The afternoon sun beamed overhead, warming the air around the field. The air had gotten filled with the smell of burnt plastic and grass. It was intense, almost overpowering the girls. As they looked around the soccer field, they noticed that there were patches of dirt that had gotten flung all over the place during their fight with Springtrap’s doppelgangers. It looked like something had ripped up the earth and just left the debris lying around. And the bleachers weren’t spared either, having gotten dented during the events of the fight. Most of which had come from Sunset getting thrown into them. Now that it was all over, the soccer field looked like a warzone. Pinkie Pie walked over to where there was a large area of burnt grass. She coughed as she leaned closer, breathing in more of the fumes. Her coughing soon turned into wheezing as she inhaled more of them.

Stepping back, Pinkie Pie said, “Wow, we did some serious damage.”

“Girls, this can’t be good for us to be here,” said Fluttershy as she coughed a little. “It smells like burnt plastic and oil.”

“Well, perhaps that is because of the still smoldering enemy of ours,” replied Rarity as she pointed to Springtrap, or rather, what remained of his body.

“Uh, who’s gonna make sure that Springtrap has shut down?” asked Applejack as she looked at what remained of his melted body. “Cause we can’t leave until we know that he has actually gotten defeated for good.”

Rarity sighed. “I will go over and make sure that Springtrap is down for good. And maybe I will have half a mind to smack him for hurting my friends.”

“Be careful, Rare,” cautioned Applejack.

“I will, dear,” replied Rarity.

Rarity walked over to where Springtrap’s body was standing. She was cautious as she approached his charred remains. She was wary of whether or not he was genuinely gone. His one remaining eye no longer showed the white glow that they had when he was active. That was a good sign for her. Rarity stepped a bit closer to the animatronic, grabbing one of the nearby pipes. The fire had done its job. Springtrap’s plastic had gotten severely melted, with some still dripping off him as the gasoline had managed to heat up to that degree. She used the pipe to poke at his remains. As the end of it touched some of the plastic, it crumbled away, burnt to a crisp.

“Well, I think our plan worked on Springtrap,” said Rarity as she turned to face the girls.

“Are you sure, Rare?” asked Applejack as she stepped up to Springtrap. “We can’t take any chances with him.”

“Well, if Springtrap did survive the fire, he is going to have a hard time moving with all this plastic hardening in clumps on him,” replied Rarity, pointing to the massive globs of plastic that were surrounding his joints.

“Sweet!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she limped over to Twilight Sparkle. Her ankle was throbbing as she moved around. “We defeated Springtrap, Twilight. Want to celebrate with us?”

Twilight Sparkle shook her head, her eyes staying locked on Sunset Shimmer. Thankfully, Rarity had moved her hoodie over her, covering her front from the shoulders to her waist. Although her wings had done a pretty good job themselves, she was grateful for the extra cover. Staring at the unconscious redhead, all she could feel was fear. Sure, she had allowed herself to transform into the same demonic form she had the first time, all just to save her. Thus, allowing Twilight to see the monster that had once attempted to attack the girls. However, that didn’t do anything to comfort her right now. It didn’t change the fact that she saw Sunset become what one could describe as a monster. So, there Twilight stayed, huddled into a tight ball, not talking to anyone.

Rainbow Dash turned to the rest of the girls. “Guys, Twilight is seriously freaked out.”

“Well, of course, Twilight is silly,” Pinkie Pie said, her happy demeanor seemingly unaffected by what just happened. “She just saw Sunset become a giant she-demon with no clothes on and battle an equally giant Springtrap. All that after she woke up from being unconscious.”

Rainbow Dash glanced at Twilight Sparkle, scoffing. “You’d think that she’d be grateful instead of being scared of Sunset.”

Rarity crossed her arms, glaring at Rainbow Dash. She got joined by some of the other girls, who seemed shocked by the athlete’s harshness towards Twilight’s reaction. Even the kids had gotten shocked at what she had said. Susie turned to look at Twilight and saw that she was also glaring at the athlete despite still having her wings around herself. That made her feel bad for her, especially considering what she'd just been through. Susie’s attention returned to Rainbow Dash as she gave them a confused look.

“What?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Have some decency, Dash. And respect how hard it’s been for Twilight,” said Applejack as she walked up to the athlete. “She has never seen Sunset like that. It’s new to her.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight Sparkle, giving her an apologetic look. “Sorry…”

Twilight Sparkle nodded, showing that she had heard what Rainbow Dash had said. Yet, she still didn’t say anything. And she wasn’t about to, not for a long while. She was trying to force the images of Sunset battling Springtrap out of her head. But they refused to leave, tormenting her further. Twilight didn’t feel like speaking to anyone while her mind tried to piece together everything she had witnessed. It wouldn’t make it any easier for her to comprehend that the Sunset she knew had once been somebody entirely different. Her body ached all over from getting slammed into the bleachers she was currently sitting on. However, it was a dull pain compared to what she was going through mentally and emotionally. Pulling her knees to her chest, Twilight wrapped her wings entirely around her, blocking her view of Sunset and the girls.

