Equestria Grads

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

Chapter 1

It was a seemingly typical afternoon at Canterlot High. The sun was shining as bright as ever, rays striking the beautiful exterior of the school. The flora and fauna were flourishing in the facility’s front lawn and combined with the climbing temperature, it was easy for anyone to tell that Summer was quickly approaching.

Suddenly, the peace and tranquility were broken by the sound of the school bell, dismissing its load of students after yet another day of hard work - most would argue, one of the most rigorous yet, being the tail end of the school year and the final day of classes before final exams.

Among the first of these students to exit the front door were seven very special girls, who – as always and without any anticipation – grouped at the remains of the school’s signature statue, which was set to be completely rebuilt in preparation for the following school year.

These girls, however, would not return along with it, as their time at Canterlot High was about to come to an end. They had just finished their final class of the Senior year and were all set to graduate after the underclassmen completed their final exams the following week.

Needless to say, it was an extremely exciting moment for them. And so naturally, the day’s discussion almost immediately began with plans. By the time six of the girls had settled into their spots, the last one - a pink-haired, yellow-skinned sweetheart known as Fluttershy ran up to them to let out some big news.

“I DID IT!” she squealed, so loudly that she turned more than a few heads.

“Did what, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash asked, having always been by Fluttershy’s side since childhood.

“I got accepted into my dream college – Breezie U!” said Fluttershy, hugging her acceptance letter with a graceful pose. Her beam was so wide she could easily be confused for another well-known girl, who was the next to speak up.

“Eeeeeee!” Pinkie Pie’s squeal was even louder than Fluttershy’s, prompting some shushes from both in and out of the group. She grabbed her friend by the waist, lifting her into the air to the point of discomfort. “This calls for a PARTY!”

“You’re already throwing an after-graduation party, Pinkie Pie,” said Applejack, rolling her eyes and taking a step back, hoping to avoid an overdose of excitement. “Let’s not overdo ourselves.”

“Are you kidding?” said Pinkie Pie, suddenly releasing her grasp. “This is fantastic for Fluttershy! We need to acknowledge that and support her however we can!”

“I think she knows that we’ll be there for her no matter what,” said Rarity flatly, “we don’t need a party for her to know this.”

Fluttershy gave nothing but a blush, in a rare moment of her appreciating the attention.

“Say, I don’t think you ever told us what you were going to be doing, Rarity,” said Applejack.

“Oh, it’s pretty simple. My job at Equestria land gives us so much more creative freedom than Prim Hemline ever gave me, and I am to use that to broaden my audience however I can! From there, my career is bound to advance and I can pave the way to becoming the greatest fashion artist in all of Canterlot!” She finished in a confident, triumphant pose.

“Well, uh… good luck with that, I guess,” said Applejack nervously. “I’ve thought long and hard about choosing between extra studies and my family, and I’ve decided that I need to do just a little tiny bit of community college to work on my soft skills. Darn if the farm doesn’t need my support, and no way will I ever want to give that up!”

“Well, we know Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash will just go on that community college full-time,” said Twilight Sparkle. “I am finally going to pursue those Everton studies I tried to get when I was still studying at Crystal Prep. It was nice of Cadence to extend the offer all this time after I turned it down to transfer schools.”

That got the girls to reminisce the day they first allowed her in their circle. Sunset Shimmer, who has been unusually quiet, chuckled as she spoke. “I still remember when you got corrupted by that magic, and I had to be the one to show you the way.”

“Yep,” said Twilight, sighing with nostalgia. “It wasn’t until our trip to Camp Everfree that I was able to overcome my fears of magic, and now we all have grown so attached to it thanks to our geodes.” She looked down at the enchanted stone with modest pride.

“I’ll never forget that day!” said Rainbow Dash. “It feels so cool to be all heroic and awesome, and we owe it all to these things!”

“Yeah, I’ll admit these geode powers have been pretty darn useful,” said Applejack, “but I keep telling ya, we can’t keep this up forever. After all, we are going our separate ways pretty soon.”

Fluttershy agreed. “Oh yes, Breezie U will require my full attention. This is my one chance to become a professional vet, and I simply can’t let anything stand in the way of that.”

“C’mon, girls!” said Pinkie Pie, keeping her grin. “Not every girl gets the chance to save the city from alien supernatural forces!” She wiggled her fingers like she was telling a scary campfire story.

“Well, maybe we just want to go back to being ordinary girls.” said Applejack bluntly, not amused by Pinkie’s overreaction. “It’s starting to give me stress.”

“Oh, please,” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “My geode makes me feel so much more awesome than I ever did before. I’ve always wanted to be a girl that people admire, and sure I was the star player in all the school’s sports teams, but now I have something to fight against and feel like a true hero.”

“Girls, girls,” said Twilight, “Let’s not continue arguing. I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

“Well, whatever happens,” Applejack said, “I sure hope it comes to us soon.”

Hoping to change the subject, Fluttershy turned to Sunset Shimmer. “What are your plans for the future?”

But Sunset Shimmer didn’t respond. Instead, she looked away, hoping the others wouldn’t beg for a reply.

“C’mon Sunset,” Twilight Sparkle urged as she faced Sunset’s back, which was directly next to her, “you don’t need to be afraid to tell us anything.”

Sunset turned her head back and was able to muster up a somewhat genuine smile for her friends. “I need to… still, figure it out,” was all she could think of saying.

Thankfully, this was enough to decently satisfy the group, but being asked was still something she hoped would not happen.

Twilight sighed contentedly. “I still can’t believe we’re this close to graduating…”

“I know,” said Rarity. “Though I’m a little relieved that I no longer have to worry too much about… pointless book studies.”

“What did you say?” said Twilight, tensing up a bit.

“Sorry,” said Rarity, realizing how her comment came off to her book-loving friend.

“Well, I know the thing I will miss the most,” said Fluttershy sentimentally, “are you girls.”

“Aww!” everyone responded.

“Don’t worry about leaving us, Fluttershy,” said Sunset, “You’re doing what you want to do.”

“Mm-hmm!” said the remainder of the group.

“Besides, we’ll just be a text away,” Rarity pointed out.

Sunset winced at this supposed reassurance.

The seven all pulled each other in for a big hug, probably the longest-lasting one they’ve ever had. They knew everyone would be going their separate ways sooner rather than later, but they all knew the day was coming and so they aimed to make the most of the upcoming Summer. Between their final band tour and general vacationing, this was sure to be some of the best few months of their lives. And most of them knew that their own lives, as well as the others’, were only looking up from there.

“Well, see ya girls. Same time tomorrow?” said Twilight.

“You bet!” Rainbow replied.

And six of the seven girls exited the vicinity. However, unbeknownst to the others, Sunset Shimmer remained, and as soon as the others had left her line of sight, she slowly looked into her bookbag and pulled out her magical journal, which has allowed her to communicate with Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, the mare who had first shown her that there was more to life than getting what you want and that, even after hitting rock bottom, she could come back and rebuild her reputation. Sunset was, needless to say, forever grateful for that, thus keeping in contact truly meant a ton to her.

Inside the last filled page of the journal was a message from the princess. She had already read it multiple times, but every time she revisited it, the text-only seemed to bring back more bittersweet thoughts.

“Dear Sunset Shimmer,

I am very proud of you for making it to graduation at Canterlot High. You have come a long way from when we first met a couple of years ago, and I know your friends have kept you in great company.

However, since you are almost done with high school, I would like to speak on behalf of Princess Celestia, who would like to extend an invitation for you to officially resume your magic studies.

Meanwhile, my friends have said they would love to meet you and I would be more than happy to lend you a room in my castle for a while. I know this is a big decision for you, so don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

Happy graduation,

Princess Twilight Sparkle”

She immediately slammed shut her journal, not wanting to look at the message any longer. Despite it being a few days old, she hadn’t responded. She didn’t know how to respond. All this time, while she knew graduation was coming, she thought the answer of where she would go from here would come to her in time, but it hadn’t. Also, while she was very happy in the human world, to the point where she had considered it her home for quite a while, all the magic she had battled and dealt with throughout her upperclassmen years left her thinking. Specifically, of the days back in Equestria, when she and countless other unicorns were able to do such fantastic and wonderful things with their controlled magic.

And the more she was reminded of her old magic, the more she began to consider… maybe her life there wasn’t so bad. Maybe she really could have had a great future there… and given the offer, maybe it’s still waiting for her.

After all, when she first arrived in this world, she did feel incredibly alien (and given it was untouched territory for ponykind, why would she not?). Having to adjust to two legs, using her hands instead of magic to manipulate objects and just the various odd customs such as grade school and fashion sense…

She looked into the statue base, the portal between the two worlds that somehow managed to remain hidden all this time. However, what she saw was not her reflection, but instead, a pony that looked remarkably like her – the form she took in Equestria. But the pony still copied her every movement. When she tilted her head in slight confusion, the pony did as well, continuing to stare her in the face. And when she slowly walked closer to the portal on two legs, the equine also did so on four.

The more Sunset stared at the familiar creature, the more nostalgic she felt in a bittersweet way. She lifted her left arm, and touched the base of the statue, careful to not let it phase through. She could also feel the pony’s front-left hoof as they practically made contact on the marble. Sunset Shimmer finally wept into tears, and before giving anything another thought, slowly walked in the direction of her little apartment.

However, if one were truly observant, one would acknowledge the cracks on top of the broken base, which had been there for a long time by this point. And someone especially sharp-eyed would notice the cracks suddenly increasing in size at an alarming rate.

Author's Note

So I've actually had this story wrapped in my head for well over a year at this point, but I just kept putting off going through with it, only doing some minor drafting here and there. The announcement that EqG would end without an official conclusion was the main driving force for me to finish this and present my idea of a true finale to you guys.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, of course, and I hope you enjoy the story.

Chapter 2

Sunset Shimmer groggily awoke in her stiff bed, as usual. She could never get too comfortable in the thing, but it did the job fine. She slowly rubbed the cobwebs out of her eyes and lifted her head to find the sheets were imbalanced again, with her foot visibly poking out. This was a common problem with her sleeping habits.

However, she sensed something around her was… off. She knew it was nothing with the apartment. No, it came from outside. After listening a little more, she could make out faint noises of… people screaming? What was going on?

After sloppily getting out of bed, she walked barefoot toward her ground-floor shades. Sure enough, the noises became more and more audible as she approached. She merely grimaced at this, not wanting to guess what was awaiting her. But every possibility that did pass by her mind didn’t prepare her for what she ended up seeing.

Her eyes immediately widened at the outside, her jaw practically reaching the floor. "Oh my Celestia..."

Just outside the window was an assortment of enchanted Equestrian vines popping in and out at random, ripples throughout the roads and air showing glimpses of her old home-world, and even some enchanted and contaminated objects attacking their users.

It was almost exactly like the havoc Midnight Sparkle unleashed at Canterlot High, only on a much more large and dangerous scale.

The display was horrific. Sunset closed her shades and quickly backed away, wanting to believe this was one of her nightmares. After giving herself a few seconds to breathe, she slowly opened the shades again and was crestfallen as her double-check only confirmed this was, in fact, reality.

As she forced herself to look away, an endless stream of questions began to flood her mind that she didn't even want to ask. What exactly caused this to happen? Where was it coming from? How can it be stopped, if at all? And she didn’t have answers to any of them. Sure, she fought many magical phenomena in recent memory, but they were all much more contained and it was generally easy to identify the source. This was something much more mysterious, and much more widespread.

Not knowing what else to do, she took out her phone and started a group text with her friends.

“Girls, magic is all over my neighborhood and I don’t know what to do!”

It didn’t take more than a minute for a reply from each to appear on screen.

“Yours too?” -Twilight

“It looks kind of fun.” -Pinkie

“Here we go again…” -Applejack

“I see it too! I doubt it’s something we can’t handle!” -Rainbow

“We gotta discuss this in-person!” -Rarity

“…” -Fluttershy

“You’re right, Rarity. We need to gather at the school! Meet there ASAP!” -Sunset

She quickly shoved her phone back into her pocket… only to give the chaotic outside another look. “…If I can even make it.”

Not even bothering to shower or brush her hair (though the latter has become typical for her), she quickly dressed, grabbed her school bag, and rushed through the door.

However, a mere few steps out, she found herself nearly tripping on a small ripple that has decided to form around her feet.

The block was somehow more apocalyptic and dangerous than it looked from her window. As she feared, the forces were present in every single direction and they seemed to expand as far as the eye could see as well. Sunset was more scared than ever, not just for her safety but for the city and its inhabitants.

Still not knowing what to do, she decided to run in the direction of the school. There was no time to waste, after all, and she didn’t want to keep her friends – and these innocent victims – waiting.

Her little townhouse wasn’t too far away from the school, but at her fastest speed, it still took her about 15 minutes. And that was provided nothing was in her way, which most certainly was not the case here.

She couldn’t go down a single block without there being a sentient vine, magical pit, or person running from their enchanted possession to look out for.

The dangers came in all shapes and sizes. A mere minute into her run, there was a sports car that was veering out of control, clearly having a mind of its own and seemed almost dead-set on taking her out as roadkill. Sunset, being as agile as she was, was able to match its movements perfectly and veered to its right just in time, before the car ultimately crashed into a fire hydrant, activating the airbag and thankfully leaving the passenger unharmed.

If only the other victims were as safe. Shortly later, she saw a boy climbing on a tree fearing his toy dinosaur, attempting to reach for him with sharp teeth. Immediately after came Lily Pad, whose tablet was chasing her in mid-air with a demonic laugh, and her sister Water Lily who was starting to suffocate underneath the tight hold of her pool float. The mother, Veronica, clearly had no idea what to do as she stared dumbfoundedly at her daughters. Sunset so badly wanted to help, but not only could she not help, she knew time was of the essence.

