Sunset the Seventh

Chapters

Prologue
Homecoming
A Warm Welcome
Inferno
Back to Ponyville
The Last Stand
Making Amends
Celebration
Saying Goodbye(?)

Prologue

Across the infinite reaches of reality, there are thousands upon thousands of alternate realities where the impossible becomes possible, and still other realities that are very similar to our own. One such world is fairly normal and uninteresting, with the exception of their high school: Canterlot High. Canterlot High is no ordinary school, although the students are very much like us, they unknowingly possess a portal to a magical world. This world is called Equestria, where magical horses are the dominant race, some of which can fly, others can perform magic, and still others can grow crops. However, on occasion, the magic from Equestria has leaked into Canterlot High, resulting in powerful and dangerous monsters (such as sirens) to attack the school and attempt to enslave everyone within. Seven extraordinary students defeated these monsters and restored peace at Canterlot High, but the most extraordinary of these students was Sunset Shimmer.

You see, although Sunset Shimmer looked like any other student at Canterlot High, she was not from that town, or even that world. Sunset Shimmer was born in Equestria, but she was forced to leave her home world as a result of a disastrous plot to enslave Equestria. Before Sunset Shimmer became a human student at Canterlot High, she was a unicorn studying under the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. Sunset had studied in her room day in and day out, hoping to learn a magic spell that would prove to Celestia that she was worthy to reach the final step of her studies. Only by completing her studies would Sunset fulfill her dream of becoming the rarest and most powerful species of magical equine: an alicorn, with the horn of a unicorn and the wings of a pegasus, in addition to magical abilities beyond the dreams of any horse or human.

Sunset Shimmer wanted to become an alicorn and make Celestia proud, but every day, Celestia insisted that Sunset was not yet ready to receive such an honor. Frustrated, Sunset doubled and redoubled her efforts, reading every spell book she could find in hopes of finding something that would impress her teacher, but she refused to consider that the key to her success was not within a book, but rather, outside her door. There was no question in anyone’s mind that Sunset Shimmer was a skilled mage, but she was a recluse, refusing to leave her room or make friends for any reason. Princess Celestia insisted that Sunset Shimmer could only complete her studies by making friends and learning about friendship, but Sunset Shimmer refused to listen, and spent days, weeks, months and even years alone in her room. Loneliness manifested itself within Sunset’s heart, and soon loneliness became bitterness, bitterness became resentment, and resentment became rage. Sunset’s only goal in life became searching spell books and becoming more powerful by any means in hopes of one day becoming an alicorn, but one day Sunset Shimmer made a startling discovery.

Sunset found a magical mirror in Celestia’s castle that transported her into the world of Canterlot High, where she sought to use a powerful magical artifact from Equestria to give her enough power to enslave the school, and eventually the entire world. However, Sunset was quickly defeated by the appearance of Twilight Sparkle, another student of Princess Celestia who had learned the benefits of friendship and taught the same lessons to Sunset Shimmer, allowing her to turn over a new leaf. After learning to seek friendship instead of power, Sunset Shimmer became one of the kindest and most popular students at Canterlot High. Sunset was happier than she had ever been in her life, but she could not ignore the feeling that she would not truly be complete until she returned to Equestria and made amends with her former teacher.

Homecoming

Sunset Shimmer was your average student, with good grades, many friends, and the ability to call upon a powerful mystical energy within her soul when fighting otherworldly abominations. Well, admittedly, she isn’t entirely ‘average’, but she is one of the kindest and friendliest people you could ever meet at Canterlot High. It wasn’t always like this, however: Sunset Shimmer was born as a unicorn in a world called ‘Equestria’, a world populated by magical horses who could cast magical spells and fly through the skies, among other incredible abilities. Sunset Shimmer had invaded Canterlot High with the intent of using a powerful mystical artifact from Equestria to enslave all of Canterlot High. However, Twilight Sparkle, another resident of Equestria who taught Sunset about the power of friendship, foiled Sunset Shimmer’s plans. Although many students were hesitant to forgive Sunset at first, they learned to accept her as a friend and help her feel accepted.

Sunset Shimmer was happier than she had ever been in her life, but she could not forget about her home in Equestria, and everything that she left behind. She knew that she would not be complete until she returned to Equestria and made amends with her former teacher and mentor, Princess Celestia. As it turns out, travelling to Equestria was the easy part: the statue at the entrance to Canterlot High contained a portal that would allow certain individuals, including Sunset Shimmer to travel between Equestria and Canterlot High. Sunset packed a few of her personal items, including her diary and a few spell books into her backpack, took a deep breath and stepped through the portal.

Seconds later, Sunset emerged from the portal in Equestria, but things were not quite the same: for one thing, Sunset was no longer a human, but a unicorn with the image of a bright, flaming sun on either flank. In addition, when she had stepped through the portal into Canterlot High several years ago, the portal had been standing in an old stone castle in the center of Canterlot, the central city in Equestria. But now, the portal was sitting in a castle that was sparkling in the bright morning light, and the entire structure seemed to be made of crystal.

That’s weird, Sunset thought, I could have sworn this portal was standing in Princess Celestia’s castle, but I’ve never seen this building before. Maybe the portal took me to the wrong world. Sunset shrugged and walked outside, or at least tried to walk outside, because she had to adjust to walking on all fours instead of two legs. After practicing for several minutes and remembering how to walk in her horse body, Sunset opened the door and stepped outside. She needed to shade her eyes from the bright morning sun, but after she adjusted to the scene before her, she saw rural cottages on either side of the street, and outside of these cottages, there were magical horses that looked very much like her, selling fruits, vegetables, flowers and other such items from farm stalls. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good, this really is Equestria. The portal worked.” Sunset said to herself, “But if this is Equestria, what is this building that I just walked out of?” She turned around and looked up at the massive façade of a crystalline building, a castle with several balconies and towers stretching hundreds of feet into the sky. Sunset was speechless, but before she had the chance to figure out where it came from or whom it belonged to, a grey pegasus with bright yellow hair and a muffin in her hoof bumped into Sunset.

“Oops, my bad!” said the pegasus, “I didn’t see you there. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen you anywhere before. Are you a friend of Princess Twilight Sparkle? But then, I guess you must be, since you’re walking out of her castle, but then again, you never know!” The pony smiled and giggled while Sunset stared in disbelief. She had no idea where this pony had come from or whom she was, but at least she provided some helpful information: this castle belonged to Twilight Sparkle, who wasn’t home at the moment. Twilight Sparkle had been living in Ponyville for several years, where she and her five best friends frequently worked together to defeat the supernatural terrors that threatened to either enslave or destroy Equestria. No matter the threat, Twilight Sparkle and her friends always managed to save the day, garnering the respect and adoration of the nation.

Sunset cleared her throat and said to the mare, “Yes, I’m an old friend of Twilight Sparkle, and I was stopping by for a visit, but it doesn’t look like she’s home. Do you know where she is?”

The mare stroked her chin in thought for a moment, then looked back at Sunset and said, “Well, she said something about a map leading her to a secret town in Equestria, and then she left to visit the secret town with her friends. But she should be back home soon.” Sunset smiled warmly and said, “Thanks for letting me know, I’ll stop by when she gets home. By the way, which way to Canterlot?” The mare pointed Sunset in the general direction of a massive mountain, where a bustling city was positioned on a large outcropping on the side of the mountain: Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria. Sunset thanked the mare for her time, and cast a teleportation spell that would bring her closer to the city.