“Is Twilight going to be okay?” asked Fritz as he sat down in front of the second set of bleachers.

“I wish we knew, Fritz,” replied Pinkie Pie, her expression changing from cheerful to somber. “But only time will tell…”

Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash, who was leaning against the bleachers, trying not to put any weight on her injured foot. She could see that the area surrounding her ankle had swollen up severely after all of Rainbow Dash’s limping around. And other than a few bruises and scrapes, she appeared to mostly be unharmed. Turning to her girlfriend, Rarity saw that her wrist was also similar to Rainbow Dash’s ankle. As her eyes drifted down, she could see that her girlfriend’s skin was black and blue from all the bruises she had gotten. It was evident that both of them had some severe injuries.

Looking down at herself, Rarity could see that she wasn’t in much better shape. Her arms and legs had gotten covered in dried blood from her lacerations. Thankfully, they had stopped bleeding after a while. However, every time she moved her arms, she could feel the dried blood cracking and crumbling off her skin. Glancing at Pinkie Pie, Rarity saw that she had many bruises up and down her body. She also noticed that she had a few small cuts on her one hand, which she figured was from when Sunset had helped her up. She turned her attention to the last of the girls standing around her. Rarity immediately noticed the cut on her left arm. It wasn’t too bad, but the skin hanging off didn’t help it much.

Deciding to help the girls take care of their injuries, Rarity asked, “Fluttershy dear, do you happen to have a first aid kit and a bottle of water with some cloth?”

Fluttershy nodded, walking over to the van that she had borrowed. “Yep. I always keep those handy in case any of the animals get thirsty or injured.”

Fluttershy opened the two back doors and walked into the back of the van. She bent down and began to rummage around in an area near the driver’s seat. While she searched in the cubby behind the driver’s seat, the kids saw a few papers fly out from in front of, landing on the floor of the van. Upon closer inspection, the papers were flyers for the animal shelter. Some had gotten badly crumpled; even a few had some coffee stains on them. After a few more seconds, Fluttershy walked back towards the exit, a first aid bag and a water bottle in hand.

“Here is the first aid kit,” Fluttershy said, handing it to Rarity. “I hope it helps.”

Rarity opened it up, scanning the contents of it. Inside, there were two to three rolls of gauze, a few rolls of ace bandages, one roll of tape, a box of butterfly bandages, a pair of bandage scissors, and a bottle of antiseptic solution. She figured that the butterfly bandages were going to be most useful for her injuries. It seemed that there was almost enough to take care of the girls temporarily. At least until Applejack and Rainbow Dash could reach a hospital. Closing the bag back up, Rarity looked over at Cassidy.

“Cassidy, would you mind keeping an eye on Twilight and Sunset for us?” asked Rarity. “We need to tend to our injuries.”

Cassidy nodded. “Yep, I sure can.”

Cassidy walked over to the bleachers, making sure not to startle Twilight Sparkle. As she sat down on the ground, next to where Sunset was lying, she heard the sound of shuffling feet. Looking up, she saw that Twilight had moved into the corner at the top of the bleachers. She shifted her gaze back to Sunset and realized that she was the reason Twilight had moved away. The redhead turned in her unconscious state and was now facing Twilight. Reaching over her, Cassidy heard a gasp come from the top of the bleachers. Sighing, she adjusted her hoodie around her body, keeping her covered in case any passers-by happened to walk past.

“Wow, I didn’t think that someone could be this afraid of their friend…” thought Cassidy as she stared at the sleeping redhead. “Especially someone who risked their lives for them.”

While Cassidy was sitting near Sunset Shimmer, Rarity wrapped an ace bandage around Rainbow Dash’s ankle. She heard the athlete wince in pain as she tightened the cloth bandage around it. She gave her an apologetic look as she sighed and continued. Rarity knew that it would hurt, but a sprained ankle needed to be taken care of before any more damage occurred. She wrapped the remainder of the ace bandage onto Rainbow Dash’s swollen ankle, securing it with a safety pin.

“There we go. Your ankle should start feeling a bit better, Dash,” said Rarity as she got to her feet. “Just try to limit how much you are on it if you can.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “What am I going to do about basketball practice on Monday?”

“Rest your ankle,” replied Rarity. “I’m sure that Coach Bluegrass will understand.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and got up onto her feet, careful not to put too much weight on her sprained ankle. The feeling of blood rushing to her foot made her take a deep breath as she tried to keep from giving in to the pain. She limped over to sit on the bleachers, next to Cassidy and Sunset Shimmer. As Rainbow Dash sat down beside Cassidy, she sighed in relief. It felt good to get off her leg, mostly because of the throbbing. Looking up, she had noticed that Twilight was no longer sitting where she had been earlier. Now, she was as far away from her and Sunset as the bleachers would allow.