After much dodging, jumping, and swerving, Sunset finally arrived at the school. Here, the chaos was stronger than anywhere else she had already been. There were tons and tons of cracks in the sidewalk, with smaller but still mutant plants growing like crazy, there was a minor and continuous sort of earthquake in the ground just beneath her feet, and she felt a strange, storm-like current of wind. But it was a large current of swirling, fireworks-like light that caught Sunset’s eye the most, and without a second thought, she ran over to the source to investigate.

She quickly discovered that the magical light came from the top of the marble base, which housed a big gaping hole with remnants of a crack surrounding it.

“…How did I not realize this before?” Sunset thought as she climbed up on top to inspect. She felt stupid for not checking the statue before; in hindsight, once magic started to become a relatively common occurrence in her and her friends' lives, this should've been the first thing to do. However, before she continued beating herself up she remember to take a couple deep breaths. She knew better than to panic under pressure, especially when everyone you know's well-being is at stake.

As she analyzed the situation, even more questions raced through her head. How long has this crack been around? What even started it? How dangerous could this be? What can patch it? Can it be patched? What will this mean to Equestria?

She probably would’ve come up with even more, if it wasn’t for the sudden shouting that hit her ears.

“Sunset Shimmer!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Thank goodness you made it, darling!” said Rarity.

“Did you struggle to get here as much as we did?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Wait, what is even going on here?” said Twilight, diverting the focus to the source of the magic.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy whimpered at the sight, not even knowing what to make of it.

Sure enough, all six of her friends stood around the marble. Sunset was relieved to find that they were able to successfully traverse through the magical minefield themselves.

Applejack, the least afraid of them, leaned her arm on the base. “So… is THIS where all the magic has been coming from?”

“…Yeah, it is,” Sunset managed to say, looking up with a very solemn expression. “And to be honest… I’m scared.”

“Well, you know that we can face anything together!” said Rainbow confidently. “We’ve done it many times before, after all.”

“To be fair, Rainbow,” said Applejack, “look at all the magic around ya. Do ya think we’ve fought anything on this here caliber?”

“Well…” said Rainbow, trying to come up with a heroic-sounding answer. Luckily, she was cut off by Pinkie Pie before she could be humiliated.

“No matter what, Sunset, we’ll get through this! As friends!” She put her arms around Sunset. Although her mood didn't exactly improve, the pure optimism was enough to slightly lift her spirits.

Twilight didn’t want to break the reassurance, but she knew something had to be done for the good of the world. Thus, she finally said in a firm, direct, yet still somewhat polite tone, “So, can we please get to talking about what we should do here?"

Sunset sighed, not wanting to think about it. But she knew she had to. She looked into her backpack, and began to reach into it with her arm, but after a moment of hesitation, she retracted. She didn’t want it to come to this, but she had no other choice.

Sunset Shimmer sighed as she tried to hide her desperation. “Girls… I’m sorry, but I must go talk to Princess Twilight. This matter is simply too urgent for me to rely on my journal. In fact…” An idea quickly popped in her mind, and without wasting any time, she rummaged through her backpack and pulled out the magical communicator in question. Although she was still frowning, her following inflection was at least more warm and reassuring than before. “Here, take my journal. Please let me know if you need my help.”

Without giving the others a chance to respond, she forced the journal in Rarity’s hands. However, just as she turned her back to face the portal, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Sunset stopped and slowly turned her head to find it came from Rarity.

“Nonsense, darling,” said Rarity with confidence, “we’re going with you.”

Sure enough, the five additional friends, standing just behind her, all confirmed this bold declaration by giving various looks of kindness, bravery, and excitement.

Sunset didn’t know how to respond. At first, her eyes widened with shock, but that only lasted for a couple of seconds before her face once again began to mope. “But… you can’t… the school... the portal… Princess Twilight…” she muttered as her mind considered a number of different problems.

“…Will understand,” said Rainbow Dash, stepping up next to Rarity.

“After all, a matter of this caliber deserves as much input and assistance as possible,” Twilight Sparkle explained, following the motion.

“Not to mention moral support!” said Pinkie Pie, pumping her arms into the air.

Applejack was next to speak. “Besides, you’ve helped us a lot with magic all this time. I think it’s only fair that we return the favor.”

“Mm-hmm,” said Fluttershy, not having anything to add but still smiling just the same.

Sunset Shimmer opened her mouth, preparing to again reject their proposal. However, she let the words from all her friends sink in, as well as their supportive faces. They reminded Sunset of why she was such great friends with these six, and exactly how much their friendship has been able to overcome. From the Sirens, to Gaia Everfree, and Wallflower Blush, it has miraculously overcome many a malicious and misguided meanie and paranormal predicament. If there was anything that could help save the day, this was probably it.

Her eyes began to water as she finally cracked a small smile. She didn’t need to say anything, as the face was enough to convey her response. She took a few steps to complete the line of girls, and as she once again turned her back to the portal, the others did the same. They all held hands, one after another, as Sunset began to feel empowered.

“Ready girls?” she asked in the most confident voice she had all morning.

A chorus of “mm-hmms”, “yeah”, and an “okey-dokey-lokey” rang in her ears, making her feel even more lucky to have the company she had.

She ran to the portal, and as she phased through, she let out a loud “GO!”.

Chapter 3

Sunset Shimmer rubbed her head with a hoof. All these times and she still hadn't figured out how she could painlessly enter Equestria. She could only imagine how her friends would land…

And just as that thought entered her mind, she heard the portal humming, signaling an incoming traveler. She got on all four hooves, took a few steps to make room, and swept around to face the portal with an eager smile.

She faced the portal just in time to see six new ponies tumbling out, practically landing on top of each other before rolling onto the crystal floor.

Sunset winced as she imagined how painful it must’ve been, but they weren’t moaning as much as she thought they’d be so she quickly shook it off. She slowly trotted to Twilight Sparkle, now a unicorn, and grabbed her front left leg in an attempt to lift her to a standing position.

Twilight’s consciousness was slowly returning, and she opened her eyes to find an orange-and-red blur directly in front of her. It looked like Sunset Shimmer, but as the vision cleared, she instead saw an equine who bore a striking resemblance to the girl in question. Before she could process this, she lifted her other front limb to rub her eyes… only to find not a hand as she expected, but a solid, flat hoof. The shock was enough to make her fall onto her back, and she continued to stare wide-eyed at the new appendage as she attempted to get herself back into a sitting position. She experimentally clopped the hoof on the floor, just to confirm it wasn’t some weird delusion.

“This is impossible…” she muttered in pure disbelief.

Sunset opened her mind, about to reassure the purple unicorn, but she remembered that she had five other new equines, who were a little slower to recover.

Rainbow Dash was trying and failing to get up on her nonexistent feet, much to Sunset’s amusement, while Fluttershy and Rarity were opting for a more delicate approach, having sooner recognized their new form – as awkward as it may be.

“Don't worry, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, trying to be encouraging as she was still lying on her stomach, "I've helped enough quadrupeds to know how to get yourself standing on those legs."

“Well, pardon me for only just now getting them,” Rarity said, sounding a little tired. “It’s not like you are doing much better.”

Indeed, the yellow pegasus was having trouble understanding her weight, as every time she attempted to stand up, she would only trip over.

Applejack was having similar troubles. “C’mon girl,” she told herself, struggling to get onto her hooves, “You have horses on your farm. Surely it’s not hard to understand how they stand.”

She lifted her front legs with little problem but had considerably more trouble with her back legs. The joints between her flank and hooves were nothing like her knees. They were folded outward rather than inward, so it was surprisingly difficult to position them in a manner that allowed her to push herself up.

Sunset approached her to help, as well as the last girl, Pinkie Pie – who seemed just as natural as the born-pony. They each handled one back leg and lifted it to put Applejack in the desired standing pose.

“Phew, thank ya’ll,” Applejack said, tipping her hat with one hoof.

Pinkie Pie bounced to the remaining visitors. “Come on, girls! It’s not that hard! I mean, I practiced for this moment at home, but still!”

Rainbow Dash, once again assuming a bipedal stance, before finally realizing the more comfortable position, was the first to react to this. “Wait… you practiced being a pony?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I? When your best friend is a pony from another dimension, this moment was bound to come sooner or later!”

“I guess I just… never thought about her that way,” said Rarity to Sunset, blushing in embarrassment. “Now that I think about it, I can’t understand how we’d forget a background as… unique as yours.”

“Oh, wow,” came Fluttershy’s voice, not facing any of them in particular, but the mirror. Her eyes were staring wide, but not in shock, with her lips being squeezed together in amusement. “I look adorable.”

The others turned to also face the reflective surface out of curiosity.

“Hmm, I must say, I do look pretty gorgeous… for a pony, anyway” said Rarity with slight hesitation, gently brushing her mane with a front hoof.

Applejack was just in bewilderment at how she looked as an equine, the very thing she owned as lower life-forms on her family farm. “It’s like I now know what it’s like to be them…” she said quietly.

Twilight was still trying to put the pieces together. “But… the dimensions… the portal… ponies…” Her voice suddenly raised as her mind gave up. “It doesn’t add up!”

“Yeah, that’s magic for you,” said Sunset smugly, joining her friends in front of the mirror. “Even here, we don’t quite understand everything. Now, let’s stick to the mission at hand - or hoof, as it were - we gotta find Princess Twilight.”

“Aww, c’mon Sunset,” said Rainbow, “It’s not every day you get to travel to a magical alternate dimension and transform into an awesome species. I mean,” She proudly observed the feathered appendages on her back. “Look at these babies! It’s like when I get when I perform onstage, except permanent! Imagine the heights I could reach!”

“Sure, worry more about that than the fabric of our reality breaking…” said Applejack bluntly.

“Yes, we need to stay focused,” Sunset agreed, now in front of the staircase leading to the castle’s main class. “Don’t worry, I understand that it’s a little shocking, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’ll get the hang of it. Now just follow me and hopefully, we’ll find the princess.” She waved her hoof toward the stairs, signifying the girls to walk in that direction.

Five of the six visitors, however, were struggling to even make a proper step, shaking their hooves in fear of tripping. Rainbow attempted but immediately fell over and landed on her stomach.

“Girls, just walk like this!” said Pinkie Pie, trotting slowly enough so the girls could acknowledge the pattern. She stopped when she was directly next to Sunset.

That surprisingly helped a good amount. After the first few slow, clumsy steps, they were at least able to remain upright, but Sunset couldn’t help but be amused at their clumsiness.

She remained slow as the group attempted to climb up the long staircase. Walking on hooves was the single strangest sensation ever to them. Apart from the limbs being different lengths, it almost felt as though all their fingers and toes were forcibly fused into a single hard digit. And the constant clopping as their new hooves hit the crystalline floor only reminded them that this wasn’t some weird fever dream, it was completely real.

Eventually, they managed to reach the master floor. Surprisingly, however, there was not a single voice to be heard, or even much noise in general apart from their hooves.

Sunset Shimmer scanned the lobby. “Hello?” she called out loud, her voice heavily echoing across the overly large room. After hearing her reflection a few times with no response, her ears began to droop as it dawned on her that help wouldn’t come as easily as she hoped. She secretly began thinking how stupid it was for her to think that she could just barge in and expect a freaking princess to help her whenever…

But suddenly, her thoughts became interrupted by the sensation of someone tapping her front leg. She looked down and discovered it was Spike.

“Oh, hi Spike,” said Sunset, giving a weak smile.

“Sunset Shimmer, what are you doing here?” said Spike, trying not to express impatience. “You know Princess Twilight doesn’t want you going through the portal without her permission.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just… this is an urgent matter. I need to know where she is.” Sunset replied, looking a little exhausted.

“Oh… well, she left for Canterlot a few hours ago. She has some urgent talks with Princess Celestia… have you heard she’s set to take her place soon?”

Sunset gasped in astonishment. “…So this is what learning under Princess Celestia leads to?” she thought out loud. “Almost makes me wish I stayed with her… I wonder what could happen to me if I take her up on her offer…”

The others also displayed expressions of shock but quickly shushed themselves from the corridor to not get noticed. After all, the last thing Spike needed to discover is six human girls have gone through the portal.

“…Anyway,” said Spike, wanting to leave Sunset to herself, “If it’s that important, I don’t think she’ll mind you stopping in. You do know where the train station is, right?”

“…Oh yeah, I’ll have no trouble finding it,” said Sunset, trying hard not to get lost in her thoughts.

Spike excited back where he came from, walking into a room from the upstairs balcony. As soon as they were certain he was out of earshot, the girls walked out to meet Sunset.

“…Wow,” said Twilight Sparkle in amazement. “This Spike is a dragon! I don’t think I’ll ever see my dog in the same way again…”

“So, we have to trot to Canterlot?” said Rarity, rolling her eyes before coming across a key realization. “…Wait, this isn’t Canterlot?”

“Yeah, this is Ponyville,” Sunset explained, “I guess the geography is slightly different between worlds.”

“Well, that makes about as much sense as anything else we’ve been through today,” said Applejack, wanting to hurry the conversation. “Now let’s just get goin’ already!”

"You sure?" Rarity asked, "Surely I should be better dressed before I go walking."

Rainbow giggled, and slowly walked to Rarity. "Uhh, I hate to break this to you, but..." she chuckled as she struggled to get the words out, "...you're naked."

"WHAT?" Rarity screeched.

"Rainbow, don't tease her," Fluttershy scolded. "Rarity, it's nothing to worry about. Ponies' coats are all the clothing they need."

"Well, there is some fashion here and there," Sunset added on, "but otherwise you're right Fluttershy."

"Oh..." said Rarity quietly, blushing at the added embarrassment.

"As if this wasn't already weird enough," Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

After taking a second to get over the rather amusing conversation, Sunset saw the entrance right in front of them. Not wanting to pass up a grand moment, she splendidly opened the doors, revealing the outdoors.

“Welcome to Equestria!” she declared with pride.

