In an out-of-the-way spot in Olympus Mons, the air shimmered for a moment, before a portal swam into view. It could only be seen for a moment before it faded from view. But the portal itself remained.

Now it only waited for someone to find it.

For as far along as the Gundam Frames were, there was still much left to do to have them ready. And that did not even include finding those willing to pilot them.

Sunset and her friends had volunteered from the beginning of course, and even Luna had eventually volunteered as well. But there still remained more Gundams than pilots.

There was also the fact that there was currently no way to properly train people to pilot mobile suits. All they had were fighter jet simulators, and those could only do so much.

A fact Rainbow was more than happy to complain about as much as she could. And for once, none of her friends could really blame her for it. No matter how annoying it became to listen to on an almost daily basis.

Rainbow growled as she crawled out of her latest simulation. Her scores were improving, but that wasn't her problem. "This is dumb! You know this isn't how it's going to be out there. Assuming you can get them to work," she gestured at the mobile suits around them.

Agneika twirled a lock of his blond hair, his own mood not much better than Rainbows. "Then how would you do it, Rainbow Dash? No one has lived long enough to tell anyone how to do it."

Sunset shook her head, as she stepped out of her own simulation. "The reaction times are too slow. Even if you can get a shot off, the mobile armors just dodge it. Isn't there some way to make them faster?"

Agneika shook his head. "The Alaya-Vijnana is meant to make reactions instantaneous by expanding spatial awareness. In effect making everything move at much faster speeds. Assuming the surgery even works."

That caused the girls to wince, as they couldn't help but look at Agneika's back, and the mass of unhealthy skin that covered it. A sight that Agneika himself tried not to think about, though the pain and discomfort was his constant companion.

The Alaya-Vijnana was meant to be the trump card of the Gundam Frames and their pilots. The system consisted of two parts. One was installed in the mobile suit itself, and the other was implanted into the pilot's spine. The surgery created a pseudo-brain lobe in the pilot's spine using nanomachines, which would cause growth to sprout from their spine, dubbed a "Whisker".

The whisker interface would connect to the Gundam Frame's interface, allowing the pilot to directly process mobile suit data, instead of using a computer screen. The pseudo-brain lobe also governed spatial awareness, hence allowing the pilot's own to be enhanced.

In effect, the system would allow even a complete newbie to pilot the Gundam without having to read the instruction manual. Unfortunately, there was a downside to all of this.

Agneika had been the first to undergo the surgery, but because it was still a new technology, it had failed to take with him. From what the doctors had told him, he was lucky to still be able to walk or move at all, let alone still be alive. As it was, constant pain and irritation were what he had gained from it all.

Twilight still couldn't help but flinch every time she saw what had happened to her brother, and it tore her up inside. She was beginning to wonder now if this had been such a good idea at all?

"Ya sure there ain't another way?" Applejack asked as she and the rest of the girls joined Rainbow and Sunset.

Agneika shook his head. "Not in the time we have. We have had reports that the Asteroid Belt is empty of mobile armors. No one knows where any of them are. There haven't been any reported attacks by them in several months now. I don't like it."

That was a feeling they could all share. They too had heard the reports. What could it mean though? None of the girls were crazy enough to think that it meant the end of the war. That would have been too easy.

Sunset looked over at the Gundam Frames. Bael and Barbatos were now beginning to look like complete machines. Bael's head, chest, shoulder, and arms, armor had all been attached to this point. Barbatos, meanwhile, had its legs and waist armor attached, and even now the chest armor was being added.

The rest of the frames were also in various stages of having their armor added. Some were further along than others though, for no one ever said that this would be easy.

Agneika saw her look, and smiled. "On another note. Twilight and Sunset. You have been approved to try for the Gundam Bael and Gundam Barbatos respectively."

"And the rest of us?" Rarity added, looking with particular fondness on the Gundam Frame that had been designated Kimaris.

Agneika nodded. "You've all been approved to at least try. I can't say, for the moment, which ones though. Only a few are far enough along to consider this much."

The girls slumped a bit, but there was little they could do. Only Pinkie Pie looked somewhat happy at the news. It had only taken one look at the design, and she'd asked for the Gundam Gusion.

