appreciate it, but--”

“She saved Vinyl's life,” Octavia began gently resting her hands onto Vinyl's shoulders as she stood behind Vinyl. Hesitantly, she continued, “Sunset...saved me from being raped two years ago. She beat the hell out of Dumbbell Stallion. If...If it weren't for her, I'm sure neither of us would be here right now.”

"I...I'm sorry you two went through that, and I'm sorry I made you talk about it."

"It's fine," Octavia said softly. "I won't pretend I got over it, but...I'm coping. We're helping each other get through it."

Not knowing what else to say, Mr. Cake simply looked back to his daughter, who was breathing heavily, betraying her exhaustion. One of the doctors began to check Sunset’s vitals as he said, “I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. She'll need her rest.”

“I’m not leaving my baby!” Mrs. Cake spat back.

Sunset winced in fear at the sudden outburst, something her father caught onto. Mr. Cake laid a hand over Mrs. Cake's arm, gently saying, “Honey, the doctor is right. We need to let Sunset rest. We can come back in a few hours.”

Defeated, Mrs. Cake nodded, sniffing hard as she gently leaned in, kissing Sunset on her forehead and whispering, “I love you, honey. We'll be back soon.” Looking to her husband, she continued bitterly, “I want to know why those three did this! I want to know what gave them the right to hurt Sunset, Carrot! Don’t let that officer take them away without finding out why they did this to our baby!”

Mr. Cake led his wife out of Sunset’s room. Vinyl and Octavia both followed, but Vinyl quickly stopped her tracks. Vinyl turned around and went back into Sunset’s room and walked up to her bed. As Sunset looked at her with sad, weak eyes, Vinyl hugged Sunset warmly. Taking out her phone, she quickly texted with the speaker still on. “Thank you for saving my life and Octy's.” Vinyl headed out, joining Octavia and the Cakes as they all made their way downstairs.

Sunset, seeing that everyone was gone, began to struggle to sit up and climb out of bed, pulling off all the leads and wires and pulling out the IV needle. Her legs felt like lead weights. Sunset took a few painful breaths before forcing herself up out of bed, muttering to herself, “I have to find Rainbow. I have to make things right for us. I can't leave without doing that first.”

Looking around, even though her vision was blurry, she soon found a cabinet sitting across from her bed. Walking over to it, and nearly falling over twice as she approached it, Sunset opened it and found her clothing hanging inside. As she got dressed, Sunset was shocked to find her water flask still in her coat pocket, along with her wallet and bus pass. Sunset, although in very much pain, slowly made her way to the door and into the hallway to find Rainbow Dash.

Picking a direction at random, Sunset headed left and down the hallway until she came to a bathroom. Curious, Sunset walked in and looked at her face in the mirror. Or rather, what was left of her face. Horrified, Sunset quickly headed out of the bathroom, running into a security guard.

“Hey, watch where you're going,” he said impatiently. When he got a good look at her, though, his tone changed. "Are you alright? Is there really no one helping you get to the bathroom and back?" Realizing quickly that the guard didn’t recognize her, and suddenly getting an idea, Sunset wrapped her arms around him and pretended to slightly faint in his arms. “Hey, stay with me,” the guard said, surprised. “Listen, let me help you over to a bench. Then, I can get you some proper help.”

“Thank you,” Sunset replied weakly as she quickly reached behind him, taking his cuffs and key. “I'm so tired. I thought I'd be able to get to the bathroom just fine, but I guess I was wrong.”

“I see. What's your name? I can call it in,” the guard replied, leading Sunset over to a nearby bench after Sunset gave her name. “Here we are. Just sit tight for a bit and catch your breath, Miss Shimmer.”

“Can you get me something to drink, please?”

“Sure thing.”

The guard walked away. Once he turned a corner, Sunset took her chance, spotting a fire door only a few feet from her. Sunset pushed through the door, moving quickly when she heard the alarm go off. She quickly moved across the street and sat at the bus stop, ignoring the looks everyone was giving her. The bus came a few minutes later. Sunset got on and was soon standing in front of the school.

“It’s four o’clock right now,” Sunset muttered to herself, looking at her watch. “Rainbow should be at Sugarcube Corner now.” Sighing, she continued, “I hope.”

Seeing a janitor emptying out the outside trash cans, Sunset quickly convinced him to let her into the school. Getting her binder and a pen from her locker, Sunset quickly made her way outside and to Sugarcube Corner. Sunset walked into her parents' cafe, finding Rainbow sitting at her friends' normal booth. With all her courage mustered, she asked softly, “Rainbow, c-can we talk?”

Rainbow didn’t even look up from her drink. “Get the fuck outta here, Sunset. You're not wanted here.”

“Rainbow, please, I just--”

“No!” Rainbow spat in rage. “You think you can post all that shit about me and then have the fucking nerve to come here and try to talk about it like it didn’t even happen?”

“Rainbow, I didn’t post that stuff about you!”

“Now, I see you're posting shit about Scootaloo. Who the fuck do you think you are!?”

“I thought I was your friend! I thought you loved me!”

“You stupid fucking idiot,” Rainbow got up from her chair, glaring angrily at Sunset. “Did you really think we loved you? Did you really think I could love a monster like you?” Sunset lowered her head, tears slowly streamed down her cheeks and Rainbow continued, “Those bandages really do a good job at covering up the monster we've seen you become. You remember what Twilight said after she beat you down? She was right, you don’t deserve to rule Equestria, but she was also wrong about something. You don't deserve our friendship.”

“I-I'm sorry for all I've done, but I'm trying to show that I've changed, that I--”

“Sunset, open your eyes, would you!” Rainbow got close to Sunset and said. "None of us wanted to be your friend that day. After the emotional high of that night, we realized exactly what we agreed to. But still, we put up with you because that's what Twilight wanted. But all that time, we never forgot what you did, and we were sure you'd go back to being the bitch you really are. And you proved us right. You keep saying you changed, but a few months of being good still don't erase all the shit you pulled for more that two years, especially when you were just pretending to be good!"

Sunsets good eye widened. Her body began to tremble as she stammered, “P-Please tell me your lying.”

“I'm not lying, Sunset. Unlike you, I actually value honesty. We never wanted to be your friend. We still don't.”

Sunset swallowed hard. Taking a step back, her good eye twitched, moving rapidly back and forth as she recalled the conversation she overheard between Twilight and Princess Celestia.

"She wouldn’t know how to be good if you hit her with the Elements of Harmony!”

“What would you have me to do, Twilight? Just give up on her like I did before?”

“Yes! You know what she's done! Mind control, attempted murder, declaring war on you, the list goes on! For the good of all of Equestria, you have to stay away from her! She can't be redeemed. She belongs in Tartarus, where she can’t hurt anypony else.”

Reaching up, Sunset tore off her bandages, revealing the stitches underneath. “Is this what you truly see me as, Rainbow? A monster?”

“Yes, Sun--”

Before Rainbow could finish, Sunset grabbed Rainbow's shirt collar, yanked her closer, and planted her lips against Rainbow's. Rainbow’s eyes went wide as she felt Sunset’s lips on her own. Letting go of Rainbow after their lips parted, Sunset said just barely above a whisper, “Then, if that's truly how you and the others see me, you won't have to see me again. Not after tonight.” Sunset turned to leave. Looking over her shoulder as she reached the door, she continued with bitter tears running down her cheeks, “I love you, Rainbow. I wish you could've seen that. But if a monster is all I am to you, then so be it.”

Before Rainbow could think of anything to say or do, Sunset bolted from the cafe, leaving Rainbow to think on her words. Rainbow returned to her seat, thinking, “Mom was right about her. She's just a bully, nothing more.” Turning her phone on, Rainbow dialed her mother. “Mom, can you come to Sugarcube Corner? I...I need to talk to you.”

“I’ll be there in about twenty minutes, dear. What’s wrong? You sound upset.”

“I just had a fight with Sunset. I think I might've done something really stupid.” Rainbow looked over to the bandages on the floor where Sunset had stood during their fight. Picking them up, she muttered, “You were right about her, Mom. She's a bad influence on me.”

“Honey, those words were spoken in anger. I was upset because you forgot about your sist--” Mrs. Dash’s words fell short as she got a beep on her phone. “Rainbow, I need to put you on hold. I have another call coming in. I’ll just be a minute.”

“Alright.”

Taking the new phone call, Mrs. Dash’s eyes went wide with fear and anger. She quickly hung up and reconnected with Rainbow. “Rainbow, your sister's been arrested. I'll come get you, and we both will meet her at the police station.”

“She's been what!?” Rainbow exclaimed. “Why? How? When?”

"We'll find out what happened when we get to the police station. Principal Celestia is asking for you to be there, although I don't know why or what's going on."

"Alright, just hurry." Rainbow hung up the phone and threw out Sunset's bandages, thinking to herself, "This has to be because Sunset's last post. How could I ever have fallen in love with a bitch like that?"

End of Her Rope (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Twilight, Mr. Cake, and his wife stared bitterly at the three girls in front of them. Brushed Jade had gone into the hallway to take a phone call, leaving the group temporarily. Before the Crusaders could speak up, Twilight said to Vice Principal Luna, “Can you tell me where Spike is? I'd think he was with Fluttershy, but I'm not sure.”

“I believe he is indeed with Fluttershy. I sent her home, and I think he went with her. I can call her to find out, if you want.”

“Please do. I need to send him back to the portal before Sonata, Gilda and Summer get there. Then,” Twilight turned to face the Crusaders, letting out a tough sigh as she continued, “I'll help deal with these three.”

“Remember, Twilight,” Luna said. “You are only a teenage girl in this world, not a princess. Your words may carry weight in Equestria, but not here.”

“Twilight,” Octavia said, taking a hold of Vinyl's hand. “If you're going to start yelling at them, please allow me and Vinyl to excuse ourselves. I don’t want her to see or hear this.”

Twilight nodded and watched as they both headed for the door. Just as Octavia held the door open for Vinyl, Twilight heard Brushed Jade say, “Vinyl, we got him. Your nightmare is over.”

Twilight watched through the door window as Vinyl suddenly threw her arms around Brushed Jade, sobbing hard into her shoulders. Her viewing was interrupted when Luna handed her phone to Twilight. “Fluttershy?” Twilight said. “Is Spike with you now?”

"H-Hi, Twilight. Yes, he's here," Fluttershy replied.

“Good. Listen, I need you to send him back to the portal. Tell him to make sure Gilda stays in the castle and completely out of sight.”

"Uh, okay, but--"

“I know I'm asking a lot right now, but this is very important. Make sure to tell him to keep Sonata out of sight, as well. I don’t mind them exploring the castle, but Gilda needs to stay clear of Rainbow Dash. I’ll explain everything to him once I get home. Oh, and please tell him it might be a day or two before I get home, so he needs to keep the journal in its place so I can get through the portal.”

"Um, okay. I'll do that."

"Thanks, Fluttershy. I'll see you soon." Twilight handed the phone back to Luna, who shut it off and waited. Twilight turned her attention to the Crusaders, saying sternly, “Well, now that that's taken care of, who among you three would like to tell me what caused all this?”

Scootaloo looked down, gulping. Sweetie Belle sniffed, blinking away her tears of shame. Finally, Apple Bloom looked up, saying, “It was me. Ah did this to Sunset. Please don’t punish my friends, Twilight. Ah never meant for things to go this far. Honest, Ah didn’t.”

Twilight clicked her tongue, sighing heavily and saying sternly, “Well, congratulations. You and your two friends here have invented a whole new type of stupid.”

Mr. Cake snarled, “'Stupid', nothing! These brats did this out of sheer spite! Why else would they do something this horrible?”
“Hey!” Scootaloo yelped in anger. “We weren't being spiteful! We just wanted our sisters back!”

“Really?” Vice Principal Luna began sternly. “Because you three have not only wrecked Sunset's life but also turned the whole school upside down, and to top that off, you used a website designed to bring people together to bully someone who's trying her hardest to make up for what she's done in the past. Sounds like this goes a bit deeper than just wanting your sisters back.”

Before anyone could say anything further, Brushed Jade came back into the room, saying, “I'm sorry, but I need to take them in now. You can talk with them once I get them processed at the precinct.”

“Before you take them,” Celestia began, entering the room behind Brushed Jade, “Scootaloo must go to a holding cell by herself. She has brittle bone disease and could get hurt badly if one of the inmates decides to attack her.”

“I’ll send her to a detention center designed for such cases, Celestia.” Brushed Jade quickly read the Crusaders their rights just as two other officers walked in. Brushed Jade began with Scootaloo. “Now, if you struggle with me, you’ll only make things worse for yourself, Scootaloo. Please don’t.”

“I won’t. Can I see my sister and mother?”

“Yes, but after I get you processed.” Brushed Jade finished cuffing Scootaloo, hands in front so as to avoid any damage to Scootaloo's arms. “You’ll have to see your family without your friends present, though. We can use a camera and mic when you see your family in case you want to say anything to your two friends.”

“Twilight,” Luna began while Jade led the Crusaders and officers out of the room. “There is something my sister and I need to speak to you about in private.”

“I understand.” Turning to the Cakes, Twilight continued, “Can you excuse us, please?”

Mr. Cake headed for the door, saying to Luna as he left, “Go easy on her.”

“I will, but that won't make what I have to say any easier to say.”

Sunset made her way across town and to the animal shelter, ignoring all the stares she was getting from those she passed by. Entering the shelter and looking around, Sunset didn't see Fluttershy anywhere, so she headed behind the desk, sat down, and began to write in her binder.

Twilight Sparkle,

By the time you see this, I'll be gone from this world. I know now that you and I were never friends. I know that you never wanted me as your student, and I know you never really trusted me. I looked up to you, and you, like everyone else, broke my heart. I don't know why that should surprise me, though. Remember what you said to me at the Fall Formal?

"You will never rule in Equestria! Any power you may have had in this world is gone! You’ve shown them what is in your heart."

You said those words while I was in that crater, barely conscious after being blasted with the Elements of Harmony. Your face was so cold and heartless, I thought you were going to kill me, or toss me into Tartarus. You didn’t even care that I was hurting, that I was crying, that I wanted only to be held and told that I may have made a mistake but that it would be alright. Remember what you said as you pulled me out of that crater?

"The magic of friendship doesn’t just exist in Equestria. It’s everywhere. You can seek it out, or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours."

Find friends, or lose hope forever. What an ultimatum! Giving me a choice without actually giving me a choice. Of course I was gonna choose the path with an iota of hope! But how false that hope turned out to be! Now, I know what friendship really means to you.

"She wouldn’t know how to be good if you hit her with the Elements of Harmony! You know what she's done! Mind control, attempted murder, declaring war on you, the list goes on! For the good of all of Equestria, you have to stay away from her! She can't be redeemed. She belongs in Tartarus, where she can’t hurt anypony else."

But you know what, Twilight? For all my anger and sadness, I know that you were right about me. I don’t deserve to rule Equestria, and I don’t deserve to be loved, held, or taken care of. So I am ending my life so that you can’t put me into Tartarus and so that I won’t be a problem for anyone else.

Please do me one last favor. There is a letter in my locker. Be sure to have Applejack read that letter to everyone. It will explain to her and to everyone else what I am and why I am so alone in this world. Please also see if Fluttershy will adopt Lucky for me. I want him to go to a good home, and I know she can provide that.

Goodbye, Twilight.

Your failed student and ex-friend,

Sunset Shimmer

Sunset folded the letter, placing it into an envelope she found in the middle drawer of the desk. Finished, Sunset went into the cat center, found Lucky, and took him out of his cage. Holding him in her arms as he softly let out a sad mewl, her tears dripped onto his head.

Fluttershy was just entering the shelter when she saw Sunset in the cat center. Quickly setting her things down, she entered, saying, “Sunset, what are you doing here? You should be at the hospital?”

Sunset looked up, and Fluttershy took a reflexive step back. “You see, Lucky?" Sunset said. "Even Fluttershy is scared of me. I have no choice.”

Sunset took a step towards Fluttershy, who gulped, saying, “What do you mean you have no choice? What are you going to do?”

Placing the cat into Fluttershy’s arms, Sunset sniffed, saying softly, “Take care of her, Lucky. She's your friend now.”

“Sunset, you're scaring me. How'd you get here? Why aren't you at the hospital?”

Looking into her eyes, Sunset gently pulled Fluttershy into her, saying as she reached into her own back pocket and pulled out the handcuffs, “I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I can’t let you stop me from ending my life.” Before Fluttershy could react, Sunset took a hold of her right arm and handcuffed her to Lucky’s cage, saying, “I’ll leave the key on the desk next to a letter I wrote to Twilight. Be sure to give it to her, will you?”

“Sunset, you can’t do this!” Fluttershy tried to pull her hand free, only to fail as Sunset finished cuffing her to the cage. “Sunset, there's no reason for you to kill yourself! We can work it out!”

“No, Fluttershy, we can’t. My death will end this nightmare once and for all. Besides, you’ll be happier without me in your lives to wreck your friendships. Just ask Rainbow. She told me the truth about all our time together.”

Sunset sniffed, then gently petted Lucky on his head, saying, “Don’t worry. She’ll take care of you. I know she will.” Lucky mewled, seemingly in response. “I’ll miss you, too, little guy, but I have to do this. Goodbye.”

Sunset kissed Lucky on the head and walked away. True to her word, Sunset left the key sitting on the edge of the desk and slowly made her way to the front door.

“Sunset, come back here!” Fluttershy yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sunset, please, you don’t have to do this!”

Fluttershy could only watch in horror as Sunset stumbled over to the door. With one last look over her shoulder, Sunset smiled and said, “I wish I could've known you under better circumstances, Fluttershy. I bet you and I could have been really good friends.”

Fluttershy began to sob as she watched Sunset walk out to the street and turn towards the school. Fluttershy tugged and tugged on the cage, stopping only when Lucky jumped out of her free arm, landing on the ground in front of her. Fluttershy watched as the cat jumped up onto the desk and swatted the key onto the floor. Fluttershy quickly said, “Lucky, be a good kitty and bring me that key.”

Miraculously, the cat seemed to understand. He picked up the key in his mouth and brought it over to Fluttershy. Fluttershy quickly took the key from the cat, freed herself from the cuffs, and ran out the door. Not finding Sunset anywhere, she took out her phone and dialed Rainbow, saying when the athlete picked up, “Rainbow, I need your help to find Sunset.”

“Why do you want me to--”

“She’s going to kill herself! Stop thinking of yourself for once and actually be as loyal as you claim to be!”

Fluttershy heard over the phone as Rainbow said, “Mom, take me to CHS. I think Sunset might be there. I need to fix things between us, and I need to do it now.”

Sunset found herself at the park and sat down on the bench she had used to have her conversation with Applejack and Luna. Taking out the water flask, she shook it to make sure everything was dissolved properly. Satisfied, she popped the cork, drank the liquid inside, then dropped it into the snow beneath her boots. Taking out her notebook, she began to write one last letter, this one to her former friends.

"I wish there was another way, but I know there isn't." Sunset muttered to herself, not caring about the cold weather. "I can't live like this anymore. I can't be what I'm not."

Once finished, she tucked it into her jacket pocket and stood up as she felt the liquid taking affect on her. Sunset headed over to the pond, seeing that the ice wasn't fully formed. She took off her coat and her boots, hanging the coat over a sign near the pond's edge and leaving her boots in front of the sign.

"Goodbye, everyone," Sunset said. "I loved you all, but this is the way it has to be."

Sunset walked out onto the icy pond, allowing the ice to break beneath her weight. As she sunk into the frigid water, she smiled and closed her eyes, allowing both the poison and the cold water to do their work.

Ten minutes later, after failing to find Sunset at CHS, Rainbow got out of her mother's car and headed towards the park, knowing it was one of Sunset's favorites places to go. Rainbow took out her phone and quickly called Applejack on the way into the park, giving her the gist of the situation. As she waited for Applejack to show up, Rainbow began to look around, trying to find any sign of Sunset.

Applejack pulled up in her truck a few minutes later, calling Rainbow back and letting her know she was at a different entrance to the park and would meet her halfway. Finally, the two girls met up, only to find Sunset's coat and boots in front of the sign she had hung them on. The only other clues were her binder on the bench and a suspiciously sized hole in the ice of the pond.

Blame (Re-edited version by both SadisticFluttershy and Iccreammac titled by Iccreammac )

Author's Note

I wanted to title this 'Damn you Anon-a-Miss' but after thinking it over and rereading the wonderful edit to which Icecreammac gave me and worked hard on. I feel his title of 'Blame' was far more suited for this story and it also feels better too. I look forward to reading everyone's comments about this chapter.

Blame (Re-edited version by both SadisticFluttershy and Iccreammac titled by Iccreammac )

Twilight sat in a chair across from Principal Celestia and her sister. Luna closed her eyes as she collected her thoughts, then began calmly, “Twilight, did you banish Sunset without giving her a trial?”

“Uh, I don't--”

“Please, Twilight, just answer the question,” Luna began as her sister noticeably clinched her hands into tight fists. “Sunset told us that she was banished and that even if you did invite her over to your castle, she couldn’t stay there.” Luna took a hold of her sister's hand as she continued, “Yes or no? Did you do this to Sunset?”

“Yes, I did. She committed treason and needed to be pun--”

“Then you are just as responsible for her being here as Dumbbell Stallion is for beating her,” Celestia snarled. “As her legal guardian, I am formally, as of right now, forbidding you to see her any further until her twenty-first birthday.”

Twilight paused at the declaration. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" Celestia snapped. "You're no longer allowed to see Sunset. You've done enough damage."

Twilight didn't move. Instead, she simply narrowed her eyes. "How dare you!?" Celestia opened her mouth to answer, but Twilight held her hand up to silence her. "You know, being a princess isn't easy. It's full of difficult decisions and nobles waiting for any opening you leave, any opportunity to defame you or increase their own position or, ideally, both. I haven't been a princess for very long, mind you, but already, I've had many horrible things said and written about me, all from ponies vying for power or wanting the 'upstart' dethroned. But to be compared to the kind of brute that beats a girl to within an inch of her life, simply because I was doing my duty and passing judgment where it was needed? That, I think, is the most insulting thing I've ever heard about me."

"Well, it's true," Celestia said. "If you had never banished Sunset here, she wouldn't be in the hospital right now."

Twilight assumed a more thoughtful look. Eventually, she said, "You've told me several times that I have no power here. How easy that must be to say. How easy it must be to pass blame unto others." Twilight stepped closer to Celestia, who was squirming a bit. "I can't tell the future, and to have you blame me for the actions of your students is disgusting. Or did you conveniently forget that the principal is responsible for what her students do on school grounds?"

Celestia's eyes widened at the accusation. As tears started to form, Twilight went for the throat. "What would you have had me do, Celestia? I didn't have to banish her here. I could've just dragged her back to Equestria and tossed her into a dungeon for years on end, where she'd never have had a chance to learn friendship. I could've sent her into exile in my dimension, where you'd never have formed the connections you have with her. Would you have preferred I chose one of those options instead?"

Celestia, anger forgotten, considered Twilight's words. Her thoughts were interrupted when Twilight said, "I still could."

"What?" Celestia asked.

"I still could choose one of those options. You say I have no power here, but that's not entirely true. Sure, I have no political or legal power over anyone or anything here, but I do still have that power over Sunset, and I can decide to have her return to Equestria to continue her sentence. It would certainly be much safer there than here. At least in Equestria, she can use magic to protect herself."

"You can't do that!" Celestia yelled. "She has a life here! You can't expect her to just give that up!"

"Can't I?" Twilight considered that for a second before saying, "If I'm honest, you could easily stop me. I have no magic here, and you're bigger than I am. And honestly, I can't just bring a contingent of guards who have no idea how the human body works and drag Sunset back, but I can tell Sunset that she is to return to Equestria immediately. Angry as Sunset is at us, I don't think she'd disobey a direct order from myself or Princess Celestia, especially if it gives her a chance to get away from this world. You say I've done enough damage, but this world has done more damage than I ever could."

Celestia said nothing else, instead collapsing into a nearby chair and crying silently. Luna, having been watching silently until now, said as she put her arm defensively around Celestia's shoulders, "That was harsh, Twilight."

Twilight watched as Celestia cried. Her expression softened, and she sighed and said, sitting down, "I'm sorry. I don't like having to throw my weight around like that, but I also don't like being blamed for something I have no control over. You don't have to worry; I won't force Sunset to come back to Equestria, but I will give her the opportunity to return once she gets out of the hospital."

As Celestia continued crying while Luna comforted her, the latter not looking Twilight in the eye, Twilight silently stood up, turned around, and walked away. Shortly after, Celestia also left wordlessly, walking in a different direction than Twilight had, leaving Luna to sit alone. Finally, Luna decided to give Celestia some space and left to find Twilight.

Twilight sullenly walked down the hospital corridor, thinking. She knew she was a bit harsh, but it needed to be said. It just, perhaps, could've been said a little more gently. And as her anger finally left, sorrow and guilt bubbled up inside her.

"It wasn't like Celestia was wrong," Twilight thought. "If I had never banished Sunset here, she'd never have been attacked. But how was I supposed to know she'd be hurt so badly?" Twilight thought more about that. "But what did I expect, that Sunset would be popular after everything she did? That everyone would just forgive her out of the blue?" Twilight wiped a tear from her eye. "I guess I was just naive."

Twilight continued her musing until she came across a small, ornate room. Inside, an older man dressed all in a black aside for a white collar in his shirt was kneeling in front of a wooden cross with a brass statue of a man hanging from it.

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked, drinking in all the beautiful artwork and majestic statues that decorated the room, noting that the same man on the cross was depicted in many of the paintings, though he was alive in those images. “What is this place? These artworks are beautiful.”

The man stood, smiling warmly to Twilight and saying softly, “Child, this is a house of God. I was praying for all those that have been brought in over the last few hours. Our medical staff is completely overwhelmed at the moment, and they need all the help they can get.”

“Oh, I see.” Twilight looked down, sniffed, and slowly looked up, continuing, “We don’t have a god back home, not that I've seen.”

“God exists everywhere. All you have to do is let Him into your heart, and He will help you, no matter what the problem is.”
Twilight thought on this a bit and asked, "C-Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I'm...from out of town, but I have a friend here. She was attacked and...and brutally beaten. And she--" Twilight choked a bit on her words before continuing, "--she never would've been beaten if I had never made her stay here. And now she hates me! What do I do?"

"Did you know she would be attacked here?"

"No! I had no idea that would happen, but...but I should've known. She didn't have the best reputation. She used to be a bully, and I should've suspected that there'd be hard feelings."

"Well, child, hindsight is always perfect, as they say. But what's important to remember is that you are not responsible for the actions of others, and you mustn't blame yourself for their sins. You had no foreknowledge of your friend being hurt. It isn't your fault. As for your friend hating you, give her time, and don't bite back if she snaps at you. Be patient with her. The best you can do is explain your actions, hope she recovers and comes around, and pray for God to help you both through this trying time."

The man's reasoning made sense, but it did little to assuage Twilight's guilt, since she didn't, and couldn't, tell him the whole truth about her relationship with Sunset and the power she herself held in her own world. Still, Twilight quietly said, "Thank you, sir. That helps some."

"I'm glad to hear that." Turning back to face the cross, the priest touched his forehead, chest, and both shoulders, which Twilight figured was symbolic of something, then turned to face Twilight once more. “I must be going. There are others that need me. Remember, child: Let God into your heart and ask for His help, and He will be there for you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

As the man left, Twilight took a seat in one of the few chairs in the room, leaning forward and putting her head in her hands. Suddenly, she felt a weight against her shirt. Remembering the locket, she fished it out from around her neck and looked at it to distract herself.

"Twilight?" Twilight looked to the door and saw Luna staring at her. "Where did you get that locket?"

“I got it in Equestria. From a woman named Eventide.”

“She’s alive?” Luna looked up into Twilight's eyes, her own softening as tears threatened to flow. “Right? Eventide's alive?”

“Yes, but she's hurt, but I-I don’t know how badly. I left to come here without finding out. She's at Snowflake Mona--”

“Listen. I need you to keep this between us for now. If we tell my sister, it will only make things worse.” Luna looked down slightly. “She would want to go to Equestria, and I need her help to help Sunset. Do you understand, Twilight?”

“I do. I won’t tell her until after I'm sure Sunset is okay. And I'm sorry for what I said to her. I was out of line.”

"No need to apologize, Twilight. Even if you held any fault in this, we are not blameless, either." Luna looked down, saying, "I need to know, though. Are you really going to do it? Are you really going to take her away from her mother and father?"

"No. I spoke in anger then. As I said, I won't take Sunset away from her family. I promise. But I won't stop her if she wants to go back, either." Twilight sighed as she continued softly "I feel awful about all of this."

"You and me both, Twilight."

“Luna! Thank God I found you!” Celestia’s frantic voice came from the hallway. Twilight quickly tucked the locket back into her shirt as a panicking Celestia came up to them both, continuing, “Sunset is missing. I just got a voicemail from Fluttershy saying that Sunset is going to kill herself. The Cakes are checking the cafe, and we'll check the school. We need to leave now!”

Rainbow and Applejack looked in silent horror at the hole in the pond in front of her. Breaking the silence, Rainbow began, “You don’t think she--”

“Oh, yes, Ah do!” Before Rainbow knew what was happening, Applejack suddenly ran forward. “Rope, truck, NOW!” Applejack dove into the pond, making sure to make the hole bigger so she could more easily find it again.

As Applejack dove into the icy waters, she could feel her entire body tense up from the immediate cold. The cold water made it difficult for Applejack to swim, her muscles stiff as a board. Her eyes felt like they were being stung by razor wire from the cold water as she kept them open to search.

Seconds later, Applejack could barely make out a figure sitting on the bottom of the pond. "Sunset!" Getting closer, Applejack saw that Sunset was making no movements, and to her horror, no air bubbles were coming out of her mouth.

Applejack grabbed the still girl under her arm and struggled to reach the surface, quickly losing air. Applejack wasn't sure how long Sunset had been in the water but prayed that it wasn't too long.

"This can't be how our friendship ends. Ah know we did you wrong, but we need you, Sunset," the farmer thought as she struggled to get back to the surface of the water, her own warm tears meet the frigid water.

Nearing the surface, she quickly found the hole that breached the icy layer of the pond, and Applejack's mind raced in hopes that they could bring Sunset back to them. Moments later, Applejack broke the surface of the water with Sunset in tow, the farmer gasping for air as Rainbow Dash threw the rope from Applejack's truck at her and tied the other end to the truck's front bumber. As Applejack grabbed the rope, Rainbow Dash got back in the truck, popping it into gear and driving backwards, pulling both girls out of the pond and back onto land.

Applejack was shivering badly, having jumped in while still wearing all of her winter clothing, and Rainbow knew that Applejack was very much at risk of hypothermia. Looking back in the truck, Rainbow found a blanket. Grabbing it, she ran over to Applejack, giving her the blanket and saying, "Applejack, get in the truck and out of those clothes. It's warm in there and I don't want you dying of hypothermia."

"R-R-R-Rainbow...c-c-call an ambulance...w-while I work on S-S-Sunset..." Applejack managed to say through her heavy shivering.

"No, you call an ambulance while I work on Sunset! You're too cold to help right now," Rainbow Dash said.

Applejack reluctantly complied, getting back in the truck and taking her wet clothes off. That done, she wrapped the blanket around herself and dialed 911. When the operator answered, Applejack said, "I need an ambulance at Cantorlot City park! I have a possible drowning victim! Please hurry!"

While Applejack called for an ambulance, Rainbow quickly pinched Sunset's nose and tilting the unconscious girl's head back. Rainbow breathed twice into Sunset's mouth, then put her hands under Sunset's sternum, one hand atop the other.

“One, two, three,” Rainbow began counting out loud, pressing down on Sunset's chest with each number. “Come on, Sunset! Don't die!”

Applejack got back out of the truck, dressed in a spare set of clothes she had stored for hunting trips. She ran to the entrance of the park just as an ambulance pulled up to it, followed by a tan car, and quickly led Celestia, Luna and Twilight to Rainbow, Celestia stopping dead in her tracks, a look of horror plastered on her face as she saw Sunset.

“She...She went through with it,” Celestia whispered as Twilight rushed past her to Sunset's side. “This can't be happening!”
Rainbow continued yelling hysterically as she compressed Sunset's chest over and over, begging Sunset to wake up. She kept doing so until a paramedic gently pushed her out of the way, telling her, "You did well. We'll take it from here."

“But--”

“Rainbow, let the medics do their jobs,” Applejack said, rushing to Rainbows side and gently taking Rainbow into her arms as Rainbow began to struggle. “They know what they're doin'.”

Rainbow stopped struggling long enough to watch as the medics began to work on Sunset. A minute past, then five minutes, then ten minutes, before the medics stopped working. One turned to the bystanders and said, “I’m sorry. She’s gone.”

“No!” Rainbow screamed. “She can’t be gone!” Before the medics could stop her, Rainbow threw Applejack off of her, causing the farmer to land on the frozen ground with a yelp. Rainbow lunged in, grabbing on to Sunset’s lifeless body and again started chest compressions, screaming out with each push, “Breath! Damn it, breath, Sunset!” Rainbow quickly pinched Sunset's nose closed, breathing air into Sunset's lungs. “Come on, Sunset! Please, for the love of God, open your fucking eyes!”

“Rainbow!” Applejack yelled. “She’s gone, Rainbow. There's nothing more you can do for her.”

“No, she isn’t dead! I can still save her,” Rainbow spat back, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Damn it, Rainbow!” Applejack screamed. “She's fuckin' gone!” Her own tears breaking the surface of her eyes, Applejack continued, “She ain't comin' back, Rainbow. She ain't...”

Rainbow, seeing that Sunset was not waking up, pulled Sunset’s lifeless body into her, sobbing hard and murmuring, "Forgive me. Forgive me," over and over. The medics set to work getting a gurney and asking questions to Luna about Sunset. Rainbow began to rock back and forth, until she looked up to see Twilight standing next to Vice principal Luna.

“Twilight,” Rainbow sobbed, still holding Sunset's lifeless body in her arms. “Use your magic. That's your Element, right? Please, for the love of God, use your magic bring her back!”

Twilight sniffed hard, wiping away her own tears and saying as she choked back a sob, “I can’t, Rainbow. I don’t have the power to do that.”

Rainbow pulled Sunset's body closer to her, screaming out, “What do you mean you can’t bring her back? Please, just this once, use your magic to bring her back! I can’t live without her!”

“Magic doesn’t work like that!” Twilight said, falling to her knees and holding herself. “Magic can't bring back the dead. Not even Princess Celestia has that sort of power.”

Rainbow shook with anger. “Fuck you then, Twilight! I'll just use my own magic!” Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating on her magic and trying to pull her entire being together: her anger at what was done to Sunset, her sorrow at Sunset's death, and her hope that she could bring Sunset back. When she felt that she gathered as much as she could, she leaned down, said, "I love you, Sunset," and kissed Sunset. As their lips parted, Rainbow pulled back and waited.

Sunset didn't move.

Her hope shattered, Rainbow went back to rocking back and forth pleading, “I love you, Sunset. Please wake up,” over and over again.

Applejack laid her hands onto Rainbows forearms, saying softly, “I loved her too, Rainbow, but you have to let her go. She’s at peace now.”

“Fuck you, Applejack!” Rainbow spat, causing her friend to back away. Rainbow looked down at Sunset's lifeless body, then clenched her eyes shut as the tears continued flowing. “And fuck you, Anon-a-Miss! This is all your fault!”

Soon, the medics were taking Sunset's corpse to their ambulance to return to the hospital while Celestia and Twilight held Rainbow back. As they left, Applejack grabbed onto Rainbow, hugging Rainbow tightly in her arms as the athlete sobbed. Celestia stepped away, dialing up Brushed Jade. Getting off the phone a few minutes later, she said, “It’s time for this to end.”

Last Words (Edited by Icecreammac and SadisticFluttershy Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

Ok every one here is the reason the CMC are in jail. Next chapter will be written and worked on by the following really good writers and editors.

Icecreammac

and

Sadistic Fluttershy

I look forward to reading each of your comments about this chapter.

Sadistic Fluttershy I added a few things to try to make your words all the more meaningful and show more emotion to this. I look forward to your thoughts on this chapter. Thank you for helping with this. :twilightsmile: I hope to hear from you soon again thank you for all that you have offered and are still offering to this.

Icecreammac I can't begin to thank you enough for all that you have done with this project I look forward to reading your comments as well. :twilightsmile:

Last Words (Edited by Icecreammac and SadisticFluttershy Titled by Icecreammac)

Twilight let go of Rainbow to gather up Sunset's belongings, not wanting to leave them for someone else to take. When she took Sunset's coat off from the sign, a folded piece of paper fell out onto the snow.

"Hey, guys, I found something in Sunset's coat," Twilight called, getting everyone's attention. Unfolding the paper, she continued, "It's a letter. Addressed to her 'ex-friends'."

An uncomfortable silence hung over the group, Applejack and Rainbow shuffling uncomfortably under the scrutinizing stares they were getting. "W-What's it say?" Rainbow finally stuttered, afraid of the answer.

Twilight sat down on the bench and gave Rainbow Sunset's jacket to hold. Trying to ignore the spots of dried tears, she read aloud.

“To my ex-friends,

I'll try to keep this short, so bear with me. As far as I know, you've already crumpled this up and tossed it away. I want to tell you all one last time that I am not Anon-a-Miss, and while I am very hurt and angry with you all, to be honest, I can’t bring myself to blame any of you for how you treated me over the past several days. I did, after all, wreck each of your friendships with only a few keystrokes, so it is only logical that someone would do the same thing to me. I don’t know how Anon-a-Miss got a hold of Applejack’s nickname or the photos I took at Rarity's slumber party, but I do know that even though I don't blame you for how you treated me, that doesn't stop the feelings of hurt or betrayal.

Pinkie, the time we spent at your house playing Truth or Dare was just the latest in a long list of happy memories with you. You always knew how to bring a smile to my face no matter how far down in the dumps I was. But I'm done laughing.

Rarity, you've always been so generous to me, from the dress you lent me to the fancy restaurant you took us to that last night we were friends. The sleepover at your place was truly meaningful to me; it was that night that I realized my love for Rainbow Dash. I truly envy your compassion. If I had been more like you, maybe things would have been different. I guess we'll never know.

Fluttershy, I was so looking forward to seeing your house and learning about all the different animals that you help to take care of. That will never happen now. Do me a favor, though. Please don’t cry. You've always been a sensitive and kind-hearted person--kind enough even to be friends with a monster like me--and I'd hate to know I made you cry.

Applejack, I was really looking forward to spending time at your farm. Unsurprisingly, I have a soft spot for horses and would have loved to have gotten to know yours. These last few months with you have been wonderful. You've been like a sister to me these past few months. Your blunt honesty, though hard to hear at times, has been invaluable in teaching me the ways of friendship, and your uncanny ability to sniff out lies has kept me on the straight and narrow time and again. It's just a shame you couldn't find the truth here.

Rainbow, where do I begin? How do I pick myself up after losing so much? I can’t. Of all the hurtful things that have happened to me, I think losing you was the worst. It hurt worse than exile. It hurt worse than my defeat at the Fall Formal. But what hurt the most were your words, words that I never thought I would ever hear but needed to hear, nonetheless. I remember them vividly.

"None of us wanted to be your friend that day. After the emotional high of that night, we realized exactly what we agreed to. But still, we put up with you because that's what Twilight wanted. But all that time, we never forgot what you did, and we were sure you'd go back to being the bitch you really are. And you proved us right. You keep saying you changed, but a few months of being good still doesn't erase all of the shit you pulled for more than two years, especially when you were just pretending to be good!"

I loved you, Rainbow, and I wish with all my being that we could have been together. But that will never happen now.

Do me one last favor, my dying wish. If and when you find the real Anon-a-Miss, I ask you all of you to take her in and treat her better than you treated me. Perhaps together, you can learn true love and friendship, things I could never learn. I love you all, but I can’t stay in this world knowing that I am not wanted or loved and never have been.

Goodbye.

Your ex-friend,

Sunset Shimmer.”

Twilight and Applejack looked in shock and horror at Rainbow, who was sobbing into Sunset's coat, while Principal Celestia could only sigh, trying to hold her anger in. "How...How could you say that to her?" Twilight asked incredulously. Rainbow just blubbered incoherently, so Twilight continued angrily, “When you said that Anon-a-Miss was completely at fault, you were wrong!” Rainbow looked up with bloodshot, teary eyes. “It wasn’t just your sister's fault that this happened.” Twilight thrust the letter into Rainbow's chest, continuing coldly, “It was your little speech that drove her over the edge! Well, I hope you're happy! Sunset's gone now. You don't have to 'put up with' her anymore.”

With that, she turned on her heels and stalked off to Luna's car, climbing in and slamming the door. Only then did she break down and cry.
Applejack gulped, saying, “Principal Celestia, what did she mean by ‘your sister's fault’? W-What does Scootaloo have ta do with this?”

Looking down, Celestia swallowed hard, saying, “Applejack, I am so sorry. Your sister, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are Anon-a-Miss. They have all been arrested for their actions against Sunset Shimmer and against the rest of the student body.”

“No! That's a fucking lie!” Rainbow suddenly screamed. “Scootaloo would never do something like this!” Rainbow gripped Sunset's coat in her hands tightly, “My sister loved Sun--”

“Rainbow, she's Anon-a-Miss, and now, she has to pay for it,” Celestia interrupted Rainbow softly, watching as Rainbow looked away, hurt by the accusation. “I'm sorry, but I have to go to the police station.”

“I’m coming too. I’ll fucking prove to you that Scoots is innocent. And once I do, I’ll find Anon-a-Miss, and I'll make that bitch pay for this.” Finished, Rainbow stormed away.

Applejack said to Celestia, “Ah’ll drive her there. Ah don’t think it's a good idea ta put her 'n' Twilight in the same car right now.” Applejack continued through a slightly forced sigh, “Ah'm just as upset as Rainbow is. Ah swear, if Apple Bloom had anything to do with this, she’ll wish she was never born.”

Principal Celestia watched as Applejack followed Rainbow, telling her to get into the truck. After a few moments of arguing, Rainbow relented, getting in and slamming the door as hard as Twilight slammed hers. Sighing, Celestia and Luna headed to their car.

Rainbow rushed into the police station, looking around frantically as the others made their way inside. Brushed Jade came to greet them, saying, “I was expecting you. If you all will follow me, please?”

“Where's my sister?” Rainbow snarled bitterly “I demand to see her!”

"That's where we're going," Brushed Jade said impatiently. She looked to Celestia, who shook her head, indicating to let Rainbow's behavior slide. “Follow me.”

The group headed down a hallway, soon finding themselves in a large room. Rainbow's mother was in the room, sitting next to a man Rainbow had not seen before. Rarity and her father were there, too, as were Apple Bloom and Big McIntosh. Big Mac looked very upset, while Rarity's father simply looked hurt and disappointed.

"Where's Scootaloo?" Rainbow asked, turning to face Jade. "My mom told me she was arrested."

"She was taken to a private holding center due to her brittle bone disease. Don't worry, she can see what's going on here." Jade pointed to a camera and microphone to make her point.

Rainbow looked irritated, but kept silent about it, knowing it was necessary. Instead, she snarled at Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, "Tell me the truth. Are you two Anon-a-Miss?"

Neither girl looked up as Apple Bloom softly said, "Yes."

Rainbow couldn’t believe what she had heard. These girls--their very sisters--were Anon-A-Miss? Why? Why would they do such a thing? Rainbow didn't know, but she was going to find out.

“You bastards,” Rainbow quietly said.

Both girls winced. If looks could kill, they would be dead three times over with how angry Rainbow was glaring at them.

“Why the hell would you do something this horrible!?” Rainbow exploded. "What the fuck did Sunset ever do to you!?"

All she got was silence.

“Answer me!” Rainbow yelled again.

“We were jealous that you were spending more time with Sunset than your own family,” Sweetie Belle said not looking up at Rainbow "we wanted you three back in our lives we--"

Rainbow scoffed. “Jealous? Jealous!?" Rainbow threw her arms up into the air as she continued bitterly "You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

“I can’t believe that you three, out of all people, would do something this selfish. Sunset was our friend. Of course we wanted to spend time with her!” Rarity said. "Honestly, Sweetie Belle, what did you think we would do, just cut you out of our lives for good?"

Sweetie Belle looked up, saying, "Yes, I did, at least at first. But now--"

"'But now', nothing!" Mr. Belle yelled angrily. "What you did is a complete disgrace to our family's name, young lady!"

Sweetie Belle looked back down, sobbing as her sister snarled, "You've crossed the line, Sweetie Belle. As far as I'm concerned, I have no sister!"

“The same goes for me, Apple Bloom! Ah just can’t believe that my own flesh and blood would do something so horrible,” Applejack added, disappointment and anger heavy in her voice. "What would Ma and Pa think?"

Apple Bloom broke down in tears after hearing Applejack's words. “Ah’m so, so sorry... All of us are,” she said through her sobs.

“Ah’m glad to hear that, Apple Bloom, but that don't change the fact that you cyber-bullied everyone in the school, including your own sisters!” Applejack snapped. "There's no excuse for what y'all did, Apple Bloom!"

“And you know what else?” Rainbow began. “Sunset--”

“That's enough, girls. Let me handle this,” Celestia interrupted. “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, look at me.” The two girls looked up, meeting Celestia’s stern gaze. Her eyes showed anger, sadness and confusion. “You've done a horrible thing to our school, and you must face the consequences." Celestia paused a bit, composing herself. "I have to inform you that due to your actions not only against the entire school but also against Sunset, Sunset decided that her life wasn’t worth living anymore.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle went wide-eyed. “What...What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle asked hesitantly.

“She means Sunset's dead! She killed herself because of what you did!” Rainbow Dash screamed. "I'll fucking--"

“That’s enough!” Brushed Jade yelled at Rainbow. “This is a government building. Do anything stupid and I’ll be forced to arrest you too, Miss Dash."

Rainbow Dash just grunted and walked away.

“Ah’m gonna go with her. Ah’ll make sure she doesn’t do anythin' she’s gonna regret,” Applejack said, following Rainbow.

Brushed Jade nodded and, satisfied that Rainbow left peacefully, sat back down, glaring at the two girls in the room. Rainbow's mother, too shocked by her daughter's behavior, sat in silence, her head hung low.

Twilight stepped forward, kneeling down on one knee, facing the two stunned girls.

“What you three did was unacceptable. Not only was it selfish, it was stupid. You three caused so much trouble for the entire school and your sisters, and your actions ultimately led to Sunset's suicide. I’m absolutely disgusted at the fact that you let your jealousy get the better of you. Instead of talking to your sister's directly on how you felt, you took it out on your sisters by posting their secrets for everyone to see, and you kept doing so even after they left Sunset alone. Why?”

“We didn’t think it’d go this far. Honest,” Apple Bloom said, not making eye contact with the princess.

“But it did. Due to your part in Sunset's death, I have no choice but to keep you girls here. You will be charged with criminal harassment and involuntary manslaughter,” Brushed Jade said.

Bearer of Bad News (Edited by Icecreammac and Sadistic Fluttershy Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

Thank you Icecreammac for editing this and Thank you SadisticFluttershy for adding to this and for editing it.

Bearer of Bad News (Edited by Icecreammac and Sadistic Fluttershy Titled by Icecreammac)

Twilight, Luna, and Celestia, left without a further word to the Crusaders, who Brushed Jade escorted back to their cells. When Jade returned, she found Rainbow and Applejack had returned, the former talking with her sister over the microphone setup. Rainbow looked a bit less volatile than before, so Jade just sat back down next to Rainbow's mother who had her head hung low, tears slowly coming from her eyes.

Eventually, Mrs. Dash heard Rainbow's voice rise again. "Of course I'm mad at you! How could you--"

“Rainbow,” Mrs. Dash began sternly, looking back up, “your sister feels bad enough about this as is. You're not helping matters. I feel bad enough over what I said to Sunset myself. I don't want you making things worse.”

Rainbow said coldly, “Fine. But before I go, I wanna know why you did it, Scootaloo. And I don’t want to hear any shit about how you didn’t know this was going to happen either. I want the fucking truth!”

Scootaloo frowned at Rainbow.

“You wanna know why? You’re why, Rainbow Dash!” Cooling down a bit, Scootaloo continued, “I took part in this because you broke one too many promises to me.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened at the realization. She sighed in defeat, looking down ashamedly.

“You’re right, squirt. I can't tell you how many times I said I’d be there for you whenever you needed me… I let you down.” Rainbow looked up to Scootaloo with teary eyes and shook her head. “But this wasn’t the way to handle it. You put yourself here, squirt, and I’m as heartbroken as you are.” Rainbow tried to harden her voice, but it just sounded resigned. “I hope it was worth it. You got what you wanted. Sunset is gone, but you got caught. I will always love you Scootaloo. Good luck in there.” With that, she pressed the off switch to the microphone in front of her.

Scootaloo could be seen on the monitor doing the same, tears running down her face as she was escorted out of the room by another police officer.

After Rainbow’s conversation with Scootaloo, the unknown man next to Mrs. Dash spoke up. “Miss Dash, I believe it's time for you to leave. I need to speak with my client and with your mother.”

Rainbow Dash turned around, staring at the man sitting next to her mom with an annoyed expression. “And just who the hell are you?”

"Forgive me. I am Blueblood, Attorney at Law." Blueblood punctuated his introduction with a flourish and a rather exaggerated bow.

Rainbow looked unimpressed, but decided not to press the matter. “Alright, I'm going, but I'm not going home.” Rainbow glared at her mother. “I’ll stay with Fluttershy. I doubt anyone told her or Pinkie about Sunset yet. And Rarity, AJ?" Both girls gave Rainbow their attention. "You were wrong to dump your sisters. If Sunset was able to teach me anything, it's that you don’t turn your back on the ones you love.” Walking away, she finished, “Even if they turn their backs on you.”

Celestia stayed back a bit as she digested everything that had happened during the course of the day. Rainbow had walked by Celestia without a word to her she was too upset to engage in conversation with her. Once outside, Rainbow took out her phone and called Fluttershy and Pinkie. Both girls were devastated by the news.

Twilight and Luna were also outside, the former leaning against Luna’s car. Both looked mad enough to strangle Rainbow. “I can’t go home. Not yet,” Twilight began. “I need to stay for the funeral and, in case you need me for the trial.”

“I am sure the Cakes would appreciate it. I don’t think anyone has told them yet. Do you have a place to stay tonight?” Luna asked

“No, I don’t. I was going to try to--”

“You’ll be staying with us until this mess is over,” Celestia said, joining them. “Sorry I took so long. I just needed to digest everything that's happened. Anyway, Luna can drive you to our house. I’ll let the Cakes know about Sunset’s death.”

Without argument, all three women got into Luna's car and drove away.

A couple minutes passed as Rainbow stared coldly at the road Luna’s car was driving down. Where Rainbow needed to go was the opposite way. Rainbow sighed and starting walking down the sidewalk in the snow. Minutes later Rainbow heard a familiar voice call out to her and a familiar engine roar pulling up next to her.

"Get in. Ah'll drive you home," Applejack said as she rolled down her window. When Rainbow kept walking, she said, “Well, whatcha waiting fer? Get in already!”

Rainbow didn't turn around. "I'm not going home. I'm going to Fluttershy's."

"Then Ah'll drive you to Fluttershy's. C'mon, it's too cold to be walkin' anywhere." Seeing that Rainbow was not taking the hint, Applejack threw the truck into drive. Lightly pressing down on the gas pedal, she drove forward and stopped in front of Rainbow, earning herself an angry glare from the athlete. “It’s not that far from here to Fluttershy’s, Rainbow. Now get in, or Ah swear Ah'll hogtie you 'n' toss you in the truck!”

After a few moments of silence, Rainbow got in, and they hit the road. Rainbow turned on the radio and found a station she liked, bringing up a soft, lively tune. Applejack rolled her eyes at Rainbow's selection of music but said nothing. Eventually, wanting to break the awkward silence, Rainbow asked, “When'd you get your license?”

“Ah got it yesterday. Ah didn’t say nothin' because Ah wanted to make it a surprise. Thought we'd celebrate, but--”

“But our sisters ruined our lives. Wasn't Sunset the one that pushed you to get your license?”

"Yep. Guess that celebration ain't gonna happen.” Applejack let out a soft sigh as she continued

“Never got a chance ta thank her."

The girls fell back into a sorrowful silence for the remainder of the trip.

Luna dropped Celestia off at the Sugar Cube Cafe after she got off the phone with the Cakes. Entering the shop, Celestia felt sick to her stomach as she found Mr. Cake in the back, looking at a photo. Tears were flowing from his eyes. Noticing Celestia, he asked, his hands trembling slightly, “Did you find her? Is she safe?”

Celestia’s eyes watered. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy, especially as the memory of her own daughter running away reared its ugly head again. All she felt was guilt, knowing that she didn’t do as much for Eventide as she had done for Sunset.

“I don't want to do this, but I have to. I owe them this much, at least,” Celestia thought. Taking a chair she found in the back, she set it down in front of Mr. Cake and sat down. She swallowed hard and said, “Carrot, I am so sorry.” She took his hand in her own, shaking her head. “I’m afraid she’s gone. She… She took her own life.”

Mr. Cake paused as he let Celestia's words sink in. His legs unable to support his weight, he fell to his knees and sobbed, “This can’t be happening. My daughter can’t be gone. She couldn’t have done that!”

Celestia leaned in and hugged him warmly, saying, “I know it hurts, Carrot. We all loved her, too.”

With Celestia's help, Mr. Cake slowly stood up, tears running down his cheeks as he said, “Please leave.”

“What?” Celestia let go of Mr. Cake, confused.

“I need to inform my wife about this. I want you to leave, please. Just...leave.”

Celestia nodded “I understand, Carrot if you need anythi--”

“What I need, you can’t do!” Mr. Cake snapped bitterly not taking his eyes off the photo in his hands “I need to have Sunset in my arms and to tell her that I love her.” Mr. Cake set the photo down on the counter and headed for the steps leading to Sunset's old room, continuing, “No parent should have to bury their child.”

Celestia slowly headed for the door as Mr. Cake headed upstairs. Just as she got to the door and laid her hand on the chrome handle, she heard Mrs. Cake’s wail of despair.

Celestia headed outside and turned right, walking down the street towards the school. “I can’t believe this actually happened. I thought we were making progress with her. I thought Sunset had a good chance at changing how everyone saw her.”

Celestia continued her walking and musing to herself until she got to the school. Heading inside, she was soon standing in front of Sunset's locker. The lock was still open. Opening it up, she took to the task of cleaning it out. As she took out the textbooks and other books that Sunset had left there, an envelope slid off the top of one of the books, falling to the floor. Setting down the books next to her, Celestia picked up the envelope and examined it.

“To Applejack
From Sunset”

Flipping it over, Celestia saw a wax print of Sunset's favorite symbol, a red and yellow, yin-yang sun. Deciding that it was important, Celestia carefully placed it into her right inside pocket. Finally, she took the books and things, shut the locker, and removed the name tag. She walked to her office, placed everything into a cardboard box, and headed for the front of the school after calling her sister for a quick pick up.

Luna pulled up to the school a half hour later, and Celestia got in the car, saying, “Thank you for picking me up, Lu. I’d like to be alone when we get home.”

“Yes, that is fine. I think we all need some time to think and heal from this. And don't worry about dinner. Twilight volunteered to cook for us.” Trying to put on a smile, Luna continued, “I am not sure if she fully understands the use of a stove, though, so be prepared for that when we get home."

"I really don't feel like eating, Luna."

"Celestia, you need to eat something. And it may hurt Twilight's feelings to know her meal is going uneaten. Please, if not for yourself, at least eat for us."

"Fine. But don't expect me to put on a smile."

"Fair enough." Satisfied, Luna changed the subject. "By the way, the school board had to be contacted about this.”

Celestia looked down, letting out a tough sigh. “Yes, I know. Did you contact them?”

“Yes. They want a meeting with you within seven weeks. I asked for it to be sooner than that, but they wanted to wait to see what the parents are doing about this whole situation, and they need to get a lawyer involved, as well.”

“Great. That’ll make talking to those--”

“Now, Tia, I am sure it is nothing more than a formality. You're a good principal and a good educator. I am sure you have nothing to fear.”

“Nothing to fear? Luna, I let Sunset die! I should have restricted access to the internet at school. I should have asked Applejack to show me the photo on the website and asked her who else had seen it. I should have--”

“That’s enough, Celestia!” Luna snapped. “You are not at fault for Sunset's death. You did all you could. You were there for her when she needed a shoulder to cry on. You were there for her when she needed someone to adopt her and take care of her. You have done more for her than for your own daughter!”

Luna’s eyes went wide with shock. She quickly laid a hand over her mouth as she gulped, saying, “Oh, God, Tia, I am so sorry! I didn’t--”

“No, you're right. If I had just paid better attention to Eventide, then she wouldn’t have run away. You always were there for her. You were the one who comforted her when she had nightmares. You were the one who got her out of that awful hospital. You did more for her than I ever could...or did.”

Unable to handle it anymore, Celestia broke down crying, only finding the ability to speak again as she felt Luna's comforting hand on her shoulder. “Why did Sunset have to leave us with this pain, Luna? Why did she have to do this to us?”

“I don’t know, Tia. I really wish I did.”

“It just hurts that she ended her life rather than coming to us for help. I know a teacher shouldn’t get emotionally involved with their students, but I couldn’t help it. She reminded me so much of my own daughter. I just wanted to help her as best as I could, and now, I can’t help her anymore.”

The rest of the ride was spent in relative silence aside from Celestia's sniffling as she calmed down. Arriving home, Celestia wordlessly got out of the car and headed into the house. Luna got out herself and looked across the street, seeing a small church. “Damn you,” she snarled. Luna headed inside as well, shutting and locking the door behind her.

Twilight leaned out of the kitchen, a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other.

“Dinner will be ready in just about half an hour. Would you like wine, milk or juice for dinner, Luna?”

“Oh, um, juice. And give Celestia juice as well. I don't think she should be drinking alcohol right now.”

Twilight's smile fell slightly. “Alright.”

Twilight headed back into the kitchen with Luna in tow. Meanwhile, Celestia walked into her bedroom, locking the door. She slid against the oak door, falling to the floor. Curling up, she sobbed until her sister came to get her for dinner half an hour later.

Beyond Authority (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

I would like to thank Icecreammac for editing this and I would also like to thank Sadistic Fluttershy for proof reading this and for helping with it as well. Below you will see a picture of what Sonata is supposed to look like. You will also see what a hippocampus looks like as well that photo is below the one of Sonata.

Beyond Authority (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Twilight found herself unable to sleep as she tossed and turned on the couch provided to her by Celestia and Luna. Sitting up, she saw on the DVD player's clock that it was two in the morning. Sighing, she lay back down and tried to sleep, but she found she couldn't even close her eyes, too preoccupied as she was on her thoughts of having to tell her mentor about Sunset’s death.

Dinner had gone as well as could be expected. Celestia had eaten quickly and excused herself to be alone, while Luna had offered a video game for Twilight to play to distract her mind from the day's events. After an hour and half of playing with Luna, Twilight lay down on the couch to unsuccessfully try to sleep.

“Can’t sleep, Twilight?” Luna's voice came from around the corner. “I couldn't help noticing you tossing and turning for some time now.”

Twilight sat up, letting the blanket fall back to the couch. “Yeah, I can’t sleep. Sunset’s death hit me pretty hard, and I need to go back to Equestria to let Princess Celestia know about this.” Looking down, Twilight sniffed, trying to hold back her tears, “Why, Luna? Why did she do it? I just don’t understand why this had to happen.” Looking back up Twilight continued. “I know why she did it. I know she must have been hurt by all that she lost these past few weeks. She must have been so alone but what I really mean is why did she feel the need to do it? We could have worked it out she and I could have I don’t know done....something.”

Walking over to her, Luna laid her hand onto Twilight's shoulder, saying softly, “I wish I knew, Twilight. If you want a ride to the school, I'll be glad to help.” Luna sat down next to Twilight, holding the princess in her arms. “You're going to feel anger, sadness, confusion. You're going to want to scream and yell. And that's normal, but do know that if you need someone to talk to, I’ll be here for you.”

“Thank you, Luna.” Twilight hugged Luna lightly. “I’ll be ready to go in just a few minutes.”

“Alright, I’ll get dressed, and I will wait for you at the portal. And don't worry about my sister. She's out cold right now, and I think she will sleep for the entire night. Is there anyone that you will bring out of the portal?”

Twilight thought for a second, then replied, “Yes. I'll be coming back with Gilda, Sonata Dusk and Summer. I'm sure you're aware of the first two, but Summer will be...a surprise.” Twilight headed to the bathroom to change. “I’ll more than likely be bringing Princess Celestia with me, as well.” Stopping in her tracks, Twilight quickly turned around, saying, “Uh, is that alright with you? I mean, to have--”

“Yes, Twilight, that is alright with me, although you should warn her that the Cakes might not take too kindly to her showing up at Sunset's funeral.” Luna paused for a bit. “I will talk with my sister about allowing her counterpart to stay here. I am sure your princess will want to learn all she can while she is here.”

“Thank you. Now, I need to get ready.”

“I’ll go get the car started and let it warm up, then.”

“Alright.”

Luna headed out to start the car, and Twilight went to get changed. Soon after, Twilight found herself sitting in Luna's car. Luna had gone back in to get her wallet, and when she returned and climbed into the driver's seat, she noticed that Twilight was looking at a black motorcyle, clearly confused by it.

“Wondering what it is?" Luna asked. When Twilight nodded, Luna replied. "It's called a motorcycle. It belongs to my sister.”

“Does she drive it at all?” Twilight asked. “I mean, it looks rather dangerous.”

“Not anymore. Now, we need to go. I’ll wait for you at the portal.”

Not long later, Twilight entered the portal, finding to her pleasant surprise that her home smelled of freshly baked goods. Thinking Pinkie was in the kitchen, Twilight made her way there, only to instead find Sonata cooking at the stove. Twilight froze, taken aback at Sonata's appearance. She looked much like the image summoned during the Battle of the Bands, a hippocampus with a large dorsal fin and fins on her front two legs. However, while she still had the rather sharp teeth, she looked smaller and less imposing. This, however, didn't stop Twilight from having flashbacks to the sirens' near-victory. Twilight took notice of Sonata's cutie mark a upside down trident with a gold crown at the top of it and quaver eighth musical note facing to the left. There was also a pink heart behind the musical note and trident. Twilight said nothing to Sonata of her cutie mark thinking it was best not to push the issue.

When Sonata noticed Twilight standing slack-jawed in the doorway, she said happily, “Oh, goody, your home. Like, thanks for letting me--” Sonata’s words fell short when she noticed the sad look on Twilight's face. “What’s wrong, Twilight?”

“I...hurt somepony I thought was my friend.” Looking around, Twilight continued, “Where’s Spike?”

"Who’s Spike?” Twilight frowned at this, though Sonata seemed oblivious to it. “Whoever he is, I'm sure he'll show up. Is there anything I can do to help? I mean, you did save Summer, and you also let me come home for a bit, so I kinda owe you one.”

“No, Sonata, there isn’t anything that you can do, but I think there's something I can do for you. But first, I really need to find Spike. You know, the little purple dog?”

“Oh, yeah! I think Spike's in there, trying to hide from Gilda.” Sonata pointed to the room across the hallway. “Uh, what are you gonna do to me. It's not gonna hurt, is it?”

“No, it won't hurt. I think we've had enough pain for a lifetime. I'm going to give you something.” Twilight took out one of the blue heart stones from her saddle bag, floating it over to Sonata and saying gently, “With this, you can feed on positive energy rather than negative energy, and thus, you can come home for good.” Looking down, she continued, “That is...if you want to.”

Sonata took the gem in her finned hooves, looked at it, then beamed a big smile, saying happily as she began to wiggle and dance about the kitchen, “I get to come home, I get to come home! I can’t wait to tell--”

She cut herself off. “Wait, what am I doing!?” Sonata set the stone down on the floor as she continued sadly, “I can’t take this, Twilight. I'm, like, really happy to be able to come home for good. For realizes, I am. But I...can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I want my sisters to come home, too, and I know that you’ll--”

“Yes, I'll let them come home, and I'll make sure they get the same stones as the one you have now. Now, if you’ll tell me where Summer and Gilda are, I’ll--”

“Library for Summer, and I think Gilda's out on the third-floor balcony," Sonata interrupted, smiling in relief. "Gilda sorta freaked out when she saw us in our natural states. But I think she's doing much better. She even made it crystal clear that she still won’t leave Summer’s side. Like, even when Princess Celestia asked to speak to Summer alone, Gilda stood her ground and wouldn’t back off.”

“Oh, great. That’ll make talking to the princess all the easier," Twilight said sarcastically. "Now I have to go calm down a griffon that has no idea how strong she actually is.” Snorting lightly, Twilight turned around to leave as she huffed out, “Can this day get any worse?”

Twilight walked into the room behind her, finding Spike asleep a stuffed bugbear in his claws. He muttered to himself as he slept peacefully, “I’ll eat the red one later, Sonata.”

Twilight chuckled, covering him up with his blanket and kissing him on his forehead. “Sleep well, Spike. May you dream of lots of gems and happier times for Equestria.”

Her smile fading, Twilight reluctantly walked to the library. Gilda was fortunately there, along with Summer. Both were curled up in front of roaring fireplace. Princess Celestia was also present, reading from some of Twilights books. Twilight took a deep breath and said, “P-Princess Celestia, I need to speak with you.”

Princess Celestia looked up from her book. Raising a wing to her lips, she quietly replied, “Shhh. They're sleeping. Let’s go outside and talk.”

Twilight watched as Celestia set down the book she had been reading and unfurled her wings, taking to the air, taking care not to let her gust of air scatter any books or papers. Celestia motioned for Twilight to join her, and the two found themselves outside in the cool night's air.

Twilight looked down when she landed in front of her mentor, saying, “This isn't easy to say, but--”

“It's about Sunset, isn’t it, Twilight?”

“Yes, Princess.” Twilight knelt before Celestia, and the princess took notice that Twilight was trembling. “I'm sorry, Princess. There's no easy way to say it, so I'll just come out with it.” Looking up as her tears began to flow, Twilight sobbed out, “Sunset is gone, Princess. Her life has been awful these past few weeks, from the school turning on her to her friends abandoning her. And she couldn't just come home after I banished her. And now she’s gone!”

Princess Celestia blinked a couple of times, allowing Twilight's confession to sink in before she stammered on her words. “Y-You did w-what, Twilight?”

“I banished her.”

Swallowing hard, Princess Celestia looked sternly at Twilight, saying, “On whose authority did you banish her?”

“Princess Celestia, I'm a princess now. I acted on my authority for what I thought was the good of all of Equestria.”

“Explain yourself.” Celestia could hardly believe her own ears. Celestia thought to herself “How could she do such a thing?”

“I thought at the time being that Sunset was too dangerous to be allowed back in Equestria, so after I was able to get the portal to open whenever I wanted, I wrote the decree and read it aloud to her. Only, I didn’t give her a chance to explain herself, nor did I bring her to court for a formal hearing. I--”

“You have said quite enough!” Celestia snapped bitterly. “It is bad enough that I have lost my daughter twice now, but to hear that you actually did this breaks my heart. How dare you, Twilight?” Twilight took a step back, gulping as tears ran down her cheeks. Princess Celestia stepped forward, a look of pure anger clearly etched on her face. “How dare you think that you can issue such a punishment without first contacting me or going to the high courts!”

Celestia paused, seeing the look of fear on Twilight's face, the same look that Sunset had when she herself had yelled at her in the same manner. Backing away, Celestia calmed down a bit before continuing, “I'm sorry if I frightened you, Twilight.” Celestia looked down, her wings drooping slightly as her own tears started to flow.

Twilight, for her part, was astonished. “P-Princess, I'm so sorry. I didn’t know that Sunset was your daughter. I didn’t know she was going to take her own life.” Princess Celestia looked up as she heard Twilight continue through thick sobs “I deserve your anger. I deserve to be banished. I deserve all of it!”

Quickly picking Twilight up in her hooves and wrapping her wings around the young princess, Celestia soothingly said, “Twilight, it wasn’t your fault. You didn't know what was going to happen. I'm sorry I got so angry with you. I loved her, too. I only wish I could have helped her.”

Celestia held Twilight in her hooves, allowing her to cry into her shoulders. “If anypony is truly at fault, it is I. I should have been the one to go after her, not you. I placed too much of my burden on your shoulders. Can you forgive me for asking you to go after your--”

“Uh, excuse me." Celestia turned her head to face Summer, who stood sheepishly in the doorway. "Sonata says that dinner's ready, and Gilda wants to know if she can borrow some of the books in the library, but if this isn't a good time--”

“No, Summer, it’s alright. We'll be in in just a minute. I just need to speak with Twilight for a second, then the two of us will join you and Gilda. And speaking of Gilda, is she trying to fly again?”

With a slight chuckle, Summer replied, “No. I think once was enough for her. Oh, before I forget, I wanna apologize again for Gilda.” Looking down, Summer continued, “I know she can be a hooffull at times, but...I love her.”

“That’s alright.” Turning back to face Twilight, Celestia continued, “Walk with me. I need to speak with you in private.” Celestia looked back to Summer, quickly adding, “Would you tell Gilda and Sonata that we will join you both in a few minutes, please?”

“Of course.” Summer nodded, turning to go inside, she closed her eyes, muttering to herself. “Keep it together, Thirteen. Now is not the time for vengeance. Think only of Gilda and nothing else.”

Twilight began to walk with Princess Celestia as the latter softly said, “Twilight, do you know why we have the courts and why, even as a princess, you are forbidden to take matters such as banishment into your own hooves?”

“No, Princess, I don’t. They just tend to bog things down and get in the way of getting things done.” Twilight looked down, her ears against her head. “I know what I did was wrong. I wish in my heart there was some way to fix it.”

“I am afraid there is nothing either of us can do to fix this.”

Twilight was silent for a bit before asking, “Princess, how can Sunset be your daughter? I thought you didn’t have any daughters?”

“I’ll get to that in a little bit, but back on topic, it is because of my sister that we have the court system that we have.”

“I don’t understand. I thought you acted with the good of Equestria in mind, like I did. Or, well, like how I thought I did.” Twilight didn’t look up as she continued, “I thought you had no choice but to banish Princess Luna to the moon.”

“That’s not entirely correct. While it is stated in the history books that I didn’t have a choice, the reality was that I did indeed have a choice. I could have chosen to knock her out and take her helmet off, trapping the creature called Nightmare Moon inside Luna’s helmet forever. I could have chosen to run away and gather my strength for a later fight. There are lots of choices that I wish I made, but I didn't consider a single one of them.” Looking down at Twilight, Celestia sighed. “The point is that I had a choice, yet I couldn't see them. Thus, I established the court system and gave them much of my authority. Sometimes, you need to rely on others to see the choices available to you.”

“I see.”

“I still have authority over our armies during war, I still have the authority to issue decrees, I still have the authority to hear appeals brought to me from the court system, and I still have the authority to punish the guilty, though the punishment may not exceed the crime. But I do not have the authority to try criminals except for the most grievous of crimes, and even then, I have a group of judges to aid me and give me counsel during those cases.”

“But Sunset committed an act of treason, didn’t she? She stole my crown and threatened to commit war against you to rule all of Equestria.”

“And what proof do you have other than your word of that threat?”

“There are witnesses on the other side of the mirror. And Spike. They all heard her say this.”

“Yes, that is true, but do you really think the courts would allow Sunset to be tried for treason committed on the other side of the mirror when they don’t even know about the mirror?”

“Well, I...” Twilight sighed, closing her eyes. She continued bitterly, “No, I can’t say that they would.” Looking up, she said, “So, what, I was supposed to then just to let her go unpunished, then?”

“No, she needed to face what she did, but you should have allowed her to face her punishment with the courts. We may not have any applicable witnesses to her threat of treason, but we did have applicable witnesses of her theft, and even though she took your crown, she still had rights, rights which you took from her wrongly and illegally.”

“I'm sorry, Princess.” Twilight looked back down her ears drooped against the sides of her head “I am so sorry for all that I have done Princess”

“I am not the one that you need to apologize to. You are to go back to the human world and make your case to those that hurt Sunset.”

Celestia sighed as she continued, “I will be going with you to help you make your case and to say goodbye to Sunset.”

“You should know that the Cakes might not want to see you at her funeral. They've filed to adopt her, and they've been very protective of her.”

Twilight gulped slightly. “Princess Luna’s counterpart is waiting for me on the other end of the portal. She's willing to talk to your counterpart about allowing you to stay with her until this whole mess is over with.”

“How did this happen anyway, Twilight?”

“Applejack's, Rainbow's, and Rarity's sisters took it upon themselves to post everyone's secrets online until Sunset's friends all left her and the school hated her. It was shortly after then that,” Twilight looked back down, “Sunset took her….own life.”

“I see. I think I need to have a talk with your friends.”

“They've already yelled at their sisters, as have I. And I've already given them a piece of my mind.”

“I do not intend to yell at them, nor do I intend to punish them. I will also be going to help answer whatever questions they or you might have regarding Sunset’s life here.”

Though Twilight still wanted an answer to her question on whether Sunset really was Princess Celestia’s daughter, she decided to wait till a better time to ask again.

Princess Celestia turned around and headed back to the castle, soon joining Gilda, Summer and Sonata. She filled them in on her intentions to travel to the human world, deciding to eat there.

After cleaning up, the five stood before the portal. Gilda stood next to Summer, holding the pony's hoof in her talon. Gulping, she and Summer entered the portal first, followed shortly by Princess Celestia. Twilight followed after leaving a message for Spike to read after he woke up. After a short trip, the five were once again in the human world.

Chewing Out Rainbow (Edited By Icecreammac)

Author's Note

Edited by Icecreammac

Edited by Sadistic Fluttershy

The person that Fluttershy is talking about in her song towards the end of this chapter is Sunset.

Vice Principal Luna talks to BOTH princess Celestia and Principal Celestia I tried to show whom is talking when and were in this chapter.

Chewing Out Rainbow (Edited By Icecreammac)

Luna stared shocked at the girl holding Gilda’s hand. She was the spitting image of Sunset. She wore a short black coat with a red zipper, a black silk blouse with a pinkish blouse underneath. Her hands were covered in black and red leather gloves, and she wore short, black and red leather boots.

Luna gulped at the sight. “Twilight, is that Sunset?”

“No, Luna. Her name is Summer Sunrise.”

Summer glared at Luna and said, “If you don’t mind, I would like to go home now.”

Nodding, Luna took out her cell phone, calling her sister. After a few moments, Principal Celestia picked up.

"Hello?"

“Tia, it's Luna. I need to know if it's alright with you if Twilight has a guest come over for a few days?”

“What guest is that?”

Luna hesitated a bit before answering. “Your counterpart Princess Celestia. Twilight needed to inform her of Sunset's death, and I--”

“Very well, but tell her not to expect a warm welcome. I am rather upset that she is only now showing up.”

“I'll let her know. Thank you, Tia.” Luna hung up the phone, then looked to her sister's counterpart and softly said, “I'll be able to take you to our place, but my sister isn’t very happy about this.” Looking down, Luna continued, “I am not happy about this either. However, there is a time and a place for anger and grief, and this is not that time.” Looking back up, she continued, “If you all will follow me, I’ll take you to my car.”

“I fully understand. I should have been there for Sunset, and I wasn’t. I don’t expect any special treatment from any of you. I can find another place to sleep tonight.” Princess Celestia offered.

“No! You’ll be coming home with me and Twilight, and that's final!”

“You really are my sister's counterpart,” Princess Celestia said, grinning. Looking down, Princess Celestia continued, “I am sorry if my presence here will cause any rift between you and your sister.”

“Think nothing of it.” Luna nodded, stepping aside while Twilight helped Princess Celestia over to Luna’s car. “Besides, I am rather looking forward to seeing the look on my sister's face when she sees you.”

Luna led the way to her car. Princess Celestia sat up front, Twilight sat behind her with Summer next to her, and Gilda and Sonata sat in the back. No one said a word as Luna drove until Summer spoke up.

“You can drop us off at the local library. We can find our way back home from there.”

“That sounds fine,” Luna replied. “I think I have enough gas for that.”

***********

Applejack had pulled out of Fluttershy’s driveway and waved a tearful goodbye to her two friends. Rainbow headed inside Fluttershy’s house and went upstairs. Fluttershy called after her, “The bathroom is free if you want to take a shower. I’ll get you some clean clothes to sleep in tonight.”

Rainbow Dash stared for a moment before speaking. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I’ll try not to take long,” she said, quickly adding, “Twilight's staying for the funeral and the trial, by the way. She's bunking with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna.”

“I’ll call them while you're in the shower to get the funeral date and to offer my sympathy to the Cakes.”

“Alright. When I get out, I'd like to be alone, if that's alright with you.”

Fluttershy nodded her reply and took out her phone.

“Hello?” came Luna's voice.

“Vice Principal Luna?”

“Hello, Fluttershy. What can I help you with?”

"Do you know when Sunset's funeral is?"

"I am sorry, Fluttershy, but I don't. I will be sure to get it when I see my sister. Is there something else I can help you with?"

“Yes. Is Twilight with you?”

“Yes, she is.”

“Can you put her on, please?”

“Sure.”

Fluttershy didn't have to wait long before she heard Twilight's voice.

“Fluttershy, it's Twilight.”

“Twilight, I have a letter for you from Sunset.”

Fluttershy heard Twilight talking to Luna, but she couldn't hear the words. Soon, Twilight said. “Alright. We should be there in about twenty or thirty minutes.”

The two bid each other farewell as Fluttershy hung up the phone. She went on to wander the house, cleaning, doing anything to keep her mind off of recent events. She cleaned the walls and most of the floor, even using her own toothbrush to clean between the cracks, the scrubbing slowly working itself into her psyche and helping her lose herself in her work.

Twenty minutes later, Twilight knocked on Fluttershy's door. The door opened to reveal Fluttershy, and both Twilight and Luna immediately noticed how grimy she looked, though they chose not to comment on it or the strong scent of cleaning solution. Fluttershy simply handed Twilight the letter and wordlessly shut the door before Twilight could say anything. The women heard an audible click as Fluttershy locked the door, and Twilight remarked, “Well, that could have gone better.

“Give her some time, Twilight," Luna said softly as she turned to leave, "She's hurting just as much as we are, after all. Sunset's death hit all of us hard, and I think she just needs some time and space.”

“I understand.” Twilight headed back to Luna's car, where Gilda, Sonata, and Summer Sunrise were waiting for her. “I know you three didn’t really know Sunset all that well, but I--”

“Speak for yourself!” Summer snarled. “I knew her rather well, going by everything Chrysalis was able to tell me of her. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to get Gilda home. She and I both need rest.”

“You know Chrysalis? But how?” Twilight's eyes widened with fear. “I mean, you're not a changeling, right? What are you, Summer?”

Summer tightly balled up her hands into fists, saying, “None of your business! Just drop it, Twilight!”

Gilda gently massaged Summer's shoulders. “You need to calm down, Summer. She saved your life, remember? You guys can fight some other time, but not now. Give her time to deal with Sunset's death.”

Relaxing, Summer swallowed hard and said, “You're right Gilda. I'm sorry, Twilight. I just can’t believe Fourteen is gone.” Looking back down, Summer continued softly, “Can we just get to the library now? Gilda, Sonata and I can find our way back home from there.”

“Not a problem,” Luna chimed in. “Let's get back in the car and head over to the library.” Getting in, she muttered to herself, “Then I can get you out of my car and away from Twilight.”

*********

Fluttershy turned around and headed back to the kitchen as Rainbow called, “Hey, umm, not to be rude or anything, but can I do some laundry while I'm here?”

“I’ll wash your clothes for you while you shower, Rainbow,” Fluttershy replied, not looking up from her cleaning. “It’ll give me something to do while you're here. Feel free to use the kitchen and guest rooms while you're here.”

“Alright.”

Rainbow headed back to the bathroom, leaving her clothes on the floor outside of the room. Locking the door, she turned on the water and stepped into the tub. The warmth of water felt relaxing on Rainbow's body, allowing her to calm down from her anger and sorrow. But she couldn't forget everything that happened, and so, she slumped down onto the bottom of the tub and started crying, hoping the shower would drown out her sorrows.

Fluttershy hummed as she took Rainbow's clothing to the washroom. As she picked up the shirt, something fell out from one of the pockets. She reached down picked it up and opened it, seeing that it was a letter from Sunset. After a bit of debate, she started reading it. Fresh tears sprung forth as she read, her sorrow coming back in full force. But that was not the only thing she felt. She felt anger, a glowing, boiling rage.

The door to the bathroom opened, and out walked a freshly washed Rainbow Dash. She sighed, drying her hair with a towel, and suddenly stopped in her tracks. A chill ran down her spine, a feeling of danger worming its way into her consciousness. She turned and saw Fluttershy standing nearby, shaking, refusing to meet her eyes.

“F-Fluttershy, what's wrong? You look really upset,” Rainbow said nervously as she made her way to her friend. She reached out to her when she didn’t get a response. “Come on, tell me.”

“How dare you?” Fluttershy began, slapping Rainbow's hand away. “How dare you, Rainbow Dash!” she shouted, her whole body shaking with anger.

“What? What did I do?” Rainbow Dash, said backing away from Fluttershy.

Fluttershy crossed her arms and glared at Rainbow. “I found Sunset's letter.”

Rainbow winced. Knowing that Fluttershy was upset with her made losing Sunset that much more painful.

Fluttershy continued coldly, “How dare you lie to her, Rainbow Dash!”

“I didn’t lie to her! None of us wanted to be frie--”

“I wanted to be her friend!" the shy girl snapped, cutting Rainbow off. "But do you know what hurts even more than you saying those awful things to her?” Fluttershy’s tears streamed down her cheeks. “What hurts even more than losing her, even more than never seeing her smile or hearing her laugh anymore, is that you said that I didn’t want anything to do with her when you knew that I did!”

Rainbow looked down in shame before turning to walk away. She stopped when Fluttershy grabbed her arm and said, “No! You can’t just walk away from this! We are having this out whether you like it or not!”

“Damn it, Fluttershy, I didn’t know Sunset was going to kill herself!”

“You didn’t have to know! All you had to do was be loyal and be there for her! What was it that pushed you so far that you had to break her heart?”

Rainbow pulled back from Fluttershy's tirade. “I don’t know. Maybe it was the science paper that I saw online. Maybe it was the photos of me from her phone. I really don’t know what set me off.”

Unsatisfied, Fluttershy yelled, “Why couldn’t you just love her and treat her with respect and kindness? Why did you have say those things to her!?”

"Well, what about you, huh!? It's not like you were getting cozy with her! It's not like you gave her the benefit of the doubt; you abandoned her along with the rest of us!" Rainbow turned around and punched the wall behind her shouting, “Damn it, I hate Sunset for doing this!” Rainbow fell to her knees, sobbing. “I loved her, and I hate her. All I can think of is wanting her in my arms. I hate myself for what I said to her.”

“You don’t get to say you loved her. Not after what you did, Rainbow. Yeah, I know I screwed up, too, but you were the one who never actually wanted her to be our friend. At least my feelings up to the whole Anon-a-Miss thing were honest. You were just faking your love for her.”

"That's not true" Rainbow spat back in anger “I did love her Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy slapped Rainbow, yelling, “How dare you say that you loved her! How dare you claim to be loyal when you're really not!”

Rainbow simply got up and stomped into the guest room, slamming the door behind her and locking it.

Fluttershy ran after her, pounding on the door. “I hate you, Rainbow! I hate what you did to Sunset! I hate everything about you and about this whole situation!” Fluttershy yelled. As her pounding slowed, then stopped, she turned around and closed her eyes sliding to the floor beneath her with her back against the door. She held her knees to her chest. She cried, her heart broken. She lifted her head, tears running down her face, and she continued, “You had no right to say what you did, Rainbow.”

“Leave me alone, Fluttershy! Don’t you fucking think I know that already!?” Rainbow yelled, hitting the door with her fist. “I hate what I did, but I can’t change it… I have to live with it for the rest of my life, and I hate it,” Rainbow Dash finished limply, striking the door again. "It kills me."

Fluttershy listened for a moment before shaking her head. “Do you even know how I became friends with her, Rainbow? I became friends with her when I taught her how to read our language shortly after getting here. Her grades in English Literature were failing badly, and she confided in me that she couldn't read. So, I taught her how to read, and we became friends soon after that.”

Looking up through her reddened eyes, Fluttershy continued, “I was so happy when Sunset was able to sign her name and actually read an entire novel without having to stop to try to sound out a word.” Putting her head back down, Fluttershy sobbed out, “Because of you, I'll never be able to hear her read to me again.”

“I don’t care, Fluttershy. Just leave me alone.”

“Fine. I’ll leave you alone.” Getting up, her eyes stinging from her crying, Fluttershy added, “You can stay here or go home. I don’t care what you do.”

Fluttershy headed outside to her garden, where she found Angel Bunny had gotten out of his holding room again. Rolling her eyes, Fluttershy gently picked him up and carried him inside. She walked upstairs to her room shutting the door behind her and plopped down onto her bed. Angel nuzzled Fluttershy's belly with his head, causing her to lightly chuckle. Looking out to the garden, she began to sing.

"Here in my garden, the angels are weeping
Because you are sleeping.

Here in my garden, you sleep peacefully.

I know that tomorrow
Will bring only more sorrow.

How I wish I could hold you,
If only for a while.

How I wish I could see you,
Smile and laugh with you.

Here in my garden, the angels are weeping
Because you are sleeping.

It should have been me.
I should have been the one to go.
I would trade all this pain today
for you to be happy and stay.

Yet here in my garden you're sleeping,
and now, all of God's angels are weeping.

I wish I could hold you,
If only for a little while,
While you smile and laugh.

I miss you so.
I know you had to go.

But I wish you could have stayed.
And I wish I didn’t stray from my path.

So here in my garden the angels are weeping.

I wish Rainbow and I didn’t fight,
that we could just hold you tight
And never let you go.

Here in my garden the angels are weeping
Because you are now sleeping.

I miss you so.
I wish you could have stayed.
I wish I had not strayed from my path.

But here in my garden the angels must weep
Because you are asleep

With their wings of love and happiness wrapped around you.
Here in my garden the angels are weeping

Because you're forever sleeping.

And I didn't even get to say....goodbye."

Fluttershy finished her song just in time. Her cracking voice quickly made way to uncontrollable sobbing. Her muffled wails flowed through the vents into Rainbow's room, and the athlete heard them clearly.

Angel gently snuggled up against Fluttershy’s back, closing his eyes until he and Fluttershy both feel asleep. Rainbow remained on the floor, curled up and crying until she, too, fell asleep. Neither girl slept peacefully that night.

A Promise Worth Keeping (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

Edited by Icecreammac and titled by Icecreammac.

Edited and proof read by Sadistic Fluttershy.

A Promise Worth Keeping (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Rainbow felt cold. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was back at the pond, holding Sunset’s lifeless body in her arms. Finding it hard to control herself, she leaned down, saying gently, "I love you, Sunset," and kissed Sunset. As their lips parted, Rainbow pulled back and waited.

Sunset suddenly coughed, then rolled to the right, coughing up the water she had inhaled while under the pond's surface. “How,” Sunset coughed, “dare you say,” she continued through strained breath, “you love me Rainbow?”

Looking down, Rainbow pulled Sunset into her, saying as she held the coughing girl tightly in her arms, “I'm sorry, Sunset. Really. I love you.”

“Let me go, Rainbow,” Sunset snarled. “Let go of me, now!”

“What?” Rainbow gently set Sunset down on the cold ice beneath her. “I-I don’t understand.” Getting up, Sunset glared daggers at Rainbow, causing the athlete to gulp in return. Rainbow slowly got up and looked at Sunset pleadingly. “Sunset, please. I just saved your life, and I--”

“Saved my life!?” Sunset exclaimed, her eyes going wide with rage. “You ruined my life! You're the reason I killed myself, Rainbow Dash!”

“Sunset, I know I messed up big time. I am so sorry. I’ll do anything you want to make this right for you.”

Sunset cocked her head to the right, a sick smirk slowly crawling across her face. Sunset’s eyes slowly changed from cyan to black. Her skin changed to crimson red, and her hair burst into flames.

“You wanted a monster, Rainbow? Well, you got one!” Sunset smiled as her demon wings slowly emerged from her back. “You'll do anything to make it up to me? Well, I want to drag you into Tartarus, where you will stay forever.”

Rainbow's eyes widened in fear as she watched Sunset take to the air, flying above her and smirking wickedly. Rainbow turned to run, but found her legs weren’t moving.

“Aww, what's wrong, Rainbow? Legs not working?” Sunset cooed. “Hmph! Well, that's just too damn bad. Now you won't get to run before I kill you!”

Rainbow yelled out in terror as Sunset swooped down, grabbing Rainbow under her arms and lifting her up into the air. Sunset flew higher and higher into the frigid night air. Finally stopping her ascent, she said, “I hope it was worth it Rainbow, screwing with me like you did. I hope you enjoyed breaking my heart.”

“Sunset, please don’t do this. We can still work this out. I’ll prove to you that I can be loyal,” Rainbow begged.

“All your going to do is prove is that you're nothing but a stain to be wiped away. Goodbye, Rainbow Dash.”

Before Rainbow could say anything further, Sunset let go of her. Rainbow screamed as she plummeted towards the icy ground below.

*******

Rainbow’s eyes snapped open just as she hit the ground. Her scream cut off as she registered where she was. She was on the floor, having fallen out of the bed. Her arms and legs were in awkward places from her flailing. Sitting next to her was Fluttershy, who held Rainbow in her arms. “It’s alright now, Rainbow. It was just a nightmare.”

“F-Fluttershy? How did I get next to the bed? I fell asleep near the door.”

“I came in here to check up on you shortly after you fell asleep. You're lucky I have a master key. As upset with you as I may be right now, I am not about to let you sleep on the cold, hard floor, so I dragged you over to the bed. You started squirming before I left, and you suddenly fell out of bed screaming, so I held you until you calmed down.”

“I see.” Looking down, Rainbow continued, “You can let go of me now.”

“Let me help you back into bed.”

Fluttershy got up, helping Rainbow to her feet and into bed. Rainbow offered Fluttershy a weak smile as Fluttershy tucked Rainbow in. Fluttershy began to leave when Rainbow said, “Fluttershy, you don’t have to go. If you want, we can stay up for a while and talk.”

“...Sure. Just let me make a quick phone call.”

“A-Alright.” A little curious, Rainbow continued, “Who are you gonna call?”

“Principal Celestia. I want to see if she got the date of the funeral. I didn't get the information from Luna, and she said she would get it from her sister. I just don't want her to bother Principal Celestia about this.”

Fluttershy headed out of the room, leaving Rainbow to sit alone in her bed. Getting to her living room, Fluttershy picked up her phone and dialed Principal Celestia's number.

“Hello?” came a voice from the other end.

“Hello, Principal Celestia. It's Fluttershy.” Fluttershy looked at her living room clock, which read 2:30 in the morning. She quickly continued, "I'm a little surprised you're up at this time of night."

“Hello, Fluttershy." Principal Celestia sighed, then continued, "I'm up now because I just got home from dropping off a letter for Applejack. But never mind that. How are you doing?”

“Not good. I got into a fight with Rainbow over all that's happened. I found a letter that Sunset wrote before she...” Fluttershy gulped, then continued, “Well, before she did what she did.” Fluttershy continued softly as her tears began to fall once more, “Do you know the date for Sunset's funeral?” Fluttershy thought she heard a bark in the background but chose not to say anything about it.

“Yes. It's in three days,” Principal Celestia began softly. “I know you're hurting, Fluttershy. I am, too. I'll see you at the funeral. And don't worry about having to go to school that day or for the next few days afterward. I'll make sure to excuse your absences, and I'll make sure you get your schoolwork. You all just take time off to mourn for Sunset.”

"Thanks, Principal Celestia."

Fluttershy said her goodbyes to Principal Celestia and went back to Rainbow's room, finding her guest standing near the bedroom window, looking out to her backyard. Rainbow let out a soft sigh before turning around, noticing Fluttershy standing in the room just a few feet from her.

“I wish I didn’t do what I did,” Rainbow began slowly, walking towards Fluttershy and out of the room. “I doubt the Cakes will let me say goodbye to her.” Rainbow headed into the foyer, taking up her backpack. Reaching inside, she took out a keychain and turned it over in her hands, looking at the photographs decorating it.

“I picked this up a few days after the Battle of the Bands. I was gonna give it to Sunset.”

“Rainbow, you shouldn’t place all the blame on yourself. Yes, you were awful to her, but you're right, we weren't there for her either,” Fluttershy admitted.

Sighing, Rainbow walked back to the living room, taking a seat on Fluttershy’s couch. Fluttershy walked over to her living room window, looking outside. The cold night looked ominous and frightful, the black clouds above flashing with lightning as rain began to pour. Turning back to Rainbow, Fluttershy asked, "Can I see it?"

Rainbow wordlessly got up and handing the key chain to Fluttershy, who examined the photos. On one side, Sunset's smiling face looked back at her. Flipping the key chain over, Fluttershy saw Rainbow with a silly smirk, wearing thick, black sunglasses.

“You both look so happy. When were you planning on giving this to her?”

“I wanted to give it to her after I had it made.” Rainbow turned around holding her arms under her chest as she continued. “But I kept losing my nerve. I kept thinking, ‘I’ll give it to her tomorrow,’ but tomorrow never came.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes and looked away, saying as her own thoughts dwelt on Sunset and the feelings of anger she had for Rainbow, “I wish I could've stopped her, Rainbow. I wish I could've done anything to stop her from leaving the animal shelter.”

Quickly turning toward Fluttershy, Rainbow said firmly, “This wasn’t your fault, Fluttershy. It was mine. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Whimpering, knowing it wasn't true, Fluttershy slowly moved over to Rainbow, burying her face into Rainbow's chest and crying. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Rainbow. I'm sorry I said I hated you.”

Holding Fluttershy tight in her arms, Rainbow listened to the rain hitting Fluttershy’s window as the animal lover cried. “I deserved it, though. I turned my back on Sunset when she needed me most. I can’t change what I did, but I can change who I am.” Rainbow gently helped Fluttershy over to her couch and sat down, allowing the timid girl to cry on her shoulders. “I was a major jerk. I don’t expect you to forgive me for all I did.”

“Rainbow?"

"Yeah, Fluttershy?"

"Please, just stop talking. I just want you to hold me.”

Rainbow pulled Fluttershy closer, hugging her warmly until Fluttershy cried herself to sleep. Carefully picking her up, Rainbow carried Fluttershy into the quiet girl's bedroom and put her to bed. Before heading back to her own room for the night, Rainbow took one last look at her sleeping friend.

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I won’t make you cry anymore. I promise.” Walking out of Fluttershy’s room and carefully shutting the door, Rainbow continued, “I'm gonna turn over a new leaf. I'm never leaving my friends behind again.”

Rainbow headed back to her own room and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.

*******

Luna pulled away from the library after dropping off Sonata, Gilda and Summer Sunrise. Twilight looked back as the group disappeared from sight. Letting out a sigh, she turned back around as Luna said, “Oh, I forgot to mention. We're currently taking care of a young girl at home. She's probably asleep right now, so make sure to keep the noise down.”

“A young girl?” Twilight asked. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Crystalis. She is Judge Chrysalis's daughter.” To Luna's right, Princess Celestia gasped in surprise. A look of worry came over her, which Luna noticed. “Is there something wrong, Your Highness?”

Princess Celestia looked down and sighed deeply. “I knew my world's Crystalis before, well, before my daughter was born.” When Luna nodded in sympathy, Celestia continued, “And please, don’t call me ‘Your Highness’. I am not a princess here.”

“If you don't want any honorifics, what should I call you?”

“How about 'Tia'? That's what my sister calls me back home.”

Twilight chimed in, “'Tia' seems too informal. How about Luna just calls you 'Celestia' and her sister 'Tia'?”

“Actually, on second thought, I would prefer my last name,” Celestia said.

“That sounds good. What's your last name?” Luna asked as she slowed down, coming to a stop sign.

“Soleil.”

"Should've known," Luna remarked as she pulled through the intersection.

With the Wings of an Angel (Edited by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This chapter is co-authored by werewolfhunter

Edited by Icecreammac

With the Wings of an Angel (Edited by Icecreammac)

Fluttershy woke up early to cloudy weather. Getting up, she showered and got dressed for the day. She walked over to Rainbow's room and knocked softly, saying, “Rainbow, it's time to get up. We need to get going.”

Not getting a reply, Fluttershy tried the door handle, finding it unlocked. Opening the door, she found Rainbow staring coldly out into the backyard.

“It looks cold out there, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said softly, her head bowed low. “I don’t want to go. I don’t want to see her at the funeral.”

Gently taking Rainbow by her waist and pulling the athlete into a warm hug, Fluttershy said softly, “I know you don’t want to go, but you need closure. We all do, and this will help you with that.”

Pushing her off gently, Rainbow looked into Fluttershy's ice-blue eyes, saying, “That's just it, Fluttershy. I don’t want closure. I don’t want any of this to be real.”

Fluttershy looked down, her hair covering her eyes. She sniffed, fighting back her tears. Rainbow gently pulled her into another hug and softly said, “Alright, alright, you win. I made a promise that I wouldn’t make you cry anymore, so I’ll go to the funeral, but afterwards, I want to have some alone time.”

“Okay. That's fair.”

The girls made their way downstairs to Fluttershy’s mother's car. Getting in, Rainbow leaned her head against the window, thinking, “I hope Twilight and I don’t fight. I don’t want that, not today. I just want this to be over with.”

Fluttershy’s mother backed out of the driveway and headed to a small church located a few miles down the road. Getting there five or so minutes later, both girls got out and headed into the church.

***********

Twilight, Princess Celestia, Principal Celestia, and Luna all arrived twenty minutes afterward. Principal Celestia pulled into a parking space, and the group got out, with Luna already heading into the church, followed by her sister. Twilight was just heading inside when she heard from behind her a familiar voice.

“Twilight,” the familiar voice said softly.

Twilight turned around to see Flash Sentry coming up from behind her, his face sorrowful. Gesturing to Princess Celestia, Twilight said gently, “Princess Celestia, this is my friend Flash Sentry.”

Offering a bow, Princess Celestia said, “It is an honor to meet you, Flash Sentry.”

Flash replied, “It's good to meet you, too, Your Highness. I'm glad you could show up for the...the funeral.” Flash fought back his tears, prompting Twilight to take his hands into her own as he continued while she lead him over to a nearby bench, "I miss Sunset." Flash took a seat and let out tough sigh, while Princess Celestia, not knowing what else to do, headed into the church. “I hope the real culprit gets caught for this, Twilight.”

"Culprits, Flash. There were more than one that caused this to happen.” Twilight looked down, a look of shame and anger etched on her face as Flash looked at her, confused. Sensing Flash needed more information, Twilight sat down next to him and added hesitantly, “It was Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.” Wrapping her arm around his own, she finished, “They were all arrested shortly after Sunset went to the hospital.”

Twilight glanced up to the cold, charcoal-grey sky above, thinking to herself as it began to rain lightly, “It's like the heavens are crying.”

Her train of thought was interrupted as she felt Flash pull away from her. “Good,” Flash snarled bitterly. “I hope they go to jail for a long time for this.” Turning to help Twilight up from the bench, he continued, “I hope they see the damage they've done.”

“It wasn’t just them, Flash. It was the whole school that turned on her. Everyone that had even an ounce of anger towards her posted something on that website.” Twilight looked away, folding her arms under her chest. “I checked the account, Flash. It had two hundred postings on it, each one from a different student.” Getting up and turning her back to Flash, she added solemnly. “Most were threats against her life, a few were secrets the poster should have known would hurt whoever the secret belonged to, but it was the last few that caught my eye, Flash.”

“None of which those three girls should have allowed onto that page.”

“It doesn’t matter what they allowed or not. They didn’t force anyone to post anything about each other, did they?”

“Well, no.” Flash closed his eyes, fighting back his anger. “I don’t think they did.”

“The last eighty posting were from those that couldn’t or didn’t want to forgive Sunset for her actions at the Fall Formal.”

“I see. And now, you what want to blame the entire school. What good will that do?”

“It won’t do any good to blame anyone, Flash, whether it's those girls or the whole school. The point is that the damage is done, and we all want someone to blame for this.” Turning around, Twilight continued, “You better head inside now. I'm afraid I'm not good company right now, and I really don’t want to say anything that will upset you.”

Flash turned to leave, when Twilight suddenly said, “You still loved her despite the fact that you broke up with her, didn’t you, Flash?”

“Yes, Twilight. I still and always will love her. Sunset was my first girlfriend, and she will always hold a special place in my heart, despite the fact that we broke up.” Flash was about to head inside when he quickly added, “The Cakes called my folks. They asked if I would be a pallbearer for Sunset's casket. I asked them, and they said it would be alright if you did the same.”

“I would be honored to do that for Sunset. I think she would have liked it, and I know it will help give me closure and peace of mind.”

Flash headed inside, finding Vinyl and Octavia inside the church and quickly asking them for the same honor. The two agreed. Lastly, he asked Luna, who nodded with sad eyes, and Principal Celestia, who also agreed as she looked at Sunset in her casket.
Principal Celestia took her seat and held her sister's arm, saying, “I miss her, Luna. I miss her very much.”

“I know, Tia. I know.”

***********

After meeting with Flash, Twilight headed inside the church. Her eyes wandered around the church, admiring its beauty in the low lighting. “I'll have to come back here for research under better circumstances,” she thought. Looking over to the front of the church, she saw a statue of a man on a large, wooden cross, the same man she saw in the chapel, though the larger size of the statue made it much easier to see the nails keeping the man on the cross and the the bronze crown of thorns on his head, which made her uneasy. There was a man kneeling in front of the statue. Twilight watched him for few seconds before walking over to Sunset's casket, keeping her eyes off the statue of the dead man.

Twilight gazed upon Sunset's corpse. She swallowed hard. Looking around quickly, she saw Principal Celestia talking with Mr. Cake. Twilight's throat tightened slightly as she continue to look at Sunset in her casket. Sunset was wearing a simple, purple dress with matching shoes. The bruises and cuts on her face from her fight with Dumbbell were covered by makeup.

“I provided the dress and shoes,” Rarity's familiar voice said from behind her. “I wanted her to look her best, even during this awful time.”

Twilight didn’t look behind her. She closed her eyes, tightening her right hand into a tight fist before feeling familiar hands against her shoulders. Slowly looking behind her, Twilight saw Fluttershy offering her a sad, weak smile.

“It's good to see you, Twilight.” Fluttershy hugged Twilight warmly, albeit hesitantly. “I miss Sunset so much. I wrote a song for her. I was going to give it to her at her birthday, but now--” Fluttershy's voice cracked as she began to cry.

Taking a hold of the timid girl in her arms, Twilight gently soothed her and calmed her down, running her hands through the crying girl's hair.

Nearby, Princess Celestia got up from her pew, saying to Fluttershy gently, “I am sure your song will be a welcome one at this horrible time.”

“Thank you, Principal Cele--”

“No, Fluttershy, this is Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “I know I should've introduced you when you gave me Sunset's letter, but I didn’t feel it was the right time. Princess Celestia will stay here to answer any questions that you might have about Sunset.”

Twilight gently led Fluttershy over to a nearby pew, then headed back to Sunset's casket.

“She looks like she's sleeping,” Twilight muttered to no one in particular. “I wish you were still alive. I want to tell you how sorry I am for what I did to you, Sunset,” Twilight thought.

Twilight noticed that Sunset's hands were on her stomach, and she saw a key chain under Sunset's right hand. Around her neck, Sunset wore a necklace that had a locket in the shape of her cutie mark.

Twilight was about to pick up the key chain when she heard, “I put that key chain in there with her. That way, she'd have something of me to take with her to heaven.”

“I see.” Turning around, Twilight saw Rainbow standing just a few feet behind her. “We all miss her, Rainbow. Let's focus on the good memories we each have of her. Maybe that will help us recover from this tragedy.”

Twilight, not getting a reply, looked back at Sunset's casket, noticing the flowers laid out around Sunset's head within the coffin. Outside of the casket was a photo of Sunset sitting sideways in a chair. Her right hand was held under her face, which bore a happy smile.

Everyone took their seats as a priest began to say solemnly, “We are gathered here today to pay our final respects to Sunset Shimmer, who was loved by all present. I will allow those who would like to speak about their memories of Sunset to do so now.”

Ms. Cheerilee was the first to get up from the back of the church. Her face was covered in a dark, lacy veil. On her left shoulder, Princess Celestia noticed a brooch of three flowers, each with a smiling face on it.

“I will always remember Sunset's amazing singing voice,” Ms. Cheerilee began. “I offered Sunset a place to stay a few days after the Fall Formal. I had come home late and, as usual, I was tired. But when I heard this very beautiful, angelic voice coming from my singing room, it was as if the heavens themselves opened up to give me the energy I needed to be there for Sunset. I asked her what song it was she was singing. She told me it was something she picked up in Eque--in her homeland. A song called ‘The Minstrel Pony’. Even though she wouldn't say anything else about it, I knew that that night was the start of a new, wonderful relationship between us. A relationship...tragically cut short.”

Cheerilee took her seat, holding her head low. Her tears dripped through her veil and stained her dark-purple shirt and skirt. Fluttershy headed up next. Looking out to the few who actually attended Sunsent's funeral, she said softly, “I-I wrote a song. I-I wanted to sing it to Sunset on her birthday, but now, I won’t get the chance. S-So, if you'll let me, I would like to sing it for each of you. maybe Sunset will hear it up in heaven, and help us all heal from this.”

Fluttershy turned towards the Cakes, who both nodded their approval. Fluttershy quickly cleared her throat and began to sing.

"With the wings
Of an angel,
You will rise.

You belong to heaven now.
In God's loving arms,
you’ll rest in peace.

With the wings of an angel,
You will laugh again.
We will never forget you.

You’re memory will be carried on.
With the wings
Of an angel,
you will rise
Into heaven.

God will embrace you,
And you’ll smile once again.
The words that you gave us
Still carry on through our love for you.

We will carry on for you.
For with the wings
Of an angel,
You will rise
Into heaven.

You're in our hearts and souls.
Emotions we just can't control.
Our memories of you will never die.

The fire still burns.
Our love and memories
Shall keep you alive.

Our love for you shall last forever.
Our love for you shall never end.
One day, when we get into heaven,
We'll all meet you again.

Though we may be crying down here,
We will take comfort in knowing
That your love will always be shining
Down on us.

For you belong to heaven now.

We shall always love you.
And with the wings
Of an angel,
You...will…rise."

Fluttershy’s voice cracked at the last note. Her legs, no longer able to support her weight, gave way, and Fluttershy fell to her knees. Twilight rushed to her side, gently helping her up and bringing her back to her seat while the rest of the churchgoers sat silently, stunned at the emotion poured into the shy girl's song.

Eventually, Applejack silently headed up to the front of the church, her eyes red from crying.

“Ah will always remember when Ah let Sunset come up to Sweet Apple Acres for the weekend. She had wanted to learn about growing food and had asked to help out around the farm. She told me that where she comes from, apples're a prized commodity, and as such, she was eager to learn how ta grow 'em. Ah remember fondly how messy she got, but no matter the work load, she never once complained. Not even when my li'l sis--” Applejacks words fell short as she closed her eyes tightly, looking away while remembering the hurt Apple Bloom's actions brought to Sunset and her friends. Applejack continued bitterly, “Ah’m sorry. Ah can’t do this.”

Quickly taking her seat again, Applejack buried her face into her hands, sobbing. Rarity headed up next, looking just as beautiful as Sunset did. Looking over to Sunset, Rarity lifted up her silk veil, then returned her gaze to those attending Sunset’s funeral.

“I will always recall how beautiful Sunset looked in her evening gown that I loaned her when we went to Le Cheval D'or. Watching her dance with Rainbow and seeing the happy smile on her face will always bring a tear to my eye. I know she is dancing in heaven.” Rarity looked back over to Sunset as she finished, “I will never forget you, Sunset. Whenever I see someone smiling or laughing, I’ll think of you. I promise.”

Rarity took her seat as Pinkie headed up to the pulpit. Her hair was completely flat, and very little life could be seen behind her eyes. Looking out to those that attended the funeral, Pinkie said, “I’ll remember when Sunny wanted to learn how to bake cookies. Naturally, I was more than happy to teach her. She wanted to use them in a food drive to feed the homeless and to help those less fortunate than herself. She may have done some bad things in the past, but she was always a good person at heart.” Pinkie looked down, sniffing as she continued, “I’ll never forget her laughter when I spilt some of the batter on her boots. She always had the most wonderful smile.”

Pinkie took her seat, and Flash Sentry headed up next, saying as he looked out into the small crowd in front of him, “I’ll remember when I brought Sunset home for the first time to meet my folks. She was more nervous than I've ever seen her before. My parents took a liking to her almost immediately, and even when we broke up, they still wanted her to come around and visit. Sunset will always hold a special place in my parents' home, and she'll always hold a special place in my heart.”

Luna headed up after Flash took his seat. “I will recall when she got detention for the first time. As many of you know, her behavior at school was less than stellar. I was rather shocked when Sunset actually requested more time to be added to her detentionaire time card. She told me it made for good time to be alone and study. Why she didn't just use the library, I'll never know.” Though Luna chuckled a bit at her last comment, she sobered quickly and hung her head low as she continued, bitterly, “If I had only known how alone she actually was, I would have taken her home then and there regardless of what the administrators would have said about it. I would have made sure beyond a doubt that she had a roof over her head, good food to eat, and a safe place to sleep. I was so happy that she got adopted by the Cakes. I knew in my heart they would take good care of her.”

Luna took her seat as her sister rose to say her final words for Sunset. Principal Celestia looked at Sunset in her casket, then turned to the small group in front of her, saying softly, “I will always remember when Sunset pitched the idea of a dance for the school board to earn money to bring on more members to the faculty. Sunset had this idea that if you got all the students together and had them pay a small amount of money to get into the dance, it could be enough to hire more members of faculty to take the workload off of me and my sister. She even wrote several songs to help with this dance and came up with several posters for it as well. I found her sleeping in the cafeteria one day with a pile of posters next to her, each one a different design and color. It must have taken her all night to do the seventy-six posters I found next to her. Well, I picked her up, brought her to the nurse's office, and laid her to bed. I radioed for my sister to watch over her. Luna wasn’t too pleased about it, but I think seeing Sunset sleeping peacefully gave her peace of mind. I will never forget Sunset's eagerness and willingness to help others. I hope we can all learn this from this tragedy.”

Principal Celestia took her seat, taking her sister by the arm as she cried. Mr. Cake headed up to say his final words about his daughter. “I was happy when Principal Celestia offered to become Sunset's legal guardian during her adoption process. I have known the Soleil family for almost twenty years now. I knew that she and her sister would be able to steer Sunset in the right direction and help keep her on track to being a good person.” Swallowing hard and fighting back a sob, Mr. Cake continued, “My daughter was loved by most of those here.” Mr. Cake shot the five girls that Sunset had once called friends a dirty look, causing each of them to look down in shame. He quickly added, “I loved Sunset very much. I know that she will be missed by all of you, and I thank each of you for coming here.”

Mr. Cake took his seat again next to his sobbing wife. Hugging her warmly, he whispered gently into her ear, “It’ll be alright, honey. I'm here. I loved her, too.”

Twilight was the last to head up. Looking out to the small crowd of mourners, she said softly, “In the midst of our sorrow of Sunset’s death which sadly takes place at the start of a new life that will be welcomed. Sunset was a friend, a student, and a daughter and a sister to those that join us in our sorrow of her passing.” Twilight swallowed hard, desperately fighting back her emotions as she continued, “We will not forget her wisdom or her good heart.” Twilight could feel her emotions beginning to take over as she quickly choked back another sob. “As a close friend to her, I can only say this: Of all the souls I have encountered in my lifetime and the trials and travels that I have gone through which helped shape me into who I am today, Sunset’s soul and heart were the most,” Twilight choked back another sob, and she choked out, “human.” Taking her seat, Twilight took a hold of Princess Celestia as she started to cry into her mentor's shoulders.

“Shh, Twilight. I'm here,” Princess Celestia soothingly said, stroking Twilight's hair. “I won’t let you mourn alone. When we get back, I’ll have a statue made in Sunset's honor and have it placed in the hall of our sacred, fallen heroes for all to know her story.”

Looking into her eyes, Twilight said with tears running down her cheeks, “Thank you, Princess Celestia. I think Sunset would have liked that a lot.”

***********

The priest motioned everyone to stand up. Octavia and Vinyl both looked at the Cakes, who gave them a nod. Quickly getting to the back of Sunset's casket, Octavia stood on the left side, while Vinyl stood on the right. Flash took a spot on the middle right, with Luna on the left. Principal Celestia stood up front to the right, and Twilight took the left spot. Each of the six carried Sunset's casket outside of the church, with the Cakes following them. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy followed the group, though Fluttershy needed some convincing. Princess Celestia was the last to walk outside.

Sunset's casket was loaded into the hearse. Mr. Cake took his wife into his arms, holding her tightly until they heard a soft, regal voice from behind them.

Princess Celestia began, “Mr. and Mrs. Cake, I am so sorr--”

A loud slap sounded as Mrs. Cake’s hand flew across the princess's face. Mrs. Cake buried her face into her husband's chest, sobbing hard. Mr. Cake, seeing the confused look on Princess Celestia’s face, was no longer able to keep his anger in check.

“You want to say you're sorry for not being there for Sunset,” Mr. Cake spat in rage. “How dare you come here asking for forgiveness after you abandoned your own daughter!” Pulling his wife in closer and gently rubbing his hand through her hair, he continued as he calmed his wife down, “Sunset told us everything about Crystal Ridge and about Saddle Ville. How could you just turn on your own daughter like that?”

“I didn’t mean--”

“It makes me sick just to look at you. If you want to make things right, then go back to Equestria. If you ever do decide to have another child--and I don't care if you give birth or adopt one--don’t turn your back on that child. Ever. What you did is the reason we have to lay Sunset to rest today.” Taking his wife gently by the waist and arm, Mr. Cake began to lead her away. “Sunset never asked to be brought into the world, and she was never asked to be...to be...” Unable to finish his words, Mr. Cake walked away, leaving Princess Celestia to walk back over to the church as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Twilight was about to go after the Cakes when Principal Celestia stopped her, saying, “Let them go, Twilight. They need time to heal. We all do.”

Fluttershy, seeing what had occurred, ran off towards another part of the church, Applejack and Rarity following her. Finding another room inside the church, Fluttershy fell to her knees, sobbing and holding herself. Finally, she could no longer contain her own anger or bitterness as she screamed, falling into a fetal position, “Damn you for taking her away from us!” Applejack walked up to her, knelt down, and gently pulled the distraught girl into her arms, holding her warmly. “I hate him, Applejack! I hate God for doing this to us!” Fluttershy sobbed into Applejack’s shoulders.

Rarity looked at a statue in the church, saying softly as she, too, knelt down, hugging both Applejack and Fluttershy tightly, “Darling, you mustn’t hate God for this. I know it hurts, but we were the ones who treated her terribly, and Sunset was the one who...who did what she did." Rarity choked back a sob of her own. "Oh, I miss her terribly.”

Fluttershy didn't respond. She only continued crying angrily until finally, she cried herself to sleep in Applejack's arms. Applejack gently placed the sleeping girl into Rarity's arms and headed out of the church. Getting to her truck a few moments later, Applejack wiped away her tears, started the old clunker up, and drove the truck behind the church. She went back inside and helped Rarity carry Fluttershy into Applejack's truck. Finally, Rarity and Applejack got in the truck, and Applejack drove away.

Soon after the pallbearers finished carrying the casket to Sunset's final resting place, Princess Celestia got up from the step she was sitting on, her tears spent, though her sadness still marred her regal features. Twilight said to her softly, “Princess, are you going to be alright now?”

“No, Twilight. It will take a long time for me to finish grieving for Sunset, and in time, I will be better. But not now.”

Twilight nodded as she took Princess Celestia’s hand into her own, leading her over to Luna’s car. The two got in, with Luna already inside the car. Luna drove off towards home. Along the way, Princess Celestia said softly, “If it is alright with you, I think I should find another place to stay for a few days. I promised Twilight I would remain in this world to answer any questions that you or her friends might have about Sunset, but I think things will be a bit...awkward between your sister and me.”

“It isn’t alright with me, Soleil. I want you to stay with us until you are ready to head home.”

“Alright. I would like to have a few hours to myself when we get back, though.”

“That's fine. I think we all need some time to heal from this.”

“Thank you.”

“There is one thing I would like to ask you,” Luna said, pulling up to a stop sign. “What exactly is the Demon's Heart?”

Princess Celestia’s eyes widened with fear, and her skin color instantly went six shades whiter. “W-What did you just say?” Princess Celestia replied in shocked fear, “The Demon's Heart? How did you know about that?”

“Sunset had it. She showed it to us and explained it to us, but she was kind of vague. I figured you'd know more about it. ”

"She...She had it?"

Getting a bit unnerved at Princess Celestia's fear, Luna replied, "Uh, yeah. Why are you so surprised? Sunset told us she stole it from you. Seems like something you'd keep track of."

Swallowing hard, Princess Celestia looked to Luna, terror in her eyes. “Where is the Demon's Heart now, Luna? You must tell me. You have no idea how dangerous that prison really is.”

*********

As Sunset's casket sat at the bottom of the newly filled plot, a hand within the casket slowly flexed into a fist, and a soft, rhytmic heartbeat began, sounding positively thunderous against the silence of the grave.

Buying Time (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

Okay everyone the reason this chapter is so long is that I didn't want to return to the character 'Eventide Shimmer Soliel' until the second to last chapter. From now till then I will do my best to focus on showing what Sunset does when she comes back from the grave. I look forward to your comments about this chapter below in the comment section.

Buying Time (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Fluttershy carried a tray of tea and food down a stony hallway towards Eventide's room. When she got there, she set the tray down on an end table as she heard Eventide moan out, “Fire.” Eventide turned her head to the right as she moaned again, keeping her eyes tightly closed, “Fire, n-no. Fire.”

“Oh, dear. You must be cold.” Fluttershy quickly looked around, seeing an unlit fireplace. She continued softly, just above a whisper, “Hold on, Eventide. I’ll get a fire going in just a few moments.”

Walking over to the fireplace, Fluttershy placed a few of the logs sitting outside it into the fireplace and soon had a crackling fire going.

“There, all warm and--”

“Fire Heart, no, don’t. You can’t. Bryagh, s-stay away.” Eventide moaned, turning her head from left to right. “Don't you touch her.”

Fluttershy turned to look at Eventide as sweat dampened the thin bandages covering her face, turning them from white to a dark, milky grey.

“Oh, my. You must be having a nightmare.” Fluttershy walked over to Eventide and placed her front hooves on the girl's shoulders. “Eventide, wake up. You're having a nightmare.”

Eventide's eyes snapped open. She bolted upwards knocking Fluttershy over, causing the little pegasus to fall to her flank with a yelp.

“Bryagh, you’ll pay for what you did!” Eventide screamed in rage, glaring at Fluttershy with burning hatred. “You’ll...” Eventides paused as her world came into focus and she took in her surroundings, “pay.” Looking around, she said. “Where am I?”

“You're back at your room at Snowflake Monastery,” Fluttershy said softly, picking herself up off the floor. “I brought you food. It's been three days since you were brought here, so you must be hungry.”

“Three days!?” Eventide exclaimed, her eyes going wide under her facial bandages. “It couldn’t have been--”

“Don’t listen to Fluttershy, Eventide," Eventide heard. "She isn’t your friend. She wants to hurt you. The food she brought is poisoned. She was going to feed you and kill you while you slept. You're lucky you woke up when you did. Now, you can get her before she gets you.”

“You mustn’t attack Fluttershy, Eventide. She is only trying to help you. She's already told you that you are in your room at Snowflake Monastery. You're safe now.”

“Eventide?” Eventide watched as Fluttershy began to scoop up a small spoonful of soup. Raising it up to Eventide's mouth, Fluttershy said, “This is oat and hay soup. It's really yummy. You’ll like it, trust me.”

As Fluttershy held the spoonful of soup out to Eventide, Eventide again heard, “It's poisonous! Don’t eat it. She's trying to kill you. Why won't you listen to me?”

“It’s not poisonous. It's perfectly safe, and Fluttershy's right; you have to eat. It's been three days.”

Eventide swatted the spoon out of Fluttershy’s hoof, trembling in fear. “That’s it, Eventide. Show that pony who's boss. Don’t trust her. Don’t be her friend.”

“Oh, uh, th-that wasn’t very nice. I was only trying to help,” Fluttershy said, looking at the spoon. “Um, let’s try that again. And, uh, this time, without any swatting the spoon away, alright?”

Fluttershy went to pick up the spoon, stopping when she heard Eventide yell out in fear. Looking back, she saw Eventide huddled on the bed, staring in her direction but not exactly at her. Fluttershy looked around briefly, but she couldn't tell was caused Eventide to become so afraid.

“Elf, Sparrow, shut up!” Eventide yelled, having finally heard enough of the argument. As they laughed her off, she placed her head into her hands, rocking back and forth, fighting to keep in control of her emotions. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

Fluttershy, worried and disturbed, tried to calm Eventide down. “It's alright, Eventide. Who are Elf and Sparrow? Where are they? If you want, I can go get Rainbow for you. She'll help.”

Fluttershy took a tentative step forward, causing Eventide to snap her gaze in Fluttershy's direction. She quickly tried to back away again, hitting her head against the headboard of her bed. With a pained yelp, Eventide reached above her, grabbing a short sword from the supports on the wall.

“Get away from me, you monster!” Eventide quickly unsheathed the sword as she continued while Fluttershy backed away, “Stay back! I know how to use this!”

“Eventide, stop!” Eventide looked up to see Brave Heart entering the room. For her part, Brave Heart quickly noticed the look of pure terror in Eventide’s eyes and instantly knew what was going on. Knowing she needed to balance being stern and soothing, she quickly said, “Fluttershy isn’t going to hurt you.”

“You're wrong! She's trying to poison me!” Eventide’s hands trembled badly, and soon, she could no longer hold her sword. Dropping it, she held her head again and snapped, “Elf, Sparrow, not now!”

Brave Heart, taking her chance, quickly rushed in, pushing Eventide into her pillow.

“Eventide, listen to me! No one is trying to hurt any pony.”

Immediately, Eventide put all of her attention on Brave Heart, completely ignoring Fluttershy. “Fire Heart, get off of me! Bryagh is going to kill you, and I'm the only one that can stop him!” Eventide screamed, trying to get out from under Brave Heart's body. “But I can't protect you if you won't let me move!”

Rainbow Dash came into the room, having heard the commotion. Inside, she saw Fluttershy, who looked terrified, and Eventide, who was struggling to get Brave Heart off of her. Nearby was Eventide's sword. It didn't take long to guess what was happening.

“Fluttershy, did Eventide hurt you?” Rainbow asked angrily, stomping her hoof into the ground. “I’ll show her she can’t pick on you like that!”

Before Rainbow could act, however, Eventide threw Brave Heart off of her, causing the pegasus to hit the ground with a loud thud. Bolting upright, Eventide began to reach for her axe, stopping only when a blue bolt of energy encased her arms, pinning both of arms to her sides. Rainbow looked to the doorway to watch a unicorn walk into the room, locking eyes with Eventide.

Looking up as she climbed back to her hooves, Brave Heart said, “Oh, thank the princesses you've come, Crystal Flare. I--”

“Duck!”

“What?”

“Now!”

Brave Heart dove to the ground as Eventide’s right hand broke free from Crystal Flare's magical grasp. Not wanting to hurt Eventide, Crystal Flare called, “Charge of Brave Heart, the Battle of Rambling Rock Ridge is over. Your battle is over. There is nothing left for you to fight. It is time to rest.”

Her words were in vain. Brave Heart locked eyes with her very scared, young charge and saw that Eventide was still not in her right mind. “Fire Heart," Eventide yelled, "I won’t let Bryagh get away with hurting you!”

Crystal Flare quickly said, "She is reliving something that happened to her at Rambling Rock Ridge. You both need to leave now!"

“What is wrong with her?” Rainbow asked worriedly as she began to hold Fluttershy in her wings, calming down her scared friend. “The Battle of Rambling Rock Ridge ended two years ago.”

“Both of you need to leave, now,” Brave Heart said, getting up. “Rainbow, take your friend down the hallway. Crystal Flare and I will tend to Eventide.”

“But--”

“We can hold Eventide off until she calms down. Just please take Fluttershy someplace more quiet than this.” Turning back to Eventide, held down by Crystal Flare's magic, Brave Heart continued, “At ease, soldier. There's no further reason for you to fight.”

Rainbow didn't need any more convincing. She very quickly helped Fluttershy out into the hallway as two monks rushed into the room, one shutting the door behind her while Eventide screamed in rage at both Crystal Flare and Braveheart. Banging and thudding sounded from the room, which gave way to silence for several long moments before the two monks left the room.

“What happened? Is Eventide alright?” Fluttershy asked coming back to her senses as Rainbow steadied her with her wings and hooves in the hallway outside of Eventides door. “She didn’t hurt Braveheart or that other pony, did she?”

Smiling, one of the monks replied jovially, “Hurt Brave Heart? Fire Heart's sister? Please! Eventide wouldn’t be able to hurt either Crystal Flare or Brave Heart even if she wanted to.”

“Ahem.” Brave Heart cleared her throat, getting the monks' attention. “Tend to Fluttershy. I will be tending to Timber.”

The monks quickly nodded to Braveheart, each, in turn, offering a weak smile to Fluttershy before helping Rainbow into another room down the hallway. Braveheart walked by Rainbow and Fluttershy, a thick black eye clearly showed on her face.

“I thought that monk said Eventide wouldn’t hurt you Brave Heart,” Fluttershy asked just barely above a whisper. “That black eye looks really bad is there anything I can do to help heal it?”

Stopping in her tracks, Brave Heart looked over her shoulder, saying softly, “This wasn’t from Eventide. I got kicked by one of my monks while Crystal Flare was trying to hold Eventide down.” She shot the monk in question a glare, who flashed an apologetic smile. When Crystal Flare came out of Eventide's room, Brave Heart bowed her head as she continued, “Eventide was reliving a very traumatic event in her life.”

“Oh. Is that why she, uh...did what she did when I tried to offer her food?”

“Yes and no. Eventide suffers from Post War Syndrome, and she also--”

“Who cares why she went crazy on Fluttershy? She's clearly dangerous!” Rainbow snapped, interrupting Braveheart. “Why is Eventide even allowed to be in public?”

