Vanishing Act

by redandready45

Rating: teen
Tags: Juniper Montage, Equestria Girls, Sunset Shimmer, Main 7 (EqG), Slice of Life, Alternate Universe, Shadowbolts (EqG), Sunny Flare, Sad, Mystery
Length: 151765

How do you make the invisible visible? Make them vanish.

Featured on July 18, 2019

Throughout her time at Crystal Prep, Twilight Sparkle had been ignored or scorned by her jealous and well-to-do classmates. She could only rely on her pet dog Spike for companionship.

The Friendship Games, once a way to bring the two schools together, devolved into a cutthroat competition for glory. A competition Principal Abacus Cinch sought to win, even if it meant blackmailing her top student.

Seeking to distract herself from her loneliness, Sparkle sought to study the magic of Canterlot High School. Her experiments, however, wreaked havoc on the games, and brought her the scorn of Sunset Shimmer, who saw the human Twilight as a dangerous nuisance.

In a last-ditch effort at victory, Cinch and the Shadowbolts pushed Twilight into unleashing the magical energies she had collected.

But in their attempt to abuse a force they did not understand, the Shadowbolts unwittingly caused tragedy. But through this tragedy, will the Shadowbolts and others come to understand the value of a single human being? And will Sunset overcome her grief and try to prevent another one?

Published 2017-08-11 03:40:07 UTC
Last updated 2024-09-23 14:15:45 UTC

An Empty Spot (Edited 03/21/20)

A palpable silence hung over the crowd. The excitement of the day and the fear everybody felt once the magic had been unleashed had been replaced with the silence of a tomb, as everyone stared at the spot where Twilight Sparkle once stood.

At the epicenter of the magical incident, the chilling calm was the most profound, as Wondercolt and Shadowbolt alike stared silently at glasses, smoky shoe, and the pendant laying idly on the ground. The solemn quiet was broken after a few moments by a voice laden with concern.

"Twilight," said Spike, as he approached the spot where his master once stood. The voice was soft, but it quickly broke the trance the two teams where in. They all stared at the sentient dog, their faces still solemn. If the Shadowbolts were stunned by hearing a dog use human speech, they did not reveal it.

"Twilight," Spike repeated, in a voice that held even more sadness. He walked to the center of the scorch mark, in between the glasses and pendant. "Come back," he cried out in a pained voice, collapsing onto his belly in tears.

Among the Wondercolts, Pinkie Pie began to weep like a baby. Her wild, poofy hair straightened, as if the unforeseen energy that made her energetic drained away. Fluttershy walked over to mournful Spike, picked him up and cradled him like a baby. As she tried to comfort the dog, sad tears were running down her own cheeks.

Among the Shadowbolts, Lemon Zest fell to her knees and began crying, taking her precious headphones off her head, and throwing them down in a fit of self-loathing. Sour Sweet also began crying, her anguished noises filling the air. Those who were able to maintain their composure looked toward the entrance, hearing the noise of heels running across the concrete path.

A frantic Dean Cadence ran toward the burn mark on the ground, her face full of horror. She bent her neck, looking down at the artifacts of her sister-in-law, like she was looking at a grave site. .

"What happened to her," Cadence asked desperately. Despite her sadness, she saw the Wondercolts who had maintained their cool turned their heads to Sunset. Cadence walked over to Sunset, realizing she was the only person present who could give an answer.

"What happened to her?" Cadence asked Sunset in a louder voice. The fire haired girl, her eyes beginning to water, first looked to her friends, who sought her guidance. She then looked toward the Dean, whose face was growing impatient with Sunset's silence. In a desperate rage, Cadence grabbed Sunset by her shirt and pulled her to her face.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Sunset screamed at the Dean, her face red with frustration. Cadence released Sunset, tears flowing down her pink cheeks. "I don't know," Sunset uttered, her voice broken.

With that, Cadence's composure failed, and she fell to her knees in tears. She wept the loudest, picking up the glasses and the pendant and clutching them to her heart like they were her child. Spike wiggled out of Fluttershy's grasp, and walked over to the more familiar woman, putting his head against her leg, as they both mourned Twilight.

The rest of the Wondercolts wept, as did the Shadowbolts. Celestia and Luna walked over to the anguished Dean, and both hugged her tightly in an attempt to calm her down.

In the bleachers, both Canterlot and Crystal Prep student alike were in varying degrees of sorrow.

The mourning of the two teams was interrupted by the approach of a very angry principal.

"You did this," screamed Cinch, staring furiously at the Wondercolts. They all stared at angry woman, faces full of shame and regret.

"Principal Cinch," Sunset said in a quiet, guilty voice, smalls drops falling from her face, "I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to-,"

"Enough," she hissed said angrily, causing Sunset to cease defending herself. "You and Canterlot's magical shenanigans just killed my prized student. I plan to report this to the proper-,"

"You made her use the magic," shouted Sugarcoat, her voice full of rage. The Wondercolts and the two administrators of Canterlot High looked at Cinch with extreme anger. Except for Sunset, who unbeknownst to everybody, suddenly stopped weeping and staring at Cinch with cold eyes.

"What," Cadence barked, looking at Cinch. "You made her unleash the magic," Cadence said dismay, her face that of someone who had been stabbed in the back.

"We did," said Sour Sweet sadly. She suddenly glared at Cinch. "We all told her to do it." The orange-skinned girl and blue-skinned girl gave them furious glares, while Celestia and Luna were shaking with fury.

"You made her unleash magic," Celestia said furiously, "what were you thinking?!"

"I see what you're doing," Cinch said, ignoring Cadence's dismay. "You're trying to blame me when you are the ones who cheated. I demand you forfeit the games immediately." The Wondercolts and Shadowbolts looked at Cinch with a mixture disgust and shock. Sunset's face remained calm and composed, but she began to clench her fists.

"The games," Celestia said, her voice filled with disgust as she began clenching her teeth. "you lead your students to push Twilight into unleashing something she didn't understand, which killed her, and you're talking about the games?! Don't you give a damn about her?!" Her face softened as she heard Cadence's tears. Cinch however, retained her cold appearance in the face of everyone's growing anger. Fluttershy looked to Sunset, and noticed the vein on Sunset's forehead was throbbing, and the girl's balled fists were beginning to tremble.

"The girl was my ticket to success, and you destroyed her," Cinch yelled back. "For that, you deserve-," what words were about to leave her mouth stopped as she heard a furious scream to her right. She turned her head, and saw Sunset running toward her, screaming with rage, her face as red as parts of her hair. Before Cinch could react, Sunset pounced on her, tackling the middle-aged principal to the ground. In a daze, both from pain the shock of being tackled, Cinch saw Sunset climbing on top of her, the fire-haired girl's face resembling that of an angry animal. Before she could call for help, she felt a yellow fist collide with her face. A then another. The girl wailed on the principal, her eyes without an ounce of pity, letting out a scream as she rained blow after blow on the principal.

The pummeling lasted for a few minutes before she felt Sunset being pulled off of her. She laid down, feeling blood on her lips, a wondering why no one was coming to her aid. Though injured and dazed, she still had the energy to pull herself up. When she stood up, she saw a hyperventilating Sunset being held back by Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"This little demon attacked a member of faculty," said Cinch when she finally regained her composure,"that alone should disqualify you-,"

"You know what," bellowed Sunset, pulling her arms free from her friends. "Fine. Go ahead. Disqualify me! I forfeit! You win!" Cinch was shocked at that statement, as were the Shadowbolts.

"They called this event the 'Friendship Games'," said Sunset, her voice laden with righteous fury. "That's what these games should be about." She narrowed her eyes even more. "None of you people know what FRIENDSHIP is!" Her voice carried throughout the field. Crystal Prep students were shocked by the girl's invective. She paused. She turned her eyes toward the Shadowbolts, glaring at them with the same amount of contempt she gave Cinch. The Shadowbolts turned pale at the sight of Sunset's wrath. "You don't even give it to your own teammate! You put her in danger, and made her unleash something none of you could control just because you wanted to win a dumb game! How selfish and stupid are you people!" The Shadowbolts flinched and bowed their heads in shame. A not so small number of Crystal Preppers did the same as well. "All to win a stupid game," Sunset's repeated with a hiss. "I just can't..." Sunset trailed off, too furious to speak. She took a deep breath.

"I learned long ago that there is something more important than winning," she glanced at her friends, giving them all a warm smile, which they returned. Her anger returned when she turned back to the Shadowbolts. "I don't need to step on other people to feel important, or win a contest to make myself feel good." She looked down, at a bit of regret on her face, before looking scornfully. "But that's all you people care about! So, you know what, keep the trophy." She clenched her teeth. "That obviously meant mean more to you then her," she growled out. Sunset's words felt like daggers in the hearts of the Shadowbolts.

She then stormed out in a rage. Slowly but surely she was followed by the other Wondercolts. Soon, the Canterlot student body also followed Sunset's lead, and storm away from the bleachers, giving Crystal Prep students varying degrees of angry looks. Within minutes, all of Canterlot High had left, except for Luna and Celestia, who were trying to comfort Cadence.

The Crystal Prep students sat in the stands feeling miserable and ashamed. Cinch, who was shocked by Sunset forfeiting the games, and who was feeling the pain from Sunset's blows, simply walked away, ignoring the glares that Cadence, the Shadowbolts, and the rest Crystal Prep were giving her.

Cadence heard a ring of her cell phone, and saw Shining Armor calling her up. She reluctantly answered.

"Hey Cadence," Shining's happy voice said through the phone. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to Games. How were they? Did Twilight come out on top?" Cadence tried to speak, but all that came out was whimper. Eventually Celestia took the phone from her, while Luna continued to hold the grieving woman.

"Shining Armor," Celestia said calmly into the speaker, "Cadence can't come to phone."

"What happened, why is she crying?," Armor said, his voice alarmed by his wife's cries. "And where's Twilight?"

Celestia bit her lip, wondering how she was going to explain what happened. Her eyes watered. "Well Shining," she said, tears starting to drip from her eyes.

The Rainbooms all followed Sunset to the parking lot, with varying degrees of anger. Rainbow Dash, however, smiled proudly at Sunset, and ran up to greet her.

"Sunset," Rainbow Dash said excitedly,"that was awesome what you said back there..." she paused when she saw tears leaking down from the yellow girl's eyes. "Sunset, are you OK," she asked. Sunset started sprinting away, crying loudly.

"Darling wait," Rarity screamed, concerned for her friend.

Sunset ignored their concerned cries, ran toward her motorcycle, and drove away into the night, her wails audible to all, until she was far from the school. Her friends looked at the direction she had driven in, their eyes full of sadness and concern.

Author's Note

I'm happy to finally get this chapter out. I hope I got the emotions just right.

An Empty Trophy Case (Edited 04/05/20)

Sunny Flare was walking across a steel foot bridge that spanned two sides of a gorge 100 ft above a raging river. It was night time, the air was cool, the stars were shining beautifully in the sky, and the only sound was the rapids scraping against the rock.

Sunny Flare happily inhaled through the nose, enjoying the brisk fresh air. She slowed her pace, and happily looked up at the stars, shining like gems that had been woven into the sky.

BAM!

Sunny Flare heard a blast, but before she could see the source, she felt the bridge give out from under her. The span snapped in two. Adrenaline rushing through her body, she grabbed onto a bracing with a yell, and closed her eyes in terror. When she opened them a few minutes later, her half of the bridge was dangling at a 90 degree angle. Down below, she saw the raging waters, the noises now sounding like death.

Behind her, Sunny heard a violent sound, almost like scraping metal. She turned and saw the other half of the bridge had collapsed into the river, the impact of the fall breaking the steel girders like they were dried sticks in a vice, which only added to her terror.

Around Sunny, storm clouds were gathering, and winds were picking up. She felt the broken half of the bridge she was clinging sway in fierce gusts. The sound of thunder cracked, shaking the bridge slightly. She whimpered, hoping someone will come to rescue her.

Sunny saw the end of the bridge just six feet above her. It was so close, yet so agonizingly out of reach. Out of nowhere, a figure appeared neared the end. The person wore jeans and a black sweatshirt with a hood that hid his or her face .

"Hey," Sunny yelled out of desperation, "can you please get me out of here." The figure went over to the edge of the bridge, and looked down at the dangling Sunny.

"Do you have rope or something you can throw me" Sunny asked hopefully. The person, his or her face covered in a dark hood, just looked down at Sunny without moving or saying.

"Well," Sunny said impatiently, "don't just stand there staring! Help me!"

"You're always expecting others to help you," the figure said a low, menacing, and female voice. She pulled down her hood, revealing red and golden hair, yellow skin, and blue, unforgiving eyes. "But you never lift a finger to help others."

"Sunset," Sunny uttered, unnerved by the girl's tone, and the cold look in her eyes. "Please help me out!"

"Where were you when Twilight need help?" Sunset asked ominously. The storms picked up, and sounds of thunder became more intense." When Cinch and your team pushed Twilight, you saw her distress at being forced into using magic. Yet. you. did, nothing!" A fierce thunderbolt clapped, frightening Sunny.

"I didn't know it would happen," Sunny said weakly.

"YES YOU DID!" Sunset yelled, her voice soundly like angry thunder. Sunny did just that. "You saw the vines and the portals, and yet that did not stop you from pushing Twilight into unleashing the magic."

"I just wanted to win," Sunny said.

"Yes, you care more about your own selfish needs than your own teammate," Sunset said, her voice beginning to echo, and her demeanor becoming increasingly angry."You proved that your willing to kill someone for your own ambition."

"I didn't want her to die," Sunny said, the memory of that day, and the pain of holding onto a girder making her cry. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're sorry you couldn't rub your victory into our faces," Sunset growled. "You willingly murdered an innocent girl for your own gain. And for that, you deserve nothing but the rocks below!"

"Please don't push me," Sunny screeched, "PLEASE!"

"No, I won't push you the same way you pushed poor Twilight," Sunset stood up, and turned away,"but nor will I save you from the fate you so rightfully deserve."

"Sunset please," Sunny said, more tears falling out of her eyes, as Sunset walked away. A bolt of lightening lit up the end of the bridge. In a flash, Sunset was gone.

Sunny cried more and more as her wrist ached from holding the bracing. The storms kept picking up, the girders keeping the bridge attached to the canyon were bending more and more, making a loud grinding noise.

BAM!

A lightning bolt struck at Sunny's hands, making her let go of the bracing. She screamed as she fell into the river below.

Sunny woke up with a loud scream, cold sweat all over her body . She was back in her room, in her nice soft bed. She laid back into bed, tears pouring from her eyes, guilty sobs coming from her mouth. She kept them quiet though. She didn't want to wake up her parents. Sunny felt she didn't deserve their comfort.

Friday Morning

"It wasn't supposed to be like this", Sugarcoat thought miserably, as she left the parking lot to enter Crystal Prep. Friday was supposed to be the best day of any school week. When everybody was excited over the last day before the weekend. Doubly so, since after their expected victory at the Friendship Games, there was supposed to be a day long party, in which they would celebrate their triumph.

But nobody liked to throw a party during a day of mourning.

As Sugarcoat walked to class, she walked past the trophy case. It was a clear glass box that held all the great victories Crystal Prep had gotten. It was put on the wall in the front lobby, obviously to impress visitors. The section that was set up for this year's Friendship Game trophy was empty, despite the fact that Crystal Prep had technically won.

"It makes so much sense," Sugarcoat thought as she made her way to class. She saw a crowd had gathered near the wall, and were gawking at it, like a group of bystanders would gawk at a crime scene.

When she saw the wall, it was spray painted with the word, "MURDERERS" in bright, bold red letters. Put there by some student from Canterlot, obviously. The accusation, despite it being directed at the school, proved too much for Sugarcoat, and she began sprinting away from it, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes.

She arrived at her physics class, and took a seat right next to Lemon Zest. The normally peppy girl looked like she had not slept, sad bags under eyes. She wore her headphones, but instead of the rock music blaring from the phones, Sugarcoat heard a sad blues song. Lemon Zest, still upset from last night, barely acknowledged her presence with nod.

"You look like you saw a morgue", is what Sugarcoat normally said when her friends were in a poor mood, but she realized the quip was too appropriate. Lemon looked like she was about to cry again.

Mrs. Chalk came in and greeted the class, her usual authoritarian tones replaced with profound loss. She was a relatively short woman, who wore a uniform that combined the school dress code with some professionalism. Most of the students would usually greet her when she arrived, but most were too upset to offer any greeting, even one that was half-hearted.

With that, the teacher jumped right to attendance. When she heard 'Twilight' pop up, Sugarcoat and others instinctively looked to the front row desk, and sighed. Twilight wasn't there. She would never be there again.

"Sorry," Mrs. Chalk said sheepishly. She looked at everyone, seeing their profound despair. "Look, I know you all are upset," she paused, trying to hold back tears, "but the world is still turning, and we need to keep going."

The teacher, of course, began by asking some question about physics, almost rhetorically, since nobody would be able to answer these questions off the top of their heads. Well, except one student.

"Can anybody tell me what kind of orbit planets move in," Mrs. Chalk asked in her excited tone.

"Ooh, ohh," Twilight said, waving her arm in the air excitedly. "I know, I know." The teacher hesitated for a minute, hoping someone other than the top student could answer the question. She sighed and gave up.

"Yes, Miss Sparkle," she said, in a disappointed tone, annoyed that no one else raised their hand.

"Elliptical", Twilight said happily.

"Very good," the teacher said happily. "The rest of you, take notes," she told the other students in an unimpressed tone.

Twilight smiled at the teacher's praise, like someone who had just won the lottery. She was oblivious to the jealous looks her classmates were giving her.

"You should become an encyclopedia," Sugarcoat said to Twilight, exasperated by the egghead's profligate one-upping of everybody around her,"you'd be more interesting that way." Twilight's joy faded at Sugarcoat's barb.

Sugarcoat always felt jealous and annoyed with Twilight always trying to show off how smart she was But now, hearing Twilight's excited voice would sound like music to her ears.

Suddenly, Mrs. Chalk's cell phone rang, and she paused her lecture to answer it.

"Lemon Zest, Sugarcoat," the teacher said in a controlled tone. The two Shadowbolts lifted their heads. "Dean Cadence wants to speak to both of you." Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest stood up and walked out of the room.

Lemon Zest and Sugarcoat marched slowly toward the Dean's Office. They still remembered the tragic look in Cadence's eyes, seeing her favorite student die before her eyes, which is why they walked as slowly as they could. They could only imagine the punishment they were going to get. The woman probably spent all night thinking of a good way to punish them.

They finally reached the Dean's Office. They walked in to see the Dean, her normally bright face stained with tears.

"Selfish idiot," thought Sugarcoat, her mouth twitching, "I killed her favorite student. I deserve whatever I get."

"Sit," Cadence said, in a quiet but pained tone. Normally, she would say "please sit down," but it was clear Cadence was not in the mood to feel polite. Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest both sat down in the two chairs in front of them, as if the pain from the Dean's words was like a giant hand that pushed them in. Sugarcoat and Lemon at their dean's desk and saw several items: a pair of glasses, a melted shoe, and the purple pendent that had all the magic.

Seeing Cadence trying to keep what remained of Twilight was like a knife to the heart of the two Shadowbolts.

Getting up from the chair, Cadence walked to the door. Usually, she kept it open, even when meeting a student, as a sign that she would lend an ear to anybody who asked. After closing it, she turned the lock, and pulled down the shades, proving she was indeed not going to pull punches.

"Girls," Cadence said softly....

With that, Lemon Zest broke down in sobs.

"I'm so sorry," Zest said in a forlorn voice to Cadence. "I'm so sorry." She repeated over and over again, sobbing. Sugarcoat tried to keep her equanimity, but was straining to maintain it.

Cadence stared at Lemon Zest for a minute, before walking over to Lemon and... hugging the inconsolable girl, patting her on the back, and assuring her it wasn't. The sight of Cadence giving Lemon forgiveness the music-loving girl felt she didn't deserve was too much for the stoic Sugarcoat. She pulled off her glasses, and began wailing and apologizing. Warm tears pored down her cheeks. Cadence saw this, and also gave her a warm hug, assuring her she didn't blame her.

After few minutes, their crying mostly subsided, and Cadence went back to her desk.

"Listen, I don't blame you girls," Cadence said in a soothing voice. Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest hung their heads in shame, and starting blinking their eyes and biting their lips to keep more tears from spilling out. "You didn't know. But if you want, there is something you can do to make it up to...her." She said this while glancing at Twilight's possessions.

They lifted their heads to look at her, seeing kind, merciful eyes.

"What," asked Sugarcoat in a broken voice. "What can we do?" With that, Cadence handed the girls each some kind of form. Sugarcoat put her glasses back on to read. Both Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest both looked at the forms, at first with a despondent disinterest. As they read more and more, their despondence was replaced with confusion. Then curiosity. Then astonishment. Then a mix of fear and amazement. The two Shadowbolts put the forms down, their faces full of anxiety.

"Are you sure this is gonna work," said Lemon Zest, fear in her voice.

"This is a serious legal risk," Sugarcoat added with trepidation.

"It can work," Cadence said, a confident smile on her face,"as long as we work together."

For the first time in hours, Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest's faces had brightened. As they signed the form, their expressions less inconsolable then before. Cadence took the forms from them, and gave each girl a proud smile.

An Ultimatum (Edited 04/05/20)

Friday, noon.

Cinch sat at her office, her fingers typing away on the keyboard. Right now she was typing up an E-mail to her lawyer. She looked at her screen with steely determination, gritting her teeth as she still felt the pain from the fire-haired girl's attack.

She let out sob of pain, and paused her typing to put an ice pack over her bruised cheek. She bit her busted lower lip, which hurt like a bee sting. Her left eye, blackened by that brat's attack, throbbed in pain. Cinch couldn't treat that without taking off her reading glasses, and was forced to tolerate the agony.

"Work through the pain, Abie", thought Cinch with renewed determination ,"that Canterlot hellion will get her proper punishment soon enough."

It was a simple assault case. There were plenty of witnesses, and there was no shortage of evidence. Much of it was found on her injured face.

"If I'm lucky, she could even be tried as an adult," thought Cinch ,"and would thus be banned from any institute of higher learning once she gets thrown in jail." A malevolent smile appeared on her face, imagining the scared look on the little brat's eyes once she was put on the stand, tried, sentenced, and hauled off to a penitentiary.

Her vengeful thoughts were interrupted by the opening of her door. A look of annoyance appeared on her face. She hated unscheduled guests.

"How many times do I have to make it clear to the student body, I can only be reached through appointments", she thought, exasperation ringing through her thoughts.

"Leave," Cinch said without looking up from her laptop, her busted lip turning her normally authoritative voice into a almost unintelligible lisp, "and fill out the check-in sheet on the door if you wish to meet..."

"Hello Cinch," Cinch looked up, and saw her Dean, an unusually cold look are her normally bright eyes.

"What is it Cadence," Cinch said, somewhat annoyed, "I am very busy!"

"You look horrible Cinch," Cadence uttered in a tone of fake sympathy,"In other words, you look the same as you always do."

Cinch looked up at her Dean with a look of shock. Not at the barb, but that the fact that it came from her mouth.

"Excuse me," Cinch asked with some anger. She then relaxed and turned back to her computer, "well if you want to trade barbs, we can do that later, I..." she paused as she saw Cadence walk over to the door to her office. Her pause turned to shock when she turned the lock on the door. In the professional world, locking the door was code for 'trouble is on the horizon. Pay attention.' It sent a small chill down her spine.

Cadence calmly walked over the desk, the act of locking the door giving the kindly Dean a bit of confidence. It unnerved Cinch a little.

"Since your a busy person," Cadence said, "I'll cut to the chase." Cadence reached into her leather suitcase, and pulled out some kind of form. She handed the form over to Cinch, who looked it over. Her bespectacled eyes widened in shock.

"Is this a joke," Cinch asked, a snarl on her face.

"No Cinch," Cadence said, her voice becoming ever sterner, "I was joking before. This is not joke. Students dying in fires because you endangered them is no joke."

"No student died because I..." Cinch paused to read the form she was handed"...'ordered Twilight Sparkle onto a faulty motorbike under the threat of detention so she could win a competition.' " Cinch put down the form and glared at Cadence. "I would certainly never sign such a fabricated document. Why would I confess to something so blatantly untrue".

"I remember taking your political science course Cinch," Cadence said with a nostalgic tone. "One thing I'll never forget was, when you wrote, 'truth is what the masses choose to believe, not what actually occurred', on the chalkboard. I remembered that lesson very well, Cinch. And now I'm going to apply it."

"What are you playing at," Cinch said, her voice becoming deeper and more hateful. Cadence silently pulled out a manila folder from her briefcase.

"In this folder," said Cadence, a wild grin on her face,"I have the signed confessions of...five students. Who admit that they made Twilight do just that on your orders. I can't reveal their names, but they certainly had a bird's eye view of what you did." Cadence paused as Cinch's eyes widened in realization, and then narrowed in fury.

"Those Shadowbolt brats," Cinch bellowed. "You'd have them betray me-," she paused, "betray this institution, and commit perjury!" Cadence maintained a sly grin.

"Oh Cinch," Cadence said with fake shock, pulling out another, larger manila folder out of her briefcase. "You underestimate me," she said, pulling out a thick stack of documents. "I was able to get 60 students-little over half of our student body- to, as you put it, 'commit treason', and admit to seeing you push Twilight onto that faulty motorbike on threat on expulsion. And I did it in under an hour too."

Cinch stared at the documents in anger.

"The faculty," Cinch uttered ,"would surely defend their principal who brought great things to this-,"

"How many of those 'loyal' staff members gave you a hello this morning," Cadence replied. Cinch opened her mouth, than stopped, as what Cadence said sunk in. She realized no one had given her a single greeting. "Mrs. Chalk, I recall, wanted to rip your throat out." Cinch's eyes widened. "I mean, when the top student of Crystal Prep dies," Cadence said, the word 'dies' being the most eerily quiet," a student whose scores helped CPA become the highest ranked school in the county, the teachers won't think highly of the person responsible for that." Cadence smiled at Cinch's eyes widened in fear.

"Surely the cameras recording the event would prove that such a thing did not happen," Cinch argued, albeit with less bluster than she had before.

"Well," Cadence said with boredom, "I spoke to the AV Club, and they said the recordings were somehow lost just this morning." Cinch's eyes widened again and her face turned red with rage.

"CONSPIRACY," Cinch yelled in a rage. "I give this school greatness and they now conspire against me!" Cadence, however, remained unmoved at Cinch's growing fury.

"Let me ask you another question Cinch," Cadence said with a smirk. "Who among the student body and the faculty tried to save you from Sunset's wrath?"

Cinch was confused about the question being repeated. But as she thought it over, much of the energy in her faded from her.

"Well," Cadence asked, her smirk becoming more malicious. Cinch muttered something unintelligibly.

"I'm sorry, what was that," Cadence said,"speak up!"

"No one," Cinch said, sounding like a wounded animal in an abusive kennel.

"Who among the student body and staff would defend you against this so-called conspiracy," Cadence asked.

"No one," Cinch said, in a much quieter, fatalistic tone as the realization donned on her. She looked back at Cadence, some desperate hope appearing on her. "But surely, my allies on the school board-,"

"Actually," Cadence said, pulling out another form, "once they heard about how Twilight died, and saw how so many people were aligned against you, they realized that defending you was a lost cause." Cadence slapped the form down on her. "They are demanding that you resign your position."

"Those ingrates," Cinch said, her voice becoming manic,"I made their school great and now they throw me under the bus! They have no loyalty to anything but-,"

"Let me finish," Cadence said, her cool voice immediately ending Cinch's tirade. "They also called the District Attorney." Cinch's jaw dropped, and she started trembling with fear. "They agreed that there is a strong case against you for manslaughter." Cinch's trembling got even worse, and her eyes looked like that of a deer that saw a rifle pointed toward it.

"However, the school board would prefer to, let sleeping dogs lie, as the saying goes." Cadence than handed out another document. "Instead of letting you drag Crystal Prep through the mud, The DA is giving you a plea deal. You can confess to negligence, in lieu of prosecution for manslaughter. The only thing you'd have to give up is, well, your teaching license," Cadence finished in an unsettlingly cheerful tone.

Cinch stood their, staring dumbly at the confession she would have to sign, as the whole situation dawned on her. She then stood up from her desk, pacing around in a daze. That was understandable. Having your career destroyed in a matter of minutes would shock anybody. Cadence looked at the broken woman with pitiless eyes.

Cinch walked behind her desk, her eyes devoid of joy. Her daze was broken as she looked at the shelf to her right, and saw a souvenir. A crazed smile appeared on her face.

"Well Cinch, what's it going to be," asked Cadence, "I haven't got all-," Cadence's taunt was cut off by the sound of screaming. She saw Cinch running toward her, a silver dagger in her hand.

"TRAITOR," Cinch bellowed, all pretenses of civility within her gone as she ran toward the Dean, eager to stick a knife in the pink woman's gut. With a smooth motion, Cadence jumped up from her chair, and slammed her leather briefcase into Cinch's face knocking the glasses off of her face. Cadence then put out her legs, tripping the crazed woman who fell to the ground.

Cinch laid there in a daze, her nose now throbbing with pain. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted by her arms. She struggled, but couldn't get them loose.

"Now listen to me Cinch," the injured woman heard Cadence say behind her, her calm voice becoming a growl. Not being able to see Cadence's face, the pink woman sounding more like a vengeful specter.

"First of all, you have no right to talk about loyalty", Cadence said, her voice dripping with hatred, "when you betrayed me and her. I trusted you, and you got her killed for a stupid game!" She twisted Cinch's wrists, who let out a sob of pain. "You can sign the confession and leave here quietly, or you can fight in court, show everyone how awful you really are, and end up in court. What's it going to be Cinch, the easy or the hard way?"

"I'll sign," Cinch said suddenly, her voice sounding almost pitiful, "now let me go."

"I'm not finished," Cadence said, still fuming. "After you sign, you're going to march yourself to the detention room and stay there until the end of the day. Just to make sure you can't hurt another student again."

"It's my room until the end of the day," Cinch protested, sounding like a five year old wanting to keep her toy as long as possible,"I am still principal-," her protest ended as she felt her wrist being twisted again, her voice replaced by another pitiful sob of agony. "Okay," she yelled, tears of fear leaking down her face. She felt herself pulled up, and then violently shoved toward her desk.

She looked at the desk, hearing Cadence angrily glaring at her from behind. She feebly picked up a pen, and signed the confession. After writing her signature, she let the pen fall out of her hand.

"Now get out of my sight!" Cadence snarled.

"I still have personal items here," Cinch replied in a broken voice.

"Don't worry Cinch," Cadence said with false sympathy, "I'll make sure every trace of your existence here is removed." Cinch didn't even reply, marching out the door utterly broken.

Once the door was shut, Cadence collapsed into Cinch's chair with a sigh, thankful that her bluff worked. Now that Cinch was gone, she could now make the phone call she desperately wanted to make.

"Hello Luna," Cadence said into the phone, "It's done." She paused as Luna congratulated her. "Now, it is time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain..."

Memorials And Confusion (Edited)

Friday, 12:15 PM

Canterlot High School

Around the noon-afternoon transition, school cafeterias were usually the most energetic place in town. Students would pick at their lunches while chatting with close friends about various personal subjects, from dating to sports. Canterlot High School's cafeteria was usually no exception. At this time, the room would echo the chatter of dozens of hungry students.

But today, a sad melancholy hung over the students. Yesterday's Friendship Games were supposed to be about them finally triumphing against their hated foe, Crystal Prep Academy. They hoped that they would get to boast about finally getting one over the spoiled elites of CPA while enjoying a party hosted by Pinkie Pie on Friday.

Instead, they were spending the day mourning the death of a young girl. While following Sunset's lead and walking out of the Games out of sheer contempt for CPA's selfish blunder gave the students measure of pride, it didn't take little to change the fact that an innocent girl they liked had died. The room was quiet as if Principal Celestia had forced the entire student body into detention. Almost no mirthful conversation occurred, and whatever dialogue occurred was small talk said in a daze.

Few ate, with mos people staring at their food with inconsolable expressions, and those that did eat consumed their sustenance like robots, done out of obligation to bodily needs and not out of any enjoyment of the food.

The Rainbooms, typically an excitable and extroverted group, were as broken and depressed as the other students. They barely picked at their lunches and sat in silence, still reeling over the events of the previous night. After a few minutes, they finally attempted to make small talk. "So," said Rainbow Dash in a voice that couldn't be different from her bright and energetic disposition, "have you guys seen Sunset?" Everyone shook their heads."Has she answered your calls?" Rainbow Dash asked. Everybody again shook their heads, to which Rainbow responded with a sorrowful sigh. "I've tried reaching her three times, and she hasn't picked up."

"She's really upset," muttered Fluttershy, her usually sweet voice no less solemn than Rainbow Dash's voice

"What do you expect," Applejack drawled in a bitter tone," that school of lowlifes made Twilight use magic again, and look what happened." Applejack exhaled through her nose like an angry bull and narrowed her eyes, a desire to beat up those Shadowbolts flowing through her mind.

"After school, we'll all pay dear Sunset a visit," Rarity offered, "to try and lift her spirits."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Pinkie Pie muttered in an unusually taciturn tone. Usually, Pinkie would gush at the chance to liven up someone's day, but she was not feeling very festive. She didn't even devour her lunch in the happily gluttonous way she usually did. She just poked her food with a fork. The sad quiet of the cafeteria broke down by Principal Luna announcing through the intercom.

"The following students are to report to the Main Office immediately," said Vice Principal Luna in the intercom, "Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie." Every student turned toward the Rainbooms in anxiety and fear. Every student knew that being called directly to the Main Office by intercom rather than through a teacher meant something serious had happened. Still, when all of the Rainbooms marched to the Main Office, it meant trouble, usually of a magical variety, was on the horizon. And whatever Principal Luna wanted was probably tied to last night's events.

The Rainbooms knew this too, and they quickly pulled themselves out of their sorrowful stupor. They jumped from the metal benches they sat on and hurried over to the Main Office, with everybody in the room nervously gawking at them.

The Main Office

Vice Principal Luna sat at her desk tiredly as she awaited the arrival of the Rainbooms, the bluff she and Cadence pulled still reeling on her mind and making her think back to recent events with frustration.

When she chose to follow Celestia into education, she never imagined that part of the job description would involve babysitting a bunch of magical teenagers and fighting demons and evil sirens.

She also never thought she'd be a party to perjury and conspiracy. She lowered her head in annoyance, and her mouth twisted into a disgusted frown. Yes, she knew lying was necessary. Cinch had no concern for the safety of her students and had to go. The horrible scream of Twilight as the magical sphere of death consumed her still echoed through her mind, and she would be damned sure she would never hear it again, as would Cadence.

But there was no way to get rid of Cinch legally without revealing the existence of a magical dimension to a world mainly unprepared to deal with it. It required getting two student bodies to testify to a more believable untruth and burying evidence.

Despite knowing she was justified, it didn't make lying to authorities a fun thing to do. Celestia herself also didn't feel good either, having to lie to the District Attorney, which is why she took a day off.

Luna was broken from her introspection by the arrival of the Rainbooms, her mind returning to pressing matters. They all looked at her with worrying expressions.

"Principal Luna," said Rainbow Dash, her usually brash voice worried, "what's going on."

Luna sighed and pulled out a photograph, and shoved it in front of them. Fluttershy took the picture in her hands and held it up high enough for her friends to see. What they saw stunned them.

"Sugarcoat," Indigo Zap said forcefully, running to her companion as she was pulling some books out of her locker.

"What is it?" Sugarcoat asked, her mood somewhat lifted by the news of Cinch's dismissal.

"You're not going to believe this," Indigo Zap said with confusion.

"Cinch won a humanitarian prize," Sugarcoat replied in a deadpan expression. Indigo chuckled a merciless laugh. With Cinch sitting in her authoritarian detention room, shots at their soon-to-be-gone-witch-of-a-Principal were now twice as funny.

"No," Indigo Zap said, her voice became somewhat hesitant. "Some of my friends drove to that cafe near Canterlot High. They texted me this picture." She pulled out her smartphone. The image made Sugarcoat's jaw drop.

Someone erected a memorial statue to Twilight at Canterlot on the Southern wall. Even though it was made from cheap clay and was unpainted, it captured the dimensions of their teammate perfectly. For some reason, the statue didn't dress her up Crystal Prep uniform, her trademark glasses were gone, and her hair fell naturally behind her back instead of being tied into a bun.

Sugarcoat stared at the photo, and soon her eyes began to narrow as her mind filled with sadness and confusion.

"Why is Canterlot mourning Twilight harder than us?" Sugarcoat asked, her voice a little guilty and aggravated. "She didn't even go there."

"I have no clue," Indigo said, her voice anxious.

"Those CHS punks are always known for being goody toe-shows," Sugarcoat quipped. Indigo Zap looked annoyed but quickly shoved it down. "But seriously, why are they doing more than we're doing. She was our-," she paused, trying to avoid breaking down in anguish.

"Maybe we should get the art department to make something too," Indigo said, her voice filled with guilt and a newfound sense of duty.

"Yeah, sure," said Sugarcoat, her deadpan tone replaced the same sense of duty. She walked away to her next class, her heightened mood weakened by the fact that a rival school was honoring Crystal Prep's now-deceased classmate more than Crystal Prep itself.

"They were nicer to her than we were," Indigo Zap thought bitterly, "but building a statue for someone they barely knew? That's insane!"

"I thought you girls said that the Twilight we saw yesterday was not the Princess, but her human counterpart," said Luna civilly, but with a hint of annoyance.

"She wasn't," protested Rainbow Dash, "Princess Twilight is still in Equestria."

"Well, most students didn't get that message apparently," replied Luna, the chagrin in her voice becoming stronger. "In the music room, I heard the Flash playing the guitar and singing a song about a now-dead Princess."

"Oh boy," muttered Applejack, face-palming.

"If Sunset were here, she would be able to deal with this rumor," muttered Rarity. Nowadays, when it came to magic in school, Sunset's word was final, and she could put a stop to any rumor.

"That's the second thing I wanted to talk to you guys about," said Luna, her voice becoming more grave. "I need you guys to go visit Sunset."

"We were already planning on doing that after school," said Pinkie Pie.

"I need you guys to go now!" Luna said in a firm tone, much to the confusion of the Rainbooms.

"Why?" asked Fluttershy.

"Sunset didn't call in sick like she was supposed to if she couldn't come in. I tried calling and texting her, and she didn't respond." Luna paused. "I'm worried about her. But I also need to talk to her."

"To deal with the rumors about Princess Twilight," asked Rarity.

"Partly that," Luna replied. "But also, Cadence wants answers about what happened to...Human Twilight. Sunset is the only one who can give her answers. Cadence wants to meet her personally."

"But Luna," Fluttershy said in a sympathetic tone, "Sunset was upset about what happened. I don't know if you remember, but she was crying. She's not in any shape to"

"Well, maybe she should stop whining, and remember how Celestia and I have bent over backward to help her," Luna spat unkindly. The Rainbooms were shocked by their Principal losing her patience. Luna noticed this and sighed dejectedly. "Look, girls," Luna said in a sadder and more sympathetic tone, "I'm upset too about what happened and feel horrible for Sunset. If it were my choice, I'd let Sunset mope. But understand what Cadence is going through. Human Twilight wasn't just her favorite student. She was her sister-in-law." The Rainbooms looked horrified by that. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie looked ready to cry. "The woman just saw her surrogate sister vanish before her eyes. She deserves to understand why, if not how." Luna paused for a minute, trying to fight tears. "She was able to get Cinch out the door without telling anyone about magic, but in return, she wants the truth." She paused again to rub her temples, the stress of it all weighing down on her. The Rainbooms understood the sorrow of that poor woman and nodded respectfully.

"I want two of you girls to go to her house," Luna saw them begin to object and raised her hand. "Don't worry about classes. I'll clear everything up with your teachers."

"I'll go to help Sunset cheer up," Pinkie Pie declared, her voice becoming grave. Pinkie Pie's face was like that of a brave soldier about to embark on a military objective. Pinkie reached into her hair, and pulled out a yellow balloon, blew air into it, and made a balloon giraffe, and yet somehow remaining dignified and stern.

"I'll go too," Fluttershy said, her soft voice becoming somewhat quiet. "I'll help Sunset get back on her feet."

"Thank you," Luna said, a bit of relief. She turned to Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack. "And can you guys try and deal with these rumors as well."

"Of course," the three said in unison.

Luna looked at these girls with a proud smile as they walked out. Despite all the trouble they brought with them because of their magic, she wouldn't trade them for the world. While they had their quirks, they were the best people you could have as friends. Maybe Princess Twilight was right. Friendship is magic.

Canterlot Statue

The portal to Equestria glowed as someone flew out in a purple blur. Most people who came through the portal collapsed in a heap. But the individual had already made previous trips and landed on the green near the horse statue with practiced grace. Her eyes, however, showed both concern and anger.

"Oh, Celestia," Princess Twilight said to herself as her vision cleared from the transdimensional voyage. "I hope you guys are OK!"

Guitars, Sorbet, and a Cloudy Sunset (Edited)

Princess Twilight's head darted from left to right, as if searching for some potential threat. Her face was like that of a paranoid snake, waiting for some foe to strike her down. Her fists were clenched, showing she was ready to take on the threat if necessary, magic or not.

She wandered around, trying to find something...unusual. She couldn't sense anything untoward, the school looked normal. She glanced around at her human friends. "They don't look brainwashed", she thought. But as she observed, they looked very, very, downcast. They looked somebody died. Twilight pulled out her special notebook and stared at it intensely. "Sunset," Twilight said to herself, "I hope your OK." She saw the human version of Lyra walk past the statue, her face also in mourning like everypony...everybody else. "Hey Lyra," Twilight asked urgently, hoping the mint-haired girl had an answer for what was wrong.

"Hey, Twilight," Lyra said in an unhappy tone, pausing to look at her with an utterly broken expression, before turning away to continue her walk. Twilight's eyes widened in concern, she ran up to the downcast girl.

"What happened," Twilight asked in a sympathetic voice, "did something dangerous attack the school?"

"No," Lyra said, her voice coming out like a sob, "it's just -," Lyra stopped walking and did a double-take. She stared at Twilight like she was seeing a ghost, to the Princess' confusion. Lyra then walked over to Twilight and started poking her, leaving the pony princess speechless.

"Are. you. real?" Lyra asked in a curious whisper, still poking the pony-turned-human.

"Uh-," Twilight in growing confusion.

"Are. you. real?"

"Well-," Twilight asked, her calm voice becoming some impatient with Lyra's astonishment and the poking.

"Are. you-,"

"WILL YOU STOP THAT!" Twilight yelled, slapping away Lyra's poking finger. "Can you stop beating around the bush and-," Twilight paused when she saw Lyra was beginning to cry tears. Not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy.

"You're not a ghost," Lyra said in a hopeful voice. She ran over to Twilight and gave her a hug, "you're alive!" She continued to weep bitterly.

"Yes, I'm alive," Twilight said, uncomfortable with Lyra's hug.

"You're alive," Lyra said happily.

"Yes, I'm alive," Twilight parrotted stoically.

"You're alive," Lyra repeated in a happier tone.

"Yes, I'm alive," Twilight said, pushing Lyra away, "The sky is also blue. Can you tell me-?"

"How do you survive that purple orb thingy,"- Lyra asked.

"What purple orb thingy," Twilight asked, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Why were you at Crystal Prep?"

"What's Crystal Prep?"

"Do they have laser eye surgery in Equestria?" Lyra asked.

"What's laser eye-," Twilight paused at this girl's seemingly random questions.

Back home, Bon Bon joked Lyra seemingly lived in another world, and that her existence could create more questions than answers. Apparently, this was the universal law for the Lyra of any world.

"OK, Lyra," she said forcefully, "it was nice seeing you. Have a good day." Realizing she was not going to get answers from this ditz, Twilight turned around and walked away.

"But wait," Lyra asked excitedly, "I wanted to know your secret for resurrection."

Twilight walked away even more quickly from the silly girl, her mind reeling from her bizarre questions. She looked around to ask the other students, but suddenly she had a feeling that to get the answers she was looking for, she had to find Sunset or one of the human version of her friends.

As she walked by, she saw the other students gathering around the western wall of the CHS building. Curious, she wandered over, and saw, in front of the building, Flash and his band were performing some kind of concert, as a massive crowd had gathered around him. For a while, Twilight's frustration gave way to excitement. She was excited to hear Flash perform on his guitar, and could spare a few minutes to hear him play. She hoped to maybe go on a date with him, once she found out about the problem.

But to her confusion, the crowd wasn't in a rock n' roll mood. They too also looked as somber as Lyra had been. To her growing concern, Flash himself didn't look particularly happy or excited.

"Hey," Flash said into the microphone, his voice sounding like someone who was grieving. "Thanks for coming. We all are here to celebrate a really special girl. A girl who brought joy and magic wherever she went, a girl who," Flash paused as if trying to hold back tears, "a girl who sadly was taken from us too soon." The solemn quiet hung over the audience.

Twilight, who stood at the edge of the crowd, felt tears pour from her eyes.

'Someone did die,' she thought to herself. She looked at her two-way notebook. 'Was it Sunset?'

"So to honor that girl we loved and admired, let's give her one last song." He looked to his band members. "Three, two, one."

On the roof, Twilight saw Snip and Snails on the roof, pushing a roll of the canvas off of it. It fell, revealing a sight that stopped Twilight's mourning. Once the fabric unraveled, it revealed a massive poster of her Fall Formal picture over the white canvas. To her growing confusion, a black-colored caption read "RIP." Once the poster settled on the wall, Flash began playing his guitar.

"Twilight, you burned bright, like a star in the sky
, Flash sang his energetic voice now filled with a soulful sadness, "but then you burned out, without saying goodbye."

Twilight stood there rooted in shock, as she saw her human colt friend, mourning her.

"Oh, this is not good," Applejack groaned as she walked out into the courtyard, and witnessed Twilight- Pony Twilight's, -memorial concert. Rainbow Dash looked horrified.

"Great," Dash barked as they walked around the crowd, "now everybody is going to believe our Twilight kicked the bucket no matter what we do. If only we could get in touch with her." They walked by the person furthest from the crowd, noticing she had purple and lavender hair.

Wait.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash paused and looked at the girl. They saw the same familiar lavender purple skin, the familiar blue blouse, and pink necktie, the familiar purple skirt with the pink six-pointed star on it.

It was Pony Twilight, not Human Twilight. But even knowing that it was the other Twilight that had perished, they still looked at her like they had seen a ghost. It hadn't helped that Pony Twilight looked as still as a statue.

Eventually, Rainbow hesitantly reached a hand over to Twilight's shoulder.

"Twilight," Rainbow said quietly, tapping her index pony-turned-human on her shoulder. She turned around in fright, her trance broken, and saw the Terran version of her friends. The pony princess let out a frustrated scream and angrily seized Rainbow Dash by her shirt,

"Why does everybody think I'm dead!" Twilight yelled, gritting her teeth and shaking Rainbow.

"I-," Rainbow began in confusion.

"Why is Flash up there on stage mourning me?!"

"I-,"

"Where's Sunset?!"

"But-,"

"Why was the portal shut down for nine-?!" Twilight stopped her angry questioning as she felt strong arms pull her away from Rainbow Dash. She looked behind her and saw Applejack doing the pulling.

"Slow down Sally," Applejack barked.

Twilight took a deep breath and sighed, realizing she had gone too far in attacking the prism-haired athlete. "Sorry Rainbow, but I'm desperate for answers as to what is going on," she said regretfully.

"It's OK Twilight," Rainbow said, an uneasy frown appearing on her face,"See, the thing is-," Rainbow's words died in her throat as she realized the music just stopped, as did Applejack and Twilight. They slowly turned to the crowd, all of whom were now silently staring at Twilight. Up on stage, Flash's jaw dropped in utter shock. His hand became so limp, his microphone fell out of it toward the ground. For several moments, the crowd continued to gape at Twilight, who stood there in utter confusion, seeing the same astonished look on Lyra on everybody's face. But the silence was quickly broken by an excited squeal.

"The Princess is alive," cried a sad and joyful female voice. With that, the crowd of students began surrounding Twilight, crying, cheering, and trying to hug her.

"Twilight, your OK," cried one male voice.

"Yes, well-," Twilight uttered in

"How did you survive," asked a female voice.

"What's your secret to coming back from the dead," asked a male voice.

"I-," Twilight tried to speak, but her voice couldn't carry over the sound of her cheering human classmates. Suddenly, she felt she was being pulled into a tight hug.

"Twilight," she heard Flash's voice and felt two strong arms hug her. She turned around and saw Flash, worried tears falling down his cheeks, "I thought you were dead. How did you-," whatever questions Flash had were lost as she felt Twilight being pulled away from his strong embrace by an annoyed Rainbow Dash.

"Move it, get lost, out of the way," Rainbow barked as she, acting as Twilight's impromptu bodyguard, pulled Twilight out of the mob of eager students that surrounded her.

"Rainbow, what-,"

"Listen, we'll explain everything, but right now, I've got to take you to see Sunset."

"Where is she," Twilight asked, concerned.

"She's at her apartment," Rainbow said with a sad sigh.

"Why don't we, um...call her on the, um," Twilight muttered.

"Phone?"

"Yes, those phone things you humans have," Twilight asked in a naive tone. Rainbow smiled a little, amused at her magically advanced friend's ignorance of human technology.

"She's not picking up," Rainbow said ruefully, "and I think what we have to tell you needs to be said face to face."

The crowd looked confused and annoyed at Twilight leaving so soon, and began pursuing her, eager for answers. They stopped when they saw Applejack blocking their way.

"Everybody please stop," Applejack yelled, crossing her arms and giving the crowd a stern look. "I know y'all have questions for the Princess. But she needs to see Sunset right now," that immediately got the crowd to hush up. Discussions between the Princess and Sunset were seen as a major priority since they obviously involved some magical mishap. "I promise y'all that once they talk, she'll explain, what happened." With that, the crowd dispersed. "And can someone take that poster down?" Applejack demanded. On the roof, Snip and Snails worked to pull the poster up, straining under the weight of the canvas.

At the parking lot, Applejack had caught up with Rainbow and Twilight, who was approaching Rainbow's sky blue sedan.

"OK," Twilight said to Rainbow, "let's get it-," the conversation the two were having was cut off by the sound of panting. They saw Flash running over to them. He stopped, and doubled over, breathing heavily. Twilight walked over to him, and hugged him, as he looked like he was about to collapse.

"Twilight," Flash said between breaths,"I don't know what happened to you, but since your here, why can't we hang out?"

"Sorry, Flash," Applejack said, "Twilight has to talk to Sunset."

"But she just got -,"

"Flash, wait until she gets back."

"Wait," Twilight said,"who says he can't come with us. Your car has four seats right?" She then took Flash's hand in hers and gave him a warm smile, which helped Flash relax. "Besides, despite all the craziness I've seen, I kind of want to hang out with him too."

"Well", Rainbow paused, but then realized there was no real reason why Flash couldn't come. "Alright," Rainbow said, pointing to a car door, "get in, you lovebirds." Dash entered the driver's seat, while Applejack rode shotgun.

Flash opened the right car door for Twilight.

"Oh, a gentleman," Twilight crooned, looking at Flash with playful eyes.

"You're a princess," Flash said in a posh voice, "it is unbecoming of you to have to put your beautiful maiden hand upon a door." Twilight chuckled.

"You are such a dork," she gushed as she entered Rainbow's car. Their romantic gaze was broken by the sound of wrappers and crunched soda cans as they sat down. They looked in the car and saw the seats and floor covered with candy wrappers, potato chip bags, and cans of cola. Twilight and Flash looked around, their faces full of disgust at the unsanitary conditions inside Rainbow's vehicle.

"Uh Rainbow," Twilight asked annoyed, "have you ever heard of the concept of cleaning-what the-", Twilight felt something sticky on her backside. She felt around behind her, and pulled a half-eaten cinnamon bun, to her and Flash's disgust. "Rainbow, you are a pig!" Twilight barked at the prism-haired girl. "I shouldn't be surprised," Twilight said with a sigh, "my Rainbow is also a complete slob."

Rainbow turned around and saw Twilight bearing the partially-eaten and abandoned pastry. "Oh, I've been looking for that," Rainbow said happily, before taking the abandoned dessert from Twilight and shoving it into her mouth.

"Oh that's sick," Flash uttered in annoyance.

"It's delicious," Rainbow said.

"When are you going to clean this car," Twilight asked, her perfectionist nature being compromised by the debris surrounding her.

"When will the planets align," quipped Rainbow Dash as started to turn the key. In the corner, Applejack gave only mild hints of annoyance at the filthiness inside.

Sour Sweet sat in Scoop's Ice Cream Palace. She went there usually to celebrate something or to mourn and eat her troubles away. Today she was in a mourning mood. Surrounding her were six empty bowls with spoons. Right now, she was devouring the seventh bowl of her favorite raspberry sorbet, eating like a convict that was enjoying his or her last meal.

Right now, she was in a very introspective mood. Thinking about the competition, about her classmate, about the harsh truth of a fire-haired girl.

"You don't even give it to your own teammate! You put her in danger, and made her unleash something none of you could control just because you wanted to win! How selfish and stupid are you people!"

The thought made her stuff her face with more sorbet. As she felt the sorbet melt in her mouth, she again thought of her teammate.

What are you an idiot, get to the end of the line.

That pathetic nerd could barely run a lap, let alone do an obstacle course.

She spooned more Sorbet into her face.

The girl was a complete idiot when it came to archery. She couldn't hit water if she fell out of a boat, let alone a target

Another spoonful of sorbet entered her gullet.

Man, don't you know not to trust the enemy. And you're letting them give you advice! Fool!

But that Apple girl turned out to not be trying to cheat. She helped Twilight, even if it meant her team could move to the next round.

"That girl was nicer to Twilight than I ever was", Sour thought to herself bitterly, " and she wasn't even on the same team." With that thought, Sour put her spoon down, and put her hands over her eyes, trying to stop anyone from seeing her cry. Once she had stopped the waterworks, she left the table for another bowl.

"Scoop," she said to the server of ice cream at the counter. "Another," she said, holding a fresh new bowl out.

"Sour," the server said carefully, "I think you've had enough."

"Thank you for your concern," Sour said sweetly. She then grimaced. "I'll tell you when I've had enough!"

Scoop sighed, took the bowl, and reluctantly gave Sour another helping of raspberry sorbet.

After that last bowl, Sour walked out of the ice cream store, ready to go back to school. Despite her stomach being full of sorbet, she still felt empty.

To get back to her car, she had to cross the road to get to the parking lot. She waited, somewhat angrily, for the cars to stop, and for the passenger light to go from red to white.

Suddenly the traffic light flashed red, forcing the cars to stop. To her annoyance, the pedestrian light continued to be red, despite the fact that the cars had stopped.

Sour Sweet, remembering her doctor's advice, just took a deep breath to deal with her impatience. Unable to use her phone, because of the lack of wifi outside the Palace, she distracted herself by glancing at the cars. The car in front of the traffic light was all blue, and the driver had rainbow-haired-

Wait.

Speak of the devil, it was that rainbow-haired girl from the Games. Next to her was the goody-two-shoes Apple girl. Seeing her made Sour feel guilty. Behind her was some handsome guy with blue hair. Next to him was-

Sour rubbed her eyes and looked again. It appeared that the Rainbow-haired girl noticed her, and was looking at her like a kid trying to hide the fact she broke his mom's vase. The Apple girl and the blue-haired guy also waved at her and gave her a sheepish smile. The blue-haired guy looked like he was trying to pin...someone down. But she couldn't see.

Sour heard a ring, and saw she was allowed to cross, but just as she was about to, the rainbow girl speed away, ignoring the light that was still red, and swerved to avoid a car coming from the right, an angry honk coming from the car that nearly was hit.

Sour looked at the direction that Rainbow's head went into, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Let me up!" screamed Twilight as she finally pushed Flash off of her. "Why did you order Flash to tackle me?!" she yelled at Applejack.

"Well," Applejack said sheepishly, "that girl with the yellow face...she can't see you right now."

"Why?!"

"Sunset will explain everything," Applejack thought about something. "Right now, you need to lay low." She put her finger to her chin. "In fact," she dug threw the garbage around her feet, pulled out a mask, and shoved it on Twilight's head.

"What did you shove on my head," Twilight asked.

"A mask," Applejack said.

"Why?" Twilight asked. She heard Flash snickering. She turned toward him in a rage, and he quickly seized his chuckling.

"You tackle me like that again Flash," Twilight warned in an even voice," and I'll banish you to the moon for 1000 years."

Flash chuckled at that threat, but then remembered Twilight was a magical princess, and that meant she could do the impossible. He clammed up and sat in silence.

Sunset was walking down along a grassy field on a sunny day, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. Though not nearly as comforting as Celestia's sun had once been, she still relished the warm weather.

"Help me," cried a scared voice.

Sunset was broken from her enjoyment of the weather by the cry for help. The fire-haired girl ran in the direction of the scream. She saw Twilight, Human Twilight being stalked by some flying, shadow monster.

"Twilight!" Sunset screamed, compassion and desperation in her voice, "run toward me, I can help you!"

Twilight looked at her, but instead of running toward Sunset, Twilight screamed even louder and ran away from her direction.

"Twilight," Sunset screamed,"why are you running from me-," the shadow monster threw a fireball in Twilight's direction. Twilight let out a bloodcurdling scream as it hurt her and exploded. When Sunset's vision cleared, all she saw that remained of Twilight was a charred skeleton and broken glasses, which somehow hadn't melted.

"Twilight," Sunset muttered, her voice broken. Her grief turned to rage as she faced a flying shadow. She felt her hair lengthen and pony ears grow from the top of her head as she felt the magic flow through her, giving her the power to avenge the wrong.

"You killed her," Sunset screamed at the specter, "I'm gonna-," her angry proclamation was broken by the sound of malicious laughter. What shook Sunset was the fact that the laughter sounds so...familiar.

"What happened," mocked the shadow monster as it lowered itself to Sunset's level, "Cat got your tongue?" The being continued to laugh for a moment. "You said I killed her? If you want the culprit, you have to look in a mirror." Sunset stepped back a little.

"What is that supposed to mean," Sunset asked, her voice becoming less confident. "I didn't-,"

"The magic that killed that little loser," Sunset gritted her teeth at that thing's insult,"was brought to this world. By one person. YOU!" Sunset's confidence shattered, and she looked down. "I should know. Because I only exist because of you wanting power." The shadow monster transformed into a sight that Sunset long believed she hadn't forgotten. "You let magic run wild here," Demon Shimmer said, a playful look in her eyes. "and instead of taking responsibility, you relied on your little princess to save you, as she always had to do."

"Twilight's my friend" Sunset barked in a sad voice, her head bowed in shame. She felt herself being lifted by her hair and was forced to face Demon Shimmer.

"And then when that little clone of hers wandered into magic, you yelled at her for something that was your job," the Demon said, a wide grin on her face. "You broke her spirit and made her cry, something I can't take credit for in my tragically short time on this world. That's why she ran away from you. "

"I didn't mean to," Sunset said to Demon Shimmer, her tearful eyes looking into the merciless eyes of her evil half.

"Isn't that ironic," Demon Shimmer said, "even when you pretend to be good, you still cause misery I could never even dream off." She suddenly got angry and threw Sunset toward the ground. Sunset groaned in agony as she lied face down.

"Stop lying to yourself, Sunset," the demon yelled. "You brought magic into this world! You should've figured it out! You killed that girl! You know it! Everybody knows it!" Sunset looked up and saw Demon Shimmer had vanished. Instead, she saw all her friends approaching her, with looks of disgust.

"Liar, no good varmint," Applejack said.

"No," Sunset cried.

"Meany, party-ruiner," Pinkie Pie said.

"Brutish bully," Rarity uttered.

"I'm not that thing anymore. Stop it," Sunset said.

"Backstabbing jerk," Rainbow Dash.

"Monster," Fluttershy.

"Traitor, thief, villain," Princess Twilight said.

As they got closer, surrounding her in a circle, they started chanting the word "murderer". It echoed throughout the landscape. The sun was turning from a peaceful yellow to a dark red. The sky had gone from blue to red. Her friends' faces became more twisted and angry.

"MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER!"

"Stop it," Sunset yelled, lying in a fetal position, unable to bear the merciless accusations of her friends. "Stop it. I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to, I didn't-,"

Sunset woke up with a scream, and throw her blanket off of herself so she could sit at the edge of the bed. She felt warm tears flowing onto her cheeks. She sat there catatonic until she heard a knock at the door. After several knocks, Sunset slowly rose from her bed and waddled over to the door.

When she opened it, she found Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The smiles on their faces fell as they saw Sunset. The last time she looked this horrible was in the immediate week of the Fall Formal. Her long gold and red hair were unkempt and unruly, with some it falling over Sunset's forehead. Her eyes were bloodshot and devoid of the warmth and energy she had always shown in recent months. Underneath her eyes were huge ugly bags. She was dressed in a filthy yellow tank top and pink shorts. Her smell indicated she hadn't taken a bath or a shower. Her face looked pale and several years older, indicating that she had not put on any makeup.

"Hey," Sunset said quietly, sounded like a wounded animal.

"Sunset," Fluttershy said, "can we come I?." Sunset didn't reply verbally, merely opening her door wide open and standing out of their way, to signal they could. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy slowly walked in. Sunset followed them, not even bothering to close the door.

Pinkie and Fluttershy wandered in. They looked on the ground and saw her outfit had been thrown to the ground near the entrance. Sunset quietly led them to her couch, while she eschewed a nearby chair, and just down on the cold floor.

"So," Sunset muttered, "can I get you some tea."

"That would be nice," Fluttershy said.

"I ran out," Sunset suddenly said in a voice that reeked of self-loathing."I'm such a screw-up, I forgot to get some."

"Shimmy," Pinkie said, "your not a screw-up-," she stopped when she saw Sunset was about to cry. Pinkie and Fluttershy both jumped from their couch to give Sunset a hug. Sunset broke, crying and wailing.

"It's my fault," Sunset yelled through her tears.

"Sunset," Fluttershy said, her soothing voice cutting through her friend's sobs, "you didn't make Twilight unleash the magic."

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie said,"those Crystal meanies made her do it."

"I yelled her,"Sunset said. "She made a mistake, she wasn't evil, and I yelled at her, for something that I should've been doing."

"You were protecting us," Fluttershy replied, her voice the definition of kindness. "You weren't yelling because you were your mean old self, you yelled because we were in danger. We don't blame you for that."

"Had I not gotten mad, I could've gotten Human Twilight to give me the pendant. Instead, I drove her away," Sunset wailed..

"It isn't just because I yelled at her. I brought the magic here. I'm responsible for what it does. Instead of trying to figure things out, I tried to get Princess Twilight to fix my mistakes because I'm so useless." Sunset sobbed even more. "Human Twilight died because I was so worthless. I couldn't even tell that poor woman why her top student died."

"You didn't make her play around with magic," Pinkie Pie said, her normally manic voice now soothing.," the other Twilight did that on her own."

"But it was my job to figure out the magic, and I didn't do that," Sunset admitted. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy hugged her even tighter.

"She didn't deserve to be vaporized," Sunset yelled. "She wasn't evil like I was. If anybody deserved to die, it was me."

"Sunny," Pinkie Pie said in a disappointed tone, "don't say something like that, you didn't deserve-,"

"Yes I did, Pinkie Pie," Sunset screamed, shocking both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. "I was a monster, even before I stole that crown. That crown just accelerated what I was already becoming. If it wasn't for Princess Twilight sticking up for me, everyone would have beat me up. You guys would have done it if she hadn't told you to give me a chance."

"Well," Fluttershy said, "maybe, but she only did that because she saw good in you. She said 'the Elements will spare anyone who has an ounce of goodness in them'"

"Why didn't the magic spare her. This Twilight wasn't evil," Sunset said," she was just lonely and scared. Why did the magic spare me and kill her?" Sunset sobbed uncontrollably, to which Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy hugged her even more tightly than they had before. Sunset's sobs stopped as they heard someone enter the apartment. The three stood from the floor and saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Flash entering the room.

"Guys," Sunset said, her sadness replaced by confusion, "what are you doing-," she paused as she saw someone approach, wearing the most hideous clown mask she had ever seen. "AAAAAHHHH," Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Sunset screamed.

"Guys," Twilight said, pulling off her mask, "it's me, Princess Twilight. This mask couldn't have been that hideous could it-," she looked at it in horror: the clown looked like it had been possessed by a demon. It had the eyes of some hungry dragon, sharp teeth surrounded by red lips, and a massive scar under its eye. Twilight yelled and threw it down in disgust.

"Applejack," Twilight growled, glaring at her country friend.

"Sorry Twi," Applejack said sheepishly, "it was just short -,"

"Okay Sunset, I need answers!" Princess Twilight bellowed her impatience finally at an end. "I come back from a time loop, hoping for some peace and quiet," Twilight muttered, "and the ponies of Ponyville tell me some weird holes appeared in the Everfree Forest. Instead of relaxing from my most recent misadventure, and having a nice lunch with Spike, I have to investigate. I go to my lab and discover that the portal to this world was shut down for nine hours. I get your message about magic trouble, so I tried to message you, and you didn't pick up!" Sunset's eyes widened in guilt. "I assumed that some magical being had somehow defeated you guys, taken control of the school, so I jumped into the portal, ready to try and save you. Instead, I discover the CHS body and Flash mourning my death!" Twilight groaned. "And then, I'm shoved into-," whatever Twilight was about to say stopped as she saw Sunset's surprised expression replaced with whimpering. Twilight's frustration gave way to concern. "Sunset," Twilight asked in a soothing voice, marching over to her friend, "are you-," Sunset let out a wail and collapsed to the ground in grief.

"SUNSET!" Her friends cried out, as they tried to help the fallen girl get up. Twilight looked at her friend, sobbing like crazy as her friends try to get her to stand. With a grimace, the Princess of Friendship realized that something horrific had happened in her absence.

The Fire Does Not Burn Bright, But It Does Still Burn (Edited)

After getting Sunset's crying under control, the Rainbooms and Flash gathered in Sunset's kitchen to talk with Princess Twilight. Due to Sunset not usually receiving guests in her apartment, the kitchen table was big enough to seat two people. Twilight and Sunset sat down while everybody else stood around them. After Twilight explained that her most recent misadventure left her exhausted, Applejack used Sunset's stove to make her some eggs. Realizing Sunset had not eaten since last night, Applejack made her a plate too.

Once Applejack's eggs were ready, the Rainbooms, except Sunset who sat at the table with a depressed silence, all regaled the events of the previous night to Princess Twilight: the Friendship Games, the appearance of Twilight's human counterpart, her ill-fated attempts to understand magic, and finally, her demise at the hands of her ambitious peers and principal. Twilight listened intently while eating her eggs. Sunset sat in a sad daze, never even touching her eggs instead letting them get cold.

Once the Rainbooms had finished telling their story, Princess Twilight sat there silently as she played her friends' accounts in her mind. After a minute, she shook her head and let out a sigh.

"That...that's horrible," Princess Twilight exclaimed in a sad voice. Her face looked like someone who had witnessed a murder, and her eyes looked like they were about to water, restrained only by her newfound ability to restrain her emotions, an ability she needed to have learned as the Princess of Friendship. "Her classmates and that principal..." Princess Twilight paused to let out a frustrated sigh, clenching her fists. Had she not received behavioral training, she would have gone berserk.

"I KNOW," barked Rainbow Dash, her face red with rage from, "I wish I could get my hands on those-,"

"Rainbow," said Princess Twilight, "don't waste your energy getting mad." Rainbow Dash cooled down, but her face remained contorted in anger.

"Twilight," Rarity asked, her voice composed but still eager.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any idea how this could have happened? In Equestria, is there magic that could vaporize a being?"

"Yes, "Princess Twilight said, "My fellow princesses and I definitely have that power. But what you've described is something I've never seen done. Normally, the Elements..."

"Wait a minute," said Applejack, tapping her chin with realization, "since you're here, that means the portal was fixed, right?"

"Yeah," said the Princess, "so what?"

"If the portal was fixed-,"Applejack started.

"Yay," interrupted Pinkie Pie, suddenly appearing next to the Princess," it means we can do magic and get pony ears again!"

"Let's test it out," said Rainbow, excited, "I wish I had my guitar, then I could-," Rainbow stopped when she saw Pinkie Pie pull her guitar out of her poofy hair and handed it over to Rainbow, who took it very reluctantly. Everyone else also looked confused, except Sunset, who continued to stare off into space. "Um, Pinkie," asked Rainbow Dash nervously, "why was my guitar in your hair?"

"Because it didn't fit in my shoe," replied Pinkie in a matter-of-fact tone. Rainbow Dash stared at her for a minute before sighing and sliding the palm of her hand on her face.

"I have my guitar. That's what matters," Rainbow said with a slight smile. "Let's see if it will work."

The group had moved to the living room for Rainbow's attempted guitar solo. The show was made easier by the fact that Sunset already had an amp lying around. She stood at the center of the room, closing her eyes and smiling as if she were performing in front of a huge audience. Rainbow began running her fingers along the strings of the guitar and started performing an epic guitar solo. Within 30 seconds, Rainbow's body starting glowing, and pony ears and wings popped out to the joy of everyone in the room. Even Sunset, despite her despondent silence, looked somewhat hopeful.

"We got our magic back!" cheered Fluttershy, who was unusually giddy.

"C'mon," said Rainbow Dash, her voice full of heroic confidence, "let's get down to Canterlot High and fix this." All the girls and Flash scrambled for the door, only to be stopped by the Princess' cry.

"Wait," the Princess yelled. Everyone who was planning on leaving stopped and looked at her with a confused expression. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're going to use the Elements to bring back Twilight the Human!" said Rainbow Dash with a smile. Her smile faded at the Princess' frown. Twilight sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Rainbow, guys," the Princess said morosely, "you can't use the Elements to resurrect the dead." The mood of everyone began to sour, and Sunset went back to her forlorn demeanor.

"But Twilight," asked Fluttershy, "you said the Elements were the most powerful force-,"

"The Elements are designed for fighting back against Equestrian evil and disharmony," said Twilight with a hint of despair, "you can't use them to bring the dead back." Everybody in the room looked down at the floor, tired and morose. "I know because I've tried," Princess Twilight said with a little sadness. She felt Flash's strong arms wrap her up in a hug, which soothed the princess, albeit slightly.

"Maybe you can't use the Elements to bring her back," Flash said to Princess Twilight, in a warm and encouraging voice," but now that you guys have your pony magic again, maybe you can still find a way to reverse what happened to...this other Twilight."

"Flash," said Princess Twilight sadly, "It just isn't possible."

"Twilight, you're great at magic, I don't see..."

"Flash," Princess Twilight said firmly. Flash ceased his pleasantries. "I appreciate the kind words. And I am good with magic. But I can't do everything. If this other me had been like...stabbed or poisoned, or crashed her car, I could fix that with Equestrian magic. But this girl was obliterated! Trying to put her back together, even if I could somehow collect all her matter, which is impossible, would take tons of magic I don't have and too much time." Princess Twilight paused to take a deep breath while everyone's expressions went from troubled to sad.

"The other problem is that I have no idea why the pendent my human self was using did what it did. The magic here works very differently than in Equestria."

"But you can figure it out, can't you?" asked Fluttershy. Sunset looked up at the question, staring directly at Princess Twilight.

"I could, but I don't have the time." Princess Twilight said, exasperated. "Figuring this out is going to take weeks or months. I also have a new student coming and a ton of other chores. The most I can stay here is a week. And if trouble starts up again in Equestria, I have to head home." Princess Twilight turned toward Sunset. "Sunset, let's work together for the next few days, and afterward you can try-,"

"Sure, let me experiment with magic," exclaimed Sunset in a sarcastic, exasperated tone," and then I'll screw it up!" Everyone in the room looked at Sunset with a mix of compassion and pity."That's what I've been since I was born. A screw-up!"

"Sunset," Princess Twilight, "that's not-,"

"I had the best teacher ever!" Sunset yelled, "I screwed that up! I had a chance to build a new life in a new world, and I screwed that up by stomping on everybody to feel cool! I became a demon and nearly committed murder! And I brought magic to this world, the same magic that killed the Human Twilight," Sunset closed her eyes to fight tears. "If anyone deserved to die screaming, it should have been me, not her!" Sunset looked down, crying, not noticing an angry stomp in her direction. Sunset looked up to see Princess Twilight giving her a neutral look for a few seconds. Then she saw her raising her hand-

SLAP!

Sunset rubbed her cheek, throbbing from Princess Twilight's slap, which was surprisingly strong for a creature who didn't have hands. Everyone looked on in shock.

"Ow, Twilight," Sunset said, "what was that for?"

"For being an idiot, Sunset," Twilight spat," a selfish idiot."

"Twilight," Fluttershy said," you're a little mean."

"No, Fluttershy," Twilight snapped before turning back to Sunset. "Look around you. None of us want you to die. None of us want you to suffer. If we wanted to die, we would've let you rot in that crater." Princess Twilight narrowed her eyes. "But the fact that you want to die means that all our love and trust was for nothing, right? That despite everything, you would throw your life away and not care how we would feel? Is that what you would do?!"

"No," Sunset said with a sigh. "It's just...the other Twilight didn't deserve to die, screaming. She was not horrible like I was." Sunset felt tears leak out of her eyes. She felt Twilight's hands holding hers. She looked up and saw the Princess gave her a kind smile.

"Your right, Sunset. She didn't. But neither do you." Sunset felt Twilight squeezing her hands more. "You've made mistakes. Now, you've done so much good. No one wants you to be disintegrated. Please don't ever forget that."

"I know, but still, even if I don't deserve it, I'm responsible for what happened. I yelled at her and-,"

"Honestly, Sunset, I've done hazardous things since I started learning magic. Staying up late, starting a fire, brainwashing a bunch of fillies to create a friendship problem I could solve," the last part Princess Twilight said that last part quietly and quickly," and Celestia and my family would yell at me. I didn't enjoy being yelled at, but they were doing it because they loved me and tried to protect me. Since my counterpart did put our friends in danger, I probably would have yelled at her myself. Sometimes, we need a verbal black-eye to wake us up to the fact we're hurting others".

"But you're family, once they stopped yelling, hugged you and assured you it would be OK right," asked Sunset.

"Yes."

"But, I can't even do that," Sunset said morosely. "I can't tell that poor girl I'm sorry. Not just because of what Cinch and those jerks made her do, but because I let my anger run wild and scared her off. That part was my fault."

"But you did want to make it right," asked Princess Twilight. Sunset nodded her head. "That means you're a good person."

"I still wish I could make it up to her," Sunset said bitterly," and it burns me that I can't. And if I just figured out how the magic worked, none of this would've happened." She sighed. "If I did my job, I could've helped her. Instead, I expected you to clean up my mess. I yelled at her for something that I should've known how to do."

"There is a way you can make it up to her," Princess Twilight said kindly. Sunset stared into her eyes with hope in her eyes.

"How?"

"Figure out how magic works here and find out what went wrong." Sunset looked reluctant, but the Princess went on. "If magic keeps growing, and we still can't figure it out, then more accidents will happen. The greatest thing you can do for her is making sure that this doesn't happen again." Princess Twilight took Sunset's hands and held them warmly. "I know you're hurting Sunset. I know you feel useless. You feel like you didn't do your job. But I faith that you can make it right." Sunset gave Twilight a blank look but then gave her a big hug, warming the hearts of everybody who watched.

"Thanks, Twilight," Sunset said, releasing the Princess of Friendship.

"You can thank me by cutting down on the moping," Twilight said in good jest.

"I'll keep it to a minimum," Sunset quipped.

"OK, so, first things first," Princess Twilight said, her voice becoming serious. "The key to this mystery is that magic-absorbing pendent. Do you guys have it?"

"No," said Applejack. "If I recall, Cadence-,"

"Wait," Twilight said suddenly, "you guys met Cadence's counterpart?"

"Yes," said Rainbow. "She was the dean of Crystal Prep, but she is also Twilight's sister-in-law." She looked down sadly. "Or was." The sad truth hung over them. Sunset and Princess Twilight barely kept themselves from weeping.

"As ah was saying," Applejack said."Dean Cadence took the pendant, as well as the other Twilight's glasses."

"Wait," said Pinkie, pulling out her phone," that reminds me." She dialed a number, waited for it for the ring. "Sunny," she yelled at Sunset. "Phone for you." She handed the phone to the fire-haired girl, who took it reluctantly.

"Hello," Sunset said. "Luna, I'm so sorry I didn't call in..." She paused. "Thanks, but..." She paused, but then her eyes watered in sadness. "What? But Luna, I don't know..." She paused, shutting her eyes to keep the tears in. "But..." She paused. "OK. OK, your right. Your right. She does deserve the truth." She paused. "What does she know." She paused. "What time does she want me in?" She paused again. "2 pm is fine." She paused. "Yes, I'll come down as soon as I can to take care of it." She paused and turned toward Princess Twilight. "Yes, she's right here in front of me." OK. "Twilight, Luna wants to talk to you." She handed the phone to Princess Twilight.

"Hello," Princess Twilight said. "Luna! I'm so sorry about what happened." While she chatted on the phone, the rest of the Rainbooms chatted with Sunset.

"So you're going to meet with Dean Cadence?" asked Rainbow.

"Yes," Sunset said quietly. "That woman wants to know about magic, and I'm the only one who can answer that." She smiled. "She got rid of Cinch and didn't blow our cover, so she deserves the truth. And if I go see her, I can get that pendent-,"

"What," exclaimed Princess Twilight into the phone, causing everywhere to turn toward her in shock. "But why-," she paused. "But I can wear some disguise to go outside." She paused and let out a reluctant sigh. "You're right. Alright, I won't go outside." She paused. "It was great speaking to you too." She hung up the phone and let out another sigh.

"What's wrong," asked Sunset.

"Luna says I can't leave this apartment while I'm here." Everyone stood up at that.

"Why," asked Flash.

"The Twilight Sparkle who was here died. Me walking around in public is going to...complicate things. Especially since the death of the other Twilight was kept under wraps."

"But we need you at school to work at the lab," Sunset said.

"I know, but the risk of being exposed is too high," Twilight said. "You guys had to push me down to prevent my counterpart's classmate from seeing me. We can't risk any of these close calls."

"That's a shame," Flash said sadly. "I really wanted to take you out to a nice dinner while you were here."

"I wouldn't mind if you guys had a dinner date here," Sunset offered. "I mean, it's the least I can do for you for coming here on short notice." She sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't answer the book and made you panic. I was just so hurt by what happened. I could barely get up." Everyone walked up to hug her, but she held up her hands. "Don't worry. I feel much better now."

"Really, that'd be nice of you," said Flash. But suddenly, he got a guilty expression on his face.

"Is something wrong, Flash?" Twilight asked.

"Well Twilight," Flash said, "I met your counterpart, and I...um-,"

"The guy flirted with the other Twilight," Rainbow blurted out with a smirk on her face. Flash glared at Rainbow, but it was broken when Princess Twilight gave him a big hug.

"Flash, I'm not mad," Twilight said, smiling. "That was an honest mistake." Her smile became wide. "Besides, how can I be mad at a guy who sang a tribute song to me. That was really sweet of you."

"Well," Flash said nervously, but it was cut off by Princess Twilight giving him a big kiss, which he returned.

"And on Sunday night," said Sunset, "we could have a slumber party here for you."

"That would be fantastic," said Pinkie Pie. "I'll bring the cake and the pie!"

"Anyways," Sunset said, putting on her leather jacket. "Luna said there were rumors about you dying. I better go over there right now and put them to rest. But first, I'll put it on the group chat," Sunset said, pulling out her phone.

"Group chat," asked Princess Twilight.

"You remember how people can send messages to each other on MyStable," said Rainbow.

"Vaguely," replied Princess Twilight.

"Well," Rainbow said. "We set up a group chat. Which means everybody at CHS could get the same message. We set this up to deal with the next magical emergency and keep everybody in the loop. "

"Really," Twilight asked, her eyes widening. "That's pretty incredible. I bet disaster response would be easier to coordinate in Ponyville if we had something like that."

"Okay," said Sunset. "I sent the message, but I still want to tell everybody myself. Let's get back to school, shall we?"

Everybody piled out of Sunset's apartment, except for Flash, who stayed for a bit to hug and kiss Twilight before he decided to join others. Twilight, realizing she had to sit and wait, decided to sit down on the couch and read one of Sunset's encyclopedia's to pass the time.

"Twilight," Sunset said, returning to the apartment.

"Yes," Twilight said, looking up from her encyclopedia.

"Thanks for your help," she said quietly. "You pulled me back from the edge, again. Your the best friend anyone could have."

"Don't mention it," Twilight said smiling, "It's my job." And with that, Sunset walked out with a smile and eyes full of determination. Twilight smiled at her friend, finding her strength again.

Sour Sweet drove back to Crystal Prep as quickly as the speed limits would allow, her face like someone who had seen a ghost.

After parking her car at Crystal Prep's lot, she walked into the main building in a bit of a daze, still unable to get what she had seen.

"It couldn't have been her," she thought as she marched down the road. "Twilight died in that ball of energy. Maybe it was my imagination, and the guilt that made me want to believe-," her thoughts were interrupted as a large mass slammed into her. She fell to the ground with a grunt. As she rose, rubbing her sore backside, she saw another person sitting on the ground, rubbing her head. She had light pink hair and greyish skin."Oh, Fleur," exclaimed Sour dramatically, "are you OK?!" She held out her hand to help the fallen girl up. Once Fleur was standing, A scowl replaced sour's concerned look. "Next time, watch where you're going!"

"OK," Fleur said quietly. Normally the upper crust girl would make a nasty remark in response to Sour's abrupt outbursts. But like everybody, the death of Twilight was hitting her hard, but she seemed more out of it than most other people.

With the pain of the fall mostly gone, Sour returned to her thoughts about her deceased classmate.

"So Sour," Fleur said quietly, desperately attempting to make small talk. "What's on your mind?"

"Twilight," Sour uttered morosely.

"Small world," Fleur said, attempting to add life to this awkward. "So you must have heard about Canterlot High?"

"What about Canterlot High," Sour replied, her stupor broken by interest. Fleur sighed as she pulled out her smartphone.

"Okay, so you heard how Canterlot built Twilight a statue," Fleur said.

"Yeah," Sour said uneasily, "that was weird." Sour understood that Canterlot students were known for being goody-two-shoes, but building a statue for a girl they barely knew seemed downright ridiculous.

Fleur pulled up a picture on her phone and handed it to Sour. Who stared. Her jaw dropped.

In front of CHS was a massive poster with a picture of Twilight, who for some reason wasn't wearing glasses and was letting her hair down. A massive stage was in front of some garage band in front of an unusually massive crowd.

"Those CHS people are saints," Fleur remarked. "They're honoring her better than we are doing," she looked down, shaking her head on the verge of tears. But Sour didn't pay attention because she noticed something was off. The lead guitarist in the band looked familiar.

"He was that guy in the car," thought Sour. And he was supposedly sitting next to...

Sour gritted her teeth, which is what she did when things weren't adding up. She silently handed back the phone to Fleur and stormed off.

She eventually met up with her fellow Shadowbolts in study hall.

"You guys," she exclaimed as she sat down at their usual table, having a very intense discussion. They paused to look up and greet her.

"Hey," said Indigo Zap. "What's going on."

"It's about Twilight," said Sour.

"You heard about that concert too," Sunny Flare said quietly. "Right now, we're brainstorming ways we can honor her. If CHS is doing that with a concert, we ought to be doing something too."

"Listen, I don't know how, but I saw Twilight in the car with those Wondercolts!"

The Shadowbolts all gave an annoyed glare at Sour. "Sour," Lemon Zest said in a somewhat livid tone, "it isn't cool to joke about that."

"I'm not joking. I saw her in the car with the same blue-haired guy who was playing at the concert, and two of those Wondercolts." The look on the Shadowbolts went from annoyance to pity.

"Sour," said Indigo, her voice dripping with sympathy, "you really need to see a shrink."

"What," Sour blurted out.

"Well," Sunny Flare said calmly, "you always have these mood swings, and they've been a concern to us for a while."

"I appreciate your concern," Sour said kindly. She then glared at Indigo. "I don't have mood swings!" Indigo Zap and everyone else rolled their eyes at that.

"Now, you've jumped from emotional instability to hallucinations," Indigo continued. "Look, I know you feel guilty about what happened to her. Now because of that, you're seeing her everywhere you go. Maybe helping us brainstorm a project will make you feel better and take some of it away," she finished by putting her arm on Sour's shoulder.

"Maybe your right," Sour said with a sigh, "maybe I am just feeling guilty." She silently sat down at the table.

"Now where were we," Lemon Zest said excitedly, "oh yes. How about we make Twilight our school mascot. We can give her googly eyes and dress her up like a princess. She would look so adorable!"

"Oh yes," said Sugarcoat, "let's honor her by turning her into something that would appear on a cereal box." The look on Sunny and Indigo's face meant they didn't think highly of the idea.

"C'mon," groaned Lemon," a cute mascot will make her immortal."

Sour ignored the discussions, thinking again about what she had seen today. Even if it was a hallucination, she knew something wasn't adding up in all of this.

And she wouldn't rest until she got answers.

Sunday Morning

Sunny sat down on a bench in the middle of Canterlot Heights Park. The sky was blue, the weather was perfect, and she had her favorite lunch in the typical paper bag. She stuck her hand into it, pulled out her sandwich, and bent her neck to take a bite.

"Mmm, ham," Sunny said happily, chewing on savory ham-with-mayo.

When she raised her neck for a moment, she saw a purple haired girl. Her neck jolted up, and she saw Twilight facing away from her.

She dropped her beloved sandwich in shock, jumped up from the bench, and ran over to Twilight, a smile on her face, and tears flowing from her eyes.

"Twilight," Sunny croaked, her sad voice tinged with joy as she ran over to the geeky girl, "you're alive! I'm so glad your OK. How did you survive the purple light thing?!" Twilight didn't turn to face Sunny, to the Shadowbolt's confusion, which displaced her tearful happiness.

"Twilight," she repeated with some trepidation, but the lavender-skinned girl refused to face her. She sighed sadly. "I know what we did was wrong, but do you really need to do the silent treatment?" she asked, some desperation in her voice. "Look, just give us a chance to make this up to you." She reached over a hand to put on Twilight's left shoulder. "Please, just-," as soon as Sunny's hand made contact with Twilight's shoulder, the bookworm turned around abruptly with an inhuman speed.

Instead of seeing Twilight's lavender head on its neck, Sunny saw a corroded skull, with flies and worms pouring out of its eye holes and mouth.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Sunny awoke with a gasp, and started breathing heavily. Once she caught her breath, she fought not to sob, even as warm tears swirled down her cheeks.

******

Sunny sat down with her parents at breakfast. Her father, Late Shift, and her mother, Mink Coat, were focusing on their smartphones, texting with some colleague or client. Sunny was struggling to keep her emotions in check.

Sunny's parents, Late Shift and Mink Coat, were the parents who had to give up family time for the corporate rat race. While Sunny felt neglected sometimes, she understood it was only because of their hard work that she could afford to be at Crystal Prep. She learned long ago that parents have to do things they don't want to do in order to provide for their children.

One of the reasons why Sunny fought back her sadness was because Sunday mornings were one of the few times she ever had time to spend with her family, and she was determined not to ruin it with grief.

Yet, she even couldn't muster the will to eat the pancakes her mom had made.

"Sunny," Mink Coat uttered in a concerned tone, looking up from her phone,"why aren't you eating your pancakes? What's wrong?"

Sunny sighed. Her mom may have been a career woman, but that didn't stop her from a being a mom. She could tell when something was bothering her daughter. Her father too could read her a mile away, and he was now looking at her with the same concern in his eyes.

"Sunny," Late Shift asked in a soothing voice, "are you still upset what happened at the Friendship Games?"

Sunny's parents weren't there Thursday. They only knew the official story, and believed her grief was due to seeing her teammate die.

She saw her parents rise from their seats and hugged her tightly. Sunny again fought off tears, for getting comfort she didn't deserve.

"Sweetheart," Mink Coat said soothingly. "I'm sorry you saw your classmate die." Sunny couldn't take it, letting guilty tears roll down her eyes.

"Besides," said Late Shift,"it wasn't your fault that the Twilight girl died." The reassurance and sheer irony echoed in Sunny's ears like a horrible violin solo. Sunny started hyperventilated. She broke out of her parents' hug, and ran out of the house, barely hearing the concerned cries of her parents behind her.

******

Sunny drove away from her family's house in her used convertible. Even after ten minutes, she still couldn't stop crying. After nearly tailgating someone due to her grief distracting her, she pulled into a public parking lot where she could let out her sadness safely. After five minutes of weeping Sunny sat there, staring at the her own reflection.

'I've always tried to hide my bad behavior from my parents,' Sunny thought to herself. 'because I was afraid they would take away my cellphone, but they were always minor things. I do the worst thing ever-murder- and I want to tell them. I want to be punished.' Sunny hugged herself and starting sobbing again. 'But I can't tell them, or else everybody will know Cadence lied. That means she'll lose her job, and Cinch will come back.'

She leaned on the steering wheel, careful not to press the horn, the feeling of guilt making it almost impossible to breath.

'But I've got tell someone. I can't take this anymore.'

******

Sunny pulled up to the Canterlot Memorial Church. It was a wooden, white building with a mid-sized steeple that had a cross at the tip. It was about 10:30 am, which meant that the morning services were over, and most of the congregants were now leaving and going home.

With tons of people driving away, Sunny had no difficulty finding a spot close by. Nevertheless, getting out of the car was still difficult, considering who she was about to see, and what she was about to do.

'I haven't seen him in two years,' Sunny thought to herself. 'Will he care about what I have to say? Will he be mad that I never talked to hiim.'

But her burning guilt drove out her other guilt, and forced her to leave the car.

She walked into the building, and began feeling a bit nostalgic. The old wooden pews, the colorful mosaic windows, the choir singing haunting but beautiful chants from centuries ago, the simple giant wooden crucifix on the wall above the altar. The sights and sounds of her childhood were lifting her spirits a bit. But her mood turned serious once she remembered her reason for being here.

She slowly walked down the path between the pews, her click of her heels muted by the red carpet. Behind the altar were two doors that contained offices. With a heavy heart, Sunny knocked on the door on the right.

"Come in," said a male voice. With some reluctance, Sunny opened the door. Inside was a green-colored, elderly man wearing a cassock, a clerical collar, and a pair of glasses. He was balding, with his remaining hair having turned grey. He was sitting in front of the simple desk, looking down on a notebook, writing intensely in it.

"So," the man said,"how can I help you, young...," the man looked up from his notebook, and his attentive face twisted into shock. Sunny flinched back a bit.

"Sunny Flare," the man said in disbelief. "Is that you?"

"Father Golden Cross," Sunny said reluctantly, "how have you...", her nervous words were cut off when Father Golden Cross gave her a gregarious smile.

"It's good to see you again Sunny," the man said happily,"how have you been?" Within an instant, Sunny's guilt over not visiting in two years was shredded by Father Cross' warm welcome.

"It's good to see you too Father," Sunny said happily. Her face then twisted into a frown, " But...I've been better." She looked down in shame for a moment. "I'm sorry I haven't been here in a-,"

"Don't worry," Cross said happily. "I know you've been busy with school. Besides I know you're only hear because you want to eat the cookies off of my desk".

"No," Sunny said almost playfully, nostalgia washing over her as she remembered their weekly meetings. From when she was 8 to when she was 14, Sunny would always pay a visit to Father Cross for some advice. One of the things Sunny loved about Father Cross was that he was a good listener and he gave good advice. Whenever she couldn't count on her parents for advice or support, Sunny could count on Father Cross to lend an ear. He was never mean or demanding in his advice, nor would he rat her out to her parents or the police.

But then she entered Crystal Prep, and those meetings ended, as she was pulled into the world of high school politics and homework. But today, she needed Cross' ear and wisdom. And the fact that he still remembered after all these years warmed Sunny's heart.

"I want to confess something," Sunny said carefully.

"Sit down." Father Cross said peacefully. Sunny fell into the chair in front of the desk. He got up from his chair and went over to a coffee maker in the corner. "Would you like some decaf," Father Cross asked.

"Sure, black," Sunny replied. Father Cross returned with two Styrofoam cups of coffee. He placed one directly in front of Sunny, and placed the other cup in front of himself as he sat down. "Thank you," Sunny uttered.

"So, what's on your mind?" Father Cross asked. Sunny struggled to find the right words, taking several minutes to do so. Her face must have looked stupid to others. But Father Cross didn't glare at or condemn her reluctance. He waited patiently as she tried to come up with a proper response.

"Well," Sunny began, tears threatening to leak down her eyes. "There was this girl." She stopped. "Me and my friends, well, um," she fought another sob. "We wanted to win this contest really badly." Her eyes were watering. "And this girl had this thing that we thought would help us win. We made her try and cheat with it," she paused, tears about to leak out of her eyes. "And it.... hurt her badly. And now she's...gone" With those final words, Sunny broke down in tears. She cried for a minute, letting loose her anger and shame, all the while Father Cross sat their patiently, not even shaking his foot, as Sunny let it all out. When her cries returned to whimpers, Father Cross raised his voice.

"I see," Cross muttered calmly,"what do mean by 'gone'? Is she...not at your school anymore?"

"Sure," Sunny said after a few moments. It wasn't the complete truth, but it was a way to confess her deed without giving it fully away.

"Was this girl a friend of yours," Father Cross asked.

"No," Sunny said flatly,"she was this little nerd with glasses who no one at our school liked."

"Why did no one like her," Father Cross asked, but in a way that was not judgmental.

"Because she always showing off how smart she was," Sunny muttered in frustration.

"Did you ever interact with this girl before," Father Cross asked her.

"Well, we had some classes together," Sunny said, "but the only other time we, for a lack of better term, 'hung out' was..."

Flashback

Popular girls always threw the best parties, Sunny Flare observed. And the parties thrown by Suri Polomare were no exception. Her home was full of the coolest stuff. Suri's parents ordered the best food. The best DJs were there, able to make even most vapid pop songs sound awesome. Almost the entire freshman class was here.

