Sunset walked towards the entrance to the curio shop, wearing a black cloak that hid her red and gold hair from the public. She slowly opened the door, looking all around the interior to make sure she was the only current costumer.

“May I help you traveler?” The shopkeeper asked when he noticed her entry to his business. “Creatures usually come here looking for–” his speech was cut short as Sunset’s magic started strangling him so he couldn’t call for help.

The unicorn walked to the counter and looked at the display where she saw the Alicorn Amulet. But it wasn’t there. “Where’s the amulet?” she asked the shopkeeper, easing the pressure on his neck just enough for him to talk.

“I… sold it.”

“To who?” Sunset asked threateningly, her eyes turning black for a moment.

“To a mare… just a few minutes ago… she came wearing a cloak like yours… is it the new fashion?”

Sunset growled and threw the stallion over the counter. “Forget I was here, or you will have the guard tearing down your door to arrest you.”

“Are you with the CAA?” the shopkeeper asked, but Sunset ignored him and walked out of the shop.

“Good thing I identified it before.” Sunset thought before casting a location spell and sensed that it wasn’t far from her. She started teleporting around the city, pausing only to keep track of the location of the amulet, until she finally saw the cloaked mare.

Said mare was marching with a spring in her step, until a sudden explosion of flames made her jump in the air before landing on her butt. She saw the cloaked figure stare at her from the shadow of their hood, and quickly stood up defiantly. “Humph, you think you scared me? that you caught a defenseless mare in a dark alleyway that you could attack without retribution? Well, you’re wrong! Because with this–” she opened her cloak, showing the glowing Alicorn Amulet in her chest. “–the Great and Powerful–”

“Trixie?” Sunset asked suddenly, catching her off-guard.

The magician pulled down her cloak, revealing her face, and looked more closely to the mare in front of her. “Sunset?”

The amber unicorn also lowered her cloak and looked at the magician with both disbelief and worry. “What are you doing wearing that amulet?! Do you know it’s cursed?”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Cursed how?”

“It will corrupt your mind until you’re completely at its whims and you’ll turn into an evil sorceress,” Sunset exclaimed.

Trixie’s eye shot open. “What?! The shopkeeper didn’t mention any of that!”

“Take it off before it’s too late!” Sunset screamed, and the magician pulled it off like it was a big metallic spider.

“Wait, how am I going to take revenge against Twilight now?”

“Your what?” Sunset asked as she discreetly took the amulet from the ground and hid it inside her cloak. “Why do you want vengeance against Twilight?”

“Because she humiliated me! After she showed me up with that Ursa Minor, I became a laughingstock! Everywhere I went I was laughed at and ostracized. I even had to take a job on a rock farm just to earn a living! a rock farm!” Trixie shouted in rage, breathing heavily.

“Oh, right…” Sunset rubbed the back of her head. “Look, you probably haven’t seen them since then, but I got really mad about it and… well, it’s a long story. The thing is, the three that heckled you are really sorry about it and I made them promise to apologize to you.”

The magician looked at her with wide eyes. “You… you did that for Trixie?”

“And about Twilight, she didn’t want that to happen. It got out of control too quick, and I also failed to prevent it.”

“Prevent it how?” Trixie questioned.

“As I said, long story. What I’m trying to say is that everypony involved is sorry about what happened to you, and if we knew about your situation, we would’ve helped you. So, please don’t hate them for their mistake.”

The magician stood there, trying to process Sunset’s words, placing a hoof over her forehead. “I… Trixie needs a moment to think.”

“It’s okay, I need to leave anyway. I’m glad I got to see you again.” Sunset pulled the hood over her head again and turned to leave, but Trixie stopped her.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Didn’t you see the signs? I’m the number one enemy of Equestria,” Sunset said with a half-smile, trying to hide her anxiety.

“But you were set up, right?”

Sunset blinked twice. “What?”

“They say you stole and destroyed the Elements of Harmony, cursed Princess Celestia, and destroyed a portion of the castle.”

“I don’t know what kind of but you’re going to pull off right now to justify all that,” Sunset said incredulously.

“Sunset, you remember one of the happiest days of my life better than me,” Trixie said in the most sincere and almost sad voice Sunset had ever heard before. “And when you left me at the café–”

Sunset flinched. “Oh, fu– sorry about that.”

Trixie simply continued. “The waiter apologized for you and told me a bit about yourself. Well, a lot, actually. About all the things you had done in that town to help others. So, I can’t really believe you would do those crimes you’re accused of.” Sunset looked at her dumbfounded. “Also, you said that Trixie was a big inspiration for you, and The Great and Powerful Trixie will always support her loving fans,” the magician added with her usual flare.

Sunset chuckled and rolled her eyes. “What is this mare?”