Rainbow Dash looked at Cassidy. “Why did Twilight move away?”

Cassidy pointed to the redhead’s sleeping form. “Her.”

“Wow,Twilight is that afraid?” asked Rainbow Dash, glancing from Sunset to Twilight. “I didn’t think that she was that scared of Sunset.”

Cassidy looked down at Sunset, seeing the serene look on her face. “I didn’t either. I guess we were both wrong.”

Twilight Sparkle looked at the unconscious redhead, thankful that both Rainbow Dash and Cassidy blocked some part of her view of Sunset. Her skin had gotten coated in sweat, despite the cold air around her. She was also shaking, but she couldn’t tell if that was because she was scared. Or if it was the byproduct of having the chilly air against her moist skin. For a moment, she tried to look away, to focus on something else. However, Twilight felt her attention slowly getting drawn back to the redhead. Hard as she had tried, she couldn’t seem to pull her gaze away from her. Something, maybe worry, or concern was keeping her from looking away despite her growing fear.

There seemed to be an almost peaceful look on Sunset’s face, yet it had gotten intermingled with the grimace of pain. That made Twilight take a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down a little bit. After all, she hadn’t suffered nearly as many injuries. And the rational part of her mind was screaming at her for panicking over someone who posed no threat to her. She watched Sunset’s chest rise and fall with every breath she took. The sight of her looking so vulnerable made Twilight realize that maybe she was still the same person underneath. That, despite her change of appearance, she was still her friend. However, that did very little to ease the pain caused by Sunset choosing to keep it from her.

With her wrist in an ace bandage and placed in a homemade sling, Applejack walked over to where Rainbow Dash and Cassidy were sitting. She sat down in front of Twilight Sparkle on the last row of the bleachers. Applejack looked behind her and noticed that Twilight had moved away. Yet, the cowgirl also saw that she seemed concerned for her, despite the still apparent fear in her eyes.

Turning to Rainbow Dash, Applejack asked, “Why did-”

“Sunset,” replied Rainbow Dash, already knowing what Applejack’s question was going to be.

“Oh, okay,” said Applejack as she looked at Sunset Shimmer. “Do you think that Sunset is going to be alright?”

“I don’t know, AJ. We’ll just have to see if and when she gets up,” replied Rainbow Dash as she met the cowgirl’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer’s mind was reeling. Her eyes flickered back and forth underneath her eyelids rapidly as she entered into REM sleep. It was evident that she was somewhere else at the moment. Somewhere safe from the danger of Springtrap and the painful reality of Twilight fearing her. Sunset was somewhere where she would be alone. Somewhere that was far from the field of battle.

*** *** *** ***

Sunset Shimmer woke up in her apartment. The sun was shining in through her window, blinding her as she opened her eyes. Blinking, her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness surrounding her. As she looked around, she noticed that her bedroom appeared so much brighter than usual. Much brighter than if the actual sun was lighting it up. However, that was the only thing that was out of place. Everything else was normal as if she was indeed back in her apartment. Sunset decided to go check it out. Tossing the covers off of her, she got out of her bed. She ran downstairs and looked out her window. And what she expected to see was the street, the neighboring houses, the ones which always seemed to be neat, someone walking their dog, a tree. Sunset expected something, but all that was outside her window was white.

“What the-where the hell is my street? Hell, where is anything?” asked Sunset Shimmer as she opened her window.

Sunset looked down, seeing that the ground was the same whiteness that was all around her. It seemed that there was no sky, no land, just whiteness for as far as the eye could see. Closing her window, she sighed. This wasn’t normal; she knew that much. Sunset looked down and was shocked by what she saw. She had her actual hands back. No claws, just her usual fingers. That made her bolt to her bathroom, flinging the door open as she ran to her mirror. Looking at her reflection, Sunset was thrilled to see that her usual appearance had returned.

“I am normal again!” exclaimed Sunset Shimmer as she saw that her eyes no longer had an inky blackness surrounding them.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang coming from the kitchen. Turning off the bathroom light, Sunset ran out to see what caused the noise. As she walked past the doorway, she grabbed the wooden bat that she always kept nearby. She held it up as she quietly made her way to the kitchen. Just as she was about to walk in, she heard the sound of water running and stopped.

“What are they doing?” thought Sunset Shimmer as she gripped the bat tighter.

Walking into her kitchen area, what Sunset Shimmer saw in front of her made her drop the bat immediately. In front of her was her pony self, just standing there in her kitchen. It looked exactly like her, down to her coat color, the style she always had her mane and tail in, even her cutie mark was the same. Sunset covered her mouth as she saw herself lift the kettle, surrounding it in a reddish aura. As her pony self turned around to face her, she saw that even her eyes looked exactly like hers.

“Ahhh!!” screamed Sunset Shimmer, backing away from her pony self.

“Hello, Sunset,” said the redhead’s pony self, sounding calm despite the awkward situation. “Shall I explain what is going on?”