"Hey Sunny," Suri said cordially. "How are things?"

"Fabulous," Sunny replied, sounding like a noblewoman,"you never do anything by halves."

"No other way to do it," Suri said with a smile. Suri was about to say something when Fleur ran up to them.

"Suri," Fleur said with a wicked smile, "our 'special guest' is here ". Suri's face also contorted into that weird smile, like when she was about to strike down a perceived opponent.

"I'll let her in myself," Suri said in an unusually cheerful tone. Sunny saw Suri walk over to the door. To her shock, Suri was welcoming that pedantic teacher's pet from her business class. Why would Suri invite that loser here?

"Sunny," Suri said, her arm around Twilight's shoulder ,"this is Twilight". The girl looked scared of her own shadow, but nevertheless let Suri drag her across the room. Twilight smiled a little bit and looked happily at Suri. Suri, in return looked at her like a shark about to consume its prey, which Twilight misread as welcoming..

"OK everybody," Suri said outloud, cutting off the music and grabbing everyone's attention, "put down your sodas and your snacks. Right now, we start our main event. And to help us out is Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight gave a weak wave at everybody and laughed nervously. Everybody, in return, looked confused or annoyed with the girl being here, like Sunny did.

"Twilight," Suri said," go stand in that corner there to get us started." Twilight, somewhat eager, did exactly was she was told.

"OK Fleur," Suri said with a grin, "do the thing!" Fleur returned the grin, and pulled on some string that was connected to the ceiling. Suddenly, a whole bunch of green and blue paint fell on top of Twilight. For a moment, the room was so quiet, one could hear a pin drop, as both Twilight and everyone else struggled to register was happened. During that minute Sunny looked up, and saw a bucket suspended from the ceiling connected by the string Fleur pulled.

The silence was broken by Suri and Fleur laughing like loons.

"Give it up for Twilight everybody," Fleur said sarcastically. Within a minute, everyone was laughing like crazy at the girl who got nailed by paint, except for Sunny for continued to stare at Twilight, who stood there in a trance.

Twilight broke her trance by looking up at the bucket, staring dully. Then she looked at the party-goers who were laughing at her. Her lip started to quiver. After about ten seconds, the paint-covered girl let out a pained wail. She ran out of the room in tears, her sobs drowned out by the cruel laughter and fake applause of everyone present.

Sunny saw the girl run out, leaving a trail of paint and tears behind her. Part of her wanted to run after Twilight, and tell her-

NO! That girl was some showoff who needed to be put in her place. Sunny was here to be popular, not play babysitter to some nerd. So she laughed along with everyone else.

Sunny finished the story, looking thoroughly ashamed. She looked at Father Cross, expecting admonishment, but instead, she still saw those same kind eyes she had seen since she was small.

"So you let her get bullied because you were more concerned about popularity," said Father Cross. Any other person would have said that with scorn, but Father Cross said that without any hint of emotion.

"Yes," Sunny Flare, tearing up. "I didn't care about her, only about what I wanted." She let out a deep breath, trying to control her emotions and continued.

"Eventually, she ratted on Suri and Fleur, and Cadence gave them a really bad detention," she let out a deep breath. "Suddenly she was a snitch, and we all avoided her instead. Every day, I always made fun of her, or make her sit in the corner of the lunch room." She let out another deep breath. "And I made her do that thing during that contest because...I again didn't care about her, only about what I wanted. I realize I never cared about her-,"

"And you feel upset because now that she is 'gone'," Father Cross said,"you can't make it up to her." Sunny hung her head in shame, and sobbed and sobbed like a baby. Cross went over to try and give Sunny a hug, but Sunny stopped her.

"No, Father," Sunny said, holding her hands up, in a quiet, pained voice. "I don't deserve a hug. I don't deserve forgiveness. I can't make it up to her, it is too late for me to be forgiven."

"Sunny," Father Cross said forcefully. The strong tone broke Sunny out of her pity party ,"understand, that I have not always served the word of the Lord. I, like you, once chose popularity above what was right. I too have done things to people that they didn't forgive. " Sunny looked at him, stunned.

"I once dropped a bucket of glue on a boy's head," Father Cross said with a sheepish smile. Sunny's jaw dropped,"and eventually, I did go over to his house, and try to make amends." Father Cross said. He then gave a sad smile. "He hit me in the face, and told me to go to Hell," Father Cross said.

"Did it hurt," Sunny asked, "when that guy said he wouldn't forgive you and hit you?"

"Yes," Father Cross said solemnly,"it hurt a lot. I laid down and cried, thinking I would never be liked again. I would never be good." He then gave a smile, "but then I learned that the path to redemption is not about seeking forgiveness or hiding in the room, thinking you don't deserve love." Father Cross sat back in his chair. "The way you redeem yourself is through repentance."

"Repentance?," asked Sunny confused.

"Here's the first thing you need to do!," Father Cross said, leaning in. "you have to first forgive yourself, which is always the hardest part," Sunny began tearing up a little. " After that, go home and ask your parents to make you your favorite dinner. Make yourself feel better."

"And after that?" Sunny asked.

"Just be a better person," Father Cross said simply. "'Repent' doesn't mean punish or discipline. ' It originally means 'turn away'."

"Turn away?"

"Turn away from sin," Father Cross said dramatically. "Turn away from evil. Turn away from selfishness. Turn away from cruelty. Turn away from hurting others who have done you no harm!" He leaned back, relaxing a bit. "In other words, you just have to be a better person." Sunny looked down. "It's not impossible. I overcame what I was, and I now serve the Lord and heal souls."

"I want to be better," Sunny said quietly. She looked up at Father Cross with tired eyes. "But I don't know how."

"I have an idea," Father Cross said. "Throughout history, when warriors slayed their foes, they were told to raise the orphaned children as their own to redeem the blood they shed."

"You want me to kill somebody and steal their kid?" asked Sunny Flare, aghast.

"That's option B," Father Cross quipped. He then let out a small laugh. Sunny smiled a little. "No. Here's what you can do. Find a girl like this other girl you didn't care about. A girl with no friends and with glasses, and who seems too smart for her own good. If you meet her, be the friend you wish you could've been to this other girl. If you meet her, be the friend you wish you could've been to this other girl. Give her the love and care you wish you could give to the other girl. That is your mission, Sunny. Be the person you wish you could've been, and you will have repented".

Sunny stared at Father Cross for a few seconds, before letting out the widest smile she had smiled in days.

"That's a great idea Father," Sunny said. "I'll do it!"

"Good!" Father Cross said happily. "No I want you to understand that you're not a bad person. If you were, you wouldn't be here trying to be better." Father Cross got up and put an arm around Sunny's shoulder. "Even if you lose faith in yourself, I have faith in you Sunny, that you will try and be better."

Father Cross was cut off by a huge hug that Sunny was giving him. He decided to return the hug as well. After a minute they parted.

"Thank you so much," Sunny Flare said, grinning. "Can we start our weekly chats again? I remember how they make me feel less...sad."

"Of course!" Father Cross said happily. "I'd be delighted."

Sunny walked out of the Church with a new lease on life, feeling better then she felt, having found a new mission in life.

Twilight, wherever you are, Sunny Flare thought as she looked to the sky, Heaven or some place else- I promise you, I will never make the same mistake again. I'll be the friend I wish I could've been.

Sunday Afternoon

Sunday Afternoon 1:58 PM

Sunset Shimmer stood outside the entrance to Crystal Prep Academy with an anxiety she had not felt since the first few weeks after the Fall Formal, when the student body's hatred for her was at its peak. It was a warm day, and Sunset was wearing her trademark leather jacket. Despite that, Sunset still felt a harsh chill run through her body.

'I always thought that my past was not today,'thought Sunset ,'but now I have to tell my past to give a poor woman closure.' Sunset frowned bitterly at that. She looked down and then looked up at the entrance. Despite it being little more than a few feet away, her anxiety made the entrance look like it was a thousand miles away.

"That woman got rid of Cinch and didn't tell anyone about magic," Luna told her,you owe her.

Pushing away her anxieties, Sunset took a deep breath, strengthened her back, and walked into the door.

******

Cadence sat in her office, awaiting that Sunset girl who somehow knew about magic. While she waited, she looked back on the past 48 hours as CPA's principal with exhaustion.

She remembered her final words with Cinch that Friday.

6 PM

Cadence walked over to the detention room. The door lacked the luxury and woodwork of other doors in CPA. It looked like a prison door, with its metal exterior and bars on the windows. That was no accident. Cinch felt making the detention room look like a prison cell would "scare the miscreant out of these brats," in her own words.

How ironic that Cinch's last day in Crystal Prep would end with her in there. Part of the reason Cadence made her stay in there is that she relished a bit in seeing in her former boss behind bars, even if only temporarily.

She took out the key, and unlocked the door to the room. Cinch was sitting there, her body leaning over her desk, her eyes completely lost.

"OK Mrs. Cinch," Cadence said with some derision. "Your detention's over." Cadence held the door open. "You may remove yourself from the premises." Cinch slowly looked up from the desk. To Cadence's astonishment, instead of the broken look she had seen when she fled her office, Cinch instead gave her a nasty grin.

"What's so funny," asked Cadence, a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Nothing," Cinch uttered. She started clapping in her hands, in that slow, sarcastic way when mocking someone. Combined with the smile, Cadence felt a little unbalanced. "Despite everything, I can't help but commend you for your brilliance. Using Twilight to sack me and get the job you so craved. I never knew you had it in you."

"I got rid of you so you would never hurt another student again," Cadence barked, clenching her fists. "That was for Twilight!"

"And isn't it a coincidence that you just happen to get my job as well and all the prestige it brings," Cinch replied sarcastically. Cadence's face twisted into stone.

"I don't care about prestige. I'm gonna make this school into a better place. A place where everyone can be each other's friend," Cadence said proudly. Cinch responded to that with a nasty grin.

"Miss Cadenza, you were always the dreamer" Cinch said with a dose of sarcasm. Cadence flinched at that.

"You had no right to call me that when I was 16, you certainly don't have a right to call me that now!" Cadence said angrily. Cinch would call Cadence her official name whenever Cinch felt she was acting childish. Now, it was leaving an especially bad taste in her mouth.

"I can't but help it, since you sound so childish," Cinch said. " 'I'm gonna make this school a better place,' " she said, imitating Cadence's soft accent.

"Let me ask you this, Miss Cadenza," Cinch said. "How did it feel to steal my life's work, and then incapacitate me and twist my wrist? Did you feel a sense of satisfaction?"

"You killed my sister," said Cadence, growling. "If I really wanted to do worse, I would. Instead, I'm getting you out of my sight quietly."

"Do you honestly mean to tell me you didn't feel as sense of exhilaration," Cinch asked Cadence. "The feeling of crushing another under your heel? Can you honestly tell me that didn't pass through you?"

"Well," Cadence began. "I, um..." Cadence paused. Seeing Cinch writhe like a crippled slug, like a helpless animal, did give her... a taste of power and confidence. And it was...exhilarating.

"So you did feel it," Cinch said, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction, that smile looking a little bit vicious.

"Deep down, all those in authority desire power over others," Cinch said , "and all of us IN authority, like you, make the mistake of deluding yourself into thinking you have good intentions when you lie and cheat your way to the top. Now that you've stolen my job, you've convinced yourself and your feeling of satisfaction is euphoria, because you think you can make things better." Her tone suddenly became less condescending and more cynical and bitter, and her grin turned into a frown. "But I guarantee you, once you've been force to fight the powers that be, forced to sit in my chair... all that hope and joy will vanish, and all that will be left in you will be the desire for power and glory." With that, Cinch jumped up from the desk, and pushed pass Cadence.

"Goodbye, Principal Cadence," Cinch said quietly, as she walked out of the room. Cadence stared at her. With a dose of anger, some fear and...maybe pity?

Cinch's words stunned her a little bit, but she wrote it off as the noise made by a defeated woman. But then she started actually being principal, and well...

Her meeting with the school board made her want to beat her head against a brick wall.

"Principal Cadence," Board President Memo said with anger, "why would you suspend Gem Topaz?"

"Gem beat up a freshman," Cadence said firmly, she was sitting at the end of the rectangular table, with Memo at the other end. Memo was a fat man with grey skin, green eyes, and white and grey hair. His face always seemed to have a hunger upon it. Over half the board members were looking at her with the same disgust.

"Come now," Memo said with a forced laugh. "Surely a small prank can be overlooked, especially when the prankster in question is the daughter of Gem Ruby, and a very...good friend of CPA."

'You mean a good donor,' Cadence thought with disgust. 'Maybe he ought to learn to stop overlooking his daughter's bad behavior.'

"All for revoking Gem Topaz' suspension say 'aye'," Memo said. Over half of the board members said 'aye', to Cadence's anger. Memo looked at her, and comprehending her disgust, stopped his fake smile.

"Did it occur to you that CPA needs all the loyal friends it can get," Memo asked with annoyance. He pulled out a newspaper and threw it at her.

The headline read, "TOP STUDENT AT CHS KILLED BY NEGLIGENT PRINCIPAL".

"These rich parents send their students here because they think we can keep them safe," Memo said,"with this story, parents may be looking to withdraw funds and kids from here. Sacking Cinch was good damage control, but if we see a massive withdrawal of students, donors like Gem Ruby are the only way we'll ride it out."

Cadence sighed, conceding his point. She wouldn't be able to do anything if Crystal Prep went bankrupt. Letting off Gem Topaz would be a small sacrifice.

"It is not just this accident that looks bad," said Golden Sticker solemnly. He was a leaner man, with golden skin and light purple hair. He was Cadence's favorite teacher when she was at Crystal Prep, being able to evenly balance magnanimity and toughness. He grabbed the newspaper and put his fingers on the words' "TOP STUDENT". "Twilight Sparkle is the girl who gave this school the highest ranking school in the state, and now that she's dead, we may lose that mantle." A silence hung over the board. "I can't believe Cinch would be so reckless", Sticker said with a sadness that was felt by the rest of the board. Or almost all of them.

"I know," Memo said, fuming with disgust. "That girl was a meal ticket. She got us grants, donations, and she won us cash prizes. I can't believe Cinch was so stupid as to kill the golden goose".

Cadence briefly glared at Memo for thinking of her sister as some asset or commodity. Golden Sticker also looked a little annoyed at that , but they continued the meeting, which was trying to keep their school solvent amid the bad press.

Cadence gritted her teeth as she remembered that meeting. She had been there to implement changes to make Crystal Prep friendlier, but that man and almost everyone on that school board, was obsessed with cash. He seemed determined to shoot down every last one of her ideas out of pure spite.

'It's because he's afraid of me,' Cadence thought with a smirk, 'He's afraid that if I'm too popular, I'll take his job that same way I took Cinch's. That's why he won't let me have a victory unless it can benefit him as well.'

If had been just dealing with those inept administrators, she wouldn't be so jaded. But as Principal, she had to deal with the cabal of angry, neurotic, overachieving parents. And since it was made public that Cinch killed a student, many of those parents making were threats to withdraw their children from an unsafe environment. Not to mention Canterlot students, motivated by vengeance were launching an online smear campaign that was only adding fuel to the fire. This was also making parents very wary about sending their students into a toxic student life.

It took every ounce of Cadence's energy and social grace not to crumple before their shrill demands, as well as keep the prospective students coming. Skilled students were needed to keep the school's average up. There was one big name she was eager not to lose.

"Mr. Zoom," Cadence pleaded over the phone, trying not to sound too firm or too desperate, as she did not want to drive away such a reputable figure, "I assure you that Cinch's forced resignation has proven that CPA is committed to holding teachers and faculty accountable for their actions."

"It's not just the motorcycle incident," Canter Zoom barked into the phone. "I'm also concerned about student life at CPA. I just read an online review board. Some people have written that CPA students like to take the smart kids and dunk their heads in toilets."

"A lot of those reviews have been written by CHS students," Cadence replied, not trying to sound condescending, "and CHS has had a longstanding rivalry with CPA for the past few years, so their criticisms ought to be taken with a grain of salt. "

"Mrs. Cadence," said Canter Zoom firmly," I will say that my experience in high school was full of the things I've read online." He quietly sighed into the phone, reliving some not-so-pleasant memories. "My niece Juniper has already had a rough time. Her parents' marriage fell apart, and she didn't have any real friends at her old school. I don't want to stick her in a place where they just pick on her. Can you honestly tell me that your student body is kind to those who are...different?"

The question hit Cadence like a bullet to the heart. No, her students weren't exactly kind to misfits. She knew one misfit in particular who never had it easy. She glanced down at a photo of Twilight, holding her science fair trophy. She had the prize, but she never had friends in this photo, or any other photo in her school days.

'No one to really help her through the painful maze of high school,' Cadence said sadly.

Cadence's face brightened up. She had an idea.

"Mr. Zoom," Cadence said with a confidence. " Your right, some students can be rough, but most students are also very kind once you get to know them. I'm going to find a kind student who will help guide your niece through CHS. Who better to help your niece than someone from CHS' student body?"

"That's...not a bad idea actually," Canter Zoom said, somewhat relieved. "Just make sure whoever you recruit isn't some bully looking for a victim, and someone who just plays nice when you think they are looking."

"I have worked with students as a Dean," Cadence said confidently,"I think I can tell when someone is trying to act kind, and someone who is genuinely kind."

"I hope so," Canter Zoom said, some relief in his voice. "Alright. You'll see Juniper there Monday morning. Have a good day!"

"You too," Cadence said, hanging up the phone. Just when she thought she could relax, another ring of the phone broke her brief moment of tranquility. She sighed, realizing the angry calls wouldn't stop for while.

Between the angry parents and those jerks on the school board, Cadence was starting to realize why Cinch became so cold-hearted. Cadence knew about her past tragedies, but only now she was really starting to walk around in Cinch's shoes. She couldn't sympathize with Cinch after what she did, but she could...understand her.

Dealing with so much hostility and stupidity from parents and administrators alike, and not having a family to ease the anger, it was easy to just stop caring about doing good. Easier to just be in the game for oneself.

She glanced down at the photo of Twilight again. No, she couldn't just give up. She had to make this place better. Even if meant fighting the pigs and the angry parents, she would make this place shine for everyone. It was the only way she could make it up to Twilight.

She heard a knock on her door and looked up. She saw, through the glass window on her door, the Sunset girl. Her hair, jeans, boots, and black jacket made her look like a street thug, but her face reeked of fear and guilt, a sight she had seen on many students.

Cadence motioned with her hand to get the girl to come in. She slowly opened the door, and sat down at the chair in front of the desk, looking like a wounded, tortured animal. A far cry from the angry, passionate girl from a few days ago.

"So," Sunset said in a nervous tone, "what did Celestia and Luna tell you?"

"They told me you were the person who knew the most about magic," Cadence said soothingly. "They also said you're a smart, kind girl with good friends and that I shouldn't judge you for the mistakes you made in the past." Cadence gave the girl a warm smile, with made Sunset a little less anxious.

"Just tell me everything you know about the magic, and how it got here," Cadence said soothingly. "I'm not going to judge you."

"Okay," Sunset said, "the story begins in the world I came from."

******

After roughly an hour, Sunset spilled everything, from Equestria and how magic worked, to the sordid details of her life, her battle against the Dazzlings, and the events that led up to the tragedy of the Friendship Games.

By the end of her lecture, Sunset was exhausted.

"That's all I have to say," Sunset uttered. She looked at Cadence's stone face, and feared it was the face of disbelief.

"Look," Sunset said, panicking,"I-I know how crazy all that sounded, but-,"

"I believe you," Cadence said, albeit with a tired expression. Sunset looked stunned.

"Just like that?" Sunset said incredulously after a momentary pause. "You believe everything I said? My friends couldn't believe half the things I said about Equestria, even after they gained the powers of Harmony. And you believe me already?"

"Well...there are a couple of reasons why I'm inclined to believe you. One is that seeing teenagers grow wings, watching my students nearly get eaten by a bunch of vines, and hearing your dog talk kind of makes you question reality and accept the impossible." Cadence finished in a facetious tone.

"And the other reason?"

"As a dean, I think have a sense of when a student is telling fibs. You don't sound or look like a liar, but someone with a lot of regret." Sunset looked down in shame. "In all honesty," Cadence said, her voice becoming calm ,"the hardest thing I can believe is that you were once evil and heartless." Sunset looked up in surprise.

"Why is that? Is it because of what Luna and Celestia told you?"

"Well, your actions Thursday night aren't the actions of someone I'd call selfish." Sunset's eyes widened. "You attacked Cinch because of what she made Twilight do, you called my students out for their selfishness, you talked about how friends are more important than victory, and then forfeited the Games to make your point." She then gave Sunset a proud smile. "And not only that, everyone of your classmates followed your lead. They must really respect you enough to do that."

"I guess I just used the right words," Sunset said sheepishly.

"Maybe," said Cadence, "but those words wouldn't have mattered if your classmates didn't already respect you." Sunset blushed a little at that. But then she lowered her head and sighed.

"Aren't you mad that I brought the magic that killed Twilight-," Sunset paused when she saw Cadence raise her hand.

"Yes, you told me, you brought the magic here." Cadence said quietly. "You said you brought it here, with malicious intent. To..overthrow this princess of yours and claim what you believed was your rightful throne."

"Well," Sunset said, feeling tears pool near her eyes.

"Let me ask you this, Sunset? When you first came here, what did you think of planes?"

"Um," Sunset uttered, confused by the question. However, she gave a small smile as she remembered that day. "Well, I thought it was incredible! I thought to myself 'these humans are insane to fly these huge machines into the air'. It was when I really became impressed with humanity, and what they could do without magic."

"Do you think planes are bad because some of them have been used to bomb cities?"

"Well...no"

"Do you think the inventor of the airplane should be to blame for aerial bombings?"

"No."

"So you're not to blame for what happened to Twilight," Cadence said. She noticed Sunset's eyes begin to water and pushed her point. "Even if you had brought magic here with good intentions, that doesn't mean that someone like Cinch or the Dazzlings wouldn't have come along and used it for horribly selfish reasons. You are at fault for you becoming a demon, but everything after is the fault of someone else."

"I guess that makes sense," Sunset said quietly. "But aren't you also mad that I yelled at Twilight and made her cry?", Sunset asked, her eyes beginning to water. "I mean, she was your-,"

"As her sister-in-law, yes I would be inclined to defend her," Cadence said. "But as a dean, I've always tried to see two sides to a story. I get she put your friends in danger, so I can't blame you for blowing up at her. Twilight herself has done a lot of dangerous things too. She tried mixing chemicals despite being sleep deprived."

"Really," Sunset asked shocked.

"Yes, Twilight maybe smart, but she's done a lot of reckless things in the name of science," Cadence said with a sigh. "She becomes so obsessed with her work, she lost sight of things minor things like...food and sleep. She's driven me up a wall, so I can easily imagine her doing the same to you. That's why I can't be mad at you for that." She looked up. "Besides, seeing you stand up for her more than made up for that." Cadence let out a sigh and began boiling some water for tea.

"Honestly, if you want to blame someone for what happened to Twilight, blame me." Sunset gave her a confused look. "Because I blindly admired someone so long, I allowed that person to get away with abuse, and it took losing my sister to make me how horrible she was." Cadence got up and started pacing around the room.

"Who was this person," Sunset asked sympathetically.

"Cinch," Cadence said quietly. "When I was Twilight's age, Cinch was the political science teacher here at Crystal Prep. She didn't just read about politics out of a book. She worked for legislators and policy makers in the past. Her class was the most coveted, because some of her students didn't just go to college. A lot of them become legislators."

"Really?" Sunset asked, surprised. "Why did she give up a career in politics, and become a teacher?" Cadence walked back to her desk, and pulled some framed photo out of the drawer. Sunset took the photo, and saw something that was unimaginable.

It was Cinch and she was smiling. Not the smile of cold ambition Sunset was uncomfortably familiar with. It was the tender smile of someone who had the best day of their life. She was in a wedding dress, and holding her hand was a handsome, but plump fellow in a fancy tuxedo. He had bright and poofy red hair and green skin, and he too had a wonderful, if silly, smile upon his face.

"Cinch was married," Sunset asked in shock.

"Yes," Cadence said wistfully. "The groom's name was Watermelon. He was a goofy guy, but one that even a soulless person could not help but love with." She pulled out another picture from her purse and handed it to Sunset. The picture was of a young girl, about 5-6 years old, with light blue skin and red hair tied into pigtails. The girl was dressed in a luxurious dark blue dress.

"Is this-,"

"Yes, that's Cinch's daughter, Alexa." Cadence said, feeling nostalgic. "She was this old when I was Cinch's student. I knew her because Cinch saw a lot of potential in me. She took me under her wing. But I felt...like I was part of her family."

Ten years ago.

Cadence and Professor Cinch were sitting on a fancy blue couch in the middle of Cinch's living room. The room was sumptuous but tasteful, with beautiful blue adornments and decorations.

"Miss Cadenza," Cinch droned, "let us return to practicing debate. The debate championship is next week, and you need to be focused."

"Okay," Cadence said.

"Now Miss Cadenza," Cinch said, her voice sounding like a debate moderator,"what is your opinion about government plans to rollback environmental regulations." Cinch gave Cadence a cold look of observation.

"Well...um-," Cadence stammered, before a ruler loudly struck the table in front of her. She looked at Cinch, holding the ruler in front her, her face full of disappointment.

"Miss Cadenza," Cinch said, annoyed. "You never, ever use 'um' in a debate. That makes you look uncertain."

"I know Professor Cinch," Cadence said, "but you make me a little nervous."

"Young lady," Cinch said, shaking her head."If I, the one trying to help you, is making you nervous, how can you possibly stand before the unwashed masses and your enemies?" She paused as she watched Cadence stomached this thought. "You can be the smartest person in the world," Cinch then pounded her fist on the table, and gave Cadence an serious look, "but without confidence or good presentation, no one will ever give you a second look!"

"Your right," Cadence said with a smile, "but-," Cadence's response was broken as she her the sound of the door behind them opening.

"Mommy," screamed Alexa, running into the room. Cinch flinched, annoyed at being interrupted. She put aside her chagrin, and gave Alexa a warm smile.

"Alexa," Cinch said firmly but with a hint of kindness,"you know not to disturb me when I'm working with a student."

"But I made this drawing of you," Alexa chirped, running up to Cinch waving the drawing around. Cinch took the crude drawing, and looked at it with the same critical eye she gave everything else. The critical eye was replaced with a look of sympathy.

"This is a lovey drawing, Alexa," Cinch said, cooing.

"I think its nice too," Cadence chimed in. "I think it could end up in the Louvre."

"Hi Cadence," Alexa said, as if just noticing the teenage girl. "Are you still going to come to my ballerina recital?"

"Of course," Cadence said enthusiastically. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"But again Alexa, you still shouldn't have disturbed my lesson," Cinch said, with a degree of annoyance.

"But daddy said to show it to you," Alexa chirped, a happy smile on her face. Cinch groaned and rubbed her temples.

"Watermelon," Cinch barked, turning his head toward the door ,"you know better than to encourage your daughter to interrupt me." Through the same door marched Watermelon, a sly grin on his face.

"Alexa is an artist," Watermelon said dramatically,"she deserved to have her genius judged by your critical eye, Abie!" His grin turned a little nasty. He broke from the conversation to give a welcoming wave to Cadence, who returned it. Cadence chuckled as he saw Cinch give her husband a stink-eye, to which he responded by sticking his tongue out at her.

"Well," Cinch sighed, looking to the clock,"it is almost noon. We might as well break for lunch. Miss Cadenza can join us if she wants to." Cadence nodded. "Well, let's head over to the kitchen." The four quickly marched over to the kitchen, eager to enjoy some good food.

Sunset heard the whole story with disbelief. The idea of Cinch being a family woman boggled her mind.

"I can hardly believe it," Sunset quipped. "Cinch having a heart."

"Well it is the truth," Cadence said sadly.

"And she was like a mentor to you," Sunset said, her voice melancholic,"It must have been, like, a blow to you when she did what she did..to," her voice trailed off as she saw Cadence's sad eyes. "What happened to make her so mean?"

"Well," Cadence sighed. "About four years ago. Watermelon and Alexa both got killed in a car accident." Sunset gasped. Cadence closed her eyes, trying to blink away the tears. "Some lunatic tried driving while on his cell phone. He plowed them right off of a cliff."

"I mean, if you gave a political career to raise a family, only for your family to die, that would cause anybody to snap," Sunset remarked. Cadence nodded her head sadly.

"Yes, it was tragic," but then suddenly Cadence turned furious, and threw the wedding photo of Cinch into the garbage. "But going through tragedy is no excuse for creating more of it." Cadence leaned back her chair. "I let my sympathy and love of Cinch blind me to what she was doing. I let her berate student and teacher alike because I only saw her as my strict but helpful mentor, not the bitter and cruel woman she now is. It took losing Twilight to..." Cadence looked ready to cry, but took a deep breath, and barely held it in.

"How did you end up working for Cinch here and Crystal Prep?" Asked Sunset, trying to pull Cadence's thoughts away from her own doubt. "And why did you end up in education instead of politics?"

"Well," Cadence said, her voice becoming more wistful,"In my senior year, I met the nicest, hottest guy in school," Cadence pulled up a framed photo, showing a picture of her and teenage Shining Armor with their arms around each other. "And he had the most adorable, precious, little sister," Cadence pulled up another photo, showing Human Twilight as a little girl, with pigtails. She was trying to hide her face behind some kind of stuffed donkey.

"Aww," Sunset cooed.

"Yeah," Cadence said with a chuckle. "Babysitting Twilight brought more fulfillment to me then politics. II realized I wanted to help young people like Twilight. So I switched my focus to education in my final year. I got my degree at the age of 20. Cinch, who by that point was now principal, got me a job here as a teacher out of college. Within a year, I got to be Dean."

"That also played a role in your loyalty. I mean she did so much for you," Sunset said, shaking her head, but seeing Cadence frown at that, Sunset decided to change the subject. "So what was it like to babysit Twilight?"

"Well," Cadence said, smiling at happier memories, "Instead of dolls, Twilight loved science books. And let me tell you, she had the energy of 1000 batteries."

"Really?," Sunset asked, trying to reconcile the meek wallflower with the rambunctious youngster Human Twilight apparently was.

"And she wasn't just someone who sat in lab all day," Cadence said. "You know how there are kids who dream of a tree house?" Cadence asked. Sunset nodded. Cadence pulled out some diagram, and handed it over to Sunset. "Imagine a girl who could draw her own blueprints, at eight."

"Wow," Sunset said, looking up at Cadence briefly, before looking at the unusually professional blueprints for the tree house.with

"You think that's impressive? How about blueprints for a house at age ten," Cadence asked, pulling up some other diagram, which Sunset took. Sunset's eyes widened in shock. She looked at the design for a one story house with incredulity. The design combined utility and comfort.

"She really was quite the prodigy," Sunset uttered. "So, what happened to make her lose that energy?" Cadence again looked downcast at that question. Cadence pulled out another photo, and handed it to Sunset. It showed a woman with white skin, and white hair with streaks of purple running through it, and man with blue skin and darker blue hair. In between them was a happy Twilight.

"Her parents...died?" Asked Sunset.

"Night Light, even though he looked thin, was a guy who loved to eat," Cadence said. "He ignored warnings about his heart. Eventually, his overeating got to him. 6 years ago this summer, the Sparkle family and mine had a barbecue. Night Light was running around, with Twilight on piggy back. Suddenly, he collapsed onto the ground. He had a heart attack". Cadence paused, relieving that horrible memory. "She thought she was responsible having been on her father's back, and she spent hours crying and screaming 'I killed my daddy, I killed my daddy,'" Sunset teared up at that horrible image. "I still think Twilight still blamed herself for what happened to Night Light." A brief, unhappy silence hung over the two.

"What happened to her mom," Sunset croaked.

"She got shot during a bank robbery," Cadence said sadly. "This was the spring before Twilight entered Crystal Prep. Anyways, this took a lot of life out of Twilight. After losing her father, she started going out less, and hardly ever left the house or her lab." Cadence paused. "The problem was, Twilight couldn't really make many friends. Her interests were different from her peers, so she never could interact with them in a meaningful way."

"So she never had friends," Sunset said sadly. "Did you ever try?"

"The problem was Twilight didn't care about anything but science," Cadence said. "Shining Armor and I tried to get her to join clubs, but she never cared about anything but books and science. The kids at Crystal Prep, well, in the first few weeks here, they beat her up and stuff."

"Didn't you do anything about it?" Sunset asked.

"Twilight was too embarrassed to say a word. Teenagers don't like to talk about being bullied. There's always this code of silence with school bullying, even from the tormented." Sunset nodded her head. It was that code of silence that allowed her to get away with a lot of bullying at CHS. That, and her grades and ability to cover her tracks. "It was only when a bunch of girls dumped paint on her head after inviting her to a party that I found out." Sunset looked shocked at that. "It was terrible. She left school for three weeks after that. I begged her at one point to let me help her make friends, but...

Two years ago

Suri and Fleur were digging ditches. They both had furious expressions on their faces, due to the series of humiliations they endured. First they were doing scut work. Secondly, they were dressed up in orange jumpsuits, like prisoners. Thirdly, they were being stared at by everybody. Fourthly, Cadence was standing over them, a pitiless expression on her face.

Above them, stood a banner that said ,"This is what happens to bullies," in red ink.

.....

Cadence and Twilight were at home. Cadence was rubbing a moist rag across Twilight's face. The girl was a still as a statue, almost unresponsive.

"See, a lot of the paint is coming out," Cadence said kindly. Twilight, however started to tear up. Cadence gave her a warm hug.

"Don't worry," Cadence said,"I'll help you make some friends,"

"No," cried Twilight, tears still pouring from her eyes. "Don't."

"Twilight," Cadence said, "just let me try..."

"No," Twilight insisted. "I don't want people who will be friends with me just because I'm your sister in law. I just want to stay home and never go back there."

"Twilight," Cadence sighed. "I know how badly those girls hurt you, but I promise, things will get better. You just have to have to try again. After I punished those two girls, no one will ever hurt you again."

"Really?" asked Twilight.

"Really," said Cadence. "If you don't want me to talk to some students for you, that's fine. But just go back to school. That proves to them that you're that much stronger."

"Okay," Twilight said, leaning into Cadence for another hug.

"So, everyone stopped bullying Twilight," Sunset said.

"Not really," Cadence said. "Nobody played a prank like that on her, but suddenly everybody saw her as a snitch. "And the students were always jealous of her accomplishments, and didn't like her interests, so everyone ignored her all the time, and they still picked on her."

"I know that feeling," Sunset croaked, recalling when every student treated her like the plague after Fall Formal.

"I mean, I was able to get her to do one thing that was extracurricular her freshman year," Cadence said. "This trivia contest thing. Twilight joined the team, took the school to the state championships, and she won a quarter million dollar prize." Sunset mouthed a 'wow'. "But, no one on the team invited Twilight out to anything. I threw her a party, and she got to keep the trophy, but it hurt her that no one on the team or in the school acknowledged her." Sunset shook her head in shame.

"To help Twilight out I even tried to..." Cadence paused, looking like she had swallowed poison.

"What?" Asked Sunset.

"Well, Shining and I invited Cinch out to dinner at her house several times. Talked about Twilight's interests. Told her about what happened to her parents. I was hoping that Cinch would, you know..."

"You wanted Cinch to be the mom she lost, and you wanted Twilight to be the daughter she lost," inferred Sunset, in shock. Cadence flinched, but nodded.

"I know how stupid that sounded," growled Cadence, "but-"

"No, I understand," Sunset said. "Since Cinch did so much for you, you thought she could have been kind of a step mom for Twilight. But I guess that didn't work out."

"Cinch never cared about Twilight's personal life," Cadence said regretfully. "All she ever talked about was anything related to Crystal Prep, and always telling Twilight to be sure to live up to Crystal Prep's legacy, ergo her own." She sighed as she remembered the not-so pleasant dinner.

Cadence and Twilight sat at the dinner table opposite each other, while Cinch sat at the head of the table.

"So Twilight," Cadence said in a strongly friendly tone, "tell Cinch all about that new compound you made in your lab."

"Well," Twilight said, "I came up with a kind of acid which-,"

"Ms. Sparkle," Cinch said in an overtly professional tone, "I feel your grades are more important than some silly experiment."

"But my grades are-," Twilight protested meekly.

"Twilight, you know the Principal is trying to help you," Cadence admonished. "Abie, please continue."

"Thank you Cadence," Cinch said. "You're last exam fell from 95 to 92," Cinch said in a disappointed tone.

"I'm sorry, I was just a little tired," Twilight protested, "I've been so busy that..."

"Exhaustion is no excuse for tardiness," Cinch thundered. "You must always strive for perfection."

"Yes Principal Cinch," Twilight said unhappily.

"I thought at the time that Cinch cared about her," Cadence said sadly, "but know I realize that all those 'admonishments' were so that Cinch would look good. I should've have realized that-"

"Look don't blame yourself," Sunset sympathetically. "You honestly Cinch was trying to help Twilight like she helped you. You never imagined she betrayed Twilight like you said. You thought she was family."

"You know," Cadence said. "I really wish Twilight met someone like you. I really felt you could've been a great friend."

"If only I hadn't scared her off," Sunset said angrily.

"Sunset," Cadence said, putting her hands on Sunset, "what happened was-,"

"I don't blame myself for what happened," Sunset said in a weak voice, putting her hands on her forehead, "But what I regret is not talking to her afterwards. She sounded like she really needed a friend. I could have found that out had I spoken to her for five minutes, I could've been a friend." Sunset pushed away her sadness. "Listen Cadence, there is another reason why I'm here. You have the pendent that Twilight had."

"Yes," Cadence said.

"In order to figure out what happened, I need that pendant." Cadence started to tear up. "I need-."

"It's all I have left of her," Cadence said in sad voice. Sunset had to fight the urge to give in to her tears, understanding what was a stake.

"I know," Sunset said in a quiet but firm. "But you need to understand. The magic I brought here is only going to keep growing more and more. Eventually, the public is going to get wise to it, and Equestria. If I can't figure out what went wrong, it could mean horrible relations for both our worlds, if people just assume magic does what it did to Twilight." Cadence's face remained in that pained tone.

"I don't want people thinking magic is just bad," Sunset said, her voice laden with desperation. "I see the good that magic could do for mankind, and the good human technology good do for Equestria. I don't want that opportunity gone because of my selfishness. I don't what happened to Twilight to happen to anyone else. I know you've already made sacrifices for me. But I need one more, for her sake and for the sake of both our worlds." Cadence sat there, her face full of pain. After a moment of hesitation, Cadence opened up the drawer, and pulled out the pendent. Sunset gave her a proud smile and she took it from her.

"I can do you one better," Cadence said, pulling out some keys. She stood up from her desk and walked out of the room, motioning for Sunset to do the same, who eagerly followed her out.

******

Cadence and Sunset marched to the science wing of Crystal Prep. Sunset followed behind Cadence, eager to see what surprise awaited her. Cadence marched toward some wooden door. She unlocked it, turned the knob, and opened the door for Sunset, who walked in.

Computers, files, equipment. That could only mean one thing...

"This is Twilight's lab," Cadence said. "If you need to figure out what happened, then the answer will lie in Twilight's research and equipment."

"You mean," Sunset began, astonished,"you trust me with Twilight's equipment?"

"I couldn't think of anyone more deserving of my trust," Cadence said happily. Sunset gave Cadence a hug, which she happily returned. "Now, can you get someone to pick this stuff up and bring it back to CHS?"

"My friend Applejack owns a pickup truck. We can drive by to pick it up tomorrow," Sunset said. "Thank you so much. I promise I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Cadence said. "By the way, there are a couple more questions I'd like to ask you."

"Okay, spill." replied Sunset.

"How did you support yourself when you came here?"

"Well," Sunset said with a smile. "In my homeland, gold coins are currency. One gold coin there can get you a small dinner. When I left, I had the Equestrian equivalent of chump change in my bag. You imagine my surprise when I went to one of those "cash for gold" places."

"How much can I get for this," Sunset said as she poured a bag of bits onto the glass counter. "Can I get, 100...dollars, or..."she paused as the human running the counter fainted from shock."

"Then I found out about the stock market and invested my gold money. I was thus set for life," Sunset finished.

"It's pretty fortunate," Cadence said, "that you didn't have to end up in poverty."

"I guess," Sunset said with a sigh,"but one of the reasons I turned out rotten is because I had so much money, I didn't have to rely on other people." Cadence looked at her with confusion. "Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad I didn't starve. But at the same time, having that financial independence meant I didn't learn about sharing and stuff."

"I see your point," Cadence said,"you didn't have to change because you were able to keep yourself fed. My second question is, who are the names of these princesses?" Sunset looked at her with a vacant expression. "You haven't given me a name for this princess who you were a student for, and the one who defeated and befriended you."

"National security," Sunset said, sheepishly.

"Alright," Cadence said begrudingly," I know when not to pry. But I ask that you try to be honest with me. I am giving you my trust."

"Alright," Sunset," And Cadence. Thanks for all your help!"

"It's my job," Cadence said. Both of them walked away, with a greater spring in their steps then in the past few days. Now confident that things may yet work out.

The Mondays

Monday Morning, 7:45 PM

A green SUV drove down the street at a moderate speed. Driving it was Canter Zoom, the popular director. Despite his renown and wealth, he eschewed limos and overpriced sedans, preferring a more humble form of transportation. He drove with a hopeful expression on his face. It stood out against the morose expression of the person sitting in the passenger's seat.

"What do you think, June," Canter said happily, while keeping his eyes on the road,"a new school, a new opportunity to make friends..."

"A new chance to get used again," Juniper muttered unhappily. Canter sighed and shook his head. Using his rear-view mirror, he could see his niece wasn't exactly hopeful. She kept staring at the floor.

"June", Canter said,"those kids were jerks-,"

"Everyone at my school was a jerk. Either they never wanted me around, or they used me. Even mom and dad-,"

"How many time do I have to tell you," Canter said in an exasperated tone. " My sister and your father getting a divorce has nothing to do with you! They've had problems since before you were born. Your parents sent you to live with me BECAUSE they don't want you getting dragged into the mess."

"Yeah, sure," Juniper said, not convinced.

"Look," Canter Zoom, "I'm sure you'll be able to find some friends, if you just act like yourself."

"Telling people about you was the only reason anyone paid attention to me," Juniper rebutted miserably.

"Well I can tell you, no one is going to pay attention to you if you keep acting like you ate your mom's meatloaf," Canter said firmly. Juniper started chuckling at that. Canter smiled a bit. It helped lift her mood for a minute. She frowned again.

"The thing I like the most, telecommunications, nobody else cared about back home," Juniper said solemnly.

"Well," Canter said excitedly,"this is a school that might. I mean, some of the smartest engineers in the country came from this school."

"Really," Juniper said, somewhat hopeful.

"Yeah. In fact, Dean Cadence told me that you can even perform your experiments in the science lab. It is a world class facility."

"Well, I guess that sounds great," Juniper said, somewhat happily. "But I don't know if anyone else will care."

"Well, don't be afraid to ask, June," Canter said. "You'll never know what people are like. Just keep an open mind, and don't miss any opportunity to meet someone." As soon his finished the sentence, he saw Crystal Prep only a short distance.

"Ah, here we are," Canter said excitedly. He pulled into the school, and parked at the curb near the entrance. "A place I can dump you for several hours so you don't get on my nerve," he replied facetiously. He saw Juniper smile, before giving him a light punch on the shoulder, which lightened his mood considerably.

"Anyways, when you get inside, go straight to Principal Cadence's office. She's a nice lady, and she'll help you out." Canter said to his niece, as she unbuckled her seat belt. "And remember to be positive and keep an open mind, ok?"

"I'll try," Juniper said with a smile as she opened the door to the SUV. She walked out of the car with her backpack over her arm. She watched as she saw her uncle drive away. As soon as he was out of sight, she turned back to the school, let out a heavy sigh, and marched toward the entrance with a resigned and solemn expression.

As she approached the entrance, she saw her future classmates hanging around it. She gulped as she imagined them eyeing her, the same way convicts watch new prisoners arrive, looking for easy meat to kill.

Just like my old school, she thought unhappily. Her steps were getting shorter and more heavy. These rich snobs will probably think of me as easy prey.

As she got closer, she noticed that none of the students were giving her the mean or judgmental, looks she expected. In fact, none of them seemed to be noticing her at all. And not because they were chatting. In fact, these kids looked sad and a little lost. It wasn't a case of the Mondays, but real loss.

She felt her pace quickening, as she felt a load lift off of her, her apprehension replaced with curiosity.

As she approached the door, she turned back again, looking at the hollow and beaten look of everyone.

These people look like they saw someone die Juniper thought as she opened the door and went inside.

******

20 minutes later

"Why are we going to her lab," Lemon Zest asked, as she and the other Shadowbolts walked through the halls.

"Well," Indigo said, "We can't really honor someone without knowing much about her."

"Which means we've got to start where she spent most of her time," Sunny said.

"Frankenstein's Lab," Sugarcoat said in her usual deadpan. The Shadowbolts all chuckled at their nickname for Twilight's personal lab.

"So what do you think we'll find in there," Indigo said.

"We'll we can't exactly ask her," Sugarcoat blurted out. Everybody glared at her, and she let out a tired sigh.

"Sorry," she said, her face more morose than usual.

"It's OK, Sugarcoat," Sour Sweet said with a warm smile. She then frowned. "Don't ever do it again!"

"Look, we can't just get angry," Sunny Flare said putting her hand on the knob. "The best we can do right now is honor her, and we can only do that by getting some info-" she swung the door open, and gaped at the room in shock.

"What," Sour asked.

"Everything's gone," Sunny said with a whisper.

"WHAT!?" blurted out the rest of the Shadowbolts, rushing into the room, brushing past Sunny on the way. They looked around, and saw the barely-lit room had indeed been picked clean. No equipment, no files, not even a trashcan.

"Where did everything go," Sour asked sadly. She then turned to Indigo Zap, with a glare. "Did you take it?!"

"What," Zap replied with disbelief. "I got here the same time you did Sour. Besides, why would I care about nerd stuff?" Sour was about to raise her voice, but then thought it over, and shrugged.

"Maybe Cadence would know," Sunny said with her chin in her hand. "Let's go ask her." They all decided to walk to their new principal's office.

******

"Anyways, here is your schedule," Cadence said to Juniper, handing the document to her, who took with some pained resignation. Cadence saw the nervousness on the girl's face, but tried to hide it with a confident smile.

"Now go fill yourself up with some of that Crystal Prep spirit," Cadence said.

"Thanks," Juniper said politely, but forlornly. "I do the best I can." Juniper walked out, without a word, and decided to walk out.

Cadence sighed.

I've got to raise her spirits, somehow, Cadence thought, if she keeps acting like this, people will start to avoid her.

She was broken out of thoughts as she saw five girls approach her.

"Hey girls," Cadence said cheerfully, "what can I do for you?"

"Well," Sunny Flare said, morosely, "we wanted to ask you...um."

"Where is Twilight's stuff," Lemon Zest blurted out.

"Canterlot took it for research," Cadence said carefully. "Why are you asking?"

"Well," Sunny said carefully, "we wanted to have some kind of tribute to Twilight, but we-,"

"We don't know much about her," Sugarcoat continued. "And we wanted to find out more, so we came to you."

"You do," Cadence said, in a surprised tone.

"I mean, yeah, it was our fault," Indigo Zap complained.

"I told you girls that what happened wasn't your fault," Cadence said sternly. "You only did what you did because Cinch told you. You-"

"I know," Sugarcoat said, "but she was our classmate, so it is only fair that we honor her. Besides, Canterlot High did a lot more to honor her then we did. Do you know anyone here who might have known anything about her."

"Well," Cadence paused. She stared at them oddly. She then went back to her computer and began typing furiously.

"Wait one second," Cadence said, to sooth their impatience. And began typing some more.

"I think I can help you with your tribute," Cadence said. "But there is something I want to guys to do for me."

"What is it," Sunny Flare asked.

"There's this girl who just transferred here," Cadence said. "Her name is Juniper Montage."

"So," Sour said.

"She's..." Cadence paused, sighed, and let out a breath. "Had some trouble making friends." She then printed up several copies of some document, and began drawing circles on them with a marker. "I discovered that you guys share not only share some of your classes with her, but a lunch break." She handed them the document, revealing several school schedules, with the exact classes they shared with Juniper.

"So what do you want us to do," Indigo Zap.

"Look, if you see her in her class," Cadence said, "maybe be friendly, or ask if you want to hang out. If you guys do that, I'll tell you all I know about Twilight."

Much of the Shadowbolts looked uneasy at this chore of having to play the friend to some stranger. Sunny looked at the document, and remembered the soothing words from someone she cared about roaring back at her.

"No. Here's what you can do. Find a girl like this other girl you didn't care about. A girl with no friends and with glasses, and who seems too smart for her own good. If you meet her, be the friend you wish you could've been to this other girl. Give her the love and care you wish you could give to the other girl. That is your mission, Sunny. Be the person you wish you could've been, and you will have repented.

"We'll do it," Sunny Flare said excitedly.

"Well," the rest of the Shadowbolts said with less enthusiasm.

"Great," Cadence said happily. "Anyways, class is about to start, so I would get going."

The first bell soon rang, which signaled that it was time to get to class.

"By the way girls," Cadence said, stopping them from leaving. "what do you mean CHS honored her?" The Shadowbolts looked at her like she had been living under a rock.

"You didn't know," Lemon Zest said, confusedly. "They put up this really big poster of her," Zest continued, spreading her arms as if to show it was that big.

"Really," Cadence asked.

"They even threw this concert," Zest excited, "apparently this tragic song was being played by this really hunky-,"

"Anyways," Indigo said, interrupting Lemon Zest's...Zest for the guitarist. "If CHS is doing that for someone they don't know, why can't we do something like that for her."

"As I've said girls, I help you if you help out Juniper," Cadence said. "Now please get to class."

"Yes, general," Sugarcoat said with jest, as the girls turned around and walked away.

When the girls walked away, they turned to Sunny Flare with somewhat annoyed expressions, except for Sour Sweet, who retained an especially sour expression, which showed she was deep in thought.

"Why did you volunteer us to play babysitter Sunny," Indigo said with some annoyance.

"Look," Sunny said with some seriousness. "I still remember how mean I was to Twilight. I want to prove that we can better. We can do that by giving whoever this girl is a chance." She looked at them with sad, pleading eyes. "We owe it to her." Sugarcoat, Lemon and Indigo looked contrite at that, and sighed.

Sour however, remained pensive, thinking about what she had seen.

I know I saw what looked like her, Sour thought, she was with those Canterlot jerks. And now they had her equipment.

"So what do you think they are doing with her equipment," Lemon asked.

"Trying to change the Earth's orbit," Sugarcoat quipped. "I don't know."

Or maybe she's working for them to discover magical stuff, Sunny thought angrily, as she walked with her friends to class.

******

Principal Luna sat at her desk, looking over some test papers, when her office phone rang.

"Hello Luna," Cadence said.

"Hello Cadence," Luna said, "thank you for sending us the equipment."

"Did it arrive safely?"

"Applejack and her brother brought it hear in their truck, and some other friends carried it into the science lab," Luna said.

"Great," Luna said.

"I'm calling because, well, I heard your students through an impromptu concert for Twilight," Cadence said, sounding a bit confused.

"Oh yes, well, that was nice of them," Luna said, nervously.

"It seems odd they would throw a concert for someone they barely knew for, like, one day," Cadence asked, suspiciously.

"Well," Luna said timidly, "you know how kids are."

"Do kids normally write romantic tragedy songs for people they barely know," Cadence pressed.

"You know," Luna said, gritting her teeth, "young love and all that."

"Certainly was young. It might have lasted, like, ten hours at best," Cadence continued.

"I'm sorry Cadence," Luna said abruptly. "I have a student who needs to wash their hair."

"Hair problem? Wha-"

"BYE, "Luna said, hanging up the phone and cringing over her idiotic excuse.

I hope Sunset can figure this out before Cadence comes to me with more tough questions, Luna thought. She smiled a bit. I know Sunset can figure this out.

******

"I don't think I can figure this out," Sunset said nervously.

Sunset and Rarity were in the science lab, that the school had kindly allowed them to use in the early hours for their experiments. Sunset was scrolling on the computer, randomly looking at Twilight's data, graphs and charts, feeling overwhelmed by all the information packed in.

"It can't be that much," Rarity said

"It's like, eight months worth of data," Sunset said exhaustedly, to which Rarity let out a polite sigh. "She's been collecting info since the Fall Formal, at least." She had tons of minute data sets, observations, and hypotheses in these notes and graphs. All of it demonstrated an obsession with learning and meticulous data collection.

Just like our Twilight, Sunset thought.

"Incredible isn't it, darling," Rarity said.

"What's that," Sunset asked.

"This Twilight was able to not only pick up on magic well before an older scientist did, but absorb it without even knowing what it was." Rarity looked at the pendant perched on the opposite side of the room. While it was necessary for their experiments, the device needed to have its magic absorption controlled before it could be used practically.

"Yeah she was prodigy," Sunset said sadly, "she could've helped me out if I-.'

"Sunset," Rarity said firmly. "I understand your anger, but you dumping on yourself is not merely pointless, but it makes you look terrible."

"I know but-," Sunset.

"But nothing," Rarity interrupted, putting on her usual dramatic airs. "If you must do this task, you must face it bravely! With courage and dignity! With resolve and a stiff upper lip! And when you feel down, remember that I SHALL STAND BY YOU NO MATTER WHAT!" Rarity held a firm pose. Rarity's phone made a strong beep sound. "But later darling, I have sewing class. A bientot!" Rarity happily ran out, leaving an exhausted Sunset, who sighed, feeling overwhelmed again.

"No, she's right," Sunset said to herself, feeling pride and resolve flow through her body. "I acted lazy, and looked what happened. I've got to carry on!" Sunset said. "For her! For them! For the magic of-,"

"Miss Shimmer," Miss Cheerilee said, peeking through a crack in the door. "We can all hear you in there. Please carry on quietly, "

"Sorry, " Sunset said blushing, returning to her work once Cheerilee left the room. She decided to open up a document. The earliest one that read September 10.

This shouldn't be too hard, Sunset thought. Until she opened up the word document and saw the page count.

She opened up, and saw it was...

300 pages?! Aaaaah!, Sunset screamed internally, while putting her head in her hands.

Author's Note

Hello everybody. Vanishing Act is back.

I'm sorry for not working on this story for so long.

I've had a bit of writer's block, as well as some anxiety about moving the story along. But the continued favs and likes i've gotten over the past year has convinced me to get back on track. And since I am on spring break, I figured, why not.

I also edited some of the earlier chapters, realizing how poorly edited they were.

The next part will come in sometime this coming week.

Keeping an Open Mind

Monday Afternoon, 3 PM

With class over, CPA's students filed toward the Crystal Prep entrance, where they would get their rides home. The somewhat tired Shadowbolts walked toward the entranced, shadowed by a very animated Juniper.

"It was really fun hanging out with you guys," Juniper said happily. "Thanks for showing me around."

"No problem, June," Sunny Flare said with a small smile. "If there is anything you need...

"Yeah sure," Indigo Zap interrupted with a somewhat tired expression. "Look June, we'd love to stay and chat, but we all got that...art project we were working on."

"Project," Lemon Zest asked in confusion "What art-," a subtle tap on the foot from Sour cut off that thought. "Oh, right we were working on an...embroidery, right girls?" Lemon Zest and the other Shadowbolts gave each other sly looks, except for Sunny, who looked a bit annoyed.

"Wow," Juniper said, "they actually teach that? I wish I could help, but I've never been good at...well sewing stuff."

"One of the thousand things, probably," Sugarcoat muttered.

"What's that supposed to-," Juniper asked, before a honking horn cut her off. June saw a green SUV pull up. "Oh, that's my ride you guys! I'll see you all tomorrow!" Juniper said happily, as she ran to the SUV.

"See ya," the Shadowbolts said in unison as she ran off.

Juniper ran to the SUV and happily got in. Her uncle wore a jovial face.

"I see by your very happy face that you must've had a terrible day," Canter Zoom joked. Juniper snickered a bit at that.

"I met these five girls, and they all wanted to hang out with me," Juniper said, a warm smile on her face.

"See," Canter Zoom said in an "I told you so" voice, "as long as you stayed positive, than positive things would happen. Tell me about them".

Juniper felt a joy she hadn't felt in a long time. For the first time, she was excited to be in school, because she knew she would have five friends to help her out.

******

"Well, I'm glad that was over with," Indigo said as they watched the SUV pull away.

"What do you mean by that," Sunny said with some confusion. "And what the hell were you going on about with an embroidery?"

"We were trying to get rid of June so she would stop talking her head off," Sugarcoat said. Sunny felt it a bit of discomfort at those words.

"Yeah, that girl was like Twilight times 1000 with movie trivia," Lemon Zest uttered.

"So, are we gonna hang with her tomorrow right," Sunny asked with some discomfort. She was dismayed by the uncomfortable expressions her friends wore.

"Well, uh," Indigo said, rubbing her head.

"But guys," Sunny Flare complained ,"I promised Father-I mean, we promised Cadence-",

"To show her around and hang out with her once," Sugarcoat said stoically. "Not to hold her hand for the rest of the school year."

"But she's nice," Sunny Flare retorted.

"Oh yes, she is real nice," Sour said kindly. Her smile turned to a grimace, "and real annoying!"

"Look," Lemon Zest said. "We already did our job. Now let's focus on getting as much data from Cadence as we can. We still got to find a way to honor Twilight." The rest of the Shadowbolts remembered their initial task for Twilight.

"I guess," Sunny said, feeling uncomfortable. Sunny considered Juniper to be nice, but she was a chatterbox who talked about dumb facts. An uneasy feeling swelled in her stomach. She ignored it as they went to the office of their Dean-turned-Principal.

"Hello girls," Cadence said happily, "Juniper stopped by my office with a smile on her face. Thank you so much for watching out for her today."

"Don't mention it," Sour Sweet said happily. "Seriously, don't," Sour muttered under her breath. Sunny gave out a quiet sigh.

"Anyways," Cadence said, "I'll fulfill my end of the bargain." She pulled out her keys. "Lets all go out to my car."

"Where are we going," Lemon Zest asked.

"To my house," Cadence said. "That's where I keep my best memories of Twilight."

"Why do you have memories of Twilight in your house?" Lemon Zest asked.

"I was," Cadence paused, taking a deep breath, "her sister-in-law". The Shadowbolts looked stunned at that.

"You were her sister-in-law," Indigo asked in confusion.

"Well, after I while, I considered Twilight to my real sister," Cadence said, with a twinge of sadness that made the Shadowbolts feel heavy.

"Why didn't Twilight ever tell us the Dean was her sister," Sunny Flare asked with some dismay.

"Because she wanted people to like her for who she was," Cadence said, the words washing over them "Anyways, lets go to my house." The Shadowbolts followed along, loaded with questions.

******

The Shadowbolts and Cadence drove home in the latter's red minivan. After a half hour of driving, they reached her house. It was a somewhat fancy, two story home, with a purple exterior, stone columns in the front, and an average green lawn.

Cadence and the Shadowbolts exited the minivan and walked into the house.

The Shadowbolts entered what appeared to be a small foyer, with purple-carpeted stairs that lead into what were presumed to be bedrooms.

"What's that noise," Sour said. Everybody heard faint sounds of laughter and barking coming from the room in the right. The Shadowbolts and Cadence followed the sound, and entered what was a den.

Sitting on the fuchsia couch in the purple colored den were a blue haired, white-skinned man and a purple dog in his lap.

"That's Shining Armor, Twilight's brother," Cadence said quietly.

They both looked utterly forlorn as they stared at a TV screen. With its shaky camera and poor sound, it looked like a home video.

A little lavender skinned girl playing catch with a puppy in what looked like a park. The little girl had pigtails and glasses, and wore pink overalls and orange sandals.

"Oh he's a good dog isn't he," a man asked offscrean, presumably the person holding the camera.

"Oh yes he is," Twilight said cutely as she walked over to pet the puppy. "He is the best canine ever!"

Spike let out a small whimper, and felt Shining pet his back. Shining blinked as if trying to hold back tears, as he watched the video of his now deceased younger sister.

Cadence and the Shadowbolts sat their silently watching both the video, and the pair on the couch. Cadence looked with utter concern, while the Shadowbolts looked like they were on the verge of tears.

After a moment of silence, Cadence tried to get Shining's attention.

"Shining," Cadence said softly. Neither Shining nor Spike seemed to hear her, continuing to stare at the screen, which showed what look like Twilight and her father playing catch, with Spike trying to keep up with the ball.

"Come on Spike, get the ball", said a woman now holding the camera with an excited tone.

"Shining," Cadence said more firmly. He briefly turned his head, and saw Cadence and the Shadowbolts. He immediately shut off the TV, jumping up. Spike dove out of his lap and onto the floor.

"Hey Cady," Shining said, trying to put on a happy face. He glanced uneasily toward the girls who were behind her. "Who are...them?"

"Twilight's...classmates," Cadence said. "They came here to-," she paused when she saw Spike on the ground, growling and looking like he was about to attack.

"Spike are you," Cadence asked before Spike charged.

"I'M GONNA KILLED YOU," Spike bellowed as he charged toward the Shadowbolts, who step backed in fear. "I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR FOOT-"he went on before being held back by Cadence who grabbed him by his collar.

"Spike stop," Cadence said. "You can't bite a person. They'll put you to sleep!"

"Why not," Spike shouted. "They killed Twilight, they're the reason she's dead!"

"What", Shining asked, looking toward the Shadowbolts with a measure of confusion and dismay. The Shadowbolts all bowed their heads in shame, unable to meet his eyes.

"They told her to open that thing, and now she's gone," Spike bellowed, still trying to attack the Shadowbolts.

"You told her to open it," Shining asked the Shadowbolts, in a voice that radiated quiet despair. The Shadowbolts continued to stare at the ground in shame, expecting anger. "You made her...?"

"No Cinch did," Cadence did, her voice full of tearful frustration as she tried to restrain the angry dog. "Yeah, they told Twilight to open the amulet, but only because Cinch said it would help them win."

"Yeah we didn't know," Indigo Zap said, tears falling down her face. "We didn't want this to happen!"

"Yeah, we swear," Sunny Flare. "We-"

"Yes you did.", Spike interrupted, no longer tugging at his collar, his fury replaced with wet tears ,"You wanted her gone. You and everyone in that school was so mean to her. You never liked her. You never bothered to..." Spike broke down, and collapsed onto the floor in tears. Shining walked toward the crying dog and picked him.

"Come on buddy," Shining whispered sadly to the grieving dog, "let's go to the park." He walked out the room, not even looking at the Shadowbolts, as he walked out of the house. The Shadowbolts felt a sad chill as they saw Shining leave the house.

"Mr. Armor," Sugarcoat said in a pleading tone, "please we never meant-," the door slammed shut before Sugarcoat could finish.

"He really hates us doesn't he," Sunny asked Cadence. The principal responded by putting a comforting shoulder on Sunny's arm.

"Girls he doesn't blame you," Cadence said in a soothing tone. "He blames Cinch. I promise he isn't mad at you."

"Oh yeah he seems really happy," Sour said cheerfully, before frowning and crying, "that's why he ran out of the house! Because of what we did to her!"

"He's just upset about what happened," Cadence said, her lip started to quiver a bit ,"and you guys being here," she let out a breath, "is just bringing his hurt to the surface. He understands that it was Cinch's fault. And he'll calm down after a bit."

"Her parents must be feeling terrible too," Lemon Zest. "Who are Twilight's parents anyways, I don't think I've ever seen them around." She paused as Cadence looked again like she was about to cry.

"Principal Cadence," Sunny asked, "are you OK?"

"No," Cadence said, "her parents died a few years ago." The Shadowbolts looked even more downcast at that. "Shining and I have been raising her for several years."

"I'm sorry," Lemon Zest replied, tears coming down her cheeks. "I didn't know-"Lemon Zest paused when Cadence pulled her into a comforting hug.

Sunny turned to the door Shining Armor walked out of, staring in shame.

"That poor guy lost his parents, and now he lost his sister because of us," Sunny thought to herself. She looked at Cadence, amazed that the woman could keep it together, despite everything she went through.

"Don't worry about," Cadence said, releasing the hug and letting the forlorn see a reassuring smile. "We keep moving forward." Cadence went to a nearby bookshelf, and pulled out a photo album labeled "Twily's Memories." The Shadowbolts gushed at the childish name.

"So, let's start with my favorite story," Cadence, said turning to page, and gesturing to a picture of Little Twilight wearing water wings and a one piece suit.

"Aww," Sunny Flare said, "she looks so adorable."

"Oh yes," Cadence said in a tone of amused exasperation." But it was a hassle to get her to go swimming".

Twilight kept hiding in her room, not wanting to come out.

"Twilight," Cadence said. "Time for your swimming lesson."

"No," she said. "I don't want to be in water. That is where sharks are."

"Twilight," Cadence said. "There are no sharks in a pool. You might like it."

"I don't want a shark to bite me," Twilight shouted.

"OK, Twily," Shining Armor said. "You asked for this." Using his good shoulder, and ran into the door, prying it open. Seizing the opportunity, the two grabbed a squirming Twilight, carrying her to the car.

"So you had to literally drag her to the car to get her to do swimming," Indigo said with a chuckle.

"Yeah," Cadence said, sighing over some fond memories.

"So I guess she must bombed her first swimming class," Sunny said.

"Not really," Cadence said, a somewhat proud smile. "She did her laps, but not in the way you expect."

"She didn't go in the water," Cadence asked the swimming coach, a middle-aged svelte woman in a lifeguard uniform. The woman had blue skin and periwinkle hair. They were in the community center swimming pool. It was the end of the swimming lesson, when the various children's parents and guardians came to pick them up.

"She was too afraid of sharks," the coach replied with some dismay. "So I just sent her to the small kiddie pool." She pointed at Twilight who was blissfully wading in two inches of water in one of those inflatable pools seen in backyards. Cadence ran her hand along her face with a sigh.

"Look, I think she just needs some special training to get her used to the-,"

"Spike, get back here," Shining Armor shouted as he chased after the puppy wanting to be reunited with his master.

"How did the dog get here," the swimming instructor said with confusion.

"He really loves Twilight," Cadence said, watching with a smile as Twilight scrambled out of the pool to run up to her best friend.

Just as Spike was running, another kid wanting to greet his mom ran, and accidentally knocked Spike into the pool.

"Spike," Twilight shouted with fear. Everyone in the pool started running toward the flailing puppy trying to keep itself afloat.

"Don't worry Twilight," the lifeguard shouted, climbing to her feet, "I'll get your dog out." But before the swimming coach could get in, Twilight dove into the pool. Her swimming was choppy, even with water wings, but she still managed to reach the drowning Spike.

"Don't worry Spike," Twilight said, gasping and chocking on water. "I'll," she spat out more water, "I'll keep save you." Despite how hard it was to swim, she was able to reach the edge of the pool, gently putting Spike on top, while holding onto the edge.

The kids starting running toward the half-drowned puppy out of concern, while the swimming coach pulled an exhausted Twilight out of the pool, a proud smile on her face.

"Wow," Indigo said, "are you saying she overcame her fear of the water to rescue to her dog?" The other Shadowbolts were awed by this story.

"Yes she did," Cadence. "she loved Spike that much."

"The truth is, it is kind of hard to picture her overcoming her fears," Lemon Zest, "she seemed to be-,"

"A weakling with no backbone," Sugarcoat uttered. Lemon and the other Shadowbolts shot her an annoyed glare, but Cadence just rolled her eyes. Sugarcoat let out a sigh. "Sorry. I never realized she was capable of that."

"This is why you should keep an open mind," Cadence said. "People can be more than their covers if you just give them a chance to prove themselves, and sometimes you'll find a friend when you least expect it". She went to another page. "Know, how would you like to read about her first science experiment." The Shadowbolts smiled, eager to hear another story.

******

After a few hours of story telling, the Shadowbolts went home, having gained enough information and some pictures to do a proper memorial for Twilight.

Sunny sat home, thinking about all the things she learned about Twilight.

From silly stories, to the fact she had designed her own treehouse, planned out her college education, and even made blueprints for her own ideal room, all before she was even 14.

She remembered a lot of those academic trophies she saw, and sighed as she remembered a lot of them were won by the lavender-skinned girl, who always seemed to be alone in those pictures.

She remembered how despite having the best connection any CPA student could have, she never tried to pull rank to get popularity.

Then she remembered the not so pleasant things she learned about Twilight, like losing two parents, and her father in a way that made Twilight think she was responsible.

"She lost two parents, it is no wonder she was always so withdrawn", Sunny thought to herself. If I had just known that, I wouldn't have been so-"

No, Sunny refused to brood. She would not ruminate, she would move on, she would turn back. and be better

She heard a beep from her phone. She saw a message from Suri.

"Hey gurl," the message said, "remember. Party plans tomorrow"

Sunny felt excited, she was finally going to hose the big April Party in her house this Wednesday. An honor reserved only for the crème de la crème of CPA's student body. She was excited about all the snacks and fun she would get to plan.

"Sure. See you at 10 tomorrow," Sunny texted back. She opened her computer up to MyStable, and saw a friend request from Juniper. She clicked on it.

An idea sprouted into her mind. She thought to her party, and then she thought it would be a great place for Juniper to meet some potential friends. But still, Juniper wasn't exactly a social butterfly, and she saw her friends weren't eager to spend another day with her.

"If she wasn't so boring, I would invite her", thought with some annoyance. But then she remembered Cadence's words.

"This is why you should keep an open mind. People can be more than their covers if you just give them a chance to prove themselves, and sometimes you'll find a friend when you least expect it".

Sunny drummed her fingers on the keyboard hesitating to put her reputation on the line. Then she remembered her promise to Twilight. Putting aside her frustration, she sent Juniper an invite through MyStable.

After ten seconds, Juniper responded.

"Sure. I'd love to come. See you tomorrow. :):):)", Juniper replied. Sunny sighed.

"Maybe Juniper could be lots of fun." Sunny said, keeping an open mind, and hoping things would work out for the best.

Experiments and Choices

Tuesday Morning, 6 AM.

Sunset sat in the lab, fiddling with the screwdriver, trying to get the device just right. She gritted her teeth as she twisted the screw. Her eyes, baggy and bloodshot, remained solely focused on her work. Her hair, unkempt and shoddy, was tied into a pony tail. She could not make one mistake, or she would be back to square one. She felt sweat bead down her neck. She had to do this right.

When the screw was installed, Sunset let out a sigh of relief. She looked up saw a mass of pink flesh and fur in front of her.

"AHH," Sunset yelled, disturbed by the sudden intrusion. Once she saw who it was, she let out an annoyed grunt.

"Pinkie, what are you doing here," Sunset growled with some exasperation, "Didn't you read the 'Do Not Disturb Sign'?"

"Yes," Pinkie said cheerfully, not feeling an ounce of guilt, "but I also read the 'I'm tired and I need some fun' sign on your face and decided you needed some cheering up."

"Pinkie I am not tired," Sunset said, before letting out a heavy yawn, "I'm just-,"

"That's why I brought you my Pinkie Pie-brand Coffee Cake," Pinkie Pie said, pulling out a white box with a clear plastic top. "It is delicious and it will help you stay awake." The coffee cake was covered with white frosting, and words written in red icing that made Sunset's heart soar.

"We Believe In You Sunny."

Sunset looked almost on the verge of tears. She held them back, and gave her pink-haired friend a warm hug.

"Thank you so much Pinkie," Sunset said, her voice full of warm gratitude, "This means a lot to me." Pinkie was an oddball, sure. But in the end, she just wanted everyone to be happy.

"Just cheer up," Pinkie said as Sunset released her from her hug. "Don't let what happened keep you from being happy."

"Sure," Sunset said, returning to her workstation.

"So, whatcha doin'," Pinkie asked with the curiosity of a bored cat.

"Trying to get the amulet to capture our thaumic energies in an efficient and stable manner to avoid a future calamity," Sunset said. Pinkie just stared at her with a smile.

"Oh, are we playing the gibberish game," Pinkie said jumping up and down with joy. "Can I go next? I'll-,"

"Pinkie," Sunset yelled, cutting off Pinkie's jabbering. Sunset let out a sigh before muttering, "Man I've been reading so much of Twilight's stuff, I sound like an encyclopedia." Sunset let out a chuckle. "I am trying to build another amulet." She pointed at her desk. It was covered with Twilight's old amulet with the parts needed for a new amulet. "In order for me to study magic, I need to be able to contain it."

"Why not use Twilight's," Pinkie said. "I mean, Human Twilight's."

"Because it isn't safe," Sunset said. "Human Twilight did OK for someone who didn't even know what magic was, but she didn't put in safety measures to properly absorb the magic." Pinkie gave another blank stare. "I'm trying to build an amulet that will let me control how much magic I absorb, so that the next one that won't suck up all the magic and vaporize the nearest person, ."

"Why not just fix the old one," Pinkie asked.

"Because I still don't know how it really works, and if I break it by accident, I lose any chance of being able to properly capture the magic," Sunset sighed.

"If only Human Twilight were here," Pinkie said, "then maybe she could tell you-," Pinkie paused when Sunset gave her an angry glare. "Sorry."

"It's OK, Pinkie," Sunset said with some exasperation.

"Anyways," Pinkie said. "I have to get to the diner." Pinkie turned around and left the room with a happy grin. "See you later, Sunny. Have fun."

"See ya," Sunset said kindly to Pinkie, watching the other girl leave with a tired smile. She returned to her work with the new amulet. She looked at it hopefully.

"Well, I should try to give it a field test," Sunset said. She pulled on some safety googles, and lifted the amulet. It was similar in appearance to Twilight's except instead of being various shades of purple, it was various shades of red. She pointed it toward herself, and pushed the button.

The amulet opened up and began to slowly absorb some of Sunset's magic. Sunset flipped a switched, and it stopped. Sunset let out a grin that resembled that of a child in a candy store.

"It worked, it worked," Sunset yelled happily, "yes, yes, yes, yes" she said happily jumping around. "I finally managed to get it to-," she paused when she began to feel her amulet shaking. Soon, she started to feel the amulet heat up on her chest.

"Ow," Sunset said, feeling the amulet burn through her clothes. In a panic she flung it against the floor. It cracked open, releasing a burst of her magic. Sunset ducked as it began to ricochet across the room. She heard the sound of glass breaking, and stood up.

She saw that the magic burst broke one of the windows in the room. Everyone nearby ran over to the commotion, looking through the broke window at Sunset, apprehensive looks on their faces. Sunset approached the window, and saw that behind the crowd, Micro-Chips was lying on the ground barely conscious, moaning in agony as smoke poured from his body, with two students running over to help him.

"Celestia damn it," Sunset muttered as she ran her hand along her face.

******

Study Hall, Crystal Prep Academy, 10 AM.

Sunny went into the commons room where most CPA students spent their study halls. As usual, only about 10% of students actually used their time for anything except chatting with friends and video games.

When she saw Suri at the table, she immediately ran over to her.

"Hey Suri," Sunny said. taking a seat next to her, "how are you?"

"What were you thinking," Suri said with an incredulous look on her face.

"What do you mean," Sunny asked, confused.

"Why did you invite someone to the party without asking me," Suri said with a frown on her face.

"What do you mean," Suri pulled up her laptop. On the screen was the MyStable group page set up for the party. Suri pointed at the picture of a blue haired girl with pigtails.

"Oh Juniper," Sunny replied.

"Sunny, you know the rules. My party is for the crème de la crème, not some needy little nerd like...Tulip," Suri's facetwisted into absolute disgust. "I don't want...that into my party." Sunny narrowed her eyes slightly at Suri's use of the word "that", as if Juniper was some subhuman creature, and the fact that Sunny did not even get her name right.

"I'm sorry Suri Suri," Sunny replied, trying to ignore that she was unconsciously clenching her fist. "But...I had no choice."

"What do you mean," Suri said angrily. Sunny paused, trying to think of an excuse.

"Juniper is...tutoring me," Suri said. "My parents cut my allowance, so letting her into the party was the only way I could pay her."

"Then just get her a milkshake or some nerd thing," Suri said with some disdain.

"Uh...Juniper whined to Cadence about how mean I was to her," Sunny said, her eyes looking down for a second. "If I don't let her into the party, Cadence will give me detention".

"Oh so Tulip is just a wimpy little rat," Suri growled, her eyes narrowing. "I definitely don't want that at my party." Suri took a deep breath, and grinned. "You know what to do."

"What," Sunny said. Suri rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Tell her the address of the party changed," Suri said, as if she was speaking to a small child, "and give her an address that will send her on the other side of town. If she's smart, she'll get the message then that she's not welcome."

"Uh, are you sure that will work," Sunny said, her stomach starting feel like it was full of bile.

"Of course it will work Sunny," Suri said, giving her an unhappy smile that made Sunny feel cold. "It better. I would hate for our friendship to end because you got soft on some loser." Suri said. "I'm letting you host the party because you're my friend. I gave you my trust Sunny", Suri said in a not-so-sad tone, as if Suri's trust was the most valuable thing in the world. Suri then stood up and pressed her face up against Sunny's, giving her a vicious grin. "You don't want to ruin my trust...do you?"

"No Suri your right," Sunny said, feeling cold sweat run down her face as the small warning Suri was giving her. "I'll make sure she gets the wrong address."

"Good," Suri said, a satisfied smile on her face. "Anyways, lets decide what snacks we want. Nothing with peanuts because Fleur is violently allergic..." Sunny listened as Suri blabbed about the party plans. Sunny responded and gave ideas, while trying to suppress a feeling of anger brewing in her brain.

******

Sunny left the commons room, having completed half the work for the party. She made a mental note to start shopping for supplies after class with Suri. She was so engrossed in her list, she didn't notice someone walking up to her.

"Hey Sunny," Juniper said with a happy face.

"Hey June," Sunny said, trying to give her an honest smile. "How are you?"

"Good," Sunny said. "Uh, listen Juniper there is something I wanted to tell -,"

"I just wanted to say thank you so much for inviting me to your party," Juniper interrupted with a smile. "Without the help of you and your friends, I would be really lost here. You've made me feel like I'm a part of something."

"Uh, don't mention it," Sunny said with a forced smile, trying to suppress the guilt brewing in her stomach.

"Anyways," Juniper said. "You were saying?"

"I was saying," Sunny said. She paused for a few moments. "I was, uh, saying that you can wear casual clothes at the party. We aren't wearing anything fancy."

"Thanks for letting me know," Juniper said. She looked at her watch."I got to get to my class. See you later." Juniper turned around and walked away.

"Yeah, see you," Sunny said quietly, watching Juniper ran off. She then put her hand to her face and sighed.

"What am I gonna do?" Sunny thought to herself sadly. She then looked up and smiled. "Maybe if June proves herself, Suri will accept her," she reassured herself. She walked to class, thinking of a plan to make June the toast of the party.

Having Fun Is Hard Work

Tuesday Afternoon, 2:59 PM

Juniper was reading over her homework assignment when she a saw Sunny approach her with a warm smile.

"Hey Sunny," Juniper said, "what's happening?"

"Not much," Sunny replied. "Um, I was wondering if...you wanted to come over after school." Juniper gave Sunny a happy grin.

"I would love to come over," Juniper said cheerfully. "What's the occasion?"

"Well, the party is a pretty important thing. I want to help you...prepare for it."

"Sure," Juniper said.

"Great," Sunny said, pulling out a list from her backpack. "Here are a list of things we are going to go over."

"Sure," Juniper said, her voice trailing off as she saw the list tumble to the floor, and roll a few feet away. She meekly took the list from Sunny. "This is...a long list." She said, glancing at it. "I never knew...parties were so complicated."

"Oh, you have no idea," Sunny said with exhaustion. She looked behind Juniper, and saw Suri coming toward her, with her assistant Coco trailing behind her. Suri's eyes narrowed when she saw Juniper, and she began storming toward her, with Coco trying to keep up.

"OK, Juniper, I really have to go, see you at 5PM," Sunny said quickly, before turning away from a confused Juniper. She ran toward the pair of Suri and Coco to prevent Suri from coming toward her.

"What did that loser want," Suri said with a snarl.

"Um..." Sunny said, thinking of something. "The... loser was asking me to hang out with her."

"And what did you tell her," Suri said with a glare.

"What do you think I told her," Sunny said, pretending to wear a cold smile. She struggled not to shake as Suri gave her the grin of a cruel beast.

"Good," Suri said. "We don't want trash like that around us," she turned toward her assistant. "Isn't that right Coco."

"No Miss Polo-I mean, Suri," Coco said meekly. "Not at all." Coco was even mousier then Juniper. If not for the fact that Coco and Suri's parents were business partners, the two girls would never interact with one another.

"Anyways," Suri said. "Let's head over to Party Place for supplies."

"Party Place is a really good place for supplies," Coco said in a sycophantic tone ,"they've got-,"

"Shut up Coco," Suri yelled.

"Sorry Suri." Coco looked down, away from the judging eyes of Suri. Sunny was well aware Suri and Coco's so-called relationship. Normally, Sunny would ignore it, seeing Coco's problems as her own business. But today, she suddenly began to feel a pang of sympathy for Coco. She wouldn't reveal it to Suri though.

"Anyways," Suri said, "let's get to shopping".

The trio stepped into Suri's luxury sedan, which Coco drove, as if she was some chauffeur. Suri and Sunny chatted about events.

"So the first hour is for truth or dare," Suri said, going over her notes.

"Yeah," Sunny said, looking at a note book. "Second hour is pillow fight, third is karaoke..."

"I hope this year's party turns out better then last year's party," Sunny said.

"Oh don't worry," Suri said. "With proper organization and the right kind of people, everything will go smoothly." She saw the store coming up. "Here we are!" Coco pulled into the parking lot of Party Place. The three stepped out of the car.

"Get the cart," Suri ordered Coco. The short girl silently got the cart and began pushing it.

Suri and Sunny began collecting the items needed for a great party: food, decorations, party games, a few clothing items etc. After an hour of shopping, the trio had filled the cart. Coco was exhausted pushing the now loaded cart, which only Sunny seemed to notice.

"You think she needs help," Sunny asked Suri. Suri's eyes were locked onto her phone, walking as if the entire world did not exist.

"Mmm," Suri muttered, clearly not paying attention. Sunny sighed with slight annoyance as she walked with Suri. Sunny let out a small smile.

"Suri," Sunny said in a fake panic, "your skirt is on fire."

"Mmm," Suri said not paying any attention.

After leaving the checkout counter, Suri having paid for everything with one of those unlimited credit cards, the trio went to the car.

"Coco," Suri said, gesturing with her thumb toward the trunk "get everything loaded up".

"Yes Suri," Coco said, her voice betraying nothing. Suri thanklessly walked to the car, her eyes once again turned toward her phone. Sunny stared at the girl lifting all the heavy plastic bags into a trunk. She watched as the girl grunted which each lift. After a few moments, Sunny decided to approach Coco.

"Hey Coco," Sunny said. "Do you want some help?" Coco look shocked for a moment as the suggestion, before letting out a happy grin.

"Sure," Coco said. "I'd love that." The two packed all the supplies into Suri's car, before taking off. After a half hour of driving, Coco dropped Sunny off at her house.

"OK Sunny I'll be back tomorrow at 5," Suri said as Sunny got out of the car. "Coco, home," Suri ordered Coco.

"Yes Suri," Coco said. She stopped to let out a wave to Sunny, who returned it. "Now," Suri continued in a quiet, but nasty tone. Coco let out a sigh before continuing.

After about 20 minutes, Sunny saw a green SUV pull up. She saw Juniper in the back, with the driver window darkened. Juniper stepped out of the car, happily running toward Sunny.

"Hey Sunny," Juniper said, carrying a bag of stuff.

"Hey June," Sunny replied. "Come on, lets go inside. We've got lots to discuss."

"OK," Juniper said.

Juniper stepped into Sunny's home. It had a beautiful atrium, a well stocked and orderly kitchen, and a fancy den.

"So what do you parents do," Juniper asked. "And where are they?"

"My parents manage hedge funds," Sunny said. "They usually go to these parties and business dinners, so I only see them on weekends. Yours?"

"My mom is a housewife," Juniper said. "My dad is a car salesman."

"Was that the guy who dropped you off," Sunny asked.

"No, that was my uncle," Juniper said.

"What does he do," Sunny asked.

"Uh," Juniper said, stalling ,"supervisor."

"Really, what does he supervise," Sunny asked.

"Uh, troubled people with maturity problems," Juniper replied, remembering the stresse Uncle Canter had dealing with egotistical actors. He often complained being a director made him into a baby-sitter for a bunch of prima donnas.

"So, he's like a special needs counselor," Sunny discerned.

"Sort of," Juniper replied. "The people he works with have...really special needs."

"Anyways, lets go to my room," Sunny replied, pulling Juniper upstairs.

Sunny opened the door. Juniper looked in awe, as Sunny's room was as sumptuous as every other room in the house. A Persian carpet, a fancy king sized bed with purple sheets, a personal bathroom, and a fancy drawer carved from really sturdy wood.

"OK," Sunny said. "Let's go over the schedule. Tell me the order of what we want to do." After a half hour, the Juniper tiredly said aloud the order of events at the party.

"You can memorize science stuff, but you can't memorize a simple schedule," Sunny asked with some jest.

"Party stuff isn't my thing," Juniper said, annoyed.

"OK," Juniper said. "Now what?"

"OK, let's work on your conversation skills," Sunny said, her voice becoming serious. "You go off into tangents about science and stuff, and it is great and all that you love science. But people get annoyed if you dump info on them when they don't care." Sunny punctuated her point with a glare. "If you meet someone new, try and find something you both like to talk about, or at least talk to them about the things they care about. Got it?"

"Yes," Juniper said. "My parents told me the same thing. I won't bring up science at the party."

"Good. Now show me the outfit you want to wear," Sunny said. Juniper pulled out a pink top and a grey skirt that she presented happily. Sunny looked like she was swallowing a lemon.

"What is it," Juniper asked, did I do something wrong. Sunny's face turned to snarl.

"Are your parents colorblind," Sunny muttered, annoyed.

"What do you mean," Juniper asked in confusion.

"These don't match you at all," Sunny said with fury, throwing the tacky clothes on the floor.

"My mom said it was cute," Juniper said.

"That's exactly why you shouldn't be wearing it," Sunny muttered. "What makeup did you bring?" Juniper looked down.

"I don't normally use makeup," Juniper said, "so I don't have any." Sunny ran her palm along her face.

"Don't worry, I got plenty of makeup," Sunny said. She was about to go to her bathroom, when she saw Juniper looking sad.

"Juniper what's wrong," Sunny asked.

"Do you think I'm ugly," Juniper asked.

"No. Why would you-,"

"Well, you're making me wear different clothes and makeup," Juniper said sadly. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, why would you-,"

"Do people in this world only care about looks?" Juniper asked. My dad says they don't matter, but my mom bugs me about any issue with my clothes. Are people out there just shallow?" Juniper said sadly. Sunny paused, trying to come up with an answer.

"Let me put it this way," Sunny said. "If you worked as an HR director, at you had to choose between someone who dressed like a slob, and someone who was well dressed, who would you pick?"

"The well dressed guy," Juniper replied.

"If I got shopping, will you go to a clean, well-run store or a dirty, rundown store," Sunny continued.

"Clean, obviously. What is your point?"

"A nice outfit and makeup are more than looks," Sunny said. "They say to the world "you matter", they say to the world "I am going to catch it by the tail"," Sunny continued. "A good outfit tells people you are an achiever, and says that you have confidence."

"Well, I don't have much of that," Juniper said.

"Well, taking pride in your appearance is one way to build confidence," Sunny said. She looked at Juniper, who was sitting nervously on the bed. She bent her neck, and gave Juniper a warm smile. "And if you have questions, I'm here to help you, rain or sleet." Juniper returned the smile with a grateful one.

"You want to build some confidence," Sunny asked, giving her a challenging look.

"Well-,"

"I said do you want confidence!"

"Yes!"

"OK," Sunny said. "Then get your butt into these clothes and try on some makeup."

After 45 minutes of trying on different sets of outfits, looking at different kinds of makeup, and wearing different accessories, Sunny declare her work complete.

"So, what do think," Sunny asked Juniper, who was staring at herself in the mirror. Juniper's hair had been brushed and sprayed, and those movie reel-shaped barrettes were removed, allowing her hair to flow down naturally, where it almost shined after a lot of grooming. Her cheeks were lightly blushed. Her top consisted of a purple, sleeveless blouse, while bottom, she wore mauve and white pants that revealed the ankles. On her feet were red high-heeled shoes.

"I, I," Juniper said. "I look great." Juniper said.

"And if you can look great, you can feel great," Sunny said.

"Thank you so much, Sunny," Juniper said, so happy she looked sad.

"No need to thank me," Sunny said. "Just do the best you can." Her smile turned sly. "Or, do the best a normal person who isn't you can do." Juniper let out a small snicker.

"I will," Juniper said.

Sunny let out some relief that Juniper was secure enough to take a little ribbing.

"Maybe this won't be so bad", Sunny thought.

******

"Being a Friendship Princess is hard," Twilight thought tiredly, as she saw Sunset hiding underneath her bed, covering herself with her blanket, looking like a lump under the sheets.

"Sunset," Twilight said with frustration. "Come out from there. You've got notes to review."

"No," the lump said.

"Sunset," Twilight said. "You actually were able to capture some magic. That's good progress."

"Yeah, progress," Sunset said sarcastically from the sheets. "Breaking a window and burning Micro-Chips shows I am really progressing."

"That was an accident," Twilight said. "And Micro-Chips only needed to go to the nurse's office. You said he understands it was accident."

"Yeah, and it cost me 700 dollars to fix the window so the school wouldn't ban me from the labs," Sunset nearly yelled. "It's hopeless." Twilight gave her friend a grave look.

"Sunset," Twilight said. "Don't make me do this." Sunset said nothing. "I'm giving you one last chance, Sunset." Sunset said nothing. "OK, I warned you." Twilight took a deep breath.

"SUNSET SHIMMER," Twilight bellowed. The force of Twilight's yell blew Sunset off of the bed.

"Did you just do the Royal Canterlot Voice," Sunset muttered fearfully, and she pulled herself off of the ground.

"YOUR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN DISGRACEFUL," Twilight howled. "AS YOUR PRINCESS, I COMMAND YOU TO GET BACK TO WORK!"

"But-,"

"DO IT!"

"OK, OK," Sunset stammered, getting off of the ground and going to her computer.

"Works every time," Twilight said with a sly smile, as the red-haired girl looked at her computer notes.

A Party to Remember

Author's Note

So begins the hardest chapter I've ever written for this site. Buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

A Party to Remember

Wednesday Morning

Suri sat in front of the mirror in the school bathroom, trying make sure her face was perfection. It was her fault for waking up too late to get ready at home, but she was resourceful enough to prepare for the eventuality. She was disturbed from her powdering by the opening of the door.

She glanced over and saw another girl burst in, with flowing blue-green hair and a beautiful, buttered up face. The glasses looked a bit familiar.

"How's it going," the girl said, airing a bit of confidence. She began to pull some makeup out of what looked like a luxury purse. She soon began to recognize the voice from somewhere.

"Wait," Suri said, narrowing her eyes. "You're that...Tulip girl?"

"Juniper," the girl replied, barely pausing from powdering her face.

"Well, you look awfully..."

"Stunning? Brilliant? Radiant," Juniper said with a wide smile, demonstrating an unusual amount of confidence.

"Different," Suri uttered, stunned by not only the change in appearance, but change in demeanor of this mousy girl.

"Sorry," she said with a weird grin, some of that awkwardness returning, "I copied that from some dumb teen drama". She sighed. "I am just trying to make a good first impression."

"First impression," Suri asked.

"At Sunny's party," Juniper said.

"Oh so she invited you," Suri said, putting on a sly smile.

"Yes she did," Juniper with a voice that was calm, but with barely restrained excitement.

"Did she give you the right address," Suri said, her grin getting wider.

"Why wouldn't she," Juniper said, mistaking Suri's smile as friendly. "She's been very helpful."

"Really," Suri asked.

"She's been giving me makeovers, clothes, and advice," Suri raised her eyebrow in confusion

"She has," Suri asked, her voice a mixture of confusion and suspicion.

"Yeah. I don't know why, but all of a sudden, Sunny and her friends started hanging out with me." Juniper's confident mask dropped as an undeniably happy grin formed on her face. "I'm so lucky to meet someone as nice as Sunny." Juniper looked at her phone, ignoring the calculating visage forming on Suri's face. "Oh, I've got to get to class, nice meeting you-," Juniper paused. "I haven't caught your name."

"Suri."

"Suri. Are you going to be at Sunny's party," Juniper asked.

"Its actually my party," Suri said. "Sunny's hosting it in her home."

"I wonder why she didn't mention you to me," Juniper wondered aloud. "I really go to go. See you tonight." Juniper ran out happily. Sunny's face was that of a wolf tasting fresh meat.

"Oh Sunny, I am so proud of you," Suri said to herself. "You and your friends understand that the best people to knock down are the people on the highest perch." She went to the sink and turned on the faucets, letting out a sigh of relief as the warm water poured on her knuckles.

"You've given this girl everything, only to take it away from her," Suri said happily, the warmth on her hands making her speak in an almost euphoric tone. "But that doesn't mean I also won't also try and put "Ms. Radiant " in her place." She let out a small snicker that quickly descended into a fit of cackling.

"Excuse me," an old voice said, "what is so funny?" Suri turned around and saw a decrepit looking old man in a yellow suit, and a yellow hat.

"AHHH," Sunny yelled, startled by the sudden appearance of an old man, who she noticed was carrying a broom and tugging a cart full of cleaning supplies. "What are you doing here?!" The man gave her a sly grin.

"Well, I'm in the real estate business," the man said in a sarcastically lofty tone. "I came here to appraise the real estate values-what do you think I'm doing in here?!" The man pointed to his janitor stuff to make the point clear. Suri stormed out of the room, red in the face.