A Warm Welcome

Several minutes later, Sunset arrived in Downtown Canterlot, and found herself surrounded by finely dressed horses and designer stores selling clothing, spell books and other goods and services. For a few moments, Sunset stood and took in her surroundings, reunited with a city that she was born and raised in, but never thought she would have seen again. She wanted to stay longer, but she knew that she had a mission: she galloped up to the massive white castle at the center of Canterlot, but was stopped at the gates by two tall, white stallions in golden armor.

“Halt! Who goes there?” barked one of the guards.

“What is your business here?” barked the other. Sunset sighed, and cleared her throat: she could just barge past these guards or throw them aside with her magic, but she knew she needed to behave herself if she wanted to get back on good terms with Princess Celestia.

“My name is Sunset Shimmer. I am a former student of Princess Celestia, and I would like to speak with her.” Sunset explained to the guards. The stallions looked up and down at Sunset, inspecting her for weapons or suspicious items, and upon seeing none, decided that she was not a threat.

“Well, you don’t seem to be a terrorist,” said the first stallion, “but we still can’t invite you to meet the Princess without an appointment. I’m sorry, but those are the rules.” Sunset sighed in defeat, but before she could walk away, the second stallion spoke up.

“Actually, I think I remember the Princess mentioning your name in the past, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a surprise visit from an old friend. I will inform the princess of your arrival, Ms. Shimmer, while my partner waits out here with you.” The stallion galloped into the castle and several minutes later, returned to the gates, panting and exhausted.

“The Princess will…” began the stallion, before taking a moment to catch his breath, and continued “The Princess will see you now. The Throne Room is just down the hall through the big double doors.” Sunset smiled broadly and thanked the guards for their time before entering the castle and galloping down the hallway. After a few seconds, Sunset’s gallop turned to a trot, then to a stop as she noticed her surroundings. Flawless stone architecture, flawless tapestries and iron torches blazing on the walls, all crafted by the most skilled artisans and blacksmiths in all of Equestria, and Sunset shed a tear onto the rug beneath her hooves at the reminder of what she had left behind in her escape to Canterlot High. For a moment, Sunset stood alone in the hall, unable to move or speak or do anything at all, other than stare at the classical architecture around her, architecture that she thought she would never have seen again. A minute passed, and then Sunset composed herself before trotting down the hall once more and opening the massive wooden doors before her.

“Hello?” Sunset called into the room. No answer. Sunset cleared her throat and called again, louder this time, “Hello?”

“Hello, Sunset Shimmer. Please, come in and sit down.” came the response from the end of the room, in a feminine voice that was loud and clear, stern but not unkind. It was the voice of Sunset’s former mentor, Princess Celestia, who sat in a massive golden throne at the other end of the room, staring at her former student with a face that was more surprised than upset. While she was a kind and gracious ruler, Princess Celestia was still an intimidating figure on first meeting: she was twice as tall as the average citizen of Equestria, had a long white horn protruding from the center of her forehead and a pair of heavenly white wings tucked to her sides. In addition, Celestia had a long, multicolored mane and tail that flowed in the wind, even when she was indoors, and the image of a sun on either side of her flanks was even more impressive than the sun on Sunset’s flanks. Finally, Celestia’s garments were at the height of royalty: while she seldom wore clothing, much like the other denizens of Equestria, Celestia wore elegant golden slippers inlaid with precious purple jewels, as well as a golden crown upon her neck and a priceless golden crown upon her brow.

Sunset galloped to the end of the room and bowed graciously to the Princess before sitting down on the carpet and looking up at Celestia, who looked back at Sunset with a look of disappointment rather than anger.

“Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia began, “It has been many years since you have visited Equestria, ever since your… unfortunate outburst.” Sunset cringed at the reminder of her former actions in Equestria. “Frankly, I had not expected to see you ever again, and I trusted that when you left Equestria in favor of Canterlot High, you would have learned your lesson and learned to make friends instead of seeking power.” The Princess sighed, and continued, “I was wrong. Even without the ability to cast magic, you continued to seek power untold in Canterlot High, and when that didn’t work, you returned to Equestria. You stole a magical crown owned by Twilight Sparkle and returned to Canterlot High, where you attempted to use the crown to turn all of the students and faculty into your mindless slaves. If not for Twilight Sparkle traveling to Canterlot High and defeating you with her own magic, you would have led your army to Equestria and enslaved us all. I was very disappointed in you.” Upon being reminded of her selfish and cruel actions in the past, Sunset hung her head and began crying all over the pristine red carpet. Before Sunset could speak up and plead her case, a tremor shook the castle.

Inferno

“What was that?” Sunset gasped and ran to the entrance of the hall to investigate. Celestia and Sunset galloped up to the massive doors and looked outside, only to see a massive black dragon marching up to the gates of the castle with a devious glare in its yellow eyes. The guards who had admitted Sunset into the castle only minutes earlier blasted the dragon with powerful spells, but the dragon merely flinched as it continued to approach the gates, its eyes set unblinking on Princess Celestia and Sunset.

“No. This cannot be.” Princess Celestia breathed. “He has returned.”

“Who, or what is that?” Sunset asked, but after seeing the look of sheer panic on her mentor’s face, Sunset wondered if she really wanted to know the identity of this leviathan. Celestia spoke quickly and clearly, and without taking her eyes off the approaching terror.

“That is Inferno, the most evil and powerful of all dragon kind. He led an army of dragons on a conquest of Equestria thousands of years ago, and slaughtered thousands in his wake. He was feared by all, even his own soldiers for his bloodlust and unbridled power, and there were few beings willing or able to defy him. I fought Inferno for several days on the peak of Canterlot Mountain, testing every spell at my disposal and hoping that one of them would be strong enough to pierce his unbreakable hide, but he was just too powerful. In desperation, I used Starswirl The Bearded’s Incantation of Imprisonment to lock Inferno within the heart of Canterlot Mountain itself, where the dragon lay dormant for five thousand years. I knew that the spell would not hold him forever, but I hoped and dreamed that in five thousand years, somepony would find some means of destroying that monster once and for all. Sadly, in all my years, I have not found such a spell, in spite of combing through every book my private library, and even creating a few new spells. I have failed Equestria, and there is nothing that I can do to stop Inferno.” Celestia hung her head in shame and shed a tear, but Sunset looked at the approaching beast with determination brewing in her heart and mind.

“You may not be able to stop him, but maybe I can.” Sunset said.

“Sunset, you can’t!” cried Princess Celestia. “This isn’t a parasprite infestation or crop shortage, this is evil incarnate! I’m sorry, but if you try fighting Inferno, you will lose in the worst way.”

“I don’t care what happens to me,” Sunset replied. “But I do care what happens to Equestria. It’s my home, these ponies are my friends and family, and I’ll be pressed into cider before I let some subterranean slug take them away from me! Besides, your subjects need you now more than ever: you need to get everypony in Canterlot to a safe location while I distract Inferno. Maybe, just maybe I can distract him long enough for everypony to get to safety.”