Sunset Shimmer nodded, unable to speak to herself. It was just too weird to see her pony self talking to her and sounding exactly like her. It was slightly too odd of a visual for her to handle.

“Okay, how to explain this…” Sunset’s pony self grabbed a cup from the cupboard. “I am, essentially, your conscience. Just in a form that is easy for you to handle.”

“Easy to handle?! I am looking at myself as a pony. How the fuck is that easy to handle?” asked Sunset Shimmer, finally finding her voice.

“Okay, admittedly, I could have chosen a better form. But come on, you can’t say that you don’t admire your pony self, right?” asked Sunset’s conscience, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, you are, after all, a cute pony.”

Sunset Shimmer blinked, dazed by what her conscience just said. She didn’t think that her conscience would say that she was cute as a pony. This was not a normal conversation to be having with herself. Then again, talking to her conscience while it was in the form of her pony body was also not normal. Yet, here she was having that very conversation. Sunset walked closer to her conscience, noting how much taller when she was standing next to her pony form.

“Well… maybe. Not that I think Twilight would feel the same,” replied Sunset Shimmer as she grabbed the kettle.

The redhead’s conscience groaned. “What is it with you doubting Twilight’s love for you?”

“What?” asked Sunset Shimmer, looking at her conscience, trying to ignore the weirdness of the situation.

“You always doubt that Twilight could accept who you are, that she’ll accept you despite your past, and that she has feelings for you.” Sunset’s conscience took a sip of her tea.

“I-I don’t do that!” Sunset Shimmer said as she poured some of the water into her cup. After a few seconds of seeing her conscience giving her a look that seemed to say ‘Really? You want to go with that?” she sighed. “Okay… maybe I do.”

“Oh, you don’t say?” asked the redhead’s conscience, laughing at her a little bit.

“Can we get back to why the hell I am here in this fucked up version of my apartment?” asked Sunset Shimmer, not wanting to talk about Twilight and the mistakes in her judgment.

Sunset’s conscience sighed and grabbed her cup of tea. “Sure.”

Both Sunset Shimmer and her conscience walked over to the couch, sitting on either end. The air had gotten filled with a heavy silence as neither one said a word. It was evident that the redhead was a bit unnerved with staring at herself as a pony. However, she wanted to get it over with so that the weird situation could end. She looked at her conscience, waiting for the conversation to continue.

“Well, I have brought you here for one reason,” started Sunset’s conscience.

“And that reason is…?” asked Sunset Shimmer.

“To congratulate you,” replied the redhead’s conscience.

“What?” Sunset Shimmer couldn’t believe what she just heard. “You want to congratulate me? For what?”

“For fighting for Twilight, showing her what you really looked like at the Fall Formal.” Sunset’s conscience moved closer to her. “That was a courageous thing to do.”

Sunset felt uncomfortable with being close to her pony self. It wasn’t right. Yet, she found herself glued to the spot where she was sitting. She couldn’t move, not that she was actively trying to move either. Looking down at her hands, Sunset replayed the events that happened before she entered this weird dream world. The look of terror on Twilight’s face when she started talking to her haunted her. And although it hurt, it was also nice to finally let her see what had happened to her the night of the Fall Formal.

Turning to her conscience, Sunset Shimmer said, “Yeah, it was a pretty brave thing to do. But at what cost? Twilight is terrified of me.”

“Yes, Twilight is scared right now. Give her time. Let her calm down, then tell her the truth when she asks for it,” replied the redhead’s conscience, resting her equine muzzle on her arm. “Also, mind giving me a scratch behind the ear?”

Sunset Shimmer looked at her conscience, wide-eyed and shocked by what she just heard. “You want me to do what now?!”

“Scratch me behind the ear?” asked Sunset’s conscience again, sounding as innocent as she could.

“Do you realize how weird that would be right now?” Sunset Shimmer shook her head. “I don’t think that I can scratch… myself behind the ear. And even saying that is not right.”

The redhead’s conscience protruded her bottom lip, her eyes widening into the classic puppy dog eyes. She inched closer to Sunset, closing the few inches that were between them. “Please?”

Sunset Shimmer sighed and gave in. “Fine, but I am glad that this isn’t real.”

Sunset gave her pony self a scratch behind the ear, realizing just how warm her body was to the touch. Something else that caught her off guard was how soft her fur was as well. Sure, back in Equestria, she was always taking some time to make sure that she was presentable. However, she never really noticed just what it did to her fur. Not until now, as she was losing herself in running her hand through it. As Sunset sat there doing that, she felt her eyes begin to close without her consent. Eventually, a few seconds later, she collapsed. Her head was now resting on the chest of her pony self. As her eyes fully closed, she saw a world of darkness surround her.