After the light settled in, the sight that beheld the girls was a weird mix of the familiar and surreal. The ground, pavement, and general structure seemed very par for the course for a suburban area, but it was populated by ponies. Ponies of varying colors and designs. Some colts and fillies in the distance were innocently playing with a ball, a couple of others were running and enjoying each other’s company, and some full-grown mares and stallions were more calmly walking down the streets, some just going on an afternoon trot. The buildings were similar to their own at first glance, but they were clearly much more stylized and uniquely-designed, and no two of them looked alike. And on top of that, the weather was so perfectly sunny, bright but not blinding, and at just the right temperature with not a cloud in sight.

It felt straight out of a children’s fantasy.

As the girls took their first steps onto Equestrian ground, they took the time to take in the atmosphere.

“This… is… AWESOME!” Rainbow exclaimed, jumping into the air with her wings extended for the first time. She felt herself slowly glide down. So, she experimentally took off several feet into the air, with slight clumsiness but still being able to keep herself airborne.

Fluttershy, out of curiosity, looked at her wings. She fluttered them, attempting to take off, but partially out of cowardice, could barely get her hooves off the pavement. She immediately shrugged it off.

“What a fascinating opportunity to study the properties of another dimension,” Twilight thought out loud, grinning as she scanned her entire line of sight.

Sunset giggled to herself, finding it extremely charming to see the girls react much like she did when she first entered their world. But she knew she couldn’t afford to waste time.

“C’mon girls,” she said, with notably more patience than before. “The train station is just a few blocks down this way.” And she took a few steps to telegraph the direction.

As the seven trotted across the town, Sunset made sure that her friends kept a low profile to not attract any unwanted attention. After all, the last thing she wanted was for everypony to somehow discover that the six equines were inter-dimensional visitors. She even alertly turned a couple of corners when she saw a particularly large crowd or even one of the six's pony versions in the distance.

It didn’t help that the ponified girls were less focused on following Sunset’s tail, and more on aweing at the world around them. Sunset found it pointless to stop them though; she knew she would be just as curious if put in their hooves, and she still found amusement in them being purely fascinated in what was mundane to her.

Before she knew it, they arrived at the Ponyville train station. They all sat as a group in the corner of a relatively empty car. Just the same, Sunset didn’t want the others to make much noise as a precautionary measure.

As the others took a seat, they found it surprisingly difficult and unnatural to sit on their haunches. Even Sunset was out of practice, so she took no problem in having them sit like a human, with their rears on the wooden boards and their backs against the windows. It was nowhere near as comfortable as it would in their human bodies, but it was the best they could do.

Most of the train ride was spent on idle chit-chat and casual conversations about what they have observed. But then came the long, winding mountain connecting the rail line from Ponyville to Canterlot. From there, the entire group took a big, long look at the small town. The sight was so picturesque and fantastical, that it made the new ponies’ eyes widen and fully on the window.

“Can you believe this is real?” Rainbow Dash asked in amazement.

“I’ve pinched myself far too much to think otherwise,” said Rarity, holding up her front hooves. “At least, as well as I could pinch with these…”

“How majestic,” Fluttershy whispered.

“But not as majestic as THAT!” Pinkie Pie shouted, pointing her hoof at the other window, whose visage was somehow even more jaw-dropping.

It was an incredible, enormous, modern, complex-shaped castle. It almost looked like several already-impressive towers and monuments were merged. About half of the castle was, almost like magic, hanging off the edge of a beautiful, flowing river, and each mini-structure ended with an elegant, pointed tip.

On first sight, it was clear to see that this was the home of Princess Celestia. It was the single most enthralling view they had ever seen.

“That is even more AWESOME!” Rainbow exclaimed again, flapping in the air.

“Shh,” Sunset shushed, not wanting to look at the sight for herself. The memories associated with them were too much for her.

“Don't be such a killjoy, Sunset,” Twilight Sparkle said playfully, nudging Sunset in the shoulder. “This is the type of thing you only get to see once in a lifetime!”

Sunset did not look at her though. All she did was stare toward the ground. She knew what Canterlot Castle looked like anyway; she studied there for a great many years under Princess Celestia. Man, did she love showing off that powerful magic of hers and impressing the princess… sure, it ended sourly, but they made up eventually. And before all that happened, they sure did have a lot of happy times together. The birth of her phoenix Philomena, Celestia sharing stories about her past with Princess Luna, and just having fun together – going beyond the teacher-student relationship they originally had.

She experimentally tried to cast a little light spell with her horn, but all that occurred were some sparks. It was clear that after years of disuse, her magic had considerably weakened and she had a much harder time activating it than before. Tears began to shed upon such a realization.

As Twilight was the one directly next to the born-unicorn, she was the only one to notice the burst of sadness upon the friend. But, not wanting to bum out the rest of the group, she knew to keep it to herself.

Author's Note

I know Twilight and Rainbow reacting to the other dimension was a sort of retcon to Spring Breakdown, but this story was thought up before that aired and I decided it'd be more fun to have all six of the girls be together in first exploring Equestia. Hopefully you understand this creative choice.

Chapter 4

Lucky for the group, they arrived at a day when Princess Celestia didn’t receive many visitors. Thus, the group traversed their way through the castle, which was made much easier thanks to Sunset’s recollection of the route, and before they knew it, there were the massive doors. Sunset gulped. She had nothing to worry about in terms of seeing Princess Celestia – after all, they reconciled upon the memory stone incident – it was the current situation she was nervous about. What’s going to happen to the human world? How can it be saved? Can it even be saved at all?

Well, she had six ponies right behind her, and they were eager for an answer just as much as her, so no turning back now. She gave herself enough courage to magically open the double doors. Princess Celestia was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t seem to matter, as there in the throne room was Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Princess Twilight, upon hearing the creaking of the doors, turned her back to face the group of seven standing by.

“Oh, Sunset Shimmer!” she said, trotting over to the other side of the hall to meet her interdimensional friend, “It’s always such a pleasant surprise to see you.”

Sunset was happy as well, but she was also fairly nervous. “…Well, this isn’t the only surprise you’re going to get today…”

Princess Twilight turned to look behind Sunset as six familiar-looking faces came into view. She initially cocked her head and raised an eyebrow, puzzled at what exactly made this a surprise. However, upon giving the group a full scan, she caught on to how unusually clumsy they looked on their hooves, and particularly how one such unicorn looked a lot like herself, minus the wings and glasses. Only a second later did her eyes pop open.

“Are they…?” she asked for confirmation.

“Yes,” said Sunset, with some hesitation but still with a hint of smugness.

“…You brought them?! Here?!?” Princess Twilight said, with a look on her face that somehow mixed both panic and curiosity.

Sunset stepped back, giving a nervous smile and struggling to get her words out. “Well… they wanted to come… and… I guessed having the support would help.”

With the cat now out of the bag, she had no idea how Princess Twilight would react. After all, she and Princess Celestia have objected to her friends entering the portal before. Her face winced, preparing for a verbal beating.

Surprisingly, Twilight’s subsequent reaction was not one of worry or anger, but of fascination. “Oh, girls, this must be so exciting! Your first time in Equestria!” she said enthusiastically. “What was it like to go through the portal? What is it like to become ponies for the first time? Did you…”

“Twilight, I’m sure they’d love to tell you, but we have more important matters to discuss,” Sunset replied flatly, partly to genuinely get to the task at hoof and partly to make sure Princess Twilight didn’t go on for an hour. Her friends behind her, however, looked a little annoyed at Sunset speaking on their behalf.

“Where is Princess Celestia, anyway?” Sunset asked out of her curiosity, giving the throne room another scan.

Princess Twilight chuckled. “Oh, she is off on another one of those conferences. Imagine that I will be up there one of these days…” Her mouth lowered as if to imply slight dread and nervousness.

“Anyway,” she said, giving a friendly motion with her hoof to beckon the girls to approach her more closely. They (rather awkwardly and somewhat reluctantly) did.

“So anyway,” said Sunset, taking a deep breath before letting everything out, “Magic is leaking out of our portal like crazy and it’s causing chaos to ensue all across our school and city! We have no idea how long this is going on or why, and we need to know…”

She couldn’t manage to finish her sentence, so Rarity stepped in to do so for her. “We need to know if there’s a way we can help save our world.”

Applejack also put in her two cents. “And hopefully put it back to its normal, non-magical ways.”

Princess Twilight’s eyes slowly widened as the explanation was given, but unlike a minute before, it looked completely serious and not in a positive way – which was far from lost on the girls. “Oh dear,” she panicked, “I was worried this was going to happen… Oh no, oh no..."

“What?” said her born-human counterpart.

Instead of another response, Princess Twilight activated the magic from her horn and created a little projection screen just behind her. She also summoned a baton, which remained in her grasp.

The diagram demonstrated a rough mock-up of the city, with a bunch of lines representing the magic, all coming out of the cube shape representing the statue portal.

“As you can see,” Princess Twilight lectured, “the magic that has been building up between dimensions has been slowly leaking out over time, and they have been the reason all those magical artifacts have been able to function.”

The cube was then given a big hole, resulting in many more lines jumping out of it and into the city. “The buildup has become so strong, that the portal’s defenses have broken, and the magic is spreading at an alarming rate.”

“We kind of figured,” said Rainbow impatiently. “We know our city is in big trouble.”

Twilight levitated her pointer upright, showcasing some slight sternness. “But that’s just it – up to now, the magic has been confined to just your city because that was the closest area for it to cover. But soon –“ The diagram slowly zoomed out to reveal areas of increasing size. “The city will be so full of magical energy, that the wisps will extend beyond that. And more and more area will get covered over time.”

Sunset Shimmer’s eyes widened as her mind processed where this was going. “Wait… so that means…”

Princess Twilight solemnly nodded. “If the magic isn't stopped or controlled, it will threaten to spread all over the entire world!”

As she said this, the diagram had fully zoomed out to showcase the entire planet, becoming more and more full of magical forces before being completely covered up.

“And… who even knows what catastrophe will happen after that.”

The girls gasped as the scope became crystal clear.

“No…” Sci-Twi went, stepping back as if the visual demonstration was enough to make her uncomfortable.

“Well… surely there’s some way to make the forces stop leaking in!” Rainbow protested.

Princess Twilight sighed, knowing this question was coming. “But that’s just it – I have consulted both Princess Celestia and Starlight Glimmer to do that, and I’m afraid that as long as the portal remains active and the hole is there, nothing is stopping the magic from breaking out. Thus, I have only come to one conclusion – I’m going to have to shut down the portal for good.”

After she finished, there was pure silence for some time, and not as much reaction as the princess had anticipated.

Finally, Rarity broke the silence. “…That’s all you’d have to do?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the easiest thing ever.” Princess Twilight replied, pacing. “Beyond detaching my little contraption, I’d also have to deactivate any magical energy from the portal itself, meaning it won’t even turn on in its old cycle. It’s… complicated, but I have no doubt I’ll be able to do it in time. And after I do this, all the links between the two worlds will be gone, and having nowhere to channel its power from, all the magical energy in your world will completely disappear."

Applejack nodded in approval. “All right, that sounds perfect!”

“Sounds good to me,” Fluttershy added on.

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie voiced similar remarks, but by this point, Sunset was only listening to her inner thoughts. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Close the portal for good? But… she doesn’t even know which world she’ll stay in! She couldn’t imagine how much more difficult her choice would be with this in mind.

Without thinking, she silenced the room with one loud shout. “NO!!!!”

Everyone turned to look at the very clearly stressed Sunset Shimmer, some annoyed, others curious.

“You… you can’t shut down the portal!”

“…Why not?” Rainbow asked.

“Because… because…” Sunset tried to come up with an excuse but failed miserably. She didn’t want to let her friends know about her conflict; she simply didn’t have the heart to say she was thinking of leaving them. But there was no hiding it anymore. So, might as well let it out.

“…Because, I-I… I’m homesick.”

Her friends gave puzzled looks, not knowing the connection.

Sunset quickly explained her position in greater detail. “Lately, I’ve been feeling very unsure about which world I want to stay in after I graduate. One world has you girls, but the other… has a princess who wants me to resume her magical studies. Not to mention it is where I was born…”

“So… which world are you planning to stay in?” Fluttershy asked.

“I DON’T KNOW!” Sunset cried. “I was thinking, whichever world I don't stay in I could just visit, but with the portal closing forever… I-I may never see you again. I just don’t want to ever say goodbye to any of you…”

She sobbed. At first, the ponies gave a solemn expression of sympathy.

"Sunset Shimmer," said Princess Twilight, attempting to be reassuring, "you can take your time with your decision if you'd like. I, of all ponies, should know better than to get between a group of friends."

Upon hearing this, Applejack stepped up with a much more strict look and demeanor, looking directly at Sunset Shimmer. “So, what yerr saying is, you’d rather have the portal open so you don’t have to say goodbye to us?”

Sunset nodded, still keeping her head down as she cried.

Applejack kept the same attitude as before, but her eyes perked up to showcase concern. “You do realize what yerr saying, right?"

Sunset didn’t respond. She just wept in her own hooves.

"I'm sorry, Sunset Shimmer, but..." Applejack really didn't want to come off as harsh, but she knew sugarcoating would get them nowhere. "Turning off the portal is very much in the public's best interest. This is the world we're talking about here!"

"No, no, I get it," Sunset whimpered, attempting to defend herself, "It's just... you girls mean the world to me, and I was hoping that friendship could last."

"Well, if we don't do what's right, our society won't last," she said. "As your friend, I understand what you're going through. I'm just... hoping you can understand our problem as well."

“Applejack… honestly has a point,” said Rarity, reluctant to admit it.

“I mean, surely you know some of us have lives we want to worry about instead of fighting magic all the time,” said Fluttershy, sounding a little more firm than usual.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie simply stood back. They only gave each other rather blank, concerned looks, but that was enough to convey how uncomfortable they were getting. Sci-Twi was in a similar position, but she kept her focus on Sunset Shimmer more than anyone else.