“But Sunset-!” Celestia began.

“JUST GO!!” Sunset cried before charging headlong at the dragon, praying with all her might that she would be strong enough to stop him.

As Princess Celestia teleported into downtown Canterlot, Sunset Shimmer stood her ground before Inferno, the massive dragon. In spite of the imminent danger, Sunset Shimmer was not afraid, because she knew that with Princess Celestia protecting the citizens, nopony in Canterlot would get hurt. Sunset only needed to distract the dragon long enough for Celestia to get everypony to safety. The dragon lumbered toward Sunset, shaking the ground with every step, and eventually found that his passage to the castle was blocked. Inferno looked down at Sunset Shimmer, surprised and confused that any creature would stand between him and his conquest.

“Get out of my way.” Inferno growled in a low, menacing voice, but Sunset refused to move.

“No, I won’t move. I won’t let you hurt my friends.” Sunset pawed at the ground and lowered her horn in preparation to cast a spell in her defense. Inferno merely snorted in annoyance, and attempted to swat the mare aside, but Sunset cast a spell from her horn that badly bruised the dragon’s approaching paw. Inferno yelped and withdrew his paw in pain and surprise: he had seldom come across a mage powerful enough to wound him.

“How dare you strike me, you insolent mule! I’ll teach you some respect!” growled Inferno, and tried to crush Sunset with his other paw, but Sunset dodged the attack and blasted the dragon with another spell. Again, Inferno roared in pain, and grabbed Sunset in his massive claws before lifting her up to his gaping maw. Once again, Sunset was too fast for him, and cast a spell that effectively knocked out one of the dragon’s teeth. Inferno howled in pain and dropped Sunset onto the ground, and upon finding out that he had lost one of his teeth, Inferno glared at Sunset Shimmer with a renewed hatred.

“You’ll pay for that!” roared the dragon, and once again swiped at Sunset, but his claws hit nothing but empty air because Sunset had retreated into the city. Inferno followed her into Downtown Canterlot, but due to his massive stature he was unable to squeeze through the narrow streets and alleys of the city. Inferno decided to try knocking down a few buildings, to give him more room to move around in and perhaps kill a few hidden ponies, but before he could make his move, Sunset made hers. Sunset Shimmer appeared on the roof of a nearby building, and blasted the dragon in the eye. Inferno roared and tried to crush Sunset, but she dodged his attack once again and ran down the dragon’s back, blasting him left and right as she went. Inferno roared and reached his arms around, trying to swat the bothersome unicorn clambering down his back, but before he could stop her, Sunset had landed on the ground again, leaving a dozen or so cuts and bruises running down the dragon’s back.

“ENOUGH!!” roared Inferno, and opened his mouth widely, where a glowing orange light could be seen in his throat. A split second later, Inferno blasted Sunset Shimmer with a column of white-hot flame, but when the smoke cleared, he saw that Sunset had erected a magical dome that protected her from being burned alive. In desperation, Inferno slashed and bit at the shield with all his might, but not even he was able to break through the shield. However, in spite of her magical prowess, it was clear that this battle was taking its toll on Sunset Shimmer: beads of sweat ran down her brow, she had bags under her eyes, and her triumphant posture had become a slouch. Inferno grinned upon learning that this mage was not quite as unstoppable as she seemed to be.

“D-do you give up, monster?” asked Sunset, panting heavily.

“I commend you for your determination,” Inferno said to Sunset, “I have slain Elder Dragons and claimed their thrones, devoured entire armies and claimed their lands, but I have seldom witnessed a mage with such power and skill as yours.” Sunset was barely listening, as she was still struggling to keep her shield active: this could turn out to be a trick. “But I regret to announce,” continued the leviathan, “that I have other matters to attend to. This battle has been most invigorating, but I think I will focus my sights on a more… timid prey.”

“What are you talking about?” Sunset asked, but Inferno merely chuckled, and turned his gaze to Ponyville.

“I’m sorry to find that the equines of this city are not worth the trouble of hunting them down, but I’m sure that the farmers of that rural community will not put up quite so much of a fight. Good day to you.” And with that, Scorch spread his wings and took off for Ponyville, leaving Sunset Shimmer aghast and hopeless in the deserted city.

Back to Ponyville

It was a sunny and cheerful day in Ponyville: birds were singing, bees were buzzing, and everypony was laughing, singing and trading goods. However, the good mood of the town suddenly turned sour when a massive black shadow fell over the town. The citizens looked up into the sky and saw the silhouette of a massive dragon imposed against the sun. A second later, ponies were screaming, running here and there, hiding in houses and trying to figure out how they could possibly survive an encounter with a dragon. It was not long before Inferno landed heavily on the lawn of Princess Twilight’s Castle, scoffed at the hideously shiny building and turned his attention to the cottages before him.

“Attention citizens,” he spoke in a clear but spine tingling voice, “I have come to your town with the intent of devouring you all and destroying everything you hold dear. However, I am a merciful dragon, and so I shall offer an ultimatum: if I am offered a sacrifice in the next ten seconds, I shall allow the remainder of you an hour’s head start before I begin hunting you down. I am certain that this is a most reasonable offer, and one that no other dragon would provide to his prey. Your time begins… now.” Inferno stared down at the cottages before him and kept an eye out for any movement. “Tick tock, equines, you have but eight seconds left. Five, four, three, two…” And then stopped when he saw two pegasus ponies huddling in fear beneath a market’s canopy. “Ah, how wonderful, my sacrifices have arrived!” Inferno taunted as he watched the ponies shiver in fear at the sight of the dragon before them. “Oh, and I suppose I ought to tell you that I have a tendency to exaggerate: instead of giving you all one hour to escape with your lives, I shall instead give you five seconds. But on the bright side, these two will be dead before seeing that happen.” The leviathan licked his lips and leaned down to devour the helpless ponies, who could do nothing but hug each other close and wait for the inevitable. But strangely enough, the ‘inevitable’ never came. Instead, the couple heard a blast of energy from fifty yards away, and the roar of a dragon from two yards away: somepony had saved them from a horrifying death, but who? They looked up to see Inferno clutching his eye in pain, and a yellow unicorn standing in front of Princess Twilight’s castle, sweat streaming down her face and a light trail of smoke emanating from her horn. Before Inferno could regain his composure, the two ponies took the opportunity to run away from the scene and hide, and not a moment too soon, because just then Inferno turned a baleful eye upon Sunset Shimmer.

“I said that I wouldn’t let you hurt my friends,” Sunset Shimmer growled, “And I meant it.” She and Inferno charged at each other and attacked with all their might. Inferno was severely injured, and had been rendered virtually blind in his left eye as a result of Sunset’s most recent attack, but Sunset fared no better, as the energy expended from fighting Inferno in Canterlot and teleporting from Canterlot to Ponyville left her weak and exhausted. The two ponies that Inferno had threatened took the opportunity to find safety in a nearby shop, while Inferno himself cast his full attention on Sunset Shimmer.