"It's a big, hammer-wielding, frog! What's cooler than that?" Had been her response when asked why she asked for that one.

Twilight pushed her glasses up her nose, as she and Sunset shared a look. "So what does that mean for the two us then?" She asked.

Agneika's smile dropped. "If the two of you really mean to do this, then we can try the Alaya-Vijnana surgery whenever you are ready. Give it several days thought, girls. This is a big step."

Later that night, Sunset found herself wandering the halls of the base. She just couldn't sleep. She had too much on her mind.

Was she really this committed to going through with this? She didn't want to think about what could go wrong. Agneika was a perfect example of the dangers of the surgery. Though from what she had heard, the doctors had learned quite a lot from what had gone wrong with him.

That still didn't mean she had to like it. He had gotten off lucky with what had happened to him. What if something went wrong with her, or Twilight though? They both knew the risks involved. They might not be as lucky as her brother had been.

So caught up in her thoughts was Sunset, that she didn't even notice where she was going until a light breeze blew through her hair. But it was the scent of cooked hay, that stopped Sunset dead in her tracks. She knew that smell, but that was impossible.

"It can't be. Not here," she whispered, before dashing around the corner, following the scent of something she had never thought she would smell again. Coming around the bend, Sunset watched as the air before her shimmered and rippled.

Knowing what it meant, but still hoping she was wrong, Sunset stuck a hand through the shimmer. Her face twisted in anger at what she saw it became.

A hoof.

"Are you bucking kidding me? Is this supposed to be a joke?" She hissed. "What the buck is a portal to Equestria doing here?! After how much I looked for one five years ago, and now I just find one?!"

Sunset could just make out the other end of the portal. It showed a rarely used portion of Canterlot Castle, though judging by the lack of dust and cobwebs she remembered, it was obviously being used for something now.

Sunset pulled her hand out of the portal, trying to contain her anger. If this was some kind of joke by Princess Celestia, then her mentor had even worst taste than she had thought she did. And her former mentor was known for having bad taste in just about all things if she was being honest. Or at least, that's what Sunset always thought of Princess Celestia.

Even before their fight, there were very few things that both of them liked at the same time.

Sunset shook her head, trying to calm down. She almost stepped through the portal. Almost went back home. "No. This is the easy way out. It would be so easy to just go through, go back to Equestria, and pretend like none of this ever happened. But I won't. I won't take the cheap way out. Not this time."

Turning away, Sunset tried her best not to let her tears flow. "I won't abandon my friends," she whispered before stalking back the way she had come. "And besides. I have no home to go back to."

Unseen and unnoticed, Princess Celestia had heard everything Sunset had said. It had taken all of her restraint to not drag her faithful student through the portal, and give her the biggest hug she could.

As it was, she was left with more questions than answers, as she sadly turned away from the portal, and returned the way she had come, a direction that went out of sight of the portal. All she could hope, for now, was that Sunset might find it in her heart to come home, if only for a little while.

"Please, Sunset. Be safe, and come home. I've missed you," Celestia whispered, letting her own tears fall now. "And never, ever, think you don't have a home to come back to."

"I hate needles," Sunset grumbled as she watched the technicians prepare their tools for the upcoming operation. "I don't care what it's for, I hate them. And no one is going to change my mind on that."

Twilight giggled from the other bed. "Oh don't be such a wimp, Sunset. You know they won't hurt us. I'm more surprised you're going to do this without anesthesia. Most people wouldn't even think of doing that."

Sunset only smirked. "Because I want to feel this, Twilight. If there's one thing that I've never been afraid of, it's pain. How bad can this be?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, as her brother entered the room. "Are the two of you ready?" He asked.

Twilight and Sunset both nodded. "So do we just lie here and do nothing?" Twilight asked.

Agneika nodded. "The operation is rather simple. These shots will go into your spines. If everything works as it is supposed to, the nanomachines will do the rest of the work. It will be several days before we know for sure if it's worked."

The two youngsters shared a worried look. "And if they haven't worked?" Sunset asked.

Agneika could only shake his head as the two were wheeled away. "You'll also know soon enough."

As Sunset tried to relax, she watched Twilight from the corner of her eyes. Her friend seemed just as nervous as she was. She smiled a little at that. At least it wasn't just her.