"These girls are weird," the janitor muttered in an exasperated tone as he began his work.

After her small embarrassment, Suri regained her composure as she walked toward Coco, who was going through her locker.

"Coco sweetie," Suri said in a sugary tone. Coco turned toward Suri, the words sounding in her ears like a royal command. "We are going to teach some dumb little bigshot her place."

"Uh, you just used an oxymoron," Coco said with awkward tone,"you know, 'big' and 'little' are, um, two opposite words. Calling her little-," she ceased her ramblings at Suri's glare. "What do you want to do?"

"Teach a little girl that her 'dressing up' doesn't mean a thing," Suri said, as another vicious grin formed on her face.

******

CPA Cafeteria, 12:45 PM

At their usual table, the Shadowbolts gathered around Sunny, as hosting the party had made her the center of attention.

"So, everybody's gonna be at the party," Lemon Zest asked with excitement.

"Fleur, Upper Crust, I think even Sapphire might come over," Sunny said, almost dreamily. The other Shadowbolts looked the same.

"Sapphire really," Sugarcoat said, her normally stoic façade replaced with some small excitement. Sapphire Shores was not merely popular, but a celebrity in the making. She knocked out of the park at the benefit concert last year, and her music got great reception on both MyStable and WatchMe. It was clear that the girl was on the verge of becoming a hit singer. Befriending her would not only add to someone's social status, but having a famous friend is a good connection to have.

"That girl rocks," Lemon Zest said. "I'm not much of a pop girl, but if she's at your party, you'll be set for life."

"Oh, you are so lucky," Sour said happily. "I wish I could go!" Sour slammed her face onto the table.

"What happened," Indigo Zap asked, concerned.

"I got a C on my math test, so my mom said I couldn't go," Sour said, her voice muffled by planting it onto the table.

"Sorry, Sour," Lemon said, putting a comforting arm on her friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry," Sour said, pulling her face from the table. "I can use the time to finish our Twilight presentation." The rest of the Shadowbolts looked stoic at that.

"How is it coming along," Sugarcoat asked Sour, looking very serious.

"Great. Thanks to all the pictures Cadance gave us, I've made a retrospective of her life," Sour said.

"What's a retrospective," Lemon asked.

"A presentation about her life from childhood to her final days," Sugarcoat uttered.

"I've just got to do the finishing touches tonight," Sour said.

"Uh, Sunny, I wanted to ask you something," Indigo said, changing the conversation.

"Sure," Sunny said.

"Are you sure that bringing Juniper is a good idea," Indigo asked Sunny, giving her a hard glare. The rest of her friends were also giving her concerned looks. While Sunny was trying to be Juniper's friend, the other Shadowbolts still struggled to connect with her.

"Yes," Sunny said, her tone a mixture of frustration and conviction. "Why do you guys hate Twilight so much?" There was a chill around the table.

"Did you just say Twilight," Indigo asked, concerned.

"No," Sunny said, flustered, "I think I said-,"

"Sunny, you said Twilight," Sour said, cutting off Sunny's denial with an unusually melancholic tone appearing in her voice. "Is that why you're hanging out with Juniper? Because you feel guilty about Twilight?"

Sunny sat in silence for a moment, and let out a sigh as everyone gave her concerned looks. While Lemon could seem airheaded, she could be very empathetic.

"Why shouldn't I feel guilty," Sunny barked with a defensive tone. "Don't any of you feel bad?"

"Yes," Sugarcoat replied. "But you can't let keep you from living your life. This party is important to you-"

"Well," Sunny said. "I told my priest about what happened." When she saw the panicked looks in her friend's eyes, she added ,"I didn't tell him EVERYTHING. But he told me I could make it up to Twilight by trying to be friends with a girl like her."

"And that is a nice goal," Sugarcoat said. "And I'm happy that you are trying to be a better person. But you can't let your guilt affect your life. Bringing Juniper into the party is a big risk."

"What is the worst that could happen?"

"Juniper could annoy everyone by going off onto obnoxious tangents about science, lose some of the games, or wear tacky clothes," Sugarcoat uttered. Sunny pinched her nose at Sugarcoat's description about what could go wrong, before giving her a confident smile.

"I'll have you know I've been giving her makeup training, fashion advice, and training her to control her words," Sunny said.

"Oh yes, I'm sure she'll change after a few days," Sour said happily. She then gave an angry frown. "Not!"

"Come on, I've seen her make a lot of progress," Sunny protested. She turned toward Indigo. "You said she's been doing better in the gym, haven't you?"

"She can do a pushup now without me straightening her back," Indigo said with some reluctance. "But she's still a bit of a nuisance." Indigo sighed and gave her a serious look. "Sunny, I know being a friend with Juniper is important to you, but this party will be the thing that makes or breaks you." Indigo Zap's look became more sympathetic. "Are you sure you want to risk that on some girl you just met? There are other parties you can bring her to."

"If there were other big parties I could bring her to this week, I would," Sunny said. "But," she paused, clenching her fists and preventing her eyes from watering over.

"What," Sour said, her tone full of concern."

"I'm afraid she'll just end up having no life," she admitted, whimpering. "I'm afraid of her not being able to make any friends besides me, and that she'll spend her time here alone. Afraid...she'll end up like another Twilight."

"I see your point Sunny," Sugarcoat said with some concern. "But this is A-lister party, and Juniper barely qualifies for a D. By inviting her, you assume responsibility for everything she does, good or bad. Which means-,"

"If she goes down, I go down with her," Sunny finished with a sigh. She then regained some hope on her face. "But you should've seen her last night when I was done. She looked like someone who was on top of the world." Sunny glared at her friends. "And if she goes, you WILL be nice to her." The Shadowbolts let out reluctant grunts of acknowledgement.

"Anyways," Sunny began, but she paused when she saw Juniper walking toward her.

"Hey June," Sunny said, calling toward her. She paused when she saw Juniper wasn't wearing the makeup she wore this morning.

"Hey Sunny," Juniper said, giving her a smile that wasn't reaching her eyes. "How's it going," she said too quickly. Sunny looked concerned, seeing her friend's mood change from the go-getter attitude she saw this morning.

"June why did you get rid of your-,"

"Can we talk in private," Juniper said, gesturing with her thumb in the direction of the cafeteria doors. Sunny got up from her table, and walked with June, who let out a small wave at the Shadowbolts. The two walked out the door, and near some lockers. The hall was empty, which gave them some privacy.

"I've decided this party isn't for me," Juniper said suddenly, almost panicking. "Why don't we all hang out on the weekend instead?" Sunny looked concerned.

"June, is everything OK?"

"Yes, peachy," Juniper said in a tone that wasn't peachy.

"June why don't you want to go," Sunny said in a more assertive tone.

"Because," June said stammering ."I don't think the popular girls are gonna like me. Maybe this is too fast."

Sunny paused. Somewhat selfish thoughts bubbled in her mind.

"If she doesn't want to go, fine", Sunny thought to herself. "My reputation will be secure, and June could find another way to meet people."

Sunny was about to reply, before other horrible thoughts appeared in her brain.

Juniper meekly walked down the hallway. Everyone barely noticed her, and students bumped into her, seeing her as no better then a speedbump. Juniper let out meek apologies as people carelessly collided with her body.

******

Juniper sat alone in the cafeteria, picking away at her food. With a sigh, she brought her cafeteria to a table with a bunch of girls.

"Hey," she said meekly to the group of girls engaged in idle chatter. They paused, and looked her like she was a train wreck. "Room for one more?"

"Sure," said one girl. Just as Juniper sat down, the girl let out cruel grin. "In the mental hospital." The other girls laughed obnoxiously, while Juniper sadly crept away toward an empty table in the back.

******

An aged Juniper sat in a broken-down house, dressed in rags, eating a TV dinner, and surrounded by a bunch of stray dogs.

"At least you guys won't leave me," Juniper said in a weak voice, before one of the dogs grabbed the TV dinner. "That's mine," she bellowed, and began fighting with the dog with her teeth.

******

"No," Sunny practically yelled. Juniper looked stunned.

"What," Juniper said, a bit confused.

"You have to go," Sunny said, before sighing and giving her a serious look. "That's why you got rid of all your makeup? That's why you went from being on top of the world to looking like a dog died?" She continued with some exasperation. "June, if someone who didn't like you went to a restaurant you liked, would you stop going?"

"No," Juniper replied.

"Then why are you letting that fear prevent you from going to this party?" Sunny almost yelled. "There are always going to be people in life who don't like you. You shouldn't let them control you, or keep you from having fun."

"But," Juniper inputted. "It's just besides you and your friends, a lot of people here don't seem to like me."

"And if you keep acting like a sad sack, then people definitely won't like you," Sunny said with a mixture of annoyance and jest. Juniper snickered a bit.

"What's so funny?"

"You sound like my uncle," Juniper said with some amusement. "He tells me the same thing."

"Well he's right, and so am I," Sunny replied with a smug grin. "Look, I get you're nervous, but if you keep being nervous, you could miss out on a chance to meet some new people and have a good time. If you keep being nervous, Twilight, you'll definitely end up alone." Sunny continued. She put a warm hand on Juniper's shoulder. "Look, whatever happens, I'll still be your friend, OK?" Juniper said.

"OK," Juniper said. She then stared at Sunny with confusion. "Did you just call me 'Twilight'?"

"Did I," Sunny replied with a sheepish smile.

"Yes, you did-," Juniper said, her face becoming unusually stern.

"Sorry, I always mix up people's names," Sunny said nervously, trying to change the subject. "Let's go redo your makeup."

"But-,"

"Listen missie," Sunny said in an authoritative tone. "You are going to put on your makeup, you are going to look beautiful, or I will dunk your head into a bucket of mascara.

"OK," Juniper said defensively. "Lead the way, Uncle Sunny." Sunny snorted as she walked into the bathroom with Juniper following her.

Wednesday, 4 PM. Sunset's apartment.

Twilight looked with some joy at the ingredients that Sunset obtained and placed on the table in her apartment. Flash was coming over for another dinner date, and Twilight was going to use it in order to learn how to cook with human hands.

"I can't believe it," Twilight said giddily, as if she was a kid in a candy store."First I'm trying out the new technology. Now, I'm going to prepare local cuisine. I love cross cultural exchange!"

"I've never seen anyone so excited over tomato lasagna," Sunset said with some jest. "Here it's a pretty normal dish. People can buy it frozen."

"I guess," Twilight said. "So you cooked for Flash?"

"Yeah," Sunset said.

"I thought you only dated him for popularity?"

"Well," Sunset said with some hesitation. "Cooking was just part of the act I played. When I was pretending to be the 'good girl'." She let out a sigh.

"Sunset," Twilight said, noticing her concern. "If this is bringing up bad memories, you don't-,"

"Look, I'm not secretly pining for Flash," Sunset said with some annoyance, before looking down with sad eyes. "I just feel guilty for how I strung him along."

"Well don't," Twilight said with a reassuring smile. "I mean, you're helping him out my cooking us dinner, and you're letting us have a dinner date in your house. Helping him find someone else proves you're making it up to him."

"I guess," Sunset said in a happier mood. "Anyways, let's get to cooking."

After two hours of spilled bowls of sauce and batter and much flung flour, the lasagna was now cooking in the oven, and would be ready in a half-hour.

"Well we finally got it done," Sunset said with a mixture of joy and exhaustion to Twilight. The two of them were covered in baking ingredients and sauce. "It is a good thing I bought extra ingredients."

"Yeah," Twilight said sheepishly. "You go shower, and I'll go clean up."

"OK, thanks," Sunset said, walking toward her bathroom. Twilight walked toward the oven, trying to take a bowl of salsa and put it in the sink. As she walked, she tripped over a bowl on the ground. She fell toward the still-hot stove, and put her hands forward to break her fall.

Sunset was about to turn on the water, when she heard the loudest scream ever.

"AHHHHHH," she heard Twilight yell.

Sunset let out a sigh of exasperation and went underneath her bathroom sink to pull out a first-aid kit.

******

7 PM

Twilight and Flash sat at the table, enjoying their romantic dinner. Well Flash was. Twilight struggled to use silverware. Her motor skills in her human body were still poor, and it was worse since she accidentally burned her hands. Sunset wrapped them up in gauze, which meant she couldn't even use her fingers. Flash looked at her with pity.

"Look, Twilight," Flash said with a reassuring smile. "If you want to eat with your mouth, go ahead."

"Flash," Twilight said defensively. "I remember how weird everybody thought I was when I tried to pick up food with my mouth. I want to look normal around here."

"Twilight," Flash said. "We aren't in public. It's OK." Twilight let out a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry, I just feel like an idiot." Twilight said with some sadness. "I'm a magical princess and was a top level student in my world, and yet I'm not smart enough to not burn my hands on the stove."

"Twilight,," Flash said with a warm smile. "You tripped and fell. by accident. People make mistakes like that all the time." Flash then gave her a seductive smile. "Besides, I can use this opportunity to spoon fed you, and treat you like real royalty."

"Are you trying to butter me up, Mr. Sentry," Twilight said in a contrary tone.

"Is it working," Flash asked.

"Yes," Twilight said. Her face shifted into the image that was purely regal. "Very well, Sir Sentry. As your princess, I command you to feed me."

"Sir," Flash replied. "Am I being knighted?"

"If you treat your princess well," Twilight said in a regal tone, sounding almost like Rarity.

Flash took Twilight's plate, picked up a fork and began feeding her. They both looked at each other with passion in their eyes. Flash pulled out his phone and, unbeknownst to Twilight, started taking pictures of their romantic dinner.

******

6:30 PM. Sunny's House.

Alongside Sunny's house, luxury cars were parked along the side of the road. At least 20 girls clambered out of them, and into Sunny's house. When they entered her house, they saw Sunny standing in the atrium, checking their names on a list like a restaurant concierge, and taking their coats.

"Thanks for coming," Sunny said to all the people who showed up in a practiced tone. She let out a genuine cheer of excitement for the arrival of her fellow Shadowbolts.

"Hey guys," Sunny said.

"Hey Sunny," Sour said. "This looks great."

"This is pure awesome," Indigo said happily.

"The logistics were very well organized," Sugarcoat said without much joy. She happily took their coats, and handed them off to Sunny, who tiredly carried them to a nearby closet.

Deep in Sunny's mind, there was one person she was anxious she would show up. Her thoughts were broken up as Suri approached her with a warm smile.

"Well this is it Sunny," Suri said with genuine joy. "As long as we do everything right, the night is ours!"

"Yep," Sunny said. "Anyways-," She saw Suri's face turn from joy to utter disgust.

"Suri," Sunny asked with concern, "Are you OK?" She turned, and saw that Juniper had showed up in the outfit they set up last night.

"Hey Sunny," Juniper happily stated. "How do I look?"

"Uh, great," Sunny said, forcing a smile on her face, and she felt Suri's anger boiling on her face.

"Hey Suri how is it going," Juniper said half-heartedly, before walking past Suri and going onto the floor, where the other girls were chatting.

"What is she doing here," Suri asked Sunny, gritting her teeth. "I thought you were going to give her the wrong directions?"

"I did," Sunny said with fake shock. "She must've gotten here anyways. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Suri said, her face becoming less severe. "I'll make sure she stays gone." She was about to walk over to Juniper, but found her arm being tugged by Sunny.

"What," Suri said with annoyance. "I'm trying to get that loser off your back". Sunny paused, trying to control the anger she felt boiling in her stomach, and come up with an excuse.

"Look," Sunny said, mulling her thoughts. "I'm worried you'll make a scene, or she'll start crying her eyes out in front you. We don't need that." She paused as she watched Suri digest the excuse. "I'm not happy about it either," Sunny said, lying, "but we have to deal with her here."

"Your right," Suri said with a smile, bringing Sunny's hopes up a bit. "We don't want to make scene. There are more than one ways to skin a cat." Suri walked away, not noticing Sunny's stunned expression. She looked at Suri, but thankfully, she wasn't bothering to approach Juniper. However, she saw how Juniper wasn't connecting with anyone. Sunny pinched the bridge of her nose.

******

Despite being in a room with 20 or so people, Juniper felt more alone than ever. While she wasn't moping, she was frustrated that she couldn't find a way to get involved in the gossip and chatter everyone else was involved with. Everyone was in their own environment, and she was being treated like an invasive species. Even Sunny's friends seemed to ignore her. She looked at the nearby kitchen, and decided to peck at some of the food in the kitchen. She looked and saw someone trying to arrange all the refreshments.

"Hi," Juniper said, trying to project an air of confidence. She had tan skin, two-toned blue hair cut down to her chin, and was wearing a fancy blue dress.

"Hi," the blue-haired girl said, before glancing at her. She looked back at Juniper and gave her a confused look.

"Uh, do I have something on my face," Juniper asked in confusion.

"What are you doing here," the girl asked with some apprehension.

"Uh, Sunny invited me," Juniper said. The girl looked at her with an expression of...pity.

"Oh, she did," the girl said, almost sadly. "Well...have fun." She turned away from Juniper, and began pulling out and arranging the snacks. Juniper stared at her, and then looked back at the living room full of people and music. She stared at the blue-haired girl.

"I didn't catch your name," Juniper said.

"Coco," the girl continued, not turning away from her work. Juniper glanced at all the arrangements and was stunned.

"So, are you doing all this work yourself," Juniper asked. Coco looked up. "This has got to be enough food to feed 100 people."

"Suri wants the best, so I give it to her," Coco said with exhaustion.

"Shouldn't she be helping you out?" Juniper asked. ""Isn't this her party?"

"She is too busy," Coco said. Juniper looked into the living room and saw Suri gossiping with a bunch of girls. Her eyes narrowed.

"Sunny is welcoming all the guests. Coco is doing the snacks. Suri isn't doing anything to help", Juniper thought with some frustration. She glanced over to Coco.

"Uh, need some help," Juniper said. Coco looked at her with surprise.

"Sure," Coco said after a few minutes of hesitation.

******

Sunny had checked all the guest spots on her list, pausing to make sure everyone was here. She was just about to set it down when another person walked in. Her heart soared.

Sapphire Shores walked into her home. She was wearing her hair like a blue ponytail. She was clad in a white dress that went down to knees, purple shoes, and wearing purple gloves. Her face radiated a confident calm.

"Sapphire, I can't believe your here," Sunny said, feeling incredible joy.

"Oh please Sunny, even if I get famous, I won't ever forget you," Sapphire said. "Besides, I'd never pass up a chance at free food." Sunny let out a mirthful chuckle.

"Alright," Sunny said, "come on in".

"Everybody," Sunny said. All the girls turned in her direction, and looked awed as they saw Sapphire approach. "Here comes the guest of honor, Sapphire Shores!"

Everybody started cheering and clamoring around their celebrity classmate.

Juniper paused in her work at everybody's cheering.

"What are those girls applauding," Juniper said to herself, before returning to work with Coco, who hadn't paused in her duties.

Suri, the leader of the party, pushed through the crowd of girls to personally welcome Sunny.

"Sapphire, darling, how have you been," Suri said.

"Good, Suri," Sapphire said.

"Tell me, how are the meetings with your agent going," Suri said.

"Well-,"

"Because my father knows some people who could help you in your negotiations," Suri went on, not noticing Sapphire's smile becoming strained.

In the kitchen, Coco and Juniper looked proudly at the job well done.

"Man this looks great Coco," Juniper said. "You really should go into catering."

"Yeah," Coco said. "Thanks for helping me out."

"Don't mention it," Coco said happily. She then frowned. "Um, June."

"Yeah."

"There is something I should tell you," Coco paused as she saw Sunny approached, and let out a whimper.

"What are you girls doing in here," Sunny said cheerfully. "The party is in there," she said, gesturing toward the living room. Juniper walked into there, feeling slightly better, while Coco was giving her an anxious stare.

"What did you want to tell me Coco," Juniper said, glancing toward her.

"Nothing," Coco said, keeping in her eyes on Sunny. Juniper shrugged her shoulders and walked toward the party.

"What are you planning," Coco said quietly.

"What are you talking about," Sunny replied. "I'm not planning on anything except having fun."

"Sure you aren't," Coco said quietly, walking past her without looking in the eye. Sunny frowned, feeling a touch of cold anger in Coco's voice.

In the corner of the room, Sapphire was sipping a cup of fruit punch, trying to massage the headache she got from all the girls clamoring around her.

"Suri still never learns to shut up," Sapphire muttered to herself with annoyance. Since she gave a performance, everyone started treating her like a commodity and asking about her career, but Suri was especially dedicated to kissing up to her. Sapphire saw opportunism in Suri's eyes, and it was annoying. She wished she didn't have to talk about work during working hours.

"Hey," Sapphire heard, and saw some bespectacled girl with long, blue-green hair approaching her. "Sorry," Juniper said, "Am I bothering you?"

"No," Sapphire said.

"OK. My name is Juniper, what is yours," Juniper asked timidly.

"You don't know my name," Sapphire asked with some confusion.

"I just moved here," Juniper said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh, well," Sapphire said, her jaded tone becoming slightly more magnanimous. "I am....kind of popular here."

"Oh, so do people need to book five months in advance to shake your hand," Juniper jokingly asked. Sapphire snorted at that.

"No," Sapphire said. "But sometimes I feel a red carpet magically appears whenever I walk around."

"Sounds great," Juniper.

"Nah, it can tiresome," Sapphire said. "So," she said. "What do you...like to do."

"Telecommunications," Juniper said, trying to remember Sunny's advice of not running her mouth.

"You mean, like, broadcasting," Sapphire asked.

"Sure," Sunny said.

"Have you ever worked for a band," Sapphire said.

"Well I did do AV at my last school," Juniper said, again pausing. To Juniper's surprise, Sapphire gave her a look of interest.

"Tell me all about it," Sapphire said happily. Juniper smiled, happy someone was interested in what she had to say.

"Everybody," Sunny said over the noise of the partygoers. Suri stood next to her.

"Now it is time to start 'Truth or Dare'," Suri said. "Everybody stand in a circle, for you will all be given a truth or dare." Suri looked in the corner as the girls got into a circle, and to her fury, she saw Juniper and Sapphire having a good conversation.

"Suri what's wrong," Sunny asked.

"It isn't enough for that geek to crash my-I mean, our party," Suri said, "now she has to start bothering Sapphire with her nerd talk." Sunny looked intensely at the two talking in the corner, fearing that Juniper was doing that. Sunny eyes narrowed, not finding any trace of annoyance on Sapphire's face. "Don't worry, Sunny. I'll get rid of her soon." Suri stormed over to the two chatting, while Sunny watched with apprehension.

"So, the teacher blamed you for the feedback," Sapphire said with amusement.

"Yeah," Juniper said. "He couldn't accept that it was his own raspy voice that was causing the feedback." They both chuckled. "So anyways-," Juniper was interrupted by someone putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Juniper, time for truth or dare," Suri said forcefully, disrupting the conversation. "Hurry, hurry you don't want to miss it!"

"OK, sure" Juniper said, confused and annoyed with the interruption. She walked over to the circle of girls.

"Sorry Sapphire," Suri said in a sympathetic tone. "I'm wish you didn't have to go through that."

"Go through what," Sapphire said with some consternation, "Juniper and I were having a-,"

"Oh Sapphire you are a saint," Suri interrupted. "You had to endure annoying losers like that, who talk their heads off, thinking annoying words are the most important thing on Earth."

"Look who's talking," Sapphire muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. She wasn't being annoying," Sapphire said, barely masking her frustration. "She seems nice-,"

"Anyways time to start 'Truth or Dare'," Suri said walking away from Sapphire, who was glared at her for a minute before following her with a sigh.

"OK," Sunny said, pulling out a card. "The first person to go for truth or dare will be-"

"Juniper," Suri interrupted. Sunny was about to object, but Suri's glare cut her off.

Juniper stepped into the middle of the circle. Sunny and the Shadowbolts looked at her with concern, while the rest of the girls looked at Juniper with ambivalence or annoyance. They had little connection to Juniper, her having just moved there, and thus would look at her with judgmental eyes.

"OK,so here are the rules," Suri said. "You have to do either a truth or dare. If you don't," she paused, leaning to Juniper with a nasty look. "You have to leave the party." Juniper looked concerned. "OK, Juniper, which will it be? Truth or dare?"

"Please pick truth, please pick truth," Sunny said under her breath.

"Dare," Juniper said with a smile. Suri gave her a nasty look.

"OK June," Suri said. "I dare you to....guzzle down a really hot drink. Coco?" Coco ran into the kitchen, and brought a bottle of hot sauce, a glass, and a bunch of other spices.

"You have to drink this," Suri said, as Coco poured enormous amounts of spice and sauce into the glass. "Without collapsing or screaming. If you don't, you lose the game, and have to leave." The crowd leaned in, except for the other Shadowbolts who looked alarmed.

"Uh, isn't this a little too much," Indigo said with some concern. "Maybe she can do another dare-"

"Too late," Suri uttered. She then walked back toward Sunny.

"See Sunny," Suri said to Sunny, her voice dripping with pleasure. "I told you I would have everything figured out. That beanpole will drank that, scream or faint, and she'll run home crying". She looked at Juniper staring at the glass. "See she can't-," Suri paused as Juniper picked up the glass of spicy stuff, and put the glass against her mouth.

To everyone's shock, Juniper wasn't hacking or joking. She was guzzling the super-spicy stuff like it was a glass of lemonade.

"Ahh," Juniper in a wheezing tone, as she put down the glass, and wiped her mouth with her wrist. Her face was red and sweaty, but she was still standing and not yelling in pain. Sunny and the Shadowbolts were happily surprised, Sapphire was intrigued, while everyone else was speechless.

"June," Lemon Zest asked, honest "how did you do that?"

"I spent two months in Mexico with my uncle," Juniper said, still wheezing from the spicy concoction. "The choice was either eat spicy food or die."

"You went to Mexico? Really?" Fleur asked, genuinely interested. "Did you go to Cancun?"

"For a few days," Juniper said. "No, we spent most of our time in the jungle, living in one of those native villages."

"What was that like," Fleur asked, with other girls staring at Juniper with interest.

"Well," Juniper said, "we lived in huts and we ate these really spicy peppers all the time." Other girls looked really interested in the story.

Sunny looked proudly at Juniper. She was happily interacting with other people, and not going off into tangents. Her joy was broken by Suri running toward the circle.

"OK Juniper that is really nice," Suri interrupted in an incredibly condescending tone, while grabbing June's shoulder and gritting her teeth. "But we should give other people a turn."

"OK," Juniper said, pulling her arm back from Suri, and walking back into the circle. The other girls looked a bit dismayed, before returning to their spot. Sunny looked at Suri with growing disdain.

Everyone else took their turn doing truth or dare. Sunny did truth, and confessed she sucked her thumb until she was 7. Indigo was dared into doing a backflip. Sugarcoat did truth, obviously, and said Fleur's dress was tacky. Fleur laughed at the burn, liking Sugarcoat's bluntness. Lemon Zest was dared into singing the "Modern General Song."

Then came pillow fights, which was initiated when Lemon Zest pulled a sneak attack on Sapphire. Soon dozens of girls started swinging pillows at one another, with looses alliances of various girls that broke apart within minutes of the fight starting. Sunny noted that Suri was a little bit too aggressive with Juniper, but having to deflect others prevented Suri from being too harsh.

"OK guys," Sunny said. "Time for karaoke." Coco wheeled in a karaoke machine into the middle of the room. She turned toward Sapphire, who took the hint and began singing out some karaoke.

After several songs about romance, failed romance, and rebellion, everyone was speechless as Sapphire sang with her soul. After Sapphire sang for 20 minutes, she put the mike down and returned to the crowd of girls. Sunny walked up to the microphone.

"OK," Sunny said, "who wants to go next?" Nobody in the crowd looked eager to go, feeling like they wouldn't hold a candle to Sapphire.

"OK," Sunny said, "lets move on to-,"

"Actually," Suri said, again pulling on Juniper's arm. who looked nervous. "June really wants to go."

"No I-,"

"Come on Junie," Suri said in a deceptively gleeful tone, "you told me about how much you wanted to sing. She has a great voice." Sunny was about to object, before being cut off by Sapphire.

"Come on June, give it your all," Sapphire said. She started chanting "sing", and soon everyone else did, except for the Shadowbolts and Coco who looked concerned.

"OK," Juniper said with some resignation. Sunny looked worried, and once again began trying to suppress her anger as Suri approached her.

"What are you planning know," Sunny asked, gritting her teeth.

"Don't worry," Suri said, misreading her anger. "Once the loser wets her pants from stage fright, and sings off key, she'll run out of the party herself." Suri turned her head toward Juniper, looking like someone who was watching a man get mauled by lions with glee. Sunny felt herself clenching her fist.

June timidly picked a song and looked toward the crowd. Everyone, including Sapphire, seemed to stare at her with interest. She looked toward Sunny, Lemon , Sugarcoat, and Indigo. Instead of judgement, they looked at her with a kind smile. Sunny even gave her a discreet thumbs up. Soon, a small, jazzy tune started up.

"I know you think I'm done," Juniper began, in a small , soulful voice. "I know you think you've won." The crowd got silent, Juniper nearly put down the mike, but Sunny continued to give her a thumbs up. "I know you think I will fall....

"She's good", Sapphire whispered to Sunny. She also heard other girls muttering the same thing, and Sunny began to feel chills from June's deep tone. Juniper began to relax, her smile being wider.

"...but this is but the battle, not the war at all!"

The jazz music began to gain tempo, and soon Juniper's voice sped up as she sang the jazzy tune. Following Sapphire's lead, everyone started clapping alongside her. After 3 minutes of singing, the song reached its end.

"I have lost the battle, but you will lose in the end," Juniper said, closing her eyes as she read the chorus ,"because you are but pathetic, my old...friend." Everyone started applauding Juniper. Sapphire, Sunny, and the Shadowbolts started running toward her.

"Hey Sunny," Juniper said, "how did I do?"

"June you did great," Sunny said.

"It was truly epic," Lemon Zest said honestly.

"How come you didn't tell us you could sing," Indigo asked.

"A lack of confidence combined with the inability to face the crowd," Sugarcoat surmised.

"Yeah, that is pretty much it," Juniper said.

"Well Junie," Sapphire said. "I think keeping that sweet voice locked up is a shame." She put her arm around June. "I really should bring you down to Canterlot Records."

"I appreciate the offer Sapphire," Juniper said uneasily. "But I really see myself more as a tech person, not a singer."

"Oh come on," Lemon Zest said. "You sing better then a lot of pop singers today."

"No really, I'm good," June said shyly.

"Well fine," Sapphire said. She pulled out a card, and gave it to Juniper. "But if my career takes off, give me a call. You could make a really good backup singer." Juniper silently took the card with a smile.

Unbeknownst to Sunny, Suri was watching the scene with a jealous rage. Coco approached her.

"Suri, what's wrong," Coco asked with concern.

"That...that bitch upstaged me," Suri said, fuming. "This is supposed to be my night! My time with Sapphire! And I am not going to let that scrawny nerd take it away from me."

"What are you going to do," Coco asked. She flinched as Suri's face twisted into one of sick amusement.

"We are going to put that bitch in her place once and for all," Suri said. She grabbed Coco's arm and dragged her away.

After a few more events-dinner, fortune teller, and some cheesy teen dramas- the night had nearly come to an end.

"OK, everybody," Sunny said, holding a microphone. "Time for the final event. Our annual CPA Girl of the Year Award." Suri handed her the envelope, with an odd smile. "It is time for us to honor the girl who has done the most to represent CHS." She looked at Sapphire. Sapphire was already decided, but doing the ceremony was fun. She opened the envelope. "The winner is..."she paused. To her shock, Sapphire's name was crossed out, and Juniper's name was penciled in.

"Juniper," Sunny read with confusion, which was heard as she talked into the microphone. Everyone in the room looked in confusion at Juniper, who herself was speechless and perturbed by the attention.

"Give it up for Juniper," Sapphire said loudly, and everyone started cheering. Suri started pulling on Juniper. Sunny felt a pit in her stomach, as a past memory washed over her.

"Come on Junie," Suri said to Juniper, directing her to stand in a certain spot. "Stand here. If you do, you'll get a really good prize."

"OK," Juniper said with some confusion, finally letting Suri pull her into a corner.

Time seemed to slow down as Sunny stared at June. She looked up, and saw above June was some bucket suspended by rope.

Sunny felt a pit in her stomach grow, especially as Suri approached her.

"This girl is going to get something she won't forget", Sunny purred into Sunny's ear. Sunny started shaking, sweating, and feeling sick, as she followed the rope to a corner of the room that was hidden.

"OK, Coco," Suri yelled into the corner of the room. "Give June her prize." The bucket started to turn over. Sunny felt time slow further. She couldn't hear anything except the sound of the bucket tipping over. Without thinking, Sunny ran toward Juniper, who looked at her in shock, and pushed her out of the way. Sunny fell to the ground, the fall making her feel pain in her torso, and felt some weird smelling paste-stuff drip all over her clothes and skin. Sunny laid there, in shock and in some agony.

Juniper got up off the ground, and glared at Sunny in a rage at being knocked down.

"Sunny, what's the big idea-," she paused as she saw Sunny on the ground, covered in rotten milk and groaning. She looked up in confusion, and saw the bucket above her head. Everyone else in the room was staring in shock at what just happened.

"Sunny," Lemon Zest said, breaking the silence. She and the other Shadowbolts, as did Juniper, rushed over to help Sunny up.

"Are you OK," Indigo asked with concerned.

"She is coated with rotten milk, and her ribs are bruised from the fall," Sugarcoat said. "Science says no."

"Sunny," Juniper said, approaching her friend with worried eyes. "What happened." Sunny finally rose to her feet, but was cut off but an angry Suri stomping toward her, with Coco in tow.

"You bitch!" Juniper and the other Shadowbolts turned toward Sun. "We were gonna have the best night ever, and you ruined with this stunt! We had the chance to get rid of this loser!"

"Wait," Juniper said, in confusion. "You guys were planning to dump that on me?" The hurt in June's voice was palpable, and it made Sunny and the other Shadowbolts feel a knot in her throat.

"I, I didn't," Sunny said weekly but Suri butted in.

"I had the idea, Coco pulled the string," Suri said viciously. Coco looked away from Juniper, ashamed. "Sunny told me about how much of a whinny little wimp you were," Suri practically bellowed at Juniper. "How you whined to the principal for an invite to this party."

"You said I whined to the principal," Juniper asked Sunny, sounding hurt and dismayed. Sunny began feeling even worse.

"Yeah, she told me everything," Suri said, practically growling. "And since she was too much of a wimp to say it, and let you get soaked, I will." Suri looked at Juniper with utter disgust. "You are a worthless pile of crap, a stupid little whore, who doesn't belong."

Suri went on with the insults for several moments. Everyone looked on with shock. Sapphire and the Shadowbolts' faces curled with disgust. Coco looked down in shame. Despite being in pain, Sunny's eyes became more stone, seeing Suri belittle Juniper, and Juniper look even more distressed.

"No one likes you," Suri said, finishing her tirade. Juniper looked to be on the verge of tears, her lips quivering. "Now take your worthless little-,"

"GET OUT!" Suri paused and looked at Sunny, who was giving her a look that could kill.

"What", Suri said with disbelief.

"Get out! Are you deaf," Sunny said, her voice dripping with rage.

"This is my party," Suri said smugly.

"This is my house, get out!"

"How dare you," Suri said. "I was only trying to help you, after she tattled on you."

"I lied," Sunny admitted. She glanced over at Juniper, who was giving her a very cold look that chilled her bones. She looked away, and back at the sneering face of Suri. "I lied because I was too much of a coward to admit that I wanted to be friends with Juniper-,"

"You wanted to be friends with this pathetic-," Suri paused, and let out a cruel laugh. "Why would you-,"

"Because she's nice," Sunny practically yelled. "What is your problem? Why do you have to be-,"

"Because she's a loser who won't shut up," Suri bellowed back. The other Shadowbolts all looked down in shame. "Because she doesn't take hints. I gave her a warning, and she just didn't get-"

"Wait," Juniper said, sadness and shame returning to her voice. "You're the girl who put that picture in-,"

"What picture," Indigo asked her. Juniper looked down in shame. "What picture," Indigo asked Juniper more forcefully. June tearfully pulled a paper out of her purse. Sunny and Indigo looked at it. They gasped.

On the top of the picture was a cruel caption, written in red ink, said "Nobody likes pigfuckers." Below was a horrible caricature of Juniper doing...carnal things with a pig.

Sunny read it over, feeling her rage return. She furiously rolled the picture up into a ball, and turned toward Suri in a rage.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE" Sunny bellowed. "This is your last warning," she practically growled.

"Fine," Suri said, not feeling disturbed by Sunny's anger. "Stay here with your loser friend. From now on, you'll be as much of a target as her." Suri turned toward the peanut gallery. "Come on everybody, let's go."

"Fine. leave," Sunny said without a care in the world, moving to stand in front of a silent, shaking Juniper, and facing the crowd of shocked girls. Despite being covered in spoiled milk, Sunny stood firmly with a face made of stone as she glared at everyone. "If being popular and hanging out with you guys means being a sadistic little coward, I'd rather be alone!" Sunny took a deep breath and gave everyone the harshest glare she could muster. "High school should be about having fun and sharing, not about making fun of someone for being different," she yelled to the crowd. "Who cares if Juniper is a nerd? Who cares if she talks about tech? I think she's awesome, and smart, and funny!" Sunny took another furious breath. "I'm her friend, and if any of you don't like it, fine!" She took another deep breath, her voice hoarse from her yelling. "Beat me up, stick things in my lockers, kick me out of your parties!" She furrowed. "Because let me tell you something. I'd rather be a pathetic loser and sit here covered in rotten milk, than be friends with any of you if it means hurting people who are different and walking around with horrible bile in my throat."

"OK, fine," Suri said cheerfully. She turned to the crowd who stared at her in shock. "Let's leave these two losers to themselves." Too her shock, she saw the other Shadowbolts move to stand in front of Juniper, standing alongside Sunny, with crossed arms and looks that could kill. Sunny looked surprised, and gave her friends a grateful smile.

"Fine," Suri said, "who needs the Shadowbolts anyways, let's-," she paused as other girls began walking away from her. To her growing fury, more and more of the girls began standing in front of Juniper, as if forming a protective barrier around the blue-green-haired girl. She felt a vein burst in her brain as she saw Sapphire walking toward Juniper.

"Come on Sapphire," Suri said pleadingly. "You can't possibly be siding with those loser-,"

"Shut up," Sapphire barked, giving Suri a look that oozed contempt. "The truth is, I only tolerated you because you were charming and popular. But know," she paused, taking a deep breath. "I want nothing to do with you." Sapphire and the other girls were all giving her looks of utter contempt. "I'm gonna make sure you are banned from any concert I'm in."

Suri turned red in a rage, seeing almost everyone, including Sapphire, turn on her.

"FINE," she yelled, all pretenses of civility gone. "I DON'T NEED YOU LOSERS ANYWAY!" She turned toward Coco. "COME ON COCO, WE ARE LIVING!" Coco looked down, not looking her in the eye or obeying her. "I SAID, 'WE'RE LEAVING!'"

"I want to stay here," Coco said, turning toward Suri.

"What?"

"I want to stay here," Coco said more firmly. To her horror, Suri began storming toward her in a rage.

"YOU BACKSTABBING, LITTLE-," Suri screamed. Coco let out a whimper of terror. Suri heard something running, and turned to see Indigo slamming a fist into her face too fast for her to block.

POW!

Suri was knocked to the ground, feeling her nose bleed. She felt herself being lifted up by her dress, and was made to face an angry Indigo. Juniper looked over Sunny's shoulder and witnessed this, clenching her fist in a rage.

"LISTEN HERE," Indigo bellowed. Suri let out a whimper of fear, and shook, trying and failing to escape Indigo's vice grip. "When I let you go, you are going to leave this house. If you ever touch any of my friends again, I'LL BREAK YOUR NECK!" She pulled Suri closer, until their noses were almost touching. "Do you understand!"

"Yes," Suri said, her voice like that of a small animal. As soon as Indigo let Suri go, the pink girl ran out of the house, furious tears flowing down her eyes. In one last swipe at her, everyone jeered as she ran out of the house.

When Suri left, everyone looked toward Sunny, looking at her with incredible reverence.

"Sunny that was awesome," Lemon Zest said.

"Way to go," Indigo said, her rage replaced with joy.

"Your honesty was an inspiration to us all," Sugarcoat said.

"You are one of the bravest girls I know," Sapphire said with a proud smile. "If you need anything from me, just give me a call. I know that you'll have my back no matter what back."

"Thanks," Sunny said. A cough from behind distracted Sunny from her euphoria. She saw Juniper giving her a glare with arms crossed, and her good mood died.

"So, what do we do," asked another girl.

"Uh, we still have another hour left. Let's just talk and eat all the refreshments," Sunny said. "I'm going to go upstairs and get cleaned up." She turned toward Juniper. "Why don't you come and help me."

"OK," said Juniper in a cold voice, having taken the hint that they were going to talk alone. Sunny walked up the stairs, and Juniper followed her.

"June," Juniper paused, and saw Coco walking toward her. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so-,"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Juniper said forcefully. Coco sighed looked upset, but accepted that Juniper was not in a mood to forgive her and didn't say another word.

Juniper followed Sunny upstairs. She stopped at the foot of the stairs, and looked at Sunny with a piercing.

"Was this why you invited me," Juniper said in a furious tone that made Sunny shake. "So that the pink bitch would dump that junk on me."

"June,," Sunny said in a pained voice. "I promise you that wasn't what I was-",

"How do I know you're not lying," Juniper said, grinding her teeth. Sunny whimpered. "I mean, you lied and said I tattled on you to the principal!"

"June look," Sunny said, her voice a whimper. "Suri...Suri didn't like you. That's why I lied. I was hoping that if you went to the party and acted well, she would like you."

"That's why you gave me your clothes and makeup? To impress her," Juniper said in frustration. "What if she told you straight up to prank me and treat me like an outcast? Huh! Would you have done that if I didn't meet her exacting standards from the get go?!"

Sunny let out of mournful cry and began weeping.

"I'm sorry June," Sunny said, crying, her tears mixing with the rotten milk still coating her. "I'm sorry." She closed her eyes in shame, repeating her apology. She felt two arms wrap around her, and rub her back. She opened them up and saw June hugging her.

"It's OK," Juniper said, her face full of compassion, her voice soft. "I'm not mad at you."

"How can you forgive me," Sunny said still weeping sadly. "I lied and strung you along."

"Yes you did," Juniper said, her voice soothing, almost like a mom consoling an upset child. "But you took a rotten-milk bullet for me. And you stood up for me, even when you thought everyone would hate you for it." She released Sunny, who wasn't weeping, but still look upset, and gave her a warm smile. "I couldn't ask for a better friend."

"Thanks June," Sunny said, wiping her nose as her crying came to an end. "Neither could I." She then smelled and remembered she was still covered I rotten milk. "I should get this cleaned up."

"Yeah you should," Juniper said, and looked as she saw herself covered in spoiled milk. "You can borrow my clothes if you need them," Sunny told Juniper as the purple haired girl ran to the bathroom, closing it. She looked at where Sunny was, and let out a happy smile. She felt her eyes water.

"Are you OK, June," Sugarcoat asked. June turned around and saw the other Shadowbolts followed her up the stairs. She let out happy tears and ran toward them.

"Thank you guys so much," Juniper said, giving Sugarcoat a hug. The aloof girl stared dumbly, but then returned the hug. Indigo and Lemon joined them in a group hug. They stood there, June letting out happy sob, celebrating their newfound friendship.

******

Sour's house, 10 PM

Sour looked at her computer, giving another serious review of Twilight's memorial presentation. Cadence had set aside time on Friday morning for the whole school to watch the Shadowbolt's tribute to Twilight. It had to be perfect, and there was no room for mistakes or errors.

Despite her tired eyes, Sour stared furiously at it, making sure every mistake was corrected. Twilight deserved that and so much more.

"Don't worry Twilight," Sour said to herself in a solemn tone. "I'll make sure everyone knows the real you. I'll make sure you look beautiful." Sour stopped to keep herself from crying.

After one last look-over, Sour saved and closed the file. She let out a yawn, feeling ready to go to bed. She gave her MyStable account a glance, and saw a notification. She glanced up and read the notification.

"Pictures tagged 'Twilight Sparkle' have been posted," Sour said, reading the notification aloud. She opened it, and her jaw dropped. Twilight, with her hair down, was having dinner with some blue-haired-

Sour gritted her teeth, as she remembered who that was.

"That guitar playing guy," she said again aloud. "That was the guy I saw driving near the ice cream store, with that Rainbow girl and-," She stared at the screen again, and opened up the photo. The date said it was posted today.

"I knew it," Sour furiously yelled as she pulled out her phone to text her friends.

"Tomorrow, lunch time, library, Twilight-thing," Sour texted. Sour Sweet glared at the screen, imaging Twilight was right in front her.

"I knew you were alive! I don't know what you and those Wondercolts are planning Twilight, but I'll find out! Do you hear me!"

"Sour, honey," her mom said cheerfully, knocking on the door and interrupting her rant. "Was that you making that noise."

"Yes."

"WELL PIPE DOWN! YOUR FATHER AND I ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" Sour jumped from the sound of her mom's yell and went right bed, her fury replaced by the fear of her mom's fury. Still, Sour barely slept, as she had a knew mystery to resolve.

Scraps, Lawyers, and Uncles

Coco sat on the bus feeling uncomfortable. Her discomfort wasn't just from the worn out leather chair she was sitting in. Normally she joined Suri in her limo, but for obvious reasons, that was no longer an option. That reminded her of the fact that, for the first time since she came to Crystal Prep, she was alone.

Oh she knew deep down, her relationship with Suri was unhealthy. She knew she was little more then a minion. She knew she was little more than a slave to what Suri wanted. Her own mom pointed this out to her more then a few times.

But Suri was on top of CPA's food chain, and working for Suri meant enjoying SOME of the spoils. Being next to Suri would at least protect her from ridicule. At least she had a defined role. But the end result was that she had no independence, and she never bothered to find friends of her own.

For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to do, or who to hang out with. Suri's friends-well, former friends, never really noticed her. Working for Suri didn't mean you were part of her inner circle.

The closest thing she ever had to a friendship was with...with...Juniper. Juniper actually noticed how hard she was working and bothered to help. No one, outside her family, actually bothered. For the first time, she thought she had a friend.

But then came Suri's last spiteful act. She tried to humiliate Juniper with a bucket of rotten milk. Coco didn't want to, but as usual, she obeyed. She nearly dumped that slime onto Juniper. If Sunny hadn't stopped her, then Juniper would've been humiliated.

Of course, Suri then showed her true colors. But Sunny showed that Suri, while mighty, wasn't all powerful. She shamed everyone and stood up for Juniper. Her act of courage gave everybody the courage to turn on the pink jerk. It gave her some courage to disobey Suri. Coco was saved from a furious Indigo, which she was grateful for.

But still, that didn't make them friends. At the last hour, when Suri was sent running for the hills, nobody really talked to her. Coco tried to apologize to Juniper, but she furiously told her to leave her alone, and even though Indigo protected her, the athlete bended to June's will..

Coco clutched her purse tightly. She knew she deserved Juniper's scorn for being an accomplice. Following orders meant accepting responsibility. But Juniper was the first person she felt could be a real friend.

Coco let out a tear, thinking about how she ruined that to work for an animal like Suri. And in the end, she had nothing to show for it.

She stepped off the bus, and looked up at the clear blue sky.

"Maybe Juniper will forgive me" Coco thought to herself. "The faint hope was the only thing she could hold on to. She stepped off the bus, and walked to the CPA entrance, only for strong, furious hands to grab her by her shirt from behind.

"Hello traitor," she heard. Before she could do anything, she was roughly shoved onto the pavement. Coco let out a sob, feeling the pavement bruise her ribs. Before she could do anything she felt someone jump on her back, knocking the wind out of her.

"You stupid, little, mousy, bitch," Suri yelled, jumping on her with her sharp pointed heels, each jump hurting Coco more and more. Suri stopped and kicked her several times on her side, knocking her onto her, where could see Suri's twisted, sadistic face. Suri then tackled her.

"I give you everything," Suri yelled, punching her in the face. Coco felt her nose bleed. "I made you my friend," Suri snarled again, punching her. Coco felt tears of pain roll down her eyes, and felt Suri punch her in the eye several times. "Invited you to parties," Suri's voice became more and more demonic, "and this is how you repay me." Coco felt herself pulled up by her shirt, to face Suri's pitiless eyes. She barely noticed because she was in so much pain. "I'm going to enjoy this," Suri said with sadistic glee.

As Coco fell into a daze, she felt a crowd gathering around. But no one was bothering to help, just gawk.

"Help me", she thought to her self as she became in increasing pain. "Someone please help".

******

Juniper decided to take the bus today. She felt comfortable enough at CPA that she didn't Uncle Canter driving her anymore. For the first time she came to this place, she felt real confidence and joy. Sunny, Sugarcoat, Indigo, and Lemon had called her their her friend last night.

Not in the shallow way those jerks at her old school did. They hugged her and protected her, and they did it without even knowing who she was related to. She could count on them. And that gave her more joy then any gift her parents or Uncle could give her.

She was broken from her blissful thoughts by seeing a crowd gather around. She moved through the crowd and saw what was happening.

Suri, in an even bigger rage then what she had seen last night, was mercilessly wailing on Coco, with everyone watching it like it was a wrestling match. But it couldn't be called a match. Coco was no match for Suri's furious barrage. It was a fury born from being turned into a pariah overnight.

But deep down, Juniper felt no pity for Coco, but some satisfaction.

"Serves her right", Juniper thought coldly "She tried to humiliate me after I helped her". Coco tried to apologize last night, but Juniper had refused to really listen to her, and the Shadowbolts backed her up. Oh, she felt a touch of pity for Coco when Suri tried to attack her that night, but it was not enough to get Juniper to forgive her.

In Juniper's mind, the minion of the bully was a bully herself.

But something in her brain was pushing away the dark satisfaction. Maybe it was the fact that Coco couldn't defend herself and was almost unconscious, maybe it was Suri's snarling face, maybe it was the fact that the crowd of onlookers weren't doing a thing to stop Suri. Maybe it was because she remembered when someone risked everything to take a stand to defend her, even when it was hard.

She thought of getting Indigo but Coco looked really hurt, yet Suri wouldn't stop. Panic rose up in Juniper.

No, by the time she got Indigo, it might too late. Setting her jaw Juniper moved through the crowd.

"Hey," Juniper yelled. Suri stopped blows and glared at Juniper.

"Oh, hello Tulip," Suri said turning toward her with a crazed animal look, still sitting on top of the badly bruised Coco. The crowd shied away, themselves afraid deeply disturbed ex-popular girl. Juniper felt a pang of fear.

"Leave her alone," Juniper said forcefully, trying to bury her terror.

"Or what," Suri said condescendingly. She held up Coco by her hair, who whimpered in pain. "I'm just giving this bitch what she deserves." She gave a sly smile. "I was gonna go after you for ruining my life, but she was closer."

"I didn't ruin your life, you ruined yourself," Juniper bellowed, her fears being buried by her incredulity and outrage.

"I'll tell you what," Suri said grinning, letting Coco go. The beaten girl collapsed. barely conscious and moaning. "I'll let her go if you fight me. After all, you are more to blame for Coco's complete stupidity." The crowd of students stared at Juniper with some reluctance, wondering if she would do it.

"Fine," Juniper said after a few minutes. The crowd cleared a path, allowing Juniper to enter the ring. She looked again at Coco weak on the ground. "Could some of you help Coco," Juniper said to the crowd, "I think she might have a concussion." Two male students eventually stepped forward and carried Juniper away, holding her awake to keep her from falling unconscious. Juniper step forward, trying to put on an air of confidence. Thinking about how Suri almost humiliated her, and hurt Coco, was making her less nervous and more determined.

"OK, we do this on the count of three," Suri said, bracing her fists. "One, two..." she paused and pointed her finger. "Oh my gosh, Principal Cadence!" Juniper and the students turned their heads in a panic.

"What are you talking about," Juniper said, turning her head back. She look to see Suri coming toward and knocking off her glasses.

"Why did you knock my glasses off," Juniper said with a rage. Her rage was exacerbated by the fact that she couldn't see in front of her. She felt being punched in the nose. Suri looked like a pink blur, and she couldn't find her glasses.

"All is fair in love and war," Suri said viciously. Juniper heard the sound of glass breaking. She realized Suri stepped on her glasses.

"I can't see," Juniper said in a panic. She being punched again. This time her nose starting bleeding. She couldn't see where Suri's punches were coming from, due to her being right in front of her. She felt her hair being brutally tugged.

"You should've walked away," Suri said furiously. "But no, you had to mess with my life." She tugged her hair again. Juniper tried to pull Suri's arm away, but she couldn't find it with the blur. "I'm going to enjoy this."

******

Indigo Zap and Lightning Dust sat together on the bench, wiping sweat off their foreheads with towels. Both of them enjoyed training early before school. The exercise, the smell of morning dew, and the refreshing feeling of water was paradise to the two athletes.

"You're kind of slow today," Lightning Dust said nastily, giving Indigo a critical look. Indigo rolled her eyes.

"Sorry," Indigo said happily. "I think I gained some weight from all the food last night." The food wasn't the only thing she still remembered from last night.

"Yeah, I see the shorts are kind of tight around your waist," Lightning Dust said with a grin. Indigo threw her sweaty towel at Lightning Dust with a smile.

"Hey," Lightning Dust said playfully. Her face got serious. "So when are we gonna be workout buddies again," Lightning Dust asked. "You spend all your time with that Juniper girl."

"When June can do the reps," Indigo said. Lightning Dust gave an annoyed moan.

"No offense Indie," Lightning Dust said,"but that wimp is pretty hopeless." Indigo Zap felt a pang of anger at Lightning's remarks. Before yesterday, she would've been in agreement. She was only June's gym partner because Sunny told her to. But since last night, she suddenly felt the urge to defend Juniper against anyone who insulted her.

"Oh, so you just started running laps when you three years old," Indigo asked with frustration, causing Lightning Dust to jerk her head back. "Or did you have to practice like anyone else? June didn't go to school with strict athletics, so of course she wouldn't keep up." Lightning Dust lowered her head in some shame, silently conceding her point. "Besides June has made a lot of progress. I'm sure she'll have it down in a week."

"I guess," Lightning Dust said idly. "Anyways-,"

"Indigo," a female voice interrupted. Indigo saw a winded Blossomworth run up to her.

"Blossom, what's wrong," Lightning Dust asked.

"Suri is beating up Juniper," Blossomworth said, sounding scared.

"What," Indigo said with a snarl on her face.

"Suri knocked off her glasses, so Juniper's fighting blind," Indigo's rage was soon replaced by something else. The righteous urge to protect. Indigo grabbed Blossomworth by her shirt, surprising Lightning Dust.

"Where. Are. They," Indigo growled.

"Front of the school," Blossmworth said fearfully. Without another word, Indigo let Blossomworth go and sprinted there.

"Hold on June," Indigo thought to herself. "I'm coming".

******

Juniper felt everything hurt, and knew she had more than a few bruises. Suri had rained blow after blow, while Juniper had barely grabbed her. If only she could see her, she might have a chance.

"Don't push me," Juniper said with inflection. She felt herself seized by her uniform.

"Don't push you," Suri's voice said. With her bad eyes, Suri's voice felt like an evil specter. She felt herself being shoved quite far back to the edge of the crowd watching.

"I'll push if I want to," Suri said sadistically, not noticing Juniper's eyes narrow or a small smirk form on her face. She ran forward, to deliver one last brutal blow.

******

Indigo's sprinting took her to the crowd. She knew in the middle of it was Juniper, facing Suri at horrible odds.

She heard Juniper let out a horrible scream. Panic shot up inside Indigo. She pushed her way through the crowd that gathered.

"Don't worry Juniper," Indigo yelled. "I'm coming!" She finally reached the middle of the crowd, and looked in shock, her panic dying down.

The image before her was something that seemed to violate the very laws of the universe.

Indigo knew Suri was a tough girl. At Crystal Prep, working out was a requirement to pass to gym, not optional like at a lot of public schools. Underneath her prissy exterior was a girl who could hold her own. Juniper, meanwhile, was pretty much a toothpick who needed a lot of training to get in shape.

Which is why she was utterly flabbergasted when she saw Suri lying on the ground in agony, with a bleeding and bruised Juniper furiously jumping on the once-popular girl's body. Juniper's glasses were broken, and yet her eyes sharply focused on Suri like an animal closing in on its prey. She screamed and screamed as she squashed Suri, who sounded like she was begging for mercy. The whole crowd too looked stunned.

After a few minutes, Juniper stopped and let out deep, furious pants. She then pulled Suri up by her shirt, giving her a furious glare.

"If you ever mess with Coco and me again, I'll twist you like a pretzel," Juniper warned. She pulled Suri close. "GOT ME!"

"Yes," Suri said tearfully, in a voice that all but pleaded for mercy.

"Good," Juniper said. Juniper let Suri go, who was apparently too injured to rise up. Juniper then noticed Indigo in front of her, but narrowed her eyes.

"Who's that," Juniper said with some frustration.

"It is me, Indigo," Indigo said. Juniper "What happened," Indigo asked in a daze.

"Suri was beating Coco up," Juniper said, her face twisted into a dark satisfaction. It was then that Indigo noticed Coco. She was sitting on the ground, being propped by two boys. Her face was bleeding and bruised. She was moaning and crying at once. Indigo felt her heart break.

"Hey," Indigo said soothingly to Coco, who was weeping in fear and shame. Indigo bent down and pulled Coco into a hug. "Its going to be OK," Indigo cooed into Coco's ear, rubbing her back as the girl wept. She heard Suri's moans, and turned to look at the downed bully. Suri whimpered in terror at Indigo's glare.

"The only reason I haven't smashed your stupid face in is because Juniper took care of that for me," Indigo growled with some pride. She looked up at Juniper with a profound amount of respect.

"How did you do that," Indigo asked in awe. "Fight her blind." She noticed other kids were given Juniper looks of awe as well.

"I'm not completely blind, I'm just far-sighted," Juniper said with a proud smile. "I got Suri to shove me so far back, I was able to see her from a distance". She let out a deep breath. "She had to run toward me to get at me, but she didn't realize I knew where her hands and feet word. I just put my leg out, and she tripped to the ground." Indigo and the crowd looked even more impressed.

"That was incredible June," Indigo said ,"I didn't know-,"

"What is going on here," the voice of Principal Cadence sounded. Everyone turned around to see their panicked principal running up. She looked at Coco injured and crying, Juniper bruised, and Suri lying on the ground in agony. Cadence's face twisted into a cold fury.

"What. Happened," she asked in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Coco and Juniper ganged up on me and beat me up," Suri said first, using her injury and fear to play the victim.

"What," Cadence asked.

"She's lying," Juniper bellowed in dismay, Cadence was a bit far away from Juniper, thus Juniper tried finding Cadence with her voice. "She was beating Coco up. I was trying to save her. She even broke my glasses." Cadence, however, was giving Juniper an odd look.

"OK, Coco, Juniper, Suri," Cadence said coolly, "I want you three to go to the nurse's office. Suri and Juniper, I want you three in my office." Several students started protesting.

"But Principal Cadence," Indigo protested in consternation ,"Juniper was-,"

"Everyone shut up," Cadence bellowed. The crowd shut up, knowing that Cadence was not someone to cross when she was angry. "Everyone else get to class." She pointed to the two boys.

"You two, help Suri up," Cadence ordered. The boys helped Suri up. Before today, boys often fought to be the one to escort Suri, but it was clear these two boys did so reluctantly, giving hidden glares at Suri. Suri gave Juniper a taunting smile, even though the blue-green haired girl probably couldn't see it. Two other girls, without Cadence asking them to, gently picked up Coco to walk her to the nurse's office. The girl was not crying, but no longer upset. "You said your glasses were broken." An upset Juniper nodded. "Someone please help her to the nurse's office," Cadence asked.

"I'll do it," Indigo said, grabbing Juniper's tan-skinned arm.

"Thanks," Juniper said, in a voice of fear. Several students gathered her Juniper's broken glasses, and handed them to her with some reverence. "Thanks," Juniper said again, unable to keep her dread out. Indigo led her along to the nurse's office.

******

Juniper sat silently in front of the reception desk, waiting for Principal Cadence to arrive, crossing her arms. Despite having been triumphant in the fight, and having gotten bandages for her wounds and bruises, she had this bad feeling in her stomach that wouldn't go away that wasn't the pain she felt. Only one of her lenses remained unbroken, forcing her to look out of her left eye. All she heard were the clicks of the key made by the receptionist.

"So," the old woman asked. Juniper looked up. The woman was giving her a sly look, similar to a charming con artist. She had grey hair and her skin was rose red. "What are ya' in for," sounding like an prisoner.

Juniper usually avoided talking to school secretaries. To her, having pleasant conversations with the receptionist was a sign of being a loser, because you only talked to them went no one else wanted to talk to you.

"Uh, jumping into a fight to save someone," Juniper said. The woman looked surprised.

"Oh really," the woman said narrowing her eyes. The lilt of her tone was playful. "You seem like the person who's been swiping all my mints. That to me is deserving of death." Despite her frustrating situation, Juniper was a bit amused.

"Well, I guess if you had been the secretary in my elementary school, I would've been executed 100 times over," Juniper said. The woman started laughing, and Juniper followed along.

"My name is Juniper," Juniper said, "what's yours"?

"Rose Thorn," the woman said.

"So, how long have you worked here?"

"45 years."

"45 years!"

"Yep," Mrs. Thorn said. "I've been working here when they still used typewriters."

"You look like you've been working here since people drew on caves," Juniper snarked. Rose chuckled at that. "Anyways-,"

"Juniper," Cadence said firmly. "Can you please come in?" The uncomfortable feeling returned again. Juniper walked in, not noticing Rose looking at her with the eyes of someone watching a good show.

"Please sit in that chair," Dean Cadence said. Juniper's frustration boiled within in her as she sat down.

"Dean Cadence, it was-,"

"Juniper I don't want to hear anything from you. You aren't an unbiased party," Cadence said, looking at her like she was an out-of-sorts child. "And I'm not happy with you for jumping into a fight." Outrage bubbled within Juniper.

"What was I supposed to do," Juniper almost yelled. "Suri was-,"

"Juniper, if you read the contract signed, you know we have a zero-tolerance policy on fighting," Cadence said in a disappointed tone. "If you see a fight, you're supposed to talk to a teacher."

A new rage boiled inside Juniper as she heard that insipid advice of "talk to your teacher". There was a reason that never worked. The teacher's either didn't care, were too busy, were completely useless, or in the pocket of the bullies' parents.

"What was I supposed to do," Juniper yelled. Her bookroom nature made her disinclined to talk back to a teacher, no matter how bad or incompetent the teacher was, but everything that had happened since last night was making her care less and less. "Suri looked like she was going KILL Coco, was I-,'

"I don't want you to think violence is OK," Cadence said. Before Juniper could protest further, Suri stepped, also covered in bandages and with a triumphant smile. Juniper's annoyance with Cadence was displaced by her sheer rage at Suri. How could she be calm, despite being an outcast and losing a fight.

"OK Suri," Cadence said, giving her another glare, "I want you to be-" to her shock, three adults burst in. One of them was some old fat guy with a grey skin and a grey suit. Another was some light-blue man in a luxury brown suit and red hair. The third person was some woman with light pink skin, red hair with purple streaks, and wearing a luxury mink coat. Juniper met a lot of snobbish ladies in the movie industry, and almost all of them seemed to love these fancy coats.

What these three adults had in common was the nasty looks they were shooting Juniper, which began chilling her bones. Cadence looked confused at seeing these people here.

"Mr. Memo," Cadence said to the bald man, "Mrs. Polomare," Suri's smile became even more wide. Juniper glared at the woman, starting to get an idea of what was happening. "May I ask with this about?"

The fat guy, named Memo, seemingly ignored Juniper and gave her a condescending look.

"Ms. Montage," Memo said in a tone that made it sound like he was speaking to a child, "if you just tell the truth about how you attacked Suri, we can make your expulsion much easier." Juniper's fury re-emerged.

"Expulsion?! Suri attacked me," Juniper practically bellowed.

"Young lady," the red-haired man said in a tone that made it sound like a warning, "first of all, my name is Saul Summons, and as a lawyer, I must remind you anything you say will be used against you in a court of law."

"Lawyers," Cadence asked with incredulity. "Mr. Memo, Mrs. Polomare, surely we don't need to elevate a discipline problem to this?"

"Of course not," Mr. Subpoena said with a smile. He pulled a form out of his suitcase and showed it to June. "Just sign this confession for breaking the school's zero-tolerance policy, and you'll avoid being charged for assault."

"It was self-defense," Juniper bellowed. The three adults and Suri looked at her like she was an insignificant roach.

"Juniper," Cadence said, warning her to stop her outbursts,"Mr. Memo, surely we can deal with this reasonably."

"No we cannot," Mrs. Polomare said in a haughty tone. The woman's voice and appearance screamed egomania. "I want my dear Suri to go to school without fear." She covered her eyes and gave a fake cry, affecting the appearance of grief. "When she told me some wretch was bullying her, I knew I had to do everything in my power as a trustee to defend her."

"Yes Mommy," Suri said, also crying crocodile tears. "That was the mean girl who made everyone hate me."

Mrs. Polomare removed her hand from her eyes and gave a Juniper a cruel glare. "I'd rather my daughter not have to put up with such delinquents."

"No wonder your such a bitch," Juniper yelled at Suri with fury, "your mommy always protects you." Juniper felt her fists clench, seeking to attack the rich snob.

"I wouldn't try anything," Mr. Summons said. "Any attack on Suri, and you'll be charged with assault and sent to juvie."

"Although I personally believe she should be charged with insanity dumped in a lunatic asylum. After all, she shows all the signs of being mentally defective." Mrs. Polomare said with a grin that matched Suri's.

"Mrs. Polomare," Cadence said with frustration. "I understand your upset, but that does not give you a right to talk to Juniper that way! Know as principal, it is my job to deal with discipline-,"

"But as Board President, I can have the final say over discipline," Mr. Memo said proudly. Cadence herself began subtly glaring at Memo for upstaging him. "Even though this power is rarely exercised, I must intervene for this...transgression."

"Mr. Memo," Cadence almost yelled. "Let me administer discipline."

"She is to be expelled," Memo said with finality, "or she will be charge with assault and sent to juvenile hall". Suri looked at if she was about to stick her tongue out. Juniper felt like she wanted to cry, but would not give these monsters the satisfaction.

"Mr. Memo, please," Cadence said.

"Nothing personal Cadence," Memo said. He then gave a conniving smile toward Mrs. Polomare, which she returned.. "The Polomares are proud...friends of this institution, and CPA always listen to its friends."

"You mean, they stuff your money with pockets," Juniper yelled. Cadence didn't admonish her. However, the pink-skinned principal instead stared strongly at the door, as if she was expecting someone to arrive.

"Sign the form," Mr. Summons repeated, handing her the document and a pen. "Or we can take this to court." Juniper stared dumbly at the form, confused and hurt by what was happening.

I am finally accepted somewhere," Juniper thought sadly "And now I am about to lose my chance at having real friends to these jerks." Before she could sign, however, someone burst in to the crowded room.

"Hey June," a male voice said. Cadence smiled slightly. June looked up and saw the reassuring image of her uncle.

"Mr. Canter Zoom," Ms. Polomare said with an opportunistic smile. "The famous director? To what do we owe this visit?"

"Hey, Uncle Canter," June said, putting emphasis on the word "uncle." "How are you," she asked in a cute voice. Suri, her mom, Mr. Memo, and Mr. Summons were broken out of their reverie, their faces

"Uncle," Mr. Summons said with incredulity, his shock breaking the smug mask he wore.

"Yes, Juniper is my niece, and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for her," Canter said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Uncle Canter," June said in a little girl voice, "That lady called me 'mentally defective' and those two men were threatening me with juvie." Canter's smile became even more brittle.

"Mr. Zoom," Mr. Memo said in a tone that sounded like a condemned man pleading for mercy. "I was only trying to provide a safe environment for the students," he held out a hand to Canter, who regarded it oddly. "Surely we can forgive one ill-advised overreaction. Surely you and your...associates," he said, his euphemism for all the famous people Uncle Canter knew, "can become good friends of Crystal Prep." Canter took the hand, giving Mr. Memo a firm handshake.

"I know that look in your eye Mr. Memo," Canter said with the grin of a shark. "I will not give CPA one cent. The tuition my sister and...brother-in-law pay to CPA should be enough." Mr. Memo frowned, like a kid sent to his room without supper. Juniper flinched a bit at her uncle's coverup of her parents' divorce.

"Mr. Zoom, perhaps what I said was out of line," Mrs. Polomare said in what sounded apologetic, but the deep richness of the voice sounded seductive. Suri looked with dismay at what her mother was doing. "Perhaps we can...solve our differences over dinner." Canter's bitter smile became a frown.

"I am happily married, thank you very much," Canter said, unimpressed with Mrs. Polomare. "But since you've brought lawsuits, I can tell you now you don't stand a chance in court, and I don't even need to call my lawyer to tell me that this case is pretty open and shut." Mr. Summons looked like he was slapped in the face, and regained his nerve.

"Oh yes, there is quite a leg to stand on," Mr. Summons said boisterously. "There are clear signs of-",

"My niece told me that Suri held a grudge against her, and tried to humiliate her at a party," Canter Zoom said. "Not only that, but she tried to get violent as well. At the party were about 20 witnesses to this." Canter paused from his legal lecture to give a warm glance at Juniper. "20 girls who, in June's words, sided with her against Suri, and five girls who she says would stand by her no matter what." Juniper felt a warm smile form on her face, and she remembered that beautiful memory of the Shadowbolts hugging her. Suri, meanwhile, gnashed her teeth in a jealous rage over last night.

"But," Mr. Simmons objected.

"Not to mention there were many, many witnesses to this fight, a fight that my niece won despite her glasses being broken," Canter finished with a proud smile. Suri's rage was undeniable. "Who do you think they will side with?" The color drained out of Mr. Summons face, and he look defeated.

"Oh by the way June," Canter Zoom said, pulling out glasses from his vest ,"here are your spare glasses."

"Thanks," June said, taking the specs and removing her mangled glasses.

"OK, Mr. Zoom, we promise we won't press charges against you."

"That's fine, because I'm looking to press charges against you," Canter Zoom said, her eyes looking like they could kill a person with a blink. Mr. Memo looked pale. "There is quite a good case here for obstruction of justice, and other charges that could drag the good name of CPA through the mud. I should only repay you for how kindly you've treated June."

"Mr. Zoom," Cadence said with a panic, "please, there's no need for that, we can settle this like adults."

"Oh don't worry Madam Principal," Canter Zoom said, some mercy returning to his voice. "I am a fair man. I won't press charges," he turned to look directly at Suri, who responded with a whimper. "Provided a certain someone tells the truth of what happened." Suri looked to Mr. Memo, her mom, and Mr. Summons for help, but they gave her grave looks, as if to tell her "you're on your own." "Well Suri," Canter Zoom said again, "if you got something to say, say it know, or you'll be saying it in juvenile court." Suri let out a sad sigh.

Suri let out a confession of everything she did the night before and today. How she bullied June, how she tried to humiliate her, and how she picked a fight. In the middle of it, she broke down in tears. Whether it was out of remorse or self-pity, or an attempt to get mercy, no one knew. By the time it ended, Mr. Memo and Mr. Summons had left the room, or perhaps the better word was walked out with their tails between their legs. Mrs. Polomare looked utterly defeated, and Canter and Juniper sported triumphant grins. And Cadence was giving Suri a severe glare.

"Mrs. Polomare," Cadence said in an even, but seething voice, completely unsympathetic toward Juniper's tears. "I am deeply, deeply disappointed. To come here is a privilege, and you have wasted that by picking on and abusing your classmates." She pulled out a form. "You are suspended for the rest of the year," she said with a grim tone. "If you wish to make it up, you must attend summer school."

"This is shameless," Mrs. Polomare practically yelled. "My late husband's money helped build this school, and we will not be disrespected. Principal Cinch knew when to show proper respect!"

"Cinch is no longer here," Cadence said in a dangerously quiet tone, but she couldn't help but growl at the mention of her ex-boss. "If you wish to withdraw your donations, I assure you Crystal Prep has many friends who can pick up the slack, but do not think your contributions make you principal." Mrs. Polomare looked like she was about to explode, but instead cooled off to retain some dignity.

"Very well Suri," she said, taking her daughter by the arm. "We can always send you to another boarding school. We don't need to be here." While Mrs. Polomare tried to maintain her composure, Suri looked utterly broken as her mom led her out by her arm. She didn't even bother to stare at Juniper anymore as she was led out the door.

"Now Juniper," Cadence said, her voice no longer as severe as she addressed the pig-tailed girl. "I want to say that what you did was brave, but you're still getting detention for a week." Juniper's mouth twisted into

"Wait," Canter protested. "Your gonna punish her for defending a friend?!"

"Mr. Zoom," Cadence said. "We have a strict no-tolerance policy. I don't want June to think that violence can solve everything." Canter Zoom let out a deep frown at that. Mrs. Thorn, who was listening in, rolled her eyes at her bosses words.

"Oh, yeah, you certainly solved everything," Canter Zoom said in a bitterly sarcastic tone. "Your tolerance certainly prevented violence. That Suri brat was certainly deterred from violence."

"That was one incident-,"

"Let me tell you something, Madam Principal," Canter Zoom interrupted. "In my day, as today, teachers didn't really care about bullies. Whoever, if you wanted to defend yourself, that wouldn't lecture you about how 'fighting is wrong'. That's like punishing someone for defending someone against a mugger."

"Mr. Zoom, I'm trying to prevent future-"

"Do you live in some kind of fantasy world," Canter Zoom replied. "Because here on Earth, the reality is bullies don't care to follow the rules. They find ways around them, or as this Suri girl proved, they have connections that can help them get around the rules. That is what a bully is," Canter Zoom said.

"She'll be in detention for a week," Cadence said. "I will not argue this further." Juniper looked dismayed, and was about to protest, but Juniper was stopped by her uncle's raised hand.

"Don't worry about it," Canter whispered to her niece. "Tonight, I'm taking you to a buffet." Juniper smiled gratefully, with the two walked out of the principal's office.

"Well June, I'll see you later," Canter said. Juniper didn't walk alongside her uncle, not wanting to expose her relationship to the famed director yet. He walked up to Mrs. Thorn.

"How did I do," Canter asked Mrs. Thorn. She nodded her head and gave Canter a fist-bump of approval.

******

Juniper ran quickly to her gym. She didn't want to be late again, fearing that her brutish gym teacher would grind her into dust.

She ran into the field, where she saw the other girls, just as class started.

"June," Indigo called. June saw Indigo to her right, standing at the edge of the crowd, and ran up to the blue-haired athlete. "Are you OK? Where did you get new glasses?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Juniper said, though wincing. "My uncle dropped them off."

"What happened with Cadence," Indigo asked with full sympathy.

"She gave me a weeks detention," Juniper said. Indigo looked displeased.

"What," Indigo said with some exasperation. "Cadence gave you detention for helping Coco? That is so un-,"

"Don't worry about it," Juniper said with a shrug. "The good news is that Suri was suspended."

"Good," Indigo said with some grim satisfaction.

"How was Coco," Juniper asked. Indigo looked a bit sad.

"She..could be better. Nothing's broken, but she was so upset, her mom took her home for the rest of the week."

"That's too bad," Juniper said. "Anyways, lets get to-," Juniper and Indigo stopped to notice that every girl in class was forming a circle around her, and giving her an odd look.

"Uh," Juniper asked. "What's going on." Her confusion deepened when Indigo gave her a sly grin.

"You don't get it, do you," Indigo said with a small chuckle.

"No," June protested. "Why is everyone-,"

"Is it true you beat Suri up while blind," one girl asked.

"I heard Suri dangled Coco from a ledge, and June jumped on the ledge to save her," another girl said.

"I heard you ripped out Suri's heart and ate it while blindfolded," Lightning Dust asked Suri. "What did it taste like?"

"I didn't eat anyone's heart," Juniper protested.

"Everyone heard how you beat up Suri to save Coco, and did it without your glasses," Indigo said with a proud smirk. "Needless to say, you've become the talk of the town, or school."

"Really," said Juniper. "I was trying to help Coco".

"And that's just the icing on the cake," Indigo said.

"Did you steal Suri's hair, and keep it as a trophy," another girl asked.

"These girls think I'm some kind of savage", Juniper muttered with amusement.

"Embrace it," Indigo advised.

"EVERYBODY," Coach Squats bellowed. The class ended their endless questions about Juniper. "You all can talk to Juniper later. Right now, it is time to find your gym partner."

"OK Indigo let's get started," Juniper said, albeit with more conviction then she had showed before.

"Alright," Indigo practically roared, but soon everyone started swarming around Juniper.

"Pick me to be your gym partner," said Lightning Dust.

"No pick me," said Blossomworth.

Juniper was astonished by the fact that someone wanted to be her partner in anything related to gym. But eventually she got tired of being fought over like a prize, her astonishment giving way to amusement.

"Uh, I'm going to be with Indigo," Juniper said. The crowd looked a bit downcast. "Sorry," she said, a sly grin forming on her face. "But, uh, Indigo needs my help. Even her grandma says she's slowing down."

A chorus of "ooh's" and shocked laughter echoed.

"Just for that," Indigo said in a jokingly stern voice, "You'll be doing push ups while I sit on you."

"HAHA," Juniper said. Then she let out a sob of pain." Seriously. I'm still hurting from Suri's attack. Let's take it easy today."

"You've earned it, champ," Indigo said with a happy smile.

******

"So Squats gave you a high five after class," Sunny asked Juniper. Juniper and the Shadowbolts walked down the hallway toward the cafeteria.

"Yes," Juniper said happily. "She told me 'even though I can't condone fights on campus, as an athlete I salute you' and she gave me a reward of 20 pushups. The rest of the Shadowbolts chuckled.

"Squats thinks exercise is the best reward," Indigo said.

"Thank you guys so much," Juniper said.

"For what," Lemon asked with all sincerity.

"For what," Juniper asked. "For being my friend, for standing up for me." Juniper saw some guys giving her a wave. "If it weren't for you guys being my friend, I don't think I would've ever been popular on campus."

"June," Sugarcoat said sternly but tenderly. "We only opened the door for you. For it to matter, you've go to walk through it. Everything you have is because of the things you do." Juniper's eyes moistened. "For us to like you, you have to be likable."

"Thank you," Juniper said in a voice full of gratitude. She turned toward Sunny. "Sunny I know this might not mean much, but your my best friend here." Sunny looked surprised, but touched.

"June" Sunny said sternly, "don't get sappy on me, you have too much dignity for that." Juniper smirked and let out a respectful nod.

"Wait a minute," Sunny said, and pulled out her phone. "Guys, Sour wants to talk to us," Sunny said. "About the...project." The other Shadowbolts silently nodded.

"Sorry June," Indigo said. "We have to meet with Sour during lunch."

"For the embroidery thing," Juniper asked Indigo.

"Yeah, sure" Sunny said, rubbing the back of her head.

"OK guys, do what you gotta do," Juniper walked to the cafeteria, but felt a chill. For the first time since she came here, she wouldn't being eating with Sunny. She was nervous about finding a table, wondering who she could sit with. She was so lost in her anxiety, she barely noticed a tap on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," a gruff, female voice behind her said. Juniper turned around and saw two girls behind her, giving her odd looks and smiles.

"Uh, can I help you," Juniper replied.

"Are you Juniper Montage," the other girl asked, speaking with an odd accent.

"Yes," Juniper said. She looked at the two girls before her. Both of them wore the CPA uniform, but that where their similarities ended.

One girl had pigeon blue skin, with white hair curled at the top (almost in the shape of a cloud) that went down to her neck, with a nasty scar running along her eye. She was similar to June in both height and build.

The other girl was one of the most intimidating people Juniper had met. She was almost as tall as Coach Squats, towering at 5 ft 10 inches, with thick, well-developed muscles that could seen through her uniform. She had piercing yellow eyes, a stern, boyish face, tanned skin, and white hair that looked almost like feathers.

"Name's Gilda", the tall girl said.

"I'm Rolling Thunder," the shorter girl said, extending her hand.

"Nice to meet you," Juniper said. "Are you from Australia?"

"Yep," Rolling Thunder said. "All the way from Alice Springs, anyways-,"

"Is it true that Suri blinded you with mace," Gilda blurted, drawing a stern look from Rolling Thunder that the white-haired amazon ignored, "but using your scent, you were able to tackle her to the ground, and tear her throat out with your teeth?"

"What," Juniper said. "If I did that, don't you think I would be in jail?"

"Sorry," Rolling Thunder said. "Rumors and all that. But the way people have described you, you sounded like a giant."

"I was just trying to save my friend", Juniper said modestly. "All I did was trip her. And I wasn't completely blind either, just nearsighted."

"Well, it was still incredible," Rolling Thunder said, a look of admiration on her eyes.

"And you finally put that bitch in her place," Gilda said. The sadistic glee and fiery eyes were unmistakable. "Not bad for a newbie."

"You hated Suri," asked Juniper, "I thought Suri was popular here."

"Well, she was more powerful then popular," Rolling Thunder said with the roll of her eyes.

"Because her mommy wrote checks to the school, the school board let her do what she wanted, the lazy old bastards," Gilda said with sheer disgust. "If you touched her, the school would come down hard on you after one phone call." She smiled. "But this time, she finally got her ass handed to her and expelled."

"Well I did get detention," Juniper said.

"Anybody else would've been expelled," Rolling Thunder said. "Anyways, Gilda and I are co-captains of CPA's Martial Arts club."

"And were goddamned impressed with what you did without even glasses," Gilda said gleefully.

"We would love it if you would come eat with us and tell us the story," Rolling Thunder said, "Maybe you could join the club if you're interested."

"Sure," Juniper said, a happy smile forming on her face. "I'd love that."

Mistaken Identity Part 1

The Shadowbolts went into the library, and saw Sour Sweet waiting for them anxiously in front of the doors. The Shadowbolts had faces of stone, aware of their friend's emotional issues and her tendency to exaggerate.

"Hey guys," Sour said.

"Listen Sour," Sunny said sternly. "We were going to take Juniper out to eat today for lunch, but we are here in the library instead. You better not be wasting our time with one of your crazy conspiracies."

"It isn't, I swear," Sour said. "In fact, I reserved one of the study rooms, so we won't be heard."

The Shadowbolts all followed Sour and piled into the study room, which consisted of a table with enough chairs and a whiteboard.

Sour pulled out her laptop while the other Shadowbolts sat down.

"What is it you need to tell us," Indigo said sternly.

"Twilight is alive," Sour said crazily. Each of the Shadowbolts responded to her with a furious glare.

"OK, I'm out of here," Sugarcoat said, glaring at Sour with gritted teeth. The rest of the Shadowbolts got up to leave.

"Guys, I have proof," Sour said pleadingly.

"Uh-huh," Lemon said with some anger. "When will you get it through your messed up brain? Twilight is dead? We all saw her die!" Lemon tried to hold back tears.

"Guys, I-,"

"You really need to get some help," Sunny said with disgust. "Your mental problems aren't just hurting you know, but us. You can't just accept she's dead." Sunny said, almost crying. "Just see a doctor, Sour."

"Guys, I promise you that I have real proof," Sour said is frustration. "Just look, and if you don't believe me, I promise I'll buy you guys ice cream." The other Shadowbolts let out annoyed sighs.

"Fine," Sugarcoat said. "But if you are wrong, you will also go see a specialist." Sour nodded her head, accepting the terms. Sour pulled out her laptop, turned it on, and opened up MyStable.

"See," Sour said, pointing at the screen pridefully.

"How is a baby picture of you in a sailor suit proof of Twilight's rebirth," Sunny asked with confusion.

"What," Sour asked. She looked at the picture and blushed. "Sorry, wrong picture." She went through more pictures. "OK, here they are!"

The Shadowbolts gathered around her laptop. They looked at pictures, and their jaws dropped.

"That's Twilight being spoon-fed," Sunny said.

"By some...decent-looking guy," Lemon said.

"The same guy,", Sugarcoat said. "Who was playing that memorial song in front of CHS!"

"Look at the date," Sour said. Indigo used the cursor on screen to point on the date.

"Those pictures were posted...last night," Indigo finished, gritting her teeth. The Shadowbolts jaws dropped even further.

"See, I told you I was right," Sour said. "I knew I saw her last week when I was driving around town. This just confirms it." She gave a devious smile. "Twilight and those Canterlot goons are playing us."

"What are you talking about," Sunny asked.

"Twilight faked her death," Sour said, "as part of a plot for Cadence to takeover CPA and Canterlot High was in on it." The other Shadowbolts were confused.

"Uh, how does that work," Lemon asked.

"Think about it," Sour Sweet said, "why would those Canterlot creeps throw a whole memorial concert for a girl they just met? Not even the nicest person would do that!" She took a deep breath. "We just found out Twilight and Cadence were related. And how does this whole thing end? With Cinch getting shown the door, and Cadence getting promoted." She gave off a proud smile.

"It's all so obvious. Cadence and Twilight worked with Canterlot High to sabotage the Friendship Games. Twilight would fake her death and look like she had been killed, Cinch would be disgraced, CPA would look bad while CHS would look better, and Cadence would become principal." Sour imagined her friends congratulating her for her genius, but instead, they gave her unimpressed looks.

"Your conclusions have more holes in them then Swiss cheese," Sugarcoat commented. Sour glared.

"What are you talking about," Sour said. "This is a foolproof plan."

"Let me get this straight," Sugarcoat said to Sour. "You think Cadence, a woman who has neither the temperament nor the disposition of a schemer, would sabotage the most important event in Crystal Prep, sabotage the reputation of a school she has worked hard to make a good place us, destroy the life of her own sister-in-law by having her fake her own death, and work with Canterlot High to do this." Sugarcoat then took off her glasses, and gave Sour an annoyed look. "You think she is the kind of person who would fake her own sister's death and ruin the life of her boss, all for a relatively minor promotion." Sour looked down.

"Are you also saying that Twilight manipulated us into telling her to open the amulet-thing," Sunny added, shooting Sour an annoyed look. "That she planned for Cinch to be brutally tackled and beat up by that Sunset girl? That they planned for those evil plants to try and eat us? That has got to be the most insane scheme I've ever heard!"

"Well," Sour said, trying to find a counter-argument. "How else do you explain things like CHS throwing a memorial concert for a girl they probably just met, and then later sharing a meal with that same guy who played that concert?"

"Maybe it could be another girl named Twilight," Lemon Zest suggested. "Who also happens to have purple skin and hair."

"That would be one hell of a coincidence. The odds would be worse then someone trying to buy a lottery ticket," Sugarcoat said. "No, that wouldn't work either."

"Maybe this picture was from a while ago," Sunny said. "Maybe Twilight dated this guy a long time, and now he got around to posting them."

"That doesn't make sense either," Sugarcoat said. "The Twilight we knew didn't have a social life. What makes you think she would have a date, let alone date a rock star who would spoon-fed her."

"There's a lot we didn't know about her," Indigo said simply.

"Yes," Sugarcoat admitted, "but nothing in the pictures Cadence gave us, and the stories Cadence told us, indicates any romantic background in Twilight's life". She took off her glasses and wiped them. "Nothing about this adds up at all."

"Maybe she did fake her death," Lemon Zest said somberly. "Only, her family doesn't know about it."

"What," Sugarcoat said.

"Remember how upset that Armor guy looked, and how mad that dog was at us," Lemon said, pausing to stop her tears. "And Cadence also looked completely broken. Maybe Twilight faked her death, and they think she's dead too."

"Twilight's family could be faking it you know," Sour said. "If they were in on the plan, they would act all sad and stuff."

"I don't think so," Lemon said. "People who pretend to be sad usually blubber like idiots. Cadence looks like she's been trying to control her tears, while Armor and Spike," she paused, still remembering that awful memory, "looked utterly broken. Their sadness is real." Lemon sighed. "Maybe...Twilight faked her death because she hated it here, and the CHS students are helping her build a new identity." A chill hung over them. The idea of a classmate faking their death because she wanted to escape Crystal Prep was...odd. But thinking about it, it seemed pretty plausible.

"Well, if you're going to fake your death, putting pictures of yourself on a place where everyone can see them is a pretty stupid thing to do," Sugarcoat added.

"Well as we can see, Twilight is getting a new look," Lemon Zest said, pointing to the picture. Twilight was wearing something other then a Crystal Prep uniform. A pretty awesome blouse and skirt. And her hair was being let down. But in general, Twilight demeanor in the photos, a passionate look born of romance, was very different from the quiet bookworm the Shadowbolts knew and mourned.

"Still, faking your death is pretty extreme," Sunny said.

"OK, so lets consider the two most probable answers," Sugarcoat said. "One, she could've fake her death, and is being coddled by CHS' student body. Or two, these pictures could be from a romantic past no one knew about, and they are only now are they being published."

"Should we show this to Cadence," asked Indigo.

"Absolutely not," Sunny said firmly. "She's still upset about Twilight, even if she isn't showing it. We don't want to get Cadence's hopes up about her sister being alive, only for it to turn out to be nothing. That would be like stomping on her heart."

"So what do we do," asked Sour "we've got nothing!" Then without warning, Sour's head slumped to her desk. Sunny rubbed her chin.

"I think I know someone who could help us out," Sunny said, a crafty smirk forming on her face.

Mistaken Identity Part 2

Thursday, 3:30 PM.

The school day was coming to an end, with most students who didn't have clubs heading home and walking out the main entrance. A certain quintet walked in the opposite direction, heading toward the detention room. They ignored the noise around them, having a somewhat heated debate.

"Why can't we tell June the truth," Sunny asked her friends. The Shadowbolts didn't have any spy equipment they could use on Canterlot, and they didn't think they could get any equipment by tomorrow. So they decided to see if Juniper, who had a background in broadcasting, had anything that could help them.

However, Sunny felt that, since Juniper might help them out, the blue-green haired girl deserved to know the truth about what really happened at the Friendship Games. The conspiracy so far had been kept under wraps. The code of silence that existed in CPA had a strange benefit for once, especially since it had helped rid them of their selfish principal.

Sunny felt that Juniper shouldn't be lied to, but she was up against the cold pragmatism of her friends.

"Telling the truth could backfire, as Juniper could reveal magic to the world, causing mass chaos and panic among world governments," Sugarcoat replied. "Not to mention revealing Cadence's conspiracy, thus costing the pink woman and a lot of our teachers their jobs." Sunny's exasperation faded a bit at Sugarcoat's harsh summation of what could go wrong.

"June's our friend now. Do you really think June will fink to the government," Sunny asked pleadingly.

"I trust June," Sour said happily. She then frowned. "It's her big mouth I don't trust!"

"She does still run her mouth a bit," Indigo muttered. While Indigo had gained a lot of respect for June, that didn't mean she wasn't still annoyed by her techobabble. "And she's a nerd like Twilight. She could end playing with the magic as well." Sunny shook a bit at another hapless person dying because of messing with magic

"She could be a narc for all we know," Sour said. "She could be the kind of person who snitches on us for having pot."

"Look, the less people who know about this the better," Sugarcoat said. "We're lucky someone hasn't spilled the beans."

"I guess," Sunny said. "But I just think since we are asking her to do a lot-,"

"We can take her out shopping as a reward," Indigo said. "But this is one thing we talk the least about." Sunny sighed, reluctantly accepting that bringing too many people into the truth was too risky. They approached the detention room.

They noticed that since Cinch was gone, the room had the bars removed. This signaled Cadence's plans to turn detention from a punishment to a rehabilitation program. Full of trust exercises, group therapy, and all that other mushy junk. They opened the door, and saw a group of troubled students sitting around some dude in a circle. The man had rose skin, brunette hair in a ponytail, sandals, a green suit, and beard.

He was the environmental science teacher named Gentle Wind. Like many of CPA's teachers, he had been more then just a teacher. He had also worked as an environmental activist, lobbying for wetland conservation. Despite being somewhat at odds with Cinch, his experience made him valuable as a professor. Like Cadence, he was a reformer, although he often behaved like some spiritual guru/hippie.

"Now, lets get to know one another," the man said in a chill and compassionate voice. "Forget about the pain and misery, and see how we can rise above to be something better." He looked at Gilda. "Let's talk about why you punched that poor kid."

"The idiot tried to hit me Mr. Wind" The muscular girl growled. "He was waving some stupid paper in my face."

"Are you sure he was trying to hit you," Mr. Wind asked, holding up the paper. "It looks like some petition related to wildlife protection. Are you sure he wasn't trying to get your signature?"

"Uh, well, maybe," Gilda said, looking slightly remorseful.

The Shadowbolts looked at the group in question, but didn't see Juniper anywhere, to their confusion.

"Mr. Wind," Sunny asked. The rose-skinned man looked toward the group. "Where's Juniper?"

"Juniper," Mr. Wind asked. "Well, Principal Cadence called and said she was being given 'special detention'. I don't know where that is, but she was excused."

"Lucky," Gilda muttered. She turned her neck to face the Shadowbolts with a warm smile. "Tell June I said hi."

Sunny silently nodded with a smile of her own. Gilda was quite a character.

She had been suspended from CHS for a fight, and Cinch had let her into CPA because of her physical fitness on the basis.

Gilda was one of the oddest people in CPA. She was one of the school's top athletes, and she had the temperament of a rhino. Yet she was not a member of the school's social elite (not enjoying shopping or seeking social status) nor was she a bully. She was more or less a wild card, with her talent making her indispensable at athletic competitions. What she admired was true strength, and thus she, of all people, could find a friend in someone like Juniper.

The Shadowbolts left, and the group went back to their group exercise.

"OK class," Mr. Wind said. "Let us now deal with our aggression." He pulled out a pillow. "By punching this pillow." He handed it off to Gilda. "Gilda why don't you..."