“And would you like Fluttershy to do that to you, Rainbow Dash?” Brave Heart grimly said as they entered another room. “How would you like it if you suffered from Post War Syndrome, and Fluttershy just threw you away after you suffered the horrors of that battle?” Brave Heart gave Rainbow a moment to think about it before she continued, “Yes, Eventide has issues. Yes, sometimes, she can be dangerous. That's one of the reasons why I have to watch over her. But she's also talented and able to make friends. She doesn't deserve to be imprisoned for her service.” Turning to leave, Brave Heart continued coldly, “I wish Eventide never fought in that battle. I wish my sister didn’t die in her hooves. Maybe she wouldn’t be how she is now.”

Seeing that Brave Heart was about to leave, Rainbow quickly said, “Brave Heart, is it true what I heard about you? That you were dishonorably discharged and court-martialed?”

“...Yes. Everything that you have heard about me is true. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to tend to Timber. Crystal Flare will be tending to Eventide.” Stopping in her tracks, Brave Heart quickly added, “Please do not go near Eventide unless Crystal Flare is with you. While I don't believe that Eventide will intentionally try to hurt either of you, I dare not take the chance.”

Brave Heart left the room, with Crystal Flare following. As the two made their way outside, Crystal Flare said, “It’s not your fault, Brave Heart. Eventide is a warrior like us. She hears the call of battle, but unlike the two of us, she is a seer, too, which complicates things.”

Brave Heart closed her eyes tightly, saying sternly, “I know that, Crystal Flare. For Celestia’s sake, of course, I know neither of us are responsible for Bryagh's rampage.”

Looking down, Brave Heart sighed, taking her helmet off. Crystal Flare continued hesitantly, “I've seen smoke. Small pillars rising out of the chasm where Eventide buried him." She quickly added, "I doubt he's alive, though. I don’t think anything could survive what Eventide did to him.”

A look of horror came over Brave Heart's face as she said, “Please, tell me that monster is dead and Eventide doesn’t know he might be alive. If she ever learns about this, she really will lose it.”

Laying her hoof onto Brave Heart's shoulder in a sign of camaraderie, Crystal Flare said softly, “I will keep it between us. Neither of us wants to attend her funeral, I'm sure. Now, I must tend to Eventide. Be well, my dear friend.”

Crystal Flare left her friend and went into the monastery to tend to Eventide. Once inside, Crystal Flare stopped by Rainbow's and Fluttershy’s room poking, her head into the doorway. “You two need anything before I check up on Eventide?”

Looking up, Fluttershy said softly, “Um, no. We're good. I just need some quiet. Is Eventide going to be alright?”

“Yeah, I think she'll be alright. She needs time to heal and rest. You don't need to worry about her.”

“Well, um, if you say so.”

“Very good. I’ll leave you now to rest with your mare-friend.” Crystal Flare grinned, seeing a light blush come over Fluttershy’s face as the yellow Pegasus lay back down into the soft mattress of the two friends' shared bed. “Sleep well, you two. Brave Heart or I will get you both in a few hours for food and entertainment.”

“Thank you, Crystal Flare.” When Crystal Flare left, Fluttershy turned to Rainbow and said, “I don’t understand Rainbow. How do you know so much about Brave Heart? Who's Crystal Flare? And what happened at Rambling Rock Ridge Rainbow?”

“I know about them because I read about them in the Wonderbolt library. Basically, Brave Heart used to run the Wonderbolts, and Crystal Flare was actually just the groundskeeper of Wonderbolt Academy. But after Brave Heart got discharged, Crystal Flare left, but no one knows why. The battle was just over two years ago from what I have learned of it three hundred ponies died due to a dragon called Bryagh attacking the settlement only six ponies actually survived that day.”

“I see. How does Eventide fit into all this?”

“I don’t know, but my guess is that Fire Heart was a friend of hers and the two fought at that battle.”

"Why was Brave Heart court marshaled? She seems like an honorable pony to me"

Looking down, Rainbow sighed and said, “Fire Heart was doing a maneuver called the Star Burst. There was an accident, and five pegasi were killed, and so were the unicorns who helped with the maneuver, though Fire Heart survived. Brave Heart blamed Princess Celestia for allowing Fire Heart to perform an illegal maneuver.” Seeing a look of slight confusion on Fluttershy’s face, Rainbow added, “It's illegal because, like, four out of the five pegasi died trying to perform it when it was done the last time six years ago. Anyway, Brave Heart hoofed Princess Celestia in the jaw, which is what led to her being court-martialed. A few months later, Spitfire took over the Wonderbolts.”

“And now she runs this monastery and doesn’t like Princess Celestia.”

“Pretty much, though they tolerate each other, for the most part. To make things worse, they found out that Fire Heart wasn’t to blame for the ponies who died that day. The magic used to create the Star Burst is very complicated, and only one of the five unicorns that day actually knew what he was doing. The others didn’t have a clue.”

“Oh. I...I see.” Fluttershy, having nothing more to ask, snuggled warmly up against Rainbow, each draping her wings over the other. “Sleep well, Rainbow.”

“You too, Fluttershy. You too.” Rainbow was about to lay her head down when she added quickly, “I'm sorry I wanted Eventide to be locked up. I didn’t know she was suffering from Post War Syndrome. I heard of the condition, but I never thought I would see a real case of it. Pretty chilling.” Looking down, Rainbow sighed, “Maybe after a few hours of sleep, I can get Eventide to talk to me. Then, I might be able to help her. Maybe with me at her side, she won’t suffer anymore.”

“I think she would like that I know I would if I was her” Fluttershy pulled Rainbow into her snuggling her head into Rainbow soft furry chest.

“Get some sleep Rainbow”

Rainbow laid her head down soon falling into a deep restful sleep against Fluttershy.

“Now, I don’t want either of you two near Eventide until I get done with my chores. Understand?” Crystal Flare said. She had just exited Eventide's room with the tray Fluttershy brought into it, when she had noticed Applejack and Rarity heading toward the room and wanted to make sure they knew what happened and keep them from disturbing Eventide's rest.

“Yes, of course, darling,” Rarity replied, not noticing Applejack smirking as she continued. “We'll stay away from her until you are done.”

“Very well. I'll trust you both to leave her to rest. I'll be in the kitchen.” Crystal Flare left the two with a slight glare towards Applejack. "I mean it, Applejack. Stay away from her."

When Crystal Flare left, Rarity turned to Applejack, saying, “Well, now that that's been said, how about we just do something else. Doesn't that sound fun?”

“No, it doesn't. Besides, Ah just wanna talk to her. That's it.”

“But, darling, you heard Crystal Flare. She doesn’t want any-pony near Eventide without her supervision in case Eventide has another attack.”

“Ah just wanna say a quick ‘thank ya’ to her fer savin' Apple Bloom from Iron Will. What could go wrong?”

Rarity stopped in her tracks, exclaiming, “Applejack, you saw with your own eyes what Eventide did to Iron Will. You really want that to be what she does to your head?”

“Now, Looky here, Rarity. Ah highly doubt that Eventide'll do that ta me once she learns that Ah'm Apple Bloom's older sister. Why, Ah bet she’ll be all too happy to shake my hoof.”

Folding her hooves over her chest, Rarity grumbled, “Or cut your hoof off. Really, what do we know about this minotaur other than the can take on males three times her size?”

Applejack ignored Rarity as she continued to head for Eventide's room. Rarity shook her head, deciding it was best to let her friend find out the hard way.

Eventide awoke to the sound of voices coming from the hallway. She could hear Crystal Flare's voice, but she couldn't put a name to the other two, nor could she hear what was being said. Getting up and getting dressed, she muttered to herself, “It couldn’t have been three days. I couldn’t have lost that much time.” Heading over to her bedroom window and peering outside, she continued, “Timber, you silly wolf, you better behave yourself for Brave Heart.”

Eventide watched as Brave Heart approached Timber with a large syringe in her mouth, smirking when she saw Timber playfully snap at Brave Heart. Brave Heart jumped back, yelping as best as she could with the syringe in her mouth, “Hey, I'm just trying to help you, Timber. Stop fooling around and take your medicine.”

Opening the window and putting two fingers to her mouth, Eventide gave a loud whistle, causing both Brave Heart and the giant timberwolf to look up in her direction.

“Timber,” Eventide waved her right hand back and forth, “stop being such a scaredy-wolf and take your medicine. It's good for you.”

As if the timberwolf understood completely, Eventide watched as her friend and companion sat down, allowing Brave Heart to get closer to him. Before Brave Heart could stick him with the needle, Timber snorted, causing Brave Heart to once again flinch backward, nearly dropping the syringe in the process.

“Come on, Timber, stop fooling around,” Eventide called. “Don't mind him, Brave Heart. He's just--”

“Don’t let Brave Heart near your friend. She's trying to hurt him,” she heard within her head.

“No, she isn’t. She cares for Timber like you do.”

“No, she doesn’t. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself. You know that better than anyone, Eventide. Your friend Fire Heart is burning in Helheim because you failed her.”

Falling backward with her hands against her head, Eventide screamed, “Shut up, both of you!” Rolling to a sitting position, Eventide continued, not noticing Applejack and Rarity were both coming into the room, “Shut up, shut up, shut up.”

“Eventide, what in tarnation is the matter with y'all?” Applejack asked as the girl rolled back and forth on the bed. “Y’all are acting crazier than Winona goin' after Granny's pies.”

Eventide slowly raised her head, a look of fear in her eyes. Standing up, she breathed heavily, saying through forced breaths, “I couldn’t have failed her. She can’t be in Helheim.” Looking down to the two ponies, Eventide quickly said, “I need you both to leave so I can get armored and ready to go.”

“What? Why are ya gettin' armored? And where d'ya plan on-goin' in yer condition?” Applejack asked skeptically.

“I have to find my little sister. I have to make sure she knows I'm alright.”

“Darling, clearly, you are anything but alright.” Rarity began, stepping a bit closer. “Besides, Applejack wants to thank you for saving her sister Apple Bloom.”

“Wait, what?” Eventide asked. “Apple Bloom is....your sister?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack said proudly, tipping her hat back a bit. “She’s my sister, alright. I want ta--”

“Then you should've taken better care of her, not letting her nearly get killed slipping off a mountainside.”

“Bu-- Wha-- Ah beg yur pardon there, missy, but Ah'll have you know that Ah take plenty good care o' my sister,” Applejack snapped.

“You let her play on a mountain with no ropes and no way to stop her from falling! What would you have done if she had been killed in the fall? Yeah, real 'Sister of the Year' material.”

“Well, I--” Applejack looked down, a clear look of shame on her face. “That is, I--”

Kneeling down in front of her but keeping her distance, Eventide said, “Look, Applejack, I don’t blame you for Apple Bloom getting hurt. But, at the same time, you need to be more careful about where you take her.”

"A-Ah know. It's just... It's just, Ah..." Before Eventide could stand back up, Applejack buried her face into Eventide's chest as her tears began to fall, “Ah coulda lost m' sister. What was Ah thinkin', lettin' her climb a mountain with us?”

Eventide seized up at the sudden contact but managed to refrain from pushing Applejack away. Nervously, she put her hand on Applejack's head and began stroking her mane. “H-Hey, it's alright,” Eventide said as soothingly as she could. “You just made a mistake. We all do. Apple Bloom will be back on her feet in no time flat. You’ll see.”

Applejack chuckled lightly, nodding and wiping away her tears as Eventide hugged the pony warmly. Rarity smiled, saying, “Well, now that Applejack has shed her tears and all's well, will you please allow me to help you back to bed so that you can have some proper rest?”

“I can’t do that, uh... What's your name?”

“Oh, how very rude of me!” Rarity’s quickly held out her hoof to Eventide. “My name is Rarity.”

“Rarity, huh?” Eventide hesitantly shook Rarity's hoof, letting go quickly. “Nice to meet you, Rarity.”

If Rarity was offended by the standoffish gesture, she didn't show it. “The pleasure is mine, but like I said, you need to get back into bed, darling. After all, a lady does need her beauty sleep.”

“And like I said, I can’t do that. I have to leave.”

“Leave? But, darling, if you should have another episode out there, there'd be no one to help you. You simply must stay here where can make sure you're alright.”

“I would rather die and burn in Helheim than become a burden to you or your friends. Now, please leave!”

Seeing that both Applejack and Rarity were going to stand their ground, Eventide shook her head, saying, "So, we're doing this the hard way, huh?" Standing up, she towered over both ponies as she bent over, picking both Rarity and Applejack up under her arms.

“Wha! Darling, I must insist that you put us down this instant! This is no way to treat a lady!”

“Unhand me yer varmint!” Applejack yelled, trying to get free of Eventide's powerful grip. “Ah ain't about ta let ya leave here. Now let go!”

Eventide carried the two ponies over to her bed and set them down facing the wall. “Now, I'm going to get changed. If you both want to stay in here, that's fine by me. But you're going to face the wall while I change into traveling clothes and get my armor on. Got it?”

“Eventide, we've already seen you without your helmet on. Remember when you fought Iron Will and lost your helmet? We all saw your face.”

Eventide hesitated at the reminder. “That's part of it, yeah, but what I really don’t want is for you two to see me in my birthday suit."

"Yer what?" Applejack asked.

"I don't want you to see me naked! So please just sit there with your backs towards me. I’ll only be about fifteen or twenty minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes!?” Rarity exclaimed. “Darling, that is way too long to simply change!”

“You ought to know, Rarity,” Applejack said, chuckling, “seeing as how you took nearly ten hours last Hearth's Warming Eve to get ready for that dance at Twilight's castle.”

"Wait did you just say Twilight?!" Eventide exclaimed her eyes widened in shock.

Trying to turn around Applejack felt a soft hand coming to rest on the back of her head saying to her, "Ah said Twilight what's she to you Eventide?"

Not getting a reply right away Applejack again tried to turn only to have Eventide tighten her grip on the back of Applejacks neck. Getting the message Applejack wisely chose to remain facing the wall. Eventide released Applejacks neck growling out bitterly. "Twilight is the name of my....twin sister."

"But darling that can't---" Rarity began being interrupted by Eventides stern words to her.

"Not from this world from the world that I come from but if Odin has decided to return her to me then I must find her and bring her home safely one way or another I must do this I have no choice in this matter."

Rarity said nothing, simply pouting and staring at the wall. Eventide, seeing that the conversation was over, took off her tunic and looked through her pack, only to realize her locket was gone. Frantically, she searched every pocket and crevice of her backpack and every drawer in her nightstand. She even searched the head of the bed and under the bed, but couldn't find it anywhere.

“Where's my locket!?” Eventide shouted, trying to think about where it could be. “D-Did I lose it in the fight with Iron Will? Maybe I lost it on the way here. I need to find Timber. I need to--”

“Ah think Twilight might've found it. She was wearin' a gold locket when we last saw her, but that was three days ago.”

Sighing in equal parts irritation and relief, Eventide just resorted to continuing to change. She tossed her tunic over to the bed. It fell on top of Rarity’s head, causing the unicorn to quickly take it off. Looking at it, she said, “Oh, darling you actually wear this? It's so....worn.”

“Uh, yeah. I travel a lot, so I like to dress for it. Not that it's any of your business.”

“Well, this clothing is so plain. And it has a stain that--” Rarity's words fell short as she got a better look at the tunic held in her hoof. “Wait a second. I recognize this fabric. Why it's the very fabric that I selected for Sweetie Belle's Hearth's Warming dress last winter. And this stain is the exact stain made when Sweetie dropped a bit of jam on it. Meaning,” turning around in shock, Rarity continued, “Eventide, you stole this from my shop!”

"Turn around, Rarity!" Eventide shouted, covering herself with her pants held in front of her. Flinching, Rarity quickly turned back to the wall.

“Looks like you’ll have ta argue with the wall instead,” Applejack said, grinning.

“I don’t want to argue with her, Applejack. I just want proper pay--”

“I've already paid for it. Can we talk about this after I'm dressed?”

Taking Rarity's silence as a yes, Eventide quickly got armored and strapped on her equipment. She took her helmet, looked at its battered facade, and, sighing, replacing it with a second one found on top of her dresser. Once dressed and ready, she reached up above Applejack and Rarity's heads and took down her swords from where they hung on the wall. placing them on her sides she then took a belt with a gold and blue unicorn amulet in the center of it from her bedstand. Placing that around her waist with a soft 'click' she fastened it to her waist. With a sigh, she said, “Okay, you two can turn around now.” As the ponies did so, Eventide drew one of her swords from its sheath and began to examine. “My old friends,” Eventide said as she looked over the sharp blade checking for any damage. “One of these will stay with me. The other will go to Apple Bloom.” Applejack’s eyes widened with shock and slight fear as she saw how massive the sword in Eventide’s hand was. Eventide looked to her right picking up her shield she held it in her left hand gripping it tightly. The cold handle felt lifeless as she was beginning to feel. "There now all I have to do is leave then I'll begin my mission again."

“Now, just hold on there, Eventide! Why do you wanna give that thing to my sister?” Seeing a gold and blue amulet around her waist in the shape of the alicorn amulet Applejack added while pointing her right front hoof at it. "That's a mighty fancy belt yer wearing there seems a might fancy fer y'all to have with that armor."

Looking down at her belt Eventide smiled saying, "You like it Applejack it was a gift from---" Her thoughts going back to her marriage to Fire Heart, Eventide looked away continuing with a clenched fist "From someone that I...loved very much."

"Ah see, Y'all don't have to talk about it if yer not in the mood fur it Eventide."

"Thank you, Applejack." Eventide re-sheathed the swords and strapped them to her sides just below one of each of her axes, saying, “While I was at death's door the day that I took on that Minotaur, I could hear your little sister defending me against Timber. Foolish though it was, she has a warrior's heart. Thus, she needs a warrior's weapon.”

“Whoa, wait a minute!” Applejack called out to Eventide as Eventide headed over to her door.

Opening the door and stepping out into the hallway, Eventide turned to Applejack saying, “If it's all the same to you, I'd like to talk while we walk.”

“Oh, yer darn-tootin' we're gonna talk about this!” Applejack hopped off the bed and stomped her hoof. “Ah can’t let y’all give something that big and sharp to my sister. What was all that about not leading her ta dangerous things? Ya can't tell me not ta put her in danger only ta give her a dern weapon!”

Looking away, Eventide said, “I know it seems hypocritical, but I just...have to do this. I understand your fear. My mother was the same way when I picked up my first bow. Oh, speaking of which...” Eventide headed back to her room and retrieved her bow and quiver, quickly strapping them on and returning to the ponies. “There. Now I have all I need to complete my mission.”

“Darling, what about my payment for your stealing my cloth?” Rarity asked impatiently, tapping her hoof on the floor. “When did you even take it?”

“I used to live in the woods near a village that had a large crystal castle in the center of it. A zebra nursed me back to health and told me that I could buy almost anything I'd need in that town. One night, while this zebra slept, I left her hut and entered the town. I found the cloth hanging on a rope. Before taking it, I left twelve gems behind, each a different color and size.” Eventide looked down as she continued, “I thought that would be enough to pay for it. I guess not. So, to make this up to you, when I get back, I can work it off. But keep in mind that I know very little about sewing. The zebra made the tunic.”

“Well, I'm glad you want to make it up to me, and I'm willing to let you, but, darling, your mission--”

“Mission? What mission?” came Apple Bloom's voice from behind Eventide. “Are y’all going somewhere, Eventide?”

Quickly turning around, Eventide flashed a friendly but sad smile when she saw Apple Bloom standing behind her, the little pony's leg in a cast from her injury. Quickly placing her shield on her back she strapped it down tightly then knelt down and holding out her arms, Eventide beckoned Apple Bloom closer, picked her up, and carried her into her room, very gently setting her down on her bed.

“Apple Bloom, I have to go," Eventide said sadly, "I have to find my little sister and my twin sister and let them both know that I'm alright. I also must take my twin sister home.”

“Oh. Ah, see.” Looking down with her ears laying against the side of her head, Apple Bloom continued, “Can’t y’all just send them a letter or somethin'?” seeing that Eventide was fully armored and carrying all of her weapons Apple Bloom added, "Why are y'all armored fer?"

“It's not as simple as that. I have to say a few things to their faces. Otherwise, I won’t be able to forgive myself and my little sister won't be able to forgive me.” sighing lightly Eventide added, "I am dressed fully for battle Apple Bloom I wear my weapons, shield, and armor so that I might come back safe to my little sister and twin sister."

“Oh, Ah see." realizing her words Apple Bloom added quickly, "Forgive y'all fer what?” Apple Bloom laid her hoof on Eventide's thigh, ignoring the pain of leaning on her hurt leg. “Y'all want some help? Ah could be lots of help.”

“No, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here and get some very well-needed rest.”

Turning to face Rarity, Eventide took off her backpack and her shield placing both on the ground. Opening the pack she took out several gems, each a different size and color. Her hand brushed up against a stack of letters she had near the bottom of the pack. Holding the gems out to Rarity, she said, “How about this as collateral? If I don't come back and work to pay off the cloth and rope, you get to keep those gems. That alright?”

Rarity looked at the gems and back to Eventide saying softly “Uh, y-yes, that's fine. But next time, do ask before you take--wait, what rope?”

“The one I got from the clothing store. My--er, I mean--your cloth was hanging on it.”

“That rope actually belonged to me. Rarity's clothesline was broken, so Ah lent it to her to use.”

“I see. Well, when I get back, I can work for you, too, if you want.”

“Nah, don't worry about it. Ah got lots more rope on the farm, and it didn't cost all that much, anyhow.”

“I see. Very well.” Eventide placed the gems down in front of Rarity and stood up, flashing a nervous grin. Picking up pack she strapped it tightly to her back then picked up her shield in her left hand. “I guess that's that, then. See you all later. It's been pretty....nice.” Eventide unstrapped her small one-handed sword and placing it down by an end table next to Apple Bloom. “I wish I could stay to train you myself, Apple Bloom, but I can't. May Odin watch over you while you are on your journey to discover who you are. May Thor protect you while you travel through Vanheim.” With a light sigh, Eventide finished, turning to leave, “And may Loki grant you laughter as you make new friends.”

“But, darling, you're still recovering,” Rarity protested. “For Celestia’s sake, what if you get hurt or suffer a relapse out there all alone?”

Eventide froze in her tracks and quickly spun back around, saying, “What did y-you say? For whose sake?”

“Uh, for Celestia's sake.”

“Celestia is my mother. How....do you know her?” Her eyes began to narrow. Her right hand began to fall to her long two-handed sword strapped to her left side just above one of her two axes. Stopping her movements she added, "Please tell me how you know my....mother."

“She's our princess.” Rarity replied, confused, "And pardon me if this offends you, but I think it would get out if she had such a...unique daughter.

Removing her hand from her sword Eventide calmed down slightly saying, “Celestia is a principal of a high school, not a princess, but still, I am,” Her eyes narrowed, even more, she scowled as she finished, “her daughter.” Her expression softened slightly. "But the important thing is that I have to find my little sister and my twin sister, so if you don't mind, I'll be going." Finally, she said to Applejack, “Watch over Apple Bloom. She’ll need you.”

Heading back out into the hallway and further down the path, Eventide was happy to see that she wasn't being followed. She turned to the right and soon found herself outside, finding Brave Heart, who was tending to Timber. Walking up to Timber, she softly said, “Well, my friend, it looks like I have found my twin sister after all. All that is left is to find my little sister and then---”

“Eventide, what in Equestria are you doing out here?! You’re supposed to be in bed, resting,” Brave Heart snapped, hopping off of Timber's back. “And why are you in your armor? And I am glad to see--”

“Brave Heart,” A Pegasus monk called out, landing in front of Eventide and Brave Heart before they could continue their conversation. “Chrysalis is marching. She has already destroyed our monastery at Foal Mountain. You need to come quickly.”

Taking to the air, Brave Heart called out to Eventide, “You need to stay here, Eventide. We'll talk about this and about what happened with Rainbow when I get back.” Turning back, she took one last look at her young charge and continued, “I like the new helmet, by the way. I'm glad to see the blacksmiths were able to get it to fit you this time. And that you are still wearing my sister's wedding gift to you.”

Looking back to Timber, Eventide walked over to him, petting him behind his right ear. “If Brave Heart thinks I'm about to stay here at this monastery when I now know that both my twin sister Twilight and that leopardess sow who I must deal with are here in this world. Then Timber my dear friend she really doesn't know me very well does she?" With a sigh, she added, "I must find both of my twin sister and my little sister then I can deal with that cow of a horned rump-fed Jackanape pig fuck up.....Celestia."

Tilting his head playfully to the right Timber lay flat on his belly, allowing Eventide to mount him. Looking to Rarity, who had just come out of the monastery doors, Eventide took out a small piece of parchment from a pouch on her right. Tossing it to her, she said, “Take that to Apple Bloom. Tell her that I thank her for her friendship and that I'm sorry.”

Before Rarity could react, Eventide quickly spurred Timber in the ribs. Timber lunged forward, nearly bowling over the little unicorn. Rarity, with nothing more to do and worried about Apple Bloom, headed back inside, stopping at Apple Bloom’s door. Entering the room she pleasantly found that Applejack was still in the room, snuggled up against her sister. Setting the parchment down, Rarity heard Applejack say, “Yer gonna be alright, Apple Bloom. Iron Will ain’t gonna hurt ya again. Ah won’t let him.” Looking at Apple Bloom's splinted leg, Applejack continued, "Ah can't believe that brute would do such a thing to a little filly like you."

“Iron Will didn't break my leg, Applejack. Ah broke it when I fell off the mountain path. But he did try to pony-nap me." Apple Bloom sighed. "Eventide saved my life. Ah really owe her one. Ah'm gonna make sure to pay her back.” Looking into her sister's eyes, Apple Bloom continued, “Will she come back? Will Ah ever see her again?”

“Ah don’t know. Eventide is....complicated, that's for sure. Ah think she needs her space right now.”

“Ah wanna help her. There's just gotta be somethin' Ah can do fer her.”

Chuckling, Applejack smiled warmly to her sister, pulling her in closer as she draped a blanket over the two of them. “Ah'm sure you will. Now get some sleep. Ya need yer rest.”

Wordlessly heading out of the room, Rarity headed over to Rainbow's and Fluttershy’s room. When she entered, Fluttershy opened her eyes and smiled at Rarity.

"Hi, Rarity. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm...fine." Rarity sighed. "Eventide left. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. She really should be resting." Fluttershy was silent for a minute before a thought occurred. "How's Pinkie Pie? I haven't seen her at all today, which is really strange for Pinkie that is."

“Ah, yes, I forgot to tell you. Pinkie and Discord left earlier this morning for Ponyville. Pinkie said something about needing to bake some cakes, and Discord wanted to check up on something. I am not sure what Discord is actually up to, but I am certain that it can’t be any good.”

Nodding, Fluttershy fell silent and snuggled up closer to Rainbow, who draped her wing over Fluttershy, pulling the little timid pegasus into her more. Rarity, for her part, went to the second bed laying her head on the pleasantly soft pillow, and soon fell fast asleep.

Eventide rode Timber towards Foal Mountain, looking up every now and then as she followed Brave Heart. Arriving at the destroyed monastery a few hours later, Eventide dismounted Timber, only to face a very angry pegasus.

“You didn't honestly think I'd miss a giant, white and green timberwolf galloping through the woods, did you? Didn’t I tell you to stay at the monastery, Eventide? Isn’t that exactly what I said?” Brave Heart snarled. “You were supposed to stay at Snowflake--”

“Yes, but you never said that I shouldn’t follow you.”

"That's exactly what 'Stay put' means!" Sighing while trying to keep her temper in check, Brave Heart watched as Eventide took in the sight of the destroyed monastery. Bodies lay strewn all over the ground. Keeping one hand on her sword and the other on her ax, Eventide began to walk away from Brave Heart, stopping only when she heard a soft moaning from her right.

Running in the direction of the moaning, Eventide’s eyes widened slightly with anger as she saw a little foal trapped under several piles of lumber. Her front hooves were broken, and her face was badly cut. The filly looked up to Eventide, saying, “Help. I can’t get out.”

“Hold on, little one. I’ll get you out.” Looking at the beams that covered the little filly, Eventide pushed on one of them, straining her back as she yelled out, “Odin, give me your strength!” Lifting the beam up, straining under its weight, she yelled to Brave Heart, “Don’t just sit there, Brave Heart. Get her out of there!”

Brave Heart quickly grabbed onto the filly with her teeth, pulling the frightened foal out of the pile of broken lumber. After tending to the filly's wounds and putting casts over both of her front hooves, Brave Heart cradled her and said softly, “What happened here?”

“A monster attacked us. Mommy and Daddy, they...” The filly began to cry. “I want Mommy and Daddy.”

Brave Heart rocked the little filly back and forth soothingly, “Shh, it’ll be alright. You're safe now.”

Looking around, Eventide soon found two fully grown pegasi, both decapitated, both with the same mane and coat color as the filly in Brave Heart's hooves. Guessing they were the filly's parents, Eventide closed her eyes tightly.

“Chrysalis will pay dearly for this massacre. Níðhǫggr will feed gladly on this bitch’s bones.”

Returning to Brave Heart, Eventide shook her head, and Brave Heart, getting the message, pulled the little filly into her warmly. As the filly cried, Brave Heart said to the monk that had led her to the monastery, “Take her back to Snowflake Monastery. I will go after Chrysalis.”

Looking around again, Eventide said, “How many were at this monastery, Brave Heart?”

Gulping, Brave Heart replied, just barely above a whisper, “Five hundred.” Looking out at the devastation that surrounded them, she continued, “Is this filly the only one to survive?”

“Looks like it. We....should go.”

Brave Heart took to the air as her monk said, “Where are you going, Brave Heart? You don’t know where to start looking for Chrysalis.”

“That is true. However, if Chrysalis attacked this place, then she must be after the Elements of Harmony. This place would house such information in the library which is all but destroyed. If I recall correctly, those are now housed in or near Ponyville, so that's where she'll be going next.”

Eventide looked up to Brave Heart and began to mount Timber again, saying to her sister in law, “Then that is where Chrysalis will die. I will see to it.”

“Eventide, get off of Timber this instant. You are not going to wage war against Chrysalis.” Having said that, Brave Heart began thinking, muttering, “There is only one path that Chrysalis could have taken, and that path leads right through Ghastly Gorge.” Seeing that Eventide was not obeying her, Brave Heart snapped, “Eventide, you will not go there. I will take care of this on my own. You will return to Snowflake monastery right now!”

Eventide yelled back, “How dare you tell me not to avenge these ponies, Brave Heart! How dare you tell me not--”

“Enough!” Calming down, Brave Heart said, “Look, I know you want to find your sister Crystalis, but I must get word to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about this, and I can't be babysitting you while I do that.”

“My aunt is here too!?” Eventide exclaimed, her eyes going wide under her helmet. “I am not going back to Snowflake. I'm going to help Aunt Luna. I can’t let her face a monster like this alone.”

Eventide turned Timber around and began to move, when Brave Heart called out to her, “Eventide, you don’t even know where Ghastly Gorge is.”

“Wrong! I used to live in the woods near a village. A kind-hearted Zebra told me where Ghastly Gorge was and how to get there. And she's already told me about the dangers, so save your breath.”

Before Brave Heart could say anything further, Eventide spurred Timber, and the two ran off towards the direction of Ponyville, with Brave Heart angrily flying after them.

“That Minotaur is getting on my last nerve. But I have to help her to overcome her anger. My honor demands no less from me,” Brave Heart thought to herself.

A half-hour later, Eventide brought Timber to a stop at the edge of Ghastly Gorge. Eventide dismounted and looked down over the cliffs, spotting a large black horse with fly-like wings and many holes in its body leading a small legion of bug-like ponies through the gorge.

Eventide carefully descended the cliff, out of the changelings' sight. When she got to the bottom of the gorge, she charged towards Chrysalis and her legion. Chrysalis, hearing Eventide's boots clanking on the stones and rocks, stopped her advance long enough to look behind her.

“Chrysalis, you’ll pay for what you did to those ponies at Foal Mountain!” Eventide yelled, drawing her sword, “I’ll send you to Helheim!”

“My, my, what a surprise,” Chrysalis said. “She's still alive. I would have thought the wilds of Equestria would have ended her miserable life a few months ago.”

Eventide slammed into three of the changelings and began fighting with them, not noticing Brave Heart coming in from above her. Eventide swung her sword down towards one changeling's head, only for another to take advantage of her opening and kick her backward. Chrysalis stood nearby, enjoying the show.

“That’s it, my little darlings. Kill the seer. Rid me of her presence once and for all!”

“Chrysalis!” Brave Heart yelled. “I order you to halt your advance on Ponyville and to turn this legion of twenty-five changelings around this instant!”

Looking up, Chrysalis replied, “And what makes you think that you, a fallen Wonderbolt captain, can give me orders? Go back home, pony. I wouldn't want to be responsible for breaking two Hearts, after all.”

Confused at the odd phrasing, Brave Heart said, “What... What do you mean?”

“Well, if you must know,” Chrysalis began with barely contained glee, “I might've, hypothetically, had something to do with Fire Heart's little 'accident'. You were a pretty capable leader, but you have your flaws, one of which being your temper, so I might've, hypothetically, arranged a little something to happen while your sister was attempting her maneuver. Which, hypothetically, would've sent you off the rails at Celestia and led to your court-martial. Hypothetically, of course.”

“You what?!” Eventide yelled, striking down two of the three changelings she was fighting with. “You hurt Fire Heart? But, I thought Bryagh--”

“Bryagh works for me, seer. I ordered the dragon to kill Fire Heart. After all, I couldn’t let the Element of Hope have a bearer, now could I? I already had six other Elements to deal with. I didn't need another one empowering them.”

Seeing Eventide slay three of her changelings, Chrysalis quickly said with a smirk on her face, “You know, taking on a fully grown changeling and her swarm is a mission for morons and fools.” Chrysalis smirked wickedly, “Which are you, seer?”

“I'll show you which of us is a fool and moron, Chrysalis!” Eventide spat back.

One of Chrysalis’s changelings managed to get the drop on Eventide, causing her to drop her sword. Quickly grabbing her shield off her back, Eventide just barely managed to strike the changeling with the shield before retrieving her sword. Fixing her shield on her arm and brandishing the sword, Eventide lunged in towards Chrysalis.

“Die, you monster!” Eventide screamed. “This is for those you killed at Foal Mountain!”

Chrysalis quickly fired her magic. Eventide raised her shield, deflecting the magic. The errant bolt struck the cliff wall, losing the rocks above. Looking up Chrysalis, yelled out, “No! You have killed us all!”

“I have only killed you, monster. May you rot in Helheim.”

Chrysalis tried to get to Eventide, only to be stopped as boulders crashed down around her. Screaming in rage and fear, Chrysalis watched as Eventide made her escape. The girl scrambled back up the wall she climbed down from and mounted Timber. Chrysalis, seeing she had one last opportunity of attack, fired a final bolt of magic at the timberwolf. As if sensing the imminent impact, Timber quickly tossed Eventide off of him, causing her to roll back towards the gorge. Brave Heart swooped in, grabbing onto Eventide and pulling her back, just as Timber, struck by the magic bolt, fell over the side into the midst of the rockslide.

“Timber!” Eventide screamed in fear. “Brave Heart, let me go! I have to help Timber!” Struggling out of Brave Heart's grip, she dashed to the edge of the cliff.

Brave Heart jumped in front of her. “Eventide, he's gone. There's nothing you can do for him!”

“Get out of the way. You can’t just let him die!” Eventide watched in horror as the boulders piled up, blocking her means of getting to her friend. “Timber!” Looking at Brave Heart in rage, Eventide fell to her knees, bellowing, “Why? I trusted you, Brave Heart! Why did you let Timber die? WHY?!”

“I'm sorry, Eventide, but I had to choose between you and Timber. You're my friend and my charge. I know you loved him, but I had little choice in the matter.”

“You are not my sister in law. My sister would have let me save him!” Eventide got back on her feet and bore her gaze into Brave Hearts. “I hate you, Brave Heart! Why? Why didn’t you let me save him? I know I could have saved him!”

Brave Heart wilted at Eventide's declaration. “Eventide, I-I'm sorry, but I had to choose. I'm oath-sworn to protect you, and you're one of my closest friends. Of course, I'd choose you. You wanted me to just let you die?”

“I wanted you to get out of my way and let me rescue him!” Taking a deep breath, Eventide calmed down enough to stop screaming, but her anger still smoldered. “I will never forget this, and I will never forgive you for this. Elf was right about you all along! You're not my sister and never have been. All you wanted to do was hurt me! You knew that Timber was the only true friend that I had in this world. He was the only one that didn’t judge me or make fun of me. So you took him away from me!” Stepping forward and drawing her sword, Eventide spat out, “Blood for blood, Brave Heart! By my honor, I’ll avenge Timber here and now.” Getting into a stance, she finished, "For what it's worth, I'll make it quick."

Just as Eventide’s stepped forward to charge, the sound of hooves galloping on the dirt road caught her attention. Looking behind her, she saw that several ponies, including a large, dark-blue pony with a crown on her head, had come to see what all the noise was.

“What has happened here?” Princess Luna said sternly, looking to Brave Heart for answers as she continued. “Brave Heart, what brings thee near Ponyville, and who is thy friend?” Luna gestured toward Eventide, who was glaring bitterly at Brave Heart.

“This is Eventide. Her friend fell in battle, which explains why she's so angry.” Brave Heart narrowed her eyes to her young charge, waiting for her to attack. “Please, Eventide, think this through. You know you can't beat me in battle, and even if you do kill me, you’ll become an enemy to all of my monks. They won’t stop hunting until you are placed into Tartarus.”

In response, Eventide lunged in, taking a swipe at Brave Heart, only to be caught off-guard as Princess Luna fired her magic, encasing the young girl's hands and pinning them to her sides.

“Let me go!” Eventide struggled to break free of Luna’s powerful magic as she spat out in rage “I swear I’ll end you for this, Brave Heart! And then, I’ll find Celestia, and I’ll--”

“Thou need not search for Celestia any further, and it if is a fight thou seeketh, thou shalt have one.” Luna stepped forward, stomping her front hoof into the ground. “For thou looketh upon Princess Luna, and I command thee to stand down or face the consequences!”

“L-Luna?” Eventide’s eyes went wide with shock. Calming down a bit, she continued with a shaky voice, “Y-You can’t be. What has Loki done to you?!” Turning her head to Brave Heart, she continued, “Why didn’t you tell me my aunt was turned into a horse, Brave Heart?!”

"Your Highness, let her go. I think she has had enough.” Luna looked to Brave Heart with a wary eye but did as asked, releasing the young girl from her magic. Brave Heart quickly continued as Eventide rubbed her wrist to restore they're feeling. “Eventide, this may be hard for you to believe, but I don’t think--”

“Aunt Luna,” Eventide interrupted Brave Heart, causing the pony to narrow her eyes in irritation, “it's me, your niece Eventide. D-Don't you recognize me?” Seeing a look of confusion on Princess Luna’s face, Eventide quickly took her helmet off, letting it drop to the ground. “Remember? Please, you have to remember me! You have to break this spell you're under.”

“I am under no enchantment. From my perspective, thou art the enchanted one. Thou art, not our niece, for our niece, is in a faraway land.”

“No, that's not true.” Eventide took a step back, her eyes wide with fear. “I-I'm here right here in front of you! Why don’t you know me?”

One of the nearby ponies hurled a rock, striking Eventide in the head saying to her as a small trickle of blood trickled down the side of her head. “Get away from our princess, you monster!”

“Yeah, get out of here!” another pony yelled, throwing another rock and hitting Eventide in the shoulder. “The princess isn’t your aunt!”

“No, stop!” Brave Heart yelled, “Don't do this!”

“We are protecting our princess!” one pony yelled, throwing another rock, causing Eventide to raise her shield. “We don’t want that monster around her!”

“Luna, you have to stop them!” Brave Heart yelled out in fear.

Brave Heart watched in dismay as Eventide backed way. Turning around, she sheathed her sword and ran towards the nearby woods, shield raised to protect her from the rocks. The ponies quickly chased after her, hurling rocks all the while.

"Ponies, stop this at once!" Luna demanded. The ponies stopped, but Eventide didn't.

Getting to the woods, Eventide looked back, saying, “I’ll find a way to break your curse, Aunt Luna. And Brave Heart, you’ll pay for what you did to Timber.” With that, she ducked into the treeline and was gone.

“Eventide, come back, please!” Brave Heart, seeing that Eventide wasn’t stopping, was about to give chase herself when her monk said, “Don't. I will be the one to go after her.”

“But--”

“No. She will just think that you are trying to hurt her. Let me be the one to help her. I can bring her back, and together, we can help her find a solution to this problem.”

Brave Heart sighed. "Very well. You go. I'll talk with the princess."

When the monk nodded and ran after Eventide, Luna said to Brave Heart, "Thou still hast not told us what bringeth thee to Ghastly Gorge."

Brave Heart decided to just cut to the chase. “Chrysalis attacked a monastery on Foal Mountain. Five hundred ponies are now dead. Only one little filly survived the attack.” Seeing a look of anger and horror on Princess Luna’s face, Brave Heart continued sternly, “Eventide was trying to find you, but that doesn’t matter now, does it?”

“It very much matters," Luna said, dropping her more formal speech. "As for Chrysalis, if she survived, it will take her at least six weeks to dig her legion out of there or recoup her forces. We need to evacuate Ponyville before that happens. I can go to Canterlot and muster my legion of thestrals to hold off Chrysalis until my sister comes home.”

“Where is your sister?”

“She is not here. She has gone far away from here to pay her respects to her fallen daughter.” Luna looked down, saying, “Why did that creature think I was her aunt, Brave Heart?”

“Well, this might be hard to believe, but I don't think she's of this world. I guess, wherever she's from, there are beings that share your name and likeness. But still, for her to think you were her aunt? She must have hurt her head more badly than I thought when she fought with Iron Will a few days ago.”

Looking to one of her guards who was just joining the group, Luna said, “Find Spike in Ponyville. Tell him to go in search of Twilight and my sister. He'll know where to look. I fear that we will need them both in the near future.”

A few hours later, Spike stood in front of the mirror. Gulping he said, “Are you sure about this, Princess?”

“I am. Do you understand your mission, Spike?”

“Yeah. I'm supposed to find Twilight and Princess Celestia and warn them that Chrysalis has tried to attack Ponyville. But before I go, I need to get something that Sonata left when she was here.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“A blue heart stone. Twilight wants the sirens to be allowed to return home.”

“A noble wish. Yes, I am familiar with the blue heart stone. I approve of her wish.”

Spike ran off, returning a few moments later with a bag on his back. Inside were all three blue heart stones. After Princess Luna made sure he had everything he needed, she sent him on his way.

Spike stepped through the portal, shaking his head to clear the dizziness and get his bearings straight. When he did so, he saw two very familiar boots in front of him. He looked up, and he met the eyes of Adagio Dazzle.

“Well, well, well. What have we here? A little, lost dog?” Seeing the scared look on his face, Adagio continued, “Oh, don't worry, little doggy. I won’t hurt you. In fact, you and I are going to have nice, little chat.”

Offering Hope (Edited by Icecreammac)

Adagio sighed at Spike look of pure terror as he stared into her eyes. Before he could react, Adagio picked him up and carried him over to the steps of the school, sitting down with Spike in her lap.

“What’s your name, little dog?” Adagio asked, clearly exhausted. “I know you and I are enemies, but I would at least like to know who you are.”

“Uh, it's Spike, and I---”

“I'm tired, Spike. I don’t want to hurt you, and I think you don’t want to hurt me either. I don't...want to go on anymore,” Adagio said, hesitating only slightly.

Horrified, Spike opened his mouth to speak but heard, “Really? Again with this?" He looked to the right and saw Aria standing nearby, who continued, "We've been over this, Adagio! You can't kill yourself!"

“Aria,” Adagio began softly, not looking in her sister's direction. “We're both more than a thousand years old. I have lived long enough with the pain of losing my hatchlings. I don’t want to feel it any longer.”

“No!” Spike yelped, hopping off of Adagio’s lap. “I won’t let you do that. I-I have good news. You can come back to Equestria. All three of you!” Spike put his front paws on Adagio's thigh as he continued hopefully, “I have some blue heart stones in my bag. Twilight says they'll let you both feed on positive energy instead of negative energy. Isn't that great?”

Narrowing her eyes to him and snarling, Adagio got up, knocking Spike over with a painful yelp as she yelled, “It doesn’t matter whether we feed on positive or negative energy! The point is that we are the last of our kind! We begged and pleaded with Princess Celestia and her foolish advisor Star Swirl to keep her ships out of the Celestial Sea, and did they!?” Adagio trembled with rage, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “No! They didn’t! They just took delight in destroying our eggs and rookeries. We are the only ones left.”

“But, I-I-I'm sure she had a reason! We can ask her. She's staying here with Principal Celestia. We can... We can..." Spike's words slowly trailed off as he realized what he just said. Looking up at Adagio fearfully, he said, “Please don’t hurt them.”

“Oh, I don’t want to hurt them. I actually want Princess Celestia to hurt me.” Adagio picked Spike up again. Sitting back down on the step and holding Spike in her arms, she continued with tears running down her cheeks, “It's perfect! She took my home, she took my babies, and now, she can take my life. Finally, my pain will end.”

“But--”

“Look, I’ll make it simple. I’ll call Principal Celestia--we had her give us her number while we were controlling her--and you can ask her to convince the princess to meet us. Then, I can ask her to do what I'm sure she's been waiting ages to do.”

Adagio quickly took out her phone, while Spike looked at Aria, saying, “Well don’t just stand there, do something! Your sister needs you!”

“What do you expect me to do! It's impossible to get her to change her mind on anything." Aria thought for a moment and said, "Hopefully, Celestia's gone soft over the years, and hopefully, she won't kill Adagio.”

Spike looked down, his ears against the side of his head. Snuggling up against Adagio's chest, he said softly to her while she held her phone to her ear, “Please, Adagio. There has to be another way.” But his words were ignored.

************

Princess Celestia sat on a recliner with a little girl in her lap, looking at a picture book. Crystalis giggled happily as the princess turned the page and said warmly, “And then, the little piglet squealed in delight as he saw a big, round cake in front of him.”

Hugging her warmly and snuggling up closer, Crystalis said happily, “What did the little piglet do after he ate the cake?”

“Well, let's turn the page and find out.” Turning the page Princess Celestia, smiled and continued to read to Crystalis, “Looks like the little piglet got a tummy ache.” The picture depicted a fat piglet holding his belly with a green face, his eyes tightly closed. “Hmm, perhaps he’ll feel better if he has some medicine to help his little tummy. What do you think, Crystalis?”

Putting a finger to her chin, the little girl replied with a light chuckle, “I say he needs his mommy to kiss his tummy and make him feel all better.”

Princess Celestia laughed. Seeing Luna enter the living room, she said, “Thank you both very much for allowing me to stay here, Luna. I really do appreciate it.”

“Oh, think nothing of it, Soleil. It was our pleasure.” Raising a hand to her cheek in mock speculation, she continued with a light smirk on her face, “Besides, seeing the look on my sister's face when she actually got a good look at you was well worth it. I will cherish that moment for a long time.”

“Yes, it was a treat. Tell me, has Twilight gotten up yet?”

“I think so. I think she's in the shower now. Should I go check up on her?”

“No, no, I’ll do that just as soon as we are done with this picture book. I am having quite the time reading to Crystalis here.” Looking down as the little girl grinned up to her, Princess Celestia smiled back and continued gently, “She’s quite the little storyteller. I bet she would have many good stories to tell to those in my homeland.”

“I am sure she would. Now, I’ll let you two get back to your story. I need coffee and some breakfast.”

Luna headed off into the kitchen, finding her sister at the stove, staring at the teapot, a cup in one hand and a photo of her and Sunset in the other, thick tears running down her cheeks. Both looked really happy in the photo. Celestia looked up and, seeing her sister standing behind her, quickly wiped away her tears.

“Oh, I-I didn’t see you there, Lu. I didn’t want Her Highness or Crystalis to see me crying, so I ducked in here.”

Quickly taking her into a warm hug, Luna held her sister in her arms, saying softly, “It’s going to be alright, Tia. You’ll see.”

“I don’t think it will. I let Sunset die, I have lost faith in my students, and I lost my daughter. How is everything going to be alright?” Celestia leaned in closer, resting her head on her sister's shoulder.

“I am not sure, Tia. Look, I know it's hard, but I’ll stick by you, no matter what. Now let me get you some tea and some breakfast. Then, we can call the school board and set up a meeting.”

“A-Alright. I really don’t want to deal with them, but I have little choice in the matter.” Looking down, Celestia continued coldly, “Sometimes, I wish I never became a principal. Then, I would be spared this pain and heartache.”

“I heard that,” Princess Celestia said. Quickly looking to Crystalis, who remained in her lap, she said. “Let me up, sweety. I need to talk to Aunty Celestia, alright?”

“You're not going to fight, are you?” Crystalis asked, worried.

“No, sweetheart, I'm not. I just need to let her know some...things.”

Getting up, Princess Celestia headed into the kitchen, took her counterpart by the hand before she could react, and led her to a nearby sliding door. Quickly opening the door and leading Principal Celestia outside, she said coldly, “Principal Celestia, I can't believe you want to just give up and walk away when things don’t go your way!”

“What!?” Principal Celestia’s eyes widened with shock and anger. “How dare you! I invite you into my home, and this--”

“Silence! You think you have it so bad that you have the right to just throw it all away? What about your students, the ones that didn’t post anything to that website? Are you really going to sit here and tell me that you are going to turn your back on those that really need you the most, Tia?”

“I don’t have time for this! I need to--”

“To what? Run away like a scared little filly? I can see on your face how scared and hurt you are, so why not just talk to me?”

Principal Celestia tried to leave, when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and Princess Celestia's stern voice behind her saying, “No! You don’t get to just throw it all away just because you have a few bad students. You need to grow up! You need to help those students realize the harm they've done with their petty actions. For the love of Equestria, Tia, don’t make the same mistake that I made. Don’t turn your back on your students!”

“You want to lecture someone? Fine! You can lecture my sister. She's the one that wanted you here, against my better judgment! You, who turned your back on your own damn daughter, shouldn’t even be---”

“Yes, I did,” Princess Celestia cut off Principal Celestia bitterly, “and I have always regretted it.” Looking down, she continued, “I actually did come through the portal. I spent two days searching for her. I couldn’t find her, though. On the night that I left before the portal would close again, I placed a note on the statue I hoped she would find it and be ready to come home when the portal opened again. But I can see she never did find that note.”

“Actually, she did find it.” Sighing with her anger still brewing, Principal Celestia continued, “After the Fall Formal, she read me the letter and asked that I keep it for when she was ready to go home. But she never did go home, did she? She never got the chance.”

“No, she didn't. And yes, I turned my back on her. But that doesn't mean you get to throw everything away!” Looking away, Princess Celestia continued, “If I walked away each time things got tough, I wouldn’t be much of princess, just as you are now not much of a principal. You need to stick to it. You need to dig your hooves into the ground and stick this out, not for you, not for your sister, not for the school, but for those that need you.”

“How, damnit? How am I supposed to ride this storm out when all I feel is pain, anger and disappointment!?”

“By digging deep into yourself and finding the good in those that have hurt you, angered you, and disappointed you.”

Before Principal Celestia could react, Princess Celestia quickly lunged in, wrapping her arms around her counterpart. Feeling the warmth and sorrow emanating from the princess, Principal Celestia broke down crying into her counterpart's shoulders.

“Why does it have to hurt so much?” Principal Celestia cried out in pain and anger “Why couldn’t I save her?” Princess Celestia held the regal principal warmly in her arms stroking her fingers through the woman's hair soothingly as she continued “She was my goddaughter, for Christ's sake! I should have been able to help her.”

As the two Celestia's cried into each other's shoulders, Luna watched from the deck, jumping slightly when she heard her sister's phone ring. She quickly headed inside and returned with the phone. “Tia, you have a phone call. Should I tell them to call back?”

“No,” Principal Celestia called back, sniffing and trying to wipe away her tears. “I-I'll be just a minute.” Looking at her counterpart, she continued, “Thank you. I-I really needed that.”

“If you ever need me to hoof you in your flank again, just come through the portal. I won’t mind at all. And you are welcome.”
The two headed inside, with Principal Celestia taking her phone from her sister and saying into it, “Hello?”

***********

“Principal Celestia, I presume?” Adagio said. “I have here a little friend of yours by the name of Spike.”

Adagio held the phone down to him and gave him a stern look. Spike quickly answered, “Principal Celestia, don’t do what she wants, please!”
Raising the phone back to her ear, Adagio said, “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on hurting him. I just want you to bring Princess Celestia here. You’ll find us at the school. I’ll wait with him here as long as you like. I have a favor to ask.”

“Adag--”

Adagio hung up, then sighed. Setting her phone down, she gently pulled Spike into her, nuzzling his cheek with her own.

***********

Principal Celestia put her phone away, then looked at Princess Celestia and Twilight, who had come down from the bathroom while Principal Celestia was on the phone. “We need to go to the school. Spike is there, and so are the Dazzlings. I'm not sure what's going on, but Adagio wants to talk to you, Soleil. I think you both should go. I don’t think she will hurt Spike. But then again I can’t be one hundred percent certain about it either.”

Standing up, Twilight said, “We'll take care of this, Principal Celestia, rest assured. Spike--”

“Worry not, Twilight," said Princess Celestia. "Adagio will not hurt Spike. I know what she wants. She asked this favor before, one thousand years ago. I refused then, and I plan to refuse now, but I should still talk to her.”

“Princess, what does she want?” Twilight asked. “What does she think she can gain by taking Spike?”

“She wants to die in magical combat against me.”

“No! No more death!” Principal Celestia snapped. “We've already lost one girl. I don't care what she did in the past, we're not going to lose her too!” Slamming her hands onto her kitchen table, she continued. “There is no reason for that girl to want to do this!”

Seeing that both Princess Celestia and Principal Celestia were upset, Crystalis, who had come into the kitchen when she saw the adults gather, immediately hid behind Luna. Luna looked down to the scared little girl and hugged her, saying gently, “Don’t worry, everything's alright. Aunty Celestia and Aunty Soleil just need to help a friend.”

“A-Are you sure, Aunt Luna?”

“Yes, honey, I am sure. Now, how about you and I go get some ice cream and play video games?”

“O-Okay.” Crystalis laid her head into Luna’s shoulder as Luna picked the little girl up in her arms, saying to her sister, “You three go. I’ll stay here and watch over Crystalis.”

“Good idea,” Principal Celestia replied. After Luna and Crystalis left, she turned back and said to Princess Celestia, "Alright, out with it. Why does Adagio want you to kill her?"

Looking down, Princess Celestia replied sadly, “Adagio has lost everything in life. Her home, her babies, her power, everything. The only thing she has left are her sisters, but it seems that even they can't stave off her depression any longer. However, you are right. I cannot allow this. I will try to talk some sense into her. I'm sure there is some way to convince her not to go through with this.”

“There's something I need to get before we leave for CHS,” Twilight said, quickly heading over to her bag in the living room. Reaching into the bag, she took out the letter Fluttershy had given to her prior to Sunset's funeral. Looking at the folded letter, Twilight sighed. “I’ll read this to Adagio and Princess Celestia. Maybe--”

“Twilight, hurry,” Principal Celesita called from the foyer. “We need to go. There's no telling what Adagio will do to Spike if we don’t show up.”

Twilight quickly stuffed the letter into her skirt pocket, quickly joining the others. The three women piled into the car, and within a half-hour, they found themselves standing in front of the school, staring and a very grief-stricken Adagio Dazzle, who held Spike in her arms, and an angry Aria Blaze who stared coldly back at them.

“Spike, are you alright?” Twilight asked. “She didn’t hurt you, did she?”

“No, Twilight, I'm fine, but please don’t do what she wants!”

“Don't worry, Spike. We won't,” Twilight said, keeping her eyes on Adagio.

Letting Spike go, Adagio said, “I want to die, Twilight. I want to be reunited with my siren sisters and brothers. I want to see my children again. I don’t want to be alone anymore. Just stop wasting time, and kill me.”

“That isn’t going to happen, Adagio!” Twilight replied. “Please, let us hel--”

“Then I’ll just make it happen!”

Before anyone else could react, Adagio quickly rushed at Twilight, taking a swing. Thinking quickly, Twilight ducked just in time, moving backwards just out of Adagio’s reach.

“Adagio, stop this madness! I didn’t come here to fight you. I came here to offer you hope and a chance to come home!” Twilight yelled to the siren, backing away again as Adagio quickly closed the gap between them. “For crying out loud, Adagio, there is no need for this!”

“Yes, there is. I told you I want to you to end my life. If taking you with me in front of your mentor and friend is the only way to do it, then so be it.”

Adagio took another swing at Twilight, only to be caught off guard as Princess Celestia jumped in, catching Adagio's right arm. Quickly pulling the siren into her and wrapping her arms around her, Celestia said softly, “Let it out, Adagio. You've held this pain for long enough. You need to release it.”

Adagio tried to keep her composure as her tears broke the surface of her eyes. She fell to the ground, pulling Princess Celestia down with her. Crying hard into the princess's shoulder, she said, “I miss my children. I miss my home. I miss it all. I just want this pain to end. Please, just kill me so I don’t have to live with it any longer.”

“No, I will not do that, but I have another way I can help, if you’ll let me.”

“The only way you can help is by killing me! Nothing else. You killed my entire family and all of my eggs are destroyed, so why not just finish the job?”

“Not all the eggs were destroyed that day, Adagio.” Princess Celestia said softly. “You have living family. Just come with me back to Equestria, and I can prove it.”

"I don't believe you!" Adagio snapped. "I was there when my home was destroyed!"

“But it's true. Three sirens were brought to me six years before my daughter was born, wanting to make peace with my kingdom. You may recognize the names Kelpie, Seamora, and Hali.”

Adagio froze, the names indeed familiar with her. "But... But how? How did they escape? Where are they now?"

"I'm not sure how they survived, though I suspect it was by the ingenuity of your father King Eqidon. They are living in Cantlantis. I will, with your permission, take you to them. But first, I must answer some questions about my own daughter to Twilight's friends.”

“Fine, but don't think this changes how I feel about you. Because of you, my daughters grew up without a mother.”

“I understand. I can only hope your opinion will change in time."

"Princess Celestia, now might not be a good time, but I have something that I want to read to you before we meet with everyone.” Twilight began pulling out the letter she got from Fluttershy. “It's Sunset's last letter. I haven't read it yet, but I hope you'll let me read it to you now.”
Celestia was silent for a time before saying, “Yes, Twilight. Please read me her last letter. I have a few questions about what she overheard from our conversation in Equestria, and I hope the letter will answer them.”

Nodding, Twilight began to read the letter.

Twilight Sparkle,

By the time you read this, I'll be gone from this world. I know now that you and I were never friends. I know that you never wanted me as your student, and I know you never really trusted me. I looked up to you, and you, like everyone else, broke my heart. I don't know why that should surprise me, though. Remember what you said to me at the Fall Formal?

"You will never rule in Equestria! Any power you may have had in this world is gone! You’ve shown them what is in your heart."

You said those words while I was in that crater, barely conscious after being blasted with the Elements of Harmony. Your face was so cold and heartless, I thought you were going to kill me, or toss me into Tartarus. You didn’t even care that I was hurting, that I was crying, that I wanted only to be held and told that I may have made a mistake but that it would be alright. Remember what you said as you pulled me out of that crater?

"The magic of friendship doesn’t just exist in Equestria. It’s everywhere. You can seek it out, or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours."

Find friends, or lose hope forever. What an ultimatum! Giving me a choice without actually giving me a choice. Of course I was gonna choose the path with an iota of hope! But how false that hope turned out to be! Now, I know what friendship really means to you.

"She wouldn’t know how to be good if you hit her with the Elements of Harmony! You know what she's done! Mind control, attempted murder, declaring war on you, the list goes on! For the good of all of Equestria, you have to stay away from her! She can't be redeemed. She belongs in Tartarus, where she can’t hurt anypony else."

But you know what, Twilight? For all my anger and sadness, I know that you were right about me. I don’t deserve to rule Equestria, and I don’t deserve to be loved, held, or taken care of. So I am ending my life so that you can’t put me into Tartarus and so that I won’t be a problem for anyone else.

Please do me one last favor. There is a letter in my locker. Be sure to have Applejack read that letter to everyone. It will explain to her and to everyone else what I am and why I am so alone in this world. Please also see if Fluttershy will adopt Lucky for me. I want him to go to a good home, and I know she can provide that.

Goodbye, Twilight.

Your failed student and ex-friend,

Sunset Shimmer

Finished, Twilight fell to her knees in shock and sorrow. “What have I done?!” she screamed. “It wasn’t Rainbow that pushed her over the edge. It was me. It was my fault that she took her own life.”

“Twilight, it was a misunderstanding! Yes, you may have phrased the part about friendship a bit poorly, but everything she heard the other day in Equestria was about Chrysalis, not her. She wouldn't let us explain that it was all just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding that led her down the road to suicide.” Princess Celestia walked over to her student, gently pulling her into her as she continued, “And even if those words were meant for her, we all have to take responsibility for what happened to her. I failed her as her mentor and mother.”

“But, I tried to help her! I tried so hard,” Twilight cried into her mentor's shoulders. “I just want Sunset alive, safe and well. I miss her so much.”

“I know you do, Twilight. I tried to help her, too, but I failed,” Principal Celestia began softly as she knelt down, hugging Twilight and her counterpart. “I should have been there for her. I should have closed access to that website when I had the chance, but I chose to have faith in my students rather than do my job.”

Looking to her counterpart, Princess Celestia gently ended the hug and said, “It's time to answer her friends' questions. How do I summon them?”

With a very light chuckle, Principal Celestia took out her phone and called up Applejack, who agreed to call the rest of her friends. A few moments later, Principal Celestia unlocked the school doors, allowing everyone to enter the school.

***********

Spike very soon found himself sitting on Twilight's lap in the library of the school. Princess Celestia looked out the third-story window, while Principal Celestia stood nearby. Adagio and Aria both also stood nearby, each looking out a window, each one looking both scared and confused at the same time.

Despite the dour mood, Spike figured that he'd finally deliver his message. “Your Highness, Chrysalis attacked Foal Mountain. Five hundred ponies that lived at that monastery are now dead. Only one little filly survived.”

“Spike, I know she's cruel, but couldn’t have gone that far. Are you sure it was Chrysalis that--”

“Yes, I'm very sure. She was heading to Ponyville, but she was stalled in the middle of Ghastly Gorge. Princess Luna said it was thanks to some weird-looking Minotaur.” Putting a paw to his chin, Spike tapped his chin in thought as he continued, “I think her name was Eve--”

His words were quickly cut off as Twilight slapped her hand over his mouth, saying “If you will please excuse us, Your Highness, I need to have a word with Spike in private.”

Receiving a quick nod of princess Celestia’s approval Twilight picked Spike up and carried him over to the doors of the library. Quickly taking Spike out into the hallway and making sure Principal Celestia didn’t follow them, Twilight began sternly, “Spike it is very important that you don’t mention Eventide's name around Principal Celestia right now.” At Spike's questioning glance, Twilight explained, "Eventide is Principal Celestia's daughter."

“Well, what's the problem, then? I would think that if Eventide is Principal Celestia's daughter, then she would want to know that her daughter is safe and well.”

“While this is true, Vice Principal Luna told me to keep it between us. If Principal Celestia finds out, she'll want to go to Equestria, and we need her to stay focused on the issue at hoof, which at this point, is the trial for Anon-a-Miss. Principal Celestia might be called to testify, and she needs to actually be here for that.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Alright, I'll keep this between us, but I don’t like it, Twilight. Principal Celestia has a right to know where her daughter is.”

“I agree, but we can tell Principal Celestia about her daughter after the trial.”

“Alright. Let's go see if the others showed up.”

Spike and Twilight headed downstairs to find all five girls standing in front of the school, each one looked a bit confused and hurt to be back at school.

“Girls,” Twilight said, getting everyone's attention, “it's time for you to meet Princess Celestia and for you all to ask any questions of her that you might have about Sunset.” Turning her attention to Fluttershy, who looked the most upset of all five girls, Twilight added, “Fluttershy, did you adopt Lucky as Sunset wanted?”

“Y-Yes, I did. He'll be coming home with me in about seven weeks. H-He needs to get a few shots and to be checked out by the vet, and I need the time to get my home ready for him an Angel Bunny to live together.”

Twilight nodded and, without further ado, led everyone inside to a large table in the library and had each of the girls sit down. Princess Celestia sat at the head of the table, Principal Celestia stood next to a nearby computer, while Adagio and Aria stayed aloof, staring out the third-story window. When everyone was settled, Princess Celestia began softly, “So, shall we begin?”

A Story of the Past (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Princess Celestia looked at the women seated in front of her. Principal Celestia sat next to Twilight, who sat across from Rainbow and Applejack. Adagio and Aria both still looked out of their windows, listening in but otherwise not participating.

“Well, does anyone have any questions for Her Highness?” Principal Celestia began softly, looking to Rainbow, who didn’t return the soft gaze. “I am sure that each of you have something you want to ask after everything that's happened.”

“Yeah, I have a question,” Rainbow began, still not looking up. “I want to know what actually made Sunset come to this world?”

“It was because of me that she came here,” Princess Celestia began. “I didn’t give her the attention she needed, and because of that, I created a problem for you all to deal with. For that, I am truly sorry.”

“That's nice 'n' all, but that don't exactly answer the question,” Applejack chimed in, locking eyes with Princess Celestia. “We all wanna know why Sunset actually came here, so out with it, if ya don't mind.”

With a light sigh, Princess Celestia began, “It was not only because of me but also because of the events that took place at Saddleville.” Looking down, she continued, “I should have known that, due to my secrecy and my world's Cheerilee, Sunset wouldn’t be able to trust any pony. And I can’t blame Sunset for that.” Princess Celestia looked back up and continued hesitantly, “I adopted her when she was just a foal, though I kept the fact that she was adopted a secret from her. When she found her birth certificate in my library, she...reacted poorly. Soon afterward, she left my castle and was taken in by Cheerilee, but after Saddleville was destroyed in an avalanche, Cheerilee blamed Sunset for her lover's death.”

Fluttershy gasped and said, “That’s awful. How could anyone blame Sunset for that? I know she was...rough around the edges, but Sunset would never have done something like that.”

“Yer Highness, Sunset told me several days before we...well, before we laid her to rest that she doesn’t have anyone waitin' for her back home. Is that why? Yer fallin' out with her and Cheerilee's accusation?”

“That's exactly why, Applejack. After two betrayals, Sunset had no more room for trust, and I believe she truly felt that she didn't have any pony waiting for her back home.”

"But Sunset and I became friends shortly after she got to this world," Fluttershy said.

"That's wonderful, Fluttershy, though it's curious. Perhaps she felt that humans would be easier to get along with than ponies. Regardless, it warms me a good deal to know that she was still able to make friends after arriving here. Though, from what I've heard, her scars and worries got the better of her, and she turned on you. I'm very sorry."

Fluttershy didn't respond, instead simply bowing her head. Seizing the opportunity, Pinkie, her hair having long since fallen completely flat, asked “What was that crystal thing Sunset had? I almost tripped over it when I found it at Sugar Cube Corner. It was some sort of heart-shaped crystal with a needle in it. When I touched it, it felt like a heart beating.”

Looking at Pinkie, Princess Celestia replied a bit cautiously, “That is called the Demon's Heart. It is a relic from Equestria. It is also a prison.”

Principal Celestia, hearing the confirming information from her counterpart, said, “Sunset told us that the Demon’s Heart can grant unlimited power to 'anyone foolish enough to use it'. According to Sunset, it can bring back the dead, but you just said it was a prison. Was Sunset wrong? And how did she get her hands on it?”

“I can only assume that she was able to remove it from its vault. The magic on that vault can only be opened by one that is either a family member of mine or one that has been thoroughly trained in esoteric arcane magic. And it is indeed a prison, for it contains a terrible evil. But Sunset was also correct; it can bring back the dead.”

“How do you know all this?” Fluttershy asked, worried, “You didn’t actually test it on yourself, d-did you?”

“No.” Princess Celestia swallowed hard, reluctantly continuing, “I used it on my husband Storming Winds after his death. What came back was not what I had laid to rest. When he awoke in my home, he attacked me viciously. I had little choice. I used my magic and incinerated what I had brought back. I decided then to place the Demon’s Heart into a secret vault and never to speak of it.”

“And, um, how did Sunset learn of it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Sunset had only learned of it from my personal journal, which she read without my knowledge or permission. She asked me about it, but I gave her no information about it.”

Twilight opened her mouth to ask her own question, but she was cut off when Adagio started laughing coldly. Everyone turned to her as she said, “You stupid sow.”

“Excuse me?” Princess Celestia’s eyes widened in surprise at the insult.

“You should've known better than to perform a resurrection spell! Because of your foolishness, Storming Winds could've destroyed all of Equestria and Cantlantis.”

“How dare you speak to Princess Celestia like that!” Twilight snapped. “She has offered you hope and a chance at going home, and that's how you treat her? Get out of here before I--”

“I will speak to this cow as I see fit! She clearly has no idea how dangerous it was to bring Storming Winds back with dark magic!” Stepping forward and narrowing her eyes, Adagio continued bitterly “This stupid princess doesn't belong on the throne. She has no common sense, no heirs, and no clue how powerful Storming Winds actually was!”

“How dare you speak to me like that, Adagio! You have no idea--”

“No, you have no idea!” Adagio glared at Princess Celestia as she continued, “Your husband was an alicorn, you idiot. He could've wiped out not only my home but all of Equestria!”

“That’s not possible! He was a pegasus. He had no horn.”

“Oh, yeah? Do you remember what he looks like?”

“How could I ever forget? I remember him vividly.”

“Good. Then you'll have no trouble recalling a particular mark on his face? His forehead, specifically.”

Princess Celestia thought for a moment before it hit her. “He...had a circular scar. But, how did you know about that?”

“My mother gave it to him a few years before my sisters and I were banished. To make a long story short, she fought with Storming Winds at Ponyville and broke his horn, causing him to lose most of his magic. When she didn’t return, my father sent Chrysalis to the village to see if she could find her. Chrysalis came back telling him what he had most feared.” Adagio smirked wickedly to the princess as she added, “It was no coincidence that you met Chrysalis that day on your way to Ponyville. She was sent there to find my mother, and now, because of you, the prophecy will come to pass.”

“Wait, what prophecy?“ Twilight asked. “The only prophecy I know was the one that foretold Princess Luna’s return.”

“Oh, it's an old siren prophecy. I'm sure it would've interested you greatly, but since Little Miss Sunshine here wiped out my species, it's now lost to history. I mean, I know of it, but I'm not telling you. Now, I have work to do. I need to ensure that my kingdom-or what's left of it--is safe.”

“Adagio, you are not a princess,” Twilight said angrily. “What kingdom are you talking about?”

“Actually, genius, I am. I am the firstborn daughter to King Eqidon and rightful heir to the throne of Cantlantis.”

“Then, that means your mother was--” Princess Celestia began.

“That's right. My mother was Equta, queen of the sirens, the very same siren that was sent to Tartarus by your husband!” Adagio was snarling by the time she finished but was soon back to laughing while she turned around and walked away towards the library doors. “You have condemned all of Equestira to burn. May your house rot in Tartarus for what you have done.”

Looking to her sister as she watched her leave, Aria said, “We have things to do here before we leave for home. Maybe we can help you, but more likely, we'll just sit back and let your land fall to ruin as you let ours.” Staring straight into Princess Celestia's eyes, Aria continued. “Our babies, our daughters would be grown by now. They won’t know us, so there's no reason for either me or my sisters to return home. However, I will try to help my sister. You have done enough as is, Your Highness.”

The sirens left, and Princess Celestia quickly followed. Principal Celestia also headed outside, calling out to the princess, “Your Highness, wait! I have some questions too.”

Stopping in front of the portal, Princess Celestia said as the principal reached her, “What do you want to know, Tia?”

“When Sunset told us about the Demon's Heart, Cheerilee seemed terrified, more than I'd have expected her to be of it. Did she realize something I missed?”

“She must have figured out that if Sunset had actually used the Demon's Heart, it would have made her unstoppable. It would have given her the power of the evil trapped within. She'd be more powerful than any alicorn. I can raise and lower the sun with a mere thought. Can you imagine what Sunset could have done with that type of power?”

“I'd rather not imagine it. I will look for the Demon's--”

“Your Highness,” Twilight's voice caught both women off-guard as they turned to see her and everyone else coming out of the school. Twilight knelt down on one knee, her right arm and hand over her chest and her left clenched into a tight fist placed at her side, knuckles on the ground. “I, as your palurin, beg you to allow me to remain in this world.”

Princess Celestia hesitated slightly before saying, “T-Twilight, are you sure about this? Equestria will likely need you very soon.”

Not looking up, Twilight replied, “Yes, Your Highness. This world needs me. Perhaps I can help heal the wounds that have been left by Sunset's death. Perhaps, if I remain here, this school and its students can heal and move on.”

“Very well. As your princess, I grant you this on one condition.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“That you find the Demon's Heart and destroy it before it can be used on anypony or anyone in this world.” Looking to the portal, then down to Spike, who didn’t look up to meet her gaze, she said, “I need to leave now. I must see Foal Mountain for myself, and there are other matters that I must attend to.” Looking to Principal Celestia, the princess quickly added, “Twilight, if you will please pardon me, I must speak to Principal Celestia alone.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I will take the girls to Sugar Cube Corner. I think we all need some food and refreshments.” Twilight stood up, adding, “If it is alright with you, Principal Celestia, I would like to attend classes for a few days. That way, I can help your students heal from all of this, and I can begin my search for the Demon's Heart.”

Twilight looked to everyone and hesitantly smiled to them as each of them started to head down the street. Once she was sure that Twilight was out of earshot, Princess Celestia said, “I need to ask you a very, very big favor, Tia.”

“And that would be?”

“That you don’t ever allow Twilight back into the portal again.”

“What!?” Principal Celestia’s eyes widened in shock at the request. “Why ever not?”

“Twilight is…..my daughter. I will not risk losing her in a war that we might not be able to win. Chrysalis is after the Elements, and none of the Elements are as powerful as the one that Twilight guards. Chrysalis will be targeting Twilight, and I will not lose her again.”

“'Again'? What do you mean?”

“I gave her up after my firstborn daughter and my husband died.” Princess Celestia looked down sighing deeply. “My daughter died of what I thought was sudden foal death syndrome. I only recently learned that it was Chrysalis that killed my firstborn.” Walking over to the steps of the school, Princess Celestia sat down, fighting back her tears. “I know she can be very cruel and heartless, but I never thought she would kill a innocent foal.”

“What happened that caused all this, Your Highness?”

“I was taking care of Crystalis when a dragon attacked. Crystalis fell from the mountain we were on. I tried to save her, but I was hurt during the battle and wasn’t able to. When her mother got to the scene, she found me standing over the little filly and thought I murdered her. She wouldn’t listen no matter how hard I tried to explain what happened. Since then, we have been bitter enemies.”

“I see.” Principal Celestia swallowed lightly as she continued, “Didn't you try to take her to court or something?”

"It's not quite so simple. International politics and all. And at the same time, I wanted to help her, bring her back from the dark side. I know that somewhere deep inside that monster she's become is still goodness. There has to be.”

“Sounds to me like there isn’t any good left in her at all,” Principal Celestia said, sitting down next to the princess and pulling her into a hug. “How does Sunset fit into all this?”

“Sunset is,” Princess Celestia gulped hard, trying desperately to fight back her tears as she choked out, “my firstborn daughter.” Burying her head into Principal Celestia’s shoulder, the princess couldn’t contain her tears any longer. “And the horror doesn't end at her violent death. Unbeknownst to me at the time, horrific experiments were being done at a mansion in a secluded village in the far north called Crystal Ridge.”

“Experiments?” Principal Celestia asked, confused and worried. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t know anything was amiss until the day an old couple brought to me a very young foal. They told me they found her alone on the road leading to the mansion just outside of Crystal Ridge and, not able to afford raising a foal, made the long journey to me. I don't know why they decided to come all the way to me rather than give her to another couple at Crystal Ridge, but I'm glad they did. This foal, you see, was the spitting image of Sunset. Same mane, same coat. Everything about her was identical to my deceased daughter."

Principal Celestia listened carefully to her Princess Celestia's words as the woman continued her tale of woe. All the while Principal Celestia sat wondering about her own daughter and hoping to see her again.

"As I held her in my hooves, alarm bells should've been going off in my head, but instead, I was awestruck and, hoping to fill in the void left by my daughter's death, hastily I agreed to adopt the little foal. I even gave her the same name: Sunset Shimmer. And for a long while, I truly felt happy. I knew that this wasn't the daughter I gave birth to, but I had once again a tiny little foal to care for, raise, and be very proud of.”

“That sounds nice. I'm not sure how I feel about naming your adopted daughter after your lost daughter, but other than that, it sounds like you had a lovely time with her.”

"Oh, I did. And my pride in her only grew as she aged. She showed both an extremely inquisitive mind and astonishing magical prowess. I couldn't have been more proud when she got her cutie mark, a most beautiful sunburst.

"However, that happiness wasn't to last. Eventually, she found her birth certificate and lost all faith in me. She became obsessed with learning about her own origins. She traced her path back to Crystal Ridge--a place I had vainly forbidden her to go to--and found the truth of her existence, and it drove her mad."

“What did she do?”

Celestia hesitated at the truth she was about to reveal. “She killed them. All of them. Back then, Crystal Ridge was a small, up-and-coming town. Only about one hundred fifty ponies at most lived and worked there. By the time I got there, the town was engulfed in flames. I tried so hard to get her to call off her attack, but she wouldn’t listen to me. I chased her to the mansion of Crystal Ridge.”

“What happened when you got there?”

“She and I fought tooth and hoof. Our fight led to a laboratory near the top of the mansion. I blasted her with a very dense pulse of magic, which briefly knocked her out As I kept my guard up, I got a good look around. It was there that I finally learned what was actually done to both her and to my late firstborn. What I saw there will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

“What happened there, Your Highness?" Principal Celestia asked with equal parts interest and nervousness. "What did you see?”

"Pods. That's the best word I can think of for them. Giant glass cylinders with green translucent fluid in them.” Princess Celestia gulped hard. “But the contents of the pods are what really scarred me. Each pod had a...a pony in it, and each pony was...was...”

Princess Celestia couldn't continue, her emotions overcoming her as she started crying and shaking violently. Principal Celestia quickly backpedaled. "Your Highness, it's okay. You don't have to talk about it if it's that painful for you. Just...skip to the part after that."

Princess Celestia nodded gratefully and took a moment to collect herself. After calming down, she continued. "As I was...examining the pods, Sunset woke up and shot at me. We resumed our fight, and I eventually ended up flinging her at one of the pods. The collision was strong enough that the pod she hit broke from its base. As it toppled, it broke through a window and tumbled out of the mansion and over the cliff the mansion sat on. And Sunset dove through the window after it, screaming in fear and, now that I think about it, perhaps anger as well.”

“What did you do?”

“What else could I do? I flew after her and caught her; even though she did horrible things that night, she was still my daughter, and I couldn't let her die.

"When we landed near the pod, she broke free from me and ran over to it. Not finding any pony inside it, she attacked me again, only this time, she used her hooves instead of her magic.”

“Did you hurt her again?” Celestia asked accusingly.

“No. I could tell she was just venting at that point. Eventually, she broke down crying and, much like Adagio had done earlier tonight, demanded that I kill her. But I refused. Instead of ending her life, I banished her from my castle and revoked her status as my student. She vowed to return and make me pay for what I did that night, and she ran away. I can still recall her tears running down her cheeks as she ran off into the mountains.”

“So, like Twilight, you also didn’t give Sunset a trial for what she did. I see where Twilight got that from.”

“Don't judge me. Yes, I know I should have given her a trial, but I wasn't about to let the courts take away my second daughter. I saved her life by sending her away.”

“Saved her life! You condemned her to a life of more pain and torment!” Principal Celestia scoffed. “And if you were so worried about what would happen to her, why did you send Twilight here? Why didn’t you come yourself that night at the Fall Formal?”

“I was scared that if I came instead of Twilight, I would lose her again. I knew that if I did battle with her again, only one of us would have been able to walk away.”

“And so, because of your actions, she came into this world hating you, and Twilight used her magic on Sunset, taking away her confidence in herself. Everything certainly worked out well." Principal Celestia sighed heavily. “It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that we find the Demon's Heart and destroy it before it can be used on anyone.” Principal Celestia considered a bit and said, “I’ll let Twilight stay with me, and I'll keep her from the portal until this matter is settled. Before you leave, how will I or Twilight get in contact with you should the need arise?”

“You still have Sunset's journal, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Give it to Twilight. She will know what to put into it when the time comes. Until then, you are free to use it to communicate with me. I’ll keep the other one while I stay at Twilight's castle until she comes home.”

“Very well. I will tell Twilight of this conversation, by the way.”

“You will not. There's a reason I had Twilight leave first. Telling her would only cause her a great deal of pain. Like I said, I needed to give her up after losing Sunset. Why do you think that is?”

“Because you were afraid Chrysalis would target her?”

“Close. As if a psychotic shapeshifter killing one of my daughters weren't bad enough, I lost my husband only three days before then. My own nephew Blueblood, ever the opportunist, decided to stage a legal coup of sorts and take the throne for himself. He saw that I was not in my right mind, as I was grieving the loss of my first daughter and my husband.”

“That's awful. How did he do it?”

“He tried to take me to court and cite my inability to think straight as reason enough for them to force me to cede the throne to him. The courts disagreed with him, and in response to his betrayal, I stripped him of his rank and title and seized all of his land. He became a prince in name only. Livid, he threatened to go after Twilight, so I placed her in the care of the Velvet's to raise her, but I remained in her life from afar to help guide her as best as I could, and I made sure to keep secret agents around to stop Blueblood from making any move.”

“I take it he didn’t like that one bit.”

“No, he didn’t, and thankfully, by the time Twilight was old enough to take care of herself, he saw that she was not a pony to mess with. Even then, though, you have no idea how painful that was for me to do, but I had enemies that would try to kill her or use her to seize the throne. My happiness had to be sacrificed for the good of all of Equestria and for the sake of my family. I had no choice in this matter.”

Looking down, Principal Celestia said sternly, “Fine, I’ll keep this between us for now, but I find this most distasteful, to say the very least.”

"I don't care. I'm doing what must be done. Farewell, Ms. Soleil. May we meet again under better circumstances."

Looking back up, Principal Celestia watched as her counterpart entered the portal, leaving her to sit on the school steps to think about what the princess had said to her.

Trial (Edited by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This chapter is supposed to take place the follow morning after Six Weeks Later. I didn't want to re-post Six Weeks Later so we have this. For those of you that will judge this chapter please keep in mind that I wanted it like this so that I can show how the Crusaders confess to the entire school and what happens to them afterwards. Please leave comments in the comment section below.

Trial (Edited by Icecreammac)

Applejack woke up to a bright sun beaming down into her face. Getting up groggily, she got dressed and headed downstairs, her feelings of emptiness contrasting with the otherwise peaceful morning. It's been six weeks since the funeral, but Applejack still felt no better now than she did then.

Granny Smith was at the stove, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks. Big McIntosh solemnly came into kitchen, saying, “Granny, the truck's ready to go.”

“Yer goin' to the courthouse, right? Ah wanna go, too,” Applejack said, looking at her grandmother, who didn’t return the gaze.

“Big Mac, Ah’ll be ready in a few minutes,” Granny Smith said coldly. “Ah believe Applejack can find her own way there.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied.

Looking down with her hat pulled low, Applejack said sadly, “Look, Big Mac. Ah know Ah did wrong by my little sister. Ah know Ah hurt her, hurt our family, and turned against our values. Ah was just so angry and hurt that Apple Bloom would do such a thing.” She slowly looked back up, tears threatening to break the surface of her eyes. “Please, Ah'm beggin' you to give me one more chance to make this right for her, for our family, and for us as brother and sister.”

Big McIntosh didn’t reply. He just gently led their grandmother out to the truck. Stopping just past the threshold of the doorway leading into the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder, glaring bitterly at his sister before leading Granny outside.

Applejack swallowed hard as she also headed outside. Taking out her phone, she called Fluttershy’s mother for a quick pick-up, seeing as she was not welcome in her brother's truck. An hour later, Miss Shy pulled into the driveway. Applejack got in without a word to her or to Fluttershy, who sat in the front seat with her head hung low.

It wasn't long before Mrs. Shy pulled into the parking lot in front of the courthouse. Applejack noticed with slightly risen spirits that her family at least waited for her to arrive before going inside.

Getting out of Mrs. Shy’s car, Applejack said through a tough sigh, “Let's get this over with.”

Applejack, Big McIntosh and Granny Smith started to head inside the courthouse with Fluttershy in tow when they heard from behind them, “Applejack, hold up. I want to talk to you.” Turning around, Applejack saw Rainbow's mother coming up the steps leading to the courthouse. Looking to her brother and grandmother, Applejack nodded to them, and the two continued further into the building.

“What can I do ya fer, Mrs. Dash?” Applejack asked, not looking the woman in the eyes.

“Have you heard from Rainbow? I haven't seen her since the funeral, and I'm getting worried about her. We...had a fight outside of the police station. She said she was going to stay with Fluttershy.”

“She was gone when I got up this morning. I don’t know where she went, Mrs. Dash,” Fluttershy said just barely above a whisper. “I'm sorry, but I don’t think she wants to talk to you right now. Just give her some time to get through the hurt.”

“I know, but it's been weeks. I'm really worried about her.”

“Ah don’t know where she is, either,” Applejack injected. “Ah met her a few days ago at the cemetary. Poor thing still looked all shook up even after all this time. Ah haven't seen her since.”

“I see. If you hear from her, please tell her to come home. I don’t want to lose both of my daughters.”

Nodding her reply, Applejack headed into the courthouse, followed by Fluttershy and Mrs. Dash. Getting into the courtroom a few minutes later, Applejack saw Twilight, Principal Celestia, and Luna all sitting in the second row. Rarity and Pinkie were sitting a few rows from Rarity's father. All three looked upset. Mrs. Dash took her seat a few rows from the Cakes. Neither of the Cakes acknowledged her or any of the others sitting in the courtroom. It's been a little more than six weeks since the funeral, but it seemed to Applejack that the wounds were still very much open. Before Applejack could say anything, the door opened, and Rainbow somberly walked in, taking a seat behind her.

“Have they started yet, Applejack?” Rainbow noticed a large TV sitting near the jury box. “What’s with the TV? I thought this was supposed to be a trial.”

“Ah have no idea why there's a TV in here,” Applejack said. “And where on earth have you been, Rainbow!? Yer mother's worried sick about you! And no, the trial hasn't started yet.”

Rainbow snorted bitterly. “Let her worry! I don’t need her. I don’t need anyone.” Rainbow watched as a side door opened. Her sister and her two friends were led into the courtroom, all wearing orange jumpsuits and handcuffs. “What's with the cuffs? Scootaloo's not that dangerous.”

“Ah don’t like seeing my sister like this either, sugar cube,” Applejack replied, looking at her younger sister. Apple Bloom didn’t look in Applejack's direction. “But it's a part of this whole ordeal, so let's just wait and see what happens, alright?”

“Fine, whatever. I just want to get this over with.”

The bailiff walked into the courtroom, saying sternly, “Please rise for the Honorable Judge Chrysalis now presiding.”

Everyone stood up, watching as a woman with teal hair and oil-black skin walked into the courtroom, saying, “Everyone but the jury may be seated. Mr. Icy Heart, please swear in the jury.” Chrysalis said picking up her gavle and striking the judge's bench three times with it.

Icy Heart turned to face the jury, saying to them, “Raise your right hands.” Each member of the twelve-member jury did as instructed. “Do you solemnly swear that you, the jury, will try this case to the best of your ability and render a verdict according to the evidence?”

“We do so swear.”

“You may now be seated,” Chrysalis said. “The Court of the Second Judicial Circuit, Criminal Division, is now in session.” She punctuated her sentence with two strikes with her gavel. "The City of Canterlot versus Apple Bloom Apple, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo Dash is now underway." Chrysalis looked at the prosecutor, saying sternly, “Is the prosecution ready?”

The prosecutor, a gruff-looking man by the name of Thunder Ice, stood up, replying, “Yes, Your Honor.”

“You may be seated, Mr. Ice.” Looking at the defense attorney, Chrysalis continued, “Is the defense ready?”

Blue Blood stood up, saying softly, “Yes, Your Honor.”

“You may be seated.” When Blue Blood sat, Chrysalis continued, “Gentlemen, I am going to make this as clear to the both of you as I can. I am fifty-seven years old. I do not have the time or the patience today to squander listening to superfluous language. In short, gentlemen, I fully intend to be home for dinner tonight.” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes to Celestia, who didn’t return the cold stare she was receiving. “Do we fully understand each other?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” both men replied in unison.

“Good. The prosecution may make their opening statement.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Thunder Ice stood up and turned to face the jury, saying “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Today, I am going to prove to you beyond any doubt that these three young women did willingly and knowingly set up an account on the website MyStable to bully and harass Sunset Shimmer to the point that she took her own life. It will be up to each of you of this jury to see the facts for what they are and to find these three girls guilty of this crime.”

Taking his seat, Thunder Ice gave the three girls in question a cold, hard stare. At Chrysalis's permission, Blue Blood stood up, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I plan to show you today that these three girls had no intention of driving Sunset Shimmer to suicide. I ask you to find these girls not guilty and to send them home to their families where they belong.”

When Blue Blood sat down, Chrysalis sighed deeply and said, “Prosecution, you may call your first witness.”

Standing back up, Thunder Ice said, “Thank you, Your Honor. I call to the stand Celestia Soleil.”

As Celestia nervously approached the witness stand, Chrysalis gave her a stern look as Icy Heart approached with a Bible. “Please place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand,” Icy Heart said. When Principal Celestia had done so, Icy Heart continued, “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

Looking to Chrysalis, then to the Cakes, Celestia said, “I do.”

“The witness may be seated,” Chrysalis said sternly.

Walking over to the witness stand, Thunder Ice began, “Mrs. Soleil, how long have you been the principal of Canterlot High School?”

“For nearly twenty years now.”

“And in all of your years of being an educator, have you ever had to deal with something such as this?”

“Yes and no.”

“Could you explain, please?”

“I have had to deal with bullying within the school system before. I mean, what school principal doesn’t have to deal with that sort of thing? But I have never had to deal with bullying on this scope before.”

“What about dealing with your sister? Didn’t she bully people using a computer?”

“Objection, Your Honor. The witness's sister's teenage behavior is irrelevant to this case.”

“Sustained.” Crysalis narrowed her eyes to Thunder Ice, continuing “Stick to the case, Thunder Ice.”

‘Yes, Your Honor.” Looking back to Principal Celestia, Thunder Ice continued “Could you tell the court who it was that bullied Miss Shimmer to the point that she took her own life?”

Looking down slightly, Principal Celestia said, “Yes.” With a light sigh, she continued, “It was Apple Bloom Apple, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo Dash. They created a MyStable account and used it to spread secrets and frame Sunset Shimmer. I don't think it was their intention to cause her to commit suicide, but their actions instigated almost the entire student body to turn on Sunset, who ultimately took her own life.”

Satisfied, Thunder Ice said, “No further questions, Your Honor.”

Chrysalis nodded, saying, “Defense, you may now cross-examine the witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Getting up, Blue Blood said, “You say, Mrs. Soleil, that it was these three young women who bullied Miss Shimmer into taking her own life. But you have not said what led you to believe it was them. Can you walk us through the process of how you came to discover this?”

“Yes, I can.” Celestia again swallowed lightly as she continued. “I was taking a woman named Twilight Sparkle to the hospital to be there for her...friend Sunset Shimmer.”

“I see. And why was Sunset going to the hospital?”

“She had been horrifically attacked by another student. The police broke up the fight and radioed for an ambulance to take her to the hospital.”

“And who was it that attacked Miss Shimmer?”

“It was another student named Dumbbell Stallion.”

“Sunset, from what I understand, has been quite the terror at your school. Do you feel that her terrible beating was simply her just desserts for her actions over the past two years?”

“No. For Christ's sake, I never wanted that! While I did think she needed to atone for her actions, I never wanted her to be hurt like this.”

“Objection, Your Honor. These questions are irrelevant to the trial,” Thunder Ice injected coldly.

“Overruled,” Chrysalis said. Turning her attention to Celestia, she commanded, “Please continue.”

“Anyway, my sister and I were talking over the radio on the way to the hospital. About the time we made it there, she said that she had discovered who Anon-a-Miss was.”

“So, let me get this straight so that the jury will be able to understand you correctly. Are you telling this court that you were not the one who actually discovered that it was my clients that bullied Sunset, then?”

“Yes, I am, but--”

“How do you know it was them, then? Did they just--oh, I don’t know--pop up at the hospital and say, ‘We're the ones that did this’? Or did you just snap your fingers and have evidence just appear into your hands?”

“As I said, my sister told me over the radio that she had discovered who Anon-a-Miss was. I was not present when they confessed to Luna, so I don’t know what actually happened, but I do know that they were brought to the hospital by the police and led to Sunset's room. It was then that my sister told me what they had done. I was shocked and horrified, to say the least.”

“I see.” Keeping his face impassive, Blue Blood said to Chrysalis, “No further questions, Your Honor.”

“The witness may step down.” When Celestia took her seat again, Chrysalis said, “Prosecution, you may call your second witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Thunder Ice said. “I call to the stand Twilight Sparkle.”

Chrysalis looked at Twilight, who gave her a solemn, cold stare in return as Chrysalis said to her, “Will the witness take the stand to be sworn in by the bailiff.”

Twilight stood up and headed over to the witness stand, swallowing hard as the Icy Heart said to her, “Please place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

“I do, sir.”

“The witness may be seated,” Chrysalis said sternly.

When she took her seat, Thunder Ice began, “It is my understanding that you are a foreign exchange student, Miss Sparkle. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that is correct. Sunset and I both come from a small city in Europe.”

“I see. And how do you know Miss Shimmer, Miss Sparkle?”

“I met her two years ago when she attended a dance that was being held in my honor. She tried to steal a crown, which was a family heirloom.”

“I see. And I take you tracked her back to the States, then?”

“Yes. I fought with her at a dance at Canterlot High School--the Fall Formal--and won, with a bit of help.”

“Who was it that helped you to get your crown back, Miss Sparkle?”

“It was my friends Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.”

“We have already heard that Mrs. Soleil said that you were a friend of Sunset's. Is this true or false?”

“At first, I wasn’t her friend. I didn’t want anything to do with her. But then I saw something in her that I had seen in myself not too long ago. I saw worry and fear at the thought of opening up to others and making true friends, and I wanted to help her. We became fast friends shortly after that.”

“Please tell the court. Did you have anything to do with bringing in the defendants?”

“No, I didn’t have anything to do with them being caught. I was, however, heartbroken that they bullied her to the point that she would kill herself. Sunset used to be a bully herself, but even she didn’t deserve to be treated like this. I really do believe those girls did this out of spite and nothing more.”

“No further questions, Your Honor.”

“Very well. Defense, you may now cross-examine the witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Blue Blood stepped up, saying to Twilight, “Did you want revenge against Sunset for stealing your crown?”

“My revenge was defeating her at the dance and ending her little reign of terror there. After that, I was no longer interested in vengeance.”

“I see. You mentioned that Sunset was a bully. How did you know that?”

“Besides the other students' testimonies about how bad she was, I saw it myself upon arriving to the school she attended, when I found her picking on Fluttershy. My few days in that school showed be all I needed to know to realize that she was a bully.”

“So, what then? After only a day or two of your search here, you rounded up a bunch of students, humiliated Miss Shimmer at the Fall Formal, and then all of a sudden became friends with her?”

“No, that isn’t what happened. Sunset took my crown, and I needed to get it back, but I also wanted to stop her from bullying everyone.”

“And yet, you humiliated her yourself in the process. Don’t you think that type of humiliation, that sudden fall from the top, could have led Sunset down a vicious spiral to suicide? Do you think that, perhaps, the three accused are not the primary reason for Sunset's suicide?”

“Objection, Your Honor. There is no proof that Miss Sparkle did any of this, and furthermore, Miss Sparkle is unqualified to answer questions about Sunset's mental state.”

“Sustained.” Chrysalis looked bitterly at Blue Blood as she continued, “Either get to the point, Mr. Blood, or this witness shall be excused.”

“Y-Yes, Your Honor." Regaining his confidence, Blue Blood said, "The point that I am trying to make is that Miss Sparkle could not have been as sure as she claims about the severity of Sunset's bullying in those few days she's attended Canterlot High School. Relying on scant personal experiences and mainly student testimony, she started a fight with Sunset, humiliated her in front of the entire school, and then just took her crown back and left her there, alone and broken. It is my belief that this damaged Sunset's psyche enough that she was already vulnerable to any further attacks. Regardless of whether or not the Anon-a-Miss account pushed her over the edge, my three clients are not the primary cause of Sunset's mental trauma.” When he was finished, he said as Twilight began silently weeping, "No further questions, Your Honor."

“The witness is excused from the stand,” Crysalis said apathetically. “Prosecution, you may now call your third witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Thunder Ice said, frowning. “I call to the stand Luna Evenstar.”

Luna got up as Twilight made her way back to her seat, taking a hold of Principal Celestia’s arm and sobbing into Celestia’s shoulders.

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

“I do.” Luna sat down, looking coldly at the three perpetrators.

Opening his briefcase, Thunder Ice said, “Your Honor, I would like to present to the jury Exhibit A, a cell phone that Ms. Evenstar gave to the police before the accused were arrested.”

“Very well. You may present the phone.”

Thunder Ice held up a small, white phone, saying, “Do you recognize this phone, Ms. Evenstar?”

“Yes, I do. That is the phone that I recovered during the food fight that broke out while Sunset was being attacked by Dumbbell.”

“Who does this cell phone belong to?”

“It belongs to Sweetie Belle.”

“And how do you know it belongs to her?”

“When I found it, I pressed the call back button to try to find out who it belonged to. Rarity Belle picked up and told me who the phone belongs to.”

“I see.” Looking to the judge, Thunder Ice said, “I will now press a playback tab on the phone, which will play back a recording of Sweetie Belle's voice on the phone.”

“Objection, Your Honor! The police didn’t have a warrant to search that phone, so whatever is on it cannot be used in this court,” Blue Blood yelled in anger. "We've been over this during our pretrial conferences."

Hearing this, Chrysalis glared at Thunder Ice and said, “Is this true?”

Knowing he was beaten here, Thunder Ice sneered and reluctantly said, "Yes, Your Honor."

Chrysalis fought to keep her voice even. "Very well. Put the phone away, Mr. Ice. None of the data on the phone can be used, and for knowingly attempting to present illegal evidence, I impose upon you a sanction of one thousand dollars to the court. You're lucky none of us heard the recording, or else there would really be trouble. Now, continue your questions."

Embarassed, Thunder Ice looked away and said, "No further questions, Your Honor."

"Defense, you may now cross-examine the witness."

"That won't be necessary, Your Honor," Blue Blood said, smirking.

"Very well. The witness is excused. The jury will not use the phone during their deliberation." Luna got up from the witness stand and sat down next to Twilight, gently pulling the still-crying Twilight into her arms. Chrysalis looked at Thunder Ice, saying, “The prosecution may call its next witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor. I call to the stand Applejack Apple.”

“Here we go,” Applejack muttered to herself resignedly. “Ah really didn’t wanna testify against my own sister. This is gonna be bad.”

“Hurry up, young lady. I don't have all day,” Crysalis said impatiently. "Unless you want me to find you in contempt of court for refusing to testify."

Startled that the judge had heard her, Applejack quickly took the witness stand, raising her right as she placed her left onto the Bible. Icy Heart said to her grimly, “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

“Ah do.”

Thunder Ice walked over to her, saying, “Miss Apple, please tell the court how you know the defendants.”

“The yellow one is my little sister. The other two are her best friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”

“I see.” Thunder Ice narrowed his eyes to the three girls, causing each to look down in worry. “Tell the court how you first found out that it was your sister and her two friends that had tormented and framed Sunset so.”

“Ah was workin' at my family's farm Sweet Apple Arcs, when my brother got a call from Apple Bloom sayin' she had been arrested. He took me and my granny to the local police station. It was there that Ah learned who Anon-a-Miss was.”

“So, up till that point, you had no idea that it was your sister and her friends behind the Anon-a-Miss account. Is that what you are telling this court, Miss Apple?”

“Yes, that's right.”

"I see. Would you please tell the court how you became friends with her

“Ah was workin' on my farm when Fluttershy and her mom pulled into the driveway after Ah told Fluttershy Ah needed help with the apple gathering. Sunset was in the back of the car. Ah remember demanding to know why Fluttershy would bring her.”

“Were you surprised to see Sunset up there?”

“Yeah. She had made fun of me and my family many times, embarrassed me several times in front of my little sister, and impersonated my friends to end my friendships. Ah wasn’t happy at all to see her. But Fluttershy refused to help unless Sunset could stay and learn how to help. A few hours went by, and Sunset worked herself to the bone. It was then that my father's horse Stompin' Hooves got out, makin' a beeline right for my little sister in his frenzy. Sunset put her own life on the line to save a little girl that she barely knew. The old Sunset wouldn’t have done that. It was then that Ah was convinced that she changed.”

"And if I'm understanding correctly, you and Sunset have been very close friends since then?"

"Closer than friends, actually. She was family to me, or at least, that's what Ah told her."

"And if Apple Bloom and her friends hadn't posted as Anon-a-Miss, would you have still been friends with her?"

"Y-Yeah, Ah guess Ah would've," Applejack said sadly.

“So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if the defendants hadn't framed Sunset, Sunset's 'family' would not have abandoned her and left her alone and terrified. It certainly seems to me that the defendants are the root cause of Sunset's depression and suicide." Addressing Chrysalis, he finished, "I have no further questions, Your Honor.”

“Would the defense care to cross-examine the witness,” Chrysalis asked boredly.

“Yes, Your Honor, I would.” Blue Blood got up, headed over to the witness stand, and looked Applejack right in the eye as he said, “It is my understanding that while Sunset was being beaten so viciously, you didn’t jump in to help her. Why is that, Miss Apple?”

Looking down, Applejack sniffed, trying to fight back her tears, “Ah-Ah wanted her t-ta pay for what she did for two years of bullyin' and for what Ah thought she did as Anon-a-Miss. Lookin' back, Ah feel sick to myself stomach. Not a day goes by that Ah don't relive that awful day.”

“So you thought she really was Anon-a-Miss, and this was your way of paying her back for all the bullying she did to you. Why were you so quick to believe that Sunset was Anon-a-Miss?”

"It was the timin' of everything. My nickname, which Ah had told her only the night before. The photos from her phone, suspiciously never depicting her. And not only that, but...deep down, Ah guess...Ah wanted it to be Sunset because of how she treated me. Ah may have kept calling her family, and perhaps she was, in a way. But, in my heart, Ah always thought she would go back to how she was before Twilight came and took care of her.”

“Are you telling this court, then, that you wanted Miss Sparkle to hurt her and embarrass her to get back at her for her actions?”

“Yeah. Seemed like a fittin' punishment for how she bullied the entire school.”

"So, you were glad that she was humiliated in front of the entire school, and you stood by and watched as your friend--your family--was brutally beaten in the hallway of your school because you still felt that she needed to be punished. One last question. Did Sunset know that you simply stood by and watched?"

Applejack had slowly been losing her composure as Blue Blood spoke, her shoulders shaking as she quietly sobbed. Unable to speak, she simply nodded in response to his question.

Satisfied, Blue Blood smirked and said, “No further questions, Your Honor.”

“The witness is hereby excused.”

Applejack got up and ran out of the courtroom. Luna somberly helped Twilight up, and the two left the room to try and console Applejack. Celestia, not wanting to be in a room with Chrysalis without Luna's emotional support, also left the room.

“The prosecution shall call its next witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor. I call to the stand Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy got up and quietly made her way to the witness stand, placing her left hand on the Bible and raising her right hand just as Icy Heart said to her, Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

“I do.”

As she sat, Thunder Ice sighed, looking at how timid and scared Fluttershy was as he approached her. “Miss Shy, we have heard testimonies from Twilight Sparkle, Celestia Soleil, and Applejack Apple, all of whom seem to think that Sunset got what she had coming to her during the night of the Fall Formal, and one even felt at the time that Sunset's beating was justified. Please tell this court how you became friends with Sunset.”

“Um, well, I work at an animal shelter and help to take care of all the animals there. Shortly after the Fall Formal, Sunset came in and said she wanted to learn what I did, so I agreed to show her.”

“Wait a minute. Didn’t Sunset also pick on you for two years? Didn’t Miss Sparkle only a moment ago say that she saw Sunset picking on you and that she had to stop it?”

“Well, yes. Sunset wasn’t a very nice person. In fact...she was really, really mean, especially to me. But, deep down, I think she was more like me: scared and alone.”

“I see. So, given that Sunset was especially rough on you, do you feel that she got what she had coming to her when Dumbbell Stallion attacked her?”

“Not at all. I begged Applejack, Rainbow, anyone to help. I can't fight myself, so trying to help Sunset personally was out of the question. Finally, someone did jump in at the end, but not before Rainbow and Applejack turned around and left.”

“What was it that Sunset did to make you become friends with a girl that spent two years bullying you?”

“She saved a cat's life. The old Sunset wouldn’t have bothered doing that. I saw that day that she had changed and needed my help to get her through this hard time in her life.”

“So, saving one animal’s life was enough to show you that she had changed?” When Fluttershy nodded happily, Thunder Ice continued, "You mentioned that you knew she was scared and alone rather than just a typical bully. How did you know?"

“Well, I met her soon after she first got to Canterlot. She had basic vocabulary down, but she couldn't read or write our language, so I spent my time teaching her. During our sessions together, she started to open up a bit about her worries and goals. It was very nice. I just wish I knew why she started bullying everyone.”

“Did you think Sunset was guilty of being Anon-a-Miss?”

“At first, yes. It was pretty hard to ignore what she did in the past. I prayed and prayed for proof that she wasn't, though, and my prayers were answered, but...it was too late. By the time I reached Sunset, she was already being mauled.”

“No further questions, Your Honor.”

“Does the Defense wish to cross-examine the witness?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Blue Blood smiled to Fluttershy, who looked away. “You say you prayed quite a lot for proof of Sunset's innocence. I suppose this whole ordeal shook you up quite a bit. Am I correct?”

“Yes. I wasn’t happy at all. Thinking Sunset just used us to get more dirt on us hurt so much. I don't think a single day went by without me crying over it.”

“And yet, Sunset bullied you for two years. I dare say such a swift friendship is quite farfetched. Didn't you feel the least bit of resentment towards her?”

“...Yes. It's pretty hard to forget, and it was easy to think that she was Anon-a-Miss, but I never wanted her to get hurt. I just wanted all the betrayal, deceit, and spreading of secrets to stop.”

“Isn’t it true as well that Sunset came to you with a stray cat, only for you to tell her to leave or you would call the police? That doesn’t sound like you had any friendly feelings toward her.”

“No, I--”

“Your Honor, I'd like to present Exhibit A. The real Exhibit A.” Blue Blood paused for a moment to glare at Thunder Ice. "I have legally obtained footage depicting the exact scenario I just mentioned."

At Chrysalis's consent, Blue Blood picked up a TV remote and turned the large TV on. Fluttershy watched herself on TV talking to Sunset.

“You need to leave, Sunset. I don’t want to talk to you. You're not my friend, and clearly, you never have been.”

A mewling sound came from the audio, and Fluttershy heard herself say, “Making fake cat noises to get my attention won’t help you, either.”

“Please, shut it off. I don’t want to see this again.” The timid girl began to cry. "Please, just turn it off."

Fluttershy heard Sunset’s voice on the TV saying, “That’s not me, Fluttershy. Hold on.”

Through her tears, Fluttershy watched as Sunset took Lucky out from under her shirt, placing him onto the counter. Sunset could be seen on the video stroking Lucky’s fur gently, saying as she looked at Fluttershy, “I found Lucky in a sewer drain not far from here. I was hoping you would be able to tell me how to take care of him.”

“You found him?”

“Yes. Look, all I want to do is find a way to take care of him. I don’t want to fight. I promise.”

Fluttershy again begged for the attorney to shut off the video, but her words fell on deaf ears as she heard and watched the video play out it's horrible scene.

“Then if you don’t want to fight, please leave. I don’t want anything to do with you. You hurt me when you posted my photo on MyStable.”

Fluttershy in full tears again said, “For the love of God, please shut this thing off!”

“Your Honor, I don't see what this has to do with the case,” Thunder Ice injected, causing Blue Blood to pause the video momentarily.

Chrysalis looked over at Blue Blood and said, “Mr. Blood, are you going somewhere with this?”

"I am, Your Honor," Blue Blood replied calmly.

"I certainly hope so. You may proceed. After all, this evidence is legal and able to be used by the jury." Chrysalis punctuated her statement with a pointed look at Thunder Ice, who looked away.

"Thank you, Your Honor," Blue Blood said, resuming the video.

Fluttershy fought her tears as she brought herself to watch the video play out in front of her and the courtroom.

“I'm not Anon-a-Miss, Fluttershy. Why won’t you listen to me?”

Fluttershy could be seen picking up the cat and placing him gently into a cage in the back of the shelter, then saying coldly to Sunset, “Listen to you, Sunset Shimmer? I listened to you for two years while you bullied me, picked on me and made fun of me.”

“I-I--”

“No! I'm not going to listen to you anymore, Sunset. You're nothing but a bully who gets off on hurting innocent people. And now, you hurt animals, too! Get out before I call the police”

Fluttershy looked down, too upset to watch any more as she heard Sunset’s voice over the video say, “I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I am so sorry for how I treated you back then. You're right, I am just a bully.” After Sunset finished, she ran out of the shelter.

Blue Blood, having gotten what he wanted, shut off the video, saying to Fluttershy while she cried, “Can you explain how you could want to be friends with someone that clearly upset and hurt you enough to cause you to yell at her like that?”

“I can’t explain it,” Fluttershy sobbed. “I just want Sunset to be alive and standing with me. I want to tell her how sorry I am for what I said to her that day. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I really didn’t mean to hurt her at all.”

“I have nothing further for this witness, Your Honor.”

“You may step down, Miss Shy.” Fluttershy stepped down, and like Applejack before her, she also left the courtroom, her mother following her. Chrysalis said as she looked at Thunder Ice, “The prosecution may call its next witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor. I call the witness stand Pinkamena Diane Pie.”

Pinkie got up, her hair flat as could be while she took the witness stand, placing her left onto the Bible and raising her right. After being sworn in, she sat down, staring coldly out to all those present.

“Miss Pie, will you explain how you know the deceased, please?” Thunder Ice began solemnly.

“I met Sunset at a party I was hosting for my friend Rainbow Dash, who had just won the state championship for our school's soccer team.”

“Were you friends with her, then?”

“Not at first. I was worried that Sunset had only gone to the party to start a fight with Rainbow. They didn’t exactly get along back then.”

“Why did you invite her to your party if you thought she was going to pick a fight?”

“I didn’t invite her. When I saw her there, I asked her to leave. She did but said that she wanted to know why I was asking her to leave.”

“And what was the reason you wanted her to leave?”

“Like I said, I thought she'd pick a fight with Rainbow, and from what I heard about her, she wasn’t the sort of person I wanted at my parties.” Pinkie looked down slightly, adding, “I wish I knew how hurt she was when I said that to her. If I had just taken the time to get to know her, I'm sure I would've been good friends with her from the start.”

“Are you telling the court that you regret telling her to leave even though you knew she was already a bully?”

“Yeah. What's the point of throwing parties if you're just gonna make someone sad during them? And Sunset loved going to my parties after she changed, which tells me that she actually was a party person. If I just let her stay at the party, maybe things would've been different." Pinkie couldn't hold in her tears anymore. "If I had just given her the benefit of the doubt about Anon-a-Miss, I know things would've been different.”

“No further questions, Your Honor.”

“The defense may now cross-examine the witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Blue Blood got up, opening his briefcase and taking out a file. “You say that you didn’t invite her to your party. How did Miss Shimmer find out about it, and how did she get there?”

“Everyone at school knows when I'm throwing a party; my parties are super fun, and word spreads fast, so it's no surprise that Sunset found out about it. I don't know how she got there, though.”

“I see. So, from what you are saying, you never wanted to be her friend. Is that correct, Miss Pie?”

“Well, I didn't want to be her friend back then. She was mean and liked hurting people. It was only after she changed her behavior that I decided to give her a chance. It started when I saw how upset she was when she was humiliated in front of the entire school. I felt bad that I had a hand in that, so I wanted to cheer her up, make her smile, and be her friend.”

“This girl tormented you for two years, and you just all of a sudden wanted to be her friend? Are you sure that you didn't want her to get hurt? Were you not present at the fight that took place before she killed herself?”

“H-How do you know that?”

Blue Blood addressed Chrysalis. “Exhibit B, Your Honor. I will be showing the witness and jury footage from Canterlot High School's security cameras depicting the attack."

“I’ll allow the video, but I'm warning you, my patience is running thin.”

Blue Blood played the video, and Pinkie was forced to watch herself run from the crowd while Sunset was being beaten to near-death. "Pay attention to how Miss Pie not only failed to help Sunset but also left in her time of need,” Blue Blood commanded. After switching the TV off, Blue Blood said matter-of-factly, “Looks to me like you actually never wanted to be her friend and that you were perfectly fine with her pain.”

“No, that’s not true! I was leaving to get help!”

“Really? Your friend Rainbow was standing in the crowd, too. You could have asked her, yet you didn’t. Why is that?”

“Because I saw the look on her face. If she didn't jump in before then, nothing I said would've made her jump in. And no one else in the crowd was helping, so what was I supposed to do? I didn’t know if I could ever trust Sunset again, but even if she was Anon-a-Miss, I would never have wanted that to happen.”

Blue Blood hummed in though for a moment. “No further questions, Your Honor,” he finally said. Pinkie got up from the witness stand, taking a seat next to Rarity.

“The prosecution may call its next witness,” Chrysalis said, impatiently staring at the two attorneys.

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Thunder Ice said. “I call to the stand Rarity Belle.”

Rarity headed up to the stand, looking to her sister as she said, “Sweetie Belle, I am sorry I have to do this.”

Sweetie Belle didn’t reply; her tears spoke for her. Sworn in, Rarity took her seat on the witness stand. Thunder Ice said, “Tell the court how you knew the deceased, Miss Belle.”

“I was friends with her, and she helped model several dresses for me. I had planned to show those dresses off at the Spring Fling, but alas, that's not meant to be.”

“Is it true that your sister wanted to spend time with you, and because you refused, she acted out by creating the Anon-a-Miss account?”

“Yes. She said at the police station that she did it because she was afraid of being cut out of my life, that I would have nothing further to do with her. I think it runs deeper than that, but I'm afraid I can't put my finger on why I think that.”

"So, your sister feared that she would be cut out of your life, and so she wanted to cut Sunset out of yours. Am I correct?"

"Well, yes, but I don't think she wanted Sunset to kill herself."

"I beg to differ!" Thunder Ice turned to address the jury. "Sweetie Belle's and her friends' actions were simply those of three lost girls trying to get their sisters back. These three were clearly out for blood. They had no qualms about spreading deep, dark secrets and to ensure that everyone, even Sunset's closest friends, turned against and began to hate Sunset. Mission accomplished, I'd say." Turning to Chrysalis, he said, "No further questions, your honor."

"Defense, you may now cross-examine the witness."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Blue Blood approached the stand. “Miss Belle, you claim that Sweetie Belle wanted to get rid of Sunset because she was jealous of the time you spent with Sunset, but is that the whole story?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

"Let me explain. Nine months ago, you had Sunset model for you, but you didn’t shut your windows or close the curtains. A student saw her while dressing and took several very embarrassing photos of her. Those photos wound up on the internet, and the student was expelled from school. Being the internet, those photos never truly went away, even after all this time.” Blue Blood returned to his briefcase to remove a manilla envelope. "Your Honor, to prove that I speak the truth to both the witness and to the jury, I would like to present Exhibit C: the photos taken that day."

Chrysalis waited a moment to see if Thunder Ice would object. When he didn't, she said, "Very well, but only show them to the witness and the jury. If they are as embarassing as you claim, no one else needs to see them."

"Thank you, Your Honor." He handed Rarity the photos first. "Do these ring a bell?"

Rarity looked through the photos. “Yes, I recall these clearly. Sunset was devastated about it, as I am sure anyone would have been. But I don’t see how that fits into this.”

“Well, Miss Belle, let me make it a bit more clear." Before continuing, he presented the photos to the jury. The stack consisted of three photos of Sunset in her underwear: one taken when she was fixing her bra, one taken when she bent over to pull up her skirt, and one taken while she struggled with pulling up a snagged pair of pantyhose. As the jury passed the photos amongst themselves, Blue Blood continued coldly, "It would not be hard to guess that you actually wanted Sunset to be embarrassed. Sunset did make your life miserable, after all, and surely, it would be hard for her to find proof that you kept your windows clear on purpose in the hopes that a fellow student would see her in those clothes. Well, Sunset's reputation survived, so perhaps your sister thought it would be a good idea to finish what you started.”

“N-No, my sister wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Really? Because your sister helped to set up Anon-a-Miss and took part in a scheme to bully Sunset until Sunset left you alone. Seems to me that Sweetie Belle would do anything to help you out or keep you safe. And you are certainly not blameless, either. From all I've heard about this case, you certainly had no love for Sunset.”

“That's not true!”

“Then tell the court why you got her drunk!”

“I didn't get her drunk! I was angry that she was at my house after she betrayed me after everything we've done together. I sent her home but gave her the wine and the Scotch, thinking she would be wise enough to drink only one glass, not the entire thing! She got herself drunk!”

Blue Blood smirked the smirk of a predator whose prey finally fell into his trap. "No further questions, Your Honor."

As Rarity stepped down from the stand, Icy Heart approached Chrysalis and whispered to her, "Your Honor, should I have her arrested?"

"Right now?" Chrysalis asked incredulously. "This is hardly the best time. Wait until after the trial."

Rarity, who heard the conversation, spun around and exclaimed, "Arrested!? Whatever for?"

The members of the audience started whispering amongst themselves, prompting Chrysalis to bang her gavel and yell, “Order in my courtroom!”

Once everyone had quieted down, Chrysalis said to Rarity with the tone of someone explaining a very obvious fact, “Well, Miss Belle, you gave a minor alcohol with the intent that she drink it. That's a crime. How much you wanted her to drink it doesn't matter.”

Rarity's father stood up quickly. "Your Honor, wait!" When Chrysalis glared at him for his interruption, he continued, "Please, don't have her arrested. It was my fault. I didn't secure my wine cellar when I left. If it weren't for me, Rarity would not have been able to give Sunset that alcohol."

Chrysalis smirked darkly. "Well, Mr. Belle, that is a crime, indeed, but that doesn't change the fact that your daughter willingly supplied a minor with alcohol. So, I'm afraid you both will be facing the court. However," she said as Mr. Belle's shoulders slumped, “I'm feeling generous today, and two arrests would just keep us here longer, so I'll have your arraignment arranged and have the District Attorney mail you your summons, no arrests necessary. I don't think you're a flight risk anyway."

Still unhappy and nervous with the situation, Mr. Belle nevertheless said, "Thank you, Your Honor. I...I need to take a step outside."

"Of course, Mr. Belle," Chrysalis said in a mock-caring tone. "We'll go on without you. Take all the time you need."

Mr. Belle sullenly walked out of the room, and Rarity ran after him in tears. Blue Blood, meanwhile, flashed a smug grin at Thunder Ice, who sneered in return.

After the Belles left, Chrysalis smiled, saying, “Well, now that that's settled, the prosecution may call its next witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Thunder Ice said grimly. “I call to the stand Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow took the stand. After being sworn in, she sat, looking at her sister all the while. Thunder Ice began coldly, “Tell us, Miss Dash. What led you to believe that Sunset was guilty of Anon-a-Miss and why you didn’t at first suspect your own sister?”

Rainbow said regretfully, “It was pretty easy to think Sunset, who tormented us for years, had gone back to her old ways or never changed at all. I didn't think it was Scootaloo because other than her friendship with the other two, she had no connection to the first few secrets Anon-a-Miss posted.”

“If it was so easy to think Sunset never changed, why did you even associate with and befriend her?”

“After the Fall Formal, I saw Sunset's changed behavior and thought she needed a friend. She was scared and alone, like I was before Scootaloo came into my life.”

“What do you mean 'before Scootaloo came into your life'?”

“She and I are half-sisters. My father...had an affair with another woman. The other woman's husband found out, and my father was killed in a bar fight. His mistress didn’t want Scootaloo in her life, so she gave her up and let us raise her. She and I became close really fast.”

“I see, but if you two were so close, why did you ignore Scootaloo for so long?”

“I didn’t ignore her. I tried to be there for her as much as I could. Yeah, I may not have been the greatest sister in the world, but it's not like I never paid attention to her.”

“Really? Then explain what happened after you skipped your sister's swim meeting.”

“We used a chip we had placed in her phone to track her to Apple Bloom's house. She has brittle bone disease, so we wanted a way to easily find her in case anything happens to her.”

“What happened then?”

“We had a fight and stopped speaking to each other for a while. I was angry with her for running off like she did, and she was angry that I missed her swim meet because I was hanging with Sunset.”

“When you found out about the postings, did you blame Sunset right away, or did you try to work things out?”

“I...” Rainbow looked down. “I blamed Sunset almost right away. Again, after everything she's done to me in the past, it was easy to think she relapsed and just wanted to hurt us.”

“So do you think that your sister did this to get back at Miss Shimmer for keeping you from her?”

“I honestly don’t know why she did this. Yeah, she said at the police station that it was because she was jealous, but I don't know if there's anything else to it.”

“No further questions, Your Honor.”

“Very well. Will the defense be cross-examining the witness?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Blue Blood approached Rainbow, saying, “When Sunset was being brutally attacked, you stood by and watched, refusing to lift a finger to help. You even left the scene, leaving her at Mr. Stallion's mercy. Why is that?”

“I was upset with her. After how close--how intimate--we got, it hurt really bad to think she betrayed me, so I wanted her to pay. And I didn't even think it was enough. After she got out of the hospital, I said some...terrible things to her.”

“What did you say to her?”

Gulping, Rainbow replied, “What didn't I say? I told her to get the fuck away from us, that she wasn't wanted here, that none of us ever wanted to be her friend, and that we just put up with her while waiting for her to turn on us." Rainbow struggled to keep her composure as she finished, “It was then that she kissed me and ran away. Shortly afterwards, she...killed herself.”

“Thank you, Rainbow.” Looking to the judge, Blueblood said. “I have nothing further to ask this witness, Your Honor.”

“The witness may step down.”

“Before I do, I want to say one final thing.” Rainbow looked up. “If I had to do it all over again, I would've listened to her. I never would've allowed my anger to get the best of me.”

"Yes, that's very nice, Miss Dash. Now please take your seat," Chrysalis said. When Rainbow did so, Chrysalis said. “The prosecution may call its next witness.”

"I have no further witnesses, Your Honor. The prosecution rests."

Chrysalis looked relieved, but hid it well. "Very well. Defense, you may now present your first witness."

"There's no need, Your Honor. Any witness I would've called was already called by the prosecution."

Chrysalis smiled and said, "Excellent. In that case, gentlemen, let's wrap this up. Prosecution, you may now make your closing statement."

"Gladly, Your Honor." Thunder Ice stood up and approached the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you've heard testimonies from Sunset's former instructors and friends about how the actions of the defendants affected their relationships with Sunset. These three girls started Sunset on a spiral of depression and pain that ultimately culminated in her tragic suicide. Even when they saw the horrible way everyone treated Sunset, they still kept the account alive. If these three had never made that account and had never spread those secrets, or even if they shut down the account after seeing what they've wrought, I dare say that Sunset would still be with us today. But they did make the account, and they didn't put a stop to it. And that is why you must find these three girls guilty of involuntary manslaughter for their primary part in Sunset's suicide."

Finished, Thunder Ice took his seat. Chrysalis then said, "Defense, you may now make your closing statement."

Blue Blood rose and walked up to the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the prosecution has claimed that the defendants are the primary cause of Sunset's suicide. However, I assert that Sunset would never have ended her own life if her own friends had not cruelly abandoned her. Talking to her as family one day and disowning her the next, wanting to see her punished, giving her alcohol when she's already undoubtedly depressed, telling her she was never wanted and that her friendships were a lie, and more only pushed Sunset closer and closer to the edge. You're all smart people. I firmly believe you've heard all you need to find my clients not guilty."

Blue Blood took his seat, and Chrysalis turned to the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen, you are tasked with taking into consideration the evidence and testimonies to reach a verdict on whether or not the defendants Apple Bloom Apple, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo Dash are guilty of involuntary manslaughter for their role in Sunset Shimmer's suicide. Remember that the opening and closing statements are not evidence. Remember that you must believe beyond a reasonable doubt that these three are guilty in order to give the guilty verdict. Remember that, as this is a criminal case, you must come to a unanimous decision before delivering a verdict. Remember not to consider any information gleaned from Sweetie Belle's phone in your deliberation due to the illegality of the data's retrieval. Finally, remember that you are the sole judge of the facts and credibility of the witnesses. Do you understand?" She was met with nods from each juror. "Good. You are excused to retire to the jury room to begin your deliberation."

The jury left to the jury room. All told, it took a little more than an hour before they reached a verdict. For those in the courtroom unaffiliated with the defendants or Sunset, it was a pretty routine hour. Chrysalis read what looked to be a romance novel. Some spectators left to use the bathroom or get a snack from the vending machines in the lobby, some read a book they brought with them, and others had whispered, casual conversations with each other.

For those in the room who were affected by the trial, though, that hour felt like twenty. Applejack spent the time ruminating on how quickly everything went wrong, while Big Mac and Granny Smith spent their time hoping and praying that everything would turn out alright. Rainbow Dash held herself and beat herself up over everything she'd done to Scootaloo and Sunset, while her mother tapped her foot nervously and chewed her nails, the wait painful for her. Pinkie tried to keep her mind off of the trial, thinking of any silly thing she could, but she failed each time she tried.

Fluttershy spent the entire time in prayer, while her mother managed to calm herself enough to read to pass the time, though she had trouble concentrating on the words. Rarity and Mr. Belle had since re-entered the room, and both spent the hour holding each other, while Mrs. Belle split her time looking angrily at Mr. Belle and worriedly at her daughters, knowing that she could very well lose all three family members.

Celestia, Luna, and Twilight had also come back in during that time, and the sisters distracted themselves by talking about the upcoming meeting with the school board, while Twilight kept herself busy by thinking up different mathematical problems to solve. Finally, Thunder Ice and Blue Blood spent their time glaring at each other and going over the trial in their head, checking for any mistakes they made or anything they could've done better.

At long last, the jury returned to the courtroom, and everyone waited with bated breath for the verdict.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Chrysalis asked.