“Very well,” Inferno growled. “Let us finish this battle, once and for all.” Inferno let loose a column of fire, but Sunset galloped out of the way and blasted Inferno with a spell that knocked a fair bit from his left horn. Sunset prepared to cast another spell, but by now it was obvious that she could not continue the fight much longer. Inferno made note of the sweat running down her brow, her shaking legs and twitching eyes, and took full advantage of the situation. The dragon made a move to swipe at Sunset with his left claw, and when Sunset dodged to miss his attack, Inferno grabbed her with his right claw. Sunset struggled and tried to break free from the dragon’s grasp, but she was too exhausted to cast a spell, and Inferno merely chuckled at her feeble attempts to save herself.

“I applaud you for putting in such a profound effort to stop me from taking over Equestria and its people, but the simple fact of the matter is that I am The Alpha Predator. I have feasted upon entire armies, turned my own people into my personal slaves, even battled The Great Princess Celestia for several days without rest! You are not the first to defy me, but you will certainly be the last. Goodbye.” Inferno opened his jaw wide and dangled the nearly unconscious Sunset Shimmer above his gaping maw, giving her an unobstructed view of his razor-sharp teeth, slimy pink tongue and the bottomless pit of his gullet. Sunset Shimmer began shaking in fear, but after realizing that fighting was useless, stopped struggling and shed a single tear.

“I’m sorry, Equestria, I have failed you.” Sunset whispered, before closing her eyes and waiting for the end.

Sunset Shimmer was unceremoniously dropped into Inferno’s gaping maw, but before she landed on the dragon’s massive forked tongue, a streak of blue caught her and set her down on the ground, far from the dragon’s grasp. Before either Sunset or Inferno could react, a blast of purple energy hit the dragon full in the face, knocking him to the ground. Sunset weakly opened her eyes, and was greeted with a surprising, but welcome sight: she had been rescued by Rainbow Dash, a pegasus who was the self-proclaimed ‘Best Flyer in Equestria’, and the spell that hit Inferno had been cast by her friend Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Even better, their friends, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, joined them; although these six ponies were different in regards to appearance and personalities, each of them was a living representative of friendship and harmony. The athletic Rainbow Dash represented Loyalty, the spirited Pinkie Pie represented Laughter, the elegant Rarity represented Generosity, the industrious Applejack represented Honesty, the gentle Fluttershy represented Kindness, and the studious Twilight Sparkle represented Magic. Just as these six elements together can create and maintain harmony and friendship in a society, the six ponies together possessed a powerful magical force, whereupon they were known as The Elements of Harmony, and were often the last line of defense when Equestria faced a threat.

“Sunset Shimmer?” Twilight said, and Sunset cringed in fear, fully expecting Twilight to chastise her as Princess Celestia had. But instead of yelling, Twilight enveloped Sunset in a hug, and said, “I’m so happy to see you again. I’m so sorry that we didn’t get here sooner, but we were investigating a strange town at the edge of Equestria, and just got back home from the trip. Are you okay?”

“Um, what?” Sunset said after getting past her initial shock. “You’re… happy to see me again? But I stole your crown and tried to take over Canterlot High. I was a traitor and a monster and, well, a villain.”

“Yes, but you’ve changed.” Twilight insisted. “I helped you make friends in Canterlot, and came back to help you defeat the sirens when they had threatened to take over Canterlot High. I know that you’re not a villain because I’ve seen you change, and in spite of your past, I am willing to forgive you and accept you as a friend.” Sunset smiled and shed a tear of joy and hugged Twilight close, before looking back at the other five ponies.

“But what about the others?” Sunset asked. “They were here in Ponyville while you went to Canterlot High, and they only have your word of honor that I’ve changed!” Rainbow Dash was the first to speak up on behalf of the group.

“We don’t need Twilight to tell us that you’ve changed.” Rainbow explained. “We’ve seen it for ourselves! You took on that huge dragon all by yourself and made sure that everypony in town was safe!”

“That’s right, sugar cube.” Applejack chimed in. “If you were still a villain, you would’ve gone back to Canterlot High and saved your own hide. But you didn’t.”

“You were very brave,” Fluttershy admitted. “Not even I could stop such a big, mean dragon all by myself.”

“You have made us all proud, dear.” Rarity said. “I’m just sorry that we didn’t get arrive sooner to help you defeat that horrible dragon.”

“But it’s all okay now!” Pinkie Pie squeaked. “Because the big, mean dragon is gone!” Suddenly, the ‘big, mean dragon’ exhaled loudly, lifted up his head and opened his eyes. The Mane Six and Sunset Shimmer stared in a mixture of surprise and fear at the leviathan that suddenly turned his spine-tingling gaze on the group.

“Or maybe not.” Pinkie said.

The Last Stand

The seven mares were surprised, but not entirely frightened to see Inferno slowly lifting himself to his knees and glaring at the team with eyes that were half-blind and all furious. The Mane Six said nothing, but Sunset stepped forward, stumbling slightly and glaring right back at the dragon.

“Twilight, get your friends out of here.” Sunset ordered. “I’ll stay here and get rid of this menace, once and for all.” Sunset could barely stand, she was so drained of energy, but she pawed at the ground and aimed her horn at Inferno regardless, preparing to use the last of her energy to destroy the monster. However, before either Sunset or Inferno could react, Rainbow Dash stepped up and stood defiantly next to Sunset. A moment later, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and finally Twilight Sparkle walked up to Sunset and stood next to her, the last line of defense between Inferno and his prize.

“Twilight, what are you doing? Get out of here!” Sunset cried. “That dragon wants to destroy Ponyville, and you along with it, and I refuse to let that happen!”

“I was just going to say the same thing to you, Sunset.” Twilight replied. “I know we’ve had our differences in the past, we’ve fought, we’ve argued, but that’s all in the past now. From now on, you are not a traitor, or a monster, and certainly not a villain. From now on, you are my friend, and I’ll do anything to keep you safe.”

“That goes for me too, sugar cube!” Applejack said.

“That goes double for me!” Rainbow Dash agreed.

“And it goes triple for me!” Pinkie Pie chimed in.

“We are here for you, no matter what.” Rarity insisted.

“Friends forever.” Fluttershy declared.

“So, you would rather stand together than find safety?” Inferno chuckled. “Very well, then: friends forever can BURN TOGETHER!!” Inferno let loose an explosion of heat and flame that would have made molten lava look like a milkshake. Smoke and sparks filled the air as the barrage continued for several seconds, and finally, ended. Inferno peered through the smoke and ash at his handiwork, but when the smoke finally cleared, he was greeted with a very unexpected sight. Inferno had fully expected to see nothing but a small pile of burning ash where the seven ponies had once stood, but what he actually saw was the same seven ponies, standing in the same position, but looking much more rejuvenated and energetic than before. Even Sunset looked visibly more energetic than she had a few moments ago: in fact, she looked better than ever. Inferno was shocked and confused, but not nearly as confused as the ponies.

“Thanks for setting up that shield, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash finally said. “We would’ve been toast without it!”

“Um, Rainbow, I didn’t do anything.” Twilight admitted. She had no idea who had cast the spell, until she noticed a very slight rainbow tint to the shield.

“Girls, I think we’ve just activated our Rainbow Power.” Twilight announced. “You know, that super-powerful magic that we used to help us defeat Tirek a few months ago?”

“Yeah, I remember it,” Rainbow Dash responded, “But I don’t know why it’s activating now. I thought it was only a one-time event.”