*** *** *** ***

Fluttershy, who was now sitting on the bleachers next to Applejack, looked down at Sunset Shimmer. Rarity had done what she could to bandage up her arm, but it was a temporary fix at best. Although thanks to her efforts, her pain had gotten lessened. She had heard Sunset moan as if she was coming back to consciousness. Watching her, Fluttershy saw her arm move slowly towards her eyes. And moments later, Sunset opened her eyes and glanced at her.

“Fl-Fluttershy?” Sunset Shimmer’s voice was raspy, and her throat also felt dry as she tried to speak. “Is… that you?”

Sunset Shimmer blinked, her eyes trying to adjust to the sudden appearance of the sun. As her vision started to get clearer, she saw that Fluttershy had some gauze on her arm, right where she had gotten injured. She noticed that Applejack was sitting next to her and giving her a concerned look as their eyes met. Yet, when Sunset shifted her gaze upward, that was when she realized that Twilight had moved from her spot, still cowering away from her. She looked down when she saw that Twilight was scared of her. She pushed herself off of the grass, feeling the hoodie on top of her. She grabbed it, trying to keep her chest and back covered as best as she could. Every move Sunset made caused more of the dried blood on her skin to crack off.

“Woah, Sunset. Don’t move too much,” said Fluttershy as she rested her hand on Sunset’s shoulder, just above the scars.

“Wh-why is Twilight up there?” Sunset Shimmer’s throat screamed at her to stop talking. It was very raw, and that was most notable whenever she spoke.

“Because, sugarcube, Twilight is afraid.” Applejack adjusted her stetson. “And you know what she is afraid of.”

“Me…” The redhead sighed and looked down at her hands. The reality of the fact that she still had her demonic appearance dawned on her as she saw that her hands were still claws. Lowering her hands, she turned to lean against the bleachers. “Has Twilight said anything to you guys?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Nope, Twilight hasn’t said a single word. It’s not like her to be this quiet. Do you think that seeing you go all ‘Demon Shimmer’ is what did that?”

“Probably, Dash. Twilight has never seen me like… that. And you girls only ever saw that at the…” Sunset Shimmer stopped. She didn’t want to reveal when that had happened, not here. Not right now.

“Yeah, we know,” said Pinkie Pie as she skipped over to where Sunset and the girls were. Her hand had gotten bandaged in a fashion that made her look like she was getting ready to box. “Just give Twilight some time.”

“That’s what my conscience also said…” thought Sunset Shimmer as she stared at her hands.

Meanwhile, Susie and the rest of the kids were standing around Springtrap. Gabriel had grabbed the flame torch and was lighting him on fire again, burning off any remaining gasoline. Besides, he was having fun getting revenge against his killer. He could see the flames charring the mummified corpse inside the animatronic suit — the body of the person that was once William Afton. Now, all that remained of him was a gooey plastic mess trapped inside of a metal cage. And that pleased the kids, especially after all the torture they had endured. It was oddly freeing watching William getting what he deserved.

Susie turned to Jeremy. “Do you think that we’ll finally be free now that William is gone?”

“I hope so.” Jeremy looked back at the girls, seeing that the redhead was now awake. “After all the girls had to sacrifice for us, I hope it pays off.”

Fritz nodded. “Yeah, me too. I don’t want to be trapped in this body anymore.”

“None of us do,” added Cassidy as she looked at Sunset Shimmer. “But we all got trapped. Let’s just hope that William’s defeat will free us.”

Just then, the bushes nearby rustled, catching everyone’s attention. As the kids looked at the moving shrubbery, they prepared themselves to fight whatever may pop out at them. Slowly, rising out the bushes came a long spindly hand that was followed by an arm. The kids got a good look at the arm and saw the very familiar white bands going from its wrist to its forearm. That made them all exchange looks of worry and recognition. More of the mysterious figure became unveiled as they stepped out of the bushes. Now that they were standing in the sunlight, it was clear that it was the Marionette. The very animatronic that had attacked Sunset Shimmer that night.

“Charlotte?!” exclaimed Susie as she saw who it was.

The Marionette, or rather Charlotte, nodded.”Yes, it’s me, Susie. I am actually here.”

“But how?!” Cassidy ran up to her friend. “We never saw you here.”

“Don’t you remember what Sunset said to us?” asked Gabriel. “Charlotte had gotten captured, and Springtrap kept her with him.”

“Oh, right.” Cassidy turned to Gabriel. “But that still doesn’t explain how Charlotte is here now.”

Charlotte stepped closer to the kids. “Same way you guys got here, through the magic or whatever.” She looked at the bleachers. “Is Sunset Shimmer here?”

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, Sunset is. See the redhead with the hoodie over her?”

“Yeah?” said Charlotte as she looked at who Jeremy was pointing at.

“That is Sunset,” continued Jeremy. “Do you want to talk to her?”

“Yes, please,” replied Charlotte. “I have to apologize for attacking Sunset.”