The presiding juror, a somewhat heavy-set man with light-blue skin and green hair, stood up. "We have, Your Honor." He picked up a notecard and read, "'We the jury find the defendants Apple Bloom Apple, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo Dash not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.'"

The courtroom was hushed. The defendants looked surprised yet relieved, as did many of their family members. The Cakes and Twilight looked livid. Blue Blood flashed a triumphant smile at Thunder Ice, who looked like he swallowed three lemons.

"Very well. Apple Bloom Apple, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo Dash, the court hereby acquits you of the charges brought forth during this trial. You're free to go. Court is adjourned." Chrysalis finished with a final strike of her gavel, and she got up to leave.

Mrs. Cake, hearing the gavel's bang, broke down in tears. Mr. Cake stormed up to Blue Blood, who was shaking the now-free girls' hands. “How dare you!" Mr. Cake barked. "I don’t see how an asshole like you can sleep at night. We just wanted justice for our baby, and you have taken that from us!”

Blue Blood calmly turned to Mr. Cake while the three girls flinched back at Mr. Cake's tone. "Mr. Cake, I understand your anger," Blue Blood began. "You're not the first to yell at me like that, and I assure you, you won't be the last. But I had a job to do, and I did it. Perhaps, you should turn your ire toward more apt targets, like those so-called 'friends' of Sunset's. And, for your information, I sleep rather well at night." After he finished, he turned to the three girls with a cocky grin, ignoring Mr. Cake's glare. "Congratulations, girls. I can't promise there won't be repercussions for your actions, but from a legal standpoint, you can rest easy. Enjoy your freedom." With that, Blue Blood walked away, not even giving Mr. Cake a passing glance as he went to talk to Mrs. Dash.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo quickly moved past Mr. Cake to rejoin their families. When Apple Bloom got to hers, Granny Smith immediately swept her into a hug, but her face was stern as she ended it. "Now, see here, missy," she said. "You still got a lotta hard work ta do ta get back our trust, and yer punishment ain't over yet." Granny Smith's face softened into a relieved smile. "But at least ya ain't rottin' in jail." All four of the Apples left the courthouse in a group. They were still sore from the whole ordeal, from Applejack's actions, and from Apple Bloom's betrayal, but while there were still hard feelings, they were able to find comfort in their wholeness, at least for one night.

Sweetie Belle, meanwhile, was being crushed in her mother's powerful hug, while Mr. Belle said, "Congratulations, Sweetie. Glad to see you're free," but he looked sadly at Rarity as he finished, "Now, we just have to wait for our turn."

Scootaloo got to her family just as Blue Blood was shaking Mrs. Dash's hand and leaving, still wearing his cocky grin. "Oh, my baby, I'm so glad you're not going to jail!" Mrs. Dash said, tears of relief in her eyes.

"Yeah, me too," Scootaloo said nervously. Looking to Rainbow Dash, she hesitantly asked, "Isn't it great, Rainbow?"

Distractedly, Rainbow said, "Uh, yeah, it's great, Squirt. Really...great." Scootaloo didn't miss the look of disappointment and hurt on Rainbow's face, though Scootaloo didn't know whether the look was directed at her or Rainbow herself.

"Well, I think this calls for a celebration, hmm?" Mrs. Dash said, looking pleadlingly at Rainbow. "What do you say, honey? The three of us at home, eating Mayor Sauce's pizza? I know how much you both love it."

Rainbow sighed, looking away. "Sorry, Mom, but I can't come home. Not yet."

"But, Rainbow, it's been six weeks! Please, come home. We're all so worried about you."

"I can't, Mom. There are things I still need to do." She fished two twenty-dollar bills from her pocket. "Here. Go ahead and get yourselves something nice. My treat."

Mrs. Dash sadly took the money, and Rainbow walked off to join Fluttershy.

Twilight sat rooted to her seat even as Celestia and Luna rose. "I can't believe it. Those three got away with it! How can that be?"

"I can't say I'm surprised," Luna said. "In fact, I'd be more surprised if they got a guilty verdict."

"What? But, Luna," Twilight rebutted, "those three made Sunset kill herself! How can they just be let off scot-free?"

"Twilight," Celestia began, "if I recall, you yourself said that all of us, including yourself, played a part in Sunset's suicide."

"Well, yes, but--"

"This trial was to determine whether those three girls are the primary cause of Sunset's suicide. And, frankly, I agree with Blue Blood; those girls set the stage, but the rest of us played our parts perfectly. And, yes, I'm a tad disappointed that there are no legal repercussions for what they've done, but I don't think they should've been jailed for something we all participated in. Now, if you don't mind, Luna and I need to prepare for an upcoming board meeting. Will you be riding home with us?"

"Y-Yeah," Twilight said, cowed but still furious with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. And Celestia's words reignited her anger at her former friends, Celestia and Luna, and herself. Seething, Twilight left the courthouse with everyone else and wordlessly climbed into Luna's car, looking out the window. She saw Rainbow taking one last look at the building before getting into Mrs. Shy's car, while Mrs. Dash tried in vain to get her daughter to come home. Seeing the hurt on Rainbow's face and remembering her title, Twilight sighed and thought to herself, “I have my work cut out for me. This place really does need me, after all.”

The Truth is Revealed (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This chapter takes place the following day after reading Applejacks letter. The next chapter picks up during the same day and time as this one is taking place.

The Truth is Revealed (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Principal Celestia sat in her office chair, her eyes flitting between staring out at the parking lot and glancing over at her clock. The time read 7:00 am. Officer Brushed Jade was just getting up to leave with Eventide's file in her hand as she said, “Don’t worry, Celestia. I’ll find your daughter. I'm not closing this case till I bring her home to you.”

“Thank you, Jade. I know I'm asking a lot of you.” Celestia's eyes finally settled on the parking lot, or more specifically, settled on the statue that dominated the front of the school. “But you're all I have now. You are the only one that I can trust to keep her file open till we find her.”

Getting to the door, Jade said, “I won’t give up till I know for sure, but I need to know something before I go. If I should find out that she's deceased--”

“No matter how you find her, please just bring her home to me one way or another,” Celestia said, turning around with a sad look in her eyes. “I can’t go on any further not knowing anymore, so please, just find my daughter and bring her home so that I can have peace.”

Jade was about to leave Celestia’s office when she got a call on her cell phone. Quickly answering it, she said, “Hello, this is Officer Brushed Jade.” Celestia could see Jade's face and mood instantly change as the person on the other end spoke. Jade hung up and looked at Celestia, angry surprise on her face. “Celestia, this is going to be very hard to hear, but you should know that Dumbbell somehow got out of jail. I’ll have three squad cars here in a little bit, but I doubt he’ll come back here. Still, I need to make sure Vinyl's safe from that animal.”

“Great!” Celestia scoffed bitterly as she snarled. “Vinyl is currently at the hospital. Can you send an officer over there to check up on her? I’ll bring Octavia to you after the announcement.”

“I will, and I'll protect the two of them as best as I can. Now I need to get going.”

Brushed Jade left Celestia’s office, calling for the squad cars to show up at the school, just as Luna led Applejack and her friends to her sister's office.

“Principal Celestia, who was that police officer?” Twilight asked. “I recall seeing her when Sunset was taken to the hospital, but I don’t recall her name.”

“Her name is Brushed Jade, and she is helping me to find someone close to me. Now if you don’t mind, I need to deal with a more important matter at hand.”

Re-entering her office and sitting back down in her chair, Celestia looked at a file on her desk with Trixie’s name on it. She read through it, then set it back down as she heard Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom all enter her office, accompanied by their sisters, their sisters' friends, and Luna.

“Thank you all for coming at such an early hour,” Celestia began sternly, locking eyes with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. "I know classes don’t start until eight, but we need to make sure that you three are ready to tell the student body what you did. Afterwards, I am sorry, but you three will be facing expulsion for your actions." Turning her attention to her sister, she continued, “Luna, please make sure to call Trixie’s mother and ask if Trixie really is sick. I want to hear it from her mother; Trixie didn't exactly sound sick.”

Swallowing hard, Sweetie Belle said, "Do we really have to be expelled for what we did? I mean, can't we just be suspended for say three or four days?"

"I'll call her, Celestia. As for your question, Sweetie Belle, no, you cannot be suspended for three or four days," Luna began sternly. "What you three did with that website caused nothing short of pain and heartache, not just for the entire student body but for your sisters, as well. Besides that, once you do come forward with what you three have done, you'll become a target for any students that want to seek revenge."

"My sister is right, Sweetie Belle. Please, all of you, listen to me closely." Celestia got up from behind her desk and walked over to Sweetie Belle, staring coldly into the young girl's eyes. "Canterlot High School has more than one thousand students. You cannot expect all of your teachers or your sisters to protect you three all the time while the three of you are here. We simply do not have the faculty for it, not to mention any hostility you meet off school grounds."

Irritated, Rainbow said, “So what are we supposed to do, just kick them to the curb and hope everything works out for the best!?”

“No, Rainbow. Celestia and I talked about this on the way home from Applejack's farm last night,” Luna began. “We have been able to pull in a few favors and have found three separate schools for your sisters to go to. However, only one of those schools is nearby. The other two are in different states. We will also discuss this further once your parents get here in a few moments.”

“But Vice Principal Luna, Ah don't wanna go to a different school than Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They're my friends,” Apple Bloom protested.

“You know, you three are bucking lucky that this is all you're getting,” Twilight snarled bitterly, holding her arms over her chest with a dark look in her eyes. “There's no telling what would happen to you In Equestria for what you've done to Sunset and everyone who's ever loved you, so cool it with how your principal should or shouldn’t punish you!”

“Twilight,” Celestia said softly, seeing the hurt in Twilight's eyes, “please take Fluttershy, Pinkie and yourself outside of this office.” Opening her middle drawer, Celestia took out a set of keys and handed them over to Twilight. “These will open up the woodshop classroom so you can take care of what Sunset asked of you in her letter to you.”

Taking the keys, Twilight replied. “Fine. What am I allowed to use while in that classroom?”

“Only the handheld tools. No power tools of any type, especially the bigger pieces of equipment. Got it?”

“I understand.” Twilight looked at Pinkie, saying, “Pinkie, please take me to your locker so I can destroy the Demon’s, Heart.”

Pinkie swallowed hard while she quickly led Twilight and Fluttershy to her locker. Opening the locker, she handed over the Demon’s Heart, saying, “I hope you're able to get rid of this thing. I'm sorry I didn’t say anything sooner.”

Everyone noticed as Ms. Dash, Mr. and Mrs. Belle, Granny Smith and Big McIntosh all started to enter the school, each looked saddened. Twilight looked at Pinkie, saying to her while the group passed them by, “I know you didn’t mean to keep this from us, Pinkie. You more than likely didn’t know what it was or what it could do until Applejack read Sunset's letter.”

Getting back to the principal's office with the Demon’s Heart in her hands, Twilight stood outside of the office with her two friends while she, Pinkie and Fluttershy all listened in on the conversation taking place within the office.

“Manhattan!?” Sweetie Belle could be heard yelling out in anger. “But that's a twenty-one-hour drive from here! And just when am I supposed to leave anyway?”

“At the end of next week. I'm sorry, but that's where you are going, Sweetie Belle,” Mr. Belle was heard saying coldly to his youngest daughter. “I know it's very far from here, but that is the only state that we have family in, so don’t make this any harder than it is already!”

“And what about me?” Apple Bloom asked. “Where am Ah goin'?”

Big MacIntosh said sternly, “You’ll be goin' to Appleloosa to stay with cousin Braeburn and his kin. And don’t you make a fuss, neither, 'cause we ain't budgin'!”

“But Appleloosa is so far away! It's, like, an eighteen-hour drive from here!” Applebloom yelled back in anger. “You can’t do this to us! We don’t wanna break up our friendships, and we don’t wanna lose our families, either!”

“Then perhaps you should have thought about that before making that account!” Mr. Belle hollered back to Apple Bloom. “You three should be grateful that you didn’t get sent to jail for what you did to Sunset. Do you think her parents are happy with the outcome of the trial? This is the only way to keep you three safe! Principal Celestia's right; there's no way your sisters can protect you three all day, every day, so stop making this harder than it already is.” Mr. Belle took a moment to calm down before continuing. “We are doing what is best for each of you. None of us wants to get a phone call saying that you three are in the hospital, put there because one or more of the students here decided to get revenge on the three of you for what you each did!”

“This hurts us as much as it hurts you, Sweetie Belle, but we have little choice in this matter,” Rarity said, clearly choking back a sob.

Applejack said, “We don't, either, Apple Bloom. Granny, Big Mac, and Ah stayed up all night talkin' about this. The Belles are right; it's the only way ta keep ya safe. Besides, Ah’ll come visit when I get the chance, and you can come back after you're eighteen. What you do then is up to you, but till then, this is our decision ta make. Got it?”

“Yeah, Ah got it." Apple Bloom's voice was bitter. "Ah got that none o' Y'all give a haybale about me or my friends!”

Twilight, having heard enough, very quickly reentered the office just as Applejack snapped, “Apple Bloom, Y'all are sorely asking for--”

“Applejack,” Principal Celestia bitterly stated while Twilight quietly stood behind Applejack, “you had better not finish that sentence, because if you hurt your sister while in my presence, you, too, will find your butt out of my school faster than you can say, ‘Next of kin.’ Do I make myself clear?”

Gulping, Applejack nodded her reply just as Fluttershy and Pinkie also came in, taking a stand behind one of their friends to show their support to them.

“Now, with that being settled, that only leaves Scootaloo,” Luna sad cooly. “Where is she supposed to go?”

“Cloudsdale, the next city over from this one,” Ms. Dash began sadly. “It's only a five-hour drive from here, so she'll be close, and they have a good school there called Raincloud High. She'll be living with my sister Rosy Bloom and her husband Clear Skies. Cheerilee’s twin sister Cherry Blossom is the principal there, and I've come to know her well over the last fifteen years or so, and she has agreed to make sure that Scootaloo will stay away from any and all computers while she is attending school there.”

“And that ain't all,” Applejack began coldly. “Ah called Braeburn and told him about what ya did. He put a password on his computer, one that he assured me he won’t give you. Ah'm sure that the rest of our friends' families did the same.”

“Indeed,” Rarity began. “I called our family and told them what was going on, too. They also agreed to secure their computer.”

“As did Rosy Bloom. I'm sorry, Scootaloo, but you can’t be trusted right now around a computer. When you turn eighteen, then you can do as you please, but until then, you’ll have to settle for an old-fashioned phone--I doubt Rosy will let you keep the one you have--or snail mail until you see Rainbow again. That is if she wants to see you.”

“That's right,” Principal Celestia said sternly. “None of them will be allowed near any computers. Even their phones will be confiscated to be returned at the end of each school day. I have already discussed this with the principals of each school. They wanted to know why we are transferring them, and I told them the reasons. As such, each principal agreed to this punishment.” As the girls grumbled but otherwise kept quiet, Celestia put an end to the conversation and turned to her sister, “Luna, is everything ready for these three to confess to the student body?”

“Yes. We have the stage all set up. All they have to do is go out on stage and confess everything in front of the entire student body.” Luna turned her attention back to the three girls sitting in front of her sister. “Once this is done, you three will have to leave school, so I will escort you to your lockers so you can clean them out.”

As the girls rose to head to the auditorium, Scootaloo nervously asked Rainbow, “W-Will you come see me, Rainbow?”

“Yeah, I will, after I get my driver's license.” Looking at her mother, Rainbow continued, “I don’t want Mom spending all that money and gas to get me back and forth from there.” With a light sigh and roll of her eyes, she continued, “I also need to get a job too to help pay the bills; your little stunt took almost everything we had in savings, kid. But don't worry, I'll still come see you.”

Everyone left Principal Celestia’s office. As Luna led the three girls down the hallway towards their lockers, Twilight sighed, saying, “Well, that's that, then. I'm going to go to that classroom to destroy the Demon’s, Heart.” Turning to Pinkie and Fluttershy, she finished, “you two can come with me if you'd like.”

“I-I'll go with you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said just barely above a whisper. “Besides, I think you could use a friend to vent to right now; you still look very upset.”

An hour later, students started to pile into the school. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all headed to the auditorium stage, with Twilight showing up a few moments later. Fluttershy and Pinkie found their seats, as did Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack. Each of their family members also sat nearby.

“Did you do it, Twilight? Is the Demon's Heart destroyed?” Celestia asked softly, concerned as she, too, got to the stage to set up the microphone and a large screen projector. “I want to make sure that it can never be used again.”

“Yes, it is. That thing won’t bother anyone else again. I have what's left of it in my backpack. But we're not out of the woods yet. It was already used on Sunset, so who knows what's going to happen? In her letter, she said it was supposed to pulse like a real heart, but it didn’t pulse at all when I carried it to the classroom. In fact, it felt cold and brittle, leading me to believe that whatever magic it had was no longer contained within it.”

“We'll worry about it later. Now, I have student body announcement to attend to.” Looking out to the students as they piled one by one into the auditorium, Celestia continued, “I have placed a few chairs up here. You may use one if you wish, Twilight.”

“Actually, before you turn the microphone on, may I speak with Luna?”

“Of course.”

Celestia headed off towards the back of the stage, while Luna headed up to a podium. Twilight was about to speak when Luna cut her off. “I know what you are going to ask me, and I fully agree that we need to tell my sister about Eventide. However, I must ask that we wait until after her meeting with the school board, which will be in two days. I know this has not been easy for you, Twilight, but she--”

“You're right, I have not enjoyed it at all, Luna. I don’t like keeping secrets from my friends.”

“I understand fully, Twilight. I, too, don’t like doing this, but it must be done. We need Tia ready with a clear head on her shoulders for when she faces the school board.”

“Is it really that bad?”

Luna looked over to her sister, watching her sister give her instructions to the three girls, saying to Twilight as she kept her eyes on Celestia, “Twilight, she could lose her job or, worse yet, be dismissed permanently from all teaching positions within the state. The mess those three girls caused is causing a legal backlash from everyone affected by Anon-a-Miss. The school board is going to want someone to blame for this, and that person will more than likely be my sister.”

“That's not fair at all! Your sister didn’t do any--”

“You're right; she didn't. She didn’t deny access to that website when she should have done so,” Luna interrupted, finishing her preparations for the assembly, “nor did she punish anyone that was posting the threats against Sunset’s life on that website. While the Anon-a-Miss account will be fully shut down after today, it's still too late as far as the school board is concerned.”

Twilight saw in Luna a sadness that she had only seen once in her lifetime. Not liking what she was seeing, Twilight began, “But how is that fair, Luna?”

"It isn’t fair, Twilight, but the fact remains that my sister should have done something--anything--but she didn’t. All she had to do was take control of her students, yet she let her trusting personality get the better of her, and look at what that cost her.”

“I know what it cost her, but still, there has to be something I can do to help with this.”

“I am afraid that this time, my sister must face this alone. While you and I want to help, I don’t think we can.”

Twilight took her seat, shaking her head in anger. Luna headed over to the three girls, saying to them from they stood on stage, “Alright. We will wait until eight-thirty, then you three can start your confession. You’ll have a lot of upset students out there, so no running your mouths off when they start to call you out on this, got it?”

“We got it,” the girls said in unison.

Shutting off the lights, a spotlight fell to the girls as Luna, Celestia and Twilight gave a nod to the Crusaders as they began to address the crowded auditorium. Scootaloo began, saying, “Students at Canterlot High School, I know many of you think that Sunset was the one that set up the Anon-a-Miss account to spread everyone's secrets. But...But we're here to say that it was actually us that did that, not Sunset.”

An incredulous silence fell over the audience, before one student shouted, “Yeah right, kid! You three couldn’t have done it.”

Apple Bloom took the microphone from Scootaloo, saying, “But we did do this, and we can prove it." Apple Bloom hesitated a little, taking the time to build her courage to cross the point of no return. "Principal Celestia, please come out to the stage.”

Celestia, Twilight, and Luna all headed out to the front of the stage. Celestia handed over a phone, saying nothing to Apple Bloom. Quickly taking the phone, everyone watched as Apple Bloom snapped the principal's picture, fiddled around on the phone a bit, and waited.

Almost immediately, everyone’s phone within the auditorium started to either beep or ring loudly.

“Holy shit, it really was them!” A student yelled.

“But Sunset did this! We all know that! How could they possibly have done it!” another one yelled out.

“We set up the account and framed Sunset, and while it wasn't our intention, she ended up taking her own life,” Sweetie Belle said, then continued, looking down, “We are so sorry for all that we did to CHS.”

“You three are dead!” Lightning Dust yelled getting up from her seat. “When we get our hands on you, no one will recognize your bodies!”

Luna pointed to Lighting Dust, saying into her radio, “Bring Lightning Dust to my office.”

Within a few moments, Lightning Dust soon found herself surrounded by security guards and escorted out of the auditorium. Rainbow got up as well, following the security guards. The floodgates were open, though, and Luna watched from the stage as students began to yell out obscenities and threats.

“That's quite enough!” Luna said into the microphone. “This has been a trying time for all of us, and I understand your anger, but you will not retaliate against these three girls. This Anon-a-Miss situation has hurt enough people already. And don't think I won't get security in here. We've made sure to call in as many as we could, and quite a few are unhappy with working on their day off. I wouldn't test them." As the auditorium quieted down, Luna continued, "That's better. Now, before we end this, I need the following students to come to my office: Spitfire Angel, Lunar Jewel, Sugar Rain, Shadow Dancer, Snow Glacier, Misty Fireheart, and Midnight Star. As for the rest of you, you have thirty minutes to talk to us and ask what you'd like, then it's off to class.”

Each of the seven students got up, all heading out of the auditorium followed by the security guards. Handing the microphone back to Sweetie Belle, Luna headed off the stage, as well.

Celestia took the microphone from Sweetie Belle, saying, “Effective immediately, you three are hereby expelled from Canterlot High School. Please follow the security guards, as they will escort you three off of school campus.”

With their heads bowed low, the three teens followed the security guards to the front doors of the school. Celestia spent the next few moments quelling any disruptive students and answering their questions. Pinkie, meanwhile, got up and headed towards the newsroom. Getting there a few moments later, she sat down at a desk and began to write. Once finished, Pinkie quickly looked over her work, then tucked it into her backpack and headed to her first class.

Payback (Edited and titled by Icecreammac)

In another part of the city, Dumbbell was just making his way through an alleyway, moving at a pace fast enough to keep out of the open but slow enough to conserve his energy. A quick glance at a burner phone he picked up from a local store told him it was nine in the morning. He'd been on the move all night, and fatigue was setting in quickly.

He was close enough to his gang's old hideout. "I should be able to keep off the radar there while I rest for a bit," Dumbbell muttered. "Then, I can get a hold of Dad, and he'll get me out of this mess."

Dumbbell knew he couldn't afford to get careless as he breathed heavily trying to calm his nerves. It became difficult for him to keep from getting too eager; Dumbbell knew the city well, and he knew that in just a few more turns, he would be home free.

“Dumbbell,” came a grim, familiar voice from right behind him causing him to jolt slightly. “Dumbbell Stallion!” Quickly looking behind him, Dumbbell nearly jumped out of his skin when he found Sunset standing a few feet behind him, a wicked grin on her face. As Sunset began to close the distance, she said, “Do you remember what you did to me, Dumbbell?”

“What the hell!?” He backed up quickly and clumsily. “How'd you survive the beating I gave you? You should've been out for weeks!”

Sunset smiled slightly as she replied,”Ah, so you do remember what you did to me. Good.”

Gulping as Sunset stared coldly at him, her eyes blazing with hate, he said, “What are you doing here?”

Sunset quickly closed the gap between herself and him as she smirked wickedly to him.

"I'm glad you remember, Dumbbell, because I sure as hell remember what you did to me. I recall every. Single. Detail. Of what you did to me"

The closeness made her scars clearly visible, and while the bruising on her face had since healed, the anger she bore in her heart clearly had not.

"What do you want from me?"

Sunset didn't answer right away, instead choosing to savor the fear she saw in Dumbbell. As Dumbbell began to tremble, Sunset finally replied, “Oh, nothing much. Just thought I'd have some...” her grin slowly turned into a deep frown as she finished, “fun.”

“W-What do you mean by 'fun'?”

Getting up next to him, Dumbbell having backed himself into a corner formed by a city dumpster and a wall, Sunset traced a finger over his chest directly over his heart, replying sickly with a light smirk on her face, “You hurt me, Dumbbell. You hurt me…badly.” Dumbbell backed further into the corner as Sunset continued cooing lightly. “Because of you, I was sent to the hospital, unconscious and on the verge of death, and for what?" She snarled before Dumbbell could reply, "A stupid post on Mystable!?”

Regaining his courage, Dumbbell yelled back, “You had that coming to you! That's what you get for posting about my mom. I did what the school wanted. I gave the students that you hurt posting our secrets a real hero!”

“Do you know what happened to me after I woke up in the hospital, Dumbbell?”

Trying to push past Sunset, Dumbbell sneered, “I imagine some doctor gave it to you real good, you whore. Not like you could say no.”

Sunset slammed him into the wall, as Dumbbell let out a pained yelp. She quickly twisted his right arm painfully behind him. "No, Dumbbell! I had it with all of you, I had it with trying and failing to prove that I've changed my ways! I took my own life, Dumbbell! But I came back, and now I want revenge!" Sunset calmed down, sighing as she smiled at him with half-lidded eyes. "And you know the best part? It's all thanks to you that I'm back. That thing you stabbed me with had enough magic to raise the dead. Funny how these things work out, isn't it?"

Sunset leaned in close, inhaling deeply. "Do you know what I smell coming off of you, Dumbbell?” Taking another deep inhale, she continued coldly, “I smell...fear." Letting go of his arm, she cooed sickly, "And I think I like it."

"Get off me, you bitch!"

Slamming his head into the wall again, Sunset yelled out, "Oh, a bitch, am I? Isn't this what you wanted, you asshole? Only a few weeks ago, you begged me to fight back, remember?"

Dumbbell used his free arm to elbow Sunset in the sternum and pushed her to the ground when she loosened her grip. "Alright, you bitch. You want a fight, you're getting a fight." Dumbbell cracked his knuckles. "This is gonna be fun."

Getting back up, Sunset snarled out bitterly, "I'm the only one that'll be having fun here. You're gonna end up wishing you were never born."

Dumbbell watched in terror as Sunset's eyes slowly changed from cyan to black, causing him to back away in horror, Seeing the look of fear in his eyes, Sunset sneered. "What's wrong, Dumbbell? Don't you like what I've become?" Her voice was deeper and multiplied, sounding as if several people spoke at once. "You put me through Tartarus, Dumbbell. I'm here to repay the favor!"

Dumbbell turned to run but was stopped when a powerful hand grasped the back of his neck. As Dumbbell struggled to get out of Sunset's unnaturally strong grip, Sunset looked at the old doors interrupting the brick of the alley walls. Finally, she found a door with a lock-staple on it. Grinning, she dragged Dumbbell over to it.

“You remember how you slammed my face into my locker, right, Dumbbell? Kinda like this!”

Before he could react, Sunset slammed the right side of Dumbbell's face into the lock staple until a loud, sickening crack sounded, forcing a scream from Dumbbell. As Sunset pulled him back to check her handiwork, Dumbbell spat a small glob of bloody saliva at her, saying, “Fuck you, bitch.”

"'Fuck you'? That's all you have to say?"

With blood oozing out of the right side of his injured face, Dumbbell said as best he could, "Yeah. Fuck you, Sunset."

With a slight frown, Sunset punched Dumbbell in the right eye, fracturing the bone around it, drawing another scream of pain from him.

“Aww, what’s wrong, Dumbbell? Didn’t like having your face all bashed in like that?” Trembling with rage, she continued, “Neither did I!” as she slammed him against the wall again.

Breathing heavily, Dumbbell reached up to Sunset's coat with his left hand. Sunset, seeing what he was trying to do, forcefully grabbed three of his fingers, breaking them like twigs.

“Oops, guess I broke your fingers. No more jacking off for you. I mean, I guess you could just use your other hand, but it's just not the same.” Sunset smiled wickedly, squeezing his broken fingers and drinking in his howls. "Aww, what’s wrong, Dumbbell? Does it hurt?" Her expression quickly changed as she snarled, "Or are you just getting off like you did when you beat me to a pulp?"

Screaming in pain, Dumbbell wrenched his broken hand from Sunsets grip. Undeterred, Sunset shoved Dumbbell to the pavement of the alleyway, causing him to roll onto his back.

“Please, don’t do this!” Dumbbell begged. Quickly reaching into his coat pocket, he took out his wallet with his good hand as he continued, “I-I’ll pay you whatever you want. Just stop.”

Unphased, Sunset grabbed him by the back of his coat collar. “You think this is about money?” Shaking her head, Sunset began dragging Dumbbell further into the alleyway.

“Please, I'm begging you!” Dumbbell pleaded. “I’ll give you anything you want! My dad's really rich and powerful. He can buy you anything at all.”

Throwing him into a trash can, toppling it as Sunset yelled out, “I don’t care about your fucking money, Dumbbell!”

Dumbbell's face hit several broken bottles inside the trash can as he slid down into the filth of the alleyway street, his wallet landing a few feet from him. Squatting down next to him, Sunset looked at him, then over to a nearby broken mirror leaning against the dumpster.

With a click of her tongue, she scoffed lightly, saying as she got back up, “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. You also threw me into a display case back at school.” Grabbing him by his arm, she forced him to look into the mirror, “How do you feel, you little shithead? I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am.”

Looking over his shoulder, Dumbbell spat another bloody glob at her, saying, “Go fuck yourself with a cactus, you sadistic slut!”

Chuckling lightly, Sunset threw him face first into the mirror, watching in delight as the glass showered over him. He rolled over to his back, his face sliced up and bloody. Leaning down, Sunset picked up a piece of the glass, saying, “My, my. Such awful language. If I were a softer woman--like that traitor Rarity!--why, I might just faint at your filthy mouth.”

Kneeling on one knee, Sunset slowly pressed the piece of glass she held in her hand to his face, sliding it downwards and slicing the skin, causing Dumbbell to scream in pain. Laughing wickedly, she said, “That’s it, Dumbbell. Scream for me. Your screams are music to my ears.”

Standing up, she kicked him in the right knee, savoring the crack she heard, laughing while he howled in pain. Trying to stand, Dumbbell found the pain too much, and he collapsed into Sunset's chest. "Ugh, always after women no matter what, huh? Time for a bit of punishment," Sunset said, pushing him off of her and punching him several times in the face, breaking his nose. Once she was sure his nose was completely broken, she said, “Looks like daddy will have to buy you a new face! Good thing he's really rich and powerful.”

Sunset grabbed Dumbbell's good hand, violently twisting the wrist, snapping it. Hearing Dumbbell scream, Sunset said, "And there goes the other hand. Nope, no more jerking it. Too bad."

“Why are you doing this!?” Dumbbell asked, hurt and terrified.

Sunset sighed. “Why? Why, for kicks and pleasure, of course. And, oh, yes.” Sunset quickly grabbed onto his coat collar, pulling him in close and forcing him to gaze into her black eyes as he felt a warm sensation flowing down his leg. “It's because I don’t like you, Dumbbell. I mean, really! After everything you've done to me, you seriously have to ask why I'm repaying the favor? Go fuck yourself, you idiot!”

Picking him up as she stood up, Sunset threw him head over heels into the dumpster, watching as his body twisted painfully to the right.

Regaining his courage, Dumbbell held his right side he spat out blood, saying, “When my dad gets done with you, you’ll wish you never came to this world, you cunt!”

“Now, what did I say about that language, Dumbbell? I knew you were stupid, but to think that you can get away with talking to me like that? You just keep getting dumber.”

Before Dumbbell could react, Sunset lunged in, kicking him below the sternum, forcing him to double over. Sunset stomped on his lower and upper back, and all the while, Dumbbell screamed and begged for her to stop. His words fell on deaf ears as Sunset shuddered in ecstasy at his shrieks. “What’s that, Dumbbell?” Sunset said in sickly sweet voice. “You want more of the same? Well, far be it from little ol' me to get in the way of what a guy like you wants.”

Rolling him to his side, Sunset stomped hard on his ribs. Hearing them break, she cooed, “Does it hurt, baby? Oh, well. Too fucking bad, you bastard. You’re getting what you have coming to you.”

“Sun--” Dumbbell tried to say before he felt another kick to his lower back, causing him to scream in pain.

“Fuck you, Dumbbell! You hurt me, and now, it's payback time. So shut the fuck up, you motherfucker!”

Looking back to the broken mirror, Sunset walked over to it, leaving her prey to bleed on the ground. Picking up the bloody piece of glass she used earlier, she walked back over to him, rolled him over onto his back, and straddled him.

“You stabbed me with, the Demon's Heart, Dumbbell, the worst and stupidest thing you did to me that day. You didn't even think about what it was, why is was pulsing, or what it could do to me. You just wanted to hurt me.” Sunset raised the broken piece of glass above her head with the sharpest point pointed down towards Dumbbell's chest. “Well, I know this isn’t the Demon's Heart, but it will have to do.”

Sunset plunged the piece of glass downward, jamming it into Dumbbell's chest just below his left shoulder. With a slight twist, she broke the piece in two, leaving one piece in him and taking the other with her.

Sunset looked at Dumbbell's blood covering her hand. With a shuddering breath, she licked up a large portion of it, her eyes glazing over as she lost herself in the taste. The moment was short. Dumbbell's whimpering brought her back to reality. Wiping her blood-soaked hand under her nose, Sunset took a quick glance to her right. Seeing Dumbbell's wallet, she picked it up and took a quick look inside ignoring a piece of folded up paper behind his credit cards, saying to herself, "I'll just keep this. The credit cards alone have gotta be worth a lot."

Dumbbell groaned in pain, "Please, Sunset."

"Oh, I almost forgot about you. Thanks for reminding me."

Tucking the pilfered wallet into her inner left coat pocket and getting up, she was about to kick him again when a squad car pulled into the alley, the sirens having gone unheard in her passion and violence.

“Hold it right there!” the officer yelled, getting out of his car. As Sunset quickly kicked Dumbbell in the head, he pulled his gun and said, “I said freeze!”

Sunset turned around looked at the officer and his partner, smiled sickly to them, and said, “He’s all your's, officer.” With that, Sunset quickly turned, dashing further into the alleyway, laughing.

"Damnit, I said hold it!"

Sunset just raised her middle finger as she ran further into the alleyway.

The officer fired a few shots, but each bullet missed. His partner dashed after her in pursuit, but, deciding to tend to the fallen teenager rather than pursue the fleeing psycho, the first officer pulled out his radio. “Dispatch, we have a ten-eighty-five. Suspect fleeing the scene on foot. Teenage female with red and yellow hair, wearing a black, leather biker jacket over an orange and pink minidress with black and purple, knee-high boots.”

“Copy that. Back up on the way. Do you need an ambulance?”

“That's an affirmative, Dispatch. Send one to Madison and Fourth Street. You'll see my car at the front of the alleyway.”

“Copy that. Ambulance en route.”

“Damnit, I need to get out of here,” Sunset thought to herself. After running a bit longer, she found a fire escape further in. “Hah! That'll do.”

Running for it, Sunset looked behind her as she heard another officer dashing toward her. "Hey, you! Hold it right there!" the officer yelled.

With a sick grin on her face, Sunset turned back around and sprinted, jumping into the air and grabbing onto the nearby fire escape ladder, making her escape just as another squad car pulled up on the other end of the alleyway.

Officer Brushed Jade got out of the new car, looking up just as Sunset raced up the fire escape, stopping only to look down to the officers below her. Jade frowned when Sunset gave a two-finger salute with a clear grin on her face before she continued to make her escape.

DOA (Edited by Icecreammac)

Rainbow exited the auditorium and entered the hallway leading to Vice Principal Luna’s office, her head bowed low. “How could Spitfire do something so stupid?”

Getting to her locker a few moments later, she opened it up, taking out and pocketing a flash drive. Finished, she shut the door and headed to Luna’s office. When she got there, Rainbow saw Spitfire Angel, Lunar Jewel, Sugar Rain, Shadow Dancer, Snow Glacier, Misty Fireheart, and Midnight Star already present, sitting in chairs around Luna's desk.

“Are you sure this is necessary?” Rainbow asked, entering the office “I mean, we could just--”

“Miss Dash, I am only going to say this once,” Luna began, not taking her eyes off of Spitfire, who had her head bowed low. “This needs to happen. We cannot allow what has transpired to happen again, so please, sit down.” Luna gestured to an empty chair next to Spitfire.

Sighing heavily, Rainbow took her seat, placing the flash drive onto Luna’s desk just as six officers walked in. One was wearing a silver badge that had the letters D.E.A. on it. The other five simply wore patrol officer uniforms, the dark colors perfectly matching their dour expressions.

“Thank you for coming,” Luna began sternly looking to Spitfire. “I am sorry, Spitfire but even if all this didn’t come out how it did, we still would have had to bring you into this. I just wish it hadn't been this way.”

“Vice Principal Luna, I can explain,” Spitfire began nervously. “I didn’t know what was going on. At least...not at first.”

The silver-badged officer spoke up. “Young lady, I am Drug Enforcement Agent Winter Skies, and your vice principal contacted local police officers due to one of your fellow students winding up in the hospital from a nearly fatal drug overdose, so don’t tell us you didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Agent Skies, please, I can handle this,” Luna said. She turned her attention back to the teenagers. “Now, as you know, there have been drug tests performed on each of you as part of the procedure of joining our school's soccer team. Those tests came back positive for the following students: Shadow Dancer, Midnight Star, Snow Glacier, Misty Fireheart, and Lightning Dust. Not only this, but we have evidence of the aforementioned students selling their drugs on the side. While I do believe that Spitfire didn’t know anything about this until a few months ago, as team captain, she is responsible for your actions both on the field and off the field. Spitfire didn't report what you girls were doing and in so doing so she broke the law and school rules." She turned her gaze solely on Spitfire. "Why didn't you come forward with this when you first found out?"

“I...I wanted us to win. I was so tired of Crystal Prep beating us at every sport that I decided to look the other way if it meant we'd finally come out on top.” Spitfire didn’t look up from her chair as she continued, “But, I knew what they were doing was dangerous, and I wanted to get it out somehow, so after we won, I told what was going on to Anon-a-Miss. I don't know which of the three posted this, but I'm glad she did.”

With a deep sad sigh, Luna interjected, “So, you knew that the girls next to you were using performance-enhancing drugs, and you let them stay on the team for a stupid trophy!”

“Yeah. I admit that I screwed up. Royally screwed up.”

“Yes, you did. And you should know that even when I saw the post on MyStable, I was less than convinced; I was not only hesitant to believe that our very own team cheated to win the state championship but also hesitant to believe that Sunset Shimmer, who I thought was Anon-a-Miss at the time, wasn't just spreading lies to hurt people. However, when I saw Winter Knight’s sister Storming Dusk in the hospital from a drug overdose, I was finally convinced and helped to build this case against you all. But what I can’t understand is why you all thought it was a good idea to do this in the first place.”

“It's like Spitfire said: We wanted to win. And we did just that,” Lunar Jewel said not looking up.

“Well, I hope you're happy, because now, we have to give up the state championship and tell Crystal Prep that they were right about all of you!” Luna nearly screamed in anger towards all the girls causing all but Rainbow to whence in fear.

Sugar Rain looked up in shock, saying, “Hey, that’s not fair! Why should we have to give up the trophy, and why isn’t Rainbow in trouble while the rest of us are?”

“We have to give up the trophy because you cheated! That's what happens when you cheat: You're disqualified from the competition, even if it has to be retroactive," Luna yelled.

Winter Skies began, "And Rainbow isn’t going to go to jail because she helped us with this case.The district attorney offered her immunity from prosecution in exchange for her help with this case. Each time any of you sold drugs or made an attempt to, she would either take a photo of it or record it with her phone.” Winter Skies locked eyes with Spitfire, who gulped in return as he continued, “Her phone would then be given to one of the faculty members, who would compile the phone's material onto a hard drive. Rainbow was instructed not to talk about this until I told her it was time to deal with it.”

Snow Glacier looked over at Rainbow. “Why would you turn on your own teammates like this, Rainbow?”

“I did it because it was the right thing to do, Snow Glacier. I'm already gonna lose my scholarship because of this. I'm not going to jail for what you did, too.”

"Wait, that doesn't make sense, Rainbow," Spitfire injected. "Why would you lose your scholarship for something we did?"

Angrily, Rainbow replied, "I'm the reason Storming Dusk was sent to the hospital that day. You all used lemonade to take and sell your drugs, remember? I snagged a bottle without knowing what it was and shared it with Storming Dusk. She had a reaction to it and collapsed into my arms. Shortly after she and I got to the hospital, I learned what was going on, but it didn't matter. The university that had offered the scholarship to me caught wind of this and revoked it, not wanting to take their chances on whether or not I knew I was taking drugs. So, yeah, I'm already getting punished for your shit, but I'm sure as hell not going to jail for it."

After a moment of silence, Midnight Star looked down, saying, “What will happen to us now?”

“Well,” Luna began. “You all are expelled and you will face jail for what you did, but if you work with Winter Skies and not try to hinder the investigation, I am sure he’ll put a good word in to help you get a light sentence.”

Everyone except Rainbow stood up to be arrested and read their Miranda rights. Lightning Dust yelled out while she was being cuffed, “This isn’t over, Rainbow! You can bet my family will come after you! I'll make sure of it!”

Winter Skies picked up the flash drive and pocketed it saying, “Go ahead and make more trouble for yourself. It’ll make you're waiting around in a cell all the longer. So keep threatening Rainbow. See how long it takes to get that phone call.”

As the officers took each of the girls out of the office, Luna watched in sadness, saying to Rainbow, “Well, that's that. Thanks for your help, Rainbow. You should return to class.”

“Alright, but before I go, I have a question.”

“And that would be?”

“I heard rumors that you're going to have a dance to raise spirits after Sunset's death. Is that true?”

“Yes, but that dance is more for the new freshmen of the new year and an attempt to reach out to and increase rapport with the other schools. Why do you ask?”

“I would like to help out if that's alright with you.”

"I think that would be a great idea. We could use all the help that we can get. Please be here by five-thirty tonight to help us finish getting everything set up. Before you go, I have some tickets for you and your friends, since you all had a close connection to Sunset." Luna walked over to her filing cabinet and took out six tickets, handing them to Rainbow. "Don't lose those; they cost twenty-five dollars per ticket. And Rainbow?

"Yes?"

"I am sorry you had to lose your scholarship for what happened with the Wonderbolts. If you'd like, I can talk to the school board. Perhaps we can find some means of an understanding and get you back on the team. And I might be able to talk to the university as well. Just promise me you won't repeat that stupid mistake those other five did."

“I promise. Thank you, Vice Principal Luna. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“You're very welcome. Now, please go to class. We can discuss what you’ll be helping me with when you see me after school, alright?”

“Right.”

Rainbow headed out of Luna’s office. Soon, Luna headed out as well to go to her sister's office, stopping by Pearl Dusk's office along with the way. “Pearl, do you have the flyers ready for the dance-and-greet?”

“Yes. They're all printed and ready for distribution.”

“Good. I need to check over them, so it’ll be a little bit before I send them out. Oh, do you know how Vinyl is doing?”

“Last I heard, she still hasn't woken up.”

Her spirits falling even lower, Luna decided to get a coffee before meeting with Celestia. She needed something to calm herself down.

The ambulance screamed out of the alleyway with Dumbbell in back, the paramedics working furiously to keep him from flatlining. Jade, her work there done, got into her car, staring bitterly at the three other officers who remained behind at the scene. As her rookie partner got in as well, her eyes fell to the responding officer, the one who had stayed behind with Dumbbell.

“I should drag that idiot to Internal Affairs for what he pulled here today!”

“Internal Affairs?” the rookie began. “Sergeant, don’t you think you're overreacting?”

“Overreacting?" Jade snapped, her eyes slightly widening in shock. "Moonlight, he opened fire on an unarmed person! Do you know how serious that is?”

"B-But, you saw what she did to that kid. She was clearly dangerous!"

With a light sigh, Jade said, "Yeah, I saw what she did. The problem is, the board hasn't, and they may not be as understanding. In my ten years on the force, I've seen good cops go down for what that officer pulled here today, and if I don't dole out consequences for his rash actions, then I look bad, too." She paused, then continued. "Maybe I can get away with just chewing him out and leaving it at that. Lucky for us, he missed. If he had actually shot her, that would have opened up a whole can of worms that our department doesn't need right now."

Jade started up the car, pulling out of the alleyway into the street towards the hospital. Getting there twenty minutes later, Jade was just about to step out of the car when she heard over the radio, “Car Three-Four-Six, come in, please.”

Slightly rolling her eyes in irritation, Jade picked up her dash radio, saying, “This is Officer Jade. Go ahead, Dispatch.”

“The EMT reported in. The victim is DOA.”

Jade’s eyes widened with anger as she replied, “What!? Repeat that last transmission!”

“Roger. The EMT reported in. The victim is DOA.”

Throwing the dashboard radio into her dashboard, Jade screamed out, “Fucking hell!” causing Moonlight to jump slightly.

Getting out of her car Jade slammed her door shut, and rushed into the hospital, followed by Moonlight, both finding the receptionist desk a few moments later. After getting Vinyl's room number from the receptionist, Jade headed down the hallway towards Vinyl's room with Moonlight in tow. Entering Vinyl's room, Jade said to Moonlight, “I want you to stay here and keep an eye on her. Let no one--and I mean no one--in this room unless I approve of it. Do you understand me, Moonlight?”

“Yes ma’am, but why?” Officer Moonlight looked at Vinyl as her heart monitor bleeped out its dull monotone. “Is she a witness of some sort?”

“Dumbbell is dead, which means his father will want to know what happened to him, which means he'll do whatever it takes to get that information from anyone that he feels has that information. At Dumbbell's preliminary hearing, his ass of a father made several verbal threats against Vinyl and Octavia.” Turning to leave, Jade continued, “I need to go to CHS to get Octavia. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“I understand. I’ll make sure that no one enters this room unless it's a medical team.”

Nodding her reply, Jade headed out of the hospital, getting back on the road several moments later, headed for CHS.

Pinkie nervously walked down the hall towards Celestia office, a rough draft of an article she'd written clutched in her hands.

“I hope Principal Celestia lets this go in the paper. Someone has to speak out for Sunset,” Pinkie muttered to herself, not noticing Brushed Jade coming in through the front doors as she approached the principal's office.

Pinkie's musings were cut off when Jade said, “Hey shouldn’t you be in class?”

Looking up from her paper, Pinkie said, “Oh, uh, hi, officer. Can I help you find someone?”

“No, I just need to see Principal Celestia. Thanks, though.”

"What a coincidence! So am I," Pinkie said, giggling a bit. The two continued to head towards Celestia's office. They knocked on the door and waited.

Soon, the two heard Celestia said, “Come in.”

Pinkie entered the office, seeing Celestia scrunch her eyebrows their eyes met. Pinkie quickly said, “I have something I'd like to place in our school's news---”

“Shouldn’t you be in class, Pinkie?” Celestia interrupted. Turning her attention to Jade, she continued, “Jade, I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

Pinkie said, “I know I should be in class right now, but this is really important.”

“More important than getting a proper education? I find that hard to believe.”

Handing over her work, Pinkie sniffed, fighting back her tears. “It’s for Sunny. I wanted to do this for her, so I'd really appreciate it if you could add this to the school's newspaper.”

Getting up from behind her desk, Principal Celestia replied calmly, opening her door, “I’ll look this over in a little bit. Now please go to class. I’ll call you in during lunch hour, alright?”

“Alright. Thank you, Principal Celestia.”

Seeing her out, Principal Celestia sat back down, saying to Brushed Jade, “Now that she's gone, what can I do for you, Jade?”

“I came here to get Octavia and to talk to you about something. It's...rather disturbing, but I feel that you should be the first to hear it.”

“Alright. Let me call Octavia in, then we can talk.”

“I would rather you wait till I've said my piece.”

Seeing a worried look on Brushed Jade's face, Celestia gulped, saying,

“A-Alright. What do you need to tell me.”

“I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Dumbbell Stallion has passed away about an hour ago. He was viciously assaulted earlier this morning."

"That's horrible!" Celestia said. "Do you have any idea who did it?"

"Well, that's the difficult part. I think the person that did this to Dumbbell was...” Looking down with worry showing in her eyes, Jade continued, “Sunset Shimmer.”

Celestia took a moment to take it in, then said angrily, "I never took you for the joking type, Jade. Maybe you should keep it that way."

"I'm serious!" Jade protested. "I saw her clearly as I see you now. I didn't want to believe it either, but It was Sunset."

Celestia, still incredulous, saw the sincerity in Jade's eyes, and several emotions raced through her, mostly anger over what was either a very poorly timed joke or a very obvious mistake and fear at the implications of Jade being correct. Frowning deeply, Celestia forced herself to remain calm as she pressed a button on her intercom, saying, “Octavia Treble Clef, come to the principal's office, please.”

“Celestia, please. You can’t just ignore this.”

Despite Jade's words, Celestia remained silent for the few minutes it took for Octavia to arrive, forcing Jade to change the subject. Instead, Jade forced a professional face and said. “Hello, Octavia. I’m glad to see you today.” Seeing the blue cast on Octavia's right arm, Jade continued, “How's your arm doing?”

“Hello, Officer Jade. My arm should be healed within a few weeks. However, the doctor said that...I might not be able to play the cello again.” Looking down as a look of profound sadness came over her, she continued, “It was my elbow, forearm and wrist that broke, and if they don’t heal correctly, I could lose the sensitivity and dexterity a cellist needs to play.” Octavia glanced from Jade to Celestia and back as she changed the subject. “May I ask what is this all about?”

Cutting to the chase, Jade said, “I need to place you into protective custody, at least for a little while. Would you like me to call your father about this?”

“No, I can take care of that. How are you going to protect Vinyl while she's in the hospital?”

“I have already taken care of that. There is a police officer watching over her now.”

With nothing else needing to be said, Jade escorted Octavia back to her squad car. Getting in, she heard over the radio, “Dispatch to all units. Officer down at Canterlot Hospital. Repeat, officer down at Canterlot Hospital.”

“Copy that, Dispatch. Three-Four-Six responding. ETA: fifteen minutes.” Jade said to Octavia, “Get up front, buckle in, and hang on.”

Doing as she was told, Octavia quickly sat in the passenger seat and buckled in. Jade started up the car, turned the sirens on, then careened out of the parking lot, headed for the hospital, leaving twin streaks of burnt rubber on the pavement.

Principal Celestia, having seen the scene from her office window, sighed, returning to her desk as her sister walked into her office.

“Tia, we need to go over what you are going to say at the school board meeting this Thursday.”

“I know, Lu. I just don’t have the stomach for it right now.”

“Are you worried about what was in Sunset's letter?”

Looking for a diversion, Celestia picked up Pinkie’s paper and handed it to her sister, saying, “What do you think Lu? Should we publish this in the school newspaper?”

Quickly looking it over, Luna’s eyes slightly widened with concern as she said, “Did Miss Pie really write this?”

“Yes, she did. I find the title to be kind of fitting for all that happened here over the last six weeks.”

“Yes, I think this would be something everyone needs to see. You could also use it to help prevent something like this from happening again.”

“Really? How so?”

“We have a new group of freshman coming in at the end of next month. During orientation, show them this article and make it clear that this really did happen and that bullying of any sort will not be tolerated at all.”

Celestia got up and looked outside of her office window again, saying just as the bell rang, signalling the end of the first period, “I told Pinkie I would look over her work and get back to her by lunch. Instead, take that to Pearl and have it printed right away in the school's paper. Get the newspaper club to have it copied and ready to go by tomorrow.” Turning around as her sister was about to walk out of her office, Celestia continued, “If Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon give you any trouble at all about this, send them to me. They often need to be reminded that I have final say in what goes into the school's paper and what does not.”

“Will do. I will have the first print ready for you by tonight.”

“Thank you, Luna. Now, I need to get some work done. Please send Twilight in when you get the chance to do so.”

“I will.”

Luna exited the room, leaving Celestia to ruminate over the upcoming school board meeting and Jade's ominous news. Celestia was not at all looking forward to the coming week.

Next on the List (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset made her way up the last of the fire escape, crawling through an open doorway with a grim expression. Stepping into the hallway, she muttered to herself, “I got a headstart, but I still need to find another way out of here.”

Quickly looking around, she soon found another door with a sign on it that read, “Rooftop Entrance.” Testing the door and finding it locked, she growled, the demonic sound reverberating around the hallway. Tightening her grip on the door handle, Sunset pulled back, breaking the door free from its hinges.

Stepping through into the stairwell, she heard from behind her a person yell out, “Hey, hold it right there.” Quickly looking over her shoulder with a sick grin on her face, she saw two police officers running towards her as one of them yelled, “I said freeze!”

With a light chuckle, Sunset released the door, running up the stairwell towards the roof, getting back outside a few moments later. Looking across from her position, she saw another building about forty feet from her building.

“If I can make it to that building,” she said, smirking, “I know I can get away. Then, it's off to find Anon-a-Miss and make that bitch pay for what she took from me.”

Hearing the officer's footsteps as they climbed the stairwell, she quickly ducked behind the rooftop access while waiting for the cops to get outside. She didn’t have to wait long, as she soon heard the door slam open a few seconds later.

One of the cops, upon seeing the apparently empty rooftop, yelled out to his partner, “She's gotta be behind us. You go left, I’ll take right, and we'll corner her.”

It wouldn't take long for them to find her. Sunset wasted no time in charging the one on the left, slamming her fist to his temple, knocking him to the ground. With a swift boot to his groin, the fight was swiftly taken out of him. Quickly kneeling down, Sunset ripped his radio from his utility belt and threw it over the ledge of the building.

“Now for the other officer. I need to make sure he can’t call for backup,” Sunset said to herself, getting back up.

Sunset started to make her way back to the rooftop access, when she suddenly found herself tackled to the ground. “You're under arrest!” she heard.

“Bad idea putting your hands on me, pal,” Sunset said, quickly reversing the grapple, kneeing him in the groin as the two wrestled. “I’ll make sure you won’t get up for a little while.”

Sunset managed to push the officer off of her. Quickly grabbing him by his belt, Sunset flipped the officer over her, causing him to land near the ledge of the building. Seeing he was about to get up, she quickly lunged in, punching him in the temple and knocking him over the ledge. With a scream, the officer fell, only to be saved as Sunset reached out, grabbing him by his right leg. Dangling him over the ledge, she said, “Give me your radio now, or I swear I’ll let go of you, and you’ll become a nice, greasy stain on the sidewalk.”

“Pull me back up, now!”

“Radio first!” Loosening her grip to get her point across, Sunset continued, “Do it or die. It's your choice. Make it now.”

“Alright, fine! Take it.” The officer unclipped his radio, tossing it over to her as he continued, “Now pull me back up.”

Catching the radio, Sunset threw it back over the ledge, watching as it hit the ground below. After getting a good look at her prey, who nearly pissed himself from fear, she yanked him up and quickly cracked him over the head with her fist, knocking him cold.

That done, Sunset turned to face the other officer, who was just getting back up. “Follow me again, and you’ll both wind up in a worse situation than this,” she said, her voice deep and inhuman. She effortlessly tossed the downed officer into the one that was just getting up, knocking him back to the ground.

“Hey, get back here!” the officer yelled, pushing his unconscious partner off of him.

To his complete shock, Sunset ran towards the ledge of the building. Worried she was about to jump to her death, the officer quickly gave chase, screaming out, “No, don’t do it! We're ten stories up. You’ll be killed!”

“This is gonna be fun,” Sunset said, planting her right foot into the ledge of the building as she pushed off of it, sailing through the air from one building to the other with little effort.

Landing on the other rooftop with a bit of a roll, Sunset got up and looked behind her, calling out to the officer, who was helping his partner back to his feet, “Hey, you two wanna just give up already? This cat-and-mouse game is getting old fast.”

The partner, having regained consciousness, looked through slightly blurry eyes, saying, “How the hell did she get over there?”

“You won’t believe me even I told you,” the other officer replied, helping his partner to stand up straight.

Watching the officers for a few seconds, Sunset smiled to herself, heading towards a nearby roof access door. Finding that the door was locked, she again let out a demonic growl, ripping the door from its hinges. Looking back over to the officers, she yelled out to them, getting their attention, “Hey, assholes!” Throwing the door towards them, she shouted, “Catch!”

Seeing the door flying through the air towards them, both officers quickly dove to the ground as the door hit the roof access behind them, wedging into the opening. It'd be hard work getting back through. The officers looked back over to Sunset, who was flicking both of them off. One officer said as he climbed back to his feet, “You know what? Fuck this. Chasing normal criminals is dangerous enough, but this? We don't get paid enough for this shit. If the sergeant wants that lunatic, she can fucking get her herself.”

The second officer, brushing himself off, said, “Yeah, fuck it! I don’t care what happens to us for this. This was not in our job description.”

Seeing that the officers were no longer after her Sunset, headed inside the building, soon finding herself standing in front of an elevator. Pressing the button to head down, she took out Dumbbell’s wallet while she waited. Opening the leather wallet, she took out the credit cards, causing the folded up piece of paper behind them to fall to the floor. Seeing the piece of paper, she knelt down and picked it up, saying, “What the fuck is this? Some kind of receipt?”

Sunset opened it up, her eyes instantly widened with anger as she beheld a photo of Trixie and Dumbbell together. Trixie had her arms around Dumbbell, giving him a kiss on his cheek. A happy smirk adorned Dumbbell's face.

“So, Trixie is Dumbbell's girlfriend, huh? Good. I've been meaning to pay her a visit anyway, and this'll make it all the sweeter. Let's see how much he likes it when a girl he likes is…..harmed.”

Pocketing the photo and credit cards, Sunset stepped into the elevator, pressed the ground floor button, and after a short walk, she soon found herself headed back in Gilda’s and Summer’s apartment. Making sure she had not been followed by any further police officers, she entered the building, getting to the sirens' room a few minutes later. Hearing lively music playing inside the room, Sunset opened the door and watched in amusement while Sonata danced in the living room.

"Having fun, Sonata?”

Caught off guard, Sonata yelped, falling onto her butt. Sunset walked into the living room, helped her up, then headed into the kitchen. Getting a bottle of water from the refrigerator, she took a drink before saying, “Where is everyone?”

Before Sonata could answer, the front door opened, and Adagio, Aria, Summer and Gilda all walked in. Seeing her two sisters, Sonata rushed over to them, throwing her arms around her oldest sister, saying, “Thank all the seas in Equestria that you two are back! Where were you two? I was so worried.”

"We were out feeding and finding ourselves a new home. I think we found a good one."

"For realizes? You mean we don't have to stay in this dump any longer? That's great!"

Seeing Sunset in the kitchen, drinking their water, Adagio yelled out, “You!”

“Hey, Adagio. What's up?” Sunset replied in a mocking tone. “You look mad. Wanna talk about it?”

“Sonata, what the fuck is she doing in our apartment!?” Adagio yelled. “I thought I made it perfectly clear that Sunset and her friends are not welcome here!” Looking at Sunset's facial scars Adagio continued, “The scars are a nice improvement. You look....cute.”

“Fuck you, Adagio! And just so you know, I won’t be staying long. I just came to wash up a bit. I have some…business to attend to, and I don't have time for your bullshit.” Sunset stalked down the hallway, turning to look back at them as she warned, "I'm gonna take a shower. If any of you but Thirteen bothers me, I'll rip your throats out!"

The living room was silent as Sunset entered the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. After a minute or two of silence, the only sound being the running shower, Gilda spoke up. “I have a question for you, Summer,” she began. “When Sunset mentioned Thirteen, she was talking about you, right? Why'd she call you that? And why did you keep calling Sunset Fourteen?”

Summer rubbed the back of her neck, not making eye contact. “Well, it's kinda complicated. But, I guess after all this time, you deserve at least some explanation." Summer sighed, pausing for a few moments before continuing. "You see, without getting into too much detail, Sunset and I are...clones of Princess Celestia’s daughter. I-I know it's hard to believe, but it's true! It's...why I've been so obsessed with finding her; we're connected, in a way, and I need her. We're the only ones left.”

Gilda leaned back in the couch, letting it sink in. "Clones, huh? Yeah, I guess that explains a lot of the last few months.”

Seeing Gilda's apparent acceptance and belief in Summer's story, Summer scooted closer to Gilda, who unconsciously wrapped her arm around Summer's shoulders as she processed everything that happened over the last few months.

As the two cuddled, Adagio said, “Ah, I just remembered. Sonata, we have something for you.”

“Oh, goody," Sonata said sarcastically. "What could it possibly be?”

"Oh, don't be like that," Adagio said impatiently. "You know we love you."

“Well, you have a weird way of showing it!" Sonata snapped. "All you two do is make fun of me and yell at me!" Sonata softened and said sadly, "I just wanna go home. Our real home, in Equestria. I forgot just how wonderful it was until I went there a few weeks ago. Can't we just forget this world and go back?"

Seeing the hurt in her sister's eyes, Adagio snapped her fingers. Aria, taking her cue, got up from the floor, opening her vest as she took out one of the three blue heart stones. Adagio said as she held it up for Sonata to see, “Sonata, this is hard for me to say. Aria and I are going back to Equestria. You'll be staying here. Use this to protect and feed yourself. Stay here, and be happy.”

Looking up with bloodshot eyes, Sonata stared at the blue heart stone, saying, “Why don’t you want me to go home with you?”

“Sonata, honey, listen to me. So long as the prophecy hangs over our heads, I will not allow your part in it to come to pass,” Adagio replied softly.

“But, Equestria is my home, too, Adagio. What gives you the right to say that I can’t---”

“I have the right because I am the rightful heir to the throne of Cantlantis. You're going to stay in this world, at least until I'm sure your part in the prophecy will not come to pass.”

Looking down and taking the blue heart stone into her hand, Sonata said with a sad expression on her face, “Alright, I’ll stay. But I'm not happy about it. I'm....I'm just not happy.”

As the argument settled, the girls heard the shower stop, and soon enough, Sunset came out, fully dressed and unhappy. She quickly walked toward the front door, saying, "Alright, I'm off. Don't wait up."

Adagio followed her, saying, “Hold up, Sunset. What exactly are you going to do?”

“Mind your own business!" Sunset snapped without turning around.

Unfazed, Adagio said, smirking, “Well, wherever you're going, try to pick up another scar or two. They really do look good on you; they really pull the whole 'monster' look together.”

Having heard enough, Sunset whirled around, glaring at Adagio with darkened sclerae. "Keep pushing, Adagio!" she said angrily. "Just keep pushing, and see what this monster can do!"

Seeing she touched a rather dangerous nerve, Adagio held a nervous silence, swallowing to work moisture into her suddenly dry throat. Sunset, satisfied that Adagio wasn't going to keep going, turned around without another word and stalked off.

By bus, it didn't take Sunset very long to arrive at Canterlot High School. Entering the empty halls, the students all in class, Sunset soon found herself staring at a bulletin board, looking at a flyer that read

Dance’n’Greet

$25 dollars per ticket

Get yours today!

See Misty Shores or Vice Principal Luna for tickets

Grinning as she tore the flyer off the bulletin board, Sunset said to herself, “Perfect! Show-off that she is, Trixie won’t be able to resist this dance. And, as a bonus, I’ll be able to find out if my ex-friends actually cared about me or if it really was all just a lie. Two birds with one stone.”

Seeing a phone number on the flyer, Sunset quickly called Misty Shores and arranged to meet her after school hours in the park, making sure to disguise her voice and use someone else's name. Laughing sickly to herself, she headed off towards the park to get the ticket she needed for the dance.

Bloodbath (Edited by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This note is for those of you that want to know why Vinyl is evil in this chapter. Please scroll back up till you come to a chapter called "Evil Rising" read that chapter. In that chapter, you'll find out that in demon form Sunset shimmer bites Vinyl on the neck. That bite is what led to this chapter being created.

Bloodbath (Edited by Icecreammac)

Brushed Jade was just pulling into the hospital parking lot, right in front of the hospital. Not seeing anyone in sight, she shut off her sirens and picked up her dash radio, saying, “Dispatch, we need more backup at Canterlot Hospital right aw--”

Her words were cut short when a police officer's body fell to the pavement of the hospital parking lot right in front of them, landing with a sickening crunch and a splattering of blood. Octavia screamed in fear at the horrific sight. Jade quickly got out of her car to check the officer's vitals.

“Car Six-Four-Three, repeat the last transmission. You broke up.”

Grabbing her side radio, Jade said, “Repeat, we need more back up at the hospital ASAP. We have another officer down here.”

“Roger that, Six-Four-Three. Backup on the way. ETA: twenty minutes.”

“Damn! I’m on my own till then.”

Lifting a lever near her seat, Jade released the trunk of the car and retrieved two bulletproof vests and a radio. Slipping hers on and handing the other vest and radio to Octavia, she said, “Octavia, I need you to stay here until I get back. Stay in the car, lay low, and if anyone comes out while I'm inside, use the radio to contact me.”

Putting on the vest as Jade helped her strap it down, Octavia said, “Can’t I come with you? I'm really worried about Vinyl, and I really don’t want to be out here by myself.”

“No, you can’t. Now stay out of sight. Use the radio if you need me. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Seeing that Octavia wasn’t about to offer any further argument, Jade offered her a weak but reassuring smile before heading towards the hospital entrance. Jade looked up to see where the body had come from, spotting a broken and bloody window on the third floor. Disturbingly, she noticed blood splattered on many of the windows on that floor. She went through a mental map of the hospital and realized to her horror that the broken window was very close to Vinyl's room.

"Right. No time to lose, then." Jade thought to herself.

Jade ran to the entrance and pressed her back up against the wall near the door drawing her gun. Taking a quick look through the main entrance, she noticed that none of the lobby's lights were on. Taking a quick breath, Jade headed inside the lobby.

“Where the hell is everyone?” Jade muttered to herself, noticing no one was around before mentally kicking herself. “I suppose they've run away.”

Pulling out her flashlight and holding it in one hand while holding her gun in her other hand. Jade quickly overlapped both hands bringing her hand that held her flashlight to rest under her other hand as she held her gun.

She very cautiously crept down the hallway, listening for any sounds of life, friendly or otherwise. As she moved, she went through her list of priorities in her mind. "Okay, first things first. I need to check on Vinyl and Moonlight. Next, I need to find and take out whatever the hell tossed that cop out the window."

It didn't take long before she found the stairwell. She quietly went inside and tiptoed up the stairs. Upon reaching the second floor, she chanced a quick peek through the door. She didn't notice anything too out of the ordinary. The lights were on, except in the patients' rooms, but much like the first floor, the halls were utterly silent. Jade quietly closed the door and made her way to the third floor.

After checking to make sure the coast was clear, she silently opened the door and crept into the hallway. The first thing she noticed was that the hallway lights were all off, as were the lights in many of the patients' rooms. However, Jade couldn't help but be a bit perturbed at the several lit rooms she could see. The second thing she noticed were slow, wet-sounding footsteps somewhere on the other side of the third floor. She decided to investigate first and confront the killer second.

She came to the lobby of the third floor. Looking over to the desk at the nurses' station, Jade saw a huge pool of blood spreading from behind the desk. She also noticed bloody footprints, leading down the hallway towards Vinyl's room but pointing away from the room, as if whatever made them had been walking away from it. Deciding to investigate whatever terrible sight was behind the desk after checking on Vinyl, Jade moved down the hallway, suddenly very, very worried about the situation.

She noticed a very large pool of blood and viscera right outside Vinyl's room. Her mind began racing, she hurried toward it but stopped in her tracks when she felt something wet and sticky dripping onto her face. She looked up, and quickly realized that her ten years on the force could never have prepared her for what her flashlight illuminated. Caught in the ceiling tiles, as if a great force flung him into them, was what could be only barely recognized as Moonlight. His chest and throat had been ripped open, and his jaw was torn out, resting on the floor with the rest of his organs. One eye hung by its optic nerve, staring lifelessly at her.

“Oh, Jesus Christ! Moonlight!” Hearing a loud roar coming from further down the hallway, Jade quickly ducked into Vinyl's room.

She pressed her back up against the door, breathing heavily as her adrenaline and fear slowly took a hold of her and trying desperately to keep her nerves intact. Deciding to try to distract herself from the grisly sight outside, she examined the room, noticing first that the light was on.

The room was completely trashed. Machines were toppled over, the cupboard doors were mangled, the bed was tipped over, and the end table had five deep gashes in it. Oddly enough, there was no sign of Vinyl anywhere. Jade didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.

Heading back out of the room, Jade suddenly heard a loud scream from the direction she had just come from. Quickly headed back toward the nurses' station, she came across a nurse on the floor, covered in blood. Her back had many huge gashes in it, soaking her uniform in blood. Noticing that the nurse was still alive, albeit barely, Jade rushed over to her and knelt down.

“What happened here!?” Jade demanded.

The nurse feebly lifted her head. “Sh-She just...went berserk. W-We tried to hold her down, but she was unstoppable. She...”

Before the nurse could finish her words, the life left her eyes, and her head hit the floor.

“What the fuck is happening!?” Jade said to herself.

“Jade!” The voice rang down the hallway, guttural yet eerily familiar. Hearing her own name being called by whatever monster was around was not good for her composure.

Rising up, Jade headed further down the hallway, stopping when she came across the hospital's nursery, its lights off. Shining her flashlight through a broken window, Jade's eyes widened in fear as she took in the ghastly sight. Sixteen bassinets were tipped over, blood dripping from several of them. She could already see some of the bodies.

“No.” Jade gulped as she continued in fear, “What monster could do all of this?”

Entering the nursery, Jade tasted bile in her throat as she took in the terrible sight. Seven babies lay strewn around the floor, each one mangled and lifeless. Not one body was intact; some were headless, some were armless, and others were simply crushed with their guts piled on the floor.

Unable to take any more, Jade finally fell to her knees and vomited, her tears of fear and despair mixing with the contents of her stomach.

“Jade, over here,” the voice called again. Quickly turning around, Jade saw a door slam shut nearby. Jade stared at the door. It was a patient's room. Blood covered its window, but Jade knew that there was no way the murderer was getting out without her noticing. Her fear and sorrow turned to rage and determination. She had the beast cornered, and she was going to put every bullet she had into it, consequences be damned.

Jade steeled her nerves and shoved the door open, her gun ready to fire. She immediately froze when her eyes took in the only other occupant.

Vinyl Scratch stood in the room, her back to Jade. She stood completely still, but that didn't stop the relief that washed over Jade. “Vinyl, thank God I found you!” Jade began, taking a step forward. "Geez, what a relief! I thought you were the murderer. Come with me, Vinyl. We need to get out of this hellhole."

Vinyl didn't move, and that's when Jade really examined Vinyl. Vinyl was standing in a growing pool of blood, her sneakers covered in the stuff. But worse yet, her hands were completely soaked in blood, some of it dripping down to form the puddle. And her fingernails looked longer, somehow.

Slowly, painfully slowly, Vinyl turned around, and Jade's eyes widened in fear. The front of Vinyl's clothes were covered in blood. Her sclerae were as black as ink, and her irises were as red as blood. Blood covered her face from the bridge of her nose to her chin. Jade's eyes went lower, and she saw two puncture marks on Vinyl's neck, blood practically flowing out of them. Jade was stunned when she noticed that Vinyl's blood was a very dark red, looking almost black even in the lit room.

Opening her mouth, Vinyl let out a loud, blood-curdling roar and rushed Jade. Jade quickly found herself slammed into the ground with Vinyl on top of her. Her canines and first premolars were elongated, curving slightly inwards. Jade could see bits of gore stuck in her teeth, and her breath reeked of blood. Quickly pushing Vinyl off of her, Jade yelled out, “What the hell is wrong with you!?”

Vinyl ignored her words, charging at her again. Grabbing Jade by the throat, Vinyl picked her up off the ground. Quickly drawing her pepper spray, Jade sprayed a large amount of it, only to be completely shocked to see that Vinyl was completely unaffected. Vinyl, growing irritated at the smell of the pepper spray, tossed Jade into the wall next to her. Jade's body cracked the drywall as she slid down to the floor, half-dazed.

“Vinyl, why are you doing this?" Jade coughed out. "What happened to you?"

Trying to stand, Jade fell back down when she felt a sharp kick in her left side. Growling, Vinyl reached down, grabbing Jade by the throat once more. Picking her up off the floor, Vinyl threw Jade through a patient room's window, and Jade landed painfully in the room, glass cutting into her. Getting back up and holding her side, Jade stumbled forward, trying to get away from the crazed teenager.

“Dispatch where the hell is that damn backup?” Jade said into her shoulder radio while desperately trying to get away. “I need it now!”

Before she could get her reply, she felt Vinyl grab her by the back of her neck, throwing her through the air into a nearby door. She hit the floor with a painful thud.

Trying to get back up, fueled only by the will to live, Jade said, “I have to get out of here. All I have to do it just make it back to Octavia, and get us both the hell away from here.”

Desperately trying to stand, Jade yelped when her right ankle screamed in protest. Examining it, Jade saw that it was twisted after being thrown around like a frisbee. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Vinyl entering the hallway, growling like a rabid dog. Rolling to her back and drawing her gun, tears running down her cheeks, she pointed it at the blood-mad girl and said, “I’m sorry, Vinyl, Octavia. Please, forgive me.”

Before she could fire off a shot, she heard a familiar voice scream out, “Vinyl!”

Jade's head snapped in the direction of the voice, seeing Octavia standing like a deer in headlights, staring in terror at the scene. Jade screamed out, “Octavia, get the fuck out of here before you get killed!”

Octavia couldn't move. As much as she wanted to run, her legs were frozen in place. Disregarding Octavia, Vinyl quickly closed the distance between herself and Jade, grabbing Jade by the wrist, and with little effort, snapped it with a nauseating crack.

Jade screamed in pain, causing Octavia to scream out in fear, “Vinyl, stop!”

Vinyl still paid Octavia no mind. Jade saw stars as Vinyl punched her hard in the face. Jade’s head fell backwards as Vinyl grabbed her by the collar and threw her into a nearby door. This time, Jade sailed right through it, landing painfully on broken wood and hard tile. Slowly slipping into unconsciousness, the last thing Jade heard before passing out was Octavia's scream, followed by a breaking window.

“Vinyl,” Jade weakly muttered as she passed out.

An hour went by before Jade slowly woke up. She found herself being loaded onto a gurney with a brace around her neck. Several officers--"Probably the promised backup," Jade thought sarcastically--could be heard talking among themselves while Jade was loaded into an awaiting ambulance. She felt warm hands take her own and heard a soft, familiar voice say, “Don’t worry, honey. You’ll be alright. I’m here now, so you just rest.”

Jades vision blurred in and out as she held onto Pearl's hand while Pearl looked back at her, the worry on the assistant's face clear as day despite her words.

“W-Where am I?” Jade said weakly.

“You're in an ambulance. The paramedics will take good care of you. And don't worry; they're taking you to another hospital. I think you've seen enough of this one for a while.” Pearl tried to sound joking, but Jade could hear the undercurrent of fear in her voice, could practically see the horrible scenarios playing through Pearl's mind.

“But, what about Octavia? And Vinyl? I have to find them.”

Trying to sit up, Jade quickly found herself being pushed back into the mattress of the gurney as Pearl said to her, “Sorry, but you need to stay still for now. Let some of the other officers handle finding those two.”

Pearl watched in worry as Jade’s eyes rolled back. While Jade passed out again, tears slipped past Pearl's purple eyes as she cried. Jade lay unconscious for the rest of the trip to another hospital. Even after they arrived, Pearl never left her side.

To Dance with Evil (Edited by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

Ok, so this is how the song lyrics work

Orange: is Sunset singing

Blue: is Rainbow singing

Purple: is the two singing together.

To Dance with Evil (Edited by Icecreammac)

After stopping by an ATM and using Dumbbell’s credit cards to get some quick cash, Sunset smiled to herself, saying, “Good. Now that I have a little bit of cash on me, I can use it to get the tickets, and then, Trixie, you're gonna know what it feels like to lose everything. Just like I did.” Standing at a crosswalk to enter the nearby park.

Looking down at her phone as cars passed her by, Sunset saw it was four o’clock. Pressing the button on the crosswalk she waited for a short time before being able to cross safely. Knowing that school ended at three-thirty, she muttered as she entered the park, “Misty should be here in the next few minutes. She better not stand me up!”

Choosing to sit on the bench where she had her talks with Luna and Applejack, Sunset found she didn’t need to wait long. She soon saw two people approaching her. One was a teen girl holding a metal box in one hand and a white cane in the other. She was being led over to Sunset by an older woman who had a roll of tickets slung over her left shoulder, tied by a thick rope.

Seeing Sunset's face, the older woman said, “What happened to your face?”

“None of your business!” Sunset snapped. “Which one of you is Misty Shores?”

“I am Misty Shores,” the teenage girl replied. Misty waved her cane around a few times till she found the bench that Sunset was sitting on. Sunset watched as Misty felt around to make sure the seat was clear before taking a seat. “I take it you are Crystal Strikes.”

“Wha--Oh! Uh, yes I am. I have the money for the ticket.” Looking at the older woman as she sat to Misty’s left, Sunset continued coldly, “And who the hell are you? I don’t recognize you from school, and I wasn't told we'd be having company.”

“I am Candy Lime-Heart. I didn’t attend CHS, but Vice Principal Luna let me help out with this, as I am also Misty’s in-house living staff. I'm here to make sure she doesn’t get taken advantage of while she is selling the tickets.”

"And you're in luck," Misty said with a soft smile forming on her face, "Normally, I wouldn't be here selling any tickets the day of the dance, but since you called early enough, I decided to make an exception."

“Oh, Okay, thank you," Sunset said disinterestedly. She took out twenty-five dollars and said, "Here's the money.”

Sunset watched as Candy took the two bills, folded the five-dollar bill lengthwise, and double-folded the twenty-dollar bill. As she watched her ill-gotten money going into Misty's money box, she couldn't help but feel a bit greedy. Her hands folded into fists briefly, and just as she was about to take back her money and steal a ticket, she stopped herself, thinking, “Don't do it! You need to keep things on the down-low. You can’t afford to draw that much attention to yourself.”

Her attention returned to the present as Candy placed the roll of tickets into Misty's lap, saying gently as she took the money box from Misty, “Roll once towards you, then stop. Run your fingers down two panels and tear.”

Doing as she was instructed, Misty soon handed out the ticket to Sunset, who took it, saying, “Thanks.” Looking at the paper ticket in her hand, Sunset noticed she had two tickets instead of one. “Wait, you gave me two tickets instead of one.”

“Oh,” Candy began as Misty held out her hand for Sunset to return the extra ticket, “That's not an admission ticket. It's so you can get food and drinks at the dance without having to use actual money for it.”

“Oh,” Sunset replied. Thinking it was best to shake hands and leave as quickly as she could, she continued, “Well, uh, thank you both very much. I gotta go.”

Getting up to leave as she took a few steps from the bench, Sunset suddenly froze when she heard Misty say, “You are very welcome…Sunset Shimmer.”

Looking between Sunset and Misty, Candy said, “I think you're mistaken, dear. Sunset Shimmer passed away a little more than--”

Candy’s words were cut off when Sunset said, “How did you know?”

“Through your voice. You never disguised your voice during our conversation, so it was easy to tell that you weren't Crystal Strikes. Likewise, I've heard your voice many times during our time at CHS, so it wasn't hard to tell who you were. But, you also sound...different. Harsh and sad, not confident like you used to sound."

"Were you living under a rock for the week before Christmas? Haven't you heard of Anon-a-Miss?" Sunset asked, equal parts surprised and irritated.

"No Sunset, I had the flu and was out of school all that week and still bedridden the next. When school started back, I heard mutterings about Anon-a-Miss, but I didn't pay much attention to them; it's not like I can use MyStable anyway. I also heard some terrible things about you and some...unfortunate rumors about you that, thankfully, turned out to be just rumors.” As Sunset was busy processing what she was told, Misty continued, “I don’t mean to be rude, Sunset, but may I please feel your face so I can see you.”

Candy began, “Misty, we should--”

“Please stay out of this, Candy," Misty said, an edge to her voice. “You don't need to worry; I doubt Sunset will hurt me with you here.” Again, while still holding her hand out, Misty said, “Please, Sunset, may I?”

Feeling a bit comforted that there was at least one person at school who didn't hate her guts because of the Anon-a-Miss incident, even if that person was out sick, Sunset said, “Well, we never did officially meet, either during my bullying days or while I was trying to redeem myself, so yeah, why not? But you won't like what you will see.”

“We'll see about that,” Misty said, a slight grin forming on the girl's face.

Misty's fingers went to work, tracing every angle of Sunset's face. They felt along her cheekbones and outlined her face from hairline to chin. They felt the ridges of Sunset's eye sockets and traced the shape of her eyes, nose, and lips. Finally, they felt along Sunset's scars and the wrinkles and creases decorating Sunset's forehead and the corners of her mouth. After what felt like twenty minutes, Misty finally retracted her hands and frowned.

"Told you you wouldn't like it," Sunset said.

"It's not that," Misty said. "You just seem so sad and stressed, like you have a heavy burden weighing on you."

"Yeah, well, I've got a lot on my plate," Sunset said, getting up. "Now, if you don't mind, I should be going."

“Sunset, if I may be so bold, I don't think you should go to the dance. The things I heard about you that week were horrible, and people still seem to detest you even after all this time. I have a very bad feeling that if you go back to CHS, you're only going to get hurt.”

"The only one that's going to get hurt is Anon-a-Miss," Sunset said, walking away from Misty and ignoring her calls. "Once I find her, she'll have the flames Tartarus to pay for what she did to me."

Leaving the park a few moments later, Sunset caught a bus back into the city. Spotting a clothing store, she pulled the stop cord. An hour and a half later, she came out of the store, carrying two bags filled with shoes, earrings, a cheap necklace, a dress, and a purse for the dance.

Checking a clock that hung at the bus stop, she smiled to herself, saying, “Good. I have just enough time to get showered and dressed before I head out to the dance. I need to look my best. After all, I've got a date with Trixie.”

Soon enough, she found herself back at Summer’s and Gilda’s apartment. Looking around and not seeing anyone, she headed into the bathroom. Taking her clothes off and turning the water on, Sunset was about to get in when the bathroom door suddenly opened, and in walked Sonata, who froze in her tracks when she saw Sunset standing naked in the bathroom. Quickly grabbing a towel and covering herself up, Sunset yelped out, “Sonata! What are you doing here! I thought no one was home.”

Grinning ditzily and blushing, Sonata said, “We weren't. We were all down in the community room." She took a moment to look Sunset up and down before ending with, "Nice."

“Get out!” Sunset said, now blushing herself. "And next time, knock before you enter the bathroom.”

Seeing the gown and shoes sitting nearby, Sonata quickly said, “Ooh, looks like you're going somewhere fancy. Can I do your makeup? You know, to help hide your, uh, scars?”

Wanting to get rid of Sonata as quickly as possible, Sunset said, “Yeah, whatever, just leave so I can shower in privacy.”

“Sure, sure.” Sonata stood for a few more moments before blurting, “You sure I couldn’t--”

“Out!” Sunset pointed to the door with a bitter frown.

Giving Sunset a playful pout, Sonata skipped out of the bathroom, flashing Sunset a silly grin. Seeing Summer reading in the living room and Gilda lying on Summer's lap, Sonata headed over to a recliner and sat down, letting out a contented sigh.

“What's up, Blue?” Gilda asked, sitting up.

“Just saw Sunset naked,” Sonata replied with a light, playful giggle, lightly kicking her feet back and forth.

"Nice," Gilda said, grinning and shooting a sideways glance at Summer, who just rolled her eyes.

"That's what I said!" Sonata grinned widely. “And even better, she's letting me do her makeup when she gets out of the shower." Her gaze growing dreamy, Sonata continued, "I'm definitely gonna have to give her some blush. She's really cute when she blushes." And just as quickly, she grew excited again and squealed as she ran to her room, "This is gonna be so much fun!"

Gilda watched her go, a very worried look on her face. "You, uh, don't think she--"

“Yeah, I do. I think we need to have a talk with her.”

Sunset came out of the shower and into the living room a few moments later, fully dressed. Looking to a pile of her old clothing Sunset dug through it quickly finding her key chain. Placing it into her purse she looked at Gilda saying, “Where's Sonata?”

"Here I am!" Sonata yelled, gently pushing Sunset over to a recliner and sitting her down. Twenty minutes passed as Sonata meticulously added makeup to Sunset's face, paying special attention to the scars. Finally, she leaned back and said, “There, all done. Let me get you a mirror.”

Leaving and returning to the living room a few seconds later, Sonata gave Sunset a small mirror. Sunset scrutinized Sonata's work, eventually saying, “Wow, I'm impressed, Sonata. This actually does look really good. Thanks.”

“Thanks, Sunset!” Sonata replied giddily. Content, Sunset got up and headed for the door, stopping when Sonata tapped her on the shoulder. When Sunset turned around to look questioningly at Sonata, the grinning siren leaned forward, quickly pecking Sunset on the lips and saying, “Have fun wherever you're going. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

Before anyone could react, Sonata skipped off to her bedroom, giggling happily. When she was gone, Sunset said to the two remaining girls, “Why did she do that?”

Summer replied, "Well, Sunset, I guess she...likes you."

"Oh, great," Sunset said, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, great," Gilda said sarcastically. "Look, Sunset, we're gonna talk to her about this, but just so you know, if you hurt her," Gilda cracked her knuckles, finishing, "we're gonna kick your ass."

Sunset simply rolled her eyes. "Oh, good, two more people who wanna go after me. Get in line, girls. Now, if you don't mind, I have an Anon-a-Miss to deal with."

When Sunset left, Summer and Gilda looked confusedly at each other. Finally, Summer asked, "An anonymous what?"

Gilda thought for a while before it hit her. "Oh! I read something online a few weeks ago about that. This girl at CHS started some account called Anon-a-Miss to spread rumors and stuff. I guess she did something really bad to Sunset."

"And, given Sunset's...condition, this is likely to end very badly unless we stop her," Summer said. "Let's go after her. She's probably on her way to CHS, so she shouldn't be hard to find."

"Sounds like a plan," Gilda said. Before leaving, she yelled down the hall, "Sonata, we're heading out. Don't wait up."

"Where are you going?" Sonata yelled back.

"Don't worry about it. We'll tell you when we get back. Be back soon." With that, Gilda and Summer left to follow Sunset, hoping the girl didn't have too big a head start.

“Okay, I guess. Have fun," Sonata called. When she didn't get a reply, she shrugged and went back to doodling a certain fiery-haired teenager before getting ready for bed.

Sunset finally got to the school, and after giving her ticket to a very surprised and scared Derpy Hooves, she entered the dance room and began her search for Trixie, getting looks similar to the one Derpy wore from everyone nearby.

Rainbow was just coming out of the back of the dance room, carrying an extra punch bowl. When she spotted the familiar hair from across the crowd of people, she stopped in her tracks, dropping the glass bowl as she said, “Jesus Christ, is it really her?”

“Rainbow Dash, watch your language!” Vice Principal Luna scolded. Seeing Rainbow wasn’t paying attention to her, Luna looked in the direction Rainbow was looking in, her expression immediately changing to surprise. “Good Lord!” Heading away from Rainbow, Luna said to herself, “I have to find Twilight and Celestia. They are not going to believe this.”

Hearing the punch bowl break, Applejack came over to Rainbow, saying, “Ya saw her, didn't ya, Rainbow. Ah did, too. Ah'm in as much shock as you are.”

“I don’t understand. I saw her die in my arms!” Rainbow exclaimed. “How can she still be alive?”

“Who cares how or why? All that really matters is that we have another chance to do what's right and try to salvage the friendship we ruined. And Ah think you should go first; y'all have been beatin' yerself up mighty hard for the past month or so. Y'all still have feelings fer her?” At Rainbow's wordless nod, Applejack continued, “Then go on. Make this second chance really count.”

Hugging herself as a tear trickled down her cheek, Rainbow said softly, “But what if she hates me for all I said to her?”

Gently laying her hands on Rainbow's shoulders, Applejack said, “Listen, Rainbow. Ah'm sure she'll be angry, and Ah'm sure she'll say a lot of things you don't wanna hear, but ya have ta let her say what she needs ta say. The most important thing, though, is that ya don’t walk away from her this time. Tell her how ya truly, deeply feel in yer heart, Rainbow. If she still loves ya, she’ll tell ya, but if not, at least you can have some closure and some peace.”

Sniffing with a slight grin on her face, Rainbow replied, “A-Alright, I'll do it. And I’ll let her yell at me and call me whatever she wants, but I'm gonna do whatever it takes to prove to her how sorry I am for all that I did to her.”

“That’s the spirit. Now, Ah'm gonna give ya some space and meet some of the new students. And Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

“No matter what, ya have ta let her pour her own feelings out, even if ya don’t wanna hear 'em.”

“I will.”

Rainbow found Sunset talking with a group of freshmen students. Without thinking, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

“My God! I can feel my heart beating faster

As I approach her.

And my mind is racing

With the thoughts of what I did to her

So many weeks ago.

Can it really be her

Standing right in front of me?

Could it be that you’ve come back to life?”

Sunset moved away from the group, taking notice that, with each step she took, Rainbow kept following her. Trying to avoid her, Sunset tried another group, keeping her eyes on Rainbow.

“I know your eyes as I follow you.

Dark and familiar, their sheen

Deep and green as the sea.

I know that face,

Strange, though, it seems right now.

So many weeks ago I saw you

In your coffin, you were so beautiful.

I wanted to join you in death's embrace.

The day I broke your heart

Still, haunts my dreams.”

Sunset, needing some fresh air, stepped outside into the evening, Rainbow tailing right behind her. Growing bitter at Rainbow's pursuit, Sunset swallowed hard and replied,

"This girl is dead.

She is no more.

So go away and play your game

With someone else.

The girl you once knew died alone,

Broken and cold, a little each day,

While you stood by and pushed her to her grave."

Sunset turned back around at glared at Rainbow, who looked down as her own doubts began to gnaw at her. Sunset saw only pain and remorse in Rainbow's eyes.

“Your mind is clearly playing tricks on you.

You must have had too much to drink.

Go back inside and get away from me.

The girl you seek is long gone.

Broken and cold, she died alone.”

Seeing the rest of her former friends coming into the dance room followed by Luna and Celestia, Sunset smirked lightly to herself, catching Rainbow's attention as she pointed into the dance room.

“She was put in her grave

And now rots alone

In the cold, hard ground,

Placed there by those she foolishly trusted,

By those, she once called friends,

By those who once called her family,

By one she stupidly loved,

By those same friends who then…”

Sunset pushed past Rainbow, bumping her shoulder into Rainbow's and nearly knocking the athlete over as she reentered the dance room.

“...moved on.”

Following her back inside, Rainbow watched as Sunset offered her hand to a new freshman girl, and the two began to dance. Quickly looking around, Rainbow didn’t think twice before grabbing Derpy and, with lightning speed, pulling the young girl off her feet and dragging her to the dance floor.

"I am a ghost.

Just a mirage foolishly chasing traces of her.

Nothing more.

So why does it hurt so much?

Why do I hesitate to hold her again

When a simple whisper from her will do?"

"There in that voice,

I heard a trace of you.

Though your voice is changed,

I still know it to be you.

So why do I hesitate

When a simple, whisper from you would do?

Dark and familiar, her eyes

Are as green and deep as the sea.

I know she's somewhere inside that shell.

How can she dance so close and yet so far away?"

Rainbow and Sunset both spun, each reaching for what she thought were her partner's hands, only to pause for a moment as she clasped the other's hand.

“This girl is dead.

She is no more.

Her coffin sits in a cold, dead grave

And though it tortures me, why do I feel

Like I should hold you again,

You who broke my heart

And stole my life away?

How can you stand so close

And yet be so far away?”

Those eyes are killing me.

They torture me.

Why did I break your heart?

Why did I steal your life away?

How can you stand there,

A mere few feet from me,

And yet be so far away.

In eyes once familiar to me,

A stranger I see.

How can I ever be forgiven

For the wrong, I have done?

In a face once loved by me,

Pain and anger I see.

And to think, you fell into darkness 'cause of me.

It tortures me to think of what I did to you.

And that's why I hesitate to hold you again.

Sunset spun Rainbow in a half circle, pulled her in close, and held her in her arms for a few seconds, letting her memories flood inside her mind. Rainbow reached up, gently caressing the side of Sunset's face.

“Can either of us really ever be free?

How can you hold me and yet still be so far away from me?

Can I ever be set free of my pain and guilt

Or will the need to have vengeance win out.

A simple whisper should do,

But would it really save her

Or condemn her to be like me?”

"With so much broken within me."

"With so much taken from me."

“We once laughed together.

We once danced together.”

“I loved you but now…”

Spinning her around and looking into her pink eyes, Sunset laid two fingers on Rainbow's lips.

“There are no more words left to say.”

Stepping back, Rainbow felt Sunset take her hand into her own, placing something cold and metal into it. Looking down, Rainbow's eyes widened as she held the same keychain she had buried with Sunset six and a half weeks earlier.

Backing away and letting an oncoming crowd of students swallow her up, Sunset said as Rainbow caught one last sight of her, “May you be happy with the life that you have chosen, Rainbow.”

Rainbow watched the last traces of Sunset disappear behind the large crowd of students as they all began to dance on the floor. Panicking, Rainbow began to push forward, trying to get past on coming crowd of students.

“Hey, watch where you're going!” one student yelled, knocking Rainbow to the floor.

Without thinking, Rainbow quickly got back to her feet and landed a quick right hook into the student's jaw, knocking him down.

“Don’t mess with me, kid,” Rainbow yelled back to the shocked teenager.

Before Luna, Celestia, Twilight or any of their five friends could intervene, Rainbow saw a door leading outside slowly begin to close. She rushed through it and headed down the street, saying, “She has to be out here somewhere. Where else could she have gone?”

A taxi pulled up to CHS, and Gilda and Summer got out. Summer looked at the school, saying, “This is as far you go, Gilda. I don’t want to risk your life here.”

“Now wait a minute, Summer,” Gilda began. “I really do appreciate the sentiment, but I want to help.”

“And you can help best by staying out here. If Twilight shows up, you can tell her that Fourteen is alive and is on her way here. If Twilight doesn’t show up and you happen to find Fourteen, try as hard as you can to keep her calm. I'm going to head inside and see if she's already been here.”

“What if Sunset won’t listen to me?”

“Then let her go. I'll deal with her.”

“And you're sure you can beat her by yourself?” Gilda asked.

“Well...no, but--”

"No!? What about the night at the graveyard? You did well enough then!" Gilda exclaimed.

"Yeah, but she wasn't herself then. Her body and mind weren't working together. Now, when her body and mind are connected, she'll be much tougher. Even then, I have to at least try to help her. I owe her…everything."

As Summer went inside without another word, Gilda took a spot near the front steps, slumping down with her knees pulled into her chest.

As Luna and Celestia questioned the fallen teenager, Sunset began to make her way into the library, soon finding Trixie talking with two other students. Quickly choosing a nearby bookshelf to hide behind, Sunset waited for Trixie to pass her by, far enough not to be easily spotted but close enough to hear what she was saying.

"Well, of course, Trixie has always known whom Anon-a-Miss was," the braggart began as she placed a folded-up school newspaper into her backpack. "It was easy for her to connect the dots, after all. I mean, really, the profile and page just happen to share so much in common with her? Obvious, much."

"That bitch! She lied to me!" Sunset thought, teeth elongating.

The three girls walked by Sunset, not taking notice of her while Trixie shared her dangerous tail with her classmates. "I didn't say anything, though, since Anon-a-Miss was doing a great job getting rid of that bitch Sunset Shimmer, and really, why should Trixie get in the way of that?"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Sunsets eyes instantly went black. Turning around, she punched the bookshelf, causing it fall over and giving away her hiding place.

The three girls immediately turned around at the sound of the crash. When they saw Sunset glaring at them with her darkened eyes, Trixie gulped, saying, “S-Sunset? Is that really you? I thought you were--”

Quivering with rage, Sunset rushed over and grabbed Trixie by the shirt, lifting her up into the air.

“Hey, let her go!” one of Trixie’s friends yelled.

Instantly, Sunset's skin took on a reddish hue, and her hair started glowing and heating up. Sunset back-fisted the girl, sending her flying into a bookshelf. The shelf fell over on top of the girl, causing her to let out a blood-curdling scream. The other girl turned to run, only to be grabbed by Sunset's free hand and dragged out of the library, begging for mercy.

Sunset dragged them to a balcony overlooking the dance room. Sunset dropped Trixie to the balcony floor, causing her to yelp in pain. Quickly kicking Trixie in the stomach, Sunset smiled, seeing all the fight was taken out of the upstart girl. Holding the other girl, who trembled in fear, near the ledge of the balcony, Sunset said to her, “I need a diversion to get out of here without anyone getting in my way. I guess you’ll have to do. Oh, and by the way,” Sunset leaned in close to the crying girl, finishing, "you need to find better friends; snarky bitches like Trixie will just be the death of you."

Before the girl could scream for help, Sunset threw her head over heels over the balcony, causing her to land on the food table below, smashing it under her. Her nearly lifeless body lay on the broken glass and wood of the table, eyes wide open. Students all over the room ran in terror. Picking Trixie up and slinging her over her shoulder, Sunset said, “Once I get you someplace safe, you and I are going to talk about Anon-a-Miss.”

Seeing all the students fleeing the scene, Summer pushed her way into the dance room. Looking up, she saw Sunset carrying Trixie like a sack of potatoes over her shoulder. Sunset laughed coldly as she ran down the hallway, jumping out a nearby window. Getting back outside, Summer looked around, soon finding Gilda. Summer ran to her, saying, “We failed. She's gone and has a hostage, and there's no way I can track her. There's nothing we can do now but hope that girl makes it through the night.”

Animal Control (Edited by Icecreammac)

Trixie woke up to a bright light shining on her face. After taking a few seconds to blink and let her eyes adjust, she checked out her surroundings. She found herself in a nondescript, worn-down room, the light of a nearby lamp piercing her eyes.

"Where am I?" Trixie muttered to herself taking in her surroundings. "This isn't CHS."

She tried to get up, but her body stayed in place. Confused and worried, she looked down and discovered that she was tied to a chair.

"What the hell? Why am I tied up? What happened?"

She struggled against her bindings, trying to remember how she got there. As she worked, a door to her right began to open, and to Trixie's surprise and horror, Sunset walked in, saying, “Ah, good, you're awake. I think we need to have ourselves a little chat.”

“S-Sunset?” Trixie said in shock. "I heard you died. H-How are you alive?"

With a grin, Sunset replied, “That's not important. What is important is the information you have for me.”

“What information?” Trixie asked hesitantly.

Sunset looked Trixie dead in the eye and cut straight to the chase. “Who's Anon-a-Miss, Trixie?”

Looking down, Trixie sighed, then hesitantly said, “I....really don’t want to tell you. I saw what you did to those girls with me, and all they did was get in your way. I don't want to know what you plan to do to Anon-a-Miss. Even after all they did, they don't deserve that.”

"'They'? Anon-a-Miss is more than one person?" Sunset asked, surprised.

Trixie's eyes widened at her own gaffe, and she quickly shut her mouth, her teeth making an audible click from the force.

"Who are they, Trixie?" After a few seconds without an answer, Sunset snapped, "Trixie!"

Still, Trixie kept quiet, screwing her eyes shut to avoid making eye contact.

After a few more silent seconds, Sunset, frustrated, pinched the bridge of her nose and said, “I see. I'm gonna have to force you to talk, then.”

Trixie kept her eyes shut until she felt a shuffling at her feet. She risked a peek and was surprised to see Sunset untying her. After Sunset finished her work, she motioned for Trixie to stand. Hesitantly, Trixie stood up, only to yelp in surprise as Sunset grabbed her around the waist and slung her over her shoulder. Trixie tried struggling, but Sunset quickly yet painfully squeezed Trixie's legs, sending a silent message. Trixie stopped struggling, resigning herself to pitiful whimpers of worry as Sunset carried her out of the room and down a dirty, poorly lit hallway and into another room.

The room was devoid of furniture or decoration except for a single dining chair and a table. Not a single window interrupted the blank, faded-brown expanse of the walls. Sitting atop the table was a large, closed, wooden box, illuminated by a single dim bulb in the ceiling light fixture. Its opening was on the side of the box facing the chair. Sunset sat Trixie in the chair and retied her bindings, keeping Trixie from trying to escape.

As Sunset moved across the room and closed the door, Trixie finally spoke. "S-Sunset, what's in the box?"

"Why, it's my way to get you to talk," Sunset smirked, bearing slightly elongated canines. "Don't worry; you'll love it."

Trixie gulped and leaned away from the box, trying to guess what horrible device occupied the unassuming container. Sunset walked over and opened the side of the box, rapping on the top of the box with her knuckle. When she finished, she stood back and waited.

Trixie waited, too, squinting and trying to peer into the box to see what sat inside it, but the wan light from the ceiling did little to penetrate the darkness inside.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Trixie noticed something. It was subtle, but she swore she saw something...move inside the box. She didn't have time to think about it, however, as soon afterward, the contents of the box revealed itself.

Slowly creeping out of the box into the faint light, the creature paused a moment, flicking its tongue out to taste the surrounding air. The creature stared through slitted pupils at the motionless giant in front of it, eventually locking eyes with the immobile being and instantly recognizing the look of fear in its eyes.

The creature, never breaking eye contact, slowly slithered forward toward the giant, exposing all eight feet of its long, thick body to the stale air of the room. The creature had no difficulty using its muscles to keep its body steady as it crossed the gap between the table and the giant's shoulder.

As soon as the massive snake's head touched her shoulder, Trixie broke out of her trance and began thrashing about in terror. "Sunset, get this thing off me this instant!" she cried, trying and failing to unbalance the serpent.

Snickering behind her hand, Sunset said, "Aww, she likes you." When Trixie showed no signs of stopping her violent thrashing, Sunset warned, “Careful, Trixie. You don't want to scare her. Who knows what she'll do?” as the python began wrapping itself around Trixie's neck, baring its fangs threateningly.

Immediately, Trixie stopped moving, though she couldn't stop herself from faintly shuddering, nor could she stop her eyes from watering in fear as the snake, calming down, resumed slithering around Trixie's body, never removing itself from around her neck but keeping its body loose enough to not hurt Trixie. Finally, assured that the snake wouldn't suddenly bite or strangle her, Trixie shakily said, "S-Sunset, the snake. W-Where? How? Why?"

“Okay, first off, her name's not 'the snake', it's Kindness. And not that it's important, but I found her in the park earlier today. No idea how it got to this country, but I'm not complaining. She took an instant liking to me, and given my plans for this evening, I figured I'd find a use for her before anyone called animal control. As for why,” Sunset smirked deviously as she finished, "you and I both know that you're deathly terrified of snakes." Sunset drew out the word "deathly", though whether the implied threat was genuine or facetious, Trixie didn't know. Trixie wasn't laughing, either way.

Trixie's entire body tensed as she felt Kindness slither down her shirt and pause when it reached Trixie's hips, enjoying the warmth of the direct contact with Trixie's chest and belly. Repulsed and terrified that the cold snake was now touching her most vulnerable areas, Trixie began to cry freely, whimpering, "Sunset, get it off me. Please!"

Sunset quirked an eyebrow, saying, “Oh, come on, Trixie. Kindness isn’t that bad, is she?”

“Please, Sunset, just take it back,” Trixie replied, her tears running down her cheeks and onto Kindness's body and staining it black with her running mascara. The sudden impact made Kindness tense briefly, slightly constricting Trixie's neck, which caused Trixie to stand at the precipice of a full-blown panic attack as she tried to force herself to stay calm. Eventually, Kindness relaxed, and so did Trixie. Slightly.

Unsympathetically, Sunset said, “You know how to get me to take her back, Trixie." She approached Trixie and leaned down, bringing herself face-to-face with Trixie. "Tell me who Anon-a-Miss is.”

Sobbing, Trixie replied as her thick tears ran down her cheeks constantly enough to stop startling Kindness, “It was Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. They're Anon-a-Miss.”

Sunset paused, a deadpan look on her face. "Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle."

"Yes."

"They're Anon-a-Miss."

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Really."

After a few seconds of silence, Sunset scoffed. “Yeah, right,” she said. "Like those three would do something like that to their own sisters."

"It's true!" Trixie insisted. "Check Trixie's backpack. There's a copy of the school paper in there. That'll prove it."

Sunset stared at her for a second before saying, "Fine." Reaching down Trixie's shirt, Sunset gently took a hold of Kindness and carefully took her off of Trixie. “But you'd better not be lying. Or else.” Placing Kindness back into her box, Sunset finished, “I’ll be back in a little bit. You just sit tight and stew.”

Sunset left the room, quickly heading back to the room where she first kept Trixie. She hastily checked Trixie's backpack. Just as Trixie said, Sunset found a newspaper inside.

Skimming the front-page article and raising her eyebrow in surprise when she saw that Pinkie Pie of all people wrote it, Sunset felt her blood boil as the truth was laid out before her. “Those...Those little brats. Those fucking little bitches! I’ll kill them!” she practically shouted.

Storming back to Trixie with the newspaper in hand, Sunset slapped it onto the table, causing Trixie to jump slightly.

“Is this true, or is Pinkie just spouting BS?” Sunset demanded.

“It’s all true, I swear,” Trixie said nervously. "Pretty much every student at CHS has a copy."

Sunset scrutinized the paper for any signs of forgery, but from all she saw, it was a genuine school newspaper, complete with articles about awards, sports, and the like. When she was finished, she said, suspiciously calmly, "Okay, I believe you."

Trixie's shoulders relaxed as she let out a relieved sigh. She even wore a small smile as Sunset undid her bindings. She allowed Sunset to take her hand and lead her out of the room, only for her relief to give way to surprise and worry when Sunset suddenly yanked her back toward the first room. "Sunset? What gives?" she asked, trying and failing to pull her hand from Sunset's grasp.

Sunset didn't reply. Instead, she entered the room with Trixie and practically threw Trixie into the chair, quickly beginning to retie the ropes while the blue girl was dazed.

When Trixie snapped out of it, she began to struggle, saying, “Sunset, what the hell? I thought you were going to let me go!”

“Well, I wasn't. I'm not done with you just yet. I have to go find Honesty, and then, we can sit and have a proper talk about some...unfortunate things I learned about you. Be right back.” Leaving Trixie to struggle, Sunset left the room and moved swiftly to Honesty's room, which was a few doors down the hall from Trixie's room.

Much like the other two rooms, this room was dimly lit and sparsely furnished. On the single, sturdy table sat a small terrarium, it's light slightly brighter than the ceiling bulb. Sunset walked over to it and peered inside, saying, "Honesty, time to come out." When nothing happened, Sunset said, "Honesty?" She carefully moved the few decorations around and looked under the one hiding place, but her little friend was nowhere to be seen. "Well, that's not good," she said under her breath. "Where could she have gone to?"

As if in answer, she heard a shriek coming from Trixie's room, followed shortly by Trixie's panicking voice. “Sunset, get back here!”

“I guess that answers that,” Sunset muttered. She unhurriedly walked back to Trixie's room. When she opened the door and looked inside, she smiled and said, “Oh, there you are, Honesty, you naughty girl. How'd you get all the way in here so fast?”

Sunset watched as a big, hairy, brown and black tarantula slowly crawled up Trixie's leg, coming to rest on her right thigh. Trixie, holding absolutely still, whispered, “Sunset, please, for the love of God, get this disgusting thing off me!”

“What, you don’t like spiders, either?" Sunset said, smirking, "That's a shame; I think she likes you.”

“Get it off, get it off, get it off!” Trixie yelled.

"Not quite yet," Sunset said, pulling up the second chair. Carefully, she picked up Honesty and placed her on Trixie's shoulder, its fangs millimeters from Trixie's exposed neck. Trixie's eyes widened in alarm and her breathing shallowed as the spider's hairy legs and clawed feet came in contact with her skin. Sunset calmly sat down and casually crossed her legs as she said, "As I said, we're going to have a little talk, and you're going to be honest with me because if you're not, I'm going to clap my hands. Loudly. Next to Honesty."

At Trixie's confused glance, Sunset sighed condescendingly and said, "Trixie, do you know what Honesty does when she gets startled?"

It didn't take long before it clicked. Trixie's eyes widened further, and she stuttered, "Y-You wouldn't."

"Try me," Sunset replied simply, her eyes narrowing.

Frightened, Trixie spluttered, "Sunset, what more do you want from me? I told you what you wanted to know. Can't you just let me go? I promise I won't tell anyone about this, honest. Just let me go home!"

"Trixie!" Sunset snapped, causing Trixie to pause. "Shut up." Trixie instantly clamped her mouth shut. "That's better. Now, let's begin, shall we?" Sunset leaned forward, staring Trixie in the eyes as she said, "You lied to me."

Trixie gasped. "Trixie did no such thing!" she said, shocked at the accusation and regaining some of her lost confidence. "You saw the paper! You know Trixie's telling the truth."

"That's not what I'm talking about, you idiot!" Sunset snapped, silencing Trixie. "Shortly before I died, I confronted you in the halls at school, and you blatantly told me that you had no idea who Anon-a-Miss was. Imagine my surprise when I heard just a few hours ago that you did know who they were."

Trixie's mouth worked for a second before she blustered, "T-Trixie was just saying things! Those girls were new, and Trixie wanted them to know how great she was. You know me, always bragging and trying to build my reputation, right?" Trixie ended her sentence with a fabricated, nervous giggle, trying to assuage Sunset's anger. Sunset's unimpressed stare quickly clued Trixie in to what Sunset thought of her explanation.

"So, you were lying to those girls, and you told the truth to me back then. Is that right?" Sunset asked with a raised eyebrow. Trixie nodded as vigorously as she could with a tarantula right next to her neck. "Okay, but what about the second thing you said?" Sunset asked. "You said you didn't do anything about Anon-a-Miss because you enjoyed what they were doing to me. Is that a lie, too? Because that's what you said back then!" Sunset was shouting by the time she finished.

Trixie could feel Honesty bristle on her neck, sending her heartbeat skyrocketing as her tears returned, but she didn't challenge Sunset's accusation. Sunset, in her rage at Trixie's implied confirmation, brought her hands close to Honesty. "Sunset, don't!" Trixie shouted, instantly regretting it. She felt the weight on her shoulder suddenly shift, and when she chanced a glance, she saw that Honesty was reared back in a threatening posture. She also noticed that Sunset was looking at her expectantly, hands at the ready.

Knowing she was on thin ice, Trixie forced herself to calm down and said, "Yes, Trixie was telling the truth then. Trixie still didn't trust you, and she still hated you for all you've done to us. Honestly, Trixie truly didn't know who Anon-a-Miss was before that article hit the paper, but Trixie still loved the torment those three girls put you through. It was like, if Trixie couldn't easily get back at you, then she'd at least get some catharsis from someone else doing it."

Sunset was silent for a long time, hands still frozen in place. The whole while, she leveled a disgusted glare at Trixie. During that time, Honesty lowered back to a neutral posture, and Trixie allowed herself a fraction of relief. And then Sunset spoke.

"So, after all I've done to try and make up for what I've done, after going out of my way to try to help people, after accepting all the glares, insults, shoulderings, and passive-aggressive barbs as something I deserved for my previous actions, after saving the hides and minds of everyone at the school--including your precious Rainbooms--you still found pleasure in a trio of brats airing everyone's dirty laundry just because it made everyone loathe me? You still reveled in the hatred I received, the hatred that, for once, I had not brought upon myself?"

Wordlessly, Trixie nodded.

Sunset said nothing at first. She silently picked Honesty back up, which relieved Trixie, though Trixie couldn't help but worry about any of Sunset's ulterior motives. "You know, Trixie," she finally said, getting Trixie's attention, "you and Dumbbell were made for each other."

Trixie's blood ran cold. "How...How did you know we were an item?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"I found a photo of you two together in his wallet," Sunset replied, pausing a bit for effect before finishing, "after I fucked him up."

Sunset turned on her heel and left the room with Honesty, closing and locking the door behind her. Trixie just stared at the door, her mind reeling. "She...She hurt Dumbbell? Is that why he wasn't at school today? Is that why he never answered my texts? What did she do to him? Where is he? Is he..." Trixie shook her head, forbidding herself from thinking that way. "But what is she going to do to me now that she knows? Is she coming back? She wouldn't just leave me here, would she

Her train of thought screeched to a halt as Sunset re-entered the room, carrying, to Trixie's surprise, a large skunk in her arms. Trixie, instantly disliking where this was going, slowly asked, "Sunset, what's with the skunk?"

"This is Loyalty. I met Loyalty a while ago, actually, shortly after I came back. I couldn't exactly uproot her from her den in the park, but I made sure to spend quite a bit of time with her in the weeks afterward, and I figured a night out wouldn't hurt too much. Isn't she cute?" Sunset wore what seemed like an actual genuine smile as she asked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Trixie replied, looking at Loyalty more closely. It was certainly no snake or spider, that was for sure, and Trixie found herself unconsciously relaxing at Sunset's demeanor and in the presence of an actual friendly-looking animal.

"Right? She's sharp as a tack, too," Sunset's smile quickly grew darkly mischievous. "Watch."

Sunset placed Loyalty on the floor, and Loyalty curiously approached Trixie. When it got about two feet from her, Sunset said, "Loyalty." When the skunk gave Sunset her attention, Sunset pointed at Trixie. When Loyalty turned back to Trixie, Sunset simply said, "Mean."

Instantly, Loyalty whirled around and sprayed Trixie with its potent musk. Trixie shrieked, turning her head away to fruitlessly try avoiding the smell and to keep the fluid from getting in her mouth. Sunset, for her part, giggled, keeping her nose lightly covered.

When Loyalty was finished, Trixie looked down at her now-soaked shirt, tears threatening to return at the rude reminder that her night with Sunset would not be a pleasant one. "Sunset, what was that for!"

"That's what you get, Trixie. That's what happens when you stand by and let an innocent person suffer: bad things happen." Sunset closed the distance and continued, "And don't think that's the end of it. I have a few more questions, and once again, you better be honest with me. Or else."

"The spider?" Trixie worriedly asked.

Sunset put her hand under Trixie's chin, squeezing her cheeks with her thumb and index finger as she yanked Trixie's face closer to hers, snarling, "Call her by her name!" When Trixie hesitated, taken aback by Sunset's sudden aggression, Sunset snapped, "Say it!"

"Honesty!" Trixie said. When Sunset let go, Trixie said again, "Her name is Honesty." When Sunset nodded in satisfaction, Trixie asked again, "Are you going to get Honesty?"

"I would, but I don't think Honesty would wanna go near you after Loyalty sprayed you. Neither would Kindness or...the others," Sunset replied more calmly, causing Trixie to worry about the other animals Sunset no doubt had in store for her. "That said, spraying isn't the only thing Loyalty can do. She has claws. And teeth."

Trixie gulped at the implication, and Sunset started her questions. "So, how long have you been dating?"

"Uh, about five months, now," Trixie said, trying her best to ignore the stench wafting off of her but finding herself dry-heaving nevertheless.

"Okay. Now, tell me. Do you know what Dumbbell did to me?"

Hesitantly, Trixie said, "Y-Yeah. Everyone at school knows."

"And you stayed with him, even after that?" Sunset asked, eye twitching.

"W-Well, he just lost his temper, is all. Anon-a-Miss said something really bad about his mom, and he thought it was you, so--" Trixie was interrupted by a guttural growl coming from Sunset's throat, and she snapped her gaze downward, saying quietly, "Yes."

"Uh-huh. Okay, next question." Sunset narrowed her eyes at Trixie. "Did you know that Dumbbell would do that to me?"

Trixie's eyes widened in shock and fear. She said quickly, "No! No, Sunset, I had no idea he'd do that to you. I didn't like you, sure, but I would never have wished that upon you! I didn't even know he was capable of something like that."

Sunset gave her a disbelieving look. "Really? I'd expect you of all people to know about his violent outbursts. Or did you lose your memory whenever the abusive asshole knocked you around?"

"Dumbbell is not abusive!" Trixie snapped.

Sunset found herself slightly surprised at Trixie's outburst. Nevertheless, she raised her eyebrow in incredulity. "Really? He's never once hit you?"

"No!" Trixie stated. Under Sunset's continued stare, Trixie's confidence withered, and she looked away. "Well...s-sometimes. But he hasn't done it a lot, and there's always a good reason!"

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

A bit surprised at the challenge, Trixie said, "Well, sometimes our team lost a big game, and he'd be in a bad mood, and I would bother him too much about wanting to show him a new trick. Other times, he'd get bad grades, and I'd be a bit too insistent on what that meant for his sports career while at school." After a pause, she said, "The point is, yeah, he hurts me every now and then, but it's always my fault." She smiled nostalgically. "And afterward, he'd always apologize and get me ice cream or something and talk about his feelings with me. He's really sweet when you really get to know him."

Sunset didn't know what surprised her more: that Trixie was defending Dumbbell or that Trixie genuinely seemed to believe what she said. "Trixie, the guy's bad news, and you know it." Something clicked with Sunset, and she continued. "That's why you kept your relationship secret, isn't it? You didn't want the hit to your reputation that'd surely come if everyone found out you were dating Dumbbell of all people, especially after what he did to me."

Trixie remained silent, though whether she was confirming Sunset's accusations or just didn't want to risk angering her captor further, Sunset didn't know. After a few seconds, Sunset sighed and walked over, stroking Trixie's hair. "Look, Trixie, you're a pretty girl, and I'm sure plenty of people find your confidence attractive. You could do so much better than Dumbbell."

"Shut up, Sunset. You don't know what you're--"

"Fortunately for you, you don't have much of a choice. Not after what I did to him," Sunset said, smirking.

Trixie's pupils shrank to pinpoints at the reminder. "W-What did you do to him?"

"I fucked him up real good," Sunset said proudly. "Dunno if he's gonna make it out of the hospital, but if he does, he'll be having nightmares for months."

"N-No." Trixie couldn't stop herself from trembling.

"Yep. So, you know, enjoy your freedom while it lasts. Maybe swim around and check out the other fish. Forget about Dumbbell, because he's never gonna think about anything but me ever again."

That was it: the last straw. Trixie couldn't take any more. Broken, she hung her head and started weeping, her tears and makeup staining her still-damp shirt. As her sobs got louder and turned into wailing, Sunset said, satisfied, "Well, looks like I'm done here. Didn't even need to introduce you to Laughter and Generosity. You would've loved them; Laughter's a cute, friendly opossum, and Generosity's a huge, adorable rat. Actually, you wanna meet them real quick?" Her tone took on an eager edge to it as she finished.

Trixie didn't respond; she just kept sobbing loudly. Sunset shrugged and said, "Guess not. Oh, well. Your loss. But cheer up; I'm not just gonna leave you here all tied up." While Trixie cried, Sunset set to work undoing Trixie's bindings. Her arms and legs finally free, Trixie curled up in a fetal position on her chair, sobbing into her knees and staining her skirt and legs with mascara, tears, and mucus. Sunset, seemingly oblivious or apathetic to Trixie's misery, said, "Don't worry, your phone's still in your backpack, so you should still be able to get home or call for help. Better hurry, though; who knows what kind of people are gonna be around these parts this time of night?"

Sunset picked Loyalty up and turned to leave, but stopped herself. "Oh, yeah, one last thing before I go," Sunset said, presenting an index card with a series of numbers on it. Trixie looked at it, confusion momentarily overcoming her sadness. "If you want some help getting over Dumbbell, or if you can't find some other partner, or even if you just feel like experimenting," Sunset winked before finishing, "call me."

Trixie didn't know how to respond, at once equal parts surprised, disgusted, and frightened. Wordlessly, almost robotically, she reached up and took the card, staring at it. Satisfied, Sunset turned and left the room, leaving Trixie to her own thoughts.

“Hello. Apple residence.”

“Hi, Granny Thmith. It's Twitht. Ith it okay if I come over after thchool tomorrow? I wanna hang out with Apple Bloom before thee leaveth for her new thchool.”

“Well, Ah don’t see why not. Ah’ll have her 'n' her two friends here tomorra. They wanted one last day together, and Ah didn’t have the heart ta say no this time, seein' as how they won’t be seein' each other till they're eighteen 'n' all.”

“Thankth, Granny Thmith. I’ll thee you and Apple Bloom tomorrow, then. Bye.”

Sunset hung up her phone and smirked as she got ready to return her animals to their homes in the wild. Tomorrow was going to be an eventful day, indeed.

School Board (Edited by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

This chapter takes place the next day after Sunset has dealt with Trixie the one after this one takes place one hour after Principal Celestia meets with the school board.

School Board (Edited by Icecreammac)

Principal Celestia briskly entered the Educational Services Center, scowling and impatiently checking her watch.

“It’s seven in the morning on a Thursday. I should be at work, not here defending myself over this whole Anon-a-Miss mess,” Celestia thought to herself.

Luna walked up behind her, placing a gentle hand on Celestia’s shoulder, saying softly, “Hey, don’t worry, Tia. I am sure everything will be alright. You're a good educator, and I am sure the board will take that into account when they talk with us.”

Giving Luna a tough sigh, Celestia said, “I really hope the chair isn't in a bad mood today.”

“I am sure she'll be fine. You have known Ms. Pen for nearly all of your teaching years. Has she ever been a grouch towards you?”

“Well, no, but still, after all, that's happened, I'm sure she’ll have a few harsh words for me.”

“Well, let’s not focus on that right now. Instead, try to focus on the good that you have done. Yes, you screwed up with the whole Anon-a-Miss thing, but--”

A door opened down the hallway, and a stately woman stepped out into the hallway wearing a grayish-mulberry coat and a light, white turtleneck sweater. Instantly recognizing Feather Pen, Celestia said warmly to her, “Feather! It is good to--”

“We are ready, Ms. Soleil.” Seeing that Luna was about to enter the boardroom, Ms. Pen said quietly to her, “Between you and me, Ms. Evenstar, I wouldn't hold out hope for your sister's career.”

Bristling but not wanting to start a fight, Luna gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and took a seat in the public area of the boardroom. Giving her sister one last look as she was led down to the board members at the front of the room, Celestia couldn’t help but feel very nervous about her fate. Looking around, Celestia noticed right away that all of the board members were giving her disapproving glares, which did little to assuage her nervousness. To make matters worse, she noticed many of her students' parents in the audience, including, unsurprisingly, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. The parents, too, seemed very unhappy to see her.

“Now, let's begin, shall we?” Ms. Pen said coldly, taking her seat.

“Er, yes, let's begin,” Celestia said timidly.

Ms. Pen banged her gavel, and Celestia took her seat in front of a long, oak table, behind which was seated each member of the board. Sitting at a small table off to the side was the superintendent Double Diamond and his two aides.

At Ms. Pen's signal, Double Diamond got up, straightened his blazer, and said, “Ms. Soleil, you have been teaching in Canterlot for nearly twenty years now. You've managed to maintain stellar marks for your classes; not a single student failed any course you taught. Your intellect, interpersonal skills, and problem-solving skills have served you well as both a teacher and the principal of Canterlot High School. Simply put, your record has been spotless." Double Diamond narrowed his eyes. "Until now.”

“I know I made some mistakes through this whole ordeal, but if you’ll let me--”

“Made some mistakes!” Double Diamond yelled, his eyes widening in anger and shock. “A student under your care died because of your 'mistakes'! 'Mistakes' doesn't even begin to cover it!”

“Mr. Diamond, calm down. This is a professional meeting, and I expect everyone involved to behave appropriately,” Ms. Pen said with authority. “You've said your piece. Now be seated and allow Ms. Soleil her opportunity to defend herself.”

“Y-Yes, Madame Chair.” Glaring back at Celestia, who gave a slightly raised eyebrow in return, he continued as he sat back down, “I apologize for my outburst, Ms. Soleil.”

“Apology accepted," Celestia said crisply. "Now, as I was saying, I know there were many things I could've done early to prevent this from getting so out of hand, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty. I had no idea how bad things would get, and I most definitely didn’t know a student would die because of it.”

“Be that as it may,” Ms. Pen began sternly, “the student did die, we have records of bullying, vandalism, and extreme violence in your very halls, and you and your sister have been forced to expel fourteen students over the past two months, three of whom were directly involved with this whole incident. Is that not true, Ms. Soleil?”

Celestia cringed. “Yes, that is true, but I expelled those three not only for what they've done but also to keep them safe. If they stayed in school, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I got a call from one of their parents saying that their children were in the hospital because another student decided to get revenge for what they did.”

“I see,” Ms. Pen said impassively.

Double Diamond injected, “Tell us, Ms. Soleil: Do you think that you have handled this situation correctly?”

“All I know is that I should've acted sooner. I just wanted my students to look into themselves to find the good that I saw in them and use that to end the mess that those girls created.”

“And did they end it, or did things get worse?” Diamond sneered bitterly. “Despite your clean record, I think you have been on a slippery slope long before this whole affair got started.”

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked, surprised.

“I mean when the incident with Miss Dash came to light. Did you step in and take care of that, or did you just slide it under the rug?”

“I allowed my sister to deal with that, and she was instructed by the feds not to discuss it with anyone, including myself.”

Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Celestia was about to say something, when Ms. Pen cut her off, “Perhaps you would care to learn who it was that actually submitted the post that caused your sister to bring in and expel almost your entire Wondercolts team?”

Ms. Pen signaled to a security guard next to a nearby door. The guard opened it and gestured for someone outside to enter. Celestia’s eyes widened slightly as she took in the sight of Storming Dusk as the young woman entered the room, glaring at Celestia as she took her seat.

“Now, Miss Dusk, why don’t you tell us why you felt the need to post what you did?” Ms. Pen said.

“Sure thing, Ms. Pen. It's pretty simple, actually: I wanted Celestia to know how I felt when I was booted from school. Now, to be fair," Storming Dusk looked sickened at the idea of being fair to Celestia, "I knew the other girls were using performance-enhancing drugs, and I know I should have come forward, but I wanted to win just as badly as they did, so I didn't say anything. I never touched the stuff myself, though. At least, not deliberately. And it wasn't long before I started wondering exactly how they were smuggling them into the school, but I could never figure it out. Not until the day that I drank that water, anyway.”

“And what happened afterwards?” Double Diamond asked. “Did you get expelled from school, or did someone try to talk to you about it first?”

“I was immediately expelled from school. Celestia read me the letter that she had typed up stating the reasons--something about zero-tolerance policies and stuff--and had me escorted off school grounds after I cleaned out my locker. I never even got the chance to explain myself to her or to anyone. Thanks to her, I lost my scholarships to a good university, none of the faculty at my new school trust me, and my parents and grandparents are always stressed and fighting because of this whole mess. Life has been awful these past few months.”

“Wait, I don’t understand something,” Celestia began. “How did you know about the investigation when Rainbow wouldn’t have said anything about it to anyone?”

“My father worked with Winter Skies, and he brought the case file home to work on it. While he was in the bathroom, I snuck into his study and read through the file. To say I'm mad that Rainbow wasn’t being expelled or punished in any way is an understatement. And about how I learned about Anon-a-Miss, well, you can’t expect something like that to stay just on school grounds, now can you?” Storming Dusk finished smugly.