“I thought so, too,” Twilight said, “but maybe the Rainbow Power has become a part of us now, and comes out to help us overcome certain threats together.”

“Well, that explains a lot,” Sunset admitted, “But what about me? I feel stronger and more energetic than I’ve ever felt before. Did Twilight do that, or am I just getting the runoff energy from you guys?”

“I don’t think it’s either of those things, Sunset.” Twilight explained, and pointed at Sunset Shimmer’s cutie mark, which was glowing just as brightly as the marks of the other six mares. “I think you’ve joined us.”

“Joined you?” Sunset responded in shock, “What do you mean? Joined you in what?”

“You’ve performed an act of bravery and selflessness that Equestria has never seen before, Sunset. You were willing to fight an unstoppable threat to Equestria, even knowing that you might die in the process because you didn’t want your friends and family get hurt. And beyond that, you stood up in the face of adversity back in Canterlot High and kept being nice to others and making friends, even though everyone thought you were still a villain. Even when nopony believed in you, you stood up for what you believed in and worked hard to achieve what everypony else thought was impossible. You, Sunset Shimmer, have become the seventh Element of Harmony: The Element of Bravery.” Sunset was too stunned to speak: for as long as Equestria existed, there was only knowledge of six Elements of Harmony, which were Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty and Magic. These Elements embodied themselves in Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle respectively, and an immensely powerful magic was activated within each of them in times of need, which would help them to overcome great evil. Nopony had ever known or even dreamed of the existence of additional Elements, such as Bravery, but there it was, embodied in Sunset Shimmer herself. Sunset could hardly believe it as she and her six friends floated into the air, higher and higher until they were floating at eye level with the top of Twilight’s castle, with Inferno staring up at them in a mixture of surprise, confusion and rage.

“No. No, this can’t be happening!” Inferno roared. “I am Inferno, Burner of Crops and Devourer of Armies! I am unstoppable! You can’t possibly be powerful enough to defeat me!”

“For once, you’re right, Inferno,” Sunset replied. “I’m not powerful enough to defeat you, nopony is. That is, not alone. But when ponies work together and support each other in our time of need, we can do anything. In this case, it just took someone brave enough to stand up to you to make a difference. You may be powerful, but we ponies have the one power that is greater than you: The Power of Friendship.” Inferno roared in fury, trying once again to destroy the seven ponies, but it was all in vain: with a combined blast of Rainbow Power, Inferno was utterly destroyed, and Equestria was restored from his rampage. Sunset Shimmer and her friends floated gently to the ground as the rainbow shield around them slowly dissipated, and just as quickly as it had begun, the battle had ended.

Making Amends

The seven ponies floated gracefully to the ground, and while most of them were speechless, Rainbow Dash, as always, was overjoyed.

“Oh my gosh, that was so awesome!” Rainbow cried. “He was all, ‘I’m unstoppable’, and we were all like, ‘no, you’re not’, and then we blasted him to bits and saved Equestria!” Likewise, Pinkie Pie was bouncing around in a happy little circle.

“Yeah!” Pinkie chirped in agreement. “And now Sunset Shimmer is one of us, an Element of Harmony who can help us fight big, mean dragons and ugly monsters who want to hurt our friends. This is the best day ever!” Twilight Sparkle, on the other hand, was silent as she trotted over to Sunset Shimmer and looked at her with concern.

“Sunset, I just wanted to tell you that I’m really proud of you for coming here.” Twilight said. “If you hadn’t come here to stop Inferno from destroying Equestria, we would have been powerless to stop him.”

“I know, Twilight, and thank you.” Sunset responded. “But to be honest, I didn’t come here to fight a dragon, at least, I didn’t mean to. I really came here because I wanted to talk to Princess Celestia. I wanted to apologize for how I acted when I was her student, being so obsessed with power that I didn’t realize that she was actually trying to help me become a better pony. If I had taken her advice and went looking for friends in the first place, none of this would have happened. And now Princess Celestia will never forgive me.” Sunset hung her head in shame, until a voice said,

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Sunset and the others looked up into the eyes of Princess Celestia, who landed before them and looked at Sunset with a warm smile upon her face.

“Princess Celestia?” Sunset cried in surprise. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Canterlot!”

“I was, until Inferno left the city.” Celestia admitted. “I heard him say that he was going to attack Ponyville, and after returning everypony in Canterlot to their respective homes, I flew down to Ponyville to help you fight the dragon.” Sunset was confused.

“But if you knew I was fighting Inferno in Ponyville,” Sunset inquired, “Why didn’t you come and help me fight?”

“Well, it hardly seemed that I was needed.” Princess Celestia explained. “I was flying over Ponyville and watching your battle from above, and I saw you performing splendidly as you battled a titanic foe that even I had difficulty in defeating. I was just about to come down and help when I saw that Inferno had you in his grasp, but before I could, I saw Twilight and her friends returning to Ponyville from their journey, and knew that they were best suited to helping you defeat Inferno, once and for all. After all, how were you to learn your true strength if I did all of the work for you?” Sunset Shimmer was speechless.

“You mean to say that you had faith in me all along?” Sunset asked. “You knew that I was an Element of Harmony, and that I had the power to defeat Inferno in me all along?”

“Well, yes and no,” Celestia admitted. “I will admit, I had my doubts at first, and I wasn’t sure if you were truly here to ask for my forgiveness or just seeking more power. But when you were willing to lay down your life to fight Inferno and save the day, regardless of the odds against you, I knew that you had truly changed for the better, and so I stepped aside and let you figure things out for yourself. In the end, you greatly exceeded my expectations and managed to save the day, and for that, I am truly proud of you.” The Princess gently drew Sunset Shimmer in for a consoling hug, wrapping her slender hooves and angelic wings around Sunset in a caring embrace. Celestia’s coat became stained with tears of joy from Sunset, but The Princess did not mind in the slightest.

“Does that mean you forgive me?” Sunset asked.

“Yes, it does.” Celestia replied. “Whatever may have happened between us in the past, it doesn’t matter now. I forgive you for what you did then, and I accept you for what you are now.” Sunset gave Celestia another hug as the other ponies watched in awed silence… that is, except for Pinkie Pie, who was sniffling and sobbing to herself.

“It’s just so beautiful.” Pinkie said between sobs. “Teacher and student are friends again.” Pinkie gave another sniffle, and then her ears perked up. “Hey, do you know what this calls for? A PARTY!” Pinkie Pie threw a hoof full of confetti into the air and honked a party horn joyfully, eliciting a slight chuckle from Princess Celestia and Sunset Shimmer.

“That sounds like a great idea, Pinkie Pie.” Sunset admitted. “Come on, we’ll invite everypony to celebrate with us.”

“Everypony?” Pinkie asked. “Do you mean Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy?” Sunset giggled.

“Well yes, I want them to join us, but I mean EVERYPONY.” Sunset responded, eliciting a giggle from Pinkie Pie.

“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie said, and trotted off to get her party decorations.