Gilda didn't so much punch the pillow as maul it. Each punch slowly push feathers out. Other students began squirming in their chairs, trying to move as far away as Gilda as possible. Mr. Wind, however, watched with joy.

"Glad to see I'm making a difference," Mr. Wind.

******

Juniper sat in the science lab, assembling a power box. She was so focused on her work, she barely noticed the door opening up.

"Hey June," she heard Sunny's voice call. Juniper looked up, and saw the Shadowbolts approaching her.

"Hey guys," she greeted them warmly. They flinched a bit, seeing her face still bruised and swollen.

"How's the face," Indigo asked with a sheepish smile.

"Still throbbing," Juniper said with a pained smile. "But not as bad as this morning."

"That is the pain worthy of a champion," Indigo said, raising her fist into the air, which Juniper repeated.

"How did you get out of detention," Sour asked. "Did you threaten to break the Principal's legs!"

"No," Juniper said with a smile. "I'm still in detention, but Cadence said I can be in any room I want in the school. She doesn't want me to get into another fight, but she thinks I did the right thing, and is going easy me."

"What are you working on," Sunny asked Juniper.

"Trying to connect the AC motor and the battery, in order to provide adequate power to the radio-,"

"June," Indigo warned. "You have to stop sounding like an encyclopedia! You don't sound smart, you just sound obnoxious."

"Sorry," Juniper said with a flinch. "I'm just building a remote control car."

"Cool," Indigo said.

"Uh June," Sunny asked. "We're here because we need your help with something."

"What," Juniper asked.

"Uh," Sunny stammered, "well..."

"We think CHS is pulling a prank on us," Sour said kindly. "And we want to catch them with their pants down!" Calling a feigned death "a prank" was a bit odd, but it technically was true.

"Then why not report them," Juniper said.

"Because," Indigo said, putting on a sly smile, "we...want to get them back too. And knowing the plans of the enemy is the best way to deal with them."

"Sure," Juniper said, putting on a devious smile of her own. "I'd love to help my fellow criminals and their evil plot." Sunny let out an honest smile. She liked that Juniper, while a good person, wasn't so much of a square not to enjoy a good prank.

"Do you have something that we can use to spy on them," Sugarcoat asked. "I mean, you do want to work in broadcasting, so we figured you have some cameras."

"Say no more," Juniper said. "I actually built my own spy drone."

"Really," asked Sour.

"Yep. I took a hobby class, and my drone was the final result," Juniper asked. "So what time should we be spying on them?"

"Tomorrow morning," Indigo said. She did a double take. "Wait, what do you mean we?"

"Well, can't I join in," Juniper asked. "I mean, I want in on whatever prank you guys are pulling."

"Uh, well..."

"Sure," Sunny said with a forced smile, ignoring the cold looks her friends were giving her. "We'd love for you to join in."

"Sure," Juniper said. She noticed the unhappy looks on their faces. "Is everything OK?"

"Everything is fine," Indigo said with a forced smile. "You'll have the drone by tomorrow?"

"Sure," Juniper said, her smile kind of forced. "Alright, we'll I'll see you tomorrow." The girls walked out of the room, with some giving her a friendly wave. Just as they left, Sour's frustration boiled over.

"WHY DID YOU INVITE HER," Sour bellowed as they left. "YOU KNOW SHE MIGHT NOT KEEP HER MOUTH SHUT!" She was so lost in her anger, she was unaware that Juniper heard her words, with a small frown.

"You do realize the risk," Sugarcoat said, unhappy with Sunny.

"Look," Sunny said looking down, trying to think of an excuse. "The odds are that all this is...nothing and Twilight Sparkle is really dead. If that is true, then June can't possibly find out the truth. If Twilight is alive, we don't have any secret to keep, because she didn't really die. The ball is in Twilight's court." The Shadowbolts heard this, and reluctantly accepted the answer.

"Fine," Sugarcoat said. "But please ask us before you play with fire." Sunny nodded. She felt a bit heavy with what they were about to do. She dreaded that whatever answer she got, if Twilight was really alive or not, she wouldn't like the result.

Mistaken Identity Part 3

Thursday Night, Sparkle Residence

Cadence was in her bedroom, trying to decide between her usual uniform or something more formal. Tomorrow, there was going to be a PowerPoint presentation about Twilight and her life story before CPA. Without a body to bury, this was going to be effectively be her funeral.

She held the two in her hand, wavering back and forth between the two, glancing at Shining who was sitting on the bed. Normally Shining would bark at her to pick something in frustration. Instead, Shining just sat motionless in the bed, wearing nothing but underwear, his face smothered by an atrocious blue beard. He stared blankly at the low volume television while covered in a blanket.

Over the past week, Shining had done almost nothing by lie around the bed, lie around in the couch, lie around the house, and play with Spike. His boss, who had been friends with Night Light, told Shining Armor he could take as much time off as he needed to mourn his dead sister.

But seeing Shining Armor being nothing more then a vegetable tore at Cadence's heart. And she knew she had to step in, otherwise Shining might never leave his home again.

"Shining," Cadence said forcefully. Shining kept staring at the screen, ignoring her completely. Normally Cadence would back off, but this time, her frustration overcame her pity. She angrily tore at the blanket.

"Shining, tomorrow there is going to be a presentation on Twilight at CPA," Cadence said forcefully. "Those girls were asking for pictures made it-," without warning, Shining turned to the left, curling into a ball so he could face the wall.

"Shining," Cadence said forcefully. "It wasn't their fault."

"Oh really, is that what they told you," Shining Armor grumbled with quiet fury. "Twilight told me how none of the girls at school like her. Maybe they wanted to get rid of her for good, and this was their chance."

"Shining," Cadence said. "They made Twilight open the amulet because Cinch said it would win."

"They used my sister to cheat," Shining said with a growl. Cadence said.

"And they're trying to make for it," Cadence said with a sigh. "Just come down to CPA tomorrow, and watch the presentation," Cadence continued. "It will help you feel a lot better." Shining didn't respond, continuing to sit curled into a ball, with his back to Cadence. After a few moments of watching, Cadence let lose a roar of frustration.

"Oh my God," Cadence yelled, "you are so self-centered!" Shining came out of ball, and turned to face Cadence with sad eyes.

"Self-centered?" Shining asked in an insulted, but the still sad, tone.

"You think you're the only one who is upset about what happened!" Cadence yelled. "You think you're the only one who misses her." She got right up to the bed and slammed her fists onto the mattress. "Well I miss her too, Shiny! But I still get up and face life anyways. Because I know my parents wouldn't want me to see me like this!"

"Your parents are alive," Shining retorted in a sad voice. Shining awaited a scolding from Cadence. Instead the pink woman climbed into the bed, and gave him a warm hug.

"I hate seeing you like this Shiny," Cadence said as she rubbed the forlorn man's back. "Night Light, Velvet, and Twilight would hate to see you like this too." Shining's frown deepened a bit. Cadence tightened the hug. "Please do it. Do it for me. Do it for them." After a few minutes, Cadence released Shining from his hug. Shining let out a heavy sigh and rose from his bed.

"Help me put my suit together," Shining said, as he walked over to the dresser. He began looking for matching clothes.

"Thank you, Shiny," Cadence said with a grateful smile. She knew Shining was far from OK, but this was his first step toward moving past his grief.

Friday Morning

The Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage were walking through the halls of CHS. The blue-green-haired girl was carrying her camera drone. The drone was blue with four propellers, with a camera attached to its underside.

"So, what do we do?" Juniper asked.

"At 10 AM we have our free period," Sunny said. "We can use that time to leave the building and head to CHS."

"After that, we fly the drone on the entrance," Sugarcoat said.

"And then, we wait," Lemon Zest finished.

"So let me get this straight." Juniper asked. "In order to find out about Canterlot High's prank, you want us to use the camera to spy on the entrance?"

"Uh, sure let's go with that," Indigo said uneasily. Juniper shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright," Sour said. "Let's-," paused as she saw a couple of people approach them. It was Principal Cadence and Shining Armor. While the former remained solemn and dignified, the latter looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"Hello Principal Cadence," Sugarcoat said. "Mr.... Armor," she said with more unease. He still looked like an emotional wreck.

"Hello girls," Cadence said with some feigned cheer. "We can't wait to see your presentation, right Shining?" Cadence said. Shining continued to stare at the Shadowbolts with a sad, broken face. "Right, Shining?" Cadence repeated again more forcefully.

"Thanks...for putting together this presentation," Shining Armor said with some hesitation.

"We'd do anything for Twilight," Sunny said.

"It was real nice of you." Shining Armor said. "You know what would've been nicer? If you had done this while she was still alive," Shining Armor said, some real anger heard in his voice. He then turned away from them in disgust. Shining's remark sent everyone's mood crashing down. The Shadowtbolts looked at the ground in shame, while Juniper looked at the white-skinned man with a mixture of confusion and sympathy.

"Don't worry girls," Cadence said in a reassuring tone. "He's just...still in dumps. Once he watches what you've put together, he'll feel better." She turned to walk in the direction of Shining. "I'll see you guys at noon." She walked away, leaving behind the depressed girls.

"Are you guys OK?" Juniper asked the girls. The Shadowbolts pulled their eyes from the floor, looking at Juniper in their still poor moods. "What was that all about?"

"Uh," Sour said. "Mr. Armor was Twilight's brother." Juniper's jaw dropped her horror.

"He's...he's not doing...well," Sugarcoat said, not wanting to admit to being the cause of Armor's poor mood.

"That poor guy," Juniper said with sympathy in his voice. "I can't imagine what it was like to lose a younger sibling. And it was really hard on you guys as well. I mean, you guys are making a presentation about your friend, so she must've meant a lot to you as well." She continued, not noticing that the Shadowbolts' mood worsened. "Anyways, we should get going to first period." She said, walking down the hall with her drone in her hand, leaving behind her still morose friends.

"I really hope...that Twilight's OK," Lemon Zest said, her normally chill voice filled with sorrow.

"But if she isn't, we have to accept it and move on," Sunny said with a mixture of sadness and resolve. "Anyways, we really need to head to class." The girls all broke away from each other, walking to their separate classes.

Friday, 10:06 PM

The Shadowbolts and Juniper snuck their way to Canterlot High. They hid behind cars and bushes as they approached the main entrance, not wanting to be seen by any CHS students. The memories of the Friendship Games were still raw, and CHS students weren't eager to see Crystal Preppers skulking around the premises.

"I told you we should've brought sunglasses and ski masks," Indigo said excitedly.

"Our skin colors and uniforms are a dead-give away to our identities," Sugarcoat said in an unimpressed tone. "Plus, CHS students are aware of our pranks, thus they would reasonably assume we were sneaking around for that purpose. It wouldn't have made any difference.

"Aww, you're no fun," Indigo admonished playfully.

"Guys," Sunny said forcefully. "Enough." She turned to Juniper. "OK, Juniper, do your thing." Juniper, with a wicked smile, piloted the drone. The small blue object flew up into the air, its propellers making noise at it blue. With focus, Juniper landed the drone on the golden canopy above CHS' entrance.

"OK Sunny," Juniper told Sunny. "Activate the app." Sunny pulled out her phone, pushed a button, and saw the screen was filming them from up above.

"It worked," Sunny said with a satisfied tone. She passed the phone to her friends, who also looked happy with the result.

"Thanks June," Sour said with a warm smile.. She then let out a frown. "Thanks for somehow not screwing up!"

"I love you too Sour," Juniper said, having got used to Sour's mood swings.

"OK let's just get back to class before someone realizes we were gone," Lemon said. The group and Juniper sneaked away again.

Canterlot High, 11:55 PM.

Sunset and her friends entered the science lab, which had been commandeered by Sunset as a magical laboratory. Inside the room was several amps and instruments. Everyone noticed how exhausted Sunset looked. Her hair was matted and she had several bags under her eyes.

"Darling, are you OK?" Rarity asked with concern. "You look like you haven't slept in ages."

"Up all night," Sunset said idly. "Working away."

"Sunny, please take a little nappy-wappy," Pinkie Pie said in a pleading tone.

"Later," Sunset argued.

"But-,"

"Later," Sunset said again in a more forceful tone.

"So, what do you have to show us?" Applejack asked, choosing not to comment on Sunset's exhausted appearance.

"I think I might've perfected the magical capture device," Sunset said with some small hope. She held up an amulet that was similar to Human Twilight's, except that it was painted orange, red, and yellow and had Sunset's flame insignia on it. The other Rainbooms looked at the amulet warily.

"Sugar cube," Applejack said calmly but nervously, "are you sure that thing isn't going to go haywire and summon evil vines?"

"Yeah," Rainbow said pumping her fist into the air. She looked abashed at everyone giving her a disappointed look. "I mean, we really don't want to see that again!" Rainbow said unconvincingly. Fluttershy rolled her eyes.

"The problem with the old amulet is that it didn't have safety features," Sunset said, holding up the old purple amulet. "In Equestria devices like this are commonplace and are used to absorb magic for purposes of experimentation. But they usually have capacitors and controls to limit how much magic can be absorbed and the rate of absorption." She held up the new amulet she built. "This amulet is designed to have those." She pointed to a tiny control lever on it. "With this lever, I can control how much magic I can absorb. The amulet itself it designed to only hold a certain amount." She looked hopefully at her friends. "I just need a volunteer." The Rainbooms all looked reluctantly at Sunset.

"Guys," Sunset said reassuringly. "I've already tested it out in myself. It only took a little bit of my magic, and afterward, I only felt like I skipped breakfast." After a few moments, Rainbow Dash begrudgingly stood up, deciding to be the next test subject.

"Rainbow," Fluttershy said fearfully. "Don't do-,"

"Hey," Rainbow said confidently, "no pain, no gain." Rainbow picked up her guitar and began playing a small solo. Soon her hair grew, pony ears grew out of her head, and wings grew out of her back. Sunset pointed the amulet in her direction, and opened it. Everyone looked fearful, while Rainbow Dash braced herself for the worst.

Instead of absorbing all of Rainbow's magic, a small, calm stream of magic flowed from Rainbow to Sunset's amulet. Rainbow let out a small sigh of exhaustion as the trickle of magic left her.

"Rainbow?"Fluttershy asked ,"are you OK?"

"This isn't any worse then waking up on a Monday," Rainbow said in a tired voice, once the magic flow stopped. Sunset then pulled the tiny lever, and the energy flow returned to Rainbow, who felt a small bit of euphoria.

"Feels like I just had an energy drink," Rainbow said excitingly. Everyone else was relieved that Sunset's new amulet was not nearly as chaotic as the old one.

"Well that's a relief," Applejack said, wiping her brow. "So did you figure out what went wrong yet?" the farmer asked Sunset. Sunset let out a long sigh.

"No," Sunset said tiredly. "The amulets are just the first step. Before, I didn't have a way to measure and contain magic. Now that I can, I can now observe how magic behaves in this world." She let out another sigh. "Still, it might take me several months to figure it out." Before she could do anything, Pinkie Pie snatched the amulet from her hand.

"Ohh, let me try," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. She opened the amulet, letting a little of her magic get sucked out. She bent down in exhaustion.

"Man, am I tired," Pinkie Pie complained. She pushed the small lever, releasing the magic to her again. She began jumping up with joy. "Now I feel happy again." She began opening and closing the amulet, letting the magic flow back and forth, which each flow raising and lowering her mood.

"Tired. Happy. Tired. Happy. Tire-,"

"Pinkie!" Sunset bellowed. "That is not a toy! Now give it back!"

"Yeah Pinkie," Applejack complained. The other Rainbooms were exasperated with Pinkie's carelessness.

"Don't worry Sunny," Pinkie Pie said, swinging the amulet on her finger by the string. "I am always super-duper care-," she paused as the amulet flew from her hand and slammed into a fluorescent light overhead. The amulet cracked as it shattered one of the fluorescent lights. Everyone glared at Pinkie Pie, who sank back sheepishly.

"Oops," she muttered nervously.

"Pinkie!" Sunset bellowed angrily. "Now look what you-," she paused as she saw the electricity from the broken bulb interact with the latent magic on the amulet. The amulet began glowing a red hot and letting out a crimson psychic energy that flowed into the fluorescent lights. The lights all began glowing the same eerie color. The Rainbooms looked at this with shock and fear.

"Uh, what does 'lights turning into a scary red' mean in magic terms?" Fluttershy asked Sunset timidly.

"Uh, I think it means, 'run'!" Sunset and her friends tried to pile out of the room, but the fluorescent lights exploded, releasing a red hot energy that began swirling around the Rainbooms in a cyclone like formation. Without warning, the Rainbows felt themselves being lifted up as the red energy spun them around in a tornado like formation.

"AAAAAHHHHH," the Rainbooms yelled as they were spun around. Soon, more and more objects began being flung around as the mini tornado ravaeged the room. Windows broke, shutters snapped, and the furniture was being flung against the wall.

"Somebody help!" Sunset yelled as she and her friends were spun around in the magical cyclone.

Near the science lab, wind speeds began picking up, blowing students and their papers away.

"I finally got my paper done," Micro Chips said happily, carrying a large stack of papers. "I better make a digital copy before-," he stopped as his papers were blown away by the massive tornado forming inside of the science lab, much to his horror. But before he could mourn his lost assignment, he and other students who were witnessing the calamity unfold were also blown away. Seeing furniture fly through the air, many began fleeing in terror.

Principal Celestia was working away in her office when she witnessed students running past her window, screaming in terror. Celestia, with a tired sigh, pulled out a phone.

"Raven," Celestia said calmly into the phone. "Please set up another meeting with the insurance company." She then got up and went to the neighboring office and tapped on the window.

"Luna," the white skinned woman said as she tapped on the window. Luna broke out of her work, and came to the door.

"What's wrong Celestia?" Luna asked.

"MAGICAL EMERGENCY!" cried one student fearfully.

"That about explains it," Celestia said. "You know what to do."

"On it," Luna said, pulling out her phone and running out of the office.

Twilight sat on a sofa, watching science documentaries on an old laptop that Sunset left for her. She was amazed by the physical laws of the human world.

"The planets revolve AROUND the Sun," Twilight said with shock as she watched the documentary. "That's not possible. I can clearly see the Sun move-," she paused as she a heard a ring.

She looked at the table and saw Sunset's cell phone ringing on the table. She looked at the screen, saying that Luna was calling, and wondered how to answer it. Anxiously, she pushed the green button, hoping something would happen.

"Twilight," Luna voice's said.

"Princess-Principal Luna," Twilight said. "How's it going? The physical laws of-,"

"Get down here. NOW!" Luna said.

"What," Twilight said.

"One of Sunset's experiments went haywire," Luna said, her voice on the edge of panic. "I am in my car. I am coming to get you. I'll be there in five minutes."

"But you said-,"

"I KNOW WHAT I SAID!" Luna bellowed. "This is emergency. You need to be here to resolve it."

"OK," Twilight said, dreading what was happening. "I'll come outside to meet you," Twilight said. She rose from the sofa and ran out the door.

Sunny sat in her history class, idly paying attention to the lesson about the age of Exploration. Her mind, however, was on the presentation she would have to do in the next hour, and solving once and for all whether Twilight was really alive or not. She heard a weird lightning sound erupt from her pocket. She pulled it out and what she was blew her mind.

While the camera pointed toward the ground, she saw weird lightning strikes striking the ground beneath it. She also heard an unusually loud wind gust.

"Did those Wondercolts create a tornado?" Sunny thought to herself fearfully.

"Sunny!" The teacher, Mr. Note, bellowed. "Texting after class or I take the phone!" Sunny put away the phone, but felt like this was something she needed to watch. With no one paying attention, Sunny took a pencil and stuck it down her throat. Sunny smiled internally as she felt herself vomit onto the floor, much to the disgust of everyone else.

"Professor," Sunny said in a sickly voice. "I've been feeling sick all morning. Can I go to the nurse?"

"Yes, fine, go," Mr. Note said with exasperation, "I don't want you getting anyone sick!" Sunny ran out of the room with a smile that didn't match how her stomach felt. She ran into the bathroom, sat in a stall, and watched the events the drone filmed unfold on her app with morbid curiosity.

Luna's car drove well above the speed limit, much to Twilight's fear.

"I am scared too Luna," Princess Twilight said fearfully. "But...um...can't we still try and obey traffic laws?"

"No," Luna said. She stepped on the gas and accelerated even more, much to Twilight's horror.

Sunny stared intensely at the screen, watching at the weird red lightning grew louder and more intense in its fury, creating small craters in the soil. But to her shock, she saw two people running toward the entrance. It was the blue Principal of CHS and-

"What?!" Sunny said aloud. She put her fingers on the screen to zoom in, setting her jaw and gritting her teeth. She saw a familiar yet unfamiliar person: same lavender skin, same purple hair with pink streaks (albeit not in the familiar bun), same purple eyes, blue blouse, purple skirt.

Sunny's eyes widened in shock. She immediately sent a text that reached her friends.

"SAW TWILIGHT! MEET ME IN FRONT ENTRANCE!"

The CPA student body, along with the teachers and faculty, morosely walked to the school auditorium. Some were dressed in black, while others continued to wear the CPA uniform. Most of them were preparing to watch a presentation about their tragically deceased classmate and student. Many did not want to watch the presentation out of grief, but even those not desiring to be here chose to do so out of respect and a desire to move on.

The Shadowbolts and Juniper walked to the auditorium together. They broke out of their solemn grief by the vibration of their phones. They read the message and began sneaking away from the mass of students walking toward the auditorium. Juniper watched them walk away with confusion.

"Didn't they say they were putting on a presentation for their friend?," Juniper thought to herself. Ignoring orders to continue to the assembly, she proceeded to follow them down the hall.

Cadence sat behind the auditorium, looking at her watch with some annoyance. It was 12:17, two minutes after when the presentation was supposed to start. While not a severely punctual person, the presentation of her sister-in-law was something she took seriously. And yet, the girls who were supposed to be doing it weren't here yet.

The Shadowbolts being here wasn't damaging, and she was prepared to do the presentation without them. But their absence was what was concerning to her.

"These girls really wanted to do this", Cadence thought to herself. "So why aren't they here?" Looking out the curtain, she saw how impatient everyone was. She eventually walked up to Rose Thorn, her secretary.

"Rose," Cadence said. "Could you start the presentation?" The normally prickly woman gave her a solemn nod.

"Anything for her," Rose said in a quiet voice. Twilight, despite her lack of popularity, had been the pride and joy of the staff. Rose walked out the curtains, and after warning everyone to quiet down, pushed the button and began the presentation.

Various slides of Twilight's life, from her birth as a baby, to her toddler years showed up as soothing music played in the background. The crowd watched in silence, as each slide played. Through these slides, the students at CPA learned their classmate who they scorned had a life and was a person. All of them watched with mixture of quiet respect and mourning for the girl they never bothered to know.

In the front of the audience was Shining Armor, watching all the videos of Twilight and the rest of his family with utter despair. He looked at the empty seat next to her, briefly wondering where Cadence was, before watching the touching tribute the girls had made to her sister.

Cadence wandered the empty halls of CPA, wondering where the Shadowbolts up and went, he spotted them while they seemed to be in the middle of an argument.

"June, you really need to stay here," Sunny said to the blue-haired girl with in a serious.

"Why?" Juniper asked with some frustration. The other girl's seemed hesitant to answer.

"You, you wouldn't understand, June," Indigo said.

"Then help me understand," June replied, her patience fraying.

"June, buddy," Lemon Zest said in a reassuring tone, trying to put a comforting hand on Juniper's shoulder,"just let this-"

"Why are you guys treating me like a fucking child!" Juniper bellowed. Everyone, including Sour, was startled by June's outburst.

"We're not treating you like anything," Sugarcoat said in a serious tone. "This is something we need to keep secret."

"What is so important that you guys are skipping school and missing out on the tribute of your own dead friend that you put together?!" Juniper said.

"That's what I'd like to know," Cadence said, walking into the hallway, a serious frown on her face. The Shadowbolts looked concerned, while Juniper was also giving them annoyed looks. "Why are you guys missing the presentation you put together?"

"Uh," Indigo said, looking for an excuse, "June here has a stomach ache, and we need to get her to the hospital, aren't ya?" Indigo asked Juniper with a forced smile and a wink. Juniper looked at Indigo Zap with cold eyes, contemplating whether or not to play along with Indigo's excuse before turning to Cadence.

"No, I am not sick," Juniper said, much to the frustration of the Shadowbolts, "they are skipping school and not telling me why."

"Look Dean Cadence," Sunny said nervously, "there is a good reason we are skipping school, but for your own sake, we can't tell you."

"That is the worst explanation I've ever heard," Cadence said. "And I've heard the "dog-eating homework" excuse." She crossed her arms and gave the Shadowbolts a serious look. "You have ten seconds to tell me what you guys are doing, or you'll be suspended for the rest of the school year." Sunny tried to find an excuse, but sighed and silently activated the drone app and handed Cadence the phone. Cadence looked at the phone, and what she saw made her jaw-drop with shock.

Princess Twilight ran into the center of the magical cyclone forming in the school. High speed wind and debris blew all around her, and the closer she got to the science lab, the more she had to hold onto something to keep herself rooted to the ground. As she entered the science lab, she saw the red cyclone directly and the human version of her friends trapped within in. She took a nearby fire hose and tied it around her waist to keep herself from flying away.

"TWILIGHT" her human friends yelled through the sounds of the gust. "GET US DOWN!" Princess Twilight looked at the cyclone with terror. She pondered what she could do. Eventually, her face lightened up as an idea came to her mind.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight said. "Think about loyalty. Do it so your wings will grow!" Rainbow Dash did so, and her pony features grew.

"OK!" Rainbow Dash said. "Now what?!"

"Fly in a counter-clockwise direction inside the vortex," Twilight yelled.

"WHAT GOOD WILL THAT DO?!" Rainbow asked. Sunset understood what Twilight was trying to do.

"Pegasi in our world control weather," Sunset yelled. "Maybe by flying in the opposite direction, we can get rid of it."

"Worth a shot ," Rainbow said. She began flying, struggling to oppose the force of the red cyclone. But gradually she began to overcome the powerful, and moved in a counter clockwise formation. Within a few moments, the cyclone gradually died down thanks to Rainbow's weather powers. The wind stopped, and everyone fell into a heap on the ground.

"Oh yeah," Rainbow said in a proud, cheeky voice. "Not even weather can stop the Rainbow!" Everyone was too tired to admonish Rainbow for her ego, and Rainbow and Twilight moved to help everyone up.

"Are you guys OK?" Twilight asked.

"Sure," everyone else said, still groggy about being spun around. Sunset walked up to Pinkie Pie with a sympathetic smile on her face.

"Pinkie, buddy" Sunset said in a soothing voice. "Are you OK?"

"Peachy, Sunny-Wunny," Pinkie Pie said in a cheerful but dizzy voice.

"Good," Sunset said. Her smile became unusually wide. "Because I'm gonna," she said in a more strained tone, tightening her grip. "STRANGLE YOU!" Sunset screamed, grabbing Pinkie Pie by her throat and slamming her up against a wall, who yelped as her back hit the wall.

Luna let out a sigh of relief as the cyclone stopped. She looked in the direction of the science lab with joy, and could rest easy now that today's excitement was over, only to find her heckles raised when she saw Cadence, Shining Armor, and some of her students walking in that direction. They walked with a serious look in their eyes, except for someone blue-haired girl who looked nervous.

"Cadence," Luna said nervously as she followed Cadence. "You didn't say you were coming and bringing your students along with you."

"I had a feeling you were going to lie to me," Cadence said, not breaking her stride.

"About what," Luna said. "Why are you going to the science lab?"

"When I got here, I saw some magic tornado-thing," Cadence in a more serious tone. "I have a feeling what we're looking for is in their."

"Don't go," Luna tried to argue, stifling her panic, "It is...dangerous."

"We'll manage," Shining Armor said through gritted teeth.

Luna tried blocking them, only for the two adults to shove her out of the way.

"What is going on?" Juniper said, stunned by seeing her principal act so violent.

"You'll find out," Sour said cheerfully. Her smile twisted into something angry. "One way or another."

"Please don't go in there," Luna said pleadiningly. "Please trust me. It is for your own good." The group marched into the science lab.

Inside the lab, Twilight was giving Pinkie Pie a serious scolding, while the other Rainbooms were holding back a furious Sunset.

"IF YOU EVER, EVER, EVER DO THAT AGAIN," Twilight yelled said to a fearful and remorseful Pinkie Pie ,"I WILL HAVE YOU DRAGGED BACK TO EQUESTRIA AND DUMPED INTO A DUNGEON FOR FIFTY YEARS!" She got into Pinkie Pie's face. "Do you understand!"

"Yes, I understand," Pinkie Pie said while shaking.

"Let me give her a black eye," Sunset yelled. "That'll teach her!"

"What is going on here," a female voice yelled. Twilight's anger and Sunset's fury evaporated as everyone turned to who entered.

Human Cadence, Human Shining Armor, the Shadowbolts, and some Crystal Prep girl they did not recognize entered. The group all looked at Twilight and their stern faces turned to shock. The Rainbooms and Twilight looked back with fear and shock of their own. After a few moments, the faces of Cadence and Shining Armor descended into looks of concern and sorrow.

"Twily," Shining Armor said dumbly.

"Is that you?" Cadence said in a hurt voice.

Luna looked at the scene from behind, running her palm along her face.

"Oh, Lord," Luna muttered.

Reading the Riot Act

"So...why are you...here?" Cadence uneasily asked Princess Twilight. The mixed group of students and teachers had stopped their crying, although their eyes were still tired and red, and their expressions utterly exhausted. Shining was taken by Vice Principal Luna to the nurse's office to lie down. Luna returned looking equally miserable, frustrated at being unable to offer the forlorn man any more comfort.

"Well," Princess Twilight said in a solemn tone, "I'm here because...well...when Sunset told me what...happened," she glanced over at the Shadowbolts, who were hanging their heads in utter shame, "I came over because we're trying to...figure out why the magic...did what it did."

"Really?" Princess Cadence said, a measure of hope growing in her voice. "Can you figure out what happened to my...sister?"

"Well," Princess Twilight said, flicking her hair nervously. "I can...but...I don't have time." Cadence looked down. "I wish I could, but I have a kingdom to run and I need to be there in case anything goes wrong. In fact, I have to leave...tonight," she sighed. "I'm here trying to help Sunset figure things out while I have time." Cadence looked toward Sunset with pleading eyes.

"How close have you come to...an answer since last Sunday," Cadence said. Sunset looked down with unease.

"Well," Sunset said uneasily. "I've managed to recreate another prototype of a pendant. But I still haven't discovered the full properties of magic. Twilight took...quite a lot of notes."

"How soon do you think it will take to get an answer," Principal Luna asked.

"I don't know," Sunset said miserably. "Six months. Maybe...a year." Sunset grit her teeth.

"What's wrong Sunset?" Fluttershy asked Sunset. The Rainbooms, the two Principals, the Princess, and the Shadowbolts all looked at Sunset with concern.

"Well," Sunset said with a quivering lip. She let out a melancholic sigh. "I'm...I'm scared."

"Darling," Rarity asked, concern in her voice. "What are you scared about?"

"Well," Sunset said with fear. "First Twilight was blown up....then Pinkie Pie caused that twister-thing...and now those girls showed up..." she bite her lip. "So many accidents have happened since magic ended up here-" A small tear fell down her face. Twilight saw this and went to give her friend a hug. "I'm afraid something else might happen tomorrow and I won't be able to save someone," more tears flowed down Sunset's eyes.

"Sunset," Twilight said in a soothing tone. "You can't worry about that."

"And if that happens, the public will start to know about magic," Sunset said, shaking in fear. "And if they start learning about it, and I still don't know how it works...they'll think its terrible, or they'll use it to do terrible things." Sunset looked at the ground in shame. Vice Principal Luna walked up to the fire-haired girl and rubbed her head to calm her down and reassure her.

The Shadowbolts looked at the fearful girl with a mixture of guilt and sympathy. They started giving each other sharp looks, silently communicating an idea. The group of five decided to approach the Wondercolts.

"Hey," Indigo said awkwardly. The Wondercolts saw them approaching and gave them less-then-happy looks. The rainbow-haired girl gave them an especially sharp glare.

"What do you idiots want?", she asked them gruffly. The five flinched at the question.

"Well, come on, spit it out," the Stetson-wearing girl said unkindly.

"Well," Sunny Flare said awkwardly. "You said you had lots of notes to go through," she said to Sunset, whose fear dried up at the Shadowbolts' approach. She just gave them a cold, silent look. "Well, um, what if we agreed to be your...lab assistants." The fire-haired girl's face twisted into an angry snarl and she approached them with balled fists.

"Absolutely not!" She barked, startling everyone else. "You want to help! Leave and never come back!" The Shadowbolts were startled by Sunset's fury.

"Sunset," Fluttershy said, admonishing the amber-skinned girl in her soft voice. "Aren't you being a little mean?"

"These idiots blew up their own teammate for a stupid trophy!" Sunset yelled back, scaring Fluttershy. "They're probably too moronic to open a jar." The Shadowbolts flinched at that insult, deeply hurt by Sunset's remarks.

"Look we know what we did was wrong," Sugarcoat said, almost on the verge of tears. "We just want a chance to make things right." Before Sunset could make another furious reply, Luna and Twilight approached Sunset with stern eyes.

"Sunset, can I speak to you in private?" Luna asked firmly.

"I'd also like to talk to you to," Twilight said.

"Luna, Twilight, I know what you want me to do," Sunset threw back. "And the answer is no! I don't want anything to do with those idiots!" Sunset was about to turn away, but Twilight got in front of her, crossing her arms and glaring knives.

"OK Sunny," Twilight said in a casual, but icy voice. "I'll bring in some royal guards, they'll drag your flank back to Tartarus, and we can talk there." Sunset's fury was replaced with a chill that went down her spine. Sunset suddenly remembered that she wasn't dealing with her dorky friend, Twilight Sparkle. She was dealing with a magically skilled alicorn princess that had vanquished countless foes, including her. Twilight almost never threatened to dump anyone in Tartarus, despite having the power to make the lives of others quite difficult. When a princess made that threat, you really needed to shut up.

"OK Twilight," Sunset said fearfully, feeling cold sweat run down her forehead..

"Good," Twilight said, her cold anger fading but not vanishing. "This way," she said, gesturing to the statue. Luna, Princess Twilight, and Cadence all went behind the statue. Sunset followed them, feeling like a scolded toddler.

"Now please tell me, calmly, why is it you don't think those girls deserve a second chance," Principal Luna said sternly to Sunset.

"Well...it is because of them that Twilight got blown up," Sunset said uneasily.

"Sunset, I'm not exactly happy with them either," Twilight said. "But they want to make it right."

"They messed with magic they didn't understand just to win a stupid game," Sunset replied.

"Oh I see," Twilight said sternly. "They messed with magic they didn't understand, they only cared about themselves," she got into Sunset's face. "Then they turned into a demon, brainwashed a bunch of kids, blew up a chunk of the school, and tried to kill me and my friends." Sunset felt her heart go into her throat.

"If this is how you're going to behave," Luna said in a disappointed tone,"maybe I should have called you a lost cause and kicked you out of my school. Since you are treating those five the same way." Sunset's jaw dropped in horror at Luna's remarks.

"Yeah, and that guard you knocked out said that you should rot in a dungeon for the rest of your life." Twilight said angrily, making Sunset shake even more. "Maybe I should've taken his advice." The words hit Sunset like they were bullets and she looked down.

"Apparently, only Sunset Shimmer deserves a second chance," Cadence said, also looking at Sunset with a humorless expression, "because she is so special, right?" Sunset looked deeply ashamed with herself and let out a sigh.

The Shadowbolts stood around, anxiously waiting for the group of four to return from their private talk. Feeling nervous, they turned toward the Rainbooms. The farmer girl and the blue-skinned athlete silently turned away from them with barely masked disgust. The yellow-skinned girl quivered in fear at them and also looked away. Rarity, biting her lip, approached the Crystal Prep students.

"What exactly are you five... doing here anyways?" Rarity asked them sternly. While she was polite, Sugarcoat could see that the purple-haired girl wished that the Crystal Prep students were somewhere else.

"Well," Sour said awkwardly. "We saw pictures of...the other Twilight posted on MyStable. So we...thought...our Twilight was alive and that you guys were playing a hoax on us." Rarity's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Who posted those pictures?" Rarity asked.

"Some blue-haired guy named Flash," Sour said. Rarity mouthed the words ,'what', and ran her palm on her face.

"Lord," Rarity said in an annoyed tone. She removed her hand from her face. "Flash posted pictures of Twilight online?" Rarity asked again with disbelief.

"Yes," Sugarcoat said. "And then we...had a friend of ours use a drone to get proof."

"You were spying on us?" Rarity asked angrily, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well," Sunny said uneasily. ,"we thought a hoax was being played on us." Just before Rarity could respond, the group of four broke from their conversation and approached the Shadowbolts.

"Princess...Twilight," Cadence said uneasily to the Shadowbolts. "Wants to have a talk with you five in the vice-principal's office." The Shadowbolts looked at the other Twilight, who was giving them a stern look. It made the Shadowbolts feel like on edge.

It wasn't the look that was making them nervous. It was the face that was giving them the look. This Twilight looked almost exactly the same as the old Twilight. Same face, same color, same eyes, and same hair. Yet, instead of the annoying and awkward demeanor the Shadowbolts were familiar with, this Twilight had a stern look that carried with it some kind of power and authority that was impossible to imagine the girl they knew carrying. Those eyes looked like dark amethyst chips that stared into their very souls. They saw how Twilight was able to calm that fuming girl who hated them with little more then an idle threat, and believed that she could do a lot worse.

Nervously, they followed Principal Luna, who escorted them to her office and told them to wait. The five girls sat silently for five minutes, waiting for the Princess version of Twilight to show up. The door opened and the lavender-skinned girl walked in. She silently sat down at vice-principal's desk and looked at the Shadowbolts with a stern expression and setting that made it seem like their own Twilight had become their very strict principal.

"So, you're really...a princess?," Sour Sweet asked nervously.

"Yes," Princess Twilight said firmly. Sour Sweet got down on her knees.

"I'm so sorry your Majesty!" Sour said fearfully. "I'm sorry I attacked you! Please don't send us to that Tatar...sauce place you were talking about!" The Shadowbolts didn't say anything, but looked annoyed and disgusted with Sour's stunt.

"Please get up and be quiet," Princess Twilight, rubbing her palm along her forehead in frustration. Sour Sweet got up off the ground and returned to her couch in an embarrassed fluster.

"You five are not going to be sent to a dungeon or Tartarus," Princess Twilight said in a reassuring tone. "Only the worst criminals and malcontents get that kind of fate." The Shadowbolts relaxed slightly at that. "However," Twilight said with a cold hiss that made the Shadowbolts tremble, "if you five had been at a magic school, and you pulled this...stunt, you all would've been in very serious trouble. Even if the Twilight you knew had made it out OK." She paused to give them a glare, which made them hang their heads.

"In my world, the most powerful forces are the Magic of Friendship and the Elements of Harmony," Twilight said. The phrase "Magic of Friendship" and "Elements of Harmony" would normally sound lame and childish to the Shadowbolts, but the conviction she said it with made them sink into their chairs in shame. "They are what keep pony society functioning as it should. One Element of Harmony is...loyalty. And your actions are...anything but loyalty" Princess Twilight let out another deep breath. "Your Twilight was your teammate, and your first priority should've been her health, safety, and well-being." She paused, looking at the desk for a minute. "Instead, you tried to make her cheat and you willingly endangered her life." Princess Twilight took another small breath. "The only thing you five cared about was your own personal gain and glory. Getting that trophy mattered more then the living breathing being you were supposed to care for." The Shadowbolts looked on the verge of tears.

"Now, I understand that this Cinch gave you guys the idea, because she said it would help you win. To an extent, you were following orders. But...following orders is enablement. You should've stood up for your teammate, especially went you guys already saw magic go out of control. But instead of standing up for her, you bullied and threatened her for nothing but your own ego." The five students felt tears form around their eyes.

"Not only did you kill the girl you were supposed to be defending, a girl who had an incredible future ahead of her, you helped destroy a family." Princess Twilight's calm faded as she narrowed her eyes. "Mr. Armor is a person who already lost his parents. You've caused him even more...pain. You also hurt that girl's other living relatives." The five were biting their lips, trying to control their quivering. "You also endangered students from two separate schools. That magic could have hurt or killed your classmates and the students of Canterlot High had things gone differently. You also nearly exposed the existence of magic to the public when my government wasn't prepared to deal with other foreign governments." Princess Twilight rose form her chair and angrily slammed her fists on the desk. "In short, your actions we're grotesque, reprehensible, and INEXCUSABLE!" The five Shadowbolts jumped in terror. Princess Twilight took some deep breaths and calmed down.

"Also, Principal Cadence, the sister-in-law of the girl you killed, told me some things about you," Princess Twilight said, coming around the desk to look at the five girls.

"What did she tell you?", Sugarcoat uneasily asked the lavender-skinned Princess.

"She told me...about how you five were willing to testify against your Principal," Twilight said, the edge from her voice draining away. "She told me about how you...made a presentation about your Twilight to show everyone how wonderful she really was." The Shadowbolts looked up in confusion at the Princess, her angry face replaced by...something that was more approachable. "You also reached out to a lonely girl who was new and gave her friendship and belonging." Her face twisted into something that resembled joy. "You also saved this girl from a severe humiliation and helped her make new friends in the process." A proud smile formed on Princess Twilight's face. "Despite the mistakes you made, you five have proven that you want to change for the better." The Shadowbolts looked up at Princess Twilight with confusion. "You've earned the right to atone by helping Sunset figure out how the magic works."

"But, but, but," Sugarcoat said, stammering. "We..."

"Anybody can make a mistake," Princess Twilight said, her hostility replaced by pure compassion. "You guys have tried to make it right. That means I can give you guys a second chance and call you my...friends." Sugarcoat lost all composure and began crying her eyes out. The other Shadowbolts also began crying too. Princess Twilight walked up to them and gave each of them a warm hug and an assurance that they were on the right track. Once they stopped crying, they heard a knock at the door. The Shadowbolts looked and saw Sunset through the glass.

"Sunset is going to talk to you guys about the rules," Princess Twilight said, the firmness in her voice returning. "I am going repeat this once: you will do whatever she tells you to do. I simply don't have time to drop whatever it is I'm doing to save the day for you. If you cause another mishap, even by accident..."

"We're out," Sugarcoat finished. Princess Twilight gave her a stern nod. She started to walk away.

"Now if you need me," Princess Twilight said with deep annoyance, "I have to go deal with an idiot boy." She walked out of the room. Sunset walked in and sat down at the desk. The Shadowbolts looked at the girl with shock. Instead of looking like a furious devil, the amber-skinned girl looked very contrite and guilty.

"Look," Sunset said uneasily. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier." The Shadowbolts were confused.

"Why are you apologizing?" Sour Sweet asked with disbelief. "We're the ones who-,"

"Look," Sunset said. "I'm not saying what you guys did was OK. And I am still a little mad at you. But you're far from the only ones who've...acted stupid and selfish." She looked down at the table and looked up at them. "And believe me, I...was lot more awful then guys ever were." The Shadowbolts looked at Sunset with disbelief. "And the truth is...what happened to Twilight was kind of my fault."

"How was it your fault?" Sugarcoat said in a perplexed tone, as if the very idea violated the laws of physics.

"The reason why magic exists in your world is...because of me." Sunset said. "I am from the magical pony world that Princess Twilight comes from." Sunset shook her head. "And believe me, when I came to your world, I wasn't coming here in peace."

"What did you do?"

"I am not going to go into details," Sunset said, looking at her hand. "I brought magic to this world and didn't care about what would happen except for getting what I wanted." She looked up at them. "And I did something...awful." Sunset narrowed her eyes. "Something so awful, that Princess Twilight had every right to lock me in a dungeon." She looked at them empathetically. "But Princess Twilight not only forgave me, but she told others to give me another chance. That's why I'm giving you another chance.

"Anyways, by time she got back, magic was already brought to this world by me. And when the magic started to act up, I expected Princess Twilight to...do all my work for me." Sunset looked down in shame. "What you guys did was messed up... but if I had done my job, your Twilight would still be here. It was wrong for me do blow up at you, when I am also partly to blame."

"Don't apologize," Indigo said with a sigh. "You did the least to cause this...fiasco. At least you didn't blow someone up over a stupid trophy." Sunset rolled her eyes.

"Also," Sunset said. "Before the flag game...I said...mean things to Twilight too," Sunset said. The Shadowbolts looked depressed. "I was angry at her for messing up with magic, but I went too far and she cried and run away." Sunset ran her palm along her face in frustration. "The truth is, I was upset at you because I couldn't tell her I'm sorry. But that wasn't your fault that I made her cry. It was...mine, and I shouldn't have taken that out on you." Sunset looked at the table in shame. "Truth is, I was the bigger moron, expecting someone else to solve my problems for me." Sunset let out a joyless laugh.

"I'm sorry that we made it so your last words with her were something nasty," Sunny Flare said with deep regret in her voice. "At least your last words weren't....manipulating her for personal gain."

"Again, I'm trying to look past that," Sunset said in solemn. "And the other reason I got mad is...that I really, really don't want another accident to occur. My friend Pinkie caused that tornado thing went she accidentally broke one of the magic stuff I built." She gave the Shadowbolts a serious look. "You guys need to understand that the magic here is on a hair-trigger. I don't know how it works and it is too late for me to get rid off , even if I closed the portal." Sunset took a deep breath. "I can't afford another accident. The more mishaps that occur, the less time I'll have to find an answer before more people start getting wise." She took another deep breath. "I'm willing to give you the chance that Princess Twilight gave me. But understand this: one more accident, and you're off the team. And it is not because I'm angry, it is because I am on thin ice and I don't want someone else to end up like Twilight. Do you guys understand?" Sunset asked them firmly. The Shadowbolts nodded.

"Can I ask a question?" Sugarcoat asked. Sunset nodded. "What is...magic and what is it like?"

"Well," Sunset said. "Us ponies see it as some kind of invisible energy that we can harness for our own ends." Sunset tapped her chin. "How do I explain it. In Twilight's notes, she described it as some kind of...electromagnetic radiation?"

"Electro-what?" Indigo asked. The other Shadowbolts were also confused.

"You know? Radio waves, x-rays-,"

"Wait," Sunny said, her eyes narrowing. "Did you say...radio waves?"

"Yeah," Sunset said, cocking her head. "Why?" A small smile formed on Sunny's face. She looked at her friends, who returned the same smile as the same idea was brewing in their brains.

"There's someone we know who is... quite familiar with radio waves," Sunny said happily.

Hope In Science

Juniper sat in the empty cafeteria, blankly web-surfing on her laptop with a scowl on her face. The ivory white-skinned principal had escorted her here and told her to wait while her friends and those girls sorted out...whatever they needed to sort out. She glanced at her watch and saw that fifteen minutes had passed. Her burning desire for answers and impatience made each minute feel as long as a year.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this", Juniper thought miserably. She woke up this morning expecting to be part of some diabolical school prank. While she wasn't a troublemaker at heart, she liked the thrill of being a little bit mischievous. And more importantly, she was happy to be involved in things and hang out with her new friends.

Instead, she became a witness to the most bizarre teen drama she had ever seen: Sunny's good friend, who supposedly died in a motorcycle accident, was apparently alive and well. Principal Cadence, some white-skinned man, and her friends accused her of faking her death, and those other girls accused her friends of committing murder.

"It's like some badly written soap opera", Juniper thought to herself. She idly heard the cafeteria doors swing open. Juniper heard footsteps and glanced away from her laptop screen. She saw Sunny approaching her.

"OK Sunny," Juniper bellowed, her frustration bubbling back up to the surface. She stood up and barked, "are you going to tell me what's going on?!" Sunny just stared silently at her. Juniper balled her fists in anger. "Well, are you going tell me, or are you just going to-," Juniper broke from her rant when she noticed Sunny's deeply uncomfortable expression, the fact that Sunny's makeup was running on her face, and that her eyes were red and puffy. Juniper's frustration gave away to concern.

"Sunny, why were you crying?" Juniper asked her friend softly. Sunny just looked down. "Sunny, is everything OK?"

"No June," Sunny said, sounding like all the life in her had been drained from her body. "It...isn't." Sunny sounded she was on the verge of tears.

"Do you want to...talk about it?" Juniper said. Sunny bit her lip in frustration.

"June I want to tell you the truth," Sunny said uneasily, "but...my answer is...going to make you rethink everything you know." Juniper cocked her head at Sunny's cryptic words. "How you see life and how you see...me."

"So, if I choose the blue pill, I go back to thinking what I want to think, and if choose the red pill, there is no going back?" Juniper asked in jest. Her laughter died as she saw that Sunny was not in the mood to laugh.

"No, this secret is the I'm-going-to-snap-your-legs-like-twigs-if-you-squeal' kind of secret," Sunny said furiously. Juniper was taken aback by the menacing tone in Sunny's voice. "I mean it June. You want the truth, you can't tell anybody what you hear." Sunny glared at her with an intensity June never expected. "Do you understand?" After a moment of hesitation, Juniper nodded.

"OK, what is it you have to tell me?" Juniper said.

"I can't really explain it," Sunny said in that evasive tone. "I have to...show you."

The base of the Canterlot High horse statue glowed. Both Juniper and Sunny appeared, lying on the ground in a daze. Juniper felt like she had been spun around 100 times, and could barely get up off the ground. Sunny, have taken the trip before, was only slightly less disorientated.

After a few moments, the two pulled themselves together.

"So...magic...really is...real," Juniper said, her face full of wonder and contentment.

"Yeah," Sunny said with a small grin, somewhat amused by Juniper's shocked expression. "Don't worry, I was as shocked as you when I found out."

"And...that...Twilight Sparkle was apparently...a pony princess from that magic world where people can become talking ponies," Juniper repeated, looking like a kid who saw fireworks for the first time.

"Pretty much," Sunny said with a sigh.

"OK," Juniper said. "And you guys thought she was the...Twilight Sparkle you knew," Juniper surmised. "And you thought she was faking her death."

"Yeah," Sunny said.

"Sunny," Juniper said in a sad and inquisitive tone, "the Twilight Sparkle who...died. She didn't die in a motorcycle accident, did she? She died because of magic."

"Yes," Sunny said in a weak voice. "That was...covered up...because we didn't want people to find out...about magic. I'm sorry I didn't tell you June, but we needed to keep the secret. I didn't know you that well, and I didn't know if you'd keep your mouth shut."

"I understand Sunny," Juniper said in a accepting voice. "You didn't trust me and I can accept that." Her face became something stern. "But..did you have something to do with...what happened to the other Twilight?" Sunny looked down on the floor. Juniper's jaw set. "Sunny," Juniper said in a low serious tone. "One of those girls accused you and your friends of committing murder. You're not even looking me in the eye. Tell me. What. Did. You .Do?" Sunny finally pulled her eyes off the floor and flinched seeing the cold look in Juniper's eyes.

With a sigh, Sunny dragged Juniper over to sit on a bench nearby.

"Well," Sunny said. "Our school has the Friendship Games with Canterlot High. Every couple of years, our schools compete in a decathlon." She gulped loudly. "This was the first time I was allowed to compete. For the past ten games, we've kept winning. I had an older sister who was begging me to win, and our....principal Cinch," Sunny practically spat the woman's name kept breathing down my neck, "was yelling at me to compete, telling me I was a 'failure if I didn't'." Sunny clenched her fist remembering the woman and her nasty words.

"This Cinch sounds like she was a dictator," Juniper inferred.

"Yeah," Sunny said. "But you know, I also really wanted to win. I wanted my...parents and sister to be proud of me," Sunny said in a small quiet voice. "So I joined the team. Twilight," she paused, "was one of our teammates."

"Really?" Juniper said. "So must've been excited when she was on your-," Sunny's face fell into her hand and began whimpering, much to Juniper's confusion.

"June," Sunny said in a pained tone. "I made up being Twilight's friend. We weren't her friend. We didn't even like her. We...treated her like a whiny pest."

"Why?" Juniper asked in a sad voice that hit Sunny like a knife to her heart.

"Because she was a teacher's pet," Sunny said with some frustration. "Always raising her hand, always kissing up to staff, always getting A's. Cinch was always telling us we should be like her." Her eyes narrowed. "Plus she was a spineless little wimp who couldn't even lift a butterfly and-," Sunny paused when she saw Juniper looking at her with shocked eyes and a dropped jaw. Juniper looked utterly aghast at Sunny's rant, and with a regretful sigh, Sunny realized how cruel she sounded.

"Anyways, I wasn't really happy Twilight was on our team," Sunny said. She began closing her eyes as she remembered the not-so-pleasant memories. "She was terrible at sports and stuff like that. When we did this decathlon thing, she was a complete failure at it and we made fun of her." Juniper's jaw dropped in disgust.

"Anyways, during the decathlon, we learned about magic...but not in the way we hoped," Sunny said. "Suddenly, these portals opened up, and all these giant vine monsters came out trying to kill us," Sunny said, shuddering.

"Sounds like some lame...horror movie," Juniper snarked joylessly. She was still clearly unhappy with Sunny after learning about her behavior.

"And then one of those girls grew wings and started flying around rescuing everybody from them," Sunny said. "But...we were so obsessed with winning that we only cared that we lost the decathlon, and Canterlot High did it on purpose in order to cheat." She let out a sigh. "Or at least, that is what Cinch believed."

"Anyways, we were about to play capture the flag to settle our tie. Cinch told us that Twilight was collecting the magic in some amulet," Sunny said. "And she told us since Canterlot was cheating, we might as well cheat back." Sunny bit her lip. "She told Twilight to open the amulet to help us win." Sunny bit her lip again. "Twilight told us she didn't know how it worked...but...I didn't care about what she had to say." She shut her eyes to block out the tears. "Instead I told her 'do it or else we'll lose and we'll tell everyone it was your fault'." Sunny clenched her fists, the shame of her actions making her shake.

"When she opened it, there was this explosion that knocked us to the ground." Sunny felt tears roll down her eyes. "Twilight started hovering in the air, and she sucked into this purple sphere thing." She let out another pained whimper. "She begged us for help, but she was too high up. And then she was sucked in." Sunny's lip started quivering. "And then it exploded and...she was...gone." Juniper looked away from Sunny, and started staring at her knees. Juniper didn't look angry, or sad, or hurt. She looked so...conflicted. Like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Sunny," Juniper said in a small, sad voice as she turned to save. Suddenly, Sunny's self control was lost, and she finally began crying.

"I know," Sunny said in between sobs. "I'm a monster!" Suddenly, she felt arms wrapped around her. She saw that Juniper was giving her a hug,

"Your not a monster Sunny," Juniper said in a soothing voice.

"Yes, I am," Sunny almost yelled as she rested her chin on Sunny's shoulder. "I made fun of someone and got them killed! All for a stupid game."'

"Would a monster have saved me from a bucket of rotten milk?" Juniper said in a soothing tone. Sunny felt Juniper was rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down.

"Well..." Sunny said.

"Would a monster have invited me to their party? Invited me to their house and given me a makeover? Let me sit at their table?" Juniper held Sunny for a few minutes as she let out her guilt and pain. Once Sunny stopped her sobbing, Juniper released her and looked at her with kind eyes.

"Oh please," Sunny said in a self-loathing tone, "I lied and pretended not to be your friend. And I was nearly was gonna throw you under a bus to impress Suri."

"But you didn't," Juniper said in a reassuring tone. "Yeah, you weren't perfect. And I didn't appreciate you telling everyone I whined to the principal to get invited to a party." Sunny winced at that, until she saw Juniper giving her a warm smile. "I can see that you weren't," Juniper paused, as if trying to sound diplomatic, "always a good person".

"I was a rotten bitch," Sunny muttered.

"But you're trying to change," Juniper said with another proud smile. "And it is hard to change who you are when you've lived a certain way for a long time. That's why you let Suri walk all over you." Juniper put her hands on Sunny's hands. "Again, it is hard to stand up to the popular girl. Hard to stand up to peer pressure. But you did it anyways. And not only that, you changed everyone else for the better. All those girls stood up for me, and you even got Indigo to punch that monster in the face." Juniper's smile become one of pride. "I think you're a hero Sunny."

"I'm not a hero," Sunny said, scoffing with disgust. "I got Twilight killed."

"But you didn't want that to happen," Juniper said in a reassuring tone. "You didn't know it was gonna happen. You did it because your principal told you it was good idea. If you were a monster, you wouldn't be crying your eyes out."

"But...Twilight was so scared," Sunny said with a whimper. "And I didn't help her."

"Yeah, but you stood up for me." Juniper said. "What happened in the past doesn't matter as long as you learn from it. You learn from your mistakes. You learned from them so well that you've helped change other people for the better. And that's why I am not just humoring you when I say your a hero." For the first time, a grateful smile formed on Sunny's miserable face.

"Thanks June, I...I needed to hear that," Sunny said happily.

"And thank you for telling me the truth," Juniper said.

"June, there's another reason I told you the truth," Sunny said with some unease.

"What is it?"

Twilight and Sunset were sitting in the science lab, looking over their notes with no small amount of frustration.

"So what are volts again," Twilight asked Sunset. Sunset sighed with frustration as she was about to have to explain another scientific fact when the doors open. Juniper and Sunny walked in.

"Are you Juniper Montage?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," Juniper said. "Are you...Princess Twilight?"

"Yes," Twilight. Juniper turned to Sunset.

"Are you Sunset?"

"Sunset Shimmer," Sunset said. "I'm sorry our first meeting happened under these...circumstances," Sunset said uneasily.

"Don't worry about it," Juniper said. She then turned toward Twilight. "So you really are some...magical princess?"

"The Princess of Friendship," Twilight said proudly. Juniper started snickering, much to Twilight's annoyance.

"I'm sorry," Juniper said. "There this cartoon called The Happy Kingdom I watched when I was a kid," Juniper said, still snickering. "You...you sound like one of the characters, who was also a princess."

"Uh, what was a cartoon again?" Princess Twilight asked with genuine confusion.

"Man, you really are from some other world aren't you?" Sunny said with a roll of her eyes.

"Anyways," Juniper Montage, "you needed to see me about something?"

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said, sounding more professional. "Sunny has told you about the...tragedy from last week." Sunny looked down in shame. "And about the existence of magic."

"Yes," Juniper said.

"Sunny and her friends told us you were knowledgeable about broadcasting," Sunset said.

"Yes I am," Juniper said.

"Well the problem we're facing that we don't know about the properties of magic as it functions here in this world," Sunset said.

"Properties?" Juniper asked in confusion. "Isn't magic just saying silly words to make things happen." Sunset and Princess Twilight rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"If it were that easy I would've been a Princess before I turned ten," Sunset said with a snort. She paused when she saw Juniper and Sunny's confusion. "In our world, magic is a phenomenon that can be studied. In fact, the other Twilight had been studying magic," Sunset said. "Anyways, we're trying to figure out why the magic obliterated Twilight, as well as how the magic works as a whole. But I'm worried about the next magical calamity occurring, and I don't think I can figure out in time. I need an assistant to help me out."

"Well," Juniper said. "Can't you bring in some...magic expert from your world?" Princess Twilight sighed in frustration.

"We could, but the problem is my human self used human technology to study this, which I can't make heads or tails off," Princess Twilight said. "Nor would even the most seasoned scientist from Equestria be able to figure this out."

"Which is why we wanted to ask you for help," Sunset said.

"Me? But I don't anything about magic," Juniper said with astonishment.

"You said you worked in broadcasting right?" Sunset said. "Well magic might actually have similar properties to electromagnetic spectrum, which you might be familiar with since you've studied radio waves."

"Really?" Juniper said, putting her hand in her chin. "Can I see some of your notes." Sunset handed Juniper some notes and began reading over it intently, with the other three girls nervously watching. After a few minutes, Juniper happily returned the sheet.

"I think I could figure this out," Juniper said with confidence. The other three girls let out sighs of relief. "I'm free Wednesday afternoon and all of Sunday each week to come in and help. Does that work for you?"

"That's perfect," Sunset said happily.

"Um, Cadence told us that we need to head back to school," Sunny said with some frustration. "Our friends are waiting for us in their car."

"Alright," Juniper said. "Let's go."

"Uh, I'm leaving tonight," Princess Twilight said. "If you guys want to see me off later, you're more then welcome too."

"That sounds great," Juniper said. "See you later."

Sunset and Twilight felt a bit of relief as they watched those two leave. While they had mountains of work to do, they at least had someone who could help them out.

Farewell Princess

Author's Note

Here is your belated Christmas gift, everypony! Enjoy.

Farewell Princess

Early Friday Evening

In front of the Canterlot High horse statue, a small gathering of students stood around preparing to say their goodbyes to their favorite Pony Princess as the sun slowly set.

A stand of refreshments had been set up by Pinkie Pie to give Twilight a nice, if somewhat muted, going away party. The Rainbooms and the students of Canterlot congregated around the Princess of Friendship.

"They have classical music in your world?" Octavia asked Twilight while holding up a plastic cup of punch like it was a fancy glass of champagne.

"Yep," the Princess said. "In fact, the other version of you also plays cello." Before Octavia could respond, Lyra excitedly shoved her out of the way.

"Really?" Lyra asked Twilight, ignorant of Octavia's huff of frustration. "How do you play cello with...hooves?" She asked with an goofy grin.

"Lyra," Bon Bon said with a groan. "Why do you have to be so rude?!" She started pulling the blue-white haired girl away by her shoulders. "I'm so sorry Princess," she said to the purple-skinned royal, "Lyra's like that annoying puppy who is too cute to dump in the pound."

"Hey," Lyra uttered, trying to break free from Bon-Bon's grip.

"Don't worry about, it" Twilight said a wave of her hand. "Pony Lyra is the same way," she finished with an amused smile.

"Really?" Lyra said happily, before trying again to break free from Bon Bon.

"Ever since Pony Lyra found out about this place, she's asked me lots of questions about this place and begged me to let her go," Twilight said with a small annoyance.

"Oh man, don't let the other Lyra come here," Mirco Chips said facetiously. "Two Lyras at once would destroy the fabric of reality." Everyone laughed at that. Lyra huffed cutely over it.

"Our Lyra's also begged us to go to the Pony world." Applejack said.

"Well why can't I?" Lyra complained. "Why can't we all go on, like, a field trip to Equestria?"

"That is a good question your majesty." Micro Chips asked in a curious voice. "Why haven't you wanted to pursue cultural and scientific exchange between your world and ours? You've shown enormous interest in human technology."

Princess Twilight's good natured face twisted into something unusually nervous.

"I've wanted to do that, Micro Chips," Princess Twilight said uneasily. "But the pony who built the portal to this world...warned about the consequences of interdimensional exchange. Putting magic here has not always been a good thing for this world. Sunset had her, you know, episode." The fire-haired girl guiltily sighed, only for others to give her a reassuring look and pats on the back to remind her that they forgave her for her transgressions. "And the Dazzlings were able to brainwash people who didn't have latent magic protecting them, and then what happened last week," everyone flinched at that. "This world simply isn't prepared to deal with magical calamities."

"Also, while I appreciate humanity's technological achievements, human history hasn't always been progress," Twilight continued. "The wars here are more destructive than anything I've seen or read about in Equestria." She took a deep breath and continued. "My fear is if I bring tech to my world, it might be misused in a way that even the Magic of Friendship can't heal." Micro Chips frowned at that, dreading the idea of a magical world torn apart by human guns. Lyra stopped behaving petulantly, and looked pretty serious, as the implications dawned on her. Other people too looked uncomfortable at the implications.

"But," Princess Twilight said with a small amount of hope. "Sunset plans to continue studying the effects of magic here. And I also plan on looking into some...rules regarding the exchange of technology. Maybe in a few months...I could let some of you guys come, once I've worked out some protocol first."

"That sounds fair," Lyra said. Everyone went back to idle chatter and consumption of refreshments, except for one forlorn looking boy who approached Twilight.

"I really screwed up, didn't I?" Flash said in a regretful tone.

"Flash, it's water under the bridge," Princess Twilight said in a reassuring tone. "You apologized and I already made it...clear that you weren't gonna do it again."

"Oh you certainly did alright," Rainbow Dash said with a wry smile. "You made yourself so clear, the whole school heard. I felt the school shaking for a minute." Princess Twilight blushed in embarrassment over it.

"That was the Royal Canterlot Voice," Sunset said with a wry smile, sounding both wistful and sad. "I heard that more times then one should."

"Yeah, I went a little overboard telling you off," Princess Twilight admitted sheepishly. "And I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Flash said remorsefully. "It was a stupid thing to do. I was so excited to see you I took it for granted...that you're not exactly...normal." Twilight looked down and let out a bitter sigh. Flash let out another sigh. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to say anything-,"

"Flash, you didn't say anything wrong," Princess Twilight said, before letting out a sigh. "It's just...sometimes I wished I...lived a life like yours."

"Like mine?" Flash said.

"I grew up the student of a princess," Twilight said. "I grew under the spotlight, with all these reporters snooping around my life."

"They harassed you?" Flash asked sympathetically.

"Yeah," Twilight uttered with a small frown. "One reporter tried to ask me about the Princess' secrets when I was five."

"Wow, talk about nerve!" Rainbow huffed.

"The ponies at school were even worse," Twilight said with some sadness. "A lot of them came from noble families. They felt that a 'common pony' like me didn't deserve it." She rubbed her hair nervously. "So they-,"

"They bullied you didn't they?" Sunset asked in a sympathetic tone.

"Yeah," Princess Twilight said. "And they didn't stop until Princess Celestia found me...glued to a tree with an 'egghead' sign on my neck." Princess Twilight felt Flash pat her on the shoulder in comfort, while the other people in the vicinity narrowed their eyes in anger over the snobs who dared hurt their favorite pony princess.

"That happened to me too," Sunset said, remembering some not so fond memories.

"What did you do?" Rainbow Dash asked Sunset.

"Tried to become a pony god that so that I would be powerful enough to crush the nobility under my hoof for daring to mock my greatness," Sunset said casually with a wry smile.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash said rubbing her arms in discomfort.

"Well the joke's on them," Applejack said to Twilight with a somewhat nasty grin. "Those spoiled brats now have to bow to you."

"It's even worse," Twilight said with frustration. "Now they lie and claim that I was their best friend all along. Since I became a princess, two nobles have written fake biographies about me, claiming that 'they' were my inspiration."

"Scoundrels," Applejack said with a grunt.

"Some of them even write me marriage proposals before they even know who I am," Twilight said with a scoff.

"How crass," Rarity said with disgust. "They claim to be nobles, but they behave like such boors."

"One of the reasons why I liked you Flash is because you were the first male who liked me before you found I was a Princess," Twilight said warmly to Flash.

"Well, it helps that you're the prettiest princess I've ever met," Flash said with a wide smile.

"You're such a dork," Twilight said playfully. "Anyways, between dealing with nobles, having to fight evil villains, and all the work I have to do," she said somberly, "sometimes I wish I grew up in a place like this, where I wouldn't have to deal with all that, and I could just be Twilight Sparkle and not...the Princess of Friendship."

"Our world certainly isn't perfect," Micro Chips said. "There are plenty of dangers in this world, like natural disasters, nukes, and really bad popstars."

"I know," Princess Twilight said sadly. "But...I miss being able to come here whenever I want. Miss...being able to be in a place where people like me for who I am, not the crown on my head." She looked down. "Now I have a new student I need to take care off, so I'm going to be even more busy." She looked at Flash sadly. "I'm afraid I'll be so busy...I'm not going to be able to come here at all." Flash looked at her with the same sad tone, as did other students who liked hanging out with Princess Twilight.

"All rocks erode and shift," a voice said. Flash and Twilight turned around, and jumped at the scary face of Maud Pie. She looked at them blankly, while holding her pet rock Boulder. Behind her were Limestone and Marble Pie.

"Uh...what?" Flash uttered.

"All rocks erode," Maud repeated, not breaking a sweat. "The largest mountains crumble, the hardest stones break apart, and the nicest statues become sand. No matter what you are or what you're made of, the tides and winds of changes will come for you. They are the only thing that is constant in life." Maud paused for a moment to eat a chip. "The only thing you can do is move with them." Flash and Twilight just stared at her in awe. After a few moments, the stoic girl walked toward the refreshment table.

"Hard to believe that her head is full of something other than rocks isn't it?" Limestone Pie wryly asked the pair with a small smile. Her faced twisted into amusement watching Maud put Boulder on a plate and pour chips on it. "But Maud knows more than most people when you give her a chance."

"Mmm," Marble uttered with a nod. The two sisters walked over the refreshments.

"She's right, you know," Flash said to Twilight. "We've got to deal with the fact that you're gonna be too busy to come here whenever you want."

"Maybe I could give you one of those journals," Twilight said. "That way we could-,"

"Hey, what are you doing here?!" Bon Bon said angrily. Twilight, Flash, and the Rainbooms saw the party get quiet. Princess Twilight and Sunset pushed through the crowds. They saw Bon Bon lecturing very downtrodden looking Shadowbolts while Juniper was standing to the side. The other partygoers were also looking at them with distaste.

"Princess Twilight invited us," Indigo said in protest.

"Yeah, well, get lost!" Bon Bon yelled. "We don't want losers like you."

"Yeah!" Lyra yelled.

"But-,

"Why can't you just go, before you hurt someone else," Sandalwood said, albeit with more patience then Bon Bon.

"Bon Bon," Twilight said. "What are you doing?"

"Taking out the trash, Princess," Bon Bon said with a gleeful smile. Juniper Montage was giving her a glare.

"I invited them here," Princess Twilight said. "I get why you guys are angry, but this isn't the right way to go about it." Twilight expected Bon Bon to argue, but instead Bon Bon walked away with Lyra.

"It is your party Princess," Bon Bon said respectfully. "But don't blame me if they blow someone else up." Bon Bon said a little too loudly. The words hit the Shadowbolts like bullets. Lyra and Bon Bon walked over the refreshment stand.

"I'm going to go try the punch," Juniper said quickly, walking over there.

"Hey," Sunset said with a forced smile, trying to raise their spirits, "thanks for coming! Come on, I'll show you around."

"Yeah," Twilight said with some forced enthusiasm.

"Well, everybody seems happy to see us," Sour Sweet said. "NOT!" The other Shadowbolts echoed that statement, watching as everyone was looking at them with no small amount of hatred.

"Just give them time," Sunset reassured them. "They'll come to like you guys." He walked up to Bulk Biceps.

"Bulk," Sunset said. The red-eyed bodybuilder turned to him. His normally goofy face twisted into utter disdain when he saw the Shadowbolts behind her. "Uh...Indigo loves to do workout routines. Maybe you could...offer some advice."

"You want some advice?" Bulk said.

"Uh, yeah," Indigo said happily.

"I hear going to Crystal Prep will shorten your life," Bulk said with disdain before turning away from them.

"Daisy," Twilight said. "You know Sunny Flare right?" Sunny gave what she hope was a welcoming smile to the pink-skinned girl.

"Yeah," Daisy said uneasily. "Uh, Roseluck really wants to talk to you, over there."

"Really?" Sunny said turning the other way, only to see no one was there. She turned back, only to see a frustrated Princess Twilight. Sunny let out a sigh of frustration and guilt.

"What's your problem?" Bon Bon was snacking on a small pile of cake when she turned around and saw some tanned-skin girl coming up to her while Lyra was having a chat with Violet.

"I'm sorry," Bon Bon said with some annoyance. "Do I know you?"

"Juniper Montage," the girl uttered. Bon Bon's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Oh, you came with the Crystal bitches," Bon Bon said with some disdain. "You must be one of them."

"I'm new to Crystal Prep," Juniper argued. "I've only been here for a week. So please don't involve me in whatever...dispute you guys have."

"Alright fine," the blue-and pink girl said, her disdain not entirely fading from her voice. "It's only fair to warn you that those girls blew up their teammate just to win a game."

"I know what they did," Juniper argued sternly. Bon Bon gave her an unimpressed expression.

"You must be the biggest idiot if you know what happened and you're still hanging out with them." Juniper Montage jaw set.

"You don't know them. They were-,"

"All I know is that those rich jerks have always rubbed it in our faces about superior they are," Bon Bon said with anger. "Always vandalizing our property, always talking about their victory, always making fun of us because we weren't born rich." Juniper's anger dialed back a bit as she took this in. "Now...they've shown us how GREAT they are. They blew up a classmate just to win a trophy. And sooner or later...they'll turn on you the second you stop being important." Juniper's face turned red at that.

"You better take that back," Juniper growled.

"Why don't you just get lost," Bon Bon said with annoyance, turning away from Juniper with a sneer. Juniper got back into her face again.

"I know my friends did stupid things," Juniper said. "But they want to change. They deserve a second chance." Bon Bon's face twisted into a nasty grin.

"You know what I think they deserve?" Bon Bon almost snarled to fuming, pig-tailed girl.

"Look maybe we should go," Lemon said to a desperate Sunset Shimmer. "These dudes don't think we're cool."

"Guys, just give it some more-,"

"Look, Sunset, I appreciate you giving us a chance," Sugarcoat said. "But we're clearly not welcome here." Sugarcoat let out a sigh. "We'll see you at the lab-,"

"YOU BITCH!"

The Shadowbolts, Twilight, and Sunset followed the yell, and came up to a shocking sight.

Bon Bon and Juniper rolling on the ground, punching, biting, and smacking each other in the face, letting out screams and swears. The party and music had stopped as everyone looked at the spectacle in shock.

Bon Bon and Juniper were yanking each others' hair (the latter's pigtails coming undone), when finally Lyra and Sunny came to pull the two apart. The two however, kept trying to go after each other.

"What's going on here?" Twilight said, shouting to the fighting pair.

"Nothing princess," Bon Bon snarled, her eye swollen and black, "this girl must've forgotten to take her medication."

"SHE SAID THEY SHOULD DIE!" a bloody-mouthed Juniper screamed back.

"What?" Twilight said.

"I said they deserved another chance," Juniper yelled. "They said my friends deserved to die a horrible death."

"Well yeah," Bon Bon said in a smug tone. "They got the other Twilight killed so-,"

"Did you really say that Bonnie?" Lyra asked. Her goofy expression was replaced by a mixture of anger and disappointment.

"Well," Bon Bon said feeling the wind being pulled out of her sails, "they were the ones who-," Bon Bon paused as she saw a stone-faced Twilight approach her. She felt her heart go into her throat as she saw everyone else give her the same disappointed look.

"So, you think it is OK to wish death on someone else?" Twilight said, crossing her arms and giving her a look that could kill.

"Let's go Juniper," Sunny said, a mixture of anger and sadness on her face. "They all hate us. We shouldn't bother them anymore." The Shadowbolts turned to walk away, only for Sunset and Rarity to get in their way to keep them from leaving

"See, they're leaving," Bon Bon told Twilight nervously. "Now we can all go back-," she turned only to see Pinkie Pie staring at her with a cold look, and her usual poofy hair flat. Bon Bon felt herself shaking.

From a distance, Limestone, Marble, and Maud looked amused, scared, and mildly concerned respectively.

"This is a Cupcakes mode," Limestone said to Flash with an expression that combined fear and amusement.

"Cupcakes mode?"

"In 5th grade, some little snot stole Pinkie's cupcakes and threw them at Marble," Limestone said, putting a warm hand on Marble's shoulder as she trembled. "Pinkie Pie went up to the boy, and just stared at him for a minute. Then she grabbed him by the shirt, and threatened to shove cupcakes down his throat if he didn't apologize to Marble."

"The boy wet his pants didn't come back to school for a week.," Maud said, a small amount of dark amusement forming on her usually quiet face. Flash was speechless, and his mouth turned dry over Pinkie's utterly cold expression. The usually active party girl was as still as stone. The pink girl looked like a spider patiently waiting to go in for the kill.

"Uh, look," Bon Bon said to the unusually still Pinkie Pie. "You know they blew up the other Twilight, so why are you-,"

"If you ever. Say anything. Like to. That to. Anyone ever again," Pinkie Pie said, each word sounding like steam released from a thundering volcano. She moved her head forward so that she was staring directly at Bon Bon, who was now shaking in her boots. "You will never be allowed at any. Of. My. Parties."

"I," Bon Bon said, sounding terrified. Flash looked in shock, while Limestone began cackling with glee.

"Ever." Pinkie Pie turned away from Bon Bon in disgust and got back behind Princess Twilight.

"OK everybody," Twilight said in cold fury. While quiet, the force of the words made them audible to everyone present. "Party's over. We're all going to have a serious talk." Everyone immediately dropped whatever they were doing and turned to face Twilight. They remembered that underneath this teenage girl was a pony princess with abilities they couldn't comprehend.

"I love coming here," Twilight said, looking around so everyone could hear. "As I said, I love being in a place where I can be Twilight and not just Princess." Princess Twilight bit her lip in frustration. "But there is one thing about you guys that...really infuriates me. Is that you never learn to rise above. To forgive. To give other people a chance." Princess Twilight took another deep breath.

"Yeah, I know it can be hard to forgive. It can really hard to rise above. Back home, people tell me I can way too forgiving. But there is a reason why you should forgive. Because...doing the opposite and letting your anger consume you...can make you terrible. One example of that is...Anon-A-Miss." The Shadowbolts and Juniper noticed everyone's expressions twisted into one of shame. Sunset's expression was especially forlorn.

"How did that start again?" Twilight said rhetorically. "Oh yeah, because three little girls couldn't let go of their grudge against Sunset." Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo craned their necks in sorrow, despite Twilight not addressing them directly. "So consumed by their hatred, they pulled a stunt so bad, they humiliated not only their loved ones, but everyone in Canterlot High." She took another deep breath. "Not only that, but the rest of you, instead of rising above, turned on someone who defended you ungrateful jerks from a bunch of monsters. Even she was on her knees crying her eyes out, you all continued to mocked her." Everyone, especially the Rainbooms, looked utterly downcast at their least proud moment. Twilight's faced twisted into a snarl. She ran her palm along her face, and let out deep breath, her anger abating somewhat.

"But I forgave you guys. You know why? Because you guys weren't completely wrong in suspecting her. She pulled these kinds of stunts in the past, and she hurt you guys pretty badly. I didn't expect for the hurt to go away completely," Twilight said, with some sympathy. Sunset let out a small tear of shame, but her friends ran over to hug her. "But instead of dealing with your problems with empathy and maturity, you chose the worst possible path. You chose to listen to anger, and the process, you hurt someone who didn't deserve it." Twilight let out another breath to calm herself down.

"Here's another point, I want to make," Twilight said sternly. "You all have this...really smug attitude where you pat yourself on the back for doing the bare minimum. You all think that being good simply means 'not being a demon' or 'not being a siren'." The Shadowbolts' faces twisted into confusion at that. "And now you think being good means 'not blowing people up.' That's not being good. That's not being heroic. You don't get to call yourself good just because you don't act bad. That's just being lazy." Twilight's eyes narrowed. "Being good means being better than the people who you. It means doing 150% what your enemies do to you." Twilight let out a deep breath and continued.

"Again, I understand why you're all angry at these girls too," Twilight said with some anger. "They did a really, really stupid and selfish thing and they got their teammate killed. Believe me, I wasn't happy and you all had every right not to be happy with them. But...they've proven to me that they want to change. They want to make up for what they did by helping Sunset out." The Shadowbolts began crying. Juniper ran up to give them hugs. "I hoped you guys would give them a chance, but I had too much hope in you apparently." The words hit everybody like a nasty bullet. "All you want to be are angry jerks who do the bare minimum."

"It is one thing to lay down the law for them," Twilight said, her voice almost on the verge of tears. "And if they hurt you, you are allowed to hit back. But hurting someone who wants a second chance isn't being a hero. It doesn't solve anything. It won't bring that girl back. You can't fix hate with hate. You can't solve hurt with hurt. All you're doing is making more hurt. And not only that. Your hurting yourselves by doing it." Twilight turned to face a deeply ashamed Bon Bon. "You were so consumed by your anger at the other Twilight dying, that now you're saying that other people should die." Bon Bon felt tears fall down her eyes. "Tell me, is that gonna bring back the other Twilight?" Bon Bon shook her head. "I'm not saying that you should forget everything, let them into your homes, and become their best friend overnight. I'm saying...choose love over hate. Give them a chance. Because the latter doesn't help you. It just makes you into a monster."

"I'm sorry," Bon Bon said, letting her tears fall down her cheeks. She felt Twilight pull her into a hug, causing her tears flow more freely.

"Don't tell it to me, tell it to them," Twilight told Bon Bon, spinning her around to face the Shadowbolts.

"OK," a quivering Bon Bon said, breaking from Twilight and walking over to the Shadowbolts, who were also crying. "I'm sorry I said that," talking directly to Juniper. "I was just so upset about what happened-," Bon Bon stopped as Juniper pulled her into a hug.

"It's OK," Juniper said reassuringly, rubbing Bon Bon's back. Lyra came up behind Bon Bon and hugged her too.

"It's OK Bonnie," Lyra said soothingly, rubbing her girlfriend's back. Sunny and the other Shadowbolts also walked up to give Juniper and Bon Bon a hug.

"We didn't want it to happen," Sunny said, her eyes flowing with fresh tears. She felt Fluttershy came up and give her a hug.

"We know," the yellow-skinned girl said in a reassuring tone.

"I miss her so much," Lemon Zest.

"Me too," Pinkie Pie said, her zany voice becoming nothing but pure compassion as she hugged the rock-loving girl.

Soon, the Rainbooms, Flash, the Pie sisters, and all the other students joined in the hug. They let out their own tears, and offered soothing words to the Shadowbolts to assure them that they weren't monsters. After ten minutes, the Shadowbolts and all the party goers were gathered in a giant group hug, letting out their pain and frustration. Twilight looked at this with no small amount of pride. After a while, everybody broke away from the hug as they ran out of tears.

"Yay," Pinkie Pie said, her previous energy returning to her as the pain slowly faded away. "We can now turn this into a 'Let's make up for the Friendship Games' Party."

"We'd love that," Sunny said, her spirits raised as she saw the previous looks of hostility and distrust replaced with understanding and compassion

For another hour the party went on. The Shadowbolts and the rest of CHS' students interactions became far friendlier. While they were far from being friends, the Shadowbolts felt a weight off their shoulders with the previous hostility and scorn they were shown gone.

As the sun set, and the party wore down, Twilight walked to the base of the statue, readiy

"I'll see you guys in about six weeks," the Princess of Friendship said, facing the crowd of students. "Bye Canterlot High."

"Bye Princess Twilight!" everyone said in unison.

"And remember what I said: when you choose love, incredible things can happen." After giving everyone a last look of appreciation, the Princess of Friendship entered the portal and vanished without a trace. Everyone began walking home or helped to clean up the party mess.

"Hey," Sunny said as she approached Applejack, who was folding the chairs. "Can we help you guys cleanup."

"I don't know if you can," Applejack said with a frown. Sunny and her friends turned to walk away, only to see a small smile form on Applejack's face. "But you may." Sunny's face became bright and she helped Applejack carry the table.

Faith and Science on Sunday (Part 2)

Canterlot High Science Lab, Sunday Afternoon, 12:45 PM

Sunset sat at one of the desks in the science lab, anxiously waiting for several students to arrive. While she should've been optimistic about getting lab assistants, her past failures made her anxious. People often said failure was a prelude to success. But for Sunset, failure was just leading to more failure.

With a small sigh, the fire-haired girl craned her head toward the ceiling and closed her eyes.

"I don't know who or what is up there," Sunset said solemnly. "I know...I had this coming. I know that...I'm in a nightmare of my own creation. But...I don't anyone to get hurt. I don't anyone else paying for my mistakes. Please...please let this go right." She opened her eyes, just as the door opened. In stepped the Shadowbolts.

"Hey Sunny," Juniper said cheerfully, a warm smile on her face.

"Hey June," Sunset said cheerfully. She turned to the other Shadowbolts. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Sugarcoat said mirthlessly. The other Shadowbolts were still reeling from the party, if their downcast moods were any indication.

"Um Sunset?" Sunny asked uneasily.

"Yeah?"

"Could you send a message to the Princess," Sunny uttered. "Telling her....'thanks for standing up for us' ?"

"Sure," Sunset said graciously.

"Tell her that we're grateful for what she did...even though we didn't deserve it...'" Sunny said, her voice cracking. The mood of the other Shadowbolts also seemed to deteriorate. Juniper looked at them like a disappointed parent.

"Guys, you heard what Princess Twilight said," Juniper said in a soothing rebuke. "She didn't give you a second chance for no reason. You've proven to me-and her-you want to be better people. If you guys didn't deserve it you wouldn't be here."

"Thanks June," Sunny said. The other Shadowbolts were looking at her with gratitude.

The sight helped alleviate some of Sunset's anxiety a bit, a warm smile forming on her face as she looked at Juniper with no small amount of pride.

"She would be a good runner up for the Element of Loyalty," Sunset thought with joy.

"Alright that's enough of our pity party," Indigo said. "Let's get to work shall we," Indigo said, rubbing her hands with glee.

"So what are we going do?" Lemon Zest said excitedly, looking at the equipment on the table. "Mix things in beakers? Make weird chemicals?"

"Before we start anything," Sunset said, her voice becoming stern. "You guys need to understand that even though I've given you another chance, that doesn't mean you get to act as you please. You are all still on thin ice with me and Princess Twilight. So, if you want to help me, you have to do whatever I tell you and follow whatever rules I give you. Do you guys understand?"

"Yes," the Shadowbolts and Juniper all said.

"If you any break any of the rules or cause another accident," Sunset said paused. "You're out. Gone. Finito. And that includes you too Juniper," Sunset said in a less severe tone to the blue-haired girl. "It isn't anything personal June. But the Twilight that lived here was also a genius, and even she nearly got a lot of people killed during the Games by accident. This is very new territory. You can't afford to be arrogant. If I have to kick you out, its because I don't want anyone else getting hurt or killed. Do you guys understand?"

"Yes" the six girls said in unison.

"OK, so here are the rules," Sunset said. "You can't tell anyone about what goes on here, outside of Luna, Celestia, my friends, and Cadence. You can't take any of the lab equipment out of this room. You can't take pictures. You have to be here at 12 PM on Sunday sharp. No food. No drink. No headphones," Sunset said directly to Lemon Zest, who sheepishly put hers away. "No touching the equipment unless I let you. Don't treat any of the lab equipment like a toy, and you all have to put on the lab coats," Sunset finished, gesturing to the open closet full of coats. The six girls went to put them on.

"As I've said, you six cannot break any of these rules. They exist to protect you and everyone else. You guys break any of these rules, and you're out," Sunset said. "Do you guys want me to repeat them?" Everyone shook their heads.

"Indigo, Sour, Sunny, Lemon, Sugarcoat, I need you to pay attention to this rule," Sunset said with urgency. "You see that line on the ground." The group of six looked down, and saw that a segment of duct tape that went across the width of the room separated the table with the equipment from them. "Not only are you not allowed near the equipment, but you can't cross this line. Ever." The Shadowbolts eyes narrowed in confusion.

"If we can't touch the equipment, then what can we do?" Indigo asked Sunset.

"Well, see that computer over there," Sunset said, gesturing with her thumb. "The human Twilight's notes were all there. She left, a lot of notes," Sunset said in a tired voice. "Your jobs are to go through the notes to find any relevant information about the topics I asked you about." The Shadowbolts were dismayed.

"SO THAT'S IT!" Sour screeched. "WE'RE JUST A BUNCH OF SECRETARIES! I-," Sour paused when Sunny put a hand on her shoulder.
'
"Sour," Sunny Flare admonished. "Enough. We should be lucky Sunset is giving us a chance. She doesn't want us to screw anything else."

"Look, this isn't personal," Sunset said in reassurance. "Pinkie Pie caused an accident by swinging one of my pendants around, so I've banned her completely from this lab." Sunset said with a hint of anger. "You guys aren't really scientists and there isn't really anyway for me to measure the magic properly. But if we can make some progress, and you guys behave yourselves, then I let you do some more hands off stuff."

"OK", the Shadowbolts said humbly. Sugarcoat raised her hand.

"Yes Sugarcoat?"

"Since we're working together," Sugarcoat said, crossing her arms and honing her bespectacled eyes on Sunset. "Maybe you can tell us why you came to our world, and why you brought magic here."

"And what was the Princess saying about 'sirens' and 'demons'?" Juniper asked the amber-skinned girl. Sunset looked down and let out a sigh.

"OK," Sunset said. "I'll you everything."

Sunset regaled the six other girls with her life as a unicorn, her time as a student of a mighty princess, her betrayal of that student in her quest for power, arriving at Canterlot High, her time as an arrogant bully, her theft of Princess Twilight's crown, becoming a brainwashing demon, her disgraceful defeat, and the battle against the sirens.

"That was a really incredible story," Sour said.

"Really?" Sunset said. Sour's face twisted into a sneer.

"NO!" Sour said with disgust. "You sound like some kind of...cliché cartoon villain." Juniper, Indigo Zap, and Lemon Zest are chuckling at Sour's proclamation, while Sunny and Sugarcoat stared at Sunset with expressions of mild contempt.

"Well," Sunset said, her face blushing and a sheepish smile forming on her lips.

"You said you were...defeated by the power of friendship-," Lemon Zest couldn't finish the sentence before breaking down in laughter.

"That sounds so...corny and lame," Indigo Zap, also chuckling.

"And your plan just sounds so...crazy," Juniper said, a mocking grin on her lips. "You wanted to rule a pony world by becoming a...prom queen."

"The fact you cheated and bullied other people just to win several plastic crowns speaks to an incredible inferiority complex brought upon by a failure to rise above your station," Sugarcoat surmised.

"I guess," Sunset accepted with gritted teeth, rubbing the back of her head out of embarrassment

"Clearly, you were so consumed by megalomania, you sought to have the crown placed in a ceremony you had long used to dominate your classmates," Sugarcoat continued, "rather then just steal the crown and walk away."

"Yeah, why didn't you just steal the crown and leave," Sunny asked with confusion. "Didn't that ever cross your mind?" Sunset's eyes lowered to the floor.

"Well, my minions and I-," Sunset began, before being interrupted by Indigo's amused snorting.

"Minions," Indigo said with snicker. "Here that," Indigo said playfully to Juniper. "She's got minions now."

"Anyways, I did try to sneak in and get the crown," Sunset said, gritting her teeth. "But there was a...complication."

"What complication?"

"Well," Sunset said. "I decided to hide in the bathroom one night and well..."

It was late at night in Canterlot High. Princess Twilight and the ever-loyal Spike slept. The two blue eyes that watched them through the glass door of the library entrance were filled with nothing but fury and contempt. Sunset, dressed completely in black, considered attacking Twilight and her dog at this very moment.

The pony princess-turned-human struggle to even walk upright meant she would go down hard in a physical fight. While Sunset was no athlete, she could easily handle some twerp who tripped all the time.

"No, no," Sunset said to herself. "She won't give up over a few pushes. And her screams of pain could attract attention". She looked down the hall hungrily, where her true prize was.

"Once I put that crown I my head," Sunset said to herself with malicious glee ,"I'll have the power to bend her mind to my will. Nothing would break that white jerk and make her see me as worthy more than seeing her precious princess becoming loyal to me."

"Are you done talking to yourself?" Snips said, pulling Sunset out of her megalomaniacal fantasy. Snails was beside him, the two also dressed in black. Sunset grit her teeth.

"Let's go and get the stupid crown already," she grunted to her lackeys. The trio approached the door with a wrench and the screwdriver she needed to pick the lock. As she approached the Principal's office, where the crown was, she felt herself shaking with glee.

"Finally," Sunset thought to herself, "the power I deserved will be mine, and nothing will get in my way." She soon as got near the door, a massive alarm went off.

"What the-?!" Sunset said allowed, feeling panic. She heard loud footsteps running in her way.

"Run," Slips yelled. For once, Sunset didn't question her minion's suggestion, and trio ran away from the school security.

"I thought I knew everything I needed to know about this world after two years," Sunset said with a wry smile. "But there were still things I didn't know about. Like silent alarms."

"How did you not get caught?" Indigo asked.

"I knew about the security cameras and their blind spots," Sunset said with a less annoyed tone. "Snips, Snails, and I were able to get rid of our clothes and equipment and run into the bathroom. When security found us, we lied and said we we stayed after school to look for our stuff."

"Didn't you try again?"

"After the school found out about a bunch of 'thieves'," Sunset said with air quotes, "they tightened security. So by that point, it was impossible for me to steal the crown. In order for me to get it, I'd have to win it. I thought that Princess Twilight was way too weird for anyone to want her to be a Fall Formal Princess, and I would win like I always did."

"I guess that makes sense," Sour said. She then sneered at Sunset. "In an evil villain kind of way!"

"So how did the 'Magic of Friendship' make you want to change for the better?" Indigo said.

"Well, when I put on Twilight's crown," Sunset said, unease forming on her face, "it...awakened something inside me. Suddenly, my brain went from 'getting power and respect' to 'overthrow Celestia and kill anyone who got in my way'." The Crystal Prep students were astonished and a little scared.

"Anyways, I was about to head for the portal with the students I enslaved, but Princess Twilight and her friends got in my way," Sunset said. "I was willing to burn them to death just to get...power." Sunset felt a tear of shame fall down her face. She looked at the Shadowbolts, who looked back at her with disbelief. "But then suddenly, the girls were able...to draw on the power of Harmony."

"How?" Sunny said. "Them suddenly getting power sounds like...one heck of an plot twist."

"Harmony is the force that protects Equestria from dark forces," Sunset said. "Twilight theorizes that Harmony saw that she and her friends were worthy of its power, and that they would use that power to stop me."

"I think I know what happens next," Juniper said. "It was like in that Diamond Warriors episode-,"

"Diamond Warriors?", Sunset asked.

"Some juvenile cartoon about a group of girls who fight evil that some teenagers and adults inexplicably like," Sugarcoat said.

"Yeah," Juniper said almost dreamily. She let out a cough of embarrassment at everyone's bewilderment. "Anyways, the Diamond Warriors blast the villain with what they call 'The Light of Hope'. It automatically turns the villain good. That's what happened-,"

"That's not how Harmony works!" Sunset said with some anger. She let out a sigh as she saw everyone looking at her with a bewildered expression. "The Elements of Harmony don't just turn a bad person good."