Looking down as anger and shame came across her face, Celestia snarled, “No, I guess you can’t.”

“Thank you, Miss Dusk. Now, let's get to the heart of this matter, shall we,” Double Diamond said. “We understand that you transferred the three students who began this mess to other schools. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that is correct. We don’t have the resources to protect them from everyone, and once they came forward and told everyone what they had done, they became targets for any student wanting to get back at them for this. It is unwise to expect the faculty to protect these three at all times while we have over a thousand students at CHS.”

“And did you clear this transfer with or notify anyone other than your sister, or did you just simply act alone in what you hoped would be the best interest of your students?”

“Of course I notified people," Celestia said, insulted. "I cleared it with the principals and heads of the three schools, as I was supposed to do. As for notifying my own faculty, I informed the various teachers that I would be pulling those three from their classes, but you and I both know I don't need to seek their approval for this sort of thing.”

“I see,” Double Diamond said, though Celestia could swear he said under his breath, "At least you did one thing right." Sighing, he turned to Ms. Pen and continued, “Be that as it may, though, I don't think it is wise to employ an educator who refuses to act and dispense discipline when something of this magnitude occurs. While it pains me to say it, this cannot simply be ignored just because it is Ms. Soleil's first offense. And so, with a heavy heart, I recommend dismissing Ms. Soleil from her position as principal of Canterlot High School.”

“Madame Chair, I move for an executive session," a board member by the name of Silver Star said. "There are some things I feel we need to discuss in private."

"Second," said another member named Snowy Fog.

"Very well. We'll put it to a vote," Ms. Pen said. The vote was in favor of the motion, and Ms. Pen said, "Motion carries. We will move to a private room to discuss what we've heard here."

One by one, the board members rose and moved to a single room behind the head table. Ten agonizing minutes passed by, and the whole time, Celestia tried to keep herself from fidgeting and fought the urge to throw up.

Finally, the door opened, and the board members returned to their seats. "Ms. Soleil," Ms. Pen said, "do you have any final words to say before we vote on Mr. Diamond's recommendation?"

Celestia sighed nervously and stood. “Yes. I just want to state that in my twenty-plus years of education, I have never had to deal with bullying of this scope. I know I'm not perfect, but I...I did the best I could.” Celestia was hesitant and very quiet as she finished, the flimsiness of the excuse ringing hollow in her head.

“Your words are noted, Ms. Soleil,” Ms. Pen said grimly. "Now, if there are no further words, we will now vote on whether or not Ms. Soleil will be relieved of her position as principal of Canterlot High School. Let us begin."

Celestia walked alongside Luna in a daze, simply staring ahead, not registering anything on her journey to Luna's car. Luna tried a few times to get Celestia's attention but soon gave up after getting no results.

The two women got into Luna's car, and only then did Luna think she saw something slowly change in Celestia's eyes.

"Celestia?" Luna asked hesitantly, putting a tentative hand on her sister's shoulder. "How are you holding up?"

Celestia's blank expression soon screwed up, and tears began to run down her cheeks as she broke down crying in the relative privacy of Luna's car.

Unsure of what to do, Luna simply placed the key into the ignition and solemnly began to drive towards CHS. The only sound during the entire trip was the sound of Celestia's soft sobs.

Travel Plans (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Celestia entered Canterlot High School an hour after getting back from the school board meeting, her sister close behind. Neither said anything until they reached Celestia's office when Celestia turned around and said, “I'd like to be alone for the rest of day. I have some…work to do.”

Looking down with a sigh, Luna nodded and left. When she closed the door behind her, her right hand balled into a tight fist as her anger bubbled up. Needing a distraction, she decided to get some much-needed coffee and walked quickly down the hallway toward the teacher's lounge, her expression letting everyone know not to bother her.

It wasn't long before Luna reached the lounge. She rushed inside and practically slammed the door, eliciting a surprised squeak from someone in the room. Shoulders sagging, Luna turned to face Pearl Dusk, the only other occupant in the room.

"Hello, Pearl. Sorry, I startled you,” Luna said tiredly.

"Oh, it's okay. You didn't startle me that badly," Pearl said as her breathing slowed down. When she noticed Luna's expression, she said, "What's wrong, ma'am? You seem upset."

“It’s nothing, Pearl. Don't worry about it.” Luna’s jaw quivered slightly at the thought of lying to her close friend and ex-lover. She quickly changed the subject. “Do you have the assignments for today?”

“Er, yes, I do. I placed them on your desk." Reading the tense air, Pearl added, "Um, I’ll get back to work, I guess.”

“Thank you, Pearl. I’ll take a look at them later today.” After Pearl left the room, Luna found herself cradling a freshly-poured mug of coffee as she contemplated her next action. “Okay, think, Luna. Your sister has given up on herself. You can get her through this." Luna paused in thought for a moment, before her eyes lit up in inspiration and she pulled out her cell phone. "And I know exactly who to go to. I just hope he's still living in town.”

She quickly dialed a number, then held the phone to her ear and waited.

“Hello,” came a soft voice, old yet wise.

“It’s Luna. I--er, we--need your help. Badly.” Luna fought back her tears as she continued, “It’s Celestia. Something terrible's happened, and we're at the end of our rope. I need your help.”

There was a pause. “I’ll be there in two days. And Luna?”

“Yes?”

“Let me handle this my way. Whatever it is, I can fix it, but you need to trust me. Understand?”

“Yes, I do.”

"Good. Now, tell me everything that's happened."

Luna filled him in on everything that happened over the last few months. Her friend was silent, and the conversation quickly ended. After Luna hung up, she took a moment to collect her thoughts. Silently, she went back to her office, hardly noticing when Pearl greeted her, and pressed a button on her intercom, calling Twilight to her office.

It wasn't long before Twilight gingerly knocked on Luna's door and entered. “You wanted to see me, Vice Principal Luna?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Yes, Twilight. Please, come in.” Luna gestured towards a chair in front of her desk, and Twilight quickly took a seat. “I think it is time we tell Celestia the truth about Eventide.”

Twilight was about to ask why, when she noticed Luna's slumped shoulders, damp cheeks, and overall sorrowful expression. Worried, Twilight said, “Luna, what’s wrong? What happened at the board meeting?”

“Celestia was fired, that's what happened. Anon-a-Miss, the expulsions, Sunset's suicide, it all came back and bit her.” Luna took a moment to rein in her emotions. “That's not to mention what happened last night at the dance. Two girls grievously injured, another missing. Guess the board didn't catch wind of that yet."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that. Are they... Are they alright?" Twilight asked, worried.

"Well, they're alive," Luna said, "but the one who the bookcase fell on has fractures all over who body, especially in her ribs, and a punctured lung, not to mention the amount of internal bleeding from the blunt-force trauma. The one who was tossed from the balcony had her spine broken between her shoulder blades, along with some lacerations and other minor fractures. She'll never walk again." Luna finished her report with a sad sigh.

"T-Tossed?" Twilight said, her breath leaving her. "Someone threw her from the balcony?"

Luna gulped, knowing that this would be a difficult subject. "Yes, she was thrown. And you may have a hard time believing who did it."

"Who?" Twilight said, righteous anger building. "Who would do such a terrible thing?"

Luna paused, taking a deep breath. "Sunset Shimmer," she finally said simply.

Twilight paused in surprise. "W-What?" she asked incredulously.

"Sunset Shimmer showed up to the dance and...did those things."

"But... But how?" Twilight asked, confused and slightly angry. "Sunset's dead. How could--" An idea suddenly struck Twilight. "There's another Sunset in this world. Or, at least, a girl who looks exactly like her. I met her while Sunset was in the hospital. Maybe she..." Twilight trailed off as she saw Luna shaking her head sadly.

"Whoever that girl was, she wasn't the one at the dance," Luna explained. "Sunset recognized all of her former colleagues, especially her former friends. She even sang and danced with Rainbow Dash. It was Sunset Shimmer, alright. And if she's capable of doing that to two new students she's never even met, I shudder to think what she's going to do to Trixie, the girl she took." Luna paused while she let her words sink in. "As for how Sunset's alive, I...have an idea about it, but if you don't mind, there's something a bit more pressing to attend to than how Sunset came back."

Twilight thought for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Fine. But we're talking about this later, and you're going to tell me what you know." When Luna nodded in agreement, Twilight calmed down and continued, "Okay, so you said it's time to tell Celestia about Eventide."

“Right. Celestia's had a very rough time of it over the years and especially over the past two months. And now that she's lost her job, she's lost all hope in herself and her happiness. We need to reinstill some hope, even if it's just a little. Knowing that her daughter is still alive and where she can be found will do that for her...I hope.” Luna walked over to her door and opened it, signaling for Twilight to follow.

Getting to Celestia’s office a few moments later, Twilight gulped when she saw Celestia packing her personal things into a white box on her desk. Twilight knocked on the open door, and Celestia's head snapped in her direction.

“Y-Yes, Twilight. How may I help you?” Celestia said, relaxing a little when she saw that is was just Twilight, though she did shoot an accusatory look to Luna, who merely returned the glare with a raised eyebrow.

“Actually, I think I might be able to help you, Principal Celestia.” Twilight and Luna both took a seat as Twilight continued, “I have something to tell you. It’s... It's about your daughter Eventide.”

That immediately got Celestia's full and undivided intention. Before Twilight could get another word in, Luna quickly said, “I think you better sit down, Tia. It's a bit of a shocker.”

“A-Alright.” Celestia half lowered, half dropped into her seat. With a slightly confused and suspicious look on her face, she said, “H-How do you know about Eventide, Twilight?”

Reaching up behind her neck, Twilight took off Eventide's locket, saying softly, “I know about her because...I met her.” Celestia's jaw dropped in shock, but she said nothing in response, so Twilight continued her tale. “We were looking for Applejack's little sister--she fell off a mountain path and was missing--when we met a pegasus named Brave Heart, who said she was looking for her charge. Eventually, we heard fighting coming from down below us. When we arrived on the scene, we saw that Eventide had just got done fighting a minotaur named Iron Will.”

Celestia's eyes narrowed in recognition. “There's an Iron Will in your world too, huh? Figures she'd get into a fight with another one. And he's a minotaur? Like, a bull-man?” Celestia’s eyes widened in worry. “How badly was she hurt, Twilight?”

“She looked pretty bad, honestly. Her face was a mess of scars from some time long before that fight, and the battle gave her a lot of internal damage, though honestly, Iron Will looked worse. I don't know the details, only that she looked bad; once we got her to Snowflake Monastery, I left to try to help Sunset." Twilight sighed. "Look how well that turned out."

The women shared a moment of guilty silence. When the moment ended, Twilight handed the pendant to Celestia, who held it to her chest as if it were her daughter in person. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she said, “Words can't express how happy I am to know that my daughter is alive, even if she's hurt.” Celestia paused. "Speaking of which, you said that she had a lot of scars on her face. When she disappeared, she only had two. Do you know what caused them?"

“No," Twilight replied. "I can guess, though. Thinking back to what I saw, it looked like something raked its claws or talons across her face several times. Maybe a griffon or a giant bird or a young dragon?”

Celestia nodded solemnly before something clicked. "You said that you left the monastery to go help Sunset." When Twilight nodded, Celestia continued, "That means that this took place before Sunset died, which means..." Celestia's eyes widened in anger. “You knew where my daughter was and kept it from me for two months!?”

Startled, Twilight quickly said, "It was Luna's idea!"

Celestia turned her fiery gaze upon her sister, and Luna quickly said, "In my defense, you were going through a lot, and this would've just made you more emotional and impulsive."

“Well, I hope it was worth it because this little deception destroyed my trust in you!" Principal Celestia snapped.

Luna reeled back as if struck. She opened her mouth to reply, but Twilight beat her to it. "Celestia, please. She was just trying to help."

“Help! She held me in her arms when Officer Shield told me he couldn’t work on her case anymore! And now, you both have the gall to hide this from me!” Twilight cowered under Celestia's tirade, guilt spreading throughout the princess's face. Forcing herself to calm down a little, Celestia said through gritted teeth to Luna, "We'll talk about this later, Luna. Right now, I'd like to talk to Twilight. Alone."

Wordlessly, Luna got up and left her sister's office, her head bowed low. Turning her attention fully to Twilight, who flinched, Celestia continued simply, “I'm going to Equestria."

Taken aback by Celestia's suddenness, Twilight said, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I don't care," Celestia said determinedly. "I have no job, a missing daughter who was finally found, and a sister who kept this from me for two months. I waited for two years, Twilight. I'm ready to reunite with her, and you're not going to stop me!" Celestia quivered slightly as her anger began to resurface.

Seeing that Celestia wasn't going to budge, Twilight decided not to argue and instead said resignedly, "Okay, when do we leave?"

Celestia paused, her mood changing immediately. She bit her lip nervously before saying hesitantly, "Uh, about that..." Sighing deeply, she continued, "I sort of made a promise to my counterpart.”

Confused, Twilight said, “And what promise was that?”

Celestia closed her eyes and sighing again. “Your mentor asked me to make sure that you…don't return to Equestria.”

Her eyes widening in shock and anger, Twilight blurted out, “What!? W-Why wouldn’t she want me to come home?”

Looking away as she balled her hands into fists Principal Celestia forced out, “Because Equestria might very well be at war!” Looking back to a very shocked Twilight as her own tears threatened to flow, Celestia added, “She didn't want you to know the horrors of war, Twilight! And I'm inclined to agree.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

Celestia took a deep breath. “I wasn’t always a teacher, Twilight.” She took a photo out of the white box and handed it to Twilight. Looking at the photo, Twilight saw a man dressed in army fatigues next to a happy-looking Celestia in a nurse's uniform. “I actually went to nursing school, agreeing to work with the Army in exchange for their paying my tuition. I met my late husband after joining.”

Gently taking the photo back, Celestia added, “I was shipped overseas with him, and what I saw changed me. I saw the terrible deaths and horrific acts and endless, senseless battles. It still gives me nightmares." Celestia paused, forcing the flashbacks away. "After one too many deaths in the infirmary, after one too many soldiers shot to death practically right in front of me, after one too many dead civilians in the crossfire, I had enough. I decided I wanted to leave medicine, the military, war, all of it behind. So after the war, I served my remaining time, and my husband and I left the army, and I went on to become who I am today.”

Twilight was silent for a while. “That's...wow. I never would've thought just by looking at you." Celestia nodded wordlessly, eyes closed, before Twilight continued, "And I can understand why you and Princess Celestia don't want me to go through that, but I'm going.”

Celestia opened her eyes, startled. "What?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm going to Equestria with you, regardless of what Princess Celestia says. I'm just going to have to disobey her this time. I'm not going to stand by while all those I care about get hurt or worse. And besides all that, you need me,” Twilight finished with a hint of smugness under her determination.

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked.

"Well, ignoring the fact that you have no idea where Snowflake Monastery even is and have no idea about the intricacies of how ponies' social interactions work, you are Princess Celestia's counterpart, which means that you're going to look exactly like her. What do you think will happen when you inevitably run into some ponies who think you're their princess? What do you think they'll think when they see a stumbling, clumsy, socially awkward princess who can't control her magic or fly? Because remember, you're going to be a pony, not a human."

"Uh, well--"

"They'll panic!" Twilight interrupted. "They'll think you're a changeling, or they'll think their princess was cursed, or they think some even wilder theories. You need me to diffuse that situation because, at that point, you either confess that there's another world, or you just make them panic more.

"And what if you're attacked by a monster? You'll be so uncoordinated, you'll be easy pickings for anything looking for a quick meal. You need me to protect you."

"Alright, alright!" Celestia snapped. "You can come with me, but you're taking the fall if the princess gets angry."

"Agreed. So, when do we go?"

"I'm not sure yet. I need to get geared up."

"Geared up?" Twilight parroted.

"Yes. Sunset told me about some of the dangers of your world, and given that Equestria's at war, I'm going to need some more personal protection." Celestia took out a few photos of her times at various Renaissance fairs and showed them to Twilight. "I still have a lot of this armor. It's real armor, too. Sunset told me that, fortunately, a lot of Equestrian armor and weapons are close to the medieval and Renaissance-era stuff in our world, so it shouldn't look out of place. I can wear some of the lighter stuff so I'm not too weighed down. I'll also take a weapon or two. I know I won't be able to really use them in my new body, but I'd say blindly swinging a weapon is better than having no weapon, in this case. Overall, I really hope we don't have to get too into the war to find Eventide, but if we do end up fighting something, I'd like to be more than just a sitting duck, even if I have to settle with just looking intimidating." Celestia sighed. "I just hope it all makes it through the portal."

"The weapons should; handheld items like those tend to make the trip. The armor's more of a toss-up, though. It would make sense if the armor made it, seeing as we have very similar armor in Equestria, but I'm not entirely sure," Twilight explained.

“Well, I guess that's a bridge we'll have to cross when we get there,” Celestia said. “Anyway, I need to finish packing so I can go make my arrangements. You should head to class, Twilight. I’ll see you, later on, today when I'm ready to leave.”

Seeing Twilight out of her office, Celestia smiled lightly to Twilight, trying to reassure the young woman of her plans for saving her daughter. She closed the door and locked it, returning to packing with a bit more pep in her step.

Boots stomped down a sun-baked, dirt road, the owner too preoccupied with her own thoughts to enjoy the rustic scenery or pleasant weather. Finally, after cresting a hill, she stopped and beheld her destination.

Sweet Apple Acres.

Sunset Shimmer narrowed her eyes and continued her journey, a deep, dark frown on her face.

Taken (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset made her way down the sun-baked road, stopping when she saw a familiar red truck coming towards her. Confident, she stood her ground in the middle of the road, forcing the occupant of the truck to slam on the breaks.

Jumping out of the truck, Big McIntosh yelled out in anger, “What in tarnation is the matter with--” His eyes widened in shock when he got a good look at Sunset, who stood in front of him with a sick smirk on her face. “S-Sunset, what the hay are you doing here? Ah coulda hit ya.”

“Yes, you could have. Good thing you were paying attention. But that doesn't matter. You're going to answer a question for me.”

Big Mac eyed her suspiciously. “And what would that be?”

“Where are Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle?”

Immediately, Big Mac turned to get back into his truck, freezing when he felt an icy hand come to rest on his left shoulder. Before he knew what was happening, he found himself flying backward through the air, hitting a tree. He screamed in pain as he felt his right shoulder break like glass.

“Where are they!?” he heard Sunset yell.

Trying to stand while cradling his busted shoulder, he spat back in anger, “Ah’ll never tell ya!”

“Then I’ll beat the information out of you!”

Sunset quickly closed the gap between herself and Big Mac, landing a right hook to his jaw and sending him into another tree. As he regained his senses and be held Sunset storming toward him, Big Mac held up his hands. “Sunset, stop! Yer wasting yer time; Ah'm not tellin' ya anything.”

Kicking him in the stomach, Sunset screamed in rage, “Where are they?” Watching as he doubled over from the pain, she again kicked him and again screamed, “Tell me!”

Coughing, Big Mac spat blood onto her boots, saying while holding his stomach with his good arm, “Find them yerself. Ah won’t help ya hurt m' little sister.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about your precious little sister getting hurt. I just wanna...talk to them,” Sunset said, smirking. "And you're not gonna stop me."

Landing blow after blow to Big Mac's face and chest, Sunset laughed wickedly, savoring the crunching and cracking of his body. When she finished, he sat against the tree, barely conscious. His eyes flickered to an old, worn-out path nearby with a desperate look. Snapping her attention to where he was looking, Sunset smirked darkly and, flashing Big Mac a perversely grateful look, made her way down the road.

It wasn't long before she reached a large tree house. A light was shining through the windows, and voices could be heard inside. Sunset took a moment to listen to the conversation while she planned her next move.

“I’m going to Sugar Cube Cafe,” Sunset heard Sweetie Belle say. “I want to talk to the Cakes before I leave for Manehatten. I have to find a way to make this right for them. And for us, as well.”

“How can we possibly make this right?” Sunset heard Scootaloo’s familiar voice. “Sunset's dead, Sweetie Belle. You can't just undo that. What good will going to Sunset's parents do?”

“It'll give me a chance to tell them why I even took part in this," Sweetie replied. "Even if they never forgive me, I at least want to explain myself.”

“Well, Ah ain't a-goin'. Ah don’t see why any of us should face her parents, who're probably just gonna skin us alive fer what we did to their daughter,” Apple Bloom said, causing Sunset to growl in anger. Apple Bloom let out a growl of her own. “Damnit, Sunset, why'd ya go 'n' off yerself? Why couldn't you have just moved away or somethin'. That way, you'd have new friends, and Ah wouldn't be away from mah family fer five years!”

Enraged at the implication, Sunset's skin swiftly reddened and her sclerae blackened. The top of her head started heating up, while she felt a painful pressure from her shoulder blades. In rage, Sunset screamed, “Are fucking you kidding me!?”

Hearing her familiar voice from outside of the tree house, each of the girls rushed outside, freezing cold in their tracks when they saw Sunset Shimmer glaring daggers at them. Applebloom gulped, saying as she gazed at Sunset, “Sunset? How are you alive? My sister was at yer funeral.”

Maintaining her glare, Sunset started to walk towards the tree house, saying with each step she took, “Are you seriously blaming me for the consequences of your actions? Because that's what it sounds like! You wanna know why I 'offed myself'? I did it because there was no other way out of the fucking hell hole you little shits threw me into!” Halfway up the ramp, she added, “You three did more than just take me away from my family. You three took the very best parts of my life away from me!”

The girls had heard enough. They rushed back inside, shutting and locking the door. “We have to get out of here!” Scootaloo shouted.

“But how? We have nowhere to run!” Applebloom yelled in terror.

“Applebloom's right. We’re trapped!” Sweetie Belle said, whimpering.

Scootaloo looked around a bit, spotting the open window. "Girls, the window!"

They began to run toward it, but before they reached it, the door crashed open, the lock snapping like a dry branch. Sunset stomped inside, screaming, “It's payback time!”

Seeing that Scootaloo was trying to get out the back window, Sunset grabbing a stool to her right. She hurled it through the air, hitting Scootaloo square in her right leg, causing the sporty girl to fall to the floor, screaming in pain as her bones shattered.

“Sunset, stop! You’ll kill her!” Applebloom screamed, throwing herself defensively over Scootaloo.

Quickly closing the gap between herself and Apple Bloom, Sunset grabbed the farm girl by her right foot, suddenly twisting and jerking it to the right. Apple Bloom screamed as her ankle snapped.

“You can scream and beg all you want. It still won’t save you,” Sunset growled, grinning at the stark terror and pain in Applebloom's eyes. She let the girl's foot fall limply to the floor, the impact causing another yelp to escape Apple Bloom's mouth. Turning around, she saw that Sweetie Belle had gotten away during the commotion.

Storming outside, Sunset quickly spotted her next victim running down the path towards the farmhouse. The terrified girl screamed as she ran away from the mad woman, “Granny Smith, help! She’s gonna kill us!”

Sunset grinned predatorily. The pressure in her back built and built until two bat-like wings erupted from it in a spray of blood, destroying flesh and shirt on the way out. After a few flaps to stretch them out, Sunset took off, flying after Sweetie Belle.

Getting to the farmhouse a few moments later with Sunset close behind her, Sweetie Belle rushed inside, desperately trying to find the matriarch. She heard the door slam open behind her, accompanied by the sound of cracking wood, causing Sweetie Belle to scream in terror as she fled into the kitchen and hid inside a cupboard.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are~” Sunset sang, sounding very much like she enjoyed the hunt.

As Sunset searched, Granny Smith came into the kitchen through the back door, freezing in her tracks and dropping her basket of apples when she saw Sunset in the kitchen.

“What in tarnat--”

Her words were cut short when Sunset whirled around and slammed her fist into Granny Smith's face, knocking the elder to the floor, completely out cold. Her fun ruined, Sunset growled and looked around. “Sweetie Belle, I'm done playing. If you don't come out in five seconds, I'm gonna go back and rip your friends apart!” She smirked. "They can't have gone far."

Fearing for their safety, Sweetie Belle risked a peek out of her hiding place, spotting the handle of a knife peeking over the edge of the counter above her. As Sunset left the kitchen, presumably to make good on her promise, Sweetie Belle reached up and grabbed the knife as quickly and quietly as she could. Inspecting it, she saw that it was a hunting knife still in its sheath. The sheath read ‘McIntosh Apple’. Unsheathing the knife and inching out of the cupboard, she saw to her relief that Sunset was nowhere to be found

“Now's my chance. All I need to do is get to the phone and call the police,” she thought.

Keeping her eyes and ears peeled, Sweetie crept into the living room. Seeing the phone a few feet from her, she raced over to it, only to be stopped when she felt an iron grip on her shoulder.

“Gotcha,” Sunset taunted. “Now, you're--”

Thinking quickly, Sweetie Belle whirled and tried to stab Sunset’s shoulder, only for her attack to be halted when Sunset caught her wrist and pulled. The world rotated in Sweetie Belle's vision before she found herself painfully slammed into the floor on her belly. Kneeling on Sweetie's back, Sunset twisted the captive girl's wrist painfully, forcing the knife out of Sweetie Belle's hand. Bracing Sweetie's upper arm with one hand and holding her forearm with the other, Sunset said, “This might hurt a bit, but just remember: You brought this on yourself.”

Using her superhuman strength, Sunset wrenched Sweetie's arm backward, breaking her elbow. Sweetie screamed as Sunset laughed, getting up and watching in sick delight while the pale girl cradled her broken arm. Looking up at Sunset as tears streamed down her cheeks, Sweetie Belle said, “Why, Sunset? Why are you doing this?”

“Do you really have to ask?” Sunset asked incredulously. She knelt down and grabbed a fistful of Sweetie's hair. “Are you really that dense? Well, maybe this'll jog your memory!”

Sunset slammed Sweetie's head into the floor, knocking the prone girl out cold, her forehead bleeding from the impact. Sunset quickly grabbed the knife and got up. Eyeing the phone on an end table near the couch, she walked over and cut its cord.

Quickly sheathing and pocketing the knife, Sunset returned to Sweetie Belle and picked the unconscious girl up, muttering, “Damn, you're way heavier than you look. Guess that bitch Rarity let you have too many snacks before dinner.”

Carrying Sweetie Belle over her shoulder, Sunset walked back to the treehouse at a leisurely pace. When she eventually reached her destination, Sunset was delighted to see that Applebloom and Scootaloo were still there, holding each other and sobbing in pain. The girls shouted in despair when Sunset dropped Sweetie Belle to the floor in front of them.

“Now, you three stay here while I go get McIntosh’s truck ready,” Sunset commanded.

“What d'ya need my brother's truck for?” Apple Bloom asked.

“For transport, you idiot,” Sunset snapped. Leaning in close, her eyes as black as night, Sunset growled, “See, my plans don't end here. You think this is bad? Wait until I hit you three where it hurts the most.”

Turning around, Sunset laughed as she headed back outside and down the path to the truck. Seeing that Big McIntosh was coming around, Sunset knelt down next to him, saying, “Don't worry, McIntosh; your sister's in good hands. You just sit here and relax for a bit while I take care of her.” Quickly drawing the knife, Sunset jammed it into Big Mac's right knee, causing him to howl in pain. "Besides, you look like you could use the rest," Sunset said, snickering.

While Big Mac writhed, Sunset pulled his keys, wallet, and cell phone from his pocket. Getting into the truck, she started the old rust bucket up, cooing as she listened to the engine rev with a strength that belied the truck's appearance. "And now for one last thing before heading home," she thought.

Driving back to the tree house, Sunset pulled some old cloth and rope from the back seat of the truck and quickly set to work binding and gagging the young girls. It took three trips and a lot of struggling, but she finally loaded them into the truck.

“Whew! They put up more of a struggle than I expected. All that work made me hungry. I guess I can stop and get some food on the way home," Sunset thought, her stomach growling as she returned to her human form. "Should I get something for the others?" She shook her head. "Nah, fuck 'em. Except for Sonata. Yeah, you know what? Caballos Tacos sounds pretty good.”

Thinking about dinner while the three helpless girls struggled in the back seats, Sunset pressed her foot on the gas and took off, leaving Big McIntosh and Granny Smith to their fate.

Choices (Edited and Tilted by Icecreammac)

Sunset drove for nearly two hours in silence, leaving the three girls to whimper and struggle, though their struggles ended after the first twenty minutes of the trip. Finally, as Sunset neared her destination, she broke the silence. “Don’t worry, girls; we're almost there. I know you're probably hungry, so I'll leave some food and water for you, even though it's more than you deserve.”

Each of her captives gave her a worried look as Sunset drove along the broken, dirt road under the setting sun. Getting to her destination a half-hour later, Sunset pulled over, shut off the truck, got out, and set to work moving the girls. She took Apple Bloom first, saying as she hefted the frightened thirteen-year-old over her shoulder, “Now, don’t struggle, kid. You don’t wanna make me angry.”

As Sunset approached the building, Apple Bloom saw a worn-out, stone sign in front that read ‘Cryst--’, the rest of the words having worn away with time. The building was bricked and boarded up, and nature was in the middle of reclaiming the place. The spreading shadows of the evening sun simply served to make the building darker and more menacing. Carrying her captive inside and down a filthy hallway, Sunset reached a room that had clearly seen better days. Setting Apple Bloom down on a very old, musty bed, she ungagged the farm girl.

“Where are we?” Apple Bloom asked, scared. “What are you gonna do ta us?”

“This is an abandoned insane asylum. As for why you're here, it's simple: You're bait. I need a way to get your sisters all in one place too far away from civilization to go for help, and what better way than to use their dear sisters to lure them in?”

Seeing that Sunset was leaving the room, Apple Bloom yelled out, “Sunset, let me go! Ah won’t tell anyone about this, Ah swear.”

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Apple Bloom watched as Sunset closed the door and locked it. To her fright, Apple Bloom noticed that the door had bars on its window and locked from the outside, cluing her in that she wasn't just in a bedroom; she was in a cell.

Leaving Apple Bloom alone in the silent, dark asylum cell, Sunset headed back outside, returning with Scootaloo a few minutes later. She placed the young athlete in the same room as Apple Bloom, and once Sunset undid Scootaloo's gag, the teen begged, “Please let us go, Sunset! We're so sorry for everything we did to you!”

“'Sorry' doesn’t cut it anymore. I've heard those words too many times to believe they mean anything!” Sunset got in their faces and glared venomously at them. “Never again will I sit back and let assholes like you take advantage of me. Love? Friendship? It's all a lie! And I'm through with believing in lies.”

Sunset stalked out of the room, going back outside one last time to get Sweetie Belle, who was crying in the back of the pickup. Somehow, her gag came loose from her mouth. Looking at the sobbing teen angrily, Sunset snapped, “Get up, bitch! It's your turn.”

“Why? Why are you doing this, Sunset?” Sweetie asked as she tried to choke back her tears.

“You're still on that?" Sunset snapped. "Well, let me enlighten you. Not only did you three begin a chain reaction that destroyed my life, but you also broke my parents' hearts! They were the only people in both worlds who ever truly cared about me, and you hurt them in the worst possible way. Even before I killed myself, you should've seen the pain in my mother's eyes whenever I told her about yet another person hurting me or yelling at me, pain that you three caused.”

“B-But, you're back now! Didn't you go see them?”

“No, I didn't. They probably already know by now after the stunt I pulled at the dance, but I never went to see them in person."

"Why not?" Sweetie asked slightly indignantly. "If they're so important to you, why didn't you show them their daughter is alive?"

Sunset counted on her fingers. "Well, for starters, the cops are on my tail, and I don't want to bring them to my parents. Secondly, they'll know how I've come back, and that'll just do more harm than good. And last, but not least, I don't want them getting involved in something that could just end up hurting them." Sunset re-gagged Sweetie and hefted the teen over her shoulder. "But enough about that. You have some scum to join.”

Sunset carried Sweetie to the cell, where she placed the crying girl on the bed next to the others. Before she left, she ungagged and untied Sweetie Belle, allowing the girl to cradle her broken arm and began untying her friends. Locking the door behind her, Sunset smirked through the bars and said, "Now, I need to go run some errands. Don't go anywhere." Sunset's laughter echoed through the halls as the girls hugged each other and silently cried.

“Now to get some food and water to keep them alive. And something to keep them warm, I guess," Sunset said, a chilly gust of wind reminding her that winter was still on. Pulling out Big Mac's wallet, she counted the money and tutted. "Looks like I'm gonna have to shop cheap if I want enough food and water to last." She climbed into the truck and settled back into the seat, almost jumping when the cold faux leather touched her back. "That's right: I destroyed my shirt during my little episode back at the farm. Guess I was too worked up to notice something like this."

Sunset dug around in the back, hoping to find something to cover herself; her back and shirt would just draw too much attention. She smiled when she found a light coat and hastily put it on. Feeling less exposed, she pulled out Big Mac's map to plan her trip. Her eyes lit up when she noticed that there was a farm nearby. "Bingo. I should be able to stretch this cash out a little more on a farm, and there won't be anyone nearby to notice me." Her mind made up, she made her way to the farm in the growing darkness.

The drive was uneventful, spent mainly with Sunset thinking of a convincing story for the farm owners, and after ten minutes, Sunset found herself knocking at the door of a quiet farmhouse, potted flowers dotting the windows and patio while the orange glow of the sunset gave the house a tranquil, lived-in look.

The door opened, revealing a small, elderly woman. The woman flashed a neighborly smile. “Hello, dear. How may I help you?”

"Uh, hi, ma'am," Sunset said, wearing a faux-sheepish smile. "Sorry to bug you so late, but my friends and I are going camping, but while we were at a rest stop, some raccoons stole all our food and blankets. And it turns out that someone didn't pack enough water for the cabin. So, uh, if it's not too much to ask, could I maybe buy some food, water, and blankets?" Sunset ended her speech with as hopeful a smile as she could muster.

"Oh, you poor dear, of course, you can," the woman said sympathetically. "It's just my husband and me here, so we have plenty to spare. How much do you need?"

“Uh, about two weeks worth,” Sunset said shyly. "And enough blankets for three people."

“Well, it's a lot, but I can't just turn away a nice, young woman in need. Wait right here.” The woman closed the door and went inside, where Sunset could hear her talking to her husband. After about ten minutes, the door opened up, and the woman reappeared with a large wagon holding several sacks of vegetables and jugs of water. A stack of folded blankets sat behind the edibles. "Here you go. Just go ahead and leave the wagon when you finish loading your truck; we'll take care of it."

Sunset pretended to sigh in relief. “You're a lifesaver, ma'am. Oh! Do you have an extra first aid kit? We forgot ours at home.”

“Why, yes, we do.” The woman went back inside for a few moments, returning with the kit and placing it in the wagon. "Here you go."

Sunset quickly paid the woman and set to loading the truck. Just as she finished and got ready to leave, the old woman stopped her, saying kindly, “Here, dear, take these pies with you, free of charge. Veggies are fine and all, but sometimes, something sweet is in order.”

Sunset smiled gratefully, already able to smell the baked cherries in the pies and planning to keep them for herself. "They're too good for those brats," she thought. Placing them in the passenger seat, she thanked the woman and returned the wagon. Finally, waving goodbye, she climbed into the truck and drove back to the asylum.

Getting out of the truck, she began unloading her cargo, when her eyes fell onto the asylum's stone sign, and she found herself unable to look away. Slowly, her anger began building as her memories of Crystal Ridge returned from the depths of her subconscious. Grinding her teeth nearly to the point of breaking them as memories of her dismissal played out in front of her eyes, she grabbed a log and flung it at the sign with as much force as she could muster, bellowing, “Damn you, Celestia!” The log shattered on impact, destroying the sign with it.

Breathing heavily, she forced herself to calm down before she attracted any unwanted attention. Deciding to keep her body and mind occupied, she began unloading the truck, taking several more trips than, were really necessary to get everything inside. The girls stayed silent whenever she was in the room, the look in her eyes making it clear that she really, really didn't want to hear anything from them.

Once she had everything inside and was sure the kids had enough supplies to last a while, Sunset wordlessly walked back to the truck and climbed in, where she sighed and said to herself, “Soon it'll all be over. I'll have my revenge, and then, I can find a new home far away from this shitstain of a city.” She looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. "I'll have to find a way to support my family from a distance. It's better if they don't end up living" Sunset started the truck and got back on the road. "With a monster."

Under the light of the streetlights and the moon, Sunset found herself driving down the Canterlot streets. She was only paying enough attention to avoid hitting anything, but that changed when she saw Gilda, Summer, and Sonata rounding a corner a short distance ahead. Surprised and slightly suspicious, Sunset pulled the truck over and honked the horn, catching the woman's attention. The three rushed over to her, each wearing a different expression: Gilda worried, Sonata happy, and Summer angry.

“Sunset!” Sonata squealed. “How'd you know we'd be around here?”

“I didn’t," Sunset said, "Why aren't you back at the apartment? I would've figured you gave up looking for me hours ago.”

“We did,” Summer said irritably, opening the passenger door and helping the other two in. After she herself climbed in, ignoring Sunset's warning glare, she said, “As for why we're out here, some idiot set off the fire alarms, which made someone call nine-one-one. So, when the cops and fire department showed up, Gilda freaked out and punched one of them.” She finished with a pointed glare at Gilda.

“Don't you pin all the blame on me!" Gilda snapped, "I just gave one a black eye. You were the one who used your magic and threw one across the street!"

"Only because I was trying to protect you!" Summer retorted. "If you couldn't tell, they were gonna rush you after your little stunt."

“Sunset, guess what!" Sonata said, interrupting the argument. Before Sunset had a chance to guess, Sonata shouted, "Gilda's pregnant!" Oblivious of Gilda's angrily shocked look, Sonata continued gushing, "She's already two or three months along! Can you believe none of us noticed sooner? She's gonna be a mom! Isn’t that great?”

Groaning in irritation, Gilda said, “Damnit, Blue, I wanted to be the one to tell her that!” Looking to Sunset as Summer reached back took Gilda's hand into her own in camaraderie, Gilda added, “So, uh, yeah, I'm pregnant. Surprise. So, now that we're on the run--again--we need to find a new place to stay until we figure out our next move. Any chance you know a place?”

Shaking her head, Sunset said, “Gilda, you've been on the run for weeks. Don't you think it's time to go back to the police and try to sort things out? I mean, you don’t wanna raise a baby on the road, do you?”

Looking down, Gilda said, “It's not that simple.”

“Why not? Okay, you're on parole, but again, it's better than--”

“It's because of Sombra, damnit! I have to get out of this damn city before he gets his hands on me!”

“Babe,” Summer gently stroked Gilda’s hand with her thumb. “Why's that monster so deadset on getting rid of you? Seems kinda excessive for some random street girl.”

Gilda was silent for a moment, the expressions on her face betraying her internal argument. Eventually, she relented, saying, “What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this truck, got it?" When all three listeners nodded, she hesitantly said, "I have dirt on him. I have books and ledgers that can put him and his entire crime syndicate away for good. And I'd turn them over to the cops, too, but doing that isn't just risking my own life anymore.”

"What do you mean?" Sunset said, "Sounds like the cops are the best place to go to about this."

“No, they aren't. He has them all in his pocket, including Jade. I saw her name in his books. I know he's paying her to kill me,” Gilda said, fighting back tears, “Why the hell do you think I'm trying so hard to get away from her? I'm not afraid of some parole board; once they know I'm pregnant, I'm pretty sure they'll keep me out of prison. I'm afraid of hired guns.”

“What about that guy you called at the hospital?" Summer asked, "Who was he, and can you trust him to help us out?”

“He was my cousin, and we really don't get along. I don't know if I can trust him, but I don't really have a choice, do I?”

“Sure you do,” Sunset said plainly. “Look, Gilda, I'm not gonna pretend I know what you're going through, but you don't seem to be getting anywhere with what you're doing. You either stay on the run for the rest of your life, or you stand and fight for your freedom.”

After a moment of consideration, Gilda sniffed and wiped away her tears, saying, “Sunset, I know we haven't really seen eye-to-eye recently, but can I trust you to take me someplace safe?”

“Yeah, but I'm gonna warn you: After I get you three to a safe place, that's it. I don’t want you three or your baby involved with me or my goals anymore,” Sunset said sternly.

Summer looked irritated, while Sonata looked positively heartbroken. Gilda, however, simply said, “Fine. Take us there.”

"Don't you need those books?" Sunset asked.

"You think I'm letting them out of my sight?" Gilda asked sarcastically, opening her jacket and revealing the books in her inner pocket. "I carry them with me wherever I go. Might be a bit more dangerous, but if Sombra gets his hands on them, I at least want to know about it. Even if he takes it from my cold, dead hands."

Sunset solemnly nodded and started the truck, heading straight to her hideout, the mood tense and silent through the whole trip.

The New Hideout (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

The dim light of the moon and the chilly wind did little to assuage the dour mood inside the truck. Sonata had taken the driver's seat, both because Sunset only had a permit and also to allow Summer and Gilda to sit next to each other.

“So, where are we going, Sunset?” Gilda asked, trying to distract herself and the others from the bad vibes permeating the truck.

“I already told you. We're going to my hideout,” Sunset replied flatly.

"Well, yeah, I got that," Gilda said, rolling her eyes. "But, like, where is it? What's it like?"

"You'll see when we get there. I'm sure you'll like it," Sunset said with a hint of finality.

Gilda kept quiet after that, and silence once again dominated the truck. Sometime during the trip, Sonata's sullen mood gradually faded as her sad expression slowly transformed into an angry one. By the time they reached Sunset's hideout, she was fuming, though no one was particularly eager to ask her about the matter, not wanting to be on the receiving end of her temper. As soon as she stopped the truck, Sonata practically leaped out, yelling, “I can’t believe you want me out of your life, Sunset!”

“Please go inside, Sonata. We’ll talk later,” Sunset replied, still inside the truck. “It's cold out here, and I want to get at least a little warmed up before I leave.”

As Sonata stomped toward the building, Sunset got out, letting Gilda and Summer out as well. Finally outside the surprisingly cramped cab, Gilda and Summer stretched their legs, getting a good look at their hideout.

“Welcome to your new home, girls,” Sunset said with a slight smirk on her face. “Come on, let me show you to your rooms.”

Standing in front of them, barely illuminated by the crescent moon, was a dark, decrepit motel. Its signs were faded and damaged, many of the windows were boarded up, and the sorry excuse for a pool was filled with stagnant water, its liner rotted away in many places. Graffiti decorated several parts of the walls, though to Gilda's relief, she didn't recognize any of the gang signs. When they finished taking it all in, Gilda said, “Geez, this place is a dump. It looks even worse than the apartment, and that's saying something.”

“That's what makes it a good hideout," Sunset said, "No one ever comes around here. Well, besides the occasional bum." Sunset began leading them to the main office, Gilda following along reluctantly as if she expected the place to collapse under the slightest of breezes.

“This place is disgusting, Sunset!” Gilda whined out as she gestured at the scene. “You can't expect us to stay here. I'm probably gonna get a disease just looking at the place.”

“Gilda, we're not here for a vacation, remember?" Summer said chastisingly. "We need to lay low for a bit. Besides, once we get out of the city, I'm sure we can find a better place. Now, no more whining or complaining, alright? Besides, it's not that b--”

Summer's words were cut off as a cold gust of wind picked up a bit, causing one of the few remaining shutters to fall from its hinges. Gilda glared at Summer, who sheepishly looked away, her mouth shut. Ignoring the two, Sunset continued, “It's got several rooms that are still able to be used, each one with an only-slightly lumpy bed and somewhat hot running water. It's also got a firepit out back, which is great for cooking. Just don't use it at night if you don't want anyone seeing you.”

“Oh, what luxury! I bet the fireplace is made out of gold and silver, too,” Gilda said sarcastically. “Downplay it all you want, Sunset, but this place sucks.”

Sunset sneered but said nothing as the group entered the lobby, where they reunited with Sonata, who stood slightly off to the side, moping. Wasting no time, Sunset quickly pulled a couple of keys from under a pile of moldy papers in an office off to the side.

“What the--” Summer said in surprise as she tried to flip a light switch several times. “Come on, you piece of shit, turn on already!”

"Aww, what's wrong? The big, bad Thirteen afraid of the dark?" Sunset cooed, a slight smirk on her face. "Perhaps you should use that magic you're so proud of."

"Not funny, Fourteen," Summer spat, flipping the switch a few more times. "And I'm not scared! I just hate the dark."

Sunset watched in amusement for a few more moments before finally leading the group down the hall, grabbing a few battery-powered lamps on the way. "No electricity," she said simply. Summer and Gilda just shot her stern glares.

Sunset lit one of the lamps, and soon, the group stood in front of one of the rooms near the lobby, where Sunset said, “Alright, this will be Gilda’s and Summer's room.”

The room was decently sized for two people, though that was about the only good thing to be said about it. The mattresses and bedding were moldy and moth-eaten, the blue paint on the walls had long since faded to mostly gray, the wallpaper was peeling and rotted, and the television was broken as if someone smashed it with a hammer. Off to the side was a small bathroom, the tiling, bathtub, toilet, and sink each stained with mold, mildew, and other stains that the girls decided not to think too hard about.

“You’re kidding, right?” Gilda asked, taking in the condition of the room. “You have got to be joking.”

“Nope,” Sunset replied curtly, handing a brass key to Gilda. “This really is your new home, Gilda. I know it isn’t the Queen or the Pony Six, but it'll have to do till I can get you three someplace else.” Gilda wordlessly snatched the key from Sunset's hand. Nodding, Sunset motioned to Sonata, and the two turned to leave. "Oh, and Gilda," Sunset said as she stood outside the room, eyes narrowed. "Just remember that you were the one who asked for my help on such short notice. So how about you stop looking that gift horse in the mouth, huh? Wouldn't want it to bite you." With that, Sunset closed the door, and the two were off to the siren's new room.

Once Sunset and Sonata were gone, Summer locked the door and noted Gilda's sour expression, saying, “Oh, come on, Gilda, it's not that bad. I mean, look: You have your own bed, and we don't have to share the bathroom with three other people.” Summer finished with a hopeful smile, trying to calm Gilda's fears.

“Sure, Summer. It's a real five-star experience,” Gilda said, still unimpressed. She made a show of taking a deep breath through her mouth. "Mmmm. You can practically taste the asbestos." Dropping the sarcasm, she continued, “I'm telling you, this place is a deathtrap.”

Deciding to take a load off and try to calm her nerves, Gilda walked over to one of the beds and moved to sit down. Before her rear touched the bed, however, a thought occurred to her. Straightening back up and nervously grasping the sheets and blanket, Gilda yanked them back, startling over thirty cockroaches that had been resting under the sheets. As the bugs immediately scattered, Gilda jumped back, exclaiming, “Oh, fuck this! That does it. There's no way in hell I'm staying here!”

After walking a bit down the hallway, Sunset noticed Sonata’s mood had still not changed. Wanting to leave on good terms with her, Sunset unlocked a door in front of Sonata and said, “Listen, Sonata. I know you're upset, but I never said I didn’t want you in my life. I simply don’t want to take the risk of you getting hurt, is all.”

“Then why'd you say you didn't want us involved with you anymore? Sure sounds like you don't want us in your life,” Sonata snapped, pouting.

“Because the only reason I'm here is because of the Demon's Heart. I'm a danger to everyone around me, so I'd like everyone around me to be those who deserve that danger.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Anon-a-Miss. I have the girls that set up the whole Anon-a-Miss account. Had to get the information from Trixie, but--”

“That girl you took? You didn’t hurt her, did you?” Sonata asked, worried.

“I was going to, but I decided to have some fun with psychology instead. Honestly, I'd be more worried about her friends. But none of that's important. What's important is that I have Anon-a-Miss, and my plans are finally bearing fruit, and it will be sweet, indeed.”

"Sunset, this isn't healthy," Sonata said worriedly. "This whole obsession with revenge. I've seen what it does to people. I've seen what it's done to my own sisters. I've seen what it's done to me. Getting your revenge on Anon-a-Miss isn't going to make you happy; you're just going to turn that anger on someone else, and eventually, the only one left to hate will be yourself. All of that hate and anger will just end up destroying you."

"Destroying me?" Sunset said incredulously. "It's giving me life! Weren't you paying attention? The only reason I'm alive is because of Dumbbell--who I did hurt, by the way--he stabbed me with the Demon's Heart. Literally, the only thing keeping me going is the hatred and evil in me."

"But don't you want something more out of life? Happiness, fun, love, anything good?" Sonata demanded desperately.

"Of course I do!" Sunset almost shouted. "Do you know how many dreams I had before Anon-a-Miss? Before I killed myself? How many goals and great things I had that kept me going even when things got tough?" Sunset fought to keep her tears at bay, but the battle was a losing one. "But those days are gone, Sonata! Those dreams and goals and great things are gone! All I have is my anger and hate, and neither of us can change that, so you're best off giving up and forgetting about me!"

Before she could wipe her eyes, Sunset suddenly felt Sonata's lips pressed against her own in a forceful kiss, rendering Sunset still. When Sonata ended the kiss, she sternly looked Sunset in her teary eyes and said, “I'm not giving up on you. Ever! I'm a siren, Sunset. There's a lot I don't know, but I do know dark magic, and I'm sure that I can help counter yours with the light magic you gave me. You just have to let me.”

“Don't you get it!? You can't help me, Sonata! When an evil being or dark magic or whatever is all that's keeping me around, you can't just take it away! Not until I've had my revenge."

"Forget about your revenge, Sunset!" Sonata snapped. "Revenge isn't going to change what happened to you. Revenge isn't going to bring back what you lost. All that revenge is going to do is pile more and more guilt and hurt on your shoulders until it destroys you."

"But what else is there?" Sunset asked resignedly, shoulders slumped. "What else can I do?"

"You can move on, Sunset," Sonata said gently, leading Sunset to one of the beds. "I know it's hard, but you have to let go of this hatred."

"And let them get away with what they did?" Sunset asked, disgusted.

"Sunset, if Trixie knew who Anon-a-Miss is, I'm sure a lot of other people do, and I'm sure they won't let them get off scot-free. In the meantime, you can move to a new city, start a new life, and make new memories with new friends, with new experiences," as Sunset fell onto the bed, Sonata's voice softened as she finished, "and with me."

"Wh-What?" Sunset asked, fearing where the conversation was going.

Sonata bit her lip as she lay down on top of Sunset, gently and briefly kissing her. "I love you, Sunset. I want to go with you, be there to help you overcome your pain, and spend the next century of my life with you." Her voice took on a pleading tone. "We can forget all about this city and what happened here and live together, where you can finally be happy. All you have to do is let me get rid of the darkness inside you."

"No," Sunset breathed, beginning to panic as she tried to push Sonata off of her. "No, no, no! I can't go through this again. Get off, Sonata!"

“No! Not until you're cured of all your hate.” Sonata grabbed Sunset's wrists and pinned her arms to the bed with surprising strength. She pressed her lips to Sunset's again, slowly working her way down the struggling girl's neck. “You've been overworking yourself, Sunset. You haven't gotten a wink of sleep in days. Just relax and let me do this for you. I can remove the darkness infecting you, but you have to let me. I know you're scared, but I truly just want to help you."

Closing her eyes, Sunset stopped struggling and leaned her head to the side, baring her neck. Sonata smiled, moving her hands to rest gently on Sunset's shoulders as she began kissing Sunset's neck again. Seizing her opportunity, Sunset grabbed Sonata and swiftly reversed the pin, glaring down at the surprised and blushing girl now underneath her.

"I said no, Sonata," Sunset said sternly. "I can't-do this with you. I've rushed into love before, and it just ended up killing me. Now, I can't stand the thought of that manipulative, hurtful bitch. Rainbow hurt me deeply, Sonata, and I don't want that happening to either of us. And it will happen."

"But how could you be so sure?" Sonata whined.

"Because I'm a monster, Sonata!” Sunset snapped. "Why can’t you see me for what I am?”

"No, you're not!" Sonata said.

“Yes, I am! That's all that I am!” Sunset spat back. “I'm scared of what I am and of what I might do to you. Just let me go. Let me do what I have to do, and then, I can force Twilight to finally end my nightmare. It's better that way.”

"Sunset, I'm not Rainbow Dash! I won't ever do those things to you, and I know you'll never do those things to me. You're not a monster. You're a girl who's been beaten down and hurt. I can save you. I can make things right for you.”

Sunset slowly got off of Sonata with an irritated expression. “Alright. If words aren't going to convince you to leave me alone, then I'll just have to use drastic measures." Stepping back a bit, Sunset took off her coat and torn shirt, leaving only her bra on. Doubling over as her skin started to redden, Sunset continued coldly, “Maybe now, you'll see exactly what I mean.”

Sonata watched in horror as wings erupted from Sunset's back in a bloody spray as her skin turned a deep crimson. A pony's tail soon followed, erupting from her tailbone, stained with her own blood. Sunsets ears became pointed, and her eyes turned as black as night, a stark and disturbing contrast to the still-bright teal of her irises. Her canines and fingernails lengthened and sharpened. Slowly, her hair grew brighter, until it suddenly burst into flames. Slowly standing up, Sunset let out a loud, demonic roar, causing Sonata to instantly scramble backward in fear. Seeing the terrified look on Sonata’s face, Sunset said, “Take a good look, Sonata. This is what you have fallen in love with! A true monster!”

Turning away from her, Sonata screamed in fear, “No! This can't be real!”

Sunset tightly grabbed Sonata's arm and head, forcing the siren to face her and roaring, “Look at me!” Sonata looked Sunset in the eyes. "Tell me what I am, Sonata," Sunset commanded.

Sonata swallowed hard. “A fury! You're a fury,” she said, whimpering.

A confused look came over Sunset's face, but before she could say anything, the door behind her burst open, and Summer rushed in, screaming out, “Get away from her!”

Spinning on her heel, Sunset turned around, roaring at Summer, who lunged in, punching Sunset in the mouth and knocking her off balance. Falling onto the mattress, Sunset quickly leapt back to her feet and rushed Summer, tackling her and driving her out into the hallway and into a wall, cracking it. Hearing the commotion, Gilda came out into the hallway. Seeing Summer and Sunset fighting, she screamed, “Stop fighting, you two!” Sunset turned to glare at Gilda, who staggered back. "Holy shit!"

As Sunset began advancing on Gilda, Summer stumbled back to her feet. Her own skin became darker as her eyes turned a bright, piercing yellow and her canines elongated, curving slightly inwards.

“Get back here, you bitch! You want a piece of me, come and get me!” Summer bellowed. “I’ll rip you limb from limb!”

Summer tried to ignore the pain as bony protrusions reminiscent of a bat's thumbs burst from her shoulders, destroying her sleeves and staining them with blood. Her elbows produced thick, bony spikes, and sharp tips erupted from her knuckles. Letting loose a guttural roar, Summer lunged in just as Sunset turned to face her, slamming her fist into Sunset's face and flooring her.

“Stop,” Sonata yelled, rushing out into the hallway after the two, “For the love of Cantlantis, stop fighting, please!”

Seeing Gilda nearby, Sonata yelled, “Gilda, please, you have to make them stop! They’ll kill each other!”

“Are you crazy? I'm not getting in the middle of that!” Gilda said, eyes wide.

Sonata let out an exasperated growl. “Then I'll do it!” Sonata leapt to the side as Summer threw Sunset head over heels towards her.

"Blue, what are you gonna go?" Gilda asked worriedly.

“I'm going to drain Sunset's magic. It's the only way to stop them from killing each other.”

“Sonata, stay away from them! They’ll kill you!”

Ignoring Gilda, Sonata reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her red heart stone. She ran toward Sunset while the she-demon rose back to her feet.

Seeing that Sonata was coming, Sunset's eyes turned first a dark purple, then a deep red, and she positioned herself to pounce. Summer dashed toward Sunset, grabbing her by the neck and picking her up. Sunset struggled for a bit before Summer flung her into a rotted door. The door broke apart from the collision, and Sunset crashed into the room, sprawled on the floor. Just as Sunset began to pick herself up, Sonata rushed in, placing her heart stone to Sunset's chest. Instantly, the stone glowed a bright red as its magic began to drain Sunset. Roaring in fear, Sunset tried to get away from Sonata, only to find herself pinned to the floor by Summer.

“Hold on, Sunset. This will be over soon,” Sonata said through her tears. “I know you're scared, but I won’t hurt you.”

Everyone watched as Sunset slowly changed back to her human self while Sonata cradled Sunset in her arms. The deed was done, Sunset slowly lost consciousness, and Summer, reverting back to her own human form, lifted Sunset and carried her back to Sonata's room, Sonata and Gilda in tow. When Summer laid Sunset on the moldy bed, Sonata knelt beside it, draped over Sunset's chest, weeping. “I’m so sorry, Sunset.”

“Will Sonata be alright, Summer?” Gilda asked worriedly. "That looked rough."

“I don’t know," Summer replied. "I've heard of sirens doing something like that, but I never thought I'd ever actually see it.”

“I’ll be fine. I'm more worried about Sunset,” Sonata softly said, choking back her sobs. As Gilda and Summer looked questioningly at her, she continued, “I used my most powerful spell. It allows me to drain a pony's magic, but at a heavy cost to the pony. It'll take about a year for Sunset's magic to fully regenerate, and in the meantime, she'll be more tired, she'll get sick more easily, and she'll have periods of weakness and dizziness or even faint spells. It's such a dangerous spell that if I use it again on her before her magic regenerates, it'll kill her. So please, Summer, don't make me use it again. I want to help her, not kill her.”

“I don’t get it, Blue? Why are you so hellbent on helping her? Yeah, she gave us a hideout, but other than that, she's kind of a bitch,” Gilda said.

“I'm in love with her, Gilda,” Sonata replied softly, brushing a lock of Sunset's hair to the side.

Gilda and Summer exchanged glances before Gilda gently pulled Sonata away from Sunset and turned her around to make eye contact. “Sonata," Gilda said, "Sunset doesn’t love you. Whatever you're looking for from her, she won’t be able to give it to you.”

“Your wrong, Gilda! I know you are. Somewhere, under all that hate, Sunset is trying to be free of this. She told me she's scared of what she is hurt by what was done to her. I can’t just let her suffer, but I also can’t let her have her way with Anon-a-Miss, and I can't let her get to Twilight.”

"What do you mean? What does Twilight have to do with this?" Summer asked.

“Sunset was talking about forcing Twilight to 'end her nightmare'. I...I think Sunset wants Twilight to destroy her, and not just, like, put back into her grave. I mean destroying her entire body so that there will be no way she can come back again.”

Summer's eyes widened and her jaw fell open in disbelief. “Wha--Tha--But why!?”

“I don't know. We can ask her when she wakes up. She'll be out for a while, so you should have plenty of time to find supplies and a better place. I’m pretty tired, too, so I'll stay here with Sunset. And Summer?”

“Yes.”

“I know you and Gilda are worried about me, but I’ll be fine. I just need some rest.” Sonata tiredly looked back at Sunset. "I don't get it, though. I thought all the furies died out when I was young."

"Furies? What are those?" Gilda asked.

Sonata’s opened her mouth to answer but instead yawned, the fatigue from her spell catching up to her. "I'll tell you later. For now, it's nap time." Falling onto the mattress, she fell into a deep sleep.

When she was sure Sonata was asleep, Gilda said, "Okay, let's grab Sonata and get the hell out of here. Sunset's crazy and just tried to kill us. I'm sure Sonata will understand after a while."

Looking down, Summer said, “No, Gilda. This is her choice. I'm worried about her, too, but we can't just take Sonata away from Sunset. She’ll never forgive us.”

Angry, Gilda clenched her hand into a tight fist, saying, “Fine, Summer. We’ll do it her way for now, but we are not letting her out of our sight. Not when Sunset's around.”

“Fine. But this one time, we'll keep Sonata here; we need to go get some supplies.”

Gently picking Sonata up, Summer laid the sleeping girl flat on the mattress next to Sunset, pulling an old, ratty blanket over the two of them. Finished, she motioned for Gilda to join her in the hallway. The two left the building and got into the truck, Gilda taking the wheel.

“Where to, Summer?”

“We need food, clean clothes for Sonata and Sunset, and better bedding for all four us. We also need something to keep Sunset from getting loose if she changes again. I can’t take her on like that again.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. You were like a wild animal. What happened back there?”

“I think whatever made Sunset how she is is starting to affect me as well. So because of that, I want some way of putting her on a leash, so to speak. At least until I can figure this out.”

“I think I know where we can get everything we need. The only problem is that if Sunset wakes up while we're tying her up, she might attack us. I can’t risk our baby's life getting into a fight with her.”

Laying her hand over Gilda's stomach, Summer said confidently, “I know, babe, but don't worry; I think I know how to tie her up without waking her up.”

“Good. Then it's settled. We'll get what we need, then come back and make sure that Sunset can’t hurt anyone.” A terrifying thought ran through Gilda's head. "Oh shit, I think Sunset has Anon-a-MIss!"

"What makes you think that?" Summer asked, giving Gilda her full attention.

"Sonata said she can't let Sunset 'have her way with Anon-a-Miss.' I'm not sure, but the way she worded it made it sound like Sunset already has Anon-a-Miss somewhere. Summer, we have to find out where, or we're in deep shit!"

"We are?"

"Yes! It's called 'accessory to kidnapping', and as long as we're with Sunset, we're going to be suspects. I don't want a felony charge on my record, Summer; I got enough to worry about as is."

"Alright, alright. We'll get what we need, then I'll talk to her. Besides, we already failed that one girl she took. I don't want to fail another."

"Good. Let's get this over with, then. And we should make sure that Sonata doesn't get involved, as well. She's already piling enough on her plate." Another thought occurred to Gilda. "Wait, how are we going to pay for the supplies? I don't want to keep stealing to support myself or our baby."

Summer smirked deviously and said, "Oh, don't worry; I have a way."

Gilda looked askance at Summer and slowly said, "Okay," and let the matter drop. She started the truck and said, "Oh, and we are so talking to Sonata about her feelings for Sunset. I really don't like leaving her like this."

"We'll talk to her. Let's get going, already."

Gilda shifted into gear and pulled out of the motel parking lot, driving off into the night.

In another part of the city, a dark-blue car pulled up to Canterlot High School. A wizened man with a long, white beard stepped out of the car and slowly walked into the school. He walked straight to Luna's office, and, seeing the door open, he knocked on the doorjamb. Luna held up her finger and continued typing her report, her eyes glued to her computer screen. Grinning, the man said, “Luna Evenstar, it is good to see you again, too. It’s been almost fifteen years.”

Snapping her head up from her work, Luna rushed over to him, hugging him warmly and saying, “Star Swirl, I am so happy to see you!”

The Sirens' Prophecy (Edited by Icecreammac)

Sunset woke up a few hours after Gilda and Summer left, feeling something soft and warm pressing against her back. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sonata curled up next to her, lightly snoring. Sighing, Sunset thought, “Sorry, Sonata, but I have to leave. I can’t risk hurting you like that again.”

Trying hard to not wake Sonata, Sunset slowly stood up and got out of the bed, allowing the blankets to fall from her nearly naked body. "They undressed me? Pervs." She stretched a bit to get her blood moving. "Oh, well. My shirt was a wreck, and my skirt wasn't much better."

Making her way to the door, Sunset stopped just as her hand came to rest on the brass door handle when she heard Sonata softly moan, “Sunny...I love you...”

Sunset looked down, a look of shame coming over her. Softly, she growled to herself, “I can’t leave her like this.”

Making her way back over to the bed, Sunset gently pulled the blanket over Sonata’s shoulder, then folded the other half of the bedding over her, wrapping Sonata in a makeshift cocoon. Kneeling to one knee, she gently tucked a lock of hair away from Sonata’s face and behind her right ear. She kissed Sonata on her cheek, saying softly, “Sorry, but I can't stay, Sonata. I wish I could, but it wouldn't work out. You'll understand....someday.”

Turning back around, Sunset walked through the door, shutting it as quietly as she could. She made her way down the hallway to the room she frequented over the past few weeks whenever she had to get away from everyone.

The room was sparsely furnished. Beside the bed and nightstand, there was a recliner Sunset had dragged into the room sometime in the past, along with a broken mirror and an electric heater. A pile of old clothing sat near the bed. "That's new," Sunset mused, staring at the pile. Shrugging, she nevertheless walked over to pick through it.

“Okay, so I need Twilight to destroy me. How can I get that to happen?” Sunset muttered to herself while rummaging through the pile. “She’ll never fight a friend, so I'll have to force her. Now, how can I do that?”

Before long, Sunset found a new shirt to replace her old, torn one. She gave it a small whiff followed by a slight grimace. “It's smelly, but it'll do.”

Making sure to cut two slits in the back of the shirt with a shard of glass from the broken mirror, Sunset pulled the shirt on. Looking through the pile of clothing again, she soon found a pair of faded-black skinny jeans and a black leather belt. Changing into them, Sunset smiled to herself, purring as the clothes warmed her body against the chilly night. Except for her feet.

“Damn, forgot my boots in Sonata's room." Sunset scratched her chin in thought, finding herself staring at the pile again. "Hmm. I don't wanna go back and risk waking her up. Guess I can try my luck here again." Sorting through the pile one last time, Sunset didn’t find anything in her size, not even any socks. “Son of a bitch! You'd think whatever asshole was here last could've at least left me some good shoes!” She threw up her hands in frustration. "Fuck it! I'll just go barefoot."

Opening the sole window in the room, Sunset breathed in the chilly air of the winter night. She stepped out into the cold night, shivering as her bare feet touched the frost-coated ground. Closing the window behind her, she made her way to the parking lot and saw that the truck was gone. “Damnit!" she growled. "It's gonna take forever to get to Crystal Ridge now.”

Sighing, Sunset knelt down and closed her eyes, willing her wings to appear. Confusingly, she felt a great deal of resistance, forcing her to put a lot more effort than usual into growing her wings. “Come on, it shouldn’t take this fucking long to change!” she growled. Eventually, though, she felt her wings emerge from her back, fitting snugly through the slits in her shirt.

As her skin changed color, Sunset dashed forward and quickly leapt into the air, unfurling her wings. Giving them a hard flap, she soared high into the sky above the sleeping city.

“Hmmm. I could use something to eat and some fun before I go to Crystal Ridge," Sunset said to herself, smirking. "I need a new phone, as well.”

Sunset corkscrewed to a stop above the city. Before she could get her bearings, however, a feeling of severe dizziness overwhelmed her, and Sunset found herself falling to the city below. Trying to keep herself aloft, she spread her wings wide, trying to reorient herself while slowing her descent.

“What’s happening to me? I feel so sick,” she thought frantically.

Unable to regain control of herself, she slammed into a church’s steeple. Desperately clawing at the roof and trying to get a good grip, she slid off the roof towards the ground below. She screamed in fear as her body crashed into the pavement of an alleyway below her with a sickening thud.

Shaking her head to try to shake off the dizziness and blurred vision, Sunset slowly stumbled to her feet. “What the fuck just happened to me? Why do I...” Her words trailed off as her mind shifted back to when Sonata had placed her heart stone against her chest. “I need to find--”

A scream from deeper in the alley interrupted Sunset's thoughts. Growling at the distraction, Sunset nevertheless decided to follow the screams and investigate, quickly finding the source. A man was standing over a woman, a knife in one hand and the collar of the woman's shirt in the other. The woman herself looked like she was having a hard time simply remaining standing, her legs were shaking so hard. A sack of spilled groceries covered the ground at the woman's feet. Looking just past the woman, Sunset saw another man lying unconscious a few feet from her. The darkness of the alley hid the features of the aggressor, the victim, and the downed man. They hadn't yet noticed Sunset, and Sunset, surprised, watched for a little bit, taking in the sight.

“Help me, please! Anybody!” the woman shouted.

Sunset snapped out of her stupor in shock. “I know that voice,” she thought. "But why-- Sunset shook her head, deciding to act first and think later. “Get away from her!” she growled.

Turning around quickly, the man looked in fear as he saw Sunset's winged silhouette slowly approaching. “What the fuck!? Get away from me, you monster!” he shouted. He quickly put his knife against the woman's neck, screaming, “Stay back, or I’ll--”

Lunging in, Sunset quickly grabbed the man by his wrist and twisted. A loud, sickening crack echoed in the alleyway, punctuated by the man's pained cry.

“For the love of God, get away from me!” the man screamed, dropping the knife from his now-useless hand. Sunset wordlessly placed her other hand over his throat and quickly spun around, throwing the man to the end of the alleyway and away from his would-be victims.

“I’m so gonna enjoy feasting on your heart!” Sunset snarled, not noticing the woman helping the man slowing get back to his feet.

Preparing to charge again, she stopped when she heard her mother's familiar voice scream, “Stop!”

Turning back around to face her mother, Sunset slammed her eyes shut as a cellphone's flashlight brightened her features. As her eyes adjusted, she heard her father's shocked voice say, “S-Sunset?!”

Stumbling while she backed away from her mother and father, Sunset quickly found herself butt-first on the cold, hard ground, having tripped over her own two feet.

The mugger, having seen enough, ran out into the street, trying to get away from his attacker. The night air was filled with the screeching of tires and a nauseating crunch as metal struck flesh. All three occupants of the alleyway immediately stared toward the street, before Mr. Cake said to Sunset, “I have to get you out of here!”

“S-Stay back! I-I...” Sunset tried to scramble to her feet, stopping when she felt her father's arms wrap around her waist, pinning her wings to her back and arms down to her sides. “Pl-Please, I can’t let you see me like this! Not like this.”

Although her father was a bit shorter than Sunset was while in her demon form, he had a strength that belied his frame. Combined with Sunset holding her own strength back, Mr. Cake had little trouble holding her down. “Sunset, stop struggling!" he said. "Everything will be alright, but I need you to calm down.”

“No! Let me go!” Sunset sobbed as her tears broke the surface of her eyes. “I don’t deserve your love!” Her screams died down to quiet weeping. "I'm just a monster."

“Yes, you do. And no, you're not.” While his daughter struggled feebly to get free of her father, Mr. Cake continued softly, “Oh, God. We prayed so much that you would somehow come home to us, that God would return you to us.” Gently standing up and bringing Sunset up with him while she still tried in vain to break free, he said gently, “We have to get you someplace safe.”

“No! Let me go, Dad!” She shouted, her struggling increasing in intensity. Hearing footsteps approaching from the other end of the alleyway and fearing for her mother's and father's safety, Sunset quickly shoved her shoulders forward, knocking her father off balance. As her tears dried, staining her cheeks black, she said, “I’m sorry. I love you both, but I'm nothing but a monster. You're better off forgetting about me.”

To their horror, Sunset turned around, ran down the alleyway, and leapt back into the air, hearing her father and mother both scream out, “Sunset, come back!”

Embracing his distraught wife, Mr. Cake said softly as he held her in his arms, watching Sunset disappear from sight, “We’ll find some way to save her, dear. I swear it.”

“How, Carrot? I just want our baby back and for this nightmare to be--” Feeling a sharp pain in her stomach, Mrs. Cake groaned and collapsed into her husband's arms. Picking her up and rushing her to the entrance of the alleyway, he shouted to the crowd that was forming over the lifeless body of the mugger, “My wife's hurt. Somebody, help!”

Several people called for a paramedic as Sunset flew to another part of the city, growing angrier at herself by the second.

“I can’t believe I let them see me like this! Now they're just gonna try to find me, and I'm gonna end up hurting them. Now I really do have to force Twilight to destroy me!”

Tucking her wings into her back, Sunset dropped like a stone, slamming into the ground with a loud crash. Sunset lay there for a moment, moaning softly. "Strange. That used to hurt a lot less," she mumbled. As she slowly rose back up, she heard someone shout, “What was that?”

Looking over, Sunset saw Adagio and Aria leaving a restaurant--Sunset could hear just about every patron yelling angrily inside--and staring at her. Adagio's eyes widened in recognition, then narrowed. “Well, well, well, look who it is: the fallen angel herself. Long time, no see.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Adagio. Aria. Back to your old tricks already?"

"What can I say? We need energy before going back to Equestria." As Sunset walked toward them, Adagio paused, her smug grin fading when she got a good look at Sunset, replaced by an oddly nervous expression mirrored by Aria. "Uh, that's an...interesting new look for you," she said with a peculiar touch of worry.

"What are you--" Sunset cut herself off as she caught a glimpse of herself in the restaurant's window behind Adagio. Taken aback, she slowly moved forward, gently pushing Adagio aside to get a good look at her reflection.

Sunset's right wing was silver instead of black, and thick feathers covered it in its entirety. Her left was still black, but black feathers covered most of it, leaving only about a third of the bat membrane visible. Her face, although still similar to the demonic visage she was used to, was softer-looking, and her hair wasn't aflame.

“What the fuck did she do to me?!” Sunset finally shouted, glaring at the sirens.

“What did who--” Aria's eyes widened as she realized what Sunset was talking about. “Oh, for the love of Cantlintis, our sister did this to you,” she said, half surprised and half annoyed.

"Change me back!" Sunset snapped, grabbing Aria's lapels.

“I can't!" Aria snapped back. "Neither of us can. Now back off, bitch!”

Sunset's gaze shot to Adagio. “Explain. Now!”

Adagio rolled her eyes but said, “Fine. But not here.” Adagio hailed a cab and charmed the driver. She opened the driver's door and yanked him out of the car, saying, “I’ll drive, thank you.” Looking to her annoyed sister and Sunset, she added, “Get in. We have work to do, and I'd prefer to take this conversation on the road.”

“Fine, whatever," Aria said. She and Sunset got in the cab, Aria taking shotgun. “So, where to?”

“Hmmm, how about the church just down the block? We haven’t attacked a place like since the late sixties.”

"I don't care where you go. Just tell me what's going on," Sunset said impatiently.

"Fine. What do you want to know?" Adagio asked as they drove off.

"While I'd like to know about what Sonata did to me, let's get the more important question out of the way," Sunset began. "Why do you need so much energy?"

"A few reasons, most of which aren't important right now. The most important reason, for now, is that we should be able to force Sonata to stay away from Equestria." Adagio smirked, a plan reaching her mind. "Come to think of it, you might be able to help us with that, Sunset."

“You want me to help you hurt Sonata? Forget it! I'd rather die again then help either of you.”

“That can be arranged," Adagio grumbled. More loudly, she continued, "But maybe you would care to hear us out first?”

“Yeah, it's really not that bad," Aria said. "We just don't want Sonata going back to Equestria, and using our magic on her would use up too much energy and destroy her trust in us. I know you don't like us, and believe me, the feeling's mutual. Convince her to stay here, and we can both forget the other exists.”

Turning down the street and driving past the aforementioned church, Adagio cursed and sped through a red light, causing several cars to screech to a halt, horns blaring. “After you're done, we'll take you someplace safe. Then, you can do whatever you want,” she said, looking for a place to turn around.

“Fine, whatever," Sunset said, mimicking Aria. "But I don’t get it. Why don't you want Sonata to return to Equestria? She's already gone there before, and she came back fine.”

Slamming on the breaks and nearly causing Aria and Sunset to hit themselves on the glove compartment and headrest, Adagio yelled, “What the fuck do you mean she's has already gone home!?”

“It's true. She went home while I was in the hospital,” Sunset said, trying to calm her racing heart.

“But, the prophecy. We can’t let that happen again, Adagio,” Aria said in a shaky voice.

“What prophecy?” Sunset asked.

“None of your business!” Adagio snapped. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Oh, it's my business, alright. If you want me to help, then you’ll spill it about this damn prophecy.”

Adagio was silent as she got moving again, driving for half an hour in silence. A half-hour soon became an hour, then two, then three, when Sunset finally had enough. She growled, her eyes glowing red. “Answer me, Adagio, or I’ll kick your ass and toss Sonata through the portal myself. The choice is yours.”

Adagio kept her silence, but her anger was palpable. Pulling over on a bridge overlooking a small river, Adagio got out, slamming the door behind her as Aria and Sunset followed suit. Adagio walked over to the railing, glaring at Sunset and saying, “Fine, I’ll talk, but you have to promise me that you'll do all you can to stop Sonata from going home.”

“Fine. First, tell me what Sonata did to me when she used her heart stone on me.”

“It's a...special ability unique to her kind," Adagio began.

"'Her kind'?" Sunset parroted, confused.

"Ponies aren't the only ones with subspecies, you know," Adagio said impatiently. "Ours is just more nuanced. Anyway, this ability allows her to drain any magic being of their magic, but doing it too often will kill that being, so she doesn’t use it unless she has no choice.” Looking at Sunset as the girl took in the information, Adagio continued, “On a related note, I know what caused you to become a fury, Sunset. Well, part of one, anyways.”

“You know about the Demon's Heart?!” Sunset demanded, all other concerns leaving her thoughts.

“Know of it? It was a siren that created it," Adagio said, an odd look of sadness overtaking her features. "And it isn’t called the Demon's Heart; it's actually called the Fury's Heart, for trapped within it was the most powerful of all the furies: their queen Megaera.”

“Th-That can’t be. Princess Celestia wrote in her journal that it was called the Demon's Heart, that she got it from another version of herself when she visited another Equestria with Star--”

“Don't ever say that name in my presence!” Adagio screamed in rage.

“Fine, fine!" Sunset said, deciding to change the subject. "We can talk about the Fury's Heart later. I still want to know why you don’t want Sonata to go home, and so far, you've said nothing to convince me to stop her. So, how about that prophecy?”

Adagio looked away. “I-I can’t tell you. Suffice to say that if Sonata goes back, I'm going to lose her, and I can’t go through that.”

Sunset walked over and put her hand on Adagio's head, forcing the siren to make eye contact with her. "Look, Adagio. I may not like you, but I do like Sonata, and if knowing the prophecy will help me keep her alive, then I think I deserve to know. Now, tell me the prophecy," Sunset commanded, her gaze boring into the sirens.

Wearing an uncharacteristically meek expression, Adagio said, “Alright, you win. I'll tell you. But you won't like it.” Closing her eyes, Adagio sighed and began as her sister put a supporting hand on her shoulder,

“On wings of silver and black the harbinger tragic

Shall fly to fight both blood and Magic.

A need for love shall drive her hate,

But within she knows it is too late.

A dove will appear in the darkest hour,

And all she loves shall fear her power.

The weather shall her whims obey.

For good or evil, she'll decide that day.

A crown of blue above a warrior's head shall appear,

But the sign will but strengthen her wards' fear.

Her sense of honor gone, the cries of battle is all she shall hear.

Magic and maiden will through a mirror be wrenched,

And the warrior shall in fire be drenched.

Kindness shall die while Chaos rages,

And a war for a crown will reap its wages.

Laughter shall despair, her spirit harpooned,

As mutilated soldiers tend to their wounds.

The queen shall strike and seize another's power,

And Hope is born in the warrior's darkest hour.

The moon shall fall in the bloody strife,

While Faith shines the way through the cave of lost life.

Trust brings the warrior back to her feet,

A true friend's words to her own doubt beat.

She puts the ghosts that haunt her to sleep.

Loyalty will be tested and Honesty bested.

Compassion shall be taken and a horror awakened.

The horror shall fall to a siren's dying call.

The youngest of three lies dead, the price of the titan's head.

The Windigo queen shall return as Cantlantis burns.

The sun is sealed in a cage as all else succumbs to the queen's boundless rage.”

Sunset was silent for a while after Adagio finished. “Are you saying that I'm the one to do all that, Adagio?” she finally asked.

“No, you're not. But you are the harbinger,” Adagio said hesitantly.

“I don’t understand. How do you know? What does that mean?” Sunset stammered, her questions spilling out.

“It means you walk a fine line, Sunset. You have a choice to make, one that will not only change how the rest of your life will play out but will also affect the lives of thousands. You can stop all the horror I spoke about from happening, but only if you choose to set aside your hatred.” Adagio fished around in her pocket before pulling out her phone. She tossed it to Sunset. "Here," she said.

"Really?" Sunset asked, catching it and turning it on, noting that it wasn't password-protected. "You're just giving it to me?"

"Why not? Aria and I aren't planning on coming back to this wretched world, so we won't be needing them." Finished, Adagio got back in the taxi, adding, “Now go, Sunset. Choose your path, and may you find the peace that you so badly want.”

Without responding, Sunset summoned her wings and took off towards Crystal Ridge with purpose, thinking as she landed near the entrance, "Sorry, Adagio, but I made my choice long ago. As for Sonata, well, I'm sure I can find a way to have my cake and eat it, too. But first, I have some other business I need to attend to."

The Rules of War (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

Here is what the sword that Twilight is trying to hold looks like. Zweihander.

The Rules of War (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Twilight sat on Celestia’s couch, looking at a photo album while Celestia sat outside on her porch. In one hand, Celestia held a long yet simple sword. In the other, she held a whetstone. Each photo in the album depicted Celestia, Luna, Eventide, or some combination of the three, often with other family members present. However, Twilight couldn't help but notice something missing.

“That’s odd. I don’t see any photos of Eventide’s father in here,” Twilight muttered to herself. “I wonder if Celestia took them out.”

Intermittently, the sound of stone scraping along metal would disrupt Twilight's thoughts, forcing her to realign them, which began to try her patience. When she finally had enough, Twilight set down the album and got up, saying, “Principal Celestia?”

“Twilight, please don’t call me ‘principal’; I'm not an educator anymore,” she heard the regal woman reply from outside. “Call me something more informal, like 'Tia'. That's what my...sister calls me.”

“Alright. How are you feeling, Tia?”

Setting down her sword, Celestia took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she got up and looked out towards a wooded plot near her house. “Has Luna returned yet, Twilight?” she finally said.

“No, not yet, and that doesn’t answer my question. How are you feeling?”

“I guess I'm still angry with her for keeping Eventide's location from me. While I understand her reasons for it, it still hurts knowing what she did.”

Returning to the couch, Twilight picked up the photo album, flipping over to one of the many pages inside of it. One of the photos showed a young girl with red and yellow hair. She had a black right eye and stitches on her left cheek, while a row of stitches ran from over her right eyebrow down to her right cheek. The caption read, "Eventide, age seven. Canterlot Hospital."

“Why would you take a picture of your daughter when she was at a hospital?” Twilight said while staring at the photo.

“Huh? Oh, that. I wasn’t the one who took that. It was my father. He took that shortly after he picked her up from the hospital and started teaching her martial arts.”

“I see." A worrying thought crossed Twilight's mind. "A-Are you worried that if you find Eventide, you'll have to fight with her?”

Celestia didn’t reply right away, instead walking into another room with Twilight in tow. Getting into the other room, Twilight let out a soft whistle.

Various armors, helmets, clothing, and weapons were displayed in the room, covering almost every inch of the room's walls or surfaces. Celestia walked over to a helmet and picked it up, staring wistfully at it before sighing and setting it back down, moving to a sword and a set of daggers. Her musings were interrupted when Twilight said, staring at a suit of armor, “Is this the armor that you showed me at CHS?”

“No. That equipment actually belongs to my daughter.”

“Including this?” Twilight stared at a sword that stood six feet in length and had curved points extending from the blade about halfway up its length. “I don’t see how she could have used such a massive weapon.”

“It’s called a zweihander, and it's used in both hands.” Looking at Twilight, who had to crane her neck just to look at the pommel, with a touch of amusement, Celestia continued, “Would you like to hold it, Twilight?”

“Sure. That is, if you don’t think Eventide would mind.”

With a smile, Celestia said as she took down the massive sword. “I won’t tell her if you won’t.”

The sword's tip hit the ground with a soft thud as Twilight struggled to lift it, grunting with each effort to lift the weapon and keep it steady in her grip. Celestia couldn’t help but laugh lightly as she watched the seventeen-year-old girl struggle again and again to lift the heavy sword.

“Twist your hips. It'll help you pick it up.”

“Like this?” Twilight twisted to the right lifting the giant sword slightly off the ground. “This thing is heavy. How was Eventide able to pick it up, let alone use it?”

Grinning, Celestia was about to reply when she and Twilight both heard the doorbell ring. Looking in the direction of the hallway, Celestia grumbled, “Now who in the world would be at my door at this time of night?” Taking the sword from Twilight and putting it back in its place, Celestia left for the door, Twilight once more following along.

It wasn't long before the two reached the front door. Celestia opened it, preparing to give out to the visitor, when her words died in her throat, her eyes wide in shock as she beheld her old mentor and family friend standing next to her sister on the porch.

“S-Star Swirl?”

“Hello, Celestia. It is good to see you again.” Stepping aside, Star Swirl allowed Luna to pass him by without a word to her sister, continuing toward the same room that Princess Twilight and Celestia had just left. “Do not take offense to Luna’s behavior, Celestia. She is hurting as much as you are now.”

Seeing Twilight looking at him curiously, Star Swirl said with a wink, "And it's good to meet you, Princess Twilight."

Twilight jumped in surprise, saying, “Y-You know about me? But how?”

With a laugh, Star Swirl replied, “Yes, and I know about Equestria, as well. Luna filled me in on some of it, but honestly, the information is second-hand; she got her information from Sunset before she...well, before she passed away.” Star Swirl's tone was somber as he finished. Stepping further into the house and gently taking Twilight's hand into his own, he continued, “Allow me to fully introduce myself. I am Star Swirl Cat'an, and I am fully pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Twilight shook his hand with a light blush on her face, but something gave her pause. As she looked, she thought she saw a bit of magic gleam in the old man's eyes but quickly dismissed the thought. “It can’t be him," she thought. "Non-Equestrian magic doesn't exist here, and besides, he wouldn’t do that to Princess Celestia.”

Ending the greeting, Star Swirl softly said, “Now, I must speak with Celestia alone, if you don’t mind.”

Nodding, Twilight headed into the living room. When she was gone, Celestia said quietly, “Let’s go speak outside.”

Getting outside, Star Swirl leaned against the railing of Celestia’s porch. Taking out a briar pipe, he packed it with tobacco and lit it. Celestia watched him, letting him make the first move. Taking in a deep breath and letting the bluish smoke curl up towards his head, he said softly, “Luna tells me you want to go through the portal at the school. Is this true?”

“How do you know about the portal, Star Swirl?” Celestia asked tiredly, knowing where the conversation was heading.

“I just told you. Your sister told me about that, just as she told me about Twilight, as well as about Sunset's attempt to take over the school and about how she was betrayed by her former friends. She even told me about Equestria...and about Eventide.”

Leaning up against the railing with her arms folded on top of it, Celestia snarled out bitterly, “Oh, so she hides it from me for two fucking months but just tells you without a thought. Shows where her priorities lie!”

“That is quite enough, Celestia! Your sister means well, and as I said, she is hurting as much as you are. Do you think she wants to lose you, too? She wants you to stay in this world, where it is safer. Luna is also blaming herself for the loss--” Wordlessly, Celestia headed inside, her head bowed low. Star Swirl shook his head, mumbling to himself, “I see. I’ll have to resort to Plan B.”

Entering the house, Star Swirl followed Celestia to her kitchen, watching as she set a kettle of water on the stove. When Celestia saw him, she said sternly, “I know my sister meant well, but this--”

“Celestia, I know both you and Luna are very protective of Eventide. And who can blame you? First, you lose one daughter, then the second a decade later, and only just now do you know where she is--”

“How dare you bring that up, Star Swirl! You know damn well what that did to me," Celestia snarled as Star Swirl calmly listened. "To have your child taken from you, knowing that you should have been able to stop it, to live each day and count each birthday not knowing if she's alive or dead, is the worst pain I've ever felt. You have no right to bring her up!”

Taking another long puff and slowly letting it back out, Star Swirl said softly, “I was there, Celestia. I saw her get taken, and I saw Luna get hospitalized trying to stop it. You both did all you could, and now, when your second is so close to your grasp, I know you're ready to do all you can again. But to throw your life away in a foreign world you know next to nothing about? What good will that do for Eventide?”

Taking the kettle off the stove and setting it on the counter, Celestia stared coldly at it, saying bitterly and fighting back her rage, “I don't care. I wasn’t able to protect either my sister or my daughter that day, but now, I'm going to make sure Eventide's safe, even if it does kill me. I have no choice.”

“That is where you are wrong. You do have a choice. Let me or Twilight be the one to go and get her.”

"No," Celestia said curtly. "I'm her mother. I'll be the one to get her." With that, Celestia walked away. Star Swirl took another puff on his pipe before taking out an ashtray from within his coat pocket and tapping the ash from his pipe into it. "Okay, time for Plan C," he thought. Getting up, he said, “You know, it's a real shame there isn’t a kendo ring nearby. We could settle this little dispute and get some exercise in, to boot.”

Celestia stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Turning around, she stared at Star Swirl, “Really? We're going to decide who goes and saves my daughter with kendo?" Star Swirl just smiled mischievously at her, and Celestia sighed. "There's one in my basement. I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”

“Good. I’ll be downstairs, waiting for you.”

"I'll be the ref!" Luna shouted, rushing back into the kitchen.

Twilight popped her head into the kitchen, too. "What's going on?" She looked at Luna. "Ref for what?"

Luna looked excited. "Celestia and Star Swirl are going to have a kendo match. Star Swirl's gonna kick her butt! It'll be great.”

"What's kendo?" Twilight asked curiously.

"It's a sport where two combatants attempt to score points by striking their opponent's head, wrists, neck, or sides with a wooden sword called a Shinai," Luna explained.

"That sounds dangerous," Twilight said worriedly.

"Don't worry, Twilight. Both combatants wear armor, and Celestia and Star Swirl have been practicing kendo for years. They'll be fine. Now come on, I need your help." Luna led Twilight down into the basement, and Twilight saw a large, raised mat in the center of several others, each gray and blue in color.

“Is that where they'll be fighting?”

“Yes. As for us, well," Luna pulled out four flags from a nearby stand, two red and two white, and passed a red one and a white one to Twilight before continuing, "here.”

Looking at the flags, Twilight said, “What am I supposed to do with these?”

"You're going to be a referee," Luna said simply.

"What?" Twilight asked, surprised. "But I don't know the first thing about kendo."

“Relax, Twilight, it's easy. When you see Celestia land a hit on Star Swirl, raise the red flag. When you see Star Swirl land a hit on Celestia, raise the white flag. The match will continue until one of them scores two points.”

“I see. Look, as much as I'd relish the chance to observe and learn about a sport I've never heard of, can't we all just sit down and talk this out? Emotions are running high, after all, and I wouldn't want any accidents.”

“Twilight, my sister is very angry, and if she were to go out into the city with how upset she is, she could hurt either herself or someone else. At least this way, she’ll be too tired to put up much of a fight.”

Twilight sighed, saying softly, “Alright, but for the record, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“I know you don’t, but if Star Swirl thinks this is a good idea, I trust him."

Twilight said nothing, instead opting to get into position on the side of the ring a small distance from Luna as Celestia and Star Swirl entered the ring, both wearing unusual breastplates, thick gloves, and helmets with facemasks. They wore a simple black robe under the armor.

“Please, can’t you two just call this off?” Twilight begged. “I don’t want to watch either of you get hurt.”

"No, Twilight. I've known Star Swirl for years, so I know that if he suggested a match, there was a reason for it.” Looking to her opponent, Celestia continued, bowing, “Are you ready to begin, sensei?”

“Sensei?” Twilight blurted out.

“Twilight, hush,” Luna said.

“I am most certainly ready, my student,” Star Swirl said confidently.

With that, both combatants took their respective places. Luna held up her hand between the two combatants and waited for them to get ready. Placing her hand over the hilt of her Shinai, Celestia said, “You can walk away if you'd like, sensei. There will be no dishonor in it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Now, let us begin.”

Eyeing each of them, Luna let out a soft sigh. Slightly bending her left knee and lifting her right foot so only her toes touched the mat, she screamed out, “Hajime!”

As soon as Luna leapt back, the clacking and cracking sounds of Celestia's and Star Swirl's sword's echoed throughout the basement. Twilight watched, mesmerized and enthralled, as the two battled, moving in and out, countering and parrying, and trying their best to strike their opponent. Celestia swung at Star Swirl's side, and Star Swirl parried, pushing Celestia's Shinai away and trying to strike Celestia's right shoulder. Celestia blocked the attack just in time, countering with an attack to Star Swirl's right wrist, striking the inner glove.

Seeing the hit connect, Twilight quickly raised her red flag. Luna did the same, shouting, "Kote-bu!" Hearing Luna award Celestia her point, the two combatants moved back to the center of the mat.

“Celestia, this needs to stop!" Twilight said. "Please! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Twilight, for the last time, this is happening!" Celestia snapped. Twilight whimpered softly, and the two combatants readied themselves again.

Luna eyed the two and, adopting her previous stance, shouted, "Hajime!"

The two rushed back in, striking and countering and thrusting and dodging. Star Swirl blocked Celestia's overhead strike and attacked her side. Celestia ducked low to dodge the attack, swinging upward toward Star Swirl's exposed wrist. Star Swirl flicked his wrist, letting Celestia's attack hit the hilt guard of his Shinai and countering with a thrust of his own. Celestia dodged backward and risked a glance to the floor behind her, finding herself at the edge of the mat. Quickly taking advantage of her distraction, Star Swirl performed an overhead strike. Celestia just barely raised her sword in time to block the blow, falling to one knee under the impact. Pressing down with all his might, Star Swirl held Celestia in place.

Finally, her muscles straining under the pressure, Celestia yelled out, “Mattai!”

Backing away slightly while keeping his stance and sword ready for another attack, Star Swirl said, “Do you need to take a moment to rest, Celesta?” Celestia could hear the smirk in his voice. “You could just forfeit if it's too much for you. We won't think any less of you.”

Breathing heavily, Celestia stood up, raising her sword to an attack position and spitting, “Shut up and fight!”

Shrugging as he adjusted his stance, Star Swirl replied, “If you insist.”

“Hajime!” Luna yelled. The two lunged in, and with a speed that belied his age, Star Swirl took advantage of Celestia's fatigue, deftly moving under Celestia's attack and striking her in the side.

“Do-bu!” Luna called as the two referees raised their white flags.

Returning to her position on the mat, Celestia said, “I won’t let you win this battle, Star Swirl. Give it up, already!”

“No way. I’m having too much fun!” Star Swirl replied jovially, taking his own position again.

Luna assumed her position and yelled, “Hajime!” As soon as the word left her lips, Luna found herself ducking and scrambling to get out of way of the two combatants as they went at each other with furor, Celestia's temper at the tipping point. Star Swirl lunged in, performing another overhead strike. Celestia parried, moving fluidly and shifting her weight so that Star Swirl's momentum carried him past her and toward the edge of the ring. Lunging forward, Celestia put as much force in her swing as she could, aiming for Star Swirl's side. Star Swirl twisted and blocked just in time, but the force of Celestia's blow knocked Star Swirl off the raised mat and onto the padded mat below. Luna quickly yelled out, “Mattai!”

Celestia froze in her tracks with her sword above her head, ready to bring it down onto Star Swirl's chest. Looking to her sister, Celestia gave a nod and returned to her position on the mat while Luna quickly went to Star Swirl's aid.

“I’m alright. I don’t need any help,” Star Swirl said, brushing off Luna's hands as he got back to his feet. Seeing the worried look on Luna's face, he continued, “Don't worry, Luna. Trust me, this is more fun than the time when we all went fishing after we found out that Celestia was pregnant.”

“Didn’t you get caught by my fish hook?” Luna replied, deadpan.

“Yep!" Star Swirl replied happily. "Caught me right in the ear. I still have a scar from that. But now's not the time for reminiscing. I need to get back to the mat.” Gently placing his hands over Luna's, Star Swirl added softly, “I know how to end this, but I know she won’t like it.”

“Then do it, and do it quickly before she gets pissed enough to just run from here to the portal,” Luna demanded.

Nodding, Star Swirl got back onto the mat, readying himself for his final round with Celestia. Luna looked at her sister, then at Star Swirl. Holding her hand out between the two of them, she yelled out, “Hajime!”

The two lunged in, each trying to strike the other in the head, each dodging the blow. Celestia quickly found herself backing up as Star Swirl lunged in, performing three strikes simultaneously. Quickly blocking two of his strikes, Celestia tried to block the third when Star Swirl reached in and grabbed her wrist, catching her off-guard. As Celestia froze, Star Swirl flipped her to the ground and pressed his knee to her back. Celestia grunted in pain before yelling, “Mattai!”

“What's wrong?” Star Swirl said, letting Celestia up and taking his helmet off. “I didn’t hurt you too badly, did I?”

“What the hell was that!” Celestia spat back in rage. “You can't throw in kendo!”

Grinning while he took a knee as he tried to catch his breath, Star Swirl said, “Really? Because I just did, and there's nothing you can do about it.”

Her eyes narrowed, Celestia walked over to a nearby bench and began removing her armor. “You cheated, Star Swirl, so I win by default. I'm going to Equestria.”

“Open your eyes, Celestia!" Star Swirl snapped, suddenly very angry. "Yes, I cheated, but guess what? There are no rules in war! You have to be ready for anything, and if you force yourself to act honorably and play by the 'rules', you're just going to get killed! The three of us all love you too much to let that happen.”

"I don't care!" Celestia shouted. “She is my daughter, and I will be the one to save her! I already lost Twilight, I'm not losing Eventide, too!” Celestia fell to her knees, sobs wracking her shoulders as the other three, especially Twilight, froze at her outburst. "She doesn't even know what happened to her own sister," Celestia quietly sobbed after a time.

Star Swirl gently laid his hands on Celestia’s shoulders, pulling her into him. Hugging him tightly, she sobbed heavily into his stomach, saying through her sobs, “I was a horrible mother. The foster care, the asylum, the treatment. It was all my fault.”

“It wasn't your fault, Tia!" Luna asserted. "You're not psychic. You had no idea what would happen in that hospital. You did the best anyone could have done after everything that happened to you.”

Holding her warmly in his arms, Star Swirl very gently ran his fingers through her hair, saying softly, “You must let this go, my friend. It won’t do you any good to go to Equestria. You’ll only get yourself killed. Let someone experienced go retrieve her. We have a native of that world right here. So please let Twilight do this.”

“I can’t let it go. You may not blame me for what happened to her, but she does. I have to find Eventide and make things right with her or I’ll lose her forever. I've already lost my husband, my first-born daughter, and my job. I can’t take losing Eventide, as well.”

Seeing that her mind was made up and unshakeable, Luna closed her eyes, saying as she balled her fists tightly, “Alright. We won’t try to stop you from going anymore. Just...Just promise us that you’ll take Twilight with you. Let her watch over you and take care of you in case things get rough.”

Ending the hug, Celestia wiped her tears away, saying, “A-Alri---”

The ringing of Luna’s phone cut Celestia off. Rolling her eyes, Luna answered it.

“Hello, this is Lu--”

“Luna, it's Applejack. Ah, need you to come to the hospital right now! My granny 'n' brother have both been admitted, and Ah can’t find Apple Bloom anywhere.”

Star Swirl the Bearded (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

As everyone headed upstairs, Twilight took a look behind her and noticed Celestia had not joined them. The former principal simply sat on her bench, glaring coldly at the kendo mat. Twilight headed over to her and laid a gentle hand on Celestia’s shoulder, saying, “Are you going to be alright, Tia?”

“Huh?” Celestia started slightly at Twilight's touch. “Sorry, Twilight. I'm just thinking about Twilight. My Twilight. I often come down here when Luna isn't around to think about the night I lost her.”

“I see.” Sitting down next to her, Twilight continued kindly, “Tell me about her.”

“I'd rather not, if you don't mind," Celestia replied hesitantly. "I'm sure you're excited to learn about you counterpart, but I just can't.”

With soft sigh of defeat, Twilight said, "Okay, then tell me about Eventide. We're not going to lose her, too. Not if I can help it. But I need to know more about her.”

Getting up, Celestia motioned for Twilight to follow her, and the two walked in silence to Celestia's room. Once there, Celestia locked the door but, pausing a bit in contemplation, left the room, returning a few moments later with a changing screen from her bathroom. At Twilight's questioning glance, Celestia said, "I'm not changing in front of you," and dug out some clothes to change into while Twilight blushed and nodded. Taking some clean clothes from her dresser, she went behind the screen and began undressing, saying as she tossed her hakama to the side, “Alright. What do you want to know?”

Recovering, Twilight began, "Well, how about telling me how long she lived with her grandfather?"

“six years, from the age of seven till she was thirteen.”

“And how'd she get those stitches I saw in the photo? And why would you keep such a picture?”

Celestia removed the last of her kendo gear and began pulling her shirt on. “She got the stitches when another student attacked her at school. As for the picture, I kept it as extra motivation to protect her to the best of my abilities, and I reminder that I won't always be able to.”

“Was she always a warrior? I mean, when I saw her, she had on armor and all sorts of knives and weapons.”

“You can blame my father for that," Celestia replied, sighing. "As I said earlier, after he picked her up from the hospital, he began teaching her martial arts and survival skills." Celestia pulled on her pants and emerged from behind the screen, rooting through her dresser for some clean socks. "Problem is, he went too far, if you ask me. According to his letters, he had her train every day from sunrise until moonrise. If she wasn’t training, then she was learning how to hunt, trap, and live off the land.” Celestia pursed her lips. "Might explain some of her attitude towards me when she finally moved back in with me."

Celestia seemed hesitant to divulge what she meant by that last sentence, so Twilight changed direction. “And the black eye? Did Eventide get that from the student that attacked her?”

If anything, Celestia's sullen mood only worsened, and Twilight mentally cursed herself. However, after a moment, Celestia replied solemnly, “No. That was my fault. She put my husband's military dress coat on and wore it around the house, acting like she could see and hear her father. It was--would've been--his birthday, and as usual, on his birthday, I was very moody. Watching her do that, seemingly mocking her own father's memory, made something snap inside of me. The next thing I knew, my daughter was on the kitchen floor, holding a hand over her eye and looking up at me in fear.” Celestia screwed her eyes shut, fighting back the guilt and tears, eventually saying, "We should go. Luna's waiting for us."

Sensing the conversation was over, Twilight nodded sadly and followed Celestia to the living room, where Luna was waiting for them, tapping her foot impatiently. Celestia looked around the room, saying, "Where's Star Swirl?"

Rolling her eyes, Luna said, "Crystalis had a nightmare and got scared. She came down to try and find one of us, and when she saw Star Swirl for the first time in years, she instantly ran over to him and started babbling excitedly about stuff they could do together. Star Swirl didn't want to leave her after so long, so he's babysitting her while we go to the hospital.”

Rolling her own eyes good-naturedly, Celestia said, "He never could get enough of her. Alright, we'll leave them here while we go."

As they began to head out the door, they heard Star Swirl rush back into the room, Crystalis on his tail. “Wait!" he said. "Before you go, I need to have a word with Twilight.” Star Swirl locked eyes with Twilight as he finished. “Privately.”

“Alright, but make it quick,” Luna said as she and Celestia left to warm up the car in the garage. “We can't wait all night.”

"Worry not, Luna," Star Swirl replied. "This won't take long." Turning to Crystalis, who was busy staring at Twilight, Star Swirl said, "Crysty, dear, could you give us a moment, please? Maybe play with some of your toys while I have a grown-up talk with my guest?"

Crystalis reluctantly nodded with a sullen, "Okay," and went upstairs.

Twilight fidgeted a bit. “Can I ask you something before we start?” she finally said, trying to break the uneasy feeling bubbling inside her. “Weren't you worried that your argument with Celestia would scare Crystalis?”

“Oh, not at all," Star Swirl said with a chuckle. "She can sleep through just about anything, and I am sure that, if it weren't for her nightmare, this time would've been no exception. I just hope that she didn't hear anything she shouldn't have.” He flashed a mischievous grin. “But let's get to the important bit. I am sure you are just dying to know about my magic.”

Twilight jolted as if electrocuted. “What? But... So what I saw was...” Her words fell short as she again saw a glimmer of light flash in his eyes. Hardening her resolve and stealing her nerves, Twilight growled, “Who are you?”

“Whoa there, Your Highness!” Star Swirl held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. “Something tells me you've had some bad experiences with magic here. You needn't worry, however. I am no threat to you or anyone else here.”

Unconvinced, Twilight sternly examined Star Swirl's person. Her eyes eventually fell to his chest, where she saw a soft light flash through his shirt. Seeing where she was looking, Star Swirl stepped forward, causing Twilight to take a step back.

“What's that?” Twilight asked nervously.

Star Swirl reached into his shirt and pulled out a dove pendant, which glowed softly. "Why, it's just a trinket I like to wear around town," he replied with that same grin.

"And why is it glowing?"

Star Swirl's grin only widened. “Your Highness, I think you know exactly why this pendant of mine is glowing.”

Her eyes slowly widening in shock as she suddenly realized just who she was actually talking with, Twilight raised a hand over her mouth, letting out a gasp. Star Swirl's smile grew warm as he took another tentative step towards Twilight, trying carefully not to frighten her. “That's right, Your Highness. It is I, Star Swirl the Bearded, at your service.”

Her knees quaking as her idol stood before her in the flesh, Twilight collapsed onto the sofa, trying to shake off the sudden lightheadedness. “But... But you're supposed to be dead! You died a thousand years ago! And how are you able to cast magic? I wasn't able to when I first came to this world.”

At that, Star Swirl hesitated slightly, his composure faltering every so slightly. “It's simple, really. This pendant is the cause of both my longevity and my ability to cast magic in this magic-less world. This, Your Highness, is the Philosopher's Stone, the power of which I have been tapping into for more than a full thousand years.”

“You did what!?” Twilight yelled angrily, which was followed by a sharp gasp. Both Twilight and Star Swirl snapped their heads to the staircase, where the saw Crystalis's hair at the top of the landing as the child tried in vain to hide from the adults.

"Crystalis!" Star Swirl said sternly. "I believe I said that this conversation was to be private."

"But you were taking so long!" Crystalis whined. "And you weren't whispering or anything."

"Be that as it may, it was very rude to eavesdrop, even if we were not lowering our voices," Star Swirl said. "Now, please, go to your room and play. I'll be up in a minute." Star Swirl waited until he heard Crystalis's door close. His eyes glowed softly, followed by his ears. After a few seconds, he nodded, satisfied, and the glowing stopped. Turning back to Twilight, who was looking at him with a mixture of suspicion and anger, he continued, "Now, please continue."

“Continue? Where do I begin?" Twilight said angrily. "How did you come across something so dangerous, and what made you think it was a good idea to use something so full of dark magic?”

“It was during the time that I banished the sirens to this world. Before then, I had, through my advice, caused their homes to be invaded and over forty thousand of their unhatched eggs to be destroyed. An entire generation of sirens, dead before they were even born, and soon afterward, I had condemned three of the few remaining sirens to a life of table scraps in a world without magic for the grave sin of just wanting to get back at Equestria for our war crimes. When I finally became aware of the full extent of my actions, though, I found the guilt unbearable. You see, sirens, though naturally ageless, are only able to lay eggs once in their entire lifetime. My actions were already despicable, but to know that I had not only caused the deaths of the vast majority of the then-current siren population but also doomed the entire siren species to endangerment if not extinction was absolutely soul-crushing. I needed to make things right somehow, even if only a little, but my life was nearing its end. The only way to make sure I could atone was to seek out the stone that hangs around my neck.”

Twilight glared at Star Swirl with a look of betrayal. “So, you weren't keeping yourself alive with your proficiency of time magic, then."

"That's right. Time magic can slow the aging process, yes, but not nearly to the extent I felt I needed to reach."

"Then, the Star Swirl that was laid to a funeral pyre was, what, an imposter?”

“Not an imposter; a doppelganger. It took many, many years to not only relocate the world I banished them to--for, in my haste to defeat them, I threw them to the first world I could find without a returning magical signature--but also to construct a stable portal through which I could reliably travel between worlds. When my work was completed, I used the mirror pool to create a doppelganger to handle Equestrian affairs while I traveled to this world. Finally, I cast my most powerful anti-aging spell, bolstered by the Philosopher's Stone, on him to ensure as best I could that he would not die before my return.

"However, the portal malfunctioned, and I found myself stuck in this world far longer than I was expecting. I have moved from city to city and country to country in my search, but not once did I find them. Sure, I found the odd clue here or there, but every time I followed them to the next city, the trail would grow cold. And to make matters worse, time is quickly running out. My magic is waning, and not even the Philosopher's Stone can prevent it, while my doppelganger's magically extended lifespan seems to have finally reached its end." Star Swirl looked down with regret clearly showing on his aged face. "I can only hope his death was a peaceful one.”

"Star Swirl, the sirens are here in Canterlot. Two of them are actually planning to return to Equestria," Twilight said softly.

Star Swirl's eyes widened in surprise before he closed them and put on a sardonic smile. "To think, I was so close to them."

Twilight hesitated before saying, “Star Swirl, come home to Equestria. Princess Celestia deserves to know what's going on, and if you're going to pass away, you should at least do so in your own world.”

“I can’t. I can never go home again. It would only cause more harm than good. It is up to you to help Adagio and her two sisters to overcome the pain of their past, for once they reach Equestria, they will have fully evaded my grasp. Please, Twilight. I know my actions were beyond forgiveness, but if you can help them find some modicum of peace, I can die a happy man.”

“I--”

“Twilight, are you coming or not!” Luna snapped from the hallway leading to the garage. “Quit dawdling and let's go, already!”

“I’m coming, Luna,” Twilight replied. Turning awkwardly back to Star Swirl, not quite knowing how to end the conversation, she said, "Well, I'm going. Take care of Crystalis. I mean, you may as well put what's left of your magic to use, right?" Twilight chuckled nervously, mentally kicking herself.

Star Swirl just smiled. "Worry not. Chrysalis is safe with me. But before you go, I want you to take this with you. I have a feeling you’ll need it.” Taking the stone from his neck, he handed it over to Twilight, who took it hesitantly, holding it as one would a spider or scorpion. “There isn't much magic left, but I'm sure you'll find a good use for it. And be careful; the Elements as you know them will be ineffective due to their bearers betrayal. You'll need to cleanse Sunset from a different angle. Now farewell, Your Highness. May your life be better lived than this old stallion's.”

With a sullen nod, Twilight left the room, passing Luna on the way to the garage. Luna hung behind for a second, giving her old friend a stern look. “I hope, for all our sakes, you know what you are doing.”

“So do I, Luna." Star Swirl replied resignedly. "So do I.”

Arriving at the hospital, the women rushed inside to the receptionist's desk. Celestia quickly asked, “Can you tell me where we can find Granny Smith and Big McIntosh Apple? We're family friends.”

“Principal Celestia, am Ah glad to see y’all!” Applejack’s voice came from a side corridor as she quickly headed over to the small group. “Mah family's this way. Big Mac's comin' outta surgery now, and Granny's in her room. Her jaw and hip are broken, and she's still unconscious, but she's alive, and Ah'm thankful for that. Lucky, too; if it wasn’t for our neighbors Anjou Pear and Burnt Oak, Ah don’t think she'd've made it.”

“Who else is here, AJ?” Twilight asked.

“Rainbow and Rarity. Ah called Flutters and Pinkie a few minutes before Ah called Vice Principal Luna, so Ah'm sure they're on their way, too.”

Getting to her grandmother's room, Applejack opened the door, showing everyone in and taking her seat in a chair next to the bed, holding Granny Smith's hand and whispering to her. Granny Smith herself had her jaw set, and she looked pale but otherwise peaceful in her sleep. Rarity was sitting in a nearby chair, knitting to distract herself. Rainbow was looking out a large window, worried and upset.

Hearing the door open and seeing the women enter, Rainbow immediately said, “I can’t find Scootaloo anywhere! And Rarity says that Sweetie Belle's missing, too. I--”

Rainbow was cut off when her phone began to ring. Not wanting to disturb everyone, especially Applejack and Granny Smith, Rainbow quickly said, “I’ll take this out in the hallway. Be back in a few.”

Getting out into the hallway, Rainbow held the phone to her ear. “This better be important!” she said impatiently.

Her eyes widened in shock and fear as she heard a very familiar voice come through the other end of the phone. Looking back to her friends through the door's window, Rainbow rushed further down the hallway and ducked into an empty room, closing the door behind her.

Fluttershy sped into the hospital parking lot, screeching to a halt in one of the closest parking spaces. She and Pinkie, who she picked up on her way from the animal shelter, dashed from the car toward the building as an ambulance pulled up to the emergency room entrance. Both girls froze when they saw Mrs. Cake being rushed from the ambulance inside, Mr. Cake hurriedly following inside.

"Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie yelled in horror, grabbing Fluttershy's hand and rushing into the emergency room. "Come on, we have to see if Mrs. Cake is alright!"

Quickly spotting Mr. Cake in the lobby of the hospital he waved them over, the girls hurried to his side.

"How is she, Mr. Cake?" Pinkie asked worriedly once they got to his side.

"I don't know, girls," Mr. Cake said sadly. "She hasn't woken up since the ambulance picked her up, and the doctors are looking at her now." Mr. Cake buried his face in his hands, trying desperately to keep his composure. "And worse yet, the pain's somewhere in her abdomen, so my baby may very well be in danger, too."

The girls gasped at the news of the pregnancy but decided that could wait until a better time. Fluttershy reached out to Mr. Cake and said, "Well, I certainly hope they get better, but just know that, whatever happens, we're here for you." Pinkie nodded in agreement.

Mr. Cake's shoulders stopped quaking, and he put on a small, sad smile, saying, "Thank you, girls. It's good to know that, despite what happened between us in the past, I still have someone to lean on."

Seeking the Sunset (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Rainbow held her phone tightly against her ear, sweat on her brow and hands shaking with fear. Her jaw quivered as she heard the cold, familiar voice on the other end.

"You there, Rainbow?" Sunset asked, her voice still tauntingly calm.

“S-Sunset?”

“Ah, there you are. Good to see that you recognize me. How've you been? I've been so looking forward to seeing you again.”

"How did--Where are--"

Rainbow was cut off by a commotion coming down the hallway. Risking a peek out into the hall, she saw paramedics rushing past the room with a gurney. Her stomach sank when she saw Mrs. Cake lying on the gurney, unconscious.

Ducking back down, Rainbow quickly said, “Sunset, wherever you are, you need to come to the Canterlot General Hospital; your mom's just been admitted!”

“Uh huh. Sure, Rainbow. And I'm the queen of Mars.”

“It's true! Get over here, Sunset. We can deal with our issues later, but right now, your parents need you!” Rainbow said frantically.

“Bullshit! I just saw them a little while ago, and they were fine! Gotta say, Rainbow: Lying about my parents being hurt is a new low even for you.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by a soft knock on the door. Figuring that it was a doctor about to tell her to get out of the room, Rainbow opened it and was surprised to see Fluttershy and Luna standing in the doorway. Fluttershy looked very frightened, while Luna only looked coolly calm. Rainbow covered the mouthpiece of the phone and said to Fluttershy, “Get the others. I’ll explain in a bit.”

“What are you doing here, Rainbow?” Luna began sternly. “I don't think you're allowed in unoccupied rooms."

“I’m talking with...Sunset,” Rainbow said quietly. "And I don't think she's all that happy with us."

Luna took a step back in surprise, and Fluttershy gasped sharply. “But that can’t be," Fluttershy said. "She's dead. We saw her."

“It's her, alright. Now please, Fluttershy. Something is very wrong here.”

"I've seen her, Fluttershy," Luna said grimly. "At the dance. She...hurt some of the students. Hospitalized two and kidnapped another."

“That...That can’t be right! Sunset would never do something like that. A-And besides, God wouldn’t do that to us. He wouldn’t take her from us only to give her back and let her hurt us.”

“I...I don't think this is God's work, Fluttershy. Sunset mentioned something called the Demon's Heart in Applejack's letter and talked about how it could bring back the dead. Remember that thing Dumbbell stabbed Sunset with at school? I think that was the Demon's Heart.” Seeing a look of terror come over Fluttershy, Rainbow quickly added, “Look, everything’ll be fine, Fluttershy. You two go get everyone while I keep Sunset busy.”

Doing as she was instructed, Fluttershy quickly left with Luna in tow while Rainbow returned to her phone.

“Sunset, I--”

"Finally! That was awfully rude, leaving me hanging like that. There's something important I wanted to tell you, but if you're not gonna pay attention, then--"

"What is it, Sunset?" Rainbow said impatiently, her uneasy feeling returning in full force.

Rainbow could hear the smirk in Sunset's voice. “I have someone here that wants to say hi.”

After that, Rainbow heard muffled voices and noises as the phone switched hands. Rainbow tried to listen to the oddly familiar voices but couldn't make out any words until someone finally spoke into the phone.

“Rainbow, help!”

Rainbow froze as Scootaloo's voice, laced with pain and terror, hit her ears. A deep dread washed over her. She faintly heard the door open behind her, but she paid it no mind. Gradually, the world faded out of her senses until the only things that existed were herself, her phone, and Scootaloo. Suddenly, something sparked inside Rainbow. It started small, but soon, a white-hot flame of anger filled her being, and the world exploded back to reality as she yelled, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Sunset?! You leave Scootaloo out of this!”

“Scootaloo? Sunset?” Applejack asked from the doorway. “What the hay's goin' on, Rainbow?”

“Go ahead and tell her, Rainbow. I’ll wait,” Sunset said snidely, having reclaimed the phone.

"Applejack! Good, you're all here. Sunset's on the phone. Sh-She has Scootaloo. I don't know where they are, but--”

“I’ll let you all know in just a minute, Rainbow!" Sunset interrupted. "Just put the phone on speaker.”

Everyone looked at Rainbow expectantly while the athlete put the phone on speaker and held the phone in front of her. "Okay, Sunset," she said. "Go ahead."

“I have Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom here with me. Now, Fluttershy, Pinkie, I want you two to stay out of this. I don't have any business with you two.”

Fluttershy and Pinkie exchanged worried glances. Before Rainbow could answer Sunset, Celestia snatched the phone from her hand, a stern glance silencing Rainbow's protests. Taking the phone off the speaker, Celestia took the phone down the hallway and said into it, “Sunset, it's Celestia. We're alone.”

“Alone? What the hell? I wasn’t done with Rainbow yet.”

“I wanted to talk more privately with you.” Sighing deeply, Celestia continued, “Sunset, honey, listen. If you really do have Sweetie Belle and App--”

“Principal Celestia, she really does have us," came Apple Bloom's faint but frightened voice, Sunset having apparently put her own phone on speaker. "Please, ya have ta do somethin'.”

“Apple Bloom, are you three hurt?" Celestia asked urgently. "Can you--”

“Oh, they're hurt, alright," Sunset said angrily. "And I’ll do more than just hurt them if you don’t give the phone back to Rainbow.”

“Sunset, please don’t do this. You can still turn yourself around. We can work together to make things right.”

“It's too late for that!” Celestia heard the sound of someone choking over the other end of the phone. “You better hurry, Celestia, or Rainbow won't have a sister to save!”

Celestia rushed back to Rainbow and gave the phone back to her, saying, “Do whatever she tells you to do, and don’t push her. Your sister's life is at stake.”

Nodding, Rainbow took the phone and put the speaker back on. "Okay, Sunset. I'm here," she said hesitantly.

“Good. Now that you're back, you're gonna take a little trip. And you will come alone. If I see anyone else, you'll be seeing your sister in a casket.”

“Okay, just don't hurt Scootaloo. Where do you want me to go? I promise I’ll show up alone.” Rainbow gave each of her friends a hard stare. “No one will follow me.”

“I want you to go to Crystal Ridge.”

“Crystal Ridge? Where's that? And why there?”

Silence fell over the other end of the phone. For a short while, Rainbow felt as if time had stopped. Twilight, unsure if Sunset was still on the other end, said, “Rainbow, give me the phone. Maybe I can talk some sense into her.”

Rainbow relinquished the phone, and Twilight turned the speaker off. She heard Sunset’s breathing over the other end, letting her know that Sunset was still there. Finally, Twilight said, “Sunset, it's Twilight. Can we talk?”

“What do you want, Princess?”

“Listen, Applejack read us your letter. I know what happened to you at Crystal Ridge. I know about how you came to be and about how Princess Celestia hurt you. I know how you lost everything that you ever loved. Let's talk, Sunset, and try to find some peaceful way out of this mess. I promise I'll come alone, and I promise I won’t fight with you. I’ll let you say your piece, and then together, we can find a way to get through this.”

Twilight didn't get a reply, only deep breathing on the other end. Turning away from her friends and taking a few steps from the group, Twilight looked up to the ceiling, silently praying that her former friend would come to her senses.

“You know, that's the third time you've lied to me, Princess. Believe me, after tonight, it won’t ever happen again.”

“Third time? What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Princess! The first time was when you said I could find love, friendship and happiness in this world. The second time was when you said I could come home whenever I wanted, right before you exiled me to this fucking world! And this is the third time. I know you won’t come alone, and I know you won’t let me do what I have to. This won’t end how you think it will, Princess. Tell Rainbow that if she's not here, alone, in three hours, I’ll kill her sister.”

“Sunset, wait! Please don’t---”

Click

Turning to face her friends, Twilight gulped, saying, “She wants Rainbow to come alone.” Rainbow looked worriedly into Twilight's eyes as the princess continued to her, “She's given you three hours to show up alone. Otherwise, she'll kill Scootaloo.”

“But I don’t even know where Crystal Ridge is! How am I supposed to show up in three hours if I don’t even know where the hell I'm going?” Rainbow asked frantically.

“Crystal Ridge was the name of a small town in Equestria, so it should--”

“Crystal Ridge is--er, was--an insane asylum in this world, darling," Rarity interjected. "It was used during the early nineteen hundreds to lock up the poor souls that society deemed unfit or unqualified to live among the rest of humanity.”

“And y’all know this how, Rarity?” Applejack asked with a hint of suspicion.

“My mother studied our family's history. Let's just say that I have some...family history with that place and leave it at that.” Turning to face Rainbow, Rarity continued, “The address is eighteen-ninety Canterlot Dodge Road. You should be able to find directions on your phone. It's about an hour from here, so you have time, but you should still leave as soon as possible; no telling what Sunset will do in the meantime.”

Rainbow quickly typed the address into her phone and rushed to the entrance of the hospital. It was there that she noticed that the group followed her, Rarity and Applejack especially right on Rainbow's tail. Rainbow stopped in her tracks, saying, “Guys, what're you doing. I have to go alone.”

“Darling, you are never alone," Rarity assured. "And besides, if you think I am going to sit by while my little sister is in danger, then think again.”

“Ah'm goin', too. Ah ain't about ta let nothin' happen to my li'l sister,” Applejack said with conviction.

“Guys, that's really cool and all, but you heard Twilight. If you all show up, Sunset will kill Scootaloo. I'm sorry, but I'm going alone.” Looking down, Rainbow added solemnly, “Besides, we don’t even know if Crystal Ridge really is where she took our sisters.” Looking back up, she continued, “Look, it's simple. I’ll go check things out, and if she's not there, I’ll call you guys.”

Rarity and Applejack nodded sadly, and Rainbow rushed to find a taxi without any further words to her friends. Celestia closed her eyes, thinking to herself, “This has to end. We have to find some way of bringing Sunset back to her senses.”

Rainbow was about halfway across the parking lot when she noticed that she was still being followed. Looking behind her, she found Pinkie, Celestia, and Twilight running to catch up to her. Getting irritated, Rainbow said sternly to them, “Didn't you hear me? You three can’t follow me.”

“We can, and we will,” Twilight said sternly. “How are you going to get Sunset under control without us?”

“Twilight, you heard Sunset. Shit, she told you to tell me. I have to show up alone. If she sees any of you, she’ll hurt Scootaloo, and I can’t risk that.”

“We know what she said, Dashie.” Pinkie said, wincing when she saw Rainbow scoff at the nickname. Her hair deflated completely, Pinkie continued, trying to fake a smile, “I wanna talk with Sunset again, to make up with her, to hug her again. I wanna tell her how very sorry I am for all the pain I helped cause. Please, Rainbow, don’t shut me out. You need me.”

“I have a feeling you’ll need Pinkie, Celestia, and me on this one, Rainbow,” Twilight injected.

“Need you for what!? I can see how you can help, Twilight, except that she told me to come alone or my sister dies! And besides that, what's Pinkie gonna do, throw her a fucking party? What's Principal Celestia gonna do, give her detention?” Her patience at its breaking point, Rainbow punched a nearby signpost, causing Pinkie to take a step back. “How the fuck's that gonna help, Twilight!? All any of you are gonna do is piss her off and get Scootaloo killed!”

“That's enough, Rainbow! Look, I know you're worried about Scootaloo, but you can’t take this out on Pinkie,” Celestia snapped, trying to hold back her anger. “You need someone to drive you there; I doubt you’ll have enough money on you for this. Now get in my car.”

Rainbow clenched her jaw, looking down while she squeezed her hand into a tight fist. “No! You're all staying here, especially Pinkie. I don’t see how she's gonna help, and I can’t risk my sister's life.”

“But, Rainbow, I just want to help,” Pinkie said softly.

“For fuck's sake, Pinkie, you can't fucking help! You're just going to get my sister killed! Now fuck off!” As Celestia quickly pulled the terrified, crying girl into her, Rainbow's voice cracked as she finished more softly, “J-Just stay out of this, Pinkie. P-Please.”

Rainbow forced herself to calm down, her own tears threatening to break the surfaces of her eyes. "I'm going to Crystal Ridge," she said coldly. "None of you better follow me. You may not care about Scootaloo's life, but I do." She turned around with purpose and hailed a cab as the women rushed to catch up. Getting in the taxi the moment it stopped moving, Rainbow said to the driver, “Take me to the old Crystal Ridge asylum at eighteen-ninety Canterlot Dodge Road. I’ll pay extra if you don’t stop for anything.”

Pinkie rushed to the window, saying, “Rainbow please don’t go by--”

“Drive!” Rainbow pressed, and the driver immediately obliged, peeling onto the road.

“...yourself,” Pinkie finished softly as she watched the taxi take off into the night.

Hurt and angry at the accusation, Celestia ushered Twilight and Pinkie inside the hospital to talk about their next move. When they entered the lobby a few moments later, they saw Mr. Cake at the front desk, a worried look on his face. Celestia quickly approached him.

“Carrot, is everything alright?”

“No," Mr. Cake replied. "My wife is hurt, my unborn children are at risk, and Sunset's out there somewhere, hurt and alone.”

“Wait, you saw Sunset?!” Celestia replied urgently.

Looking a bit conflicted, he replied, “Yes, I did, but she's...different. She has wings, black and silver, and her hair was snow white. Her skin was a light red, and her eyes were this piercing blue. And her face...” Mr. Cake sighed. "She's so similar and yet so, so different."

Celestia and Twilight exchanged worried glances, while Pinkie said, "That sounds pretty scary, actually. And Rainbow's gonna meet her alone. I hope she doesn't get hurt."

His eyes widening slightly, Mr. Cake laid his hands on Pinkie's shoulders, saying to her urgently, “What do you mean Rainbow's meeting Sunset? Are you saying you girls know where my daughter is?”

“Yes, Carrot. We have a pretty good idea where she might have gone. Please go back inside and tend to your wife. We will handle this,” Celestia said with determination. “Twilight, we need to get going. Rainbow has a head start on us, and we need to get to Crystal Ridge before she does something very foolish.”

