Round and Round and Round and...
Sunset Shimmer was tired. And not just the usual "I've had a bad night of sleep" kind of tired. No, she had the kind of tired that could only come from having been put through an incredibly long and arduous situation for an ungodly stretch of time. Well, time was a relative term in this particular case of course, but it wouldn't have been wise to mention that point to Sunset, given her present mood. As she laid flat on her back on the grass, staring out at the blue sky above, she did her best to enjoy the calm and peace that came with it. A few birds chirping here and there, but nothing much beyond that. Her friends, all sitting around the now-smouldering campfire from last night, all ate their bowls of cereal in silence, respecting their colleague's need for some relaxation. Even Pinkie was being quiet, which was a marvel in an of itself. But while Sunset definitely appreciated her friends' efforts, she knew their curiosity was burning right now, even if they wouldn't say it. So, after several minute of just staring at the sky, the ex-unicorn sighed, turning her head slightly so as to look to her friends.
"It's okay...you can ask now."
Though briefly hesitant, the other girls looked to her with fierce interest moments afterwards.
"So how many times did you loop?" Twilight asked.
"Did it feel weird?" Rainbow enquired.
"Was it fun to listen to the concert over and over again?" Fluttershy wondered.
"Did you try a different outfit combo in each loop?" Rarity predictably speculated.
"Is this somethin' that might happen again?" Applejack worryingly brought up.
"Oh! Did you try and stuff a thousand snacks and cakes into your mouth every time you looped because you knew you'd never gain weight from it because it'd all be magicked out of your stomach the next time around?!" Pinkie finished.
All girls turned to the bounciest of their number, who simply giggled and shrugged.
"What?"
In spite of her tiredness, Sunset chuckled, then groaned as she got herself into an upright sitting position.
"It was weird, I'll say that much. Going through all those versions of the same day and being the only one to know about it."
Twilight adjusted her glasses.
"Well, it's not the first time you've deal with something like that."
Sunset looked to her with a raised eyebrow, prompting the spectacled girl to elaborate.
"The memory stone?"
Realising what she meant, Sunset let out another laugh, albeit a dry-sounding one.
"Yeah...guess I should be used to being the only one who knows when magical stuff is going on."
She took a moment to rub her temples, and as she did this, Applejack seemed somewhat concerned for her.
"So...how long did ya get looped around an' stuff?"
Looking up to the sky again, Sunset shrugged.
"The better part of a month, at least."
A wince on the part of the other girls, and Twilight tapped her chin a little before keeping her gaze focused on Sunset.
"So does that mean you're technically a month older than you were a few days ago?"
A pause, and Sunset developed an understandable look of confusion, which ended with a chuckle.
"You know, I guess I kind of am. How about that?"
The group shared a laugh, which was of great comfort to Sunset of course, but after a long sigh on the part of the latter, she scratched the back of her head.
"It was so strange having things play out the way they did. Things I thought were happening, only to find out it was something else. Heck, you wouldn't believe how surprised I was when I found out the Dazzlings weren't involved in all this!"
She smiled, shaking her head over that memory, but her smile soon faded when she realised that she was being looked at with expressions of pure horror or shock from her other friends. And it took no time whatsoever for Celestia's former pupil to understand why.
"Oh, right. Yeah, I probably should have told you all earlier, but...Adagio and the other Sirens were here at the concert."
Rainbow immediately leapt to her feet, looking aghast at that.
"What?! Why?!"
Sunset looked over her shoulder, to the concert grounds.
"They were doing some kind of pre-concert singing for the crowds. You know, a warm-up routine? I tried finding out if they were involved in the magic stuff, but turns out it was just a coincidence they were here."
Rainbow balled one hand into a fist and slammed it into the palm of her other hand.
"Then what are we waiting for?! The Dazzlings are back! Let's go get em!"
But Sunset simply shook her head.
"No, Rainbow. They're not a danger anymore. They're just regular teens now, like us. They have no magic, and they're not controlling anyone. They just..."
Folding her arms, she considered her next words carefully, before just coming out and saying the truth.
"...They're just living their lives. A life they don't want us involved in, I can tell you that much."