"Well, I..." Sunset gulped, once again struggling to think of what to say. "...don't know. I definitely get wanting to move on with your lives, but I... I guess I just am not ready for things to change. These last couple years at Canterlot High have been the greatest in my life, and I knew this day was coming and everything, but... now this whole magic stuff just... ruined everything." She sniffed as the remaining words poured out as quickly as the tears. "It's bad enough we can no longer hang out like we used to, but now I have to pick a side, and... I don't think I can."

"Sunset, darling, we too will miss being able to be as together as we have been," said Rarity, with a counseling voice as she stood directly in front of Sunset on one side.

"And nobody deserves to go through this kind of pressure," Princess Twilight added on, standing on the other side. "After all, you're the only pony who has love spreading across two dimensions."

"But that shouldn't stand in the way of public safety," Applejack interrupted sternly, standing between the two. "Sunset..." she sighed, hating that it had to come to this. "I'm afraid you're going to have to think about your priorities and the big picture."

She turned away and started stepping toward the huge double-doors, while four of the remaining ponified girls began to follow.

“But… but…” Sunset once again wanted to explain her stance, but couldn’t, even to herself.

“Ah-bup-bup!” said Pinkie Pie. Despite the attitude, Sunset saw in Pinkie's face a look of genuine stress and worry. “Let’s not make things even more needlessly depressing."

Applejack sighed. “Girls, let’s go home. We gotta let Princess Twilight do what she needs to do.”

"Applejack..." said Princess Twilight, wanting to reason with the farm girl.

But the only response she got from the orange earth pony was, "Princess, please get to work on shutting the portal down when you can. I'm sure at least you can understand the importance of keeping dangerous magic at bay."

And the five continued their steps. Only Sci-Twi stayed put.

“You coming, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

Sci-Twi hesitated before responding. “…No. I'll be sure to return in time though, don't worry."

The others were a little bothered by her decision, but they didn’t want to cause more drama. They shrugged and walked out of the throne room.

As the doors slammed, all that was left were both Twilight Sparkles and Sunset Shimmer, who was bawling harder than ever. All Sci-Twi could do was slowly crawl to her friend, and pat her head at an attempt to provide some reassurance.

Princess Twilight only looked in concern. She didn’t know how to respond to any of this. All she knew was that this was going to be a lot more difficult than even she thought.

Chapter 5

Sunset Shimmer spent the night in one of Princess Twilight’s guest bedrooms. The bed was comfortable enough, certainly more so than her own accommodations, but if anything, she suffered more than ever to get a good sleep. It was late nightfall by the time the trio arrived back in Ponyville (the day/night cycles seem to be flipped between worlds), and while the alicorn felt the need to study and work on the portal as much as she could so everything could be over with as soon as possible, Sunset simply had to sleep on the real life nightmare that had just struck.

The fiery-maned unicorn constantly tossed and turned, lightly grunting as her mind only worsened the mood. In her dream, she was standing in a seemingly endless, white room, with the only sight being giant projections of Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity's heads, who were constantly throwing fierce words at her.

“It is your fault we have to worry about magic!” said Rarity.

“Our world and everything in it could perish because of you!” said Fluttershy.

“Our life was so much more carefree before you came in!” said Pinkie Pie.

“I knew we should’ve known better than to think you could ever change,” Rainbow Dash moped.

“Go ahead, stay in Equestria! You clearly don't care about us anymore,” Applejack declared.

They went on spewing more, similar statements all at once. Sunset blocked her ears with her front hooves, trying hard not to hear any of it. But the efforts were no good. Their voices were loud enough to pierce through any barrier.

She could also hear a rustling behind her. Princess Twilight was visibly sweating and tired, trying desperately to keep the magic under control but failing. “…I really wish Sunset wouldn't be so indecisive and would be willing to help me out with all this..."

Princess Celestia’s voice came next. She was never visible, but it echoed heavily through the void’s acoustics. “Imagine, a unicorn who would rather have magic over friends… Too bad it's too late to change her; unlike you, Twilight".

"No... no!" Sunset yelled. "I didn't ask for any of this! You know I didn't mean it that way!"

The projections were all gone by this point, but the voices continued while the ground started to crumble under her hooves. And just as she was running out of space and about to fall into the empty blackness beneath, she shut her eyes, dreading where this was going. "Agh, make it stop!"

Suddenly, at that very instant, everything became silent. Sunset opened her eyes, and she suddenly found herself in a mysterious, serene blue starscape. Sunset had zero idea what was going on, and simply looked around, wondering how this even came up in her own mind, let alone after everything that just happened. But then, before long, she heard the sound of large wings flapping and hooves landing directly behind her.

Sunset was surprised to see Princess Luna, whose reaction was blank, eyes shut and tranquil. Suddenly the unicorn recalled hearing about the night princess’s duties to look over dreams and help defeat nightmares. Even knowing this, it felt so surreal for her to actually be in this dreamscape herself.

“…Princess Luna?” was all she could say, hoping for a response.

“Sunset Shimmer, I can see that you’re troubled about your friendships.”

Sunset couldn’t say anything. All she did was tear up once more, and kept her head down. But a dark blue hoof lifted it back up.

“You’re worried about your choices making you lose everything you’ve had?” she said.

“Sure, rub it in why don’t you!” Sunset shouted out of impulse. Realizing what she had just said, she turned her back out of shame.

“Sunset, I’m only trying to help you," said Luna, not feeling at all hurt. "And to help you, we need to boil down the root of your nightmare.”

The unicorn said nothing, and only bobbed her head further toward the ground.

“Doesn’t that remind you of what once happened to you before?”

There was enough surprise and mysticism for Sunset to slowly turn her body to look at Princess Luna once more. “How-how do you know?” she quietly muttered.

“Because my sister has told me stories about how far you’ve come. How you’ve made up for your biggest mistakes and showed that no matter how bad things get, they can always get better.”

The unicorn tensed up once more. “But-but-but… this is more than just my friendships. This is… an entire world… an entire planet! They’re in danger, Princess Twilight might not be able to save them, and… it’s all my fault!”

Princess Luna took steps around the unicorn. “You could not have predicted the long-term effects of everything you’ve done. Knowledge of how the two dimensions interact has been nonexistent up to this point.”

Sunset’s spirits slightly lifted, enough for her to stop crying, but she still couldn’t quite muster a smile. “But, can I really save their dimension? And besides, after Princess Twilight closes the portal… I have no idea where I can go.”

“For both questions, my sole answer is that only you can decide. Just know that you are more powerful than you realize, and that you should have more confidence in yourself.”

“How can I decide if I don’t even know the answer?”

Luna fluttered into the air with a certain grace that Sunset couldn’t help but admire. “The answer will come to you in time.” the princess said reassuringly.

“…But I don’t have time! The portal will be closed really soon and the dimension could be in danger as we speak!” Sunset shouted.

“Sometimes the answer is closer than you may think. But I can't resolve everything on my own; you will only feel satisfied upon discovering for yourself.”

Sunset paused and blinked. She wasn’t quite sure what this meant. She saw Luna was about to leave the dreamscape, so she knew she had to get her last question out. “How do I know when I have it?”

“You’ll know when you do…” Princess Luna’s voice trailed as it disappeared.

Before another thought could enter her mind, Sunset Shimmer found herself awake in the guest bed. It was quite a shocking sensation, as it felt like her awakening was almost forced on her.

Suddenly, the door knocked. “…Hello?” she said groggily.

It slowly opened, revealing a familiar purple unicorn, wearing a distinct set of glasses marking her as the human-turned-pony Twilight Sparkle. “…I overheard you making all these noises. Are-are you still upset about what happened yesterday?”

“…Yes,” Sunset sighed, “But, I’ve… thought about it overnight, and... I think I’ll just let everything play out and decide what to do later.”

“…Okay,” Twilight said, still with concern. After a few seconds of silence, she went, “I’ve heard the Princess needs at least a few more hours to get everything together.”

“Well, I suppose I could use a little trot outside,” said Sunset, stepping out of her bed. She forgot how much more simple getting up in the morning is as a pony, when she doesn’t have to worry about clothes. “It’d be nice to have a friend with me.”

Twilight smiled, and it lifted Sunset’s spirits. She was secretly wanting to run away from her problems, as she was overwhelmed in how it stressed her, but she obviously didn’t want her friend to know. Besides, she assumed everyone can figure out how to deal with the problem on their own.

Outside the castle, they slowly walked side by side toward the center of Ponyville. Sunset wasn’t very familiar with the town, barely having ever been there, but she already kind of felt at home just from how intimate and compact everything felt.

“So, where would you want to relax?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“How about a library?” Twilight suggested.

“...We were just at one,” said Sunset, “Remember where the portal is?”

“Oh… yeah… that…” Twilight was a little disappointed at the realization.

“Well…” Sunset thought out loud, recalling her favorite places from her possibly-former home, only to catch sight of a large, standalone building - which she soon recognized by the golden sign just above the door as the local spa. “Would a spa trip work for you?”

Twilight was a little unsure at first, but after a few seconds nodded at Sunset for approval. “Though it’ll be a little weird to get treated like…” She took another look at her equine form. “...this.”

Sunset couldn’t help but giggle at her friend still being in an unfamiliar form that was oh so commonplace for her. “Don’t worry, you’ll find it’s not as different as you may think.”

***

The two unicorns were sitting on separate spa benches, backs of their heads laid on the soft pillows with mud on their faces and cucumbers over their eyes. Sunset Shimmer was getting a massage from Aloe while Twilight Sparkle received a hooficure from Lotus.

It felt really odd to Twilight at first, having flat, seemingly solid hooves be treated as opposed to hands and feet. Twilight thought at first the sensation would seem rough and firm, as there weren’t as many bones to move around, but it was surprising just how much the spa pony was able to press into her appendages and straighten out her legs. There were a lot of rough joints and stiff parts that she didn’t even know she had. Did they translate into her pony body from her human form? How are hooves supposed to remain comfortable if she had to constantly walk around town on them?

A relieving filing on her rear-right leg reminded her not to ask questions.

Sunset, however, was not as strongly at ease. To be sure, she forgot how relaxing it was to have pressure applied to equine legs. But she got the impression that even the most relieving treatment couldn’t get her to forget her worries, considering how high the stakes were here and how much she stood to lose.

At that instant, she was asked to turn over and allow her back to be massaged. True, this sensation was closer than the spa treatments she received in the other world the few times Rarity took her to Canterlot City’s spa, but a rose by any other name…

“This feels so nice…” Twilight said, as Lotus placed the file on her horn.

Sunset turned her head to face Twilight. She was pleased to see her friend look so relaxed and comfortable, and she became just as relaxed too.

***

The two excited looking as tranquil as they’ve ever been. Sunset carefully closed the door with her horn. Twilight Sparkle could notice of this and, upon having the clear enough mind to be curious of anything she observed, found it fascinating.

“How do you work your unicorn magic like that?” Twilight asked, in a relaxed voice.

“Oh, it’s… uh…” Sunset struggled to explain. It was a weird scenario for her; magic was such a fundamental thing to unicorns. She even rigorously studied it for a while. And yet, she couldn’t figure out a way to put it into words for an outsider. She then recalled the little experience Twilight had with magic through her hand levitation.

“...Well, you just kind of think about doing something that you are physically able to do…” she said, making up the description as she went along. “It’s kind of like anything else in the body, your brain just sort of wills it, and if it’s within your power… you do it.”

“Really that easy to describe?” Twilight said, a little skeptical.

“Look, just because I know about magic doesn’t mean I can lecture about it…” Sunset sighed. Clearly she was a much better student than a teacher.

Just the same, Twilight took what Sunset said to mind and looked around and anything she could levitate. She centered on a rock about the size of her hoof near the corner of the building. She wanted to lift it, so she basically thought about lifting it. She shut her eyes, and strained as her mind thought hard. Before long, her horn started buzzing sparks.

Sunset stepped back in case something bad happened, but was still delighted to see someone like her get a taste of true unicorn magic.

Twilight thought harder, and after putting in as much effort as she could, a purple aura fully encompassed her horn and the rock. She could feel the pressure of the rock inside her mind, which caught her off guard at first, but quickly shook it off as to not let it disturb her thought process. Slowly, inch by inch, the rock lifted off the ground, and once she thought it hit a good enough point, she opened her eyes to find her staring at the floating rock with a purple glow around it.

The resulting delight caused her to immediately lose her grip, with the rock falling flat on the ground. However, this slip did nothing to undermine Twilight's excitement.

“That was so cool!” she said excitedly.

“I know, that was really good for a first-timer!” said Sunset, patting Twilight on the back with a hoof.

“I wonder what else I could lift…” Twilight thought.

***

As they trotted through the town, they soon found some relatively thick sticks on the ground, likely small tree branches that were recently sawed off. They playfully slammed them at each other like swords, and felt like little fillies as they did so.

By the time they grew tired of that, they suddenly realized that they have found their way into the outskirts of town. The buildings were long behind them, though still within sight, and in front of them was something that was strangely familiar to them but… not.

It was a big farm area, with hills upon hills of healthy-looking trees in the distance, a large corn field to the left, some lovely if rustic decor all around, and a huge barn that seemed to double as a house.

The apple symbol across the entrance they were quickly approaching marked it as...j

“Sweet Apple Acres!” Sunset Shimmer exlaimed.

Twilight glanced at Sunset, unsure where she was going with this. “...So, do you want to…”

"Nope, let's go," Sunset hastily replied. She was just about to start trotting back when...

“Yee-haw!” came a familiar voice from the farm. “I see we got us some visitors!”

Wanting to be polite, Sunset nervously smiled and waved her hoof. “He-hello.”

The pony trotted through the entrance, and as the visage became more clear, Sunset was impressed by just how much the mare resembled the Applejack she saw last night... for better and for worse.

Applejack stopped in front of the two girls on the top of the hill. She was clearly caught a little off guard, but quickly regained her composure.

“Well, howdy there Twilight! I didn’t know you decided to switch to glasses! I must say, those look really good on you.”

Twilight used a hoof to adjust her glasses. “Thanks,” she said modestly, “but, uh… I… uh…”

“I’m Sunset Shimmer,” the other pony said, knowing Twilight was at a loss to understand the situation. “This Twilight is… not the one you’re familiar with.”