Rushing out into the parking lot, Twilight and Celestia got into Celestia's car, and Celestia quickly took out her phone, calling her sister.

“Hello, Tia,” Luna said when she picked up, “Is everything alright?”

“Luna, I am going after Rainbow. I need you and the others to stay at the hospital and keep Mrs. Cake and Granny Smith safe, and above all, don’t interfere if Sunset shows up. If Rainbow comes to her senses and comes back, do whatever it takes to keep her there. Hopefully, Twilight and I can talk Sunset out of whatever scheme she's planning.”

Celestia hung up before Luna could reply and started the car. As she pulled onto the street, Twilight sighed, saying, “How are you going to find Rainbow in a city this big, Tia?”

“We'll just have to get to Crystal Ridge before she does,” Celestia answered matter-of-factly. Glancing at her glove box, she added, “Open the glovebox, Twilight. I need my GPS to find Crystal Ridge.”

Doing as she was instructed, Twilight quickly took out a small, hand-held GPS, saying as she held the device in her hands, “Okay, now what?”

“Press your finger to the screen, type in 'Crystal Ridge', and press 'Fastest Route'.”

The machine beeped out, "Finding directions to Crystal Ridge." As the machine worked, Twilight said, “Can I ask you something, Tia?”

“As long as it doesn’t involve Sunset, fine. I could use the distraction.”

“Alright. How about we talk a bit more about Eventide? Uh, if that's alright with you, that is.”

Celestia tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she came to a stop at a red light. Looking down while she waited for the light to change, she sighed and said, “It was my fault.”

“What was your fault?” Twilight asked curiously.

“That Eventides in Equestria. We had a fight the day she disappeared, and she ran away. It all started when I was visiting Tokano shortly after my Twilight was...Anyway, Star Swirl took me to a town in Japan called Tokano to help me cope with my loss. I figured I'd just spend a few months there and return to America, but I ended up staying six years.

"It was over the first two years that I met Chrysalis, who was, coincidentally enough, also was visiting Japan from America. We became fast friends, and she and I got to know each other very intimately over the years. We were very, very close, perhaps even in love. That is until Sombra came into the picture.

"Sombra was a student in Star Swirl's school of martial arts. He was very skilled and rose through the ranks very quickly, and eventually, Star Swirl gave him the distinct and impressive honor of heir to his school. Unfortunately, Sombra's prodigious skill and ambition were outmatched by his greed, and I caught him trying to steal a priceless artifact from the school. I immediately informed Star Swirl, and Sombra was expelled in disgrace.”

"That's so sad," Twilight said. "He had such potential, only to waste all his work just because he couldn't keep his hands to himself."

"That's not where it ends, though," Celestia said sadly. "Sombra was livid. Eventually, he decided to vent to Chrysalis--Chrysalis's family and Sombra's family have close connections, you see--but when she let it slip that she and I were lovers, he..." Celestia's breathing hitched.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to," Twilight assured gently.

Celestia held up a hand and shook her head. After she composed herself, she continued, "He...took all his rage out on her. He beat her to within an inch of her life and...and..." Unable to continue, Celestia decided to skip forward. "She blamed me for all of it, saying that if she and I weren't so close, he wouldn't have done that to her. She also cited a promise I made to always be there to protect her as if the promise made me psychic." Celestia huffed angrily. "She dumped me on the spot."

"That's horrible," Twilight said, incredulous.

"It gets worse," Celestia continued. "Despite our break-up, I resolved to help Chrysalis and turned to Sombra's family; Sombra was a member of a powerful Japanese family, so I figured if I went to them, I could force Sombra to face the consequences of his actions. They fast-tracked me to the head of the family: Sombra's grandfather, a cold, hard man. He was very interested in what I had to say.

"Remember those connections I told you about?" Waiting until Twilight nodded, Celestia continued, "Sombra's grandfather valued those connections very highly. Upon learning of his grandson's destructive and dishonorable actions, he disowned Sombra and demanded Sombra leave Japan and never return on pain of death. Humiliated and angry, Sombra left for America. To everyone's surprise, Chrysalis followed him, and the reason was even more surprising and horrifying: She was pregnant with Crystalis.

"The abuse didn't stop, unfortunately. If anything, it only became more frequent after Crystalis was born. I remember the first time I learned about it, too. I dropped by the courthouse to try to make up with her, and though reluctant, she did come out to meet me. It didn't take long for me to notice the black eye she was sporting. I guess she didn't think anyone would notice it with her black skin, but I knew her intimately enough that it didn't fool me. After a bit of pressing, she spilled everything.

"That's not where it ended, though. Although Chrysalis stayed with Sombra for Crystalis, the constant abuse began to wear on her. However, she couldn't do anything to stop him. I'd imagine he threatened her with his more...unsavory connections should she go to anyone about it, and he was bigger and stronger than she was. She needed an outlet for that anger and misery, and that outlet turned out to be Crystalis."

"She...abused her own daughter?" Twilight asked, sickened.

"Not physically, no, but she did intentionally neglect and verbally and emotionally abuse her. I didn't find out about that until I saw it with my own eyes at the mall one day--I returned home by this point--when Chrysalis did hit Crystalis, slapping her across the face. I reported her, and though it took a little while, CPS investigated and found out about the constant abuse. They took Crystalis and allowed me to take care of her while they sought a more permanent foster home. Over time, Crystalis and I became very close, and she began to regard me as her mother in all but name, and CPS allowed me to be her legal guardian."

“So that explains why you're taking care of Crystalis, but what does this have to do with Eventide?” Twilight asked as Celestia turned onto a road much older than the city streets.

“Do you remember when I told you I hit Eventide, Twilight?”

“Yes.”

“My father gave me an ultimatum when he found out: let him raise Eventide alone without my or Luna's involvement or risk losing custody of her forever. You see, he had gone to Chrysalis for this, our international relationship a secret to everyone involved in the process. She was very quick about taking Eventide from me and letting him raise her, while I kept silent about what happened between us in order that Eventide stayed within the family.”

"That's terrible!" Twilight exclaimed. "To do that to his own daughter--It sickens me."

"I thought so, too. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't take Crystalis away, too. Regardless, it worked. I agreed to his demands, and Chrysalis secured custody to my father. He promptly took Eventide to his cabin in the Everfree mountain range and raised her for five years. Unfortunately, another issue became apparent during those years.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked. "What issue?"

“Sometime during those years, Eventide began manifesting signs of a mental illness called schizophrenia. She hears things that aren't there, voices that taunt her and hurt her, and while she can ignore it sometimes, it can also be very hard on her.”

“How did your father react when he found out?" Twilight asked.

Celestia sighed again, rolling her eyes. "Likely with prayer, thinking it was just a trick from Loki.” Getting a confused look from her young friend, Celestia added quickly, “My father taught her about the elder gods of his religion. You see, he despised electrical technology, and he didn’t believe in mental illness or in medical science. He was always sure such things were schemes from the elder gods, particularly Loki. She took his teachings straight to the heart, which is one reason I had such trouble dealing with her.”

“I see,” Twilight replied, deadpan. “I’ll have to make sure to come back here and actually study about these, uh, elder gods when I have the time, but for now, please continue.”

With some difficulty, Celestia continued, “Well, Eventide's time with my father was tragically cut short. During a hunting trip, Eventide was attacked by a grizzly bear, and my father, in a desperate attempt to save her, interceded and was mauled to death. I didn't find out until I received a letter from Eventide letting me know what happened three days after the fact.

"Hysterical, I sped to the cabin to meet Eventide for the first time in five years. Nothing could have prepared me for our meeting. My father's training took its effect on her. Eventide had grown to be a strong, very willed young woman, dressed in deer and elk skins and looking more at home in the woods than in the city. When she saw me, she gave me this look of such intense hatred that I could hardly believe that this was the same girl I had raised from birth up to her stay with my father. It was terrifying.

She told me to stay in the cabin while she went hunting. I objected at first--it's not like my father never took me hunting before, and I wanted to spend some time with my daughter--but she wouldn't hear any of it. A few hours later, she came back, covered head to stomach in blood and wearing a still-wet bear pelt."

Twilight looked ill. "But she seemed fine in Equestria!" she insisted. "Okay, yeah, she talked to ponies who weren’t actually there, but she didn't go around bathing in gore!"

"She got better over time after being reintroduced into actual human society. But that wasn't before she was institutionalized after attacking several cops trying to take away my father's body and attacking the doctors at the hospital the body was taken to."

Celestia gritted her teeth and gripped the wheel tightly. "Her stay at the mental institute was...horrible, to put it mildly. She, like many patients there, was neglected and abused by an uncaring or violent staff. Combined with the improper treatment they put her through--electric shock therapy at its worst--her stay left her worse off than she was before she was ever institutionalized, and while she did meet a sweet girl there named Fireheart, it wasn't enough to soften the blows she received almost daily, nor did it lessen the impact her stay left on her.

"Because of Eventide's account to Luna about all this, my sister began to investigate the hospital, working with a nurse and security guard there who had spent quite some time compiling evidence of the terrible things happening there. A report was filed, and a state investigation was performed, the hospital was shut down, the patients either relocated or discharged. Thankfully, Luna was able to convince the state to give custody of Eventide back to me, citing my care of Crystalis both before and after I hit Eventide."

As the GPS signaled that they were getting close, Celestia sighed. "Anyway, it was a rough next couple of years. Eventide and Crystalis got along well, but we were constantly at each other's throats. Eventide became obsessed with Renaissance fairs as a coping mechanism for the shit she went through in life. Finally, her girlfriend Fireheart was tragically killed by a drunk driver, and after the funeral, we both exploded at each other, I said some stupid things in my anger, and she ran away. I never saw her again."

As Celestia stopped at another light, Twilight was about to say some consoling words, when Celestia's phone rang, cutting her off. Rolling her eyes, Celestia pressed a button on her steering wheel. The call came through the speakers of her car, and Celestia said, “Hello?”

“Celestia, it's Carrot. Cup is awake, and our babies are doing fine. She’ll be on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy, but other than that, she’ll be alright.”

“That's wonderful, Carrot!" Celestia said, relieved. "At last, we have some good news. Do the doctors know what happened to her?”

“Yes. All the stress from the last few weeks, from Sunset's abuse and death to see her alive again, wreaked havoc on her body. But she seems to be recovering well. I can't leave her side, though. I need you to find Sunset and bring her home to us. Please, Celestia, I'm begging you.”

“We’ll find her, Mr. Cake," Twilight affirmed. "I promise, I'm not going back to Equestria till she's back to how she was before all this started. I’ll make sure she knows how much you love her and that you only want the best for her.”

The light changed, and Celestia resumed her drive, saying, “Carrot, go back to your wife. We'll handle things here. Tell her that we all love her and wish her a speedy recovery. I need to let you go now; we're getting close.”

“Thank you so much, ladies. Goodbye.”

Turning another corner as she hung up, Celestia slammed on the breaks when two teenagers, one with familiar, fiery hair and the other with short, white hair, ran out in front of her, a very familiar rainbow-haired teen on their tail. As Celestia honked the horn and put the car in park, Twilight jumped out of the car, yelling, “Rainbow, are you nuts!? You could have gotten yourself killed!”

Ignoring Twilight, Rainbow screamed at Summer, “Where is my sister, you bitch?!” as the trio ran into the parking lot of a closed gas station.

“For the last time, you lunatic, I don’t know what you're talking about!" Summer snapped, stopping her flight and turning to confront Rainbow. "Now leave me and Gilda alone!”

"Not until you give Scootaloo back!" Rainbow said, stomping closer to them.

"Alright, then," Summer said. "Have it your way."

Summer started approaching Rainbow, ready to fight, when Gilda got between them, saying, "No! No fighting! Rainbow, this isn't Sunset!"

"Get out of the way!" Rainbow yelled, reeling back and punching Gilda in the jaw, knocking her to the ground.

After a moment of shock, Summer suddenly snarled, "Oh, you just crossed the line!" Her hands and eyes started glowing as her skin began to change color. "I'm gonna tear you limb from limb!" she howled.

Frightened, Rainbow backed away as she beheld Summer's transformation. Licking her lips and baring her fangs in a dark grin, Summer advanced on Rainbow with murder in her eyes.

“Summer, stop! Don't hurt her!” Twilight yelled, causing both Rainbow and Summer to halt in surprise.

"Twilight? I told you not to follow me!" Rainbow snapped.

"Piss off, Twilight! This doesn't concern you," Summer spat.

Gilda climbed to her feet, nursing a busted lip and wearing an angry scowl. Before she could say anything, though, Celestia screamed, “Enough!”

Everyone froze in their tracks, two girls worried what Celestia was about to do, two girls livid at her presence. Celestia stormed over to Rainbow, grabbed her by the lapel of her coat, and pointed to a spot a small distance away, saying, “You, over there.”

As Celestia lightly pushed Rainbow toward the indicated spot, Gilda turned her attention to calming Summer down. “It's alright, Summer. I'm fine. You don't have to hurt anyone. Just take a deep breath and calm down.”

Gulping down the cold, night air, Summer soon calmed down, changing back into her normal form as she repeated to herself, “It's over. Calm down. It's over. Calm down.” Eventually, she stopped her mantra and asked Gilda worriedly, "H-How's the baby?"

“We're fine, Summer,” Gilda said gently, hugging Summer warmly. “Crash just caught me off-guard, is all. She only hit my face, and I only landed on my ass. It's all good. I’ll just get checked out at the clinic after we pick up Sonata.”

"You're in league with the Dazzlings, too? What the hell, Sunset?" Rainbow asked angrily.

“Rainbow!" Twilight snapped. "That isn’t Sunset. Her name is Summer.”

“Oh, not you, too!" Rainbow groaned, exasperated. "Are you blind? That's Sunset, plain as day!”

Twilight sighed. “Prove it, Summer,” she said tiredly.

"Oh, I'll prove it, alright," Summer said irritably, her hand erupting in blue flames. She pointed her hand to Celestia's car, smirking. “Tell me, Rain-bitch: Can Sunset do this?”

“No, not the--” Celestia began.

A deafening explosion rocked the city, and a giant, blue fireball briefly lit the night sky before settling over the flaming remains of the obliterated car.

“...car.”

Ghost of the Mind (Edited by Icecreammac)

A little, yellow-orange-skinned girl in a white dress pranced about the floor of the asylum, a silly smile on her face. Her red and orange hair, decorated with blue ribbons, bounced up and down with every hop, skip, and jump. Her black buckle shoes made a monotonous clacking sound as she skipped around, deafening in the otherwise silent building, and her white ankle socks were stained by the dust she kicked up.

Sunset simply stared at the girl, confusion etched on her face. The girl had come from seemingly nowhere and seemed to be having the time of her life running around the abandoned hospital, but no matter how many times Sunset shook her head or rubbed her eyes, the child stayed. One thing was sure, though: the kid creeped Sunset the hell out.

“Sunset, come play with me,” the child said suddenly, snapping Sunset out of her stupor.

“N-No. Go away,” Sunset replied hesitantly.

“But I’m bored, and so are you. Come on!” the child insisted.

“I said no! Get lost!” Sunset snapped.

Sunset's three captives sat in silence in their cell, listening to Sunset talk to someone but unable to hear whoever she was talking to. Judging by what she was saying, she didn't seem to be on the phone. The girls didn't like the implications of that. Sweetie Belle held Scootaloo in her arms while her friend quietly cried in fear, and Apple Bloom stood nearby, looking out the barred window of their cell to the cold night's sky above, silently praying for a fast rescue.

“Sunset,” Sweetie Belle called out. “Sunset, who are talking to?”

Hearing footsteps approach the door, Sweetie waited for a few moments until Sunset's silhouette appeared in the dim light of the hallway. Gripping the bars on the door, Sunset peered into the room. “Shut up, Sweetie Belle. I already have to deal with the kid out here. I don't want to listen to you brats, too.”

Sweetie exchanged nervous glances with Apple Bloom. “Sunset, I don't hear anyone else out there. Please, just let us go. We’re cold and scared, and I want my sister.”

Sunset snorted. “I don’t have time for your shit, Sweetie Belle. I have to get this kid out of here before Rainbow shows up.”

“She's on her way?” Scootaloo asked excitedly.

Not answering, Sunset turned away, only to stop when she heard Apple Bloom yell, “If ya don’t let us go, we're gonna die here! We need a hospital!” Seeing Sunset was about to leave again, Apple Bloom added, “Ah know ya want revenge, but is this really gonna make ya feel any better?”

Spinning on her heels, Sunset grabbed the window bars again, quivering in rage. Her eyes flashed bright blue. “Revenge?! You stupid piece of shit!” she screamed in rage. “You think I want this?! I wanted to be at peace in life, but that was ripped away from me, just like everything else!”

Turning around, Sunset saw that the little girl was gone. She spat out, “Now look what you fuckers did. You made that kid run away. She was much better company than you three.” She pressed her back against the cold, metal door, sliding down onto her butt. Folding her wings around her shoulders, she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them.

Sunset's voice began to crack as she said, “None of you understand what was taken from me. I was finally at peace. I had friends. I had family. I had a life! I finally got a fresh start. But no! You tore that away from me, you whores!” Breaking down, Sunset sobbed loudly into her arms.

Sweetie Belle, unsure if talking was a good idea, softly said, “Sunset, I know we all hurt you. We did horrible things to you. We slandered your name, we hurt your family, and we hurt our sisters, all because we wanted you out of our lives.” Gently placing Scootaloo in Apple Bloom's arms, Sweetie Belle continued, “If this means anything to you at all, we're all so very sorry for what we did to you. Please, let us go. We all want to go home, the three of us and you.”

Getting up, Sunset wiped away her tears, saying coldly, “Sorry, Sweetie Belle, but 'sorry' doesn't cut it anymore. I'm gonna go find that kid. At least she just wants me to have fun. She never hurt me. Yet.”

Trying to calm down, Sunset headed down the hallway and picked a room at random to search. Briefly looking around and not seeing the child, she was about to walk away when a flash of light caught her attention.

It was a mirror, but there was something weird about it, something not quite right about her reflection, but it was too dark for Sunset to see from where she was in the doorway. Slowly, she crept toward the mirror, only to stare slack-jawed at the image of a very familiar athlete in the glass, it's face a scowl of hatred.

Sunset's initial shock gave way to burning rage, and she slammed her fist into the glass. “Damn you, Rainbow, you fucking cunt!” Glass shattered around her fist, falling to the floor alongside droplets of blood. “You let this happen to me! The lies, the beatings, the hatred, all of it! And for what?! Was I just not good enough for you?! Did all my efforts mean nothing to you?!” Stepping back, Sunset took several deep breaths, tightly holding her bleeding hand. “Calm down, Sunset. Just focus on finding that kid. That'll keep your mind off that traitor.”

Meanwhile, hearing her screams echo throughout the hallway, Scootaloo tightened her grip on Apple Bloom's shirt, sobbing into her friend's shoulders. Sweetie Belle, like Sunset, had sat crying into her own arms, her knees pulled tightly against her chest.

Sunset continued her search until she heard a sound like thunder. "Weird," she thought. "Could've sworn there weren't any clouds out tonight." Deciding to investigate, Sunset went back to her hostages' cell. “You three be good in there. I'm stepping out. I’ll be back in a bit,” she said curtly.

Heading outside, she breathed in the cold, night air, her lungs stinging from the chill. Spreading her wings, Sunset flew to the roof and looked into the sky. Sure enough, a storm was brewing around her, lightning flashing throughout the churning clouds that must've arrived over the last hour. Sunset watched the storm in delight.

“Simply beautiful. I didn't expect something like this, but I'm not complaining." Thinking a bit, Sunset continued, "No reason I can't enjoy the show. I can even call Rainbow and give her a little more time to get here to give me some more time to relax before the shit hits the fan.”

Sunset took a seat on the edge of the roof, watching the storm with fascination. Feeling playful, she started waving her right hand lightly about like a conductor of an orchestra. Suddenly, as she brought her hand down, a lightning bolt suddenly and very violently struck a nearby tree, causing it to burst into flames.

In utter shock, Sunset looked at her hand. “Did... Did I…?” she began, before she shook her head. "No, of course not. It was just a coincidence." Narrowing her eyes in thought, she continued, "But, given everything that's happened to me...”

Deciding to experiment, Sunset raised her hand and pointed a finger towards a few nearby trees. Concentrating, she swiped her finger downward, and lightning immediately struck. Each tree exploded into flames. Raising a eyebrow and taking in the sight, she said, “Okay, that's new.” Looking up at the pitch-black sky above, she chuckled lightly to herself, her eyes drinking in all the flashes of lightning. “Oh, this is a nice turn of events. Can't wait till Twilight gets a load of my new powers.”

Hearing a soft beeping from her phone, she fished it out from her skirt pocket and looked at the screen. The clock read midnight. Sunset sighed. "On second thought, I guess I should keep looking for that kid and keep myself busy until Rainbow gets here."

Sunset re-entered the asylum and searched the lonely corridors. Walking past the Crusaders' cell, she stopped for a few moments, noticing that the room was dead silent. Peering through the bars on the door, she searched for the three girls, soon spotting Apple Bloom standing in front of the window.

“Apple Bloom,” she called out to her captive.

“What do ya want, Sunset?”

“Just checking to see if you're alive. Did you see that kid run by?”

“Fuck off, Sunset. And there ain’t any kids 'round here 'sides us.”

Watching her for a few moments, Sunset sighed and let go of the bars. She turned to head into another room, stopping when she heard Scootaloo's voice.

“I'm so sorry for all the pain I caused you, Rainbow,” the frightened girl whimpered. “I never meant to take Sunset away from you.”

Deciding to jump on that, Sunset headed back to the door and glared inside, “Never meant to take me from her, huh? If that's the case, then why'd you go along with what your two friends were planning? You could've stood up to them and been loyal to your sister, but you chose to take her down with me.”

“I did it because I was jealous," Scootaloo admitted hesitantly. "Rainbow spent so much time with you and so little with me. She even forgot about a promise she made just because she was hanging out with you.”

“Jealousy? I can empathize," Sunset said. When Scootaloo looked at her in surprise, Sunset continued, "Oh, yes. I know a thing or two about jealousy, and I know what it can do to a person. Remember when I was top dog at CHS, feared by all?" When Scootaloo nodded, Sunset continued, "A lot of what I did was because of jealousy, the jealousy only a daughter can feel when she sees that her own mother has all but replaced her with someone else. But look at the bright side.” Sunset smirked. "Now, you're more similar to me than you are to Rainbow. Doesn't that make you feel all warm inside?"

Getting up, Sunset stretched, cracked her neck and laughing coldly as she walked away from the door to continue her search, letting her words sink in. “I might as well check the upper floor next. I swear, as soon as I find that kid, I'm putting a bell on her,” she thought.

Walking down the hallways, her quest brought her to a large, wooden door with a worn-out sign on it that read, "Warden Night Med--”, the rest of the sign too damaged by rust to be read clearly.

Opening the door, she came into a large room. A broken desk sat in the middle of the room, and a few toppled chairs littered the floor to her right. To her left was a large, burned-out fireplace, an old painting hanging above a badly broken mantel. Examining the painting, Sunset saw a man with curly, white hair and soft, kind eyes, one of which was covered by a monocle.

Sunset snorted bitterly. “I bet whoever this guy was is rolling in his grave for what I'm about to do here.”

Turning around, she made it to the door before a giggle came from behind her. Sunset whirled around to find the little girl playing with a doodad on the desk.

“There you are!" Sunset said. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Come with me. I need to show those three that you're real.”

“You don’t remember me, do you, Sunset?” the girl asked sadly.

Sunset paused. “No. Why would I? We just met,” Sunset replied, confused.

“Look closer,” the child said simply.

Looking more closely, Sunset noticed a necklace around the girl's neck, the charm a very similar shape to Musical Skies's cutie mark. Sunset gulped, trying to force down the memories that bubbled up to the surface of her mind. “That necklace. Why didn’t I see it before now?”

The child giggled and ran out the door, shutting it behind her. Unnerved and irritated, Sunset rushed to the door and reached for the handle, only for her hand to go right through it. Startled, Sunset blinked a few times, and when her eyes opened the last time, she saw that the door was now open, and she could no longer hear the child's laughter.

Staring at the open passage in fear, Sunset began to hug herself. "Wha... What's happening to me?"

Battle at Crystal Ridge (Edited by Icecreammac)

Rainbow quickly entered Crystal Ridge, glad to be out of the storm that raged around the asylum...and only around the asylum, Rainbow was disturbed to notice. The building was dark, illuminated only by the faint moonlight streaming through the gaps in the boarded-up windows. Not seeing anyone in sight, she headed towards a nearby set of stairs. The silence was total, interrupted only by the comparably deafening sound of Rainbow's footsteps. Upon reaching the second level, a new sound finally reached her ears: the faint, familiar sound of crying coming from down the hallway to her right.

“I'd know that sound anywhere,” she thought. “That's Scootaloo. It has to be!”

Running towards the sounds, Rainbow came to a large, metal door with bars over the window. Peering inside, she saw her sister held in the arms of her two friends Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

“Scoots, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom! Am I glad to see you three!” Rainbow exclaimed. "You okay?"

Looking up through the bars, Scootaloo pushed off of Sweetie and rushed to the door, saying as she wiped away her tears, “Rainbow! Is it really you?”

“Yeah, it's me, squirt. Hold on while I try to get you three out of there.”

Taking a hold of the bars, Rainbow pulled with all her might, only to meet with failure each time she tried to pull them off. Seeing Rainbow vainly struggle, Sweetie Belle said, “Don’t waste your strength on the door, Rainbow. Go hide before Sunset comes back!”

“I won’t leave you three to face that bitch alone!” Rainbow snapped.

Suddenly hearing the quick sounds of footsteps coming from behind her, Rainbow whirled around in time to receive a fist to her jaw, knocking her to the ground. Rainbow quickly got to her feet, eyes widening in shock at the culprit. Sunset stood a few feet from Rainbow with a wicked smirk on her face, saying, “Well, well, you finally chose to be loyal, eh, Rainbow? Too bad you couldn’t show me the same loyalty.”

“Shut up, Sunset! I'm gonna kick your ass for what you did to Scootaloo!” Rainbow spat back defiantly.

Lunging in, Rainbow tried to strike at Sunset's jaw, only to be caught off-guard when Sunset caught Rainbow's fist in her hand, squeezing slowly and tightly. Rainbow screamed in pain, feeling the bones in her hand straining to their breaking point. Falling to one knee, tears rushed down Rainbow's cheeks as she yelled, “Sunset, let go!”

Rainbow quickly felt herself being yanked forward, and before she knew it, she found herself lying on her stomach with her arm twisted painfully behind her. Leaning with a knee on Rainbow's back, Sunset sickly whispered into Rainbow's right ear, “Oh, does it hurt, dear? Are you worried? Worried that I'm about to break every part of you?”

Growling, Sunset grabbed Rainbow by the hair and yanked the athlete's head back. Rainbow closed her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth from the pain. Holding Rainbow by a tight fistful of hair, Sunset said aloud, “Scootaloo, I want you to watch as I show your sister what a real bitch is.”

“No!" Rainbow pleaded. "Sunset, please, don’t make Scootaloo watch.”

Surprised by her words, Sunset tightened her grip on Rainbow's arm as she snarled, “What gives you the right to beg anything from me?”

Hissing from the reinforced pain, Rainbow's voice quivered as she said, "Y-You're right. I don't have the right, not after what I did to you. Not after what I let happen to you back at CHS. But please, just let my sister go. That's all I care about."

Sunset paused for a second before saying, "You know what, Rainbow? You can go fuck yourself."

Rainbow's eyes widened, and something in her snapped. Breathing heavily, Rainbow flung her good arm behind her, her elbow colliding with Sunset's cheek. As Sunset reeled back, Rainbow rushed to her feet, rubbing her hurt arm. As Sunset got her bearings straight, she started growling, causing Rainbow to back away in worry, her rush of bravado checked. Sunset's eyes glowed red, and she moved impossibly fast toward Rainbow and grabbed Rainbow by the throat. Twisting to her left, she flung the athlete down the hallway. Rainbow hit the ground with a thud and half-rolled, half-skidded to a stop on the dirty floor.

“I loved you!” Sunset yelled as she stomped towards Rainbow. “I would have given the whole fucking world to you. And I would have shared that with Scootaloo, too!” Rainbow tried to get up, only to get a quick foot to her stomach, knocking all of the air out of her lungs. “I would have done anything to make you happy.” Raising her hands above her head, Sunset brought her fists down onto Rainbows collarbones, snapping them like twigs, causing her victim to scream in pain. “I will never, ever forgive you for what you did to me!”

“Sunset, stop! You’ll kill her!” Scootaloo screamed.

Sunset yanked Rainbow to her feet. Her body glowed, and she quickly kicked Rainbow in the ribs, breaking a few as she sent Rainbow flying down the hallway. Turning around, Sunset headed back towards Scootaloo, saying as she got near the frightened girl's cell, “Wait your turn. I’ll deal with you three in a bit.”

Painfully rolling to a stop, Rainbow again screamed in pain as she pushed herself up, blood welling up in her mouth from her collision with the floor. She spat the blood out and yelled to Sunset, “G-Get back here, Sunset! I’m not done with you!”

Sunset grinned, saying as she turned around to face Rainbow fully, “You don’t know when to quit, do you?”

Lunging in and clearing the distance in a second flat, Sunset landed another blow to Rainbow's right temple, knocking her into the wall next to her. As Rainbow's head hit the wall and bounced off, Sunset grabbed a fistful of Rainbow's hair again, slamming Rainbow's face into the wall. She heard a crack from Rainbow's skull, and she shuddered in pleasure as she pulled back again to once more slam Rainbow's head into the unforgiving stone. Satisfied, Sunset let go and watched as Rainbow slumped to the floor, several shards of teeth falling from her mouth. “How does it feel, Rainbow, knowing you're about to lose everything and that there's nothing you can do about it?”

“F-Fuck you, Sunset,” Rainbow spat out through a mouthful of blood. Turning to the left, she spat a large glob of blood and bone shards onto the floor, continuing, “Just fuck off, you bitch! Why couldn't you have stayed dead!?”

Sunset's eyes narrowed, and Rainbow instantly regretted her words. Spreading her wings, Sunset grabbed Rainbow by her shirt. Dragging the half-broken teen behind her, Sunset opened the door to the cell next to Scootaloo’s and threw Rainbow inside. She slammed the door shut, the sound echoing in Scootaloo’s ears as the young girl pleaded, “Sunset, let her go! Please!”

Walking away from the cell, Sunset said grimly, “I’m going for a short flight. You four enjoy each other's company. When I get back, I’ll think of a way to get Rarity and Applejack here and finish what I started.”

Silently, Sunset began heading up to the roof, the only other sound being Rainbow's pained moans. Distressed, Scootaloo called over, “Rainbow? Can you hear me? Say something!"

“Ah don’t think she can hear ya, Scoots," Apple Bloom said. "She took an awful beating, and--” Her words were cut short when Sweetie Belle suddenly yelled out, “Girls, there's another Sunset outside!”

Stopping in her tracks, Sunset's eyes glowed red as she emitted a guttural growl. She rushed to a third-floor window and looked outside, watching unseen through the torrential rain as Summer approached the building, Mr. Cake close behind, looking worried and saying something. Sunset cracked the window open and strained to listen to them, forcing the rain to keep away from her window to make it easier for her.

“Summer, stop!" Mr. Cake shouted above the downpour. "You're only going to get those kids killed! You promised to remain in the car. If Sunset sees you, who knows what she'll do?”

“Go back to the bus, human!" Summer yelled back. "I’m going to have a few words with Fourteen, and you're not going to stop me.”

Fuming, Sunset was about to slam the window shut when she spotted Fluttershy and Pinkie following her father and Summer up the path towards the entrance. Growling, she broke the glass of the window enough to climb out and unfurl her wings. She swooped down to the entrance, stopping Summer in her tracks.

“Hello, Thirteen,” Sunset said coldly. Turning her attention to her father, Sunset continued, “You need to leave, Father; I don’t want you involved in this!”

“S-Sunset,” Fluttershy gasped out in fear, catching Sunset's attention.

"I thought I made it clear that only Rainbow was to come see me," Sunset snarled. She scoffed. "Of course, it's not like any of you ever actually listened to me anyway." Seeing the terrified look on her former friend's face, she smiled wickedly to Fluttershy, saying, “Well, if you wanna get involved, fine. You and Pinkie are coming with me.”

“Oh, no, you don’t! You're not going to hurt them!” Summer screamed, grabbing onto Sunset's forearm.

“Bad move, bitch,” Sunset said. Quickly spinning on her heel, Sunset threw Summer head over heels into and through a nearby tree.

Slamming into the muddy ground with a squelching thud, Summer forced herself to her feet. Her eyes glowed, and she roared, “Alright, you horse's ass, let's go!”

Sunset roared in return, her eyes reddening as her skin grew darker and her hair burst into flames, the raindrops evaporating the instant they touched the fire. “I’ll rip you apart!” she bellowed as the winds began howling even more loudly around her.

Desperate to keep his daughter from getting hurt, Mr. Cake rushed to intercept Sunset as she rushed at Summer, only to take Sunset's fist to his chest, crashing to the ground a good ten feet from where he was punched. As his senses left him, he faintly heard Sunset scream, “Father!" as she rushed to his side. Looking at what she'd done, Sunset glared at Summer and yelled, “Damn you!” Gently laying her injured father to the ground, she finished, “I’ll send you to Tartarus for this!”

“Don’t blame me, Sunset!" Summer retorted herself surprised at Mr. Cake's actions. "You were the one who--”

Rushing towards her with inhuman speed, Sunset cut Summer off with a fist to her jaw. The blow sent Summer instantly flying through the air and into another tree. As Summer struggled to get back up, Sunset rushed in again, landing a swift, hard kick to Summer's stomach, cracking the tree behind Summer as Summer slammed into it.

As Summer struggled to breathe, coughing up blood from a punctured lung, Sunset chuckled darkly, licking her lips. “Aww, did that hurt? Here, let me help you take your mind off it,” she cooed wickedly.

Quickly grabbing Summer by her hair, Sunset spun in a half-circle, flinging Summer into the large, stone sign in front of the asylum. Summer saw stars as her head hit the sign, and she fell to the mud below, barely conscious. Sunset watched as Summer struggled just to get to her knees, her skin starting to darken as she began her own transformation. Smirking, Sunset pointed a single finger at Summer and swiped it downward. Immediately, a bolt of lightning struck Summer. Summer screamed as the electricity ripped through her in an instant, and she collapsed face-first into the mud, unmoving.

Sunset smiled darkly and began walking toward her, stopping when she heard Fluttershy scream, “Sunset, stop!”

Sunset turned to Fluttershy and Pinkie, suddenly remembering their presence. Without warning, Sunset gave a powerful flap of her wings, propelling herself towards the pair and elbowing Fluttershy in the solar plexus. Sunset caught Fluttershy as the animal-lover instantly collapsed, breathless. Sunset held Fluttershy under one arm as she took to the air, looking straight at Pinkie. Pinkie turned to run, only to scream as Sunset snatched her up, as well.

Hearing Pinkie's scream even above the storm, Twilight and the others came rushing down the path, watching as a dark blur that could only be Sunset flew off with her two captives. Seeing Summer lying burnt, bloody, and hopefully just unconscious nearby, Twilight rushed over to her as the rain and wind began dying down.

“Twilight, don’t move her. You could cause more harm than good,” Celestia said urgently, stopping Twilight in her tracks. “Let me help her. I have medical training.”

“Alright,” Twilight said softly, backing away and looking up while Sunset’s silhouette disappeared above the clouds, praying to anyone who would listen for her friends' and Sunset's safety.

A Video of the Past (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset held tightly onto her two captives as she soared through the frigid air. Pinkie was oddly silent as she prayed that Sunset didn't drop them, while Fluttershy, having regained her breath, alternating between begging for mercy and weeping openly, her tears falling hundreds of feet onto the frozen ground.

“Sunset, please put us down!” Fluttershy begged for the umpteenth time. Fluttershy watched in horror as Sunset simply flew higher. “For the love of God, please take us down!” she screamed in fear.

Sunset looked down at her, smirked deviously, and loosened her grip. Panicking, Fluttershy twisted and wrapped her arms around Sunset's neck in terror, squeezing and holding on for dear life, inadvertently cutting off Sunset's breathing. Starting to worry herself, Sunset writhed, trying to loosen Fluttershy's hold enough to breath, but her thrashing only made Fluttershy squeeze more tightly. She tried to say something, but the tightness around her neck stopped her from uttering a sound.

After a few seconds, Sunset's eyes began to roll up into her head, and her wings started to lose their strength as Sunset began to pass out and descend into free fall. Pinkie was jolted out of her trance as she noticed Sunset's muscles begin to relax, threatening to drop her. Quickly spotting the source of the problem, she screamed, “Fluttershy, let go of her!” Seeing the ground rapidly approach, Pinkie screamed again, “Fluttershy!”

Pinkie's screams snapped Fluttershy out of her panic, and she quickly let go of Sunset's neck. Immediately, Sunset took in a huge gulp of air and began to stir. Opening her eyes, Sunset saw the ground was fast approaching.

“Whoa!” Sunset yelled. Quickly banking up, the girls' boots barely skimmed the ground below as she flew high into the sky, growling out, “Don’t you ever do that again!” Looking down, she softened slightly, saying, “Perhaps walking would be for the best.”

Flying low to the ground, Sunset tossed Pinkie and Fluttershy with the same enthusiasm as one tossing away garbage bags, landing a few feet away and watching as they both rolled to a painful stop.

“Where are we?” Pinkie asked as the two shakily got to their feet and dusted themselves off. Looking around, Pinkie saw a long, dirt path leading towards some trees and bushes, the path illuminated sparsely by several park lamps posted along the path. Outside of the pools of light was pure darkness. “This looks like Canterlot Central. But, you know, darker. Much darker.”

“That's because this is Canterlot Central,” Sunset said patronizingly.

Insulted at Sunset's tone, Pinkie began examining herself to keep from saying anything she might regret. Her coat was filthy, and her skirt was torn up from the hard landing, revealing a generous portion of her thighs. Quickly looking over Fluttershy, she saw that the shy girl fared no better, with a torn-up blouse and skirt of her own, while the girl herself was huddled up and crying. Taking off her coat, Pinkie covered her friend up, saying as she zipped the coat closed, “It’ll be alright. We'll get out of this. Somehow.” Turning to Sunset, she continued, "Why'd you bring us here, Sunset?" A terrible thought occurred to her. "A-Are you gonna...kill us?"

“No,” Sunset replied bitterly, “I am not going to kill you. But I'm not gonna just leave you alone. I have business with Fluttershy.”

Sunset's sentence was punctuated by a loud thunderclap sounding overhead, causing Fluttershy to shriek and clamp onto Pinkie, who tried her best to soothe the frightened girl. Pinkie glared at Sunset, only to notice in surprise that as Sunset waved her fingers, yet another flash of lightning lit up the night, followed closely by a monstrous boom. Pinkie looked disbelievingly at Sunset. "Are...Are you doing that?" When Sunset only smirked deviously in response, Pinkie continued, "But how!?"

"Don't know, don't care," Sunset said nonchalantly as she cause a lightning bolt to strike down a relatively short distance from the trio.

Fluttershy tightened her death grip on Pinkie, and Pinkie resumed her glare at Sunset. “Stop it, Sunset! You're scaring Fluttershy!”

“I don't give a fuck,” Sunset replied bitterly, waving her finger in an arc from left to right. As she did so, more lightning arced in the darkening clouds above, and a light drizzle began. "I brought you here to show you something."

Sunset reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a thin video recorder with a small butterfly charm hanging from it. "You have no idea how hard it was getting this from my parents' house without anyone noticing," she continued, walking forward and thrusting it into Fluttershy's breast. "I meant to give it to you way earlier, but things kept coming up, and I eventually forgot about it. Remember when our friendship ended two years ago and how you were always wondering why?" When Fluttershy hesitantly nodded, Sunset continued, "Watch the latest video. It should enlighten you."

As Fluttershy put the camera in her pocket to watch in the safety of her bedroom, Sunset began walking away and flexing her wings, saying, "Well, I gotta go deal with some brats. See you, girls, later."

The conversation was interrupted by a series of low growls. The group looked to the source of the menacing noise and saw yellow and amber eyes light up the darkness just outside the light of one of the park lamps. Six clearly wild dogs began to step into the light of the street lamp, each bearing its teeth and crouching low as they glared hatefully at Sunset.

"Um," Sunset began, but before she could continue, the dogs charged her. Sunset barely jumped out of the way of the first set of jaws going for her arm, while she felt teeth graze her right calf as she moved it instinctively. Knowing it was dangerous to cause lightning to strike so close to her, Sunset opted for a strategic retreat.

Dodging one last set of teeth, Sunset took to the air and sped off, not realizing that she flew right over Pinkie and Fluttershy as she fled with the storm to the asylum. The dogs gave chase, and the two grounded girls watched in silent horror as the dogs, in their frenzy, turned their bloodlust from their airborne target to Pinkie and Fluttershy instead.

“Run, Fluttershy!” Pinkie screamed, yanking Fluttershy to her feet. The two girls ran for their lives as the dogs followed in hot pursuit.

“What are we going to do, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked frantically. "We can’t outrun them!”

“I don’t know, but I’ll think of something!”

Running as fast as their legs could carry them, Pinkie looked behind her, seeing the dogs frighteningly close to them, some even snapping at the girls' ankles. Pinkie looked around frantically, spotting a public bathroom coming into view nearby. “This way!” she screamed, pulling her frightened friend down the path as Fluttershy desperately tried to keep up, breathing very heavily. “Onward to safety!”

As the girls rushed towards the bathroom, the dogs practically on top of them, Pinkie saw that the girls' side was gated off, though the boys' side's gate was bent outwards. Thinking quickly, she swiped up a large stick from the ground and swiped it at the dogs as the girls put a last burst of energy into their legs to get as much distance as they could, and they reached the gate.

Pinkie squeezed through almost effortlessly. She turned around, grabbed Fluttershy's wrist, and started pulling her through the gap. “Hurry, Fluttershy! You need to get inside, or you're dog food!”

“I can’t move," Fluttershy panted heavily. "I’m too scared, and my legs are killing me!”

“Come on, Fluttershy! If you don't get in here, it won't be just your legs that's killing you!” Pinkie screamed.

Pinkie pulled with all her might, squeezing Fluttershy through the gap. As the dogs lunged, Fluttershy closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable, only to be forced through the gap at the last second.

The dogs snapped and snarled, and a few tried getting through the gap themselves, but Pinkie kept them at bay, kicking their snouts as they tried. Eventually, the dogs stopped their assault. Fluttershy flew into Pinkie, burying her face into Pinkie's breast and sobbing, while Pinkie rubbed Fluttershy's back and tried to calm the yellow girl down as she looked around for any other means of escape.

Before long, the dogs' frenzy diminished, and they calmed down. As they realized that there was no threat in the trapped humans, they slowly dispersed, leaving the girls alone.

Breathing heavily, each girl slowly calmed down. Remembering the camera in her pocket, Fluttershy wiped her eyes and sat up, saying, “I don't really feel safe out there, so, um, why don't we just stay here for a while. We can at least pass the time by watching that video.”

“How can you possibly think--”

“Please, Pinkie," Fluttershy interrupted, to Pinkie's surprise. "I've wanted to know for so long why Sunset turned on us. I can't wait any longer.”

Pinkie hesitated, then shrugged and nodded. Fluttershy took out the camera and inspected both it and the charm. Pinkie started at seeing the charm. "Hey, isn't that your camera?" she asked. "I remember when you bought it a couple years back."

Fluttershy nodded as she ran her fingers over the camera, her breathing returning to normal. “I gave Sunset this camera two years ago, both as a sign of trust and to help her record her reading or thoughts.”

As Fluttershy turned the camera on, Pinkie said, "You go ahead and watch the video. I'm gonna call the cops. There's no way I'm going out there without someone protecting us."

“Alright, you do that. I need something to take my mind off of tonight, anyway.” Pressing the playback button, Fluttershy flipped open the movie screen, watching as she saw the images displayed on the screen. Sunset's boots came into view as Fluttershy heard her former friend say, “How do you work this thing?”

Fluttershy heard her own voice giggle and respond, “Here, let me show you.” She watched as she appeared on the screen as the digital Fluttershy took the camera. The scene moved to show Sunset sitting on a bench in the very place Sunset had just taken the girls before the dogs attacked. Fluttershy’s eyes watered as she heard herself say, “Smile, Sunset. Wave for the camera.” Sunset smiled happily and waved at the camera. “There. Now that I got you on camera, I’ll show you how to record something, alright?”

“Sure. Thanks, Fluttershy.”

The scene turned around as Fluttershy sat down and handed the camera to Sunset. “All you have to do is press this little red button to start recording and press the button again to stop.”

Fluttershy paused the video and began listening as Pinkie's call started to wrap up. “Yeah, we're both trapped in the boys' bathroom at Canterlot Central Park. No, we don’t need an ambulance. We're both fine. We're just cold and a little scared is all. We just need someone to come escort us home." Pinkie paused as the dispatcher spoke. “Alright, we won’t try to leave until someone gets us out of here. Thanks.” Hanging up her phone, Pinkie sat down next to Fluttershy, saying, “The police should be here in about ten minutes; turns out Canterlot Central's pretty close to the police station. Let's get back to the video to pass the time.”

“Alright.”

Both girls turned their attention back to the video, and Fluttershy pressed the playback button.

"I think I got the hang of it. Thanks, Fluttershy," Sunset said.

“You're welcome. Just don’t run with it, alright? This camera cost me quite a bit of money. Anyway, now that you know how to record something, I’ll show you how to rewind and fast-forward the video and then how to delete the video.”

“Okay.”

Wanting to get to the meat of the video, the current Fluttershy fast-forwarded, stopping when the video cut to a new one, apparently edited into the video she was just watching. She saw herself sitting on the same bench from earlier in the video (or was it the previous video?), while Applejack stood over her, looking agitated. The candidness made it clear that the video was being recorded from a distance, likely while the recorder hid out of sight.

“And Ah'm tellin' ya that somethin's fishy about her,” Applejack asserted. "We've known her for months, but every time one of us tries to talk to her about her past, she clams up or leaves. Ah'm fine with a little secret or two, but no one who's that dodgy about her past is on the up-and-up."

"Um, just because Sunset doesn't want to talk about her past doesn't mean we should be afraid of her," Fluttershy said meekly, looking down and away from Applejack.

"Ah'm not afraid of her, Ah'm suspicious of her," Applejack said heatedly. "If Ah'm honest, Ah don't think it's safe to trust her until she gives us somethin' about her past. She might be dangerous or on the run or somethin'."

The digital Fluttershy bit her lip and shrunk into herself at the accusation against her friend. "Well, uh, why don't you talk to her about it?" she asked quietly.

"We both know she won't tell me nothin'!" Applejack snapped. "It has to be you. She always spends her time with you. You're closest to her. If she's gonna open up to anyone, it's gonna be you. Go talk to her, Fluttershy."

"But what if she doesn't tell me anything?" Fluttershy asked. "She doesn't really open up to me about it, either."

"Then give her an ultimatum," Applejack said grimly. The digital Fluttershy's head snapped to look at Applejack in disbelief. "Ah'm sorry, Fluttershy," she continued softly, "but sometimes, it's just not worth it to be friends with someone."

The digital Fluttershy lowered her gaze to her lap. "I'll...I'll talk to her," she said sadly.

The scene shifted as whoever was recording turned around and stalked off, the camera bouncing back and forth as it swung in the recorder's hands, revealing a familiar pair of boots. After a few seconds, Sunset's face filled the screen as she turned the camera toward herself, tears falling down her face, the features of which were twisted in rage. “So that's it, huh?" she demanded. "After all the time we spent together, you don't trust me? You're just gonna let that hick bully you into breaking it off with me? Well, I won't let you! I'm breaking it off myself, you traitor!”

The screen abruptly went black as the video ended, and Fluttershy shook violently as Pinkie held her. “It was me," she said quietly, her tears once more threatening to fall. "She turned on us because of me.” Fluttershy began to hyperventilate, her eyes widening in fear and anger as her mind raced. It all made sense, now: Sunset's sudden hostility, her abrupt hatred of friendship, and even her targeting of Fluttershy more than of anyone else. It was all because she saw that conversation and Fluttershy's betrayal. "How can I be so stupid!?" she thought angrily. "I lost a good friend because I just couldn't stick up for myself!"

Pinkie held onto the crying Fluttershy for a few minutes until they heard someone approach the bathroom. Pinkie and Fluttershy looked at the doorway, praying it was the police and afraid that it wasn't. Their prayers were answered as Brushed Jade peered inside, relaxing when she saw the girls. "Hey!" Jade called to someone out of sight. "I found them!" Jade began fiddling with the gate to try and widen the gap as her partner joined her, stopping when she saw the state Fluttershy was in. "What happened to her? I thought you said you were both fine."

"We are," Pinkie said. "Mostly, anyway. Fluttershy just...saw something she wasn't prepared for."

Jade raised an eyebrow but dropped the subject, instead, she began helping the girls out of the bathroom. When the girls were free, Jade looked the two of them over and said, "So what brings you two all the way out here at one in the morning? The curfew started two hours ago." Pinkie opened her mouth to speak, when Jade interrupted, "The truth, Pinkamena."

Pinkie's eyes kept flashing to Jade's partner, which Jade noticed. Jade sighed and said, "Cuffs, go pull the car around. I'll hear what they have to say, and we'll take them home." Officer Cuffs nodded and walked off, and Jade turned back to Pinkie. "Go on, then. Let's hear it."

Pinkie quickly explained everything to Jade, making sure to cover all the important information. Once finished, Jade said, “So it is like that, huh?” She sighed. "Alright, let's get you home. I'll call Celestia or Luna afterward and talk to them about it, see if there's anything I can do to help.”

Cuffs pulled up in the police car, and Pinkie and Fluttershy got in the back. The trip to the girls' houses was uneventful, but Fluttershy couldn't stop replaying Sunset's final message in her head, nor could she stop her tears from falling.

"You're just gonna let that hick bully you into breaking it off with me? Well, I won't let you! I'm breaking it off myself, you traitor!”

"I'm breaking it off myself, you traitor!”

"You traitor!

Rescue (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Luna all headed inside the asylum to search for Rainbow and the three girls. Once inside, Applejack said, “Let’s split up. We’ll each take a floor and meet back here in twenty minutes.”

“We need to be careful around here, as well. This place looks like it could fall on our heads at any moment,” Luna said, looking around warily.

“Vice Principal Luna and I will try the second and third floors and will call you two if we find them upstairs.” Rarity said, pulling out her phone. Her eyes narrowed slightly as her phone showed no reception could be found. “Oh, blast it. My phone isn’t working. How about the rest of you?”

Applejack looked at her phone. “No, my phone don’t work out here, neither.” Looking at Twilight, she added, “What about you, Twilight? Does yer phone work here?”

“I don’t have a phone,” Twilight said. “I’m from Equestria, remember? I don’t even know how to use one.”

Rarity looked at her incredulously and said, “Darling, do you mean to tell us that in all the time you’ve been here, no one has ever shown you how to use a cell phone?”

Shaking her head, Twilight said, “No, but we can worry about that later. Come on, Applejack. Since they’re searching upstairs, we’ll search down here.”

“You got it, Twi,” Applejack said, turning her flashlight app on.

Giving Rarity and Luna a nod, both Applejack and Twilight began their search as Rarity and Luna went upstairs. Applejack moved her flashlight around her surroundings, finding it hard to shake the nervous feeling she got at the run-down state and dead silence of the building, not helped by the sharp shadows formed by her flashlight.

“This sure is one spooky place, huh, Twilight?”

“I am not focused on that right now, AJ. I am more worried about the girls than I am about this place,” Twilight replied sternly.

The girls stopped as they came to a large, steel door, the first of many. Applejack gulped lightly as Twilight pushed and pulled on the door. Unable to open it, she banged her fist on it, the sound echoing in the hallway behind them and in the room beyond. After a few seconds of silence, Twilight said, “I don’t think the girls are in there; if they were, we would have heard something.”

“You’re right,” Applejack responded. “Let's move on. There's plenty more rooms to check.”

The pair continued on, checking every door and room along the way. Moving around the corner and further down the hallway, the girls stopped when they saw they couldn’t go any further; half the hallway was blocked off by a gigantic tree that had fallen many years ago, blocking all access to the rooms that remained on that half of the first floor. Looking around, Applejack said, “We ain't going no further, Twi. Let's check out the other side of the building.”

Twilight nodded, and both girls turned around and started to head back the way they came. Trying to keep her mind occupied, Twilight asked, “Do you know what Mr. Cake meant when he said this was the only place Sunset feels safe? I mean, I don’t see how anyone can feel safe in this awful place.”

“Ah don’t know, but we’ll find out once Sunset is back to herself and once Ah give her a good talking to,” Applejack replied with conviction.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s keep our eyes peeled.”

As the pair passed the main staircase in the lobby, they heard a shrill whistle from the second floor. The two rushed upstairs and saw Luna waving them over. Rarity stood nearby, peering into one of the cells. As they approached, they heard Rarity speaking excitedly to someone inside.

“We found them!” Luna said with a mix of relief and distress. She pointed to the room Rarity was in front of. “Go ahead and look, but it’s not pretty.”

Twilight and Applejack rushed over as Rarity moved aside. Applejack shined her flashlight inside, lighting up the dingy room. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all stared at them, relief painted on their bruised and filthy faces. In the next room over, Applejack’s light flashed on a battered and bruised Rainbow Dash, who lay motionless in the middle of the room.

Twilight gasped when she saw how badly hurt her friend was, saying, “Rainbow Dash! What happened to her?”

“She picked a fight with Sunset,” Scootaloo called. “Sunset got really mad and went nuts, then she beat the crap out of Rainbow. Please, do something!”

“Alright, you girls see if you can get them out. I’ll get Celestia. She’ll know what to do,” Luna said, walking back down the path the group had come from.

“Alright. Come on, girls. Let’s get you four out of here. Then, I’ll take care of Sunset,” Twilight growled bitterly.

Applejack shined her light into Apple Bloom's cell, saying, “Apple Bloom, are Y'all alright?”

“No, Ah ain't alright. My ankle’s broken and I wanna go home!” Apple Bloom responded irritably.

Twilight asked, “Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, how about you? Are either of you hurt?”

“My elbow’s broken, and so is Scootaloo’s leg,” Sweetie Belle said.

Twilight and Applejack exchanged worried glances. Finally, Applejack said to them, “Y’all just sit tight. We’ll think of a way to get you three out of this here cell...somehow.”

Summer slowly rolled over onto her back, moaning in pain. Gilda rushed to her side and gently pulled Summer into her lap as Summer woke up.

“Ooooh, my head.” Summer tried to sit up, adding, “What happened? Where's Sunset?”

“She’s gone, Summer. You got yourself struck by lightning!” Gilda said. “You big dummy! What were you thinking? How could you take Sunset on by yourself?” Holding Summer in her arms, she added as a tear trickled down her cheek, “I don’t want to lose you, Summer. I don’t want to raise this baby by myself.”

“Gilda, try to keep her from moving around too much,” Celestia said. “I’ll go check on Carrot.”

Mr. Cake began to stir as Celestia approached, and Celestia helped him sit up against a nearby tree. As he got his bearings, he noticed the state Summer was in. “Celestia,” he said, “I have a first aid kit, a blanket, and a tarp in the back of my van. Go get them for Summer.”

“Good idea. We can keep her warm while I look her over and use the tarp to carry her to a better place.”

“Celestia!” Celestia heard Luna call out to her as the woman ran towards them. “We found them!”

“That’s wonderful!” Celestia said, relieved. “How are they?”

“They’re in pretty bad shape. Sunset did a number on all of them. We need your help.”

“It’ll have to wait until I can deal with Summer,” Celestia said apologetically. “You saw what Sunset did to her.

“What can I do to help?” Luna asked, worried.

“Warm up the van. We need a warm and comfortable space for Summer and the girls,” Celestia replied.

“Get my saw, as well,” Mr. Cake said. “You’ll need it to get some branches to make a makeshift stretcher.”

“Got it.” Taking the key, Luna got in the van and started it up. Her eyes fell to a picture of Sunset taped to the dashboard. The picture showed Luna, Sunset, Celestia and Mr. Cake, each holding a cup of hot cocoa, each looked very happy. Closing her eyes, Luna said to herself, “If only we go back to that, back to being a family again.”

Celestia grabbed the indicated items and rushed back to Summer as Mr. Cake slowly walked over to them.

“How bad is it, Celestia?” Mr. Cake asked. “Do you think you can you help her?”

“I don’t know, Carrot; Summer took an awful beating,” Celestia replied, opening the first aid kit and kneeling down next to Summer. “I have never seen Sunset so angry before. Not even during the Fall Formal did I ever see her act like this.” Celestia trailed off, applying ointment and bandages to Summer’s burns and open wounds. Once finished, Celestia got up and took the saw. “I’ll start cutting down branches.” Turning her attention to Gilda, Celestia added, “Gilda, try to keep Summer’s mind off her pain.”

“What about me?” Luna asked, getting out of the van. “The van’s warm. Is there anything else I can do?”

“You can stay there or go inside. You’ll just get in the way here!” Mr. Cake snapped.

“Hey!” Luna snapped back, surprised at the sudden hostility. “We are all worried about Sunset and the girls, but taking your anger out on me won’t help.” Looking down, she added, “I wish none of this happened, too. I wish more than anything in the fucking world that Sunset was--”

“Was what?” Mr. Cake demanded. “Still dead? Is that what you want? I have a chance--a once-in-a-lifetime chance--to get my daughter back, and you want her to still be in the damn grave?! Do you have any fucking idea how much pain my wife has gone through losing Sunset the first time or what I’m going through knowing that we might have to…to…”

“To what, Carrot?” Luna asked.

“To kill my beloved daughter. To destroy her entirely to make sure that nothing of her is left,” Mr. Cake finished with a soft, forced whisper. Sighing, he added, “I’m sorry I lost my temper with you, Luna. You’re right; I shouldn’t take my anger out on you or anyone else.”

“It’s alright, Carrot. We’re all stressed,” Luna said softly. “And for the record, I was going to say ‘cured’. I wish Sunset were cured of whatever the hell is affecting her. As for what I’ll do, I’ll get back to the van. We need to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice in case Sunset comes back.”

Giving her a nod, Mr. Cake headed over to Celestia, who was just finishing her second branch. She stripped the long, sturdy branches and laid them on either side of the tarp.

“Can I help?” Gilda asked from where she sat. “I need something to take my mind off of things.”

“I can handle this, Gilda,” Celestia said, tying the tarp to the branches. “If you want to help, talk to Summer. Give her something to focus her attention on, and try to keep her from losing consciousness.” Looking up from her work to Carrot, Celestia added, “Carrot, once I’ve made sure Summer is stable, we’ll get the girls out of the asylum and take all five to a hospital.”

“Alright,” Carrot replied, “It’ll be a tight fit, but we have no choice.”

Finished tying the tarp to the branches, Celestia rolled her sleeves up in preparation for moving Summer. Gilda noticed a tattoo on Celestia’s right forearm of a coiled snake with a skull and dagger over its head. Gilda gulped, saying, “You were a part of the Forty-Seventh?”

“Huh? Oh, my tattoo. Yes, I was. How’d you make the connection?”

“My grandpa. He has the same tattoo on his right arm, and he was also a part of that unit. He fought at Heartbreak Ridge during the Korean War.” Gilda paused. “He got his left arm blown off.”

“What is your last name, Gilda, if I may ask?”

“Griffin. Why?”

“Your grandfather was Commander Gruff Griffin, yes? He’s a legend in the military. In fact, he’s the reason I signed up in the first place. When I was younger, I wanted to be like him: a big wartime hero. It didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, though. Listen, when this is over, perhaps I can help you to...locate him.”

Gilda’s eyes widened in shock. Her jaw trembled lightly as she felt her heart pounding in her chest. “Y-You know where he is?”

“Yes, I do. You see, he saved my life.” With a smile, she added, “I’ll tell you little more later, after we get out of here.”

“Okay,” Gilda said excitedly. Looking down at Summer, Gilda said, “You hear that, Summer? Celestia’s gonna help us find my grandpa! Isn’t that great?” Gilda’s excited speech was cut short when Summer began to shake violently in Gilda’s arms, her eyes rolling back into her head. “Summer!”

“She’s having a seizure! Move!” Celestia snapped, pushing Gilda away. “I need to get Summer on her side to keep her airway open.” Quickly rolling Summer to her right side and putting her coat underneath Summer’s head like a cushion, Celestia leaned back, adding, “All we can do is let her ride this out, Gilda.” Seeing Gilda was about to grab onto Summer, Celestia quickly grabbed her, holding the worried girl in her arms. “I know you’re scared, Gilda, but she’ll be alright. You have to trust me on this.”

Gilda watched helplessly as Summer flailed about for several minutes like a fish out of water before finally coming to a rest. Slowly, Summer opened her eyes. Breathing heavily, she looked around, clearly disoriented. Gilda broke free from Celestia's grasp, grabbing tightly onto Summer. Celestia gently laid her hands on Summer's shoulders, saying to Gilda, “I need you to move over to her feet. On three, we’ll lift and move her onto the stretcher and then together pick it up and move her to the van.”

“A-Alright.” Gilda swallowed hard, worried “I-I--”

“It's going to be alright, Gilda.” Turning her attention to Summer, Celestia continued, “Summer, this might hurt a bit, but I need to get you on this stretcher.”

Gilda got up and took her position at Summer’s feet. Celestia counted to three, and both lifted Summer, who screamed in pain. Gently setting her down on the stretcher, Gilda and Celestia picked up the stretcher and moved as fast as they could towards the van. They arrived not a moment too soon; a light drizzle was beginning to fall on the women. The duo set Summer into the back of the van, and Gilda climbed in next to Summer while Mr. Cake headed inside the asylum to search for the girls.

Suddenly, Celestia heard Twilight call from the second floor, “Celestia, we need a way to open their door! Do you have something that can pick the lock?”

“I might be able to help you. Carrot’s on his way, and I’ll be up in just a minute. Try to keep them calm,” Celestia called back. Looking to Gilda, who held Summer in her arms, she said, “Gilda, I have to go help the others. Will you--”

“Go on. I’ll be alright, and I’ll make sure Summer will be, as well.”

“Make sure you keep her warm and conscious, Gilda,” Celestia said seriously.

“I-I’ll try, but make it quick. I don’t know how much longer Summer will last without medical attention.”

Quickly heading inside out of the drizzle that quickly strengthened to rain, Celestia met Mr. Cake, and they both rushed to the second floor. They soon met Twilight, who led them to the prisoners’ cells. “The kids are as calm as can be given the situation,” Twilight reported, slightly impressed.

“That’s good,” Celestia replied. Looking around, however, she noticed someone missing. “Where’s Rarity?’”

“Dunno,” Applejack replied, looking around as if just noticing the fashionista’s absence. “She was here a minute ago. Guess she wandered off.” Sudden moaning from Rainbow’s cell grabbed everyone’s attention as the athlete began to awaken.

Twilight said through the window, “Hang on, Rainbow. Celestia is here now. She’ll get you out of there.”

Mr. Cake said, “I’ll go find Rarity and bring her back. Now’s not the time to be wandering around this place.”

“Alright. I’ll stay here and help to get the kids out of these cells,” Celestia said. Kneeling down, she looked at the door’s lock. “Hmmm. Seems like a circular spring lock, only bigger. I am rather.....familiar with this type of lock. I should be able to open it, I hope.”

Leaving the women, Mr. Cake headed down the hallway, soon finding Rarity sitting on a bed in a cell, her eyes coldly staring at a very old, musty, leather-bound book. Her fingers ran up and down the pages slowly.

“Rarity, why are you here?” Mr. Cake asked, worried about the young girl. “Where did you get the book from?”

Without looking up, Rarity replied, “I got it out of Warden Night Medstone’s office. This is my grandmother's journal.” Looking up, she wiped a hand over her eyes, adding, “My mother told me horror stories of this place, but I didn’t actually believe that my family was actually committed to this place. But this is proof.”

Entering the room, Mr. Cake gently helped her up, saying softly, “There will be plenty of time to read this journal once we get Summer and the others to the hospital. For now, we need you to stick with the group, alright?”

“Alright.” Taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out, Rarity added, “I just needed a moment to process everything, is all. I’ll be alright now. Let's get back to the others, shall we?”

Giving her a slight nod, Mr. Cake led Rarity by her hand back to the group, where Celestia was inspecting the door. Reaching into his coat pocket, he took out a pen and said, “Try this, Celestia.”

Looking at the pen, she practically snatched it from his hand to everyone else’s surprise. She blushed bashfully and said, “Let’s just say I’ve been around the block a bit.” Setting to work, Celestia soon had the door open. Taking his pen back, Mr. Cake set to work on the other door as Celestia headed inside to begin checking on Rainbow.

It didn’t take long before Mr. Cake had the door unlocked, getting similarly surprised looks from the group. He smirked and said, “I was no saint in my youth, either. Who knows where I’d be if Celestia’s mother hadn’t set me on the right path.”

Her blush returning, Celestia exited Rainbow’s cell, the nearly unconscious teen athlete in her arms, “Alright, everyone. Let’s all head out to the van. You all will take these girls to the hospital. I’ll be staying behind with Mr. Cake in the hopes of helping Sunset if she decides to return here.” Turning to Twilight, she added, “Twilight, I’ll need you to stay, as well. Perhaps the three of us can help Sunset overcome what has happened to her.”

Everyone began to help the Crusaders out of the cell. Rarity took her sister in her arms in a surprising show of strength. “Come on, Sweetie Belle. Let’s get you to a hospital. Then, we can get you a proper night’s rest in a proper bed and hopefully put this whole dreadful ordeal behind us.”

“I’m scared, Rarity. What if Sunset comes back?”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t let her hurt you again. I promise.”

Holding the scared girl close to her chest, Rarity began to carry Sweetie Belle out of the asylum, getting outside with everyone else in tow a few minutes later. They trudged through the downpour to the van, and Luna helped everyone get inside. Looking to Celestia, she said, “Tia, are you sure about staying here? What if Sunset comes back? I don’t think she’ll be happy to see that you’re the only ones here.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back to her normal self. I won’t lose my goddaughter again, Lu. Now get in. I need you to take everyone to the hospital.”

“Alright. Just be careful.” Luna climbed into the driver’s seat, saying, “It's been a long time since I drove a stick shift, so this might be a bit of a bumpy ride.”

Putting the van in gear and setting the wipers on high, Luna called, “I’ll send help as soon as I can!” and pulled away from the asylum, stopping when a taxi pulled up to the parking lot. Luna watched uneasily as Sonata Dusk stepped out of the cab, giving the group a stern look, seemingly unfazed by the storm.

“Uh, why are you here, Sonata?” Luna asked loudly.

“I’m here to help Sunset. Do you know where she is?” Sonata replied with none of her normal, chipper attitude.

“I’m right here!”

Everyone looked up in horror to see Sunset floating in the sky above them, a deep, angry look plastered on her face as lightning danced in the sky above her. She descended slowly, looking from the van to her father. “Why are you still here, Father?” she asked. “I don’t want you involved in this! Leave!”

“I can’t do that, honey! I have to help you!” he replied. Looking down, he added, “Despite everything that you’ve done, you’re still my daughter, and I still love you, Sunset. Please, come home so we can be a family again.”

“It’s too late for that, Father! I love you too, but it’s too late for me to have a family, for me to be at peace.” Landing in front of Sonata, she added, “If you turn on me as well, Sonata, I’ll kill you along with them. Leave or die. The choice is yours.”

“I can’t do that, Sunset. I love you, but I can’t let you hurt anyone else. I’m sorry, Sunset. I truly am." Looking down, Sonata's face showed pain and anger as she added, "I know what was taken from you, Sunset. I know the real reason why you’re doing this. Please, let us help you. You can get back what was stolen from you. I know you can if--”

Her words were cut off when Sunset right-hooked Sonata in the jaw, sending her flying into the taxi cab. Roaring a guttural, bestial roar of rage, Sunset turned and charged at Twilight.

Pulled from Elysium

The still night air did little to assuage Pinkie and Fluttershy as they rode to Pinkie’s house in the back of Jade’s squad car as Jade sped down the road, ignoring the speed limit. Looking out the window, Fluttershy said, “Please don’t take us to our parents, Officer Jade. We need to get back to Crystal Ridge. If Sunset gets there before us, she’ll hurt our friends.”

Looking up through her rearview mirror, she replied, “Fluttershy, it’s one-thirty in the morning. My shift is over at three, and I’m not going to get in trouble with my captain for taking you to a condemned madhouse.”

“Please, Jade?” Pinkie said. “Please with, uh, lots of sprinkles and sugar on top? We promise we won’t wander off. We just need you to take us there to help our friends.”

Officer Cuffs, who had up to this point been quietly working on a police report, finally lost his patience. Turning around, he said, “Listen, girls. Sergeant Jade and I are taking you home, and that’s final, so cool it, both of--”

His words were cut short when Jade shot him an angry glare. Clearing his throat, he decided to return to his report. Noticing what he was typing, Jade said sternly, “Why are you only just now getting to the Hazzle Hooves report, Cuffs?”

Surprised, Cuffs stuttered, “Well, I, uh, we had all those other reports to work on, ma’am. It’s been a busy week, so, y’know…”

With a glare in her eyes, Jade tightened her grip on the steering wheel and let out a stern sigh. “As if I don’t have enough to deal with,” she muttered. Out loud, she said, “I want that report finished and ready for printing by the time we get to Pinkie’s place. Do you understand, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’ll be ready by then. I promise,” Cuffs said hurriedly.

As Jade made a turn, uncomfortable silence overcame the car, broken only by the chatter from dispatch over the radio. Every now and then, Jade would glance at the radio, then back to her driving, never saying anything. Pinkies hair deflated as she said to Fluttershy, “We’re never going to be able to help Sunset change back to normal, are we, Fluttershy?”

“I don’t know Pinkie,” Fluttershy said quietly. “What we both saw on that video, it, well, it--”

Fluttershy's words where cut short when she heard over the radio, “Ten Eighty-Seven Kilo, what is your current location? Over.”

Picking up the radio, Jade replied, “This is Ten Eighty-Seven Kilo. We are currently driving about fifty towards One-Two-Five Mustang Street and should be there in about twenty minutes. What’s up, dispatch? Over.”

“Ten Eighty-Seven Kilo, we have a disturbance at Crystal Ridge, a possible ten-ten. Got reports of a fight taking place there. Drop off your passengers and head over to Crystal Ridge right away. Over.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Jade thought to herself. Out loud, she replied, “Copy that, dispatch. We’ll be there ASAP. Over.” Silence overtook the car again until Jade neared Pinkie’s house, when she said to Fluttershy, “Sorry, Fluttershy. Looks like you’ll have to get a ride home from Pinkie's family.”

“Jade, please take us to Crystal Ridge. We need to stop Sunset from hurting our friends,” Fluttershy replied. Looking down, she added, “Why won’t you believe us?”

Pulling into Pinkie’s driveway, Jade got out, opening the back door for Fluttershy and Pinkie, saying as she escorted the girls to the front door, “I won’t believe you because Sunset Shimmer’s dead. It has to be someone else, and I’m going to find out who.”

The front door opened, and Maud appeared in the doorway, staring blankly from Pinkie to Fluttershy before saying, “Pinkie, go to your room. Fluttershy, wait in the living room. I’ll talk with the officer.”

Both girls quickly did as they were told. Maud stepped out into the cold night, saying to Jade, “Is my sister under arrest, officer?”

“No. She did break curfew, but I really don’t have time to deal with that, so I’ll let both girls off with a verbal warning.” Jade turned to leave, saying over her shoulder, “I’ll let this go, but please, for your sister’s sake, keep her out of trouble.”

Jade got back into her squad car and drove off. A few moments later, Maud turned around and went back inside. Closing the door behind her, she heard Fluttershy say, “Maud, we really didn’t mean to cause any trouble. It’s just that Sunset is back, and, well, we need to go to—”

“Crystal Ridge,” Maud interrupted with a blank face. Getting a confused look from Fluttershy, she pointed to Fluttershy's shoes, adding, “You have traces of shale on your shoes.” Maud’s vision unfocused as she continued, “Shale, sedimentary, known as a type of mudstone due to its formation from silt and minerals commonly called ‘mud’.” Walking down the hallway with a surprised Fluttershy in tow, Maud continued, “The area to the east of Canterlot has a large amount of shale relative to the other surrounding areas, so it was a safe bet that you came from there. The specific place was just a guess.”

Entering Pinkie’s room, Maud found her sister sitting on her bed, holding a picture in her hands. Thick tears threatened to break the surface of Pinkie’s eyes. Looking up, she sniffed, saying, “I want Sunny to be Sunny again, Maud. Why’d she have to become that monster we saw at Crystal Ridge?”

“Boulder and I don’t have an answer for you, Pinkie, but we do have a car.” Sitting down next to her sister, Maud gently pulled Pinkie into a warm hug, adding softly, “Dry your tears, Pinkie. I’ll drive you to Crystal Ridge.”

Perking up Pinkie grabbed Maud’s hand, racing towards the garage. Fluttershy followed, getting into Maud’s car soon after the other two. Pinkie had a look of determination plastered on her face as she said, “Alright, it’s time to go save Sunny!”

“But what about Jade?” Fluttershy asked. “You and I both know she won’t like it if we show up while she’s there. Don’t you think we should—”

“Step on it, Maud!” Pinkie interrupted. “We have to get there before Jade does!”

Turning on the car, Maud pulled out into the street. “I don’t know how much help Boulder and I will be, but we’re here for you when you need us.”

“Thanks, Maud. Now no more talking; it's time to go help our friend!”

No one said anything as Maud sped down the highway out of the city, the songs on the radio doing nothing to lift anyone’s spirits. About forty-five minutes later, Maud finally came to the road leading towards Crystal Ridge and pulled up to the building a short distance from Jade’s police car, which was pulled up alongside the road, being pelted by sleet. Pinkie jumped out of the car, racing as fast as her legs could carry her towards the asylum. She arrived just in time to freeze in her tracks as she saw Sunset uppercut Twilight in the jaw with enough force to knock the princess airborne briefly.

“Sunset!” Pinkie screamed over the winds, catching Sunset’s attention. “Stop this! Twilight doesn’t want to hurt you!”

Jade, seeing Sunset was about to lunge towards her two former friends, quickly pulled her mace out, screaming, “Sunset, I order you, in the name of the law, to surrender!”

Moving at blinding speed, Sunset closed the gap between herself and Jade, grabbing the bewildered officer by the throat. Thinking quickly, Jade emptied her can of mace into Sunset’s face, causing the crazed girl to scream in pain and rage. Catching up to Pinkie, Fluttershy screamed, “Everyone get inside while she’s distracted!” Seeing Luna was in the Cakes’ van she added quickly, “Luna, get that van out of here now!”

“On it!” Luna yelled back, revving the engine and speeding off with her injured passengers and Applejack.

Officer Cuffs rushed Sunset, trying to grab and restrain the teenager. Sunset reacted by blinding swinging her fist, catching Cuffs in the temple. Cuffs stumbled a few feet and fell to the ground, unconscious. “Cuffs!” Jade screamed in dismay, reaching for her gun.

Seeing Jade was going for her gun, Celestia yelled, “No, don’t shoot her!” Celestia threw herself in front of Sunset while her goddaughter wiped away the mace covering her eyes, the rain hastening the process.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Jade screamed. “Get out of the way! I have to take her out.”

“No! You will not hurt my daughter!” Mr. Cake screamed, rushing Jade.

Knocking her to the ground, the two scuffled for a few minutes before Sunset roared, causing Jade and Carrot to stop their fighting as they beheld her in fear. Off to the side, Sonata pulled out her heart stone. Closing her eyes, she said softly, “This has to stop. Please, forgive me, Sunset.”

Opening her mouth, Sonata began to sing as she slowly approached Sunset, her soft song carrying even over the howling wind. Sunset, her vision clearing from the mace, immediately clamped her hands to her ears, but try as she might, she couldn’t stop the beautiful, hypnotic melody from running through her head, slowly dissolving her thoughts of rage and revenge into a light haze. A look of terror came over her face as she fell to her knees, fighting to keep her will from slipping away.

“Stop it, Sonata! I can’t take that damn singing! Knock it off!” Sunset begged.

Sonata didn’t relent. She continued her slow advance toward Sunset, who began swaying on her knees. Desperately, Sunset, grabbing a firm hold on the last shred of her free will, quickly planted her hands firmly into the ground and thrusted her legs outwards, sweeping a surprised Sonata off her feet onto the cold, muddy ground. Sonata saw stars as she hit her head on the ice and snow. As she moaned dazedly, Sonata saw Sunset struggle back to her feet and race toward her angrily. The last thing she saw was Sunset’s boot rushing toward her head.

Satisfied that the siren was unconscious, Sunset looked back at Twilight, saying, “Now, it's your turn, Twilight.”

Pushing Mr. Cake off of her, Jade screamed out, “Get away from her you, mon—”

A quick fist to the back of her head from Mr. Cake sent Jade toppling to the ground. Kneeling down, he quickly picked up the unconscious officer, yelling out to everyone else, “Get inside!”

“Are you nuts?! We can’t leave Sonata or Officer Cuffs out here with Sunset!” Fluttershy screamed out in fear. “She’ll kill them both!”

Ignoring Fluttershy, Mr. Cake rushed to the asylum with Jade over his shoulder. Celestia followed suit, rushing over and slinging Sonata over her shoulder. Getting the picture, Fluttershy ran over and retrieved Cuffs, her fear alone giving her the strength to lift him. Turning, Celestia shouted, “Run!”

Everyone, Twilight included, ran towards the asylum. Twilight quickly took the lead, yelling, “Follow me! I know where we can hide out!”

The small, frightened group made it to the steel door Twilight and Applejack found earlier, Sunset in hot pursuit. Twilight pulled on the door with Pinkie helping as best as she could. With their muscles straining, both screamed in fear and exertion, getting the door open just in time. Everyone rushed inside as Mr. Cake slammed the door shut, saying, “This door won’t keep her out for long. We need to think of something fast.”

“I can help…” Sonata said sadly, having come to sometime during the chase. She noticed Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie looking at her with a hint of suspicion, and she continued steadily, “What? I’m with you guys. I don’t want to lose Sunset, either. I love her, and I want to see her happy.”

As Fluttershy and Pinkie exchanged glances, Twilight asked as she helped Celestia lay Sonata down on her back, “Sonata, you said during the fight that you knew why Sunset was doing this. What has caused her to become so evil? I know Sunset turned into a demon during the Fall Formal, but I don’t remember her having this much strength or speed.”

“It has to do with how she came back,” Sonata explained. “You see, Sunset is what my species would call fury-born.” Slowly standing up on very wobbly legs, Sonata laid a hand to her head, adding, “Elysium is the real reason Sunset is doing this. She was cast out of what you humans—” her steely gaze fell to Pinkie and Fluttershy “—call heaven. Sunset was at eternal peace, but that was taken from her, and because she can’t go back, she’s going to force you, Twilight, to send her and the queen of the furies, who is possessing Sunset, back to Tartarus forever.” Looking down with profound sadness etched across her face, she finished, “Once her body is completely turned to ash and nothing remains, both she and the fury queen will have to go back to Tartarus forever, for you see, the fury queen is Tartarus incarnate.”

“No,” Fluttershy gasped. “That’s horrible! Did… Did we do this to her?”

“Did any of you try to stop her from being stabbed with the Demon’s Heart?” Sonata asked angrily. The only reply she got were ashamed, averted glances. “Then, yes, you all had a hand in this, and now, you have a price to pay: either you kill her, or she kills all of us.” Softening a little, she added, “There is, however, one way to stop this without anyone dying.”

“How? Tell us, please,” Twilight began, finishing urgently as she heard the metal of the door groan under Sunset’s assault, “You have to tell us before she breaks in here.”

Sonata looked at her audience as she said definitively, “In order to end this, you must give her a reason to live, a reason to love again. The best way to do so is to give her someone that she is directly related to by flesh and blood.”

Sonata's Secret (Edited by Icecreammac)

Sonata stumbled to her feet. Gritting her teeth, she tried to walk towards the door, only to suddenly find herself falling over as her vision blurred and the room swam. Celestia quickly caught her and said to her gently, “Sonata, you need to take it easy. Let me look you over before you try anything.” Looking towards the door, she added, “What were you going to do, Sonata? Face Sunset on your own? She’ll tear you apart.”

“Yes, I’m going to face Sunset on my own,” Sonata said irritably. “I need to go out there and stop her. I can’t let her suffer like this.”

A loud bang on the door caught her attention. Soft, warm hands began to cover her shoulders as she quickly found herself being guided down to the cold, hard floor. As Celestia checked her over, she said softly, “Sonata, you took an awful blow to your head. You need to stay still for a few moments while I check you over.” She added quickly, “Sunset can’t hurt you anymore. That door will keep her out.” She added under her breath, “Hopefully.”

Sonata groaned in irritation but did little else as Celestia took out a penlight. Switching it on, she used her free hand to open Sonata’s right eye, saying, “I want you to follow the light, Sonata. You said you knew what’s going on with Sunset. Why don’t you talk more about that?”

Following the light, Sonata hesitantly said, “Fine. That girl out there isn’t Sunset. At least, not completely. She’s…being possessed by a powerful fury named Queen Megaera. Megaera was imprisoned in the Furies Heart for centuries, only to be released into Sunset when she was stabbed. But, after being in solitude for so long, Megaera seems to have lost any sense of reason, acting only on her instinct to cause strife and feed off of Sunset’s rage, while Sunset uses her cunning and Megaera’s power to get revenge, which only intensifies her hatred.” Sonata began to tighten her hands into fists as a tear slipped from her eye. Celestia moved to Sonata’s left eye as Sonata added, “The two of them are making each other stronger. The longer they remain connected as one single being, the stronger they’ll grow.”

Celestia nodded grimly but decided to conclude her examination before getting into it. “Alright, Sonata, I don’t think you have a concussion. Try to stand up, but don’t do anything else. Please try to remain calm and relaxed while we all think of something.”

“I’ll try. I just really want to help her,” Sonata said sadly.

A silence fell over the room, and everyone looked toward the door as they realized that Sunset stopped hammering at it. Distantly, they heard Sunset’s footsteps as she left down the hallway. The group gave a shared sigh of relief as the immediate threat left them. During the lull, Celestia went to check on Jade, while Mr. Cake checked on Officer Cuffs.

As he looked over Officer Cuffs, Mr. Cake said, “I can’t believe I actually punched a police officer. My wife is going to throw a fit.”

Looking in his direction as she finished checking on Jade, Celestia said softly to him, “It may not have been the smartest idea, but you did what you felt was right, Carrot. Besides, if you hadn’t stopped Jade from shooting Sunset, then either your daughter or Jade wouldn’t be alive right now, so take at least some comfort in that.”

With a sigh, he sat down next to Celestia. His worried gaze locked with hers for a few seconds before he looked away, saying, “I love my daughter, Celestia. Do you think we can save her?”

“I don’t know, Carrot. I love her, too. I want to help her as much as anyone, but I don’t know if she can be saved,” Celestia replied sadly.

Twilight knelt down next to Sonata, asking, “Sonata, is it true what you said? Sunset needs someone related by flesh and blood to save her?”

“Yes. She needs an actual blood relative. No one else can truly save her. Not…Not even me.” Tears falling freely, Sonata took out her heart stone, looking at the glowing red stone. She held so much power, but she never felt so powerless. Angry, she tightened her grip on the stone, then dropped it in despair. Picking it up, Twilight locked her eyes with Sonata's for a few seconds, neither saying anything. Sonata gave Twilight a slight nod, and the princess pocketed the stone.

Getting up, Twilight asked Sonata, “I’ve never heard of Queen Megaera. Can you tell me more about her?” trying to distract them both.

“She’s actually someone very important to me. I want to help her as much as I want to help Sunset. You see, the queen is Tartarus incarnate. She’s the very reason Tartarus exists, and it causes her no end of suffering.”

Twilight was taken aback. “But…But that doesn’t make sense! Tartarus is a prison, a place of pure evil. How can she be Tartarus incarnate?”

Sonata took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “To make a long story short, Adagio’s grandmother, the Siren king’s mother, stole Megaera’s power over fire. This was done with the help of two very powerful sirens. Without the magical fires to feed her species or keep the cold at bay, the northern lands began to freeze, and Megaera’s species began to die. In a very desperate attempt to save her kind, Megaera used the last of her magic to take her species to a place of pure magic. Unfortunately, while Furies are adept at both light and dark magic, using that much light and dark magic to save her kind cost Megaera her sanity. She ripped a hole between Equestria and Elysium, casting every living Fury into the magical flames of paradise. But doing so tore that world in half one side filled with love and light the other filled with hate and pain. Those that died before they could be saved fell frozen into the ground, creating the frozen north as you know it today.”

“So why didn’t she go with them, Sonata?” Celestia asked. “And what do you mean ‘Adagio’s grandmother’? Aren’t you sisters? Her grandmother should be yours, as well.”

Sonata shook her head. “Adagio, Aria, and I are half-sisters—same father, different mothers. To answer your other question, she tried to go with them, but she was too corrupted by the magic she used. Elysia, creator of Elysium, wouldn’t allow someone with that much-corrupted magic into her world. So, wracked with hunger and rage, Megaera vowed to kill the three that did this to her and to her species: Aria’s grandmother Cantlanta, the king’s advisor Elizien, and Adagio’s grandmother Equita. Cantlanta is the only one who’s dead, having been turned to stone and shattered. The other two are arguably worse off; Equita became the Kraken, a monster twisted by dark magic that knows nothing but hunger, while Elizien became a monstrous, dark dragon, now named Bryagh, driven only by rage and hatred.”

“What happened if I may ask?” Twilight asked clearly not liking where the conversation was going.

“One thing led to another, and Megaera was eventually imprisoned in what you call the Demon’s Heart. And now, she’s possessing Sunset, likely still trying to satisfy her insatiable hunger.”

Twilight gulped as she processed the information. Steeling herself, she turned around and tightly gripped the heart stone. She closed her eyes, and her body began to glow purple. The stone in her hand glowed slowly, as well, slowly changing color from red to purple. Pinkie got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and asked cautiously, “Twilight, what are you doing?”

“I am helping Sunset,” Twilight replied resolutely. Once her work was done, she began to walk towards the door. Looking to her friends with her tears trickling down her cheeks, she said, “Goodbye, everyone. I love you all.”

Before she could talk herself out of it, Twilight pulled open the door and, to everyone’s horror, walked out. Fluttershy screamed out, “Twilight, come back! She’ll kill you!” She raced towards the door, only for Twilight to close it tightly just before Fluttershy reached it. Banging on the door but not daring to exit herself, she cried out again, “Twilight, come back! Please, come back!”

“I have to do this, Fluttershy! I don’t have any choice,” Twilight called from the other side. Raising her hands, she fired the last of her free magic into the door, sealing it shut. “The door’s magically sealed. No one’s getting in or out until I dispel the enchantment or lose consciousness.” She turned around and headed for the entrance of the asylum, thinking, “Or unless I die...”

Stepping outside of the asylum's main entrance a few moments later, she looked around cautiously. She didn’t notice Sunset’s presence until she took a sudden fist to her jaw. The blow sent her flying through the air, landing painfully several feet from where she stood. Getting up, Twilight looked at Sunset, who smirked back at her wickedly.

“Sunset, I don’t want to hurt you,” Twilight pleaded. “Please, call this off. I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back to nor—”

Her words were cut short when Sunset rushed her, roaring as she slammed her right foot into Twilight’s stomach, sending her through the air and landing near a tree. Twilight placed a hand over her injured stomach, groaning in pain over the deafening sound of the pouring rain. “Sunset, please. You don’t have to do this,” she tried again.

Sunset’s only response was to lunge in again. She quickly closed the gap between herself and Twilight, grabbing her by the throat and picking her up from the ground. “How does it feel, Twilight, knowing that you had a chance to end this before it even got started, knowing that you hurt me, knowing that you drove me to make a deal with the queen of Tartarus?” Growling, Sunset violently slammed Twilight into the tree. Turning around as Twilight neared unconsciousness, Sunset threw her several feet, letting the slushy ground break her fall.

“S-Sunset,” Twilight moaned. “Please. Please stop. This has to be enough for your vengeance.”

“Gee, I was hoping for a better fight than this,” Sunset scoffed. “Perhaps you’ll actually fight back if I go after Celestia or Pinkie Pie,” with a sick laugh, she finished, “or Fluttershy.”

Twilight stared at Sunset in disbelief. “Y-You wouldn’t.”

“‘Sunset, why are you doing this?’” Sunset said in a mocking facsimile of Fluttershy’s voice. “‘We can still be friends!’ What a loser,” she laughed.

Twilight slowly sat up, her head spinning from the blows she took, watching in horror as she saw Sunset turn to leave. Fearing for her friends, she fought off her blurred vision, she screamed out, “No! I won’t let you hurt them!”

Turning around, Sunset smirked, watching Twilight try to stand up. “Ah, good, so you do have some fight in you. That's great. I can get what I want, after all.”

Angry, Twilight clenched her teeth as she bawled her hands into tight fists. Lunging at Sunset, she threw her fist forward, striking her former friend in the face. The blow snapped Sunset’s head back, but with a laugh, Sunset quickly kneed Twilight in the stomach, causing the princess to double over.

“Get up!” Sunset demanded, seeing her former friend on one knee as she struggled to breathe. “Get the fuck up!”

Suddenly, Twilight caught Sunset off guard as she grabbed her assailant’s foot. Pulling with what little strength she had left, she threw Sunset onto her back and got on top of her, pinning her down and screaming, “Sunset, this has to end!”

Sunset grinned deviously and used her legs to flip Twilight over her head, laughing as Twilight again hit the ground with a thud and a groan. Sunset rolled backward slightly, then forcefully kicked the air and used her momentum to leap back to her feet. She faced Twilight, saying “Glad to see you’re actually willing to fi—”

Her words were cut short when Twilight swung unevenly at her nose. Ducking in time, Sunset laughed again, saying mockingly, “You’ll have to do better than that if you want to actually save your friends, Twilight.”

“Just shut up and fight me!” Twilight snapped back.

Grinning, Sunset gave a powerful flap of her wings and sped forward, grabbing onto Twilight, who screamed in fear as she was lifted high into the air. Sunset flew to the top of the asylum, throwing her captive onto the roof. Touching down a few feet from Twilight, she quickly launched forward, kicking Twilight in the chest and sending her back several feet toward the edge of the roof and into the railing at the edge. Trying to ward Sunset off, Twilight lunged in, catching Sunset in the mouth. Throwing another right hook, she hit Sunset in the cheekbone, and with a high kick, her foot collided with Sunset’s chin, causing the possessed girl to fall to her butt.

Licking her lips, Sunset chuckled. “It's about time you put up more of a fight.” Straightening her wings, Sunset launched herself at a blinding speed, catching Twilight completely off guard. Knocking her into the ledge, Sunset quickly grabbed Twilight’s collar and waistband, lifting the weaker girl over her head. Sunset looked up at the frightened princess.

“Give me what I want or die!” Sunset demanded. “Your choice.”

“N-Never!” Twilight replied, her confident façade marred by the tremor in her voice. “I’ll never destroy you, Sunset!”

Growling, Sunset spun around and threw Twilight into the roof access door, watching as Twilight hit the metal door with a clang, the door bending slightly inwards from the impact. Chuckling wickedly, she slowly began to walk up to Twilight. Kneeling down, she grabbed Twilight by her hair and slammed her head into the rooftop. Twilight screamed in pain, blindly throwing her fists out and trying desperately to get Sunset to let go. One lucky punch struck Sunset in the nose with a soft crunch. Sunset fell backwards, holding her broken nose and growling in pain.

Seeing her chance, Twilight rushed to her feet and pried the dented door open. She took off running down the stairs as Sunset stood up and ran after her, screaming, “I’ll make sure to bring us both to Tartarus, Twilight Sparkle!”

Twilight raced down the stairs from the roof. Upon reaching the landing to the third floor, she risked a glance behind her, nearly screaming when she saw Sunset appear on the top landing and leap down the stairs. Panicking, Twilight yanked out the heart stone and leapt over the railing of the stairwell, barely dodging Sunset’s claws. Sunset looked over the railing in shocked anticipation as Twilight fell three stories, grinning and licking her lips as she waiting for the inevitable crunch.

To Sunset’s surprise, however, Twilight grabbed the first-floor railing to halt her fall, but Sunset only grinned more widely as Twilight screamed in pain, her arms yanked from their sockets from the forced stop. Unable to keep holding on to the railing due to the searing pain, Twilight’s grip loosened, and she fell the remaining few feet onto the concrete floor.

“Aww, does it hurt, Twilight?” Sunset cooed wickedly, taking her time as she walked down the steps, savoring Twilight’s pained whimpers. “Does it feel like your whole world is collapsing as your every hope vanishes, leaving you cold and alone?” As she finally reached Twilight, she finished, “That’s what I felt when you banished me to this fucking world.”

Sunset took a moment to burn the image of Twilight’s battered body into her mind as the princess breathed heavily, her vision blurred. Sunset’s gaze, however, snapped to Twilight’s right hand, where she noticed a soft, purple glow. Kneeling down she grabbed Twilights hand forcing Twilight’s fingers open, Sunset clenched her teeth when she beheld Sonata’s heart stone.

“That little bitch!” Sunset snarled bitterly to herself. “I’ll rip her apart for this betrayal!”

Grabbing Twilight by the throat, she forcefully picked her up and forcing Twilight to drop the stone. Spinning on her heels, Sunset slammed Twilight’s face into the wall next to her, growling, “What did you think you were going to do with that, Twilight?” She moved her face inches from Twilight’s injured face as she added, “That traitor Sonata’s power won’t help you now, and once I’m done with you, she’s next.”

“NO!” Twilight screamed, feeling a rush of energy and magic in her body. With a right hook, she knocked Sunset back the blow forced Sunset to let go of her. “I won’t let this go on any further, Sunset! I won’t let you hurt my friends!”

Leaping at her, Twilight kneed Sunset in the stomach. As Sunset doubled over, Twilight grabbed onto Sunset’s head smashing her former friend’s head into her knee and forcefully threw Sunset to the floor. Twilight’s rage only deepened as Sunset laughed, the prone girl saying, as she coughed up some blood, “That’s it, Twilight. Get pissed. Use your hate to destroy me!”

“Shut up! shut the fuck up!” Twilight screamed back, punching Sunset in the back. Rolling her over, she landed a few more blows to Sunset’s face, yelling, “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

Her tears fell thick and heavy down her cheeks. Grabbing Sunset by her right arm, Twilight ignored the blinding pain in her shoulders as she spun around, throwing Sunset down the hallway with a loud scream. Sunset rolled to a painful stop. Slowly getting up, she smiled, spitting a glob of blood on the floor. Her eyes glowed red, and her body began to smoke as green flames erupted from under her feet.

“It’s time to end this Twilight.” Sunset locked eyes with Twilight for a few seconds adding, “Since you won’t give me what I want I am left with no other choice than to force you to destroy me.”

Taking a step forward, Sunset waved her right hand downward, and Twilight instinctively rolled to the right as a bolt of lightning blasted through the ceiling, striking right where Twilight was standing mere moments ago. Looking at the hole left from the lightning bolt, Twilight gulped and said, “Please, Sunset. You must stop. This isn’t the way. Let me show you there’s a better way.”

“There isn’t a better way, Twilight! Either you give me what I want, or I’ll kill everyone that you love,” Sunset said adamantly.

Turning around, Sunset stalked down the hallway, turning a corner as Twilight painfully picked herself up. Pain shot through Twilight’s entire body and her world started to spin. “Please don’t let me pass out,” she muttered to herself, adding weakly, “Please, Elysia, give me the strength to save her....to save all of my friends.” Looking down, she picked up the heart stone again, holding it tightly in her hands. Her body began to glow as she felt warmth and love pouring into her. “I will not destroy you, Sunset.” she said climbing back to her feet “I love you, and I won’t let you fall any further. I swear this to you.”

With a shout of determination, Twilight ran forward, leaping over the hole in the floor. Quickly following the path that lay before her, she soon found Sunset standing in front of the metal door that held her at bay from killing her former friends and family. Sunset turned to face Twilight with a sick grin, saying, “Well, it's time to end this once and for all. Make your choice, Twilight, and make it now.”

Sunset theatrically raised her arms, then brought them down. Several bolts of lightning crashed through the ceiling, each one striking the door, causing it to explode in a spray of metal and electricity, revealing the terrified people inside.

Twilight's eyes widened in shocked fear. Stepping back, she muttered, “No. You shouldn’t have been able to do that. My spell should’ve kept—”

“You have ten seconds, Twilight,” Sunset spat in rage, pointing at Fluttershy. “That one’s first. She’ll die screaming, Twilight! You can save her Twilight if you give me what I want.”

“Sunset!” Fluttershy cried out, her tears falling freely from her cheeks. “Please, don’t kill me! I am so sorry for all the pain that we caused you, especially what Applejack and I did.”

Turning her attention towards the frightened group, Sunset heard her father yell out to her, “Sunset, I know this isn’t you! Please, you have to end this. I still love you. We all love you. If you must punish someone for failing you, then punish me!” Falling to his knees, he screamed, “You’re my daughter, for Christ’s sake! Please, Sunset, I beg you. Do what you must to me, but don’t hurt Fluttershy or the others.”

Sunset’s eyes became as cold as ice. “This is the only way, Father. I have no choice.” Turning her attention back to Twilight, she began, “Ten.”

“Sunset, don’t do this!” Twilight screamed.

“Nine.” Sunset slowly began to raise her arm, and thunder rumbled overhead.

“Sunset, please!” Sonata begged. “You can fight her influence over you. I know you can!”

For a moment, Sunset froze, her steely, cold eyes locking with Sonata’s pleading ones. Her eyes hardening even further, she continued, “Eight.”

“Sunset, don’t!” Twilight shouted. “They’re your family!”

Quickly snapping around, Sunset punched Twilight in the chest, knocking her several feet backwards. Leaping forward, she kneed Twilight in the chest. Pushing with all her might, she threw Twilight into a wall while the occupants of the room were forced to watch in horror. Sunset screamed out in pained rage, “Family? Family?! I don’t have a family, Twilight! I’m nothing but an experiment, a thing to be used and played with, then discarded when things don’t work out!”

Grabbing Twilight by her head, Sunset threw her into another wall, punching her in the stomach. Twilight doubled over, only to take a quick knee to the chin. Her head snapped back, hitting the wall behind her. Nearing unconsciousness, Twilight moaned out, “Sunset, please stop.”

“Kill me, Twilight,” Sunset demanded, leaning closer to Twilight. “It’ll all be over if you just fucking kill me.”

“N-No,” Twilight mumbled. “There’s another way.”

Growling loudly, Sunset grabbed Twilight by the lapels of her shirt and threw her to the ground. “Don’t you get it, you dumb bitch?” Sunset shouted. Sunset knelt down placing her hands around Twilights throat tightening her grip she added, “I’m gonna keep hurting you, you’re gonna pass out, and you’re gonna wake up to a bloodbath! And it’ll be all your fault because you couldn’t do what you had to do!”

Unable to watch silently any longer, Celestia shouted, “Sunset, stop! You’re killing her!”

Sunset roared in rage, “Shut up!” but Celestia’s shout had the desired effect; she had stopped choking Twilight long enough for Twilight to force herself away from Sunset. Rolling a few feet from her former friend Twilight coughed badly coming to rest on her stomach. She looked up in time to see Sunset rush Celestia, punching her in the jaw with enough force to lift her from the floor.

Celestia hit the ground with a cracking sound as Sonata screamed out, “Twilight, use the stone! For fuck’s sake, I gave it to you for a reason!” Trying to hamper Sunset’s rampage, Sonata threw herself at Sunset, who responded by throwing Sonata into a wall and punching her as hard as she could in the stomach. Sonata gasped out, “The stone! Use the stone!”

Throwing Sonata to the floor, Sunset quickly turned her attention back to Twilight, who was stumbling to her feet, blood trickling from the corners of her mouth. She stared as best as she could with her badly injured face at Sunset, who casually landed a right hook into Twilight’s right eye, knocking her down again. Twilight took out the stone, screaming out as she thrust it towards Sunset, “Forgive me, Sunset!”

Sunset lunged at Twilight, her right hand engulfed in flame as she readied a killing blow to the injured princess. Celestia couldn’t hold it in any longer. She rushed to her feet and threw herself on top of Sunset, screaming, “She’s your sister!” The force of the impact brought the women to the floor as Sunset looked disbelievingly and worriedly at Celestia as the older woman pulled her into a tight hug. “Twilight is your twin sister!”

“Sister?” both girls in question questioned, their eyes widening in shock.

Sonata, seeing her chance to help Sunset, rushed in, grabbing Twilight’s hand that held the stone. She turned to the still very bewildered girl, saying, “This will help save you both.”

Before anyone could stop her, Sonata rushed Sunset and Celestia, throwing herself on top of them and planting the stone onto Sunset’s breast. She screamed out, “Imorbea!”

A bright, white light erupted from the stone, forcing Celestia to snap her eyes shut. Opening her eyes a few moments later, she noticed right away that Sunset was no longer in her arms. Twilight was standing nearby, though she couldn’t see Sonata from where she lay.

The entire world was pure white as if the three had stepped into an endless void. No matter which direction the Twilight and Celestia looked, all they saw was white everywhere. Celestia looked at Twilight, saying, “Where are we? Where’s Sunset?”

Looking around herself, Twilight spotted Sonata and Sunset in the distance, along with someone else standing behind Sunset, who had her legs pulled up close to her chest. As the two approached the trio, they could make out more details of the scene. Sonata was kneeling before the unknown woman, Sonata has her head bowed low as her tears pooled in front of her.

“Twilight how did we get here?” Celestia asked.

“I don’t know Celestia.” Twilight replied, looking at the unknown woman behind Sunset she added, “We have to help Sunset. We have to get her away from that....creature.”

The stranger was tall with large, feathery, black wings and silver colored skin. Her two-tone blue hair, which looked like it was once beautiful, hung in thin strands, framing a face twisted into a sick grin. As Celestia came within earshot, she heard the stranger say darkly. “Don’t listen to them, Sunset. There can be no peace. Your friends and family betrayed you in the past, and they’ll betray you again.”

“Your Majesty, please,” Sonata could be heard pleading to the woman who stood behind Sunset. The woman tightened her grip on Sunsets shoulders growling lightly to Sonata. “We are not here to hurt Sunset.” Slowly, Sonata looked up, looking the woman in the eyes. “Or you for that matter. Please, let us help you. Let me help you. Let me save you from this fate that was so wrongfully placed on you,...Grandmother.”

Saving Both (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Celestia looked Twilight over as Twilight looked on at the scene in front of her. She gently placed her hands upon Twilight’s dislocated shoulders, earning a jump from Twilight at the sudden pain. Celestia said gently, “Twilight, let me help you with these.”

“A-Alright,” Twilight replied, gulping. “Please hurry. It hurts.”

“I know, Twilight. Listen, what I’m going to do is going to hurt, so get ready.” Taking Twilight’s right arm into her soft, gentle hands, Celestia added, “Close your eyes, Twilight.”

Twilight did as she was instructed, immediately snapping her eyes open with a scream of pain as Celestia popped her right shoulder painfully back into place. Celestia repeated the process with Twilight’s left arm, and though Twilight was more prepared for the pain, she couldn’t stifle a yelp as her left shoulder was relocated. Arms put back into place, Twilight fell forward, sobbing out, “Why didn’t Princess Celestia tell me?”

“Because she wanted to protect you.” Celestia comfortingly rubbed Twilight’s aching shoulders as she continued, “The princess made many mistakes, Twilight, and I know you’re angry with her.”

Twilight buried her face into Principals Celestia’s bosom, sobbing heavily. “Of course, I’m angry with her!” Twilight yelled. “I’m angry at all of this. I never asked for any of this!”

“I know, honey. Believe me, I know how it feels to be lied to about your family and about your….sister.” Gently pulling her closer, Principal Celestia added softly, “But do you know who is even more angry and who really needs your strength right now?”

Pulling away from Celestia, Twilight looked up, saying through a forced sniff while trying to fight off her tears, “Wh-Who?”

“Your sister, lying there in that monster’s grasp,” Celestia replied. “Sunset needs you, Twilight. She needs you to be strong for her and for yourself. There will be plenty of time to be angry and to grieve, but now, more than ever, your sister needs you.”

“But how can—” Twilight’s words were cut short when she heard Sunset moan.

“I’m alone. I’m all alone in the world,” Sunset sobbed, huddling even further into herself.

Megaera knelt down behind Sunset, pulling the frightened teen into her as she hissed, “That’s right, Sunset. You are alone, all alone in not one but two worlds. There is no one here to help you. But I am here, and I won’t let—”

Furious, Twilight screamed, “No! I won’t let this go on any longer. I swore I wouldn’t let Sunset fall any further, Megaera!” Before anyone could stop her, Twilight lunged, yelling, “Get away from her, you monster!” Her eyes widened in shock as her body passed through Megaera’s as a sick laughter echoed in Twilight’s ears. Twilight hit the ground behind Megaera with a thud. Getting back up, she looked to Sonata, saying, “What happened? Why can’t I touch her, Sonata?”

“I told you, Twilight; only family can save Sunset.” Sonata replied.

“But I am family,” Twilight protested.

“I didn’t mean Sunset’s family.” Turning her attention towards Megaera, Sonata continued, “Grandmother, please let Sunset go! If you need to have someone to control and hurt, then choose me, but just let Sunset go.”

Megaera glared at Sonata. “That is the second time you have called me your grandmother, whelp.” Megaera stood up, keeping her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “You claim me as your grandmother, yet I do not know you. You are not of my lineage.”

Sonata winced slightly, looking down. Gulping, she tried to speak, only to be cut off by her grandmother’s harsh words. “I am not your grandmother. My daughter could not have sired one so baseless, so low, so clearly devoid of honor!” Megaera stepped forward, letting Sunset slip from her grasp as she spat, “How dare you come here and make such claims, you Equestrian pony filth! I demand to know who you really are. Tell me!”

Seeing their chance, Celestia and Twilight both rushed over to Sunset, who was huddled in a fetal position. Twilight knelt next to her, gently pulling Sunset into her lap. She said softly, “It's going to be alright now, Sunset. I’m here to take you home. I won’t abandon you ever again.”

Seeing her mistake, Megaera growled, stepping towards them. Suddenly, Sonata rushed between Megaera and the others, stopping Megaera in her tracks. Sonata glared at Megaera, which gave the entity pause.

“You want to know who I am?” Sonata said. Impatient, Megaera pushed past Sonata, reaching out to grasp Sunset once more. Her actions froze as she felt Sonata’s hands come to rest on her shoulders and an outpour of Sonata’s love flow into her. The unfamiliar feeling brought Megaera to her knees in fear. “I am Sonata Dusk,” Sonata continued shakily. “C-Canlatis. You gave birth to my mother and named her Canlatis, and she gave birth to me. I will save you from this fate, Grandmother.”

Seeing that Megaera was momentarily distracted, Celestia reached out to help Sunset up, only for her own hands to pass through Sunset’s shoulders. Looking at Celestia in confusion, Twilight said, “What’s happening? Why can’t you touch her?”

“I don’t know.” Standing up herself, Celestia added somberly “I suppose this is something you must do on your own, Twilight, just as Sonata must save her grandmother.” Seeing that Twilight was about to say something, Celestia quickly cut her off, continuing, “Whatever you’re about to say, Twilight Sparkle, say it to your sister. She and you both need each other now more than ever before.”

Pulling Sunset in closer, Twilight sniffed, fighting back her tears. Sunset trembled in her arms, ignoring Twilight as she said, “So cold. So alone. I’ll always be so alone.”

“Sunset, you will never be alone again,” Twilight began, desperate to save her. “I know I hurt you when I banished you to the human world. I know I broke your heart. Please, Sunset, let me help you.”

Looking to Sunset, Celestia rested her hands upon Twilight’s shoulders, saying, “Your sister loves you, Sunset. Listen to her.”

“I-I…” Sunset began, raising Twilight’s hopes, only to dash them as she continued bitterly, “I h-hate you, Twilight.” Sunset looked up into Twilight’s eyes in anger. “I hate how you used me for your own selfish desires. You hurt me, and you never even bothered to tell me why you banished me. I pleaded with you, I begged you, I got on my hands and knees and groveled in front of you!, but you didn’t care. You don’t care about anyone but yourself.” Sitting up and separating from Twilight, she added coldly, “You have some nerve coming here and acting like you love me!”

“Sunset, I--” Twilight cut her rebuttal off, suddenly finding it hard to speak. She sighed. “You’re right, Sunset. I did only care about myself, but I’m willing to change that.” Her tears starting to fall from her eyes, she continued, “I banished you because I was afraid of you. I thought you would go back to your old ways and try to get revenge. I never really did believe that you had changed, and I never gave you the chance to prove that you had. I am so sorry, Sunset!” Leaning in, Twilight took a hold of Sunset, adding, “Please, let go of your hate and anger. We can get through this together.”

“Listen to your sister, Sunset,” a soft, unfamiliar voice said. “I brought the three of you here to help your families. Sunset, you must listen to Twilight; she does want to help you. Just as you, Megaera, must now listen to your granddaughter.”

Everyone looked towards the newcomer. Their eyes widened in shock as they beheld a pony of pure, crystal light walking towards them. Her eyes glowed a soft purple, and love poured from her gaze in waves. Celestia nevertheless eyed the pony suspiciously, saying to the newcomer, “Who are you and what do you want from Sonata, Twilight, and Sunset?”

“Why should I listen to you when you are the one that cursed me to become this monstrosity in the first place?” Megaera spat out in rage.

Looking at all present, the pony replied softly, “I am Elysia, guardian, and creator of Elysium, and I am partially responsible for Sunset’s resurrection.” Sitting down, she continued, “I thought that if I sent Sunset back, she would move on from her anger and hatred. I never believed that her hatred ran so deeply. As for you, Megaera, it pains me to admit it, but my hopes were that you would find love and leave Sunset and let go of your hatred and attachment to the world and your kind, allowing them to live on without you.”

“How in the hell could you think something like that?!” Celestia demanded, getting an angry look from the pony in front of her. “You created Elysium, yes? That means you’re supposed to be some kind of god.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed in disgust. “Yet you have no idea what you’re doing!”

Suddenly, Twilight screamed, “Enough!” Pulling her sister in closer, purple flames erupted all around the two of them. Her eyes became two spheres of glowing white crystals as she shouted in rage, “Just stop! Enough fighting!”

Trying to rush to Twilight’s aid, Celestia froze when Elysia jumped in front of her, saying sternly, “No! You mustn’t interfere with this.”

“I can’t lose Sunset again. Get out of my way!” Celestia snapped.

Suddenly, Megaera lunged towards Sunset swiping a clawed hand at the teenager’s face. Sonata rushed in and tackled her grandmother, saying, “No! You won’t have her again.” Pulling her grandmother up off the ground, she added, “I will use all of my magic to help you, Grandmother.”

“Why do you care, pony filth? What am I to you?” Megaera asked, anger giving way to confusion. “What have I ever done to deserve your help or your love?”

In reply, Sonata closed her eyes, summoning up the very last of her magic, allowing it to pass into Megaera, who roared, her confusion giving way to rage. The queen’s body began to crack, and pink magic slowly seeped through the cracks. Pushing away from Sonata, Megaera fell to her knees. The push made Sonata stumble backwards, and Celestia quickly caught the exhausted siren. Pulling her in close, she felt Sonata grip her shirt tightly.

“Did it work?” Sonata asked weakly. “Did I help her? Is she returning to normal?”

Looking to the queen, Celestia replied, holding tightly onto Sonata, “I’m not sure. She looks like she’s falling apart. Sonata, what did you do?”

“I-I gave her love again,” Sonata replied, passing out in Celestia’s arms.

Hearing a loud roar, Celestia’s eyes widened in horror as she watched Megaera rise off the ground. The queen’s body burst into pink flames before falling back to the ground. As the flames died out, she slowly rose, revealing a woman of stunning beauty. Her amber skin glowed with a soft glitter. Her blue and purple hair, long and flowing, waved lightly about her. Her body was covered in a long, purple, flowing dress with a blue palla which was draped over her left shoulder across her back and draped over her left arm, with the tail lightly draped over her right forearm. A silver circlet hung over her brow. Lastly, her dark eyes shimmered with brilliance and shone damply with tears of joy.

Walking over to the two of them, she knelt down, reaching out for Sonata. Celestia pulled away, saying to her, “Please, don’t hurt her. All she wanted was—”

“Shhh,” the woman sounded comfortingly. “I won’t hurt her. Oh, my sweet grandchild, you saved me from a fate worse than death. Allow me to return the favor.”

Lightly touching Sonata on her forehead, Megaera bowed her head, closing her eyes. Her fingertips glowed softly. Sonata’s breathing became heavy, and her skin became cold to the touch Celestia looked down at Sonata, screaming out, “Sonata!” Looking back at the queen, she said, “She’s cold! Do something now, or we’ll lose her!”

“No, we won’t; I won’t allow it.” Gently taking her granddaughter into her arms, Megaera said to Sonata, “You will live, my beautiful granddaughter. You must, for have a reason to live. A beautiful reason.”

Sonata coughed weakly, gripping Megaera’s palla tightly in her hands as she felt herself being pulled into a warm hug.

“Grandmother,” Sonata moaned out weakly. “Are you safe now? Did I save you?”

“Yes, my child. You released me from the pain that I felt from so long ago. As your love for me was strong enough to save me, so must I help you save the one that you love.” Sonata’s body began to glow feeling magic flow back into her. Seeing her work was done Megaera gently placed Sonata back into Celestia’s arms, Megaera stood and walked over to Twilight, who was still fully engulfed in flames. Gently, she reached out and said. “You must help her, Twilight. Let me aid you.”

“Stay back! I won’t let you hurt her again!” Twilight screamed back, pulling Sunset closer to her. The flames around her grew higher and hotter, scorching the ground around her. “Stay away from us. You only want to—”

“It is alright, Twilight,” Elysia interjected. “My sister has no desire to harm either of you. Let us help save Sunset so that she might fulfill her destiny and raise the one that will help you all.” Stepping forward, Elysia and Megaera knelt in front of the frightened princess of friendship and embraced her. “Let us help you. Don’t become what Megaera became. Let her magic heal you both.”

Feeling their love, their compassion, their hope and desire to help, Twilight screamed from the anguish of the last several months. Her magic flowed outward, radiating with love and hope as she held Sunset so tightly that Sunset nearly choked. Soon, her cries quieted into soft sobs, but her magic continued its outpour, and soon, Celestia noticed that both Twilight and Sunset began to glow softly.

“Sunset,” Celestia yelled, thick tears running down her cheeks. “if you can hear me, let your sister—no, let us all help you!” Celestia wiped her eyes in anguish. “Please, Sunset, you must come back to us! We love you! We all love you!”

Closing her eyes, Sunset surrendered to Celestia’s call, and immediately, she felt all of Twilight's love for her pour into her, and her mind began to clear as her body began to glow. The flames around the three slowly subsided, and Celestia watched with joy as Sunset took Twilight’s hand into her own. Sunset’s clothing shifted, becoming a white toga with a silk blue dress and yellow sash around her waist. Her eyes softened, and a light smile slowly grew across her face. Slowly, the two stepped towards Celestia, while Megaera stood behind the two, embracing Elysia in a warm hug.

“Celestia?” Sunset said softly. “What happened? I feel so…so strange, so warm, and…and so loved.” Looking around she added, “Where are we? How did we get here?”

Gently setting Sonata down, Celestia replied, “Sunset are you…feeling better?”

“I-I…” She looked at Twilight, who smiled happily to her, pulling her into a tight hug. “Yeah. I feel so much better. Twilight, can you ever forgive me for all the awful—”

“Shh, Sunset. It's going to be alright now. You’re safe now, and that is all that matters. That’s all that will ever matter.”

Letting go of her, Sunset looked to Megaera, saying, “I know I promised I’d take you home and let you destroy those that wronged you if you helped me do the same, but,” looking up, she blinked away her tears as she finished, “I don’t want that anymore. I just want to go home and try to move on from this. Can we just forget about our deal?”

Megaera let go of her sister, saying, “I will send you five home so that you may live and live in happiness, Sunset. I am so very sorry for all the pain I brought to your heart. Can you someday find it in your heart to forgive me for what I did?”

“Yeah, but it’ll take time, just as moving on from what I did in the human world will take time, and just as it will take time for my former friends’ to begin their healing from what I did to them it will all take time.”

Sunset paused. Looking around in confusion, Sunset and Twilight both said in unison, “Wait, five?”

Twilight continued, “I think you might be mistaken, Your Majesty. Only four of us were brought here.”

Smiling, Megaera walked over to Sonata. Gently picking her up, she carefully placed Sonata into Sunset’s arms, saying, “The course of the prophecy must be changed. The two of you must live, and my granddaughter mustn’t be allowed to return to Equestria, not until the three of you are ready to return. Therefore, I will take her place in the prophecy.”

Confused, Sunset said, “But, Adagio made it clear that Sonata was supposed to die to save Cantlantis. How can you change that?” Picking up on another thing Megaera said, she suspiciously asked, “And what do you mean ‘the three of you’?”

Sunset’s questions were interrupted when she felt Sonata’s warm hand resting on her own. Sonata guided Sunset’s hand to rest on her belly and said with wonder, “I can feel life within me.” Looking to Megaera, who smiled warmly at them, she added, “But I don’t understand. How is this possible?”

“It is possible because I made it so,” Elysia said. “Sonata, do you remember what happened when you went to the South Lunar Sea to check on your sister’s hatchlings?”

“Yes,” Sonata said grimly. “I was attacked by a garn.”

“And you were hurt, were you not?”

Gulping as old wounds began to open, she said as Sunset held her close, “Y-Yes. I was hurt badly. I lost most of my clutch from that; only sixty out of the six hundred survived. But those sixty all died later, thanks to Star Swirl.”

“I was able to pull one of your hatchlings into this void,” Elysia said gently. “I have nourished it, keeping it safe until now, when it could finally be born to its mother.”

Setting the joyfully crying Sonata down, Sunset looked at both Megaera and Elysia, saying, “I’m happy for Sonata, but you said that you want me to be happy too. How am I supposed to be happy when I hurt those closest to me?” Sunset clenched her fists as she continued, “I caused so much pain and anger. You gave us the opportunity to be happy with each other, but I don’t see how that’s possible. Once I go back to the human world, they’ll toss me in prison or worse, and the baby will be taken from Sonata, as she doesn’t have the means in that world to care for it.”

“No, Sunset. That won’t happen. I won’t let anyone do anything to separate us or me from my—er, our—child.” Sonata said. “I’ll fight whoever I have to. I won’t risk losing you. Not now, not ever!”

“Perhaps if I go back with you two, I could stop this from happening,” Megaera said. “I could use Sonata’s heart stone, which should give me just enough magic to help alter things in the world that you came from to allow you to stay with Sonata, provided that you both do not return to Equestria until you three are ready to do so.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good plan to me,” Celestia responded. “Besides, you and Elysia have abused your powers enough as is. I think it is time to let reason prevail where magic and power have failed.”

“So do I,” Sunset said bitterly. “I appreciate what you’ve done for Sonata, but you two have brought me and my whole world nothing but pain and strife. You both need to take a hard look at how you use your power, then find a way to use your powers to help others without magically interfering with someone else’s life.” Picking Sonata up in her arms once more, Sunset began to walk away, looking over her shoulder as she growled, “Stay out of our lives! Whatever happens, when we get back home, happens. Don’t interfere.”

Celestia looked at Megaera, saying coldly, “And what did Sunset mean that Sonata was supposed to die in order to save Cantlantis?”

Megaera said calmly, “Sonata is supposed to kill Equita, who is now known as the Kraken. Doing so will bring safety to Cantlantis. Elizen will no longer seek out his true master—the Wendigo Queen—and will be unable to free her from her eternal prison.” Her composure broke a bit as she added, “Unfortunately, Sonata will not survive the fight. That is why I have elected to take her place.”

“I have two more questions,” Celestia said, “What happened the day that you became that monster, and how exactly were you planning to change my world when it came to Sunset’s predicament with her former friends?”

“I had planned on using what magic I could to erase her friends’ memories,” Megaera said simply. “As for what happened to me, I fell in love with the wrong siren and wound up creating a monster.”

“Let me guess: You taught him your magic or something, and he betrayed you, didn’t he?” Seeing Megaera nod her reply, Celestia sighed and said, “If you can save Sonata’s life, do so, but do it with as little interference as you can. Leave us to clean up our—and your—mess alone.” Celestia walked toward the women and stood in front of them, finishing, “I am going to take care of my goddaughter and help her be a better person. If Sonata really is pregnant, I will also help her take care of that child. But until she gives birth, the two of you will remain out of her life.”

Without waiting for an answer, Celestia approached Sunset, who still held Sonata. As she walked, the scenery began to shift, and the four women soon found themselves standing in the room that they had left earlier. Fluttershy, Pinkie and Mr. Cake immediately rushed towards them, and Sunset very quickly found herself embraced in a tight, warm hug as Sonata squeaked out in protest, “You’re squishing me. Let go.”

“Oh, sorry, Sonata,” Fluttershy said. “I take it everything’s alright.” At Sonata’s nod, she said. “That’s great. I think it’s time to go to the hospital, then. Are you coming, Sonata?”

“Yeah, I think that would be best,” she replied. “But, uh, how are we going to get there. I mean, we can’t all fit in Jade’s car, can we?”

“No, you can’t. I’ll have to call for some backup. I couple people owe me favors.” Everyone looked at Jade as she slowly stood up, adding, “Which one of you hit me?”

Gulping lightly, Mr. Cake stepped forward, saying, “That was me. I did what I had to do to protect my daughter.” Sighing, he finished, “And I’m willing to accept the consequences.”

“While that is admirable of you, Mr. Cake, I won’t be taking you away from your daughter. Besides, even if I did press charges, I very highly doubt that anyone would believe me about what happened here. I don’t really want to be the laughing stock of the precinct. Now, how about we go see how the others are doing, shall we?”

Giving her a nod, Celestia said, “I hope they’re alright. The last thing we need is to lose anyone else.”

Jade took out her radio, calling for backup. An hour later, two vans began to pull into the parking lot of the rundown asylum. Sunset, although clearly hesitant, climbed into the first van, followed by Sonata, Pinkie, and Fluttershy. Mr. Cake got into the second one, followed by Celestia, Jade, and Twilight. Within a few moments, the group found themselves leaving the asylum.

Sonata rested her head on Sunset’s shoulders, letting out a happy sigh. She wrapped her arms around Sunset’s waist, saying softly to her, “I love you, Sunset.”

“I know, Sonata. I know. You just rest now. We’ve got a lot to do when we get back to the city,” Sunset said. Looking out the window, she finished mentally, “And I can’t stay with you or your child. You all have forgiven me, but I need to answer for all that I have done. I’m not letting myself off that easy.”

An hour and a half later, the vans pulled up to the hospital. Everyone got out and rushed inside, with Celestia heading them. As she approached the receptionist behind the front desk, Celestia noticed right away that a nearby nurse wouldn’t take her eyes off of Sunset. Before Celestia could say anything, the nurse said, “How did you get out of your room? I just left you there after you threw a bedpan at me!”

With a grin, Pinkie sang, “Uh-oh, someone’s in trouble.”

Stepping towards the desk, Sunset said to her, “That wasn’t me. That was…my sister. Sorry, she’s kind of ornery.” Turning to the receptionist, she said, “I’d like to know which room she’s in.”

The nurse curtly answered for the receptionist, “Room 106. Had to give her, her own room.”

“What about four girls who should’ve come in a few hours ago? Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Rainbow Dash and her sister Scootaloo,” Celestia asked the receptionist.

The receptionist looked on her computer for a second before responding, “They’re in room 110. Just go down the hall and turn to your right. You can’t miss it.”

As the group began their walk, the nurse said to Sunset, “If I were you, miss, I’d give that girl a piece of my mind. Her behavior is atrocious, to say the least.”

Nodding sternly, Sunset took Sonata by the hand, leading her down the hallway while the others headed to the other room. Upon arriving at Summer’s room, Sunset smirked, saying, “So you got into yet another fight, eh, Summer?”

“Can you blame me?” Summer snapped, “Expecting me to piss in a bowl. The nerve of them!”

“Be that as it may,” Sunset replied sternly, “you need to at least try to keep a low profile while you two are here. Got it?”

“Don’t worry, we will,” Gilda said. “I’ll make sure of it. Besides, I need Celestia to show me where my grandfather is. Then, we can all be a family again.” Gilda punctuated her statement by taking Summer’s hand in her own.

“So, I guess this means you’re all better?” Summer asked. At Sunset’s nod, she said, “Where’s Celestia. I have to talk to her about something important.”

“She’s a few doors down from this one,” Sonata said, adding, “I’ll go get her. Keep yourselves out of trouble.”

Summer called after her, “I also need Twilight. This concerns her, as well.”

Sonata found Celestia and Twilight in room 110. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle lay in their beds with their sisters holding them. Scootaloo and Rainbow, who looked the worst but was conscious, lay in their own beds on the other side of the room. Walking up behind Celestia, Sonata said, “Celestia, Twilight, Summer wants to talk to you two. I think it’s important.”

“Of course,” Celestia replied. “I’ll let the girls rest for a bit before talking to them.”

When the three arrived in Summer’s room, Summer said, “I need to speak to both of them alone.” Looking to Gilda, she added, “I’ll explain when I’m finished. Just…It’s important.”

“No problem. Gives me a chance to see how Crash is doing,” Gilda said casually.

After Gilda and Sonata left the room, Celestia said, “Alright, what do you want to talk to me about, Summer?”

“What I have to say concerns all of you especially Twilight and Celestia” Looking down, Summer said to Sunset, “How much of Crystal Ridge do you remember, Fourteen?”

“Everything. Why?” Sunset replied, adding, “And please stop calling me Fourteen. It’s Sunset Shimmer.”

“So, you remember seeing the pods, then. How many of them do you remember seeing?” Looking up, she pressed, “Do you actually remember seeing all of them.”

Sunset began to feel uneasy at the implication, gulping as she took a step back. Summer waited for Sunset to answer. Celestia laid her hands upon Sunset’s shoulders, saying softly, “Stop playing games and just say what you want to say, Summer.”

“Thirteen,” Summer corrected, pointing to herself. Looking coldly at Sunset, she added pointing to her and said, “Fourteen.” Looking back at Celestia, she finished, “That night, after Sunset destroyed Crystal Ridge, you thought we were the only survivors, right? You’re wrong. There was…one other that survived her wrath.”