Celebration

With her expert party planning skills, it took less than an hour for Pinkie Pie to set up a party extravaganza in Downtown Ponyville to celebrate Sunset Shimmer’s victory against the evil dragon Inferno. True to Sunset’s requests, everypony was invited: citizens from all over Ponyville and Canterlot came to celebrate by playing games, sampling delicious sweets and dancing to music provided by Ponyville’s musical expert, DJ Pon-3. It was the most exciting celebration that Equestria had seen in millennia, but nopony was happier than the guest of honor, Sunset Shimmer. The entire day was a physical and emotional roller coaster for Sunset, but it was all worth it to have returned home and made peace with her friends and mentor. Saving Equestria from an otherworldly abomination and becoming the seventh Element of Harmony (Courage) was just icing on the cake. The celebration continued uninterrupted well into the night, when Princess Celestia decided it was the right time to address the guests and elaborate on the subject of the celebration. Princess Celestia stepped up to the main stage where DJ-Pon3 was playing her music and after politely pausing the music, Celestia addressed the crowd.

“Citizens of Ponyville and Canterlot,” Celestia announced. “We are normally separated by our respective societies, the humble farmers of Ponyville and the upper-class elites of Canterlot, but today we have come together to celebrate a very brave and special individual, who risked everything to save her friends, family, and all of Equestria. Please give a brisk round of applause to Sunset Shimmer!” Sunset trotted onto the stage and shyly waved at the crowd whose hooves thundered against the ground in approval. Sunset had not expected to be given such special treatment, but she stood next to her mentor regardless and smiled at the citizens of Ponyville and Canterlot who were standing before her. Finally, Sunset cleared her throat and spoke.

“Thank you, Princess Celestia for that lovely introduction,” Sunset began. “I’m really flattered that you are all here to join us for this momentous occasion, and I would like to thank each and every one of you for making me feel welcome in Equestria.” The crowd stamped their hooves again, and cheered loudly for Sunset. “That being said,” Sunset continued. “I would be lying if I said that I deserve all of the credit. Yes, I risked my life to defeat Inferno, but I’m not the only one with that distinction. Five thousand years ago, Princess Celestia battled Inferno and imprisoned him within Canterlot Mountain, thereby saving hundreds of generations of ponies from a terrible fate. And today, when all hope seemed lost, and I was ready to give up and let Inferno win, six extraordinarily talented and brave ponies came to my rescue. If it weren’t for those six ponies, I wouldn’t be here today, and that’s why I would like to have them come up on stage and be recognized: Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Twilight, could you come up on stage, please?” Much like Sunset, the six ponies were a bit shy as they trotted onto the stage and looked at the crowd, but they smiled and waved regardless. “These six ponies saved me in more ways than they know,” Sunset Shimmer explained. “Not only did they literally pull me from the jaws of death, but they also accepted me as a friend, even though they knew that I did some things in my past that I’m not really proud of.” Sunset shuffled her hooves in embarrassment, and continued. “But I need to get this off my chest: I need to let everypony know about my past and hopefully, we can put it behind us. Many years ago, I was Princess Celestia’s most prized pupil: I could learn and perform any spell perfectly in a matter of minutes, but over time, I became impatient and bitter. I kept insisting that I was ready for the final step of my studies, to become an alicorn, the most powerful of all equine species, but Princess Celestia insisted time and time again that I was not ready. She suggested that I leave my studies behind for a few hours a day, and go outside to make friends, but I believed that friendship was just a distraction to true power, and refused to leave my studies for any reason. Finally, I found a portal to an alternate world, where I planned to use a magical artifact from Equestria to turn the citizens in that world into my personal army, so that I could return to Equestria and get revenge on Princess Celestia.” Sunset sighed, and then continued her story. “But Princess Twilight Sparkle traveled to the alternate world to confront me, and managed to stop be before I went too far. I stayed in that world for a few more years, and managed to make friends with everyone I met, but I knew that I couldn’t rest until I had returned home and made up for my mistakes here in Equestria. So today, I got up the nerve to return to Equestria and apologize to Princess Celestia, and ended up defeating a terrible, evil dragon and saving my home from destruction.” Sunset looked up at the crowd with a sad look in her eyes, almost expecting them to start throwing rotten tomatoes at her. “So, that’s my story. If you want me to be banished from Equestria or thrown in the dungeon, I won’t resist. I’ll be at peace knowing that I have finally put my past behind me and made things right.” Sunset cringed for a moment, waiting for somepony to yell at her or throw something at her, but there was no response, not even a cough. After a few seconds, two ponies stepped up onto the stage, approached Sunset Shimmer and gave her a hug. Sunset was surprised, to say the least, but she returned the hug and gave a closer look at the two ponies that had been brave enough to not just forgive her, but also accept her. They both had long, brown manes and blue coats with tufts of white here and there: the male had a dark blue coat and dark brown hair, while the female had a sea blue coat with hair as brown as chocolate.

“Wait a minute, I recognize you!” Sunset declared. “You’re the ponies who were being threatened by Inferno when he arrived in Ponyville!”

“That’s right,” the male confirmed. “We were just taking a walk through the farmer’s market when the dragon arrived,” the female explained. “And although we tried to hide under a fruit stand when he landed, he found us and threatened to kill us before destroying the town!”

“But you came and saved us at the last minute,” the female added. “And although the citizens in Canterlot might not have seen your heroic acts, I can honestly say that my boyfriend and I know without a doubt that you truly are a kind and selfless pony.”

“We now know about the bad things that you did in your past, but we are willing to forgive you regardless and accept you for who you are.” the male concluded. “As far as we can tell, you’ve finished your studies, because you now have friends in Ponyville, Canterlot, and all over Equestria.” The duo embraced Sunset once more as the crowd stamped their hooves and cheered happily. Sunset looked up at the two ponies with tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

“Thank you so much, Mr. …?” Sunset began.

“Oh! My name is Melody Guardian,” the stallion explained. “And this is my marefriend, Chiascura.” Chiascura gave Sunset a warm smile and waved at her in greeting.

“Thank you so much, Melody and Chiascura.” Sunset said. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you both as friends.” Then Sunset turned to the crowd and said, “I want to thank you all for accepting me, that is the greatest gift that anypony could ever give me. It is a great honor to call myself an Equestrian.” Once again, the crowd erupted with cheering and the stomping of hooves, whereupon Sunset Shimmer bowed gracefully, and the party came to its conclusion. After the party was cleaned up, Twilight offered Sunset a room for the night in her castle, which Sunset gladly accepted. The bed was large and comfortable, but Sunset was restless: in the morning, she knew that she would be forced to make a very difficult, but nonetheless important decision.

Saying Goodbye(?)

Sunset Shimmer awoke the next morning with the sun shining in her eyes, which gave her enough incentive to get up and go outside, although she would have preferred staying in bed to making the decision that she knew she needed to make. Twilight Sparkle was in the kitchen, making breakfast when Sunset walked in and greeted her.

“Good morning, Sunset! You’re looking well.” Twilight said in a cheerful voice. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“Oatmeal, please, with brown sugar and raisins.” Sunset responded, before sitting down at the dining room table. Less than a minute later, Twilight set a hearty bowl of oatmeal before Sunset, with brown sugar and raisins on top before joining Sunset at the table. Sunset stirred the oatmeal and halfheartedly nibbled on the steaming mush. Twilight looked at Sunset with concern, and decided to figure out what was bothering her friend.

“Are you okay, Sunset?” Twilight asked.