Applejack’s smile fell into a more blank expression. The two unicorns could almost see her processing the information she was given. “...Sunset Shimmer?” she asked.

Sunset blinked. “She knows me?” she thought.

“You’re that pony Twilight Sparkle communicates with from that other world! Oh, it’s so great to properly meet you!” She held out her hoof to shake, with Sunset accepted.

“And…” Applejack said, remembering what her Twilight Sparkle once said, “...If you’re not our Twilight, then… you’re the Twilight from that world!”

“Y-y-yes…” Twilight said sheepishly.

“Hoo boy, what brings you two here?” Applejack cheerfully asked.

“Well, we just kind of wanted to explore and Princess Twilight invited us over,” Sunset simply replied, not wanting to disclose the full details.

Twilight was a little skeptical of this decision at first, but knew to respect it.

“Well, while you’re here, how ‘bout I offer you some apples?”

***

The two were sitting on a table outside the barn, having eaten a couple slices of apple pie and drank a bottle of fizzy apple cider.

Sunset couldn’t remember the last time she treated herself to some of Applejack’s homemade apple products, but she was truly won over by what she saw at this Sweet Apple Acres. They were extremely filling to her stomach and made to perfection, just like how organic food should be.

“Thanks very much, Applejack,” Sunset said, “but we really must get going.”

“...Yeah,” Twilight said, getting out of her chair, “the Princess needs us back…”

“Oh, of course!” Applejack said excitedly. “I need to make a delivery in town anyway, so I’ll come with you!”

Sunset gulped. She didn’t want to really be around a counterpart of the girl that caused her own circle of friends to turn against her. But she really didn’t want to be rude either, so with a little reluctance, she agreed.

***

“...And that’s how I learned the value of seeking help from my friends,” said Applejack. She clearly had a hint of embarrassment in her voice, but she had really come to enjoy making conversation with the other two so she didn’t really care. She loved hearing a couple of Sunset’s stories about what she went through in the other world, and hearing a little bit about another Applejack was something she couldn’t help but find amusing.

“Hey, it’s Sugarcube Corner!” she said suddenly, as the trio passed by the titular establishment, a bakery that looked quite literally looked good enough to eat, with s’more-like frosting adorning the main roof and with a couple little cupcakes and candles on top.

This announcement caught Sunset and Twilight a little off guard, but as they took a better look at the front of the bakery, they realized why. At the front of the steps were four additional ponies - they both knew that they were Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy - but they were unsure of exactly which versions they were. Twilight seemed indifferent, while Sunset slowed herself down, not certain if she wanted to interact with them, regardless if they weren’t the same ones she turned away.

It was only a few seconds before Applejack and Twilight stopped as well, and look behind them to see a shrinking Sunset Shimmer, pawing the ground with her hoof.

She glanced at Applejack, and recalled the last 15 minutes they spent. Sunset sighed, then plucked up enough courage to continue stepping toward the smaller group of ponies waiting for them.

“Hey, Applejack, darling!” Rarity waved.

“Mornin’, girls!” Applejack greeted. “What are you doing here anyhow?”

“Oh, Pinkie Pie tipped us off that your only delivery of the day was here,” said Rainbow.

“So we thought, why not have a little treat together?” Fluttershy added on.

Rainbow caught notice of the purple pony. “Hey, Twilight! I thought you said you were too busy with mechanical stuff to hang with us today!”

Sunset slightly stiffened. Was what the Princess had to do really that much of an intrusion?

“...And when did you get glasses?” Fluttershy asked.

Applejack chuckled, then gave a nervous smile. “Well, actually, funny story…”

“Oh, and that’s Sunset Shimmer!” said Pinkie Pie gleefully, rushing up to the amber unicorn. She then began forcefully and rigorously shaking her hoof. “It’s such a pleasant surprise to see you! We’ve heard so much about what you’ve done!”

“...You have?” Sunset asked nervously. I guess it figured, since stuff like her joining Princess Twilight to defeat a group of Sirens isn’t exactly something she’d be silent about.

“Well, c’mon, join us! My treat!” said Pinkie, as she ushered the group inside the bakery.

Sunset remained modest about the warm welcome. Sure, what just happened with their counterparts was still on her mind, but… maybe she could start fresh with the pony versions. Maybe saying goodbye to her current friendships wouldn't be so bad after all…

She happily trotted indoors.

Author's Note

That "day/night cycles are flipped" thing is actually something I noticed in the first film that not many people seemed to, so I decided to roll with it here.

But yeah, this is definitely more a breather chapter than anything. Next time, we'll go back to the human girls and see how they're doing. And, in case you haven't figured it out, I've pretty much settled on a "new chapter every 4 days" schedule at this point.

Chapter 6

One by one, each of the five girls shakily stepped out of the marble housing the portal. This trip was no less dizzy than the first, not to mention having to once again adjust to being on two legs, resulting in them stepping as if they were stuffed in a washer. Rarity and Applejack nearly tripped before settling onto the grass, Fluttershy simply took it slowly before sitting on one side of the statue, and Pinkie Pie - to no one's shock - walked out extremely casually and nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened to her.

The last to enter, Rainbow Dash, simply laid her back on the side opposite Applejack. “Ugh… I’m glad that’s over,”

“Me too,” Rarity added, “I mean, I loved exploring the beautiful settings, but… I just can’t wait for things to get back to normal.”

“Uh, Rarity, I don’t think we’re done quite yet,” said Applejack, nudging Rarity in the shoulder to truly wake her up.

She pointed in the direction of the school. The sidewalk between the school and the statue showed heavy cracks, which were very plainly increasing in size. Ripples into Equestria forming at a few points on the ground, large enough for them to get a glimpse of the land they just visited. Even a few things like the trees and bushes around the school were levitating in the air.

“...I think I want to go back,” Fluttershy whimpered. She turned toward the portal, but Applejack tapped her shoulder to stop her.

“No, we don’t want to go bothering Princess Twilight or cause some paradox or let some other bad thing happen,” she said passively.

“Even still, I’m not sure how we’ll be able to go on with our lives until the portal is shut,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to… deal,” said Rarity reluctantly, still stressed.

She knew this was going to be harder than even her claim implied, but none of them had any idea just how difficult it would be.

***

A couple hours later saw Rarity back in her bedroom/workshop, eager to get back to dress work. Her current personal project was a special dress for the post-graduation party; it was going to be a dazzling spectacle of light blue fabric with yellow sleeves, matching the school’s colors, a gown-like bottom with a rounded, ovular pattern, and a tight circular collar.

She had it all blueprinted, taped on the wall over their desk. As she was preparing to sew one sleeve to the main part of the dress, she saw the large piece of cloth meant to be the sleeve sort of flinch out of the path of the sewing machine. Rarity shrugged, passing it off as a light breeze. This happened to her all the time after all, nothing big.

But upon trying again, not only did it pull itself away again, it did so much more quickly and forcefully.

“C’mon, stay in place…” she said to the disobedient material. It was clearly contaminated with magic, but she felt it still could be reasoned with.

It couldn’t. Moving as if it were flowing with the wind, but not obeying the laws of physics, it instead completely flew off the desk and ‘motioned’ the other fabrics in Rarity’s room to join along.

Before long, Rarity found herself standing right in the middle of a colorful parade of beautiful yet disorienting colors circling around her, before finally coming together and forming a sort of life-size, origami woman that looked just like her, even though the colors weren’t necessarily correct.

The eyes, which were small blue pieces of paper glued to a large white piece of cotton making up the head, fluttered open. There were even nice little strands left on the sides to represent the eyelashes.

Rarity, not sure of what to say, decided to complement ‘it’. “Uh, I really appreciate you trying to, I guess, resemble my complexion, but…” She couldn’t resist nitpicking; it was her material, after all. That’s what they’re there for, she thought. “I must say, you probably could’ve nailed it a bit bitter. My waist is NOT that wide-”

Before she could continue, the Rarity collage pushed Rarity to the floor.

“What was that for?” she said, frustrated at the sudden aggression.

Her answer came in the form of a sewing needle in one of its cloth hands, as well as a measuring tape and a pair of scissors in the other.

Her eyes widened in pure horror as she felt her limbs pinned to the floor.

***

It was the time of the week again, the time for Applejack to harvest all the fresh apples from the healthy trees. She loved the fresh orchard smell as she stepped out of her barn, with a large bucket in one hand and a ladder in the other.

She approached the first tree in the yard, and placed the top part of the ladder along the tree’s wide trunk. Just from the ground, she could tell all the apples - gala, honeycrisp, and fuji alike - looked as red and delicious as a good apple should be.

However, she couldn’t let herself get distracted by the rustic beauty of the trees. There was work to be done after all, and their family’s apples helped serve many a hungry citizen far and wide. So, she eagerly climbed up the ladder, but before she picked off the first apple, it suddenly levitated off the branch and hid in the leaves of the tree.

“What the hay?” Applejack thought out loud, before the answer quickly came to mind. “Ugh… must be more magic going on…”

Hoping it only affected that one, she turned to the next apple that caught her eye. This time, she was able to expertly pick it off the branch and onto her hand, but just as she was able to sigh out of relief, it too floated, but this time just above Applejack’s head.

It was at this point that Applejack curiously noticed that all the other apples she could see were on the tree before suddenly disappeared. She had no idea what this was about, until her ear picked up a huge rustling of leaves. With grave curiosity, she slowly lifted her head up to find the apples were all grouped together and ready to pour down. She quickly slid down the ladder as the first few apples began to pelt her body.

Thankfully, they didn’t fall at a fast enough rate to cause any severe injuries, but it still hurt her body in the short term just the same. And there was probably at least one bad bruise there, too. Worse still, half of the apples were turned into applesauce! How could she sell and use them now?

***

The other girls were, needless to say, having similar magic-related problems in their own lives.

Outside the local animal shelter, one could easily see Fluttershy carefully but hastily rushing out the door, back pinned to blockade the entrance with her arms seemingly pinned to the doors. She was breathing hard, and it was plain to see why - from the other side came obnoxiously loud roars, the sound of scraping claws, and the general vibe of something dangerous trying to get it. And anyone who looked through the window would identify what those things were: a bear with two extra limbs and a third eye, a super-tall and super-muscular rabbit with a clear attitude problem, and several, decidedly less describable mutant animals. It was unclear as to just how much longer she could hold up before the doors finally gave way. Next thing she knew, some sirens started to ring, and they got progressively louder over the next minute, and only stopped once a giant white truck pulled up in front of her.

Rainbow was doing some sports practice in her backyard, but no matter where her feet kicked the soccer balls, it would never head in the direction she wanted, regardless of the intended trajectory. They swerved across the backyard, seemingly at random and showed no sign of stopping. Next thing she knew, her collection of soccer balls - as well as some she believed belonged to her neighbors - banded together in a familiar-looking formation and chased Dash all across the yard. She would run to one end, only to find a large line of soccer balls prompting her to run the other. Eventually, they cornered her at the net on the far side of the yard, and pushed her inside.

At Pinkie Pie’s house, everything was messed up in general. Her plushie, which she named Gummy, gained sentience, which would’ve been pretty cute if it wasn’t for the tiny yet sharp teeth that came close to biting her finger a couple times. Then she baked some sweets in a magic-contaminated oven, only for them to come out with faces that certainly weren't there before. At first, it seemed pretty fun. They sang cute little songs that Pinkie would sing along with (including a fun little cupcake ditty she thought she ought to write down), but then the horror came that whenever she tried to take a bite, they’d let out a high-pitched, almost squeaky, cry of pain. It wasn’t right to eat something with a heart and soul, no matter how tasty it was… right?

***

They gathered together yet again in front of the school that following morning. None of them really had to say how tired they were; their frazzled and drowsy faces said more than words could.

“Girls… ‘dealing with this’ isn’t working out,” said Rarity, holding out her arms showing several minor skin tears, “It’ll take me some time to recover from those cuts.”

“The animal shelter has been condemned due to mutant activity,” Fluttershy whimpered, “I know they’re contaminated, but I don’t want those critters to get hurt…”

“My farm can’t exactly make any profits if I can’t pick properly pick any of my apples,” said an annoyed Applejack, “I swear they’re forming their own society at this rate.”

“I like the idea of having my equipment play the game on their own, but it’s no fun for you to be part of the game,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Never before have I questioned the morality of eating something so delicious…” said Pinkie Pie, who was seemingly staring off into space and speaking in a surprisingly philosophical tone. “Cupcakes are meant to be eaten, especially ones with creamy frosting… so if they can’t be eaten, what purpose do they serve?”

“Besides,” Rarity added on, “shouldn’t we have heard from Twilight Sparkle by now?”

“Yeah, she told us she’d be here before Princess Twilight shut down the portal,” Fluttershy replied.

“You don’t think…” Applejack thought out loud, “that Princess Twilight is holding back for Sunset’s sake? Ugh, and I thought she’s understand the importance of keeping both worlds safe…”

The four remaining girls stared at each other for a little while.

“AJ,” said Rainbow, “you know, Sunset is our friend. I don’t think it was very cool for us to walk out on her like that.”

“Yeah, in hindsight I’d have to agree,” said Rarity. “I mean, obviously the magic needs to be mitigated as soon as possible, but I’m sure with enough reasoning, we could’ve easily gone with some level of understanding.”

“She did seem really unsure about her future,” Fluttershy added on, “In fact, I’m starting to realize she probably never even had a plan. She always avoided it whenever we’d bring it up.”

The others slowly nodded, picking up on such a realization themselves.

“And… if she were to stay in Equestria,” said Pinkie Pie, still in her daze but talking more normally, “she can’t exactly reach us through cell phones.”

“I don’t know about you,” said Rarity, “but I sure would miss her.”

“Me too,” said Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy together.

Applejack took a deep breath. “Yep, I would miss her also, but… I really do think she’s overthinking everything and letting it get in the way of what’s even more important.”