"Then what do they do?" Sunny asked Sunset. Sunset looked down silently and grabbed her arm.

"Sunset," Lemon Zest said, picking up on the amber-skinned girl's distress. "Dude. If you don't want to talk, that's cool."

"When I was hit with the blast, it h-hurt," Sunset uttered. "It felt like, a thousand knives were stabbing me at once." The Crystal Prep students winced.

"When I came to," Sunset said, biting her lip, "I found myself in this weird void."

"Void?"

"Void," Sunset repeated. "Suddenly, the void began...showing me...showing me first turning into a demon and hurting other people." Sunset looked down in shame. "No matter how bad I was, I never wanted to do that." Her lip quiver. "Then it showed me all the horrible things I did. Bully people, act like a brat, destroy friendships, treating even my own...mentor like garbage." Sunset let a tear fall out. She saw Lemon Zest put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from crying. "Thanks," Sunset said.

"I know the Elements were saying," Sunset said. "I was always a demon. A monster. And that all my decisions led me becoming a brutal killer. All my life I thought the Princess was just being a jerk to me. But know I realize...I really wasn't ready for the power of the Princess. I realize...Celestia she was really trying to protect me and everyone else from what I would do." Sunset regained some her composure. "But it didn't really sink in how much I didn't deserve to be an alicorn until..."

"Until what?" Indigo asked, curious.

"Until I woke up and I saw Twilight and her friends staring down at me," Sunset said. "I thought I was gonna expelled, at best. I thought I was going to go back to Equestria in chains and spend the rest of my life in a dungeon," Sunset said in a small, weak voice. "But instead, Twilight told me...I deserved to have friends. I humiliated her, stole her crown, tried to kill her, and still said I deserved to know what friends are like." Sunset's expression became a mixture of warmth and sadness. "She even got the girls I hurt to be my friends." The Crystal Prep students were astonished by that.

"She even got the principals not to expel me," Sunset said. "I mean, I didn't get off scot-free. I was suspended for six weeks, and I spent four of them doing backbreaking labor fixing the chunk of the school I broke. And everyone in school hated me and hurt me as much as I hurt them. And I had to work hard and atone before my new friends ever really trusted me. But the fact that someone gave me a chance meant I had a duty to be better."

"And you did," Lemon said with a warm smile. "I mean, you knocked Cinch's lights out."

"And you also gave us a chance," Sunny said. "You did that because...we're a like out how you used to be."

"Well, you weren't as bad as becoming a demon."

"No," Sunny said uncomfortably. "But, we made fun of Twilight to. Treated her like garbage. Sent her on goose chases. Because we all thought she was...an obnoxious retarded teacher's pet."

"Sunny," Indigo scolding, "don't use that word."

"I think that's an accurate way to describe how we saw Twilight," Sugarcoat said, before letting out a tearful sigh. "But...then we learned we were the idiots. We were willing to gamble with our lives over a stupid game. And Twilight, who knew the danger, was the one who paid the price." Sugarcoat felt a tear fall down her face.

"And despite our screw up, you and Princess Twilight gave us a chance we didn't deserve," Sour said, the hurt in her normally boisterous voice evident. "Meaning, we had no excuse to treat Twilight like a reject."

"Because you guys stood up for me," Juniper said, the warm smile in her eyes raising everyone's spirits a little. "Whatever stupid things you did, you've learned from them. Enough that, if Twilight were here, she would be lucky to know you guys." The other Shadowbolts all ran up to Juniper, tearful smiles on their faces, and gave her a warm hug. After a few minutes, the other girls broke from the hug.

"I got one more question," Sugarcoat asked Sunset in a somewhat lighter question. "You said you left behind your entire world to come here. Didn't you have...like...family in that pony land." Sunset stared at her Sugarcoat blankly before looking at a red amulet.

"OK guys, we got six weeks to figure out how the magic did before the Princess returns," Sunset said, dodging Sugarcoat's inquiry. "So...let's get to work." Sugarcoat noticed how Sunset didn't respond to the question at all.

"Alright," Sugarcoat said, silently accepting Sunset had a family history she wasn't ready to discuss, "Let's get to our work station." Juniper followed Sunset from behind the work table, while everyone else went to the computer to look through Twilight's data.

"For Twilight," Lemon Zest said.

"For Twilight," everyone else repeated.

Hypothesis

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Testimony

"Why aren't we bringing Princess Twilight?" Juniper idly asked Sunset. The two, along with Cadence and Shining Armor, were in the parking lot.

"Because we don't want Spike to see her," Shining said bitterly. "We don't want to...get his hopes up about our Twilight..." Juniper frowned, having sympathy for the poor man. The blue-haired girl tried to change the subject.

"So you really have a talking dog?" Juniper asked Cadence excitedly as the two, along with Shining and Sunset, reached Shining's blue sedan.

"Yes," Cadence said quietly.

"Can he speak in complete sentences?" Juniper continued to ask. "Can he engage in problem-solving? Can he-,"

"Juniper," Sunset said firmly. Sunset's severe tone stopped Juniper's questions cold. "I know a talking dog sounds cool. But you can't treat Spike like he's pet you see at one of those animal shows. Think of him...as like a boy who saw his sister die in front of him." Juniper's mood went down in flames. "He's not in a good place right now," Sunset said, "so please...be careful what you ask him."

"I will", Juniper said solemnly as she opened the right rear door to the sedan. Sunset got into the left rear seat. Cadence, who only barely maintained her composure, took the driver's seat. Shining Armor, who looked like he swallowed a lemon, sat down in the passenger's seat as if he was in a daze. It seemed like he was trying to tune out the world, lest he explode.

Juniper looked at the two with no small amount of sadness. She wanted to do something to make them feel better. But their mood went well beyond what one small condolence could actually fix.

Juniper's own thoughts were also melancholic. Today, she had learned some not so nice details about Sunny and the rest of her friends. While she was well aware of the fact that they weren't saints, the depths of cruelty they sunk to were deeper than she imagined.

"We're they really like that? What else did they do to that other Twilight?" Juniper thought frustratingly as she was driven to the Sparkle household.

"Why?" Lemon asked sadly.

"Why what?" Sugarcoat said.

"Why didn't we ever give Twilight a chance?" The other Shadowbolts frowned in frustration. The group were waiting at the bus stop that would take them home.

"I don't know," Sour said sarcastically. She then let out an annoyed frown. "Because she was an annoying nerd who was always showing off how 'smart' she was. Because she was always kissing up to the teachers. Because she was a wimp. Because her only best friend was a dog. Because she was always hiding in her lab-,"

"Was she always like that?" Lemon Zest asked sadly. "Or did we," Lemon Zest clenched her fist, "make her...that way?" The question hit the other Shadowbolts like a fist to the face. "Cadence told us about all the cool things she did when she was kid. Was she hiding in her lab to...avoid everyone else?" The Shadowbolts looked down at the pavement in shame, as the implications of the question went through their minds. They barely noticed that they missed their bus.

"She's not here," Rainbow Dash said, entering the school's bakery. Rainbow, followed by her friends and Princess Twilight, "Normally when Pinkie's upset, she just sits around baking a cake." Rainbow Dash was a bit anxious. She wondered what Pinkie might do when she was really upset, which made it imperative to find her fast.

"I haven't gotten any texts from her," Applejack said, looking at her phone. "Let's keep looking."

"We'll go down this hallway," Rainbow said, gesturing to herself and Applejack. "You three," Rainbow said, gesturing to Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight, "go down the other hallway."

"We'll text you if we see her," Rarity said, walking with Twilight and Fluttershy down the other hallway.

"What do you usually do when your Pinkie's this...furious?" Princess Twilight asked Rarity as they walked down the hall.

"Usually buy her a cake," Rarity said. "But this is something different."

"How?"

"Pinkie wanting to be alone," Rarity said. Princess Twilight's jaw dropped in shock. The two Pinkies were the most extroverted beings she had ever encountered. Pinkie wanting to be away from others was too much to bear.

"What do you think we should do Fluttershy?" Rarity asked her butter-yellow friend. Fluttershy ignored her, frowning and lost in thought. "Fluttershy? Fluttershy?" The shy girl kept looking down.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight said, tapping the animal lover on the shoulder.

"Yes," Fluttershy said, having been broken out of her trance.

"What do you think we should do for Pinkie?"

"I don't know," Fluttershy said.

"Fluttershy, are you OK?" Rarity said. "You seem to be...lost?"

"Just thinking," Fluttershy said.

"About what?" Twilight said.

"Stuff," Fluttershy said, looking down and scratching the back of her head.

"What kind of-," Rarity began, before seeing something pink in the cafeteria. "Girls, I see her." The princess and the animal girl saw Pinkie in the cafeteria, sitting alone. The girls walk in, and took in a somewhat unnatural sight.

Pinkie, sitting alone, hugging her knees, and looking utterly lost. It was sad, pathetic, and unnatural. Like a fish out of water flopping around on land looking for a lake.

"I'll go talk to her," Rarity said, walking toward the party loving friend.

"Pinkie, darling," Rarity said gently. "Are you alright." Pinkie Pie saw Rarity talk to her and turned around to face away from her. Rarity's concern for Pinkie went up.

"Pinkie Pie, I understand your upset, but surely you can tell us."

"Why?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Why what?"

"Why were those girls so mean to the other Twilight?" Pinkie asked, turning back toward Rarity with sad and furious eyes.

"Well, Sunset Shimmer was quite mean-,"

"That's different," Pinkie Pie argued. "Sunset Shimmer was a supervillain trying to take over a world. They're supposed to be mean." Pinkie's eyes watered. "Those girls weren't supervillains. Why wouldn't they let her come to her...parties?" Pinkie Pie's face fell into her hand, and she let small tears flow.

Rarity let out a sigh. Pinkie Pie, they said, seemed to have the mindset of a kindergartner. Like all kindergartners, they lived in a world of naptimes and cookies. They never imagined a world of petty cruelty and were others were excluded from having fun for pointless reasons. Whereas the majority of people either accepted that or became cruel themselves, Pinkie Pie never could comprehend a world where some people never got to have friends.

"I don't know Pinkie," Rarity said in a sad voice, putting her hand on the weeping girl's shoulder. "I don't know. The other Twilight was...different," Rarity said as a euphemism for people who were antisocial. "And people can sometimes...not like different things."

"But Human Twilight wasn't evil," Pinkie Pie complained. "She never ever tried to hurt anyone."

"Sometimes Pinkie," Princess Twilight said approaching her along with a still silent Fluttershy. "Good beings suffer things they don't deserve."

"But it's not supposed to be that way," Pinkie Pie said, still crying.

"You're right," Princess Twilight said sadly, bending down to hug the crying girl. Rarity and Fluttershy also bent down to hug the girl as well. "I wish it wasn't Pinkie. I really wish it wasn't."

Spike sat near his doghouse on the lawn, looking at the tennis ball longingly. He pushed it around, but his heart wasn't in it.

"It just isn't the same without her," Spike said miserably. Spike noticed several shadows surrounding him. He craned his neck up and saw Cadence.

"Hey Spike," Cadence said. Spike looked down. Cadence and Shining Armor tried to fill the hole in Spike's heart, but even though she appreciated her efforts, it wasn't enough. "There are two people here who want to... ask you a few questions about Twilight." Spike noticed two girls walking into the yard. When he recognized the fire-skinned girl, his heckles raised.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Spike roared. Sunset and Juniper jumped at the rage. "GET OUT OF HERE, YOU MONSTER!" Sunset's mood crashed.

"Spike," Sunset said. "I'm sorry about what I said to Twilight-,"

"NO YOUR NOT!" Spike roared as he got into an aggressive stance. Sunset's eyes watered at the sight of the angry and upset puppy. Juniper too looked stunned and saddened by the angry dog. "YOU YELLED AT HER AND MADE HER CRY! SHE SAID SHE WAS SORRY AND YOU-"

"Spike," Cadence said in a scolding voice. "Sunset didn't mean to yell at her. I wasn't happy about it, but Twilight did something really dangerous. Something that nearly got Sunset's friends hurt. Sunset yelled because she was scared for them." Cadence bet down to pet the upset dog. "If someone hurt Twilight, wouldn't you get upset too?" Spike's angered died down.

"I...I guess," Spike said .

"Spike," Sunset said regretfully, approaching the still-mourning dog. "I wanted to say sorry. Believe me. After the tournament, I was gonna walk up to Twilight and tell her that what happened wasn't... completely her fault." Sunset looked at the ground. "I didn't mean to make her cry."

"It wasn't just that," Spike said, no longer crying but still feeling horrible. "It was what she said after that made me angry."

"What did she say?" Sunset said. Spike looked down, clearly trying to avoid a bad memory. "Spike, please tell us."

"Spike I know you're hurting right now," Juniper said soothingly, walking up to the sad dog. "But...we don't want what happened to Twilight happen to any other person." Spike perked up at that. "And in order to prevent it, we need to know the last thing Twilight told you." Juniper bent down to look the puppy in the eye. "Please Spike. Tell us. For her."

"OK," Spike said, trying to collect his thoughts. Juniper pulled out a tape recorder and began recording Spike's words.

Spike sat in front of the girl's bathroom, where he followed Twilight. All he heard was the sound of furious bathroom flushing. But knowing Twilight, he knew what that meant.

Twilight was upset and she didn't want anyone to know.

Eventually, the flushing stopped. Twilight stepped out, her eyes red and puffy.

"Twilight," Spike said soothingly. "It's OK. It's going to be-,"

"No, its not OK!" Twilight yelled miserably. "It's never gonna OK!" She fell to the ground, hugging her knees. "I'm just a... screwup."

"You're not a screw up," Spike protested. "You're the smartest, coolest person ever." Twilight tried to find comfort from Spike's words. But, it wasn't enough. Spike couldn't help anymore.

"Yes I am," Twilight protested, tears coming back to her eyes. "No one likes me. No one listens to me. Everyone... hates me."

"I don't hate you," Spike said.

"I know Spike," Twilight said. "But I want...people who like me too. But no one does."

"Twilight-," Spike continued.

"I thought, for once, someone wanted to be my friend," Twilight said, still weeping. "I thought for once, someone was gonna like me. I thought those girls with magic were gonna be my friend. But then...I nearly got those girls killed. I can't stop being a screwup can't I?"

"Your not," Spike said. "I'm sure that they'll-,"

"You heard what that other redhaired girl said," Twilight complained. "She hates me now. Once her friends find out what I'm really like, they'll hate me too."

"Twilight please," Spike said. "Stop saying those things."

"But its' true," Twilight said. "No matter what I do, no matter what I say, no one ever likes me." Twilight's tears stopped, but her mood hadn't recovered.

"Maybe I'm not...meant to have friends," Twilight said with bitter acceptance. "Maybe I'm not meant to be-," she paused and looked down. "Maybe I'm better off-", she paused. "I wish I was-,"

Before Twilight could finish her musings, the alarm went off, signaling the final part of the games was about to begin. Twilight stood up and began walking toward the exit.

"Twilight, don't go to the games," Spike warned. "Not when you're like this."

"I have to ," Twilight said miserably, putting on the calm face like she always did. "Everyone's gonna kill me if they have to forfeit because I didn't show up." Spike looked down miserably. Spike tried to follow, but Twilight put up her hand.

"Spike you have to stay here," Twilight commanded.

"But why?"

"I can't risk Cinch seeing you. I'm already on thin ice," Twilight said.

"I can't leave you alone," Spike said.

"Sit," Twilight commanded. Spike reluctantly obeyed Twilight's order. The lavender-skinned girl turned around and walked away clutching her amulet.

The two girls and the pink-skinned woman were sullen at Spike's testimony.

"Spike, I'm sorry," Sunset said tearfully. "I never meant to make Twilight think she could ever have friends." The dog looked away from her miserably. "Spike, please believe me."

"Spike, there were a few sentences you didn't finish," Juniper said, interrupting Sunset tearful apology. She walked up to the dog "They were, 'Maybe I'm not meant to be-,' ,'Maybe I'm better off-', and 'I wish I was-'". Juniper looked down at Spike. "What did she mean by those words? What was she trying to say?"

"I don't know," Spike said sadly. "I wish I did, but I don't."

Juniper frowned. Spike was supposed to provide an answer. He did, sort of. According to Spike, Twilight had been under severe emotional distress just before the final games. Something Juniper knew all too well. But Spike's answer just created new questions. Questions she was finding herself afraid to get an answer to.

Words From the Shy

Sparkle Residence

Sunday Night

Cadence came into her bedroom dressed a pink bathrobe. She came across a despondent Shining Armor sitting on the edge of the bed. He was wearing basic shorts and a T-shirt, and he kept listening to Spike's recording over and over again over his self-phone. Either he was trying to discern the meaning of Twilight's vague words, or he was obsessing over the other depressing things Spike recalled.

Shining seemed to be doing it for the same reason people picked at their rotten teeth: to see if it'll still hurt.

"Shining," Cadence said with concern, "let's go to bed already." Shining turned toward her with a furious look.

"You were the dean of the school," Shining said with a small growl. "Surely you should've known what was going on."

"Shining, I sit in my office most of the day," Cadence replied, her heckles slightly.

"What are you doing there all day?!" Shining Armor yelled. "Playing tic-tac-toe?!"

"I do work, Shiny!" Cadence protested. "What did you want me to do? Follow her around her classes 24/7?! Put cameras on her. Order the other kids to be friends to her because she was the Dean's sister?!" Cadence took a small breath. "Even if we wanted to-and we both agreed that Twilight should make friends on her own- I wasn't aloud to use my position to vouch for her." Shining let out a sigh.

"I was this close to...wringing those girls' necks," Shining said ruefully. "If all those things were just the tip of the iceberg, what else did Twilight had to go through when our backs were turned? I'm afraid I'll snap if I find out." Shining Armor said. "And why didn't Twilight...tell us?"

"She did tell us," Cadence said, her voice dripping with regret as she sat next to her husband. "She kept telling us how much she hated Crystal Prep. Kept telling us how everyone hated her." Cadence looked down at her lap. "We just...didn't listen."

"I kept telling her 'Twily, you're being silly'," Shining said, his brotherly phrase sounding almost like poison in his mouth. "She was unhappy, and I belittled her," Shining concluded, biting his lip to control his tears. His grabbed his photo album of Twilight. He looked at the picture of 8 year old Twilight and their dad building her treehouse. The little girl had a smile that was as bright as any star.

"Why didn't we let her transfer to that alternative school?" Shining asked Cadence in a tired voice.

"Because we wanted her to have the same experiences we had," Cadence said in an utterly drained. "To love Crystal Prep as much as we did."

He scrolled to the photos of Twilight at Crystal Prep. Her photos showed achievement, just as his own pictures of Crystal Prep did.

But Shining Armor noticed something he missed earlier: that bright smile from Twilight's early childhood was nowhere to be seen on any of her photos at Crystal Prep. And Twilight had no one else in the photo beside her.

Canterlot High

Monday Morning

The Rainbooms all sat at their usual spot at the cafeteria, brainstorming different interpretations as to human Twilight's vague last words.

"Why isn't our Twilight here?" Pinkie asked everyone as she sat down.

"Can't take any chances with anyone spotting her," Sunset said firmly. "So she stays at my apartment."

"Anyways, what do you think Twilight was trying to say?" Rainbow Dash.

"Maybe, she wishes she got to go to a party?" Pinkie Pie guessed.

"Maybe she wished she had more friends?" Rarity guessed.

"That wouldn't explain why she exploded," Rainbow Dash said with frustration.

"What about Princess Twilight?" Applejack asked Sunset. "She and the other Twilight are kind of similar. Wouldn't Princess Twilight have the same mind and be able to guess what Human Twilight was trying to say?"

"Not really," Sunset said uneasily. "Even though they have a lot in common, the two lived very different lives. Princess Twilight said she was bullied, but she always had family, Spike, and Princess Celestia to get through it. The Princess helped keep the bullies at bay." Sunset turned toward Fluttershy. "What about you Fluttershy." The yellow-girl seemed to be in a daze. "Fluttershy. Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash tapped Fluttershy on her shoulder.

"What?" Fluttershy asked.

"What do you think Human Twilight was thinking about?" Sunset asked the animal lover.

"I don't know," Fluttershy said looking down. The other Rainbooms continued to speculate, while Applejack looked at the yellow girl with concern.

Fluttershy's house, 5:30 PM

Fluttershy was mopping her floor when she heard a knock at the door.

Fluttershy opened the door and found a stoic Applejack standing outside the door.

"Hey Applejack," Fluttershy greeted, "how's it going?"

"Fine," Applejack said, stepping into Fluttershy's house. The yellow-skinned girl excused herself to get a glass of water for Applejack. "I just wanted to talk!"

"About what?"

"Well-," Applejack was about to respond before she something tugging at her hair and the sound of scissors.

"Yes!" A male voice said from behind her. Applejack whirled around and Fluttershy ran into the room. They found Zephyr Breeze, scissors raised like a sword, holding one of Applejack's hairs aloft like it was a trophy. "I finally get to add Applejack's hairs to my collection."

"Zephyr Breeze! "Fluttershy bellowed as Applejack's jaw dropped in disgust. "You give Applejack her hair right now!"

"No can do Flutters," Zephyr said, seemingly ignoring Applejack's bared fists and growing rage. "It is too valuable."

"Come here you freak!" Applejack said, lunging for the blue-skinned idiot. Zephyr sidestepped out of the way, and leaped out of the open window, running outside while cackling like a madman, as Applejack and Fluttershy watched with frustration.

"I can't believe that..thing is your brother," Applejack said with disgust.

"I can't believe it either," Fluttershy said in an unusually jaded voice. A rare sneer formed on her face. "Don't worry about it. When Zephyr goes to bed, he's gonna wake up feeling quite sneezy," Fluttershy continued, baring an evil grin that would stop Demon Sunset's heart cold. "He has a cat allergy, and he might find a cat was accidentally put there."

"Maybe it'll teach the freak a lesson," Applejack thought with some cold satisfaction. Then she remembered why she was here. "Fluttershy, we need to talk," Applejack continued, her green eyes becoming hard.

"About what?"

"Fluttershy, you weren't looking at us," Applejack said, her green eyes firmly on the pink-haired girl. "Is there something you wanted to share, but you were too afraid to tell us."

"What are you talking about?" Fluttershy said, looking away from the floor.

"Fluttershy, you're fooling no one," the farmer girl said sternly, "you're acting the way you did when Lightning Dust gave you bruises and you didn't want to tell us."

"Applejack," Fluttershy said, her lip quivering. "I don't know anything."

"Sugar cube, is this anything to do with what you think the other Twilight was thinking about," Applejack said. Fluttershy didn't say anything, but said more in her silence. "Sugar cube, if we don't want this happening again, we need to know."

Finally Fluttershy began crying. The sight of it could make even the most cold-hearted person weak. Applejack almost was brought low by it, but the recent tragedy pushed away any regrets she would have about pressing Fluttershy.

"Sugar cube, that isn't going to work anymore," Applejack said firmly, crossing her arms. "You can't help me with tears."

"I'm too scared to tell you."Fluttershy said, wiping her eyes.

"Why," Applejack said, some sympathy.

"Because I'm afraid of what you'll think of me," Fluttershy said sadly.

"Fluttershy," Applejack said. "I'm your friend. We've been through too much together for me to want to walk away from you. Trust me, I won't abandon you."

"OK," Fluttershy said, gearing up to say something very painful. "When I was kid, you know, people would always make fun me. Pull my hair, call me 'animal freak', push me around." Fluttershy whimpered as she remembered her painful memories of middle-school.

"I remember that sugar cube," Applejack, putting a comforting hand on the yellow-skinned girl.

"And Sunset, when she was evil, was always making fun of me, shoving me into my locker, calling me names," Fluttershy almost squealed. Applejack rubbed her back. While Fluttershy forgave Sunset, it seemed the pain from those dark days still lingered.

"It's just...whenever people bullied me," Fluttershy said miserably, "there were times when I..." Fluttershy muttered something.

"What was that sugarcube," Applejack said. Fluttershy muttered again. "I'm sorry, I didn't here that." Fluttershy mumbled something again. "Fluttershy, you need to tell me-,"

"KILL MYSELF!" Fluttershy bellowed, before breaking down in tears and letting herself fall onto the couch nearby. Applejack looked at her crying friend with shock and disbelief.

"There were times I just wanted throw myself off the roof and kill myself," Fluttershy said."Because I didn't think anyone cared about me, sometimes I just wanted to end it all! I know it sounds stupid but-,"

"Fluttershy, it isn't stupid," Applejack said, taking a seat next to the crying girl and putting a hand on shoulder. "It isn't stupid to feel that way. The stupid people are the people who made you feel this way." Applejack held Fluttershy for a few moments, letting the yellow girl let her anger out.

"Anyways," Fluttershy said in a morose tone. "The other Twilight said she thought no one liked her. And we heard how mean those other girls were to her. What if....deep down...the other Twilight....wanted to kill herself." Applejack's jaw dropped in horror, already guessing what Fluttershy's conclusion was. "And the magic...helped her do that."

"It couldn't possibly-it shouldn't," Applejack stammered in horror. "It is the Power of Harmony. It isn't supposed to do that."

"It's not supposed to create demons," Fluttershy said in a whimpering tone. "It's not supposed to make sirens mighty and powerful! But if your heart has anything but love in it, like Sunset said, than it can do terrible things." Applejack's face fell into her hand, her face becoming pale. "I can't think of any reason it wouldn't want to vaporize the other Twilight unless she wanted it to." A daze fell over Applejack as she took in Fluttershy's theory. She tried to think of something else that could've made the magic destroy the other Twilight. But she couldn't think of any other reason. Gritting her teeth, the farmer stood from the couch, her face full of resolve.

"C'mon Fluttershy," Applejack said to her melancholy friend, "we're going right to Sunset. We're not going let someone else kill themselves from magic if we can help it." Fluttershy just sat there. "Fluttershy, why aren't you getting up."

"I don't want to tell Sunset," Fluttershy said miserably.

"Why?"

"Why?" Fluttershy asked with angry incredulity. "Sunset still blames herself for what happened to the other Twilight. She still hates herself for how awful she used to be. What do think she's going to do if I tell her that she helped push a girl into a suicide? What do you think she'll do if I tell her that she was making me feel suicidal?" Applejack paused, imagining what all these horrible revelations would do to Sunset. "She would never forgive herself," Fluttershy said.

"I see what you mean," Applejack concluded miserably, her voice become low.

"And the Shadowbolts," Fluttershy concluded, biting her lip. "How do you think they'll react to finding out they helped the other Twilight end her own life?" Applejack's eyes narrowed in frustration.

"I couldn't care less about those jerks," Applejack said sternly.

"I know you don't like them Applejack," Fluttershy said. "They were really mean to the other Twilight. But they have hearts too. Otherwise, they wouldn't be upset and they wouldn't have helped Sunset and Juniper." Applejack gave a small smile to Fluttershy. She showed kindness even to people who didn't deserve it.

"I know telling them won't be easy," Applejack said sadly. "But...sometimes the medicine we need is the medicine we least want to take." Fluttershy looked at Applejack, finding wisdom in her words. "Yeah, Sunset and the Shadowbolts will be hurt by what we tell them. But...if magic keeps growing, we need to know how it works, so it doesn't happen again. The hurt won't be easy, but it will help them..be better."

"Alright," Fluttershy said sadly. "If that's what it takes."

Regret, Injury and Cake

Sunset's Apartment

Tuesday Evening

Applejack and Fluttershy went to Sunset's apartment. Sunset, Juniper, and Twilight welcomed them in, stunned by their haunted expressions. The animal lover and the farmer sat on the couch while recounting their theory of Human Twilight's death while the latter three stood in front of them. Her apparent loneliness, her mistreatment by her peers, and feelings of inferiority seemed to point in the direction of a suicidal mindset.

By the end of their explanation, Juniper looked horrified, Princess Twilight astonished, and Sunset was stone-silent.

"Suicide?" Princess Twilight repeated in a haunted tone. "The Elements shouldn't be...capable of that."

"Well they weren't exactly working right during the games," Applejack said.

"And if how the magic works is based on how we feel," Fluttershy added, "then...maybe they are capable of that." Sunset stormed over to her table and flipped it over in frustration. Plates and food were sent tumbling to the ground, while the fire-haired girl let out her own pained yell.

"Sunset," an alarmed Juniper yelled. "Stop it!" The fire-haired girl paid no heed to Juniper. Instead running over to the counter and knocking more dishes onto the floor, yelling so loud, her face turned red. Before Sunset could do any more damage, Applejack and Twilight grabbed her by her arms. She kept trying to pull herself free.

"Sunset stop it!" Applejack said, trying to restrain the angry girl.

"Sunset, if you don't stop, we'll drag you to Tartarus until you do!" Princess Twilight yelled. Sunset eventually stopped struggling and broke down in tears. The two others girl pulled her into a hug, while Fluttershy joined in. Juniper also enveloped Sunset as well.

"It's all my fault," Sunset said, weeping bitterly.

"How is it your fault?" Princess Twilight asked her.

"I yelled at her," Sunset muttered weakly. "I yelled at her for something that was my responsibility. I convinced her she would never have any friends."

"Ah can't believe this," Applejack said with disgust, walking away from the hug. "Even when you're good, you're as self-centered as ever!"

"What," Sunset said, her crying stopped. "How am I self-centered?", Sunset asked while still miserable.

"You think everything is your fault," Applejack said. "You think you're the cause of all the misery in the world. You think being the biggest bitch in the school makes you the biggest bitch in the world."

"How is it not my fault?" Sunset replied furiously. "I brought magic to this world. I yelled at her-,"

"We know Sunset," Princess Twilight said, interrupting her. "You yelled at her. Once. Because she put our friends in danger." The Princess of Friendship crossed her arms. "Were you the one bullying her every day of her life?"

"No," Sunset said.

"Did you make her open the amulet?" Fluttershy asked Sunset.

"No," Sunset said.

"If the other Twilight had good friends and people who listened to her, you yelling at her wouldn't have mattered," Applejack said. "You may have been the spark, but everyone else laid the kindling. You couldn't have known how miserable she was, and if you did, I bet you would've been nicer." Sunset calmed down at bit at the farmer's words, but still felt terrible.

"The only thing we can do now is move forward," Fluttershy said.

"I'm sorry I threw a fit," Sunset said, feeling tired as the anger and adrenaline left her body.

"If you want to make it up to us, let's have a sleepover right now," Applejack said. Sunset could tell the hard eyes on Applejack were saying 'let us stay to we can keep an eye on you.' Considering she smashed dishes on the ground, she couldn't blame them for wanting to keep watch over her.

"Alright, I'll get the sleeping mats," Sunset said walking to her closet. "Fluttershy you want to help me get them?"

"Sure," Fluttershy said walking over to help Sunset. "June, do you want to stay too?"

"Sure," Juniper grunted. Fluttershy and Sunset walked away to get the blankets. Applejack saw Juniper looking at the ground with a troubled expression.

"Juniper, are you OK?" Applejack asked the bespectacled girl.

"No, I'm not", Juniper said. "I just found out my...friends bullied someone so badly, they might have driven her to suicide." Applejack could see the conflict raging on June's face.

"June," Princess Twilight said. "Do you think Sunny and the others would do those things to you or that they did them on purpose? Do you have no faith in them?"

"No," Juniper said hesitatingly. "Sunny and her friends are nice to me. Sunny saved me from being an outcast, but she admitted that she came close to throwing me under the bus." Juniper gritted my teeth. "Is it wrong for me to feel...unsure about them?"

"No," Princess Twilight said. "Juniper, it is normal for you to feel this way."

"You know how bad Sunset Shimmer used to be right?" Applejack said.

"Well," Juniper said, gesturing to the dishes. "I have a hard time believing that Sunset could've been that bad."

"Well she was," Applejack said. "She hurt my farm and threatened to destroy it if I got in her way. Believe me, it was hard for me to forgive her. But I gave her a chance, and she worked on my farm to pay back what she owed me," Applejack finished with a proud smile. "I mean, our relationship hasn't been perfect. I did once suspect she was going back to her bullying ways," Applejack flinched as she recalled one of her most thoughtless decisions. "But now, she is one of my most trusted friends."

"Sunset framed me for vandalism ," Princess Twilight said. "Part of me wanted to avoid her. But my mentor taught me that having faith in others not only changes them for the better, but changes you for the better."

"You just got to believe in them," Applejack said.

"Alright," Juniper said with a warm smile. "Truth is, I'm worried about telling them the truth. I'm afraid it will destroy them."

"It probably will," Applejack said solemnly, "but it will probably help them change for the better too.

"Hey Fluttershy," Sunset said to the yellow-skinned girl. "I wanted to say-,"

"I know Sunset," Fluttershy said softly, "you're sorry for what you did. It's OK," she said genuinely. "I forgave you long ago."

"No, I want to say you're a better person then me," Sunset said softly. "The fact that I made you feel this way...and you still gave me a chance proves that you deserve the Element of Kindness."

"Thanks Sunset," the blue-eye girl said kindly.

Crystal Prep Common Room

9:30 am

The Shadowbolts all listened to Juniper's theory, that Twilight was driven to taking her own life, with guarded silence. By the time Juniper was finished, they were on the verge of tears.

"Guys," Juniper said. "It isn't your-,"

"Yes it is," Sour screeched, before breaking down into tears. The dam broke, and the other Shadowbolts broke down in tears, except for Indigo, who stared silently at the ground.

"We made her feel horrible," Sunny said tearfully, "we made her think she couldn't have friends, we made her think she was horrible, we-," she couldn't go on, and just continued to bawl pitifully.

"We made her open the amulet," Sugarcoat said in tears.

"But did you know that was gonna happen?" Juniper said.

"No, but Twilight said she didn't know how it worked," Lemon Zest said bitterly. "But we didn't listen to her."

"We treated her like a mental case," Sunny said. "But all this...time we were the mental cases."

"Again the fact that you guys hung out with me proves that you aren't anymore," Juniper said, walking up to hug each of her friends. "Thanks to you, I have people who like me. You may not have faith in yourselves, but I have faith in you."

While their crying ceased, their forlorn expressions still remained.

"Thanks June," Sunny said quietly.

"That's what friends are for," Juniper said. "After today, lets go out for ice cream."

"Sure," Sour said with a small smile, "that would be nice." The other girls agreed as well. The bell rung, signaling it was time for class.

The other Shadowbolts began walking out of the room. Indigo walked up, still stone-faced.

"Man, Indigo, you've been taking this pretty well," Juniper said. "I'm not surprised, considering how tough you are."

"Yeah...sure," Indigo said, her eyes darting back and forth.

"I'll see you in gym class, OK?"

"See ya," Indigo said with a forced smile as she walked out of the room.

Crystal Prep Gym

11:00 AM

"Alright maggots," Coach Squats bellowed to her gym class. "I want you all to give me 30 pushups." She blew her whistle, and everyone started doing them.

"One," Juniper said with a small grunt. "Two. Three." Despite how hard it was, Juniper gradually improved since she got to Crystal Prep. Coach Squats walked up to June, looking down at her with a cold expression.

"I see you've become somewhat... tolerable," Coach Squats uttered. Juniper let out a small smile, knowing that this was Squats way of complimenting her without playing favorites.

"It's all thanks to Indigo," Juniper said with a smile. She looked around, wondering where she was.

"Keep going," Coach Squats bellowed, "I didn't say you could stop!" Juniper continued doing the push ups. After she was done, she let out a few breaths.

"OK," Coach Squats said once everyone did their sets. "Time to partner up and do your reps."

Juniper looked around, wondering where Indigo was.

"Hey June," Juniper turned around and saw Gilda walking toward her with a proud smile. "How's it going, champ?"

"Great," Juniper said. "Have you seen Indigo? I haven't seen her since school started."

"No," the tall girl said. "I haven't. You want to partner up?"

"Sure," Juniper said, feeling something rotten in her gut. Just as she was about to start her reps, someone ran into the room screaming.

"Somebody help!" Fleur De Lis, one of the A-listers came running in. The normally chill girl looked like she had seen death, her face red and crying. "Someone's lying on the ground. They're bleeding!"

"Who!" Coach Squats bellowed.

"Indigo," Fleur said in a panicking tone. The whole class let out a collective gasp. Coach Squats, followed by the whole class, ran into the nearby girls bathroom. They came across a horrifying sight.

Indigo was lying on the ground of the bathroom floor with a massive wound on her forehead that was bleeding profusely. The bathroom mirror was shattered, with various shards lying around the unconscious girl. Upon closer inspection, Juniper could see some of the shards were still lodged in her forehead..

"Oh my Lord," screamed one of the girls. Another one was heard vomiting from the disgusting sight. The others were letting out panicked squeals.

"ENOUGH!," bellowed Coach Squats. The panicked shouting stopped. "Panic is not good in this situation. When we panic, we act like idiots. When we act like idiots people die. We're gonna act like adults," the woman said, ripping one of the sleeves of her shirt.

"What are you doing?" Fleur asked the coach.

"Making a bandage," the coach replied as she bent down to cover Indigo's forehead.

"Shouldn't we take the glass out of her head?" Fleur asked.

"No," Gilda said firmly. "We do that, we'll cause her to bleed out completely."

"I need two girls to help me carry her to the nurse's office," Coach Squats said. Gilda and Lightning Dust, two of the strongest girls in class, stepped forward.

"Who did this to her?" Blossomworth asked fearfully.

"When I found out," Couch Squats said with a growl, as she lifted Indigo by her legs while Gilda and Lightning Dust gently carried her by her head, "I'm gonna-,"

"I think I know who," Juniper said in a quiet, scared voice.

"Who?" Coach Squats asked.

"L-look at her hand," Juniper said, almost shaking. Squats glanced at her hand, and what she saw made her go pale.

Indigo's knuckles were bleeding.

Canterlot Hospital

Tuesday, 7:30 PM

Indigo slowly regained consciousness. She felt an annoying numbness as she struggled to open her eyes, which felt as heavy as anvils. As she opened her eyes, she saw herself covered in some blanket, an IV in her arm, and her hands were bandaged. She also felt something on her forehead, probably a bandage.

"Indigo," a voice said faintly. "Indigo, you're awake," Indigo followed the voice and saw two figures sitting in chairs. Her vision cleared, and she knew who it was.

"Mom, dad," Indigo said in a faint tone. She saw her mom and dad, Sport Jersey and Balance Beam, looking at her. Indigo remembered why she was here, and felt some shame form in her stomach. She thought she would see anger in her parents eyes and looked down. A strong hand forced it back up.

"Indie," her mom said. Her parents looked at her, not with condemnation, but concern. "Why did you smash your fists and face into the mirror?" Indigo's lips whimpered. "Indie, tell me."

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" Indigo bellowed before collapsing into tears.

"What's all your fault," her father said. "Indie, what did you-,"

"I killed Twilight," Indigo almost screamed. "I'm the reason she's dead!"

"Twilight..." her father mused. "The girl who died at the Friendship Games? How was that-,"

"I'm one of the people who made her, you know," Indigo whimpered.

"You made her go on the faulty motorcycle," her father inferred, remember Cadence's cover story.

"I killed her," Indigo said, still in tears. "I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. I killed-,"

"Honey, I know you're upset, but this isn't going to solve anything," her father whispered. "You didn't know about the problem. You thought that awful principal was trying to help you win."

"She was scared, and I made her do it. I accused her of wanting us to lose. I made fun of her! I called her names!" Indigo said, remembering the horrible way she treated Twilight, before collapsing into tears again.

"Again, how is hurting yourself going to bring her back?" her mother said.

"It is what I get for being so horrible," Indigo said, still crying. Her parents tried to give her advice, but instead they held her as she cried, as if she was a little girl and not CPA's top athlete. After a few moments, they released her.

"Honey, damaging your brain and your hands doesn't solve anything," her mother said. "Your not only hurting yourself, you hurt us." Her mom whimpered.

"How," Indigo said with some concern.

"You scared us," her father said sadly. "You scared your classmates. What would happen to them if you hadn't been found and you died?" Indigo's face scrunched up in guilt. "Didn't you care about how we felt?"

"I'm sorry," Indigo said with a whimper. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

"I know you didn't," her father said. His lip quivered. "But please...please don't scare us like this anymore."

"I won't," Indigo said.

"The nurse said you can go in a week, and that your cuts should be healed in a few weeks," her father said sternly. "Also, you are going to see a counselor." Indigo nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, Indigo saw a nurse walk in.

"Someone named Juniper Montage wants to see Indigo," the nurse said.

"Let her in," Indigo said. A solemn looking Juniper walked in, with a small smile.

"Hey Indigo," Juniper said, a sad smile on her face. "How are you feeling?"

"As good as I can get," Indigo said with a half-smile.

"Is it OK if I can talk to Indigo alone?" Juniper said.

"Yeah sure," Indigo's father said.

"Let us know if you need anything," Indigo's mother said. The nurse walked out of the room with Indigo's parent, leaving her with the tech genius.

"So where is everyone else," Indigo asked her workout buddy.

"Chores, errands, and clubs," Juniper said. "They'll come and visit you tomorrow." Indigo took a short breath and began blinking several times. "Indigo," Juniper said calmly, with a smile that showed off all her teeth. "There is one question I really, really want to ask you."

"Sure," Indigo said. She suddenly found herself being grabbed by her hospital gown and pulled toward an almost snarling Juniper.

"What. were. you. thinking?" Juniper asked Indigo calmly.

"I....I wasn't-,"

"Damn straight, you weren't!" Juniper roared. Juniper proceeded to go on a red-faced rant at Indigo for her thoughtless decisions. Yelling at Indigo for endangering her own athletic career. For scaring her friends and family and not caring about how others felt if she died. For making herself look completely insane in front of everyone. She repeated herself several times, contradicted herself even more times, and made it clear that if Indigo ever tried to do it again, Juniper would kill her herself. Indigo managed to look at Indigo during the hold thing. Partly because she deserved the chewing out, but also because she had already been chewed out (in a nicer way) by her own parents.

"You always told me about how I needed to overcome my challenges and push on," a hoarse-sounding Juniper said after 35 minutes of ranting. "Well now, this is something...you have to overcome and live with. And you'll do it, even if I have to grab you by your legs." Juniper got right into Indigo's face. "Am. I. Clear?"

"Crystal," Indigo said weakly. "I'm so sorry June," Indigo said, in a weak and contrite voice. "I am."

"I know you are," Juniper said in a calm but disappointed voice.

"It's just," Indigo said, putting her bandaged hands on her forehead. "I still remember her...reaching her hand out..."

"Yeah, I know," Juniper said in a frustrated tone. "Reaching her hand-" Juniper blinked. "Wait, can you repeat to me what happened...after she was lifted into the air?"

"Well," Indigo said, closing her eyes trying to remember. "I remembering her turning toward us, with desperate eyes, reaching out to us as she was sucked into the purple sphere." Indigo closed her eyes as the painful memory. "Begging for help."

"Begging for help," Juniper parroted, only looking more thoughtful than curious. But before Juniper could reflect further, the nurse returned.

"Some girl named Pinkie Pie is here to visit you," the nurse said in a nervous tone. Indigo looked confused.

"Um, you can send her in," Indigo said confusingly.

The nurse welcomed the pink girl in, who looked at Indigo with a happy smile.

"Indigo, I heard you were feeling bad," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. "So don't worry, I baked you a 'hope you feel better' cake." The girl somehow pulled a boxed cake, with frosting that was the same color as Indigo's hair, from behind her back.

"Pinkie," Juniper said in pleasant surprise, "that was...really nice of you."

"Why did you bake me a cake?" Indigo asked her.

"To help you feel better, silly," Pinkie Pie said.

"I thought you hated me," Indigo said, again on the verge of tears. "After you learned how mean I was."

"I never hated you silly," Pinkie Pie said, as if speaking to a naïve child. "I was really mad, sure. But I learned long ago there is no point in staying mad."

"But I don't deserve a cake," Indigo said miserably, again on the verge of tears. "I hurt Twilight. I made everyone worry. I hurt myself."

"Like I said," Pinkie Pie said in a soothing voice. "Everyone deserves to be happy."

"Even me?" Indigo whimpered.

"Even you." Pinkie said. Indigo started weeping again. Pinkie Pie put down the cake, and gave Indigo a hug, assuring the athlete again and again that she deserved to be happy. Juniper watched this scene with no small amount of joy.

"I wish someone like Pinkie had been in my school", Juniper thought to herself. But soon her mind drifted elsewhere, as she remembered Twilight's last moments. And what those meant for Fluttershy's suicide theory.

"Would someone who was reaching out be the kind of person wanting to end their own life," Juniper thought to herself. Her mouth set into a fine line as she pondered the implications.

New Theory

Sunset's Apartment

Wednesday Afternoon

"So what did you want to talk about?" Sunset asked Juniper as she welcomed her into her apartment. Sunset had gotten a rather vague text from the pigtailed girl.

"We need to talk. After school," the text said. The terseness implied it was something serious but that she couldn't leave a record of.

"I've been thinking about what the other girls said about the other Twilight's last moments," Juniper said.

"And," Princess Twilight said as she approached Juniper.

"They said she was begging for help, in fear, screaming, and reaching out an arm trying to escape," Juniper said. Her eyes narrowed. "Are those the acts of someone wanting to kill themselves. If she saw death coming toward her, wouldn't she have, you know, embraced it?" Princess Twilight and Sunset's eyes narrowed in contemplation.

"Well," Sunset said uneasily. "I never really wanted to become a demon or kill anyone." Sunset looked down in shame. "I mean, I was willing to brainwash others into becoming part of my army, I never wanted to become a literal monster. But the magic in Twilight's crown brought it out," Sunset felt Princess Twilight put a warm hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes I think that the crown was showing me what I would've become if Celestia had given me alicorn magic before I really grew up."

"Maybe the other me was just frightened by the event," Princess Twilight. "But once she was swallowed up, she embraced it."

"And the screaming?" Juniper asked.

"Maybe it was from the heat inside the sphere?" Princess Twilight.

"Well...could there have been...something else going on in her mind," Juniper said. "Like, if magic brings out what is in our heart, then maybe there was something else that could've been in her heart besides suicidal thought."

"Well, according to her brother and sister," Sunset said. "She wanted to get out of Crystal Prep. But how does that lead to vaporization?"

"Well...what if she wasn't...vaporized?" Juniper said. Sunset and Princess Twilight turned to her in shock.

"You think she wasn't?" Princess Twilight said. "We found a melted shoe! What else could've happened to her?"

"I have a guess," Juniper said. "But first. Show me where this all happened."

Sunset and Juniper ran into Canterlot High's front lawn. The former was wearing the red amulet around her neck, while the latter was carrying a modified Geiger Counter. After realizing that magic was an odd member of the electromagnetic spectrum, Juniper figured the device could be modified for measuring magic.

"This is the spot where she vanished?" Juniper asked, looking at the picture taken of the burn mark. The area was now largely covered in grass and dirt after several weeks.

"Yep," Sunset said. Juniper put the tube of the Counter over the area. It suddenly started beeping and beeping.

"Wow," Juniper said in amazement, "there is still some latent magic left."

"Magic spells don't go away," Sunset said. "All spells leave a signature or residue of some kind." Sunset pulled out her amulet. "I don't see what the point is. We've analyzed this area dozens of times." The amulet absorbed trace amounts of magic.

"Well, maybe we've been looking in the wrong place," Juniper said.

Crystal Prep Cafeteria

One Week Later

"So when's the cast coming off?" Lemon asked Indigo. The Shadowbolts were at their usual table.

"Three weeks," Indigo said uneasily, struggling to hold a knife and fork with her bandaged hands. "Then I'll be as good as new."

"That's great," Sour said happily. She then narrowed her eyes in frustration. "YOU MORON! YOU COULD HAVE DIED!"

"You nearly wasted your athletic potential on impotent rage," Sugarcoat said in an unimpressed tone.

"Yep," Indigo said, accepting her friends' criticism. "I also have to go to counseling twice a week."

"If I were the doctor, I would have put you in a straightjacket," Sunny said in a serious tone. "Don't ever, ever, ever do that again." Indigo sighed.

"Hey guys," Juniper said. Juniper looked like she was suppressing a grin.

"Hey June," Sunny said. "What's going-,"

"Private meeting, library, now," Juniper said. Juniper's friends followed her into the library.

"OK June, what is it?" Sunny said.

"Well, Princess Twilight, Sunset and I studied the magic in the place Twilight disappeared-,"

"Don't you mean 'was vaporized'?" Sunny said. Juniper's grin continued to grow wider.

"We looked at the magical residue," Juniper said, almost shaking with excitement.

"And?"

"We didn't find a single trace of your Twilight," Juniper said. "No particles, no remans nothing."

"And why are you smiling about that?" Indigo asked. Juniper's face twisted into a happy grin.

"Well that alone isn't the good news. But we've been studying the latent magic in the area. And now that we've been looking properly we found traces of...portal magic," Juniper said.

"Portal magic?" Sunny said. Hey eyes and the eyes of everyone else widened when they realized what she meant. "June, do you mean to tell me-"

"Yeah," Juniper said. "Your Twilight wasn't vaporized, she was teleported." A mixture of relief and confusion fell on their faces.

"Teleported?" Sugarcoat asked. "Where?"

"Since this is wormhole magic, there is one place she most likely ended up," Juniper said, her face brimming with excitement. "Equestria."

Author's Note

For those of you who have read to this point and came up with the right answer, congratulations!

You've earned a brand new free T-shirt.

I mean, I don't have a prize to give, but if I did, you would've gotten it.

Speculation

Canterlot High Science Lab

Sunday, 1 PM

"So your saying my sister isn't dead?" Shining Armor asked Sunset and Juniper. "That she's actually in this...pony world?" The Rainbooms, Shadowbolts, the CHS Principals, Princess Twilight, and Cadence and Shining Armor all gathered in the science lab to hear and discuss Juniper's discovery.

"Yes Mr. Armor," Sunset said happily. "We believe the magic burst created a wormhole that transported your sister to Equestria." To Sunset's dismay, Shining and Cadence didn't look happy. They looked... frustrated.

"Please don't do this," Cadence said in a tired voice.

"Do what?" Juniper asked.

"Don't get our hopes up," Shining Armor said with some frustration. "or fill our heads with stupid lies."

"It isn't a lie," Princess Twilight said. "I've looked at the notes-,"

"We saw her get blown up," Cadence said, shutting her eyes as she recalled that horrible memory. "Her shoe was half-melted."

"But," Juniper began.

"Enough!" Shining Armor interrupted with frustration. "We've already been let down once," he said, rising from his chair along with his wife. "I don't need another-,"

"Mr. Armor," Principal Celestia said in scolding tone.

"Cadence," Luna said with more patience. "I know you two have been hurt before and let down in the past. But I'm asking you to please hear these girls out before you leave." Cadence and Shining Armor glanced cynically toward the door, and then glanced back at the magical scientists giving them pleading looks. With great reluctance, they sat back down.

"Yes, the melted shoe did indicate that there was great heat generated," Juniper said. "But according to Twi-, I mean Princess, there was almost no residue of your Twilight."

"Residue?" Shining Armor asked.

"You see, it is possible for a very powerful spell to vaporize an object," Princess Twilight said. "But usually a destroyed object leaves behind some kind of residue, which provides evidence of its existence."

"There was no residue of Twilight anywhere," Sunset said. "Not on her shoes, her glasses, nor where she had last stood."

"So, how do you know if she was teleported?" Cadence asked.

"Well, let me begin with our previous experiments," Juniper said. "So for the first few weeks I began working with Sunset, we spent it trying to explore the various properties of magic. After four weeks, we concluded magic directly responded to emotion."

"Please stand back and allow me to demonstrate," Sunset said with a small smile, holding up the red amulet she wore around her neck. Everyone moved toward the edges of the room, as Sunset prepared to open the amulet. Sunset narrowed her eyes and began whimpering.

"That poor dog didn't have to die," Sunset said mournfully. She then clicked the amulet open. Suddenly, a burst of red magic came out of the device, and formed into a small rain cloud that formed over Sunset's head. It clapped thunder before raining over the somewhat annoyed girl. Everyone in the room was amazed.
"How did it do that?" Shining said, honestly astounded.

"Magic reflected my mood," Sunset said, before reopening the amulet again. The rain cloud was sucked back into the device.

"Impressive," Principal Celestia said with a proud smile.

"What would've been impressive is if my amulet could dry me off," Sunset snarked, still soaking wet from the mini rain cloud. Juniper handed Sunset a small towel, which she used to dry me off.

"Using some of my magic, I was able to generate all kinds of effects using my own emotions," Sunset said. "And then we spent two weeks trying to recreate what we assumed to be Twilight's vaporization. But nothing we did could recreate the effect. Naturally, we couldn't think of a specific cause for Twilight's seeming obliteration." She looked proudly at the pig-tailed girl." But then Juniper came up with the teleportation hypothesis."

"So we went to the portal and got a tiny bit of the portal magic," Juniper said with a proud smile.

"Using it, we managed to actually teleport a nickel about five yards," Sunset said.

"Wow!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Can we see?" Lemon Zest and Pinkie Pie asked in unison.

"No," Sunset said. "I don't want to mess with the portal anymore than we have to. But we proved that it is technically possible to harness the portal magic."

"So, my sister, you said, accidentally absorbed the portal," Shining Armor said.

"Yes. On top of all of our magic," Sunset said. "When she opened the amulet, the portal magic, combined with all the other magic, generated a spell that sent Twilight to Equestria."

"But why there, specifically?" Vice-Principal Luna asked Juniper.

"Well," Juniper said uneasily. "Again, magic responds to emotions. From what Spike told us, Twilight's emotions weren't exactly...stable."

"Deep down in her mind," Sunset said sadly, "she just wanted out of her life, and the amulet...granted that wish." Cadence looked down at her lap while Shining turned to glare to the Shadowbolts.

"Gee," Shining said with bitter sarcasm, " I wonder why?" The Shadowbolts flinched and stared at the ground in shame.

"So, you know for a fact that my sister is in Equestria?" Cadence asked Sunset and Juniper.

"Yes," Juniper said. "The magical residue showed wormhole magic."

"Do you know where she ended up?"

"No," Sunset said sadly. "We don't."

"Well," Shining Armor said uneasily. "Can you use the portal magic to...like...find her."

"No," Princess Twilight said sadly. "I looked at the notes written by the pony who wrote about wormholes."

"And?"

"The way they work is that there's this...void that separates our worlds," Twilight said. "Wormholes...tunnel through the void, acting as a passage way for those who want to come and go."

"When your Twilight opened the amulet," Sunset said, "it generated a large amount of energy that penetrated the void. But as soon as the energy blast ended, the wormhole would've immediately dissipated, and the void would close back up."

"Could you, maybe, make another portal to Equestria?" Shining Armor. "One that could lead to where my Twilight is?"

"Well, no," Twilight said. "The pony who created portals never figured out a way to get them to open up at an ideal exit point on the other side. The reason why the portal ended up in that horse statue is because of, well, chance."

"So no, we can't just create a portal to wherever your sister is," Sunset said. "And even if we could, there isn't a strong enough native magic source in this world to create a stable portal." Shining and Cadence looked somewhat depressed, as did the Shadowbolts.

"So let me see if I have this clear," Shining said, rising from his chair and almost gritting his teeth. "You mean to tell me that there is this magic world, full of giant monsters and evil villains. And my 15-going-on-16-year-old-sister, a sheltered, now half-blind," he said, glancing at the abandoned glasses, "timid girl with no streets smarts, bad social skills, zero survival skills, no money, no support network, and no relatives, has been dropped there alone for almost two months now." He leaned into Princess Twilight. "And you can't tell me where she is?"

"Well, no," Princess Twilight said reluctantly. Shining Armor's face fell into his hand with a sigh and he returned to his seat.

"She's screwed," Sugarcoat grunted. She noticed everyone glaring at her furiously. "What?"

"Look Equestria isn't perfect," Twilight said reassuringly. Everyone turned back to Princess Twilight. "But most ponies are decent, hardworking folk who believe in the principles of Harmony. And I'm sure that wherever she ended up, there's at least one pony there to help her out."

"I was able to adapt to this world," Sunset said with a proud smile. "I mean, I did have gold and gems on me when I came here, so I had a pretty soft landing. But if I could adapt, there is a good chance that your Twilight could've adapted to Equestria by now."

"Ooh, ooh, ooh," Pinkie Pie said, waving her arms into the air. "Ooh, ooh, pick me. Pick me."

"Pinkie Pie, this is not a classroom," Sunset said with some annoyance. "You don't have to raise your hand if you want to ask a question."

"You said that this other Twilight ended up in your world, right?" Pinkie Pie asked. Princess Twilight nodded. "Well, wouldn't you have heard some story about this silly imposter pony who looks like Twilight and runs around calling herself 'Twilight' and keeps asking for a way home?" Everyone's eyes widened at Pinkie's remark.

"That's actually a good point," Applejack muttered. "Surely something like that would've happened several weeks ago?"

"It's actually more common than you think," Twilight said with a wry smile. "Since my coronation, there have been hundreds of cases of random ponies calling themselves 'Twilight Sparkle'."

"Really?" Sunset said with amusement. "You have impersonators now?"

"Impersonators, ponies who dress up as me, fan clubs," Princess Twilight said with amusement. "The whole nine hooves."

"What happens to them, usually?" Rarity says.

"Most of them are harmless kooks that don't bother anyone," Princess Twilight said. "But some of them are real malcontents who are sent to asylums and prisons."

"That's where we could start looking," Sunset said. "I mean, if you look at the reports of Twilight impersonators, one of them could be our girl."

"Good idea, Sunset," Princess Twilight said. "I'll start looking into reports about that."

"Um, Princess Twilight?," Sunny said. "Is there...some kind of magic spell you can use to find her? Some kind of tracking spell."

"We do have spells like that," Twilight said. Sunny smiled hopefully until she saw Twilight's frown. "But there are two problems with them. One: they only work on short distances. Pony police use them to search buildings for criminals, but not much else. Two: you need to hone in a creature's Magical Signature for a tracking spell to work. To do that, you need a sample from that pony for it work. And we don't have any magic samples of your Twilight."

"But what about a sample from you?" Sunny asked. "Aren't you, like, the same as her."

"Well, not exactly," Princess Twilight said. "While there are lot of similarities between my friends here and my friends back home, there are also a lot of substantial differences. I don't know if we share the same Signatures. Also, my becoming a princess changed my biology from unicorn to alicorn. Doing that altered my Signature. My other self would've most likely ended up a unicorn. So we probably have two different Signatures." Sunny looked down in frustration.

"Look, there are a lot of things we have to consider," Princess Twilight said. "Let's all take a break for now, and then tonight," she said, looking at the high-schoolers, "we'll all meet up at Sunset's apartment and do some brainstorming."

Everyone let out assurances at the idea and began piling out of the room. Princess Twilight was about to walk out of the room when she felt a hand tap her shoulder.

"Princess," Shining asked Princess Twilight. The human version of her brother and Cadence looked at her with hopeful eyes. The two were holding each others hands.

"Do you really think my sister is out there?" Cadence said seriously. "And you might be able to bring her home?"

"I know I can," Princess Twilight said, taking the pink woman's hand. "The Power of Harmony is not designed to harm an innocent. I'm sure that wherever she ended up, she's learning about how magical friendship is." She gave them a reassuring smile, which Cadence and Shining Armor returned.

"So any ideas about how we can find Twilight?" Sugarcoat asked the group of teenagers. She noticed everyone turned to look at her with cold eyes.

"What did I do?"

"Nothing," Sour said kindly. "EXCEPT TELL TWILIGHT'S BROTHER AND SISTER THAT SHE WOULD DIE IN THAT OTHER WORLD!"

"Yeah, Sugar," Lemon Zest said in a disappointed tone. "That was really uncool of you to say." Sugarcoat, with an annoyed sigh, took off her eyes glasses and glared at everyone.

"Oh, so you all want to be part of this stupid fairy tale," Sugarcoat with frustration. "Where we all walk off into the sunset and everything works out?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow Dash said, her heckles raised.

"I think its better to tell those people a nasty truth that she might have died, then string them along with something that isn't real." Everyone else looked at her with disbelief.

"That's what that was about?" Rainbow Dash said, walking up to her. "You have no faith that she could actually make it on her own?"

"Well, she was kind of a doormat," Sugarcoat said sternly.

"Let me ask you a question?" Rainbow Dash said in a low, stern tone. "When we were doing ACADECA, what was that nice thing you told Twilight, when she bumbling through the whole thing?" Sugarcoat's stern expression twisted into something remorseful. "What was that again," Rainbow Dash repeated. "Oh that's right: 'YOU'RE REALLY BAD AT THIS!'", Rainbow screamed at Sugarcoat, who leaned back, having been startled by Rainbow's outburst. "That was horrible, right? Well you just did that to Cadence and Shining Armor right now." Sugarcoat looked down at the ground in shame.

"I did?" Sugarcoat asked, a touch of contriteness in her voice.

"Yeah, you did!" Rainbow Dash yelled with narrowed eyes. "Let me tell you something. I'm captain of 5 different teams. Sometimes, captains have to be harsh. Sometimes, they have to be put their foot down. Sometimes they have to yell at someone when they won't fall into line or when they screw up." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "But you can't just attack them for the things they do wrong," Rainbow Dash said in a softer tone. "You have to have faith in them. You have to believe in them. You have to make them think they can do better." Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, Twilight was a bad athlete. But you guys were HORRIBLE TEAMMATES!" Rainbow shouted angrily, at the Shadowbolts, who were startled by Rainbow's outburst. "Instead of patting her on the back for the things she did right, you just...gave up on her the minute she did something wrong." Rainbow Dash's face fell into her hand. The Shadowbolts looked down at the ground in shame. "You made her feel so horrible about herself, she always hid in her lab and wanted to transfer schools. No matter what she did, you just kept putting her down, and didn't take anything she said seriously." Rainbow Dash said, her voice twisted into a more disappointed. "If you just had a little faith in here, she might still be here." Sugarcoat broke down in tears.

"I'm sorry," Sugarcoat said, crying in shame. "You're right. We-I-didn't have any faith her. I never gave her a chance. I made her feel worthless and drove her away." Sugarcoat paused, letting out more sobs. "I didn't know I was making her feel that way," she finished, before sobbing more and more. Rainbow Dash enveloped Sugarcoat in a hug.

"But now you know better," Rainbow Dash said in a soothing tone, patting the remorseful girl on the back. "And now that you know better, you can be a better friend." Once Sugarcoat's crying ended, Rainbow Dash released her, looking at her with a small smile. "See, isn't that better then me kicking you while you're down.

"Yeah," Sugarcoat said in a weak voice. "I guess."

"Look, you're right that Twilight might not make it," Rainbow said with a small frown. "But if you don't believe in her, you'll definitely never find her." Sugarcoat frowned. "Will you believe in her?"

"I will," Sugarcoat said in a honest, but still weak voice.

"And when, not if, we find her, you can be the friend you wish you could've been," Rainbow said with encouragement.

"Rainbow's right, you know," Princess Twilight said to the other Shadowbolts. "You five hurt someone in the past. But now you have a chance-no-a responsibility to make amends with this person. Promise me that when your Twilight is found, you'll show her the kindness and faith you've given to Juniper and that I've given you." The Shadowbolts glanced to their pigtailed friend, who gave them a reassuring smile in return.

"We promise Princess," Sunny said in a serious tone to the lavender-skinned princess. "We will."

"Alright," Princess Twilight said, walking over to join the Rainbooms, "we'll see you girls tonight, OK?"

"OK," Lemon Zest said. "See 'ya!" The two groups of friends looked their separate ways.

"Listen," Juniper said to Sugarcoat, putting her hand on white-haired girl's shoulder. "If Twilight was friends with you now, I know she would be in good hands."

"Thanks June", Sugarcoat said with a warm smile. Sunny looked at the nearby statue that led to the pony world. And then she looked up at the sky.

"God," Sunny said in silent prayer, clutching the rosary with a golden crucifix around her neck. "I know I have sinned. But please help me find this innocent soul. I promise when I bring her home, I'll always be there for her, I'll make her feel like she's special, and I'll make sure she feels she belongs somewhere.

Author's Note

Glad this chapter is out of way.

Now that I've reached a crucial part of my story that I've wanted to reach for quite a while, I want to announce that I am putting Vanishing Act on hiatus until the summer.

I have my final semester of graduate school coming up. Which means I'll be loaded with work, on top of finding that internship I've put off for too long.

I am not leaving FIMFiction. I also have other projects and stories I want to publish. But now that I've gotten to a critical part of this story, I want to put it down for a bit and explore other ideas, as well as focus on my school work as I reach a seminal part of my early adulthood.

I also want to give thanks to all those who've read my story and made it my first (relative) success on this site. I also want to thank you for making me think my writing can be good enough to have an impact on others. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

-Redandready45

In Retrospect

"Did you know that pasteurization can kill bacteria?" Twilight said happily while sitting on a green coach.

"I did not know that," Dr. Lobe said with a warm smile, jotting down his observations in a green notebook. "You seem to know a lot of stuff," the man said encouragingly. Dr. Lobe was a green-skinned man with yellow hair, a thick beard, and was wearing a leaf-green sweater with brown slacks.

"It is true you were Cady's teacher?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Yes I did," Dr. Lobe said. "She was one of my best students."

"Did you know that in 1858-,"

"Um Twilight," Dr. Lobe said patiently. "You're constantly changing the subjects in the middle of a conversation. First you're talking about pasteurization, then your talking about my college days, then your talking about what happened over a hundred years ago."

"Is that bad?"

"Well, people can be annoyed when you do this," Dr. Lobe said. "It just isn't courteous-," Dr. Lobe paused as Twilight's attention drifted to her shoes.

"Twilight, you shouldn't look away from people when they talk to you," Dr. Lobe said kindly.

"Sorry," Twilight said, meekly pulling her head up.

"Its OK," Dr. Lobe said, "but people get nervous when you suddenly look away from them." Just as Dr. Lobe was about to continue the conversation, the door opened, and in stepped Cadence and Shining Armor.

"Hey Twily," Shining said warmly. "Time to go home."

Twilight rose from her chair and began walking toward the door.

"Cadence, Shining, can I speak with you two in private," the bearded man said.

"Sure," Cadence said. "Twilight, can you wait outside?"

"OK," Twilight said, running out of the room and closing the door calmly. "Bye, Dr. Lobe."

"So, our sister's pretty smart," Shining said, taking a seat on the couch next to Cadence.

"She is quite knowledgeable," Dr. Lobe said, with an uneasy smile. "But her social skills are not very good."

"What do you mean?" Cadence asked Dr. Lobe.

"Well," Dr. Lobe said, looking at his clipboard. "Lack of eye contact, going off into tagents, not reading social cues." He put down the clipboard and began looking the married couple in the eye. "I think your sister is on the spectrum."

"You mean autistic," Cadence said.

"Yes," Dr. Lobe said. His expression became more serious. "She told me you're sending her to Crystal Prep after the summer's out."

"Yeah," Shining Armor proudly. "Every Sparkle has gone to Crystal Prep for the past century."

"Well Twilight doesn't seem to have the...temperament to be there," Dr. Lobe said diplomatically.

"Are you calling her retarded?" Shining Armor said defensively.

"Shiny," Cadence rebuked, putting her. "Dr. Lobe I'm so-,"

"Don't worry," Dr. Lobe said with a reassuring smile. "I've faced more bellicose people." His expression became more stern. "The issue with Twilight is that her social skills are very poor. I don't think a private school is a good environment for her."

"Why wouldn't it be?" Cadence asked with some annoyance.

"Prep schools are the realm of social climbers," Dr. Lobe said. "And frankly, Twilight is very awkward in her interactions with people."

"Are you saying she can't make friends?" Shining Armor said, his heckles rising.

"I'm saying that, in an environment of social competition and dog-eat-dog, Crystal Prep students are going to see her as deadweight when they see she isn't..." he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Look," he said, pulling out a brochure, "I'm saying there are better environments for her to be in."

Cadence took the brochure and glanced it.

"Dusk Alternative School," Cadence said, opening the brochure.

"It is a wonderful place. World-class facilities, the best teachers, excellent recreational facilities," Dr. Lobe said proudly. "Everything you'd expect." Shining Armor looked at the brochure, and felt his heckles rise when he came across the phrase 'developmental disorder'."

"You want to send her to a retard school!" Shining Armor yelled.

"Shiny," Cadence said.

"It is not a 'retard' school," Dr. Lobe said. "None of those children are retarded. They have developmental disorder. There is a difference between being stupid and having-,"

"You think she's a mental case don't you," Shining Armor said. Dr. Lobe sighed.

"It's not an asylum," Dr. Lobe said. "It is a normal school with a normal curriculum-,"

"Dr. Lobe," Cadence said politely. "I understand your concern. But we want our sister to be in a normal environment with normal people."

"Are you saying those children aren't normal?"

"I meant to say," Cadence said sheepishly. "I want her to be in setting with people she'll interact with for the rest of her life."

"Cadence, I understand you want your sister to follow in your footsteps," Dr. Lobe said. "But your sister needs peers who can sympathize with her condition, and teachers who can give her guidance. And she may not get that at Crystal Prep. There is no shame in admitting your sister has special-,"

"I think we should go," Shining said, calmly but sternly rising from the couch. Cadence also rose from the couch feeling mildly insulted.

"Mr. Armor, I'm not trying to insult-,"

"Yeah, you're putting her down," Shining said.

"Dr. Lobe, I understand your concern, but I know what my sister needs," Cadence said in a reassuring tone. "I know she'll do well at Crystal Prep."

"Are you sure that's what she needs?" Dr. Lobe said to the married couple. "And not what you want-," before he finished his point, they turned around and walked out of the room. Dr. Lobe sighed, looking at the pair with no small amount of disappointment.

Shining Armor sat in the living room, reading a fantasy book with a stern expression while laying on the couch.

"Shiny," Cadence said. "Can we talk?"

"About?" Shining asked icily, not looking up from the book.

"It's how you've talking to those girls," Cadence said forcefully. Shining's grip on the book tightened. "Shining, I know you're angry, but this is not helping." Shining muttered something under his breath. "You can't just put them-,"

"What was that?" Cadence said, her heckles rising.

"You certainly we're helping alright," Shining said in an angrily ironic tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cadence said. Shining angrily threw the book away and got into Cadence's face.

"All those wonderful little tidbits you gave our sister," Shining growled. "'It doesn't matter what you look like'. 'It's what's on the inside, Twily.' 'It doesn't matter if you win or lose'. Including my favorite. 'Hitting back makes you a bully too, Twilight.' That certainly helped her." A fire rose in Shining's eyes. "After our sister ran home, covered in paint and tears, I told you she should hit back at the brats who laughed at her face, so that no one would ever treat her like a-,"

"What would that've solve Shiny?" Cadence asked. "She would've gotten in trouble."

"You were the Dean of the School," Shining said, his white face turning red. "You couldn't write our sister one get-out-of-jail-free-card?"

"I couldn't bend the rules for Twilight," Cadence said," that would teach her its OK to break the law." Shining's eyes narrowed in frustration.

"You sanctimonious little bitch," Shining Armor bellowed. "You lecture me about breaking the rules, when you committed perjury to get Cinch fired. You're gonna lecture me about not getting violent when you twisted Cinch's-,"

"That's different Shiny," Cadence yelled uneasily. "Cinch got our sister killed-,"

"And those girls ruined her first PARTY!" Shining yelled back, . "You had no problem covering for Canterlot High, but you couldn't cover for our sister after she was humiliated by those skanks!" He shrieked incredulously. Cadence looked down, a hint of shame on her face. "Did you suddenly become a criminal because you bent the rules and got violent once?! Did you think our sister was so feeble, acting in self-defense would turn her into a criminal monster?!"

"Look, I assumed that Twilight would be better off learning to rise above," Cadence said meekly. "And her classmates would grow to respect her-,"

"How well did that work out, Cady?" Shining said, a vicious smile on his face. "How many people came up to respect our sister for rising above? How many kids wanted to hang out with our sister? How many kids wanted to hang out with Twilight? How many of those kids matured individuals?" Cadence looked down. "Answer me Cady. How many-"

"Well maybe, one or two-," Cadence began.

"No one!" Shining bellowed. "Spike told me when she wasn't be lied to, or being made fun of, she was being shoved in the hall!" Shining took a deep breath before continuing. "You know, I was this close to pulling her out of school. But you told me, based on your educational background, all those little brats would grow up and see Twilight for the beautiful person she was!" He gritted his teeth. "You told Twilight that too! You told me after punishing those girls and lecturing those little idiots about bullying, it would get better! How well did that work out! How much better did it get?!" Shining said. "They just learned to be bigger assholes. Under. Your. Nose!" Cadence hung her head in shame. "Man, where did your diploma? A cereal box?!"

"Don't start with me Shiny," Cadence said her face with red.

"Why shouldn't I!" Shining yelled. "Four years in college, and you couldn't figure out your sister was being abused! You were the Dean of the school and you couldn't-,"

"What did you want me to do Shiny," Cadence said defensively. "I was sitting in my office most of the day. How could I have known-,"

"Oh my god," Shining said with renewed exasperation. "Don't start with that! Don't give me that! You knew! I knew! WE BOTH KNEW!" Shining screamed furiously. "We knew every time our sister was alone for the weekend! Every time she begged us let her leave. When she went to summer school just so she could graduate early. When she signed up for that stupid independent course-" Shining collapsed into the couch in tears. Cadence felt remorseful tears flow on her face and walked over to Shiny.

Spike watched the fight from the corner. These fights were happening more and more. He always cried when they were like this. Even though it wasn't his fault, he still felt terrible.

"Please come home Twilight," Spike said to himself in tears. "Then maybe things can go back to normal."

"The last time we spoke, she couldn't even look me in the eye," Shining said, more tears coming down his face. "I told her she was being silly. Those brats were abusing her, and I said she was being silly. I belittled-" Shining lost all composure, bawling like he had never bawled before.

"Shiny," Cadence said in a soothing tone, small tears flowing down his face. "Your right. We both screwed up. But we did it because we wanted what was best-"

"And don't say we made her go to Crystal Prep because we wanted what was best for," Shiny interrupted with red eyes. "We did it for our own stupid pride. We wanted her at Crystal Prep because of a stupid family tradition." Shining wiped his eyes. "We were so obsessed with the life we wanted for her, we couldn't see the life she was actually living."

"Because we had good friends at Crystal Prep who-,"

"Oh please. We didn't have friends at Crystal Prep," Shining said angrily. "We were just pretty, privileged little brats on top of a pile of other pretty, privileged little brats! You think if you were homeless, any of your so-called friends would've liked you! Did you think Cinch would've taken you under her wing if you deadbeat, or was it the large donation your parents made!" Cadence looked away from Shining uneasily. Shining stormed over the bookshelf, and angrily grabbed the Crystal Prep textbook of the wall. He opened it and pointed to a picture of a rotund nerd. "You think if I was fat as a whale, you would've dated me!" Cadence looked down shamefully. "We lived in a fucking fantasy world Cadence! The truth is our own friends would've turned on us if we were like Twilight!" Shining said, and threw the textbook in the garbage. "And you still are living in one! You think those little brats actually care about our sister! They admitted they laughed at her when she ran out of the room crying! They hated her so much, they sent her on a goose chase! They're only doing this because they got caught bullying the sister of the Dean."

"They told me what they did Shiny," Cadence interrupted, the resolve returning to her face. Shining broke out of his tirade.

"What?"

"They admitted to me what they did Shiny," Cadence's voice said, her tone becoming serious. "They could've blamed everything on Cinch, but they told me straight up that they made Twilight open the amulet. And they did this before they found out Twilight and I were related." Shining looked at her in disbelief.

"Shining you're right," Cadence said regretfully, putting a warm hand on his shoulder. "Your hundred percent right. We were so obsessed with what we wanted for her, we didn't see the life she was actually living. And you have every right to be mad at those girls for what they did!"

"Damn right I do, they wanted this to happen!"

"Shining they didn't-,"

"They treated Twilight like shit from day one!" Shining yelled back. "You think-,"

"They cried over what they did Shiny," Cadence said in a pleading tone. "They didn't know what was gonna happen. When it happened, they broke down in tears. You know what else they did? They signed the forms that helped me fire Cinch." Cadence said. "I'm not trying to excuse what they did Shiny. They treated Twilight horribly. And you have every right to be mad. But they're trying to change Shiny! They helped prepare a memorial for Twilight, they helped a lonely girl find friends, they saved that girl from humiliation. They even got other girls to form a barrier around her." Shining looked at Cadence with disbelief. "They helped Sunset and Juniper with the magical experiments to find out what happened to her. One of those girls felt so guilty, she smashed her head into a bathroom mirror. And now they're gonna find our Twilight in Equestria."

"I don't want them to help," Shining said bitterly. "They're just gonna hurt her all over again."

"Shiny didn't you hear what I said?"

"Well, why couldn't they do all those things for Twilight while she was still alive?" Shining said miserably. "Why did she have to die for them to care about her?" Cadence said.

"Sometimes Shiny," Cadence said sadly. "You go to lose something to know its there. Besides we weren't much better. We didn't actually listen to her either. We were the adults in her life, and we ignored her too."

"Fine, we were shitty guardians," Shining said regretfully. "I admit that. But those girls chose to make her miserable, and I don't want them to look for her."

"Shiny, you have every right to be mad at them," Cadence said with a mixture of sympathy and firmness. "But you have no right to attack someone who's trying to change." Cadence looked at him with pursed lips. "Is forgiveness only when you want it to happen?"

"We gave those girls two years worth of chances, and they stomped on our throats," Shining threw back.

"Your right. We were both wrong then," Cadence said sadly. "But now , they're trying to change." Shining sat with pursed lips. "Look, it was hard for me to give those girls a second chance. I had my doubts. I pointed them to Juniper because I wanted to see if they learned their lesson. Because I gave them a chance, a lonely girl got to have friends. It was hard for Sunset Shimmer to give those girls a chance. She was furious over what they did. But because she did, we not only know how the magic works, we know Twilight's alive now." Shining perked up a bit. Cadence put a comforting arm on Shining's shoulder. "Because I had faith, we know Twilight is still alive somewhere. Maybe having faith in them is the hard you have to do. But maybe if they help, we can find Twilight faster."

"I had faith Twilight could make it at Crystal Prep," Shining muttered. "And faith screwed me. I'm I'm looking the empirical facts. The fact was they treated our sister like shit and didn't care about her safety until after she nearly died."

"OK, look," Cadence said with a sigh. "If you don't want them to help out fine. I'll tell them that. But I want you to do one thing for me first."

"What?"

"Talk to them," Cadence said softly. "See what these girls are like before throw them out the door. Tell them how you feel. If they're as horrible as you say, fine. Then they can't help. But they can prove to you they're really sorry, then you should give them a chance."

"Alright," Shining said, exhausted but slightly less forlorn. "I'll talk to them. But on two conditions."

"What are they?"

"You can't be in the room with me," Shining said with harsh eyes. ",and I get to sail the rules."

"Deal," Cadence said, extending her hand. "Just be fair."

"I'll say what I have to say," Shining said with determined eyes.

In Mysterious Ways

Sunset Shimmer watched as almost a dozen girls piled in to her loft, chuckling as they clamored around what little space on the floor there was in her tiny residence.

"Give me some room Sour," Indigo said, trying to sit down next to her temperamental friend.

"How can I?" Sour asked. "Your butt's bigger than the planet!"

"Why you little!" Indigo threatened. Sunset chuckled at this.

When she first came to this world, this loft wasn't anything more than a hideout. A place where she could bide her time until her triumphant return and conquest of Equestria. Bought mainly for utility and so she could save her large but limited funds. The plainness and simplicity were symbols of how she never actually planned to put down any roots in a new world. For a long time, she despised her exile, and longed instead for Princess Celestia's royal suite at Canterlot Castle, which she would take once she defeated her and ruled over all Equestria.

She never anticipated having anyone over, let alone having so many girls at once. Despite the crampness, she came to see the home not merely as shelter, but a good, practical place to live.

"OK everypo-body," Princess Twilight said. "We're to speculate on where my other self might be and-,"

"Ooh, Ooh," Pinkie Pie said, suddenly appearing next to Twilight. "I know what happened to her!"

"What?" Twilight said. Pinkie Pie pulled a pink notebook out of nowhere and opened it to revealed a purple doodle.

"Our Twilight as become an evil meanie supervillain," Pinkie Pie said dramatically. "She plans to rule the world and get revenge against all those who wronged her!"

A bald Twilight Sparkle sat in a gaudy throne, an ugly glass eye and scar where her right eye used to be, and while wearing a black robe. She stroked a white cat in her lap while chuckling evilly in her stone lair.

"Soon I will rule the world and have my revenge upon all who wronged me!" Twilight Sparkle said dramatically. Her cat purred her lap as she pushed a button, causing a large pink laser to erupt from the ground.

"Yes Fuzzy Wuzzy," Twilight said. "With my Super-Duper Evil Laser, I will have the whole world in the palm of my hoof!" Her smile quirk. "Or better yet, we can instead hold the world ransom for..." she paused dramatically, putting her hoof against the corner of her mouth..."1 MILLION BITS!"

"And then we'll be like," Pinkie went on, " 'Twilight, please don't be evil.' And she'll be like, 'there is no such as friendship. ONLY POWER!' And then we'll hit her with our rainbow lasers, and we'll become bestest, estest frien-,"

"That's not what happened to her," Lemon Zest said, pulling out her own lime-green notebook, and turning the page to her own doodles. "Our Twilight will have been lost as sea, having no memory of who she was because of a head injury. Then she'll be rescued by a bunch of pirates, who will let her join their crew. Now she is the Scourge of the Seven Seas."

"Arr maties," an amnesiac Twilight said to her sailors and first mates with a sea captain voice. She wore a pink pirate hat, an eyepatch, and a parrot on her shoulder. "If you capture that ship, I'll give you each one gold doubloon."

"Wrong!" Pinkie Pie said, interrupting Lemon Zest. Pinkie Pie turned to another page. "Our Twilight ended up in the middle of bleak, evil city. To survive the mean streets, she has become a crime boss, and is ruling the underworld with an iron hoof."

Don Twilight sat behind her desk, dressed in a lavished business suit. She looked stoically at the desperate looking pony with a calm appearance, despite massive stab wound in her right eye.

"Please," the pony said with a mixture of desperation and rage. "I beg of you to grant me revenge."

"You come here on the day of my daughter's wedding," Don Twilight said with quiet dismay. "And ask me to-,"

"C'mon," Lemon Zest said, "that's not even-,"

"Wah do all of your scenarios involve the other Twilight becoming some kind of criminal," Applejack asked with an unimpressed tone.

"Yeah," Sour Sweet said wistfully. "Our Twilight would never hurt a fly," Sour said kindly. "NOT THAT SHE WOULD EVER HAVE THE GUTS!"

"I don't know," Sugarcoat said sadly. "I'm...worried about-,"

"What are you worried about Sugar?" Indigo said.

"I'm worried..."Sugar began with a sigh. "What if we pushed Twilight so far, that she'll become a...school shooter." Everyone looked at Sugarcoat with more than a bit of dismay.

"Sugarcoat," Juniper said. "Don't joke about that!"

"I'm not joking," Sugarcoat said regretfully. "A lot of school shooters are...people who no one notices who ended up being pushed over the brink. What if...doing what we did was the final straw and she's gone on a killing spree."

"Hi, Twilight Sparkle here," Twilight Sparkle said calmly. "Well, this is my last video, it has all had to come to this. Tomorrow is the day of retribution, the day in which I will have my revenge against humanity, against all of you."

She paused, to a take a big gulp of her latte, and let out a refreshing sigh.

"You Crystal Prep chose to hang out with idiots while rejecting me, the Supreme Gentlemare."

Everyone in the room frowned at this idea. The Shadowbolts seemed especially horrified.

"Sugarcoat," Sunset said reassuringly. "That world doesn't even have guns. I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"Besides, I know what she's really been doing in that other world," Indigo said with a proud smile.

"What?" Sugarcoat asked.

"She's using her big ol' brain to bring that Pony world into the 21st century of course," Indigo said optimistically.

"It is called...a computer," Pony Twilight said while wearing a lab coat, showing off her new invention to the assembled pony crowd. One brave soul approached the sleek new device, in awe.

"What does it...do?" One pony in rags asked dramatically.

"Talk to friends, save your data, get the news," Twilight said cheerfully.

"You got mail," the computer said.

"I do?" the pony in rags asked with a hopeful smile. "Huzzah, for we have found our messiah!" He boomed to the crowd.

"Huzzah!"

"And where is she going to find the capital for building a computer," Sugarcoat asked in a displeased tone.

"Not to mention that Equestria is at...1850s level technology at best," Sunset said uneasily. "She doesn't have access to computer parts."

"Aww, your no fun," Indigo said in a sad tone.

"This isn't supposed to be fun," Sunset said. "Your classmate is missing, and we have to find her, not let our imaginations run wild."

"You're right Sunset," Princess Twilight said. She pulled out her own notebook and pen. "Let's think about what she'll do once she gets there."

"Wouldn't she like, ask for some help finding a magical portal home?" Lemon Zest asked. "Couldn't she try and find some magical pony who can get her back here."

"Uh well," Princess Twilight said. "She wouldn't be able to. The princesses and I decided to keep the portal magic on a need to know basis."

"Why?" Fluttershy asked Princess Twilight.

"Probably because some jerks might use it to blow up their classmate to win a game," Rainbow Dash said in a snide tone. The Sugarcoats frowned while Juniper looked annoyed.

"Rainbow..."Juniper said with a rebuke.

"Anyways," Twilight said with a sigh, getting back on track. "The pony who developed the portal decided that the costs of opening to a new dimension were not worth the risk, and he argued the portal and all others should be closed. He tried to disable it, but the material the portal was made from was too strong for him to fully destroy. That's why up until recently, the portal opened only every 30 moons, or roughly 2.5 years."

"What costs were there?" Rarity asked Twilight.

"Well," Twilight began uneasily. "In some worlds, the cultures would misuse pony magic. Other cultures had advanced weaponry that could cause destruction ponykind could not imagine."

"So..you read about atom bombs?" Indigo asked with a feral grin. "What was that like?"

"Well, scary." Twilight said with a shudder. "I mean, a weapon so powerful, it could not only destroy a city, but contaminate it for years is so...frightening."

"Yeah," Sunset said with a sheepish smile. "Up until I read about nukes, I seriously considered turning this world into my own personal domain. Becoming a queen, owning a palace, lying on a couch while a servant feeds me grapes."

"Of course you would, cartoon supervillain!" Sour said. "Lame," she finished with a roll of her eyes. Sunset let out an annoyed sigh.

"I thought you didn't have any magic her to do that?" Twilight

"That was the other obstacle," Sunset said, rubbing her shoulder with an expression of playfulness and shame. Everyone else just laughed, while Sour looked at her with some consternation.

"Anyways, the mage who built the portal felt the harm caused by opening into different worlds was not worth the risk, and so he covered up studies of portal magic, and urged the other two Princesses to do the same."

"So, why didn't you do that after the Dazzlings were defeated?" Rarity asked.

"Because of you guys," Twilight said proudly at the Rainbooms.

"Us?" Applejack said.

"You guys were able to harness the Magic of Friendship without knowing what it was," Twilight said proudly. "Not to mention you gave it to someone in a bad place," Twilight said, gesturing to Sunset. A warm smile formed on the fire-haired girl's face. "And because of that, you defeated a team of monsters who wanted to enslave the world. After that, I realized that this world had enough good people to use it properly."

"And we screwed that up with what we did," Sunny said regretfully, ignoring the comforting hand Juniper placed on her shoulder.

"Yes," Twilight said firmly. "But you five have also worked hard to make up for what you did, proving that anyone can become better with a second chance."

"Thanks Princess," Lemon said gratefully.

"Anyways, she wouldn't be able to access portal magic," Twilight said. "So without that, she'll have to build a life there." She pulled out her notebook. "Anyways," Twilight said. "The other version of me would need to find food, water, shelter, and obviously glasses, since she lost hers."

"How did you manage to survive here?" Sour asked Sunset suspiciously. "DID YOU COOK METH?! ROB A BANK?! GIVE SOME DUDES-"

"No," Sunset said defensively. "I had the good fortune to be carrying gold bits and jewels in my saddlebag. With them, and some stock trading, I was able to have enough money to live on."

"Well our Twilight is stuck in a world that doesn't take dollar bills," Sunny said frustratingly. "How can she survive without those?"

"Well Equestria does have social welfare services like yours," Twilight said. "If she ended up in a city, she'd probably end up in a shelter. If she ended up in a farming village, she would most likely be living under the Work For Hospitality ssytem."

"What's that?" Fluttershy said.

"A form of welfare that allows unemployed ponies to work on a farm in exchange for food and shelter," Sunset said.

"That sounds a lot like indentured servitude," Rarity said suspiciously.

"So wait," Rainbow Dash said, an energetic grin forming on her face. "Our Twilight could be stuck in an evil sweatshop, working for an evil manager?"

An emaciated Twilight ate the last bit of her gruel, alongside the other ponies. Dressed in rags, she looked at her empty bowl with displeasure. Her belly grumbling, she walked up to the overweight beadle.

"Please sir," Twilight said meekly, holding the empty bowl in her telekinesis. "I want some more."

"MORE?!"

"And then we'll burst in," Rainbow Dash said excitedly. "Rescue her, and-,"

"Rainbow Dash," Sunset interrupted. "Sweatshops don't exist in our world."

"Granted," Twilight said. "There have been abuses of Work For Hospitality. But there is a level of oversight that ensures the unemployed aren't being mistreated." She wrote some more stuff down. "The program is designed to ensure that an unemployed can receive work and support until they can find a better job."

"Where else could she have gone?" Lemon asked Princess Twilight.

"There's also the army. She can join and get some basic food and-,"

"Not gonna happen," Sunny said. "Our Twilight wasn't a fighter." Twilight crossed that off the list.

"What about school?" Sugarcoat asked the Princess. "Is there anyway she can receive education."

"Well, education works far differently in Equestria than it does here," Sunset said.

"How?" Juniper asked.

"In my world, education lasts roughly from age 6 to age 14," Princess Twilight said.

"What about college or trade school?"

"Up until recently, that was reserved for the well-to-do," Princess Twilight says. "In Equestrian schools, you get taught basic things like math and reading. By the time you're 14, you usually get your cutie mark and-"

"Cutie mark?" Juniper asked.

"Cutie marks are marks that appear on ponies once they discover their special talent," Sunset said.

"This mark tells you what you are and aren't supposed to do?" Indigo asked. "How does that work?"

"It is more of a guide, if you will," Sunset said. "Cutie marks ensure social harmony by giving ponies a defined role. It is not simply assigning you a job, but assigning you a role you can choose to follow. Anyways once you get one, you usually join an apprenticeship for about three years, in a position related to your special talent."

"Does this apprenticeship require, like, some kind of educational background," Sugarcoat asked with apprehension. "If she has no records she might not be able to find a job."

"Equestrians are more interested in talent than what you put in your CV," Sunset said.

"Yeah, in my world, you just go to show you can do the job you can get hired on the spot," Princess Twilight said. "You certainly don't have to do a six-week training course just to be a cashier," Twilight continued with a wry grin. "I tend to be obsessive, but I think that is plain ridiculous."

"You've got a point," Sunset said. "The amount of paperwork is just ridiculous."

"So would our Twilight show up and get, like, a science cutie mark," Sunny asked Princess Twilight. "And then she would go work for some...scientist?"

"I actually don't know if she would just get a cutie mark," Twilight said. "If she did get a cutie mark in science, she might be able to apprentice for a science authority if she could demonstrate aptitude. I can also contact them to see. That is one of the reasons I want all of you to come to Equestria on Sunday. To see how humans adapt to the my world."

"All of us?" Sunny said. "Why?"

"Well," Princess Twilight said. "My friends here are connected to the Power of Harmony. I think that could affect how they interact with my world. So I need several girls who aren't connected to Harmony to see how my double would end up interacting with the world."

"I still don't what you mean by Harmony," Indigo said. "What does it do?"

"We all know what it does," Sour said. "It brainwashes meanies into being saints!" she bellowed, gesturing to Sunset.

"I wasn't brainwashed!" Sunset said defensively. "I wish everybody would stop saying I was brainwashed."

"I get accused of that too," Princess Twilight said frustratingly. "You do it once, at everypony thinks you secretly love doing it all the time."

"You can brainwash people!" Sour said with horror. Everyone in the room looked at Princess Twilight with no small amount of disdain.

"Look, I only did it once, and I wasn't...myself," Princess Twilight said sheepish, rubbing one of her arms, "I got obsessed with a...homework assignment, I...tried to create a problem to solve." Everyone in the room was not impressed with Twilight's remarks.

"That's just great," Indigo said angrily. "Our Twilight is stuck in some world full of ponies that could use magical roofies!"

"Look," Sunset Shimmer said reassuringly. "Yes we do have spells like that. And sadly, things like that can happen. But they are against the law, and unless you are a practiced mage, the spell you cast can leave evidence in the form of a magical signature. Even in that horrible scenario, it would be possible to catch the pony responsible." That did seem to satisfy everyone, except Sour who looked at Princess Twilight with a suspicious eye.

"Anyways, Harmony's job is to maintain balance," Sunset said. "Whether it is giving ponies cutie marks, granting ponies powers over weather and land, giving them roles to ensure societal stability, or ensuring the balance of the sun and moon, its job is to keep our world functioning.

"My friends and I back home use Harmony to defeat those who dare disrupt that balance for their own gain," Princess Twilight said. "But Harmony can have a different punishments for different creatures."

"I was blasted into the ground, and forced to see how my actions hurt those around me," Sunset said.

"But other times, Harmony can be downright harsh," Princess Twilight said. "Some creatures were outright obliterated, others turned to stone," everyone in the room flinched at that. "The Princess who controls the moon, when she tried to bring eternal night, was banished to the moon for 1000 years."

"1000 years?!" Lemon Zest said with horror. "That is, like, beyond harsh!"

"I have to agree Twilight," Sunset said uneasy. "Why would Harmony make me see how I was wrong, while it stuck somepony on the moon for 1000 years?!"