A technician looked down at her, a needle at the ready. "Are you ready, miss Shimmer?"

Sunset only nodded and tried to relax. "Give it to me, doc. Let's get this over with."

He nodded, before moving behind her. Another tech stood by to hold Sunset down if needed while the injection took place. Sunset closed her eyes as the needle came down.

At first, all she felt was a small pinprick as it pierced her skin, but then it started. A flood of ice-cold water rushed into her, followed by a pain that could never be properly described. Sunset just barely bit back a scream as her whole body felt as if it was burning from the inside out, even as blood began to flow from her nose and her body began to jerk wildly, one of the techs just managing to keep her hand or feet from hurting anyone.

Twilight fared little better, even with anesthesia, as tears fell in rivers from her eyes. Sunset reached out and managed to take her friend's hand in her own, which seemed to help.

After a moment, the burning sensation began to fade, as the doctor removed the now empty needle from both girls. Sunset let out a ragged breath. The burning was gone now, but now she hurt all over.

"How do you feel, miss Shimmer?" Her doctor asked.

Sunset shot him a dirty look. "Like one of the Gundam Frames just stepped on me repeatedly, and then kicked me for good measure."

He nodded. "That's good. It means the first step has worked. Now we will monitor both of you to see how this progresses."

"How long?" Twilight asked, wiping her eyes.

Her doctor shook her head. "Your brother took several days before his symptoms started. Right now, we must assume that the same holds true for the two of you as well."

Twilight shot her a look, fighting back her own pain. "That's not very comforting."

Her doctor could only shrug. "Very little of this is known for sure, miss Sparkle. All of this is still new to us. So we must take this as an unknown every time we do this. Look at what happened to your brother."

Twilight bit her lip. She tried not to think of what had happened to Agneika. "Then what happens next then?"

"Bed rest for the both of you. If all goes according to plan, we can proceed with the next step once we know for sure that nothing has gone wrong with both of you," Sunset's doctor replied.

Sunset sighed as she pulled her arms around herself "Great. Just what I needed. More laying around."

Sunset yawned as she stalked the hallways of the base with no destination in mind. "Stupid lack of sleep. Right when I need it to," she grumbled. "You'd think after all the times I did this in Canterlot I would know better."

And there it was again. Her mind kept going back to Equestria and the life she had abandoned. Sunset knew why that was of course. The portal she had found. Why it here was beyond her. All of her research on the mirror had said that it was a one-off thing. So why would another portal be here?

Shaking her head, Sunset turned a corner and stopped. Without really knowing it, she had found the portal once more, the scene it showed unchanged from before.

Staring at it, Sunset bit her lip. She knew what she wanted to do, but could she bring herself to do it? Now of all times? Sticking a hand through, Sunset watched her hoof seemingly float in mid-air for a moment, before frowning.

"Oh. Buck this all to hell!" She grumbled as she looked around to make sure she was alone. When she was sure she hadn't been followed, she jumped through with an annoyed sigh.

Picking herself up, Sunset looked around. Behind her, the portal showed the hallway she had just come from. In front of her, the hallway stretched onwards before turning a corner. Only one door was visible.

Walking over to it, Sunset could hear the faint snores of somepony beyond it, but there was no nameplate, so she had no idea of who it might be. Whoever it was, she was a loud sleeper that was for sure.

Rolling her eyes, Sunset turned away and made her way down the hallway. "Hope I remember this damn place as much as I used to."

Unknown to Sunset, however, someone had seen her enter the portal and what it had done to her. It left her with more questions than answers though, and as Twilight turned away and went back the way she had come, she knew one thing for sure.

Sunset had a lot of explaining to do.

Sunset did her best to avoid the staff. She didn't know if any would recognize her, and right now she couldn't take the chance somepony would and rat her out. So for now, she hid when she could.

Luckily, the castle's layout had not changed since last she walked these halls. And as she passed down a little-known hallway behind the Throne Room, she could make out the sounds of Day Court letting out for lunch. Perfect timing.