With that, all the kids walked over to the girls, keeping Charlotte hidden behind them. They decided to stand around Sunset, allowing her to see their friend. However, as soon as the redhead saw Charlotte, her eyes widened, and she tried to back up. But the bleachers behind prevented her from being able to do any of that. And with her body already so weak, she couldn’t even stand. Sunset felt a robotic hand rest on her shoulder. Looking, she realized that it was Cassidy who had placed her hand on her, kneeling next to her.

“Relax, Sunset. She won’t hurt you. This,” Cassidy gestured to her friend, “is Charlotte, our friend.”

“Charlotte?” asked Sunset Shimmer. “So, you’re the one who attacked me?”

“Yeah… sorry about that, by the way.” Charlotte looked away, avoiding the redhead’s gaze. “I tried not to hurt you too much…”

Sunset Shimmer recognized the look of shame that Charlotte was trying to hide from her. It was the same she had when she had gotten defeated at the Fall Formal. After her attempt at killing the girls had failed. It was guilt and regret. Still gripping her hoodie tightly around her body, Sunset moved forward. She closed the distance between her and Charlotte.

“It’s okay, Charlotte, I know what it’s like to have magic that you have no power over using you,” said Sunset Shimmer as she met what would have been the girl’s eyes. “It’s how I became… this.”

Charlotte smiled, or at least, she did on the inside. Being able to make visible facial expressions was something that she missed. “Thank you, Sunset. I am happy to see that William finally got what he deserved for trapping us all in here.”

Sunset sat back against the bleachers, her injuries still hurting. As she leaned back, she glanced up at Twilight Sparkle. She could see that she hadn’t moved from her spot. And though she tried to hide it, Sunset could tell that she was still trembling. It was painful to see the fearful reaction to her appearance. However, she knew that there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. So, she sighed and returned her attention to Charlotte.

"Hey, Charlotte?” asked Sunset Shimmer as she realized that the kids’ friend seemed different from them.

Charlotte sat down in front of the redhead. “What is it?”

“Why are you different from your friends? They all seemed to have forgotten who they were when they got here, but not you.” Sunset Shimmer rested an arm on her knee. “Why is that?”

Charlotte sighed, making Twilight Sparkle jump in response. “Sadly, unlike my friends, I couldn’t just forget. See, I met my fate quite differently than they did.”

“You did?” Sunset Shimmer was surprised to hear that. She figured that all the kids had gotten killed in pretty much the same gruesome manner.

“Yeah. You have seen all my friends’ memories, right?” asked Charlotte.

Sunset Shimmer nodded, knowing where the conversation was going.

“Do you think that you have enough strength to see my memories?” continued Charlotte. “I can tell that you’re not doing too well.”

Sunset Shimmer thought for a moment. “I think I can handle it.”

Hearing that, Charlotte offered her hand for Sunset to take. She knew that she would need physical contact to allow her to see her memories. Or at least that is what Charlotte gathered from the garbled nonsense that Springtrap went on about. She never could manage to understand half of what he rambled on about, especially when the Phantoms came back. Having the added presence of them had been very annoying for her. Bracing herself, Charlotte felt Sunset grab her hand. As she watched the redhead’s eyes flash white, she knew what she was seeing.

*** *** *** ***

Charlotte was running around outside, trying desperately to avoid William Afton, who was right behind her. She could see the ax blade glinting in the moonlight as he attempted to swing it at her. Luckily, she ducked, making him hit a tree and lodge the ax in the trunk. That bought her some time to distance herself. As she turned the corner, Charlotte saw the front door leading to Freddy Fazbear’s pizzeria. She looked behind her, but she didn’t see William anywhere. However, as Charlotte turned around, she realized that he was ready to swing the ax in front of her. She tried to duck and avoid the blade again, but she wasn’t fast enough. It struck her forehead, cutting a deep gash in her skull with a loud crack.

“Gah, you were a slippery motherfucker,” said William Afton as he yanked out the ax and picked up Charlotte’s now dead body. “Let’s just bury you now.”

The memory shifted to a deserted place in a heavily wooded area. William was digging a hole underneath two very massive willow trees. He was breathing heavily, evident by the small visible cloud that formed every time he exhaled. His shirt had gotten thrown to the side, covered in Charlotte’s blood. Her body was lying next to the hole, her forehead coated in dried blood from the gash. William got out of the hole and dragged Charlotte’s corpse to the edge. Letting a sinister smile show, he kicked it into the dirt hole. Her body hit the dirt with a solid thud.

“Okay, now to pile on the dirt,” mumbled William Afton as he grabbed the shovel he had used earlier and began to toss the dug dirt back into the hole again.

As William continued to shovel dirt back into the hole, the memory changed again. This time, they had returned to the restaurant. As the new memory moved along, the scenery shifted from the main room as Charlotte’s ghost headed towards the backroom where most of the most murders had happened. She was standing in the corner as she watched Cassidy getting forced into Golden Freddy. The sound of bones crunching along with her skin ripping, was loud and echoed in the almost empty room. Charlotte gasped, turning her head away from the sickening sight.