“Hm? Oh yeah, just great, thanks.” Sunset mumbled, even though she knew that Twilight couldn’t be fooled that easily.

“Come on, Sunset, I can tell that you’re upset.” Twilight said. “What’s wrong? Is the oatmeal too hot? Do you want some orange juice? Or toast?” Sunset shook her head, and finally spoke up.

“I’m homesick.” Sunset explained, which elicited a look of confusion from Twilight.

“Homesick? But you’re back home in Equestria, how can you be homesick?” asked Twilight. Finally, Sunset looked up at Twilight.

“I know, Twilight,” Sunset admitted. “But I have a home in that other world I visited, too. That was the place where you stopped me from creating an army and getting revenge on Princess Celestia, and helped me to make friends with the students at the school. Those students are the first friends that I’ve ever made in my life, and I miss them. But at the same time, I have friends here in Equestria, and I… I just don’t know where I belong.” Twilight Sparkle was silent for a few minutes, and then put a consoling hoof upon Sunset’s hoof while looking into her eyes with a smile.

“Sunset, I know how you feel.” Twilight admitted. “The students at Canterlot High are really kind and supportive, just like the ponies here in Equestria, and you’re trying to find out where you truly belong.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want you or Princess Celestia or any of our friends to be upset if I decide to go and live in Canterlot High.” Sunset added, but Twilight simply smiled.

“Sunset, we won’t be upset if you go to Canterlot High, just like how your Canterlot High friends won’t be upset if you stay here. We just want what’s best for you.” Sunset was silent for a minute or two while she thought about her situation, and then finally, her decision was made.

“I’m going back to Canterlot High.” Sunset announced, “They need me there, and not just because I’m friends with the students, because if anything weird or magical happens, I’ll be able to keep everyone safe from danger.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Well, I guess that’s it, then.” Twilight sighed. “You’re going back to Canterlot High.”

“You promise you’re not mad?” Sunset asked.

“Of course I’m not sad, Sunset.” Twilight replied. “Like I said, we only want what’s best for you. But that being said, I hope you don’t mind if we invite our friends for a little going away party.” Sunset smiled and hugged Twilight.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Sunset laughed.

After Twilight informed her friends about Sunset’s decision, the group met at Twilight’s castle to say goodbye to their friend.

“I’ll never forget how you beat up Inferno all by yourself.” Rainbow Dash gushed. “That was so awesome!”

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Sunset replied. “But I would’ve been a goner if you hadn’t flown in and saved me. I owe you one, Rainbow.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, as if this was no big deal.

“Hey, you’re my friend, of course I wouldn’t let you get eaten!” Rainbow laughed, but then her smile began to fade as she remembered the occasion. “Listen, we’re really going to miss you, Sunset. Are you sure you want to go back to Canterlot High?”

“I have to, Rainbow,” Sunset replied. “They need me over there to keep everyone safe. But I promise that I’ll never forget about you, or anypony here in Equestria.” Rainbow shed a tear, but then wiped it away in an attempt to look tough. “Well, be careful over there, those ‘human’ things aren’t as nice as us ponies. Just-just let us know if you’re in trouble, and we’ll come and help, okay?”

“Of course I will, Rainbow.” Sunset confirmed. “Of course I will.” Sunset pulled Rainbow in for a hug, which Rainbow happily accepted.

“Oh wait, I almost forgot!” Rainbow reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a blue pennant with the word ‘WONDERBOLTS’ emblazoned in big, yellow letters, as well as an image of a lightning bolt.

“I got you a little going away gift, you know, as something to remember me by.” Rainbow explained. “It’s a pennant from my favorite flying team, The Wonderbolts. I hope you like it.” Sunset smiled, gently placed the pennant in her saddlebag and hugged Rainbow.

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Sunset whispered. “Thank you for being a loyal and all-around wonderful friend.” Rainbow Dash shed another tear, and quickly wiped it away.

“I’m not crying! I just have something in my eye!” Rainbow lied, before letting Pinkie Pie say her goodbyes. In spite of the somber occasion, Pinkie Pie was just as happy and bouncy as she always was.

“Thanks so much for coming to visit, Sunset!” Pinkie giggled. “It was really fun planning that party in your honor.”

“Yeah, that was a really great party, Pinkie, the best one that I’ve ever had!” Sunset admitted. “Thank you so much for keeping everypony laughing in Equestria. It really is amazing how you are able to find joy in the most mundane or sad events.”

“It’s not that hard, really,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “You just need to keep your eye out. Sometimes, it may seem like everything is dark and sad, and there’s no happiness anywhere, but the happiness is just hiding, and waiting for you to find it.” Sunset giggled at this analogy. “See? You found the happiness!” Pinkie cheered.

“I’m going to miss you, Pinkie Pie. I promise that I’ll never forget about you.” Sunset embraced Pinkie, who enthusiastically hugged her back.

“And I’ll never forget about you either, Sunset.” Pinkie promised. “And here’s your ‘see you later’ gift!” Pinkie reached into her pink tail, which had all the fluffiness and consistency of cotton candy, and pulled out a recipe book. “I put copies of all my favorite recipes in this cookbook, so whenever you feel like baking, just open it up and you’re sure to find a super-duper yummy treat to make!” Pinkie cheered, before giving Sunset one last hug and bouncing aside to let Rarity say her goodbyes.

“It was such a pleasure to meet you, Sunset.” Rarity said. “It’s just a pity that we couldn’t spend more time getting to know each other.”

“It’s okay, Rarity,” Sunset replied. “We’ll stay in touch, one way or another, and I’ll keep you up to date with events at Canterlot High.”

“Well, that certainly is a relief,” Rarity sighed, “But I still insist upon giving you this little parting gift as a way of saying ‘thank you’.” Rarity produced from her saddlebag a large, soft quilt, which had an interesting pattern stitched into the fabric. In the center was the image of a sun; identical to the one on Sunset Shimmer’s flank, and around the sun were six other images that corresponded to the images on her friends’ flanks. There was a cloud emitting a rainbow-colored lightning bolt for Rainbow Dash, a trio of balloons for Pinkie Pie, a trio of blue diamonds for Rarity, a trio of red apples for Applejack, a trio of pink butterflies for Fluttershy, and finally, a large pink star (with five smaller white stars surrounding it) for Twilight. Sunset was speechless.

“Rarity, did you really sew this entire quilt in the past five minutes?” Sunset asked, mouth agape.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Sunset!” Rarity laughed. “After all, I am just one mare, and I can only do so much. I sewed the entire quilt in the past seven minutes.” Rarity smiled smugly as Sunset stared at her in shock.

“Rarity, your talent with a needle and thread is amazing.” Sunset finally said. “But your thoughtfulness and generosity is just as wonderful. You always help others when they are in need, regardless of what they may require of you.” Rarity blushed at the compliment.

“Oh, well thank you,” Rarity said. “But honestly, it’s no bother at all. I wouldn’t want you to catch a cold because you didn’t have a blanket at school.” Sunset and Rarity shared a hug, before Applejack stepped up.

“Sunset Shimmer, I’m really going to miss you,” Applejack admitted. “You were willing to give up everything to come back to Equestria and make things right, and then when you fought that dragon, you were willing to give up your life to make sure that nopony got hurt. If there were more ponies like you in Equestria, this would be a much happier and safer place to live.” Sunset smiled at the compliment and looked at Applejack.