“But even still, darling, can you really blame her?” Rarity asked to Applejack. “I mean, she was clearly caught off guard by the recommended course of action.”

“Yeah, if I had to make such a life choice like that,” said Rainbow Dash, “I’d probably act a little irrationally out of impulse too.”

“Well, we all know you would…” said Rarity, rolling her eyes, “But yeah, we really should keep things in perspective.”

Applejack didn’t want to admit her mistake, but she gave herself a minute of reflection before solemnly responding. “Yeah girls, I suppose I do owe Sunset Shimmer a little apology... I still think her priorities were a little skewed, but no matter what I think, I really should've approached her about it as a friend.”

“Me too," said Fluttershy, nodding in agreement. "Maybe we should go back and talk to her again…”

But the slight rumbling of the ground underneath their feet that persisted throughout their exchange quickly become more and more extreme. The concrete surface began to crumble, and major cracks formed that rapidly spread all around the school.

The girls saw the landscape in front of them begin to sink… but the sensation around them make them quickly catch on that instead, the school area lifted off the ground and was slowly levitating about three feet into the air, and was only slowly rising further from there.

“Perhaps this will be a little more difficult than we thought,” said Applejack aptly.

Chapter 7

“Sunset Shimmer,

I’ve been trying to reach you over the past several hours. I finally figured out how to shut off the portal. Hopefully by now you’ve figured everything out, so please let me know what you’re doing before I go through with this. I simply can't keep their world waiting.

Please respond soon,

Princess Twilight Sparkle”

Quickly shutting the book and levitating it back onto the stand with her horn, the rather stressed and tired-looking alicorn was laying next to the whirring portal. Before she could get another thought in, Sunset Shimmer entered.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here,” said a relieved Twilight, trotting toward her friend.

Sunset smiled at the princess appreciating her presence, but she quickly turned a little bitter once more, though not at her. “…Just shut down the portal already,” she sniffed.

“…But what about your friends?” she said, surprised at her total lack of reluctance.

“Well, I have made good friends with their counterparts,” said Sunset, "I think they'll help fill the void."

Twilight nodded with a bit of a solemn expression. "That's nice to hear, but... are you sure you aren't going to miss them? I feel like you should at least say goodbye."

Sunset thought about it for a second, then sighed. "Yeah, I suppose I should. But I promise I'll make it quick."

"Alright then,” Twilight grinned, slowly moving back toward the portal, “I’m surprised you got my message so soon.”

“…Message?” Sunset said, surprised. “I didn’t feel the journal vibrate.”

She experimentally dug her hoof into her saddlebag, only to feel nothing but the material. Her eyes widened, as she grabbed the saddle off her back and bobbed her head inside. There was no journal!

“Where is it? Where is it?”

All of a sudden, her mind flashed back to what happened just before she and her friends traveled through.

“…The journal is still with Rarity!”

“Well, you’re going to have to grab it,” Princess Twilight said with slight annoyance. “Every magic-powered object native to Equestria needs to be moved back here for the balancing act to work.”

"Eh, no worries," Sunset shrugged, "I would've wanted to grab it anyway."

"Yeah, I would think so," Princess Twilight smugly winked.

“Besides,” said a nearly identical voice from behind them. It was Sci-Twi, who had just gone down the stairs herself. “I really need to get back with the rest of the group anyway.”

She was the first of the two to jump into the mirror. After giving Princess Twilight another glance, Sunset followed.

As soon as the two girls traversed through the swirling lights, Sunset had pictured in her mind what the world could've looked like at this point, fearing the apocalyptic-like sights that could be awaiting her. Unfortunately, as soon as her vision reoriented, what her eyes met only matched the visions that were just in her head.

The area with the portal was levitating into the air, with just enough space in front of her and Sci-Twi to stand on. The school area was also above ground level, except with a clear gap of about 30 feet between them. A gale force wind was constantly blowing on her face, clothes, and hair. And it only got worse as she stepped toward the edge, stopped just a few steps short of it, and sat down so as to really take in the view.

There, between and below the two floating islands was a massive gaping hole that displayed what must’ve been the Everfree Forest. It appeared to be from the perspective of the ground, as twigs would launch up into the air only to fall right beside her. Venomous vines poked in and out at random. And occasionally there was also the distinct, loud, fierce growl of a timberwolf.

All that came out of Sunset’s mouth was a few small gasps of air.

“According to my readings,” Twilight said, pulling out her homemade radar, “the magic is currently covering an average 50-mile radius compared to the 10-mile radius from yesterday, and is projected to reach 100 miles in 24 hours. And I don't even want to imagine how much more quickly it will spread from there.”

She caught onto the fact that Sunset wasn’t paying attention and instead was staring directly below her. Next she acknowledged that, sure enough, there were the girls standing in front of the school, all waving toward Sunset.

“Hey, Sunset Shimmer!” Applejack called, clearly shouting as loudly as she could but still nearly being drowned out thanks to all the noise coming from the wind and Everfree ripple.

Sunset looked up, having recognized the voice. She didn't respond, partly because she had a hard time hearing Applejack with all the noise going on and partly because she was surprised to see them wanting anything to do with her.

Applejack gave a quick glance toward a somewhat confused Fluttershy before trying again. “We’re sorry for running away from you earlier! You think you could help us?”

Sunset still couldn’t quite make everything out, but this time she at least got the basic gist. She called equally as loudly back. “Don’t worry, I agreed to shut off the portal. Do you still have the journal, Rarity?”

Rarity quickly shuffled through her backpack, and after identifying each surface she hand brushed over, she slowly pulled it out. “Huh…” she said in slight surprise, “There it is.”

“Good, now can you pass it over? I need it before we can get everything fully prepped!”

That wound up going without saying, as all seven of the girls only glared at the distance between the two parties, obviously outside any normal throwing distance.

“Perhaps we need to close the gap somehow,” Twilight analyzed out loud, “But how?”

She hmm’ed in thought for a moment, then started a text conversation with the remainder of the group.

“Rarity, can you pass the journal over the journal on one of your shields?” -Twilight

“I don’t think I could, the winds are a little too strong and there are so many hazards that could pop out any time.” -Rarity

Twilight stood at the edge of her platform of sorts, and stared down into the gap. She took a couple quick steps back, obviously scared about falling over.

“Yeah, we really can’t afford to take any chances with that.” -Applejack

“Maybe we can toss it and you can use your magic hands when it’s about to fall!” -Pinkie

“No, the velocity, weight, and kinetic energy of the book would make it nearly impossible for my magic to get a proper hold of it.” -Twilight

“So, what can we do?” -Rainbow

“I got it!” -Pinkie

Not a second after receiving the last message, Twilight could see Pinkie run as fast as she could to the side of the school. She tilted her head in confusion, and then glanced at Sunset, sitting in the same place she was before. She was looking slightly better than before, but still distressed.

“Are you alright, Sunset Shimmer?” Twilight said, sitting beside her.

“...I don’t know,” Sunset moped, “I guess I feel a little better to know they’re still not upset at me, but… that’s just going to make saying goodbye so much harder. It’s like, now I feel kind of bad for enjoying myself as much as I did with my pony selves.” She stared off to look at the portions of the group that were within eyeshot, as Pinkie Pie had left it and Applejack was walking in the same direction as well. “I don’t want them to think they’re being replaced…”

“I’m sure they’ll understand,” said Twilight reassuringly.

That got Sunset to crack a small smile, which only proved short-lived as the background noise of screaming and the general atmosphere of magical mayhem around them only reminded her of what exactly was happening.

But then another loud sound happened. To be specific, a familiar-sounding explosion noise, followed by an incredibly loud SLAM that could be heard for miles.

It took about a minute for them to find out where that came from. A massive pole, with the country’s flag on one end, and being dragged across the grass by Applejack from the other. Pinkie followed from behind. It was clear to them that she used her sweets explosion to break the pole from its support.

Her focus turned to Applejack, as she lifted the pole into the air as if it were made of feathers, and turned it toward herself and Twilight. They backed away as much as possible before the opposite end finally slammed on top of the concrete.

“Great idea, Applejack!” Twilight called, moving around the edge of the pole with her hand. “But I’m afraid this will not hold under our pressure.”

“Ah, but that’s just the beginning!” said Rainbow with pride. Not a second later, she suddenly disappeared. Twilight and Sunset turned to each other in confusion only to hear Rainbow’s voice again a mere few seconds later.

This time, she could be seen with a few bottles of glue, a couple of which she quickly squirted onto the edge just next to the pole, and a long, strong-looking rope. Sure enough, the pole stuck right there, and her strong sports arm managed to successfully toss the remaining bottles over to Twilight and Sunset… albeit hitting them in the chests.

“Oof, what was that for?” Sunset asked in pain.

“Oops, sorry,” Rainbow blushed.

After Sunset and Twilight successfully glued their own side, they found the cylinder shape wasn’t quite large enough for them to properly walk or even crawl on. Not to mention the wind making things even more difficult...

But of course, Rainbow followed by throwing the rope over the glued pole. It didn’t quite make it all the way, but with the rope hanging at a standstill on a surface, Twilight was able to levitate it over the rest of the distance without any trouble.

And now, with the makeshift bridge ready, Twilight grabbed part of the rope and waited for Sunset to grab the end of the rope behind her before they slowly walked over the rod. It was extremely nerve-wracking, with all the dangers just below them. One wrong step, and they could get lost in an unknown region of Equestria and who knows what'll happen to their world before they could make it back… if they make it back.

Sunset decided it best to not look down, and managed to keep her cool for most of it. But when Twilight was just about to reach the end, all of a sudden a protruding, obviously not very smart flytrap bumped its head on the rod. Even though the pole was still stuck where it was, the force could still be felt, and it was enough for Sunset to fall over. The instant she felt her feet losing their grip on the metal, she closed her eyes and wished for her fate to always be remembered as a hero for her friends.

But a second later, came a hard landing on a crystal-like surface. Sunset looked down, and saw it was a little platform caused by Rarity, and she was luckily still holding onto the rope. Twilight was able to rush over before the force made her fall as well, but that did not make the girls look any less concerned.

“Sunset, hang on!” Rarity called, straining a little, “I can only keep this on for so long!”

Holding onto the rope for dear life despite her hands getting sweaty, she slowly slid up one hand to pull herself upward. The instant she left, Rarity’s surface gave way, the girl tired and flat on the ground.

Applejack may have been strong thanks to her geode power, but it didn’t really give her extra stamina, as even with the support of Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, she found it becoming increasingly difficult to keep standing still. The quartet pulled the rope as quickly as they could, as Sunset saw a timberwolf lurking at the corner of the ripple, preparing to launch and attack. Sunset felt a sudden jolt, scaring her for a second, before getting into a secure position once more. This came from Applejack faltering for a bit before she reminded herself to stay focused.

However, this frightened Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Pinkie. Without Applejack’s strength, the rope would give way and Sunset would plunge to near-certain doom.

Thinking quickly, Fluttershy whistled to signal her (somehow) favorite pet - the mutant rabbit from the pet shop - to jump out of her backpack. She communicated to him what to do, and sure enough, he complied, adding his own weight onto the rope.

“Good thing I thought to grab him before they could quarantine the place,” she mused.

“Smart thinking, Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie complimented, as she gave the rope yet another pull. It became a lot easier now, and about half a minute later, Sunset was able to grab the ground with her free hand, and with one last tug from the team, Sunset found herself lying on the grass.

Sunset took heavy, deep breaths as she took a moment to relish the relief she felt after that nerve-wracking experience.

“I’m so glad you’re okay!” Twilight said, running up to pull her friend back upright, and afterward pulled her in close.

They hugged for a good five seconds before Sunset pulled herself away to break it.

“…Thanks girls,” she said, wearing the biggest smile she’s worn all week and turning her head to the rest of the group. “I sure will miss all of you when I have to move to Equestria…”

“Is that where you’ll be going when we shut down the portal?” Fluttershy asked.

Sunset, after slight hesitation, nodded her head, fearing the subsequent reaction.

Instead, they all just curiously looked at each other, some shrugged.

“Well, we’re going to miss you too,” Fluttershy replied kindly.

“Mm-hmm,” they all replied.

Sunset lifted her head with much surprise. “You’re not upset?”

“Why would we?” Rarity asked. “We wouldn’t want to intrude on your life choices.”

“I mean, sure, it would've been nice for ya to stay with us, but we knew this day would eventually come." Applejack shrugged. "It's not like you're the only one to move on from here, after all."

"Besides, if this is what makes you happy,” said Rainbow, “then we’ll be supporting your decision all the way!”

“Not to mention, the memories we had will last forever!” Pinkie Pie beamed, throwing her hands up. “No distance will ever take you away from our hearts!”

Sunset’s heart warmed brighter than the Sun above her. This finally broke her, and crying many tears of joy, she stretched her arms out wide and pulled all her friends into the tightest embrace she could muster.

“I am really sorry I caused all this to happen though,” she then said with a bittersweet tone, still in the embrace.

“Why would you be to blame?” Rainbow asked, as everyone gave each other space once more.

“Because remember when I used Princess Twilight’s crown to enslave the school? That’s what caused magic to find exist in this world! It’s when you girls started ponying up and everything!”

“Ah, yes, good times,” Pinkie Pie nodded with a strange nostalgic bliss.

“Sunset,” said Applejack, “there’s no way you could’ve predicted the effects of using a foreign magical property that our dimension had previously never encountered. Yeah, it’s something you haven’t done, but you’ve learned from your mistakes.”

Sunset gave a smiling nod, always appreciating such a reminder.

However, as she really thought about the words she and the others have said, something important suddenly occurred to her. The magic first came into this world because of the crown… meaning the crown acted as a sort of channel for the magic from Equestria to head towards… so, if that is what happened, would it be possible for a similar channel to...

Her face suddenly perked upon her epiphany. “Girls…” said Sunset with pride, “I think I have an idea.”

And she rigorously wrote in the journal as she prepared to recite it back.