The memory shifted again, and now they were on the stage. One by one, Charlotte witnessed each of the kids getting shoved into an animatronic. Over and over again, the sound of bones getting crunched and skin ripping echoed. It was almost deafening in the now-empty and otherwise quiet restaurant. Jeremy’s demise was the most painful to watch as he was so young and innocent. The worst death of them all, though, was Fritz’s. Watching him get shoved inside of Bonnie, with his arms tucked in with him, made Charlotte’s nonexistent gag reflex almost kick in. However, she braved through it, watching as Susie was next.

Finally, after a few more agonizing minutes had passed, Charlotte saw Gabriel walking out onto the stage. The image grew blurry as she stood there watching these horrific murders while tears somehow streamed down her cheeks, knowing that there was nothing that she could do to stop it from happening. Yet, that knowledge only worsened Charlotte’s pain as she struggled to continue watching Gabriel’s demise. Then the memory faded to black as the final scene played out.

Charlotte was now standing in front of Freddy. As she touched his arm, she said, “Gabriel, awaken.”

Charlotte did this for all the kids, including Cassidy, whose body was slowly rotting away in the back room where the suit had remained. As each kid became aware, the animatronics’ eyes glowed as if they were now on. Cassidy had followed Charlotte out onto the main stage, standing next to Gabriel. Seeing the two Freddy animatronics next to each other, it was remarkable how alike they looked. Thankfully, their colors were different, keeping them being confused with the other. Charlotte stepped out in front of all of them, making sure that she was in their line of sight.

“Hello, Gabriel, Susie, Cassidy, Jeremy, and Fritz,” said Charlotte.

“Who are you?” asked Jeremy.

“I…” began Charlotte, “am Charlotte. The first victim of William Afton.”

*** *** *** ***

As the memory faded away, Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes. She took a deep breath as she tried to push Charlotte’s memories aside for the moment. As she looked around, she saw something that she didn’t expect to see. In front of her were the kids’ souls. They looked like what one would expect for a ghost. The kids’ spirits were see-through and floating in mid-air. And their animatronic bodies that had once been their vessels were now gone. Sunset assumed that they had returned to the game now that the kids had gotten freed from them. She looked at each kid, realizing that they looked just like they did when they had gotten killed. Their clothes, their hair, everything, it was all the same. It was very surreal for Sunset. Up until now, she had only ever seen them look like that in their memories. Yet, to finally see them in front of her, it made her smile.

“Is that really what you guys look like?” asked Pinkie Pie as she waved her hand through Jeremy’s arm. “It’s so cool.”

“Yeah, this is what we actually look like,” replied Cassidy as she and Charlotte approached Sunset Shimmer. “Um, Sunset?”

“Yeah?” asked Sunset Shimmer, her voice breaking as she was trying to keep herself from crying.

“Thank you,” said Cassidy.

“Thank you for freeing us from our captor and allowing us to move on,” added Charlotte. “It’s about time that we got to return home to our families.

Sunset Shimmer let out a sniffle. “Yeah, I think so too.”

Pinkie Pie joined the rest of the girls as they all stood up, minus Twilight Sparkle, who still chose to remain in her spot. They all huddled around the kids. It was a bittersweet moment for all of them as they realized what was happening. Pinkie Pie was a sobbing mess, heaving away as she leaned on Fluttershy’s shoulder. Rarity let a few tears fall as she tried not to ruin her mascara in the process. She hadn’t worn her usual waterproof one, and she didn’t want to look like a mess while saying goodbye. Sunset Shimmer, meanwhile, was managing to keep her waterworks at bay, although it was hard for her. Yet, a few tears still slipped down her cheeks. The one who wasn’t actively crying was Applejack, but even she shed a tear or two as well. Even Rainbow Dash was crying, despite her attempts to keep her cool with the girls. And Fluttershy was sobbing alongside Pinkie Pie.

It was indeed a sad yet happy moment between the girls and the kids. Their journey together, although long and hard, had finally accomplished what they had all wanted. The kids were now free to return to their families. As Sunset used Applejack for support, Jeremy and the kids looked at Twilight Sparkle. They decided between themselves that they couldn't go without saying goodbye to her before they left. Leaving the rest of the girls, they all walked over to her.

“Hey, Twi?" asked Jeremy. “My friends and I just wanted to say that we are thankful you and your friends saved us.”

Twilight Sparkle lowered her wings a little bit, revealing that she was also crying. ‘Y-you’re welcome…” Her voice came out low and weak as she still didn’t want to speak.

“Yeah, it was nice to get to know all of you,” said Susie as she turned to the rest of the girls. “I am sure going to miss you all.”

“We all will,” Gabriel said as he walked back over to the girls. The rest of the kids soon joined him as they left Twilight alone. “We’ll never forget you.”

“You Pinkie Promise?” asked Pinkie Pie as she met Gabriel’s gaze.