The amber unicorn took a moment to think, until she finally responded the question. “Those things are… true. I didn’t steal the elements, but I did destroy them. And the other things… I was… not myself at the time. I was…” Sunset looked at the ground in shame. “Kind of a monster.”

“Well, Trixie was about to use a cursed relic to take revenge on her foalhood nemesis, so Trixie can’t judge you,” the magician said in such a nonchalant way that made Sunset’s brain do the disk scratching noise.

“Wha… do you lack the basic sense of self-preservation?!”

“Do you want to hurt Trixie?” the magician asked nonchalantly.

“No…” Sunset slowly answered.

“Then what does Trixie have to fear?”

“I can’t tell if she’s brave or an idiot.” Sunset shook her head and looked at the magician in the eyes. “Look, guilty or not, I’m on the run. So please forget I was here and don’t go attacking the only ponies that care about me. Pinkie Promise?”

“What’s a Pinkie Promise?” Trixie asked confused.

“It’s… forget it. I need to leave.”

“Wait!” Trixie exclaimed lifting a hoof. “Since we couldn’t have that coffee, let Trixie invite you for some drinks.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think two mares in cloaks would go unnoticed in a café.”

“Trixie knows the perfect place to hide from the authorities.”

Chrysalis entered Cadence’s cell, finding the Princess of love and the Element of Kindness sitting together, looking at her in defiance and fear respectively. The queen lit her horn and lifted the yellow pegasus away from the alicorn.

“You don’t need to hurt her!” Cadence exclaimed angrily but was too weak to stand up.

“You’re right.” Chrysalis let go of Fluttershy. “What I need is information.”

“I’m sure you know more than me about a lot of things,” the princess deflected.

Chrysalis put her hoof under Cadence’s chin, lifting it so they could see eye to eye. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about Sunset Shimmer.”

Cadence gritted her teeth. “You’re a fool if you think I would ever sell my loved ones out of fear.”

Chrysalis showed her a predatory smile. “Loved ones, uh?” She lifted Cadence with her magic and pressed her against the cave’s wall before walking up to her. “Let’s see how much love you’ve for her.” She opened her mouth, and Cadence’s love started to seep out of her body.

“You won’t make me say anything!” Cadence shouted defiantly, remembering all her times spent with Sunset. All the innocent jokes she played on her. All the annoying pranks Sunset pulled her through. Everything she ruined with–

Cadence’s eyes widened as she realized what the queen was doing. “Stop!” she screamed but Chrysalis just chuckled and doubled her efforts to extract more love out of her.

Then suddenly, she stopped.

The changeling queen looked down at Cadence’s midsection, and the princess started to panic, fighting uselessly against her bonds.

Chrysalis put her ear against Cadence’s belly and pressed her hooves against it. She felt something and turned her head to look at Cadence in shock. “You’re pregnant.” She released her hold on her and immediately turned to the door. “Tell Proboscis to come here at once!”

Sunset scanned the shady bar Trixie had taken her too, noticing the indifferent, bored, and some even depressed-looking customers just drinking without caring about the two cloaked mares that just entered. “Do you come here often?”

“Just when Trixie hits rock-bottom.” The magician signaled the barkeep, a surprisingly young-looking female griffon that didn’t looked like she belonged in such a shady establishment. “Give me the usual.”

“And your friend?” the griffon asked.

Sunset looked at what they were offering, not knowing what any of it was, so she went to the more familiar sounding thing. “Fireball?” The griffon didn’t question it, and quickly handed over their bottles.

“You know what alcohol is, right?” Trixie asked before taking a long sip of her drink.

“Yes, just never tried it,” Sunset answered, taking a swig before grimacing a little.

“Does it burn?” Trixie asked with a mischievous smile.

“This is what burning feels like?” Sunset asked, looking at the liquid inside the bottle.

“You never played with fire?”

“I’m fireproof.”

Trixie scoffed. “That’s a lie.”

“Give me twenty bits and I will sleep on top of a campfire to prove it.” Noticing that the mare was serious about her challenge, Trixie decided to believe her for now. She had heard of crazier things anyways. “Why do ponies drink this?”

“Have you ever felt like life’s unfair and you’ve nowhere to go?” Sunset nodded. “This helps.”

The amber mare looked at the bottle one more time, and then took a longer swig before sighing. “I don’t believe you.”

The magician shrugged. “Works for Trixie.” She drank a bit more before asking her next question. “So, what did you wanted to talk about all those months ago?”

Sunset let out a long sigh. “I don’t remember anymore. A lot of things have happened since then.” She took another swig and a question popped in her head. “What convinced you to leave?”

Trixie gave her a questioning look. “You mean Ponyville?”