Author's Note

Sorry to keep you waiting. This was a particularly intricate chapter and I needed to make sure everything turned out right.

Two more chapters to go, folks!

Chapter 8

Back in Equestria, grouped near the busily whirring portal, stood Princess Twilight Sparkle and her five best friends, wearing their special Elements of Harmony necklaces. The purple alicorn was very relieved to hear from her journal that Sunset Shimmer reconciled with her own friends, and indeed showed heavy interest in her proposal that, after some preliminary checks, she was eager to give a shot.

“Thanks very much for gathering my friends and the elements, Starlight,” she said to the remaining unicorn standing in the library.

Starlight smiled, never hesitant to accept appreciation from her mentor.

“So, tell me again what we’re supposed to do?” said a slightly confused Applejack.

“Oh, that’s easy!” Pinkie Pie said, as her friends' eyes started to roll. They all knew Pinkie was about to show off her scarily photographic memory. “We’re going to use the power of the Elements of Harmony to recognize the imbalance of magic in their world, and our two-legged counterparts are going to use the power of their magical geodes to neutralize the magic, thus allowing it to successfully come back into this world where it originally came from and allowing us to keep the portal open on its original cycle from before all this ever happened!”

After a slight pause in some blinking, with most of the crowd trying to process the bottom line, Rainbow Dash of all ponies finally broke the silence.

“So, we just have to point the rays from these,” pointing a hoof at her necklace, “to the portal until all their magic is gone?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Twilight quickly responded, making sure Pinkie didn’t ramble on again.

“Well, how will we know when they’re using their geodes?” Rarity asked, always eager to see design flaws in anything.

“Not to mention when the work is done,” Fluttershy added on.

“Oh,” said Princess Twilight, stressing as she tried to think of the answer. A nudge on the shoulder from a supportive Starlight Glimmer was enough to bring her back to reality. “Well, the portal’s swirls are going to react to the flow of magic going through.” She pointed her hoof toward the vortex, which was fluttering a wide variety of vibrant colors. “It brightens upon impact, and once everything is normalized…”

“If it’s normalized…” she thought to herself in concern.

“…It will turn back into its normal purple.”

Another pause followed.

“Well, it makes about as much sense as anything else,” Rainbow shrugged.

“So, shall we let them know we’re ready?” asked Rarity.

“Yep,” said Princess Twilight, preparing to write her reply in her journal to Sunset. “We just have to confirm they’re ready to activate their geodes, and…” Suddenly, upon uttering a certain word, she remembered something she recalled in her studies. When she was analyzing the portal’s magic, and when she was looking at the power of the geodes months ago. Processing the mathematics, she came to an unnerving realization, which she frivolously scribbled in the journal, and worriedly placed it back on the shelf.

“…What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked with sympathy.

Twilight sighed and explained, “I found out their world may not be safe if we go through with this plan..."

***

Magic was quickly spreading all across the human world, with ferocious, untamed magical creatures sprouting out every so often as well as scattered wisps taking control of certain properties or items and turning against their users. But none were nearly as messed up nor in as dangerous a state as Canterlot City.

Throughout the city, there was nothing but pure chaos, the likes of which no person has previously seen. Chunks of the ground were completely off-level with one another, sometimes breaking into floating islands. A number of magic-contaminated objects were wreaking further havoc and damage. Small ripples into Equestria were no more than 20 feet apart from each other, filling the walls, grass, and even partway into the air. This allowed many a pony to get good glimpses of this mysterious world, without knowing what it was or why they were seeing it.

However, none of the citizens were within sight, as indeed none of them were outside. They all evacuated inside their houses or wherever they happened to be in at the time everything truly became out of control. Granted, they weren’t completely safe as many of them had at least one contaminated object to worry about, and the power being knocked out didn’t help matters. But this was a situation where it felt like you truly needed to be within walls to remain in one piece.

The only seven girls that were brave enough to endure the uninviting outdoors were the seven teens standing in front of Canterlot High. Sunset Shimmer had just described her plan to her friends.

“Hmm, that honestly sounds like a pretty good idea,” Applejack nodded in approval.

“Yes, let’s do it!” said Rainbow, pumping her fists.

“Abso-doot-lutely!” Pinkie concurred.

Sunset, happy to see her friends’ approval and proud of herself in general, opened the journal to properly coordinate with Princess Twilight, who had already given her full approval… only for Sunset to receive another message as it appeared.

Sunset Shimmer was halfway through reading it when her eyes widened and she carefully began to analyze every single word that surfaced, making sure she wasn't misinterpreting anything. Finally, she read the last part out loud.

“…The magical forces may prove too much for the geodes to properly carry. They definitely could push it back with enough effort, but after just one attempt… they will be overloaded and destroyed in the process.”

She was stunned, not really knowing how to respond. So were her friends.

“…So, if this fails,” Fluttershy said, gulping, “we won’t be able to fight the magic!”

“And if my calculations are correct,” Sci-Twi added on, recalling her own observations, “the sole imbalance will make it impossible for the portal closing to remove all traces.”

Sunset Shimmer went back to looking as stressed as she did in the castle courtroom.

“Are you gals sure this is a risk worth taking?” said Applejack strictly, gesturing commandingly with her hand. “After all, all this could do is possibly doom our world.”

“Well… I suppose that’ll still mean there will be significantly less going on,” Rarity surmised, “And there won’t be any more coming in.”

“But it’s still more magic to worry about than we may have to!” Applejack complained, “Aren’t ya’ll worried about that spreadin’?”

“Yeah, I’m having second thoughts myself…” Fluttershy whimpered as she saw all the chaos breaking out in the horizon.

“C’mon, girls!” said a courageous Rainbow Dash. “As much as I love being a hero with our geode powers, even I know we’ve defeated worse with just singing, trust, and encouragement!”

“Don’t forget that one time we had to rely on Starlight Glimmer,” said Pinkie.

“…Yeah, not one of our… awesome moments,” said the young athlete, sheepishly folding an arm behind her head.

“Still, Rainbow does – surprisingly enough – have a point,” said Rarity, stepping toward Applejack, “We don’t need our geodes to counter the magic we have.”

“The magic of friendship is more powerful than any malicious and evil force!” Pinkie Pie added on, squeezing herself between Rarity and Rainbow Dash and hugging them with one arm each. They couldn’t help but smile at the friendly gesture and message.

Sunset sniffed and fought tears, but this time it was not because she was stressed or crestfallen. Instead, she was happy. Happy that her friends were not afraid of what scenario they might have to face, and that they reminded her that she really was more capable than she thought, magic or no magic.

“So, what’s the plan?” said Twilight, the instant Sunset started to ease up.

“We are going to give Sunset’s plan a shot,” Applejack declared. “Either we keep the two worlds in harmony, or we will fail trying.”

“We’re really going through with that?” Sunset asked with her head up, wiping some leftover tears.

“Of course!” said her confident farmer friend. “It’s the least we can do after leaving you behind like that. Besides, like Rarity said… what’s a little magical energy when we have our friendship?”

Sunset was especially pleased to win over the most skeptical of the group, and enthusiastically wrote down her consent into her journal.

About a minute passed, her friends all standing in a line, preparing for the all-or-nothing moment.

“Alright, go!” Sunset went, joining her friends in the middle of the line.

The girls all willed the geodes into activation, and all began to work as a vacuum, sucking excess magic away from the city and transporting it back through the portal. Already, things were beginning to look more, for lack of a better term, normal. While most of the action was clearly occurring out of their line of sight, Sunset could see in the horizon less magical wisps freely moving around, and even the area around them was starting to drift down.

***

“It’s working!” said Princess Twilight happily, as the Elements of Harmony worked their magic through the portal, in a sense serving as the output of the vacuum the geodes were starting up.

She could see many wisps of magic traveling through the mirror and appropriately dissolve upon entry into the magic-filled world.

This went on for a couple minutes before her friends started to fatigue.

“Whew, this sure is taking a lot of me,” said Applejack as she beat the sweat off her head with a hoof.

“We need to keep it up!” Princess Twilight insisted, straining as her own Element of Magic fueled the power across the five necklaces.

“For how long though?” Rainbow grunted. “Even someone as awesome as I has her limits…”

“However long it takes to get all the magic out…” said Twilight, starting to struggle.

“Well, I can’t hold onto this much longer!” Pinkie Pie shouted, her hooves sliding underneath her. “I sure hope they can hold on too…”

***

By this point, the statue and the school were back at ground level. It looked as though there wasn’t much left to filter out… however, progress seemed to stall. They could see that, despite their efforts, the magic was still leaking out because of the remaining crack. On top of that, the vacuum had to search further and further to find the remaining scraps.

“Sunset,” said Twilight, straining just as much as her alicorn counterpart, “We can’t keep up!”

“No… no,” Sunset panted, obviously in denial, “We must keep it up!”

“Face it, darling,” Rarity sighed, “our efforts are proving to be all in vain.”

“Well, at least you can’t say we didn’t try,” Applejack shrugged, hoping to reassure Sunset.

But she was still struggling to accept the reality that was unfolding in front of her. The remaining magic would remain in the human world, and she would be forced to permanently leave one side of her life forever... She was a fool for thinking she could have it both ways...

She set her head down, about to accept defeat, when she found herself focusing on her roaring geode - the Geode of Empathy. It symbolized her care for everyone she knew, and how everyone cared for her.

She thought about the girls standing beside her: Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle. She thought about the memories she had with them, both as a group and individually. She thought about how they've made the last couple years the greatest in her life, and how she has managed to get along with virtually everyone else in the school as well as discover several new, exciting hobbies along the way.

Then her mind turned to Princess Celestia, all the great magic she was able to learn under her tutelage, and how - even after her seemingly unforgivable betrayal - she was willing to let her continue as if nothing happened. She thought about Starlight Glimmer, who she made great friends with almost immediately and found they were relate to each other more than she could imagine. And finally, she thought about Princess Twilight, and how the then-new alicorn allowed her to start her life anew and discover the magic of friendship for herself.

The magic of friendship... Suddenly, a few roaring voices ran inside her head.

“You’re the only pony who has love spreading across two dimensions,” went Princess Twilight.

“Sometimes the answer is closer than you may think,” went Princess Luna.

“No distance will ever take you away from our hearts!” went Pinkie Pie.

She again stared at the geode, thinking as hard as she could. Sure, she knew what it meant in terms of her power for reading minds, but maybe its connections to the magic of friendship meant more than just being part of the team... Maybe it also stood for her relationship between the two worlds... Maybe...

Not wasting another second and with a determined look, she fiercely pulled her geode, ripping it off the necklace. It stopped contributing to the rainbow blast while the others continued roaring with power.

“Sunset, what are you doing?” Twilight asked, horribly confused.

Sunset didn’t respond. Instead, she threw her geode into the big ray of light. But instead of passing through it, it stayed inside and appeared to absorb the power. Sunset didn’t know exactly what was about to happen, but she knew that it was going to be something truly magical and powerful.

When the lone geode entered the swirling mass of lights between the two worlds, it stopped and hovered in place for a bit. It shook, first slowly before it grew more and more intense, until finally it broke open and unleashed a huge array of pure light in all directions. But instead of continuing to spread, it stopped at the openings at both sides of the portal. Instead of halting the magic coming into both sides, it absorbed and pulled it together, causing a special combined magic that sensed the imbalance of both worlds, and automatically detected the remaining magic left inside the world it didn’t belong in. It fueled off Sunset's empathy for both worlds and the citizens within them, as well as her desires for the magic to be neutralized the way it should be, and before long, exactly that was so and a huge blinding flash of light caused everything broken or cracked by the magic to be restored.

After that came complete silence. The remaining five geodes shattered into pieces that were nothing more than scraps on the ground near their feet. The girls, including Sunset Shimmer, were in complete disbelief over what had just happened.

“...How did you know that would happen?” Rarity gasped.

“Uh...” Sunset stammered, “I honestly really didn’t. I just remembered my geode was all about empathy, and after all you’ve said how strong our friendship is and how much you care for me… I realized that the magic of friendship was powerful enough to set everything right.”

All of a sudden, a bunch of people rushed out of the school and other places where they were evacuating. Classmates, faculty, and neighbors alike saw the seven heroes standing between Canterlot High and the no longer cracked marble. And, after a minute of processing, they rushed over to the seven girls and let out all sorts of joyous noise.

“Three cheers for the Equestria Girls!” Scootaloo said, pumping her fists in the air.

All the hoorays and yeahs were unlike anything the group have received, both from their previous magical encounters and their band gigs. Sure, people appreciated what they did before, but this felt different. They felt like truer heroes than ever before.

Sunset was most overwhelmed by the attention, but relished it just the same. But over time, it turned into questions - mostly directed toward Sunset - like “Is that really a magical world of ponies?”, “What was it like for you over there?”, and “Did you have trouble having hands and feet?”

She took a deep breath, and calmly answered as many of the kids’ questions as she comfortable could. It was odd to see someone outside her own contacts know about the magical world, but she supposed it was only inevitable at this point. And with the two worlds coexisting for good, maybe some things should change to keep them more united.

The cheers were so loud, they were able to be heard on the other side of the portal, in Princess Twilight’s library. Sure enough, the vortex was its old deep purple, and most of the ponies were truly relieved to see the mission had been accomplished.

“I’m so proud of you, Sunset Shimmer,” said Princess Twilight out loud.

Chapter 9

The following week, the big day finally came. Inside the school’s large gymnasium, sitting in 30 rows of 15, was Canterlot High’s graduating class of the year, all wearing navy blue caps and gowns with golden Wondercolt emblems on the backs.

Everyone was seated in alphabetical order, so the seven heroes were all very separate from one another. Rarity and Rainbow Dash were within easy eyeshot of each other, but it was a considerably longer distance between all the others. Despite this, they knew exactly how proud they all felt for one another, and how this is one of the biggest stepping stones of their life.