“Yes, Pinkie. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” replied Gabriel as he recited the Pinkie Promise as he had gotten shown.

“Good. You better not break it, or I will know,” added Pinkie Pie as she motioned from her eyes to his.

All the kids gathered in front of the girls. They all did a group hug, which surprisingly worked. It seemed that just because the kids were see-through, it didn’t stop them from having physical contact if they wanted to. Soon after, the hug broke apart. Still teary-eyed, the girls stood back in their original positions as they watched the kids walk away from them. One by one, each of the kids’ souls faded away as the sun began to set in front of them. The sky was lit up with reds and yellows, making it look like the sky was on fire. The light illuminated the silhouettes of the kids’ spirits, which made them look even more out of this world.

The first of the kids to go was Charlotte. Next was Cassidy, quickly followed by Gabriel. Then Susie and Fritz disappeared after them. Finally, only Jeremy was the only one left standing on the soccer field. He turned back for a moment, giving the girls a final wave before his soul vanished as well. As a breeze passed the girls, they could hear the last thank you echo from the kids.

“The kids really are gone, aren’t they?” asked Fluttershy, turning to Sunset Shimmer.

“Y-yeah, they are…” Sunset Shimmer felt herself become woozy. “I think I better sit down.”

That was the last thing Sunset Shimmer said as she felt her legs start to tremble beneath her. She tried to grip onto Applejack’s shoulder as her eyes began to drift close. However, a few seconds later, she collapsed to the ground, too weak to stand anymore. Applejack and Fluttershy managed to catch her and safely set her on the grass. Rarity walked over and looked at Fluttershy as she stood next to her girlfriend.

“Do you think it was seeing Charlotte’s memories that caused this?” asked Rarity.

“Well, that didn’t help Sunset’s condition. I think she passed out because she is exhausted and has lost quite a bit of blood,” replied Applejack. “Problem is, who’s gonna take Sunset home? Cause Dash and I have to get to a hospital. And don’t you have that deadline, Rare?”

“Yeah, unfortunately, I do.” Rarity heard Twilight Sparkle shift on the bleachers, making her look up just in time to see her lowering her wings. She turned her attention back to the girls, saying, “Which means I can’t take her home myself.”

“And I have to check on the animal shelter after this,” said Fluttershy as she looked at Pinkie Pie.

“Well, I wish that I could. But after this, I am going to have to work overtime to make sure that Sugarcube Corner has gotten prepped for tomorrow,” replied Pinkie Pie, knowing what the girls were going to ask.

Twilight Sparkle watched the redhead fall. That was enough to make her get up and walk shakily over to the girls. Although she hadn’t said a single word to her, she had been paying attention. She heard what the redhead had said to Charlotte before she left. And hearing that, it was enough to ease some of Twilight’s fear. Not much, but enough that she could fathom the idea of being the one who was taking the redhead home. After hearing that all the girls couldn’t do it, she realized that she had no choice. Someone had to take her home, and that person had to be her. Sighing, Twilight forced herself to speak.

“I-I can take Sunset home,” said Twilight Sparkle, trying to find her voice.

“Are you sure about that, dear?” asked Rarity as she looked at Twilight. “We can see that you’re still frightened of Sunset.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded. “I know that I have been scared of Sunset for a while now. But I am the only one who can take her home. Besides, I think me and her have some things to talk about when she wakes up.”

“Okay, if you are sure,” said Applejack. “Just be gentle with Sunset, okay?”

“I will,” replied Twilight Sparkle.

With that, the girls all started to leave the soccer field, heading to their respective destinations. Twilight Sparkle gulped and slipped her arms underneath Sunset. Her left arm was under Sunset’s knees while her right was resting against her wings. Lifting her from the ground, she struggled not to lose her balance. Once Twilight was fully upright, she sighed. It seemed that Sunset’s leathery appendages added more weight to her body. She looked down when she felt Sunset wrap her arm around her neck, almost as if she was secretly aware of who was now carrying her. She gasped softly and froze up for a moment. However, that didn’t seem to stop her from also resting her hand on Twilight’s chest. Trying her best to ignore the fact that she was now carrying a naked Sunset bridal style in her arms, Twilight took off into the air.

“I love you, Sunset Shimmer. And I wish I could tell you that, but I am not sure that I can see you as the same Sunset I fell in love with,” thought Twilight Sparkle as she carried the redhead higher into the air.

Author's Note

I am not ready to say goodbye to the kids yet! Not when I had so much fun getting to know them. Oh well, it’s time they got to be reunited with their families. After all, it has been many decades since they last saw them... Maybe Charlotte can come back and visit sometime. In the meantime, I will be using up the last of my tissues to hold my broken heart together. Let me know what y’all think of this chapter. Do you think that Sunset and Twilight will be able to repair their friendship? Aside from bidding farewell to the kids, whom I never expected to grow attached to, I had a ton of fun writing the scene with Sunset and her conscience.