Twilight's eyes widened in fear. Gulping, she said, “There were fifteen pods. I found one isolated in a room far off from all the others, but this pod was open, and the pony inside was—”

Shivering slightly, Summer cut Twilight off, saying, “Yes, Fifteen is alive, Twilight. Like Sunset and myself, she’s magically gifted, but some of her powers are…different. For one, she can shapeshift, and she can force you to come face to face with your worst fears. I should know; she tried that on me but failed to put me down. I thought her dead when I fought with her just a few months before I left for this world, but I was wrong.

“Now, if she has learned other spells, then she will be very dangerous; unlike Sunset and myself, Fifteen only cares about killing and causing destruction. The perfect weapon, created for war and nothing else. And I can tell by the look on your face that you’ve met her.”

“I did run into a pony at Crystal Ridge. She was like a shade, moving in and out of the walls of the mansion. It was horrible. I saw such terrible things, it took all of my wits and all of my magic to keep myself from going mad with fear. But, if what you say is true, then she poses a serious threat to Equestria and must be stopped. And we both saw what she’s capable of. Will you help me?”

“You stupid fool!” Summer spat back in rage. “You really think you’ve seen everything Fifteen can do? Neither of us will be able to stand up to her.”

“But—” Twilight began.

“Fine, go ahead and throw your life away if you have to, but I’m not helping. I’m never going back to Equestria. Not now, not ever.”

Twilight ran out of the room in tears, and Celestia scowled at Summer before exiting, leaving Summer and Sunset to stare at each other coldly. Sunset walked up to Summer’s bedside, saying sternly, “I hope for your sake that our sister is able to end this without having to fight with Fifteen.”

“‘Sister’? What do you mean?” Summer asked.

“Celestia told me the truth about Twilight’s lineage. She’s the real Sunset Shimmer’s twin sister, which makes her our sister!”

“If you’re so worried about her, why don’t you go and help her?” Summer asked pointedly.

“I want to, but I also don’t want to lose Sonata, and if I leave her to her own devices, I have a strong feeling I will lose her. Is there any way to do this without losing someone I love?”

“Not that I can think of, no. But I can tell you this: If Twilight faces that monster again, she will...die.”

A Dark Page (Edited by Icecreammac)

Sunset headed out into the hallway, letting out a sigh. Looking around, she heard voices coming from further down the corridor. Wanting to investigate, she approached the voices, soon finding herself standing in front of room 110. Listening to the conversation inside the room, she heard Celestia say, “Girls, I know that you all got hurt pretty badly, but I need to know: What are you going to do now?”

“Well, I’m not going to press charges. Besides, who would believe us anyways?” Sunset heard Scootaloo say. Opening the door slightly while trying to not make her presence known, she heard Scootaloo add, “I mean, if we tell the courts that Sunset’s a demon, they’ll toss us in jail at best and a nut house at worst.”

Sunset turned to leave, stopping in her tracks when she heard Sweetie Belle say, “Scootaloo’s right. We can’t go through with it, Principal Celestia. Besides, we all got what we had coming to us after what we did to her.”

Swallowing hard, Sunset prepared to enter the room. “I have to make them see reason. They can’t just let me off that easily.” She thought to herself.

“There isn’t a court in the world that could force me to—” Rainbow began, stopping in surprise as Sunset entered the room. “Sunset! How much did you hear?”

“I heard enough,” she replied. Turning her attention to Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, she added quickly, “Please, girls, you have to go through with it. I don’t deserve to get off scot-free for what I did to any of you, especially not to Rainbow.”

Scootaloo shook her head, as did her two friends. Celestia got up, pulling the distraught teen into a hug as Sunset demanded, “But why? I did such terrible things to you!”

Sweetie Belle spoke up. “Even if the courts would believe us—and I doubt they would—it’s not like we’re innocent victims. We destroyed your life. We got off easy, if you ask me.”

Celestia, who had been simply stroking Sunset’s hair comfortingly, suddenly had an alarming thought. “Sunset, do you think that Elysia or Megaera are controlling them somehow?” she whispered urgently.

Pulling away, Sunset sniffed, saying, “I don’t know. I hope not. I thought we told them to stay out of our lives.”

“Uh, sorry fer interruptin’, but who’s Megaera and Elysia?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Megaera is Sonata’s grandmother,” Twilight’s familiar voice said from behind Sunset. “She created Tartarus, while Elysia created the Elysian Fields, where all ponies go to rest in eternal peace. As for how we know them, it’s a long story.”

“Twilight!” everyone expect Sunset exclaimed happily. Sunset simply stepped back, looking down.

Seeing the distraught look on her sister’s face, Twilight gently took Sunset’s hands into her own. As Sunset locked eyes with Twilight, she heard Rarity say, “Sunset, the reason no one here wants to press charges on you is because we all want to move on from what has happened.”

“But, you guys, that isn’t—” Sunset began, only to be cut off by Celestia.

“Sunset, let me take you home,” Celestia began calmly. “The girls need time to process all that has happened to them, and you need time to heal from all of this.” Leading her out into the hallway, she added gently, “I will talk with Brushed Jade when I get home. For now, how about we go find Applejack.”

“She’s in room 114 with Big Mac,” Apple Bloom said sadly. “He got hurt real bad when Sunset kidnapped us. So did Granny.” Looking at Sunset, she asked, “Sunset, you didn’t hurt Granny too bad...d-did ya?”

“I-I don’t know, Apple Bloom,” Sunset responded worriedly. “I didn’t care at the time. All I cared about was getting even with all of you.”

Wanting to stifle the coming conversation, Celestia quickly stepped out into the hallway, and Twilight followed, motioning Sunset to join them. Looking away with pain clearly etched on her face, Sunset followed both into the hallway. As she closed the door, she heard Apple Bloom call out to her, “Sunset, Ah know you’re confused and hurt right now, but it’ll be alright. We won’t ever hurt you again, promise!”

Sunset closed her eyes, saying, “Now what? If those girls don’t file charges against me, I get to live my life scot-free from all of this.” Opening her eyes, she saw the concerned looks on Twilight’s and Celestia’s faces. “I know you both think this is for the best, but it isn’t. I have to be punished for what I did. I can’t just get away with it. Where’s the justice in that?”

“Now look, Sunset—” Twilight began, getting interrupted as Brushed Jade came into the hallway.

“Ah, there you are, Celestia. I’ve been looking all over for you.” Turning her attention to Sunset, she added, “Sunset, I believe Sonata is looking for you. Last I saw her, she was in the lobby.”

Sighing, Sunset started to head towards the lobby, hearing Celestia say, “Sunset, why don’t you go see if your mother is awake. I’m sure she’d love to see you again.” As Sunset nodded and disappeared around the corner, she said to Jade, “So, Jade, what did you want to talk about?”

“I radioed my captain about this and spoke with him over the phone. Just as I thought, no one wants to take this case. As far as he’s concerned, Sunset is dead and not even Sunset knocking on his door will change his mind about that. As for Summer and Gilda, I need their help. Gilda’s on the run from Sombra, and I need to know why.”

“I can answer that. Gilda has information about Sombra’s crime syndicate that can cost him everything. If you can protect her until I get back, that will help out a great deal.”

“‘Get back’? Are you going somewhere?”

“Yes. I found out from Twilight where my daughter is. I have to go to her and help her.” Looking down, Celestia sniffed, adding, “After everything that’s passed between us, I owe it to her to bring her home and make things right.”

“I see. Well, if you know where Eventide is, then you shouldn’t waste any more time.” Looking Celestia directly in the eyes, Jade frowned deeply, saying bitterly, “As for the information that Gilda has on Sombra, that would explain why she’s been living on the streets and why she’s been stealing. I can also see why she’s been so afraid of coming to the police; that bastard has most of the police force in his pocket.” Turning around, Jade punched the wall behind her, growling, “Damnit, how am I supposed to do my damn job if it only takes a few dollar bills and a bullet to end someone's life!”

“Jade, what are you talking about?” Celestia asked, worried.

“He put a price on her head,” she replied, turning around. “Celestia, I know I’m asking a lot from you, but can you—”

“Take Summer and Gilda out of here? Of course. But afterwards, you’ll have to protect her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find Granny Smith and Applejack.” Turning to leave, she added, “Jade, you’re one of the few good cops on the force. Don’t let your anger turn you into something that you’re not.”

“Thanks. And I won’t, I promise.”

Heading towards the lobby, Celestia saw Sunset sitting in a chair next to Sonata. Each held the other’s hand as they whispered about motherhood, from what Celestia could hear. Mr. Cake was standing a few feet from Sonata and Sunset, looking worried. Luna was outside with her back against a window, talking on her phone.

Walking up to the desk, Celestia said to the receptionist, “Can you tell me when Summer Sunrise will be released from the hospital and where Ms. Granny Smith is, please?”

“Sure thing,” The receptionist replied, tapping on her keyboard. “It looks like Summer Sunrise is going to be released tonight. Ms. Smith is in room 123. She’ll be released in the morning.”

“Thank you,” Celestia replied, “I’d like to take Summer home with me, if that’s alright.”

“If Summer and her doctor approve, then that’s fine with me.”

Seeing Celestia was done with the receptionist, Mr. Cake beckoned her over. When she met him, he said to her calmly, “I will be taking Sonata and Sunset home with me tonight. I want to give my daughter a few moments before I take her to see her mother.” Receiving a nod from Celestia, he continued, “Once Cup’s out of the hospital, we’re selling the store and leaving the city. Sunset deserves a better life than what she got in this city or at your school. I’m sorry, Celestia, but our mind is made up.”

“I understand, Carrot.” Wanting to change the subject, Celestia asked, “Do you know who Luna’s talking to?”

“She’s talking with someone named Star Swirl. I imagine she’s just checking in to see how things are going. Luna said something about Crystalis making a cushion fort and making cookies, so things sound like they’re going well.”

Smiling at the thought, Celestia sighed, turning her attention to Sunset and Sonata, saying gently to both, “Girls, you’ll be going with Mr. Cake. Don’t worry, Sonata; he’ll take care of you.”

“Okay,” Sonata replied, not looking away from Sunset.

“Take care of yourself. You may be in a different city, but if you need anything, just call. I’ll help you with the child any way I can.”

Finally getting up, Sonata hugged Celestia, whispering, “It’ll be alright. You’ll see her again. I know you will. Thank you for helping me get her back and save my grandmother.”

As Celestia gently returned the hug, Sunset got up and gave her father a nod. Sonata took Sunset’s hand into her own as Mr. Cake led the two towards Mrs. Cake’s room. As they approached, Mr. Cake asked, “Sonata, what child was Celestia referring to?”

Sonata stopped, looking nervous. “Oh, um, I’m, uh, pregnant. That’s not going to be a problem, is it?” Gulping, she added, “I can find someplace else to—”

“Absolutely not! I won’t allow you to raise a child out on the streets!” he snapped. Seeing a worried look on Sonata’s face, he calmed down a bit, adding, “Sorry about that. Look, I can tell you love my daughter, and while this is very sudden, I will never turn my back on you because of a child, ever. Now, no more worries about that. We’ll visit Cup and head for home to prepare to move.”

“I don’t understand, Mr. Cake. Why are you being so generous?” Sonata asked. “What have I done to—”

“It doesn’t matter what you have or haven’t done. You’re pregnant, and my daughter cares dearly for you. That’s good enough for me. Now, no more questions. We’re here.”

The group arrived at Mrs. Cake’s room a few moments later, while Celestia headed to Applejack's room. Sunset rushed to her mother's side, teary-eyed. Mrs. Cake immediately reached out and grabbed onto Sunset, pulling her into a tight, warm hug.

“Mom, I missed you so much!” Sunset sobbed. “I’m so sorry for everything I put the two of you through.”

“Oh, Sunset, I missed you, too!” Mrs. Cake sobbed back. “I’m so happy to see you! We’re finally a family again!” Mrs. Cake punctuated her statement by peppering Sunset’s cheeks with kisses as the women repeatedly declared their love for each other. Eventually, the two calmed down, and Mrs. Cake let go of Sunset, saying as she noticed Sonata’s presence, “Sunset, who is this?”

Reaching for Sonata’s hand, Sunset said, “This is Sonata, my…my girlfriend.” Sonata took Sunset’s hand into her own as Sunset flashed a bashful smile. “She, uh, needs a place to stay, and, uh…”

“Honey,” Mrs. Cake said softly, “you don’t need to explain. You’re a good person, and I trust your judgment.” Looking to Sonata, she added, “Sonata, dear, I’d love to take you in for as long as you need. Will you come home with us?”

“Yes!” Sonata exclaimed, continuing more softly, “I’d love to move in with you. But are you sure? I’m pregnant, so—”

“Sonata, dear, in my forty years of living, I have never turned away anyone who needed a home, and I am not about to start. You’ll find a warm hearth, a safe place to live, and a loving home for as long as you need. We’ll all be there for you. I promise.”

Sonata hugged her warmly, and the trio began to file out of the room. Sunset lagged behind, lightly resting her hand on Mrs. Cake’s belly and asking, “When will you be coming home, Mom?”

“Tomorrow, sweetheart, and I can’t wait. I don’t want to be away from you anymore.”

Gently kissing her mother's belly, Sunset said softly, “You be good for Mom. We’ll be back to bring you two home in the morning. I love you.”

“Honey,” Mr. Cake began, “would you like to know what we’re having?”

Getting up, Sunset nodded gently, taking her mother's hand into her own. Mr. Cake reentered the room and smiled with pride in his eyes. Reaching over to a table next to the bed, he handed Sunset a small, yellow folder. She opened it, finding several ultrasound printings. Mr. Cake explained proudly. “We’re having twins. A girl and a boy. We’ve already picked their names. Would you like to hear them?”

Sonata, listening from the doorway, rushed over and took Sunset into a warm hug as Sunset nodded. Mrs. Cake smiled, taking the photos into her hands as she said gently, “Our little Cake twins will be named Pumpkin Sunset and Pound Shimmer.”

“They’re beautiful,” Sonata and Sunset said in unison.

Smiling happily, Mr. Cake began to once more usher the girls back out into the hallway. Summer flashed Mrs. Cake one more smile as she left. Heading into the lobby, Mr. Cake stopped by the front desk and signed out on the clipboard. Turning to both girls, he said, “Alright, are you both ready to head home?”

“Hold on, Dad. I need to talk with Applejack first. I need to try to make things right with her brother.”

“We’ll wait for you in the parking lot, then,” Mr. Cake said understandingly. As he led Sonata outside, he said, “I know you’ve been through so much, Sonata, but try to remember that you’ll always have a family with us.”

As Sonata hopped into the back seat of Mr. Cake’s bus and buckled up, she said, “Thanks, Mr. Cake. I won’t ever forget the kindness you’ve shown me here tonight. I’ll do all I can to make you proud of me.”

Back in the hospital, Sunset headed down the hallway towards Big Mac’s room, hearing Celestia say from inside as she arrived, “Now, before Sunset gets in here, I’d like to know what you’re going to—”

Applejacks familiar voice came out sharp and stern, “Ah already told ya, Ah ain’t about to press any charges against Sunset. Not now, not ever!”

“I understand. Just be aware that she feels very guilty and may insist—”

“Now, lookie here!” Applejack’s voice came out as loud as a thunder. “That wasn’t Sunset Shimmer that did this to me and my family. Sunset would never do that to us. If ya got her back, then great, but that monster that hurt us wasn’t her!”

“Now, Applejack, there’s no need to scream at me. I—”

Sunset slowly entered the room and watched as Applejack broke down in tears, burying her face in Big Mac’s chest. Sunset simply stood there, unsure of what to do.

“H-How could Ah be so selfish,” Applejack cried out. “Ah should’ve been protectin’ Sunset. Instead, Ah broke her heart and helped turn her into a monster.” Tightening her grip on the bedcover, she continued bitterly, “Ah should have been there for her, but no! Ah had to hurt her. Ah had to ruin her life. Well, no more! Ah ain’t ever turnin’ my back on her again!”

“Applejack, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Sunset began, wrapping her arms around her sobbing former friend. “I don’t know if I can forgive you for all that I went through right now, but perhaps in time, I can.”

Sniffing, Applejack pulled away, looking down as Sunset laid her hands onto Applejack’s knees. Giving her a nod, Applejack said to Celestia, “Ah spoke to my brother. He won’t file charges against her, either. He feels the same as Ah do, that what happened at Sweet Apple arcs wasn’t Sunset’s fault.”

“And what about Granny Smith?” Sunset asked, looking down.

“Granny has said to anyone who’ll listen to her,” Applejack said solemnly, “that she simply fell and hit her head. Beyond that, Granny won’t say another word about it. In fact, all she wants ta do is talk about the harvest for next year’s apple gatherin’.”

“Great,” Sunset groaned, rolling her eyes, “Now how am I supposed to be punished for what I did?”

“It's simple, Sunset Shimmer,” Applejack said gently, “Yer not. You just need ta live yer life and be happy. We’re the ones that should be punished for what we did to you.” Looking down, she added, “We hurt ya, blamed ya, and forced ya out of our lives, so we have ta be the ones that get punished for that. Granny and Big Mac agree that they were just casualties caused by our own selfish desire to hurt you for something that ya didn’t even do. So please, Sunset, if you want revenge on us, then take it by living yer life to the very best and happiest that you can without us in yer life ta screw it up.”

“But I don’t want that, Applejack. I never wanted to lose our friendship like this.”

Looking down, Applejack wiped a hand under her nose, fighting back her tears. She trembled lightly as she slowly looked back up. Sunset took a step back, seeing a look of pure sorrow in her former friend’s eyes she hadn’t seen before. Shaking her head, Applejack said, “Yer gonna have ta learn ta move on without us, Sunset. We don’t deserve yer friendship. None of us do.” Closing her eyes, her tears ran freely down her cheeks as she added bitterly, “Go make new friends, Sunset. Live yer life. Teach yer new friends what Honesty, Compassion, Laughter, Kindness and especially Loyalty mean to you, and perhaps one day, when we’re all ready, we can be friends again. But not today.”

Sunset jerked back as if shot. She tried desperately to wipe her rapidly filling eyes, and she bolted from the room, ignoring Celestia’s pleading, “Sunset, wait!” Sunset ran down the hallway and out the front entrance of the hospital.

Sunset didn’t stop until she jumped into her father’s van, tears flowing down her face. Sonata threw her arms around Sunset as Mr. Cake asked, “Honey, what happened?”

Sunset sobbed out, “Go, Dad. Just go.”

Starting up the car without another word, Mr. Cake pulled away from the hospital just as Celestia rushed outside. Luna looked to her sister, saying, “I take it everything didn’t go as well as you had hoped, Tia?”

“No, Luna. We just added fuel to a fire we didn’t even know was lit. Let’s go get Summer and Gilda, then we can head home.” Opening the door, Celestia and Luna both headed inside, motioning Jade to follow them. “What did Star Swirl and you talk about, if I may ask?”

“He was just informing us of what was going on at his end. Crystalis couldn’t sleep, so she wanted to make cookies. Eventually, she made a couch cushion fort in the middle of the living room, where she finally fell asleep.”

Celestia smiled slightly as the trio arrived at Summer’s room, though worry was clearly etched on her face. Gilda, sitting next to Summer on her bed, exchanged a worried look with Summer when she saw Celestia’s expression. Summer said, saying softly, “Relax, Gilda. I’m sure everything’s fine.”

“I hope so,” Gilda replied. She looked at Celestia. “Are we going to stay here or go with Jade?”

“Gilda,” Jade began. “Celestia tells me you have information that could prove very useful against Sombra. I would like to see this information, if I may.”

Gilda immediately bristled in defense. “And if I say no, what then? You’ll toss me in jail?”

Pulling up a nearby chair that sat nearby, Jade sat down, saying, “I don’t want to have to do that. But I am an officer, first and foremost. I have a job to do. However, I do understand that jailing you for refusing to cooperate would only serve to further instill in you the notion that the police can’t be trusted.” Taking out a notepad, she continued, “So, how about we do this? You write down a place you want me to go, and I’ll go there and pick up the information. No one will know that you gave me the information, and in return, I’ll let Celestia take you out of the hospital.”

Feeling Summer’s hand resting on her thigh, Gilda gulped, giving Jade a very worried look. Looking down, she sighed heavily, saying, “I don’t trust you, Jade; you’re a cop, and cops can’t ever be trusted. But, for Summer’s and my baby’s sake, I’ll...I’ll do it. I’ll play along…for now.”

Taking the notepad in her hands, Gilda jotted down an address and handed it back to Jade. Gilda closed her eyes, trembling at the possible consequences. Seeing how worried Gilda was, Celestia said, “I’ll call a friend of mine from my military days, and then, I’ll arrange for you to meet with your grandfather, Gilda.”

“Alright. I trust you, Celestia. I don’t know why, but I do,” Gilda replied.

“Perhaps it’s because you know that my sister won’t betray you,” Luna said sternly.

“Luna, you're not helping,” Celestia said equally sternly. She continued to Gilda and Summer, “Now, let's get you checked out of here and take you to my place. You can stay there until I can reunite you with your grandfather. Speaking of which, where do you want the reunion to take place?”

Thinking it over, Gilda looked between Summer and Celestia and sighed, saying to Summer, “Let’s do this at Celestia’s. So far, she hasn’t given me a reason not to trust her.” A thought occurred to Gilda, and she turned to Celestia, asking, “Wait, how are we going to get there? Summer kinda blew up your car.”

“We can call a taxi,” Celestia replied, sighing as she thought, “Ugh, with all that’s happened, I forgot about that. Sunset’s journal was in there. How am I going to contact the other Celestia now?”

Luna said, “I’ll call them and take the girls home with me, then I’ll send the taxi back to pick you up, Tia.”

Nodding, Celestia headed back into the hallway with Jade in tow, finding Twilight reading in the lobby. Walking up to her, Celestia said hesitantly, “Twilight, I have bad news. Sunset’s ‘special’ journal was in the back of my car when Summer destroyed it.”

Twilight looked unfazed. “I see. And you must think that the journal was destroyed along with your car, right?”

“Well, yes,” Celestia replied, confused. Then, her eyes widened slightly, “Wait, are you saying that it wasn’t burned up with the car?”

Setting her book down, Twilight smiled and she stood up and said, “Yes, I am. Remember, Sunset was a filly when Celestia gave her the journal. With foals, accidents are inevitable, so the books were enchanted to prevent them from being permanently destroyed unless both were destroyed at the same time. If something happened to one, it would simply return to wherever Sunset stored it for the longest time. I’m not sure whether that would be here or in Equestria, though, but since Sunset lives here, I assume it would teleport somewhere in this world.” Stretching, she added, “I would like to use that book, by the way, and when Princess Celestia comes here, I would like to talk to her in private, if I may.”

“Sure thing. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a very important phone call to make.”

Twilight nodded, and Celestia walked outside and pulled out her phone. She dialed a number and waited for an answer. When she did, she said, “It's Celestia. I need you to connect me to Commander Gruff Griffin.”

“You know I can’t do that, Captain,” the person replied.

“You can’t, eh? Well, let me ask you this, Silver Night. Who was it that got your sister out of that hellhole in Valsha?”

“You did, Captain,” Silver Night grumbled.

“And who was it that nearly got killed three times trying to save your brother Moon Shine?”

Hearing a soft sigh, Celestia heard, “You did, Captain, but we took an oath. I—”

Growing angry, Celestia said, “Do you recall our motto, Silver Night? Because I remember each word of it. ‘You take one of ours, we take ten of yours. You take ten of ours, we take a thousand of yours.’ Do you remember who taught you that motto and made sure you got the promotion that you wanted?”

“Yes, I recall the motto, and yes, I remember that you helped me get my promotion.”

“I also recall how I stood up and fought for you at your court-martial, so guess what, asshole: You owe me!”

Celestia waited for what felt like an eternity before she finally heard, “Fine. I’ll patch you through to him, and I’ll take the heat, but after that, we’re even,” Silver Night snapped.

A few moments went by before Celestia heard dial tones. Celestia waited anxiously before she heard a soft, raspy voice over the phone.

“This had better be good,” the voice said bitterly. “I was about to watch my favorite—”

Clearing her throat, Celestia said coldly, “Si unus nostrum corripias, decem tua corripiemus. Si decem nostrum corripias, mille tua corripiemus.”

There was a silence. “Captain Soleil, is that you?” he finally said.

“Yes, sir, it’s me. I have someone in my care that needs you. Can you come to my house tomorrow?”

Silence fell over the phone. Celestia began to pace anxiously, waiting for his answer. Worried he had hung up on her, she said, “Sir, are you still there? Please, this is very important. You must come as soon as you can.”

“I’ll be there at fifteen hundred hours. And Captain?”

“Yes, sir?” Celestia replied.

“He’s out.”

Commander Griffin hung up before Celestia could say anything further. Her breath became shallow, and sweat began to form on her forehead as her pacing quickened. Closing her eyes, she muttered to herself, “Get it together. You’re not over there. There’s no reason to worry. He doesn't know where you live now.”

Hearing footsteps from behind her, Celestia spun around, throwing a panicked punch without thinking. Her fist was caught by Summer’s hand. Quickly spinning Celestia around, Summer pinned Celestia against a window of the hospital, saying, “Your past come back to haunt you?” When Celestia nodded shakily, she continued, “I know what it's like to try to escape your past. Take a breath and calm down. No one’s going to hurt you.” Loosening her grip, she finished, “I’m going to let you go. If you still want to fight, we’ll fight.”

Breathing heavily, Celestia gulped for breath, saying, “I’m sorry, Summer. I thought I was somewhere else for a second. Please let me go.”

Letting her go, Summer backed away, keeping herself ready for another attack. Celestia swallowed hard, walking away from Summer, who watched her carefully. Luna exited the hospital, finding her sister near the entrance. “Alright, the taxi is—” she began, cutting herself off when she saw how upset Celestia was, “Tia, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, Lieutenant!” Celestia growled. Realizing her mistake, she added, “Er, Luna. I’m sorry. I just need a few moments, is all. Please, take the taxi home with the girls. I’ll join you within a few hours.”

“But, Tia, I thought you—”

“Just do as you are told, Lieutenant! We can’t let the Valshens win this damn war!” Celestia screamed angrily at her sister, causing Luna to take a step back. Seeing a scared look on her sister’s face, Celestia stormed off, muttering to herself, “Don’t think about it. Damnit, Soleil, get a hold of yourself. You’re not over there.”

Ten minutes later, a green and white van pulled up. Twilight, Summer, and Gilda all got in. Luna paused, thinking about seeking her sister again, when the driver honked the horn.

“Hey, lady, you coming or what?”

“Yeah,” Gilda called out from the passenger window. “We can’t find you're house without you, so get in already.”

Sighing, Luna got into the cab and looked out the window. She spotted her sister walking back inside the hospital, her hands clenched into tight fists. Before Luna could say anything, the driver said, “Ma’am, I need to know where to go.”

“What? Oh, yes, uh, please take us to One-Seventy-Five Orchard Drive Lane. Then come back here, please.”

“I can’t do that, ma’am. There are plenty of others who—”

“I’ll pay you three times as much as your normal fare if you come back after you drop us off.”

“Will do, ma’am. For that much, I’ll drive all over the city for you,” he replied, pulling out of the parking lot.

Luna took one last look at the hospital as Twilight sighed, saying, “Luna, can you have him stop at CHS first? There’s something that I need to pick up.”

“Not now, Twilight. I need to get home and put Crystalis to bed, then I need to check on Star Swirl. Can this wait till morning?”

Twilight nodded reluctantly, and the taxi pulled out into the street. An hour and a half later, the van pulled up into Celestia’s driveway. Luna got out and paid the driver in full, saying to him, “There’s an extra fifty in it for you if you bring back my sister within an hour, sir.”

Giving her a happy smile, he took her money, logged it into his book, and pulled out into the street, speeding back to the hospital. Luna, Twilight, Summer, and Gilda all headed inside. Star Swirl met them in the living room, saying softly, “Shh, don’t wake her up. She’s had a rough night.” Pointing to Crystalis, who lay fast asleep clutching a picture in her small hand, he added, “She woke up at around two or three, screaming for her sister to come back home. Luna, I think it might be time to tell her the truth about Eventide’s whereabouts. You can’t honestly keep lying to her. Sooner or later, she’ll find out, and you don’t want this sweet child to grow up hating you both, do you?”

“No, I don’t, and it’s not like I want to go along with the lie, but what am I going to say? ‘Your sister’s off in a magical land of talking ponies and isn’t coming home’? It’s for the best that we keep her in the dark.”

“‘For the best’?” Star Swirl said bitterly. “You of all people should know what that can do to a child. Now, it is late, and I need to get home. We can talk more about this later.”

With that, he gathered up his belongings and headed for the door. Stopping in the doorway, he gave Luna a weak smile, tipped his hat, and headed out. Luna carefully picked up Crystalis, carrying the sleeping child to her room.

“Evey,” Crystalis moaned, dropping her photo.

Gilda picked up the photo and looked at it before showing it to Twilight and Summer. Twilight smiled, while Summer rolled her eyes. The picture showed Eventide with Crystalis on her lap. Each were dressed in armor. Eventide’s armor looked real, while Crystalis was wearing plastic armor made for a child and a helmet that was clearly too big for her. Eventide had a smile on her face, and Crystalis wore a goofy grin with her tongue sticking out.

“So, that's Eventide, I take it?” Summer asked, looking back at the photo and pausing only slightly at the resemblance between Eventide and herself. Glancing up to all the other photos on the wall next to her, she added, “And this is what a real family is supposed to look like?”

Various photos hung on the wall next to Summer, each one showing some combination of Luna, Celestia, Eventide, and Crystalis. Looking more closely, though, Summer noticed something odd. In each picture of Eventide with Luna or Crystalis, Eventide was smiling like everyone else, but in the photos of Eventide and Celestia, Eventide had a frown on her face.

“I take it Eventide didn’t get along with her mother?” Summer asked. “I mean, you can tell just by looking at these photos.”

“No, Eventide didn’t get along with Celestia at all,” Luna said, reentering the room. “They were constantly at each other's throats. But she, Crystalis, and I always got along rather well. Sure, we had our little squabbles every now and then, but it was never as bad as it was with Celestia and Eventide.” Taking the photo from Gilda, she added, “This photo was taken three days after Eventide had just met her sister, and Eventide was only a few weeks into living back home with me and Celestia.” Setting it on the arm of the couch, Luna began to clean up the mess in the living room, continuing, “Eventide really cared deeply for Crystalis. I am sure she misses her as much as Crystalis misses Eventide.”

“If that’s the case, why’d Eventide leave?” Gilda asked.

“I don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t,” Luna said, picking up the last of the couch cushions and placing them back on the couch. “I really do wish she stayed. Crystalis misses her very much.” Heading into the kitchen, Luna froze in her tracks, giving a light whistle. “Whoa. That’s a lot of cookies.”

Small boxes were stacked wherever there was space on the counter and table. Luna counted seventy-four boxes, total. Twilight followed Luna into the kitchen, chuckling at the sight. “This reminds me of when Pinkie decided it was a good idea to bake for the entire town. My home was so stuffed with cookies, I had to sleep at Applejack’s for six weeks.”

Groaning in irritation, Luna began to collect each box of cookies, carrying them downstairs and mumbling under her breath. Twilight helped, giving Summer and Gilda a pointed look. The two got the message, and they each grabbed several boxes of cookies to take downstairs. After the cookies were cleared out, the group returned to the living room.

“Now, it is ungodly late, and I need some sleep. You three are welcome to stay up if you like, but please keep it down.” Heading to the hallway closet, Luna began to take out several pillows and blankets, saying, “Gilda and Summer, you two will take the guest room across from my room downstairs. It's the room with the green star on it. Twilight, you can take the guest room across from my sister’s room upstairs.”

“Alright,” everyone said in unison.

Gilda looked at her watch, her eyebrows raising at the time: five in the morning. “Holy crap, it’s five a.m. You don’t work in the morning, do you?” she asked Luna.

“No, I don’t, which is why I’m asking that tomorrow, until you meet with your grandfather, you all keep as quiet as you can. But thank you for your concern. Now, I’m going to check on Crystalis, then I’m off to bed.”

Luna walked upstairs, and the others decided to follow suit, each going to her own room. Closing the door behind her, Gilda looked at Summer, watching her undress. Smiling, she said as she undressed, “I can’t wait for us to be a real family, Summer.” She climbed into bed, snuggling up against Summer and holding her as they kissed passionately. Before long, the girls fell fast asleep in each other’s arms.

Luna walked into Crystalis’s room, smiling in satisfaction as Crystalis peacefully slept. Gently tucking her in and kissing her on the forehead, she said softly, “Sleep well, Crystalis. You’ll see Evey soon enough. I promise.”

Yawning, Luna headed out of the room leaving the hallway light on and the door open. She quickly returned to her own room, undressing and practically collapsing into her own bed, falling asleep immediately.

Twilight was the only one who couldn’t sleep. She lay awake, thinking, “How could Princess Celestia have kept this from me? I should have been told about Sunset’s origins right from the start.” Getting up, she muttered to herself, “It doesn’t matter how exhausted I am. I need answers, and I know Princess Celestia has them.”

Quickly getting dressed, Twilight crept out of her room, stopping when she heard Crystalis moan almost unintelligibly, “No, don’t leave, Evey.” Looking down, Twilight silently crept into the child's room and gently embraced her, whispering, “Shh, it’s going to be alright. She’ll be back soon. I promise.”

Climbing into bed with Crystalis in her arms, Twilight sighed, thinking, “My questions can wait. This child needs me right now.” Pulling the blanket over her and Crystalis, Twilight soon found herself falling into a deep sleep as Crystalis clung tightly to Twilight. “There, there, little one. It’ll be alright, honey. I’m here,” Twilight whispered softly, holding her until Chrysalis’s breathing became steady once more.

An hour later, a taxi pulled up to the house. Celestia paid the driver his promised payment, adding an extra sixty dollars. Heading towards the front door, she failed to see four young teens playing with fireworks across the street. The boys noticed her, though. One of them smirked and said, “This is gonna be fun.”

Throwing the firecracker, the boy watched in delight as it landed near Celestia. Looking down to where it landed Celestia screamed as it went off. Stumbling backwards, she hit her head against the railing of her front steps.

Another boy yelled out, “You idiot! You could have hurt her!” As he rushed to her side, he heard one of his friends yell back, “Aw, come on, Dusty, she’s fine, you wuss.”

“Screw you, Onyx!” Reaching his hand out to Celestia, he added, “Hey, lady, you alright?”

Suddenly, Celestia screamed, “Watch out, Corporal!” Before Dusty could react, Celestia grabbed him, pulling him to the ground and covering him with her body. A firecracker flew through the air, landing near her. Celestia looked up in time to see it roll into a sewer drain. Quickly getting up, she pulled the confused teen with her, yelling, “Run, Corporal, before—”

The explosion shook the neighborhood as the sewer drain and sidewalk went up in a ball of fire and a hailstorm of debris. The massive explosion knocked Celestia and Dusty both to the ground. Dusty began to cry, sure this was the end, as Celestia snapped, “Get a hold of yourself, Corporal! The enemy’s coming. We need to leave now!”

The explosion woke everyone in the house. Crystalis grabbed Twilight around her neck nearly choking her, screaming in terror. “What’s happening? Make it stop, Evey!”

“Crystalis, honey, you’re choking me!” Twilight said, prying the child's arms off of her. Hugging her tightly, she said softly, rocking the frightened child back and forth, “Shh, it’s alright, Crystalis. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Downstairs, Luna jumped out of bed in alarm. She bolted upstairs and ran to a window. Her eyes widened in fear at the scene. When she spotted her sister, who was carrying a teenager in her arms, she yelled, “Celestia, what the hell are you doing?!”

Another explosion rocked through the sleepy neighborhood. Luna rushed outside to catch up to Celestia. When Celestia saw her coming, she unceremoniously dropped Dusty and threw a fist towards Luna’s face, shouting, “Die, you Valshan bastard. You’ll pay for what you did to my squad!”

Luna quickly ducked, uppercutting her sister in the jaw and knocking her to the ground. “What the hell is the matter with you, Tia? It’s me, for Christ’s sake!”

“Lieutenant, we need to take out the garrison! We can’t allow the enemy to get control of this area!” Celestia screamed to somewhere in the distance, her eyes wide with fear. Luna saw sweat dripping from her sister’s head. “Lieutenant, where the fuck are you?!”

Celestia snarled and leapt at Luna, who quickly dove to the ground, rolling to the right. Celestia dove after her, trying to grab Luna by the shoulders. Luna planted her right foot into Celestia’s stomach, knocking her down. Celestia struggled back her feet, holding her stomach as she tried to regain her breath. She looked up just in time to take a right hook to her jaw, knocking her back down. Seeing that Celestia was temporarily unable to fight, Luna grabbed Dusty, pulling him away from her sister.

“What happened, kid?” Luna demanded, running from her sister with Dusty in tow.

“W-We were playing with fireworks. My friend threw one at her, and she went nuts.”

Rolling her eyes in disgust, Luna rushed Dusty to a nearby house, saying to the occupants who watched the commotion in terror, “Take him. I need to get back to my sister.”

“R-Right, of course,” one of them stammered.

Sirens could be heard in the distance, and a car sped down the street, squealing to a halt a safe distance from Celestia’s house. Star Swirl got out, yelling out to Luna, “Luna, I rushed back as soon as I heard the explosion. What happened?”

“Some stupid kids were playing with fireworks. One of them must have fallen into the sewer drain, which caused it to go up like a bomb,” she replied, adding, “I have to find Celestia. She’s having a flashback, and—”

“Listen to me,” Star Swirl began, catching up to Luna. “If Celestia’s having a flashback, you need to make her think that you are a part of her unit from when she was in Valsha. Otherwise, she’ll think you’re going to hurt her and she will try to kill you.”

“Yes, I noticed!” Luna snapped. “Damnit, she already thinks I’m an enemy. How the hell am I supposed to convince her I’m not?”

Turning around, Luna saw several fire trucks, police cars, and a utility vehicle pulling into the street. Star Swirl ran over to them, leaving Luna to contemplate her situation. Thinking quickly, Luna rushed back to her house, frantically looking through the foyer closet and rummaging through her sister’s purse, mumbling, “Where is it? Where the hell is it?”

“Luna, what's going on?” Twilight asked from upstairs. “Can I help?”

“No, Twilight. Just keep Crystalis in the house and yourself out of sight. Make sure Summer and Gilda stay inside as well,” Luna replied, dumping the purse over and spilling its contents all over the floor. Her eyes finally fell to Celestia’s taser flashlight. “Ah, there it is!” Inspecting it, she added, “Good, its fully charged. I don’t want to use this, but I don’t have a choice.”

Rushing back outside, Luna looked around, her eyes widening in fright as she spotted Celestia heading for the police cars. So far, none of the officers noticed her, but Luna knew she didn’t have much time. Several officers began to close off the street as the utility workers began to cut the power to the neighborhood and the firefighters stood on standby. Luna gave a loud whistle, successfully getting Celestia’s attention.

“Captain Soleil, over here, quickly! We have wounded!” Luna yelled. “I can’t get them out by myself. I need your help.” All the while, Luna thought, “Come on, take the fucking bait, Celestia.”

Celestia began to run towards her, suddenly stopping just outside of her striking distance. Giving Luna a wary look, Celestia said, “What's your unit number and rank, soldier?”

“I’m a second lieutenant with the First Infantry Division.”

Celestia didn’t seem convinced. She stepped back, preparing to defend herself, saying, “Can you—”

Another explosion rocked through the street, close enough to two houses to set them ablaze. Celestia and Luna were knocked to the ground with the shock. Celestia could hear screams as she got back up. Looking around frantically, she said to Luna, “We need to get air support, soldier! I’ll call it in.”

Celestia ran past her sister. Luna quickly followed, waiting for her chance to strike. Celestia rushed to a nearby house, pressing her back to the wall. She peeked around the corner, saying, “Alright, there are about six soldiers over there. Together, we should be able to take them. You take the ones on the right, I’ll take the ones on the left. Got it?”

“Yes, Ma'am,” Luna replied.

Celestia was about to step out from behind her hiding spot, when Luna said, “I don’t have any weapons. I only have a taser.”

“Wait, you—” Celestia’s words were cut off as she felt electricity flow through her body. Screaming in pain, she fell to the ground. Soon, she quieted as she passed out.

Picking her sister up over her shoulder, Luna said, “I am so sorry, Tia. I had no choice; you would have hurt those officers.”

Carrying her sister back inside their house, Luna pushed past a surprised Twilight, saying, “Take Crystalis and get in the basement.”

Luna carefully descended the stairs to her own bedroom, laying Celestia down on her bed, sighing. A pounding sounded from the front door, and she growled, “Now, what?!”

Twilight rushed upstairs to answer the door, soon coming back and saying, “They’re telling us to evacuate the neighborhood. Whatever caused the fire set off a chain reaction with the methane in the sewer, and they don’t know when the next big explosion’s going to be.”

“We’ll need a van. We can’t all fit into my car,” Luna replied worriedly. “I’ll go see if Honey Potts is home.”

Leaving Celestia, Luna rushed outside, going next door and finding Honey Potts’s husband Clay sitting on their porch, watching the commotion. “Mr. Potts, I have several people in my house that I need to get out of here, and I can’t fit them all in my car. Can I use your van?”

“Sure thing,” Clay said, tossing Luna the keys, still staring excitedly at the fires. “Isn’t this something? Those damn kids finally blew something up. A sight to behold.”

Luna stared incredulously at him as she caught the keys. “You’re nuts! People’s houses are burning down, and you can only think about how ‘cool’ this is?”

Clay simply shrugged, never looking away from the action. Luna decided to leave him be and drove the van back to her driveway. She rushed back inside, trying to quell the panic welling up inside her. Gilda, Summer, and Twilight stood in the living room. Twilight was holding Crystalis, who had her head buried into Twilight’s shoulder.

“I’m scared, Aunty Twilight,” Crystalis cried out.

“I know, honey, but it’s going to be alright. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” Looking to Luna, she added, “Your aunt will help to make sure of that.”

Luna said to Twilight, “Twilight, please take Crystalis upstairs and get her some clothes from her room. I’ll go get Celestia.”

Twilight nodded and rushed upstairs as Luna herself went downstairs, motioning for Gilda and Summer to get in the van. It was a struggle, but Luna managed to get Celestia over her shoulder, up the stairs, and out the door. She laid Celestia in the very back of the van, then rushed back up to Celestia’s room. Frantically looking through her sister’s desk, Luna stopped when she finally found Celestia’s journal. Picking it up, she thought to herself, “Forgive me, Tia, but I need to know what happened to you, and if you won’t tell me, I’ll just have to get those answers another way.”

Looking over to Celestia’s open closet, she spotted her sister’s military dress uniform. Closing her eyes, Luna grumbled, “Damnit, Celestia, why did you have to join the military? You wouldn’t be so screwed up right now if you had just listened to me and stayed home where you belonged.” Luna slammed the door shut, pausing when she heard something fall from the top shelf. Reopening the door, Luna found a pair of handcuffs, a key, and a photo album. Picking up the items, she mumbled, “These might come in handy.”

Heading back outside, Luna opened the back door of the van. Gently rolling her sister over onto her stomach, she placed both of Celestia’s arms behind her back and cuffed her. Looking back up, she saw Gilda giving her a look. “What’s that about?” Gilda asked.

“Don’t worry about it, Gilda,” Luna replied coldly, getting in herself. “Is everyone here?”

Looking around, Twilight replied, “Yes, we’re all present and accounted for, Luna. We’re ready to leave whenever you are.”

“Alright, let's head out,” Luna said.

Starting up the van, Luna pulled into the street taking one last look at her home. A half-hour passed before Luna pulled into a motel. Luna walked inside and up to the clerk behind the front desk. “I need the largest room that you have available, please,” she said.

“Sorry, ma’am,” the man behind the desk said. “That room is already taken.”

“Alright, then,” Luna said, sighing, “how much for three regular rooms and one morning’s stay?”

“Three hundred dollars,” he said after looking at his computer.

“Three hundred?!” Luna repeated, shocked.

“Sorry, ma’am, I don’t set the prices,” the clerk said with a shrug, as if he’d said that sentence a million times.

Sighing, Luna said. “Fine. Do you take credit cards?”

He tapped the credit machine in front of her in response, smirking.

Sighing again, Luna swiped her card, happy that at least one thing was going right that night. “Neighboring rooms, if you don’t mind.”

“No problem.” Reaching behind him, the clerk took three keys from their hooks and handed them to her. “Here you go. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you,” Luna replied tiredly. Taking the keys, Luna headed back outside and sighed. “Alright, let’s get inside. I’ll take Celestia. Gilda, you and Summer will share a room, and Twilight, you’ll share one with Crystalis. Make sure you all get some sleep, and be ready to leave by no later than noon, understand?”

Everyone nodded and began to walk to their rooms. Luna uncuffed Celestia and half-dragged, half-carried her inside, trying her best to make it seem like Celestia was merely sleeping. Getting inside without issue, she kicked the door shut and dropped Celestia in the closer bed, cuffing her once more. “Sorry, Tia, but I can’t take any risks until I know you’re back to normal,” Luna thought.

The room itself was sparsely furnished. The carpet was stained with fluids of multiple colors. A dim lamp sat between the two beds atop a nightstand. The wallpaper was falling apart, and holes lined most of the walls. “A hundred dollars a room for this,” Luna mumbled bitterly. She went out and brought in the rest of her belongings from the van. Placing them on the other bed, she sat down, turning Celestia’s journal over in her hands. Looking over to her sister, Luna said, “What the hell happened to you over there, Tia? What caused you to break like this?”

Seeing her sister resting peacefully, Luna steeled her resolve and opened the journal.

January 2nd, 10:00 hundred Zulu hours

What a fucking morning! We were ordered to go to Valsha, and though our men were hoping and expecting to go home today, they nevertheless geared up and got ready to move. We got hit with a shell before we could set out, killing some and injuring many more. Oh, God, when is this war going to be over?

A child was brought in, his left leg blown to pieces from the explosion. I had to amputate whatever remained to prevent infection, but we didn’t have any anesthetic to numb his pain. I can still hear his screams for mercy! Christ, I can’t do this! Why the hell did I take this job?

Then, another explosion tore through the hospital. I can still see the smoke and hear the screams of those burning to death inside. I tried to get to them, but I just couldn’t.

But I could get revenge.

I grabbed a dead soldier’s gun and opened fire on the approaching Valshans, killing at least seven, maybe ten. After I ran out of ammo, I ran at them with my knife. Looking back, that was a fucking stupid idea, but I’m still alive. One soldier had this look of fear as I slit his throat. I wonder if he had a family. Did he truly believe the reasons that brought him to war? Do I? I don’t know. I just don’t know.

January 10th, 20:00 Hundred Delta hours

We arrived to a hailstorm of bullets. Ten soldiers fell in front of me, and I had no choice but to step over them, open fire, and push onwards. My uniform is stained with blood, guts, and brains. I want out of this damn war and this damn unit. I was told that I am being transferred to the 47th in a few days. I don’t want to watch any more of my brothers and sisters die, but this is war, after all, and in war, people die.

Got orders to head into the capital. We need to find a terrorist, take him out, and get back to base. Watched a young soldier step on a landmine. Half his body was torn to shreds. He died screaming for his mother. That got me thinking. If I die in this war, who will I scream for? Luna, Mom, Dad or someone else? It doesn’t matter.

It was a drive, run, fire, fight all the way to the capital. We found the terrorist’s family, and I was ordered to take them all out. I thought we were supposed to help civilians, not end their lives. But this is war, and in war, there are always casualties and collateral damage, right? So, I did what I was ordered to do. I did my job. I followed orders like the good soldier that I am. But, God, how I wish I disobeyed.

February 5th, 21:00 Hundred Delta hours

I met Storming Winds today, commander of the 47th. He’s an imposing man, and he demands respect. He’s a man of few words, but he still has this way about him that shows he cares deeply for what he is doing.

I also got a letter from Luna today. She is in her second year of college. Has it really been three years since I left? I have lost more than just time. I feel like I am losing myself to this damn war. Storming tells me that I must develop a heart of stone and eyes of ice if I am to survive in this unit. He says he’s seen many soldiers who either couldn’t hack it or just gave up and took their own lives because they couldn’t deal with what the 47th goes through.

To help me with this, he is training me as a sniper. When I saw the training dummy, I did something that, as far as I know, no soldier has ever done to Storming Winds in his many years of training soldiers: I walked away after giving him a few choice words. So, as a result, I have to clean the latrines for the next six days. I got the first one done a few hours ago. Only six hundred left. I am starting to think I should have obeyed the order he gave me, but really, to use my own sister’s picture to help me to become a better soldier? You have got to be kidding me!

February 10th, 13:00 Hundred Delta hours

Got everything done today. My heart is breaking from what I was forced to do. I had to snipe a kid no older than twelve carrying a fucking I.E.D. A child, a baby, for Christ’s sake! What the hell is happening in this war? I can still see the kids face as his head exploded. But it was that or watch him blow himself and my squad to hell.

Returned to base, made my report, restocked on ammo, and replaced my B.P.V. I couldn’t get the kid out of my head. I asked for a few hours to myself to think things through. Storming gave me ten minutes. Thanks for nothing, blowhard. I’m being sent in alone behind enemy lines. I have to find my target, kill her, and get out without being caught. If I’m caught, I’ll be disavowed and left to rot.

The alarms are going off. I need to go.

February 19th, 06:00 Hundred Zulu hours

Finally made it back to base, covered in blood. I ran out of ammo. All I had was my knife. I got caught, but it’s no problem. Dead soldiers tell no tales. I was told that I’m going to get promoted from second lieutenant straight to captain! I will be in command of one hundred and sixty officers. I met those fresh, new faces and couldn’t help but think, “More meat for the slaughter.”

I find that I am starting to grow cold and heartless. There was a child holding her mother’s lifeless body. I could have done something, but rather than help, I walked by, not caring if the kid lived or died. I guess Storming’s training is finally paying off; soldiers can’t afford to get caught up in their own feelings for kids nowadays.

I was offered leave today, but I turned them down. How can my sister want to be around me after all that I have done? I am not worthy of being around her. No one can possibly love me. I must resign myself to being as cold and as ruthless as I can be.

March 20th, 19:00 Hundred Delta hours

More meat for the slaughter, indeed. One hundred soldiers dead, another sixty wounded. It doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters now. All that matters is that orders are obeyed. I took the kids into the hospital unit and showed them what can and will happen if they don’t follow orders. I actually found myself enjoying the looks of disgust and nausea that came over their smug faces. Like it really matters. They need to get tougher and colder, just like me.

Oh, God, am I actually enjoying this? What the hell is wrong with me? I need to talk to Storming about this. If this keeps up, will I end up like Crystal Flare, who only cares about the mission and can’t see past to her own desires?

I got new orders today. Take out a unit that has been compromising our soldiers in the west. These kids they sent in are no more than eighteen. The youngest has to be seventeen. It doesn’t matter, though. Only a small handful of them will make it back. I got my ammo and B.P.V., and I’m ready to launch headfirst right into hell itself.

Closing the book, Luna suppressed a shudder as she looked over to her still-sleeping sister. Hugging Celestia, she cried herself to sleep, thinking. “Oh, God, no wonder she went nuts. Are you even still in there, Tia? Is there any part of you that is still there?”

Several long hours passed before Luna woke to a knock at her door. Getting up, she answered it, finding Summer, Gilda, Twilight, and Crystalis standing in the doorway. Gilda looked past Luna, saying, “Luna, I know this is none of my business, but are you sure it’s really necessary to keep Celestia handcuffed like that?”

“You didn’t see how she was last night, so yes, it is.” Stepping out of the room, Luna added bitterly, “But you’re right; it’s none of your business.” Looking to everyone else, she added, “What time is it?”

Summer said, “It’s 12 p.m.”

Luna growled but said, “Alright, let's get something to eat. Then, I’ll call the fire marshal and see if we can head home yet.”

Smiling at her, Twilight said, “I have already done that, Luna. The fire department got everything under control around ten this morning and are allowing residents to return to their homes today. That said,” she continued as her face fell, “most of the street leading to your house has been blocked off, and the boys that did this are being held by the police.”

Shutting the door without another word, Luna began to head to the van with Summer, Gilda and Crystalis in tow. Opening the van, she sniffed, fighting back her tears. Seeing the scared look on her face, Crystalis said, “Aunty Lu, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Luna said.

Crystalis wasn’t convinced. “When I’m sad, I think of happy things. Like rainbows and you and mommy Tia and Evey.” Crystalis paused. “Why did Evey go to collich?”

Opening the van door, Luna helped the young child into the van, and Crystalis asked, “Aunty Twilight, what’s collich?”

“Do you mean ‘college’?” Twilight asked. At Crystalis’s enthusiastic nod, Twilight said, “College is a wonderful place. It's a big school where lots of people go to learn all sorts of things.”

“Like what?”

Giggling slightly, Twilight gently rubbed the top of Crystalis’s head with a warm smile. Summer sitting next to Gilda, decided to chime in. “Like…like math, and science, and stuff.” Closing her eyes, she thought to herself, “Geez, could you sound any dumber, Summer?”

“Can you learn about rainbows and unicorns?” Crystalis said, smiling as Luna returned and got into the driver’s seat.

Luna chuckled, saying as she looked around, “You can learn about whatever you want, Crystalis. Alright, we have a few places to pick from. There’s Caballos Tacos, uh, there looks to be a Hay and Bale, and I think Fifty-Eight Saddles is up on the right. So, what will it be, girls? Where would you all like to eat?”

“Fifty-Eight Saddles might be a bit too high-maintenance for Crystalis, and I’m not really in the mood for tacos, so why not try the Hay and Bale?” Twilight said.

“Any place is fine with me,” Summer said, sighing as she looked out the window at all the various people on the sidewalk coming and going with their own concerns. Turning her attention to Gilda, she added, “Don’t forget, you promised Jade to drop off that thing she wants. You still have it, right?”

“Of course, I still have it. Sheesh, you think I’d let it out of my sight? It's in the back pocket of my coat, safe and sound, and it’ll stay there until after I meet with grandpa.”

“Alright, but don’t forget your promise. We have to stay on Jade’s good side.”

Luna pulled into the drive-through of Hay and Bale and got everyone’s order. Before long, Luna was passing everyone their food and back on the road to the motel. They arrived without incident, but when the group walked into Luna’s room, they found the bed empty save for the open handcuffs. They could hear water running in the bathroom. She looked to the girls, saying, “Can you all head to the lobby? I’ll need a moment in private with my sister before we check out.”

“Sure thing,” Twilight said, “but please go easy on her. She’s had a rough night.”

“We all did,” Luna said curtly, nevertheless nodding to Twilight. Once alone, Luna knocked on the bathroom door, saying hesitantly, “Tia, are you alright? Can I come in?”

“Hold on, Lu. I need to get a towel first,” Celestia called back, and Luna sighed in relief. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing Celestia standing in the doorway, a towel wrapped around her upper body. “So, can you explain to me why I woke up in this place and why I was handcuffed?”

“You freaked out last night, and I thought you were going to hurt someone. You kept saying something about Valsha and needing to take out a garrison.”

Walking past her sister, Celestia looked at her clothing, seeing mud on her shirt and pants. “I don’t remember getting mud on my clothing. What happened last night? I can’t recall much of anything other than an explosion.”

“So, you don’t recall calling me lieutenant last night or how you nearly rushed the police?”

Seeing a scared look on Celestia’s face, Luna set down her food and gently took a hold of her sister into a warm hug. Celestia began to tremble in Luna’s arms and soon began to cry as Luna ran her hands through Celestia’s hair.

“I’m so sorry, Luna,” Celestia sobbed out. “I’m so sorry for everything! I knew I was still dangerous!”

“It’s alright, Tia” Luna said soothingly. “No one got hurt, thankfully. But you need to tell me what happened to you. I read your journal. It was…concerning.” Gently, Celestia pushed away from her sister with a strange look on her face. She gathered up her soiled clothing and headed back into the bathroom. A few moments later, she came out, glaring at her sister. Luna stood her ground, handing the book to Celestia and saying, “I know about Valsha and what happened over there. It wasn’t your fault, Tia. You did what you had to do.”

Slapping the book out of her hands, Celestia snapped, “I didn’t have to do half the shit I did! You have no idea what I went through over there. And how dare you read my journal without asking me!”

“For fuck’s sake, Tia, I was trying to figure out what made you go nuts last night, but maybe you would have preferred to have been shot by the cops you were running at!” Luna snapped back in protest. “I just wanted to know what the fuck happened to you!”

“Just leave it alone, for God’s sake!”

“No, I will not just drop this, Celestia! You have to come clean about this. What if this happens while you’re in Equestria trying to find Eventide? At best, they’ll hide Eventide from you—or Eventide herself will hide—and at worst, you’ll end up dead!”

“Damnit, Luna, you have no fucking idea what it was like for me!” Celestia screamed back. Falling to her knees, she hugged herself, crying. “So many children, dead at my hands! So many kids that could’ve lived if I just ended my own fucking life.” Feeling her sister’s hands on her shoulders, Celestia trembled, adding “I-I was tortured, Luna. Can you even grasp what that means?”

Pulling Celestia into a warm hug and holding tightly onto her, Luna said softly, “It's all in the past, Celestia. You’ve carried this with you for far too long. It's time to let it out.”

Celestia cried heavily, saying, “I was put into a helicopter and flown to its highest altitude. Inside was a mother and child no more than six weeks old.” Helping her sister up and to the bed, Luna listened as Celestia continued, “The Valshan soldiers told me if I didn’t give them what they wanted, they would kill the child. I had to choose between saving one innocent life or letting that child die so that thousands more could live.”

“You...didn’t,” Luna whispered.

“It was one child or thousands of men, women, and children! But it doesn’t matter, Luna! At that point, that was just one of the many children I’ve killed. How can you even stand to be around me? I’m a monster!”

Trying to wipe away her tears, Celestia stood up, while Luna remained on the bed, looking down at her feet. Somberly, she said, “So, that’s why Storming wouldn’t allow me to see you for nearly a year after you came home. That’s why you would sometimes wake up screaming.” Standing up, Luna grabbed onto her sister, adding, “You are not a monster, Celestia. You can move on from this, but you need to forgive yourself.”

“How the fuck can you say that to me after all I did, after all, I went through? How can you just tell me to forgive myself? I just can’t do that!” Celestia protested.

Looking into her sister’s eyes, Luna said, “Because, deep down beneath all the training and pain, you’re still a good person, and I love you no matter how bad things get. I will always love you.”

Closing her eyes, Celestia took several breaths and started to leave, saying, “I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Luna. I just want to get Gilda back to her grandfather, then I need to go find Eventide.”

Luna knew this was coming, but she still had a hard time getting the words out. “I am sorry, Celestia, but I can’t let you go to Equestria. Not after hearing what you went through.” Whirling around, Celestia glared at her sister. Standing up, Luna interrupted Celestia’s protest. “Don’t start, Celestia. You are going to end up killed over there, and I will not let that happen. I will be the one to go and get her. You, on the other hand, will remain here, where it is safe for you.”

“You have no—”

“I have every right! Can you imagine what will happen if you have a flashback in an unfamiliar world? Because I can, and I will not lose two relatives in a foreign world.” Luna got to her feet and placed Celestia’s journal into her purse, adding, “This discussion is over, Celestia. Let’s go.”

Looking down, Celestia closed her eyes and tried to calm herself before following Luna outside, finding everyone else waiting for them. Crystalis was in Twilight’s arms, hugging her tightly. Gilda and Summer stood nearby, Summer giving Celestia a concerned look. Walking up to Celestia, Summer said, “We need to talk.”

Giving her an angry look, Celestia opened her mouth, only for Gilda to interrupt, “You should listen to her, Celestia. She can help you.”

Celestia paused and sighed. “Fine,” she finally grumbled.

Summer and Celestia went back inside the motel room. Summer turned around and lifted up the back of her coat and shirt to display her back, saying, “Do you see these scars, Celestia? I got them because I was tortured, too. I know what it’s like to try to make it all go away, only to wake up screaming in fear.”

Summer lowered her shirt and turned back around as Celestia said, “Well, this isn’t the same—”

“It is the same. I was also commanded to kill innocent ponies. I was also forced to choose between somepony that I cared deeply for and a filly. I chose, and that pony that I cared for died because of it. I was taken from her broken body and flogged until I passed out.”

“Why did you have to choose?” Celestia asked, her curiosity piqued. “I was captured by the enemy. What happened to you?”

“My caretaker—Boss? Leader? Whatever—ordered it because I wouldn’t kill for her. If you go to Equestria and meet up with Chrysalis, you’ll wind up captured and fed from or dead, and that won’t help anyone, will it?”

Looking down, Celestia sat down on the bed, looking away. Summer sat down next to her, saying, “Look, I know you think you’re tough, perhaps tougher than your sister. And perhaps, you even think that you can get your daughter back without being caught.”

Letting out a forced sigh, Celestia sat, staring off into the nothingness of her room. “Look, Summer,” Celestia finally said, “I know you’re only trying to help, but I have to do this to make up for what I’ve done both to my daughter...and to myself.”

“No, you don’t have to do this. That little filly out there in Twilight’s hooves needs you, and you need to be here for her. Not just for yourself, but for everything that you have gone through for that little filly’s sake. Please, stay here in this world, where it’s safer. Let some other pony take the risk while you remain with Crystalis, raising her to not do what you did or what you had to do.”

“How do you know what I had to do during the war, Summer?” Celestia asked. “Were you eavesdropping?”

“No, I wasn’t. We all heard you both yelling in here. I don’t need enhanced hearing to hear that. Now, it's time to make your choice. Go or stay? What’s it going to be?”

“I’m going,” Celestia said. “I can’t just walk away from Eventide. I won’t turn my back on her again.”

“Then, I’m sorry,” Summer said as she stood up, facing Celestia, who also stood, “but you’ve left me no other choice.”

Before Celestia could react, Summer quickly flat-palmed Celestia in the chest, her magical enhancement knocking Celestia into the wall behind her. Cracking her head against the wall, Celestia slipped back into unconsciousness. Luna rushed back into the room, saying as she saw the scene, “What the hell, Summer?!”

“It was this or lose your sister, Luna. Take your pick,” Summer replied. Heading back outside, she added to everyone giving her angry looks, “I made the choice for Celestia. Twilight, you’ll be taking Luna to Equestria. I’ll stay with Celestia until Gilda’s grandfather shows up.” Seeing Twilight was about to say something, Summer raised her hand, finishing, “I won’t hear another word on this, princess, so get your flank into the van so we can leave.”

Twilight glared daggers at her and said as she got into the van, “We will talk about this later, Summer, whether you want to or not,” growling when Summer ignored her.

Luna checked out of the motel and carried Celestia to the van, placing her sister in the front passenger seat. Opening the sliding door, everyone got on. Summer got in last, but when she moved to sit next to Gilda, Gilda said, “Nuh-uh. After that stunt, you’re sitting in the back. I can’t believe you did that. I vouched for you!”

“Fine, whatever.” Taking her seat, Summer added bitterly, “But just so you know, I more than likely saved Celestia’s life. None of you know how dangerous Chrysalis is. I did what I had to do.”

All but shoving the key into the ignition, Luna started the van and drove towards her house, getting to their street a half-hour later. Because of the vehicles still present, Luna was forced to go around the block, grumbling under her breath. Twilight looked out the window, seeing a large crater in the middle of the street. Letting out a whistle, she said, “I can’t believe one small firecracker did all that.”

“You better believe it,” Luna said, pulling into the driveway. Opening her door, she got out, carried her sister into the house and upstairs, and placed her into bed. Coming back, she said as Crystalis was just getting inside the house, “Crystalis, you and I need to talk. Alright, honey?”

“Okay,” Crystalis replied, heading back outside. “Is Mommy going to be alright, Aunty Luna?”

“Yes, honey, your mother will be just fine. She just needs rest,” Luna replied, following her outside. “But, that isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.” After everyone else went inside, she continued, “What I have to say might be hard for you to hear, but it needs to be said.” Luna sat down, placing Crystalis into her lap, “Do you remember when we told you that Eventide went away to college?”

“Yeah. I was really sad.”

“I know you were. You cried for hours, wanting her to come home and play with you. But, the truth is…Eventide didn’t go to college.”

Wriggling out of Luna’s arms, Crystalis turned around, looking confused and hurt at Luna. “Then, where is she?”

“She’s…in another land and can’t come home on her own. I’m going to go get her and bring her home.”

“Can I come?”

Pulling the child into her, Luna closed her eyes, saying, “I would love to take you with me, sweetie, but I can’t. It’s too dangerous, and I don’t want to lose both of you. But, I won’t be going alone. Aunty Twilight will go with me. She’ll make sure that we’re all safe. Then, when Eventide is home safe and sound, I’ll make sure you both spend a lot of time together. I promise, you will never go through this again.”

Pulling away, Crystalis pouted, “But I wanna go! I wanna see Evey!”

“You can’t go, Crystalis,” Luna said more sternly.

Stomping her foot, she demanded, “Why did you lie?”

The sudden shift caught Luna off-guard. “You weren’t old enough to understand,” she replied, somewhat weakly.

Crystalis ran inside the house, crying. Knowing she couldn’t leave this alone, Luna quickly followed her inside, hearing the sounds of crying from Crystalis’s room. Knocking on the door, she said, “Crystalis, don’t be like this. Please, let me in. Look, I know I lied, but I love you. We all do.”

“No, you don’t,” Crystalis yelled. “You’re lying, just like my real mommy!”

Ignoring the pain from that comment, Luna walked in and sat down on the bed next to Crystalis. Luna gently picked her up, holding the sobbing child in her arms. Crystalis cried on her shoulders, “I want Evey to come home. I miss her.”

“I know you do, honey. I promise, I won’t ever lie to you again.”

Slowly calming down, Crystalis slid off of Luna’s lap, wiping away her tears. Opening a small drawer in her nightstand, she took out a locket, holding it up for Luna. Luna took the locket from her as Crystalis said, “Take it with you, Aunty Luna.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Climbing back into the bed, Crystalis sat next to Luna, adding, “Open it.”

Opening the locket, Luna saw on the right was a picture of her and Celestia, while on the left was a picture of Eventide and Crystalis. Everyone looked very happy in the photographs. Putting her arms around Crystalis’s neck, Luna hugged Crystalis, saying softly, “Alright, honey, I’ll take it with me. I’m going to call Star Swirl so you can have a babysitter while Celestia sleeps, alright?”

Getting up, Luna and Crystalis headed into the living room. Luna took out her phone, calling Star Swirl, who answered with a cheerful, “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me. Can you come back to—”

“Say no more,” he interrupted. “I’ll be there in about five minutes. Besides, I forgot to grab a box of cookies, and you know how Crystalis gets when you don’t take home a box of her famous chocolate chip cookies.”

“Speaking of Crystalis, I need you to watch her until I get back from Equestria. Celestia won’t be going, so I’ll be doing this with Twilight. I plan to leave within twenty to forty minutes. Also, Gilda’s grandfather should be over here soon, so you’ll have to make sure that Gilda and Summer both go with him, alright?”

“Quite a lot to spring on me, eh? I can do that. And Luna?”

“Yes.”

“Be careful. I don’t want to lose you, too, alright?”

Hanging up the phone, Luna headed downstairs, getting ready to leave. Star Swirl pulled up along the street a few minutes later. Getting out, he sighed at the aftermath of the explosion. As he entered the house, Crystalis ran to him, throwing her arms around his waist and grinning widely. Gently picking her up in his arms, he hugged her warmly.

Twilight got up and headed downstairs. Seeing that Luna was almost ready to go, she said, “Luna, before we go, I need to get Sunset’s journal. There are questions that I need answered.”

“Of course. Perhaps you should have Princess Celestia meet us here so that Summer can get answers, as well.”

“I would prefer not to do that, Luna,” Summer said descending the stairs. “If I ever meet that horse's ass, I would more than likely do what I was created for and kill her. Conditioning runs deep. So, no, I don’t need my questions answered. All I need is a safe place to sleep at night, Gilda and our baby at my side, and a warm hearth.”

“Whatever you say, Summer,” Luna replied, heading upstairs with Twilight into the foyer. She picked up her sister’s journal, placing it into a pouch on her side, saying, “I’ll show this to Eventide. Maybe it will help her to reconnect with her mother.”

Without ceremony, the two left the house, ready to enter another world.

A Broken Heart, a Shattered Friendship (Edited by icecreammac)

After school, Fluttershy made her way up the long, sunny, dirt road towards Applejack’s farm, the afternoon sun warming her face. Her backpack thumped lightly against her back as she walked. Passing by the fence Sunset threw Big McIntosh through, now repaired, Fluttershy suppressed a shudder. “I don’t want to do this, but I’ve put this off for far too long.”

It was another half-hour before she arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and heard Applejack’s familiar voice.

“Yeehaw, Winona! Head ‘em up, girl!” Fluttershy could hear Winona’s barking before Applejack spoke again. “Steer ‘em left, girl. That's it. Yer doin’ good!”

Picking up the pace a bit, Fluttershy got to Applejack’s farm house and took a seat on the front porch, watching Applejack and Winona corral some sheep into a pen. Spotting Fluttershy on her porch, Applejack gave her faithful, furry friend one final command, letting Winona know it was time to come in. Shaking her body excitedly, Winona barked happily as Applejack handed the small Border Collie a treat before the pair headed for the house.

“Applejack, we need to talk,” Fluttershy said grimly when Applejack came near, adding, “It's about Sunset. I know you might not want—”

“Ah don’t wanna talk about Sunset anymore, Fluttershy,” Applejack interrupted, opening the front door of the house and letting Winona inside. “All Ah’ve done is talk about her and how Ah screwed things up.” Looking down, she added, “Look, Ah know Ah made a fool of myself during the Anon-a-Miss fiasco, but Ah—”

Her words were cut short when Fluttershy thrust her camera into Applejack’s hands. “Do you remember this camera, Applejack?”

Applejack turned the camera over in her hands, thinking. Eventually, it came to her. “Yeah, Ah remember. Ah helped ya pick it out, Ah think. Why, what about it?”

“I brought it because I want you to know what caused Sunset to turn on us.” The girls walked inside, and Applejack pensively started to get a fire going in the fireplace. Fluttershy waited for her friend to say something. When it was clear Applejack would say nothing, Fluttershy continued, “Applejack, listen. After Sunset flew away with Pinkie and me, she gave that camera back to me. I didn’t want to watch it, but I just had to know why Sunset did what she did.”

“Wh-What do you mean ‘gave it back to ya’? Ah thought you lost it.”

Taking a seat on the couch, Fluttershy sighed. Sensing something was wrong, Winona trotted up to Fluttershy and placed her head into the shy girl’s lap, letting out a soft whimper. Gently stroking the dog’s soft fur, Fluttershy gulped lightly, dreading the conversation to come. Applejack finished lighting the fire and took a seat in a recliner, waiting for Fluttershy to continue.

“I didn’t lose it, exactly. I loaned it to Sunset, and she never got around to giving it back...until recently.” Fluttershy helped Winona onto the couch, laying the dog’s head on her lap. “Pinkie and I were trapped inside a bathroom at the park after we were chased by wild dogs. If it wasn’t for Officer Jade, we would’ve been trapped all night.”

“Ah see.” Applejack sighed, closing her eyes before finally saying, “Ah really screwed up, Fluttershy.” She pulled her knees up to her chest. “Ah know what’s on that tape, and Ah really don’t wanna watch it. Ah’ve played that awful day over and over again in my head over the past few months.”

Fluttershy chewed her lip a bit. Wordlessly, she got up and headed for the door. Winona began to follow but stopped at Fluttershy’s command. Looking back, she said hesitantly, “I want to talk to you outside without Winona, Applejack.”

“A-Alright,” she replied. Getting up, she said to Winona, “Stay, girl. I’ll be back in a minute.”

As Applejack got outside, Fluttershy turned and began to slowly walk down the path toward one of the many orchards. Applejack followed, noting the tears that dripped from Fluttershy’s chin onto her boots, staining them a dull green. Finally getting tired of the silence, Applejack rushed to catch up to Fluttershy and said, “Why did you come here, Fluttershy?”

“Why did you ask me to give her that ultimatum?” Fluttershy suddenly asked. “We’re the reason that Sunset turned on everyone. She saw our conversation, Applejack. She saw you demand that I force her to talk. But…she also saw me agree to do so.” Fluttershy huddled into herself, holding herself as she sobbed. “It was my fault, Applejack. It was all my fault.”

Applejack gently pulled her sobbing friend into a warm hug, running her fingers through Fluttershy’s soft hair as her own tears began to fall. “It ain’t yer fault, Shy,” Applejack said. “Ah’m the one that told ya ta talk to her. Ah screwed up back then, and…and Ah screwed up again. And worst of all, Ah don’t know how to fix it.”

Slowly, Fluttershy pulled away, her jaw trembling slightly as she calmed down. Sniffling, she wiped a hand over her eyes, saying, “What did you do, Applejack?”

Applejack paused, then, to Fluttershy’s shock, she turned and bolted back to the farmhouse. Fluttershy immediately sped after her, her burst of speed overtaking Applejack’s more controlled pace, and tackled her friend to the ground. The two rolled over on the ground, eventually coming to rest with Applejack on top of Fluttershy. Their eyes locked for a few minutes. Fluttershy saw only pure pain in Applejack's eyes. Getting off of her friend, Applejack sat on the ground, pulling her knees and legs up to her chest.

“Tell me, Applejack,” Fluttershy snapped. “Tell me what you did to her!”

“Ah can’t. You’ll only think the worst of me!” Applejack screamed back. “Ah hate myself for it.”

Grabbing her friend by her forearms and pulling her off the ground, Fluttershy stared Applejack down and snapped, “For God’s sake, just tell me already!”

“Ah don’t wanna lose you too, Fluttershy!” Pushing her off of her, Applejack tried to flee again, but Fluttershy grabbed her shoulders and forced her to the ground. Applejack barely had time to grunt from the impact before she felt a heavy weight on her chest and shoulders. She opened her eyes, blushing as she found Fluttershy sitting on top of her, holding her arms down with her hands.

“Alright, fine!” Fluttershy snapped. “Don’t tell me! Instead, tell me why you told me to give Sunset that ultimatum. Why were you so bent out of shape about Sunset’s hidden past? None of the rest of us cared anywhere near as much as you did. What was your problem?”

“A-Ah was suspicious. She never talked about it, so Ah thought she was hidin’ somethin’. Ah already told ya, remember?”

Something was off about Applejack’s answer. She kept her eyes away from Fluttershy’s, which could just have been because of her guilt, but Fluttershy knew Applejack better than that now.

“You’re lying,” Fluttershy said softly, incredulously. “You weren’t suspicious of her at all, were you?” When Applejack fell silent, confirming Fluttershy’s own suspicions, Fluttershy clenched her teeth and said, “Okay, spill it, Applejack. You lied to me back then, and you’re lying to me now. I deserve to know why you wanted me to talk to Sunset.”

“Ah was jealous, alright?!” Applejack shouted. “When Sunset joined our group, you spent all yer time with her. We hardly ever saw ya without her by your side. You two were so close, and ya spent so little time with us! You spent so little time…with me.”

Fluttershy’s insides twisted. “No…”

“Yeah,” Applejack said, still avoiding eye contact. “Ah had feelings for ya.” Applejack paused. “Still do.”

Fluttershy slowly got off of Applejack, trying to ignore the position they were just in, and Applejack rose, dusting herself off. Fluttershy stared at her in shock at the revelation, but soon, her shock morphed into anger. Stepping back again, her hands formed tight fists as she lowered her head, letting her hair fall over and cover her face.

“How…How could you ask me to do something like that if you loved me, Applejack?” Fluttershy finally said. “I can’t believe you. Sunset was our friend. She was my friend. One of my closest friends. And you tried to convince me to destroy my friendship…because you were jealous?” Fluttershy struggled to keep herself calm. “How could you possibly think I’d return your affections after you had me do that?” She stalked over to Applejack and forced the farmer to look her in the eyes. “What did you do to her?”

Finally surrendering, Applejack closed her eyes and said, “She was trying ta convince us ta press charges on her fer what she did to us. We told her we wouldn’t and that we needed to be punished instead of her.” Applejack took a deep breath and continued, “Ah told her we didn’t deserve her friendship and that until we learn what it means to live by the Elements, we can’t be friends.”

Applejack suddenly found herself once more violently hitting the ground, her cheek throbbing. She looked up in shock to see Fluttershy glaring down at her, her fist clenched tightly.

“How could you?!” Fluttershy screamed in rage. “How could you say those things to her, Applejack?! Sh-She needed us to be there for her. I still wanted to be her friend!”

Getting back up, Applejack shouted back, “Don’t you think I know that? Ah feel awful about it, about all of this! Ah don’t know how ta—”

“Save it, Applejack!” Fluttershy shouted, interrupting her. “If you’re so quick to throw away friendships, then we’re not friends anymore, either! I hate you!” Fluttershy quieted a bit, but before she turned away, she said coldly, “Apple Bloom always did take after you.”

With that, Fluttershy bolted back down the path, sobbing. Feeling hollow, Applejack walked back inside her house, falling to her knees after shutting the door. Winona rushed over to her, licking her master's chin and laying her head into Applejack’s lap as the girl cried in pain, rage, and despair, her heart broken and her friendship with Fluttershy utterly shattered.

1500 Hours (Edited by Icecreammac)

A black sedan pulled up into Celestia’s suburban neighborhood. A woman with crew-cut, pink hair, deep, ocean-blue eyes, and a scar over her right eye looked out for the correct turn, every now and then flitting her gaze into the mirror to look at the older man in the back. “We’re getting close, sir,” she said.

“Good. When we arrive, I want you to stay with the car. I might be a while. And whatever you do, don’t make a spectacle of yourself.”

“Sir, was it really wise of you to tell her that Bryagh got out of prison? Suppose she demands to know why you let him out? What are you going to do if she decides to come after you for that?”

“As long as he doesn’t go after her again, there should be no issue. I’ll simply tell her that we have out top agents working on it.” The man sighed, adding, “And if she comes after me, then, my dear Crystal Flare, you will have to do what you do best and take care of it.”

Gilda headed upstairs into the kitchen, waving tiredly at Star Swirl and Crystalis, who was coloring at the kitchen table. She felt arms gently snake around her waist and turned around, returning Summer’s warm hug. They heard Crystalis giggle, and as they turned to face her, she held up a piece of paper, saying, “This is you and Gilda!”

The picture showed two stick figures drawn in green crayon holding each other’s hands. Gilda laughed lightly. Summer, smiling herself, took the paper from Crystalis and stuck it to the refrigerator, saying, “There we go. Such artwork like this should be displayed for all to see.” Turning her attention to Gilda, she added, “We should get you into the shower. You don’t want to look like something the bugbear dragged in when your grandfather comes to pick you up.”

Hearing the sliding glass door leading onto the back porch open and close, Summer and Gilda looked over to Celestia entering the kitchen. She silently nodded to both girls as she walked over to the stove and placed a tea kettle on it, beginning to boil the water.

“Celestia?” Summer began. “Can Gilda use your shower to freshen up a bit before her grandfather shows up?”

“Sure. It’s down the hall to the right,” she replied. “While Gilda’s in the shower, I think I will get some laundry done. Would you like me to wash your clothing as well?”

“That's very kind of you, but I don’t have anything to wear other than what I have on right now.” Looking over her biker’s outfit, she added, “Besides, I don’t see how you will be able to wash leather. That’d make it shrink, which would make me look either stupid or,” Summer glanced over at Crystalis as she finished, “not suitable for a child’s eyes.”

“No worries; I know how to wash leather. As for your clothing issue, I think my clothing might fit you. Why don’t you head into my bedroom and get changed while I wash your clothes for you?”

Giving her a nod, Summer headed into Celestia’s bedroom, Celestia following behind. Opening her closet, Summer paused, looking at Celestia’s military dress uniform. “It's going to be alright,” Summer said soberly. “I’ll be here to make sure you don’t go through what you went through last night again.”

“How, by putting me into a coma?” Celestia snapped. At Summer’s look of surprise, she sighed and said, “Sorry. Make no mistake, I’m still angry at you for what you did to me this morning, even if it’s best for Crystalis. I appreciate your support. Just next time, make sure I’m actually having an episode before attacking me. Now, let’s get you something to wear, shall we?” Celestia took out a blue, long-sleeve shirt with black jeans and a brown, leather belt and handed them to Summer, saying, “There is a changing screen behind you. You get dressed, and I’ll take your clothing downstairs and start up a load.”

Taking the clothing, Summer headed behind the changing screen and undressed. As promised, Celestia took Summer’s clothing and brought them downstairs. After changing, Summer headed down to the bathroom, hearing the shower running. Knocking on the door, Summer said, “Gilda, it's me. Can I come in?”

“Sure. I’m already in the shower. Wanna join me?” Gilda asked in a faux-seductive tone.

Chuckling lightly, Summer opened the door, spotting Gilda’s clothing piled near the shower. She picked up the pile, saying, “I’d love to join you, but I’m sure Celestia would throw a fit if I did that. Let’s wait till we’re home alone for that sort of thing. Speaking of, Celestia’s going to wash your clothes. I’ll be back with some fresh clothes for you in a few minutes.”

“Alright. Oh! Make sure she doesn’t take the book out of my coat. I need to give that to Jade when we get the chance.”

“Sure thing, Gilda.” Heading back out into the hallway, Summer turned, jumping slightly when she found Celestia right next to her. “That’s the first time a human’s ever snuck up on me like that.” Seeing Celestia’s unhappy expression, she said, “You look a bit upset. Want to talk about it?” Not getting a reply, she added, “Is this still about me?” When she still didn’t get a reply, Summer, perturbed, decided to shift gears. “So, about those clothes for Gilda: Uh, can I get those from you, please?”

Wordlessly, Celestia took Gilda’s clothes from her, and Summer followed Celestia downstairs into the laundry room. Filling the machine and turning it on, Celestia waited for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. “I used to do this for Eventide. I deeply wish I could see her again, that Icould be the first family she sees after two years,” she said pointedly. “I miss her so much.”

Not wanting to go down that path, Summer said, “Uh, Celestia, I kinda need those clothes for Gilda. Unless you want her to walk around naked, that is.”

“No, let’s not have her do that. Follow me.” Celestia replied, motioning Summer to follow her. Getting to Luna’s room a few moments later, Celestia opened the door, mumbling, “Really, Luna, you need to keep your shades open. It’s dark as night in here.” Feeling with her hand for the light switch, she added aloud, “Honestly, I don’t understand why she enjoys—”

“It's alright. I don’t need any light. I can see perfectly.” Deciding to boast a bit, Summer grinned, adding, “There are several empty boxes of doughnuts, two empty ice cream buckets and a pair of leather boots to your right.”

Finally finding the light switch, Celestia found herself astonished as Summer turned out to be correct. “How did you see all that, Summer? This room was pitch black.”

“I was designed to be the ultimate predator, so naturally, I would have to see in the dark.” Looking down, she added, “Gilda doesn’t know what I’m crossed with, and I’m too scared to tell Twilight what I really am.” Stepping into the messy room, Summer found a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt with a half-moon printed on the front. Looking them over them, she added, “Gilda’s gonna look so cute in this shirt. Come on, let’s go give these to Gilda.”

“Before we head back upstairs, will you tell me what you are crossed with?” Celestia asked with a concerned look, causing Summer to gulp lightly. “Summer, if it is something that will hurt Twilight or something that can help end the war in Equestria, please, you must tell me.”

Looking down, Summer sighed and dropped the clothing. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, “I’m…part umbrim. That’s why I can see in the dark.” Celestia watched Summer’s face morph into her monstrous form. “If Twilight sees me like this, she’ll kill me, which is why I’m so afraid to tell her.” Summer’s face returned to normal. “Umbrims are—were—very dangerous predators back where I’m from. Please, Celestia, I’m begging you not to tell Twilight about this. I don’t know if I could stop her if she truly wants to kill me. I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t tell her. I can’t leave Gilda. I can’t live without her.”

Walking over to her, Celestia gently embraced Summer, saying, “You don’t need to worry, Summer. Besides, I think Twilight already knows about this, and if she hasn’t killed you yet, then she isn’t going to.” Ending the hug, Celestia added, “I want you to know that if you need a place to stay—that is, if things don’t work out with Gilda’s grandfather—I’ll be more than happy to take you and Gilda in.” Leading Summer into the hallway and upstairs, Celestia finished, “Now, let's get you upstairs so you can give these clothes to Gilda.”

As the women passed through the kitchen, Celestia decided to check on Crystalis as Summer continued down the hall. Knocking on the bathroom door, Summer opened it, saying, “Gilda, it's me. I have your clothes.”

“Thanks. I’ll be out in a few minutes, Summer.”

Summer headed back into the living room to wait for Gilda. As she sat down next to Celestia, who looked lost in thought, the doorbell chimed. Glancing at her watch, Celestia got up and opened the front door. At the door was an older man, wearing a warm smile on his weathered face. He wore a black, full piece suit, a maroon tie, and a white dress shirt. He stepped into the foyer, saying with a raspy voice, “It’s good to see you again, captain.” Looking her up and down, he added, “I’m glad to see that you’re alright. I saw the news last night. How are you holding up?”

“I will be fine, sir. It will take time for me to deal with everything, but I should be alright within a few weeks.” Leading him into the living room, Celestia added, “Sir, I would like you to meet Summer Sunrise. She is Gilda’s...friend.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Summer.” He said, holding out his hand. As Summer jerked back, he said, “Don’t trust me?” Smiling, he continued, “I don’t blame you.” Turning his attention to Celestia, he finished, “Tell me, captain. How is my granddaughter doing?”

“Please don’t call me captain, sir. I am no longer in the military, after all. As for Gilda, she is doing well.” Gesturing towards the couch, she added, “She is taking a shower right now. I will let her know that you have arrived. In the meantime, can I offer you anything to eat or drink?”

“Thank you. Some coffee would be nice.”

Summer followed Celestia into the kitchen, and Celestia noticed Summer looking back into the living room. As Celestia took out a canister of coffee and set it on the counter, Summer turned to face her, saying, “Are you sure you can trust him around Gilda? Something’s off about him, but I can’t put my hoof on it.”

“I understand your concern, Summer, but Commander Gruff Griffin saved my life. He has earned my trust.” After starting the coffee maker, Celestia went upstairs to the bathroom. Knocking on the door, Celestia said, “Gilda, your grandfather is here.”

“Alright. I’ll be out in just a minute. I need to tie my boots. Thanks so much for the clothes, by the way,” Gilda called back. “Tell Grandpa that I will need to make a stop before we head home.”

“Alright, I will, and you’re welcome, Gilda,” Celestia replied before heading back downstairs, where Summer rejoined her. Stopping in the living room, Celestia said to Gruff, “Gilda needs to make a stop before you take her home. Would that be alright? She’s…done some things that she isn’t proud of, and this is her way of making up for it.”

Looking down, he said, “I know. I have followed Sombra’s crime syndicate for quite some time. I wanted to intervene, but if I sent in your old squad to take him out, I would not only have gotten in hot water for acting outside my authority but I also would have caused more than just his death; I would have lost Gilda as well.” Getting to his feet, he continued, “I couldn’t bear losing her, so I tried to get her out of his clutches as best as I could without letting him know, but I failed so many times. After her mother passed, I lost track of her. I almost gave up hope of seeing her again.”

Celestia didn’t really want to change subjects, but she couldn’t put the question off any longer. “How did Bryagh get out?” she asked. “Does he know where I live? Sir, you need to understand, I have a child to think about. As much as I want to make him pay for all that he did to me and for who he took from me, I can’t risk him getting to another of my daughters.”

“I have our best soldiers and operatives looking into how he got out, and I am sure he doesn’t know where you are living now, so don’t worry about going after him.” Sitting back down, he added, “Besides, you left him broken and scarred for life. I doubt he’ll want to go after you again. Not only that, but his face is still scarred all over after you put it through a mirror. He won’t get anywhere without drawing attention to himself.”

Looking down, Celestia said, “I should have killed him. I only let him live because I wanted him to suffer for all the pain he caused.” She cut herself off as she heard someone walking down the hallway toward them.

Gilda walked into the living room, dressed in the clothes Summer gave her. She looked at her grandfather, mixed emotions running across her face. Breathlessly, she said, “Grandpa…it’s good to see you again.”

Gruff kept his own emotions in check. “It’s good to see you too, Gilda. I am happy to see you are doing well.”

Celestia heard a soft growling from Summer. Celestia glared at her, shaking her head, causing Summer to back down, keeping a wary eye on Gilda’s grandfather. Celestia headed into the kitchen, signaling at Summer to follow. When they got there, she said, “Summer, I know you don’t trust him, but cool it. Now is not the time or the place for any of that.”

“If he hurts Gilda, I’ll make sure he doesn’t get away with it,” Summer snarled. Closing her eyes, she said more calmly, “But you’re right. This isn’t the place for a fight.” Looking to Crystalis, who was doing her best to pretend she wasn’t paying attention, Summer added, “Would it be out of the question for me to take Crystalis outside for a bit? I think we could use some fresh air.”

“Sure. You two stay in the backyard. I’ll come get you when Gilda is ready to leave.”

As Summer walked over to them, Crystalis excitedly asked, “Can I play on the swings when we get outside?”

“Sure thing, honey,” Star Swirl answered, never taking his eyes off of Summer as he stood up. “We will both be there to help you while you are playing outside.”

The small group headed outside, and Celestia returned to the conversation in the living room.

“Why did you leave me after Mom passed away, Grandpa? Didn’t you want me in your life anymore?” Gilda asked more sadly than accusingly.

“Gilda, I wanted to help you, but by the time I arrived at your mother's funeral, you were already gone. I spent all these years looking for you. However, each time I got to the city or town that you were in, Sombra would move you to another city. I am certain he had people on his payroll keeping tabs on me. He knew who I was.” Gruff smiled slightly. “But, that’s the past. I’m here now, and I’ll make sure Sombra never hurts you again.”

Meanwhile, outside, the only sounds in the otherwise pregnant silence was Crystalis’s giggling as Star Swirl pushed her on the swing. Summer stood nearby, not sure what to say. “It sure is a beautiful day out here despite the cool weather. Don’t you think so, Star Swirl?” she tried awkwardly.

“Yes, quite beautiful,” he replied, keeping his eyes on Summer, causing her to look away. “I am sorry if I am making you feel uneasy, Summer, but you need to understand that this child and Celestia’s family are under my protection.”

Walking up to him, Summer gently began to push Crystalis on the swing, causing her to laugh and giggle even more. Looking down, she said quietly, “I know, and for that, I am truly grateful. I’m just so scared that I’ll end up becoming the monster that...my queen wants me to become.”

Through the window, Summer saw Gilda get up and wave her over. Waving back, she said, “Looks like it’s time to go back in. I look forward to talking with you some more.” Receiving a nod in reply, she headed inside, quickly walking over and hugging Gilda as the latter stood up, never taking her glare off of Gruff.

Seeing the angry look she gave him, Gruff got up, letting out a forced sigh. Celestia got up as well, asking, “Can you keep her safe?”

“Yes, I know I can, but I can’t do it from here. Gilda will have to come home with me.”

“If you can’t protect her, then I will,” Summer said, getting between Gruff and Gilda. “I’ll protect both her and our baby as well.” Getting a confused look from Gilda’s grandfather, she added, “She’s pregnant, and if you try to hurt either Gilda or our baby, I’ll make you pay for it with your life.”

As Gruff and Summer glared at each other, the group heard the sliding door open and close, and Crystalis rushed into the room, oblivious to the tension, soon followed by Star Swirl, who immediately became very aware of the tension. Crystalis ran over to Gilda, asking, “Can you come out and play with us?”

“I’d love to, kiddo, but it’s time for me and Summer to head out.” Gently picking her up and hugging her, Gilda added softly, “You be good for Celestia. Take care of yourself, kid.”

Crystalis smiled as she returned the hug, and the group walked outside to Gruff’s car, looking askance at the stoic driver. The child waved to Gilda as Gilda and Summer got in the car and buckled up, and Gilda rolled down the opaque window to wave back. After Gilda rolled the window back up, Summer gently took Gilda’s hands into her own. Leaning in, she kissed Gilda on her cheek, causing her to blush lightly. Lastly, Gruff took his place in the car, and the small group pulled out into the street and headed down towards the city.

Take Me with You (Edited by Icecreammac)

Trixie walked down the sidewalk, not really paying attention to her surroundings. She’d been distracted like that, lately. Ever since her encounter with Sunset, she’d been on edge, haunted by nightmares and visions of her tormentor. She’d briefly—very briefly—considered going to her parents for advice, but she quickly stamped down that line of thought. She absentmindedly rubbed her throbbing cheek, a reminder that her parents were…unreliable. Her grandmother didn’t own a phone and lived out of town, and since her friends were still in the hospital and were afraid to talk to her lest Sunset come back for them, she had no one to talk to, so she just kept it all to herself and tried to deal with it. And it worked…somewhat.

Trixie found herself at a crosswalk, the post on her side of the street was littered with fliers for garage sales and yard sales around the suburbs. She paid them no mind as she pressed the signal button and waited, pulling up the sleeve of her blue hoodie and checking her watch. Four in the afternoon. She’d have to get home soon, a prospect that made her sick to her stomach. Sighing, she pulled her hood up and waited for the pedestrian signal.

Hearing the crosswalk beep, Trixie began to walk across the street, head down as she thought about what she’d have to deal with when she got home.

“Watch out!” a familiar voice screamed out as Trixie felt someone forcefully yank her backward, out of the way of the blue T-bird blazing through the crossing. Trixie yelped in surprise as she stumbled and fell painfully on her rear.

“The light was red, asshole!” the voice screamed out, then said more softly, “Are you alright?”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is...a-alright. Thanks,” Trixie said, her haughty tone giving way to a more grateful one. Rubbing her stinging rear, she finally got a look at her savior. “S-Sunset?!” Trixie exclaimed as she immediately scrambled backward into the wall of the building behind her, her heart racing.

“Woah, Trixie, calm down,” Sunset said, holding her palms up placatingly. “I’m not going to hurt you. Not anymore and not ever again.”

Trixie slowly rose to her feet, never taking her eyes off Sunset, and asked slowly, “Why did you save Trixie?”

“Because you don’t deserve to be splattered all over the street like roadkill.” Sunset slowly began approaching, but Trixie immediately tensed her body, leaning to the side, so Sunset stopped. That’s when she noticed Trixie’s black eye and the bandage over her nose. “Hey, what happened to your face?”

“Oh, Trixie, uh, slipped and fell last night,” Trixie replied, taking a step to the side. “It's nothing, really. Trixie will be alright. She’s just—”

“He hit you again, didn’t he?” Sunset interrupted.

Trixie’s eyes widened in shock and what looked like fear. “Wh-What?”

“Dumbbell. He hit you again, didn’t he?” Sunset repeated.

Trixie thought very carefully about her next words, knowing she may very well be on thin ice. “No, he didn’t,” she said slowly. “He’s, uh, he’s dead. He died on the way to the hospital.”

“Oh,” Sunset said softly. “I-I’m sorry. I mean, I wanted to hurt him, yeah, but I didn’t mean to—” Sunset cut herself off. “Wait, if it wasn’t him, who hit you?”

“Trixie told you, no one hurt her,” Trixie insisted. Sunset raised her eyebrow and gave her a skeptical stare. Trixie bitterly continued, “Fine, so someone hit her. What of it?”

“Who?”

“None of your business!” Trixie snapped, immediately regretting it. “Wait, no, I-I’m sorry, Sunset!” she said, shrinking into herself.

Sunset’s shoulders dropped at Trixie’s fear. “I can see you don’t want to talk to me. I understand. I’ll leave you alone, then.”

Sunset began walking down the street in the direction she had been going before running into Trixie. She only got a few yards before she heard, “Sunset, wait!” She turned around to see Trixie biting her lip, clearly trying to force herself to say something.

“Yeah?” Sunset asked.

“Trixie,” Trixie began, almost forcing the words out, “is sorry for being rude just now. She…f-forgives you for what you did to her.”

Surprised, Sunset said, “Oh. Trixie…I don’t deserve your forgiveness. Not after what I—”

“Trixie knows what you did to her,” Trixie interrupted. “But you seem…different now. You don’t have that same scary look in your eyes, you aren’t being creepy or flirty, and you seem genuinely concerned for Trixie.”

“Well, yes, I’ve changed, but—”

“Trixie’s not finished,” Trixie interrupted curtly. When Sunset fell silent, Trixie continued, “I’ve been…a wreck ever since you kidnapped me, to be honest. I’ve been having nightmares, I’ve been seeing things that aren’t there, my friends have all but abandoned me, and I have no one to confide in.” The words came out in a rush, knowing that Trixie had to keep talking or risk her inhibitions getting the better of her. “Now, for reasons I won’t go into, I’m leaving the city. I have family in Ponyville willing to take me in until I turn eighteen next year and am able to get my own place. But before I go, I want to let go of all the terrible memories here. And if that means forgiving you and moving on from what you did, then...s-so be it.” Trixie gulped as she finished, “I can’t promise I won’t be skittish for a while, but I can promise to try to look past what you’ve done and let it be water under the bridge.”

“Thanks, but…I-I can’t accept your forgiveness.” Shaking her head, Sunset decided to end the conversation there and continued on her way. After a minute or so of walking, she noticed a second set of footsteps behind her. Already knowing she was being followed, Sunset turned around and asked, “Why are you following me, Trixie?”

“Trixie wasn’t following you,” Trixie said. “She decided to go to one of the garage sales advertised on the pole at the crosswalk. It’s pretty close, and it just happened to be in the same direction you’re going.” Trixie showed Sunset the tab she took from one of the fliers, then her mood dampened. “Trixie figured she should buy another backpack or two to help her pack for the trip out of town and maybe a few knick-knacks to keep her entertained.”

Sunset took a look at the address on the tab. “Oh, hey, that’s my place. My parents are moving, too, so they’re selling all their stuff to make the trip light. Follow me. I’ll take you there.” Trixie began to show signs of worry, so Sunset, trying to calm her, said, “Come on, my parents are great. They’d love to have you over, and giving you at least one good memory of this city is the least I can do for what I did to you. I’m sure they’d love to see your magic tricks.” Looking around, Sunset leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I know I would.”

Trixie’s eyes widened slightly. “Y-You like Trixie's magic tricks? You mean it?”

Sunset nodded with a friendly smile and, taking Trixie’s hand, led the magician down the street, stopping at a magic shop on the way. Taking out her phone, Sunset dialed a number and waited a few seconds before hearing Sonata’s voice over the phone.

“Is this thing on?” she heard Sonata say into the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, babe. It’s Sunset.” Hearing Sonata giggle, she continued, “Hey, would you like it if I brought Trixie home for a few hours? I thought a magic show would help everyone's mood today.”

“That sounds awesome! Your mom won’t sit still, not even for your dad, and he seems like he could use a few hours of fun. Can you ask Trixie if we can be her lovely assistants?”

Looking over to Trixie, Sunset saw she was preoccupied with the magic shop’s window. “Trixie,” Sunset said. When Trixie looked at her, Sunset asked, “Sonata wants to know if the two of us can help you with your magic show.” Trixie’s eyes widened, and she nodded excitedly, beaming. “That is a resounding ‘yes’, Sonata,” Sunset said into the phone, grinning.

“Great, I’ll tell your parents—”

“Sonata,” Sunset interrupted, “Mom and Dad are your parents, too. They may not have adopted you, but in every way, both of them will be your parents. They’ll be there for you no matter what, and I know they love you very much. So, no more referring to them as just my parents, okay?”

There was silence over the phone, but as Sunset listened closely, she could hear soft sniffling on the other side. “Sonata?” she said, walking a small distance from Trixie. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Sunset,” Sonata said. “I’m just so happy to have you in my life. Even with my sisters, I’ve been so lonely, and it’s so wonderful to hear that you’re okay with sharing your family with me.”

“Sonata, honey, it's not about just sharing my family with you. It’s about letting you know for sure that you are indeed loved, wanted and needed. I love you, Sonata, and I want you to know that, through thick and thin, I will always be there for you and our baby. I know how your sisters treated you, and you need to know that I will never do that to you. Ever. You and I are going to get through so much together, and through it all, I will always be right there by your side, no matter what. I really do love you, Sonata.”

“I know. It just feels so good to hear it. I never heard that from either of my sisters. After we were banished here, they always told me I was dumb or stupid, treating me like a toady or a tool instead of a sister and had the gall to call it love. Thank you, Sunset. I’ll tell our mom and dad that you’re coming home with Trixie. I love you, Sunset.”

“I love you too, Sonata. I’ll be home in about an hour. I’ll see you then.”

Hanging up, Sunset dropped her phone into her coat pocket and turned to Trixie, who was standing off to the side, looking embarrassed and trying not to listen to Sunset’s heartfelt conversation. “Don’t look so embarrassed, Trixie. It was something that needed to be said, and I’m not ashamed of my love. Now, come on.”

Sunset led Trixie into the magic shop. Trixie looked around, saying despite her excitement, “Uh, shouldn’t we be going, Sunset? A good magician doesn’t keep her audience—”

“A good magician needs the proper costume and things for a magic show, and I figured you’d want some new material, so I thought I’d help you out with that.” Sunset interrupted, adding, “Now, you follow me, and I’ll help you pick out a new costume and some really neat props for your show tonight. Then, I’ll talk with Mom and Dad and see if they can bring you to your grandmother's house.”

Nodding excitedly, Trixie followed Sunset towards the back of the magic shop. Costumes of all sorts, shapes, and sizes hung from pegs on the walls. Display cases, shelves, and hooks presented seemingly ordinary props: trick cards, hats with false bottoms, white-tipped wands, gloves with secret pouches, and so much more. Finally, on one of the walls were platforms for several different styles of dress shoes, mostly in black or white but occasionally in a brighter color. Looking up, Sunset grinned, spotting a familiar purple, pointed hat with yellow and blue stars on it hanging over a purple cloak with a half-moon and blue stars on it. Looks like Trixie has been here before.

Heading back to the front of the shop, she found a bell with a sign next to it that read, “Ring for service”. Ringing the bell, she heard from the direction of the front door, “Coming!”

Sunset looked in the direction of the door. Something was familiar about that voice, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Oddly enough, there was no one there. She turned back to the counter and nearly jumped out of her skin when she found a very familiar man standing behind the counter. “Why, if it is Sunset Shimmer? And in my humble shop, too! What delight can I take in this little adventure that you’re having today, my dear?”

“You!” Sunset screamed, causing Discord to grin insufferably. “What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t you hear me, Sunset? This is my magic shop?” Discord said, grinning a toothy grin. “I do so love feats of sleight-of-hand, or legerdemain, as it’s also called!”

Sunset growled. She stole a glance at Trixie, who was excitedly perusing the shelves, oblivious to Sunset’s conversation. She turned back to Discord. “I swear, if anything you sell here ends up hurting her, I’ll have your head!”

“Oh, Sunset, you wound me,” Discord said with faux innocence, batting his eyelashes childishly. “I have a business to run, here. Why would I ever sell anything that would hurt anyone? And why especially would I sell such a thing to one of my best customers?”

Sunset seethed. She couldn’t deny the logic of Discord’s statement, but then again, “logic” wasn’t in Discord’s dictionary. “I’m watching you, Discord,” Sunset growled before returning to Trixie.

“Sunset, look! Isn’t this adorable?” Trixie asked when Sunset reached her. She was pointing to a costume consisting of a white, five-button dress shirt with a black bowtie, a navy-blue swimming suit style bottom, and a purple cummerbund surrounded by a black blazer with two long coattails and blue lapels. The costume itself looked rather form-fitting, meant to accentuate the wearer’s curves, and the lack of leggings on it would certainly grab attention. “The Great and Powerful Trixie would look so cute in this. What do you think, Sunset?”

“I don’t know, Trixie,” Sunset said uncertainty. “Don’t you think it’s a bit…much?”

“Oh, come on, Sunset. You can’t tell Trixie she wouldn’t look adorable in this!” Trixie said pleadingly. “Besides, a costume is supposed to draw eyes. It’s part of the performance!”

Sunset leveled her gaze at Trixie and raised an eyebrow. “Trixie, what kind of shows do you do?” she asked. “Are they for pay or do you do them for talent shows?”

“Mostly birthday parties and stuff. Gotta start somewhere, right?” Trixie replied, shrugging. “Why?”

“Don’t you think that costume is a bit…inappropriate for a kids’ show? Shouldn’t you save this for an older audience?”

Trixie looked back at the costume, then bit her lip, blushing embarrassedly. “Well, Trixie supposes she isgetting ahead of herself. You’re right, Sunset. She’ll keep looking.”

While Trixie looked, Sunset decided to busy herself with checking out the different props, finding herself smiling at the deceptively innocent items. Sure, human illusions were not as grand as real Equestrian magic, but in a way, that made it more impressive. Watching a unicorn perform magic was an everyday occurrence in Equestria, but watching a non-magical human-like Trixie seemingly make something vanish brought a certain sense of wonder.

“Sunset, I found another costume!” Trixie called. When Sunset walked over to her, she continued, “Trixie thinks this suit will work better than the last one, at least until she gets bigger shows.”

The costume was very similar to Trixie’s first choice, consisting of a white dress shirt with a purple cummerbund, the biggest difference being the slim, black slacks. The costume came with a slimming black blazer with long coattails and purple lapels. The costume still looked like with was meant to accentuate the wearer’s figure, but it was much more modest.

“Yeah, that looks much better,” Sunset said.

“Wonderful choice, my dear!” Discord said, appearing behind them in a puff of smoke, startling the girls. “Would you like that custom-tailored for you?”

“No, that’s alright. Trixie kind of needs this today,” Trixie replied.

“No problem. Let me bring this to the front, and we’ll get you rung up,” Discord said, reaching for the costume.

“Wait a minute!” Sunset said suddenly. She pointed to the costume’s price tag. “This is eighty bucks. That’s way too cheap. What’s the catch?”

“Why, there is no catch, dear,” Discord replied disarmingly. “Go ahead and try in on, if you’d like. I have changing rooms.”

“Come on, Sunset, it’s fine,” Trixie said. “Trixie’s shopped here before. She trusts Discord.”

Sunset glared at Discord, then sighed, rubbing her temples with her eyes closed. “Fine. Discord, you take the costume up front while we get some props and shoes.”

“Way ahead of you!” Discord called. Sunset snapped her eyes open to see Discord waving at her from the front counter, the costume already in a plastic covering.

Sunset growled while Trixie giggled, and the girls set to finding more things. Ultimately, the girls found white gloves, purple dress socks, white dress shoes, a purple corsage, a white-tipped wand, a top hat with a purple sash, and enough props for about an hour’s worth of tricks.

Sunset waited impatiently for Discord to ring everything up. Finally, he said cheerfully, “That’ll be three hundred dollars, please. Cash or credit?”

“Three hundred dollars?!” Sunset repeated, aghast.

“I know! Don’t you just love it when the price comes to a nice, even dollar amount?”

“I thought you said the costume was only eighty dollars! We didn’t buy thatmuch extra stuff!”

“The costume isjust eighty dollars, but I have to make a profit somewhere. I’m running a business, after all.”

Growling but not wanting to disappoint Trixie, Sunset paid for the items and rushed Trixie out the door and away from Discord’s insufferable smirk.

Trixie walked happily alongside Sunset, practically skipping down the sidewalk as the latter tried to calm down and just forget about her run-in with Discord. Sunset waved down a taxi and opened the door, letting Trixie climb in first before getting in herself. “Please take us to Seventeen Maple Drive,” Sunset told the driver.

“Is that your place?” Trixie asked.

“Yep. I’ll help Mom and Dad with the garage sale, and afterward, Sonata and I will help you with the magic show. I’m sure you’ll blow them away.”

“Thank you, Sunset. The Great and Powerful Trixie can’t wait to perform her most impressive tricks for you and your loved ones.” Looking out the left passenger window, she added, “Then, Trixie will finally have something good to remember this city by before she gets out of this city for good.”

“Which I can help you with. I’ll ask my family to take you with us.” Trixie snapped her head around, locking surprised eyes with Sunset as Sunset added, “We’re moving to Ponyville, too. My parents are really cool, and I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem to take you with us.”

“Where are you moving to?” Trixie asked worriedly.

“The address is…” Sunset began, trailing off as she checked her phone for the information, “Sixteen Berry Lane.” Sunset looked back at Trixie, growing concerned at Trixie’s surprised and somewhat upset expression. “What’s wrong, Trixie? You look surprised. I mean, honestly, can you really expect me to stay here in this city after all that happened over the last few months?”

“No, it’s not that. It's just that that’s right next door to my grandmother’s house,” Trixie said quietly.

Sunset quirked an eyebrow as she smirked. “Well, good thing we buried the hatchet today, huh? Thatwould’ve been an awkward reunion.”

“Uh, y-yeah, totally,” Trixie stammered, laughing nervously.

The girls fell into silence until the taxi pulled up to Sunset’s house. After paying for the ride, Sunset and Trixie got out and walked to the garage. Trixie found herself looking in surprise and confusion at the vast amounts of things for sale. Furniture, clothing, picture frames, and boxes upon boxes lined every inch of the driveway and garage. Looking at Sunset, she said, “Sunset, it looks like your parents are selling everything they own.”

“That’s because we are,” Mr. Cake said from the house, coming out with more boxes of merchandise. “Sunset, Sonata told us she wants us to see a magic show. Is that correct?”

“Yep. I thought you and Mom could use a break, so I thought that CHS’s resident magician Trixie Lulamoon could provide us all with some entertainment,” Sunset said, smiling as she wrapped her arm around Trixie’s shoulders in a show of camaraderie. Trixie waved nervously at Mr. Cake, trying her hardest not to look too uncomfortable with the physical contact; it wouldn’t do to let her audience know she’s scared of their daughter. Motioning Trixie towards the house, she added, “Dad, we need to talk. I’ll have Sonata get Trixie ready for the show for later on tonight.”

“Alright, honey. Your mom is inside, getting the pots and pans ready to put out. I’ve tried several times to get Cup to stay in bed, but it's like pulling a lion’s teeth. Maybe, you can get her—”

“Sunset, your back!” Sonata squealed, running out of the house and throwing her arms around her. “Did you get all the signs up around town?”

“Yeah, I—” Sunset’s eyes widened slightly as Sonata pressed her lips passionately against her own. All too soon, Sonata pulled back, sticking her tongue out teasingly with half-lidded eyes. Sunset coughed nervously, blushing as she continued, “Sonata, this is Trixie Lulamoon. She’s going to be doing the magic show for us.”

“Hey, I remember you!” Sonata said excitedly. “You helped us get the Rainbooms out of the way during the Battle of the Bands!”

Clearing her throat nervously, an ashamed blush exploding across her face, Trixie took a bow and changed the subject, saying, “Yes, well, the Great and Powerful Trixie is happy to formally meet you, Son—” Trixie was forcefully cut off as Sonata wrapped her in a vice-like bear hug. Feeling her bones pop and crack, Trixie croaked out, “Trixie is going to pop.”

“Whoops, sorry, Trixie!” Sonata said, giggling as she released Trixie. “I’m just so excited to help with the magic show!”

Grabbing Trixie’s hand, Sonata half-led, half-dragged Trixie into the house with her. Sunset let out a light giggle before turning to face her father. “Dad, I was wondering. Is it possible to take Trixie with us when we move?” Looking down, she added, “She wants to get out of town—she won’t tell me why, but I have a feeling I know why—and her grandmother lives next door to our new home.”

“Would those reasons have anything to do with her bruises?” Mr. Cake asked sternly. Sunset looked away, nodding. “I hoped not. Sunset, I’m sorry to say, but I can’t take her with us.” When Sunset looked up, devastated, Mr. Cake clarified, “She’s seventeen, right? I can’t take a minor away from her guardians without their permission. That could very well be kidnapping.” When Sunset opened her mouth to protest, Mr. Cake interrupted her, “But, I do agree that no one should be treated like that. So, I will call her parents and see if I can convince them to let her stay here tonight; your room and the guest room are still furnished, as we’re not selling those things. But in the morning, I want Trixie to go to the police about this and explain the situation. If they or her parents allow us to take her with us, then we will.”

Sunset sighed. “Alright, Dad. I just want to make up for what I did to her. Let’s just say I was…particularly cruel to her, and I feel just awful about it.”

Mr. Cake wrapped his arms around Sunset in a warm hug and began gently running his hands through her hair comfortingly as she buried her face in his shoulder. He softly said to her, “I know you’re hurting because of what you’ve done, honey, and I understand. I’ll do what I can to help you get through this, but please understand that I can’t make any promises. I can’t break the law.”

“I know, Dad,” Sunset said as she tried to keep her tears in. “I’m just glad you’re willing to try.”

Sonata and Trixie came out of the house, Trixie wearing her costume to break it in a bit, when they saw the scene. Sonata walked over and joined in the hug, but Trixie stayed behind, wondering why Sunset was crying. A worrying thought hit her. “He must’ve said no,”she thought sadly.

Head down, she turned to leave the area, but she was stopped by two arms wrapped tightly around her. Looking back, she saw Mrs. Cake’s tear-stained, loving face. “Don’t go, Trixie,” she whispered. “We’ll take care of you. I promise.”

Closing her eyes, Trixie sobbed out, “Take me with you, please. Trixie doesn’t want to stay in this city.”

Gently ending the hug, Mrs. Cake led Trixie over to her husband, Sunset, and Sonata and said sternly, “She is coming with us, and I won’t hear another word on this matter.” Turning to Sonata and Sunset, she said, “Sonata, please take Trixie inside so she can rest. Sunset, please help us with the garage sale.” When the girls left, Mrs. Cake finished solemnly to Mr. Cake, “And you, husband, will do all within your power to see to it that Trixie is able to come with us. She told me everything. Until we leave, she will remain here at this house.”

“Dear, you know it’s not that simple,” Mr. Cake protested. “Her parents could get the police involved, and that might be dangerous for Sunset.”

“Let them call the police!” Mrs. Cake snapped. “Let’s see if they want to risk Trixie telling them about what she’s been through.”

Although uncertain, Mr. Cake sighed and said reluctantly, “Yes, dear.”

The evening went on, and the garage sale went without a hitch, each piece selling for more than what the Cakes asked for. After Mr. Cake placed their earnings into a safe upstairs, he went back out to sit next to his wife in front of a makeshift stage. True to Sunset’s word, Trixie’s illusions and acts impressed the entire family, and after a hearty applause, Mr. Cake finally allowed himself to relax as his family crowded around Trixie, praising her performance. He found himself smiling calmly, basking in the happy atmosphere.

Tomorrow’s problems could wait.

Safe and Sound (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Night fell upon the city of Canterlot as Sunset looked out the living room window of her sold home, smiling to herself. Hearing dishes being placed onto the dining room table, she followed the noise, finding Sonata helping to set the table. Picking up a few glasses from the kitchen counter next to her, Sunset went around the table, setting them down. She noticed Trixie wasn’t downstairs yet.

Sunset set that last of the cups in place. “Alright, I’m getting Trixie, Mom. I don’t want her stewing upstairs all alone.”

“That would be great, honey,” Mrs. Cake replied before turning to Sonata. “Sonata, can you get out the milk and juice please?”

“Sure thing Mrs.—er, Mom.” Hearing a light chuckle from Sunset, she asked in mock sternness, “And what is so funny, Sunny?”

“Oh, nothing. You just keep slipping up like that. It’s cute.”

Sticking her tongue out playfully, Sonata pointed to the steps, and Sunset headed upstairs as Mr. Cake came into the kitchen, carrying a large plate of barbecued corn on the cob and freshly cut celery and placing them onto the table. He quickly walked to his wife, gently wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek before kneeling to one knee and kissing her pregnant belly.

“I love you, dear,” he said, standing up. “Sunset’s back, she found love, and she made a new friend. It really does feel like we’re a family again, doesn’t it?”

“What do you mean ‘again’? We’ve always been a family and always will be.” Mrs. Cake turned to Sonata and held out her arms. Taking the cue, Sonata rushed into Mrs. Cake’s arms as the older woman finished, “And, Sonata, you and our grandbaby will always be a part of this family.”

The women stayed there for a few seconds, basking in each other’s warmth, before Mrs. Cake said, “Why don’t you go upstairs and let Trixie and Sunset know it's time for dinner, honey? We’ll wait for you three to come back to join us.” As Sonata scampered off happily, she called after her, “And tell Trixie that we really did love her magic show.”

“I will!” Sonata called back, racing up the stairs to the guest room. “Sunset, Trixie, it's time for dinner.”

“Coming!” Sunset came out of the room with Trixie. Sonata noticed that Trixie was already in pajamas. Sunset’s pajamas.

Quirking an eyebrow, Sonata grinned and said, “Wearing Sunset’s PJs, huh?”

“Well, it’s not like Trixie brought her own,” Trixie replied before turning to Sunset. “But, what will you wear, Sunset?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Sunset began, flashing bedroom eyes to Sonata. “I’m sure Sonata will think of something for me to wear tonight.”

Turning as red as a tomato, Sonata pointed towards the stairs, saying, “Uh, y-yeah, I’ll think of something!” As Sunset and Trixie began walking downstairs, Sonata recovered and said, “Oh, Trixie!” When Trixie turned to her, Sonata quickly grabbed her in a hug and continued, “We really enjoyed the magic show, and we’re all really looking forward to another one.”

Gulping, Trixie trembled in Sonata’s arms, before Sonata ended it, unfazed by Trixie’s reticence. “Wh-What was that for?” Trixie asked.

Sonata smiled cheerfully. “No matter what happens in the morning, you’ll always have a place in this family, Aunty Trixie.” Trixie flashed her a confused look, but Sonata grinned, gently taking Trixie by the hand and leading her downstairs. “Now, let's get you to the table and get you a well-needed, home-cooked meal.”

The girls sat down as Mr. Cake held out his hands to Sunset and his wife, who both took a hand. Sonata took Sunset’s hand as Trixie hesitantly took Mrs. Cake’s. Finally, Sonata and Trixie joined hands. When all present linked up, Mr. Cake said, “Look around, everyone. We will always be family, from now until the very end.”

Sunset adding, “None of us will ever be alone again.”

Ending the gesture, Mr. Cake went into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a large pot in his hands. Setting it down, he opened it, revealing a soup with bowtie noodles, cooked carrots, potatoes, rice, broccoli, and lightly salted mushroom. He slowly served everyone their meal, starting with Trixie and ending with his wife, before he sat down, serving himself last.

An hour passed before the meal was over. Sunset looked to her father, saying, “Want me to help clean up, Dad?”

“Thanks, honey. When you get finished, could you get out the ice cream for dessert?” As Sunset and Sonata got to work, he turned his attention to Trixie, adding, “Trixie, would you like some ice cream, too?”

“Trixie would love some, thank you,” Trixie replied, before she turned her attention to Mrs. Cake. “Thank you for having me over tonight. It was really nice of you to both allow Trixie to perform for you all and to feed her afterward.”

“You’re very welcome, dear,” Mrs. Cake replied, giving her husband a concerned glance.

Sunset and Sonata returned to the kitchen table with a big bucket of ice cream, five bowls, and five spoons. Setting them down, Sonata and Sunset noticed a sad look on Trixie’s face and exchanged concerned glances. Sonata set out the bowls and spoons while Sunset got a scooper for her father to use. Finished, Sonata sat back down, thinking, “She looks so sad. I hope everything is alright.”

“Alright, two scoops for everyone.” Mr. Cake started.

“Oh, one scoop for me, please, dear. Topped with pickles, chocolate sauce, and honey.” Getting confused looks from everyone except her husband, she leaned back in her chair, gently patting her belly, blushing as she continued, “Sorry. It’s the cravings. You know how it is.”

“Oh, that’s nothing to be ashamed of, Mom,” Sonata chimed in, adding, “This morning, I thought of eating crab with peanut butter and mustard.” Laughing, she finished as she patted her own stomach, “I guess babies like weird food, huh?”

Everyone enjoyed a hearty laugh, and after the family ate their dessert, Trixie smiled, saying, “Thank you all for the wonderful dinner.” Noticing the time was nearly eight-thirty in the evening, she continued, “But may Trixie please be excused? She needs to get some sleep before school tomorrow.”

“Of course, dear.” Mrs. Cake began, turning her attention to Sonata. “Sweetheart, will you please show Trixie to her room.” Returning her attention to Trixie, Mrs. Cake finished, “I’ll be up in a minute to tuck you in, dear.”

As the two girls left, Mr. Cake got up, helping to clear and wash the rest of the dishes as Sunset returned to the table, a glass of water in her hand. Seeing a distraught look on her mother's face, she set her glass down, saying, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, it's nothing, honey.” Giving Mr. Cake a passing glance, she added, “It's going to be a long day for everyone tomorrow. You better head to bed now.” Watching her daughter head upstairs, Mrs. Cake turned her attention to her husband. “Carrot, Trixie can not go back to that…that…”

Mrs. Cake found herself unable to finish her words. Her jaw trembled, and she felt her husband’s loving hands coming to rest on her shoulders. She let him gently pull her into a warm embrace as he soothingly ran his fingers through her hair, calming her down. Taking her gently by the waist, he led over to the couch and sat her down.

“Honey,” he softly began, “I want Trixie to stay as much as you do, but the law is the law. We can’t just rip her away from—”

“Carrot Cake, that monster beat his own daughter with his belt!” she interrupted him, adding, “Trixie told me that her father was trying to ‘beat the sin out of her’ and that her mother is a chronic drunk who doesn’t give two cares about her own daughter. We can’t in good conscience leave that poor child to face those beasts.” Looking down, she finished, “I want Trixie to know that she is loved and very much needed.”

“I know, honey. I know.” Looking at the few boxes that lined the living room wall, he added, “But what can we do? I mean, does Trixie have any proof of this abuse?”

Pulling him in closer, she gently took his right hand, laying it over her pregnant belly. Snuggling up to him, she watched as he closed his eyes and smiled, feeling his son and daughter moving within his wife's womb.

“I don’t know if Trixie has any proof, Carrot, but I do know one thing for sure.”

Gently leaning in, he softly pressed his lips to hers, taking in her scent and perfume before pulling away slowly and looking into his wife's eyes, softly saying, “What’s that, dear?”

“That I will be a mama bear to Trixie and protect her with all that I am. I’ll do the same for Sonata and our grandbaby as much as I would for our daughter Sunset.”

Mr. Cake gave her a pleasant nod and gently helped her off the couch, leading her towards the steps and upstairs. Getting upstairs a few moments later, Mrs. Cake kissed her husband's cheek, saying, “Why don’t you go to bed, honey. I’ll join you in a few minutes. I want to tuck the girls in before heading to bed myself.”

“Alright, dear. I love you.”

Smiling, she watched as he went into their bedroom before heading to Trixie’s room herself. She knocked on the door and heard Trixie say from inside, “C-Come in.”

Mrs. Cake entered the room, finding Trixie in bed with the covers pulled up to her stomach. “I just wanted to tuck you in and let you know that you will always have a place here with our family.” Sitting down on the bed, she continued, “You sleep well tonight, dear. I’ll be right next door if you need me.”

Gently pulling the covers up to Trixie’s shoulders, Mrs. Cake smiled warmly to the surprised and teary-eyed girl before getting up and walking out of the room, closing the door behind her. Knocking on Sunset’s door, she heard Sonata call, “Come in.”

Entering the room, she smiled pleasantly to Sunset and Sonata before pulling the covers up to their chest, saying softly, “I love you both.” Leaning in, she gently kissed the girls’ foreheads before adding, “You both have a big day ahead of you. I’ll need your help to get the truck all packed, so make sure to get some sleep. And Sunset?”

“Y-Yes, Mom?” Sunset replied with a nervous grin. “You’re not upset that Sonata and I are sharing a bed together, are you?”

Mrs. Cake chuckled. “No, of course not, honey. You love her, and she loves you, and you both can make your own decisions. I was just going to say that it’s so good to have you home. I love you.” She finished to both of them, “Now, get some sleep, sweethearts. We want to get the truck loaded and ready by ten.”

“Wait, how will Trixie go to the police about her dad?” Sonata asked, sitting up. “I mean, if we’re both here helping you and Mr.—Dad load and pack the truck, and Trixie has school tomorrow, how is she supposed to go to them safely?”

Mrs. Cake gently laid her hands on Sonata’s shoulders and gently pushed Sonata back down into the soft mattress. “Shh, Sonata. Just get some sleep. We’ll deal with this in the morning.”

Sonata wanted to keep speaking, but a yawn broke her off, and soon, she drifted into a restful sleep next to Sunset, who slowly wrapped her arms around Sonata, pulling her sleeping girlfriend in closer, burying her face in Sonata’s hair.

Mrs. Cake headed to her own bedroom and climbed into bed next to her husband, soon falling asleep herself.

A few hours passed before Sunset woke to the sounds of crying. Getting up and shaking off the sleep, she opened the door and tiptoed into the hallway, listening to the sounds. Sonata soon followed, awakened by Sunset’s movements and curious about the crying herself. It didn’t take long for them to realize the sound was coming from Trixie’s room.

Sunset opened Trixie’s door and walked into the room, seeing Trixie holding a picture in her hands. Startled, Trixie looked at them and said, “Sorry. Trixie didn’t mean to wake you.”

“No, it’s no problem,” Sunset quickly said. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Trixie said, but the tears in her eyes betrayed her, and she continued, “Just…Why can’t Trixie have a real family? One that actually loves her.”

Wordlessly, the two women climbed into bed with Trixie, both gently wrapping their arms around her and pulling her back into the soft mattress. Sunset said, “Trixie, you do have family that loves you. We love you and want you in our life.” Gently stroking Trixie’s hair, she added, “You are loved, Trixie, and we’ll never let anyone hurt you. I promise.”

Sonata chimed in, “Sunset’s right. We’ll give you all the time you need. Just say the word.” Kissing Trixie’s cheek and gently snuggling up closer to her, she added, “No matter what tomorrow brings, Trixie, we won’t let anyone hurt you. We promise.”

Feeling Trixie trembling in her arms, Sunset and Sonata pulled the blanket over the three of them and pressing their lips to Trixie’s cheeks. When they pulled away, Trixie said somewhat bitterly, “Oh, come on. You can say you’re family all you want, but it won’t make it true. Trixie wants a real family, not some make-believe one.”

“Oh, Trixie,” Sunset said softly, “Sonata and I are your family, even if we’re not blood.”

“Yeah, Trixie,” Sonata said, “and we’ll help you get through this. Just like we won’t leave you right now. We’ll stay with you all night long.” Looking to the nightstand next to the bed, Sonata spied a box of tissues. Grabbing one, she gently dabbed it to Trixie’s eyes, adding, “It'll be alright, Trixie. Sunset and I will make everything all better.”

Sniffing and letting Sonata finish drying her tears away, Trixie slowly wrapped her arms as best as she could around the pair. Gulping lightly, she said, “Thanks, you two. Trixie doesn’t get any of this at home.” Letting out a sigh, she continued, “Trixie’s dad always beats her with a belt to beat the sin out of her, and Trixie’s mom is always too drunk to stop him. Trixie doesn’t even know what sin he keeps trying to beat out of her.” Turning her head to look away, she found her eyes locked with Sunset’s. “Do you know, Sunset? Do you know the sins I need beat out of me?”