“I’m going to miss you too, Applejack.” Sunset replied. “Especially your unmatched integrity. You always tell the truth, no matter what, and that’s what makes you an especially wonderful friend. This world would be a better place if everypony learned to tell the truth, no matter what. Just promise me that you’ll do your best to tell the truth every day.”

“I promise, sugar cube.” Applejack replied, and reached into her saddlebag for her gift to Sunset, which turned out to be a large mason jar with a syrupy, rainbow colored fluid inside.

“This is my family’s most popular recipe, Zap Apple Jam. It’s made with a special fruit called Zap Apples that only grow once a year, and after harvesting the Zap Apples we use them to make the most delicious treats you can imagine. Just a little bit of Zap Apple Jam on a piece of toast makes you forget all your troubles.” Sunset smiled and gave Applejack a hug.

“I’ll really miss you, Applejack.” Sunset said.

“I’ll miss you too, sugar cube. You take care of yourself, all right?”

“I will, I promise. You take care of yourself, too.”

“I will.” Applejack promised, and stepped aside so that Fluttershy could say her goodbyes. Fluttershy was visibly upset, but Sunset consoled her with a friendly hug.

“Hey, it’s okay, Fluttershy, don’t be sad.” Sunset coaxed.

“But you’re going away to a scary new world, Sunset! We’ll miss you so much.” Fluttershy sobbed.

“Fluttershy, it’s okay, I’ve been to this world before and it’s not scary. And I’ll find some way to stay in touch with all of you, and maybe we can find a way for me to come back and visit once in a while. I promise, I’ll never forget any of you.” Fluttershy looked up and smiled warmly.

“O-okay, if you’re sure.” Fluttershy replied. “But I hope that this gift helps you feel a bit less lonely.” Fluttershy reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a cuddly stuffed animal, a white rabbit with long, floppy ears.

“This is Flopsy, my favorite stuffed animal from when I was a filly.” Fluttershy explained. “She always helped me feel safe when I was afraid or lonely, and I know that she will help you feel safe, too.”

“It’s wonderful, Fluttershy, but this is your favorite stuffed animal. Are you sure you want to let her go?” Sunset asked.

“I’m sure.” Fluttershy responded. “I’ll be happy knowing that she’s helping a friend feel safe. Besides, I can just give my pet bunny Angel a hug if I’m feeling sad or lonely.” Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy shared one more hug before Twilight Sparkle stepped up and smiled at Sunset.

“Look at you,” Twilight said. “The first time we met, I was chasing you through the portal to Canterlot High after you had stolen that magical artifact. Your only goals in life were to achieve ultimate power and get revenge on Princess Celestia, but now… my, how you have changed. You’re a hero who single-handedly defeated the biggest and most evil dragon Equestria has ever known, you’ve gained the love and forgiveness of everypony in Equestria, including Princess Celestia, and now you’re going back to Canterlot High so that you can keep everyone safe from danger. You have really come a long way from the villain you once were, Sunset Shimmer, and I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.” Sunset was listening intently to Twilight’s every word with tears of joy streaming from her eyes.

“Do you really mean that, Twilight?” Sunset asked.

“I mean every word of it.” Twilight confirmed. Sunset enveloped Twilight in a hug, and cried on her shoulder.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Twilight! I would still be a horrible monster bent on world domination if you hadn’t intervened and taught me about friendship.” Sunset sobbed.

“Oh, don’t say that.” Twilight said. “You’re a smart mare, it wouldn’t have taken you long to figure out that friendship is the most powerful magic of all. You just needed a little bit of help finding your way.”

“All the same, I really appreciate all the help that you and your friends gave me in my time of need. I’m happier now than I’ve ever been before, and I have you and all of your friends to thank for that.” Sunset motioned for the rest of the group to join her and Twilight in a group hug, and they gladly obliged, embracing Sunset and laughing happily.

“Oh, and before I forget, here is my gift to you, Sunset.” Twilight declared and pulled out a small black box from her saddlebag. Sunset opened the box, and found that it contained a beautiful, flawless crystal hanging from a silver chain. Upon closer inspection, Sunset saw that the crystal contained the image of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer herself in a group hug. Sunset was speechless, but her feelings were conveyed via a single tear of joy running down her cheek.

“I took a picture of us hugging just now, and magically installed it in this crystal. Now you can have us with you wherever you go.” Twilight explained. Sunset’s only response was to hug Twilight and their friends closer as another tear of joy ran down her cheek. The group would have held onto that hug forever, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Princess Celestia.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt.” Princess Celestia announced. “But I wanted to say goodbye to Sunset Shimmer before she returned to Canterlot High.” The seven ponies bowed graciously to Celestia.

“Please, don’t bow down to me.” Celestia asked. “I consider us all to be equals. Besides, this is a very special occasion, and I don’t wish for it to be bogged down by royal formalities.” Celestia approached the group and produced a large box, from which she removed seven hardcover books. All of the books were brown with gold trim, but each of them had a unique embellishment on the front cover: the book that was given to Sunset Shimmer had the image of a blazing sun upon it, identical to the image on her flanks, Twilight’s book had a pink star with five smaller white stars around it, Pinkie Pie’s book had three balloons, and so forth.

“Princess Celestia, what are these?” Twilight asked. “The mark on the front of this book suggests that it was made for me, and the marks on the other books suggest that they each belong to one of my friends. I thought you would have only given Sunset a gift, since she’s the one who’s leaving.”

“Yes, Twilight, Sunset is the only one who is leaving,” Celestia explained, “But she has a special connection to you and your friends, just as you and your friends have a connection to her. That’s why I created these seven remarkable journals: each journal is magically connected to the other, and whatever is written into one book will magically appear on the pages of the other six books. That way, no matter where you go or what you do, you will always have a way to communicate with each other.” The seven ponies stared in amazement at the journals in their hooves, and one by one, they trotted over to Princess Celestia and embraced her in a group hug.

“I know how much you want Sunset Shimmer to stay here in Equestria, my little ponies, and I wish she would stay, too. But ultimately, this is Sunset’s decision to make, and I believe that she is making a good choice to go to Canterlot High and help the students there.” Celestia admitted. “I will certainly miss you, Sunset, as will everypony in Equestria, but perhaps we can schedule a time in the future for you to return for a visit. In the meantime…” Celestia produced an eighth journal from her saddlebag, this one with a bright golden sun on its cover, identical to the mark upon Princess Celestia’s flanks. “I will expect you to stay in touch with me and your friends, and update us on any developments on your studies and activities in Canterlot High. Likewise, we shall stay in touch with you, and update you on events here in Equestria.” Celestia reached forward and gave Sunset a gentle hug, before concluding “Good luck, Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset returned the hug, and after a friendly smile and wave to her friends, she stepped through the portal to Canterlot High and returned to her human form. Sunset took a deep breath and looked around at the students milling about, talking on their cellphones, playing Frisbee on the lawn and completely failing to notice the student who had just stepped out of the statue at the entrance to the school.

“Let’s get to work.” Sunset said confidently as she walked up the stairs and entered the building.