"At least Sunbutt's consistent," she chuckled, as she heard the sounds of the magic that unlocked the secret entrance behind Princess Celestia's throne. Feeling a bit vindictive, she didn't bother to hide and stood in full view as Celestia entered the hallway. It must've been a particularly trying court session for she marched right past Sunset without even seeing her, her eyes somewhere else.

It only made Sunset's smirk grow. "Now that is just rude, princess. I'm not that ugly."

That stopped the Solar Monarch in her tracks, as she slowly turned. Her eyes widened in shock and surprise, But as Sunset's smirk softened into something close to a smile, Celestia's eyes watered.

Before Sunset could stop her, Celestia picked her up in a huge hug. "Oh, Sunset. It is you. How? When? Where have you been young filly?"

Sunset's answer wasn't exactly forthcoming as she was trying to breathe at the moment. "Princess. Can't. Breathe," she wheezed.

Celestia finally seem to catch on, for she soon let her go, though she didn't seem to want to as she looked the unicorn over. "Sunset. Where have you been? We looked all over for you. I know you went through the mirror, despite my orders to leave it alone."

Sunset nodded. "Yeah, I know. Goddess above, I know. And I should have listened. Gods, I should have listened. I never should have found that damn thing," she sniffed. "The things I've seen. Everything we've lost. I see them in my nightmares. I see everyone we couldn't save."

Celestia was taken aback by this. Looking into Sunset's eyes, however, she felt her heart drop in sorrow. There was no life behind those eyes. Haunted and broken by the things Sunset had seen and lived through. Only those who had seen war and lived to tell their stories had this kind of look. But this felt different somehow. "Sunset. What has changed for you?"

Sunset snorted. "What hasn't changed is a better question. Everything changed when Earth was lost."

Celestia digested this as the two of them walked. She did not know that name. Perhaps it was the name of wherever Sunset had gone to. "We thought you were dead, Sunset. Some of the Royal Guard went after you. All they found was death and destruction on a scale that I have never seen before."

Sunset nodded. "They wouldn't have found anything else. We were long gone by then I reckon. I don't think the town ever had a proper name. Or at least that's what Applejack told me."

Celestia hid her shock at hearing that name well but now was not the time. "They found something else as well. Or perhaps it is best to say, something found them, and followed them back here."

Sunset shot her a look as they passed down another hallway before coming to a locked door that Sunset definitely didn't remember ever seeing before. "What followed them, princess?"

Celestia only shook her head as she unlocked the door with her magic, revealing a spacious laboratory space stock full of everything imaginable. "Perhaps you can tell us, Sunset. We've been studying this automaton for ten years now, and we still know very little about it."

Sunset's ears fell. No. It couldn't be. Not here. But as they passed various ponies going about their business, she felt her blood run cold in mounting horror at what hung suspended from the ceiling at the center of the room.

A Pluma drone.

Author's Note

Time for a mini-arc. I'd always planned to have Sunset go back to Equestria at some point and makeup with Princess Celestia. But not to go home for good. Up next, Sunset and Twilight go in for the Alaya-Vijnana. This leads me to the next thing I need to address.

Yes, Agneika's surgery failed. While the success rate for the Alaya Vijnana was much higher during the Calamity War than during Iron-Blooded Orphans, it still wasn't 100%.

Being the first to try it, I had it fail for him, but not have it cause the worst damage a failed surgery could inflict upon him. Plus, if you know your Post Disaster timeline lore as you should, you know Agneika was the original pilot for the Gundam Bael in IBO's canon. This is where Twilight comes in as its pilot.

A couple of other things too. I need to thank ZettaiDullahan for the new cover art. And yes Barbatos does look different from his Iron-Blooded Orphans look, and not just because of the artist's style. If you remember in Episode 1, his shoulder armor was gone.

So I used this as his Calamity War look. It's pseudo canon that this is the correct look. Good enough for me.

Edit 1: Alright. So Night_Moon60606, Delta38, and Mecha Guardian-B312 do bring up good points in relation to the girls and their Gundams. Yes, Applejack makes more sense with Astaroth, it being a power type. But that's too easy. Here's the result.

As for Gusion? We don't know what it looked like before the Brewers got their hands on it. It could still have the same armor it had during the Calamity War during Season 1's first battles. Or it might not. Who knows for sure?