Gently pressing her lips to Trixie's forehead and soothingly stroking her hair, Sunset replied, “Trixie, there’s no sin to beat out of you. I know evil when I see it, and I can tell you that you’re most certainly not evil. Not at all.”

“Thank you, Sunset,” Trixie said, yawning. “I needed to hear that. Honestly, I’m rather jealous of you.” Turning to face Sonata, she corrected, “Of both of you.”

“Why?” Sonata asked, confused.

“Because you both have something that Trixie—er, I want more than anything in the world, even more than fame or fortune or anything like that. You have a loving mom and dad, and you both are in a healthy relationship and treat each other well. So, Trixie’s…well…I mean—”

Her words were cut short as Sunset’s fingers gently pressing down on Trixie’s lips. Sunset began, “Trixie, listen carefully. We do love you, and we really do want you to be in our family as our sister.”

“Please say that you’ll stay with us and become our new sister,” Sonata said, laying her head over Trixie’s chest and listening to Trixie’s heartbeat, “Besides, you’re already an aunt, so either way, you’re a part of this family.”

Raising an eyebrow, Trixie gave Sonata a confused stare as Sonata grinned back. “That’s the second time tonight you’ve called me ‘aunt’. Why do you keep calling me that?”

“That’s what an aunt is, right? A parent’s sister?” Sonata gently took Trixie’s hand into her own and placed it on her stomach, saying, “I’m pregnant, and I would for realzies love it if you became my sister, Trixie. I’m sure you’d make a great aunt.”

Looking down to Sonata’s stomach, Trixie gulped, saying, “You both really mean it? You really want me to be an aunt to your child?” Looking back into their hopeful gazes, she added, “Trixie would be...honored, Sonata.”

“So, I take it that you’ll stay with us?” Sunset asked. “It would mean the world to Mom and Dad if you would. It would mean a lot to us, too.”

“Trixie would love to stay with you, Sunset. If the police will let her stay, that is.” Pausing, Trixie looked away. “Trixie will also try not to be as skittish around you from now on.”

“Don’t worry about it, Trixie,” Sunset said. “I won’t hold it against you if you’re a bit jumpy, and besides, we just had a whole conversation together, so I know you really care, even if your instincts say otherwise.

Smiling, Trixie lay back down into Sonata’s and Sunset’s waiting arms. Pulling them close, Trixie said, “Trixie is very happy to have you both as her sisters. I love you both. Good night.”

Sunset and Sonata kissed Trixie’s cheeks again. “I love you, too, Trixie,” Sunset replied.

“We both do,” Sonata said. “Good night, sis. Sleep tight.”

Welcome Home, Trixie (Edited by Icecreammac)

Luna slowly opened her eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the darkness, the only light in the room coming from her digital clock. She checked the time. Nearly two in the morning.

Time to go.

Luna stretched, popping her back and neck and limbering her muscles. After getting dressed, she snuck into her sister’s room, finding Celestia fast asleep holding a picture of Eventide in her arms. Gently taking the photo from her, she pulled the covers up around Celestia’s shoulders and kissed her sister’s forehead.

“Sleep well, Tia. I’ll bring Eventide home. I promise.”

Exiting her sister’s room, Luna headed into the hallway towards the kitchen, finding Twilight at the kitchen table looking angry and confused. Opening a drawer next to her, Luna took out two photos and placed them into her shirt pocket. Turning to Twilight, she said, “Twilight, when we get to the portal I need these pictures to go through ahead of me. I can’t explain now, but I will once I get into your world.”

“I understand, Luna.” Letting out sigh, Twilight watched Luna open up another drawer and take out a few matches, candles, and other small things before placing them into a backpack. Getting up and needing something to do, Twilight upstairs and carefully opened Crystalis’s door. She tiptoed up to the child's bed and gently pulled the covers back up over the little girl’s shoulders, kissing her on the cheek.

“Sleep well, little one,” Twilight whispered. “You’ll be in your sister’s arms soon enough.”

Tiptoeing back out, Twilight met Luna in the hallway. Giving each other a nod, the two quietly crept outside to Luna’s car. Luna took one last look at her home as Twilight climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up, her thoughts dwelling on Princess Celestia. Finally, Luna got into the car and began the drive to CHS.

“Twilight,” Luna began once on the road, “I’ll be honest, I’m still a little apprehensive about allowing you to disobey your Celestia’s wishes. You’ve already seen my sister when she was going through her episodes. I don’t think that your Celestia wants that for you.”

“It doesn’t matter what she did or didn’t ask of me, Luna. I have questions, and my friends are in danger. I can’t just sit by and let them get hurt, can I?”

Eventually, as Luna passed an intersection, a police car turned onto the street behind them. “Great,” she thought to herself. “Now I have to deal with these idiots.” Keeping one eye on the road and the other on her rearview mirror, Luna thought, “Come on, don’t flash your lights.”

Soon, though, Luna came to a red light, the officer stopping behind her. As the light turned green, Luna carefully pressed on the gas pedal, accelerating slowly. Sure enough, however, the police car’s lights started flashing. Luna groaned angrily and pulled over, only for the officer to speed past them down the street. Luna sighed in relief.

“I really don’t like the police,” Luna muttered.

“They seem alright to me,” Twilight replied. “Okay, sure, they tossed Sunset in a dungeon and caused her to go a little nuts, but Jade seems alright to me, at least.”

Finally, after a silent drive, the pair reached the school. As they walked up to the entrance, Luna began fishing through her purse. After a minute of searching, she narrowed her eyes and grunted in irritation. “Damn, I think I left the keys at home.”

“Don’t worry, Luna. I got them,” Twilight said, reaching into her skirt pocket and producing a pair of brass keys. Handing them over to her, Twilight added, “I thought you might need them, so I grabbed them before we left.”

Luna sighed in relief. “At least one of us is thinking ahead,” she said. Unlocking the door and shutting off the silent alarm, Luna said, “I’ll wait for you out here. Do you know where Sunset’s locker is?”

“Yes,” Twilight replied, walking past Luna. “Thank you for staying out here. I really need to do this alone.”

Walking down the hallway into the dark corridor, Twilight soon came to a glowing locker. Flowers, notes, cards and pictures of Sunset adorned its metal surface. Closing her eyes, she thought to herself, “Why? Why couldn’t they all do this for her before everything happened?” Pushing some of the cards away, she fought back her tears as she opened the locker, finding Sunset’s journal inside. Grabbing it, she carried it to the principal's office and set it down on the oak desk. Opening a drawer on the right, she took out a pen and began writing into it.

Luna watched the portal ripple as her sister’s counterpart slowly emerged from the portal. Seeing Luna standing at the doorway of the school, Celestia smiled to her, saying, “Ah, Miss Luna. It’s a pleasure—”

“Go inside. Your daughter has a few words to say to you,” Luna interrupted, adding, “Don’t expect a warm welcome, either. She’s angry, and with good reason, if you ask me.”

“Y-You told her, didn’t you?” Princess Celestia replied, bowing her head as she added under her breath, “I asked her not to mention this!”

“Go inside.”

Stalking past Luna, Princess Celestia headed inside and, closing her eyes, slowed her breathing and listened. She could make out a faint, rapid heartbeat in the distance. Following the rhythmic sound, she soon found Twilight in the principal's office. Knowing it wasn’t worth delaying the inevitable, Celestia entered the office and sat down in front of the desk her student sat at. The irony wasn’t lost on her.

“Go ahead, Twilight. Ask me your questions.”

“Why?” Twilight asked, clearly upset. “Why, Celestia? Just tell me why.”

“I gave you up to save your life, Twilight. If Blueblood had come to power, our kingdom would have fallen. He took part in killing your—”

“I know that!” Twilight screamed, “Why didn’t you tell me Sunset was my sister?!”

Seeing the pain etched over the silent Celestia’s face, Twilight looked down, no longer willing or able to hide her own pain and anger. Bitter tears trickled down her cheeks, splashing on the desk below. Sniffing, she wiped her hand under her nose as her sadness slowly grew into bitterness. Pushing against the desk, she bolted from the room. Celestia stood up, chasing after her and yelling, “Twilight, wait! Please!”

Tripping on her right foot as she spun around, Celestia fell to the ground, sobbing. Her tears ran thick and heavy down her soft cheeks. Skidding to a halt, Twilight slowly turned around, watching Celestia curl up, holding herself as she trembled. Slowly, Twilight walked back to her. Kneeling down, she pulled Celestia into her, allowing Celestia to cry in her shoulders.

“I’m so sorry, Twilight. I am so sorry,” Celestia sobbed. “I didn’t tell you because I was scared that you were going to kill her. I saw the look of anger in your eyes that night. Your sister had the same look when I banished her.” Feeling Twilight’s arms tighten around her, she finished, “I never meant for any of this. Not the war, not Chrysalis’s fall to darkness, none of it. By the Ancients, I am so sorry. I loved you so much. It broke my heart to have to give you up, to have to banish Sunset. I don’t know how to fix any of this.”

Both women sat, holding each other as they cried into each other’s shoulders for several long, agonizing minutes. Finally, Twilight slowly helped Celestia up, seeing the purest pain etched in Celestia’s eyes as she dried the older woman’s cheeks. Twilight looked away, saying, “It will take time for me to forgive this, but I will be able to forgive you for all that you’ve done. Someday.”

“I-I understand, Twilight,” Princess Celestia said, sniffing. “I didn’t want you involved in the war because I didn’t want to risk losing you as I lost her.”

“But Sunset isn’t gone. She’s alive. Both Luna and Principal Celestia have seen her.” Wiping away her own tears, she added, “There is something I must know. Something that only you can answer for me.”

“I know the question. Yes, Twilight, I did love you. I have always loved you, but I was a grieving mother and a widow all within the space of three days. I was a wreck. I couldn’t take care of myself, let alone my own baby.”

“I-I think I understand. You lost my father and my sister. That type of hurt can cause anypony to go insane from grief, so you did what you thought was best. You placed me into the hooves of those that you knew would take good care of me. But…did you ever try to get me back?”

“I wanted to, but I saw how happy you were with them, how full of life and joy you were, and I knew I couldn’t take that away from you. So, I stayed back, resigning myself to become your teacher and your...friend. Only, I did take away your happiness and your joy, didn’t I?”

Throwing her arms around her, Twilight hugged Celestia tightly, which Celestia returned hungrily. Breathing in her mother’s familiar scent, Twilight placed her ear to Celestia’s chest, listening to her mother's heartbeat. Slowly, the women ended the hug, and Celestia sighed gently, laying her hand under Twilight’s chin as the younger woman said, “Celestia, I want to help you win this war. Please. I know it’s dangerous, but I know that together, we can beat Chrysalis.”

“I don’t want to beat her, Twilight. I want to save her. You see, Twilight, for a time, Chrysalis comforted me when I felt so very alone. She brought light, happiness and joy back into my life. After I sent Luna to the moon, I began to shut out anypony that wanted even an ounce of my help or attention. Chrysalis wouldn’t give up on me, and she and I…Well, we took the other to our beds many times. It was Chrysalis that got me to go to Ponyville, and it was she that gave me the strength I needed to find your father Storming Winds.”

“So that’s why you want to save her. Instead of staying away from her, you...fell in love with her, didn’t you?”

Celestia’s jaw trembled, and her eyes began to fill with tears. Turning away from Twilight, she hugged herself, falling to her knees. Twilight placed her hands on Celestia’s shoulders as Celestia trembled with anger, sadness and heartache. Helping her back up, Twilight gently led her to the front entrance, finding Luna still outside sitting on the front step. Getting up, Luna gave Twilight a nod. Turning her attention to Princess Celestia, she said, “I hope you will understand, Your Highness. I have no intention of leaving my niece to your world.”

“I do, Luna. Believe me, I fully understand how you feel.” Stepping forward, Twilight let go of Celestia as she added, “You will be most welcome. My sister has been able to keep most of the war contained in the west. I’ll teleport you to Snowflake Monastery, but once there, you’ll be on your own.” Looking to Twilight and seeing a very concerned look, she quickly added, “On second thought, maybe Twilight can take you where you need to go after I leave to aid my sister’s armies.” Turning attention back to Luna, she finished, “We will give you armor, food, water and weapons when you get to Equestria.”

Turning around, Luna headed for the portal. Taking her backpack off, she tossed it through the portal. Taking out her photos, she looked at them for a moment before doing her best to toss them in, as well. Watching them disappear in front of her, she sighed, placing her right hand to the smooth surface of the statue in front of her. She slowly pushed forward, stepping into the base of the statue.

Celestia and Twilight were quick to follow, both soon finding Luna facing her counterpart in Twilight's castle, each staring at the other. Stepping towards, her Celestia began, “My dear sister, may I present to you your counterpart Ms. Luna Evenstar of the human world.”

“I saw a saddlebag and photos fall through the portal. Are they thine, sister?”

“No,” Celestia replied. “They belong to Ms. Evenstar.”

“Nay, sister.” The princess gritted her teeth as she glared at her double. “Tis fortunate than I arrived so soon, for this is no counterpart. Chrysalis has clearly infiltrated Twilight’s castle, as she said she would.”

Her eyes widening in shock, Celestia quickly stepped in between the two Lunas, saying, “Luna, you saw the pack and photos fall through, so you must have seen with your own eyes that this Luna stepped through the portal, and you know very well that Chrysalis doesn’t know of the mirror or what it can do. So how can you say she isn’t who she says she is?” Looking to her sister’s counterpart, she added, “Is there anything you’d like to say to corroborate this?”

“What would you have me do, Your Highness,” the human world’s Luna replied, turning her attention to counterpart. “She looks very determined to say that I am not who I claim to be. Besides, we’re both blue, we both have wavy manes, and we are both horses. How is that not proof enough?”

“Thou didst not just call me a horse! Thou shalt pay for thine insult!” Charging up her horn, Princess Luna lunged in to strike the pony in front of her. “I'll send thee to Tartarus, Imposture!”

“Do something, Celestia!” Twilight shouted.

Luna lashed out, getting a lucky hit on Princess Luna’s eye and knocking her to the ground. She smirked, saying, “Yeah, I did call you a horse. And I’ll do it again, too. You need to get a hold of that temper; it’s unbecoming of a princess. Now, where’s Eventide?”

Quickly firing her own magic at both combatants, Princess Celestia pinned both of them to the ground, screaming, “Enough!” Turning her attention to her sister, she added, “Luna, you very well know that Chrysalis doesn’t know about the mirror or the human world, and furthermore, I walked through the portal after her. This is not Chrysalis.” Turning her attention to Luna Evenstar, she added, “And as for you, don’t strike my sister again. I will take you outside to allow my sister to calm down a bit, but after this, no more fighting.”

“Fine!” Both Luna’s said in unison, each turning away from the other. “We’ll finish this later!”

Shaking her head, Celestia led Luna Evenstar outside with Twilight in tow. Looking up, Twilight saw Princess Luna coming out onto the balcony. An idea quickly entered her mind, and she said to Celestia, “I know how to prove to your sister that this Luna is not Chrysalis in disguise.”

“So long as it doesn’t include them fighting again, I’m all ears. What do you propose?”

“Simple. We’ll use the moon. Your sister will raise it, while the human one will try to lower it. I don’t know if the other Luna has magical capabilities, but even if she does, I am willing to bet that she can’t match Princess Luna by a long shot. This should prove to her once and for all that she is indeed not Chrysalis.”

Looking up to her sister, Celestia called out, “Luna, changelings are capable of great magical feats after feeding, and Chrysalis is no different.” Watching her sister descend and land in front her, she added, “If you raise the moon and allow the other Luna to attempt to lower it, I am sure that seeing her unable to do so will prove that we speak the truth.”

“Thy logic is flawed, sister, for only thou and I know how to lower and raise the moon. However, a test of magical prowess is a good idea.” Glancing over to her counterpart and watching her stare at herself in a window, she added, “Very well, but if it be true that this is a changeling, I shall deal with her personally.”

“Oh, one more thing before we start this,” Celestia began, looking to her sister. “Luna, my dear sister?”

“Yes, sister?” Luna replied. “What dost thou need?”

“Can you please stop with the formal speech? You’re driving me nuts.”

Grumbling under her breath, Princess Luna headed back onto the balcony. With a sigh, she used her magic to begin raising the moon effortlessly. Twilight, seeing Luna wasn’t paying attention, quickly tapped her on her shoulder. Luna turned around, a look of sadness clearly etched in her eyes. Sniffing, she said, “Twilight, how am I supposed to find her when she looks like a…like a—”

“It’s okay. She actually doesn’t look like a pony. She’s…pretty distinct,” Twilight whispered, gently pulling Luna into a warm hug. “It’s alright. We’ll help you find her. Promise.”

“I miss her, Twilight. I miss her so much! I just want to hold her in my arms again and read to her again. I hate how she wound up in this world. I just want her to come home.”

“She will, Luna. She will.” Twilight gently led her back to Princess Celestia. “Now, let's prove you’re the real deal, alright?”

Nodding, Luna watched her counterpart finish raising the moon. The princess unfurled her wings and landed in front of her. Luna Evenstar looked down, her ears back and her eyes watering. Walking up to her, Princess Luna gave her a nod, pointing to the moon. “Alright, let us see if you are who you say you are. Lower my moon, if you can.”

Raising her head and walking past Princess Luna, Luna Evenstar stared at the moon for several long moments. Sweat slowly began to form over her brow, dripping down her muzzle and splashing on the ground. Her breathing began to quicken as her eyes narrowed, concentrating as hard as she could on the horn she had no idea how to use. Finally, she collapsed from the strain she was under, holding her forehead to ease her new headache. Seeing her collapse, Princess Celestia said, “Now are you satisfied, Luna? I think she’s proven herself.” Helping the downed Luna back up and bringing her back inside Twilight's castle, Celestia asked more softly, “Luna Evenstar, are you alright?”

“Y-yes, I think so. I just need to rest for a bit, is all.” Taking a few breaths, she added, “To be honest, I thought I felt something, but I just couldn’t focus on it.”

“Well, you have proven yourself to my sister. I doubt she’ll attack you again unless you give her a reason.” Looking her up and down, Celestia added, “We can’t have you go to Snowflake Monastery like this, though. I will have Discord change your body to a more familiar one, and I will make sure he gives you the provisions you need.” Placing a hoof to her mouth, she let out a loud whistle. “Discord, come out here!”

Popping out of thin air, Discord smiled lopsidedly to Celestia. His grin changed to confusion as his gaze shifted between the new Luna, who was trying in vain to pick up her backpack and photos, which had remained in front of the mirror, and Princess Luna, who had joined them. “Two Lunas? Why, what kind of game is this?” he asked. “And why didn’t you invite me? Though, personally, I’d have cloned somepony more…fun, but I think I can make this work.”

“This is no game, Discord,” Princess Celestia said. “I need you to make Luna—this Luna here—into the same Minotaur that you turned Eventide into.”

“And why would I want to do that?” Discord replied. “She doesn’t seem to have any trouble walking around, and besides, it’s been done already. You know how I feel about repeat performances.” An impish gleam shone in his eyes as he finished, “I’d prefer something more…original.”

“Well, besides the havoc and the danger of other ponies, like Chrysalis, seeing that there are two Princess Luna's,” Celestia began, ignoring the brighter gleam in his eyes, “it’s simply the right thing to do. I’m sure Fluttershy, with whom I hear you're quite taken with, will more than likely thank you for it. And finally, I haven’t seen Eventide’s new body, so this is also a chance to see what I am looking for.”

“Ugh, who told you about Fluttershy?” Discord groaned, rolling his eyes. “Loose lips sink ships, ponies!” He sighed. “Anyways, do you know how hard it is to keep track of her. She looks just like every other Minotaur in that stupid helmet. And she’s violent, too. Why, just yesterday, I met Iron Will at the market, and let me tell you, she sure did a number on him! He didn’t seem to be the least bit interested in listening to a word I had to say, though. The nerve. But, back to the point. I mean, yeah, I like her and all, but taken with her?! Come on, Celestia. I wouldn’t know what to do with a cute, little pony like her. I would much rather have fun with, oh, say, Rainbow Dash or Twilight.” Getting an angry look from Twilight, he cleared his throat. “Uh, well, perhaps not, Twilight—bookworms can be such a bore—but you see my point, I’m sure. You just can’t—”

“Oh, shut up,” Luna interrupted. “Quit stalling and just do it, you Frankenstein’s monster. Or is it that you can’t? Was Eventide just a fluke?” Stepping forward, she watched him look himself over then back to her, and she added with a sly grin on her face, “That’s it, isn’t it? Because so far, your only power, if you can call it that, seems to be just popping in and out and rambling. So, come on. Show me your true power.” She pointed to a photo in front of her backpack. “I’ll even give you something to model me after. Check out that photo, and make me into that warrior.”

Snorting, he floated over to her backpack and, picking up both pictures, studied them for a few minutes. One showed Eventide and a little girl—her sister, perhaps?—each hugging the other, both with happy smiles on their faces and two fishing poles in front them.

The other showed a woman dressed in full plate armor. In one hand, she held a large, round shield. In the other, she held a large spear with back-swept wings and an oak shaft. The spear towered over the woman's head. Looking closer, Discord saw a bow strapped to the woman’s back. Looking up to Luna and seeing a wicked grin on her face, he scoffed.

“Celestia, I demand that you tell this doubter that I am the great Discord, the bringer of mischief, chaos, disharmony, dissonance, cacophony, and that feeling when you’re trying to remember something on the tip of your tongue but you just can’t place it. I am he that brings a sour note to—”

“Does he ever shut up, Your Highnesses?” Luna Evenstar asked, smirking. “Because instead of changing me like he said he could, this wyrm has done little more than complain and whine for the last thirty minutes. I tell you your highness's he is nothing more than a big chicken.”

Both princesses gave each other passing glances, each shrugging and giving Discord a raised eyebrow. Twilight, having caught onto Luna’s plan, quickly injected, “How about functional wings? Eventide doesn’t have those. Bet you couldn’t do that.”

“Oh, not you, too, Twilight. You of all ponies should know that I have the power to do whatever I want.”

“Then, prove it. Change her like she asked.” Twilight said giving Discord a raised eyebrow turning around and giving Luna Evenstar a sheepish grin she finished, “Or are you really just all talk?”

Sneering bitterly, he raised his lion paw and snapped. A loud, crackling poof was heard as the room filled with pink, glittering smoke. Coughing for a few moments, everyone looked around, not finding Luna anywhere in sight. Fearing the worst, Princes Celestia screamed, “Discord! You were supposed to change her, not destroy her! How are we—”

“Oh, smooth your feathers, Celestia. She’s fine, much better off than how Twilight is about to be,” Discord said, pointing upward. Sure enough, the now-humanoid Luna floated in the air, held aloft by two powerful wings despite being covered in armor. A tapered spear, an oak staff, a bow, and a shield were slung on her back.

“Oh, yes, silly me. I forgot to give Luna some food and water for her harrowing journey,” Discord said smugly. “Let’s see. Eventide wanted nothing to do with oats, hay or barley—not that I blame her, mind you—so how about some dried apples, rice, potatoes, carrots, bread and cheese. I think about two weeks should do nicely.” Snapping his fingers, two leather packs popped out of thin air, landing on the floor in front of Princess Celestia. Turing to head out, he added, looking at Twilight, “I believe I’ve proven myself enough. Now, if you will please pardon me, Twilight, I simply must be going. I want to see how Timber is doing. He’s much better company than you.”

Frowning, Twilight sighed, looking up at the floating Luna. “Luna, can you hear me? Are you alright?”

“Yes, but, um, how do I get down?”

“Slow your wing beats.”

Luna tried thinking of slowing down the beats of her new wings, but she overcompensated, and her wings suddenly stopped flapping. She dropped like a stone with a scream, landing on something round, fat and softer than she expected. After catching her breath, she looked to see what she landed on. Twilight lay under her, dazed and seeing stars, a silly grin on her face.

“Uh, thank you for breaking my fall, Twilight,” Luna said sheepishly.

“Don’t mention it,” Twilight said breathlessly. “Now, could you please get off?”

Luna rolled to her right as pink light encircled her waist and legs, and she yelped in surprise as she was pulled to her feet. Princess Celestia giggled lightly while Princess Luna helped Twilight up. Checking to make sure that neither of them were hurt, Princess Celestia said, “Now, Luna Evenstar, while I fully understand your need to look like this in order to make it easier on you to find Eventide, I must insist that you don’t do anything that foolish again.” Bringing her bags to her, Celestia continued, “Discord is notoriously capricious. It is good that he was in a playful mood today. Otherwise, he might have hurt you. Furthermore, there are those in this world that won’t stand idly by while you insult them like you did with Discord.”

Luna’s face grew grave. She knelt down, right hand over her chest as her left fist supported her on the floor. Bowing her head, she said, “I understand, Your Highness's. I promise I’ll do my best to listen to you three and follow your orders. I apologize for any trouble I might have caused, as I am but a newcomer to this land.”

“There is no need to bow or kneel to us, Luna Evenstar,” Princess Luna began, adding with a smirk, “though we do appreciate it.”

“You are the second pony that I know who was able to truly upset Discord, Luna, barring the Elements of Harmony and the princesses,” Twilight said, somewhat impressed. “In case you’re curious, the other one is Derpy Hooves, who bit him, thinking he was a giant muffin for some reason.” As Princess Celestia carefully draped the bags over Luna’s shoulders, fitting the straps around her waist, Twilight finished with a laugh, “If memory serves correctly, it took us nearly two weeks to get her to stop going after him. By the time we succeeded, he was so covered in bandages that he could barely move. Oh, he was livid. We still don’t know what caused it.”

“There. All finished,” Celestia said. “Now, please rise up so that we all may have a proper look at you.”

Nodding, Luna stood up. The three ponies all gasped in surprise. Luna raised her arms and slowly turned around in a full circle, letting the three see her back as well. Her armor, though it covered her body and the outside of her limbs, still revealed her muscular, trim body, especially her arms and legs. The leather used for her trousers fit snugly to her thighs and calves as if it had been molded to her bare skin.

“You’re…beautiful,” Twilight said.

“Not just beautiful,” Luna said, smirking. “She has a dark splendor about her, as befitting of one sharing my name and likeness.”

Celestia gave her sister a playful look. “I’d use the word ‘incandescent’, myself.”

As the ponies bantered, Evenstar stretched some, getting used to the weight of the armor, as she flexed her wrists, she yelped as two daggers slid out from the back of the vambraces. Looking at the very sharp blades, she relaxed her wrists, causing the blades to retreat back into her vambraces.

“Hmm,” Evenstar began. “I wonder.” Pointing her forearm upward, her arm bent at the elbow, she tightened her hand into a fist. Immediately, the dagger reappeared, locking into place. Opening her hand, the blade slid back down, disappearing from sight. “There must be a pump of sorts hidden in the gloves. Eventide will have to teach me how to use these.”

Turning to face a door behind her, she heard Celestia say, “Uh, Luna, we apologize if we embarrassed you by talking about you in such a manner.”

“You need not apologize, Your Highness,” Luna replied with a smile. “If I was upset, I’d let you know. Believe me.”

With that, Luna decided to test out her bow, nocking an arrow and drawing back on the string. After a few seconds, she relaxed the string. “This bow is well-made, but it’s too light in its draw weight to be of any use while fighting or hunting.”

“Hunting?!” everyone exclaimed, causing Evenstar to look perplexed.

“What? Did I say or do something wrong?” Evenstar asked, setting down the bow. “I’m a human. While I can certainly eat what you’ve given me, I’ll need protein, too, and that’s easiest to get from meat. Besides, Twilight, what would happen if I get separated from you and wind up alone in this world? Hunting is simply safer than eating random plants.”

“While I can understand that, we didn’t bring you here to hunt and kill the woodland creatures for your food. Besides, both Zecora and Fluttershy would throw fits if they caught you hunting in the woods near here. But that raises another question.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “You’re handling this very well. I mean, you entered into a new world, was turned first into a pony and then into a human with wings. How are you handling this so well?”

“After everything I’ve seen over the past few months, this is just another day,” Luna replied. “Besides, how would freaking out help me find my niece?”

“Yeah, I guess I can see your point. Alright, let's get going, then. I just need to let Spike know where we’re going before we head out.” Turning around, she called out, “Spike? Spiiiike!”

“Coming, Twilight!” At the other end of the room, a door opened, and a small, very tired, purple-and-green-scaled dragon waddled in. “What’s up, Twi—” His words cut off as he stared slack-jawed at Luna Evenstar’s new form. “Who’s that, Twilight?” he finally said, giving everyone a confused look.

“This is Vice Principal Luna. She’s here to help us find Eventide. I need you to stay here while I go to Snowflake Monastery to speak with Brave Heart.” Turning to face Evenstar, Twilight paused for a second as she saw Evenstar leaning from side to side, staring at Spike. “Uh, is something wrong, Luna?”

“What? Oh, no, Your Highness. It's just, well, you see,” Luna began, tapping her fingers together with a light blush and a sheepish grin, “I’ve always wanted to meet a real dragon, and, well, Spike here is rather...cute.”

“Cute? Me?” he replied. “I’d prefer ‘handsome’, myself, but thanks, I guess.”

Luna winced. “Sorry. I hope I didn’t offend you. I’m new here.” Spike waved off her apology with an understanding smile, and Luna turned to Twilight. “In any case, I think it is time for us to get going, Your Highness.”

“Sure thing. Oh, and please call me Twilight. I don’t really like titles,” Twilight replied. Twilight gave Princess Celestia a nod and said, “I think we’re all set, Princess Celestia. But before we go…” Twilight turned to Spike as she continued, “Don’t worry about doing your chores, Spike. You just worry about guarding the mirror.”

“You can count on me, Twilight,” Spike said, giving her a salute. He began his trip to the mirror, but Evenstar suddenly picked him and kissed him on his forehead.

“Thank you, Spike, for all that you’ve done for both Eventide and for Twilight,” Evenstar said softly, putting him back down as she patted his head. “Take care of yourself. I hope to see you again soon.”

Blushing, he squealed in delight, “Twilight, did you see? She kissed me! Looks like I’ve still got it.”

Standing up, Evenstar walked over to the ponies, nodding to Princess Celestia and Twilight. Celestia nodded in return and, using her magic, transported the three of them to the foot of a large mountain. Looking up to the road ahead, Celestia said, “This is as far as I can take you; Eventide has…issues with her mother, and I don’t want to make any trouble for anyone. Luna, I would like to meet with you again if circumstances allow it.” Turning her attention to Twilight, she finished, “Please, Twilight, by all the Ancients, be careful.”

“I will be,” Twilight replied. Feeling something poking her side, she looked to see Evenstar giving her a stern stare. Twilight quickly added, “You be careful, too, Princess. I-I don’t want…to lose you.”

Gently placing her hoof under Twilight’s chin, Celestia softly kissed Twilight’s forehead, saying, “We’ll speak again soon, Twilight, and I will do all that I can to make up for what I did to you and to your sister.”

Sniffing, Twilight hugged her, a single tear trickling down her cheek and splashing on Celestia’s shoulder. As they separated, Twilight swallowed hard, regaining her composure. Looking to the path ahead, she began to walk, her steps heavy. Luna gave Celestia a nod and began following Twilight up the path towards the monastery. “It’s fortunate that I’m making this journey and not my sister. She can’t take heights anymore.” When Twilight didn’t reply, Luna looked down and noticed her apprehensive expression. Trying to ease Twilight’s mind, she asked, “Twilight, tell me about your friends.”

“Why?” Twilight replied, flying over several rocks and using her magic to help Luna over. “And why doesn’t your sister like heights anymore?”

“Well, for one thing, it would take your mind off of Her Highness Princess Celestia, and secondly,” Luna replied hoisting herself up and over a large rock that blocked their path, “the war is why Celestia hates heights.” Luna grunted, standing up as she dusted herself off. “In Valsha, she was put into a helicopter, flown high into the air, and forced to witness a child being tossed out of it.”

Twilight paused. “I see,” she finally said. Wanting to change the subject, she began looking around herself. “There weren’t so many boulders or rocks last time I was here. I might have to teleport us the rest of the way; climbing over all these rocks and boulders will take too long.”

“Is there anything I can do to make this easier?” Looking Twilight up and down, Luna added, “I don’t think I can carry you and all my stuff at the same time.”

“There is no need to carry me. Just place your hoof—er, hand—on my back, and I’ll do the rest.” Twilight replied, turning around and charging her horn as she felt Luna’s on her back. “This might feel a bit weird as your body combusts and shrinks before popping back into place.”

“WHAT?!" Luna tried to scream as Twilight teleported them to the front gate of the monastery.

Letting go of her, Luna turned to her left, emptying the context of her stomach, Twilight watched her, trying not to giggle. Wiping a hand over her mouth, Luna glared at Twilight, who offered her a sheepish grin before walking over to a large gong. With her magic, she picked up a hammer and struck the gong, but it made no sound. Stepping back, she looked at it curiously.

“That’s odd. This normally works,” Twilight said, perplexed. Raising the hammer again, she added, “Maybe I just didn’t hit it hard enough?”

“Here, Twilight. Let me try.” Taking the hammer from her, Luna raised it above her head, crying, “For Odin!” and slamming the hammer into the gong, shattering the hammer’s head. A thunderous sound resonated throughout the clearing. Luna stepped back, muttering, “For Valhalla and my niece.”

Horns sounded behind the gate, and Luna dropped the hammer’s shaft, turning to face Twilight, who was covering her ears. Kneeling down, she smiled to Twilight as the gates behind her began to open. Several monks stepped out from behind the gate, followed by a light-orange pony, a cream-white pony and a pink pony all giving Twilight a confused stare.

“Darling, why did you hit that gong so hard?” the cream-colored pony said. “And who is this Minotaur next to you?”

“What? I can’t hear you,” Twilight shouted. Looking to each of her friends, she added, “This is the Luna from the human world. She’s here to find Eventide.”

“Silly, there’s no need to shout,” the pink pony began, bouncing around happily. “Human? I don’t see any human around here.” Looking to Luna, she gasped, placing both her front hooves to her cheeks before rushing to Luna’s side and knocking her over. “Oh my gosh, you’re new here! What’s your name? How long have you been here? Do you like parties? I love parties. What’s your favorite color? I bet you like pie with frosting on top. Do you like cake? I bet you like pink. That's my favorite color. What’s your name? I like music. Do you like music? I like—”

Luna quickly grabbed Pinkie’s muzzle, silencing her. She let out a quick breath, saying, “One question at a time please, Pinkie.”

“Hmmphmmmphommam!” Pinkie excitedly managed.

Luna looked over the orange pony, saying to her, “Why is Pinkie so excited?”

The pony shrugged. “Yeah, sorry ‘bout her. Yer new here, and she loves getting’ ta know new ponies.” Tipping her hat back a bit, she added, “Ah’m Applejack. Twilight said yer name’s Luna, yeah?”

“Yes, that is correct. A pleasure, Applejack.” Feeling Pinkie wiggle in her gloved hand, Luna turned her attention to her, “Now, I’ll let you go if you agree to ask only one question at a time and give me time answer each one. Alright, Pinkie?”

“Hmhmephnmm,” Pinkie tried. After Luna released her muzzle, she quickly asked, “How did you know who I am? I didn’t say my name or anything.”

Luna grinned. “The Pinkie Pie in my world acts very much the same way as you do.” Standing up, she walked over to the cream-colored pony. Kneeling down and offering her hand to the small pony in front of her, she continued, “And this must be...Rarity, right?”

“Why, yes, I am, darling. Charmed, for sure. How did you know?”

“A lady as beautiful as you could only be Rarity.” Gently shaking the smiling pony’s hoof, Luna stood up again, deciding to get down to business. “Now, if you all will permit me, I must speak with Brave Heart. Can any of you tell me where she is?”

“Brave Heart is up there,” Rarity replied pointing to a room at the monastery. “She has not come out of that room since she came back here several weeks ago after Eventide attacked her. The poor dear’s been crying her eyes out ever since.”

Applejack added, “Fluttershy and Rainbow are both up there now tryin’ ta get her to come out, but all she does is lay in Eventide’s bed cryin’ and hurtin’.” Applejack lowered her hat, trying to stifle her anger. “It’s been nearly four weeks, and there’s been no sign of that minotaur. I bet she don't even care. She ain’t nothin’ but a bully. Just wait till Ah find her again. A good whooping oughtta straighten her out.”

Narrowing her eyes, Luna leaned down and lifted Applejack's hat, locking eyes with the farmer, causing her to gulp. “That minotaur happens to be my niece, Applejack, and I’ll thank you not to speak about her in such a manner.” Straightening up, she added, “If you dare raise one hoof against her, it won’t be her that you have to worry about.”

To demonstrate her point, Luna spun her spear in a semicircle, slamming the blade into the soft earth beneath her. Taking her bow off, she dropped it next to the spear and began walking with eyes narrowed to the monastery. Twilight and her friends followed along with quickened pace to get in front of Luna.

It took a few minutes, for the group to arrive at Eventide’s room. They could hear soft sobbing coming behind the large, wooden door as two other ponies pressed their front hooves to it. It didn’t take a genius to know who these two were.

“Brave Heart, please come out. We need your help to find Eventide,” Fluttershy was saying as they approached.

“Go away! I can’t find her. I can’t help her!” everyone heard Brave Heart sob. “I’m no sister; no sister would ever do what I did to her. Just leave me be!”

“Let me try,” Rainbow said. “Brave Heart, Eventide needs you so stop acting like a filly and get off your flank already! We can’t find her on our own, so get out here and help us!”

“Fluttershy,” Luna said.

“Y-Yes?” Fluttershy replied not taking her hooves off the door.

“Perhaps it would be best if you let me do this,” Luna said. “I might be able to get her to come out.”

Gently pushing Fluttershy and Rainbow aside, Luna stepped back and, with a mighty kick, busted the door open, finding Brave Heart crying on Eventide’s bed. Scoffing, Luna ignored Brave Heart’s surprise and picked her up. “Hey, let me go!” Brave Heart demanded as Luna carried her out into the hallway. “Put me down!”

“Okay,” Luna said, tossing her to the ground. Brave Heart unfurled her wings in an instant, landing softly on the ground and glaring daggers at Luna, who returned with a mocking wave of her hand. Furious, Brave Heart lunged at Luna, only to be caught off-guard as Luna suddenly wrapped her arms around Brave Heart, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Shh, Brave Heart. It wasn’t your fault,” Luna whispered softly. “Whatever you have done, I can assure you, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes, it was,” Brave Heart sobbed bitterly into Luna’s shoulders, all the fire of the previous moment lost. “I let Timber fall. I lost him when Eventide battled Chrysalis. I cost her my brother and her only true friend. I let him down, and I let her down.”

“Tell me what happened,” Luna asked, gently taking Brave Heart’s helmet off and letting it fall to the ground as she soothingly ran her fingers through Brave Heart’s mane. “Maybe I can help you, but I need to hear the story.”

Trembling in her arms and shoulder, Brave Heart cried for several long moments before saying, “Timber was her friend and my brother. Eventide rode him into battle at Ghastly Gorge to head off Chrysalis’s advance on Ponyville. The attack went south, and in her desperate escape, Timber tossed her to the top of the gorge just as the boulders fell, taking him with them. I stood by while my brother fell and did nothing to save him. She was furious and whirled on me, but when the other ponies saw what she looked like without her helmet on, they attacked her, so she ran into the Everfree Forest. I have been unable to find her ever since.”

Luna looked out one of the windows lining the corridor. A short distance from the monastery, she spied a large wolf slowly limping up the path. Luna softly said, “This Timber…What did he look like? A large, white wolf, perhaps with red eyes?”

“Y-Yes. How did you know?” Brave Heart asked curiously, ending the hug.

Luna nodded to the window. “Look.”

Turning around, Brave Heart’s eyes widened in shock as she beheld Timber limp towards the building, bandages covering most of his front right leg and chest. Opening the window, she raced over to him and buried her face into his chest, crying in relief as she breathed in his familiar scent.

“How, Timber? How did you survive? That fall should have killed you?”

“Ahem,” a familiar voice pronounced from above her. Brave Heart looked up, seeing Discord floating above her. He lowered himself to the ground as he said, “That was me. I was watching the battle from afar and simply couldn’t let this noble creature pass, so I used my magic and brought him to my home. Oh, you wouldn’t believe the mess he made, especially when he thought it was a good idea to mark his territory all over my sofa.” Getting a wet tongue across his muzzle, Discord gave Timber a soft pout before turning back to Brave Heart. “Now, my dear Brave Heart, you must dry your tears and go save Eventide, who I believe was last seen in the Everfree Forest not six days ago.”

Sniffing, Brave Heart looked into Discord’s eyes, saying, “I-I was wrong about you, Discord. You are not a monster, and I would be very proud to call you my friend and brother.”

“Oh, would you look at the time. I must be going now,” Discord said hurriedly. Turning his attention to Fluttershy as she came out into the courtyard, he said, “I’ll see you at home, Fluttershy. Take care.”

With a snap of his lion’s paw, he vanished. Luna walked up to Timber, placing her hands on the sides of his large, powerful head. Gently, the wolf rested his head against hers. “Can you hear me?” Luna heard in a masculine voice as her eyes glowed blue.

“Yes,” Luna said mentally, surprised. Deciding to think on it later, she said, “I need your help, Timber. We all need your help to find Eventide. Can you follow her scent?”

“Yes, I can. I shall not let my sister fall into darkness. I will not lose her as I lost my own pups to Char. I shall find her and protect her with all that I am.”

Stepping back, Luna pointed to the open gate. The massive wolf nodding and turned in the direction. He stretched his back and neck, letting out a loud, mournful howl. The howl was quickly followed by the sounds of other howls far off to the west. Stepping towards the door, he whimpered lightly from the pain in his leg, but his whimpers turned into growling as he made distance.

“Go, Timber,” Luna shouted, “and may Odin watch over you, my brother, my friend, my companion!”

Watching him bolt out the door, knocking Pinkie Pie over as she tried to hug him, Timber raced down the mountain path towards the Everfree Forest. Luna turned to face the ponies as Pinkie dusted herself off. Rarity looked into Luna’s eyes, saying, “D-Darling, your eyes. They’re glowing.”

Ignoring her, Luna proceeded to head back inside the monastery toward Eventide’s room. Looking around, she knelt down next to Eventide’s bed and reached under it. She found a dusty, leather-bound tome. Placing it on the desk next to her, she closed her eyes, muttering to herself, “Forgive me, Eventide, but I have to know what happened to you since you arrived in this world.”

As she read, she noticed an odd warmth in her body. Slowly, her body began to smoke as the room around her grew hot, and even through her gloves, the book seemed to burn her hands. As soon as Luna turned the first page, the heat became unbearable, and she threw the book to the floor, screaming in pain as her body burst into purple flames.

The moon began to set in the west as Timber ran faster than he had run before, crashing through trees, shrubs, bushes and branches in his search for Eventide. He heard a scream coming from the direction of the monastery, but he ignored it; he would let nothing distract him from his quest.

A black sedan pulled onto a seldom-travelled road. In the back seat, Gilda checked her watch, sighing as she took Summer’s hand into her own.

“Hey, it's going to be alright, Gilda,” Summer said. “Jade won’t let you down. I’m sure of it.”

Looking down, Gilda thought to herself, “I’m tired of running from that bastard.” Out loud, she said, “Alright, let's do this, Summer.”

Opening the car door, Gilda stepped out into the chilly air, pulling her collar up to ward off the cold. She looked around. The only source of light nearby was a lone lamp post. Hurrying up to it, she placed a black, leather book against the base of it. Looking off into the darkness and not seeing anyone around, she turned to head back to her grandfather's car, stopping when a flash of headlights caught her attention.

“Please be Jade,” Gilda muttered. Turning around, she gulped, taking a step back but stopped as hands came to rest on her shoulders. Looking behind her, she said, “S-Summer.”

“It’s alright, Gilda; I can see who it is,” Summer replied. “You don’t need to worry; it’s Jade. She’s going for the book.”

Both watched Jade kneel down under the halo of the street lamp and pick up the book. She flipped it open, looked through it, and closed it a few seconds later. Standing up, she gave Gilda and Summer a nod, tucking the book into her coat. Summer kept her eyes on Jade as she left the area. After she left, Gilda turned and buried her face into Summer’s chest. Wrapping her arms around Summer’s waist, she breathed in, saying, “Let’s go home, Summer.”

“We will in just a few minutes, babe. I want to make sure no else followed her here,” Summer replied, gently pushing Gilda off of her. “Go back to the car. I’ll only be a few minutes, I promise.” Pressing her lips to Gilda’s, Summer kissed her passionately. As she pulled back, she finished, “I’ll come back when I’m done securing the area.”

Nodding, Gilda headed back to the car as Crystal Flare stepped out, giving her a cold stare, causing Gilda to shiver. Walking up to Summer, Crystal kept a wary eye on her, saying, “Summer, if your business is concluded, I need to get the commander home now.”

Summer gave her a look. “‘Commander’, huh? You a soldier?” Crystal didn’t answer, simply glaring at Summer, so Summer went back to her vigil, looking everywhere for danger. “Do you see anything out there that could hurt Gilda?” she finally asked.

“No I don’t.”

Headed back to the car Summer took one last look around before getting in buckling up she took Gilda’s hand into her own. Crystal Flare got into the driver's seat started up the car and proceeded to out into the street the sun was just barely beginning to rise.

Trixie woke up, feeling soft, warm legs lightly draped over own hips and legs. Looking to her sides, she grinned as she found Sunset and Sonata snuggling up against her.

“Great,” Trixie thought to herself. “How is Trixie supposed to get up without waking up her sisters?” A feeling of warmth spread through her as she considered the word “sisters”.

Trying her best to get up without waking up either Sonata or Sunset, Trixie found herself unable to move much. Pouting to herself, she slowly placed a hand behind Sunset’s right ear and her other hand behind Sonata’s left ear. Gently moving her fingers back and forth to try to make things uncomfortable to the girls, she waited for a few moments until both girls rolled over, each pulling the covers up a little closer. Able to move, Trixie sat up smiling to herself. Leaning in, she gently kissed both girls on the cheek before climbing out of bed.

“You two sleep well,” Trixie whispered. “Trixie will be back soon.”

Getting out of bed as best as she could without waking her sisters up, she checked the time. Six in the morning. She looked back at the girls, smiling a relieved smile. “They kept their promise; they didn’t leave Trixie alone.”

Trixie turned around and began tiptoeing out, freezing as she heard, “Where do you think you’re going?” Turning around, she found her sisters both staring at her smiling from the bed. As the two got up, Sonata continued, “Let us help you get ready for school.”

“Yeah, come on, Trixie,” Sunset chimed in. “We want to spend as much time with you as we can before you have to leave for the day.”

“A-Alright,” Trixie replied.

Giggling in delight, Sonata opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out a hair brush, patting the spot where she wanted Trixie to sit. Trixie obeyed, and Sonata immediately set to work, gently moving the brush down Trixie’s long locks of soft, silver hair.

“I’ll grab some makeup while Sonata brushes your hair,” Sunset began heading for the bedroom door. “I’m sure Mom’s up by now.”

“Sunset, wait!” Trixie said suddenly. Sunset stopped, looking back at her curiously. “Trixie needs to ask you something.” Looking behind her, she added, “I need to ask you both something. It’s…very important.”

“Sure, Trixie,” Sonata said, still running the brush through Trixie's hair. “What do you want to know?”

“I-Is this what real sisters do?” Biting her lip, Trixie continued. “You both let Trixie sleep with you, you’re brushing her hair, and you’re about to put makeup on her. Are we sisters…or lovers?”

Sunset came back over, looking at Sonata. Taking the hint, Sonata said, “Don’t worry, Trixie. My sisters and I used to do stuff like this all the time when we were young. I mean, it was more grooming fins and stuff rather than brushing hair, but still. Don’t feel bad, Trixie. We’re just showing you we care for you.”

“Sonata’s right, Trixie,” Sunset chimed in with a hug. “There’s no problem with hugging your sister if you need it. We’ll never say no to you.”

As Trixie smiled a small grin, Sunset returned to her task and walked out of the room. As she waited, Trixie suddenly felt playful. Turning around, she leaned over and gently kissed Sonata’s belly, forcing a giggle from the siren. Trixie ended the gesture by laying her hands over Sonata’s stomach.

“You be good for your mommy, little one,” Trixie said. “Aunty Trixie needs to head to school now, but I’ll be home soon...I hope.” Standing up, she finished to Sonata, “If I’m able to go with you and Sunset, would it be alright if I read stories to your baby, Sonata?”

“That sounds so much fun! Of course, it would be alright, Trixie. We’re sisters, after all. I was actually going to read you a story last night, but we all fell asleep before I had a chance to.”

Smiling, Trixie headed for the door as Sonata got up, beginning to get dressed for the day. Trixie found Sunset standing outside her parents’ room. She waved to Trixie as she stood there, presumably waiting for her parents. Suddenly, the door opened, and Mr. Cake said, “Good morning, girls. I’m glad to see you’re up early. I’m about to make some breakfast before driving you to school, Trixie.” As Mr. Cake began his way down the hall, he said, “Your mom’s still in bed, but she’d be happy to see you.”

Entering the small room, Sunset and Trixie walked over to Mrs. Cake. Sunset gently laid her hand on Mrs. Cake’s belly, kissing it as Trixie said, “Good morning, Mrs. Cake. How are you feeling today?”

“So far, so good, sweetheart, and please, feel free to call me Mom,” Mrs. Cake replied before turning her attention to Sunset. “Sunset, why don’t you go help your father make breakfast. I’ll join you all in a little bit.”

“I will, Mom, but first, can I borrow some makeup for Trixie? Looking good on the outside helps a lot with feeling good on the inside.”

Gently pulling Sunset into a warm hug, Mrs. Cake replied, “That’s sweet of you. Of course, you can borrow my makeup. It’s in my bathroom near the sink. Oh, before I forget,” she said, stopping Sunset from leaving, “your father got you and Sonata new cellphones. They should be in the kitchen, charging.”

“Thank you, Mom,” Sunset replied. “I’ll be sure to thank Dad as well.”

Sunset quickly grabbed a makeup kit and headed downstairs. Sure enough, upon entering the kitchen, Sunset found a pair of cellphones sitting on the kitchen table. Grabbing one, she froze as she saw Sonata dressed in an oversized hat, pink-and-blue coveralls, and a red T-shirt, sticking her tongue out in a goofy smile at her. Quickly turning on the camera of the phone, Sunset said, “Hey, Sonata. Say ‘cheese’.”

“Cheeeese!” Sonata giggled as Sunset snapped the photo. “Wait, are those for us? I saw them on the counter when I came in here, but I thought they were our parents’.”

“Dad got them for us, though, now that I think about it, I’m not sure when he had the time to get them.” Shrugging, Sunset ignored that line of thought and said, uploading the recently taken photo, “This is definitely going to be my new wallpaper.”

“Ooh, ooh, can I take your picture, too?” Sonata chirped, grabbing the other phone.

“Yeah, sure, but wouldn’t you prefer one where I’m not in my pajamas?”

“Nope!” Holding up the cellphone, Sonata added, “Say ‘cheese’, Shimmy.” Laughing, Sunset struck a pose, holding both hands out with her fingers making two V-signs, giving Sonata a silly grin as the makeup kit dangled from her thumb. Sonata snapped the photo and immediately made it her new wallpaper, giggling. Looking at the kit in Sunset’s hand, Sonata asked, “Is that the makeup?”

“Yep, sure is. Want to get started?”

Giving Sunset an excited smile and a nod, both girls raced upstairs, finding Trixie in the bedroom, fully dressed. Walking up to her, Sunset took Trixie by the hands and led her over to the bed. Sonata climbed onto the bed, saying, “Now, all we have to do is paint your nails and add make your face up a bit, and you’ll be all set for school. And don’t worry, we’re going with you to make sure you get there safely.”

“Thank you, Sonata,” Trixie replied, turning her attention to Sunset. “And thank you, Sunset, for doing this. You didn’t have to.”

“It's not a problem, Trixie. You’re our sister, and I want to drive home that we love you.” Gently taking Trixie’s right hand into her own, Sunset began to apply the nail polish to Trixie’s fingers. A few minutes went by before she finished. “There you go!” As Trixie inspected Sunset’s work, grinning, Sunset said, “Other hand, please.”

Giggling, Trixie gave Sunset her other hand. As Sunset worked, Trixie’s smile fell. “But, uh, I don’t think we have time to do my toes. Trixie needs to leave in forty-five minutes, and she still needs to eat and get ready.”

“No problem! Later, then,” Sonata chirped as Sunset hummed in agreement. Soon, the girls finished with the makeup, and the trio went downstairs to eat.

Mr. Cake greeted them with a heaping plate of eggs, sausage, bacon, and toast for Trixie and Sonata and a big bowl of hearty oatmeal and toast for Sunset. A tall glass of orange juice completed each girl’s meal.

“Good morning, everyone,” Mrs. Cake sang as she entered the kitchen, giving the girls each a kiss on the forehead. “Did you sleep well, Trixie?”

“Yes, Mrs. Cake,” Trixie replied. “Her sisters kept their word and stayed with me all night.” Gulping, Trixie looked down, continuing, “But, can I ask you something?”

As Mr. Cake served Mrs. Cake her breakfast before sitting down with his own, Mrs. Cake replied with a warm smile on her face, “Sure, sweetheart. What do you want to ask me?”

Trixie took a deep breath before looking Mrs. Cake in the eye. “Is this what real parents do? I mean, do they actually eat breakfast with their children?”

“No, honey. This is what a real family does,” Mrs. Cake replied, giving Trixie a maternal smile. “Now eat your breakfast, then your sisters and father will take you to school.” Mrs. Cake froze as she began to eat. She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. “Oh, before I forget, Trixie, this piece of paper has Sonata’s and Sunset’s phone numbers on it, so you can call us when you’re ready to come home.”

Trixie gratefully took the paper before digging in. She lost track of time during the pleasant breakfast—the first she’s had in a long, long while—so when she finally looked at the clock, she almost choked on her drink. “Seven-thirty?! Trixie’s gonna be late!”

“You grab your backpack,” Sunset said. “We’ll be outside waiting.”

“Yeah!” Sonata chirped. As Trixie rushed upstairs, Sonata turned to Mrs. Cake’s belly and wagged her finger in mock sternness. “You two be good for your mommy. We’ll be home soon.” She looked up to Mrs. Cake. “Will you be okay by yourself while we’re gone?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine. I’ll go back to bed when you four head out. I just wanted to eat breakfast with you and make sure Trixie has her lunch. Speaking of which…” Mrs. Cake looked to her husband, who took the hint and retrieved a lunchbox from the refrigerator. Opening a drawer next to him, he took out his keys and cellphone, pocketing them as Mrs. Cake said, “Now, you should get going. Don’t worry about me; I’ll be alright. You just take care of Trixie for me, alright?”

Giving her a happy smile, Sonata and Mr. Cake quickly made their way outside as Trixie rushed downstairs, stopping just long enough to kiss Mrs. Cake’s cheek and belly before racing outside to find Mr. Cake already in the van. She climbed in next to Sonata and buckled up as Mr. Cake handed her the lunchbox.

“Here’s your lunch, Trixie. I made it last night.” As Trixie gratefully grabbed the box, Mr. Cake said to Sonata and Sunset, “After dropping Trixie off, we need to head into town to get some more tape and boxes. Will you help me?”

“Yes, Dad,” Sonata and Sunset said in unison.

Mr. Cake nodded and, as he pulled out onto the road, he pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number.

“You’re reached the office of Fancy Pants, attorney at law. How may I help you?” came the secretary’s voice.

“It’s Carrot Cake. I need to speak to Fancy Pants. Is he in? It’s urgent.”

“Just one minute,” she said.

After a few seconds, a high-class, masculine voice said, “This is Fancy Pants. How can I help you, Mr. Cake?”

“Good morning, Mr. Pants, can you meet me and Trixie Lulamoon at the police station this afternoon?”

“Sure, but may I ask what this is about?”

“I’ll explain when we see you later on. I have to go, though; I’m driving and don’t want to get into an accident.”

“Alright. I’ll see you then.”

Hanging up, he looked into the rearview mirror, seeing a worried look on Trixie’s face. He sighed as he came to a stop at a red light.

“That call…” Trixie began, worried. “Was it because of what I told you about my parents?”

“Yes, honey,” he replied. “He will help us to make sure that you can come home after school with us but he is going to need proof that your father did hurt you. While we all believe you, the police are another matter entirely. They’ll need evidence before they act.”

“I see.” Looking down, Trixie continued, “I…do have proof—videos, even—but I’m scared to give them to you; I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Seeing that they were pulling into the CHS parking lot, Sonata chimed in, “Just tell us where to get the proof. We’ll handle it from there. All you have to do today is go to class and be happy.” As Trixie climbed over Sonata to get out of the van, Sonata added, “We won’t let that monster hurt you anymore. We promise!”

Trixie sighed, taking out her phone. Trixie called her house, waiting for a few moments before her mother answered the phone.

“Hello? Wh—” The woman’s voice cut off with a hiccup, and Trixie pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes as her mother tried as best she could to finish, “Who’z thish?”

“Great. She’s drunk off her rear again.” Out loud, Trixie said, “Mom, I have a few friends coming over to drop off my stuff. I’m giving them the key.” Trixie took a deep breath. “I-Is Dad home?” Trixie squeezed her eyes shut, praying.

“No. He’ll be—” Another hiccup. “He’ll be home lathe,” her mother finished, her slurred speech thankfully easy to understand there.

Trixie sighed in relief. “Alright. I’ll let you go now.” Trixie hung up and fished out her house key, handing it to Sonata, “My address is Seventeen Forty-Five Lime Drive. With her being as drunk as she is, she should be completely passed out by the time you get there. And please be careful. If you see you a green car pull into the driveway, quickly head out the back.” Finally, Trixie told them exactly where in her house they’d find the proof.

“Thanks, Trix. We’ll be careful. I promise, this will all be over soon.” After Trixie walked off, Sonata continued, “Now let's go get those videos and set our sister free.”

Giving her a nod, Mr. Cake got back onto the road and headed for Trixie's house. Soon, the group pulled up to a dingy neighborhood, the group’s worries rising with each small, rundown house they passed. Finally, they found Trixie’s house.

The unkempt front lawn was bordered by a broken-down picket fence. Weeds and trash littered the lawn and driveway, and the house itself was covered in mud and chipped paint. The front screen door was hanging off two of its three hinges, and the main front door was cracked in several places.

Sunset scrunched her nose in disgust. “This is the place. Ugh, this place is filthy.”

The girls got out of the van, and Mr. Cake drove off down the block to a rendezvous point they agreed on during the trip there, as he didn’t want to hang around in case Trixie’s father came home and saw the van. Getting to the front door and placing the key in the lock, Sonata thought to herself, “Here we go. You can do this, Sonata.”

She and Sunset walked inside. Sure enough, they found a woman, presumably Trixie’s mother, completely passed out on a couch in the living room, only enough clothing on her to cover anything private. Sunset’s hands trembled in anger, so she busied herself with inspecting the rest of the house. Everywhere Sonata or Sunset looked, there was trash lining the floor. Mold and dirt hung like a cloak on the walls and ceiling. The curtains were covered in holes and dirt. Cobwebs both new and old clung to every corner of the filthy walls.

“Sonata, you get the kitchen clock, and I’ll get the teddy bear. Then, we’ll find Trixie’s room and get the video from under her bed and get out of here and call the cops.” Sunset shuddered, thinking to herself, “How can anyone stand living like this. This is disgusting.”

Giving her a quick nod, Sonata headed through the living room, trying not to trip over the broken bottles of alcohol that littered the floor. Getting into the kitchen, Sonata looked around, finding a small, black, circular wall clock hanging on the wall above the doorway. Getting a chair and standing on it as best she could, she reached up, removing the clock from the wall. Flipping it over, she saw a small camera stuck to the base of it. Quickly heading back into the living room, Sonata saw Sunset holding a small, dirty teddy bear in her hands.

“Alright, I got the clock, and it looks like you found the teddy bear. Let’s go find Trixie’s room, get the last camera, and go.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sunset muttered. “I want to make sure they go to jail for this.”

Leading the way, Sonata headed down a hallway. Towards the back, they found a white door with a sticker of a star-tipped wand with a swirl of glittered smoke coming off the star in the shape of a half moon. Opening the door, Sunset stepped into the room. Sonata searched the wall next to her, finding and flipping a light switch.

The room was sparsely furnished. A single, worn-out bed sat in the left corner of the room, and a broken dresser stood next to the bed with a cage on top of it. Inside the cage was a plump, brown rat that squeaked as it drank from its water bottle.

Making her way to the cage and lightly tapping it, Sunset said, “Don’t worry, little guy. You’ll be coming with us.” Picking up the cage, she said to Sonata, “She said it was under her bed, right?”

Sonata peered under the bed, spotting the telltale flashing light. “Yeah, it’s here,” Sonata replied, grabbing the camera.

With a last look around the room, the pair rushed out of the house and walked down the street to their father’s van, acting as casually as they could manage.

After getting in and buckling up, the girls handed him the objects, which he placed carefully in a bag. Letting out a forced sigh, he said, “Alright, girls, let's head out. We can call the police when we’re out of the neighborhood.”

“I want to be there when they arrest that bastard for what he did,” Sunset argued. “He should know who’s protecting her from this abuse.”

“While that would be nice, I can’t allow you to put yourself into danger like that. Now, let's go get our chores done and head home to get the van and truck packed. Perhaps that will help us all relax a bit. I’ll call the police when I’m done viewing the tapes.”

The trip to the hardware and furniture store was silent as the family contemplated the coming hours. Sunset had a hard time keeping her anger in check as frustrated tears built at the corner of her eyes, and Sonata spent the trip holding her and trying to console her despite her own dark feelings. Finally, they arrived at the store, and Sunset had a better hold on her emotions, enough to be able to accompany Mr. Cake inside.

As they entered, Sunset stopped by a display case near the front entrance. Inside was a nice-looking camera with a tripod attachment. Giving her father a weak smile, she pointed to the camera. Quickly taking the cue, he looked around, spotting a store employee coming down the aisle. Waving him over, he asked, “How much is this camera, sir?”

Looking at it, the employee replied, “It’s forty dollars. Would you like me to hold onto it for you while you shop, sir?”

“Yes, please. And please add some film to it.”

“No need for film, sir. You can attach a USB cord to it and connect it to your computer and color printer, letting you print out your own pictures instead of having to wait for them to be developed.”

Mr. Cake gave an impressed nod. “Thanks for the info. Alright, skip the film, then.” As the employee set to work, Mr. Cake noted Sonata looking at something in a newspaper. “What have you got there, Sonata?”

Grinning, Sonata replied, “Oh, I found something that might make Trixie feel at home.” She pointed to a recipe in the paper. “Look! It’s a cake that says ‘Welcome Home’. I think we can bake this when we get back. Uh, if that is alright with you, Dad?”

Giving her a good-naturedly smile and a wink, he said, “I’m sure we can fit that in with our chores. Now let's get the rest of our things and take care of business.”

Happily, Sonata skipped off towards the back of the store with Sunset quickly following her, ignoring the looks she was getting from those she passed by. Sunset quickly found Sonata in the boxing and moving aisle. Grabbing a flatbed cart, they selected several large and small boxes while Mr. Cake got tape and packing supplies.

After paying, the trio loaded their supplies and the camera into the van. Checking the time, Mr. Cake said, “Alright, girls, we have about four hours before we need to pick up Trixie and bring her to the police.”

Together, the group arrived at their house a little while later. However, as Sonata and Mr. Cake went to work, Sunset hung back, wanting to speak to her mother. Hesitantly, she went over to the resting woman, who was reclining in the kitchen, and said, “Mom, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, dear,” Mrs. Cake answered. “Ask me anything.”

Sunset didn’t ask right away, instead pausing as she lay her head gently upon Mrs. Cake’s stomach. Finally, she asked, “What’s it like being pregnant?”

Confused, Mrs. Cake asked, “What brought this about?”

“Well,” Sunset began hesitantly, “I…can’t have a child of my own. I’m a clone, and the ones that made me made sure that I’d be ‘born’ sterile; can’t very well have your predator making more of her,” she finished bitterly, her voice turning pleading as she continued, “Please, don’t tell Sonata. I don’t want her to know about this. At least, not yet. She has enough to worry about as is.”

“I understand, honey, and to answer your question, I’m both happy and terrified at the same time: happy that I’ll be bringing new life into the world and our family, new life that I’ll get to care for from the very beginning, terrified that I won’t be as a good mother as I think I’ll be. It’s a lot of pressure, and sometimes, I worry that I’m just not up to snuff.”

Hugging her, Sunset whispered, “You’ll be an excellent mother, and even if things get rough, you’ll have the four of us to back you up every step of the way.” Eventually, Sunset ended the firm hug, smiling a more relieved smile. “Well, I guess I should go help Dad and Sonata. Thanks for listening, Mom.”

“You’re very welcome, dear. Just know that I’ll always be there when you need me.”

After Sunset and Mrs. Cake’s heart-to-heart, two and half hours passed by without incident as the group loaded up what little they had after the yard sale into the van. The last thing needed was the master bed, which was going well enough, until…

“Dad?” Mr. Cake heard Sunset say as she entered his room. “Can I help? Mom’s getting a bit fussy, so I thought I would come up here and—”

Her words were cut short by her father’s shout of pain as he got his thumb caught between the bed frame and posts. In his hurry to release his thumb, he didn’t pay any attention to where he was dropping the bed, and it landed on his right foot.

Sunset rushed outside as he squeezed both his thumb under his thigh and his foot in his hand to try to relieve the pain. Sonata saw her haste in grabbing the first aid kit and rushed back upstairs with Sunset. “Dad, are you alright?” she asked worriedly as she saw the state he was in.

“I’ll be fine, honey. I just dropped the bed on my foot, and clamped my thumb between the frame and support boards,” he replied, putting on a weak smile and a chuckle. “Just the dangers of moving, is all.”

Relieved, the girls bandaged up his thumb, finding it hard to resist chuckling, themselves. The trio’s laughter was cut off by the van’s horn. Mr. Cake sighed, “I’ll give your mother some company. The bed’s already taken apart, for the most part. There’s just a little left. Can you girls handle the rest?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Sunset said with a grin. “You just try to keep Mom calm.”

Mr. Cake left the room, and the girls turned their attention to the bed, confused looks on their faces.

“Uh, how are we supposed to get this thing to come apart?” Sonata asked.

“It’s pretty simple, I think,” Sunset replied pointing to several nuts and bolts in the frame. “I think if we take these out, we’ll be able to get this thing apart and downstairs.”

Ten minutes slowly ticked by before both Sonata and Sunset emerged from the house, carrying the last of the bed frame in their arms as best as they could. After loading the van, the girls took a moment to catch their breath.

“So, what’s the new house look like?” Sunset asked her mother.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Mrs. Cake replied. “And huge. Two stories, all brick, seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, an in-ground pool in the back, completely furnished except for the master bedroom.”

“And that’s not all,” Mr. Cake added. “Most of the first floor has been converted into a restaurant and café. We don’t have to leave the house to work anymore.”

“It’s the perfect place for our growing family!” Mrs. Cake finished.

“That’s amazing!” Sunset replied. “But it sounds expensive. How’d you get the money for that?”

“My brother Lemon Cake owns a real estate agency that not only sells houses but commissions their construction. In fact, most of the houses in Ponyville, including our new house, were built or repurposed by his company. He gave us quite the discount.”

“Your brother?” Sunset asked with a suspicious glance. “Why haven’t I ever heard of him?”

“He keeps to himself so much that he’s almost never around,” Mr. Cake said, shrugging. “He spends all his time buying, selling and building homes, so he never really joins in family gatherings. Honestly, you two will more than likely never see him.”

“Does he know about me?” Sunset asked.

“He knows about both you and Sonata,” Mr. Cake replied. “Don’t worry about that.” Mr. Cake’s mood instantly sobered. “Now that we’re done packing, though, I suppose I should stop delaying the inevitable. Time to watch those videos.”

His daughters exchanged glances. “We want to watch, too,” Sunset said to Mr. Cake. “No one should have to watch this alone, and I want to see firsthand what happened to her.” Sonata nodded in agreement.

Mr. Cake pulled out a laptop and booted it up. He connected the first camera, the one on the wall clock, to the USB port. Opening the video player, he fast-forwarded though the normal goings-on in an average kitchen—meals, late-night snacks, emptiness when the family was away or asleep—until something caught his eye. Mr. Cake resumed normal play speed. Trixie and her father were arguing. Or, rather, her father was hollering at Trixie, who was tearfully and futilely trying to placate him. Suddenly, the man tore his belt off and shoved Trixie against the table. He forced her shirt up and starting striking her back with the belt. Even worse, there was already clear bruising on her back, covering a wide range of colors.

Trixie tried her best to resist crying out, even gritting her teeth against her shirt collar. However, this seemed to just anger her father more. With a single motion, he yanked down Trixie’s skirt and underwear. Trixie’s surprised protest turned into a series of pained yelps as her father set to work belting her rear, ignoring his daughter’s tearful pleas.

Suddenly, the video went black as Mr. Cake shut off the laptop, a mix of horror and rage in his eyes. “I think we found what we need,” he said to his equally sickened and angry daughters. “I’ll put copies of these on some flash drives and turn them in to the police and Fancy Pants.”

Suddenly, Sonata’s phone rang, giving her a jolt. Sighing to collect her nerves, Sonata pulled it out and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Sonata, it’s Trixie. School’s done. Can you come pick me up?”

“Yeah, of course. Are…” Sonata gulped. “Are your parents there?”

“No. I usually take the bus to school. Oh, guess what.”

“What?” Sonata asked, a bit startled at the change of subject.

“There’s a new principal. His name’s Star Swirl.”

Sonata’s eyes instantly narrowed, a look of pure hatred overtaking her features. Worried at her change of expression, Sunset moved to take the phone from Sonata, only for Sonata to pull away, saying coldly into it, “Put him on. Now.”

“A-Alright. Hang on.”

Hearing the phone being passed to another person, Sonata waited for a few moments before she heard the familiar voice over the phone.

“Hello. This is—”

“If you hurt her like you hurt me and my sisters, Star Swirl, no amount of magic will save you from me. You will never hurt us again! I won’t let you.”

To her surprise, she heard a sigh on the other end. “Sonata, I will not harm her. I will, however, do something that I should have done all those years ago in Equestria,” he said softly. “Please see me in my office when you get here.”

Still angry, Sonata all but hammered the button to hang up the call. Sunset hesitantly asked, “Sonata? Are you okay?” Instead of answering, Sonata suddenly grabbed onto Sunset, crying into her shoulder, tearfully telling her about the new principal. “It’s going to be alright, Sonata,” Sunset said softly. “I’ll be there for you. We all will.”

The family got into the van, and a short time later, they pulled into the school parking lot, where Trixie was waiting. She eagerly ran up to the van, stopping when Sunset and Sonata got out. “Thanks for coming,” she said with relief in her voice. “Principal Star Swirl’s in his office.”

“Thanks,” Sonata mumbled, beginning to walk to the school.

Sunset gave Trixie a nod and a smile before rushing after Sonata. When she caught up, she found herself staring at the school. “Didn’t think I’d ever show up back here.”

“Me, neither,” Sonata said.

“Sunset?” a soft, familiar voice said behind her.

Sunset sighed, her shoulders drooping. Turning around, she said, “What do you want, Fluttershy?”

“Is it true? You’re moving away?” When Sunset nodded wordlessly, Fluttershy continued, “Please don’t. I know what Applejack said, but please, give us time to heal your broken heart.”

“‘Us’?” Sunset repeated flatly, giving Fluttershy a cold stare. “Who’s ‘us’?”

“Me, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and—”

“Don’t say it!” Sunset snapped. Looking down, she continued, “I want to work things out, Fluttershy. I do, but...” Turning away, her jaw trembled as she felt the pain and anger beginning to return. Taking a second to gather herself, she finished, “I’m scared that you only want to use me and toss me aside when your done, like she did.”

“I’m not using you, Sunset.” Tears began to stream down Fluttershy’s cheeks, and without thinking, she rushed forward, throwing herself into Sunset’s body, wrapping her arms around Sunset’s waist and burying her face into Sunset’s ample chest. “Please, I’m begging you to give us another chance. Give me another chance! I’ll do whatever you want, just please don’t lock me out again!”

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Sunset looked over to find her father’s loving eyes. He smiled a fatherly smile at her and led Sonata inside the school to give Sunset some privacy. As she watched him go, she bawled her hands into tight fists. The sting of losing her closest friend still ached in her heart.

Taking a breath, Sunset very slowly began to lay her hands on Fluttershy’s head, moving her right hand down to Fluttershy’s back as she kept her left on the weeping girl’s head. As Sunset returned the embrace, Fluttershy sobbed out, “I’m so sorry for everything, Sunset. Please! I just want to be your friend again!”

Silently, Sunset led Fluttershy to the front steps, ignoring any onlookers. She sat down with Fluttershy in her lap. “If you want to be my friend again, I need you to answer me one question.” When she was sure she had Fluttershy’s undivided attention, she asked, “Why’d you do it? Why’d you agree to Applejack’s demand?”

Fluttershy trembled. “I…I just wanted to know more about your past. I was too scared to stand up to Applejack, and it seemed like the one thing that would convince you to talk. It was selfish. It was awful. Please, Sunset, please give me another chance. I’m so, so sorry.”

Sunset looked in Fluttershy’s eyes for a few long moments before sighing. Reaching into her coat pocket, Sunset said softly, “I’ll give you and only you one more chance. Please, don’t make me regret it.” Taking out her phone, she continued, “This is my new cellphone. I’ll let you put your email address and phone number into it on one condition.”

Taking a quick breath, Fluttershy said, “Name it. I’ll do anything.”

“You don’t ever give any of your friends my phone number or email address unless it’s an emergency. A real emergency.”

“I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.” Looking at the phone in Sunset’s hand, she asked, “May I? Please?”

Sunset nodded, handing her the phone. Taking a moment to look at Sunset’s wallpaper—a silly picture of Sonata—she opened Sunset’s contact list and added her information hastily, as if worried that Sunset would retract her offer any second. Getting up from Sunset’s lap, she handed the phone back to her.

“Thank you, Sunset,” Fluttershy said. “I promise I won’t break your heart again. Ever.”

Taking her phone back and placing it into her pocket, Sunset stood up, letting out a forced sigh. “Fluttershy, I want to start slowly with this. I don’t know if I can trust you just yet, but I’m willing to try. For now, let me make any first moves. Don’t call or text unless it’s an emergency. It’s probably not what you wanted, but it’s what will work best for me. Now, I need to get going.”

As Sunset walked inside the school, Fluttershy turned to leave, thinking to herself, “I hope she’ll be alright.”

“Well, what do you want?” Sonata demanded as she and Mr. Cake entered the principal’s office.

“I want to make things right for you,” Star Swirl replied sadly. “I want to help you.”

“Why in all of Cantlantis would I ever accept your help? You cost me my children! They were innocent. All of them were innocent!”

Mr. Cake put his arms around Sonata’s shoulders as she started to cry. Star Swirl didn’t answer immediately. Walking around the desk, Star Swirl knelt to one knee, bowing his head and closing his eyes, his own tears dripping down his cheeks. Sonata glared down at him.

“I know. I know they were innocent. That is why I am offering you my own life to pay back all the lives that I stole from your family.” He sighed. “I am so very sorry for all the harm that I caused.”

Sonata didn’t hesitate. As she raised a fist, Mr. Cake exclaimed, “Sonata, no!” Sonata’s fist stopped mere inches from Star Swirl’s face. “Sonata, please don’t use violence to solve your issues. Violence only begets more violence.”

“I hate you for what you cost me and my sisters!” Sonata choked out. “I hate how you used us to fuel your own ambitions and how you lied to Princess Celestia.” Sonata suddenly grabbed Star Swirl’s lapels, yanking his head close to hers and forcing him to look into her enraged eyes. “Why? Why did you do it?” she yelled.

“I didn’t have all the facts,” Star Swirl answered. “Oh, how I wish I did. How I wish I could undo all the pain that I caused you, Sonata. But, I can’t. I can only hope that, in some way, my own death with give you some peace of mind and closure.”

Sonata calmed down enough to ask, “Your death?”

Star Swirl nodded. “I’m dying, Sonata. I have only a few more years left,” he said quietly. “I used the Philosopher's Stone to extend my life, and now, I am paying the price for all that I have done to you, your sisters, and Cantlantis.”

Blinking away the rest of her tears, Sonata sighed, bowing her head and looking away. “But, I don’t want you to die. I…I’m not done with you.”

“I know, but this is the price that I must pay for what I took from you. From all of you.”

Mr. Cake gently ushered Sonata into the hallway, giving Star Swirl one last glare. As they walked through the hallway, they met Sunset, who asked, “Is everything okay?”

“We’re fine,” Mr. Cake answered. “Let’s go to the police.”

Sunset stared sadly at Sonata. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

“It’s alright,” Sonata said. “Looking back, it’s…not something I would’ve wanted you to see.”

The lovers shared a hug for a few seconds before allowing Mr. Cake to usher them to the van, where Mrs. Cake and Trixie were waiting, though he was surprised to find Trixie crying, her head on Mrs. Cake’s lap. “Is everything alright, dear?” he asked his wife.

Mrs. Cake hesitated. “In a sense,” she finally said. “We were talking about…what happened.”

“Why couldn’t they just love me like you do?” Trixie sobbed.

Putting their own issues aside for the moment, Sunset and Sonata pulled the distraught girl into themselves, slowly helping her get buckled up as she calmed down. As Mr. Cake got in the driver’s seat, Mrs. Cake said, “I don’t want Trixie anywhere near those animals anymore. Can Fancy Pants help us?”

“We’re about to find out. I’m meeting him after seeing the police.”

It wasn’t long before the family reached the police station. After helping his wife out of the van, Mr. Cake filled the parking meter as the girls got out. As Trixie stretched her legs, looking worriedly at the police station, Mrs. Cake put her hands on her shoulder.

“It’s going to be alright, sweetie. We’ll all stand by your side while you do this.” Gently take Trixie’s hands into her own, she finished, “Now, let's go end your nightmare so you can begin a new life with a family that loves you.”

Suddenly, another vehicle pulled up to the precinct, and a well-dressed man with white skin and blue hair stepped out, smiling at the Cakes.

“A pleasure to see you again, Carrot,” Fancy Pants said.

“Likewise, though I wish the circumstances were different,” Mr. Cake said, motioning to Trixie. “This is Trixie Lulamoon. We were just about to report what’s been happening to her.”

“A pleasure, Miss Lulamoon. Now, let’s not keep you waiting.”

With that, the group entered the station, marching right up to the front desk. Mustering her courage, Trixie said, “Excuse me, sir. I’d like to report a crime…Child abuse.”

“Okay,” the officer said, pulling a pad and paper out, “and what is your name?”

“Trixie Lulamoon,” Trixie said.

The officer paused before pulling out a radio. “Officer Jade, please come to the lobby,” he said into it.

Trixie waited anxiously and confusedly for the few moments before Jade arrived, wearing full tactical gear. She gave Mr. Cake a smile as she noticed him, though her smile turned into a serious look upon seeing Trixie.

“Jade, this is Trixie Lulamoon,” the officer said. “She’d like to report child abuse. I’ll let you take it from here.”

“You bet I will,” Jade said, turning her attention to the group. “I see you brought your lawyer. That’s good, though, with what I have to say, I doubt he’ll have much to do here. Come on, let’s talk somewhere quieter.”

Jade led everyone down the hallway to a meeting room. A large, metal table in the center dominated the room, occupied with eight chairs. A television and stand were the only other features. Each person took a seat except for Sunset and Sonata, who remained at the doorway. As everyone settled in, Fancy Pants said, “Alright, we’re here, Carrot. Let’s hear it.”

“Put simply, this concerns Trixie and her father’s abuse and mother’s neglect towards her. We don’t want her going back to them, but we can’t just take her with us to a new city without some legal backing, hence why you’re here, Fancy. We’ve brought video evidence of this abuse, but be warned: It’s not pleasant.”

Sunset did the honors, connecting one of the cameras to the TV. The next few minutes were spent in horrified silence as the group watched another recording of Trixie’s father brutally beating her with his belt. Trixie especially had a hard time watching, flinching every time she heard the crack of leather against bare skin and finding herself closer to tears with each pained yelp. “Turn it off,” she finally mumbled. “Sunset, turn it off!”

Sunset obeyed, and Jade said breathlessly, “I knew he was scum, but that…that was terrible.”

“In all my thirty years of practicing law, I’ve never seen something so horrid,” Fancy Pants said. “I should hope this leads to his arrest, officer?”

“He’s already here,” Jade said to the surprise of everyone else. “We arrested him and his wife a few hours ago on charges ranging from assaulting police and resisting arrest to aiding and abetting a known felon. We’ll add child abuse to the list.”

“I’d like to see him, if you don’t mind,” Fancy said. Jade nodded in response and led him away.

The silence in the room was heavy and awkward. Sunset stroked Trixie’s shoulder, saying, “Are you alright? I’m sorry you had to relive that. Hell, I’m sorry you had to go through it in the first place.”

“Yeah,” Trixie said sadly. “I’m fine. It just…hurts, you know? My only family in the city treats me like crap, and my grandma doesn’t have a phone.”

“Well, we’re family now,” Sunset said as everyone else nodded in agreement, “and we’ll make sure none of that shit ever happens to you again.”

Trixie allowed herself a small smile. “Thanks, Sunset. That really means—”

“Jailbreak!” came a shout from down the hall, sounding very much like Fancy Pants.

The group rushed outside the room, Sunset taking the lead. They were meet with the rushing form of Mr. Lulamoon racing toward them. He barreled past them, shoving Sunset to the floor as he crashed past.

“Oh, I don’t think so, asshole!” Sunset snapped, jumping to her feet as she and Sonata rushed after him.

The two caught up quickly, and Sonata dove at his legs, grabbing hold of them. Mr. Lulamoon crashed to the ground with a grunt. He immediately turned around and started wrestling with Sonata, who was able to hold her own, to Sunset’s surprise.

Sonata managed to perry one of Mr. Lulamoon’s punches and launched a punch of her own, landing a good shot on his right eye. “That was for Trixie!” she shouted.

“And so is this!” Sunset snapped, ramming the spikes of her steel-tipped boots into Mr. Lulamoon’s groin. The effect was immediate, and the fight left Mr. Lulamoon as he struggled to catch his breath, though he did still glare at the girls and call them all sorts of vulgar things.

The rest of the group caught up to the girls. However, while Mr. Cake stayed a distance away from Mr. Lulamoon and Trixie stayed behind Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake didn’t stop walking, marching right up to Mr. Lulamoon. To everyone’s shock, the pregnant woman punched Mr. Lulamoon right in the nose, breaking it and stunning the man before she walked back to Trixie.

That’s when several police officers arrived to the scene, including Jade, who was rubbing a bump on the back of her head.

“How the hell did he get out of his cell!?” Jade demanded as some of the other officers cuffed Mr. Lulamoon and forced him to his feet.

“Don’t know,” one of the others replied, “but we’ll do an investigation and see if we need to tighten security or replace something.” The officer whistled at Mr. Lulamoon’s wounds. “Geez, they sure did a number on you, didn’t they, pal?”

“A good thing, too,” Jade said. “Who knows how far he’d have gotten if they didn’t catch him?” Jade turned to the family. “Don’t worry; no charges will be pressed against you. You were just doing your civic duty,” she said with a smirk.

As the officers took the criminal away, some sharing a chuckle at the remark, Fancy Pants turned to the Cakes. “I think I’ve seen enough. I’ll see to it that you can take Trixie with you to Ponyville. As for obtaining legal guardianship, they’ll need to check any other family she has. They’ll also need to run some background checks and such, but knowing you two, that’ll just be a formality,” he said, finishing with a wink.

Immediately, Trixie wrapped her arms around Mr. Cake in a crushing hug, which he gladly returned, Mrs. Cake immediately joining in. The happy family went out to the van, and Mr. Cake tossed Sonata the keys. “Would you like to drive, honey? I’m sure your mother and I would like some time with Trixie.”

“Would I!” Sonata squealed.

As Sonata started the van, she heard a tap on the window. She looked over to find Fancy Pants signaling her to lower the window. As she did so, he said to Mr. Cake, “You’re moving to Ponyville, yes?” When Mr. Cake nodded, he continued, “You’re in luck; Trixie’s grandmother just so happens to live in Ponyville. She’s on parole right now, though not for any violent crimes—hacking into government systems, in fact—which, combined with her proximity to your new home, may make things easier for you to become Trixie’s legal guardians. I can’t say for certain, though, so I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks very much, Fancy,” Mr. Cake said. “You’ve been a big help.”

Fancy Pants nodded politely and walked off to his car, and soon, the family was off.

The long trip was an exercise of healing for Trixie as the girl basked in the love of her new family and got all of her dark and insecure feelings off of her chest. The feelings of camaraderie were strengthened as the rest of the family opened up about some of their own insecurities, letting Trixie know that she wasn’t alone in feeling down on herself sometimes and that they’d always have each other to lean on in case their thoughts become hard to ignore.

Eventually, they arrived at their new home, and the younger women marveled at the sheer size. It was far larger than they imagined, even taking Mrs. Cake’s description into account. The surrounding neighborhood was as upscale as their house, and they knew it’d take some time before they got used to the opulence.

And that wasn’t the only thing they’d have to get used to; it turned out that Trixie’s parolee grandmother Ruby Lulamoon just so happened to be their next-door neighbor. Ruby was shocked and disgusted when Trixie recounted what’s been going on and half-demanded to know if Ruby ever got her letters and why Ruby never tried to help her, while Ruby explained that while she indeed got Trixie’s letters, she was under house arrest as per her parole, and if she so much as stepped foot outside her house, it was back to prison for her.

The meeting ended with a teary-eyed embrace and Ruby’s complete endorsement of the Cakes’ adoption of Trixie, and soon after, the family began the process of unpacking their cargo, which proved much easier than unpacking their feelings. As they worked, Sonata busied herself in the kitchen, making sure Trixie couldn’t see what she was cooking.

Trixie didn’t have to wait long to find out, though, as soon, she and Sunset, who were working on the master bed, were called over to the living room. They arrived to their smiling parents standing behind the camera Mr. Cake bought just that morning.

“What’s going on?” Trixie asked, though Sunset wore a knowing smile.

“Well, we bought this camera earlier today while you were at school, and what better first photo to take than one of our growing family in our new home and our new life?”

“And that’s not all!” Sonata chirped from the kitchen. Soon, she emerged with a large, three-layer cake covered with chocolate icing. On it in white icing was written “Welcome Home”. The letting wasn’t perfect and was smudged in places, but the imperfections only served to let the love baked into the cake shine through.

After a teary hug for Sonata, Trixie settled herself in the middle of the couch, surrounded by her loved ones as the timed camera took its photo. Mr. Cake quickly printed the photo, and Trixie did the honor of framing and placing the photo. As she placed the photo on the mantle above the fireplace, her smile grew as she finally felt truly safe and at home.

“Family. It’s so good to have family.” Trixie said.

Eventide's Memories, Part One (Edited by Icecreammac)

The clouds hung thick and heavy during the cold, winter day. Icicles hung from the tree branches, the rain from the night before having left most of the mountain and forest frozen. The only sign of life in the mountains was Eventide’s breath leaving her mouth like a thick fog. Reaching out from her tree blind, she grabbed a small pile of snow in front of her. Her hand numb from the cold, she quickly shoved the snow into her mouth, letting it melt as she narrowed her eyes.

“Come on, you son of a bitch,” Eventide thought to herself as she slowly swallowed the water. “I know you're out here.” Watching ever more closely at the nearby trees and frozen snow mounds, her steel-cold gaze finally found her target. She drew her bowstring back, steeling her nerves as she aimed. “It's time to pay for what you’ve done.”

Her arrow quickly found its mark, and the still mountain was soon filled with the pained screams of her prey. Smirking to herself, she climbed down from her tree blind, her bow slung over her right shoulder, and walked over to the man. Kneeling down, Eventide reached out and grasped the arrow’s shaft embedded in his knee.

“Don’t pull it out! Oh, God, don’t—”

His pleading was cut off by his own scream as Eventide twisted the arrow, playfully tilting her head in the same direction. Leaning in, she whispered into his ear, “Poach on this land again, and by Odin’s right eye, I’ll send you to your ancestors.” Twisting the arrow the opposite direction, she shoved the arrow the rest of the way through his knee, listening as he screamed in pain. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes! For the love of God, stop! I’ll never come around here again, I swear!” the poacher yelled. As Eventide rose to walk away, he shouted, “Where are you going? You can’t leave me up here! I’ll die!”

“That’s not my problem,” she called back from over her shoulder. “Don’t ever show your face around here again, because then, you’ll be my problem.”

Satisfied, Eventide ignored the poacher’s screams as she began the several-hour journey back toward her grandfather's mountain cabin. Finally arriving, she sighed a contented sigh as she sniffed the air. “Grandfather, you're cooking your rabbit stew again,” she muttered to herself. Setting down her pack and bow once she got near to the cabin, she sat on the porch bench and began removing her boots. “It's good to be home.”

Hearing the door open, she watched her grandfather step out into the cold air shirtless, a long stem pipe in one hand. His thick, broad muscles glistened with sweat, and his thick, snow-white beard blew lightly in the wind. His eyes were cold and hard, his face worn from many years of battles he would sooner forget. “It's hot as Muspelheim in there. I’ve been cooking since you left last night.” Lighting his pipe, he took several long, slow puffs, the blue smoke curling around his nose and head before he turned to face her, frowning. Seeing his disapproving look, Eventide quickly looked away, trying in vain to hide her shame.

“I heard the screams, Eventide.” His rough, pit bull-like voice boomed like thunder. “I assume you found the poacher?”

“Y-Yes, Grand—er, sensei,” she replied, gulping. “I-I found him.” Looking down, she continued, “I shot him in the knee with an arrow, then pushed it through to the back.” Looking back up, she finished, “I told him I would send him to his ancestors if he ever dared come here again.”

Her grandfather continued frowning. “Did you at least tend to his wound before leaving him?”

“No, sensei. I left him on the south ridge near Nine Pines. I thought it was best to leave him to the Norns. If they want him to live, he will.” Eventide looked away in a huff. “Besides, why should I have helped him? He was poaching on your land!”

Her grandfather sat down and laid his rough hand on her shoulder. As she risked a glance back to him, she found herself unable to look away from his cold, beryl eyes, guilt bubbling its way to the forefront of her being.

“Eventide, listen to me. As a warrior, you must know when to let your enemy die without honor and when your enemy should be allowed to live. Many that have died should have lived, and many that have lived should have died. It is not your place to deal in judgement and death. A warrior must always help those that need her or his help, regardless if that person is an enemy or not.”

“But, sensei, he was poaching on your land!” Eventide protested again adding, “Why shouldn’t the Norns be the ones to deal with him?”

“Because it is wrong to deal with those that you dislike in such a manner. It is not for you or I to decide when someone else’s time is up in this world. If the Norns decide our enemy will die despite your help, then he will, but that’s their decision, not ours. Now, grab your things. We’re both going to go get this person we’ll take him to town and let the law deal with him.” Seeing she was looking at the cabin door, he finished, “I’ll put the stew in some containers to take with us. We can’t make this journey on empty stomachs.”

Bowing her head, she sighed and slowly donned her pack and bow. Turning around, she watched him walk inside the cabin and waited impatiently for the few minutes it took him to change and get the food. He came out dressed in furs, and a linen shirt with a rifle in his hand. A bow, and quiver strapped to his body and a leather pouch strapped to his hip. He gave her a nod and headed toward the stables. Eventide glared at his rifle. “We don’t need that disgusting thing. What can it do that a bow, knife or an ax can’t?”

“Sometimes a bow, knife or an ax won’t do. The speed or size of your target may make those weapons useless or too dangerous to use against. I know you don’t like it, but there are times when you must use it to get the job done.” Opening the stable door, he continued, “I don’t like using it, myself, but this time, I feel deep in my bones that I should bring it with me.”

Eventide followed him into the stable, watching as he saddled up his horse. He petted the horse’s neck and quietly said, “Ah, Vinr, you have been my friend for many long winters. I need your help once more.” Getting up onto his horse, he offered his hand to Eventide, who politely pushed it aside. “Oh, you want to ride your own horse?”

“Yes. I’ll take Horse and lead you to that faen—”

“Don’t use that word!” her grandfather snapped. Startled, Eventide gave him a confused look, and he softened his tone and said, “The word ‘faen’ may have at one point meant demon, but now, it means something else entirely. Please, don’t say that word again. You’re better than that.”

“Yes, sensei. I swear I won’t use that word again.” As she saddled and mounted her horse and watched him ride out of the stable, she added under her breath, “Not while you’re around, at least.”

Leading her own horse out into the snow, she spurred his sides, leading him past her grandfather towards the mountain pass. A few hours passed without much spoken between the two as she led her grandfather deep into the mountains under the gentle snowfall until they finally reached the place where she shot the poacher.

The poacher was gone. Eventide looked around, trying to find any hint of a trail of blood that had not been buried in snow. Suddenly, her horse pulled hard to the right, rearing high into the air.

“Whoa!” Eventide yelled, patting his neck and trying desperately to settle him down. “Easy, boy. Easy. You’re going to be—”

A loud, gurgling scream from nearby cut her off. Her grandfather quickly drew his gun and cocked it. Looking around, he saw a small patch of blood near the underbrush away from the small clearing. Dismounting his horse, he commanded, “Stay here!”

“But, Grandfather, I want to help.”

“No!” he said sternly. “Stay there. I’ll check it out. Just get ready to move when I tell you to.”

Heading away from her, he went into the trees, disappearing from her sight. Getting off her horse, she looked around, silently praying, “Odin, protect my grandfather.”

Finally reaching the spot where the scream had come from, the hunter froze with fear. In front of him, a gargantuan bear feasted on what was left of his granddaughter’s prey. It hadn’t noticed him. He looked down at the bear’s right front paw, he heart sinking in fear when he saw only three toes, the other two replaced by stumps.

“Three Toes,” he thought. “Of all the rotten luck.”

Taking a careful step backward, he heard a snap as he stepped on a twig he failed to notice. He winced in anger at his mistake. The bear whipped its head around to look at him. Its muzzle dripped with blood, and its black eyes penetrated down to his very soul.

The bear roared, and for the first time since the war, he knew true fear. He raised his rifle and screamed as the bear charged him. He fired shot after shot, but no bullet fazed it. Thinking quickly, he shot above the bear into a large rock with ice coming off from the side of it, causing a small avalanche of snow and icicles to fall between him and the bear.

Turning to run, he screamed, “Eventide, we need to leave!” Reaching the clearing, he looked around for a few frantic moments before finding her examining a pool of blood nearby. “Eventide, get on your horse. We have to go!”

“Grandfather!” Eventide said as she finally noticed him. “I heard a roar and gunfire. Are you alright?” Seeing a frightened look on his face, she asked, “What's wrong?”

“Get on your horse! That bear won’t be trapped for long. We have to go now!”

“Bear? What bear?” Eventide asked clearly worried.

“Never mind just get on your damn horse!” Her grandfather yelled back quickly mounting his own horse he added, “We need to leave now!”

Quickly getting on her horse, she kicked the animal hard in the ribs, watching in terror as a titanic bear barreled through the nearby tree line. She heard her grandfather shout from close behind her, “Faster, Eventide, faster!”

Spurring her horse harder and harder, Eventide and her grandfather raced as fast as their horses could take them, the bear close behind. Trusting the horse with movement, Eventide quickly drew her bow and fired an arrow, striking the bear’s right front paw, causing it to let out a loud roar.

“Eat that, you bastard!” Eventide screamed, spinning back around. “That takes care of that.”

“Your arrow just pissed it off more!” her grandfather snapped.

“What!?” Eventide whipped her head around to see the bear continuing its charge, though its damaged paw prevented it from gaining ground as quickly. The broken remains of the shaft was the only evidence that it had been struck. Suddenly, she smiled. “Well, it’s a pretty nice day to die!”

To her grandfather's complete shock and horror, Eventide pulled hard at the reins, turning the horse around and charging the beast, her axe in her hand. “I’ll send you to Helheim!”

“Eventide!” Her grandfather screamed.

Eventide looked back for a split-second, but that was all the time the bear needed. It struck out, crashing its mighty paw into the horse’s neck, throwing it to the ground. Eventide soared through the air, hitting the icy ground hard. She rolled in the snow for a few moments before coming to a stop, lying on her back in a half-daze. Getting up, she watched in shock as the bear ripped into her horse.

“Horse!” she screamed, stumbling as she tried and failed to stand up. “Damn you.”

“Eventide!” her grandfather yelled, riding up to her while the bear greedily ate its meal. Reaching down, he grabbed her by her collar and hoisted her onto his horse. “Horse died with honor, Eventide. It bought us time, but we need to leave now before that thing is done eating!”

Immediately, he sped his horse westward, away from the bear and its latest kill and out of the mountains. Several hours passed before they reached town. He ignored the gawking townsfolk and rode to the local clinic. He eased Eventide off the horse as gently as possible, but she still moaned in pain.

“It’s alright, Eventide. I’ll take you to the clinic and we’ll stay in town for a few days.” He gently lifted her into his arms. “I’d rather not stay in this town, but we can’t go back until we’re sure Three Toes is gone.”

He couldn’t keep the glare off his face as the nurse walked into the examination room, giving him a cordial smile. Deciding to get down to brass tacks, she gently took off Eventide’s coat and skins and rolled the teenager onto her side. “Hmm,” she began as she inspected the damage. “It looks like she has several broken ribs. What happened?”

“A bear attacked us. It killed her horse, and she was thrown off of it.”

“I see,” The nurse replied with a disapproving glare of her own. “I’ll order x-rays to be taken, but for now, your daughter—”

“Granddaughter,” he corrected. Gently laying his hand on Eventide’s hip he said softly to her, “Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

“Sir, you can’t leave just yet. You’re her legal guardian, yes?” The old man nodded curtly at the nurse’s question. “We need you here with her.”

Grumbling under his breath, he took a seat, glaring at the nurse who, satisfied, turned back to Eventide. “What’s your name, sweetheart?” she asked.

“Eventide,” Eventide mumbled dizzily.

“Is it true, Eventide?” the nurse continued. “Were you attacked by a bear and thrown from a horse?”

“Yeah,” Eventide answered. “Charged it… Thought I could kill it...”

“Well, that was a really foolish thing to do, kiddo,” The nurse said. Heading for a door, she looked at Eventide’s grandfather, adding, “I’ll get those x-rays ordered. In the meantime—”

“No x-rays!” her grandfather said sternly. “I’m not leaving my granddaughter for you do your western medicine on, djǫflablót.”

“Grandfather!” Eventide shouted, much to his and the nurse’s shock. “How dare you call her that! And after you got done chastising me for foul language!” Looking at the nurse, she continued, “Please, nurse, go and get this...m-machine of yours ready. I won’t fight Odin's judgment. As for you,” she turned her attention to her grandfather, who offered her a sheepish frown as she continued, “be quiet and stop upsetting everyone. I know you don’t trust them, but for once, will you just sit down and keep still!”

Nodding, the nurse headed out into the hallway, shaking her head and smirking to herself. Several long moments passed before she came back with a wheelchair and a gown. Much to Eventide’s grandfather’s chagrin, the nurse helped Eventide into the chair, Eventide cooperating as much as her aching body would allow. After allowing Eventide to change into the gown, the nurse brought her into the examining room and helped her onto the cold table.

“Now, you just lie here. I’ll be in the next room. I’ll come get you once the x-ray is done.” Eventide grabbed at the nurse’s wrist, a worried look on her face. “I know all this might seem a bit scary to you, dear, but we need to get proper x-rays to see how much damage that fall did to your bones.”

“What if they’re broken?” Eventide asked.

“Well, we’ll have to keep you here for a few days to make sure you don’t develop any complications, but you’ll get to go home afterward. You’ll have to take it easy for about six to eight weeks while they heal, though.”

“Six to eight weeks!?” Eventide exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock as she tried to sit back up, only to scream in pain, “OW! By Odin's beard, that hurts!”

“That's what you get for not doing what I tell you to do. Now, lie down, and our technician will take your x-rays. And don’t put your arms across your chest until we’re done. Understand?”

“Fine, whatever.”

Time passed slowly for Eventide as the nurse went in and out of the room, helping her into different positions for the different angles of the x-rays. Finally, though, the nurse helped Eventide get her clothes back on and sit back in the wheelchair, and the two made their way back to the examination room, where Eventide’s grandfather sat. The man gave the nurse a scornful glare before looking down to his granddaughter and saying, “Did she hurt you?”

“No, Grand—er, sensei. The x-rays are done. I’m more than ready to go home.”

Her grandfather shook his head. “It’s too dark, and that bear may still be looking for us. We’ll have to find someplace in town to sleep.”

“You both can do that after we get the x-rays back. They should be ready in about fifteen to twenty minutes,” the nurse said before saying to Eventide’s grandfather, “Can I speak with you outside in the hallway, sir?” She quickly turned to Eventide, “You go ahead and relax, kiddo. We’ll only be a little bit.”

The nurse switched on the television and gave the remote to Eventide before she and the large man left the room. As soon as they left, Eventide wheeled herself to the door as quietly as she could and eavesdropped.

“How did she get those scars on her face.”

“That is none of your damn business! I knew taking her here was a bad idea! All you bastards think of is getting good, honest people in trouble for things they haven't done!”

“Come on, Grandpa. I know you don’t like this place, but you don’t need to yell at her like that,” Eventide thought.

“Sir, I need you to calm down. Her medical history is very much our business. I’m not accusing you of anything. She lives alone in the mountains with you. Any wound she would sustain up there could lead to something terrible.”

“Those scars were from years ago. If something were wrong, I’d have known by now. You just get off your ass and discharge her so we can go home already!”

“We can’t discharge her! We don’t know the extent of what’s wrong yet, and we need to keep her here to make sure she doesn’t suffer any complications.”

“I already know what’s wrong! Her ribs are broken! They’ll heal in time. You discharge her and let her leave or I’m taking her!”

There was a pause in the conversation, and Eventide wheeled herself back by instinct just as the door opened. By the look on her grandfather’s face, it seemed the nurse chose Option Two.

“You heard,” he said.

“Yes.”

“I won’t lose you, too, Evey.” Walking up to her, he picked her up as gently as he could. “I’m taking you out of here right now. Just let them try and stop me.”

Eventide's Memories, Part Two

Carrying Eventide in his strong arms, Eventide’s grandfather rushed toward the elevator, waiting impatiently for it to arrive, all but barreling inside as soon as the doors opened, hammering the ground floor button.

“Sensei,” Eventide said worriedly, “will this injury stop me from going on the hunt during Jól?”

“I don’t know.” Locking eyes with her, he continued, “I hope not. You’re to become a grown woman on that day, and I’ll damned if I let these bastards stop that. But you do need to rest now. I’ll take us somewhere safe. And one more thing: While we’re in town, I am your grandfather, not your sensei. Understand?”

“Yes, Grandfather,” Eventide replied with a slight smirk.

The elevator reached the ground floor, and the door opened to the lobby, where three security guards stood waiting for him.

“You can’t take her, sir,” the one in front said.

“The hell I can’t!” Eventide’s grandfather spat. “She’s my granddaughter. You can’t keep her!”

“Sir, I need you to calm down and step away from her,” the guard said as the three began reaching for their batons.”

Eventide’s grandfather placed her on her feet and marched right toward them, with Eventide followed. As soon as she got close to them, she rushed one of them, ignoring the pain as she spun on her foot and planted her boot into the guard’s head, forcing him to the ground. She immediately twisted his arm and planted her knee on his elbow, snapping it backward. The guard’s screams filled the lobby, as did the shrieks of the bystanders.

“Grandpa, we need to leave now!”

Eventide screamed over the guard’s voice. As she looked over to her grandfather, she was surprised to see that he had already downed the other two guards. His cold eyes locked with hers for a few moments, and Eventide looked down at the guard under her. Raising her fist, she punched him in the temple, knocking him out cold, and her grandfather picked her up and rushed outside into the freezing night. Eventide quickly spotted her grandfather’s horse.

Placing two fingers to her lips, she gave a shrill, though pained, whistle, alerting the horse to her presence. “Vinr, come!”

The horse looked up, whinnied and trotted over to the pair. Being as gentle as he could, her grandfather placed Eventide onto the saddle, patting the horse’s neck before climbing on behind her. Giving a crack of the reins, the horse bolted out of the parking lot into the street. Eventide looked back to see more guards coming out of the hospital. Smirking in triumph, she turned back to see houses, trees, bus stops and signs fly by the pair as they raced down the street.

“Take the reins,” her grandfather yelled out. “Veer him left, Evey. Left now.”

“Where are we going?” Eventide yelled back, veering the horse left to avoid a very busy intersection. “I don’t understand, Grandfather.”

To her surprise, her grandfather physically turned around, riding the horse backwards as he scanned the area for anyone following them. After a minute, sure that no one was following them, he turned himself around again and took the reins from Eventide, bringing Vinr to a slow trot. Looking around he gestured towards a house, leading the horse towards it.

“Who lives there, Grandfather?”

Without answering, her grandfather led the horse around the back of the house and dismounted, gently helping Eventide off the horse. He led Eventide to the back of the house and knocked on the door.

“I’m coming. Hold on,” a stern voice called from behind the door. As the door opened, Eventide and her grandfather were greeted by a stout man with short, red hair, cerulean eyes, broad muscles, and tattoos of intricate runes, Valnut’s spears, and bear paws over most of his upper arms, face and neck.“Ah, Cernunnos, my old friend,” the strange man said, beaming a great smile. “Is it really you? I thought I wouldn’t see you until Jól.”

Taking him into a hug, Cernunnos replied, “Yes, it’s me, you old hound dog.” Eventide watched as the two took each other by the forearms and slammed their foreheads into each other’s, grinning. Turning to Eventide, Cernunnos said, “Brynjar, my old friend, this is my granddaughter Eventide Shimmer Soleil.”

Brynjar offered her his hand, and she gave him a wary look before taking his hand into her own, placing her free hand against her left side to put pressure on the pain. Seeing she was hurt, Brynjar opened the door for them, ushering both inside into the living room, gesturing towards a wooden chair next to a lit hearth.

“Let me go put your horse into my garage so that no one will be tempted to take him.”
“I better be the one to do that, Brynjar,” Cernunnos said. “I don’t want you to get hurt if Vinr decides to bolt.” Helping his granddaughter into the chair, he said to her, “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Evey. Please let him help you.”

Nodding, Eventide removed her linen shirt, covering her chest with her hands as Brynjar checked her ribs. Making a clicking noise with his tongue, he got up and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a black, leather bag. Eventide watched curiously as he set the bag down, but before he could search through it, the pair heard a door open and slam shut as an excited voice called out from the kitchen.

“Father, Father, come see this!” Suddenly, a young girl with mud-red hair ran into the living room and froze as she and Eventide locked eyes. The girl wore a grey sweatshirt, dark-blue pants, knee-high, black, leather boots, and a headband styled with a wolf pendant. Her piercing, bleach-green eyes struck down to Eventide’s soul, and Eventide gulped, her lips trembling.

“Father,” the girl said impatiently, “who is this? And more importantly, where is her shirt?!”

“Fireheart,” Brynjar replied sternly, “This is Eventide Shimmer Soleil. Now, let me check her wounds.” Once more, the group heard a door open and close, and Cernunnos walked back into the living room, taking a seat next to Eventide. “I need to check your ribs to see if they are broken. Will you let me, Eventide?” Brynjar said, adding, “I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

“Grandfather, do you trust him?” Eventide asked warily. Laying his hand on her thigh, Cernunnos nodded with a warm smile. Seeing she wasn’t in any danger, she turned her attention to Brynjar. “Yes, you may check my ribs.” Eventide then turned her attention to Fireheart as she added impatiently, “And if you would sit still and act as a kona instead of a troll, perhaps I could get my wounds healed and be on my way.”

“What did you just call me?!” Fireheart screamed, stomping her foot as she yelled to Brynjar, “Father I demand a fight for my honor!”

“What did I say something wrong?” Eventide replied. “You were fidgeting with that necklace around your neck so much that it was driving me nuts. Hrakning was not my intention. It's just that Gjalpar skær isn't going anywhere.”

Fireheart glared at Eventide and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched her father wrap the last of the bandages around Eventide’s ribs and chest. When his work was done, he turned his attention towards his daughter, sighing, “Fireheart Skoll, are you sure you really want to fight with her? A warrior doesn't attack one who can’t—”

“Excuse me!” Eventide cut him off. “I am more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much!” Turning her attention to Fireheart, she added, “Besides, I won’t hurt her. All I’m going to do is wear her out, then maybe, she’ll be in the mood to talk. Maybe we can even be friends.”

Grabbing Eventide’s shirt and tossing it at her, Fireheart smirked, saying to Cernunnos, “I suppose you are going to try to stop us?”

“Absolutely. My granddaughter is in no condition to compete with you, regardless of whether it’s a fight or a simple race.”

Eventide thought for a moment, before an idea came to her. Getting up, she walked to the kitchen and looked toward the backyard, spying a small pile of logs to the side.

“May I use one of those logs?” she asked Brynjar, pointing to them. “I won’t use them to hurt her. I just need to draw in the snow for a minute.”

“Fine, but do only that,” Brynjar replied before crossing his arms and turning to Fireheart, who was glaring daggers at Eventide. “And if you hurt Eventide, I’ll be more than a little upset, child.”

“I understand, Father. I won’t hurt her.” Fireheart stepped out into the snow, cracking her knuckles as she reached Eventide, who was getting a small branch from the pile. “I’m going to plant your smug face into the snow for what you said to me!”

Eventide ignored her as she found a satisfactory branch and walked into the backyard. Bending down as best as she could, she drew a line on the snow and pointed to it. “Stand here, Fireheart.”

“Fine, whatever, as long as I can kick your ass!” Fireheart replied bitterly as she stood on the line.

Eventide drew three more lines in the snow to form a square with Fireheart's line, each side a few feet in length. Finished, Eventide tossed the branch behind her and took her place on the line opposite of Fireheart. Smirking, she turned to the men, who were now watching from the house, and gestured for her grandfather to join them.

Shaking his head with a sigh, he reluctantly stepped into the snow, taking his place between on the line to Eventide's left. Looking to her own father, Fireheart gestured for him to join the three. With a sigh of his own, Brynjar joined Cernunnos between the girls, standing opposite Cernunnos.

“What are you going to do, Eventide?” Brynjar asked as he took his place between them, turning and adding to Fireheart, “I’m warning you. Don’t hurt her.”

“I won’t, Father,” Fireheart said before saying to Eventide, “Well, come on. Let's get this over with. It's freezing out here.”

Smiling, Eventide breathed in, slowly letting her breath out in a thick fog as she slowly cracked her neck to the right and left before slowly cracking her back, wincing at the pain. Slowly, Eventide cracked her knuckles, first the right, then the left.

“Get on with it!” Fireheart yelled impatiently. “You're slower than a damn turtle!”

Smiling, Eventide looked up to the bright, full moon, spotting, to her surprise and delight, a shooting star in the sky. Sighing, she returned her gaze to Fireheart, who was positively fuming at the delay.

Finally, Eventide spoke. “This isn’t a battle of hand-to-hand combat, Fireheart, so I suggest you take a breath and calm down.”

“Well, if it’s not a fist fight, then what the hell is it?” Fireheart demanded.

“This,” Eventide replied, smirking confidently, “is a battle of insults.”

Eventide's Memories Part Three

“Excuse me?” Fireheart said incredulously.

“You heard me. A battle of insults. They don’t want us hurting each other physically, so this seems like the best way to settle our little conflict,” Eventide explained. “The loser must do as the winner requests.”

Fireheart grunted. “Fine, whatever! What are the rules?
”
Eventide replied, “Rule one: We can’t use racial slurs. Rule two: You lose if you in any way repeat any insult that has already been spoken. Wording matters; I can call you an ape, but you can call me a gorilla without losing. Rule three: You win if the other concedes. Rule four: You lose if you walk away before the other person concedes, which even includes merely stepping away from your line.”

After her explanation, Eventide inhaled slowly, laying a hand over her ribs. Her grandfather stepped toward her, earning him a scornful glare. He stepped back, giving her a worried look.

“Do not worry, Cernunnos,” Brynjar said. “Your granddaughter’s ribs are not broken, only badly bruised. She may be in pain, but she will heal in time.”

“Let’s get on with this,” Fireheart said impatiently. “You go first. I doubt you’ll win.”

Nodding, Eventide cleared her throat. Her eyes locked with Fireheart’s, and the two stood silently for a few moments. The cold air did little to assure Fireheart of what she thought would be a quick and easy victory. Hearing dogs barking off in the distance, Eventide shook her head. Looking down, she collected her thoughts, listening to the sounds of the small town.

“You, Fireheart,” Eventide began, looking back up, “have all the manners of an ape.”

“Yeah, well, you’re a gorilla!” Fireheart shot back immediately.

“Wow, you’re predictable,” Eventide said, rolling her eyes. “You don’t have much of an eye for strategy, do you, you dullard?”

“Pssh, who needs strategy?” Fireheart said dismissively. “We’re just throwing shit at each other, and since this was your idea, you’re more a monkey than me, you chimp.”

Hearing her grandfather laugh, Eventide turned her attention to him, giving him a deadpan look. Her look turned into a glare as she heard Brynjar also chuckle. Fireheart stomped her foot impatiently, causing all three to turn their attention back to her.
“Well, Fireheart,” Eventide began, “that was...pretty boring. Especially after your last insult. If all you have are primate-based insults, I suggest giving up now. This kind of match isn’t for simpletons like you.”

“I’ve got way more than that, you self-righteous bitch!” Fireheart screamed out.

“Hey, something different,” Eventide praised mockingly. “Miracles do happen. But keep it down, okay? You sound like a cat being humped by a love-sick dog.”

“I’ll talk however loudly I want, you bossy bag of shit! You’re a bigger insult to the sense’s, anyway; you reek like a trash heap. When was your last shower?”

“My body is clean. It’s your mouth that needs the soap,” Eventide replied. She quickly looked toward Brynjar as an idea came to her. She quickly blurted out, “And your father, too. He looks like an unkempt beast.”

Fireheart stomped her foot and glared at her father, who did nothing in response to the insult. “Dad, why would you let her say that to you?!”

“Why? What did I call him?” Eventide asked innocently.

“You called him a—” Fireheart cut herself off, shooting a glare at Eventide. “Oh, you pig-faced, nut-sack licker. You almost had me, you shady skunk!”

“Why, thank you, but you really should work on your insults, you beef-headed dumbass.”

Fireheart began thinking of a rebuttal, but a gust of wind passed over the group. Rubbing her hands over her upper forearms, Fireheart’s teeth chattered in the cold, night air, trying to think straight through the cold. Feeling cold himself, Brynjar called out, “Girls, it's colder than Hela’s snow-filled tits out here. We need to take this inside. Otherwise, you’ll both wind up sicker than a wet dog in a spin cycle.”

“If we head inside, then no one wins this match. I, for one, don’t find it cold at all. In fact, it feels rather nice out here. What's the temp, anyway?” Eventide asked.

Brynjar quickly checked his phone, “Two degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill of negative four. You both need to end this so we can get inside and get warm.”

“See, like I said,” Eventide injected, “it’s not that cold. Now, if your daughter would stop her teeth from chattering, maybe she’ll be able to concentrate and get this show back on the road. Hurry up, you dim-witted tortoise.”
“Slow and steady wins the race, asshole!” Fireheart snapped. “Or do you not care for fables, you uncultured hog?”

“That’s rich. You’ve acted like a vulgar barbarian ever since you crashed into the house like a buffalo.”

“Well, that’s pretty good, seeing as how we took you in, fed you, clothed you, and healed your wounds, you ass-backward shaft-lover.”

Eventide immediately barked a harsh, sarcastic laugh, giving Fireheart a cold, dark stare.

“Don’t try to guilt me, you cock-sucking, dizzy-eyed shit-heel!” Eventide spat back “You haven’t fed me or clothed me, you dull-brained twit!”

“Well, we still took you in and healed you. You could at least be grateful for that, you ass-sniffing waffle iron!”

“Your father took me in and treated me. You didn’t do anything but yell at me and pick a fight, you absent-minded cuckqueen!”

Looking to his friend, Brynjar shook his head, receiving a sigh and a nod from Cernunnos. Cernunnos clapped his hands together loudly, catching everyone’s attention.

“Alright, that’s it, girls. It’s colder than Niflheim, and I, for one, want to go in. So, if you two want to continue this, you’ll have to do it inside.” Receiving angry looks from both girls, Cernunnos quirked an eyebrow, adding, “If you both don’t head inside this instant, I’ll pick you both up and carry you inside.”

Whirling on her grandfather, Eventide bitterly replied, “Grandfather, your honor will be forsaken if you do that to either of us.”

“I have been in this type of match before,” Cernunnos remarked. “I can see this means a lot to you both, moreso to you, Eventide, but there is nothing in the rules that forces you both to freeze to death, nor is there any statement given in the rules that won’t allow you both to step away at the same time.”

Both girls gave the other a passing glance. Each looked to her respective elder, each earning a worried and stern look. Finally, Fireheart said, “They’re right. If we stay out here any longer, we’ll turn into popsicles. I want to finish this inside.” Letting out a long sigh, she added, “So, with that in mind, I suggest we both count to three, and on three, we both step off our line.”
Eventide grunted, replying, “Fine. We’ll both step away from our lines at the count of three.” Locking eyes with Fireheart, both girls breathed slowly and counted together. On three, the two stepped back simultaneously, and the group began walking inside into the living room, Brynjar showed Cernunnos his watch with a sigh.

Cernunnos himself squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth in irritation when he checked it; it was eight thirty-six in the evening. Eventide sat in the recliner she had occupied earlier, watching as Fireheart took a seat across from her. After sharing a nod, Eventide looked to her grandfather, who rolled his eyes and motioned with his hand for them to continue the match as the men took a seat across from each other, completing a makeshift square.

“So, Eventide,” Fireheart began, “did your mother fuck a stray dog to give birth to such a mangy, dog-faced mongrel like yourself?”

“No, she didn’t, but I can see your mother gave birth to a dishonorable, flap-eared animal, you skinny, tiny-brained gargoyle.”

Looking down, a look of hurt etched across Fireheart’s face before snapping her heated gaze back at Eventide. “My mother was a saint, unlike the whore-riding junky that shat you out, you hideous wart pile!”

Eventide chuckled at the barb, fueling Fireheart’s rage. Taking a breath, Eventide looked toward the fireplace. “The fire is getting low. How about you get up off your fat pudgy ass, you foul-mouthed buffoon, and put some more wood on it so your guests don’t get cold. Or are you really so discourteous that you don’t care about your guests as much as you claim to?”

“How dare you boss me around in my own home, you dick-jumping worm! Go fetch the fucking firewood yourself!”

Sighing, Eventide sighed before turning her attention towards Brynjar. “Hey, Brynjar, why don’t you tell this wiry-haired brute she should mind her volume rather than yelling like a banshee.”

“Stop getting our parents involved in this, you fat cow-licker!” Fireheart spat. “I thought this was supposed to be between us, you horse-fucking dickbag.”

“What can I say? Half the fun is in riling up your opponent.”

“Fine, then, you pompous, incompetent, bug-chewing slut!” Getting no reaction, Fireheart added, “You nose-picking sludge-pile.” Watching Eventide simply grin at the insults, Fireheart snapped, “Oh, come on, you shit-tossing, whiny idiot. Something I’ve said had to have pissed you off by now!”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, my dear Fireheart, but nothing you have said so far has offended me, you lily-livered fool!” Stretching, Eventide added, “Wake up and smell the coffee, you motley-minded imbecile. I’ve done this a lot more times than you have, you loathsome, idiot-worshiping shrew. It’ll take a lot more than that to get to me!”

Fireheart tried to calm herself enough to think of something that hasn’t already been said. She looked Eventide over, noticing that she was leaning onto her right side. “What’s wrong, you rust-minded wuss? Too pussy to handle the pain on your left?”

Eventide rolled her eyes again. “Mind your own business, you nagging gossip.”
Once more, Brynjar looked at his watch, seeing it was nine in the evening. Almost pleadingly, he said, “Fireheart, can we wrap this up? You need to get up for school tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, Dad. I don’t have school,” Fireheart said bitterly, snapping her attention back to Eventide. “And you showing up here made your pain my business, you ugly, rotten lump of chicken shit!”

“I didn’t show up here for you! Stop acting like you’re some saint just because your dad looked me over,” Eventide snapped. “But, since we’re talking about appearances, you’re thin as a reed. You clearly need some fattening up, you stupid, gangly-armed twig!”

Looking down at herself, Fireheart’s jaw trembled with rage. Trying to hide her hurt feelings, she glared at Eventide and blurted, “Fuck you, Eventide, you drug-loving cocksucker.”

“Really? Is that what I am?” Eventide replied snidely, lightly clapping her hands together with a smirk. “Well, you are a spindly, bullheaded parasite.”

“Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!” Fireheart exclaimed. “What about you and your bastard grandfather? Why did you fuckers even come here, you ill-bred sow! All you’ve done is act like you own the place! You never even thanked my dad for looking after you, you ungrateful shit! You’re not even good enough to lick the shit off my boots!”

“Why must you insist on acting like a senseless sub-human, you eyesore? I swear, you are, by far, the most sanctimonious, shrill-tongued, wishy washy woman I have ever met.”

“You are a degenerate whose only birth certificate was an apology from the condom factory." Fireheart’s snapped. “Your father must have had a hideous micro-dick, and your mother probably had polyps. Why’d they let you stay in this country, let alone in this town?”
Laughing, Eventide turned away, spotting an owl on the windowsill. She pointed to it, but it flew away before Fireheart could see it. Fireheart turned to her, raising her eyebrow.

“I saw a great horned owl, spirit animal of Frigga, goddess of wisdom and war, among other things,” Eventide said. “But you missed it. I guess we know which of us really lacks wisdom, now.”

“Oh, yeah, right! There was no owl, you lying cockroach! You’re just trying to pull a fast one on me!”

“Whatever. What did you say about my parents? I was distracted by the owl.”

“Oh, like I’ll fall for that! I wasn’t born yesterday!”

“Could’ve fooled me, with how your acting, you stuttering tramp. Oh, and let’s keep our mothers out of this from now on.”

“You don’t get to say that, you hypocritical skank! You started this when you brought my father into it!”

“And I recall you telling me to keep our parents out of it, you misty-headed, uneducated goldfish.”

“Unlike you, I do have an education, you unsightly goblin-fucker.”

Grinning, Eventide stretched and playfully yawned, taking her time to stoke the fire herself and let its warmth envelop her. Finally, she turned to Fireheart, who sat impatiently waiting for Eventide to say something. With one last breath and playful yawn, Eventide finally spoke. “Far be it from me to say this, but I can see the gods made a mistake when they brought you into Midgard.” Eventide leaned in, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “You’re nothing more than a dumb, white-livered, inbred tadpole.”

Fireheart slammed the arm of the chair. “Fuck off, Eventide! You don’t know shit about me or what I have been through, you empty-headed, cum-drinking, ball-sucking, holier-than-thou whore!”

Unfazed, Eventide replied, “It’s true. I know nothing about you, and I’m getting tired, so I have only one last thing to say to you, Fireheart.” She locked cool eyes with Fireheart’s enraged ones, watching as Fireheart braced herself. “Moo.”

Blinking a few times, Fireheart looked dumbfounded at Eventide. She looked to her father, then to Cernunnos before shaking her head a few times. “‘Moo’?” she finally repeated. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means that you just lost the match,” Eventide replied, grinning widely. Seeing a confused look etched on Fireheart’s face, Eventide explained, “Rule two, you lose if you in any way repeat an insult previously spoken. I was calling you a cow, albeit in a roundabout way. It was an insult.”

Her eyes widening in rage, Fireheart leapt to her feet and screamed, “That’s bullshit!”

“You made a fair bet and lost. Now, you must honor your word.”

Fireheart gritted her teeth. “What do you want me to do?” she asked reluctantly.

“Tomorrow morning, you’re going to burn nine mugworts, nine plantains, nine watercress, nine viper's bugloss, nine chamomiles, nine nettles, nine sweet cicely, nine fennel, and nine crabapples, followed by lighting nine black candles and placing nine spears against nine ash trees and offering Odin nine loafs of bread, nine blocks of cheese, nine chalices of mead, and finally, nine slabs of meat.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Fireheart replied incredulously, quickly earning herself a very dark glare from Eventide. Fireheart clenched her teeth. “Why the fuck do I have to do all that?!”

Turning her attention to Brynjar, Eventide spat out in rage, “Have you taught her nothing! What type of a warrior are you, you who allows your daughter to wear a Gjalpar skær around her brow yet teaches her nothing of where she comes from or who her people are?!”

“Don’t you take that tone with me!” Brynjar snapped. Calming himself, he sighed, continuing, “I have done what I can to teach her, but like Fireheart said, you know nothing about our lives.” Brynjar turned to Fireheart, “However, Eventide’s right. You agreed to do as she asked if you lost, and you have. I expect you to keep your word.”

Fireheart’s defiance fell. “Yes, Dad,” she muttered, sighing.

“Don’t worry, Fireheart,” Eventide said. “I, too, must offer you and your father my most sincere apology for how I have acted tonight, both in my ungratefulness for his hospitality and for stepping out of line. So, tomorrow, I’ll wake you up early in the morning and join you in offering sacrifice to Odin before offering my service to you and your father to make up for my behavior.” Eventide stood up slowly. “Besides, if I join you, I can tell you some stories about Odin while we’re working. Maybe it’ll make things more enjoyable for you if you learn exactly why we’re doing it.” Eventide’s words broke off with a yawn. “For now, though, let’s go to bed; we have a big morning tomorrow.”

“Feel free to stay here for the night,” Brynjar said. “Cernunnos, you can stay in the guest room. Eventide, you can sleep in Fireheart’s room.” He gave a relieved sigh when Fireheart didn’t raise any protest and led Cernunnos to his guest room while Fireheart led Eventide to her own room.

Wanting to break the tension, Eventide said, “So, uh, Fireheart, can you tell me what you were so excited about earlier tonight when you burst into the room?”

“Dad told me a lot of stories about Vinr. I never thought I would actually get to meet him in person,” Fireheart answered simply. With that, they entered Fireheart’s room, and Eventide took in the sight when Fireheart turned on the light.

Fireheart’s bedroom walls were filled with posters of all sorts of music bands. A guitar hung on the right wall, and dirty boots sat in a nearby corner next to a redwood dresser standing near a bunk bed. Clothes were scattered all over the floor, giving the room a lived-in, albeit messy, atmosphere. Numerous photos were atop the dresser, and as Eventide picked up a photo of an unfamiliar man to examine it, Fireheart explained, “That’s my grandfather, your grandfather's schoolmate.”