The knowledge that their old foes were here, yet not something to be worried about, was a notion that the other girls clearly seemed to struggle with. But if Sunset said it wasn't a problem, then that was the end of it. So, slowly, Rainbow got back down to her former sitting position. She grumbled for a bit, clearly disheartened at the prospect of having what was, in her mind, an awesome fight taken away. Meanwhile, there was one face among the group that did not seem all that concerned about the reappearance of the Dazzlings, and that was Twilight. Sunset noticed this, but already knew the reason. She wasn't here when they had their big conflict with them way back when after all, so there wouldn't be as much bad feeling between them. But Sunset did notice that Twilight was thinking hard on something, and so let her get her thoughts together to finally ask.
"So...did you take advantage of your loops, Sunset?"
A small smile crept onto Sunset's lips, and she glanced over to Pinkie.
"Kinda. I tried making sure that Pinkie and I had the best day ever. All the things she wanted to do and loved doing, I made sure we did."
Pinkie squealed with delight over that, leaping forward and embracing Sunset in a tight hug, much to the latter's amusement.
"Okay, Pinkie, that's enough. No need to hug me to death!"
Pinkie gave an expected giggle to that.
"Oh Sunset! You did all that super-fun and exciting stuff just for me?!"
Then, her eyes snapped open, and she looked a little disappointed all of a sudden.
"Aw! I wish I could remember that! It would have been the best memory ever!"
Here, Sunset hesitated, a look of guilt coming to her. She glanced away briefly, then took a deep breath, looking Pinkie right in the eye.,
"Pinkie...I'm actually glad you can't remember. Because that...that was actually a far cry from what I was doing in other loops."
Pinkie looked to her, not knowing what she was talking about, as was everyone else for that matter. Shame came to Sunset, but after a quick pause, she began her confession.
"During a lot of the loops, there were moments where my plans to find out what was going on were stopped because...well...because of little things. And after a while that all built up and..."
She grimaced.
"...I got mad...at you."
Pinkie seemed stunned by that, but let Sunset finish all the same.
"I was so frustrated that things weren't going right that I turned back into my old, bad self. And you took the brunt of it."
She looked right into Pinkie's eyes, looking practically distraught over her past actions.
"Can you forgive me?"
But Pinkie, ever the kind of girl she was, simply smiled.
"There's nothing to apologise for, silly! That loop doesn't exist anymore! Your angry moment is gone, just like everything else that happened!"
Sunset shook her head.
"It happened for me. And I still hate that I did it."
Pinkie seemed more serious now, recognising how upset her friend was, and while she would have loved nothing more than to stay bubbly and upbeat, she knew now was not the time for it. So, offering a far smaller smile than was usually seen on her, Pinkie gently placed her hand upon Sunset's shoulder, giving a short nod.
"...Then I forgive you."
Sunset looked like she was on the verge of tears, and the two girls moved closer, embracing one another in a warm hug. The other girls smiled to this friendly sight, and as the two finally parted, Sunset wiped a pre-formed tear from her right eye, chuckling again.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to say that to you."
Another laugh from Pinkie.
"A few loops, I'll bet!"
A laugh from all seven of them this time, which ended when Sunset started to look a bit more thoughtful. She turned her attention to the road close by, which they would soon be taking to get back home.
"You know...now that I think about it...I wish I could have said 'thank you' to Adagio and the others when I saw them."
Rainbow's head snapped in her direction.
"What?!"
Rarity was of like mind in this.
"Heavens, darling! What on Earth would you thank them for?"
Sunset gave them all a soft smile as she answered.
"If it wasn't for them and what they did, I'd probably still be seen as an outcast back at the school. The person I am now? I was only made that way because of what they were trying to do, both to the others students and to all of you."
She paused, her smile growing a little bit.
"I am what I am because of them, just as much as I am because of all of you girls."
It was an odd thing to think about, but as the girls considered it themselves, they gave reluctant nods, with Fluttershy voicing their shared sentiment.
"Well...it's a nice thought, I suppose."
A dry chortle from Sunset, for she knew her friends hadn't quite accepted that idea as much as she had. And so, after giving herself a quick stretch, she finally got herself up, standing tall and looking down to the rest of her friends.
"Well, if it's all the same to you, I think it's time we headed off."
Pinkie giggled again, leaping to her feet and giving Sunset anther big hug.
"And you can spend the whole trip back telling us about everything you did on those loops!"
Rolling her eyes, Sunset returned the hug.
"For you, Pinkie? Definitely."
Author's Note
A great special, and some great Sunset and Pinkie moments 