Sunset shook her head. “I mean Canterlot. You said it was the happiest day of your life, but you never did another performance here. What made you want to be a traveling magician?”

“That’s a… very long story,” Trixie answered, looking down at her drink before taking a long swig from it.

Sunset felt like she had accidentally hit a sensitive topic. “Oh… okay. Sorry for asking.” There was an uncomfortable silence as the two mares looked for something to talk about besides what they were truly curious about, until suddenly, Trixie downed her entire drink and asked for another one before turning to face Sunset.

“How about an exchange?”

“What?” Sunset asked confused and curious.

“We both have long stories, Trixie tells you hers, you tell me yours. Deal?”

“I…” Sunset tried to come up with an excuse to decline, but the more she thought about it, the more she remembered Applejack’s words about truth. “She has been nothing but supportive, even after admitting what I did.” She took a small swig of her bottle and turned to face Trixie. “Very well. I hear you.”

Trixie seemed to regret her offer for a moment, but with a shake of her head, she started.

“It all began with my father. I never knew much about him since, even before I was born, he would constantly leave my mother for a couple of weeks before returning and staying only a day or two before leaving again.” Sunset noticed that Trixie didn’t sound sad about what she was telling her, but remained silent. “My mother was completely charmed by him, some even suspected a spell had been casted on her, but that charm started to fade with time. One day, when I was around three years old, I heard them arguing. I never heard them fight before, so I remember it clearly; they were fighting over money.
Apparently, my father only returned home to ask my mother for money before leaving again. My mother had a good job, so she always had extra for him, but since she now had to take care of me too, money wasn’t so abundant, and my father’s borrowing was also getting more expensive.”

“Wait, he not only wasn’t there to raise you, but was scamming your mother?” Sunset asked in disbelief.

Trixie sighed. “Yeah, but that’s not all.” She took a swing of her drink and continued. “There were more fights after that night, each time I went to bed I could hear them argue. One night, I didn’t hear them scream, so I thought that they had finally made up. Then I heard something shatter.”

“Did she attack your mother?”

Trixie shook her head. “I went to see if everything was okay, and found my father standing over the broken vase where mom had her savings hidden, picking up the fallen bits and putting them in his saddlebags.” Sunset’s eyes widened. “My father, the smart charmer that he was, convinced me that he had accidentally broken the vase and asked me to help him pick up the pieces. Being three years old, I was happy to help, and after everything was clean and all the bits were in his saddles, he patted my head and told me; “You’re a good filly.” He then went out the door and never came back. Those were the last words I ever heard from my father.”

Sunset felt her blood boil and gritted her teeth. “How can a father do that to his family?”

Trixie took another swing of her drink and continued. “The next day, my mom discovered that the vase had been broken and her bits disappeared. And when she asked me what happened, I, being an innocent, stupid three-year-old, proudly told her that I helped my father clean everything.” Trixie’s hoof shook a bit at the memory. “My mother was furious. She shouted at me and sent me to my room, grounded until the end of the week. And then the next. And the next.”

“Did you run away from her?” Sunset asked, and was surprised when Trixie shook her head. “What made you stay with her?”

“I was three,” Trixie reminded her before continuing with the story. “My mother tried to get the guard to catch my father, but he had vanished, and so had her life savings. She tried to balance our expenses, taking many sacrifices in our way of living, but it didn’t help much. And on top of that, she was also suffering from the aftermath of my father leaving her, both the betrayal of her love, and the gossip and ridicule of other ponies. The stress took a toll on her, and eventually caused her to lose her job.” The sad look on Trixie’s face made it clear that the worst was yet to come. “Now that we were in a critical situation, she decided it was time for me to seek work, or at least an education.”

“She made you work when you were three?!” Sunset shouted, getting a bit of attention from the other creatures in the bar.

Trixie shushed her. “I was six at the time, so I did the usual kid stuff, which barely payed my own food, but then I discovered something. I saw a magic performance in one of the parks of Canterlot.” A smile appeared in Trixie’s face, and Sunset could swear she saw stars in her eyes. “I was mesmerized, and when the show ended, the magician performing went to sign autographs, so I went to him and asked him a lot of questions about his magic tricks.” Sunset was surprised at the similarities in her and Trixie’s inspirations. “Maybe I inherited some of my father’s charm, but the magician found me endearing, and shared a lot of things about illusion magic with me. Sadly, we had to say goodbye eventually, but during the next week I spent my free time practicing some tricks and did a little show at the same park. Many ponies liked it, and I earned more bits than what my usual jobs gave me. And more than that, one of the ponies in the crowd worked in Celestia’s School for Special Unicorns, and offer me a scholarship!” Sunset felt a shiver down her spine, remembering the true reason that school existed. “I was ecstatic, and I ran to tell my mother, who was also really happy and very proud of me.” Suddenly, all of Trixie’s enthusiasm died. “At least, at first she was.”