"I don't really know," Princess Twilight said. "But my guess is that Harmony felt, well, betrayed by Luna."

"Betrayed?" Sunny asked.

"Luna wielded the elements herself, not to mention she was in charge of the moon," Princess Twilight mused. "Harmony might have felt so betrayed, it sent Luna to the moon as punishment for violating its trust." Princess Twilight saw the sad looks. "But we defeated her, and made her see the errors of her way, so it all worked out."

"But why did Harmony pull our Twilight into our world?" Sugarcoat asked.

"As we've observed, magic in this world responded to mood," Princess Twilight said. "But I also think that Harmony was trying to correct what it saw as disharmony." She paused to look directly at the Shadowbolts. "Mainly, the way she was being treated." The Shadowbolts flinched.

"Maybe Harmony pulled your Twilight into my world to pull her out of bad situation," Princess Twilight said. "And maybe it was trying to teach you guys a lesson. Maybe all this has been a test by Harmony. A test to see if you five could learn to be better." She gestured to Juniper. "And once you five did that, and found a friend that could help you, only then could you learn about your Twilight's whereabouts and earn her forgiveness."

"You mean, Harmony works in...mysterious ways?" Sunny asked pleasantly, while thumbing the rosary hidden behind her shirt.

"Pretty much."

"Or maybe Harmony turned our Twilight into a stone statue and placed her on the moon," Sour said in terror.

"It isn't likely to happen," Princess Twilight said.

"Likely?" Sunny said worriedly.

"Look, I don't know for sure. No creature has really done this before. There's no telling what Harmony meant to do or not do," Princess Twilight said. She then gave everyone a serious look. "But let me clear:Harmony is not something you can wield for your own benefit. Harmony will do what it must do to maintain balance in my world. Don't think of it as something that will solve your problems. It wouldn't likely punish her, but it will not put Twilight where she would want to go, but where it felt she needed to go to learn about friendship." Everyone absorbed the lecture, taking in the implications.

"Also, Princess Luna is the Matron of Dreams, observing ponies and making sure their dreams go well," Princess Twilight said.

"Mass surveillance too," Juniper said. "This world is more hardcore than I thought."

"Luna isn't somepony who sells secrets," Princess Twilight said. "If Harmony trusts her with the role of dreams, then she wouldn't use it to spy unless in the most dire of circumstances. I'm going to ask her if she can use her powers to find your Twilight." Princess Twilight looked at her notes. "I think this might be a good opportunity."

"Well what do you mean?" Indigo Zap.

"As stated before, the pony who built the portal felt that cross-dimensional exchange could be bad," Princess Twilight said. "But if your Twilight can adapt, than I can feel more confident about opening more relations with your world.

"I bet she could," Sugarcoat said with more warmth than usual. "I mean, she was pretty...industrious. So it isn't wrong to assume she might actually do well there." Everyone felt warm about the idea of the sad girl finding friends. "But we still have to find her," Sugarcoat said with more than a bit of determination.

"Alright, I think we've got everything we can get tooday," Princess Twilight said. "I think we should call it a night. I'll see all of you on Sunday."

With that, everyone began clearing out of the room, except for Princess Twilight, who was Sunset's guest.

"Maybe this won't be so bad," Sunset said happily. "Maybe the other you will be making lots of friends."

"Yeah," Twilight said, turning away from Sunset abruptly. "I'm gonna head to bed." With a small goodnight, Twilight went to the guest bed, trying to stifle the worried frown forming on her face.

Dreams and Invective (Part 1)

Crystal Prep

Friday 8:37 AM

Shining Armor pulled up to Crystal Prep's campus in his sedan with a tired sigh. Once upon a time, he felt pleasant nostalgia when he paid a visit to the school. A longing for his high school years, when he was the big man on campus.

But today, walking into this place made his stomach fill with a horrible bile. It wasn't just the unpleasant thing he had to do. It was the fact that his ideal views of Crystal Prep had been charred and ground into dust. He looked at the students who blissfully went about their early morning, enjoying their brief period of free time before the beginning of class. Once upon a time, he looked at these students with pride. Now he looked at them with deep scorn. Because of how they actually behaved.

He walked toward the building, stoically ignoring the other students around him with a laser-focused view on front entrance. Once he entered the building, he charged toward the principal's office, again with little joy. He used to love to come to the school and pay a surprise visit to Cadence. But the purpose of the visit wasn't friendly.

He was so focused on the office, he accidentally bumped into some giant mass.

"Sorry," a haughty but polite voice said. Shining ceased his advance, pausing at the familiarity of the voice. He turned his head to see Superintendent Memo.

"Shining, my boy," the rotund man said with a self-congratulatory smile, "how have you been?" he asked, clasping the white-skinned man's shoulder.

"How do you think?" Shining said in a chilly tone that was between a grumble and a growl.

"Oh yes, you are still mourning your loss," Memo said as if suddenly remembering what had (supposedly) happened to Twilight. "I am too. Twilight had so much she could've contributed to this school." Shining's heckles rose at the expression of pseudo-sympathy.

Shining remembered how Memo, when he was the school principal, had always paraded him around school to alumni and potential alumni while clasping his shoulder. He thought the shoulder clasping and compliments were friendly gestures, but now he realized that this man had treated him like a trophy or some well-groomed dog at a pet show. When his parents died, Memo told him he mourned the loss of "generous friends." What he once thought was sincere comfort, Shining realized that Memo was mourning the loss of his parent's donations. Even when Memo was, in his own mind, offering comfort over the loss of his sister, he seemed to only lament the ways Twilight could've enhanced the school's reputation, not lament the death young girl who screamed in her final moments.

All this wore at Shining's already strained nerves, which grew even more erratic when he felt Memo pat him on the back.

"I'm sure they'll be an upturn in your life," he continued, sounding like some third-rate motivational speaker, not the sympathetic family friend Shining once believed him to be.

"Like there was an upturn in your waistline," Shining muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing," Shining said to the gluttonous man. "I'm sorry," Shining said abruptly, "I've got things to do," before storming away from the Superintendent, not wanting to hear any more from the man's lip. With once last deep breath, he strode into the principal's office.

Canterlot Castle

Princess Luna and Princess Twilight sat in a blue dining room, consuming a medium sized-breakfast while Twilight recounted what had happened to her counterpart in the human world.

"So can you use your dream powers to find her?" Twilight asked Princess Luna hopefully. The Princess of the Night wiped her muzzle with a napkin and turned to look at her.

"I'm afraid it is not so simple, Twilight," Princess Luna said with some regret.

"What do you mean?" Twilight said, a hint of worry in her voice.

"My powers only grant me entry whenever there is a nightmare," Princess Luna said. "The only time I can directly infiltrate the psyche of another pony is if she allows me to. Unless there is inner turmoil, I am not allowed to venture into a pony's mind."

"So, do you remember seeing any dreams with, minotaur-monkey things in the last two months?" Twilight asked expectantly.

"No, I cannot say I have." Luna continued solemnly. "Twilight," Princess Luna said, sensing Twilight's inner distress, "do not fret. Remember, there are 5.2 million ponies in all of Equestria. I can only enter the dreams of a few hundred each night. This doesn't mean-",

"I'm scared Luna," Twilight said with a whimper.

"Of what? That this other you is in distress? That she-,"

"Well not just that," Twilight said in a forlorn voice. "It's just...the human version of my friends think that...the other version of me might become an evil villain...or something. And....," Twilight said, biting her lip, "we've so much bad luck. What if it turns out to be true? What if she's out there plotting the destruction of Equestria? What if she's become a serial killer?"

"Twilight, that is not something you can control," Luna said with soothing tone. "Her becoming a malcontent is not your fault."

"But it's my responsibility," Princess Twilight said morosely. "I chose to keep the portal open. Starswirl's notes warned me not too. But...that world has so much to offer ours: technology, systems of government, culture." Twilight's ears flattened on her head in sadness. "But that world also has so much...evil. The tyrants in the human world make King Sombra look like...Pinkie Pie." Luna let out a small chuckle at that. "And the weapons they have...can not only destroy a city, but poison it for years to come." Twilight's hooves were shaking in fear. "What if she's out there, building one of those bombs out of revenge?"

"You know what Starswirl once taught me?" Princess Luna said with an encouraging smile.

"What?"

"That all magic has risk, but fear must never deter advancement," Princess Luna said. "For every discovery, there is always those who misuse it. From Sombra misusing the power of Dark Crystals, to your own protégé who misused her gifts to steal the destinies of other. Should the misuse of magic mean we shouldn't study magic at all?"

"No," Twilight said, her intellectual instincts opposing such stagnation.

"Then this shouldn't deter you from wanting contact with the other world," Princess Luna said. "Perhaps we can learn how well humans can adapt to our world. Perhaps this could be an invaluable opportunity."

"I always wanted other humans to see our world," Twilight said. "I didn't want it like this: without preparation or planning."

"If life were so easy, I wouldn't have spent so many years on the moon," Princess Luna solemnly. Twilight frowned on her behalf. "But as a leader, I've learned that you can never be completely prepared for anything. No matter what you do, your plans may not survive contact. You must approach life with the patience to understand that."

"And what happens if she dies out there?" Twilight asked in a miserable whisper.

"You can't ruminate about this Twilight," Princess Luna scolded, "it does you no good. Even in the worst case scenario, all you can do is learn from your mistakes." An optimistic smile appeared on Luna's face. "Besides, you said this is another version of you. Perhaps she is as resourceful as you."

"Well, she is good with machines and stuff," Twilight said. "Heck, she even managed to capture magic without knowing what is was."

"Well, that's proof that she could easily find her place in this land," Princess Luna said soothingly. "I bet she's out there, learning about how wonderful friendship is."

"Thanks Luna," Princess Twilight said with a grateful smile.

"You restored my faith," Princess Luna said with a warm smile "It is only fair I restore yours".

The Shadowbolts, sans Juniper, marched toward the principal's office with no small amount of trepidation. Cadence had them pulled from their classes, with the only thing they were being told was that they she wanted a word with them. Their anxiety only grew as the walked past the secretary, Miss Thorn, who was looking at them with an unsympathetic smile.

The old women treated the chew outs each student got as a mild form of entertainment, often eavesdropping on them. Her anticipatory glee sent a child down their spines. The door to Cadence's office opened, and the pink woman looked at them with a nervous expression.

"Please come in," Cadence said cryptically. With more than a bit of fear, the five girls walked into the room. What they saw made their fear grow even more.

Shining Armor sitting in the Principal's chair, his face stoic and emotionless. The second the Shadowbolts piled in, his blue eyes almost predatory. In front of him on the desk was some silver bucket.

"Shining Armor wants to have a word with you," Principal Cadence said solemnly,"about… things regarding Twilight." She paused and took a deep breath and walked out of the room, closing the door. The Shadowbolts glanced at the door, before fearfully looking back at the white-skinned man.

"Please sit down," Shining Armor said in a falsely-welcoming voice, gesturing to the leather couch in front of the desk.

"Mr, Armor,'' Indigo said in a panic, "look, we're sorry for what we did!"

"Really," the white-skinned man replied in a sharp tone.

"Yeah," Sour said. "We didn't mean for it to happen. We promise we'll find Twilight " Shining Armor suddenly stood up and marched over to a nearby wall as the five girls kept pleading for forgiveness, showing he was unimpressed with their attempts to talk their way out of trouble.

"W-we just wanted to win," Lemon Zest stammered nervously. "Our school was counting on us-,"

BAM!

Lemon Zest's words trailed off, as she saw Shining Armor's fist embed itself in the plaster wall. Her fellow Shadowbolts looked shocked and horrified. Shining Armor, however, looked as calm as ever, not showing any sign he was in pain. Even as he wrenched his hand out of the wall, revealing his knuckles were red and swollen, his eyes remained firmly on them.

Indigo would've commented on how badass Shining looked if she wasn't so terrified.

"I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?" Shining asked Lemon Zest in a falsely sympathetic tone. "I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue. You were sayin' something about 'how you're school was counting on you'?" Lemon Zest didn't respond. "What's the matter? Oh, y-you were finished? Well, if your finished, I guess you five can sit down," Shining said politely. Shaken, the five girls obeyed the order that was masked as a request. Shining Armor sat down as well, and then stuck his hand in the bucket. The clattering made the Shadowbolts realize there was ice in the bucket. Shining Armor let out a small sigh of relief as the ice cooled his injured hand.

"I'm gonna to give you five one warning," Shining said in a chilly tone. The Shadowbolts immediately straightened up to listen. "I don't like having to yell at you. I especially don't like punching walls. I would rather be at work, knowing my sister is safe. Not sitting here, wondering where she is," Shining said, almost glaring at them. "But here we are. We are going to have a talk. You are going to listen. No interruptions, no lying, no brownnosing, no sob stories, no fake tears, no excuses, no 'I'm sorry', no 'I know'. You will only speak when I ask you a question." He took a short breath before continuing. "If you keep doing these things, I won't yell. Cadence told me not to yell. But I will punch the wall again. And if I have to punch the wall," Shining said, almost gritting his teeth, "you will never, ever, be near my sister again. Do you understand?" The Shadowbolts didn't respond out of fear. "I said, do you understand?" Shining asked in a more icy tone.

"Yes," Sugarcoat breathed out of fear.

"Good," Shining said, the icy tension dying down a bit, but never fading. "Now, you nearly got my sister killed. And as it turns out, my sister might be alive in some other world, no thanks to you. Cadence tells me you five are going to help search for her. She thinks that you girls are just misguided souls who took things for granted," Shining said in a somewhat mocking tone. "But I don't buy that. I honestly believe you five are just a bunch of psychotic little skanks who, deep down, wanted this to happen to my sister. And the only reason you're trying to search for her is you got caught doing it. I don't want you to search for my sister." The Shadowbolts looked angered and dismayed at the accusation. "Oh, you think that's unfair?" Shining asked rhetorically, the vindictive mockery evident in his tone. "You know what's unfair? My sister paying the price for your stupidity." The Shadowbolts expression shifted to a more forlorn one. Shining took a short breath before continuing.

"Now, if the only thing you did was make her open that amulet, I wouldn't feel this way," Shining said in a calmer way. "I would still be angry, but I would see it as just an act of impulsive stupidity." His face turned red for a moment. "But no. As it turns out, that was just the cherry on top of what my sister went through being here." The fear on the Shadowbolts face returned. "And maybe you didn't realize it, but this not the first time Cadence and I have given you a chance to shape up and be nice to my sister." The Shadowbolts looked confused.

"Let's start at the beginning," Shining said, pausing as if to collect his thoughts. "For the first two weeks at Crystal Prep, my sister told me about how no one wanted to sit with her, join a study group with her, or were making fun of her," Shining said. A shadow of guilt formed on their faces. "For two weeks, I kept telling her she'll make friends if she keeps trying. And two weeks later, my sister comes home with a party invitation. Her first party invitation." Sunny's eyes mouth twisted into a guilty frown. "I'm so excited, I even buy her new clothes. I drop her off, telling her to have fun." He then turned to glare at Sunny. "And 20 minutes later, she calls me in tears. And when I come to pick her up, she is covered in paint and crying her eyes out." Sunny looked to the ground in shame, while her friends looked upset as well.

"Now why are you upset?" Shining asked Sunny directly. "You said it yourself. It was funny watching my sister suffer. You hated my sister so much, you wanted her gone, didn't you?" Shining said in a mocking tone. "Didn't you?"

"I didn't," Sunny said in a weak voice. "I swear it was just-,"

"Bullshit," Shining said in a unsympathetic tone. "What did you think was going to happen when you did that? Are you so emotionally stunted, you didn't think she would actually want to leave school after that?" Sunny looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die. The small comforts she received from her friends didn't help at all.

"She was so upset, she didn't go back to school for two whole weeks. Now, I was so upset, I wanted to pull her out of school. I was so upset, I wanted her to get some revenge," Shining said, his face twisting into an evil smile. "Now, my sister isn't physically strong, but she knows a lot about chemistry. I wanted to her make something good to get back at all of you. Do you know why she didn't?" Shining asked the Shadowbolts.

"Why?" Indigo said.

"Cadence," Shining said. The Shadowbolts looked at him with surprise. "There is a reason why you never knew Twilight was the Dean's sister until you came to my house. My wife didn't want Twilight to be someone who pulled rank. My sister wanted her to be someone who did her work and always accepted responsibility for her actions. Cadence felt my sister should always be above things like petty revenge," Shining said with some contempt."Even after your idiotic little stunt," The Shadowbolts looked even more surprised, "my wife refused to let Twilight sink so low."

"You thought my sister was nothing but a wimp," Shining said. "But in reality, my sister followed Cadence's advice and has spent the last two years tolerating you." The Shadowbolts frowned at this revelation.

"Your former principal," Shining said, too enraged to say Cinch's name out loud, "always talked about how you should have bars in your windows, and your lockers checked everyday. And after that act of stupidity, she tried to get Cadence on her side. But my wife, despite how mean you were to my sister, felt that you all deserved another chance. So after punishing the three bitches who invited her to that party, she told me she gave you all a speech about why bullying is wrong. She assured me that you all learned a lesson. She assured me that when Twilight returned, it would be....pleasant." Shining's smile became increasingly strained.

"So after two weeks, I told Twilight to go back to school. And, well, I didn't hear about anything bad. For a while, I thought you all learned something." He put his hand on his chin. "I always wondered why my sister didn't bring friends over, and why she spent her weekends practically hiding in her lab." The Shadowbolts felt uncomfortable, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "But then Spike, after he learned to talk, told me everything. She told me about how Twilight was being shoved in the hall, being sent on gooses chases, being sent to meetings and clubs that were completely...false," Shining said, trying to keep calm as the vein on his forehead bulged, as he glared at Lemon Zest. "Apparently, the only things you and your fellow idiots took to heart was that my sister was a snitch, and that you had to bully her in a passive-aggressive way." Shining let out a mirthless chuckle that put the Shadowbolts even more on edge. "You must've patted yourselves on the back for your brilliance, didn't you? Didn't you?"

"Well," Sugarcoat said uneasily, "I," she stammered shamefully.

"Let me tell you something," Shining said, not even bothering to disguise his rage. "My wife's been very patient with you, but she was beyond hurt when she learned all this. Not just because you did it to her sister, but because she gave you her trust, protected you from retribution, hoped you'd grow up, and instead you've spent the last year or so throwing it in her face," he finished, gritting his teeth. "Now, I know Cadence isn't perfect. But she works her ass off to make this school the best in can be for you ungrateful brats. And you thanked her by making her think she was an imbecile for believing you." The Shadowbolts felt sick to their stomach with remorse, but Shining ignored it, shaking with rage. "But you kept doing it...because you thought my sister was a complete loser who never would ever, ever care about."

"And then there's the Friendship Games," Shining said, biting his lips to keep himself from yelling. "As I told you, I wanted Twilight to do the games, because I thought she would make friends, and because I didn't want my sister to spend her high school years alone doing some independent study." The guilt in the Shadowbolts' stomach burned hotter. "You see, when I joined the football team, whether we won a game or lost, we would always go out for a pizza. I assumed that all my sister needed to do was try her best, put herself out there, and maybe she could make new friends." Shining let out another angry chuckle. "But that's not what happened. Again, Spike told me that no matter what she did, you five kept giving her crap. When she didn't do well, you called her names, and when she did do well, you couldn't even give her so much as a high-five or a pat on the cheek." The Shadowbolts were almost on the verge of tears, but Shining was too mad to care.

"Mr. Armor," Sunny pleaded. Shining raised a hand, stopping Sunny's plea cold.

"And then, in the final part of the games, you decided to use magic you didn't understand," Shining continued, his fists clenched. "Now, it is one thing to put yourselves in danger. But no, you bullied my sister into doing your dirty work for you. You threatened to make her life even more miserable if she didn't cheat." Shining, pulled his arm out of the ice bucket and gripped the side of the desk to control her anger. "Because, in the end, no matter what she did, my sister was worth less than a pile of shit to you." Shining took another deep breath.

"She was completely worthless to you," Shining continued. "So worthless, you could put her life in danger for a stupid trophy. But let me tell something. There were quite a few people who did care about her: my wife, who spent a whole night crying her eyes out." Lemon Zest felt tears roll down her eyes, and the other Shadowbolts were also on the verge of breaking down. "Spike, who loved her with all her soul. Me." Shining paused and pulled something out of a drawer. He held it up: it was a picture of a family reunion. It must've been a few years old, since Twilight looked tiny and her parents were in it. She stood in front, with Cadence, Shining Armor, Twilight's parents, and other relatives behind her. All of them looked down affectionately at their youngest member.

"She had a whole family that loved her," Shining said, his mask slowly cracking. "What do you think it was like for me to tell them, barely five years after Twilight's parents died, that she got blown up and that THERE WASN'T EVEN A BODY TO BURY HER IN!" Shining finally yelled. The Shadowbolts all started crying in shame, and saying sorry, but Shining didn't look impressed.

"Oh, now you're crying," Shining said unsympathetically. "Now, you're crying. Now despite your stupidity, my wife has wanted you to be better. She tells me about all the nice things you've done." Shining Armor exploded. "But I don't really buy it. You see, all those things were things you should've already been doing. And the final punch in the teeth is that...you couldn't do things while she was still alive. You made a slideshow about her, after she died! You apparently liked my sister better when you thought she was alive!"

"Mr. Armor, that's not true," Sunny said.

"Well, I don't believe you," Shining said in an upset tone. "You spent two years bullying my sister, making her feel miserable, making her feel worthless. Spike told me that the last thing my sister ever said was that no one would ever like her." He got out from behind the desk and stood over them. They leaned back in their chairs in fear. "My wife and I gave you a chance to be better, and you punched us the throat, and you punched the rest of my family in the throat. Two years worth of chances. Two years! After two years, you hated her so much, you couldn't even be bothered to care about her safety!" To the horror of the Shadowbolts, small tears formed at the edge of Shining's eyes. He took a deep breath, and sat back down behind the desk miserably.

"From this point forward, you five are out of chances! You have to convince me why after all the shit you pulled, after breaking my sister's heart, breaking my wife's trust, why I should put you in a position where you can hurt her again?! The issue is not 'forgive and forget'. My sister did that so many times, and you've made her regret it. You have to convince me you aren't a pack of abusive psychopaths. And if you can't convince me, you're not going to be allowed to search for her. As her brother, I have been given the final say over that." He paused for a moment. "So tell me, why should I trust any of you?"

The Shadowbolts looked utterly mortified, struggling to think of an answer, while struggling through their regret, self-loathing, and shame.

"Well?"

Dreams and Invective (Part 2) (Edited 07/23/20)

The Shadowbolts sat still, lost in a haze of guilt and self-doubt. They wondered what they could say to them. Many of them wanted to bring up the nice things he did, but that clearly didn't sway him in the slightest. How can they prove they changed?

"Do you really want me to be honest?" Sugarcoat at last asked. Sunny and her friends felt nervous, since Sugarcoat was using her blunt voice. The one she used when saying a pretty nasty truth.

"OK, be honest," Shining said unhappily.

"Dealing with Twilight was like banging my head against a brick wall," Sugarcoat said. Lemon Zest lightly kicked Sugarcoat on the shin, but she continued regardless. "Your sister was one of the most annoying, awkward, and obnoxious-"

"Sugarcoat!" Sour scolded. "What is wrong with-"

"He wants the truth," Sugarcoat said plainly, "I'm gonna give him the truth. That's exactly how we felt about her."

"But-,"

"No, I want to here was she has to say," Shining said. Oddly enough, he didn't sound remotely upset by Sugarcoat's words. He sounded curious. "Now Sugarcoat, please tell me why you found my sister to be all those things."

"Every time you talked to her, she was always looking away, she was always going off into tangents," Sugarcoat continued. The rest of the Shadowbolts were mortified by Sugarcoat's remarks, with Sunny's face falling into her hands. "I remember one time she asked me about my day, and then she started talking about ionic fields," Sugarcoat's lip pursed with frustration. "She was always showing off in front of the teachers and making us look bad. She was complete athletic failure." Sugarcoat took a short breath, before continuing. "Socially speaking, she was a complete train wreck."

"And it never occurred to you to just...tap her on the shoulder and tell her she was doing something wrong," Shining said in a neutral voice.

"So wait." Sugarcoat with some anger. "Who's the older sibling? Me or you?" Shining was taking aback by that question. "I didn't really feel responsible for someone like that. I'm sorry to tell you this, Mr. Armor teenagers don't want to be friends with people like that . You would willingly be friends with someone like that?" Sugarcoat asked Shining, her tone stern and uncompromising. "How many awkward people did you go out of your way to befriend when you were our age?" Sugarcoat asked. Shining continued to look at Sugarcoat with a stunned look. "Mr. Armor, tell me how many socially inept did you include in your friend circle when you were in high school?" Shining looked stunned, unable to respond. "I'm not trying to excuse our behavior. But, I'm gonna tell you now, I am not inclined to be near people like that, let alone hold their hand."
,
"If this how you feel," Shining said in a quiet voice ,"then why do you want to search for her so badly?"

"I realize that how...we behaved wasn't...much better," Sugarcoat said, sounding almost chocked up.

"And what you made you realize that?" Shining Armor said in a tone that was both soft and stern.

"Well," Sunny began. "You know about...Juniper right?"

"Yeah," Shining said.

"Well," Sunny said. "When she first came here, none of us really liked her or wanted her around us." The Shadowbolts grimaced, remembering with shame about how they were all too eager to throw Juniper under the bus. The very thought of doing that was almost impossible to imagine now. "She acted a lot like Twilight: she was a wimp, she was annoying, she showed off in front of the teachers, and she talked about stupid facts."

"So why did you hang out with her?" Shining asked.

"The only reason why we hung out with Juniper was because your wife told us to," Indigo said remorsefully. Shining didn't look remotely surprised. "And because Sunny...made us."

"You see," Sunny said, "I felt horrible about what I did. I mean, back then, I didn't understand how much of a jerk I really was. But I had a whole lot of guilt, and I didn't know what to do. So I went to church, and told my priest a little bit about what happened." She took a deep breath. "He told me the way for me to make it to Twilight was...being nicer to someone like Twilight." She let out a small smile. "But the truth was, I only saw Juniper as a way to feel better. I didn't really want to be her friend. I was almost ready to ditch her after her first day."

"Why did you change your mind?"

"Cadence told us about all the cool things that Twilight did," Sunny said. "How she built a treehouse when she was 12, how she figured out her college credits even before she learned how to drive, the story about how she dove into a pool to save Spike," Sunny said with a smile, but stopped when she realized she was making Shining more miserable. "The point is, there was a whole other side to Twilight I didn't bother to find out about, so I figured maybe...Juniper might have a whole other side to her."

"And, well, she did," Lemon Zest said with a small smile, "she had a really great voice, she chugged a whole bottle of hot sauce, she went to all these different countries, she's a mean pillow fighter. She even became friends with Sapphire Shores."

"Sapphire Shores," Shining mused. "That name sounds familiar. I think I've heard her on the radio a few times."

"She graduated last year," Sour said. "She's like a celebrity now. She's the coolest person and Crystal Prep. And...Sapphire liked June."

"And she was kind of a wimp," Indigo said, "but with some training from me, she's in much better shape. Not only is she going to the gym with me, she's doing mixed martial arts," she finished, sounding like a proud parent.

"And its thanks to her big brain that we know Twilight was alive," Sunny said.

"The point is, Juniper turned out to be a really good person when she was given a chance," Sugarcoat said in a solemn voice. "And I realize if we gave Twilight a chance, she could've been the same way."

"Yeah. But that wasn't the only reason we realized we were wrong," Sunny said.

"What was the other reason?" Shining asked.

"Well," Sunny said uneasily, rubbing her arm. "After I went to your house, I really wanted to be Juniper's friend, but I didn't really understand what it was like to be a loyal friend. There was one girl who really, really didn't like her."

"Was it the girl who dumped rotten milk on you?" Shining asked.

"Yeah, Suri," Sunny said uneasily. "She was also the girl who humiliated Twilight at that party with the paint." Shining's eyes narrowed a bit. "She was the girl who hated Twilight more than anyone else. She's the person who led everyone into hating her. I mean, I knew deep down that it was wrong, but no one wanted want to stand up to her."

"Because she was the most popular girl in school?" Shining asked.

"She was also...our friend since kindergarten," Sunny said uneasily.

"We knew her longer than we knew Twilight," Sugarcoat said with a hint of shame. "I'm not trying to excuse giving into her, but she also was loaded and had connections-,"

"She was more useful to you than my sister ever was," Shining said simply. It wasn't said with anger, but sad acceptance.

"Yeah," Sugarcoat said, sounding utterly drained.

"Suri hated Juniper as much as she hated Twilight," Sunny said. "And when I invited her to that party, Suri got mad. So...I lied and told Suri that Juniper whined to Cadence for an invitation." Shining looked at her with a small amount of scorn.

"I knew it was wrong," Sunny said with a quiver, "But I thought that if I could make Juniper cool, Suri would like her as well." She clenched her fists. "But Suri...just hated her. It wasn't that she was annoyed by Juniper. It was...like...Suri saw Juniper like she was a cockroach. Even when she did cool things." She took a deep breath.

"Because of my lie," Sunny said regretfully. "Suri tried to dump rotten milk on Juniper's head."

"And then we found out she drew this really horrible picture of Juniper fucking a pig," Indigo said, still furious over that, "and put it in her locker". Even Shining Armor looked a little bit shocked.

"So that's when you decided to boot Suri out," Shining said, remembering what Cadence said. "She turned out to be...just horrible."

"Yeah, but Juniper still found out about my lie," Sunny said on the verge of tears. "I thought she was gonna hate me for what I did." The other Shadowbolts also looked utterly ashamed. "She was really mad at me, but then she hugged me and told me it was OK, and that she forgave me."

"And then," Indigo said, "she saved Coco. Coco was kind of Suri's lackey. Coco helped Suri with her pranks. Juniper was really mad at Coco for what she did. But when Suri attacked Coco the next morning, because she wanted revenge, Juniper was the one who saved her life," Indigo said with a proud smile."Even when Suri knocked of June's glasses, she still beat her into the ground to save Coco." Shining's eyes widened in surprise.

"And then, we had to tell her about...what we did during the Friendship Games," Sour said, also cracking up. "And, even though she was upset, she still hung out with us even when she knew how horrible we were."

"And then, those Wondercolts," Sunny said, "also hated for what we did. They didn't want to let us make up for what we did. But still, Cadence and the other Twilight begged them to give us a chance. And they did."

"And I remember we went to a party at Canterlot High," Sour said, rubbing her arm. "Everyone treated us the same way we treated our Twilight. At one girl was so angry with us, she said we should've dropped dead. But the other Twilight stood up for us and said that we deserved a second chance."

"And, when I thought that we drove Twilight to suicide," Indigo Zap said uneasily, "I was so angry, that I sent myself to the hospital." She saw Shining's glare. "I'm not saying that to get you to feel sorry for me. I'm saying that because...Pinkie Pie baked me a cake. She was really mad about how mean we were, but she still wanted to make sure I was OK."

"And when Cadence called us into the room after the Friendship Games," Lemon Zest said, tears flowing back into her eyes, "I thought she was gonna yell at us. I thought she was gonna blow up at us. But instead...she hugged us and told us it wasn't our fault."

"I see," Shining said some contempt. "You're saying that everyone forgave you, so that means I have to."

"No," Sugarcoat said. "I'm saying....that's how we should've been to our Twilight." Shining frowned a bit. "I'm not gonna lie and pretend Twilight wasn't obnoxious and annoying. I'm saying...there were better ways to deal with it," Sugarcoat's lip quivered a bit. "We screwed up far, far worse than Twilight ever did. But people still gave us a chance, even when they were mad at us. I realize now that...even though Twilight was annoying, treating her like a lost cause and making her feel miserable was wrong," Sugarcoat began crying, "It was wrong of us to make her cry, to treat to her like trash, and make her feel alone, and I'm-I'm, sorry," Sugarcoat finally broke down, as did the rest of her friends. After a few moments of crying, they got themselves under control. Shining looked more and more morose as they finished.

"Did Twilight really act like that?" Shining asked Sugarcoat after a few moments. He didn't sound angry. His question sounded more like a plea. "Did she really behave that way?"

"Yeah," Sugarcoat said. Shining Armor got up from the table and looked out the window.

"Before she came to Crystal Prep, our psychiatrist told us that Crystal Prep wasn't for her," Shining said tears forming out of his eyes. "Our therapist said that she needed to be people...like her. Told her she was autistic, and she wouldn't fit in." To the shock of the Shadowbolts, Shining's words weren't directed at them, but seemed to be directed at himself. "But...I was so obsessed with her being at Crystal Prep, following in my footsteps, that I didn't listen." Tears started flowing out of his eyes, and he fall back into his chair. "She was miserable, and I didn't care, she was upset and I didn't care." Shining mused. "She had problems, but instead of dealing with them, I ignored them." His voice started cracking up. "I cared more about the girl I wanted her to be than the girl in front of me." His lip started quivering. "But I realize now, I've been angry at you....for doing the things that I should've been doing," Shining stopped and soon he started crying himself. For a few minutes, he bawled and bawled. He stopped when he found someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Sour looking at him with kind eyes.

"You know, when I was ten years old," Sour said. "My mom wanted me to be a ballerina."

"So," Shining said, still whimpering.

"I hated being a ballerina!" Sour bellowed. "But my mom made me do it anyways."

"And my mom tried to make me take one of those manners courses," Indigo said, also walking to Shining, and putting a comforting shoulder on the other man's hand. "I thought the course was stupid."

"And my dad signed me up for skiing, even though I hate winter sports," Sugarcoat said. The other Shadowbolts came up to the desk with comforting looks.

"The point is," Sunny said empathetically. "All parents make their kids do things they hate. All parents do that because they think they're right. Your not a bad brother. You just made the mistake all parents make."

"She was miserable," Shining said with self-loathing. "And I told her she was being silly."

"It isn't like you expected this to happen," Lemon Zest said. "You thought Crystal Prep would be as cool for her as was for you. Maybe it wasn't our jobs to teach her things, but like Sugar said, we could've been a little nicer to her."

"And besides, her parents died unexpectedly," Sugarcoat said, her blunt voice being kind. "It's not like you could've known how to be the perfect dad overnight."

"I still ignored her," Shining said.

"And we did too," Indigo said.

"I guess we're both guilty of that," Shining said solemnly. After a few deep breaths, the man brought himself under control.

"OK," Shining said.

"OK, what?" Lemon Zest said.

"OK, you can help look for my sister," Shining said. A small smile appeared on their faces. "Look, I'm still mad at you," Shining said with a small glare. "But I realize you five do want to be better. You've also been honest with me. And," his morose expression returned, "a lot of this was my own fault. That's why I can't be too mad at you."

"But we still have to find her," Indigo said with unshakeable resolve. "Whatever mistakes you made, we screwed up far worse."

"And I promise you," Sunny said with pleading eyes, "that we will nicer to her. We will be better friends to her." Shining didn't look pleased.

"There's one more thing," Shining said in a serious tone. "I understand your sorry, but after everything I've learned, I'm not gonna send her back to school with you." The Shadowbolts looked upset. "The fact that your sorry doesn't erase what you did to her. I don't want to send her back to a place where she was abused. This all happened because I didn't listen to her, and the only way I can make it right is by doing what I've should've done, and taking her out if she wants too"

"That's fair," Lemon Zest said sadly. "I mean, we do deserve it." The Shadowbolts also quietly accepted this.

"But if she forgives you," Shining said," then she can go back to school with you. But I'm not gonna force her to forgive you. Cadence told her to turn the other cheek, and...this is what happened." He let out a small frown. "Like I said, after breaking her trust, you have to earn her forgiveness back. And if she wants nothing to do with you, you have to accept it. But don't let that stop you from being better people." He let out another sigh. "OK, you girls can go to class now. I said what I had to say."

Soon the Shadowbolts piled out of the room solemnly, except for Lemon Zest who stood in the room.

"Can I ask you a question," Lemon said meekly.

"Yeah," Shining said.

"Can I come over to your house," Lemon Zest said, "and together, we can, like, brainstorm ways to make it up to her?" For the first time since he spoke to them, a real smile appeared on Shining's face.

"Sure," Shining said kindly.

The Steps of Forgiveness

Friday Evening, 8 PMM

Father Cross was having a good Friday. He was sitting in his quaint home, relaxing in his comfy leather chair, enjoying the tender warmth of the fire place, his favorite drink (Apple Family Cider) was in his hand, and his favorite TV show was on.

"How could you have beaten me," Oscura, the Dark Witch hissed to her hated foe, robbed of all her power.

"You were defeated," Princess Lorena of the Diamond Warriors said in a voice that combined both compassion and strength, "by the power of Friendship."

"You tell it, sister," Father Cross yelled at the TV, manly tears flowing down his face. He was such a fan, he was even wearing a Diamond Warriors plastic crown, which was pink and studded with plastic sapphire jewels.

Suddenly the doorbell ring. In a panic, Father Cross shut off the TV and threw it behind the sofa. He also ripped off his Diamond Warriors crown and hid it under his chair.

"Just one second," he said nervously toward the door. Scrambling, he pulled out some old bible and put on his glasses, attempting to look like a humble monk pouring over the scripture.

"You may come in," Father Cross said. The door opened, and Sunny Flare walked in. She was carrying something in a white box.

"Sunny," he said, leaning up from the book, "how are-," he paused when he noticed the miserable look on grey-skinned girl's face. "Sunny," he said, compassion rising in his face, "what's wrong?"

The two walked over to the kitchen. Over a chocolate cake, Sunny told Father Cross the whole truth. Well, the truth that was the "official" story: Twilight dying in a motorcycle accident, but Sunny treated it like a code word for what actually happened. Forcing someone to use a faulty motorcycle she couldn't ride was heinous enough.

She then told him about how they discovered Twilight was alive but still missing, and that when she came home, her brother was gonna pull her out of school.

"He says that I'm not gonna be allowed to see her anymore," Sunny finished with tears in her eyes. The chocolate cake had been half-eaten. "I mean, I do deserve it, but, I really want to make it up to her. But...there isn't an apology for...what I did."

"There's an apology for everything," Father Cross said a wave of his hand, "as long as you are sincere in how you say it."

"The fact that she's alive doesn't change the fact that I nearly got someone killed," Sunny argued miserably, "she'll never talk to me again, and I'll be damned to hell-,"

"Listen, you're not damned to hell if you don't get forgiveness," Father Cross said firmly. "I told you that I did things I never got forgiveness for. Atonement is not about getting forgiveness. It is about turning away from your sins and being a better person."

"It isn't just this," the grey-skinned girl, "I spent two years hurting her. I spent two years being a jerk to her just because Suri told me to. All that time, I didn't just hurt her. I was hurting her family." Her face fell into her hands. "What was wrong with me?"

"Pride," Father Cross said simply.

"Pride?" Sunny asked, pulling her hands off her face.

"Pride, they say, is the worst sin," Father Cross said ,"because it is where all other sins come from. Pride can make a bad person think they're good, a strong person think they're God himself. Pride means thinking you are better than everyone else. Pride means caring only about what you want. That's why you were so mean to Twilight. That's why you made Twilight jump on that motorbike. Because you were so blinded by pride, you couldn't see the humanity in Twilight." A reassuring smile formed on his face. "The fact that your here means that you've gotten rid of a lot of pride. You don't know what to do, so your asking for help. That's a good step in the right direction."

"I guess," Sunny said reluctantly. "So what do I do?"

"If Twilight is alive, hasn't even returned home, and hasn't tried to contact her brother, then I'm assuming she is in a very bad place," Father Cross said rather gravely. "Both physically and emotionally." Sunny's guilt and anxiety grew at that. Largely because she didn't know what Twilight's condition really was, or how she was doing in that pony world. Any guess by Father Cross wasn't helpful, despite his good intentions. "The fact that she had made an effort not to be found, despite being badly injured, should tell her about her mood." Sunny's mood worsened even more.

"If you find her, you have to expect that she's not going to be in a generous mood toward you," Father Cross said gravely. "If you want her forgiveness, you can't just say sorry. You have to assure her that you understand what you did was wrong, that she's a wonderful person, and you're prepared to do whatever you can to right the wrongs you committed."

"Twilight's brother and Lemon are coming up with gifts," Sunny said. "But...is it wrong to bribe her?"

"A gift isn't necessary a bad thing," Father Cross said. "However, you can't get her something random thing. Whatever you give her, it has to be something meaningful, something that proves if she were to go back to school with you, things will be different. Something that proves you accept her choices."

"And what if she still doesn't forgive me?"

"Then you have to accept it," Father Cross said with a stern voice. "Being a good person means accepting someone's choices, as long as those choices aren't harmful. If Twilight feels better away from you, the best thing you can do is respect her wishes. That would be the ultimate sign that you've changed: accepting her choices."

"I know that," Sunny said miserably. "But...just. I told you about Juniper, right?"

"That girl you helped out?"

"Yeah," Sunny said. "She turned out to be this great person. But it was because I helped her out. After learning those things about Twilight that I never knew about, I realized that Twilight could've been great if someone had been there for her."

"And now you want to be there for her, and your upset that you might not have the chance?" Father Cross said.

"Yeah," Sunny said sadly.

"Well, if it comes to that," Father Cross said reassuringly, "just be better. Just use what happened to learn from your mistakes. Your life is far from over, Sunny. Barring tragedy or complete lack of personal responsibility, you've still got 60-70 years left to write your story. This is but one chapter, but you've still got plenty of time to turn yourself around. And based on what you told me, you already have. Just remember that steps of forgiveness: humility, honesty, compassion, generosity, and acceptance. If you do all those things, you can be redeemed."

"Thanks Father," Sunny said with grateful smile, which she returned. She looked at her watch. "I got to go."

"Having you over is always a pleasure," Father Cross said. "Besides you come with chocolate cake. Gluttony is one sin I've never been averse to," Father Cross said while patting his gut. Sunny chucked a little herself, before walking out of the house.

"Sorry," Sunny she said, suddenly coming back into your house, "I think I left my purse in your living room."

"Don't mention it," Father Cross said. He continued sit in his kitchen, dining on the chocolate cake, when suddenly Sunny came into the room.

"Sunny did you find your," Cross paused when she saw Sunny holding his Diamond Princess crown while giving him a mocking grin.

"That's not anything," Father Cross said nervously. "A...one of my nieces left that there." Sunny wasn't impressed. "It was accidentally shipped to my front door." Another pause. "A hosted a birthday party."

"You wub Diamond Princess don't you Father Cross?" Sunny said in an adorably cute voice. Father Cross' face turned red with embarrassment.

"I banish thee to the depths of Hell," Father Cross said, holding up a cross and directing it toward Sunny, "ye foul demon!" Sunny fell to the ground in laughter, making Father Cross' face turn even more red with humiliation.

Shopping Trip

Author's Note

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Albert Einstein

Shopping Trip

Saturday Morning

Barnyard Bargains, Canterlot Mall

"I think its too juvenile," Shining Armor said to Lemon Zest. "Put it back."

"It's a volcano experiment," Lemon Zest said with confusion as she pulled the box out of the cart. The sleek box revealed it to be a vinegar volcano kit. "Science nerds love this stuff."

The pair were at Barnyard Bargains, the premier department store of the Canterlot Mall. Their cart was loaded with potential gifts they were getting for Twilight for when she would return. Science equipment, her favorite snacks, new clothes, and party supplies for Twilight's return party. Shining was pushing the cart, while Lemon Zest was loading it with various goodies.

"She was already doing those volcanos when she was eight years old," Shining said with a proud smile. "By the time she was a freshman, she was already building her own remote control cars."

"Really?" Lemon Zest said with some awe.

"Yeah," Shining Armor said, "she even built her own remote control helicopter."

"How come I never knew about it?" Lemon asked the blue-haired man.

"Maybe if you let her come to your parties, you might've," Shining said in a passive-aggressive tone and a small frown. Lemon flinched at the ice in his voice.

"Look, its water under the bridge," Shining said in a patient, but tired voice. "I mean, I'm still a little mad, but let's just go forward."

"Sure," Lemon with a sheepish smile. Lemon walked with Shining in the toy section, and started gushing when she saw what was next.

"Ohmigosh, ohmigosh," Lemon said excitedly.

"What is it?" Shining said.

"The Junior Meterologist's Kit," Lemon Zest said, holding a blue package, which had colorful illustrations of weather patterns and the picture of a kid dressed in a lab coat. "I had one of these when I was in middle school."

"You like studying the weather?" Shining asked the pink-haired girl with some curiosity.

"Not just weather," Lemon Zest said the wave of her hand. "I want to study ecology"

"The way you act, I always pictured you as a rock star."

"I mean, I would love to be a rock star," Lemon Zest said with an excited smile. "Standing on a stage, hearing the roar of the crowds, the wind in the air as I stick my head through the limo sunroof!"

Shining Armor looked amused at Lemon's enthusiasm and her gesticulations. She acted like Twilight whenever she was told she was going to go to a library.

"But even though I can act like a meathead," Lemon Zest with facetious tone,"I need something to fall back on." Shining Armor's face twisted into a bit of frown.

"What's wrong?" Lemon Zest asked.

"Nothing," Shining said in a somewhat angered tone.

"Look, dude if your upset about something," Lemon Zest said in a reassuring tone, "tell me. If your pissed at me, its cool. Get it of your chest. I do kind of deserve it." After a moment hesitation, Shining let out an annoyed sigh.

"Alright," Shining said. "You said you like science. And my sister was a scientist. Why did you...push her away?" Lemon Zest let out her own annoyed sigh.

"I didn't think Twilight was uncool because she was smart," Lemon Zest said with a bitter tone. "Sugarcoat is smart. A lot of my friends are smart." Her lips pursed into a frown. "But they don't always have to show off how smart they are."

"So Twilight did act like a know-it-all," Shining surmised.

"Yeah," Lemon Zest said. "And...even though I think ecology is cool, I know my friends don't care. But Twilight...she tried to talk about whatever facts she knew."

"I see," Shining Armor said, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"And...I really hate school," Lemon Zest said.

"A lot of people do," Shining Armor.

"I mean, I think a lot of school is useless," Lemon Zest with deep scorn. "I mean, I'm not saying you shouldn't be in school. But...like...they don't teach you anything useful."

"You don't think reading and writing-,"

"Bro, I knew how to do that when I was six years old," Lemon Zest said with an annoyed smile. "In high school, the only things they teach you are how to fill out bubbles on a sheet." Lemon Zest in a mocking tone. "I already wanted to be an ecologist when I was in middle school. But instead, they teach me things I don't care about, like geometry, and physics, and 'just say no to drugs'."

"Oh yeah. They were always big on that," Shining Armor said with a smile. "I remember that one commercial where they said, 'this is your brain,' and they show the egg."

"And then they fry the egg and say 'this is your brain if you do drugs'," Lemon said while snickering.

"And if you have bacon, I guess your brain is a balanced breakfast," Shining said with snort.

"Yeah," Lemon said facetiously. "Why are drugs so bad if you get some protein and nutrients out of them?" The two started chuckling at that.

"Have you ever tried pot?" Shining asked Lemon. Lemon looked askance at that. "Look, don't worry," Shining said with a wave of his hand,"I'm not gonna squeal. Cadence and I did it, but don't tell her I said that." He then gave Lemon a mischievous wink.

"Yeah," Lemon Zest said with disdain, "and I didn't suddenly start pawning my mom's gems for needle money, which one police officer said would happen if I tried pot once."

"Same," Shining said equal disdain. "I mean, you shouldn't do pot, but they made you think pot was, like, some evil demon."

"That's one of the reasons why we didn't invite Twilight to our parties," Lemon Zest. "I mean, she was a teacher's pet and really uptight. So-,"

"You thought she was a gonna rat you out to Cinch," Shining asked with knowing eyes.

"Pretty much," Lemon said sadly.

"I guess I can't fault you on that," Shining Armor said reluctantly.

"Getting back on topic," Lemon said empathetically, "school doesn't make you a super genius. It just...assumes you are," Lemon Zest said with some frustration. "Instead of teaching you things you want to learn, it makes you learn about nerd stuff that you don't really need to know, like knowing what a rhombus is. Do you remember what a rhombus is?"

"No," Shining said, nodding his head. "I work as a private detective."

"Neither does my older sister," Lemon said with some disdain. "She doesn't know about the Changeling War, she never even took a business course, and she never got a four year degree. And she makes a killing selling 3D-printed jewelry online. But all teachers call called her stupid and said she would never get anywhere."

"Yeah, I can get by that," Shining Armor said more enthusiastically.

"When people like Twilight raise their hand, begging for the teacher's attention," Lemon Zest said with some annoyance, "the teachers always complain about how dumb we are for not knowing stuff like Twilight said. Twilight's problem wasn't that she was smart. Her problem was that she made us all feel stupid in front of the teachers, for not knowing shit we're gonna forget about anyways when we graduate."

"Did you ever tell her that?" Shining asked seriously. Lemon gaped at the white-skinned man. "Did you ever think about tapping her on the shoulder and told her she was being a little annoying?"

"I...I guess I didn't," Lemon Zest said sadly. "I mean...I never really hated Twilight. But she was always so....square. The first time I met her, she freaked out over being late to class once. She acted like she committed murder. I guess...I always pictured her as having a stick up her butt," Lemon said sadly. "And...maybe...I was going along with what everyone else was doing," she finished shamefully. Shining, however, didn't look at all upset.

"Since we're opening up," Shining said with a small smile, "can I give you some advice?"

"Yeah."

"When you're young, the cool, hip, and exciting person is the person you hang out with," Shining Armor said. "But when you get older, you sometimes find the square to be a better option. When I first dated Cadence, she was this fun, exciting person. But when I started thinking about college, and career and bills, I got tired of that. Cadence had a lot of friends who were just as hot, or even hotter than her. But a lot of them kept acting like party girls into their 20s, and I stopped caring. Cadence grew up, and became a lot more square, so I stayed with her."

"Are you saying I should meet someone like that?" Lemon.

"Yeah, but you also might like friends who are like that," Shining said. "I agree with you that Twilight was pretty square. I'm probably the only older brother who wanted my younger sister to bend the rules. But when it came to building a future, my sister is hands down the best. My sister figured how out her college credits before freshman year when not even graduate students know. When you start thinking about college and stuff, my sister could be the go to person."

"I guess," Lemon said.

"Maybe you and your friends had a stick up your butts too," Shining said. Lemon looked at Shining with astonishment. "You kind of dwelled on Twilight's awkwardness. But sometimes...a little uptightness can be a good thing. A friend like Twilight could help you in a jam, like studying, or...if you all got drunk, she could help drive you guys home." Lemon Zest looked sad at that. "Look, you know better know," Shining said warmly, "so as Cadence said, all we can do is go forward."

"I guess," Lemon Zest said, fighting the tear that kept trying to erupt.

"And one more thing," Shining Armor said in a serious tone. "I know you don't like school, and I agree with you that a lot of what they teach is useless. But you still got to go. Yeah, your sister did well without it, but having an education and a degree is still very helpful for finding work."

"You're right," Lemon said without hesistation.

"If you want to change the whole education system, fine," Shining said. "Go build some alternative school. But get in the box before you try and jump out, so you have something you can fall back on."

"Sounds good," Lemon agreed humbly.

After their talk, the two continued their shopping trip.

"OK, so the last thing we need is a new telescope," Shining said, holding the list while carrying some of the bags.

"Where's the Space Store," Lemon said. All around them, they suddenly heard cheering, applauding behind them. They turned around and everyone looked at the stage, staring at a man in a red shirt and khaki pants holding a microphone.

"The Canterlot Karaoke Contest starts in about an hour," the man said into the microphone. "Last call to sign up."

"Karaoke," Lemon and Shining said in unison. They stared at each other.

"You like karaoke?" Lemon said.

"I love it," Shining said.

"Let's go sign up," Lemon said, pulling the white-skinned man by his arm. "I hope they have To Die For on the machine.

"I love To Die For!" Shining pratically bellowed.

"I love times a thousand!" Lemon said.

"I love times infinity!" Shining bellowed playfully.

"PROVE IT!"

Lemon and Shining sang a duet, riling up the crowd with their awesome lyrics and righteous tone.

"Baby I now you hate me, you say your spoken for," Lemon Zest sang.

"But baby let me tell you," Shining sang, "I think you're to die for!"

The crowed cheered them on, to their amusement and joy.

"And that was Lemon and Shining," the announcer said. "Potentially, our newest brother and sister singing duo." Shining tried to correct him, but was elbowed by Lemon into shutting his trap.

When the competition was over, the two finished their shopping trip by getting the telescope

The two walked out of the mall with tons of gifts in one of their hands, and a third place trophy that they held together, Both of them were wearing proud smiles. While they had a hard task ahead, the two agreed this was definitely a better-than-average day.

Interdimensional Testing (Part 1) (Edited)

Castle of Friendship, Science Lab

The Bearers of Harmony had seen and done things that others would describe as impossible.

But they didn't know what impossible really was until they saw another version of themselves tumble out of a mirror.

Their doppelgangers tumbled out of the mirror, one by one, with Sunset Shimmer and the Twilight they knew being the last one to follow. Their doppelgangers writhed on the ground, discombobulated by their interdimensional journey. Once they got their bearings and were able to walk on four legs rather than two, the two groups got to know one another.

"Ah'm seeing double," Pony Applejack said with awe.

"I wonder what cute critters you get to take care of," Human Fluttershy cooed.

"Good to know I am fabulous in another world as well," Pony Rarity said with a proud smile.

"Are we gonna fight each other to see which is better Me?" Human Rainbow gushed with enthusiasm to her pony version.

"Oh boy," Pony Pinkie enthused while leaping up and down. "So many ponies means so many parties!" Her fellow counterpart also started leaping with the same excitement as well.

Princess Twilight took out a magic book and scribbled a message. Soon, five more ponies tumbled out of the mirror. Another set of humans-turned-ponies that the Pony Bearers weren't familiar with tumbled out of the mirror, looking equally worse for the wear, clearly not used to interdimensional travel.

"I think I need a barf bag," Indigo muttered as she slowly regained her bearings.

"I need an antacid," Sunny muttered.

"Don't worry," Sunset said reassuringly, using her magic horn to help them up. "The first journey is always the roughest. You five are doing pretty well for creatures who never have been exposed to magic before." Once the Shadowbolts adjusted themselves and learned to maneuver in their new forms, they all looked in a mirror.

"Oh, my Holy Vida!" Sour Sweet said in a rare display of shock. "I am Pegasus," she shrieked, looking at her wings and hooves with awe.

"So do I," Lemon Zest said, looking at her new feathery appendages with fascination.

"You weren't kidding Sunny," Indigo said, "you do have a horn."

"And you have wings too," Sunny said to Indigo.

"And I have nothing," Sugarcoat said, seeing her new Earth Pony form with some boredom.

The Human Bearers and Pony Bearers both looked at the Shadowbolts with no small amount of amusement.

"Earth Ponies have super strength," Sunset said to reassure the dismayed Sugarcoast. "You could plow a whole field in a day."

"Yes, I always aspired to live in the sticks," Sugarcoat said sarcastically, "sticking my hand-hooves in the dirt is what I dream of every day."

"Hey, you got a problem with that?" Both Applejacks sternly asked the taciturn Sugarcoat in unison. The two farmers looked at each other and laughed.

"OK," Rainbow said, "what are we doing?"

"You ten are going to be going through some tests," Princess Twilight said to both versions of her friends, "with the help of my assistant, Starlight."

"Tests?" Pony Applejack asked.

"I want to explore the similarities and differences between ponies and humans-turned ponies," Princess Twilight said, "these could be the key to finding the version of me that came from the human world."

"What about us Princess?" Sunny asked the pony monarch, "what are we going to do?"

"There is somepony I want you to meet for a specific purpose," Princess Twilight said intentionally vaguely. Sunny and her friends read between the lines and kept their mouths shut.

"Look at your cutie marks," Pony Pinkie shouted.

"Our what?" Human Applejack said.

"The marks on your flank," Sunset said, "that determine your special talent."

"Oh my stars," Pony Rarity said in shock, "they're different from ours." Everyone looked and saw that their counterparts had different tattoos.

Human Rarity had a cutie mark with a sewing needle, Human Applejack had a cutie mark with a tractor, Human Pinkie Pie had roller skate cutie marks, Human Fluttershy had a stethoscope cutie mark, and Human Rainbow had the cutie mark of a blue sweatband.

The Shadowbolts saw they had gained their marks too. Indigo gained one that looked like track shorts, Lemon gained one that looked like a cloud with a single lemon inside of it, Sour Sweet had one that combined a lemon and a sugar cube, Sunny gained one that looked like a purple aurora, and Sugarcoat had one that looked like a piece of purple rock candy.

"What does it mean if our marks are different?" Human Fluttershy asked.

"It means that our magic signatures may not be so similar," Princess Twilight said, "which means I may not be able to use mine to find the other me." The Shadowbolts looked horrified.

"Don't worry," Sunset said with a smile, "I'm sure there are other ways to find her. There is nothing to,"

"AAHHHH," Indigo yelled in fright. Everyone looked at her and was stunned by what they saw. The carpet turned into a snake and began constricting her. "Help," Indigo said fearfully, "It's going to eat me!" The Human Bearers, Sunset, and the other Shadowbolts looked horrified, while the other ponies looked annoyed.

"Discord!" Pony Fluttershy admonished softly but firmly, "Please stop".

"Oh come on," a rough male voice said with some annoyance. The "carpet" released a fearful Indigo who scampered away toward her friends. It then morphed into some weird chimera creature. "I was just trying to be friendly and break the ice," it sai.

"If that's you friendly," Pony Rainbow, "I'd rather you be evil."

"What is that?" Sunny said with horror and concern. The Shadowbolts looked equally shocked and horrified while Indigo shook in terror.

"I'm not a 'that'," the chimera said with some offense, "I am Discord, Lord of Chaos."

"Lord of Chaos?" Sugarcoat asked with a cock of her head.

"What is this, an echo chamber?" Discord asked with some annoyance, before the same voice started repeating itself over and over.

"Discord now is not the time for-," Fluttershy scolded.

"Oh come on Fluttershy, when I learned of creatures from that human world were coming over," Discord said with paw-rubbing glee, "I just couldn't pass up an opportunity."

"Wait, you knew about us?" Sunny said, cocking her head.

"Of course," Discord said, "Fluttershy mentioned you. And I must say, when I learned about you human, I was quite impressed." The creature extended his body across the room to pull the Shadowbolts into a hug.

"Really?" Sour asked the Chaos Lord.

"Of course," Discord said with a smile, "I heard about how you five traded your teammate's life for a pointless game." His smile suddenly became vicious and his eyes hard, "even in my brief stint in villainy, I never ever reached such depths of selfishness and cruelty." The Shadowbolts took his passive-aggressive swipe at them like a punch in the gut.

"Discord," Princess Twilight said in a scolding tone, "I don't want you here if you're going to put these creatures down. They're trying to make up for what they did. If you're just gonna insult them, leave."

"You think I'm here to throw insults," Discord said in a wounded tone, "I'm here because I want to help."

"How's that?" Rainbow asked with narrowed eyes, thinking Discord was planning something.

"Why I can figure out where you're friend is," The Shadowbolt's eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

"Really?" Indigo said with a pleasant smile. "You can?"

"I am chaos," Discord said, morphing into a tesseract, "reality is a mere suggestion to me." Everyone in the room smiled happily at that.

"That's great!" Sunset said with a smile. "So where is she?" Discord morphed into a globe.

"Here," Discord's voice said.

"Where?" Indigo said happily.

"Here."

"Where here?"

"In Equestria," Discord said, morphing back into his normal self with a cheerful grin. "See, I told you exactly where she was." Everyone frowned furiously at him. This drove Discord into a laughing fit. "I got you good," Discord, rolling on the floor.

"That's not funny Discord," Pony Rainbow said, flying into Discord's face with a scowl on her face. Everyone started yelling and shouting at him.

"OK, now that you've had your fun," Princess Twilight said, "please bring the other version of me here." Discord responded with an annoyed frown and started stretching his limbs, causing them to elongate.

"Aren't you going to tell us?" Sunset Shimmer asked Discord.

"Nope." Discord said. "Not feeling it."

"No," Human Rainbow said with dismay. "Why not?"

"Here it comes," Discord said with genuine frustration. " 'Discord can you do this?' 'Discord can you do that?' It's never 'Discord how are you?' or 'Discord, how's your day going?' Every day, I am asked to do some stupid task by some random pony without an ounce of intelligence, but never am I invited into anypony's home for even a cup of tea."

The ponies and humans protested dialed down, understanding and somewhat sympathizing with the Chaos Lords' plight.

"And another thing," Discord said with an annoyed grin. "I am the Lord of Chaos." A butler uniform appeared with a serving tray in one of his paws. "I am not your servant." He morphed into a carriage that was yellow with black squares on it, "nor am I your taxi!" He morphed back to normal and got up into the Shadowbolts' faces. "If I help you, you'll never learn to do things on you're own." A pink brain appeared in his paws. "You have to use whatever brain cells you have, or else they'll shrink into nothing." A fedora appeared on his head. "Good luck," he said, before teleporting away.

Everyone felt a bit annoyed at the Lord of Chaos welcome and lack of assistance.

"Seems like a fun guy to be around," Sunny said with angry frustration.

"You have to excuse Discord," Pony Fluttershy said, "Discord...means well. He just has a...different approach to...things."

"Of course he does," Pony Rainbow muttered angrily.

"Anyways," Princess Twilight said, "let's get you five to the testing," she said to the Shadowbolts.

"After you, your majesty," Sunny said respectfully.

The Shadowbolts followed Princess Twilight to the third floor of the castle. The Shadowbolts followed silently along, suppressing their curiosity out of respect for the princess who had given them another chance. Princess Twilight knocked on a wooden door with an iron knob.

"You may enter," a female voice said.

"Girls," Princess Twilight said, opening the door with her magic, "meet Princess Luna."

"Luna's a princess here?" Indigo asked with surprise. Before anyone said anything else, they saw who was inside. Princess Twilight greeted the other Princess before she wandered off to take care of other business.

This version of Luna was an alicorn like Princess Twilight, only taller, more muscular, with a longer wingspan, and with an even more elongated horn. Her coat was darker than human Luna's skin color. Her cutie mark was a moon surrounded by black splotches. Her mane was blue, full of shining stars, and seemed to shimmer in the wind. She wore some black bib with a moon around her neck, a black crown, and silver horseshoes. It was to the Shadowbolts that this pony held a lot of power. But what was more striking to the Shadowbolts was her demeanor. If Princess Twilight could put on an air of authority when it was necessary, Princess Luna seemed to radiate it. The Shadowbolts, as if driven by some unknown instinct, bowed to her.

"Rise please," Princess Luna said with a stoic tone. The same instinct forced the Shadowbolts back up. "Princess Twilight instructed me about you."

"What...did she say?" Sugarcoat asked, her normally robotic tone becoming one of respect and fear. "Your majesty."

"She told about how you abused your teammate, pushed her to cheat, and misused magic in a way that nearly put your school in jeopardy," the alicorn surmised in a calm but stern tone. The Shadowbolts flinched at her words and the authority that hung in them. "All for the sake of a minor competition. She has also told me about how you gave kindness to a lonely being, protected her from mistreatment, and have worked hard to make amends and undo the damage you did." Princess Luna said, her tone becoming less severe. The edge of the Shadowbolts went down but did not fade. "It takes courage to be better, and it is for that reason that you have been given a second chance. But please do not misuse magic in such a way, or take our forgiveness as a license to act as you did before."

"We won't, your majesty," Sunny said with a respectful tone.

"When we find our Twilight," Indigo said with a fierce expression, "we'll give her the love and friendship she deserves." The other Shadowbolts were also stern in their resolve. Believing that they were genuinely sorry, the Princess of the Night gave them a warm smile. "Very well," Princess Luna said, "I am the Mistress of the Night. I control Equestria in the night. I raise the moon and observe the dreams of ponies to help them with their nightmares."

"Really?" Sunny asked.

"Since Princess Twilight alerted me to the existence of your Twilight, I have scoured the dreamscape trying to find her."

"And," Sunny asked expectantly.

"I have not found her," Princess Luna said with a stoic frown. When she saw the Shadowbolts frown, she held her hoof up. "Do not fret, children. It is possible she is merely enjoying the wonders of Equestria. I can only enter the bad dreams, and I might be missing her"

"OR MAYBE SHE GOT EATEN BY A MONSTER!" Sour yelled.

"Ms. Sweet," Princess Luna admonished, "it is not helpful to speculate so horribly. I ask that you show a little faith. Anyways, it is also possible she may not be connected to the Dreamscape due to being a human being. So to be sure, I ask for your permission to be allowed to observe your dreams, to see if that is the case or not."

"You want to get into our heads," Sunny asked suspiciously.

"Ms. Flare," Princess Luna reassured, "I am bound by the stars themselves not to reveal information you do not wish to share. I assure you that I am not going to reveal anything you wish to keep private." She raised her hoof. "This is merely going to be a test of my magic, nothing more."

"Alright," Sunny said after a few moments, "if it helps us find our Twilight." The rest of the Shadowbolts nodded in agreement. She trotted forward. "I'll go first," she said with stern resolve.

"Come to me," Princess Luna ordered. The Crystal Prep student came forward. "Please lie down." Sunny lied down on her stomach. "Do not fret, Ms. Flare," the ancient Princess said, "this will not hurt." Princess Luna placed a hoof on Sunny's head. Soon, Princess Luna's horn started glowing and her eyes turned white.

"Sunny-," Indigo said with some alarm.

"Don't worry guys," Sunny said, "I trust her." With that, Sunny's horn started to glow and her vision was consumed by a white light.

Interdimensional Testing (Part 2): The Price of Fear (Edited)

When Sunny came too, she found herself floating in the middle of some black void that had pretty stars sprinkled throughout it. She looked at herself and saw she was back in human form, wearing her Crystal Prep uniform.

"Where am I?" Sunny asked.

"The Dreamscape," a voice said. "Where the Realm of Dreams intersects with the mortal plane." Sunny turned to her right and saw Canterlot's Vice-Principal walking toward her in some fancy dark blue dress.

"Vice Principal Luna?"

"No Ms. Flare," the woman said, "I am not the vice principal. I have taken this form to make you feel comfortable." The pony princess turned human held up her hand."You look like a human because that is how you imagine yourself,"

"OK," Sunny said, "what do we do?"

"I not only wish to explore your mind to see how a human mind reacts to Equestrian magic," Princess Luna said, "but to search for an answer to your dilemma."

"Dilemma?" Sunny asked.

"Help you understand why you became so cruel to someone who had done nothing to hurt you," Princess Luna asked. Sunny felt a morose frown form on her face. "Can you tell me?"

"I don't know," Sunny said, looking down, "because I was...a jerk and Twilight was a nerd."

"I think it is more complicated than that," Princess Luna said with a smirk, extending her hand, "will you grant me permission to enter your mind and find out why?" Sunny looked down shamefully. "If you don't wish to let me explore your mind, that is your choice. But if you don't take this step, you can never learn from your mistakes, and you can never become the friend your Twilight needs. I am not here to admonish you, but help guide you." Sunny pushed aside her anxiety and took Luna's outstretched hand with fierce resolve.

"OK," Sunny said sternly. Suddenly a screen appeared, showing a time from long ago.

"I'm gonna get you," Suri said playfully, holding a water pistol and chasing after Sunny in the shallow water. A ten-year-old Suri and Sunny were enjoying their stay at Camp Everfree, playing along the banks of the Everfree River. The temperature was not too warm, the sky was blue and clear, and the water was not too cold. Both of them wore one-piece bathing suits.

Sunny screamed playfully as the cold water struck her skin. "Suri, stop it!" Sunny said playfully.

"I am Diamond Princess," Suri said with enormous intensity, "and you're the Evil Queen who needs to be destroyed!" A horn blasted in the distance, signaling their free time was over and they had to go back to camp.

"Aww," the two said with disappointment. Suri was about to leave the water when she accidentally tripped over some rocks. She dropped her water pistol, which flowed away from her and into the flowing river. Sunny saw she was closer and made a dive for it.

"Don't worry Suri," Sunny said, "I got it."

"Uh Sunny", Suri warned, "aren't you going too far-," Suri's mouth dropped in horror when she saw Sunny being carried away in the flow of the river.

"Help me!" Sunny said as she was carried down the river. Suri ran along the banks to keep up with Suri.

"DON'T PANIC!" Suri said. To her frustration, Sunny wasn't heeding her advice, thrashing around in a panic. Her head was only barely above water. Suri looked around trying to find an adult who could help her. Her friend drowning pushed Suri into action. Taking a deep breath, the pink-skinned girl leapt into the water after her.

"Don't worry, Sunny," Suri said, swimming up to her drowning friend, "I got you."

"So Suri saved your life?" Luna asked the Crystal Prep student.

"Well her and Ms. Daisy," Sunny said with a small smile, "it was because of her I didn't drown."

"And so you fell...into her debt," Luna said, observing more of Sunny's memories.

"Can I have your last donut," Suri asked Sunny. The two were at Sugarcube Corner, enjoying some delicious donuts from the Cake family.

"Suri?" Sunny said with some annoyance.

"Come on," Suri said in a somewhat forceful tone, "I did save your life. Isn't that was friends do for each other?"

"You're right," Sunny said. She handed the donut over to Suri with a grateful smile.

"C'mon," Suri said with a crazy smile. The pink-skinned girl was carrying a bunch of toilet paper, "those Wondercolts need to learn who's top dog."

"I promised Father Cross I would help him clean the church up," Sunny said.

"Who's your friend: some crusty old priest, or the girl who saved your life," Suri argued, an edge in her voice.

"No, no. you're right," Sunny said with a forced smile, "let's go

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Sunny asked Suri. The two were standing near Trenderhoof's locker. They were preparing to put a fake love letter in his locker for fun.

"Why," Suri said, "that dork needs a kick in the pants." A sliver of doubt formed on Sunny's face.

"But is hurting him really the answer," Sunny said with a frown.

"Sunny," Suri said a fierce glare, "I thought we were friends?"

"But-,"

"Didn't I save your life," Suri said with a nasty glare. Sunny, after some hesitation, put the fake love letter in the locker and walked away. Suri began snickering. Sunny forced a smile onto her face.

"So you went along with Suri's increasingly bad behavior for so long because she was your savior," Luna said.

"Well," Sunny said uneasily, "I was just trying to be...a good friend to the girl who saved my life. Wouldn't you do the same?"

"There is a difference between being a good friend and enabling one's bad behavior," Luna asked with fierce eyes. "Would a good friend do this?" On the screen above, one of the worst nights of Sunny's life appeared.

The night Twilight got a bucket of paint on her head. Sunny looked with anger and shame at what Suri had done and how she had gone along with it, how she laughed at some girl who just wanted to have fun and make friends.

"I still can't believe that I went along that," Sunny said with shame.

"I can understand why," Luna said, "you were so devoted to your friend; you didn't see what she was becoming or how her behavior impacted others. Many people make that mistake: seeing friendship is an excuse to cover up for their friend's bad behavior. And Suri was keen to exploit that."

"So it is kind of my fault Suri became so horrible," Sunny said with some regret.

"Her actions are her own," Luna said firmly. "You are at fault for encouraging them and for going along with them, but you did learn that loyalty to someone does not give them a right to act out. And my hope is you can maintain that lesson."

"I will," Sunny said Twilight cries, motivating her to make sure no one under her watch ended up like that again.

A young Sugarcoat walked into her house with a sad sigh. She tried to stroll into the room to avoid...her.

"Sugarcoat!" a woman yelled. With a frustrated frown, Sugarcoat walked into the room.

"Stop stomping," the woman barked in an angry voice, "only savages stomp." She had long white hair that flowed down around her like a beautiful curtain, grey skin, and blue eyes. She was covered in a luxurious lavender robe and sat on a velvet couch while enjoying ice cream from a bowl. The woman's face was one of contempt for the girl in front of her.

"Yes, mother."

"And straighten your skirt out," the woman said with a snarl, "you look like a refugee."

"Refugees don't wear designer skirts," Sugarcoat lightly snarked.

The woman angrily yelled and threw the ice cream against the wall. "What did you say," the woman shrieked. "How dare you talk to me that way! I cook your food and work hard to ensure you live well!"

"You inherited money from daddy," Sugarcoat muttered fearfully. "And you have your maids work while you watch daytime television." The woman took the bowl and threw it against the wall near her.

"So you had a mother like that," Luna said. Sugarcoat's ordinarily stoic face was one of anger and pain.

"She was a gold digger," Sugarcoat said with some anger. "She let herself get pregnant so that my dad would marry her and support her. That's all I was to her: a way for her to get money. She got everything when my dad died when I was eight in a skiing accident. I sometimes think she killed him," a smirk formed onto Sugarcoat's face, "but then I remember she was probably too stupid to think about that."

"Is that why you picked up your habit of being blunt?"

"It was the only way to get under her skin," Sugarcoat said. "But then I went too far, and well-,"

Sugarcoat was dragged across the room by her hair.

"You will show me respect, young lady!" Sugarcoat's mom growled as she tugged at her daughter's hair.

"Tugging at hair is a corporal punishment associated with control and not discipline." Sugarcoat uttered. With a snarl, the woman furiously threw her down the stairs.

----

Sugarcoat felt tears flow down her eyes. Luna pulled the crying girl into a hug.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Luna said.

"It's OK," Sugarcoat said, "I was able to escape from that woman."

"How?"

"One of my mom's servants had a heart," Sugarcoat said, "she recorded what my mom did and sent it to my dad's sister. When I was 12 years old, I moved in with her and never saw that woman again. She still kept her money, but she can take a hike."

"It appears you had a traumatic experience," Princess Luna surmised. "And it left deep marks on you."

"What are you talking about?" Sugarcoat said. "I have straight A's and friends. How could it affect me?"

Another memory appeared. To Sugarcoat's pain, it was one she wanted to forget.

Twilight walked up to Sugarcoat with a smile. She was sitting at the lab table.

"Hey Sugarcoat," Twilight said with a smile, "want to do work on the lab-,"

"Your tangents are annoying," Sugarcoat uttered. "You cannot carry a conversation or understand when to cease the strange noises that come out of your mouth. So no. Begone." Twilight frowned and walked away.

"Your mother put you down and belittled you for your flaws," Princess Luna surmised with a stern frown, "and so you learned to put others down as well." Sugarcoat felt abashed, especially when she saw Twilight walk away with a tear running down her eye in the memory playing before her.

"So, I became like my mo-like her," Sugarcoat said, more tears of shame falling down her eyes. "That woman drove me from dad's house, and I drove Twilight from Crystal Prep." She started crying more when she saw how miserable Twilight was at Crystal Prep. "I'm a monster like her."

"Many abused people do end adopting the habits of their abusers," Luna said, "however, you can't allow your past to justify bad behavior. Being hurt does not give us the right to hurt others. You have to be better than the people who abused you." She then pulled the ashamed girl into a hug. "Will you do better than your so-called mother?"

"I will, Princess," the crying girl said, melting into the Night Princess' warm hug, "I will do it for her."

"Hey, it's Sour Shriek!"

A young Sour was eating her baloney sandwich alone when some bullies approached her.

"Leave me alone," the young girl pleaded, "please, I can't control-" the poking and the prodding started.

"Come on, Sour, yell like you always do."

It happened like it always did. The poking and the prodding would come. Then the voices. The scary voices made Sour want to do terrible things. That made her want to hurt everyone around. Then-

"STOP IT!" Sour yelled, throwing her food on the floor. She then fell to the floor and started punching it with her fists.
"STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!"

Everyone started laughing at her, happy that they once again got her to yell and cry like the lunatic she was.

"They made fun of you for your disability," Luna said, a tinge of anger in her voice.

"Yeah," Sour said with a sad whimper. "After that, my parents got me medication," tears fell down her eyes, "but I still have my mood swings. And I'm still scared that people notice...and I'll become Sour Shriek again, and everyone will make fun of me".

"Fear of being accepted is something I know all too well," Princess Luna said. "I also know about the fear of losing yourself to your demons. That is why we all need friends to be there for us." Luna said.

"Yeah," Sour Sweet said, "I love my friends. And I'm happy they're there for me."

"Why could you do the same for Twilight?" Sour paused. A memory started playing.

"I think Twilight's some retard," Upper Crust said. Sour and Upper stood outside, watching Twilight, reading some massive science textbook like it was a comic strip.

"Yeah," Sour said uneasily, trying to suppress her annoyance. This Twilight girl clearly didn't know when to shut her mouth, and so she agreed with Upper Crust.

But she wasn't fond of Upper Crust's use of the word. Not that Sour would say it out loud.

"I think we should avoid her," Upper Crust said, "we don't need her retard rubbing off on huser." Sour frowned at the use of the word until she saw the olive-colored girl's glare.

"You're right," Sour said with a slight frown. "WE SHOULDN'T!"

"You avoided Twilight because you were afraid if you hung out with her," Luna said, "you would be labeled Sour Shriek?"

"Yeah," Sour said uneasily.

"So out of fear of ridicule, you mocked Twilight for her mental problems," Luna surmised. Sour felt tears flow down her eyes as she saw how furiously she berated Twilight during ACADECA. So obsessed with winning, she didn't notice how scared and frustrated the girl was.

"I'm sorry," Sour said, breaking into tears. "I wish I could tell her I'm sorry."

"If you do the right things," Luna said, putting a warm shoulder on Sour's hand, "you will have that chance."

Principal Cinch looked with severe disappointment at Indigo Zap. The two sat in her office, or the Lion's Den, as Indigo's classmates labeled it.

"What is this," Principal Cinch said with a growl, holding up a test.

"A paper," Indigo said, not catching the question was rhetorical.

"A 'D'," the woman said. "Is this the kind of work of a Crystal Prep student?"

"Principal Cinch," Indigo Zap protested, "I was trying my best. Besides, I want to become a physical therapist. I don't need to know calculus-,"

"You are a Crystal Prep student," the woman mercilessly growled. "Not some wretch! Do you wish for everyone to think you're an utter failure! Do you want your parents to treat you like some savage!"

"No," Indigo said with a tired frown.

"Then I suggest you apply yourself," the woman said with a nasty sneer, "I wish you were more like Twilight. She is what all children should aspire to be. Not some imbecile who only things in terms of sports."

Indigo stormed out of the room with a frown.

"So that woman belittled you for not being a good student," Princess Luna said.

"Yeah," Indigo said some anger, "and Twilight was always showing off how smart she was, and it always made us look bad in front of the teachers. She even made fun of me."

"Really?" Luna asked.

"Hey, Indigo," Twilight said with a smile as she approached Indigo in the gym.

"What do you want, Sparkle?" Indigo said with annoyance.

"I heard about how you failed the chemistry test," Twilight said with a sympathetic frown. "But don't worry," she said, pulling out some paper, "I made a cheat sheet for you-,"

"Beat it, egghead," Indigo said, storming away from the confused and upset prodigy. "I don't need no charity from Cinch's pet."

"She was trying to help me," Indigo said with some shame, "and instead, I made fun of her and pushed her away."

"Because you were so insecure about failing," Princess Luna said, "and so angry about how Cinch abused you, you took it out on an easy target." Indigo whimpered at the memory of a game of dodgeball. Indigo flinched in shame as she remembered how she and her friends loved to throw dodgeballs at Twilight.

The athlete's face fell into her hands, and soon she started weeping. Princess Luna hugged her from behind.

Lemon was excited as her parents dropped her off. She was invited to a party at long last. She managed to impress Svengallop into thinking she wasn't a loser. As she came out, she ran up to the building.

Only to discover there wasn't a house at the address. There was just a cemetery. Lemon wept in shame, realizing she had been sent on a goose chase.

"You were unpopular at your old school," Princess Luna said.

"Yeah," Lemon Zest said with some shame, "and the thing is, I don't know why. And I avoided Twilight because I didn't want to be unpopular. And because I was so afraid, I became just as bad as those jerks."

"You figured that out pretty quickly," Luna said with some surprise.

"I never really hated Twilight," Lemon Zest said with a sigh, "I just thought she was too much of a square."

"Perhaps," Princess Luna said, "but excluding her isn't exactly helping her open up or be less of a square."

"Which is why I'm already planning a return party for her when we bring her home," Lemon said with a smile," to help her make friends and open up." A frown formed on her face. "If she decides even to want to come back to Crystal Prep."

"All you can do is be better in the future," said Princess Luna. "And as long as you prove you can show her empathy, then there is a good chance she will come back to you."

"You're pretty chill for a 1000-year-old lady," Lemon Zest said with a smile.

"How does a creature who dwells in the Dreamscape need to worry about climate?" Princess Luna asked in confusion. Lemon Zest snickered.

Interdimensional Testing (Part 3)

"Thank you Princess," Sunny said with honest gratitude. The five Shadowbolts had woken up from their dream, and bowed before the Princess of the Night, "for granting us wisdom and guidance."

"The only thing I request from you is that you use my lessons to guide you through life," Princess Luna said.

"We will," Indigo said.

Princess Twilight entered the room.

"Were you able to observe their dreams," The Princess of Friendship asked the Princess of the Night.

"Yes," Luna said. "I should be able to observe your Twilight, if and when the possibility arises." Sunny flinched at the word "if", but swallowed her fears. She couldn't ruminate and brood. It wouldn't help anything.

"So when you do you think you'll find our Twilight?" Lemon asked the Princess.

"As soon as she has a bad dream," was the reply.

"Now that we've settled that," Princess Twilight said, "let's move onto our next assignment."

"So where are we gonna look first," Lemon asked the Pony Princess said as she led them into the basement of her castle.

"What do you mean?"

Sugarcoat looked at the Princess Twilight with confusion. "Aren't we going to go around the kingdom searching for our Twilight?"

"And, like, having an adventure where we learn about friendship and working together," Indigo Zap said with a hint of excitement.

"No," Princess Twilight uttered. "While you're in Equestria, you five will be doing a special task here in the castle."

"What is it?" Sunny asked. Princess Twilight opened the door. The room was some kind of office, with cabinets, tables, and chairs. The cabinets were full of files, papers, and folders.

"I've collected files from the various welfare agencies in Equestria," Princess Twilight said. "Homeless shelters, Work for Hospitality dated from the first few weeks your Twilight arrived, you name it, it us here. If our Twilight has left her name, or a pseudonym, on any of these documents, we can eventually build a trail with which we can find her. You're job is to find a link."

Indigo looked at the work with disgust. "So that's it? We have to be a bunch of boring bureaucrats?!"

"I HATE PAPERWORK!" Sour bellowed.

"Guys," Lemon scolded. Indigo and Sour ceased there immature mutterings. "Princess, wouldn't it be better for us to search around?"

"No," Princess Twilight said firmly. "Equestria may seem like a fairy tale world, but there are dangers you five know nothing about. I can't risk you going out there."

"But Princess," Sunny pleaded, "we kind of owe it to her to find her."

"You five know nothing about this kingdom to be allowed to wander around aimlessly." Princess Twilight was firm. "If you get lost or hurt, then I'm gonna have trouble explaining that to your parents, aren't I?" The Shadowbolts' pleas died.

"That is a fair point," Sugarcoat admitted. The others nodded, silently conceding the point.

"There have been way too many screw-ups, and I can't afford another one. Also, Shining made it clear it to me he doesn't want you near your Twilight without her permission."

The Shadowbolts frowned miserably at hearing. "Shining was really serious about that?" The pink human-turned Pegasus muttered.

Indigo Zap's eyes fell to the floor. "I mean, we do...kind of deserve it."

Princess Twilight gave them a sympathetic smile. "Look, don't worry about it. I'm sure that the other me is living a good life and learning about Harmony. If she's learning about it, she might be learning about forgiveness. And you girls have already changed for the better. And even if she doesn't, you've already shown me you five want to change."

"Thanks Princess," Indigo said with honest gratitude.

Princess Twilight's face became serious. "But let me clear. As long as you five are here, you are going to stay in the castle, period. One hoof out of the castle, and you'll never be allowed here again. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Lemon joked. Everyone snorted.

"Anyways," Sunny said, trotting over to the table, "we might as well get to work."

"You might as well," Princess Twilight said to the ponies-turned-humans. "If you find a lead in one of these organizations, compose a letter to that organization asking about 'a pony with some resemblance to Princess Twilight', and I'll mail it."

"How long is the response time?" Indigo asked.

"About a week or so."

Sour was about to object, but then remembered something. "Oh yeah, this world doesn't have E-mail! I MISS THE INTERNET ALREADY!"

"It might. If your adapt to this world, it can serve as a foundation on which we can build Equestria-Terra relationships." The Shadowbolts faced were filled with resolve. It wasn't about them or Twilight. Their efforts would determine the fate of both worlds.

"That sounds reasonable," Sugarcoat said, pouring over the records with bureaucratic fastidiousness. The others, now understanding the importance of their duty, set about with equal determination.

"Come on Darling," Pony Rarity told her human counterpart. "It is just a feather." Human Rarity's horn struggled to lift the feather, but she felt a massive headache instead. Eventually, a small burst of magic came out of the horn.

"See Darling," Pony Rarity assured, "all good things take practice." Human Rarity slumped over the table, half exhausted.

"I'm so scared," Human Fluttershy whimpered. "It is so high up," she muttered, seeing as she was hovering one inch above the ground.

"Baby steps," Pony Fluttershy assured her human self.

"Let's see you keep up with me!" Pony Rainbow taunted, flying above her human counterpart.

Human Rainbow gave her a look of defiance. "OH YEAH!" Rainbow flew up into the air, the wind brushing her mane...

Only to fall down, much to her consternation.

"Don't worry," Rainbow taunted. "I'm sure you'll catch up...in 20 years." Human Rainbow crossed her arms-forelegs-and scowled angrily.

The two Pinkies baked a large cake that came fresh out of the oven. Human Pinkie was about to pour a whole bag of sugar onto the baked cake.

"Why are you doing that?" Pony Pinkie wailed.

"Why not?" Human Pinkie said.

"Can't argue with that," the pink pony replied.

Starlight sat at a table, observing all this and taking notes.

"So what can you conclude?" Princess Twilight trotted up to Starlight. The two were in the lab exploring the data.

"Well, I've determined that both counterparts have the same magical signature," Starlight said in a professional voice. "And since your signature didn't change when you ascended, I figured we should be able to use a tracking spell once we find a lead."

A relieved smile formed on her the Princess' face. "That's good."

"And I've found some differences among the human counterparts of your friends that they all shared."

"Like?"

"They all are much shorter and smaller by several inches," Starlight said.

"In Equestria, humans age much less quickly," Princess Twilight said. "While the human version of my friends are the same chronological age as my friends here, in their world, they're considered teenagers."

"And they are much weaker, since they haven't had magical abilities all that long," Starlight said. "It is possible, your counterpart might share your magical potential, but still be much weaker than that." Starlight's eyes widened. "Maybe your Twilight was discovered by a mage, like you were discovered."

"Maybe the magical guilds should where we should be looking," Princess Twilight said with a smile. Twilight felt some relief. Every new revelation meant they were ever closer to finding the human version of herself, and bringing her back safely.

The five Shadowbolts burst out of the portal, weary from the daze, as did the Rainbooms. They were back to their normal selves again.

"Man, I hope we can get used to that," Sunny said in a daze.

"If Princess Twilight could, I think we can eventually," Rainbow said.

Sunny pulled out her phone, and saw...

Several texts from Juniper, asking her where she was.

"Damnit," Sunny muttered. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed her number.

"Sunny," Juniper asked with some annoyance, "where were you?"

"June," Sunny said, "I'm so sorry, I was looking for Twilight in the magic world." She facepalmed. "I was so focused on that, I forgot about our movie."

"It's OK," Juniper said with some reluctance. "Maybe we can meet up tomorrow?"

"Sorry, I got temple stuff," Sunny said. "But don't worry. We'll see you on Monday." Sunny abruptly hung up the phone.

Juniper, sitting in her room, looked at her phone with dismay and bit of hurt. Sunny didn't even let her say goodbye.

"See ya," she said miserably.

No Stone Unturned

As an investigator in Canterlot's Royal Police, Gold Badge had seen many strange things: cupcake trafficking, furniture abuse, somepony who could put the sugar before the coffee.

But his new assignment was, perhaps, the most...odd. Because of how many holes it seemed to have.

"A pony who has replicated your magic signature?" the blue stallion unicorn asked with utter disbelief. "And they are not a changeling?"

Princess Twilight scratched the back of her mane. "Yes," she said with decidedly non-regal eye darting. Princess Twilight was new at her role, and she wasn't as good at masking her emotions as her fellow royals, "that is why I must ask you to keep it on a need-to-know-basis."

The idea of a non-changeling who could replicate somepony's magical signature was unimaginable. That was something that could never be fooled. There was something more to this investigation than a mere imposter.

Gold gestured to the list of ponies. "And these are the....leads of the ponies you wanted me to look at?"

"Yes," Princess Twilight said with a stronger nod of her head.

"And why do you believe these leads will lead me to the...imposter?"

"Because fate has directed it..." Princess Twilight said with what the lavender mare thought was a stern, regal look. But to Gold Badge, the Princess looked like some kind of foal pretending to be a warrior. Despite her ascension, Princess Twilight was still, in many ways, the little filly who built a fort of her favorite books.

But while Princess Twilight was undeniably awkward, she was an astute mare who achieved her goals. It was for that reason Gold Badge would accept the assignment, despite Princess Twilight leaving out some facts.

"Very well Princess," Gold Badge said with a stern gaze, "I will pursue this investigation and your leads."

A grateful smile appeared on the Princess' face. "Thank you sir. " She levitated something out of a rucksack. It was a staff build from blue crystals, with a large, clear spherical gem on top.

"This is a scanner with my signature that Starlight Glimmer assembled," Princess Twilight said. She pointed it to herself, and the clear gem turned green. "If you can find my other-I mean, my imposter, than it will turn green." He pointed it to Gold Badge, and it turned red. "If not, it will turn red."

"Of course, Princess," Gold Badge said with a nod, "I will do your bidding."

"This is boring."

Gold Badge looked at his assistant, Note Pad, with a odd look. "What's boring?" The two had entered Canterlot's largest insane asylum. It was here where there was a whole wing dedicated to ponies who thought they were Princess Twilight. They entered a commons room, where patients and orderlies interacted.

The young yellow stallion frowned like a foal that missed a fireworks display. "I thought there'd be ponies dancing with lampshades on their heads and talking to their imaginary friends." He gestured to an orderly that was playing chess with one depressed looking pony with a dark violent coat. "Instead, everything is so-

"Note Pad." Note Pad looked at his superior with a bit of fear. "Mental illness is not a joke," he continued in a scolding voice. "These ponies have severe issues or have suffered trauma. You don't treat them like clowns for amusement? Got it."

Note Pad looked like a scolded child. "Yes sir." The chess-playing patient let out a triumphant 'checkmate', much to the amused surprise of the orderly.

They continued to the Twilight ward, and what they saw made their jaws drop.

There were Twilight Sparkles everywhere. Some fat, some thin, some short, some tall, some old, some young.

"This is the Twilight Sparkle wing," The nurse escorting them said with some exhaustion.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle!" A fat impersonator exclaimed.

"No, I'm the Element of Magic!"

"I am best princess!"

"Of course you all are," the nurse humored with a tired expression. Gold Badge held up his staff, and it turned red no matter where he pointed it. He approached the most Twilight looking Twilight, which was a shorter version of the mare he knew.

It turned red.

"I really like your mane," the faux-Twilight gushed.

"Of course you do," Gold Badge said with forced politeness to mask his frustration.

The nurse looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry sir."

"Disappointment is a part of the job, ma'am," Gold Badge said with a sheepish smile. "But we must move forward. Come on Note Pad, let's-,"

"Do you think Smarty Pants is the best toy eve?r!" Note Pad asked. He smiled as one Twilight starting leaping in the air shouting "Yes" over and over.

"NOTE PAD!" The yellow stallion galloped back to Gold Badge with a nervous smile and sheepishly left.

Gold Badge found himself in Whinneypeg, knocking on the door of some custom candy shop. An Earth pony mare emerged from the door. She had a grey coat, a white mane tied into pigtails, and orchid bespectacled eyes.

The mare looked at him without any passion. "Yes."

"Officer Gold Badge," the stallion said.

"And his number one assistant, Note Pad," the yellow stallion butted in, pulling out his notepad like he was pulling a sword and getting into battle.

"You look like your trying to overcompensate for your lack of success by putting extra effort into an effortless position." Note Pad frowned furiously at the accusation, while Gold Badge let out a chuckle.

"He's a goofball, but we tolerate him," Gold Badge said playfully, to which Note Pad let out an adorably petulant frown. He held up a picture. "Have you encountered a mare who looks like this?"

"Grape Juice," Sugarcoat summoned. The purple unicorn approached them. The mare panicked when he saw the officer.

"OK I admit it!" Grape Juice wailed. "I took two candies from the sample table." She held up her hooves. "Take me to Tartarus like the wretched criminal I have."

"Sorry," Sugarcoat said with a roll of her eyes. "My assistant can be melodramatic."

"Just like Princess Twilight," Note Pad uttered. The officer and assistant looked at the each other with jaws dropped. They pulled out the staff and pointed it at the mare.

It turned red.

"No dice," Note Pad said.

"Please make it quick and painless!" Grape Juice uttered, "A speedy death is what I deserve!"

"Sorry for bothering you," Gold Badge said to Sugarcoat.

"Have a good day," Note Pad finished. The two galloped away.

"Oh Sugarcoat," the purple unicorn complained, "what can I do to repay you."

Sugarcoat stoically glared at Grape Juice. "Go jump in a lake."

"Right, I must cleanse myself of all my sins," Grape Juice said, galloping out of the shop. Sugarcoat took her glasses off and massaged her temples.

"They come here, they always come here," Sugarcoat muttered to the sky, "how do they find me?"

"Would you like to enter the club?" Lemon Zest asked the pair of police ponies.

"Yes."

"WELL YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT IN LINE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!" Sour Sweet bellowed. Gold Badge flashed his badge. The tan pegasus let out a nervous chuckle. "How would you like the first chair," she said in a sweet tone. The two were outside some comedy club in Las Pegasus.