And in the rather uncomfortable yet spacious bleachers were, of course, parents and family members of each graduate, and six of our seven were no exception. They all set near one another, constantly complimenting their daughter’s achievements. Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof were obviously the most enthusiastic, always taking every moment they can to express pride for their little Rainbow. However, elsewhere in the crowd were Princess Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer, both of which stood out by wearing their normal portal-given clothes, there to cheer their inter-dimensional friend, Sunset Shimmer.

Principal Celestia, as well as a few other faculty members, spoke long, admittedly drawn-out lectures congratulating their students of all they’ve done for the school. A few choice students and alumni even gave their own speeches, describing what their life at CHS meant for them and how they intend to use what they’ve learned for their future. The first couple stories were already surprisingly engaging for what they were, if a little generic. They were essentially underdog stories, where they were initially unsure of what to do with their life, and even suffered in grades at first, only for their lives to transform after realizing what they were talented in.

Sunset Shimmer mused at the thought. Just like cutie marks in Equestria, she thought. Even to this day, she was surprised at how similar high school life paralleled Equestrian fillyhood.

The next speaker, however, caught her by surprise as she walked onto the stage. It was a green, long-haired girl with simple sneakers, a brown-striped sweater, and long, slim jeans.

“And now,” Princess Celestia announced, “I will turn the stage to Wallflower Blush.”

She is really doing this, Sunset thought to herself. All she had seen of her past the memory stone incident were a few chances, conversation-less encounters at the Starswirl Festival. She had no idea what could have even brought someone like her to do this. She listened intently.

“Good-good morning, fellow Wondercolts,” said Wallflower nervously. “As the founder of the CHS Garden Club, I am proud to know I have made a difference in others’ lives. When I first came to this school, I was… well…” Her cheeks stayed true to her name. “…A shut-in. Nobody joined in my club, to the point where I’ve… done some actions I regret. I tore an amazing girl away from her friends just to prove a misguided point. But they found it in their hearts to forgive me, because they knew how important friendship was. Without it, my club would have never grown, I wouldn’t have met Fluttershy, and most of all, I would have never found the confidence to speak to you today.”

A light applause followed, which Wallflower only reacted to with a light smile before she continued explaining what has happened to her over her time at CHS, and how she gained her friendship with Fluttershy that even Sunset somehow never knew about. In hindsight, she should’ve seen it coming because of how much the two had in common, at least at first. To think, she thought, it was her own bond with Fluttershy and the others that made that friendship responsible to begin with…

“…And so, as I eagerly move on to Breezie U,” Wallflower continued, speaking in the most confident voice she could muster, “I will always fondly remember all I’ve accomplished at Canterlot High, and I wish to make as many friends as I have here. I am happy to say I am no longer a wallflower, and I wish equally as good fortune to you.”

Everyone applauded. Wallflower quickly turned away, trying (and failing) to hide her embarrassment. Clearly some things still hadn’t changed with her, Sunset thought.

Some minutes later, came the moment everyone was waiting for: the diploma handouts, where every seated student was called one by one. However, it took until the Cs for Sunset Shimmer to realize, they had passed through Applejack! She couldn’t see the girl, but she glanced at the farm family in the bleachers and she could tell they were similarly puzzled.

She made sure to pay attention through the mid-Fs, and sure enough, Fluttershy was skipped too! And as the letters went by, everyone – including herself – were all mysteriously excluded, despite knowing she in particular was at the top of her class! What was going on here? She would’ve spoken up, but she chose not to for integrity’s sake. But she knew she was going to bring it up to Principal Celestia-

“And now, for a special commemoration, we invite up to the stage: Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Sunset Shimmer,” The woman finally announced, after every other student had received their diplomas.

A huge standing ovation erupted as the seven heroes all individually rode up to the front, all of which - even Fluttershy - were incredibly excited of what was to come.

“I just wanted to heavily celebrate them not just for their outstanding academic achievements and for being a true testament to the magic of friendship, but for saving our city from the magical dangers that have threatened this school. We have them to thank for saving our lives, and as such I am going to read a special letter from the nation’s capital.”

Principal Celestia took a folded piece of paper out of her pocket, placed it onto the podium, and cleared her throat. And as she read out loud, the girls looked between each other with varying looks ranging from worry to cautious excitement.

“’We at our nation’s capital have been following this magical phenomena happening for the past couple years in Canterlot City. Ever since the statue on the front lawn of your facility has started leaking wisps, we’ve quietly observed them infect objects such as cellular phones and mirrors. We’ve been keeping this information on the down-low, for the purpose of secrecy and for not instilling fear in the public until more information is known.

“However, we are writing you today in notice that the most recent events surrounding this phenomenon have raised public awareness of the existence of magic and this alternate dimension that has been called ‘Equestria’. For selflessly defending against all of these foreign dangers, and for saving our planet from a particularly large sea of chaos, we would like to bestow these seven teenage heroes and graduates our biggest honor:’”

Some of the friends gasped in fascination, as they were wondering what kind of reward could possibly be awaiting them. Their answer came in the form of Vice Principal Luna, stepping onto the stage carrying a fancy black case, stopping between her sister and the girls.

“’We would like to declare these seven our world’s official ambassadors to Equestria, with their jobs being to help maintain this newfound connection in a harmonious manner.’”

As Principal Celestia was finishing this statement, Vice-Principal Luna opened the case, showing seven special pins. They were in a shield shape, made of real silver, with the words ‘Equestrian Ambassador’ engraved on the top and each girls’ name on the bottom, with a horse resembling the CHS mascot in the middle.

When each girl had their new badge pinned to their graduation gown, they could not believe in the slightest what was happening. The audience was loudly applauding, from the chairs and bleachers alike, with the family members being especially noisy with their pride.

Pinkie Pie simply looked at the badge, enamored by its shiny look. Applejack gave a more modest grin, approving of the appreciation. Rarity made sure to place it in the most perfect spot in her gown, and gave an especially confident and prideful look. Rainbow accidentally had it more slanted, but she didn’t care. She impulsively pumped her fists up into the air, and her parents and Scootaloo followed. Fluttershy just nodded and smiled.

Finally, Principal Celestia made her final notes to the students. “And so, I officially declare you all, my faithful students, official graduates of Canterlot High!”

And, per tradition, music blared, cheers roared, and a few hundred caps were tossed into the air.

A few minutes later, the new graduates – still wearing their gowns, and now with their cap tassels flipped to their left, gathered just outside the school, with their families and loved ones hugging and sharing sentiments of pride.

Sunset Shimmer’s pride parade was more unusual than the others, however. There were no parents or family members, but instead two girls that seemed roughly the same age as her.

“Sunset Shimmer, I know I say I’m proud of you a lot,” said Princess Twilight with tears in her eyes, “but… I... I don't think I've ever been happier for anyone in my life.”

Sunset, trying hard to fight back her own sobs, embraced the princess, who cried in Sunset’s chest. Starlight just patted both their shoulders, one at a time, giving a smaller but undoubtedly genuine smile.

This went on for a few additional moments before the purple pony-turned-human was finally able to step back.

“Best, graduation, EVER!” said Pinkie Pie loudly, making sure her voice was heard amongst all the chatter and noise.

She and the rest of Sunset’s best friends, who joined the native Equestrians, were grouped close together and were wearing some of the biggest beams they’ve ever had. Even often-subtle Fluttershy’s look rivaled that from when she received the Breezie U letter.

“Princess Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Starlight Glimmer!” Rainbow Dash added on.

“Hi, girls,” said Starlight with a nervous shake of her hand. “Uh, how’s Juniper Montage doing?”

“Last I checked, she’s doing pretty well,” Sunset answered, not wanting to admit they haven’t been in the closest contact. But she did know the aspiring movie star has gotten better.

“So, Sunset Shimmer,” said Sci-Twi, “With the portal being neutralized and kept open, I guess that means you don’t really have to worry so much about picking a world?”

“Actually, Twilight,” said Sunset happily, “I think I’ve finally figured it out.”

Everyone listened with intent.

“Throughout this whole adventure, I’ve discovered so much about myself. What it means to make up for your mistakes, how great it is to have friends, and how it’s more satisfying to keep these friendships. And from the last few days, I've learned that my true home does not depend on where I was born, or where I’m the most talented, but where I can make the most of my life and what gives me the most happiness. Sure, I have some magical studies waiting for me in Equestria, but to me, no magic Princess Celestia can teach me, nor pony versions of people I know, will be able to replace the friendships I’ve made and will continue to gain right here.”

Princess Twilight was surprised, but knew where this was going.

“After all,” Sunset began, before Twilight leaned directly alongside her, resulting in the two finishing the sentence together. “Friendship is magic.”

“So… wait… that means..." Fluttershy gasped.

“Yep!” Sunset declared. “Well, barring ambassador duties, but I think it’s safe to say I’ve found my true home. We may be more spread apart, but I’ve got more friends to make here, more good to bring to this world, and most importantly, more things to discover.” She finished with a blissful smile that warmed everyone's hearts around her.

"Sunset," said a smiling Applejack, "I think I speak for all of us when I say that I'm glad you have discovered this for yourself. I know a lot of us struggled in figuring out our futures after high school, like how I had to think about my college education and also being there for my family, but our moments of realization do eventually come, and it's especially great to see you've found yours."

This only widened Sunset's smile even further. "Thanks, Applejack. You're right, it really does feel so satisfying..."

“I'm glad you have made your choice, Sunset Shimmer,” said Princess Twilight, in a regal tone. “I can’t say if it was the choice I would have made, but what’s important is that it was your choice. And I know Princess Celestia would be really proud of you.”

The words and regal tone only reminded Sunset of the monarch in question, and conveyed to her that Twilight was indeed fit to be royalty.

Now it was Sunset’s turn to cry. “I-I’ll never forget you, Twilight.”

The two gave the biggest beams they’ve had all day, and Sunset’s friends all hugged the fiery-haired girl from all directions, which only broke Sunset’s dam even further.

***

“Dear Princess Twilight,

I can’t believe I haven’t written you in the week since the after-party. I’m still amused at Starlight’s fascination over human technology...

Anyway, all of the girls are more excited than ever for their futures, as am I. As co-ambassadors of Equestria, we will be sure to remain in close contact, but the best part is that only one of us will have to do the visiting each time a meeting is arranged, meaning the more busy ones like Applejack and Fluttershy won’t have to take much time out of their lives. Rarity already has a new Equestria-themed fashion line in mind based off the clothing she saw during her visit, Pinkie Pie is discovering new, ‘innovative’ ways to party thanks to pony Pinkie’s input (who would've thought they already met each other), and along with her new Everton studies set to begin this Fall, your own counterpart is dabbling a little bit into the new study of inter-dimensional relations. Let me tell you, it's really fulfilling for her to form a new field on her own.

As for me, well if anything I think I’m more excited than any of them. The friendships I have here, even apart from my best friends, means more to me than any magical spells ever could. And I’ve learned that, sometimes, being part of an unfamiliar environment can only open new opportunities. I’m already set to pass on my Equestrian knowledge to international representatives and news outlets alike, and possibly even a book so the whole world can understand this dimension that has suddenly started to exist in their lives. I’ll admit I’m not used to getting this much attention, but I always remind myself of just how far I've come and it makes me so proud to be in this position.

Sure, I don’t have much of a long-term future planned right now, but I have learned that’s sometimes part of the fun. I have had quite an interesting adventure so far here, and I know that this is just the beginning. Who knows where I will be in 5 or even 10 years, but until then, I’ve got my artistic passion, close ties with Canterlot High (did I mention I’ve got an interview next week for their junior consultant opening?), and of course, long-distance friendships. And that’s more than enough motivation for me.

Thanks very much for everything you’ve done, Princess Twilight. I may only pop in Equestria for business purposes, but no matter what happens, know that I will always share a piece of my heart with everyone I know there.

Sincerely,

Sunset Shimmer”

Sunset looked over her message with pure pride. Just because magic was removed from the human world, that didn’t mean magical objects from Equestria couldn’t still function. Now enough protections were in place to prevent any channeling magic from becoming a problem ever again. This time, however, before closing the journal, she slowly skimmed through the pages as she flipped them backwards. Sure, all of the messages were from her Senior year, as she needed to have it replaced after her junior year, but there were still an awful lot of fantastic memories, which only brought more to her head.

She knew she could not let anything happen to this. It was, after all, the single most meaningful possession she’s ever had. So, keeping her blissful smile, she opened a rarely opened secret compartment on her desk. Keeping her eyes shut, she carefully let go of the journal when it was placed inside the space, right next to the first journal.

After closing the compartment, she looked up to her main shelf, which held a number of portraits of her happiest moments from the Dazzlings fight to her graduation, as well as the tank for her pet gecko Ray. Her lips pulled close and her eyes brightened as she looked at the tiny yellow reptile, always wanting to look cute for him. Just his silent, relaxed company proved very comforting for her. She kept this up for a couple minutes before some familiar voices could be heard through the window.

“C’mon, Sunset darling!” Rarity called.

“Yeah, don’t keep us waiting!” said Rainbow Dash.

Sunset Shimmer, not wanting to waste another moment, eagerly grabbed her pre-packed bag and rushed out her townhouse door. The girls were all waiting for her in their band's bus, enthusiastically waving at her, all wearing sunglasses and/or sunhats.

After hopping into the ride, Pinkie pointed into the horizons and announced, “Next stop: Baltimare Beach!”

Some excited squealing followed, and before long, the bus took off. And one of the first things it passed was the school and its nearly-rebuilt statue with builders putting the final touches on the new equine figure. But instead of the school mascot, the figure was instead an Equestrian-shaped unicorn that everyone in the bus immediately recognized as Sunset Shimmer.

And before long, the vehicle and the girls could be seen disappearing into the horizon, as the seven departed for a much-needed vacation.

The End

Author's Note

And that was my vision for how Equestria Girls would end. Thanks very much for reading this, and to anyone who felt EqG got robbed of a true ending, I very much hope this softened the blow.

Any feedback, positive or negative, is - once again - greatly appreciated.