Nodding, Eventide put the photo down and looked around, spying a photo sticking out from under a pile of socks and pants. She picked it up and looked it over. The photo showed a girl with long, blue, green, and red hair with deep, ocean-grey eyes and pale skin holding a little girl who looked very much like Fireheart. “Who’s this?” she asked.

Suddenly, Fireheart snatched the picture from her hand and slammed it face-down on her dresser. Looking away, she said, “That’s my older sister Braveheart. We don’t speak of her in this household.”

“But, why?” Eventide asked, surprised. “What could she have done to—"

“I said we don’t talk about her!” Fireheart snapped, her voice wavering.

Startled, Eventide nodded. “I understand.” Deciding to quickly change the subject, she asked. “Do you have anything I can wear to bed?”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah, I do,” Fireheart stammered, gladly accepting the shift in topic as she started rifling through the piles of clothes. “I’m sure I’ve got something around that might fit y—” She cut herself off when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Turning around, she said, “What are you doing?”
“You miss her, don’t you?” Eventide asked gently, quickly interrupting when Fireheart opened her mouth angrily. “I know what you said, but I can’t let it go. I heard your voice crack.”

“Oh, what would you know?” Fireheart snapped, but she looked away, blinking rapidly as her breathing started shuddering. Slowly, her face scrunched up as tears started falling, and though she rapidly rubbed her eyes, she knew she couldn’t hide it anymore. She surrendered and began quietly crying as Eventide wrapped an arm around her in comfort. It wasn’t long before her crying slowed, but Eventide could tell from Fireheart’s content sigh that the cry was very much needed. “I can’t tell you about her here,” Fireheart said finally after several deep breaths. “I’ll tell you while we’re out tomorrow.”

Eventide nodded, satisfied, and the two changed and climbed into bed, clutching together to ward off any chill the blankets didn’t stave off, and it wasn’t long before they fell into a restful sleep in each other's arms.

Eventide's Memories, Part Four

The feeling of the sun's rays and warmth began to awaken Eventide from her sleep the sun slowly rose high into the heavens above the sleeping town. Eventide woke up with Firehearts arms wrapped around her stomach looking at Fireheart she smiled to herself seeing Firehearts lips were a few inches from her own. Not wanting to wake up the sleeping teen who slept soundly next to her Eventide slowly moved her hands over Firehearts arms gently running her fingers along Firehearts forearms.

Slowly Eventide lifted Firehearts arms up gently moving the sleeping teens arms to her side leaning in she pressed her lips to Firehearts forehead ending the kiss she moved the blanket and crawled out of bed. Yawning and stretching Eventide felt pain in her right side looking to her bandages she thought to herself, “Damn that bear! I should have killed it when I had the chance.”

Turning back to her sleeping friend, Eventide gently lifted up the blanket once more pulling the covers back over Firehearts body tucking her in. Running her fingers through Firehearts hair Eventide tucked a lock of hair behind Firehearts right ear before tip-toeing out of the room. Quietly shutting the door behind her Eventide headed down the hall into the kitchen noticing the clock on the stove.

“Five in the morning.” Eventide muttered to herself, “I’m normally up at four guess grandpa let me sleep in a bit.” Looking around she soon found a bowl of grapes sitting on the kitchen table, “Ah breakfast.” She finished.

Sitting down, Eventide took a small clump of them out of the bowl, setting them on a napkin she found in front of the bowl. Looking out the kitchen window she saw several rabbits hopping about. Sighing, Eventide ate her food and headed back to Firehearts bedroom quickly and quietly picking up her clothing, Eventide got dressed. Tip-toeing once more back out into the hallway she very quickly made her way back into the kitchen getting there a few moments later. Eventide opened up the refrigerator taking out two carrots and an apple grinning to herself she muttered, “These will make a good snack for Vinr.”

Eventide quickly placed the carrots into her right back pocket and the apple into her shirt front pocket. Opening the front door, Eventide headed outside breathing in the cold chilly morning air which stung her lungs looking around she saw snow lightly falling in all directions.

“It’s a bit chilly today I better take Vinr for a walk to help warm him up and give him his breakfast too.” She thought to herself. Walking the short distance to the garage she opened it saying aloud, “Vinr.” Looking at the horse she added, “Easy boy, your going to be alright.”

Gently Eventide took a hold of the horse's reins leading him out into the front yard walking him towards the front gate she stopped feeling the horse's muzzle rubbing her back.

Chuckling to herself, Eventide turned to him laying a hand on his snout gently stroking his fury head. Reaching behind her, she took from her back pocket two carrots holding them up for him to see laughing as he gobbled them down.

“Good boy.” She gently said scratching his ear “I’ll give you the apple in a little bit right now we need to get you warmed up.” Feeling him nuzzle her check she lowered her head sniffing lightly, “I know boy, I know you miss Horse. I miss him too but,” raising her head with pride beaming in her eyes she finished, “He is in Valhalla with Odin and the other gods so there is no need to be sad.”

Leading Vynr out the front gate into the street she began to mount him hearing the door open and slam shut Eventide turned her attention to the front door seeing Fireheart standing on the porch. Wrapped in her blanket Fireheart stood for a few minutes shivering in the cold as Eventide checked over Vinr’s reins and saddle satisfied nothing was amiss she turned her attention back to Fireheart holding out her hand to her.

“Come on,” Eventide softly said.

Gulping Fireheart took Eventide’s hand letting the blanket which was wrapped around her shoulders fall to the porch step allowing herself to be pulled up onto the horses back. Fireheart quickly placed her arms around Eventide’s waist still shivering in the cold seeing she was cold Eventide dismounted and picked up the blanket offering it to Fireheart. Shaking her head Fireheart gestured towards the street. Looking to the street Eventide sighed remounting Vinr dropping the blanket in the snow.

“Hold on.” Eventide said smiling taking the reins up again, “We’re going to go a little fast.”

“What do you---” Firehearts words were cut short as Eventide spurred Vinr’s sides hard, the horse, suddenly much to Firehearts shock bolted forward out of her front yard and down the street. “HOLY SHIIIIIIIT.” Fireheart screamed tightly gripping Eventides waist trying desperately not to fall off, “Eventide what the hell are you doing!?!” Fireheart finished.

Happy laughter escaped Eventide’s lips feeling the cold air rush through her shoulder length red and yellow hair the horse galloped through the streets, looking to her right Fireheart saw lights coming on in the homes they passed. People of all ages rushed outside to see what was causing all the nose. Faster and faster the horse galloped down the streets with Eventide veering left or right as they passed house after house and intersection after intersection Fireheart did her best to hang on.

“This is great!” Eventide screamed Fireheart quickly buried her face into Eventides back glancing behind her Eventide added, “Aw come on Fireheart I won’t let you fall off.”
“Make him stop please for the love God make him stop!” Fireheart cried out.

Shaking her head, Eventide quickly brought the horse to a full trot before saying, “Whoa there boy, whoa easy now” Gently patting his neck she added, “Good horse.”

As Eventide felt Fireheart’s body trembling, she looked behind her and coaxed Fireheart into letting her go long enough to dismount safely on the ground Eventide offered her hands to Fireheart. Taking Eventides' hands into her own, Fireheart allowed herself to be dismounted from the horse. Once safely on the ground herself Fireheart threw a fist hitting Eventides right shoulder brushing it off with a playful grin Eventide said, “That was pretty---” Eventide began being quickly cut off by Fireheart.

“Not fun at all!” Fireheart screamed turning around she began to walk away from Eventide folding her arms under her chest adding, “What in the hell is wrong with you?!”

Looking down while holding Vinr’s reins in her left hand Eventide sighed looking back up and seeing Fireheart was several feet from her Eventide called out to her, “Hey wait up.”

Not getting a reply, Eventide led Vinr down the street following Fireheart who narrowed her eyes trying her best to ignore Eventide. Seeing how upset Fireheart was Eventide quickly added, “Hey look I’m sorry alright I didn’t mean to upset you like that.”

“You didn’t upset me Eventide, you did however frighten me.” Fireheart finally said kicking a soda can down the street “It's just that, well--you see.”

“What? Please tell me I want to make this right for you Fireheart.” Eventide said stepping in front of Fireheart stopping her in her tracks Eventide added, “I know I screwed up by spurring Vinr like that I know I messed---”

“My older sister Braveheart used to do stupid things like that before the police took her away.” Fireheart interrupted Eventide getting a worried look from Eventide she added, “I still recall when they came for her I was seven, asleep in my sisters bed I had a high fever that night. Braveheart had gone out to get medicine for me... at least that is what she told me when she left that night. Only she didn’t get it; instead she and her boyfriend hit a convenience store for money they had later planned on using this stolen money to buy drugs.”

“What happened if I may ask?” Eventide asked clearly worried and not liking where the conversation was going.

“Well I am not entirely sure.” Fireheart replied, “But from what I was told and from what I learned during her trial the clerk that ran the store was killed.”
“I see so that is why you don’t talk about her.” Eventide asked looking down adding, “I never meant to cause you any pain Fireheart if my actions with Vinr caused you to think about your sister then I am truly sorry.”

Laying her hands on Eventides shoulders, Fireheart pulled her into a warm hug breathing in Eventides scent ending the hug she locked eyes with Eventide who offered her a weak smile. Taking her right hand into her own Fireheart led Eventide down the street towards a large building looking at the sign which read ‘open at six in the morning closed at ten at night Monday through Sunday.’ she pointed to it.

“I don’t understand Fireheart, why are we here?” Eventide asked, clearly confused adding, “It looks like a normal building to me.”

“You told me last night we needed to offer Odin plants, mead, Cheese, bread and spears due to our behavior last night. This is where we will find what we are looking for.”

Taking her free hand into her own Fireheart led Eventide and Vinr towards the front entrance of the store stopping at the front door. Looking at the horse let go of Eventides hand watching her tie the horse’s reins up on a nearby tree giving her a nod the two headed into the small shop. Shelves upon shelves lined every corner and free space of the shop filled with plants of all types. The smell of fragrant flowers, plants and ointments filled Eventides nostrils quickly throwing her left arm around her nose and face Eventide let out a loud sneeze.

“Bless you.” Eventide heard Fireheart say adding, “Let me guess this place is making you sneeze huh?”

Sniffing Eventide nodded feeling Firehearts hand on her own she blushed offering her a light smile, Fireheart led Eventide to the front counter ringing a bell. The two didn’t need to wait for long when a woman with long pink hair, freckles, pink skin and a crown of daisies in her hair came out from the back of the shop. Looking at the two she smiled warmly to both Fireheart nodded to her saying, “We need to get some supplies for an offering today Ms. Daisy.”

“Sure thing.” She replied adding, “To whom do you plan on making this offering to you Ms. Sk’oll if I may ask?”

Looking to Eventide then back to Daisy she replied, “My friend and I are making offerings to Odin today and I will need the---”

Folding her arms under her chest Daisy narrowed her eyes giving Fireheart a stern cold stare gulping Fireheart took a step back Eventide looked between the two of them clearly confused. Stepping around the counter Daisy leaned in, her face grim, her eyes darkened, keeping her eyes locked on Fireheart. Seeing a look of worry on the young teens face Daisy stepped back behind the counter.

“You do fully understand.” Daisy began ending the awkward silence between the three of them, “That Lord Odin is one of the most powerful ancient Norse deities and that the young sk’oll is not to be trifled with?”

“Yes we both understand this.” Eventide chimed in adding, “Now are you going to allow us to buy the supplies we need for this or do we have to go elsewhere for our supplies?”

Turning her attention to Eventide who gave her a cold stare in return Daisy growled out, “Do not take that tone with me Eventide Shimmer Soleil!” watching Eventide give Fireheart a passing glance she added, “Yes I know who you are and I know who your grandfather is as well.”

“Wait back up, how do you know me and my grandfather?” Eventide asked clearly confused adding, “I have as far as I know never met you until today that is.”

“Do you recall when you broke your right leg you were eight years old at the time being your grandfather told you not to stand up in the saddle while you were learning how to ride a horse.” Daisy stared at Eventide with conviction in her eyes as she added, “But you have your mother’s need to prove yourself burning within you so you stood up and got yourself tossed off the horses back.” Watching Eventide look down she continued, “You didn’t cry once, not even when I had to reset your broken bone I also recall six months after you got your cast off your grandfather insisted that we take you on the ritual hunt.” Slowly Eventide looked back up, her face showed a demeanor of calmness and happiness at the memory, “You were so eager to prove yourself to us that you rather foolishly rushed the boar taking it with your bare hands the animal mauled your right shoulder but to my shock and your grandfather's as well you took down the boar.”

Placing her left hand over her right shoulder, Eventide squeezed her shoulder tenderly looking to her shoulder then back to Daisy Eventide smiled letting out a sigh. Smirking Eventide chuckled lightly Fireheart gave her a passing glance chiming in, “So since you know Eventide can we get our supplies please?”

“I just wanted to make clear to you both that you should know what you are getting yourselves into before you buy the supplies that you will need to make a proper sacrifice to Lord Odin.” looking at Eventide, Daisy added, “And from the look on Eventide’s face I’d say she recalls me rather vividly wouldn’t you say that as well peu guerrier.”

“No one has called me ‘Little Warrior’ since I was nine years old. And you are correct I didn’t cry because as a warrior it is wrong for me to cry. I will never cry for anything or... anyone.”
Eventide replied adding, “Daisy we both fully understand what we are getting ourselves into, so can we please with your permission gather up what we need to do this?”

“You will find Eventide that as a warrior you are allowed to cry even when you think it is not the right time or place.” Daisy replied adding, “You’ll find all that you need including the spears and a wagon complete with a hitch in the very back of the store just take Vinr round back and I’ll do the rest.”

Quickly taking Eventides hand into her own Fireheart led her outside to Vinr taking the horse’s reins into her own free hand Eventide gently led the powerful horse around the back of the shop. Seeing a large wagon complete with all they needed to hitch up Vinr Eventide and Fireheart set about getting the horse ready to pull the wagon down the street towards home. Daisy came out with her arms full of all that they needed placing the items into the back of the wagon. Giving her a nod, Eventide mounted Vinr while Fireheart got into the wagon waving their farewells to Daisy.

“Tell your grandfather Eventide I’ll collect my wagon upon the next harvest.” Daisy called out to the girls.

“I’ll do that.” Eventide replied cracking the reins adding, “I look forward to the hunt again Daisy see you then.”

Heading back down the street Eventide whistled a light tone to herself Fireheart took out from her backpack a flute placed it to her lips and began to play. Stopping her tune Eventide looked back to Fireheart offering her a pleasant smile, “Will you teach me how to play your flute Fireheart?” Eventide asked.

“Of course I will but first we must make the sacrifice.” Looking up to the sky she added, “It should be about nine o’clock so if we hurry we can do this before noon then I’ll teach you how to play this.”

Coming up to Firehearts home a few hours later Eventide pulled on Vinr’s reigns stopping him in his tracks getting off the horse she walked over to the wagon setting the break in place. Walking behind the wagon Eventide opened the back of it as Fireheart hopped out helping Eventide to carry in all of the supplies. Looking around Fireheart noticed the house was quiet. Entering the living room, she found a note pinned to her father's chair. Unpinning it Fireheart waited for Eventide to set down the supplies she had carried in. Watching Eventide take a seat in a chair near the fireplace Fireheart read outloud.

“My daughter,
Cernunnos and I have gone to see the Mayor about Three Toes please do not go into the hills or mountains until I get back. Make sure that Eventide doesn’t leave the safety of the town until she hears from us. We will be back as soon as we can until then there is stew in the stove and fresh bread in the cupboards.
Love
Dad

Cernunnos wants to make sure Eventide gets plenty of rest and doesn’t practice her technique, hunting, tracking, or skinning skills she is to rest and do nothing more than that.”

“Great.” Eventide grumbled, “So I’m grounded.”

Looking up from the note she had just read Fireheart quirked an eyebrow setting down the note Fireheart walked over to Eventide laying her hands on Eventides shoulders. Gently helping Eventide up, Fireheart pulled Eventide into a warm hug whispering into her ear, “You are not grounded Eventide.”

“Alright if you say so.” Eventide replied ending the hug adding, “Let's get this stuff outside and ready to make our offering to Odin.”

“Sounds good to me then afterwards I’ll teach you to play the flute.”

Gathering up their supplies both Eventide and Fireheart headed outback Fireheart began to look through the plants making each one was clearly marked. Eventide began to set the spears against the ash trees stepping back to inspect her work Eventide smiled to herself hearing thunder off in the distance she glanced up seeing the clouds above were turning charcoal grey.

“We need to hurry Eventide.” Fireheart called out to her, “I don’t know about you, but I for one don’t want to get soaked.” watching Eventide approach her she finished, “You stay here I’ll go get the drinking horns and fill them with my fathers beer, then we can make a proper offering to Lord Odin.”

“Agreed.” Eventide replied watching Fireheart leave. “And while she does that I’ll set up the altar and the cheese and bread.”

A few moments went by before Fireheart came back with nine small drinking horns placing each one in a triangle on the altar that Eventide had set up. Each wheel of cheese had been placed in the center of each triangle of plants and candles. Feeling around her pants pockets Eventide groaned in irritation, “Damn-it I didn’t bring my grandfather's zippo with me.”
“Here use this.” Fireheart said, handing over a small lighter she added, “Its my fathers. I snagged it before coming back out I thought it might come in handy for this.”

Heading back inside Fireheart came out with a large pitcher of beer handing it to Eventide taking the pitcher from her Eventide began to fill the horns with beer. Her work complete Eventide set the pitcher down looked to the sky above calling out, “We the children of Midgard do hail you Lord Odin and ask upon this day that you might forgive us for our transgressions from the day past.” Though still in pain from her bout with Three Toes, Eventide slowly began to raise her hands above her head with Fireheart copying the gesture Eventide added, “Hail the grey wanderer for many years you have knocked at the hidden doors to our souls, patient yet ever insistent: awaiting our response.”

Thunder boomed over heard Eventide smiled, her eyes darkened keeping her arms raised she closed her eyes for a few moments taking in the cold chilly air and thunderous nose of the oncoming storm. Fireheart closed her eyes calling out, “All Father you who knows the passageways to my heart. Yet patient, waiting, not treading there within uninvited.” Opening her eyes she added, “Wise one you teach me the greater worth of a path freely chosen. I welcome You now into my heart, unfettered by reservation.”

Watching Eventide lower her arms Fireheart stood silently for a few minutes as Eventide gestured to the drinking horns before lowering her own arms. Eventide looked up with pride showing in her eyes calling out, “Odin you are Lord of all Asgard, we your followers offer you these nine horns of beer so that you might drink your fill and offer us safe passage on the journey that you have shown us today.”

“Spear Shaker, You who incites wars amongst nations and the battles within each of our hearts: You spur us now to rise to the challenge of a warrior calling to take part in all that life has to offer to us.” Fireheart called out as Eventide gestured to each of the nine spears Fireheart added, “One eyed god your quest un-halted by sacrifice, so do we commit to follow your internal will now and forever shall we be yours to command.” Gesturing to Eventide who took out from a small pouch sitting on a altar in front of her a handful of rune stones Fireheart finished, “Master of the runes through your gift we glimpse the web of Wyrd so do we two your daughters of Midgard seek the knowledge that your staves reveal to you and to the other gods.”

Lightning flashed across the sky as rain began to fall, Fireheart looked up shaking her head looking back at Eventide, she watched Eventide close her eyes. Eventide breathed in slowly letting out her breath, her eyes slowly opened and her face was eerily calm Fireheart looked for any sign of pleasantry but could find none showing on Eventides face.

Worried for her friend Fireheart was about to speak when Eventide cut her off, “Patron to the skalds bringer of the mead of inspiration may our words be pleasing to your ears.” Taking a step towards the altar, Fireheart saw only emptiness behind Eventide’s cyan eyes watching her slowly raise her arms again adding, “Master of fury primal and uncontained: dictated by necessity. May we two daughters persevere, unrepressed, in adversity to show you your glory in all things to come.”

Gulping Fireheart stepped towards Eventide watching her lower her arms Eventide turned around facing Fireheart thunder boomed overhead as lightning crackled. Several loud explosions could be heard off in the distance as Fireheart locked eyes with Eventide. Taking another step towards Eventide, Fireheart stopped as Eventide said, “May your queen Freya and her Valkyries find the two of us daughters of Midgard worthy when the web of our lives has been cut by the Norns and may we both pass under the mighty tree Yggdrasil with your blessings Lord Odin.”

The rain began to fall hard Eventide bowed her head Fireheart quickly copied the gesture turning to leave Fireheart calling out to Eventide, “We’re going to get soaked if we stay out here much longer we should head inside.”

“Alright we’ll head in.” Eventide called back over the sound of the pour rain “Looks like grandpa and your father are going to get soaked out there. Man the rain sure is coming down hard.” Heading inside the house Fireheart headed to her bedroom while Eventide headed to the living room sitting down she began to get a fire going thinking to herself, “I hope grandpa and Cernunnos have found a dry place to bunk down for the rest of the day.”

“Here try these on, they might fit you.” Firehearts voice snapped Eventide back to reality “There dry and warm I hope they fit comfortably.” Watching her take the clothing from her Fireheart added, “While you get changed I’ll finish getting the fire going.”

Taking the clothing from Fireheart, Eventide headed into Fireheart’s bedroom to change, returning a few moments later finding Fireheart sitting in her father's recliner. Taking a seat next to her Eventide trembled slightly, catching Fireheart’s attention. Getting up, Fireheart headed into her bedroom returning with her blanket draping it over Eventide she smiled pleasantly to her.

“Thank you.” Eventide said, wrapping herself up in the warm wool blanket “So uh, now that we are back would it be alright if you teach me how to play that flute?”

”Sure thing then perhaps you can tell me what Gloriosa meant by ‘you have your mother’s need to prove yourself burning within you’ I don’t really understand what she meant by this.”

Chuckling to herself Eventide breathed in placing a hand to her ribs rubbing the area tenderly looking into the fire she closed her eyes letting the warmth of the fire dry her wet skin. Opening her eyes Eventide looked down saying, “I have the same spirit that my mother Celestia has. I was taken away from her when I was seven and placed in the care of my grandfather. I am sure my mother hates me. That is why I was taken away from her.” Looking back up Eventide added, “I can hear and see things that to many people are not real, but I know what I see and hear is real.”

“Tell me what do you see when you look at me?” Fireheart asked Eventide watched her head to her room returning with her flute sitting back down Fireheart added, “Do you see birds and animals when you look at other people?”

“No.” Eventide replied swallowing hard she added, “I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t make fun of this.”

“I am in no making ‘fun’ of this for I too see things that most would say are not there only I see animals or at least I think they are animals but I am curious. If you have felt this way why has your grandfather not sought out medical help for you?”

“He was in war though he won’t talk about it. I have secretly read his journals. I know he saw what medical science can do if it is abused. That is why he doesn’t trust medicine. As for your questions I see a woman dressed in red with long silver hair shimmering red eyes and light freckles on her face. She is dressed in a long flowing red cloak. She has very long slender elf-like ears, pale moon-white skin and a soft kindly voice.”

“Does this person have a name.” Fireheart asked.

“Yes I call her Sparrow. There is another that I see, one that completely terrifies me, one that I wish to the old Gods that I didn’t have to hear or see. She is always covered in feathers; only her shoulders, stomach and feet are visible; the rest of her is covered in thick feathers.”

“Okay I don’t think I want to hear any more,” Fireheart said.

Much to Firehearts dismay Eventide thought it was a good idea to continue.

“Her ears are small tufts of brown hair matted and torn her eyes are a dull dead brown with no life or light behind them whatsoever. She wears a golden circlet around her brow with a large grey jewel in the center. Her face is hard and corse when she speaks I feel nothing but fear. She has golden bracelets around her upper forearms, silver wings covered in blood protrude from her back. She is sadistic where Sparrow is always calm and kind.”

“What do you call this uh, person?” Fireheart asked, clearly worried and not liking where Eventide was going with their conversation. “I um, well that is I---”

“She is called Elf.” Watching Eventide begin to show signs of unquenchable fear Fireheart watched Eventide’s jaw tremble as she finished, “And she is standing right.... behind you.”

"Hello Eventide." Eventide heard, Elf begin, "Time to play."~

Drink Away the Pain Today (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset sat alone in her dimly-lit room. The house was still and dead silent. Sunset sat on her bed, holding the wine bottle in her hands. It was red wine, Sunset saw, from the early 1800s. "That's good, right? The earlier the year, the better, right?" she thought. She smiled lightly to herself while placing the corkscrew to the cork. "Time to find out." She thought to herself. With a light twist to the right, she twisted the corkscrew into place, then shuddered slightly as she took a hold of the bottle in one hand while pulling with the other. The cork came loose with a soft pop, which broke the silence of her empty household. Holding the bottle up to her nose, she sniffed it. The wine smelled of fresh grapes and fruits.

Sniffing to herself as she let a tear fall, she muttered to herself before taking a sip, “I don’t care if mother and father get upset with me. I need this. They aren’t my real family anyway.”

Sunset grimaced slightly as the wine slid down the back of her throat. It tasted like fruit mixed with acid. Licking her lips, she thought, “Maybe it'll be better the second time.” Sunset lightly threw her head back, taking a bigger swallow than before. As the wine slid down the back of her throat, she coughed hard, nearly spitting up the wine and almost spilling the bottle on herself.

Setting the wine bottle down next to her bed, she shook her head, muttering to herself as she picked up the Scotch, “That was just...awful.” Taking up the glass in her left hand, she placed the bottle of Scotch between her legs to keep it in place. With her free hand, she opened the bottle of Scotch, saying to herself, “I hope this'll taste better than that damn wine Rarity gave me. How she can actually drink this shit is beyond me. How anyone can drink it is beyond me.”

Once the bottle of Scotch was open, she poured some of it into her glass, raised it to her lips, and sniffed the liquor. It had a sweet, pleasant aroma that reminded her of happier times in Equestria. Taking a sip, she smiled happily as the liquor slid down the back of her throat. Getting up, she took another, deeper gulp of the contents of her glass.

“This actually tastes pretty good. Kinda like cider from Equestria,” Sunset muttered as she moved to her door. Taking another gulp, this time finishing off what was in her glass, she continued, “I'm hungry. I’ll get something to eat and drink the rest downstairs.”

Heading downstairs, she soon found herself in the living room, pouring another amount of Scotch into her glass. Looking up, a single picture among all the others caught her attention. Setting the cup down on the coffee table, Sunset walked over to it.

The picture was of her parents Mr. and Mrs. Cake on their wedding day. Both looked very happy. Sunset began to tear up, and she turned from the picture with a slight huff. Walking back over to the coffee table, she snatched up the glass of Scotch, spilling some it onto the table. She raised it her lips, gulping it down quickly. Finished with her second glass of Scotch, she muttered, “I will never be happy. I will never have what they have. I only have this damn Scotch and these feelings of pain.”

Pouring herself another glass, she began to sniff softly as she looked at all the photos in the room. Her eyes finally fell to one photo. It was of her when she had won the crown from the first Fall Formal during her freshman year of Canterlot High school. Shuddering slightly, and wondering how it ended up in the Cakes' house, she walked up to the picture.

Sunset took the photot down from the wall with one hand while she held the glass in her other hand. Growing angry, she threw the picture against the far wall to her left. It hit the wall, and the frame shattered. Sunset screamed as she watched the photo land on the floor, “DAMN YOU, CELESTIA, YOU FUCKING HORSE’S CUNT! YOU DID THIS TO ME! YOU TURNED YOUR DAUGHTER INTO A MONSTER, DAMN YOU!”

Sunset gulped down her third glass of Scotch. As she began to feel slightly better, a song slowly began to form in her head. She walked over to the kitchen humming to herself as she poured another glass of Scotch. Opening the refrigerator, to her surprise, she found another bottle of Scotch inside the lower drawer, buried under two loaves of bread. Taking it out, she read the label. It read "Jack Stallions Alcohol, 160 proof".

Sniffling slightly as she wiped away a few tears from her eyes, Sunset poured what was left of it into her own bottle, then shook her bottle for a good mixing of both liquids. Taking a sip once she was done, she smiled at how good it tasted. The warmth of the alcohol began to take affect, and Sunset began to sing to herself.

“I sit alone on my throne of misery.
Anon-A-Miss, you took everything from me.
I sit alone, no friends at all to see.
Anon-a-Miss, you took everything from me.

How I wish I could knock you on your ass
For what you've taken from me.
But instead, I’ll just raise a glass
And toast you as I drink away
My pain today.

Anon-a-Miss, you took everything from me.
Did you think it was cool to fuck with me?
Did you think it was fun to screw with me?
Did you think it was right to take my life
And replace it with this fucking strife?

With a single stroke of a computer key,
You took her away from me.
I can still smell her rainbow hair.
The wonderful scent hangs heavy in the air.

How could you take her away from me like this?
But all I can do is raise a glass to you
And wish I could knock you on your ass.
You fucking cunt, you stole her from me.

You’ll just sit there on your throne,
Tossing me a bone labeled Misery.
And all I can do is raise my glass
As I drink away my pain today,
Wishing nothing more than to knock you on your ass.

You fucked up my hopes.
You fucked up my life.
All I have now is pain and strife.

But that's alright
Because I can simply drink away all the pain today.
Oh, yes, I can drink away all the pain today.
Just simply pour another glass
As I drink away my pain today.”

Sunset swallowed hard. As she raised her glass to her lips, a flashback of her and Rainbow lying in bed together caused her to drop the glass. Looking to her right, she spied the front door and muttered, “I have to find Rainbow. I have to make things right.” Sunset looked around, finding her coat in the foyer closet and her boots under the coat.

Slipping both boots on and slipping her coat on, Sunset soon found herself stumbling through the streets. With each stumble, she would stop take a drink from the bottle of Scotch she was carrying with her. Unaware of her location, she fumbled around for her phone in her coat pocket. Once she had her phone out, she tripped, dropping her phone into the snow. Angry, she muttered, “Blasted phone always getting away from me.”

Sunset tried to climb back to her feet, only to fall again. Sighing heavily, she smiled to herself, saying as she watched people pass her by, “Yep, I am so plastered.”

Trying again to get up, she again fell back to the sidewalk. Figuring that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, she took her coat off and placed it behind her head for a cushion. She leaned against a building, unaware that someone was coming up to her. Taking up the bottle again, she pressed it to her lips, drinking heavily from it. Her eyes began to blur as more tears slowly started to stream down her cheeks.

A soft voice called out to Sunset, getting her attention, “Sunset what in the world are you doing out here without your coat on?”

Looking up through eyes bloodshot from her few hours of crying and drinking, Sunset saw Cheerilee standing over her. A shocked look on her former teacher's face did little to dissuade Sunset from taking another drink. Kneeling down next to her, Cheerilee reached out to take the bottle away from Sunset as the teen tried to take another drink from it. Sunset pulled away slightly, spilling some of the liquor onto herself. It felt warm and sticky as it ran down her shirt, the bottle having been warmed by her hands.

Taking another drink, Sunset heard Cheerilee say gently to her as she placed her hand onto the bottle, “Alright, Sunset, everything’s going to be okay. Let me have the bottle.”

“You want some, too, Ms. Cheerilee?” Sunset slurred out. “I think I might have enough here for both of us. L-Let's get you a glassh.”

Cheerilee looked at her former student with very sad eyes. Carefully taking the bottle away from her, she set it down next to Sunset. Sunset looked up at her. With mascara running down her face, Sunset sobbed out, “Why did Anon-a-Miss have to wreck my life?”

“I don’t know, Sunset, but getting drunk and freezing to death won’t help you.”

Sunset tried to stand up, only to stumble forward, causing Cheerilee to reach out to catch her former student. Throwing one arm over Sunset's shoulder and taking her by the back of her waist, Cheerilee helped Sunset over to her car. Leaning the very drunk teen against her car, Cheerilee said lightly as she placed her hand onto the car door's handle. “Okay, just stand a few more seconds Sunset, and you’ll be in my nice, warm, safe car.”

Sunset snickered lightly, saying with very slurred speech, “C-Car? Where? I don’t see any car, Misheerilee.”

Sunset slid down the side of Cheerilee's car, crying as she hit the ground. Cheerilee heard the drunken teen say, “It’s my fault. All my fault. I don’t deserve to live.”

Cheerilee looked down at Sunset. Getting her passenger door open, she knelt down, saying softly, “Sunset, dear, it wasn’t your fault that Anon-a-Miss hurt you. You are not to blame for--”

“I killed him. I killed them all. I can't...I can't...” Sunset sobbed out, trying to finish her words, only to lean forward, passing out in Cheerilee’s arms.

Gently picking the teen up, Cheerilee placed Sunset into her car, started it up, and headed home. On the way, she called Principal Celestia to ask her to meet her at her house. Getting home an hour later, Cheerilee pulled into her driveway just as Principal Celestia and her sister arrived. The two got of Principal Celestia’s car, with Luna saying to her sister as they both rushed over to Cheerilee's car, “I hope Sunset will be alright. I don’t at all envy the headache she's going to have in the morning.”

“Nor do I, Luna. I just want to know where she got the alcohol from.”

The two helped to get the passed-out Sunset into Cheerilee’s home and into bed. Once she was safely tucked in, with a bucket provided for her to use when the time came, Luna, Cheerilee and Celestia all headed into the living room.

Cheerilee said as she looked at her friend and employer. “I was coming out of a store across the street from where I found her. At first, I thought it was just some random drunk trying to mess with my car. But when I saw it was Sunset, well, I couldn’t just leave her there without her coat or any means of protecting herself. You don’t know how bad the streets can be at this time of night.”

“Oh, we know how bad they can be, Ms. Cheerilee,” Luna said.

“I'll call her parents. They need to know that their daughter is safe and well, although I'm sure they'll have a few harsh words to say to her for getting drunk.”

“I think,” Celestia began, nervous at the thought she was about to state out loud, “we should at least wait until she's sober enough to talk to them coherently. At least let her sleep it off. Then, in the morning, we can call her family, but for now, with all that she has gone through, we should at least allow her to sleep.”

“Sister, we can’t coddle her,” Luna protested.

“We are not coddling her, Luna. We are simply providing her a safe place to recover. Besides, do you really think she wants to wake up in a hospital bed, surrounded by machines and nurses that will poke her and prod her and ask her personal questions?”

“Well, no, I suppose not, but I--”

“Look, Sunset needs to be in a safe, warm home for now. When we get to the car, we can call her parents, and then together, we all can sit her down and talk with her about this. Perhaps Sunset can help us find out who Anon-a-Miss really is.”

“Well, if you're sure about this, then I'll go along with it, but for the record, I still don’t like this idea.”

“Fair enough,” Celestia turned her attention to Ms. Cheerilee as she continued, “Now, Ms. Cheerilee, please call us if there is any change in her condition.”

“I will.”

Luna and Celestia left Cheerilee’s home, with Luna calling Sunset's father once the two sisters got to their car. Mr. Cake was understandably upset by Sunset's drinking and promised to be at Cheerilee’s house at nine in the morning on the dot.

Sunset spent the next few hours sleeping. Cheerilee slept in the room next to the one that Sunset was in, being sure to open the air vents in both rooms so she could listen if Sunset needed her for anything. Cheerilee spent the next few hours worrying about her former student before finally falling asleep herself.

Unbeknownst to Ms. Cheerilee as her eyes finally closed and she drifted off to sleep, Sunset was about to have a very frightening awakening.

Out-of-Body Experience (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

“Celestia, it’s Luna. The fight's over. I have the students who started the food fight in your office.”

Principal Celestia let go of Twilight, took out her radio, and replied, “Copy that, Lu--”

“I also have Anon-a-Miss in your office.”

Everyone paused, shocked at the news, except for Mr. Cake, who looked more upset than anything else. Before Principal Celestia could stop him, Mr. Cake grabbed her radio.

“Bring her to the hospital,” Mr. Cake snarled bitterly into the device, “I want that brat to see what her bullying has done to my daughter!”

“Carrot!” Mrs. Cake screamed out in anger. “I don’t want that monster anywhere near our baby.”

Mr. Cake looked to his wife, who stared bitterly back at him. As they stared each other down, Twilight said softly, “If you two are going to fight, please do it elsewhere. This is neither the time nor the place.”

Mr. Cake, backing down, gave the radio back to Celestia, who quickly said into it, “Uh, do you copy that, Luna?”

“Who was that, Celestia? And yes, I do. I’ll have them there as soon as I am done dismissing school.”

Thinking that now was a good time to let Sunset rest, Mrs. Cake stepped forward, knelt down, and gently kissed Sunset on her forward. “Mother will be back soon, honey. Don’t you worry. You just rest now. This will all be over soon.”

Mr. Cake held the door open for his wife, looking back at Sunset as she lay in her bed. As Principal Celestia and Mrs. Cake both walked by him, he said, “Twilight, are you coming?”

Twilight didn't look away from Sunset. “No. I want to stay here with Sunset. Is that okay?”

“That's fine. I'll have Celestia and Luna bring these people here to see Sunset so they can see the results of their bullying.” Before stepping out into the hallway to join the others, Mr. Cake added, “Then, they can go to jail for this outrage.”

With everyone gone, Twilight quickly set down her backpack, took out a vial of the Tears of Hope, saying as she popped the cork, “Please let this work. I know this might be very dangerous since we haven't tested it in this world, but I have no choice. I can’t lose you, Sunset.” Twilight stifled a sob before continuing, “There's still so very much I want to show you and teach you about friendship.”

Twilight very quickly moved the air hose in Sunset's mouth to the right and poured the liquid into her mouth. Sunset's body glowed a soft, yellowish orange as Twilight muttered, being very careful not to spill any of the Tears of Hope, “Good, it's working. This should help her to wake up.” Twilight laid her hand on Sunset's and paused as Sunset winced in pain visibly. “She's still hurt. These Tears should've healed her body, too.” Twilight thought a bit. “Maybe... Maybe the Tears of Hope doesn't work on the human body, or maybe its magic is just weakened in this world. But she winced, so she felt that pain, so her brain seems to be healed at least a little. That's the most important thing, I suppose.”

Once she finished pouring the liquid into Sunset's mouth, Twilight took a step back and glanced out the window next to Sunset's bed and saw Sonata outside across the street, helping someone that looked exactly like Sunset to a nearby bus stop. Twilight exclaimed in shock, “What in Equestria!?”

Dropping the vial, Twilight looked back to Sunset, saying as she headed towards the door, “I’ll be back soon, Sunset. I have to talk with someone. I swear I’ll only be gone for a little bit!”

Sunset lay in silence for a short time, until she heard an eerily familiar voice say, “I thought that prissy little brat would never leave.” Sunset opened her eyes, taking notice right away that her right eye didn’t hurt anymore. “Now that she's gone, let's have ourselves a little chat, shall we?”

Sunset sat up as she stared coldly at her demon self, who was staring back with a wicked smirk on her face.
“What the fuck do you want?”

“Didn't you hear me? I said I want to talk. Nothing more, I promise.”

Sunset rolled her eyes in irritation and sat up, taking notice of Sonata walking toward the hospital. “Great, now I have to deal with the Dazzlings, too.” Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can this day get any worse?”

“Would you stop complaining? We have important things to talk about.”

“Alright, I get it, already! We need to talk, so talk!”

Sunset watched as her demonic self sat down next to her, sighing heavily. The demon stared long and hard at the floor in front of her before saying, “I don’t know if you'll believe me, and frankly, I don’t really care, either.” The demon looked up, but didn't make eye contact as she continued, “I want you to live, Sunset. Not just for myself, but for the both of us.”

Sunset, taken aback, stammered, “W-What did you just say?”

“I want you to live.” The demon hesitantly took Sunset's hand, and Sunset could feel the ice-cold touch of death mixed with the burning heat of fire in the touch. “Please, Sunset. I know you've been through a lot, but there's so much Twilight can teach you.”

Yanking her hand back, Sunset gulped, looking at the demon in both confusion and anger. “Why? Why do you want me to live? You've done nothing but hurt me!” Sunset got up and turned back toward the bed. Her anger immediately left her and was replaced with fear and confusion when she saw herself in the bed, still battered, still bruised, still beaten.

The demon capitalized on Sunset's pause and said, “I am a part of you, as you are a part of me. If you die, then I die with you, and I can’t have that.”

“Good!” Sunset snapped angrily, remembering the conversation and glaring at the demon. “You've been a complete monster and a total bitch! If my death will end your life, then so be it.” The demon backed away, not looking Sunset in the eyes. A single tear fell from her eye, though she clenched her teeth and tried desperately to hide it. “Are you crying? You, the big, bad demon, crying?” Sunset asked incredulously.

“Please, Sunset, I'm...I'm begging you. Don't end your life. Live.”

“No! There's nothing for me here! I have no reason to live, and every reason to die. And you've even given me a new reason, since dying will get rid of you, too.”

“You do have reasons to live! What about Twilight, and your parents? What about them?”

Sunset opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when Sonata entered the room with a doctor who seemed...off. Sunset and the demon watched as the doctor placed a needle into the bedridden Sunset's arm. Sunset winced, but immediately noticed that she felt no pain from the needle's entry. Looking to the demon in confusion, Sunset said, “What's going on. That didn't hurt at all.”

Before the demon could answer, both women heard a long, monotone sound. Sunset saw Sonata’s face going white with fear as she quickly said to the doctor, “Hurry it up!” Looking to the door as she heard footsteps drawing nearer, she continued. “We need to go now!” When the blood bag was full, she quickly said, “Put a bandage on her wound and let's go already!”

The doctor complied, and the two made a quick exit from Sunset’s room. Two doctors and two nurses came in a few moments after Sonata and her zombie doctor left the room. One doctor pressed a button on the wall next to the door yelling to a speaker panel, “Code Blue, Floor 2, Room 16! Repeat, Code Blue, Floor 2, Room 16!”

Evil Rising (Edited by Icecreammac)

The moon crawled to its zenith above the graveyard. The cemetery was dead silent save for a muted shuffling. Slowly, slowly, a hand, pale yellow in the moonlight, rose from one of the graves, unseen by two teenage girls entering the graveyard.

“Vinyl, are you sure about this? It's awfully late?” Octavia said, glancing at her watch as she and her girlfriend walked into the graveyard. Glancing fearfully in every direction, she continued, “We really should be home studying for our history exam tomorrow. Or, you know, doing anything besides going to a graveyard in the middle of the night.”

Vinyl didn’t text a reply back. She carried with her a small bouquet of flowers while she made her way down the path towards Sunset's grave, their footfalls the only sounds they could hear. Getting within sight of the grave a few moments later, Vinyl froze and stared in horror. Not noticing her girlfriend had stopped, Octavia bumped into her.

“Hey, what did you stop for?”

Vinyl simply pointed forward. Octavia followed Vinyl's finger, and froze, matching Vinyl's expression. There was a girl standing over the grave, head down as if staring at it. Dirt caked her hair and stained her skin and clothes, giving her a ragged appearance. Although the darkness made it difficult to discern her appearance, the moonlight illuminated her enough to help them identify the yellow skin and the distinctive red and yellow hair. But what truly made it clear in the teens' minds who they were staring at, the lone girl was wearing the very dress and shoes that their close friend was buried in.

Having heard Octavia's voice, Sunset Shimmer slowly turned around. The girls, too scared to move, noticed one last detail as Sunset stared at them: There was something off about her eyes. It was impossible to tell exactly what was wrong with them in the darkness from the distance they were at, but the girlfriends were nonetheless unsettled.

For a few eternal seconds, the two parties just stared at each other. Then, suddenly, Sunset leaned forward, letting out a disturbingly deep, primal roar.

“Vinyl, run!” Octavia screamed, grabbing her girlfriend by the hand as she turned to run. No sooner had she taken her first step when Sunset leapt through the air, landing right in front of her. Sunset backfisted Octiavia in the mouth, sending the cellist into a nearby tree. As she slammed into the tree, Octavia felt a horrendous pain as her bow arm snapped like a twig, and she slumped to the ground, holding her arm and screaming in pain.

Vinyl tried to run to Octavia, but Sunset got in her way, grabbing her by her shirt and picking her up off the ground. Cocking her head slightly to the right, Sunset's upper lip curled slightly upwards as her canines elongated, slightly curving inwards. Pulling Vinyl into her, Sunset opened her mouth, biting into Vinyl's neck. The mute girl’s eyes shrank to pinpricks while Octavia screamed in fear at the sight.

“No!” Standing back up while holding her broken arm, Octavia screamed, “Why are you doing this, Sunset? Let her go!”

Hearing her scream, Sunset snarled, throwing Vinyl to the left. Octavia watched in horror while Vinyl corkscrewed through the air, hitting a bench. Sunset turned her attention back to Ocativa and began to advance.

“Leave her alone, Fourteen!”

Turning around, Sunset saw Summer Sunrise, Gilda, and Sonata standing nearby. Letting out a wordless snarl, Sunset rushed Summer, only to receive a quick, magically-enhanced fist to the face. The blow sent the crazed girl backwards into some nearby bushes. Quickly turning to Sonata, Summer yelled out, “I'll lead her away! You two help those girls!”

“Are you nuts!? Look at her!” Gilda exclaimed, her eyes widening as she saw Sunset getting back up effortlessly. “You can’t take her on by yourself!”

Preparing for another attack, Summer screamed, “I have no choice! Do it!”

Without another word, Summer rushed in, catching Sunset by the throat and slamming her back into the ground. Seeing that Sunset was momentarily dazed by the blow, took the opportunity to punch Sunset a few more times in the face. As the pummeling continued, Sonata grabbed Gilda by the hand, rushing her over to Octavia and Vinyl.

“Gilda, I can't do this alone. I don’t know the first thing about first aid!”

“Well, I know a little bit of it.” Gilda knelt down and examined Vinyl, who was unconscious and hurt but not as badly as Gilda had thought. “We need to move her out of here.”

Just then, Sunset slammed her fist into Summer's, sending the girl off of her. As Summer yelped in pain, the others looked over as Sunset got back up, her skin slowly but surely turning from her normally vibrant yellow to a dark red.

“Hurry, pick her up and let's go!” Octavia yelled. After Gilda lifted Vinyl over her shoulder and Sonata helped Octavia up, Octavia continued, “Come on, I know a quick way out of here.”

The four girl made as hasty a retreat from the graveyard as they could with two hurt girls weighing down the two healthy ones. As they emerged from the graveyard, Gilda stopped when she saw a police car coming down the road. “Oh, shit! We're so screwed.”

“You two go back and help your friend. I’ll get Vinyl to the police officer,” Octavia said. Gilda placed Vinyl on the ground, and Octavia sat down next to her, giving her sore legs a quick break. When Octavia noticed Gilda's concerned look, she said, “Go on. I can tell you really don't want to see the cops, so get out of here. I'll cover for you.”

Nodding her reply, Gilda turned to Sonata, who said, “I’ll stay here and help out. I think I'd just get in the way in there,” punctuating her sentence by pointing to the graveyard.

“Sonata, are you sure about this?” Gilda asked as she turned to begin her run back to Summer.

Looking towards the police officer as he started pulling his car up alongside the curb, Sonata said, “Yeah. Now hurry before he sees you.”

Gilda nodded quickly, taking off back the way she came. Getting back to where Summer battled Sunset, Gilda quickly looked around. Not seeing either one, she quickly headed for the other entrance of the graveyard. Getting there a few moments later, Gilda found the two girls still fighting.

“Snap out of it, Fourteen!” Summer screamed, landing a punch to Sunset's face. “I came here to get your help, and I can't very well get that if you’re acting like a wild animal.”

Sunset didn't let up, cranking her fist back for another punch, which Summer countered with a punch to the sternum. Sunset released another roar and locked eyes with Gilda. Gilda stood like a deer in headlights as she stared helplessly into Sunset's eyes, unsettled further as she noticed that Sunset's sclerae were completely black, clashing with the cyan of her irises.

“Summer, do something!” Gilda screamed in fear, realizing that Sunset was targeting her now.

“Oh, no, you don’t! I won't let you hurt her.” Summer jumped in front of Sunset, blocking her path to Gilda. “If you want her, you’ll have to go through me!”

Just as Sunset lunged in again, a police car pulled up, screeching to a halt. Getting out of the car, Brushed Jade yelled out to both girls, “Freeze, both of you!”

Jade's confidence left her when she got a good look at what she was about to face. Gulping, she quickly drew her gun, screaming out just as Sunset let out another loud roar, “Get on the ground now!”

Before she do anything more, she suddenly found herself suspended in the air with a tight hand wrapped around her throat. A very angry Sunset stared up at her as Summer shouted, “Put her down, Fourteen! It's me you want!”

Summer rushed in, only to be caught off-guard as Sunset threw Officer Jade accross the street at her, causing both of them to hit the ground with a loud thud. As Summer got back up, Gilda raced to the officer's side, getting a confused look from Jade. “Gilda? I've been looking everywhere for you. Do you know how much trouble you're in?”

“Yeah, yeah, you can arrest me later. Let's just concentrate on getting out of here, alright?”

Not getting any argument from the officer, Gilda placed Jade's arm over her right shoulder, hefted her up, and helped her down the street. As they quickly stumbled away, Jade asked, “What is that thing?”

“I have no idea. All I know is that Summer's the only who can stop her.” Gilda couldn't shake the doubts from her mind. "I hope."

Summer, meanwhile, continued to battle Sunset. After a few minutes, though, Summer's energy began to flag, and Sunset, with her seemingly endless energy, began to get the upper hand. As Sunset started pummeling Summer, who was too tired to strike back, both combatants heard a melodic, entrancing voice off in the distance. As the song continued, Sunset slowed down her assault. Confused, Summer glanced over her shoulder to see Sonata coming out of the graveyard.

Still singing, Sonata pointed to Sunset, and Summer took the hint. Mustering her strength, she punched Sunset in the head, knocking her to ground. Sunset tried to get up, only for Summer to kick her in the side of the head. Sunset stopped moving, but Summer kicked her a few more times to make sure. Finished, she watched to see if Sunset would get back up, only daring to look away when she was sure that Sunset was truly out cold.

Breathing deeply, Summer said to Sonata, who had stopped singing, “Thanks. But I thought sirens could only sow discord with their songs.”

“Nope. While we can use our voices to feed our selves and plant suggestions within our victims minds, each siren has another ability with their song. Mine's hypnotic.”

“Well, I'm glad it worked.” Looking around, Summer continued, “Where are those girls you helped?”

“Oh, I placed the officer in that car under my control. I ordered him to take the two to a hospital and made sure he and Octavia would forget everything they saw here. However I am not sure it worked on the other girl though.”

Nodding and looking down to Sunset, Summer said, “I hope when Fourteen wakes up, she’ll be in a better mood.” Looking back at Sonata, Summer continued, “Why didn’t you tell us before that you can wipe minds with your power?”

“No one asked. And it takes a lot of concentration to do alone, so I usually can't unless I'm with my sisters.” Sonata's mood suddenly saddened, and she said quietly, “I miss them. I feel so alone without them. Twilight gave me a chance to go home, and I turned her down. What was I thinking?”

Laying a hand on her shoulder, Summer said, “Hey, you did what you felt was right. For what it's worth, I wouldn’t go so far as to trust anyone trained by Princess Celestia. Now help me with Fourteen, will you?”

Not replying, Sonata picked up Sunset and carried her over to Officer Jade's squad car. Placing her into the back seat, she got behind the wheel, saying, “You coming or what?”

“You can drive?”

“Hey, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm not that bad. My sisters and I have been around the block more than once. So either get in and stop yapping or start walking.”

“Fine, but you better know what you're doing. And you better be right about erasing memories.”

“It's fine, alright? I can make the cop Gilda's with forget up to the last two hours or so. But that's it. Any longer than that, and I might hurt her. I don’t want that on my conscience.”

Sonata started up the car, turned it around, and headed down the road, soon finding Gilda and Officer Brushed Jade five blocks away. Getting out, Sonata quickly sang her siren song, freezing the officer in her tracks. With Summer's lead, Gilda headed over to the car and got Sunset out.

Sonata gave Jade her instructions, and Jade drove away. The remaining girls walked in the opposite direction, wondering what they would do with Sunset when she woke up.

Sunset's Letter (Edited by Icecreammac)

Author's Note

The reason I put into Sunset's letter about the charred timber wolf is because her friends don't know what happened with that other than the human worlds Cheerilee. Cheerilee is the only one in the human world that knows what Timber and the charred timber wolf did. So now Sunset's ex-friends know as well. I also have it stated what Sunset's original plan was BEFORE she met with Dumbbell Stallion and Rainbow Dash.

Sunset's Letter (Edited by Icecreammac)

The sun slowly sank in the west as Apple Bloom sat next to her sister on the couch, each very anxiously awaiting the arrival of Applejack's friends. It had been six long hours since Applejack and her family returned home from the courthouse.

“Apple Bloom,” Applejack began, not looking up from where she sat, “when my friends get here, if they ask ya ta leave, Ah want you to leaving without any complainin'. Understand?”

“Yeah, Ah understand. Ah I know I messed up really bad and put our family through the mud.” Getting up from her place, Apple Bloom looked out the living room window. Seeing three cars pulling into the driveway, she continued, “Ah know Ah can’t ever be forgiven for what Ah did, but Ah’ll work really hard to earn yer forgiveness, Applejack. Ah promise, Ah won’t let my fears get the best of me again.”

Getting up as well, Applejack headed over to the door when she and her sister both heard the doorbell ring. Opening the door, Applejack let Principal Celestia, Principal Luna, and her friends into her house, saying, “Thank y'all kindly fer comin'.” Everyone entered the house except Rainbow, who didn’t show up.

Fluttershy took a seat on the couch, saying to Applejack, “I called Rainbow to let her know she could stay at my house for a few more days. When she agreed, I told her you wanted her to be here. She told me to tell you that she wants to be left alone for now and sends her regards. I think she's too upset with what happened at the courthouse today to be around any of us right now.”

“Alright.” Applejack let out a tough sigh, then continued bitterly. “Ah'm a mite upset myself at what happened today, not ta mention what happened to Sunset and how we all treated her.”

“We can work on that tomorrow,” Twilight began, giving Apple Bloom a scornful look. “While on the way over here, I arranged with Principal Celestia to attend classes for the next few weeks.” Looking down, she continued, “I don’t know if I can help any of you, but I will at least try.”

As Celestia took her seat, Applejack noticed that Celestia was carrying a box in her hands. Setting the box down on the coffee table, Celestia opened it, saying, “When I handed you Sunset's letter before her funeral, I forgot to give these to you as well.”

“Ah see.” Applejack looked over the three books that were inside the box. One book looked old and musty. It had a long, winged rod with two snakes coiled around it. Under the caduceus was a green stethoscope and silver horseshoe. The second book was made from brown leather with a green scarab on the cover, a crown above the scarab's head. The third book looked a little newer than the other two. It had a large, golden sun on the cover of it.

“Do ya know what's in the books?”

“No. I figured it'd be best if we all discovered the contents together,” Celestia responded, also giving Apple Bloom a cold, angry stare. “After we hear what you called us here for, that is.”

“I think it is best that your sister not be here for this,” Twilight began angrily. “I'm still very angry with her, and I don’t want any further issues with her.”

“Ah understand, Twilight. I’ll leave so that you can spend time with my sister.” Apple Bloom walked out of the living room. “I’ll be out back with Winona, Applejack.” The girls heard the back door open and a dog's happy barking.

“I'm sorry I had to ask her to leave, Applejack, but--"

“No, it's alright, Twilight. She and Ah need time to deal with this, and havin' her here now with how we all feel will only make this harder.”

“Speaking of, why did you ask us here, darling. I thought with all that happened at the courthouse, you would want to be alone. I know I wanted that,” Rarity asked. “But my mother and father want to discuss what happened today, and I am very worried about what's going to happen to us once we get our summons.”

“Right, let's get ta the point," Applejack said reluctantly. "Ah asked y’all here because Ah have a letter that was written by Sunset, according to Principal Celestia. Ah haven't read it yet, but Ah'd like to read it to y’all now, if y’all will let me.”

“Of course we will let you,” Luna said softly. “I know I certainly would like to know what she wrote”

“Thanks, Vice Principal Luna. Ah don’t think I can bring myself to read it by myself, which is why Ah want y'all to be here with me when Ah break the seal and actually read it.”

Applejack went to her fireplace mantle, picking up the letter. She breathed heavily as she broke the seal . The parchment felt soft and smooth in her hands as she took the letter out of its envelope.

“Dear Applejack,

You asked me a few weeks ago if I had anyone waiting for me back home. I told you that I don’t, but I didn’t tell you the reason for that. Honestly, I wanted to when we had our heart-to-heart in the park. I wanted so badly to spill the beans about my origins, but I was scared that if I did so, you'd just see me as a freak or madwoman. I must be out of my mind to do this through a letter, but nevertheless, I want you to know the real me.

Let me start at the beginning. I don’t know how old I was before I was brought to Princess Celestia. I think I was around one, maybe two years of age, but what I do remember is that for a time, I was very happy.

One day, though, when I was ten years old, I was reading a book in Celestia’s library when I got up to select another book. I bumped the shelf next to me, causing something to fall from the top of the bookshelf and hit me in the head. After a few moments of saying a few words I shouldn’t have said, I looked to see what had hit me.

What lay before me was a brown leather book which had opened when it hit the ground. I closed the book to check the cover, which depicted a gold caduceus with a green stethoscope and silver horseshoe under it. I have included this book with this letter as well, as proof of what I am saying. As I examined the book, I saw the corner of a piece of paper sticking out. Reopening the book to see the paper, I saw, to my shock, my own birth certificate. And to my horror, Celestia's name was nowhere to be seen on it.

To say I was angry is an understatement. I was downright pissed. I took the book to Celestia, whom I found in her garden sipping tea, and demanded to know if what I read was true or false. To my anger and horror, she confirmed it was true that I wasn’t her daughter, but her deception didn’t stop there. I felt after I had my conversation with Princess Celestia that she was still hiding something from me, although I couldn’t quite put my hoof on what. I just knew she was hiding something.

A week passed, and I barely spoke a word to her. I suppose I was just being selfish, but she was no saint, either. How could she have kept something like that from me? I just had to find out what else she was keeping from me. Being so young and reckless, I did something that I knew I shouldn’t have done.

Princess Celestia kept a journal about all the stuff she and I did together. I guess she kept it so that when I was old enough, she and I could read it and remember my lie of a childhood. Well, I got a hold of her journal while she was tending to her garden and read it. I learned about a dark artifact called the Demon's Heart. I also learned that Celestia had used it to bring back her husband Storming Winds, a pony she claimed was my father. I also read within that damn book that no sooner did she bring him back than she ended his life!

But that wasn’t all I learned by reading her journal. I also learned where she kept the Demon's Heart. Well, wanting to see it for myself, I soon found my way to her vault and very quickly discovered to my complete surprise that I was able to open it.

I went inside the vault and looked around a bit. There were all sorts of things inside that a foolish little filly such as myself could get into all sorts of trouble with. At the back of the vault, I found the Demon's Heart. Placing my hoof on it, I noticed right away that it thumped like a real heart.

Before the guards came, I took it out of the vault and brought it to my room. However, before I could study it or even try to use for myself, Princess Celestia sent for me. We talked, and again, I felt like she was still trying to hide something from me. I had asked her about the birth certificate, and she told me that my real parents died giving their lives to save me from a dragon.

I asked about Storming Winds, and though it pained her to talk about it, she told me that he had died on a diplomatic mission to the griffons' kingdom. Well, I did some digging, but there never was such a mission. I even went to the kingdom on my own against Celestia's knowledge. Every griffon who would talk to me told me that they've never heard of Storming Winds.

So again, without Celestia's knowledge or consent, I began to look into my origins and traced them back to Crystal Ridge, which was little less than a small, upcoming town in those days. I asked Celestia about it, and she forbade me from going there, but I didn’t listen to her. I wish I had; I may never have become the monster I was at the Fall Formal.

It took nearly every coin that I had saved to get me there, not to mention a few well-chosen words here and there, but a few days later, I at last stood in the town square of Crystal Ridge.

I recall clearly that the air was very cold, the town being far north of Canterlot. After speaking to the townsponies, I was directed towards a large, old mansion. The building itself looked like something from one of those horror movies that Rainbow likes to watch so much. I mustered up my courage and went inside. That's when I learned the truth. That's when I learned why Celestia was so adamant about keeping me from that town.

I wish I never went there. I wish that I had simply let go of my need to know who I was, where I came from, and how I came into being. I found pods, Applejack. Huge, glass cylinders filled with translucent green liquid, each with a number, ranging from one to twelve. And worst of all, each one held a pony inside of it that looked exactly like me.

I was horrified, to say the least, but despite my dread, I pressed on into the room and examined the clones. Each pony was badly deformed, as if the process to make them had somehow failed. Eventually, I reached the end of the room and found markings on the floor that showed that there should have been a thirteenth and fourteenth pod. It didn't take long to determine who the fourteenth clone was, but I couldn’t find my pod anywhere.

I began to look for clues and soon found deep scratches in the stone floor behind where the pod should have been, as if something very big and heavy had been moved back and forth several times. I followed the markings in the floor and soon found my pod, along with the thirteenth pod, in another room overlooking the cliffside behind the mansion. Outside, a storm was beginning to brew, perfect weather for the turmoil I felt.

When I stepped forward, I must have stepped on something that triggered a door to open to my right. Entering this new room, I found a library filled with all sorts of books on medicine and other forms of science. Science and medicine that I thought were long since forbidden by Equestrian beliefs due to a war with creatures called Umbrims. I’ll let Twilight explain to you what they are and what they did. Reading over the books, I began to fully understand that I was a clone of Celestia’s first-born daughter, who had died by sudden foal death syndrome. What an honor, right?

Apparently, the filly's body was removed from her family crypt, and I was created a year and half later. My body aged within my pod, closely watched to correct any mistakes or problems.

As I read those books, I came across several passages about the thirteenth clone, about how she was held in a different place than the rest of us. Apparently, when the scientists awoke her and released her from the pod, she became violent and attacked them, using magic more potent than she should have had at her age. They sedated her and kept her in suspended animation in her pod, which they moved to a different room for security measures.

Something clearly went terribly wrong with her creation. According to the journals, she began to show signs of mental and physical deterioration and damage. They apparently tried a new method with her and me than they did with the others in an attempt to force our bodies to age more quickly. I am sure that is what caused her to begin to fall apart, but for some reason, my body was unaffected. Neither of us aged any more quickly, but I still had a normal growth. At least, as normal as growing in a tube can be.

After the thirteenth, whom they just called "Thirteen", was placed back into her pod and put away, they decided to awaken me from my pod. Like Thirteen, my magic was also above average, but unlike Thirteen, the very first thing I did was teleport out of the lab.

I don’t have any memory of this or of being awoken there. I don’t even know who the books I'm giving you belonged to other than the one with the sun imprinted on it, which is Celestia’s journal. I also don’t know how any of them got into my safety deposit box (though I suspect Celestia put her journal in there for memories' sake), nor do I know why the other two books didn’t burn up when I destroyed the library I got them from.

I do, however, recall clearly that after I read the books, I completely lost control. I destroyed the library, and all of its secrets went up in a single blaze of green flames. Not satisfied, I left the mansion and let loose my rage on the townsponies. All fifty of them died by my hooves. My most painful memory is of a mother and filly holding each other in fear as I tore through the town. Their love sickened me, and I made bloody work of them. I still have nightmares about that night.

Anyway, Celestia found me and begged me to stop, but I simply didn’t care any more. I wasn’t her baby. I wasn’t her daughter. I wasn’t even a real Equestrian. I was nothing more than a lab experiment. And she knew. She had to have known. Why else wouldn't she want me to go to Crystal Ridge. I hate her so much, Applejack.

To make this brief, she and I fought, the fight went to the mansion, she slammed me into Thirteen's pod, and the pod smashed through the marble railing and fell to the cliffs below. I stopped my fight with Celestia long enough to dive after it. I may not have been a true-born Equestrian, but I wasn’t about to let the only thing, the only connection that I had to Equestria die. I thought if I could get to her pod before it hit the ground, I could teleport her and myself to safety. But when I was within a few feet of the pod, Celestia decided to swoop down and grab me, and I watched as the pod continued its fall.

We landed a few feet from the pod. I broke free of her and ran over to it, but I saw nothing inside of it. To this day, I don’t know where the body is. I became even more enraged and attacked Celestia again, but I was too worn out to use my magic, so I used my hooves instead. She simply wrapped her damn wings and hooves around me until I cried myself dry. After a few hours had passed, she told me that for my crimes, I had to leave her home, that I was banished from her heart and her castle. Stung and angry at the sudden banishment--only hours after she comforted me and let me cry on her shoulders, mind you--I vowed revenge. She didn't even give me the courtesy of bringing me back to Canterlot, the bitch! She just gave me enough bits and supplies to get back to civilization, and she left me. It was a five months later that I met Cheerilee. I was just entering my eleventh year.

I was on the road when I met her. I was so very hungry, cold, tired, and dirty. Cheerilee must have seen everything I needed--food, warmth, care, and most importanly, love--and she brought me to Saddle Ville. She taught me how to sing and helped me augment the knowledge I already had. She was a natural-born teacher. I stayed with her and her husband Musical Skies till a week before my fifteenth birthday. But never once did I forget Celestia or what she had done to me. Never once did I forgive her.

One day, Musical Skies had thought it was a good idea to bring me and Cheerilee to the crystal caves underneath Canterlot, said to be one of Equestria's most breathtaking treasures. Cheerliee told us to go ahead without her, much to my dismay. But I did get to spend some much-needed quality time with the pony I started to call my father.

It was then that my life would take another turn for the worse. Musical Skies and I were headed into the mountains to leave for Canterlot. I remember I was happy and so excited. Despite growing up in Canterlot, I'd never been to the caves below the city before, and I wanted to see everything. Even though it meant that I would possibly have to see her again, I didn’t care. Nothing was going to stop me from seeing those caves.

The charred timberwolf attacked without fear or warning. Reacting quickly, Musical Skies fired his magic at the beast, striking the side of its face and leaving a large scar. I, too, fired my magic, but unlike Musical Skies, I had missed completely. In a freak accident, I struck the bell that hung in Saddle Ville's town square. The bell was made of highly polished silver and quartz crystal, which sent my magic back at the mountainside, causing an avalanche.

Before I could react, Musical Skies used his magic to toss me into a nearby cave, saving my life. A few hours later, another timberwolf, this one white and much friendlier, dug me out. It left shortly after it saw that I was okay, and I headed back to Saddle Ville, not knowing that Cheerilee was already there, holding the broken body of her husband.

I tried, Applejack. I tried to explain to her that I didn’t mean for the avalanche to happen, but she wouldn’t listen. She and the other ponies chased me away, so I took the map what little bits I had and headed back to Canterlot Castle. I got there just past dark and waited. When Celestia retired to her bedchamber, I broke into her private library, learned about the magic mirror, and came to your world. I was broken and wanted someplace, any place, that I didn’t have to feel so hated, so alone. I had lost it all before, and now, thanks to Anon-a-Miss, I have lost everything once again.

So you see, Applejack, that is the type of friend you took in: someone who was completely broken, who lost everything trying to rebuild her life, only to be broken again and again. Someone that did unspeakable horrors to an innocent town and its ponies. All of this is to say that I don’t blame you at all for wanting to turn on me. I wouldn’t want to be around me, either, not after all that I have done. I just wish you waited until you knew the real me insted of throwing me away over a lie. I ask only two things from you as you finish this letter. I am going to place the Demon's Heart into my locker before I head out on the open road.

One, I ask that you find someone who you trust completely and fully to destroy the Demon's Heart; it is far too dangerous to keep in this world or any other.

Two, find out who that girl at the mall was, the one who looked exactly like me. Be friends with her. Real friends, not the fake friendship we had. That way, I can at least live knowing that my former friends are friends with a Sunset, even if it's not me.

I know that leaving might not solve my issues and that, thanks to Twilight banishing me from Equestria, I can’t go home ever again unless it is under her supervision, but I don't care anymore. I just want take this final moment to bid you a good farewell, and although I doubt we can be friends anymore, I do wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Sunset Shimmer.

Swallowing hard as she put away the letter, Applejack said softly, not looking up to Twilight, who had her head hung low, “Twilight, what did Sunset mean when she said ya banished her?”

“I...felt at the time that she was too dangerous to be let back into Equestria, so I formally banished her from Equestria. She couldn’t return unless I or someone else was there to supervise her. I did this after the Battle of the Bands.”

“Ah see.” Applejack sniffed hard, trying to fight back her anger and tears. “Did you know about any of the stuff she put into her letter?”

“No. I didn’t know she was a clone. But I do know that she wasn't the only one to survive that night.”

“Darling, whatever do you mean?” Rarity piped up.

Twilight replied, “Well, for starters, I met who I thought was this world's Sunset outside the hospital, but when I mentioned Equestria--which I really shouldn't have done, now that I think about it--I saw something in her eyes, like she recognized the name. With that and the circumstances in which I found her, I...I think it was Thirteen." With a light sigh Twilight continued, "And that's not all. I was brought up to Crystal Ridge by Discord and was attacked by somepony that I don’t know and don’t want to know. It left me mentally broken and a real mess.”

“What are the Umbrims, and what did they do?” Pinkie asked, her hair completely flat.

“They were a race of shadow-like ponies created by King Sombra, who used them as weapons. Through them, he was able to conquer a fifth of Equestria in less than six months. They can’t die, and they can’t be hurt by metal, stone, fire, water or wood.”

“Then how the hay did y’all get rid of them?” Applejack asked, shocked. “Ah would think something like that woulda wiped y’all out long ago.”

“They very nearly did, but you see, Sombra used himself to create them. They were more or less little versions of him. That's why cloning is forbidden in Equestria: Thousands died because of Sombra, and thousands were unjustly imprisoned. The only ones that ever stood a chance at killing them were the merponies that lived in the Celestial Sea, which is why he started wiping them out.”

“Is that why Adagio and Aria got so upset with Celestia when she tried to bring back her husband? Because they fear that something like that will happen again?” Rarity asked, worried. “I would think they would actually want Princess Celestia’s help with this. Why would they turn her away like they did?”

“There is much bitterness between my people and theirs. We both have our stories as to why we went to war one thousand years ago. They tell one story, we tell another, but in any case, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I find the Demon's Heart and get rid of it before it can be used.”

Pinkie sniffed, saying, “I've got it, Twilight. It's in my locker. But Dumbbell stabbed Sunset with it while he was beating her up. The Demon's Heart has already been used.”

Arrival at Crystal Ridge (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

“Honey, everyone sends you their love, and Celestia says that she wishes you a speedy recovery,” Carrot said as he entered his wife's room. Taking a nearby chair and sitting it next to Cup's bed, he added, “Celestia, Twilight, and Rainbow are out there right now looking for our daughter. I'm sure they can help her, and I know they can bring her back to us safely.”

Holding her hand in his and gently stroking her fingers with his thumb, Carrot let out a sigh as he glanced at the wall clock. It read midnight. His wife's voice brought his attention back to her. “I'm disappointed in you, Carrot. I thought I knew you better than this.”

“Honey,” he replied gently, trying to keep her calm, “we've been married for years. You know me better than anyone.”

Cup glared coldly at him and said as Pinkie, Applejack, Luna and Fluttershy walked in, “Then explain to me why you're not out there searching for our daughter right now!”

“Honey, my place right now is--”

“Your place is being Sunset's father!” she yelled. “How dare you leave her to fend for herself!”

Looking at Luna, Carrot said sheepishly, “Luna, can you---”

“Nope!” Luna interrupted, raising her hands defensively. “I learned long ago to stay out of family squabbles.” Lowering her hands, she leaned inwards, continuing with a slight grin, “You are on your own, Carrot. And frankly, I agree with Cup. You should be out there looking for Sunset. Your wife's in good hands here.”

Looking away from her husband, a few tears slipped past Cup's eyes as she tried to calm down. “It's not fair, Carrot. Here I am, safe in bed, while our daughter is out in the cold being tracked down by some of the very people who hurt her so much.”

Turning back to his wife, Carrot leaned in, giving Cup a soft kiss on the forehead and saying, “Alright, honey. I’ll leave right away, and I swear to you I won’t come back till she is safely in my arms.”

Heading to Cup's side, Luna laid her hands on the bedridden mother's shoulders, saying, “We will all go to get her, and together, we will show her that she is still very much loved and very much needed in this world.”

Turning around, she gave her students a nod, but Applejack said, “How're we gonna get to Crystal Ridge? Principal Celestia took her car, and Big Mac's ol' clunker is almost outta gas. Plus, no tellin' if it'll start in this cold.”

“Wait, Crystal Ridge? Is that where she is?” Carrot asked, shocked.

"Yeah," Pinkie said. Confused, she continued, “But why would Sunset hide there, of all places?”

“I suppose it's the only place she feels safe now," Carrot said thoughtfully. When he saw that the teenagers were still confused, he continued, "I’ll explain later. Right now, I need to find her and bring her home.”

As everyone headed out into the hallway, Applejack whispered to Luna, “Ah hope we can help Sunset out of this mess.”

“I hope so too, Miss Apple,” Luna said sternly. “Because once we get her back to how she was before all this started, she’s going to have to face the consequences of what she did.”

“My daughter,” Carrot began grimly, tightening his right hand into a fist, “won’t be facing them alone. She will never, ever be alone again.”

Leaving the hospital, everyone piled into the Cakes' 1961 VW bus--"It helped a lot with large deliveries," Mr. Cake explained to the surprised group--and Mr. Carrot pulled out of the lot and onto the main road.

As Mr. Cake drove, Luna pulled out her phone and called Celestia.

“Hello, Luna,” Celestia said tersely.

“Tia, we are coming to help you. Have you made it to Crystal Ridge yet?”

“No. There's been an accident. We're at a closed-down gas station along Neighbor Street off the highway outside the city. I need you to come as quickly as you can. I’ll explain when we see you." Luna heard Celestia shout something away from the phone, followed by, "I have to go."

“Wait, Celest---”

‘Click’

With a sigh, Luna turned on her GPS app, typed in "Crystal Ridge", and placed her phone between herself and Mr. Cake, thinking, “I hope Sunset will forgive the girls for what they did to her. I hope she'll forgive all of us.”

The trip was mostly silent for the first half-hour as everyone dwelled on what was in store for them. Mr. Cake's mind was filled with thoughts of his wife and Sunset and their family. Finally, Mr. Cake left Canterlot's city limits, and his thoughts were interrupted as he reached the gas station, where he slammed on the brakes. Everyone stared at the burning wreckage of Celestia’s car as several fire trucks and police cars lined the street ahead. Seeing a police officer approach his bus, Mr. Cake lowered the window, saying, “Good evening, officer.”

“Sir, you need to move along. You’re blocking traffic, and--” He cut himself off when he got a good look at Luna. “Miss, are you Luna Evenstar, by chance?”

“Yes, I am. How did you know?”

“Your sister told us what you look like. I was about to call you to let you know that your sister is alright. However, her car is totaled.”

After directing Mr. Cake towards the side of the road, the officer led the group towards Celestia, who was busy trying to keep Rainbow apart from Summer and Gilda. The shouting teenagers slowly quieted down as the large group approached them.

“Oh, great,” Summer said sarcastically. “Looks like the cavalry's here. As if we didn't have enough to deal with.”

Everyone's eyes widened in shock as they beheld the Sunset look-alike standing in front of them, but before anyone could say anything, Celestia said, “Let's finish up with the police. Then, I'll explain everything.”

As Celestia walked past the group, Summer walked closer to Gilda, taking her lover's hand in her own. Gilda spent her time shooting nervous glances at the cops and the new group. Seeing how worried she looked, Summer gently said to her, “Don’t worry, Gilda. I won’t let anyone take you away.”

“T-Thanks, but Summer,” Gilda replied, “you need to stay calm. No more attacking people; it'll just get us arrested or hurt me or the baby." Gilda's tone turned serious. "Seriously, Summer. Keep calm until I can think of a way to get us out of here.”

“Alright, alright," Summer said. "I'm not in the mood to get arrested anyway; I wanna check on Sonata. She must be going nuts worrying about Fourteen, and in truth, I'm kinda of worried about her, too.”

“We’ll head back soon. Don’t worry. Just stay calm and try not to get yourself arrested,” Gilda replied, a small smirk on her face.

Giving Gilda a weak smile in return, Summer headed over to Mr. Cake's bus to wait while Celestia and Luna talked with the police. A few moments later, both women headed back over to the bus, and Luna said to Summer, “Looks like you two will be coming with us.” Watching Gilda get into the bus, she added to Summer, “You pull anything, and I will get your ass tossed in jail. I don’t trust you, and I don’t want you around Celestia.”

Rolling her eyes, Summer simply replied, "Bite me." However, she didn't get on the bus. She just stood in her spot, glaring at Celestia. Luna was about to say something, but Celestia, who had noticed Summer's glare, placed a silencing hand on Luna's shoulder, motioning to her sister to give them some privacy. Luna reluctantly obliged.

When they were alone, Celestia said, "Is there something wrong? You blew up my car. If anything, I should be glaring at you."

Breaking eye contact, Summer sighed and said, “No, you just remind me of someone I know.”

“The princess, right?" Taking Summer's silence as an affirmation, Celestia continued, "Well, I'm not her. Now please come back to the bus so we can leave. If we don’t leave right now, Rainbow won’t get to Crystal Ridge in time to save her sister.”

“And I should care about that why?”

"Because the life of a young girl--the lives of three young girls--is in danger. Would you really turn from that?" When Summer remained silent, Celestia sighed and said, “Look, I don’t know what you're going through, but right now, Sunset's out there holding three girls hostage, and we can't afford to stand here and discuss your violent distrust of humans.”

Summer snapped to attention at the implication. "You...know I'm not human?"

“Oh, yes," Celestia replied. "I know it all. I know you're not human, I know you and Sunset are clones, and I know that you have powers that can help stop Sunset and save those girls." Taking a gentler tone, Celestia finished, "I know we don't exactly like each other, but right now, we could really use your help to save those girls and, hopefully, Sunset herself.”

Taking a deep breath, Summer ran her hand through her hair, trying to think. Swallowing hard, she said, “You said that Fourteen has Rainbow's sister?” When Celestia nodded, Summer sighed, saying finally, “Fine. I’ll help you, but only on one condition.”

“Name it.”

“After we take down Fourteen, you'll let Sonata take her away from this place. I'm not telling where they're going.”

Looking down slightly, Celestia reluctantly nodded her reply. Summer nodded, as well, motioning to Gilda to get out of the bus and join the two. One phone call later, and Gilda said, “Okay, Blue’s gonna meet us at Crystal Ridge in a few hours.”

“Then it's settled. The four of us will leave once Four--er, Sunset is back to normal, or as normal as can be for her.” Looking back to Celestia, Summer added, “What happened to her, by the way?”

“She was stabbed with the Demon's Heart, and it seems to have corrupted her,” Celestia said softly, already beginning to regret her deal.

“So that explains the strength, wings, and general bitchiness,” Summer said sarcastically, trying to hide her worried surprise at the mention of the magical prison's involvement.

Without further ado, the women climbed back into the bus, and Mr. Cake drove away from the burning car. An hour later, the group neared the foreboding asylum. Mr. Cake pulled over several blocks from the old hospital, saying to Rainbow, “Alright, this is where you get off, Rainbow. Remember, whatever you do, don't pick a fight with Sunset. Just get your sister and get out of there as quickly as you can. We'll wait here until you get back.”

“Got it,” Rainbow replied, thinking to herself, “If he thinks I'm letting Sunset get away with this, he's crazy.”

Six Weeks Later (Edited by Icecreammac)

The clouds hung heavy in the late afternoon sky. The grey and almost-black colors mixed with the light blue that showed through small holes in the cold-looking, ruddy-midnight sky above. It was Saturday, February Fifteenth, 3:40 pm. A rainbow-haired girl was slowly trudging through the ankle-deep snow leading towards Canterlot cemetery. Tears slowly stained her cheeks. She had been crying for most of the day, for today would have been the birthday of one of her closest friends. A friend that she had fallen in love with yet never told how she actually felt. A friend that she had spoken so harshly to six weeks earlier. A friend that wanted nothing more than the rainbow-haired girl's friendship and compassion.

Passing a nearby flower shop, the blue-skinned athlete stopped in her tracks, slowly turned around, and headed back to the shop. Walking into the shop with her head hung low, she picked up a few flowers. Gently placing them onto the counter in front of her, the girl sniffed hard, her gaze remaining fixed on the countertop in front of her.

The clerk, a girl with snow-white skin and blue-and-pink hair tied in a ponytail, looked at her, then at the flowers, asking softly, “Will that be all, Rainbow? Is there anything else I can get for you today?”

Rainbow said nothing to the clerk. She just slowly looked up to her, shaking her head. Rainbow let out a forced sigh, pulled out two twenty-dollar bills, and place them onto the counter. Then, she picked up the flowers and walked out without a word to the clerk. The clerk shook her head in silence as she watched Rainbow walk down the street towards the cemetery.

“Oh Rainbow, you needn’t suffer in silence. What happened wasn’t your fault,” the clerk thought to herself.

Twenty minutes later, Rainbow had entered Canterlot Cemetery, stopping at a fork in the path. Looking around, Rainbow didn’t see anyone else in sight. She again wiped her hand over her eyes before looking to her right, then slowly to her left. The path on the right led to a small pond where visitors could feed ducks and sit quietly. The path to the left led to the multiple tombstones and graves that filled the city's cemetery. Letting out a soft sigh, she slowly headed to the left.

Walking down the muddy path, she headed up a small hill overlooking most of the city. Five or so minutes later, she was standing in front of a large, charcoal-grey headstone. Laying the flowers down, she noticed that there were other footprints in the snow, leading away from the headstone towards another part of the cemetery. Getting a closer look at the boot prints, Rainbow was able to tell that they belonged to another friend of hers. Applejack had clearly been there as well.

Laying her hand onto the headstone, Rainbow choked out her words to the surrounding silence of the cold, still area around her. “Hey, I...I don’t know if you can hear me or not,” she closed her eyes as she whispered the last of her words, “but I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry.”

“Sugar cube.” Rainbow heard Applejack's voice from behind her.

She slowly turned around to see Applejack standing behind her. Her hat was pulled down to the bridge of her nose. Her forest-green eyes, from what Rainbow was able to actually see of them, betrayed that Applejack, like Rainbow, had been crying.

A loud, thunderous boom sounded overhead. Rain slowly began to fall, making splattering noises as the icy water hit the ground. Rainbow hardly noticed, too upset to care. She turned back around, facing the headstone and closing her eyes, shaking as she said through a choked sob, “Why? Applejack, please, just tell me why she did it.”

Applejack closed her own eyes she looked away from Rainbow as she replied to her through own tears, “We both know why, sugar cube.”

"I know, but...but there had to be another way. There just had to be..." Rainbow stepped forward, her head hung low as the rain continued to pour down on both of them, her rainbow-colored hair stuck to her head like glue. She tried in vain to wipe away her tears, messing up her hair in the process. She stumbled forward, falling to her knees while she sobbed out in pain, “WHY? WHY WAS I SUCH A BITCH TO HER?”

Applejack knelt down behind her, wrapping her arms around Rainbow, pulling the blue-skinned athlete into a tight hug. Rainbow leaned into it, turning around and crying into Applejack's shoulders while the farmer slowly ran her fingers through Rainbow's hair, trying to soothe her distraught friend.

“Why couldn’t I just be loyal to her? Why did I have to say those awful things to her at Sugar Cube Cafe, Applejack? Please, just...tell me why?”

“Ah wish Ah could, Rainbow, but Ah'm busy tryin' ta figure out why Ah did what Ah did.”

The answer did nothing to soothe Rainbow. “This isn't right, Applejack! It's not fair at all! She should be here with us. Especially today!”

“Ah know, sugar cube, Ah know. Today would’ve been her eighteenth birthday.”

Rainbow ended the embrace, turning to face the headstone. She reached out her hand, touching the stone with the tips of her fingers. It felt smooth, cold...and lifeless, the same way that she herself felt at the present moment. Rainbow sniffed hard. She felt Applejack again place her arms around her, pulling her up off the ground into another tight embrace. Again, Rainbow turned and sobbed into Applejack's powerful shoulders, crying out in emotional pain, “I miss her, AJ! I miss her so much!”

“Ah know ya miss her, Rainbow. Ah miss her, too.” Applejack hesitated, then continued, "Principal Celestia gave me a letter a few days after the funeral. She said it's from Sunset."

"Oh, yeah? What did it say?" Rainbow asked, curious.

"Ah dunno. Ah haven't read it yet. After all that's happened, Ah'm afraid of what it's gonna say." Rainbow didn't say anything, so Applejack just held her. After a few seconds, Applejack ended the embrace, sighed, and said, “We need to get out of the rain, sugar cube. We’ll catch our deaths out here.”

“That's alright," Rainbow muttered. "She killed herself because of me. It was all my fault, so why shouldn’t I just stay here and freeze to death? It's what I deserve for being such a terrible friend to her.”

“Now, lookie here, Rainbow. It wasn’t just yer fault. We all done had a hand in makin' her decide ta do end it all.”

Rainbow looked up into Applejack's forest-green eyes, her own eyes filled with even more tears than before as she screamed, “YOU DIDN’T LOVE HER! I did. I…” Rainbow pushed Applejack off of her, whispering, “I should've said something to her sooner. It was my fault, all my fault.”

This earned a hard, sharp slap, the culprit snapping, “How dare ya take all the blame fer yerself, Rainbow! All of us are hurtin' right now! Me, Rarity, Fluttershy 'n' Pinkie, all of us are hurtin' because of this, all of us had a hand in it! So don’t y'all go 'n' take all the blame fer this, because we ain't gonna letcha!”

“But it hurts so much knowing what I...what I said to her, Applejack,” Rainbow whimpered, blood trickling from her lower lip.

“Ah know it hurts! Dammit, Ah know it hurts like hell that she won’t be here anymore, that we won’t ever see her smile or hear her sing again,” Rainbow saw Applejack lower her arms, balling both hands into tight fist, “that m' sister is the one responsible for this whole damn Anon-a-Miss shit.” Applejack turned back around, tears falling off her cheeks like the rain itself, thick and heavy. “Ah know it hurts right now, Rainbow Dash. Ah know.” She looked down at her feet, sniffing hard. “But we need ya more now than ever. Big Macintosh 'n' Granny Smith haven't said a word ta me since this whole affair got started.” Applejack looked back up, trying to dry her tears. “Ah can’t lose my friends, too! Ah done lost my sister because of this shit. Ah ain't about ta lose you 'n' my friends, too. Please, Rainbow. Ah can’t do this by m'self!”

Rainbow grabbed Applejack around her waist, pulling the farmer into a tight hug. She whispered, “Alright, AJ. Let's go home. Try to take our minds off of everything or...or something.” Rainbow pulled away, and Applejack turned to leave, stopping when Rainbow didn’t follow her. She looked back and saw Rainbow laying her hand back onto the headstone. “I’ll never forget you. I promise! I'll pass on what you taught me about being a good friend and about what loyalty really means. I love you…”

Rainbow and Applejack headed out of the cemetery towards Applejack's truck, both soaked to the bone but both feeling slightly better than they did twenty minutes ago. Applejack opened the passenger side door to her truck, and Rainbow hopped in, shutting the door. Applejack got in, buckled in, nodded at Rainbow, then started up the truck. The old clunker shook to life, and Applejack pulled out onto the street, heading for Sweet Apple Acres.

Rainbow laid her head against the window of Applejack's truck, thinking about the events that led up to her friend committing suicide six weeks earlier. She thought of what her own sister had done and wondered if things could ever be the same again.

Six Weeks Earlier (Edited by Icecreammac)

Winter had come early to the city of Canterlot. The wind blew lightly across the frozen landscape, blowing up the hair of a red- and yellow-haired girl as she stepped off the city bus. Her boots made a soft crunching sound as she walked through the snow-covered sidewalk leading to the local high school. Sunset stopped briefly to look up at the grey sky above, thinking to herself as the snow fell on her face and boots. She let out a breath of air as a contented sigh.

“Ah, home. I wonder if this is what it truly feels like to have a place to call home?”

Sunset had spent the last few days with Applejack and her family at Sweet Apple Acres. Thanksgiving had long since come and gone. It was now December, Monday the Fifth, 7:30 a.m. Sunset made her way down the sidewalk towards Canterlot High School, stopping only when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her from behind her.

“Hold up there, Sunset,” the voice called out to her.

She turned around to see Applejack coming up behind her, her brown Stetson hat tipped back on her head revealing her golden blond hair. Her forest-green eyes sparkled with a majesty that showed awe and wonder. As Applejack got closer to her, Sunset saw her breath come out in a fog, making her look more like a dragon and less of a seventeen-year-old girl. Sunset offered the farmer a warm smile and a happy nod to her.

Turning back around to face the school, Sunset said, “Wow, this is really beautiful, isn’t it, Applejack?”

“Yep, it sure is, Sunset.” Applejack looked up at the cold sky above, smiling. “It looks like a winter wonderland, don’t it?”

“Yeah, it does.”

The two looked both ways before crossing the street, heading to the nearby school. The school was blanketed in a soft layer of white, fluffy snow. Icicles hung from the building, adding to the already beautiful scene. Snow fell lazily down around the two as they made their way to the double doors leading inside the school itself.

With each snowflake that fell, Sunset saw more beauty and more gorgeous serenity than before. Getting up to the doors, Applejack turned around. Her gaze fell upon the wide open space of the street and the lawn out in front of the school.

“Ah love the winter, Sunset. There's just something about this cold, chilly time of year that makes me wanna just sit at home in front of m' fireplace with a good book in one hand an' a cup of hot cocoa in the other.”

Sunset also turned around, her gaze also falling to the same place that Applejack's had, drinking in the white-covered lawn. Applejack continued to speak while Sunset let out a contented, happy sigh.

“You know what the very best part of the upcoming holidays are, Sunset?”

“No, what, AJ?”

“It's bein' able ta spend time with your family, getting to see them having fun, and experiencin' the laughter and joy ya get when ya see yer family openin' the gifts ya got 'em.”

Sunset’s facial expression instantly changed from one of happiness to one of sadness in a matter of seconds. She lowered her head, letting out a slightly forced sigh.

“I wouldn’t know about that, Applejack. I haven’t been home in a...long time.”

“Oh, Ah see. Don’t ya have anyone ta spend the holiday season with, Sunset?”

Sunset didn’t reply right away. She turned around, took a hold of the door opened it, and walked inside the school, her head hung low. Getting inside, Applejack followed Sunset to her locker and watched her put her things away as Sunset replied, “I wouldn’t know what it's like to spend time with family because I...don’t have any family.”

“That's…” Applejack swallowed hard. To hear her friend had no one to turn to during the holidays almost broke her heart. “That's...awful, Sunset.”

“Yeah, I know. Even before I came to this world, I was alone.” Sunset closed her eyes. Her jaw quivered slightly, something that Applejack noticed. As she shut her locker, while Applejack opened the one next to hers, she continued, “I was only a little filly when my….Well, it doesn’t matter, Applejack. I have all of you, now, so yeah, it really doesn’t matter.”

“I see. Tell me, Sunset. Do they have the same holidays back, uh, where yer from?”

“I don’t know about the same ones, but yes, every pony--er, everyone--does get together with their family and loved ones at this time of year. They sing songs, much like you do here, and they drink hot cider and generally have a good time.”

Taking a hold of Applejack, Sunset gently pulled her friend into a warm hug, saying to her as she hugged her tightly, “Look, AJ, there's no need for you to worry about me. I’ll be fine. I promise, you’ll see.” Ending the hug and looking Applejack in right in her forest-green eyes, she finished, “You need to get to class. I’ll catch up with you later on today, during lunch.”

Applejack looked down, then back up into Sunset cyan eyes as she replied to her, “O-Okay, Sunset, if you say so. I’ll see you at lunch, then.”
Sunset waved her goodbyes to her friend, turned to the left, and headed to class. Once Applejack was sure she was out of sight, she smiled slightly to herself. Taking out her cellphone she typed a message out on it.

"Hey girls! Friendship emergency! Secret meeting in the library after school!! DON’T TELL SUNSET."

After sending it and making sure it was sent to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity, she headed for her own class.
Pinkie was already in the library, rocking back and forth on a chair with her legs crossed out in front of her, balancing her phone on the tip of her nose. She fell out of the chair, hitting the ground with a painful yelp when her phone bleeped out, “Incoming text.”

“Huh?” Pinkie climbed back to her feet, looked at her phone, then swiped the screen to see the message. “Oh no, a friendship problem with...Sunny?!” she thought to herself as she read the message. Her hair slightly deflated when she got done reading the message.

Rainbow was in her own class, tapping a pencil back and forth, when her phone bleeped out as well. Taking the phone in her hand, she, like Pinkie, swiped the screen, saw the message and texted back right away.

"Be there as soon as School lets out! Don’t worry, I won’t tell Sunset about this. But this better be good, AJ. I don’t like keeping secrets from my awesome friends."

"I know you don’t, but this is important, Rainbow!"

Applejack texted back,

"I have something very important to talk to you all about. Please just show up after school. I’ll explain then."

Fluttershy and Rarity both had the same class together. Fluttershy heard her phone bleep out just as Rarity sat down next to her. Picking up her phone, she swiped the screen, read the message, then looked at Rarity, saying to her, “You wouldn’t happen to know what Applejack wants to talk to us about, would you, Rarity?”

Rarity set down her purse, took out her own phone, read the message, then replied, “No, darling, I am not sure what is going on either, but I can assure you Applejack wouldn’t want us to keep this from Sunset unless it was something truly important.” Placing a snow-white finger to her chin, she tapped her chin a few times, “Hmmm, maybe she wants help in finding Sunset a new wardrobe of some sort. I mean, Christmas is only a few weeks away.”

Fluttershy looked down at her desk she meekly squeaked out, “You don’t think it might be anything bad, do you Rarity?”

“Oh, perish the thought, dear. Sunset has been our friend ever since the Fall Formal. So, no, I think I'm pretty sure it's nothing to be worried about.”

“Okay. So, do you think I should still go to the meeting, then, Rarity?”

“What? Yes, you should still go, darling. We all should be there. Besides you might be able to think of something that we might not.”

The teacher walked into the classroom at this time, causing Rarity to turn her attention towards the teacher and end her conversation with Fluttershy. As the time slowly ticked by, Fluttershy’s thoughts rested on what Applejack had meant by "friendship emergency". It wasn’t until she heard Rarity’s name being called up to the front desk that her attention suddenly snapped back to the class. She watched as Rarity got up, straightened out her dress, and headed up to the front of the class. Fluttershy looked at Rarity as she returned a few minutes later with a slightly confused look on her face.

Beaming at Fluttershy, Rarity said, “Oh, I just got the best news EVER!”

Rarity took her seat, pulled out her note book, jotted something down, then put it back into her backpack, leaving Fluttershy even more confused than she was before. When Rarity looked back up, she saw the confused look on Fluttershy’s face, smiled warmly to her, and said, “Oh, darling, my fashion show for the Christmas pageant has been approved! I can’t wait to get you up on stage and in one of my new Christmas outfits.”

Hearing this, Fluttershy sank deeply into her chair. A look of fear came over her face. Although Rarity usually meant well, being up on stage and in front of the whole school nonetheless gave the timid girl an awful fright. Trying to hide how worried she was, Fluttershy tried to reply, yet nothing came out of her mouth other than small squeaks. Rarity mistook this as Fluttershy wanting to take part in the show. A half-hour later, the bell rang out signaling that it was time for the next class. Both Rarity and Fluttershy got up and headed out into the hallway. Fluttershy felt her stomach turn as she followed her friend to her locker to collect her books for her next class.

Le Cheval D'or (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac)

Most of the rest of Saturday was spent with Rarity on the phone reserving an extra place for her sister. Sunset had spent that time with the rest of her friends as they had decided to take Sweetie Belle to the local zoo for the day. Now that the day was coming to a close, everyone was getting ready for the dinner that Rarity had planned to take her friends to.

Saturday evening came with everyone getting ready for the dinner at Le Cheval D'or. Sunset stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a evening gown provided to her by Rarity. The smooth silk fabric clung to her curves and hugged her body as if the dress had been specifically made for her. Walking downstairs, she saw that all of her friends were ready to go. As she walked into the living room Rarity let out gasp saying, “Oh my, Sunset. You look absolutely stunning.”

“Thank you, Rarity. I really do appreciate the gown you loaned to me.”

The gown in question was made of the finest silk, blue and green with a low-cut back to it. Turning around so everyone could get a better look at her gown, Fluttershy let out a soft gasp when she saw what looked like a brand on Sunset left shoulder.

“Sunset, what happened to your shoulder?” Fluttershy spoke, concerned for her friend, “It looks like there is some sort of mark or brand on your shoulder.”

“Brand?” Sunset turned back around to face her friend. “What're you talking about?”

“Here, hold still,” Fluttershy replied, taking out her phone, “I’ll snap a photo of it to show you what I mean.”

Before Sunset could protest, she heard a click from Fluttershy’s cellphone. Holding up the phone so that Sunset could see the photo of what her friend was talking about, Sunset saw on the photo a mark that read XIV on her shoulder.

Looking at the photo, she said, “Oh, that mark.” Sunset swallowed hard. Not wanting to actually go into detail about the mark on her shoulder, she quickly finished, “It’s nothing, Fluttershy. I've...always had that mark.”

Fluttershy looked to her friend, then to the rest of the girls standing in the living room, all of whom gave Sunset concerned looks. Seeing the looks on her friends' faces, Sunset quickly changed the subject.

“So, uh, Rarity, what time is dinner supposed to be?”

“At seven darling.” Rarity glanced at her watch. “We should get going now if we don’t want to be late. The taxis should be here any minute.”

Each of her friends heard two cars pull up into the driveway and a loud honking from one of them. Walking outside before her friends could get another word in, Sunset headed for the first of the two taxis, got in, and buckled up. Sweetie Belle looked to her sister as she was about to head out to the taxis and said, “Rarity, why is Sunset so secretive about her past? I know she comes from Equestria, but every time the subject comes up, she seems to clam up tight. Do you know why she does that?”

“No, dear, I don’t know why Sunset doesn’t want to talk about her past. But I suspect she has a lot of pain and anger caused by something that must have happened to her in Equestria. I, too, have noticed her 'clamming up'.”

“I think we need to just let it go. It's really uncool of us to pry into her personal life,” Rainbow chimed in, heading for the door.

“You're right, Rainbow dear. We need to just leave this alone. Sunset will talk to us about it when she's ready and not before. Now I want us all to just enjoy this evening together.”

Everyone headed for the taxis. Fluttershy got into the one that Sunset was already sitting in, followed by Rainbow. Applejack and Rarity both got into the one behind Sunset's taxi along with Pinkie. Sweetie Belle got into the taxi that Sunset was sitting in, buckled up, and smiled warmly to Sunset, who returned the smile.

The drivers backed out of the driveway, turned down the street, and headed for the restaurant. Soon, all of Sunset's friends found themselves sitting at a table listening to soft violin music and looking at menus. Menus that Sunset was not really able to make head or tails of. Rarity, seeing the look of confusion on Sunset's face as she tried to make sense of the menu, smiled lightly to herself. “Would you like some help reading the menu, dear?” she said with a smile on her face.

Sunset looked up from her menu, then nodded as she pointed to an item on the menu and said, “What is this one supposed to be? It sounds interesting, but I'm not sure what it means.”

“Ah, yes, that is escargot. It is basically cooked snails,” Rarity replied.

Sunset's face almost turned green as a look of sickness emerged on her face. As she looked back at the menu, she asked, “Uh, is there anything on here that doesn’t have animals in it?”

“Well, you could go with the salad and soup options.”

“Yeah, I think I'd prefer that over snails. Thank you, Rarity.”

“Think nothing of it, dear.”

While the rest of the girls figured out what they wanted to order, Rainbow turned her attention to a dance floor that was located below them. She let out a soft sigh, then returned her attention back to her menu just as Rarity said, “Rainbow, darling, how about you and Sunset go have some fun downstairs? I know you've wanted to show off your new dance moves to Sunset.”

Sunset gulped, not sure as to what to say to Rainbow. Before she could say anything Rainbow beamed and stood up from the table, taking Sunset by her hand. As she gently led Sunset away from the table and towards the dance floor, she said, “This is going to be so awesome. Come on, Sunset. I got some really cool, new moves to show you.”

“But...But I--”

“Sunset, be sure to have a good time down there,” Rarity called out as she watched her friends head off to the dance floor.

Sweetie Belle looked at her sister, then down towards the dance floor, watching as Rainbow led a very nervous-looking Sunset Shimmer out to the middle of the floor. Rarity snapped her fingers, and two violinists came to their table. After a few minutes of directing them, Rarity pointed to the dance floor and nodded to the two men. Each of them headed downstairs and began to play soft music, which Rainbow and Sunset slowly began to dance too.

Sunset remembered her lessons of how to lead and be led by Applejack and Rarity from when she practiced in the park. While the two of them danced with all eyes on them, no one noticed a certain girl with a tiara in her hair walking up to the table that Sweetie Belle and her friends were at.

Feeling very confident, Diamond Tiara called out to Sweetie Belle, “Well, I see this establishment will let just about any mutt through the front doors nowadays.”

All eyes turned in shock towards Diamond Tiara, who stood smirking to herself while Sweetie Belle sat still, trying to ignore the rude comment. Diamond Tiara, not getting the response she wanted, said, “Oh, I see Sunset and the jock are downstairs enjoying themselves. I wonder how she would feel if I were to mention that a certain blue-haired guitar player is in the hospital.”

“You leave Sunset alone, Diamond Tiara!” Sweetie Belle shot back. “Why do you always have to be such a--”

“Sweetie Belle, don’t say anything that you will come to regret later. A lady must always keep a civil tongue, regardless of who it is that she's upset with.” Rarity chimed in trying to calm her sister down.

Looking to her sister, Sweetie Belle clenched her right hand into a tight fist. Her jaw quivered slightly as she almost snarled out, “You're right, Rarity. I need to calm down.” Sweetie Belle looked down at her plate. “May I be excused, Rarity? I lost my appetite. I think I need to get a breath of fresh air.”

“Of course, darling.” Rarity looked at Applejack and Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, go with her, will you, please? Make sure she stays out of trouble.”

“Of course, Rarity.” Fluttershy stood up and held out her hand to Sweetie Belle. “Come on. I think a breath of fresh air will do us both some good. Besides, I'm getting a bit freaked out by all the people staring at us.”

Sweetie Belle looked around and saw that all the other guests were indeed looking right at their table as Diamond Tiara stood, seething with anger. As Sweetie Belle walked around the table, taking Fluttershy by her hand, Diamond Tiara cooed wickedly to her, “That's it, run away like you always do, you little coward. No one wants you here.”

Again, Sweetie Belle tried to ignore the insults that Diamond Tiara spewed at her. While Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy walked away, Diamond Tiara ran after them. She called out as she got up behind Sweetie Belle, “You know, Sweetie Belle, with how your sister always wants all eyes on her, I have to wonder if the way she acts is for something...other than simply being 'ladylike'.”

Having caught the implication immediately, Sweetie Belle finally had enough. Quickly spinning around on the heel of her right foot, she swung and sucker-punched Diamond in the jaw, sending the upstart bully flat on her butt. Before Diamond could pick herself up, she suddenly found herself tumbling towards another table, crashing into it and spilling its contents all over her dress. Sweetie Belle stood over her glaring at her.

“Don’t you ever talk about my sister that way again, Diamond!”

“SWEETIE BELLE!” Rarity exclaimed in shock at what her sister had just done, “What is wrong with you!?”

Realizing only too late as to what she had just done, Sweetie Belle turned to face her sister, just as Diamond Tiara got up and screamed out. “My...My dress! It’s...It's ruined, you little brat. You’ll pay for this!”

“THAT IS ENOUGH, DIAMOND DAZZLE TIARA!” a loud thunderous voice boomed out from behind Sweetie Belle.

All eyes suddenly fell to a man dressed in a well-made, three-piece suit and a woman dressed in a pink, silk dress with a white fur coat on. Both of the two looked very angrily at Diamond, who whined out, “But Daddy, she hit me and wrecked my dress. I demand that you make her pay for--”

“Go to the car now!” the man shouted, seething with anger, “You, young lady, are grounded for a month!”

Diamond lowered her head and stormed off out of the restaurant, leaving Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and the rest of Sweetie Belle's friends standing with their mouths hanging open. The man approached Sweetie Belle, sighed, held out his hand to her, and led her back to her sister. Sitting her down at the table, the man took a chair, while the woman stood behind him, glaring at Sweetie Belle.

“My name is Filthy Rich. What is yours?”

“I'm Sweetie Belle. I am so sorry I hit your daughter, Mr. Rich, but she--”

“I know. I saw the whole thing. I brought her here in the hopes of teaching her how to be respectable around those that she doesn’t like. You see, my dear, it is no coincidence that you and your sister were able to get into this place. I own it. And thus, I thought that if you and your sister were here tonight, it would teach my daughter how to be polite around those that she doesn’t like. I can see now that I must discipline my daughter and school her on proper etiquette.”

“Please, go easy on her. I don’t think she meant to act like that. When I stood over her, I thought I saw something in her. Something that I never thought I would see from her.”

“And what, pray tell, was that, my dear?”

“Fear.”

“I see. Be that as it may, though, I think it is time for you and your group to leave.” Filthy snapped his fingers, and three men dressed in black suits approached the table. “These men will ensure you all get home safely. However, due to your actions, Sweetie Belle, I am afraid you and your group of friends are hereby…banned from coming back here again. Do you understand?”

Looking down and sniffing hard, Sweetie Belle nodded, then got up. Rainbow and Sunset both had since come up from the dance floor. They both looked at their friends then over to Sweetie Belle, who was wiping away her tears. Filthy got up and nodded to his employees. Sunset said as she took a step towards Sweetie Belle, “What happened? We heard a loud crash from downstairs and came up to see what happened.”

“Well, Sunset, Sweetie Belle, here knocked Diamond Tiara clean on her rump, then tossed her like a bale of hay into a nearby table.”

“Now, we've been banned from this restaurant,” Fluttershy said, looking down at her feet. “I hope Diamond Tiara will be alright.”

“Oh, not to worry, Miss Shy. My daughter will be alright. She won’t be happy about the punishment, but she'll be fine. Now, as I said, I want you all to leave my restaurant,” Filthy Rich said.

“Mr. Rich, none of us can drive home. I--” Rarity began but was cut off by Filthy Rich as he said, “I will provide you all a means of getting home, Miss Belle. Not to worry.”

“Thank you, Mr. Rich, and I am very terribly sorry for my sister's behavior towards your daughter. Rest assured, she will be dealt with when we get home.”

Looking to her sister, Sweetie Belle was about to say something, when Rarity cut her off. “Not one word out of you, young lady. You are in very big trouble. You're going right to your room when we get home. Do you fully understand me?”

“Yes, Rarity. I...I understand.”

Sweetie Belle, followed by her friends, left the restaurant, leaving Filthy to clean up the mess that she had made from her altercation with Diamond Tiara. Spoiled Rich snarled out to her husband, “How the hell could you just let them go like that, Filthy?”

“Look, if I were to sue them over a slight altercation like this one, it would ruin my reputation and plans. Now be quiet and go to our table.”

“Well, I nev--”

“Not another word. Otherwise, you might find yourself walking home. Now do as you're told.”

Twenty minutes later, the group of friends found themselves back at Rarity's. Rarity spent a good deal of time scolding her sister. Sunset wanted to butt in, but Rainbow stopped her before she could say anything. Eventually, Sweetie Belle ran up to her room, yelling back to her sister, “I hate you, Rarity! You're not my sister. You're just a bully like Diamond Tiara is.” Sweetie Belle slammed the door to her room and threw herself onto her bed, crying hard.

Sunset looked to Rarity, who simply said, “I am sorry you all had to see that. I don’t know what has come over her.”

“Perhaps I should go see if I can help her, Rarity. I do know what it's like to be a bully, and I might be able to help her through this,” Sunset said softly, looking down at the ground.

“While I do appreciate your offer, darling, I am afraid I must decline. My sister must learn from her mistakes and learn when it is a good time to do what she did and when it is not. Though, if you ask me, a lady should never resort to violence. Now, I suggest we all try to let this go and move on with our evening. Because of how things turned out at the restaurant, I will go ahead and make us some dinner.”

Everyone nodded in agreement to this, and all headed into the kitchen to help Rarity cook their meal. A half-hour later, everyone except Sweetie Belle was sitting at the kitchen table, eating the dinner that Rarity had cooked up for them. Sunset sat next to Rainbow, Fluttershy sat next to Applejack, and Pinkie across from Rarity.

When everyone had nearly finished, all eyes fell to Rarity, who barely touched her meal. As a look of sadness filled Rarity's face, Pinkie piped up, trying to break the uneasy tension that had filled the kitchen.

Grinning broadly, she squealed out, “I know! Why don’t we all go into the living room and play Spin the Bottle?”

Spin, Truth, or Dare (Edited by Icecreammac)

After everyone was done taking a number, each of them checked over what number they had, and Pinkie wrote them down. Fluttershy had number one, Rarity got number two, Rainbow had gotten number three--much to her irritation--and Applejack had gotten number five. Each girl took turns spinning a bottle and either giving each other a very quick peck on the cheek or taking the truth or dare of the game. Applejack was laughing at the look on Rarity's face when she had dared the fashionista to create a dress for Apple Bloom without any thread, needles or use of scissors.

Sunset looked down at her peace of paper in her hand, which read ‘Four’. She smiled to her friends as she reached out to take a hold of the bottle. She gave it a hard spin and watched as the tip of the bottle spun until it pointed to Rainbow. Looking up, she smiled tentatively, unsure as to what Rainbow was going to do. With a half-hearted chuckle, she said, “Rainbow, it...it looks like the bottle has landed on you. So, what d-do I do?”

“Well, you can take truth, dare, or kiss,” Rainbow replied, grinning. “I think you should go with dare, myself. That's the fun choice.”

“A-Alright, I’ll do...” Sunset looked down at the bottle again, then back up. She gulped, something that Rainbow noticed. “True or false, then.”

“I think you mean ‘truth’, but whatever.” Rainbow laughed lightly. “Okay, so, umm, I know we can’t ask you about your past, so how about this? True or false: You have never cheated on a test in your entire life.”

“That’s false.” Sunset looked down with a sigh. As all eyes fell to her, she tugged at her shirt a bit. “While I haven't cheated on any test for the past year, I did two years ago, before I embraced friendship and all of you.”

“Really, darling, you cheat? I find that hard to believe,” Rarity said, smiling.

“It's true. I did cheat. I'm not proud of it, and I don’t recommend doing it. Getting caught by Vice Principal Luna is, well,” Sunset folded her arms over her chest, “not fun, to say the least. She put me in detention for two weeks. Believe me when I say she's a harsh taskmaster.”

“Ohohohoh, my turn, my turn, my turn.” Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly, placing a pink hand on the bottle and giving it a hard spin, “I can’t wait to see what I am going to be dar--”

The bottle spun and pointed at Sunset, who quirked a eyebrow to Pinkie. Pinkie giggled back. As Sunset weighed her options, she looked from Pinkie to Rainbow and back as she said, “Truth or dare, Pinkie?”

“Dare!" Pinkie squealed excitedly "I'm pretty sure I can take any dare you that you got cooked up.”

“Is that so? Well if you insist, then alright, but remember, you asked for this.” With a mischievous smile on her face, Sunset continued, “I dare you to eat a single Carolina Reaper without any milk or other form of liquid while eating them.”

Pinkie's eyes narrowed, and she smiled just as mischievously as Sunset was. She got up, headed into the kitchen, opened up Rarity's refrigerator, and let out loud whine when she didn’t find the peppers within. Returning to her friends, she plopped down next to Rarity, her hair deflating as she said, “Awwww, I was hoping to take Sunny up on that challenge too. I bet I could have done it. No peppers, no challenge. Now what am I gonna do to show off my mad pepper-eating skills?”

Sunset giggled, saying as she smiled apologetically to Pinkie, “Would it be alright with all of you if I have her do something else for the dare? I mean, she's right. Without any peppers, there's no way she can do this.”

“Darling, Pinkie didn’t look in the right place. I would not keep such,” Rarity cleared her throat, “items where my sister can get a hold of them and try to get her friends to eat them. I like a good, spicy style of Italian food every now and then. I keep such peppers around the house for such an occasion. I know where they are, and I’ll get them.”

Everyone looked at her, then back at Sunset as Applejack said, “Well, Sunset, it looks like Rarity'll be able ta help you out on that dare.” Looking back at Rarity, she continued, “But Rarity, are ya sure ya want us all ta know what you have in that, um, area of your house?”

Rarity realized the implication right away and cleared her throat again as she said, “Well, uh, darling, you are the only other person that knows what is in that, uh, area of my home. So, how about you and I go get the peppers and then bring them back here?”

Rainbow, thinking she understood the implications herself, said, “Uh, Rarity, when did you and Applejack start going out? I mean, it's really cool that you two are dating and all, how long have you been keeping it from us?”

“Darling, Applejack and I aren’t dating. She's always been willing to sit with me and let me vent and tell her all my problems. She's my confidant, not my girlfriend, and the 'area' we're talking about is simply my personal sanctum. I don't like it disturbed, is all.” With that, she got up and headed out of the living room and down into the basement, returning a few moments later with a big jar of red peppers in her hands.

Everyone laughed as she sat back down, smiling forgivingly at Rainbow, who was blushing at her misunderstanding. Sunset took the jar, pulled out a pepper, and handed it to Pinkie. Before Pinkie could bite into it, everyone heard a loud ringing coming from upstairs. Sunset shook her head as she said, “Worst timing ever! Whoever that is, they--” She stopped when she heard “Incoming call from the Cakes” chime out from her backpack.

Sunset jumped to her feet, ran upstairs, grabbed her phone, and pressed the answer button.

“Hello, Mr. Cake, I am so very sorry I didn’t call you to let you know where I was. I know I'm supposed to check in when I'm out. Please don’t be mad at me. I won’t let this happen again, I swear.”

“Whoa, there, Sunset, calm down. Take a breath.” Sunset breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. “Good. Now, it's alright. You're allowed to make mistakes every now and then. We all do it. Just so long as you learn from them and don’t repeat them, there won't be a problem. Now, as for why I'm calling, I was wondering if you'd be able to make a delivery for me?”

“A delivery? Sure thing. Where to and to whom?”

“I was hoping you could bring some doughnuts and a cake to the mall for me. I'm running behind on deliveries and need some help. I was really hoping this could be done today before two thirty. There is a little flower shop run by a ‘Daisy Green’. She ordered these items, and I don’t have time to drop them off.”

Sunset pulled the phone away from her ear, looked at the time, then placed the phone back to her ear again, saying, “Sure thing, Mr. Cake. Leave them on the counter. I’ll leave right now and take care of this. Oh, I was wondering. When I get home tonight, could I talk to you and Mrs. Cake about something?”

“Of course. You know you can always talk to us about anything, Sunset. We won’t hold anything back from you.”

“I know. I’ll see you in about forty-five minutes.”

“Okay, sounds good. And thank you, Sunset. This really means a lot to me.”

“You're welcome, Mr. Cake.”

Sunset hung up the phone, sighed, then picked up her backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and headed downstairs. She set it down in the kitchen, saying to her friends as she looked at all of them, “Girls, I am so very, very sorry to do this to you all, but I need to go. The Cakes need me to deliver some things for them. Pinkie, I'm really sor--”

“Darling, don’t worry about it. We all understand,” Rarity interrupted. “I wasn't really looking forward to seeing Pinkie eating that pepper anyway. I hope you have good time.”

“Thanks, Rarity,” Sunset replied pulling her right boot on. “I'll make this up to you.” She looked up as she picked up her left boot. “To all of you, I promise I'll make this up to you.”

“There's no need to do that, Sunset. In fact, why don’t we go with you and help you with yer delivery. Maybe we can see a movie while we're all out,” Applejack chimed in, smiling warmly to her friend.

“R-Really? You all don’t mind helping me?”

“Of course not. Besides we wouldn’t be very good friends if we didn’t help out every now and then, don’t you think, Sunset?” Fluttershy whispered out, “As long as we don’t see anything scary, I'm up for a movie. Besides, it's getting a little stuffy in here, and some fresh air might do us all some good.”

“While I would love to go with you, darlings, I must stay here to make sure Sweetie Belle stays in her room. Teenagers can be such a bother sometimes.”

Sunset looked at Rarity, then smiled and said, “Hey, don’t sweat it, Rarity. She'll come around sooner or later. She can’t stay mad at you forever, and I'm sure she knows you're only looking out for her best interests.”

“So, where are we going?” Rainbow asked, getting up from the floor and helping Pinkie up, “I mean, it's Sunday, after all. Not much is open today.”

“We need to go to the mall and drop off some doughnuts and a cake for someone called Daisy Green.”

Rainbow's eyes widened. She looked at Sunset, who had noticed the worried look on her face as Rainbow stuttered out, “D-Daisy Green? Sunset, w-we can’t go there.”

“Why not?”
“Because of Gilda Griffon.” Rainbow looked down as she continued, “She's the reason we can’t, or shouldn’t, go there.”

“Okay, still not really understanding why I can’t make this run for the Cakes. Who's Gilda Griffon, and what does she have to do with Daisy Green?”

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know. Let's just say she makes your bullying days look like playground teasing.”

“I see. Well, with that in mind, I won’t press any further, but I do need to take care of this. So, how about I head into the mall and make the delivery while you four can stay out in the food court and wait for me? That way, if Gilda's there, and there are any signs of trouble, you’ll have a way out of it. I hope.”

“Alright. Just promise me you’ll be careful with what you say around her if you meet her. I have a picture of what she looks like, but it's from three years ago, so it might not be very accurate,” Rainbow stated as she reached into her back pocket, taking out the old photo. Looking back up, she saw a look of concern on Sunset’s face. “Don't get the wrong idea. I don't wanna date her. It's a reminder. I don’t really wanna talk about it.”

“I understand. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Rainbow.”

“No, it's alright. You would've found out about her sooner or later, and now is as a good a time as any to at least know what she looks like, I guess.”

Rainbow handed the picture over to Sunset. Sunset looked at it and saw a young woman in her early teens with a white Mohawk, a brown, leather flight jacket, and a scar under her right eye. The look Gilda had in the picture could have frozen hell over ten times. Sunset handed the photo back to Rainbow, finished getting ready, and headed outside, with everyone else following her except for Rarity.

As Rarity locked the door behind Rainbow, who was the last one out, she simply shook her head, saying to herself, “I really do hope that horrible Gilda Griffon doesn’t try to hurt Rainbow again. It was bad enough when she put Rainbow in the hospital." Biting her lip, she finished, "I hope Sunset knows what she's doing. That Gilda can be a real handful.”

Jumping to Conclusions (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac)

Sunset was just waking up in her new bed. The previous night had been the best night of her life. After Pinkie waved her goodbyes to her and skipped happily down the street towards home, Sunset had headed upstairs to start packing her belongings, which were not much. Mr. and Mrs. Cake had come back and went upstairs to help Sunset pack as well. After that, it was a short drive to her new home.

Sunset stretched, looked around, and smiled, saying to herself, “I can’t believe I have a new family.” She got up and headed to the shower to begin her day. She recalled as she turned the water on and got in that sometime while Mrs. and Mr. Cake were helping her pack, they found her on the second to last step, looking at the crystal she kept hidden away under the step.

Sunset had said as she looked up to them both, “Is there someplace else that I can hide this until I'm ready to tell my friends about it?” She looked back down at the box in her hands. “I'm afraid that it might cause more trouble here than it's worth.”

The Cakes both had smiled to her warmly, and Mr. Cake had said, “Of course there is. I have a small but useful office safe in my study at home. You can use that. I’ll even give you the code to it as well.”

Satisfied, Sunset recalled nodding and heading to the car with the Cakes in tow. Getting out of the shower and drying off, her reminiscing finished, she got dressed and headed downstairs to eat breakfast. Mr. Cake was already in the kitchen making coffee, and he offered her a cup when he saw her. Sunset took the cup and sat down at the kitchen table, letting out sigh of pure contentment. She had a family, a roof over her head, friends that loved her, and safe place to sleep at night. Everything felt right with the world. Once she was done with breakfast, Mr. Cake said to her warmly, “Get your coat and backpack, Sunset. I’ll drive you to school.”

Sunset got up, walked out of the kitchen, then turned around and came back in, hugging Mr. Cake tightly around his shoulders, saying to him, “Thanks,” she giggled lightly, “Dad, and thank you for adopting me. It feels so good to have a family again.” With that, Sunset ended the embrace and got her things. A few moments later, the two were on their way to CHS.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle were just entering CHS. It was early in the morning, and only a few of the faculty were in the school at the time. Rarity looked at her watch. It read 6:30 am. She headed to her locker to put her things away. Other than the scarce faculty, the few students in the school were the science and art students trying to get ahead on their projects or trying to earn extra credit.

Sweetie Belle moaned out while wiping away the sleep in her eyes, “Rarity, why are we here so early? There's, like, no one here!”

Rarity was about to answer when both girls heard from behind them, “Howdy, Rarity. Ah got yer text last night. The girls are waitin' fer ya in the cafeteria.”

Turning around, Rarity saw that Applejack was standing behind her, though the farmer looked more upset than happy to see her. Rarity turned to her sister. Taking out her sister's phone, she handed it to Sweetie Belle, saying, “Sweetie Belle, if I give you back your phone--just for today, mind you--will you promise to stay out of trouble and not to bother me.”

Sweetie Belle took her phone, nodded her reply, and was just about to leave when Applejack said to her, “Yer friends're waitin' for ya in the music room. Apple Bloom said somethin' about wantin' ta chat with ya.”

“Thanks, Applejack. And Rarity,” Sweetie Belle said, “I promise you I won’t get into any trouble today.”

“That's good to hear, darling. Now, you go hang out with your friends. I have some,” Rarity looked at Applejack, then back to her sister, clearing her throat, “adult things to talk about with Applejack. I expect you to be outside after school. Remember, you're still grounded.”

Sweetie Belle nodded then headed for the music room, while Applejack walked with Rarity to the cafeteria. “Rarity,” Applejack began as they entered the cafeteria, “If yer sister's grounded, why'd ya giver her her phone?”

Rarity smirked slightly, “I gave my sister her phone today to 1) keep her out of my hair," her smirk vanished, and she gazed downward, "and 2) to give us the time that we need to talk about Sunset’s photos winding up on MyStable.”

“You think Sunset's behind this?” a voice called out to her from a nearby table. Looking to the voice, Rarity saw Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy at their normal table. As Rarity and Applejack got up to the table, Rarity noticed Rainbow glaring at her. “How could you think Sunset did this? I mean, I saw the photos, and sure, it's weird that she's not in any of them, but I'm positive that Sunset didn't do it.”

Applejack and Rarity both sat down at the table. After a pause, Rarity said, “Darling, you need to understand. That picture online, as well as the other ones from last night, were all taken with Sunset's phone.”

“So what?” Rainbow exclaimed, throwing her arms out. “That doesn’t prove a damn thing.”

“Now just simmer down there a little, Rainbow. We all know that ya care deeply for Sunset and that ya don’t want her ta be guilty o' this,” Applejack said. “Ah want her ta be innocent, too, but Ah can’t deny what Ah saw.”

“Look, there is no way that Sunset--”

“Dashy," Pinkie interrupted, "I saw her phone hooked up to her computer. All those pictures were on the computer."

Rainbow’s eyes widened. Looking down and rubbing the back of her neck, she said, “She couldn’t have done this.”

“Darling, I-I'm sorry, but we all know how Sunset was before Twilight came. Right now, it looks like she did this.”

Rainbow looked back up, her eyes filled with anger, “I trusted her. Hell, I even slept with her. How could she break my heart like this?”

“YOU WHAT?” Rarity exclaimed, shocked. “Darling, when did this happen?”

“What's the big deal? Sunset was having a nightmare, so I stayed with her until she fell asleep. Besides, that's not the problem here. The problem is that Sunset betrayed us, and we need to find out why.”

“Perhaps when we blasted her with rainbow energy at the Fall Formal, we didn’t really change her. Maybe she's just been waiting to get close enough to us to steal our secrets from us,” Fluttershy meekly squeaked out.

Pinkie's hair deflated. She looked down at the table, wiping away a tear from her eyes. She said, “I even helped her with her homework. And to think that the Cakes want to adopt her.”

“Whoa, what?” Rainbow asked, “Why would anyone want to adopt her after something like this?”

“I doubt the Cakes even know she did this to us,” Rarity interjected. “I don’t want Sunset to be guilty, either, but we need to look at the evidence. The pictures came from her phone. She was the only one that was actually taking pictures that night, and now those pictures are on MyStable. Applejack told Sunset about her family nickname, and that, too, is on MyStable. In fact,” Rarity placed a finger to her chin, tapping it a few times, “Applejack's nickname showed up a day or so after our sleepover at Pinkie's.”

“We need to call her, ask her where she is right now, and get to the bottom of this,” Rainbow snarled out bitterly. “If she is guilty, I'll make her pay for breaking our hearts.”

“Y'all can talk to her if ya wanna,” Applejack chimed in. “As fer me, Ah'm gonna ask her flat out why she did this to us.”

The girls continued to argue among themselves for another half-hour, each getting more and more worked up. After a while, Rarity stepped away from the table. Taking out her phone, she called up Sunset and waited for a few moments for Sunset to answer. It wasn't long before Sunset answered, "Hi, Rarity."

“Where are you right now, Sunset?”

“Uh, We are just getting to Fifth and Seventh street now Rarity. Mr., er, I mean, Dad is driving me to school today. Why do you ask?”

“We need to talk,” Rarity replied sternly. “Meet us at your locker when you get to school.”

“You sound upset. Is there something wrong?”

Rarity heard Mr. Cake in the background tell Sunset to buckle her seat belt. She swallowed hard before replying, “Like I said, we need to talk. How soon can you get here?”

“I think dad will be able to drop me off in about twenty minutes, depending on traffic that is. What's wrong?”

Rarity didn’t reply. She hung up, headed back to the table, and looked at her friends. Fluttershy looked like she was about to break down and start crying. Pinkie's hair was completely deflated, a look of pure, seething anger on her face. Applejack looked more worried than upset. And Rainbow looked like she was ready to strangle Sunset at first sight. Rarity put her phone into her purse, saying as she looked at her friends, “I called Sunset. She will be here soon and will meet us at her locker. We can confront her there.” Everyone got up and headed towards Sunset's locker. No one said anything on the way there.

Apple Bloom was just coming out of the music room when she saw her sister and her friends coming down the hallway. It didn't take a genius to guess what was about to happen. Wanting to show her friends that their plan worked, she ducked back into the room, took out her phone, and set it to video record.

Finally at their destination, each of Sunset's friends stood by her locker and waited for Sunset to show to up.