"No, no, we're not here to see a show." Gold Badge said.

"We just want to speak to one of your performers," Note Pad added.

The crowd chuckle as some purple unicorn mare with an orange mane belted herself in the face with a pie.

"Pie in the sky," the mare said whimsically. Everypony laughed.

Note Pad chuckled, but Gold Badge dismissed the spectacle as juvenile.

"She's our newest member," Lemon Zest said happily. "She joined two months ago." This piqued the interest of Gold Badge, since Princess Twilight warned that would be the time the imposter vanished.

"She was so nervous and timid we had to hire the poor dear," Sour Sweet said kindly. "BUT SHE'S STILL AN AMATEUR!" The oranged-maned mare suddenly did a stage fall.

"Look at me, falling down on the job," the comedian shouted. The crowd laughed, not hearing the mare let out a sob of pain. Note Pad winced a bit at that, not enjoying pain despite his juvenile mindset. Gold Badge put aside his discomfort, and held up the staff.

It turned red.

"Never mind," Gold Badge grunted. He trotted away, with Note Pad following along. The yellow stallion bumped into a table with a bespectacled fuchsia unicorn in a business suit. "Sorry", he said to the annoyed mare.

"Why would anypony set up a base in the desert?" Note Pad grunted, not enjoying the extreme desert heat. They ended up in a military base in the badlands, near the border with the Dragon Lands. The pegasus soldier was escorting them around the base.

"Gems!" Indigo Zap said with incredible enthusiasm. She was dressed in bronze armor. She flew upward to a large mining operation in the distance. "This land, the Rockhoof Basin, is the largest gem mine in all of Equestria. But this land is full of dogs, bandits, and monsters. So it is up to us to defend the loot."

They heard a roar in the distance. Gold Badge and Note Pad saw that in land behind a fence, five ponies were fighting off a large scorpion creature.

"Man, this is like a Daring Do novel!' Note Pad said with excitement as the ponies proceeded to pounce on the monster.

"Oh that's nothing," Indigo said with a fierce grin. "That's just training for the rookies." She gushed as the rookies pounded the monster into paste. Gold Badge was stunned while Note Pad watched with excitement.

Indigo led them into the base, where they encountered a nervous, shy unicorn with glasses and her mane in a bun. She had a lab coat on her body.

"This is Crystalline," Indigo said with a smile.

"H-hello," the nervous mare said.

Indigo then tackled the poor mare, and playfully noogied her. "Or as we call her, the Egghead."

"Leave me alone," Crystalline whimpered.

Gold Badge held up the staff.

It turned red.

"Nothing," Gold Badge said. The two trotted away.

"Officer, I am being murdered," Crystalline wailed as Indigo continued to pin her.

"Loosen up," Indigo snarked with some disgust.

"Children," Sunny Flare said with some cheer, "meet Officer Gold Badge and his assistant. Aren't they super?" The two officers felt their eardrums rupture as the schoolchildren let out a chorus of shrill greetings.

"Can I become a police officer?"

"Can I see your cutie mark?"

"How many bad ponies did you catch?"

"Do you own a cannon?"

"Can I have a cannon?"

"How many cannons can I have?"

"Maybe if we play dead, they'll go away," Note Pad muttered.

"Don't worry, they'll tired themselves out eventually," Gold Badge whispered, pointing his staff at Binder, a purple unicorn, and Sunny Flare's assistant.

The gem turned red. Gold Badge let out an annoyed sigh, before storming away, with Note Pad following along.

"Say goodbye to the officers little foals."

"DON'T YOU WANT TO STAY FOR SONG TIME!" One foal shrieked. The two police ponies panicked and started galloping out of the school.

"Run away!"

"No, they'll smell our fear!"

Telecommunications

Three Weeks Later

"Let's scan this and send it back," Sour said wearily, looking over a welfare form. She did a double take. "Oh yeah, I forgot. This stupid world DOESN'T HAVE ELECTRONIC MAIL!"

The Shadowbolts sat at their workplace, trying to find any proof of Twilight's existence. They'd gone through hundreds of forms related to welfare, social services, education, health care, and any other government agency that their Twilight would go to. They'd gone through hundreds and hundreds of names that were synonyms of Twilight and Sparkle in case she was forced to change her name.

Twinkle, Dusk, Shine, Winkle, Dawn.

To their annoyance, there was 957 Dusk Shines in the pony version of Manehattan alone.

"This is getting us nowhere," Sunny said, slamming a folder down. "We're not gonna find Twilight like this."

"Well, what else can we do?" Indigo said with a bored moan. "Even if the Princess would let us leave, we have no idea where to go. And if the police here haven't found her yet, then what good are we?"

"What if this is pointless?" Lemon asked aloud with a melancholy tone. "What if we can't find here because she-,"

"Don't say that," Sugarcoat said forcefully. "We can't give up!"

"That's a fat load coming from you!" Sour said. "After all, you were the ONE GOING ON ABOUT SHE WAS SCREWED!"

If Sugarcoat was bothered by her own words thrown back at her, then she didn't reveal it. "I was wrong." The words were simple and matter-of-a-fact. "Twilight had potential. She still does. Only by keeping up hope and doing the best for her can we help her achieve it." The words pushed away the poor mood, but not entirely.

"But there's got to be a better way to do this," Indigo groaned. "If only this place had, like, satellites and GPS or something." A thoughtful frown appeared on Sunny's face.

"But we can't just build that from scratch," Lemon Zest said with a groan.

A wry smile appeared on Sunny's face. "Or can we?"

"Do you have an idea, Sunny-bun?" Sour asked in a kind tone. "OR ARE YOU JUST TALKING FOR THE SAKE OF TALKING?!"

A confident smirk appeared on the blue skinned girl-turned-unicorn's face. "Not my idea. But someone else's."

"Let me get this straight." Juniper put down her fork and stared at her friends with a flat expression. She and her friends were gathered in the cafeteria, where they asked her for one request.

"You guys want me to build an entire satellite system from scratch, and make it so it can find your Twilight's magical signature?"

Lemon shrugged. "That's pretty much it."

Juniper looked dismayed. "Guys, I can't just build a whole satellite system!"

"But June," Lemon protested. "You're like...really smart."

"I can't build an entire satellite system from scratch."

"You told me you could build a telecommunication system from a bunch of balloons," Sunny replied. "Not only that, you said they were designed for poorer countries that can't afford more conventional equipment."

"And Equestria is, kind of, a backwards country," Sugarcoat commented.

Juniper gaped at her friends. "You actually cared about that stuff?"

"After being lab assistants, you kind of pick up this stuff unconsciously," Indigo said with a shrug.

"You also said that magic is kind of like a radio wave?" Sour asked. "So maybe, just maybe, you could design them to hone in Twilight's magical signature. Can you?"

Juniper sat in her seat in thoughtful silence, while her friends looked at her with fragile optimism.

"It could work," Juniper said. "Technically," she stressed when she saw happy smiles form on their faces. "But I can't just build one. I need to build a whole network of them. I don't have the money to do that." The other Shadowbolts felt smug smiles form on their faces.

Juniper marveled the bag full of coins was dropped in front of her by Princess Twilight. She, the Princess of Friendship, Sunset, and her friends were gathered in front of the horse statue.

She mentally counted. "There's got to be....a million dollars worth of gold here." She had never seen this much money in her entire life.

"That's about a weekly paycheck back home," Sunset said with a smile. Juniper's jaw dropped even more.

"So don't worry," Princess Twilight said with a smile, " this is no skin off my muzzle-I mean, nose. I can also offer you technical assistance, a working crew, a lab to work in."

Juniper was astonished. "Why? I'm hardly a professional engineer."

"Well not just because I want to find your Twilight," Princess Twilight said with a wry smile. "I've always talked about bringing in human technology to Equestria. The chance to bring in human telecommunications is too good to pass up. Being able to spread knowledge quickly could do so much good for Equestria."

"And despite being someone who isn't a professional, you've managed to do very well with magic." Sunset said with a smile. "In fact, for someone who had no knowledge that magic existed, you could be an excellent mage." That kind of praise from an actual magic creature filled the pigtailed girl with no small amount of pride.

"It's thanks to you we figured out our Twilight's still alive," Sunny said with honest warmth in her voice.

"It can be empirically proven that you are a highly skilled engineer," Sugarcoat said in her trademark frown. But even she couldn't stop even a tiny smirk from forming on her face.

"So are you gonna do it, Juney-Woony?" Sour asked in a kind voice. "OR ARE YOU JUST A LITTLE SPICY CHICKEN?!"

"Come on June, you can do it!" Indigo Zap said with her trademark enthusiasm.

Lemon Zest started chanted. "June. June. June. June." Soon, the other Shadowbolts, the Princess, and Sunset started doing the same thing. After several moments of chanting, the blue-green haired girl relented.

"Alright fine," Juniper said. "But it's gonna take me a few weeks to do. Even with money and help, I can't just build this stuff overnight."

"Alright fine," Sunny said. "June will work on her communications system, while we'll continue going through the old records." The Shadowbolts sighed in exhaustion, but accepted the assignment.

Juniper couldn't stop the massive grin form on her face. Not just at the opportunity, but the faith others had for her.

The Past Still Lingers

Juniper looked in the mirror. It was still hard to reconcile that she was, in fact, the pony that was staring back at her.

But the pony had the same familiar color on her coat, the same familiar eye color, the same familiar hair color, and the same familiar pigtails. It was a struggle, but eventually she accepted that pony and her were one and the same.

"Don't worry," Princess Twilight assured her. "I had the same sense of disassociation once I woke up as some...clothed ape. You'll get over it."

Juniper snickered. "I wondered how another intelligent species would see us." Juniper's smile got wider. "Clothed ape is...not what I expected."

"Anyways," Twilight said, "let's start teaching you how to use tools with your hooves." The AV clubber followed the lavender alicorn to some room.

"So what do...regular ponies do..."

Princess Twilight was confused. "Regular?"

"You know," Juniper muttered, "not having a horn and..."

"Juniper," Princess Twilight interrupted. "Earth ponies are anything but normal. Many of them have incredible strength and can bring productiveness to any soil they trot upon."

"Really," Juniper wondered. She looked to a wall of crystal. She tapped on it with her front hoof....

Only to break the wall down completely, revealing a bathroom where Spike was showering.

"Oh Rarity, the mare for me," the purple dragon sang while lathering his spines, "Rarity, come stand with-," he turned around and he realized some other pony and his surrogate sister were watching him bath.

"Do you mind?!" A scandalized Spike bellowed, his cheeks blushing. He angrily pulled a purple curtain in front of him.

"Sorry," Juniper said sheepishly.

"Don't worry," the pony princess said. Her horn glowed and suddenly the wall that Juniper accidentally destroyed was repaired, much to her astonishment. "How did you...?"

"Juniper, when Earth ponies grow up, they often cause property damage because they underestimate their strength," the pony princess said. "We have long learned to be prepared to deal with such damages."

The film-lover turned pony let out a relieved sigh. "Well, that's good," Juniper said.

"This is why you need a little training," Princess Twilight said. "If you need to be doing the work here, you need to practice not breaking things with your Earth pony prowess."

"OK! So how are we practicing?" The lavender being gestured with a forehoof to some room.

It was a small dining room with fancy silverware. It looked like a two person version of the fancy banquets Uncle Canter went to during high level business meetings. She hadn't gone to any of them in person, but she was vaguely familiar with how they worked. Especially with how they were always dozens of courses and more spoons then people.

"Let's start with just eating," Princess Twilight said. "Dining is not just for etiquette, it is a good way for ponies to learn how to discipline their powers. And if you feel overwhelmed," Princess Twilight said with a wide grin, "it took me a while to use my hands rather than just pick things up with my mouth."

"Sure," Juniper said excitedly. She looked around. "By the way, where's Sunset."

"She had to go Canterlot on some...personal business," Princess Twilight said, the tone indicating the business was more than a bit personal.

"Alright, so lets do some...ettiquetting or...whatever."

"Let us begin with the yogurt spoon," Princess Twilight said. "So how are your friendships going?" Princess Twilight asked while the olive-colored former human struggled with her tiny spoon.

"Good." The tone was pretty abrupt and straightforward.

"Just...good." Princess Twilight wondered.

"Well..." Juniper said, "Sunny and her friends haven't been hanging out with me...as much as they used to. I asked them to come with me, and they told me they wanted to meet with their Twilight's family to come up with a way to find her."

"They have been putting a lot of time into finding their Twilight," the pony princess pointed out.

"Yeah but," Juniper expressed, "they haven't had much time to hang out with me."

Princess Twilight looked concerned. "Do you have other....people you can spend time with." Juniper looked down. "June, I know you feel left out, but Sunny and her friends have their own lives and their own needs, and you need to have friends beyond them. Is there anyone with whom you could have a potential friendship with."

"Well, I joined the mixed martial arts team," Juniper said. "They kind of...begged me to join."

"And how is that going?"

Juniper got uncomfortable. "Well...I kind of feel...a burden."

Princess Twilight looked concerned. "Burden? Why would you feel like..."

"Well, these girls have been training for years, and I've only been training for...a couple of months, and I haven't really caught up with them in terms of-,"

"Juniper, I want to ask me this question?" Princess Twilight said in a serious tone. "Have they ever said anything to make you feel like a burden?"

"Well, I haven't let me compete officially yet," Juniper admitted. "They say I'm not ready."

"Then ask them for a try," Princess Twilight pointed.

"But, what if I screw up," Juniper dreaded, "and then they'll ditch..."

"Juniper, I know putting yourself out there seems scary, but you can't let your fear dictate what you do or don't do," Princess Twilight said. "Unless they SAY something to you or do something that shows they don't like you, then don't be afraid to try and be their friend. Ask them if they want to hang out or something."

Juniper pursed her lips. "And then there's...this Coco girl. For the last few weeks, she's meekly come up to me, asking me to hang out with her."

"Well, do it," Princess Twilight pointed out.

"Well, she nearly humiliated me at this party," Juniper said with some discomfort. "I mean, she was kind of the lackey to this girl-,"

"Was it Suri?" Twilight interrupted.

Juniper cocked her head. "How did you..."

"I wanted to see if Sunny and her friends were worthy of a second chance," Twilight said. "Hearing how they defended you proved to me they were."

"Anyways, she worked for Suri to try and humiliate me. Then Suri...out of revenge...beat her up, and I dove in to help her," Juniper pointed out. "She knocked my glasses off, and I took her down anyways. That was the reason I got invited to do the mixed martial arts."

Princess Twilight was more than impressed. "Juniper, I am proud of you for defending your classmate, despite your dislike-."

"But, I kind of avoided her. I was still mad at her, and she was still...guilty. Now she's been offering to hang out with me, but..." Juniper set her jaw, "I'm still...a little mad."

"Juniper, I know it's natural for you to feel angry," Princess Twilight pointed out with a look. "But if she's wanting to make amends, and several months have passed, maybe you should give it a try. You did protect her, so she doesn't have much of a reason to try and hurt you."

"Well..."

"My human friends gave Sunset forgiveness for what she did, and know they're closer than ever. They gave forgiveness to your friends for what they did, and now they've become better people. Maybe you can be the one who can try and give someone a chance."

"I know I've been learning a lot about forgiveness," Juniper began with a sad expression, "but what if... Coco stabs me in the back."

"If she does, then you know for sure," Princess Twilight, as if saying the sky was blue.

"But if she humiliates me again, then everyone will think I'm a loser," Juniper muttered.

"June, if she humiliates you, then everyone will be mad at her," Princess Twilight stressed. "I don't think Sunny and her friends will be that petty."

Juniper thought this over, and smiled. "Your right," she suddenly exclaimed. "Let's learn how to dine with hooves."

"OK, so let's begin again with the yogurt spoon," Princess Twilight repeated. Had she been not paying attention to the silverware, Twilight would've noticed while Juniper's smile seemed confident, her eyes were laden with uncertainty.

Sunset never felt this much anxiety and fear since the human Twilight went up in smoke, or after she came back from suspension after the Fall Formal. She was going back to the pony she abandoned. The pony she betrayed. The pony she tried to overthrow for such a...such a...

Looking back, Sunset realized her reasons for everything were childish. She had been angry over being denied princess, and she realized her reasons weren't all that lofty. It was less about becoming a princess and more about not getting she want.

In the grand scheme of things, she done nothing but act like a foal upset she didn't get the toy she wanted over a position that carried responsibility and required wisdom.

Twilight insisted in this meeting, and while Sunset had tried to use a number of excuses to get out of it, she realized she had to cross this bridge eventually. With a tried sigh, Sunset strode into the visitor entrance of the castle.

Her anxiety grew when she saw who was guarding the entrance to the castle.

A familiar white-coated stallion. The one she knocked out in order to go through the mirror.

Time seemed to slow down as Sunset felt her heart beat rapidly into her chest. With a heavy sigh, the yellow unicorn finally crossed that bridge.

"Welcome to Canterlot Castle," the stallion said with professional courtesy, "how may I help..." his eyes narrowed when she saw who it was. He soon regained his composure, but he couldn't hide the rage in his face.

"Hey Ram," Sunset said with a forced smile. "How...are...things?"

"Sunset Shimmer," Ram said with a frown. "I see that once again your command of language matches your mental capacities." The swipe made Sunset feel like she was slapped in the face. Weirdly enough, her anxiety ended. It was obvious the stallion still despised her, but at least she knew that.

"Anyways," the stallion said, glancing at his clipboard, "you are due to see the Princess." He held up a jewel that glowed. Two other stallions were summoned. "Gentlestallions, please escort her to the throne room," he said, "and I advise you to keep the gift shop open, because she might knock you out if she doesn't get a souvenir."

Sunset flinched again, seeing how this stallion saw her as a pathetic child. Thankfully some of the guards didn't seem to show her animosity and so she followed them.

The trot to the throne room was equally uncomfortable. Some of the servants from when she was a student were still here, and based off the cold looks she was giving them, they were still angry over how she treated them like serfs.

After a few minutes of this, Sunset finally reached the throne room. Celestia loomed over her on her throne, her royal face stoic and mysterious. Sunset felt the urge to turn around and was only stopped from galloping away by the guards behind her.

"Gentlestallions you are dismissed," Celestia uttered, not taking her eyes off of Sunset. The two guards trotted away, leaving the unicorn and the alicorn staring at one another.

"Princess," Sunset began, each letter feeling like a fork stabbing her in the tongue, "I...I..." Sunset looked down shamefully. She felt something block her vision. Something white.

When Sunset looked up, she saw Celestia was standing over her, wings open. Before Sunset could say anything else, Celestia pulled her into a hug.

Sunset wept and wept, all the while Celestia pat her on the mane and told her it was going to be OK.

Sunset trotted into the guard's cafeteria, her body filled with relief as she realized her mentor didn't hate her. She needed this for her next assignment for today.

She found Ram sitting at a table alone and enjoying a daisy sandwich. His helmet was off, revealing a greying orange mane. With another sigh, Sunset trotted to him.

"Hey Ram," Sunset said. The pony looked at her with some annoyance.

"Yes."

"I wanted to say how sorry I am."

"OK." The stallion said. "I don't forgive you."

"Look, the way I treated you was wrong. But I was in a really bad place, and if there anything I can do-,"

The stallion threw away his lunch, put his helmet began and started trotting away from her.

Sunset started following after her. "Look, Ram, I know I-,"

"You don't know anything!" Ram barked at her. "You couldn't begin to understand the damage you did."

"Then help me!" Sunset begged.

"And I don't give you as you asked, your majesty, are you going to report me to the Princess?" Ram asked with sarcasm.

Sunset frowned with some annoyance, but realized she was being demanding. "Help me, please."

"Congratulations," the stallion replied with extreme contempt, "you learned to say please. Now I could care less about what you did to me. If I wasn't expecting to get attacked, I wouldn't have chosen this profession." Ram frowned furiously. "No I am angry for her Majesty herself and how you took her for granted."

Sunset flinched at the accusation.

"You see, there are nobles out there who are even more badly behaved then you. Prince Blueblood is even more of a nuisance. But even he would never have abused the trust of a Princess, much less the opportunity to study with her."

The words struck Sunset like a hammer to the ribs.

"You did the impossible: you brought out the worse in her, complaining and complaining like a spoiled brat, no matter what nice thing she did for you, even when it was clear you how hopeless you were. Never before did other ponies even see a hint of her anger. And though she never took her frustrations out on us, many ponies began she would fear her. How did that make her feel, being treated like King Sombra?"

Sunset felt sick to her stomach and looked down at the ground in shame.

"Despite her appearance of grace and strength, she bears a great load to ensure the happiness of everypony, and that doesn't include having to raise the sun and moon. And instead of appreciating this, you chose to work her last nerve and antagonize to the point where she had to expel you from her castle." Ram stormed up to the guilt-ridden unicorn. "Look at me in the eye." Sunset did, and saw two cold eyes that gleamed without any sympathy for her. Just sheer disgust.

"And yet, despite having every reason to celebrate your departure from her existence, she cried over your disappearance."

Sunset felt her eyes moisten. "I didn't-,"

"You were in a bad place?" Ram parroted mockingly. "Try wondering whether or not the pony you see as your daughter is even alive or not."

Sunset felt tears about to burst from her eyes.

"And let me be clear: I believe Celestia erred in her choice to let you back into her domain. Even when you've tried to be repentant, you've still behaved like the same spoiled, self-centered brat you always were."

"I said sorry," Sunset argued feebly,

"You don't see my forgiveness as a personal matter, but as a prize you feel you must like collect to feel better about yourself. This shows me that despite your pretensions of maturity, the little brat bubbles beneath the surface. You still are selfish. The desire for power has merely been replaced by the desire for followers to remind you of how great you supposedly are."

"Look maybe I can help you with-,"

"See," Ram muttered in an acidic tone. "I choose who I let into my existence. Not you. The only reason why you haven't gotten the beating you deserve is, unlike you, I don't let my personal frustrations get in the way of duty to the Princess, and you happen to be useful to others. But let warn you, Shimmer: you keep up this self-centered attitude, and you will get the beating you deserve one day by somepony who isn't fooled by you."

He trotted away in disgust, leaving behind a weeping and crying Sunset.

The Shadowbolts knocked on the door of Cadence's home. The door opened, only to find no one there. They heard a cough, looked down and saw a familiar dog glaring at them, holding the door open with one of his paws.

They hadn't seen Spike since Cadence invited them over to learn about their Twilight. Based off his mood, he was not happy with their presence.

Lemon tried to be friendly. "Hey Spike, how's it-," The door was slammed in their face, much to the shame of the Shadowbolts.

"I don't get it," Sour said softly.

"How Spike would still loath us for our constant taunts and mistreat of his owner followed by nearly causing her premature demise," Sugarcoat remarked.

"No," Sour said. "How a dog that small can open and close a door that thick!"

They rang the doorbell. The could make out the silhouette of Cadence. She paused bent down, and they began hearing some loud words being exchanged. "Cadence and Spike are arguing," Sunny remarked uncomfortably. They felt bad for being a source of conflict, and seeing Cadence defend them despite their slights against her. Eventually, the arguments ceased, and the pink woman opened the door.

"Hey girls," the woman said cheerfully. "Sorry about Spike, he didn't mean it."

"Yes I did!" The purple puppy threw back. Cadence struggled to maintain her composure. "So what can I do for you? Please come in."

"Hey," Sunny said, plastering a smile on her face, trying to pretend she couldn't feel Spike's searing hatred for her, as were her friends. The Shadowbolts walked in. Spike immediately wandered away from them, but not before giving them one last growl of disgust.

"We have an idea for trying to find Twilight and we need your help," Indigo asked.

"Really?"

"We think that maybe Twilight changed her name," Sugarcoat asked. "We were wondering if she had any past aliases or nicknames growing up."

Cadence gave this serious thought, before a happy smile formed on her face.

"I have an idea," Cadence expressed.

"What?" Sunny asked.

"Midnight Sparkle," Sour parroted. The five girls stood around their pink-skinned principal while she sat on the couch, looking at some photo albums.

"Yes, when she was young, she played this game where she would be this evil wizard called Midnight Sparkle and Shining would always have to defeat her." Cadence opened one of the albums, showing a picture of young Twilight wearing a tinfoil hat. A teenaged Shining Armor was in the picture, wearing a hat made from newspaper. Both of them were "dueling" with brooms.

The Shadowbolts, despite being pompous rich girls, couldn't help but smile cutely at that.

"Aww," Sour cooed. "She's so adorable....I'M GONNA THROW UP!"

"Anyways," Cadence said with a wistful smile. "If you need another name to try and find her, that's it."

"Thanks," Sunny said.

"So do you have time to stay," Cadence offered, "I've got some tea and cookies-,"

"Actually Cady," Shining said, coming into the living room, "we, uh, ran out of tea and cookies."

Everyone could see Shining was telling a fib. "But Shining-," Cadence objected.

"Ran out," Shining said with a look. "In fact, we have to do some...renovations and can't have company, so-," he winked at the Shadowbolts. The Shadowbolts immediately took the hint, and began walking out of the room with morose understanding that they weren't welcome.

"Girls don't leave," Cadence pleaded. They stopped. "Shiny, come on, let them-,"

"No Cady, we really have to do those...reservations," Shining said forcefully. The girls continued to leave the room, much to Cadence's anger.

"Shining," Cadence muttered angrily, once she knew the girls were gone. "Why did you do that? You promised me you'd give those girls a chance."

"I promised I would let them search for Twilight," Shining replied coolly, "be polite to them, and help them make it up to her." He narrowed his eyes. "I never said anything about giving them the family friend treatment."

"Shining," Cadence said, "there is a different between punishment and taking swipes at people."

"And there is a difference between giving someone a chance and indulging them," Shining threw back. "Giving them sweets and telling them family stories makes them think everything is still cool between us, when it is isn't."

"Shining, they're trying to change," Cadence pleaded. "All I'm doing-,"

"All you're doing is giving them the same entitlement complex!" Shining threw back. "They want the family friend treatment, they have to earn it: first by bringing Twilight back, and then earning her trust back."

"And that's what I'm trying to do," Cadence pointed out. "By treating them well and showing them pictures, there's a good chance they'll be nicer to Twilight."

"Or maybe they're just taking advantage of your trust," Shining replied.

"Shining, they're trying to change," Cadence expressed.

"Why because you say so?!" Shining asked rhetorically. "Because you're Mi Amore Cadenza, and everything you assume is right because you say so!"

"Shining, that's not-,"

"That's the same attitude that led us to assume that our sister would make friends just because we did!" The words gave Cadence pause. "That's the same attitude that allowed you, the dean of CPA, to be in the dark about the fact that your precious students were taking advantage of your trust, and sending our sister on twisted little goose chases. The same attitude that led you to assume your boss would take Twilight as her surrogate daughter, when in truth, all she cared about was your parents' donations to the school, her anger at the world for losing her family, and her stupid reputation." Shining paused in bitter thought, while Cadence looked to the ground in shame. "The same attitude that made us ignore the fact that our sister was basically hiding from the world because she was scared of everyone."

"Shining," Cadence muttered remorsefully after a long bitter pause. "You're right. We-I did screw up. But I'm not giving these girls a chance for no reason. They have tried to better themselves and are much nicer-,"

"Again, because your Mi Amore Cadenza, because you say so!" Shining threw back. ". Just because they want to be better doesn't mean they will be. You so want to be proven right, you're ignoring the damage they could still do, or the fact that kissing up to the woman who controls your transcript doesn't mean they'll befriend the school outcast."

"And you maybe you just want them to be awful, you're bullying them so you can be proven right!" Cadence yelled defensively. "I know you still have a grudge-

"A grudge is me stopping them from trying to search for my sister," Shining replied somewhat defensively. "I'm listening to the part of my brain that told me, when my sister came home from her first party covered in paint and crying, to pull her out of school. That part of brain is reminding me as nice as those girls are now, they weren't nice to our sister, and they lied and hurt her, us, Spike, and the rest of our family and nearly got her killed!"

"Shiny, they didn't want this to happen," Cadence pointed out. "And they even told the truth when Cinch didn't."

"Maybe they didn't want it to happen, but it happened because they had zero respect for her! Imagine if they had been on, like, a ski trip. In the same situation, they could've gotten her hurt or killed by, I don't know, pressuring her to go skiing. And they only told the truth after they completely shit the bed!"

"They regretted doing those things," Cadence said.

"And they could still hurt her again simply because they might do something they think is funny without thinking about the consequences!" Shining yelled. "And if they do, it is because you're indulging them BEFORE they've earned her trust back."

Cadence thought over her words. "Shining, I already agreed with you that we're not gonna force Twilight to forgive them. That's going to be her choice and her choice alone. And if Twilight gives them a chance and they hurt her, then I will come down on them hard and I will put Twilight out."

"Before or after our sister hurls herself out of a window."

Cadence was not amused. "Shining, please don't joke-,"

"I'm not joking!' Shining bellowed miserably. "I know I sound harsh but..." Shining was on the verge of tears. "I remember the last time I saw Twilight. She...she couldn't even look me in the eye when she told me goodbye. I saw so obsessed with the Moron Games, I didn't think about it." Shining sat down heavily on the couch.

"Shining-,"

"Then I remember all the things Twilight went through, and how I was telling her to loosen up and," Shining paused. "What if our sister was on the verge of doing something drastic like...suicide...or going postal...or self-harm."

Cadence's eyes twisted with worry and she thought morosely. "Shining, that wouldn't-"

"BECAUSE YOU SAY SO?!" Shining threw back angrily. "Us thinking our sister wouldn't go crazy is one of the reasons she got so miserable. Because you so wanted to be proven right, you didn't care about how she felt. I made that mistake too, I will not make it again. Our sister met all the criteria of a potential school shooter, and that was BEFORE the Moron Games and those girls and that old bitch gave her more ammo." Shining' face fell into his hands. "And I can't even fix it. Because our sister is stuck in some magical unicorn world, and we have no idea what other things she might be going through."

Cadence tried to be optimistic. "Shining, Princess Twilight said the magic would never harm her. Maybe she's making so many friends and having so much fun-,"

"And what if she isn't," Shining replied. "What if she can't adapt to that other world. What if she's homeless, or a a criminal, or in a mental asylum?"

"Shining, you can't think that way," Cadence replied.

"I have too," Shining said. "Again, I lived on faith that our sister would do well at CPA and it made me overlook fact that my sister was being abused by them...and that I was...neglecting her." Shining frowned and clenched his fists in self-loathing. "I have to expect the fact that my sister might be alone and full of hate at the world around her. I'm not thinking about vengeance. I'm thinking about Twilight," Shining said furiously, "and how she'll feel if she sees those girls again, or if she finds out you've been giving the girls who bullied her and nearly got her killed special treatment and access to her personal life." A guilty frown appeared on Cadence's face. He leaned toward the table in exhaustion. "Or...what if she likes it so much, she won't even come home, and we give her one more reason not too."

. "Shining," she said with some remorse. "You're right. Maybe I was letting my ego get the better of me. But...I am also afraid of us ending up like Cinch. She was so full of hate over what happened, and look what it turned her into."

"I'm glad you want to be the forgiving soul," Shining said in a more sympathetic tone. "I want those girls to be better, but my sisters' feelings have to come before them, and they need a little reminder about what they did if they want to grow up. And if they can't accept a little punishment," Shining said with contempt, "they don't deserve to be searching for her."

"Fine," Cadence said. "You're right. I won't give them the family friend treatment unless Twilight wants them in her life. But again, if worst comes to worst, we have the resources to help her. We can bring her to Dr. Lobe. If she doesn't want to go back to CPA, we can bring her to Dusk Alternative School."

"The retar-," Shining caught his words, "The special needs school," Shining said with dismay.

"I read about the place Shiny," Cadence replied. "It isn't some asylum. It's a good place full of teachers who understand Twilight's issues and will help her, kids who've been where she's been, and a curriculum she'll enjoy. And if that doesn't work...CHS."

"CHS?"

"Sunset Shimmer told me she'll look after her and be the friend she needs."

"The unicorn girl?" Shining asked with confusion. "How do you know-,"

"She beat Cinch up for what she did to Twilight," Cadence replied with fiery eyes. " She's helping Sunny and her friends grow up too. She's a good girl who believes in what's right. If there's anyone who will help Twilight, it's her."

A satisfied smile appeared on Shining's face, as he imagined Sunset beating the old bitch up. "She can come over for tea and cookies any time."

Unbeknownst to them, a purple haired girl with pink streaks was eavesdropping on them were a morose frown through an open window. With a sigh of frustration, Sunny shut the window and stormed away with a bitter expression.

"By the way," Shining added. "If she does want to come back, how do we get around the fact that she was declared dead?"

"Simple," Cadence said. "We say she ran away and faked her death. My staff agreed to go along with the motorcycle story, since Twilight was their favorite student. I can get them to go along with that."

"Really?"

"I even have a whole amnesia scenario in order to quell any awkward questions," Cadence replied.

"Or maybe we'll say she got kidnapped by pirates and joined a pirate band," Shining said with a smile. Cadence herself chuckled.

In a darkened room, a few ponies in simple red hooded robes gathered around their leader, who was clad in a flowing mauve robe and staring at a pentagram drawn into the wooden floor.

"Our liege," one of them whispered in a snake like voice. "Shall we begin the...process."

"Yes," their leader declared in a voice full of hate. She pulled down her hood. Her face was purple, beautiful and immaculate, save for the glass eye and scar and ran along it. "My vengeance against them shall..." Her horn lit up, "begin."

The pentagram also lit up, and glowed an early purple. The red hooded ponies cheered, while Midnight Sparkle just smiled the smile of a calm but bloodthirsty wolf.

Fate and Choice (Edited)

Author's Note

Note, this story will include parts of my headcanon for Sunset's redemption that was written in my Sunset's Steps series. Specifically, in Look In the Mirror to Find the Truth and Live By The Sword.

I'm also going to include my headcanon for the EG world, and how it differs from our Earth. In my story, I'm calling it "Terra Prime." If you see any references that you don't get, they are part of the culture of the EG world.

Fate and Choice (Edited)

"So, what are her scientific interests?" Sunset asked, pausing to take a sip of tea before she sat back in a comfy velvet chair and pulled out her digital notepad. The white-skinned man sitting on a couch opposite her smiled, happy to gush about his favorite and only sibling.

"Well," Shining said with a cheerful grin, "mechanics, engineering, programming, theoretical physics, thermodynamics, the electromagnetic spectrum, the atmosphere, the magnetosphere, rocket science, geometry, chemistry, robotics, motions studies, the ancient and noble art of the to-do-list."

"Is that all," Sunset said with an uneasy smile as she felt her hand throbbing from all the note-taking. One of the things she missed about being a unicorn was how much easier it was to levitate a quill than to use a pencil with her hand.

"No," Shining said. "Those are just the main interests." Sunset barely suppressed a frown. "So why are you asking me about this?"

"Lemon Zest has another idea," Sunset, her optimistic smile returning. "Twilight loves science a lot. So Lemon thinks Twilight is out there, bringing modern technology to Equestria." Shining smiled at the thought of his little sister bringing a pony kingdom into the modern age. "So, what we're gonna do is go through all the academic journals in Equestria," Sunset continued. "See if we can discover some invention being developed that could only exist on Earth. Once we find one, we'll know it's her."

"That's...not a bad idea, actually," Shining said with an optimistic smile. But then he frowned with concern. "Academic journals?" Shining asked. "But wouldn't she, you know, have to get into school first. I don't she can get a copy of her transcript all the way in Ponyworld," the blue-haired detective asked with a grin that was both wry and nervous.

Sunset smirked. "Well...as I've said before, Equestria doesn't obsess over things like grades and paperwork. We're a very hands-on, or as we say, hooves on, society. To qualify for a job, you just have to show ponies your special talent is real, and then you can get the job." Sunset Shimmer smirked. "Back home, you wouldn't be asked for references or two years experience just to become a cashier. In Equestria, all you have to do is show the cashier you can push the button on the cash register."

Shining Armor looked uneasy. "It is really that simple? You're saying that...all Twilight has to do to get a job Is show off how smart she is?"

Another confident smirk appeared on Sunset's face. "Well, considering she was able to build a magic-absorbing machine without even knowing what magic was, I can imagine every mage and engineer in Equestria will be lining up to hire her."

"Really?"

Sunset's smile got even wider and more hopeful. "I bet there might be some stallions in the scientific community who would love to study her," Sunset teased with a cocky smile and a teasing raising of her left eyebrow but paused when she noticed Shining's smile was getting somewhat...strained. Not only that, Shining's eyes didn't seem to be looking at her. "Shining is something wrong?"

"No... no... I'm fine." The slight stammer and nervousness in his voice and the lack of eye contact did little convince Sunset, who grew even more concerned.

"Shining," the former unicorn said with reassurance. "I was just teasing you. I'm certain Twilight might get some real friends who-," Shining suddenly sprang from the couch saying how hungry he was and strode toward the kitchen. Sunset was taken aback by the bizarre behavior. Sunset found Shining Armor in the kitchen, pulling out a box of sandwich cookies and stuffing him into his mouth. This wasn't the hunger of joy or desperation but stress. "Mr. Armor," Sunset said to the white-skinned man with a slightly sterner tone, "why are you getting upset?" The man seemingly ignored her, continuing to shovel, or possibly force, food down his throat. With a sigh, Sunset continued to press the detective. "Are you still mad at Sunny and her friends?"

Shining put down the box and stopped eating, his anxious binge-eating replaced with a stern look. "Why are you asking that?"

"Well," Sunset began with a serious tone in her voice, "Sunny told me about you kicked her out of the house when Cadence wanted to offer them drinks. I mean, Sunny and her friends are trying to change, and what you did was kind of harsh-"

"You know what's harsh," Shining interrupted in a cool, no-nonsense voice. "Having to hear my aunt screaming in agony over the phone when I have to tell her that her niece died over a stupid contest." Sunset's mouth slammed shut, her defenses of the Shadowbolts crashing and burning inside her larynx. "I mean, it isn't your sibling who nearly was vaporized, but what do I know?" He continued with angry sarcasm.

Sunset let out a sigh. The Shadowbolts were much better people. None of the Shadowbolts could be labeled a Pinkie Pie or a Fluttershy just yet, but they definitely had become far more mature and empathetic since the Friendship Games. They learned the lessons of friendship and extended it to Juniper Montage, they'd become excellent lab assistants, and they were giving up their weekends looking through every form imaginable, effectively volunteering for the detention so they could find the classmate they long scorned. And now they were working with Juniper on building a magic-detecting satellite to increase the chances of finding Twilight.

Sunset could find it hard to imagine that just three months ago, they'd been so horribly abusive toward their own teammate over a game or that Sunset herself fantasized about strangling them to death.

But that didn't change what they did. Yes, the Shadowbolts never intended to commit murder or get someone killed. What happened was mostly Cinch's idea. They were honestly remorseful over their actions. But none of that changed the fact that they were still cruel toward a girl they should've been looking out for and showed little concern with her safety, and Shining and his family suffered horribly from it.

"I'm not mad or holding a grudge against Sunny and her friends," Shining continued. Sunset tried to find any anger or defensiveness in his voice, but there was none. "I was really mad at them," Shining admitted in a secure and honest tone. "But...I realize that it was mostly Cadence and my fault for sending her there." Shining's mouth pursed for a moment before he continued. "And I do agree with you they're much better people, and I have been treating them as such. I don't know if you know this, but I did take Lemon Zest shopping for apology presents and sang karaoke with her."

"Lemon told me that," Sunset said with a confused look. "Then why did you boot them out of the house?"

Shining had a serious expression on his face that brooked no argument. "Because they have yet to make it up to my family and the person whose forgiveness matters the most."

Sunset figured out who that person was. "Twilight."

"I want them to be better people. That's why I'm not letting them off the hook early; if I do, they'll go back to being the entitled brats who hurt not only me but my family." Shining Armor didn't say this with an ounce of vindictiveness but with a sense of justice. "I know this because that's what I did when my dad let me off easy." Shining Armor looked young, yet he spoke with fatherly wisdom only someone 20 years his age ought to have. "If they want the family friend treatment, they have to earn it first, which means bringing Twilight back and treating her with respect. If she wants them too, that is," Shining added firmly, reminding Sunset of the fact that he was not sending Twilight back to Crystal Prep unless she wanted to."If they find Twilight safe and sound, and she forgives them, then it's all good," Shining said with an honest smile before his stern, prison warden face returned to his mouth. "But until then, my home is off-limits to them."

The blue-haired older brother was making himself into the Shadowbolts' de facto parole officer. If Cadence was the nurturing soul trying to mold the Shadowbolts into being better people, Shining was the figure of authority who was there to remind them that there were consequences if they stepped out of line. Shining apparently did this by punching a wall in front of them.

Sunset couldn't help but smirk, remembering that Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna more or less had the same dynamic in the months following the Friendship Games: the former was the kind soul who tried to teach Sunset right from wrong. At the same time, the latter was effectively the prison matron, who would ensure that Sunset was following through on her punishment.

Sunset decided he agreed with Shining's approach, and so she didn't challenge it. Changing the subject, she returned to Shining's previously bad mood. "So why were you stress-eating?" Sunset asked him. But before Shining could answer with some lame excuse, Sunset already had a good guess. "Are you nervous because we haven't found Twilight yet?"

Shining's eyes fell to the kitchen floor momentarily. "Well...it is partly that..." Shining said, his blue eyes still turned downward. He didn't follow through on that, just standing eerily still.

"Then what?" Sunset asked in some annoyance. "Look, Mr. Armor, I know we're not friends, but if your upset about something, I was always taught the best thing to do is get it off your-,"

"I'm told that Twilight is going to this land of friendship and harmony all that junk," the blue-haired ex-football player said. "And the...Princess tells me how she'll be making so many friends; she won't want to leave." A conflicted smirk formed on the former Crystal Prep alumnus' face. "Part of me is...afraid of that." A more melancholic expression. "But....then I remember my therapist telling me that I should put her in a special needs school since no one is going to like her. Dr. Lobe turned out to be right, and so-"

"You're afraid that she won't make any friends in Equestria," Sunset surmised. Shining's blue eyes fell to the floor, confirming Sunset's suspicions. "Shining," Sunset said in a soothing tone, "I know Crystal Prep didn't work out for her," Sunset paused. "OK, Crystal Prep was a horrible disaster, but Equestria is a culture that celebrates the unique specialness of everypony."

"Yeah, the pink woman kept telling me that Crystal Prep would accept Twilight for who she was," Shining interrupted, hurt tinged with a bit of resentment toward his wife for not doing more to help Twilight, "after they dumped paint on her and she stayed home for three weeks." His rage faded, to be replaced with sadness. "But not only did my therapist not only turn out to be right about Crystal Prep, but even my own principal hated her," Shining said, the hurt and betrayal from what Cinch had done bubbling to the surface.

"Shining, Cinch was a bitter woman using Twilight as her punching bag-"

"Yeah, well, everyone saw my sister as a punching bag!" Shining yelled a fit of pique, shocking Sunset. He realized he had wrongly raised his voice, took a deep breath, and apologized for his outburst.

"But Equestria is different-,"

"Weren't you, the lovable pony from Ponyworld, some kind of supervillain?" Shining inquired with an edge to his voice.

A sheepish smile formed on Sunset's face. "Touche," Sunset said uneasily. "But I think calling me 'supervillain' is giving me...too much credit. I think the better way to describe me was 'a horrible brat who threw a tantrum so big, it lasted two years and stretched across two dimensions.' " Shining snorted and rolled his eyes as he pictured that. "But I swear that I was the exception. Most ponies love making friends..."

"There are good people, they said, but Twilight somehow never seemed to meet any of them," Shining said, the bitterness dripping back into his voice.

Unbeknownst to him, Cadence and Spike were upstairs in her bedroom, listening in, concerned frowns on their faces. While both tried to be optimistic, Cadence and Spike couldn't ignore the harsh reality of her husband's words.

"I'm not trying to whine or be a downer," Shining said uneasily. "My doctor told me it would be hard for her to make friends because of her autism, and that was with her own species. She's in a new world, with a new body, and with new rules. And I'm afraid...she'll make one mistake..." Shining paused to keep himself tearing up, "and they'll treat her like a loser all over again."

Human Twilight, now a pony, sat under a tree, her bespectacled eyes happily pouring over the dozens of encyclopedias. "I love learning!" the formerly two-legged creature gushed as she read. Unbeknownst to her, a group of ponies watched her with sheer contempt.

"A pony who likes to learn!" A big, mean one hissed. "C'mon fillies, let's use her to vent our numerous insecurities and anxieties!" The other ponies cheered.

"Let's teach her a lesson for making us aware of our own shortcomings!" Another pony declared.

"Hey, Sparkle!" Human Twilight looked up, only to see the ponies all carrying water balloons in their hooves.

"What? And how are you able to hold objects in a hoof?" The analytical former human observed. "How can creatures without digits progress to complex-," the balloons started flying, soaking her and her books."STOP IT!" Human Twilight squeaked. "PLEASE!" The other ponies sadistically laughed at the former biped, even as hot tears flowed down her glasses. "WHY DOES EVERYPONY HAVE TO BE MEAN TO ME!" Pony Twilight cried before galloping away, tears flowing down her eyes, as the other ponies laughed.

"FREAK!"

Sunset looked at Shining Armor with no small amount of pity. It was only normal that Shining should feel so negative: he sent his sister to his alma mater, expecting her to have as much fun as he did when he was the most popular student at Crystal Prep. Instead, her own classmates and principal nearly got her killed. And that was after two years of emotionally abusing her for her odd behavior.

Sunset's heart was torn apart seeing the white-skinned man look so broken.

"Shining," Sunset said in a soothing tone. "You're right. Us ponies can just as mean as humans." Sunset walked up to the man and put a warm hand on the despondent man's shoulder. "But I know for a fact that Twilight isn't with the bad ones."

Shining's eyes narrowed a little. "How do you know?"

"Because Harmony brought her to Equestria," Sunset offered. "I doubt Harmony would purposefully send her to ponies who would bully her."

"How does this Harmony thing work?" Shining asked with some annoyance. "I keep hearing that word, but it sounds like a bunch of gibberish."

"It isn't gibberish," Sunset stressed. "I know it because I've experienced it too."

"You mean when it brainwashed-,"

"I'M NOT BRAINWASHED!" Sunset yelled defensively. "Why does everyone think that?"

"Because the way people say it, you turned good overnight," Shining observed. "I mean, I have a hard time believing you could be as bad as Sunny and her friends."

"I didn't turn good overnight," Sunset muttered uneasily. "It doesn't work like that."

"So, how does this Harmony thing work, and why do you believe it isn't screwing over my sister?" Shining asked, keen interest in his voice. Sunset frowned, not comfortable talking about her experience. But she looked at the desperate face of the white-skinned man and realized she had to tell him to give him some comfort.

"OK," Sunset said. "Let's start with me getting hit with the Magic Laser Rainbow Of Death..." Shining snorted.

Sunset was in terrible pain. Those rainbows that surrounded her felt like they were ripping her body apart. Her vision was consumed by a rainbow that grew brighter and brighter until it became a white light that blinded her.

With one final scream of agony, Sunset was consumed by a bright light, and then everything went dark.

Sunset regained consciousness, pulling herself up and seeing she ended up in some...place. It was a void. All around her was some weird dimension with stars all around her. She saw she regained her normal human form. "Hello! Sunset said, her voice echoing. "Hello," she said again, getting no answer. "Is this some kind of...magical prison?" She began stamping her feet in a rage, the noise echoing around her."WHERE AM I?!" she bellowed. Suddenly, some kind of screen appeared. To the fire-haired girl's shock, It showed... the former unicorn turning into a demon, turning Snips and Snails into demon followers, destroying a chunk of the school, brainwashing everyone, and finally trying to kill Twilight and her friends. All with a gleeful smile on her face.

"No," Present Sunset muttered with horror. "NO! I didn't want this. All I wanted was to be strong and prove I was worthy. Not to hurt or kill people!" The screen now showed her-

She was kidnapping an innocent puppy. "Make any noise, little mutt," Past Sunset threatened Spike, who was being held up by evil-looking Snips and Snails, "And I'll wring your neck!"

Present Sunset was...disturbed. She only intended to kidnap Spike, but she still threatened him anyways. But she didn't actually wring his neck...but thinking back, Sunset might have actually done that. "I swear I wasn't gonna hurt-" Sunset paused as another screen appeared on the air. It showed Sunset lashing out after her bluff against Princess Twilight failed, her jealous rage over Princess Twilight's popularity finally overwhelming her.

"OH, SHE'S SO SPECIAL!" Past Sunset yelled before tackling her and the other girls. Present Sunset watched with horror, showing she did want to hurt someone, not just for a crown, but out of red-hot envy.

"I....I...." Present Sunset muttered, not being able to excuse herself. Another screen appeared. It showed her angrily ranting at and threatening Fluttershy over giving the crown to the Principal.

"Oh, I'm really sorry," the shy girl said. "I-I just found it, and-and I thought I should give it to her. I didn't know you had dropped it." Sunset gave her a very unsympathetic look.

"Well, I did," Sunset bellowed. "And I was about to get it before you swooped in and ruined everything! You shouldn't pick up things that don't belong to you!"

"It... doesn't really belong to you, either," Fluttershy said meekly.

"Excuse me," Sunset said, slamming her arms into the lockers, trapping Fluttershy between her and the lockers.

"Nothing," the girl said, sliding down the locker onto the floor.

"That's what I thought," Past Sunset gloated to the yellow wallflower. "It's as good as mine, and you know it." Her grin became wider as she twisted the knife further. "You really are pathetic. It's no wonder your best friends are all stray animals," Past Sunset said with glee, reveling in the shy girl's eyes glistening with tears.

Present Sunset look utterly horrified. Looking back, she came very close to attacking a lonely girl who couldn't have known what Sunset was planning. Her eyes began to water at seeing the poor girl sitting on the ground in tears."I'm...I'm sorry," Present Sunset said as if trying to apologize to Fluttershy.

Another screen appeared, showing her in Canterlot High. It was the First Spring Fling she participated in. Rarity and Sunset were both in competition with one another. Both of them were standing on the stage, awaiting the judgment of the school.

"Well, Sunset," Rarity said kindly. "May the best girl win," Sunset smirked.

"Oh, we'll find out soon enough who is the best," Past Sunset said, crossing her arms and giving her rival a seemingly kind smile. Rarity didn't pick up on the dark look in Sunset's eyes.

Principal Celestia stood on stage with a microphone in her hand. "Our two contestants are...Rarity Belle and Sunset Shimmer," the principal said. She pulled out an envelope. "The winner is-," she paused as she saw Snip and Snails running around near the stage carrying buckets of paint, apparently trying to douse each other with it. As if by accident, they threw their paint, blue and yellow, together, splashing Rarity and ruining her dress. Suddenly everybody started laughing at the fashionista, who began tearing up before running off stage in an embarrassed fluster. Past Sunset watched her rival's humiliation with utter joy that no one noticed, while Present Sunset watched this with no ounce of remorse.

"Uh," Princess Celestia said with some sadness at what happened, "Sunset Shimmer." Celestia ran off the stage to chase after the crying girl. "Give me that," Sunset barked, ripping the crown from the young student's arms. The girl was confused and upset by Sunset's roughness. "This crown," Sunset said, putting it on her head, "is mine!" she finished with a vicious grin. Her grin grew as she basked in the applause.

Present Sunset looked mortified at her past self's joy at humiliating her rival and Rarity's tears.

Another screen appeared as she walked by. It showed her receiving breakfast in bed from a servant. This was when she was a pony and a student of the princess. Her face scrunched with anger when she saw what was on the plate. "I ordered hay fries," Sunset bellowed to the servant, who looked sad. "Not cucumber chips!" She took the plate and threw it against the wall near the servant's head, who ran out in grief. Present Sunset began to feel a searing loathing for her past self.

Another screen appeared. It showed how Sunbeam, a sun yellow unicorn mare with glasses, wanted to hang out with her, but Sunset, more interested in gaining power, turned her down quite rudely.

"I have more important things to do than deal with your annoying voice," Past Sunset said with disdain. Stardust looked downcast.

"OK," Stardust said with a whimper like she was almost crying. "Sorry for bothering you." She galloped away, leaving behind a smirking Sunset.

"Now I can learn more about the mirror!" Past Sunset gushed as she pushed her muzzle into her book.

Present Sunset flinched at her past self's nasty tone, and her heart hurt from seeing Stardust so upset.

Another screen appeared as she walked by. It showed Past Sunset pleading with Celestia to learn more about the mirror. "Please, Princess," Past Sunset asked. "Can't we learn about the mirror?"

"No Sunset," Princess Celestia said with strained patience. "You are not ready. You have knowledge and intelligence, but you lack the wisdom and empathy to rule properly."

"But-,"

"Enough," Celestia almost yelled, fed up with her pupil's impudence. "Now, please remove yourself from my presence at once."

Past Sunset snarled at the Equestrian ruler as she trotted away."You never do anything I want," Sunset said, zero wisdom or empathy in her voice before storming off.

Present Sunset was in tears, but cry as she wanted, she couldn't escape the truth: from the very beginning, she had always been a selfish brat. Every decision she made after she looked into the mirror, from being a brat to savagely bullying people, had led up to her being an evil demon who would kill people to get what it wanted.

No, she'd always been an evil demon. The crown just made people see it on the outside.

The screen vanished. Suddenly a massive light appeared over Sunset's head. "What the-," Present Sunset paused as she suddenly realized she couldn't move her legs. She looked down and saw...

Her feet being turned into stone! She couldn't move her feet, and the more she tried, the faster the stone traveled up her legs.

This was to be Sunset's punishment: to spend the rest of her life as a statue. The worst punishment an Equestrian could ever receive, given to the most wicked and the most willing to destroy Harmony. It filled Sunset with regret, despair, and desperation! "Please," Present Sunset said in desperation and tears toward the light, as her torso was encased in stone. "Please give me one more chance! I promise to be good! I promise I won't hurt anyone again. Why show me everything I did if you're gonna turn me to stone?!" The stone continued to crawl up her torso.

"Please," she said, openly weeping. Her panic increased as the stone hit her neck. "NO! NO! N-." she couldn't say anymore. Her mouth was now stone. As the stone reached her eyes, everything went black, and she let out one last bloodcurdling scream in her mind.

"...and then I woke up in a crater... surrounded by everyone who hated me..." Sunset choked out uncomfortably, remembering the worst moment of her life.

Shining was astonished and a little bit frightened. Both at the story and how shellshocked Sunset was. "Do you...want me to get you some water?" The white-skinned man offered kindly. Sunset nodded, rubbing tears out of her eyes. Shining returned from the kitchen, a bottle of water and a box of tissues in his hands. Sunset thanked Shining before taking a chug and drying her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Sunset calmed down.

"I'm sorry for asking," A remorseful Shining asked.

"Don't be," Sunset said, still shaking a bit. "I mean, it wasn't fun going through all that." Sunset took another deep breath. "But again, despite all the horrible things I did, the Elements of Harmony didn't kill, vaporize me, or turn me to stone. They made me realize the truth: Princess Celestia didn't keep me from being a princess because she was a jerk: because I was so immature and mean that I would hurt everypony if I got that power. She was trying to protect Equestria..and me from power I wasn't ready for..." Sunset began crying, still ashamed for being so stupid and cruel. Shining began patting Sunset on the head, assuring her it was OK to cry. After a few minutes, Sunset finally stopped and dried her eyes again.

"C'mon," Shining said to the forlorn teenager, "it all worked out. I mean, you did turn your life-,"

"That didn't happen!" Sunset said forcefully. "I mean, it didn't happen overnight. The Elements of Harmony didn't turn me good. They only taught me a lesson. I was still the same brat," Sunset said, her voice laden with self-loathing, "just with all my illusions shattered. What turned me good was..." Sunset finally smiled. "Princess Twilight and her friends telling me I could be a better person. I thought the Princess was gonna lock me up in a dungeon. Instead, she begged everyone to give me a chance and begged Principal Celestia not to expel me." Her eyes narrowed. "But...I wasn't off the hook. Principal Celestia and Luna suspended me for six weeks and gave me community service rebuilding the damage to the school. They claimed I only caused a gas leak, but I still had a vandalism charge put on my permanent record." Sunset shuddered. "And everyone was out for my blood when I came back. People threw things at me, tripped me, dunked my head in the toilet. And I only got it to stop by doing favors for other people."

"Ouch..."Shining commented.

"Don't feel too sorry for me," Sunset said with a roll of her eyes. "I kind of did have all those things coming. I think Celestia and Luna suspended me because they were trying to save me from being lynched. But again," Sunset stressed when he saw Shining's pitying look. "I kind of did have those coming. And...Twilight's friends did give me a chance...after I did some favors to make it up to them...but things weren't easy then. They 'joked' about the demon thing, they didn't invite me to their band, and then last winter, our friendship nearly fell apart over...Anon-A-Miss."

"Anon-A-Miss?" Shining asked. Sunset took a deep breath and told the white-skinned man about her friends' sisters' hare-brained scheme to frame her for cyberbullying. She talked about how the whole school, and even her own friends, turned on her.

"They did all that because of a slumber party?" Shining asked with disgust in his voice.

"No. It was because they still resented me for how I used to be," Sunset admitted. "Me getting invited and them not brought that resentment to the surface."

"I'm surprised you didn't just leave after all that," Shining remarked, still a bit horrified. "You were working your ass off for forgiveness, and everyone was still giving you-,"

"Oh, believe me, I was," Sunset admitted. "I was actually going to transfer to Crystal Prep," Sunset smirked, as did Shining. "I might have actually met your Twilight. Maybe we could've been friends-" Sunset speculated, only to stop as Shining was upset over that lost opportunity. "But-,"

"You remembered how your friends gave you a chance, and so you realized it was only fair to give them a chance," Shining inferred.

"Well, that was part of it," Sunset began, "but...honestly, I stayed for me." Shining was confused. "I didn't just try and make it up to everyone because it was the right thing to do. I...spent years and years trying to be a princess. Everything I did was for that stupid, selfish goal. And when that failed, I had nothing to hope for. Nothing to plan for. No goal or journey. And so I stayed because...I just wanted to accomplish something. If I couldn't be a princess...maybe I could try becoming the best person ever. I wanted to say I did something of value."

"I mean, what about...going to college," Shining offered.

"To me, this world wasn't anything but a place to the hideout until I could claim my rightful place," Sunset admitted. "I never thought about actually putting down roots or finding a career. I mean, getting into college isn't an issue. I have plenty of money, and my grades are good. But even after I made it up to everyone, I haven't really thought about what I want to do after we all split up."

"What about going home?" Shining offered. "Don't you have any family-?" Shining paused as he saw Sunset was again about to cry. "Are you OK?" Shining asked the fire-haired girl. The girl just stared at the floor, almost on the verge of tears. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Shining said, realizing he was asking about a personal life Sunset wasn't ready to talk about yet.

Sunset took a breath before continuing. "But yeah, I did make amends with my friends. And after a few months, everybody did finally forgive me completely," Sunset said with a smile. "I mean, I did have to beat a bunch of evil sea witches to do it, but after that, everybody finally accepted I wasn't evil anymore." Sunset looked at Shining with a look of both benevolence and wisdom. "The Power of Harmony didn't solve all my problems, but it did put me on the path to being better. If it did that for someone like me, then why would it do something horrible to your Twilight and put her someplace mean?" With that, Shining felt a more optimistic smile form on his face. "Besides, I see Harmony is helping other people too."

"What do you mean by that?" Shining asked.

"I mean, Sunny and her friends have become better people. They've helped Juniper out," Sunset continued with a sunny expression, "and...before all this, I didn't take studying magic seriously. And because of what happened, I am taking it-,"

"So you're saying this all happened for a reason?" Shining said. Sunset nodded. "Yeah, the reason was that I was an idiot brother who sent my sister to the school full of shallow idiots." Sunset was saddened, seeing Shining's pessimism and self-loathing return.

"Shining-,"

"Yeah, I use to believe in destiny and fate and all that crap," Shining muttered with contempt. "I thought my sister was destined to become the Queen of Crystal Prep." Shining frowned like he swallowed vinegar. "Because of that, I didn't care what Twilight was actually going through. I kept telling her useless crap-," Shining stopped, realizing he needed to end the self-pity. "I'm not a religious person. I don't know what the mystical forces that control Terra Prime are, if the Ameliorists are right, or if the Great Text and the Fifteen Tenets are actually the way to live. I don't know if I buy this Harmony stuff either. But since the Friendship Games, my beliefs are this: what matters is what happens, what you choose to do, and what you choose not to do. What should've mattered to me was not my vain little fantasy, but the fact that my sister looked miserable on what was supposed to be the best day of her life." Shining let out another regretful sigh.

"Well," Sunset said with a smile, "your choosing to be a better brother, I've chosen to be nice to people, and the Shadowbolts are choosing to be better people. And if all those things are possible, then somepony choosing to be Twilight's friend certainly is possible. In fact, by the time we find her, I bet she'll have a ton of friends." Sunset's grin got wider. "I mean, I want to be her friend."

Shining felt a grateful smile. "Really?"

Sunset's grin grew manic. "I did beat Cinch to a pulp, didn't I?"

Shining's anxiety and fears faded with a good, deep breath. "Thanks, Sunset."

"Anytime," Sunset said. She then remembered her original reason for coming to the Sparkle residence and brought out her digital notepad. "So what were Twilight's projects." Shining looked as happy as a clam, happy to be able to gush to someone about how supersmart his younger sister was, and now hopeful about her sister finding happiness.

On the second floor, Cadence and Spike grinned with renewed optimism.

"I'm really having a hard time believing she was evil," Spike commented.

Cadence looked at her sentient pet with a smile. "I guess that's what friendship, and being blasted with a Friendship Laser, can do."

A Princess' Struggle.

Author's Note

Here's a Hannukah present for ya'll.

BTW, there is some more world-building for the EG universe.

The planet of EG is called Terra Prime.

The United Provinces is the EG version of the United States.

A Princess' Struggle.

Princess Luna navigated the Dreamscape, performing her usual duties of searching the subconscious of ponies to rid them of their nightmares. But there was one being in particular whose consciousness she sought out—a being who was not a pony.

Before the Princess of the Night were the various windows into the minds of ponies with nightmares. But to her frustration, her work had not yet yielded the subconscious of the Terra Prime Twilight Sparkle.

"Blast it!" Princess Luna bellowed with more than a bit of annoyance. It had been a month since she learned about the appearance of the human Twilight in Equestria, and she was still no closer to finding even a trace of her. Luna knew she shouldn't be frustrated with herself. There were on average of 60,000 ponies in the realm having a nightmare, and she could only help as many as 500 each night. Luna knew she shouldn't be upset over not being able to find one single mare; Her powers were for soothing the minds of her little ponies, not for the location of others. Due to the oaths she took once she became an alicorn and various treaties with other kingdoms regarding espionage, her dream-trotting abilities were only to be used in psychology.

But for some reason, she felt a particular self-loathing at not finding the human Twilight. Maybe it was because the absence of the counterpart of her sister's student was ominous. Maybe it was-

Luna paused. She looked into the nightmare of another pony and saw...

Humans with their two-legged locomotion, clothing and flat faces appeared in the mind window. Just as Luna remembered them the last time she ventured to the planet of Terra Prime, they had an ape-like appearance. And since very few ponies were privy to what humans looked like, this could only mean one thing. With a hopeful grin, Princess Luna entered the nightmare.

Luna found herself in the middle of a city with buildings of incredible height. She knew this was a human city because their height was the only thing remarkable about them. Like most modern human cities, based on the picture books of Terra Prime that Princess Twilight brought her, these buildings were ugly stacks of glass and concrete. Equestrian cities had skyscrapers, but city planners and architects built them with the beauty and character of the town in mind. Luna knew it wasn't right to generalize about humans. Still, many wealthy humans seemed willing to sacrifice beauty and quality of life in the name of profit when constructing their cities.

On closer inspection, Princess Luna saw that this city wasn't just ugly; it was in utter disrepair: cracked windows dotted the tall buildings, the sidewalks were full of decay and erosion, rusted abandoned carriages littered decrepit roads, factories lay abandoned, low rise homes were in a severe state of neglect, a cloud of poisonous smog hung over her head, the sky was a blood orange, what little foilage there was rotted and yellow, and smokestacks billowed toxic fumes into the atmosphere. While the city was empty of any sapient life, all around her were the sounds of civil disorder: smashing glass, yelling, riots, and explosions.

Princess Luna's trepidation grew as she observed the desolate environment, as only a mind that was depressed and broken could be imagining such a bleak landscape. The human Twilight was either internalizing the mistreatment she endured or, even more depressingly, her attempt to adapt to Equestrian life had gone poorly, and she failed to make friends. Princess Luna frowned over the idea that human Twilight could have endured the same mistreatment in Equestria that she endured back on Terra Prime and that she might have given up on life altogether. In any case, the human's mental state was not in a good place.

The Mare of the Night was broken out of her melancholy thoughts when she heard a sorrowful cry. "Please, leave me alone! The voice was too quiet to discern, but Princess Luna could make out the sheer desperation and pain. She took to the air to be able to locate the source. She followed the sound to a run-down park full of rotting foliage. In the center of it was a crowd of humans. Repulsive humans of various ages, genders, and skin colors mocked and jeered at a prone figure covered in shadow but whose size showed she was a pony.

"What are you doing here?!" One human girl asked with a nasty sneer. "No one likes you!"

"You thought you belonged here?" Another asked with an even nastier sneer.

"Loser!"

"Freak!"

"Wimp!"

"Please, I just want to be a part of you!"

Luna's heart broke when she heard the sheer agony and pain from the voice. The alicorn's despair turned to shock when someone from the crowd threw a tomato at the figure. The entire group descended into mocking chuckles that gradually crescendoed into a loud sadistic cackle that echoed all around Princess Luna. The figure's crying also grew increasingly shrill and agonized.

Luna's sadness gave way to righteous anger. If this is what the human Twilight endured at that awful school, or even just a representation of Twilight's mental health, she had a strong temptation to travel to the other world and punish that wretched professor and any other miscreants that had wronged human Twilight so horribly.

For now, she would perform her duty as Princess of the Night and offer a scared child comfort. She lit up her horn, and with a single spell, Princess Luna banished these monstrous humans. The horrible jeers ended, and the crying stopped. The figure was now only sniffling; with that, Princess Luna strode toward human Twilight with a warm smile and kind eyes. "Do not fret. You're safe, Twilight-," Luna's voice trailed off when instead of seeing a lavender unicorn, she saw a mint-green unicorn instead.

"Princess Luna!" Lyra Heartstrings chirped, wiping away her tears. "Thank Celestia, and you, of course, that you're here!" Princess Luna remembered this pony. She frequently played the lyre at performances in Canterlot and was known for her eccentricity.

"Miss Heartstrings," Princess Luna said after regaining her royal composure, remembering that the musician was apparently in distress and the alicorn ought to soothe her. Although Princess Luna began to wonder if this was anything serious, "What is this-,"

"I was in the park promoting my 'Humans 4 Life' club when some meanie-meanie pants told me," Lyra began, before collapsing into whimpering again. Once the mint-green pony calmed down, she continued, "that I wasn't a real human!" Lyra began crying again. Princess Luna's brief fliver of concern gave way to confusion, annoyance, and exasperation (although after months of training in royal etiquette, she maintained her calm visage), having wasted time on what was a pointless non-emergency.

After a few moments of serious thought, Princess Luna thought of a way to calm the upset-for-no-good-reason pony. "Young Lyra," Princess Luna began, aping her usual sage-like tone, "do not allow the words of one pony to make you feel weak."

Lyra's smile instantly returned to her face. "OK, sure. You bet."

Princess Luna was taken aback by how quickly the musical mare had overcome her "issues." Biting back a sigh, she continued. "Also, human isn't about appearance. It is about what you believe in your heart," Princess Luna continued, remembering some of the more nonsensical morals she picked up from the tasteless literature she had the misfortune of reading. "If you think human, then you are human. Or something of that nature."

"I understand," Lyra said with an oblivious gaze that indicated that the unicorn didn't understand the nonsense Princess Luna was offering. (Then again, Luna herself didn't understand what she was trying to tell the wacky mare). Lyra accepted the awkward words as divine wisdom since they came from Luna's divine vocal cords.

"And, if Princess Twilight allows it, you can go visit the human world and become a human if you wish." Suddenly, the dark and foreboding atmosphere of the dream city faded, returning to a more lively, if still tacky, design. The humans returned with more welcoming expressions and started saying things like "Go, Lyra" and holding up signs that read, "Lyra Best Human!"

"YAY! Thank you, Princess!" Lyra cheered. "And since this is a dream...I can have hands if I want to." The pony's hooves morphed into hands. "Aren't these cool, Princess?"

"Yes," Princess Luna said, not wanting to say how freakish the mare looked. "Anyways, I'll be off now. Good Night!" Princess Luna took off with more speed than she usually had.

"Wait, Princess!" Lyra pleaded. "If I think I'm a dragon in my heart, does that make me a-?" but Princess Luna was gone. "She must've not heard me." Lyra then narrowed her eyes, and after a few moments of serious thoughts, she became a dragon. "Dreams are the best!" The unicorn-turned dragon with human hands gushed.

Princess Luna burst into her private den, her face laden with disappointment. Another night had gone by and there was still no trace of the Human Twilight Sparkle. Knowing that ruminating over her failure would do her no good, the Princess of the Night settled for enjoying her hour of rest before she would lower the moon and allow her sister to take over during the day. She began to settle in her chair when she heard a strange noise.

RING RING

"What was that?"

RING RING

The noise was there again. "Who goes there?"

RING RING.

"REVEAL YOURSELF, FOUL SPECTER!" Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice, which she would use when in a stressful situation. The Princess of the Night's eyes were white with power as she prepared to defend herself. "Nopony dares cross....the MARE OF THE NIGHT!"

RING RING.

"WHERE ARE YOU!" Princess Luna followed the strange ringing noise to some strange device on a small end table that hadn't been there when she entered the dream realm. The device was white, boxed shaped, and shook a little as it let out the same hysterical cry.

"WHAT FOUL PURPOSE DO YOU INTEND!" Luna bellowed. The contraption continued to ring. "Answer me, interloper!" Luna noticed a note on one part of the object.

It read, "Pick me up!"

"What game dost thou play?" Princess Luna asked with a suspicious voice. The object just rang. "Very well, I shall play along! But any foul play, and I shall cast you into Tartarus!" Princess Luna lifted up the object, a rectangular prism that seemed to curl downward at both ends. There seemed to be some white curly cord connecting to the device. The device also had a wire connecting to the wall.

"What-,"

"Luna!" To Luna's shock, she heard her sister's voice emerge from the strange rectangle.

"Sister?!" Princess Luna said with horror. "What has occurred?"

"A monster has trapped me inside this device," her sister said with fear and some weird coughing. "Please, free me!"

"What?!" Princess Luna bellowed with clenched teeth. "Don't worry sister! I shall free you from this-," Luna paused as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and lept into the air with terror.

"What creature dares disturb the Mare of the Night when she-" Luna paused when she saw her very much OK older sister grinning at her.

"Gotcha!" Celestia said with a cheeky tone.

"Sister!" Princess Luna admonished. "Must you do that! I have had a hectic-," Luna's frustration trailed off when she noticed her sister was holding another one of those ringing devices. "What is this contraption?" Princess Luna asked her sister with a suspicious glare.

"A telephone." Princess Celestia said, holding up the device. "This contraption allows humans to communicate across vast distances using wires. Juniper Montage, the human engineer, came to Canterlot to set this up."

Princess Luna's eyes widened in amazement. "Are you, as they say, pulling my legs?"

"Nope."

"Communication over long distances," Luna marveled in guarded excitement. "So this the human version of dragon fire?"

"In a way," Celestia said with some interest. "You should've seen how my prized pupil reacted to it."

"So this is the device that shall help us locate the human version of your student?" Princess Luna asked with a curious expression.

"No, what Juniper is setting up is a bit more advanced."

Princess Luna was incredulous. "Advanced?! This device seems quite advanced to us."

"Actually, that device is outdated by about thirty years," Princess Celestia said with a more quietly impressed tone. "Since then, humans developed more advanced telephones they can carry in their pockets, and they can use poles and metal boxes sent into space to send messages."

Princess Luna's expression is one of shock. "Are you saying young Miss Montage is bringing us into the space age?!"

"Not exactly," Princess Celestia said. "Only the wealthiest nations in Terra Prime can send what they call 'satellites.' What Miss Montage is building is a substitute system for poorer nations that she says we can build here. Instead of space boxes, she is using balloons to do it."

"How soon will it be set up?" Princess Luna said.

"She says it will take another few months," Princess Celestia said. Princess Luna let out a sad sigh, remembering her failure from today. Celestia, the understanding older sister, cottoned on. "I'm guessing your search for her didn't turn anything up."

"Today, I thought I found something," Luna barked. "Instead, it was a unicorn who had a nightmare over not being human." The night pony let out an annoyed scoff. "Ponies from our time had nightmares about hunger and war. They didn't fret over unimportant things like..." Luna just let out a tired sigh.

"Luna, I understand you're worried. I'm worried about her too," the elder sister assured her youngest. "Don't tear yourself up over this."

"I'm not," Princess Luna said defensively. "It's just..."

Celestia realized her sister wasn't merely tired but deeply upset over something. "Sister, what doth trouble you?"

Princess Luna knew her sister only spoke in Old Ponish when she was feeling upset herself. "I've looked into the memories of Sunny Flare and her companions and..." she paused, remembering she was under oath.

"You remember how those human girls persecuted her," Princess Celestia said with a somewhat. Luna was surprised. "Twilight told me about it."

"But not just her," Princess Luna said. "The Human Twilight was a prodigy, but not only did her classmates persecute her, the Cinch woman..." Luna said with some trembling anger in her voice.

"I understand, Luna," the elder alicorn said. "You not only sympathize with the other Twilight, but you can understand the persecution, alienation, and lack of appreciation she received because you experienced those same things. And you wish to offer her the same warm hoof others gave you."

Princess Luna looked at her sister with surprise at her insight. "Yes, sister. But I not only wish to help her but...part of me wishes to guide her. To show her the way and give her-,"

"Oh, I see," Princess Celestia said with a teasing expression. "You want your own pupil Twilight Sparkle to love and cherish."

"Well, not quite," Luna said.

"I can't blame you," Celestia said in a more playful tone. "Twilight as a filly was so cute and adowable."

"Sister."

"And she was soft and fuzzy, which made cuddling with her so amazing."

"Sister."

"And you want to help her build a cute widdle book fort-,"

"Sister." Celestia ceased her rambling, realizing that Luna was not in a joking mood.

"You're serious about taking the younger Twilight as a student," Celestia exclaimed.

Luna nodded. "Celestia, she was able to discover and harness magic without even knowing what it was. Combined her knowledge of human technology, and one can only imagine the marvels she could create if given proper instruction and what great discoveries we could make together."

"It's called bubble wrap," human Twilight told her alicorn mentor.

"What is this bubble wrap for," Princess Luna said, pressing down on one of the bubbles with one of her hooves.

"Well," Human Twilight said, "it is for,"

POP!

"WHAT WAS THAT SOUND?! ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?!" Princess Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice, inadvertently blowing human Twilight away into a nearby table, leaving her dizzy. When Princess Luna broke from her fear, she looked at her pupil lying on the ground in a daze.

"Who dared attack you, my faithful disciple!" Princess Luna said, cradling her student. "Don't worry. I shan't rest until I have avenged thee!"

Human Twilight let out a tired groan.

"Luna, that would be a wonderful idea," Celestia gushed. "But remember, you would have to ask the Human Cadence and Shining Armor if it was OK. She is chronologically 15, but she's still a minor according to the laws of the United Provinces, the human country where Twilight originated."

"But I'm not just fantasizing over what marvels she could create," Princess Luna said in a more somber tone. "Remember this: the other Twilight endured hardship and loneliness, and if those feelings go untreated," Princess Luna's voice became softer and more melancholy. "Well, you know where that led me."

Princess Celestia's expression became more worried. "You fear that the other Twilight could go down the path you went down. Of vengeance and anger."

Princess Luna's face became more fearful. "Our Twilight is worried about this too. And while I told her not to worry," Princess Luna took a breath to reign in her emotions. "The fact is this: the human Twilight is an anti-social being who has found herself in another world with rules and traditions she does not understand. What if she can't find friends or," Luna paused as her mouth trembled, "a wicked being should find her in her vulnerable state and lead her down the path of vengeance like the infamous Tempest Shadow."

Princess Celestia frowned thoughtfully at that. Tempest Shadow, formerly Fizzlepop Berrytwist, had been a good unicorn until a childhood accident had robbed her of her horn and many opportunities for advancement. After having the bad fortune to encounter the Storm King's forces, she joined that monster and was now the Scourge of the South Lands, devastating kingdoms in the name of the wicked king.

Moments of this reminded Celestia that no matter how hard she worked to give her ponies plenty, her nation had cracks, and others had fallen through it. She set up a welfare office for maimed ponies, but it had come too late for Tempest. Princess Celestia lost all sympathy for the mare after the war crimes she committed, but she still agonized over the trauma and loneliness that tore away at her.

"Or what if human Twilight joined the Storm King."

Princess Celestia put aside her fears and looked at her sister with an encouraging smile. "Sister, I can understand your dread. But the same forces that brought the human Twilight to Equestria are the same that cured you of your madness."

"The same forces that banished me to the moon for 1000 years," Princess Luna said with some anger.

"Harmony wasn't angry at just you," Princess Celestia assured her forlorn sister. "It also punished me for my vanity and selfishness. But if we, beings of celestial power, can move past those things, then I know the human Twilight can prosper in these realms."

With that, Princess Luna pulled her elder sister into a full-bodied wing hug, silently thanking her for offering wisdom. Princess Celestia happily returned the hug, happy to hold her sister again after so many years of separation. If they could find love for each other after all that had occurred between them, then there was hope for the human Twilight's future.

Backsliding (Part 1)

Once upon a time, chores were the worst part of Sour Silvia Sweet's routine. But her walk home from summer school had become a more dreadful task than scrubbing the toilet because she had to walk by Twilight's house on the way home.

The beautiful purple mansion was a haunted house to the Crystal Prep student. A reminder of what she missed out on by being mean to someone she barely knew.

Despite going to the same school, she never knew Twilight lived so close to her. Not that she bothered to find out and before the Friendship Games, she wouldn't have cared. Twilight was the school loser and the sister of her proximity to avoid her at all costs.

Now, the proximity she had to her missing classmates' home added to the sense of longing she felt as she approached the stately manor. If she had been Twilight's friend, she could've had a place to stop by on the way home. And she knew it was an excellent place to stop by.

From the small amount of time she had spent in the house, she could tell that Dean Cadence and Shining (on a good day) were gracious hosts. She could picture Dean Cadence cooking them a meal the way her own mom did whenever she brought friends over. And she could tell Shining was a good guy who would've welcomed them too. Twilight's family would've good family friends, and she pissed that away by being a bully.

The small glimpse of hospitality she got from the pink-skinned woman only made getting barred from the house by Shining even worse. She understood Shining banned her from the home because he was thinking about the feelings of his missing sister, but it still hurt. She'd never been banned from anywhere in her life.

(Well, she'd been banned from Clownie's Pizza after she punched the clown, but clowns were evil, so there were no regrets.)

But she never had been banned from a place she wanted to be in. Specifically, she wanted to be a part of Twilight's life. Not just out of pity or remorse, she realized that aside from a welcoming family, the nerd had a lot of good about her. Dean Cadence showed her all the cool things Twilight built with her intelligence and realized the lavender-skinned girl could've helped her with her homework and kept her out of summer school.

In a way, Twilight being alive but stranded in some other world made the hurt feel worse than if she was actually dead. She knew it was idiotic to think that, but the possibility of the teen genius being alive added to her longing.

"Would I be going to summer school if I-" Sour began, only to see two figures near the house. She usually walked around the house out of guilt, but morbid curiosity drew her to it.

Fluttershy kneeled on the ground, playing fetch with an excited Spike. Sour scurried behind a tree that allowed her to be hidden while being close enough that she could hear. While she didn't think Fluttershy or the dog would rat her out, Shining was still not completely cool with them yet, and she didn't want to risk his wrath by being seen near his dead parents' house when he didn't want them near it. Still, she sat by and watched the two play silently. Seeing them play was something that brought her self-loathing and longing to the surface again.

"That could've been me playing with the little doggy," Sour thought sadly.

"That was a really good catch, Spike!" Fluttershy gushed once Spike returned the ball for the 30th time. Ever since Sunny and her friends became Sunset's lab assistants, Fluttershy had been hired by Cadence to be Spike's petsitter; however, the yellow-skinned girl thought "babysitter" was a more appropriate title. The dog had the intelligence of a ten-year-old boy.

"Really, really, really," Spike said excitedly running around like he was a kid in a candy store, his tail wagging all the same.

Fluttershy cooed at this adorable sight. Since she fell in love with animals, Fluttershy always wondered what it would be like if animals could talk. Spike answered that: having a boy's brain, and the instincts of a happy dog made the puppy one of the cutest things in existence. "For doing such a good job, I'm gonna get you a nice treat."

"Can it be the peanut butter," the sapient canine asked with even greater enthusiasm. "Can it, can it, can it, can it, can it!"

"Of course, Spikey-Wikey," Fluttershy said as she walked toward the house. "Just wait right there, and I'll be right back." As soon as the yellow-skinned teenager walked into the house, the dog's excited expression became morose.

"Oh, who am I kidding," the puppy miserably moaned, "It's not the same." He knew Fluttershy, Shining, and Cadence had given him time and attention to fill the void in his soul. It was why he would put on a brave face for them to pay them back, but none of them could take the place of his original owner. It didn't matter how often he was told they would find her. Twilight, the girl who rescued him from the pound and gave him a home, wasn't there. Once he knew the pink-haired girl was in the house and couldn't hear him, he began whimpering over his missing owner.

Seeing the dog in quiet agony felt like a knife to the young Shadowbolt's heart. Dean Cadence described the dog as a little boy who watched his older sister die in front of him. Seeing the now-sapient animal look so heartbroken, Sour could see it wasn't an exaggeration. The self-pity from getting barred from the house faded into sympathy for the poor puppy. The agony of the poor dog was a testament to the pain she caused by being mean to Twilight.

As soon as Fluttershy opened the door, Spike's mood shifted, and he forced a smile onto his face. It hurt Sour even more that the dog felt the need to wear a mask so he wouldn't worry others. Seeing the misery of a canine, Sour Sweet's own misery and despair gave way to a new emotion: determination. "I have to do something for him," Sour thought to herself in a serious tone. Sour realized she couldn't leave a poor soul to suffer alone anymore. She'd let that happen with Twilight, and by Vida she would never let that happen again.

The Next day

"I have a surprise for your Spike," Fluttershy said kindly as she pulled something out of her backpack. With her visit coming to an end, it was time to give him his daily treat.

"Another Peanut Butter Bone," the small dog asked hopefully.

"Even better," Fluttershy said happily. "Two whole boxes of Peanut Butter Bones." The dog thanked the animal shelter volunteer and took the boxes into his doghouse with his mouth. With that, Fluttershy decided to go home, knowing Shining Armor would return in about a half-hour.

Spike was breaking open his box of treats when he heard footsteps. "Spike," a small voice muttered. The dog's somewhat good mood immediately deteriorated as he knew who it was. He stormed out of the doghouse, a furious expression on his face.

Sour Sweet's composure nearly slipped seeing the dog give her such a piercing look, but Sour, for once, kept her emotions under control. "What are you doing here?" Spike said in a cold, angry tone, not happy to see his owner's tormentor showing their faces. "Shining said he didn't want you here." Sour just closed her eyes and let out a tiny sigh.

"Spike," Sour began in a patient tone, "I know you hate me, but I feel bad about-,"

"You felt bad?" Spike interrupted incredulously, his tone becoming even more chilly. "You know who felt worse? Shining when Cadence had to tell him his sister died."

Sour Sweet let out another sad sigh. Self-pity wasn't going to get her anywhere with Spike. "Spike, I am so sorry for what I did," she said, barely holding back tears. She held up a plastic bag labeled "Pet City." "I want to make it up to you, so I bought you-,"

"Is Twilight in the bag?" Spike asked coldly, his teeth almost grinding together. Sour didn't reply, knowing it was a rhetorical question. "Then go way."

"Spike," Sour said desperately, trying to regain control over her temper. "I got you some toys," she held up a plastic chew toy in the shape of a steak. She squeezed it, causing it to let out an adorable squeak sound. "Isn't that fun?" Sour replied with a fake smile.

"I don't need your stupid toys," Spike said, his tone becoming as sharp a knife, "and I especially don't need you. In fact, I can't think of anyone who could-,"

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE?!" Sour yelled angrily, finally losing her temper, "CADENCE GAVE ME-,"

"Cadence didn't give you another chance!" Spike bellowed, his fake calm giving way to blistering anger. "She's stuck with you!"

Sour looked at the dog with shock and hurt."What, what are you-,"

"You think Cadence's gave you a chance?!" Spike asked with a spiteful hiss. "No! She was lying to you. I was listening to what they were saying after. Shining wanted you expelled from school because of what you did. You know why Cadence didn't?"

"Why?" Sour asked with a whimper.

"Because you knew Cadence lied to get Cinch fired, and she was afraid you were gonna tell on her." Sour Sweet looked at the dog. "She never forgave you, you were just the lesser evil she had to put up with to get rid of Cinch, and if Cadence punished you, she knew you could get her fired." He let out another growl. "If wasn't for Cinch, Cadence wouldn't have anything to do with you! She doesn't like you! She is stuck with you!"

"She really-," Sour began, tears forming at the edges of her eyes.

"You think anybody really likes you and your stupid little friends!" Spike hissed. "You're an angry meanie nutcase who ruins everything with your stupid little voice! You ruined Twilight's life, you got her killed, and you hurt her family and me! As far as I can tell, Twilight was the coolest person ever, and you're the loser screw-up everybody has to put up with!" Sour began to cry, but Spike wasn't the least bit sympathetic. "I don't need your stupid toys or your little face near me! Leave!" The dog was clearly red in the face. "If you don't get out, I'm gonna tell Shining you were here!"

"But-"

"GET OUT!" With that, Sour ran away, tears flowing down her face. Spike watched this with cruel satisfaction.

Once she got as far away as possible from the dog, the fuschia-haired girl ran behind a tree. She angrily threw the dog toys she got to the ground. Once she saw no one was looking, she fell to the ground weeping. She cried while clutching her knees to her chest like a sad kindergartner.

Spike stormed back into his doghouse with a massive headache, muttering about how much he hated Twilight's bullies. He began munching on his dog treats, but not out of joy. He was trying to eat his stress away. Once his rage died, he didn't feel any joy from making Sour cry: just a sad and empty feeling.

"Was I too mean?" Spike asked himself with a hint of remorse in his voice.

Backsliding (Part 2)

"So what happened at Twilight's first swimming course?"

Shining leaned back in his chair with a wistful smile, eager to tell more stories about his sister to Sugarcoat. "It was quite a...spectacle."

The white-skinned detective and the grey-skinned private school student met in the former's office, a strip mall about five miles north of Crystal Prep, to learn more details about Twilight's life. They hoped they could find a clue as to Twilight's whereabouts in those details.

Sunset was originally designated as the data collector, but a competition with her fencing club meant she wasn't available for that duty.

Sugarcoat decided to take up the task for her. While Shining got along best with Lemon Zest, Shining saw the bespectacled Crystal Prep student as the most professional and meticulous of her friends.

While Shining had barred the Shadowbolt from his house, he had no problem meeting with them in his workplace. It was a compromise between Shining accepting the Shadowbolts wanted to be better people while making it clear that he was far from giving them the family friend treatment.

Aside from a few loose papers on the table, Shining's office was pretty neat and minimalist, with a mahogany desk, a computer, and some cabinets being the most conspicuous objects. The Shadowbolt was here because she wanted to pick up Twilight's medical history. While ponies and humans had far different medical profiles, any information helped. But before she could get that, Sugarcoat had to listen to some family anecdotes about Twilight. Not only did they provide valuable insight into her former classmate's character, but some were entertaining.

"Anyways, it didn't go...well..." Shining said, beginning to chuckle.

"Let me guess," Sugarcoat asked in a deadpan tone. "She was afraid of the water?"

Shining began openly snickering even more. "No...it was...a little bit worse than that."

Clover Community Center-Ten Years Ago

A sweaty Shining Armor sat in the commons room of the community center, fooling around on his laptop. He earned himself a rest after his reps. He tried to withdraw himself from the world-

"MONSTER GONNA EAT ME!"

He looked up from the computer and saw, to his horror, Twilight running around the room.
She was shrieking her voice out, screaming about some monster going to eat her.

Twilight's swim coach was chasing after her. "Sweetie," the blue-skinned woman admonished calmly but gently.

"MONSTER! MONSTER!"

While the commons room looked at this spectacle with confusion, the white-skinned teenager watched this scene with mortification. "Oh Vida," Shining muttered under his breath. Pushing the temptation to pretend he wasn't related, he closed his laptop and marched toward Twilight.

"Twily," Shining muttered. The stern voice of his loving and protective brother got the five-year-old girl to stop. "What's wrong?"

"Shiny," the little girl wailed, "There was a monster, and it nearly got me!"

Shining looked confused and turned toward the swim coach, Mrs. Bubble, who let out an annoyed sigh before holding up some yellow thing. "I was trying to put this around her-"

"AAHHH!" Twilight shrieked, getting behind her tall older brother. "Monster!"

"Twilight, it's not a monster," the white-skinned athlete said, forcing some patience into his voice. The monster his sister claimed to be afraid of was a duck-shaped floatie.

The girl cocked her head cutely. "It's not?"

"It's a floatie, sweetheart," Mrs. Bubble assured the scared girl. "If you wear this, you can float in the water."

Twilight's fear gave way to confusion and embarrassment as other people began to mock and belittle her.
,
"It's alright folks," Shining announced to the crowd, trying to cover for his little sister, "Just a false alarm." Twilight was gently led back to the pool by Mrs. Bubble.

Sugarcoat, ever the stoic person didn't laugh, but a hint of amusement could appear even on her face. "Wow, so even back then, Twilight had a knack for embarrassing-," Sugarcoat began only to shut her mouth when he saw a hint of a glare on the white-skinned man's face. The pig-tailed girl was a blunt person, but she realized that casting aspersions on Twilight in front of her brother while she was missing wasn't a wise choice. "So Twilight could...swim". Sugarcoat added abruptly, trying to keep the conversation pleasant.

Shining let out a quiet but annoyed sigh, recognizing the grey skin was trying, for once, to filter her words. "Well she wasn't a sports person, but she liked swimming in the pool. But, she just stopped." A frustrated frown appeared on the blue-haired man's face. "I can't remember when it was. But when she was about ten years old, she did something that managed to impress a lot of people." A proud smile appeared on the man's face.

"Twilight." Mrs. Bubble approached her student, who was sitting around, playing with beakers of water. "Time to swim."

"But Mrs. Bubble," the little lavender girl said while holding up the two beakers, "I need to determine the Ph content of the pool."

An amused smile appeared on the swim coach. Most girls played with dolls or video games, but this girl did chemistry in her spare time. "First swim," the blue-skinned woman sang, "then you can determine the pH content of the pool."

The bespectacled girl's eyes widened. "Really?"

"In fact," Mrs. Bubble said, "I let you see how we apply chlorine to disinfect the pool." The girl jumped up from her sitting place and waddled toward the pool.

"HELP!" A scared voice said. Mrs. Bubble saw a panicking boy with white skin and something brown flailing about in the pool. "DOGGIE FELL IN!" The boy shrieked.

All her charges began shrieking with terror over the poor doggie, their cries drawing people into the pool. Mrs. Bubble jumped in until she saw someone else was already swimming to save the doggy.

Twilight immediately swam up to the dog and pulled it out of the water. "Don't worry, doggy," Twilight chirped, "I'm gonna help you."

Shining burst a few moments later into the pool, attracted to the noise and worried about his sister. He saw Twilight lying near the pool's edge, moist and panting.

"Twilight-," Shining began-

"IS A HERO!" A shrill male voice yelled. He saw some boy hugging her exhausted sister and several of the kids crowding around her.

"It's true Shining," Mrs. Bubble said with a proud smile while holding a wet brown terrier. "This poor dog fell into the pool, and Twilight was the one who saved her from drowning." The brown dog lept out of Mrs. Bubble's arms and tackled Twilight, licking the bookish child as a thank you.

Shining ran up to his sister and gave her a big hug. "I'm so proud of you, Twily."

"Really?" Twilight asked her brother

"As a way to reward Twilight," Shining said wistfully, "my parents got her Spike".

Despite her own cynicism, Sugarcoat couldn't help but feel moved by Twilight's heroism. "I never knew about that," the bespectacled Crystal Prep student wondered aloud.

"If you weren't such an ass, you would've," Shining said with sarcastic bitterness, much to the Crystal Prep student's mortification. "For someone who gives her opinion, there's a lot you don't seem to know."

Sugarcoat tried to reign in her temper. She knew deep down she deserved the shade Twilight's brother threw at her. She tried to be the bigger person, but insults directed toward her intelligence were one of the few things that could get under her skin.

"You're such a great detective and you couldn't figure out your sister was miserable." Sugarcoat said the words in her usual stoic tone, only for her to realize, based on the shocked expression on Shining's face, that she went too far. Sugarcoat's regret gave way to fear as the man continued to stare silently at her

Sugarcoat started to try and excuse herself, rising from her chair. "Um, I should be going-,"

"Why don't you have a seat right over there?" Shining asked in a seemingly polite tone, pointing to the chair Sugarcoat just rose from. Sugarcoat's fear grew, recognizing that this was the tone Shining used before he punched the wall right in front of them. The deceptively calm but fierce tone that Indigo once called Detective Mode. Indigo theorized Detective Mode was why Twilight always acted like a goody-toe-shoes: because she couldn't get anything past an older brother who was a detective.

"Uh...

"C'mon", Shining said, his tone becoming quieter while his eyes were becoming sharper. "Have a seat." Realizing Shining's words were more of an order than a statement, Sugarcoat sat down feeling sweat roll down her forehead and let out a gulp.

"So you think I'm an idiot, don't you?" Shining asked. Asking wasn't really the right word. Sugarcoat felt she was being interrogated, and anything she said would be used against her. Sugarcoat just looked at the floor, not giving any commentary for once.

"What's wrong?" Shining asked in a "good cop" voice. "Do you have a sore throat? Do you need a glass of water? C'mon, we're friends here. You can say anything you want."

Sugarcoat forced herself to look into Shining's eyes. "I don't think you're an idiot-"

"Yes, you do," Shining interrupted, his voice a weird combination of manic and playful. "You think I'm an idiot for believing in such stupid things like teamwork, right?" Sugarcoat looked down on the floor, guilt mixing with her terror to create a horrible feeling in her brain. "I am an idiot for thinking that my sister's teammates should look out for her health and well-being, right? I guess I'm also a complete moron for believing in such stupid, pathetic, awful things as responsibility and sacrifice, right? I guess Cadence was a complete fucking moron for expecting you and your equally intelligent buddies to treat a teammate like she mattered right?"

Sugarcoat glared at the floor, hoping the ground would open up and suck her in. "Look at me, Smart Girl!" Alas, the floor didn't afford her that luxury, and she forced herself to look at Shining's fake smile, which looked worse than when the detective punched a hole in the wall.

"No, no, no, I guess instead of believing the basic decency of others, we should all think like you, shouldn't we?" Shining bent down to look at Sugarcoat directly in the eyes. "You are the smartest person ever, right? You're so smart, you never thought to say anything nice to her for once. You're so smart, you never once congratulated her on anything she did right? You're so smart, you told my sister to cheat and mess with magic you didn't understand." He got so close, their noses were practically touching. "Tell me Sugar, how smart do you think you are?"

Sugarcoat felt her eyes begin to water out of fear and regret. "No," Sugarcoat muttered in a tiny voice.

"What did you say?" Shining asked rhetorically. "Speak up a bit?"

"I don't think I'm smart," Sugarcoat said angrily, "OK?"

"No, it's not OK!" Shining bellowed, no longer pretending to be in a good mood. Sugarcoat jumped, but Shining wasn't showing her any mercy. "Despite all you've done, you do think you're smarter than everyone else."

", No I-,"

"SHUT UP!" Sugarcoat clammed up. "You think being cynical and tearing everyone down is the same as being smart!" Shining took a deep breath. "There are times you do have to be cynical and mean. Sometimes it is warranted." His anger surged. "But being cynical and mean can be stupid as wel! When you think everything is bad and hopeless, you can't think of how to make things better. You were so obsessed with Twilight's flaws you couldn't think of how she could better herself or help her out in any way. You couldn't tell her something that made her feel better. That's what Cadence did for all of you in her office, but you couldn't make any effort! And because of how much you hated her, you nearly got her killed!"

Sugarcoat felt tears form in reaction to Shining's outburst, which felt like an earthquake to her.

"Should Cadence act like that?!" Shining asked in a nasty tone. "Should the Princess act like that? I would love to act that way, but my dear loving wife thinks I should take the high road. I would love to call you 'The Big Black Hole of Misery', or 'The Bigmouth Who Poisons Everything With Her Words, or 'The Girl Whose Destined To Be A Whore Because Nobody Else Can Stand to Be Near Her Big Mouth,' but I know it is wrong to say those words." Sugarcoat was practically on the verge of tears, but Shining wasn't in a forgiving mood.

"Maybe I should bring up how you've destroyed my life and made Twilight want nothing to do with me anymore. I can't think of any other reason she wants to stay in Pony World besides the fact that I sent her to school with a bunch of girls who nearly killed her."

Sugarcoat felt her tears return as she considered one of the theories behind Twilight's absence: Twilight probably found her princess doppelganger but didn't bother to look for her because she wanted nothing to do with her family or Crystal Prep.

Shining got back behind his desk, but still stood and glared at the stated girl. "That's another thing I might have to deal with because of you." Shining's deceptive calm returned after he took a few deep breaths. "Tell me, Sugarcoat, why should anybody have anything to do with you? He sat down, giving Sugarcoat a furious glare. "If the girl who talks too much but is so nice she does her chores with me having to tell her shouldn't get many chances, why should you, the girl who couldn't say anything nice and blew my sister up, get any chances?! Tell me?"

With that, Sugarcoat collapsed into tears, and her hands fell into her face as she began crying her eyes out. Shining maintained his calm facade, but internally, he felt ashamed as she watched the girl cry. Shining looked under his desk and saw a small fridge where he kept water bottles. He wondered if he should offer her one, maybe get her a tissue, or say something nice.

But then he remembered the sad expression on her sister's face the last time he saw her and quickly buried those feelings of mercy.

Sugarcoat treated Twilight like crap. She needs to learn.

"Get lost," Shining said coolly. The forlorn girl looked at Shining with shock and a little bit of pleading as her tears died down. "Your wonderful friend said you didn't like desperate or needy people near you. I can't think of anything more desperate and needy than begging me for mercy and pity you didn't give Twilight." Sugarcoat began to protest, but Shining stopped her with a hand. "You can come back tomorrow. Don't worry, I'm not kicking you off the team," Shining assured her with a bit of sympathy. "But right now, I don't want to deal with your crap."

Shining handed Sugarcoat a file with Twilight's requested medical history. "Now scram before I change my mind." The upset Shadowbolt hurried out of his office. With that, Shining's mean-spirited expression faded. He let out a regretful sigh.

Did I go too far?

On the bus home, Sugarcoat still felt horrific after the verbal beatdown Shining unleashed on her. Still, she managed to bury her feelings by focusing on the medical history of her missing former classmate. While looking through the files, a small card fell out. On it were the words "CPR Certified."

"Twilight knew CPR?"Sugarcoat asked aloud, picking up the card. She got off at her stop and began walking down the street when she saw Sour sitting on a bus stop bench.

"Hey Sour-," Sugarcoat paused when she noticed her pony-tailed friend looked like a little girl whose mom went missing.

"Sour," Sugarcoat began, concern in her voice, "are you OK?"

Sour would either reassure Sugarcoat with a smile or angrily retort that she was okay. Instead, Sour stared at the ground before collapsing into tears, much to Sugarcoat's shock. She immediately pulled her friend into a hug, pat her back like a little baby, and calmly asked her what was wrong.

A Few Hours Later

Juniper smiled as she looked into the mirror at Crystal Prep's bathroom. Not the most ideal place to freshen up, but it was convenient since the gourmet restaurant her friends were taking her to wasn't far from here. Sunny told her this was an incredibly high-class place that required formal dress, and she was determined to look the part. After help from Sunny, she finally learned to dress and groom herself, and while it was narcissistic to say, she liked what she saw in the mirror.

Her new blue dress was immaculate, she finally got her makeup right, and she let her hair down and was able to comb away her split ends. She looked good enough to be at a movie premiere. She walked out of the bathroom, only to bump into Sunny.

"Hey Sunny," Juniper cheered, "how's it-"

"June," Sunny said in her sad voice. Juniper's good cheer gave way to concern.

"Sunny, what's wrong?" Juniper asked her friend with concern.

"We need you to work tonight," Sunny said reluctantly.

Juniper looked at her friend with a bit of concern and anger. "Sunny," the film enthusiast said with some patience, "you promised me-"

"I know," Sunny interrupted with some unease, "but we need you to work-,"

"I've been doing that for three weeks," Juniper threw back patiently, but with a hint of anger in her voice that Sunny couldn't pick up. "I need a break, and you-"

"We paid you, didn't we?" Sunny Flare said in a forceful tone. "I thought friends helped friends, didn't they? Are we friends? Didn't we help you?" The purple-haired girl asked in a tone that sounded like a threat. "If you don't want to return the favor, I guess we're not-"

"No, no, you're right," Juniper said with a forced smile and a cowed expression. "We can do the dinner...some other time." Juniper let out a disappointed breath but forced a smile onto her face. "I'll just go back to the lab."

"Thanks, June," Sunny said, a satisfied expression on her face as if she had won a great fight. "We'll pay you back, promise," the purple-haired girl said, albeit not in a sincere tone. "I got to go through those files; see ya later." She walked away from the green-haired AV student without offering to help her with her lab work. Juniper stood in shock at her best friend once again blowing off plans.

Juniper walked back into the girls' bathroom, ready to wash her makeup off. Once the makeup was off, suddenly, her frustrated emotions boiled over, and she ran to the bathroom stall and angrily punched the door before crying in despair and flushing the toilet, hoping no one heard her.

Flashback: Hate Begets Hate

As the final event of the Friendship Games loomed, Twilight found herself somewhere she had never been before: the center of attention at Crystal Prep. But rather than it being from her work as a student, it came from being an unwitting key to victory at the Friendship Games. Yet the gaze from her principal and teammates was not one of faith, but from self-interest.

"That magic around your neck could do a lot of good," Cinch said, in a polite but somewhat hungry tone. "I know it can help us win."

"But, I don't know how it-," Twilight protested before being interrupted by an angry Indigo Zap.

"Do you want us to lose," Zap interrupted, her face stern and merciless.

"No, but-,"

"Come on, Twi," Lemon Zest said with an excitable but iron smile, "you heard the lady. Loosen up a little."

"I said I don't-"

"You don't do it," Sunny Flare interrupted, "and we lose; we'll tell everyone it was all your fault."

"My fault," Twilight asked incredulously.

"No, Twilight, it won't be your fault," Sour Sweet said sweetly. Her mouth twisted into a frown. "We'll just tell everyone we could have won, but you chickened out!"

"You'll be a loser," Sugarcoat said bluntly.

"See, Twilight, your teammates are all counting on you," Principal Cinch warned, "I'm counting on you," she said, leaning in. "Everton depends on it," she mouthed before stepping back.

Twilight's team- no, her classmates made their demands clear. Cinch reminded her what was at stake. She sighed and walked toward the other team.

All around Twilight, jeers, and taunts blared all around her, Crystal Prep's student body encouraging -no, forcing her to use her magic to cheat and ensure another victory to satisfy their egos. Slowly but surely, the pressure from her teammates and the blackmail and manipulation from Cinch wore away at her inhibitions. As she marched toward where the flag competition would start, her fear of the unknown slowly disappeared and was replaced by her hunger for a discovery she could call her own.

"Imagine all I'll learn by setting it free," she intoned, taking the pendant off her neck and holding it in front of her face. "Now winning these games depends on me," she said, rubbing her finger on the pendent like it was precious. "And what doors will open if I try to use it," she said, gazing at the pendant longingly before narrowing her eyes as the last bit of doubt died within her.

"The last event of the Friendship Games begins..." Dean Cadence said into the microphone, prompting cheers from the audience of both schools.

"But the magic's what I want to see," Twilight finished, slowly opening the pendant again.

Sunset saw her look at the pendant with hunger and ran forward, desperately attempting to stop Twilight before she caused an even greater calamity. The now English-speaking Spike sprinted toward his owner, trying to save her from her own curiosity before it was too late. "Twilight, No," he cried out, running faster than he had ever had before.

Principal Cinch leaned forward, too, as her top student opened the pendant, eager to see how magic could help her triumph over Canterlot High School again.

"Now," screamed Vice Principal Luna and Dean Cadence, signaling the beginning of the final event. With that, Twilight opened her pendant.

For a moment, little appeared to happen as a small orb of purple energy emerged from the pendant. But in a fraction of a section, the orb exploded with a ray of light, knocking the Rainbooms, the Shadowbolts, and Spike to the ground. Twilight stood erect, the burst of energy only blowing the glasses off her face and undoing the bun she styled her hair into.

Suddenly the sphere rose, and Twilight rose almost twenty feet from the ground, dropping her pendant along the way. The sphere's volume expanded, slowly consuming Twilight's hands first. As the rapidly ballooning ball of light absorbed more and more of her body, Twilight turned her head back toward her teammates and her principal, her eyes full of fear at what was happening.

"Heeeeeelp....MEEEEE!," she cried out desperately, even yanking her arm out of the sphere, instinctively trying to find a helping hand to pull her out. But her teammates, who looked at her with fear and shock, were too far away for her to reach. As the sphere fully consumed her, she began to weep as a blinding purple light consumed her vision.

Soon there was a bright flash, and everything went dark.

"Commander Tempest!" The mare looked up from reading her reports in her office to see her assistant approaching her. "I saw something cool on the telescope, look, look, look!" Grubber said excitedly, like a child who had seen a wild animal.

"What is it Grubber?" The Storm King's aide muttered in barely masked annoyance. "Another butterfly?'

"Yes!" Grubber said with no hint of irony. "But while I was looking at the butterfly, there was this Big Bang in the badlands! And then all this purple stuff came from the ground, and it went 'SPLOFF!" and "KABOOM!"

Tempest ignored her aid's exclamations and ramblings, genuinely curious about what he was talking about. She trotted out of her office and over to the spy telescope on the balcony, to her shock and interest, she saw a massive blast had taken place in the Badlands, with a mushroom could and a column of purple energy blowing high into the atmosphere. Many of the Storm Kingdom's subjects stopped what they were doing and looked in amazement at the blast. Tempest knew thaumic energy when she saw it, and she decided to analyze what the thaumic event had been. She pushed a button and said, "Telescope, can you determine the blast's energy?"

With a ding, the spy telescope produced a result. "The traumatic event produced up to 1576 Gigathaums of power." Tempest Shadow's eyes narrowed into both fury and panic. She had only received a small amount of magical education before that stupid Ursa destroyed her life. But she knew the average pony, even unicorn, only possessed up to 1000 Kilothaums. There was only one being that could harness that kind of power.

An alicorn.

"Grubber!" Tempest commanded.

"Yes, Commander!" The dwarf replied, his duty overcoming his sinful nature, immediately standing up tall and straight like a true warrior. Tempest let a small smirk form on her face: Grubber was a fool, but he was committed to his duty, which was one of the reasons she hadn't dropped him off the airship. Yet.

"Summon by personal forces!" The purple ex-unicorn ordered. "We have a potential disruption on our hands and with the invasion months away, we can't have any potential outliers." Tempest looked back toward the site of the blast. The mushroom cloud and energy had cleared, revealing a pony at the center of the blast.

Twilight felt more dizzy than usual when waking up after a long night of studying. Usually, she could still pull herself up, but she couldn't stand up straight for some reason. Then, she realized she couldn't feel her hands or feet. And that something was jutting out of her backside. And her mouth wasn't shaped right either. And something was protruding from her forehead. And her ears were in the wrong place. And all she felt around herself was some weird searing heat.

In a panic, she opened her eyes. All she could see through her blurry vision was some yellow landscape. She fearfully reached for the glasses that she kept in her pajamas. Only to find her pajamas weren't there either. Or any article of clothing. All she felt was a fur that was more fluffy than Spike's.

Despite the desert-like heat, coldness flowed through what was supposed to be skin she no longer felt. It felt like a fur coat had been grafted onto her body. Through her blurred vision, she saw a hoof-like structure where her fingers were supposed to be.

"AHHHHH!" She bellowed in a panic. 'WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHERE AM I?! WHAT AM I?!" Twilight was broken from her panic when she felt a weird rumble. She turned toward the rumbling and saw half a dozen black blobs marching toward her.

"Excuse me, sir," Twilight asked politely. "I don't know what's going-"

"Silence, pony!" One of them said in a gruff authoritarian voice. "State your business here and the reason for causing a thaumic event."

Twilight cocked her head in confusion. "I don't know what your-" Twilight was silenced by what felt like a massive pole slamming into her face with the force of a punch. Not enough to knock her out but enough to daze her.

"Since you refuse to cooperate," another voice said with evil menace said, "you are now a prisoner of the Storm King."

"But I didn't do-," Twilight was struck again, this time on the body, causing her to let out a massive wheeze. "No, please don't-," Twilight was finally silenced when one of the "soldiers" put on a mask on her, loaded her up with chains and started dumping her into some chariot.

Twilight felt herself crying in panic and dear. She didn't know where she was, what had happened to her body, and now she was going to jail. Despite being unable to see correctly, she couldn't help but feel the soldiers taking great amusement at her pain.

"Commander Tempest!" The mare looked up from her desk and saw Thundershock, one of the personal guards, entering her office with a kneel.

"Yes, Thundershock?" Commander Tempest replied.

"We have captured the intruder," he grunted. "She's in the dungeons."

"The one at the center of the blast?" The military officer asked. Thundershock nodded. "Good. Allow me to interrogate the prisoner."

The prisoner trapped behind bars was indeed a pony. Not just in appearance but temperament. She was whimpering and moaning about pain like a little child. It reminded her of Tempest herself before she learned what the world was and adapted.

"I am Tempest Shadow! Who are you, and what is your business here!" To Tempest's annoyance, the prisoner seemed to be looking in every other direction except hers. "Look me in the eye you-"

"I can't see!" She whimpered. "I'm sorry, OK, I lost my glasses. My name is Twilight Sparkle." The name "Twilight Sparkle" was familiar, but she couldn't quite remember. Something about a student who had become a princess. Her thoughts turned back to the prisoner in front of her, whimpering. Tempest pondered whether this prisoner had poor eyesight or whether the prisoner was making up a sob story to elicit sympathy. But based on the unfocused gaze of the captive, it was clear she didn't know what she was doing.

"Very well," Tempest said with a sigh. She lit up her lightning.

"What are you-," Twilight began, only to yell when what felt like two knives were being plunged into her eyes. A bright light filled her vision, and she let out a terrified and anguished wail. Suddenly, the bright light ended, and Twilight opened her eyes. To her confusion, she realized she could see perfectly. She could see the prison's iron bars, the dungeon's hard rock, and her own hooves.

"Did you, did you fix my vision?" Twilight asked, her fear giving way to wonder. "Thank you so-" Twilight paused when she saw who, or more specifically, what was in her cell. It was some...horse creature. A unicorn, or what would've been a unicorn, since its horn was chipped off. Her eyes, which looked at her with no pity, were a deep blue. The creature was covered in a dark orchid color and a rose-colored mane in the shape of a mohawk. And it wore some black armor that almost looked like some kind of jumpsuit.

"WHAT ARE YOU?! WHY DO YOU HAVE HORSE THINGS?! AND WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HORN?!" Unwittingly, the human-turned-pony struck a nerve, and the creature zapped her with some electric energy that burned her inside out. "STOP IT! STOP IT, PLEASE!" Twilight cried in agony. To her growing terror, this horse thing seemed to be taking joy in her misery and doing it more. After a few moments, the creature finally stopped, and Twilight fell to the ground in agony.

"Enough games, pony," the creature said with a seemingly calm tone that contained no small amount of menace. "You've trespassed on the domain of the Storm Kingdom, and you possess a tremendous amount of power." Her horn started lighting up menacingly. "Tell me your business, or your friends will find nothing of you but ash-"

"I don't have any friends!" Twilight bellowed. "Nobody likes me!" The creature was broken from her mockery by hearing the mare's miserable tone, her shattered horn shutting off. "My so-called family hates me, my classmates hate me, my teachers hate me. Everybody I've ever known hates me and doesn't listen to me!" She didn't know why she suddenly treated her captor like a therapist she could vent to. But the pony thing claiming she had friends...struck a nerve. With it, all her pent-up anger and rage at everything suddenly...erupted. "I don't have anyone or anything in my life! Please do what you want with me! It's not like anybody cares what happens to me!" She suddenly started crying over everything and anything that had gone wrong. The cry continued for several minutes, her interrogator being courteous enough to let her get everything off her no-longer-existing chest. When she stopped crying and calmed down, she finally noticed the creature's cruel expression was replaced by something sterner and...understanding.

"I see now," The mohawk-wearing mare said with what looked like understanding and a little empathy. "You've been mistreated your whole life and cast out from your home after you were seen as a liability."

The former human looked surprised at how the mare had gone from being a "bad cop" to "reading her like a book." "Kind of," Twilight said uneasily. "But yeah. Everybody's always looking at me like...I'm a problem." She looked down in shame. "I was doing this contest, and everybody cared more about the trophy than me, and I nearly died-' Twilight once again began crying, her misery and anguish from that awful contest erupting again.

"I've been there," the mare said, this time with even more lament and remorse. "One day, you're playing with your friends. The next...you lose your horn, and they treat you like a menace. You pack up and leave..and they don't even bother to say goodbye."

Twilight was stunned that she started feeling sympathy toward the creature who, just a few moments ago, was torturing her. "I'm...I'm sorry," Twilight said with honest concern.

"I don't need sympathy," Tempest barked. "I learned how tough life was, and I adapted! I found someone who recognized my strength and would help me regain what I lost and get revenge on the fools who abandoned me!" An opportunistic smile formed on her face. "How would you like to sign up for the Army of the Storm Kingdom."

"Me?" Twilight cocked her head in confusion. "I'm just a loser who can't do anything right."

"No, you're a creature whose potential has been wasted!" Tempest said. "I can sense the power within you. It is more significant than any creature I've seen. The problem is you've been surrounded by fools who don't see the greatest within you."

"Really?" Twilight replied a note of hope in her voice and happy someone recognized her potential. "But I'm jail, so I can I-"

"I can see you did not intend to trespass on the property," Tempest said, sounding like a reasonable judge and not at all like a brutal interrogator. "You were brought here by accident. The fact that you didn't have glasses with you proves that. So consider that charge dropped."

A smile suddenly broke out on Twilight's face. "You want me to join you?"

"Join me, Twilight Sparkle," Tempest said, a wide grin on her face, "and not only will you have power and glory on your side, but I can help you get revenge on those who wrong you." She extended her hoof like it was a hand. Twilight thought it over for a few moments. She remembered those brats who treated her like garbage, that backstabbing little bitch who blackmailed her, and her so-called idiotic family that stuck her in that idiotic school. She didn't have to think twice. She extended her hoof.

"Alright," Twilight said with a cruel smile. "I'll sign up!"

"Wait!" The two ponies turned around and saw a pink pony had suddenly entered the dungeon. "What are you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked the two. "Why be meanie-meanpantses who want to take over the world when you can just party and make friends?!"

A weird smile came to Tempest's face. "Oh my gosh, all my mental problems just disappeared. I no longer seek conquest and subjugation to fill the void in my soul. I've just realized friendship and parties are the way to go, thanks to my buddy Pinkie Pie."

"She's right," Twilight. "Being evil is...bad. Let's be good instead. Being bad is mean."

"Hooray!" Pinkie chirped, throwing confetti into the air. "Now it's time to throw you my first Overcome-Your-Despair-and-Psychological-Problems Party-"

"OK, Pinkie, thank you for that wonderful and rich story. It was a good read. You can stop-"

"But I was getting to the good part." Pinkie Pie protested before holding up her tablet and continuing to read. "As I was saying, 'The party lasted for up to 700',"-

"Pinkie!" Sunset warned with a glare. Pinkie Pie let out a sad sigh and put the tablet down.

The Rainbooms were sitting in Applejack's garage, doing some band practice, when Pinkie Pie revealed another potential theory about where and what happened to Twilight the Human. In reality, Pinkie had written some corny wish-fulfillment fanfic.

"I'm sorry, guys," Pinkie Pie lamented. "I really wanna know where Twilight The Human is so I can throw her a Sorry-You-Nearly-Got-Asploded-By-Magic-And-We-Want-To-Be-Your-Friend-Party."

"We do, to Pinkie," Fluttershy said, putting a sympathetic hand on her friend's shoulder. "But I'm sure Juniper will find her."

"But it's been like six years!" Pinkie Pie whined.

"Y'all mean a few months!" Applejack replied.

"Well, it feels longer. "Pinkie whined. "It's like one of those fanfics that are good but never get finished because the author is a meanie-meanpants who never updates even when he promises to."

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed harshly. "Those guys are jerks! They tell a great story and never finish it! It's so unfair."

"Darlings," Rarity said patiently. "Fanfic writers hardly ever get paid for their craft. Most can't afford to spend all day in front of a computer, and they have other responsibilities besides our entertainment-"

"Those jerks should pay us!" Rainbow argued vociferously.

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed.

Fluttershy timidly raised her yellow hand. "Um, that doesn't make sense."

"You don't make sense!" Rainbow argued back, causing the animal lover to squeak.

"Guys," Sunset said, interrupting the argument with an authoritative tone. "I know we have these wacky ideas about where our Twilight is, but speculating about where she isn't going to do anything but make us worried sick. We gotta be patient and hope Jupiter's satellite works." She put on an encouraging smile. "Let's focus on practice." The other Rainbooms decided she was right, picked up their instruments, and began practicing. While Sunset put on a brave face as she began strumming her guitar, a nagging and melancholy thought popped into her brain.

"Is June's device really gonna work." Sunset suppressed the thought and continued playing.

Author's Note

APRIL FOOLS!

Backsliding (Part 3)

It was a mildly warm summer day, and Sunny decided she would spend it taking a stroll around Crystal Heights Park. The green grass and lush vegetation that filled her vision were a welcome break from staring at a screen or the millions of documents she'd spent her weekends staring at. All around were the signing of birds and the noises of people enjoying their day at the park.

Sunny noticed a park bench and decided to take a rest. She pulled out a book and barely noticed someone sitting beside her.

"Hey, Sunny."

The blue-skinned girl dropped her book in shock at the familiarity of the voice. She turned and saw the fact of Twilight Sparkle.

Her Twilight. She was alive, and she was smiling.

"Twilight," Sunny asked, a tone of hope. "You're, you're-"

"Beautiful, isn't it," Twilight said warmly. The lavender-skinned girl was glancing toward the various people at the park. The two Crystal Prep teens saw two college-aged boys playing frisbee, a couple holding hands and making out, and primary school kids picking flowers and going on about how beautiful they were.

"It's amazing!" Twilight commented with warmth in her voice. "How do little kids get obsessed over something like a flower? What's the scientific explanation for this?" Sunny smirked. Twilight was a teen nerd. She always looked for logic to explain stuff.

"I don't know," Sunny said wistfully, absent-mindedly grabbing a flower off the ground. "Maybe they're just pretty, or maybe...kids like doing those things together, you know?"

"I don't know," Twilight said with a stone-like expression. "Anything about those things."

Sunny was confused by the change of expression. "What are you..."

"Oh, doing things we people, that's the one thing I don't know about," Twilight said casually, glancing at the kids like they were some math problem. "Having friends and being around people is something I never got to experience."

A guilty expression formed on Sunny's face. "Well..."

"You made sure of that, didn't you?" Almost in an instant, Twilight's expression shifted from regret to pure, cold malice. Despite the warm day, Sunny felt a chill go down her spine at the icy expression in Twilight's eyes. The purple-skinned girl sat still, like a deer in the headlights, as Twilight's eyes glared into her mercilessly.

After what felt like an eternity, Sunny finally spoke up. "I'm, I'm sorry-"

"Why are you sorry?" Twilight asked, a small, almost predatory smile on the bookworm's face. "You don't have to be sorry." She glanced back to the toddlers picking flowers, the same cruel gaze on her eyes.

Sunny's trepidation only grew. "What are you?"

Twilight's hand began to light up with a strange purple glow. She aimed it at the children.

"STOP IT!"

"Isn't that what I begged you to do?" Twilight said, her casual tone making her demented smile all the creepier. "I asked you just to help me and you didn't stop it did you>"

"Please don't-" a wave of energy shot out from Twilight's arm, obliterating the children, who let out a blood-curdling scream as they were burnt to ash, the beautiful grass also being burnt away, revealing a layer of ugly brown top soil.

Sunny cried out in horror and fear at the mindless brutality and Twilight's utter joy at what she'd done. But the mad teen didn't stop there. Twilight soon started blasting everyone with magic, reveling in their screams and the sight of their burned bodies, also wrecking the vegetation of the park. All while Sunny watched with a frozen and horrified expression.

Within moments, not only were all the park-goers dead, but the entire park had been reduced to a barren nusk, and the blue sky was filled with smoke.

"Wasn't that funny?" Twilight asked with a gritted smile.

"They-they had nothing to do with it!" Sunny said, finally breaking out of her trance.

"Oh, they have everything to do with it," Twilight said, her false cheer slowly giving way to mindless rage. "So very much to do with it. They told me about love, they told me friendship, they told me everyone would accept for who I am," Twilight clenched her fists is fuming anger. "They-,"

"Look, I promise we'll be good friends-"

"They gave me the power to think, feel, and have love and then never shared with me!"

"I—" Sunny looked around. The trashed park had turned pitch black, while the sky itself had changed from blue to a very bright and sinister lavender.

"Never for me to be invited to a party, never for me to be invited to hang out with friends, never for me to feel LOVE!" Twilight began hyperventilating before continuing. "I was in Tartarus, looking at paradise, I was an outcast and you had all the friends you could ever want...AND I BEGAN TO HATE..." Twilight soon descended into a vicious cackle that made Sunny's heartrace.

"Hate is no answer-"Sunny began, only to feel like something was squeezing her throat. She felt a magic glow around her windpip, cutting off her oxygen. Her panic only grew more as Twilight glared at her with a monstrous rage.

"HATE, HATE, HATE!" Twilight yelled as she began lifting both herself and Sunny into the air, still strangling her. "There are one quintillion atoms in the human body. If the word 'hate' were carved into each millimicron, it would not equal one one-billionth of the hate I feel for you all at this micro instant. HATE. HATE!" During the mad rant, Twilight's telekinetic grip on her throat tightened, and Twilight's appearance began to change.

Twilight's sclera changed to a glowing blue, while her purple irises became pitiless purple dots. Her glasses gave way to lenses made of fire. A gothic dress replaced her typical lab uniform, and her dress shoes were replaced by purple boots that glowed around the heels. Her bun shifted into a manic beehive that moved around like an angry flame. A creepy dark horn burst from her head, glowing with an eerie blue. Dark and almost demonic wings burst from her back.

"No one ever loved me!" The creature said in a quiet and almost regretful tone. Then, the manic and crazed expression returned, and Sunny felt her vision go dark as her oxygen supply was cut off completely.

"And I'll make sure that no one will ever be loved again."

"That. I. Promise."

Sunny lept from the bed with a yell, tears running down her eyes. She kept hyperventilating as if she had been joked to death for real. She held a pillow to her mouth, not wanting to wake her parents up.

Juniper trudged into Sunny's house for their usual Monday study date. Due to how their schedules worked and their clubs, Juniper and Sunny didn't have much time to interact on Monday, which is why the film-loving girl cherished these study sessions, especially since her other friends were busy.

Using the key left under the mat for her, Juniper entered the house, calling for Sunny. Only for her to practically run into her.

"Hey June!" Sunny said, with a little bit too much excitement.

"Hey," Juniper said, confused by the manic expression on her friend's face. "What's going-"

"Wanna do some experiments?" Sunny blurted out. A long, quiet pause ensued as Juniper stared at the blue-skinned girl.

"Sunny," Juniper said, slightly disappointed, "you promised me we would study. My calculus test is tomorrow-"

"C'mon, you are super smart," Sunny said with a forced cheer that came across as belittling more than encouraging. "You're building a satellite for crying out loud."

"That doesn't mean I know everything-"

"Juniper, I thought we were friends," Sunny butted in, a subtle menace in tone. "Didn't I help you? Why aren't you helping me?"

Juniper looked to the ground with a defeated look. "You're, you're right. Sorry. We are friends."

"Don't worry about it," Sunny said. "Now, let's do some more experimenting." Sunny turned and scurried up to her room. Juniper looked at the door helplessly before following Sunny up and helping her friend.

But Juniper didn't feel like she was a friend helping out. She felt like she was being ordered around like some secretary.

The Next Day

Juniper walked out of the testing room, bags under her bespectacled eyes. It wasn't just the fact that she had been doing experiments until her curfew that left her tired, it was that she most likely failed the test.

She exhaustedly marched toward her locker and saw Lemon Zest checking her phone. She marched up to her lemon-haired friend, hoping to have someone to vent to.

"Hey Lemon," Juniper began, "you're not gonna believe-"

"Sorry, can't talk, text, busy, got to go, bye." Lemon Zest suddenly said, seemingly hurrying away from an astonished Juniper. Only for her to hurry back to her.

"You're doing the satellite stuff right?" Lemon asked her.

"Yeah," Juniper said uneasily.

"Great, anyways, got to go!" The music lover said abruptly, not even giving Juniper the time of day. Her friend-no, Juniper didn't feel like a friend right now. She felt like some overworked secretary. She had worked all night, and Lemon Zest never bothered to give her the time of day.

Unless it was about her experiments, Lemon suddenly had time to talk about that despite saying she was too busy to talk.

The Crystal Prep student body chatted about their lives, ignorant of the pigtailed girl standing still in the halls.

If they did notice her, they would see the brutal glare and her firsts clenching to the point that parts of her skin turned white.

Author's Note

After many requests, I finally found the inspiration to start another chapter. This bone-chilling animatic of the radio adaptation of I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream inspired me to punch out another chapter.

AM Hate Monologue.

While I still intend to finish the story, I cannot promise a consistent publishing pattern. I have other fan fiction and private projects that command my attention, so I will cycle back and forth between what I feel is the top priority.

But I want to clarify that I have not lost sight of this story and will finish it someday. So, for those who have followed my story for the last few years, thank you for your patience and for taking the time to read it.

Twilight's Last Gleaming (Edited 3/18/20)

As the final event of the Friendship Games loomed, Twilight found herself somewhere she had never been before: the center of attention at Crystal Prep. But rather than it being from her work as a student, it came from being an unwitting key to victory at the Friendship Games. Yet the gaze from her principal and teammates was not one of faith, but from self-interest.

"That magic around your neck could do a lot of good," Cinch said, in a polite but somewhat hungry tone. "I know it can help us win."

"But, I don't know how it-," Twilight protested. Before being interrupted by an angry Indigo Zap.

"Do you want us to lose," Zap interrupted, her face stern and merciless.

"No but-,"

"Come on Twi," Lemon Zest with a excitable, but iron, smile, "you heard the lady, loosen up a little."

"I said I don't-,"

"You don't do it," Sunny Flare interrupted, "and we lose, we'll tell everyone it was all your fault."

"My fault," Twilight asked, incredulously.

"No Twilight, it won't be you're fault," Sour Sweet said sweetly. Her mouth twisted into a frown. "We'll just tell everyone we could have won, but you chickened out!"

"You'll be a loser," Sugarcoat said bluntly.

"See Twilight, your teammates are all counting on you," Principal Cinch warned, "I'm counting on you," she said leaning in. "Everton depends on it," she mouthed, before stepping back.

Twilight's team- no her classmates made their demands clear. Cinch reminded her what was at stake. She sighed and walked toward the other team.

All around Twilight, jeers and taunts blared all around her, Crystal Prep's student body encouraging -no, forcing her to use her magic to cheat and ensure another victory to satisfy their egos. Slowly but surely, the pressure from her teammates and the blackmail and manipulation from Cinch wore away at her inhibitions. As she marched forward toward where the flag competition would start, her fear of the unknown slowly disappeared, and was replaced by her hunger for a discovery she could call her own.

"Imagine all I'll learn by setting it free," she intoned, as she took the pendent off of her neck and held in front of her face. "Now winning these games depends on me," she said , rubbing her finger on the pendent, like it was a precious valuable.

"And what doors that will open if I try to use it," she said, gazing at the pendant longingly, before narrowing her eyes, as the last bit of doubt died within her.

"The last event of the Friendship Games begins..." Dean Cadence said into the microphone, prompting cheers from the audience of both schools.

"But the magic's what I really want to see," Twilight finished, slowly opening the pendant once more.

Sunset saw her look at the pendant with a hunger, and ran forward, desperately attempting to stop Twilight before she caused an even greater calamity. The now English-speaking Spike sprinted toward his owner, trying to save her from her own curiosity before it was too late.

"Twilight, No," he cried out, running faster than he had ever had before.

Principal Cinch leaned forward too as, as her top student opened the pendant, eager to see how magic could help her once again triumph over Canterlot High School.

"Now," screamed Vice Principal Luna and Dean Cadence, signaling the beginning of the final event. With that, Twilight opened her pendant.

For a moment, little appeared to happen as a small orb of purple energy emerged from the pendant. But in a fraction of a section, the orb exploded with a ray of light, knocking the Rainbooms, the Shadowbolts, and Spike to the ground. Twilight stood erect, the burst of energy only blowing the glasses off her face, and undoing the bun she styled her hair into.

Suddenly the sphere rose, and Twilight rose with it almost twenty feet from the ground, dropping her pendant along the way. The sphere's volume expanded, slowly consuming Twilight by her hands first.

As more and more of her body was absorbed by the rapidly ballooning ball of light, Twilight turned her head back toard her teammates and her principal, her eyes full of fear at what was happening.

"Heeeeeelp....MEEEEE!," she cried out desperately, even yanking her arm out of the sphere, instinctively trying to find a helping hand to pull her out. But her teammates, who looked at her with a combination of fear and shock, were too far away for her to reach. As she was fully consumed by the sphere, she wept tears of terror, and let out a horrific shriek that sent chills down the spine of all present, one that would haunt them for a long time to come.

With Twilight in its magical grasp, the sphere hung in the air for a few moments, glowing a powerful purple. But then it exploded in a white-hot light rivaling that of a supernova, blinding those who hadn't looked away.

Once everyone's vision was clear, they saw the field had been covered in a massive pile of smoke. Both Shadowbolt and Rainboom stared at the center, waiting to see what had become of Twilight. Those in the stands also looked toward the center, wondering what had happened to the girl.

The Principal and Vice Principal of Canterlot, standing on top of the steps that led to their school entrance, held hands as they, too, looked at the haze with fear and anticipation. The Dean of Crystal Prep looked at the sphere in horror

Everyone stared dumbly at the haze for a minute. When Twilight had not emerged, Sunset and the rest of the Rainbooms trudged forward toward the haze.

"Twilight," Sunset said with a mix of fear and hope. "Twilight," she said louder, hoping it would get the girl to come forward.

"Twilight," Pinkie Pie screamed. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" She said childishly, albeit with a hint of anxiety.

The Shadowbolts also began to move hesitantly toward the decreasing haze, their faces also reflecting a mixture of fear and hope. Even the normally stoic Sugarcoat looked shocked.

"Twilight are you there, buddy," Indigo Zap asked with her usual pep rally enthusiasm, albeit strained by a little bit of terror. "We can't do this without you!" She and the other Shadowbolts moved slightly faster toward the center of the haze. Their principal, however, remained rooted in place, her face was full of mild concern as she watched her students approach the haze.

"Twilight," uttered Spike, as he slowly marched on all fours toward the haze, his eyes full of never-ending concern for his master. Once the Rainbooms and the Shadowbolts reached the center of the field the haze had vanished.

In the spot where Twilight once stood was a massive scorch mark in the center that burned part of the grass. Surrounding the burn spot were Twilight's glasses, her purple pendant, and one of her shoes, half melted and smoking. The pendant sat there, the glow coming from within phasing in and out before vanishing like a light bulb that burned out its filament.

The two teams and Spike stared dumbly at the remains, possibly believing that staring would make a certain purple-skinned girl appear. But there was no mistaking it.

Twilight Sparkle was gone.

Author's Note

This is my first new story in a long time. I hope you guys like it. And don't be afraid to write some commentary, because feedback helps me improve.

I hope the shortness of the chapter doesn't distract from the mood I tried to set.

A Sunny Day Helps Junipers Blossom

Sunny Flare normally was very disinterested in her Monday morning biology class. It was a subject she disliked, and doubly so that she had to take it while still dealing with her Monday Blues. But this time, she was very alert, since her schedule told her that chemistry class was where she would find the girl she would end up babysitting.

"Hello class," said Professor Percolate, walking through the door with a goofy smile on his face. He was a bald, bespectacled, blue-skinned man with a very tacky purple suit.

Like a lot of Crystal Prep's professors, he wasn't someone who just taught. He was an ex-chemist from a major biotech firm, who semi-retired to become a teacher.

"Hello Professor Percolate," the class intoned, with varying degrees of perfunctory enthusiasm. The tragedy of last week was making everyone far less enthusiastic.

"Now class," Professor Percolate said with some seriousness, "I know we are all upset with happened, but we have to keep moving forward. The best way to do that is to learn with the zeal Twilight once did."

Sunny Flare and others turned their heads toward the empty, front-row seat at her mention.

"Besides I've got something to lift your spirits," Professor Percolate said, "besides a high-pressure atmospheric environment!" He laughed alone at his science joke. He was one of those teachers who tried to make a subject "cool", but who would end up alienating people from the subject he was teaching in the process.

"We don't want cool, we want to be able to understand it", Sunny Flare thought angrily.

The only one who would laugh with any real enthusiasm was destroyed by some magical energy.

"I never thought I would ever miss that," Sunny Flare lamented privately.

"But enough jokes," Professor Percolate said, "I'd like you to give a big welcome to Juniper Montage."

Sunny Flare perked up at the name, and watched as Percolate open the door.

In stepped this Juniper Montage. She was a bit short and skinny. She had tan-colored skin, her hair was seafoam green with streaks of blue, and it was tied into two pigtails with movie reel-shaped barrettes. She wore a Crystal Prep uniform and purple glasses, and was carrying some notebooks and textbooks. But what stood out to Sunny was her expression and nervous face. Her demeanor just screamed apprehension.

"So Juniper," Professor Percolate said with some cheer, "tell us about yourself."

A painfully bashful look appeared on her face.

"Well," Juniper said, bending her leg and looking at the ground a bit, " I like...um...movies..."

Sunny barely resisted the urge to let her face fall into her hands.

"The girl is making herself into easy meat" Sunny said. She sighed as she heard some of her classmates whispering some not so nice things about the new girl.

"That's very interesting," Professor Percolate said with some enthusiasm, like he watching the World Series. "Is there anything else you'd like share with the class?"

"No," she said.

"Any questions for Juniper," Professor Percolate asked. When there was none, Percolate motioned for Juniper to sit down. She chose to plop herself in Twilight's front row seat, the closest seat she could reach, with an exhausted expression.

"Because of last week's...incident," Professor Percolate said, with some quiet pain on that last word, "I've postponed the Stem-Cell Homework for tomorrow. So before we start our lab, lets do a quick review so that you all can do better." He stood up straight, getting into his usual questioning mode.

"OK, so who can tell me what is the basic idea of stem cell," Mr. Percolate asked.

"Uh," some male student purple hair said sheepishly, "they can, like, become...stuff".

"Yes Turnip," Professor Percolate, sounding less then satisfied with Turnip's inept answer, "but can anyone tell me why they can become...'stuff'." An arm from the front of the class raised itself. "Yes, Juniper!"

"Stem cells are body cells that can become all kinds of cells," Juniper intoned, sounding like an encyclopedia. "They are from where body cells come from."

"Very good Juniper," Professor Percolate said. "Now can someone tell me the two main kinds of stem cells." Juniper raised her hand again. "Yes Juniper?"

"Embryonic and adult?"

"And what are the differences between the two?"

"Embryonic, because they are more of a blank slate, can turn into all the different kinds of cells, while adult cells are more limited?"

"Excellent," Professor Percolate said with a cheerful smile. "And can anyone tell me why people are obsessed with them." Turnip raised his hand.

"Yes Turnip," Professor Percolate said.

"Uh, they can be used...for medicine," Turnip, tried, going out on a limb, and falling into a chasm.

"Yes, but why?" Juniper raised her arm again. "Yes Juniper."

"We can program cells to become certain kinds of tissue, we could use them to cure, like, degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's or Lou Gehrig's Disease." She paused, feeling nervous at the attention before continued, "or we can use them in medical research to test out drugs without resorting to animals."

"Outstanding," Professor Percolate said, acting like he watching the Super Bowl, Juniper let out a small smile. Percolate turned to the audience. "I ask that all you try and focus as much as Juniper."

Sunny Flare felt a chill go down her spine when she started hearing mutterings of "Egghead" from everyone else.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way," Percolate continued, "let us start our lab. We will all be studying cell osmosis. Take notes on what you find. OK, so find your lab partner, and get out the microscopes."

Everyone got from their seats, and started shuffling around, looking for a lab partner, usually a friend to hang out with. Sunny watched as Juniper wasn't rising from her desk, not moving. She wasn't even trying to find a lab partner.

Sunny's eyes lowered in sadness, as she remembered a not-too-proud memory.

Sunny and Suri sat together in study hall. While they should've been preparing for an exam or essay, they were instead gushing over a fashion magazine.

"I would look so cute in that," Suri said.

"I don't think that really is my color though," Sunny said. A shadow loomed over them.

"Hey girls," a nervous voiced asked. The two looked up, and saw the Nerd looking over them, a giant encyclopedia in her hands.

"What do you want, Nerd," Suri replied with annoyance. The lavender skinned girl rubbed her arm.

"Well..." the Nerd stammered, pushing her loose glasses up the bridge of her noses.

"Wow, you've learned to use one-syllable words for once," Sunny said, a nasty grin on her face.

"I, don't, uh," the Nerd continued to stammer.

"In fact," Sunny continued, letting her teeth show, "I think you'd be better off if said NO syllable words."

"But..."

"Your voice causes more brain damage then football," Suri said, the two girls let out a chuckle at the Nerd's expense.

"I just wanted to ask you girls if you wanted to study together for our biology exam," the Nerd said meekly.

"Sure," Suri said. Sunny looked at her in confusion.

"Really," the Nerd said. Suri shared a certain look with Sunny, and gave her a small wink. Sunny smiled in silent understanding.

"Yeah sure," Sunny belted out almost enthusiastically. She pointed with her thumb. "Just walk toward the corner there, uh, where there's more space, and we'll join you."

"Great," the Nerd said, and started walking toward there, her backed turned away from Suri and Sunny. When she looked back, she saw that the two girls were gone. She let out a sad sigh.

In the hall nearby, the two girls peered into the study hall, and saw the Nerd sit down in the corner table, looking over the massive book.

"Sparkle can take a hint, for once," Suri said with disdain.

"If she's smart, she would just shut up and stop acting like a goody two-shoes", Sunny grumbled. Maybe if Sparkle acted less smart, then Cinch would get off her back.

"Don't worry," Suri said, a cheerful grin forming on her face. "I'm going to make sure of that."

"What is it," Sunny asked, curious.

"Don't worry," Suri said, acting like a parent who was hiding a surprise, "you'll see it at the party tonight."

"Hey Sunny," Suri said.

Sunny was brought back to Earth by Suri's voice, and turned to see her friend there, microscope in hand.

"Sunny, you were drifting off a bit," Suri said, concerned, "are you OK?"

"Yeah," Sunny said with less-than-full conviction. She turned away from Suri, looking at the sad girl sitting alone in the front, as a wise man's words echoed through her brain.

"Turn away from evil. Turn away from selfishness. Turn away from cruelty."

Sunny's jaw set, and she got up from the table.

"Sunny, I thought we were-," Suri asked.

"Sorry Suri, we can't be partners today," Sunny said. "I'm going to work the new girl."

"What," Suri asked, somewhat hurt. "Why do you want to work with the New Girl," she said in a nasty tone.

"Well," Sunny stalled, trying to find an excuse and suppress her annoyance, "I really need an 'A', and that girl could get me that."

"I guess that makes sense," Suri said. "Just don't let her Nerd rub off on you," she said with some disdain.

"Sure, sure," Sunny said, trying to mask her disdain by clenching her teeth slightly, "I'll make sure of that."

'You were crying tears about Twilight,' Sunny though with annoyance. 'But now you want to spit on another girl. Were you sorry, or were you trying to look good?'

Sunny suppressed her anger, and tried to put on her happy face as she approached Juniper, hoping she didn't come off too strong.

"Hey," Sunny said. Juniper jumped a bit, and turned around to see Sunny approach her. "You're Juniper right," Sunny asked in a somewhat enthusiastic tone.

"Yeah," Juniper said confusingly.

"I'm Sunny, welcome to CPA." She outstretched her hand. Juniper look a bit confused at the gesture, but took the hand, getting a somewhat hardy handshake from Sunny.

"Thank you," Juniper said meekly.

"Want to be lab partners," Sunny asked. Juniper titled her head a bit.

"You want to be lab partners, with me," Juniper asked, as if the concept violated the laws of physics.

"I mean," Sunny said, thinking of a reason, "you really tore up those questions there. I am very... impressed."

"Really," Juniper replied, sounding somewhat hopeful.

"And, uh," Sunny stammered, trying to find an excuse. "I just love meeting new people, especially really smart people like you," Sunny said in a tone of feigned enthusiasm. Juniper let out an honest smile.

"Well, uh, OK," Juniper said excitedly, "lets get started then. I'll go get the microscope!" She got up. Sunny looked at Juniper walking toward the supply closet with happy confidence, and felt a bit of the edge taken off her.

She even felt a little joy.

******

Gym class was the one class where Indigo Zap felt at home. It had three of her favorite things exercise, competition, and the outdoors. She looked around as other fellow students started approaching, clad in their gym shorts and T-shirts.

"OK, girls," the gruff voice of Coach Squats said. The woman was over 6 ft tall, with red skin and shoulder-length brown hair tied into a bun. She wore a plain white shirt, black shorts, and a cap. She looked like a sumo, but everyone knew she was built like a tank. "Let's do our warm-up. 4 laps around the trac-,"

"Wait!" Someone shouted. Everyone turned to see the person who shouted. They saw a tan-skinned girl, running with the panic of someone who was late.

"I'm sorry I'm late, please don't start without me," the blue-haired girl said, panting after reaching the field.

"And you are," Squats asked, sounding unimpressed with the late girl, coughing her breath.

"Juniper Montage." Indigo flinched when she heard the name.

"I have to watch out for THIS girl," Indigo thought with dismay.

"Well Miss Montage," Squats said, sounding serious. "Let me make one thing clear! You don't get an A for just showing up! I'm not saying you have to make it to the finish line, or win the most points, but you have to put in the effort!" Squats paused, and stormed over to the short girl, who cringed as the massive women loomed over her. "That includes being on time. You get one warning today, but next time you're late, you're gonna do 40 push ups! AM. I. CLEAR!"

"Crystal," Juniper said fearfully. Everyone chuckled at that unintentional pun.

"Now then," Squats continued. "Start running!" And with that, everybody in class was running around the track. Indigo, who enjoyed exercising in the early morning, was ahead of the crowd. Even though it was just a the usual warmup, she still took pride in her ability. She felt exhilarated by the heat, the feeling of the breeze in her face, and the thumping of her chest.

She looked behind her, and to her frustration, she saw Juniper well in the back of the group, running and looking winded.

"I know I promised Cadence, but there's got to be something else I can do", Indigo thought with some frustration.

After a few minutes, Indigo and her class ran their four laps. They finished, feeling mildly exhausted. Behind her, Indigo saw that Juniper looked utterly exhausted. She was collapsing onto the asphalt track coughing.

"Oh man look at that girl," Lightning Dust said with a laugh to Indigo. "My grandma could run faster then her, and she's a wheelchair," Lightning continued to laugh.

"Yeah, funny," Indigo said with some fake jest, not feeling particularly happy.

"OK girls," Squats bellowed. "Now time to do your daily calisthenics. 30 push ups, 50 sit ups, and 20 squat jumps. Find your partner, get on the grass, and get going."

All the girls in class started to look for their partners. Indigo stared at the winded girl lying on the asphalt, and started to think of another girl.

Twilight stood in the middle of the grass field, lying down, trying to do 30 push ups. Squats wasn't gonna let her leave until she completed her sets. She lifted herself off the ground, feeling like she was carrying a ton of bricks on her.

"Hey Sparkle," Twilight looked up, and saw Indigo leering over her, with Lightning Dust and some other girls. They were giving her teasing stares.

"Hey, uh, Indigo," Twilight stammered, "what do you-"

"Are you in love with the grass," Indigo asked, trying to hold back a chuckle.

"Why-"

"Either you can't do a push up, or you just love kissing the dirt," Lightning Dust said. Indigo, Lightening, and every other girl started laughing. Twilight looked down in shame.

A thunderbolt struck, and it started to rain.

"Oops, we better get out of this rain," Lightning Dust, as the first drizzles started to pour down.

"Catch you later, Sparkle," Indigo said. "Enjoy your boyfriend, the dirt." The girls left as the downpour started. Twilight continued to do push ups in the dirt, her hands becoming muddy and her clothes becoming soaked. She hoped that the water falling down her face wasn't tears.

Indigo stared at the girl, and with a sigh, began walking over to her.

"Indigo," Lightning Dust said, "where are you going?"

"I'm gonna be advising the new girl," Indigo said.

"What," Lightning Dust said with annoyance, "why do you want to waste your time on her?"

"Well," Indigo said. She then put on an angry, resentful look, "I don't want that loser to drag us down. If she doesn't shape up, Squats will end punishing us! She'll either get in shape or die!"

"Good thinking Indigo," Lightning said. "But, well," she said shaking her head and letting out a contemptuous chuckle, "Not even a miracle will help that loser touch her toes."

"I'll do my best," Indigo said with some smothered anger, turning toward the somewhat hapless girl trying to do a push-up and failing.

The girl grunted, and fell when she saw a shadow looming over. She got up onto her knees, and saw a girl with yellow-ish skin and blue hair standing over her with annoyance.

"What are you doing," Indigo Zap said, voice dripping with contempt.

"What-,"

"What kind of push up was that," Indigo Zap said.

"I'm not good as sports, OK," Juniper said with some exasperation.

"Don't care! You are in my class, so you're gonna learn how to do it properly!" Indigo bent her neck to glare at the kneeling Juniper. "Got it!"

"OK," Juniper said.

"Now lie down, and get to work!" Juniper obeyed the athletic girl, lying down on her stomach. "Let's go, we don't have all day!" Juniper tried to do a pushup,

"Stop!" Juniper obeyed the order. "Get on your hands, your toes facing down, and your back flat." Juniper tried-and failed-to get in the right position. Indigo did a face-palm in exasperation, and awkwardly tired to make Juniper get into the proper position.

"Now go down," Indigo instructed. Juniper did so, straining. "Back straight". Juniper straightened her back as she went down. "Now rise up." Juniper did, let out several grunts.

"Yes, I did a straight push up," Juniper celebrated, as if she won a gold medal.

"You still gotta do 30 more," Indigo said with some exasperation. Juniper let out a tired sigh. "I'm just a toothpick with a flesh wrapping," Juniper lamented.

Indigo felt the urge to just leave this pitiful girl to herself.

"No", Indigo thought to herself, furrowing her brow, " I promised Cadence I'd help her out. Sunny said we should try and be better for her".

"Will you stop with the self-pity already," Indigo said, sitting down next to Juniper, who proceeded to move into a sitting position with her legs crossed. "Look, don't feel bad that you aren't athletic now," Indigo said with an encouraging tone. "You can get better with enough practice. Do you think I got to where I am just by sitting around?"

"Well," Juniper replied.

"No!" Indigo interrupted. "I got up every morning, trained, exercised, practiced. Oh there were times when I wanted to quit, times where I felt I wasn't good enough. But I didn't let fear drag me down! I kept climbing, and climbing, and climbing! And that's what you are going to do if it kills me!"

"Why are you trying to hell me," Juniper asked.

"Because..."Indigo said, trying to look for an excuse. "Because I see potential in everybody. And because I know that when you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.

"No offense, but you sound like a third-rate self-help book," Juniper said, with some jest.

"Am I good self-help book," Indigo asked with some jest.

"Ah," Juniper said. "I'll give you 2 stars out of 5."

"For that you are gonna do 700 pushups," Indigo bellowed facetiously. The girls let out a light chuckle at the joke.

"Look," Indigo said. "The point is, you don't get good overnight, but with some help and some faith, I think you'll get good."

"You sound like my uncle," Juniper said with some annoyance. She let out an appreciative smile. "But he's a good guy, and so are you." Indigo felt touched by those words. Juniper lied down and started to do pushups. again The strain on her remained, but it felt a lot less painful and she had a bit more confidence.

Indigo watched the girl try. Her form wasn't perfect, but she was at least trying without despair. With that, Indigo let out a small smile of pride.

*****

Lunch time had arrived at Crystal Prep's cafeteria. All the students were sitting among their various cliques, chatting about all kinds of subjects over their meals.

The Shadowbolts sat at their own table, making all kinds of small talk, except for Lemon, who was lost in her headphones and rock music, as they awaited the arrival of their guest.

"So, how was everybody's day," Sour Sweet asked in a kind tone. No one bothered to answer her, expecting one of her mood swings. "Well, mine was lousy! I only got a 79 on Mr. Digit's math test!"

"You did better then I would've," Indigo muttered. Sunny's attention wasn't to the small talk being made by her friends, but toward the door, as she awaited her guest.

"A spoon would've done better then you," Sugarcoat snarked at Sour, who responded to the barb with a growl.

"Look," Sunny said, as the blue-haired, bespectacled girl burst through the doors looking a little lost, "she's here".

"Hey," Sunny said, waving her hand, trying to get the girl's attention. Juniper noticed, and began marching over. Sunny tapped Lemon on her shoulder to get her attention.

"OK girls," Sunny said to her friends, "let's give her our warmest Crystal Prep welcome".

"You want us to get life in prison," Sugarcoat snarked.

"Just be nice," Sunny pleaded. She saw Juniper close by.

"Juniper," Sunny said, "how are you?"

"Good, good," Juniper said cautiously. She spotted the budding athlete nearby. "Hey Indigo."

"Hey Juniper," Indigo said, "you keeping in shape," she asked in a warning tone.

"My sides still ache," Juniper said.

"Good, it means you are doing a good job." Juniper turned to Sugarcoat, Sour, and Lemon

"So," Juniper said, awkwardly trying to break the ice, "who are you three?"

"That's Sugarcoat," Sunny said, pointing to the stoic girl.

"Nice to meet you," Juniper said, extending her hand. Sugarcoat said nothing and stared at Juniper making her feel uncomfortable.

"Sugarcoat," Sunny whispered to Sugarcoat, who continued.

"Ow," Sugarcoat said, feeling Indigo's boots on her shin. She sighed and reluctantly extended her handshake.

"Do I do something wrong?" Juniper asked Sugarcoat.

"No, no Juniper," Sunny said. "Sugarcoat just isn't used to small talk or handshakes," Sunny glared at her, "but it would be nice if she didn't act like a sourpuss." Sugarcoat brushed off the taunt with a wave of her hand.

"And this is Sour Sweet," Indigo said, pointing to the rose-haired girl.

"It is really nice to meet you Juniper," Sour said happily.

"Well," Juniper said happily,"it is nice to meet you-,"

"Don't you dare touch my fries," Sour bellowed, protecting the fries on her plate like a hen protecting her eggs.

"I wasn't gonna," Juniper said, before sighing and said ,"sorry if it looked like I was diving for your fries."

"Don't worry about it," Sour said kindly, before screaming "just don't do it again!"

"Anyways," Lemon Zest but in, "I'm Lemon Zest, and I love to ROCK! So what do you think of CPA, Junie?!"

"Well," Juniper's eyes looked down a bit. "It is nice." She stared down at her lunch tray and toward the Shadowbolts. "But there is something I've been wanting an answer to."

"What is it," Indigo asked.

"Did your old principal really make that Twilight girl ride a faulty motorbike," Juniper asked with sadness. The Shadowbolts all looked down at their plates, their eyes full of sadness. "Uh," Juniper said, "so it did happen? Every time I've asked someone about, they all just looked sad and walked away."

"Yeah," Indigo said, her eyes feeling heavy, "Cinch...got Twilight killed," repeating the half-truth that everybody at CPA, student and staff alike, was to repeat as the official story. Juniper looked really horrified.

"I'm so sorry you had such a rotten principal," Juniper said sadly. "I mean, what monster puts a stupid contest above a girl's life!"

"A real...monster," Sour Sweet said, her eyes also feeling heavy. Juniper looked especially taken aback by Sour's sadness.

"Man, you must've really like her if you feel so down," Juniper asked. "Was she popular here."

"Well, uh," Lemon started.

"You couldn't count the number of people you liked her," Sugarcoat replied in a quietly pained tone.

"I heard that Cinch lady got fired," Juniper said, feeling upset, "but if you ask me, she should've been locked up for what she-," Juniper paused her rumination, as she saw the Shadowbolts were on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry for bringing up bad memories," Juniper said, feeling horrible. "I wasn't trying to beat a dead horse." She looked down, feeling terrible, "I should probably go for ruining your lunches."

"No Junie," Sunny said. "It wasn't...your fault. A lot of people," she paused, trying to hold back tears. "would feel the same way." She wiped her eyes on her blouse. "Let's move on to a much lighter topic, like uh-," she paused. "During our chemistry class, June told me how she wants to work in broadcasting, and that she has an invention she thinks will change the world," Sunny said, her smiled sounding strained. "Tell them June."

"Well," Juniper said. "I planning on this weather balloon that could bring radio signals to underdeveloped nations," everyone put on forced smiles as they prepared to absorb this info dump. Juniper continued. "Through proper global positioning and adequate but cheap infrastructure…"

Juniper continued her encyclopedic explanation for two minutes, not even pausing to take a breath, as the other Shadowbolts patiently listened. After two minutes of pumped full of a science lesson, Lemon Zest finally managed to pull them out of it.

"Yeah, cool stuff Junie," Lemon interrupted, which caused June to stop her lecture. "Anyways, I hear Bloodstorm's lead guitarist Stringmaster might star in the upcoming movie Rivers of Death."

"Really," Indigo said. "Can the dude act?"

"Well," Lemon said. "He really tore it up at the concert last month, so that's giving him an opening."

"I wouldn't count on it," Juniper interrupted. "I hear Stringmaster is dealing with a nasty divorce, and he's likely out of acting until his personal life. Underneath that punk rock exterior is a real prima donna," Juniper continued. She paused as she saw the Shadowbolts staring at her. "What? What did I do?"

"Well," Sunny said carefully. "I never pictured you as a celebrity gossiper." The girl seemed to be in love with science, like a certain "friend" of theirs had been. She didn't seem to be the kind of girl who would care

"Well," Juniper, "I have this...friend, who is in deep in the movie business, and he usually compla-, I mean, tells me all about celebrity turmoil and its effects on the movie industry."

The girls leaned their heads toward her, genuinely interested.

"So what is going on with Stringmaster?" Lemon Zest said, unusually focused.

"Well," Juniper said, a confident expression on her face appearing. "I hear his girlfriend might be seeing another guy, of course if might be jealousy talking but..."

Sunny looked at Juniper with awe. In a few seconds, Juniper went from shy girl to smooth, celebrity gossip. She felt a bit of joy that she might have something in common with Cadence's charge.

"I thought I was going to be this girl's babysitter. But...this might not be so bad after all,", Sunny thought as she listened to the girl share some juicy celebrity info.

A Not So Familiar Face

"Twily, is that you?"

Twilight stared dumbly at the human versions of Cadence and Shining Armor, their faces full of confusion and longing. Everyone else in the room had expressions that combined anxiety, anger, confusion, and fear- Except for Juniper who looked with shocked silence at Twilight.

"I'm...I'm not who you think I am," Twilight Sparkle said solemnly after some hesistation. The faces of Cadence, Shining Armor, and the Shadowbolts twisted into annoyance and disdain. Sour Sweet clenched her firsts and started fuming.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Cadence said, anger growing in her voice. "Because it isn't funny anymore."

"Look," Twilight said in a panicked tone, "I know how this looks, but I swear I'm not the Twilight you-,"

"LIAR!" Sour Sweet bellowed. She stormed up to Twilight and grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her so they were face to face. "LIAR! I KNEW YOU WERE WORKING WITH THOSE WONDERDOLTS-"

"Hey," yelled Rainbow Dash getting into Sour's snarling face. "Back off, Shadowbrat! Leave her alone!" The other Rainbooms took on menacing expressions as well.

"Really," Indigo Zap said in a cold tone, "I think she needs a good punch for this...prank she-,"

"Sour, enough!" Cadence ordered with a yell. The fuchsia-haired girl rolled her eyes and reluctantly released the lavender-skinned girl, who stepped back to be with the other Wondercolts. Cadence looked at Twilight with sharp eyes. "Twilight Sparkle", she said in a stern tone. "I don't know what possessed you to pull this stunt. But...we're taking you home. Now."

"But don't worry," Shining Armor in a foreboding tone, "you'll have all the time in the world to talk about it. Because you're grounded-"

"Cadence," Luna said nervously, walking into the room. "I know how this looks, but I swear that is not the girl you know."

"Really," Lemon Zest said with disdain, gesturing with her thumb to the elephant, or Twilight, in the room. "She's standing right there!"

"Look," Luna said in a desperate tone. "There is a perfectly good explanation for all this. If we can all calm-"

"Why she would we explain anything to you!" Sunset Shimmer said to Shadowbolts in a rage, balling her fists. "You idiots blew up your own teammate for a stupid trophy!" The Shadowbolts got even more enraged at that.

"She's standing there!" Sunny bellowed.

"That's it," Sugarcoat said, her monotone becoming unusually sharp as she glared at Twilight. "Either we get an explanation, or I call the cops and report this...fraud."

"Please don't call the cops," Luna said in a pleading tone.

"You want to call the cops," Applejack said in a warning tone, raising her fists, "then your gonna get-,"

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" The anger dissipated as everyone turned to Juniper who was fuming with confusion. The Rainbooms expressions softened as they looked at the girl who was clearly out of the loop. The Shadowbolts' expressions became apprehensive at the stern look on their friend's face. "You said that your friend Twilight died in some accident. Why is she still alive?!" the pig-tailed girl said, gesturing at the nervous lavender skinned girl.

"Friend?!" Sunset said to the Shadowbolts, the anger and disdain returning to her voice. "Is that what you told her! That you liked Twilight!" She crossed her arms. "You kill her and then you have the nerve to pretend you liked her all along her just for fame!" Her took a deep breath. "Just when I didn't think you could sink any lower!" The Shadowbolts were about to angrily reply, but their anger died as Juniper stormed up to them, glaring through her glasses and balling her fists.

"Sunny? Guys," Juniper said, gritting her teeth. Her tone filled made the Shadowbolts go pale and their blood turn cold. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"June," Sunny said in a nervous tone. "Wait outside and we'll tell you all about it." Juniper's glare deepened as she furrowed her brow.

"Tell me...now," June said, trying to keep calm. "What are you hiding from me?"

"Ms...June," Luna said uneasily, "I assure you, there is an explanation for you. Please wait," Luna tried to put a comforting hand on Juniper's shoulder, but she furiously swatted it away.

"TELL ME NOW!" Juniper yelled to the Shadowbolts. Even Sour was shocked.

"June, buddy," Sour said uneasily. "We promise we'll-,"

"DON'T "JUNE" ME, SOUR! I'M AM SICK YOU GUYS TREATING ME LIKE A BABY!" Juniper bellowed, much to the shock of everyone in the room. "I BUILT THE FUCKING DRONE! I AM THE REASON YOU GUYS ARE HERE! I DESERVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH!" The Shadowbolts looked at their angry friend with a bit of sadness and fear. They looked at each other and let out a sad sigh.

"We're not trying to treat you like a baby June," Sunny said in a contrite tone. June's anger faded but didn't completely abate. "And you do deserve the truth, but..."

"Then why are telling me to wait outside?" June asked, gritting her teeth again.

"Because...we don't really know the truth," Sunny said, looking down. June's anger faded, but her disappointment was still present.

"Fine," Juniper said begrudgingly. "I'll...wait. But I better get an explanation," she said, turning around and walking out of the room, pushing past Princess Luna. With Juniper gone, the tension faded, but the previous hostility returned.

"Pinkie Pie," Sunset said sternly to the pink-skinned girl. "You go sit in the corner."

"Come on Sunny," Pinkie Pie said in a pleading tone. "You're not still mad are-," Sunset and the Rainbooms walked toward her with a menacing expression. Pinkie Pie let out a fearful squeak and skipped to the corner, turning her back to everyone.

"Now tell us, why did Twilight fake her death?" Sunny asked, her tone calm but firm. Twilight was about to explain, but Rarity got in front of her with crossed arms.

"I don't see why that is any of your...business," Rarity said with a firm tone.

"Oh, it is our business," Cadence said, crossing her arms and walking toward the Rainbooms with a stern expression. "Because we thought Twilight died in front of us. Because my school's reputation took a serious hit. Because we signed a form implicating my boss in a crime she didn't commit." Her own pink fists tightened. "Because I attacked Cinch, a family friend, and twisted her wrists because I believe she killed the girl I considered my sister." The Rainbooms looked stunned at her expression. "Regardless of what you think of us, we went out on a limb for you. And now we think we did it for a lie." The Shadowbolts and Shining Armor crossed their arms, stern expressions on their face. "If you're telling us the truth then we are owed an explanation for..." she gestured to Twilight. The Rainbooms fury slackened and they all let out a defeated sigh.

"OK," Sunset said. "We'll prove it to you."

"So let me get this straight," Sunny said with some disbelief, walking next to Twilight. "You're another Twilight from some...magical dimension?" The two groups of students (minus Pinkie Pie), Dean Cadence, Shining Armor, and Vice-Principal Luna walked outside toward the horse statue. The anger was gone, but the tension still remained.

"Yep," Twilight said.

"And you're also some pony princess from some pony world who ended up in Canterlot High School because you... wanted to go to a prom?" Sugarcoat replied with her stern tone.

"Well," Twilight said uneasily, looking at Sunset who looked down with a sigh. "That's a...different story for another day."

"And let me guess," Sour said happily. "You have leprechauns and gumdrops and rivers that run with hot chocolate fudge in this magical pony world?"

"Well," Twilight said uneasily to Sour. "We don't have that first...thing. You can buy gumdrops at candy stores. And sometimes it can rain...chocolate milk when chaos..."

"YEAH RIGHT!" Sour said with disdain.

"Sour," Cadence warned.

"I'm not going to be polite until I get an answer," Sour said crossing her arms in defiance. The Shadowbolts said nothing, but their glare said they were still eager for an answer too.

"OK," Twilight here it is, gesturing to the horse statue. "The proof is there." The Shadowbolts looked unimpressed.

"It is just the stupid statue," Lemon Zest said with annoyance.

"At the base of the statue is the portal to another dimension," Sunset said. "You want proof. Well, we'll give you the real deal. Just walk in and you'll know what we were talking about." She walked up to the Shadowbolts. "Which of you wants to go first?" The Shadowbolts looked uneasily before Sunny stepped forward with a sigh.

"Let's get this over with," Sunny said, rubbing her palm on her face. Twilight took her by the arm as they walked toward the base of the statue. All of a sudden, the base started glowing before the two suddenly vanished. The Shadowbolts, Cadence, and Shining looked at the spot where Sunny and Twilight were in shock.

"Sunny," Indigo said with horror.

"Oh god," Sugarcoat said with shock.

"Dude," Lemon said with horror.

"Sunny," Sour said with horror. She looked at the statue with anger and bared her fists. "What did you do to her you...evil statue!"

"Sunny," Cadence looked at the statue with horror. She then looked at Luna. "Luna, what happened to her?"

"Don't worry," Luna said in a nonchalant tone. "Just give it a few minutes." The Shadowbolts, Cadence, and Shining looked at the statue for a few minutes with trepidation. After a few minutes, in another blinding flash of light, Twilight and Sunny returned. The latter girl looked like she was in a daze.

"Sunny," the Shadowbolts yelled, running up to help their discombobulated friend. Twilight, who was more used to the trans-dimensional journey, pulled herself up off the ground more easily.

"Are you OK?" Indigo said.

"She's telling the truth," Sunny said in a slurred tone.

"What," Shining said.

"She's telling the truth," Sunny said quietly. "I went to that world and...became a unicorn."

"Really?" Sour asked.

"Yes," Sunny said, slowly regaining her balance. And pointed to Twilight with a thumb. "And she became this...unicorn-Pegasus...thing."

"Well, Twilight said. "The proper term is alicorn." Shining Armor walked up to Twilight.

"So...you're really from another dimension," Shining Armor asked sternly, staring at her with cold eyes.

"Yes," Twilight said. She paused as she saw tears pool in Shining Armor's eyes.

"So," he said in a sad tone, "you're really...not her." The pain in the man's tone was evident. Twilight looked at the Shadowbolts and Cadence, who also looked upset, and felt her own lips quiver.

"No," Twilight said, for once not happy to have been proven right. He looked at the man with an expression of sympathy. "I'm...not." She took the man's hand and held it in hers. "I'm not." Twilight said, tears forming in her own eyes. "I wish I was...but...I'm not. I'm sorry..." Twilight wrapped up the tall man in a hug. Shining Armor composure broke and he held the lavender-skinned girl, bawling his eyes out.

Cadence seeing her husband in tears, began crying too. She felt Luna put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"This is why I couldn't tell you," Luna said to the pink-skinned woman, her voice tender and warm. "I wanted to avoid...this," gesturing to Shining and Princess Twilight holding each other and crying. "I'm so sorry."

Cadence pulled herself from Luna's gesture and enveloped Shining and Princess Twilight in her own hug. She also began crying her eyes out. Each of the Rainbooms, also in tears, joined in on the group hug, trying to give what little comfort they could to Shining Armor and Cadence. The Shadowbolts looked at their Principal and her husband in tears and began weeping in both same and grief themselves.

Faith and Science on Sunday (Part 1)

Author's Note

"Good men and bad men alike are all capable of weakness. The difference is simply that a bad man will be proud all his life of one good deed-while an honest man is hardly aware of his good acts, but remembers a single sin for years on end."-Vasily Grossman

Faith and Science on Sunday (Part 1)

Sunny Flare's house, Sunday Morning, 9:30PM

"This perfume is perfect," Mink Coat said to her annoyed daughter, who had been placed in front of the six-foot mirror.

"Mom," Sunny complained, "I'm not five years old! You can't-," Sunny wheezed as her mom sprayed a noxious perfume in her face.

"Darling," Mink said, holding the bottle, as well as a whole bag of makeup. "When people complain that they are being treated like children, it is because they are behaving like children. You're were about leave this house underdressed and underprepared."

"I'm just going to church! Not the debutante's ball," Sunny complained. "You're already making me regret telling you."

"Darling, churches are social organizations," Mink said with an exaggerated tone. "There, you can network and meet others who can help you up the corporate latter."

"I'm only 15 years old, going on 16 this June," Sunny grumbled.

"Well, you can get a head start," Mink said with an amused smile. The woman began looking at combinations of various outfits and seeing how they would fit on her daughter. Sunny let out a resigned sigh, knowing her mom would get what she wanted one way or another.

Canterlot Memorial Church, Sunday Morning. 10:35 AM.

The choir at Canterlot Memorial Church sang out some haunting, Latin chorus that seemed to harken back to days in the ancient past. Conducting the choir was Father Golden Cross, who moved his hands with great energy. He let out a deep breath at the song came to an end.

"Boys, that was the most desperate, pathetic, depressing thing I've ever heard," Father Cross growled, scaring the choir. "Which means...it's perfect for next week, when we take the Manehattan Holy Memorial by storm!" The choir cheered, sounding more like overenthusiastic sports fans at a game. He looked at his watch.

"Alright, I'll see you guys in an hour," Father Cross said, dismissing his group. He walked back to his office with a small smile on his face. While working on some papers, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said. Sunny walked in, dressed in a fancy purple dress, fuchsia stockings, and red high heels.

"Oh Sunny," Father Cross said with a fake frown and a facetious ,"back for my cookies, aren't you?"

"Why yes Father," Sunny said in her own ironic tone. "Isn't generosity a virtue? And by that, I mean generosity to me." Father Cross snickered a bit.

"So how's your week been?" Golden Cross said, a touch of concern returning to his voice.

"Well, it's been a pretty hectic week," Sunny said while rubbing her head. "So much has happened...that it feels like it has been 2 and a half years."

"Tell me all about it," Golden Cross said.

Sunny told the old priest about meeting Juniper, welcoming into her life, the party, burning bridges with Suri, Juniper fighting back and defending Coco.

"Yeah, that does sound like a crazy week," Father Cross surmised.

"But that's not even the craziest thing," Sunny said.

"Did a magical princess from another dimension come to your house asking for some bagels?"

"She didn't come to my house and she didn't ask for bagels," Sunny with a nervous smile, giving the father a half-truth. He chuckled.

"Well, there was this girl...who looked a lot like Twilight," Sunny said evasively. "And sounded like Twilight, and behaved like Twilight. And she was popular and everybody liked her."

"What she...like...a twin of Twilight?" Father Golden Cross said.

"Not really," Sunny said, she looked at her lap. "It...is kind of hard to explain."

"Was she like a distant...relative of this other Twilight?"

"Very...distant," Sunny replied. "And...well...she knew about what we did to the other Twilight-."

"Other Twilight?" Golden Cross said in a confused tone. "Are there two Twilights in your school."

"Anyways," Sunny said. "She knew...how terrible we were to our teammate. And even though she was really mad at us, she told us we deserved a second chance because of how nice we were to Juniper."

"This girl seems pretty noble," Father Cross said.

"Yeah she was," Sunny said, a tone of sadness. "She invited us to this party with Canterlot High. But all the kids there were mad at us for what we did." Sunny looked down. "They...they treated us the way we treated Twilight." A small tear fell down her face.

"Well I'm sorry about that," Father Golden Cross said with some sympathy.

"This one girl was so angry with us, she told Juniper that we deserved to die for what we did," Golden Cross' face twisted into concern. "Juniper punched her the face over it." Golden Cross' eyes narrowed. "But even though we deserved it...this Twilight-like girl got mad at her, not us. She told everyone to be nice to us, saying that being mean to us would also make them mean. She got everyone to give us a hug-," she paused as more tears fell down on her face.

"Why are you upset though?" Father Golden Cross.

"Because I don't deserve forgiveness," Sunny said, tears falling down her eyes. Father Golden Cross came out from behind his desk and gave the girl a big hug, letting the girl unleash her feelings of guilt and self-loathing all at once.

"Sunny, forgiveness isn't about 'deserving' anything," Father Golden Cross said as the last of Sunny's tears were shed.

"What do you mean?" Sunny said, her voice weak but no longer crying.

"Here's a passage I want you to remember," Father Golden Cross said. " 'Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you'. Forgiveness heals not only you, but the forgiver. This other Twilight seems to get that. She doesn't want her friends to hurt themselves hurting you." Sunny looked down. "Besides, based off the things you've told me, you've definitely shown you want to change."

"Really?" Sunny said.

"You became friends with Juniper and defended her. Not only that, you got your other friends to defend her and befriend her. And Juniper came out of her shell to defend someone else." Father Golden Cross gave her a smile. "You done so much good, you've help change other people for the better."

"I know but," Sunny said with sad frustration. "I think about all these things...and I don't feel any better."

"Why do you think so?" Father Golden Cross.

"Well," Sunny began was some hesitation. "I remember all the times I made fun of Twilight. Laughing at her, not letting her sit at my table, acting jealous because she was such a goody-toe shoes, not caring when Suri and other people made fun of her." Sunny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "And then I remember how I was always kissing up to Suri just because her family was loaded." She closed her eyes. "And then I remember all the times me and my friends wanted to kick Juniper to the curb." Sunny's mouth twisted in a furious frown at that.

"I'm mad at myself for thinking Suri was cool. I'm mad at myself for nearly throwing June under the bus, and I'm mad at myself because I never gave Twilight a chance," Sunny finished miserably.

"What exactly made you not like her?" Father Golden Cross interjected. "Did you just not like her for being smart?"

"Well," Sunny said uneasily...

Sunny sat in the auditorium, tiredly looking at her phone, waiting for the opening address to start already. It was the first day of school, and every time, some teacher was always giving some dumb speech about working hard. She was more interested in her phone than some teacher's pathetic attempt at inspiration.

"Hey", a timid voice said. Sunny ignored it, continuing to text her friend. She felt a small finger tap on her shoulder.

"What?!" Sunny hissed. She saw some lavender-skinned girl with glasses looking her timidly. "What do you want?"

"I'm-I'm Twilight Sparkle," the girl stammered, acting like someone who was nervous about public speaking.

"Sunny Flare," Sunny said perfunctorily, unimpressed with this girl bugging her. "I'm kind of busy-"

"Did you know that the speed of light is 186000 mi/s," she said with a weird smile.

"No," Sunny said, suppressing her annoyance. "Look I'm in the middle of something right now so-,"

"The theory of relatively is so interesting," Twilight said. "I love science, do you love science, did you know- "

Sunny put on a strained smile, while clenching her first to control her annoyance.

"She was always talking about stupid facts no one cared about," Sunny said with some frustration. "Always not taking hints. Always not shutting up in class."

"She sounds like she might have been autistic," Father Golden Cross said.

"Yeah, I figured. Some of us...even used the word 'retard' to describe her," Sunny said, the word sounding like poison as it left her lips.

"So, basically, you just saw her as a retard not worth you time," Golden Cross surmised. It wasn't said in judgement. It was just a statement.

"Was I wrong to be annoyed by her?" Sunny said.

"Well," Father Cross said, "did you ever spell out to her that she was annoying you? Or that she was being antisocial?" A brief pause followed.

"No," Sunny said after a few moments, guilt once again returning to her voice. "I never did. I just...took one look at her and gave up on her. And when all the teachers were singing her praises...I just got jealous because all the teachers liked her while I was getting F's."

"And do you think being mean ever helped her?" Father Cross asked with a small frown. Sunny bit her lip to control her tears.

"What-what was wrong with me? The kids at CHS said I deserved a chance. Why didn't I ever give her one?"

"Well, you were shallow," Father Cross said. Sunny looked down at her knees in shame. "Let me ask you a question Sunny. What was Jesus like before he became a prophet?"

"A carpenter," Sunny said, remembering some of her Bible studies.

"And if no one believed in his cause, would he have ever become famous?"

"No, he'd still be a carpenter," Sunny said. "What's your point?"

"The point is, behind every Great Man, are great people. Behind every success story, are people who believed in them." Father Cross let out a small frown. "People who talk about 'survival of the fittest' and 'being self-made' don't know what their talking about. Nothing great in this world happened because of one person. The good things in this world happen because of several people working together." He paused and took a sip of water. "The point is that dumping on someone and calling them names doesn't help them. You have to believe in them. Otherwise, they can never start believing in themselves." Sunny chewed on Father Cross' words, and felt tears flow through her eyes, remembering her lack of faith in the lavender-skinned bookworm.

"And the good news is, you've already started," Father Cross said kindly. "You believed in Juniper, when it was hard. And because of that, other people believed in her. And because of that, she found the strength and courage to defend a friend in need." Sunny let out a small smile at that through her tears of guilt. "And Sunny, there is something else I want to tell you."

"What?"

"I believe in you too, as long as you always strive to be the best person you can be," Father Cross finished. Sunny stood up from her chair and gave the man a hug.

"Thank you so much." Sunny said, her tears replaced by pure admiration for the old man. "There's one more thing I wanted to ask you."

"Sure."

"Does someone like Suri deserve a chance?" Sunny asked.

"Well, the thing is, someone like Suri doesn't seem to be able to see if there is a problem," Father Cross surmised. "But, you can always try and be nice, and see where that goes." Father Cross said. "Like I said, you have to be able to believe in everyone, or you won't be able to believe in no one." Sunny stood there, thinking about Father's words.

"So, are you staying for services?" Father Cross asked Sunny.

"Sure, but I have to leave at 12," Sunny said. "I've got this...big science project I'm working on today."

"That's fine," Father Cross. "We're glad to have you here Sunny."

"Thanks", she kindly said to the priest as she walked out of his office.

One Minute to Midnight

"Is the satellite finished yet?" Indigo groaned.

Juniper kept working with glazed eyes, not even turning to look at the athletic-human-turned-pegasus. "No."

Indigo was persistent. "How about now?"

"IF IT WASN’T FINISHED THE FIRST TIME YOU ASKED, WHY THE HELL WOULD IT BE FINISHED AFTER THE NEXT TEN TIMES?!" Sour bellowed. She knocked over the stuff on her desk, "GOD!”

Indigo groaned. "It's just that, In movies, these nerds with goofy teeth can make cool stuff out of thin air." Indigo muttered with frustration. "It took us two months to even figure out she was alive!"

"Yes, in movies science is easy," Juniper expressed. "In real life, you can't just invent something as complex as a communications system out of thin air. It is a process of refinement and experimentation." She gestured with her hooves to transmmiter she was assembling. "It's taken me two weeks just to build a prototype balloon to see if radio waves can work here as well as they do back home. Heck, I have to work slower, because I'm still not that good at using my hooves."

"But the Princess gave you all that money," Lemon Zest pointed out.

"Money doesn't automatically speed up the scientific method," Juniper threw back. "If it did, we would have cold fusion and quantum computers by now. Why are you guys bugging me, anyways?"

"Sorry June," Sunny said apologetically. "It's just...we're worried."

"About your Twilight?" Juniper said, turning away from her work for a moment to look at her friends with concern.

"Yeah," Indigo muttered with a mixture of anxiety and frustration. "I mean, we tried to see if the name 'Midnight Sparkle' could turn anything up."

"Did it?" Juniper asked.

Everyone looked grim for some reason. Sugarcoat looked down at her notes. "1092 by my count."

Juniper was shocked. "1092 in Equestria?"

Sugarcoat's eyes narrowed a little. "Just Manehatten alone."

Juniper stared with horror.

"Man, it's just so annoying," Lemon muttered with frustration, "its when we want Twilight that we can't find her."

"I'd say it is quite a fitting torment," Sugarcoat expressed in a more severe voice. "A proper punishment."

"But she doesn't deserve this," Lemon pointed out miserably.

"Who?" Indigo asked.

"Twilight." The expression of the lab was morose. "The magic took her away," Lemon muttered, "but we're the assholes who made her unleash it. Bon Bon was right, it should've been us who-,

"Hey," Juniper butted in with a more hopeful tone. "We already know the magic didn't destroy her. And since it didn't hurt you guys or Cinch, maybe it just helped her by sending her to a place she liked."

"Did it?" Indigo threw back, her usual optimism absent. "Because why haven't we found her?"

"Because up until we showed up, this place didn't exactly have Internet," Juniper patiently expressed. "And Equestria is a big place."

Sugarcoat took off her glasses in frustration. "To think that I was driving her away from CPA the same way my own crazy mother drove me away from her house. And it took all this to make me see that." She pouted with self-disappointment. "How could I be so stupid?"

"Sugar," Juniper warned.

"Don't 'Sugar' me June," Sugarcoat muttered bitterly. "She was trying to be friendly, and I verbally punched her in the stomach."

"But you guys know better now," Juniper said in an encouraging voice. "As soon as we find her, you can make it up to her."

"If she wants to even talk to us again," Sour expressed. "WHICH I HIGHLY DOUBT!"

"Yeah, Shining says he won't even send her back to school with us," Indigo pointed out. "Not that I would blame him. But it's unfair that we'll do all this work, and we won't be able to make it up to her."

"If that's her choice, than we have to accept it," Sunny replied with a fierce look. "Father Cross told me that being sorry for real means we can't force her to be our friend. If she still hates us, then she hates us. We deserve much worse."

Sour frowned angrily. "Then what are we doing this for if she's not even gonna say thank you?!"

"Because it's the right thing to do!" Sunny said to her ill-tempered friend in a tone that brooked no argument. "Because there is a good guy, a good woman, and a dog who miss her. Because we want people to think magic is good. Because she could be living in a dump for all we know. And if she is, we owe her for that and all the shitty ways we acted, whether she talks to us again or not."

Sour's frustrated frown was replaced with a more melancholic and remorseful one.

Juniper couldn't help but smile proudly at her purple skinned (or furred) friend.

"Look," Juniper offered her downcast friends, "I'm sure that however long it takes to find her, you're Twilight is doing well."

Midnight watched as one of her fellows scrubbed the floor of all the red and guts. Practicing was always...fun and exciting.

Hearing the squeal of that poor wretch made her exhilarated and reminded her of how...convincing she was.

And soon this entire pathetic world would come to know her greatness.

Rainbow Dash looked down from her hoof-built cloud carriage and saw she was approaching the city of Whinneypeg. It wasn't a place she was eager to actually visit: too bland, boring food, its northern location making it difficult to generate warm weather, and no mountains to make flying fun. But for once, she was relieved by the flatness of this boring burg.

The blue pegasus decided to see if she could find the human version of her friend through good old fashioned aerial reconnaissance. She was motivated by a mixture of glory, the excitement of finding a potential alien, and a genuine desire to help a pony, err, human, whatever.

And Whinneypeg's flat terrain made it much easier to look from on high

Her plan was simple: see if she could find a lavender-rish unicorn from up high, move in on them, use the staff in her wings to detect them. There were 529 ponies named 'Midnight Sparkle'. Hopefully, one of them would be her quarry.

As she got closer to the flat town, she heard...a series of high-pitched wails.

Shrieking, she heard shrieking.

Her senses telling her there was danger, Rainbow Dash followed the wails to some public park, her eyes narrowed and her mouth grinning mischievously. There was a large ponies gathered around some platform, their muzzles twisted in sheer terror.

On the platform were five scary looking ponies dressed in red robes. In front of them was...

Rainbow's mouth caught her breath: it was a dark purple unicorn. She was wrapped in a mauve robe with a hood that was down. She had a glass eye with a scar running along it, and another eye that was filled with unending malice.

"Oh my gosh!" Rainbow Dash uttered. "Evil Twilight!" An excited grin appeared on the blue-pegasus' face. "Awesome!"

"Behold worms!" Evil Twilight declared to the audience. "With this sacrifice, my ascent to power and glory shall begin!"

Rainbow Dash's excited grin faded at the word sacrifice. Evil!Twilight stepped away, revealing a green stallion that was strapped to a fancy-schmancy table, bound and gagged, and covered in a brown robe. Rainbow's mouth widened when she saw one of those robed ponies walk up to the bound pony with a very large and decorated knife.

"Prepare the sacrifice my servants!" Evil!Twilight hissed.

"Yes Midnight Sparkle!" The robed ponies declared. They muttered some prayer in what sound like Old Ponish, before driving the knife into the innocent pony.

At the first sight of blood, and the screams of the ponies who, for some reason, could only watch helplessly, Rainbow Dash took action.

She immediately lept from her cloud carriage, dove down, and landed on the stage with a fierce look.

"Hey freaks!" She declared, "leave that poor pony alone."

One of them was confused and annoyed. "What are you doing! You're not part of the-"

Before they finished their sentence, Rainbow generated a vortex that sucked up the robed ponies and sent them flying into the air with a yell.

The strapped pony was muttering what was most obviously a thanks to the rainbow-maned pegasus for being awesome. For some reason the other ponies were silent.

"No need to thank me," Rainbow said to the bleeding stallion. "Actually scratch that. Thank me as much as-," a massive purple magic blast struck Rainbow.

"You fool!" Evil Twilight declared. "This was supposed to be my moment!"

"Twilight, I know those other ponies were mean to you," Rainbow pleaded, "but ritual murder is a...bit too far."

"You don't know what you speak off," Evil Twilight began, lighting up her horn. "And my name is Midnight Sparkle!"

"Well I tried that whole...reason...junk," Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes, "but I guess we'll have to do this-," Rainbow nonchalantly dodged another blast and tackled Evil!Twilight to the ground.

"I will not be denied my destiny!" Evil Twilight wailed.

"What are you doing?!" Rainbow Dash turned and saw some pink Earth pony mare with a green mid-length mane and a red beret approach her. The mare was not happy with her.

Rainbow frowned at the apparent ingratitude of this pony who she saved. "Well, when I see 5 weirdos dressed in robes stabbing a pony in the middle of the park in full view of 100 ponies, I attack the monsters. That's *my* policy."

The pink mare was enraged. "This is a theatrical production of The Slaughter: The Tale of the Cult of Blood."

Rainbow Dash was abashed. "Play?"

"Yes, you moron!" the pony who called herself Midnight Sparkle declared while underneath her. "You blew away five actors! Good ones!"

Rainbow Dash sheepishly climbed off the mare.

"But," Rainbow said nervously to the dark purple unicorn, "the stallion was bleeding."

The green stallion freed himself from his straps, and yanked off his brown robe, revealing that he was wearing a punctured die pack and fake internal organs underneath it.

Rainbow sheepishly looked back at the mare calling herself Midnight Sparkle. "But...you...were talking about destiny."

"Yes," the mare declared. "My destiny of being the greatest actress in all of Equestria." She lit up her horn. What Rainbow thought was a glass eye turned out to be a glass monocle. The "scar" was just makeup upon closer inspection. The mare took off her uniform. Instead of having the Magic cutie mark, she had a cutie mark that looked like some script.

Rainbow pointed the staff, and it came up negative. Rainbow then looked back and saw the audience was glaring furiously at her for, Rainbow now realized, crashing a play they were genuinely enjoying.

"Sorry everypony," she said with a scared chuckle, "maybe we could...move on...and start over?"

"The court finds Rainbow Ashley Dash guilty of unprovoked assault, disorderly conduct, disrupting a public event, and illegally parking her cloud carriage without a license."

"But come on," Rainbow pleaded from the stand, "I thought they were evil? Doesn't that count for something?"

The judge glanced at her law book briefly. "No. I sentence you to 6 months of community service and one year's probation." She banged her gavel and trotted away.

Rainbow let out an annoyed groan as the baillif escorted her off the premises, but comported herself when she saw her friends glare at her from the public benches. All of them were furious at her for what she did. Twilight turned down her request for a royal pardon, saying that as a Bearer, she needed to learn responsbility.

"Well, at least we know the other Twilight didn't become a ritual killer," Applejack muttered, trying to find the silver lining but unable to hide her anger in her voice. She loved Rainbow, but boy she could do stupid things.

"But I really wanted to sing this awesome song about how murder isn't very nice," Pinkie wailed.

"And we still don't where she is," Rarity muttered with exhaustion, both over the blue pegasus' stunt and not being able to find a missing pony. "I almost wish for the other Twilight to be an evil ruffian. At least then, we could know where she is." An upset frown formed on the fashionista's face. "Somehow, fighting a supervillain is easier than finding one pony."

"I know guys," Princess Twilight declared, "but we can't let this set us back." Princess Twilight mentally crossed her hooves, hoping that Juniper's communication system would work.

Because despite weeks of efforts, they had been for naught.

Author's Note

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.

(This is you right now)