“What did she do?” Sunset asked as she tightened her grip on her half full bottle.

“The thing was; Even if the classes were paid, I needed a lot of school materials, which were very expensive since it was a prestigious institution, so what little my mother had managed to save was spent entirely on my education. I assured her that I would make more money with my shows, and I don’t know if I phrased it wrong or what, but my mother got angry at me.”

“What?” Sunset asked indignantly.

“I’ll get to that.” Trixie said before taking another swig of her drink. “I started my studies and did okay, I was slightly below average in most of my classes, but illusion magic was clearly my strong point. And imagine my surprise when I found out the magician that inspired me had retired and started teaching in Celestial’s school!” Trixie’s smile flashed back into her face. “It was perfect! He also helped me with my acts, and I was starting to get a bit popular, earning more bits with each small performance.” Then the smile disappeared again. “However, every time I came back home with money, my mother got angry. She never screamed at me, nor did we get into a proper fight, but I could feel her animosity. One day, she said that she was done paying for my food and school materials, and that I should pay them with my own money from then on.”

Sunset felt an intense need to burn something. “How in Celestia’s name is that fair?”

“It wasn’t. I felt horrible, and I thought that it was my fault my mother felt that way, that I had put too much pressure on her with my expenses, so I tried to make it up to her. I put more effort in my studies, and payed all my expenses with what I earned with the shows. But she only seemed to get angrier with how well I was doing.” Trixie let out a long sigh. “I now realize she felt like I was rubbing my success in her face.” The magician took another swig before continuing. “We finally got into a fight over the money, and it was clear to me that she wasn’t going to change, so I hid my money from her and continued living as best I could.” Trixie paused for a few seconds, and Sunset could see tears trying to fall down her face. “Then… things got worse… really fast.”

“How?” Sunset asked in disbelief.

“My teacher died, which just… destroyed me. I skipped a lot of classes and stopped doing shows for a while. It wasn’t until they threatened me with expulsion from the school that I managed to put myself back together. Mostly.” Trixie finished her bottle. “I visited his grave and decided to honor him with a show. A show he would be proud of. I used most of my savings to buy a small wagon to set a stage on, bought fireworks, everything I would need. And in the same day I saw the performance that inspired me to start my role as a magician, I did my first grand show.”

Sunset’s jaw dropped. “She said that was the happiest day of her life. What happened?”

“I put everything I had in that show, everything I had learned and what I could come up with in the moment. And even if it wasn’t perfect, the ponies loved it. I earned so much money I recovered everything I invested in it and had bits to spare. And that wasn’t even the best part. At the end of the show, I earned my cutie mark! It was the best day of my life!” Trixie shouted excitedly, but it felt hollow.

“But?” Sunset asked, scared of how the story ended.

The griffon offered Trixie another bottle, but she rejected it. “I returned home. My mother saw my cutie mark, didn’t even care, and just asked me if I would pay my half of the rent.” Trixie’s face morphed into anger. An anger even greater than what she felt when Twilight showed her up. “I just… exploded. I rubbed it in her face how much I’ve earned, how I finally found my purpose in the world, and that she didn’t need to worry about my expenses anymore, because even with our situation, I was doing much better than her on my own. After that, I hid my earnings and went to sleep with a smile on my face.” Trixie’s anger faded, and she looked almost… hollow. “When I woke up, I found a note in the kitchen that simply said; You’re on your own.” Sunset could feel the heat of her body rising. “I went to my room and found out that my mother had left with everything. All my bits and hers were gone. Clothes, food, anything of value had been packed overnight and left with her. I had nothing.” Trixie looked down at the floor. “Then, I discovered that my mother hadn’t been paying rent, and hid eviction notices from me. I got kicked out as soon as they discovered she left.”

“That has to be illegal!” Sunset protested.

“If it is, they didn’t care.” Trixie let out a long sigh. “I started living in the wagon I bought, doing jobs to pay food, and attending classes, but everything was falling apart. I was still dealing with my teacher’s death, and now I was homeless and alone. I started flunking exams, didn’t have any will to do a show, I just stayed in the wagon crying or sleeping. Some of the students at the school gave me food out of pity. Others started bullying me. One told me that it was no excuse for skipping classes.”

“Who?!” Sunset asked like she was about to snap somepony’s neck, but Trixie ignored her.

“One day, I decided I had enough. I took my wagon and left Canterlot to never come back. Became a traveling magician, made it the thing holding me up, and enjoyed it every day since.”

“Until Ponyville,” Sunset said sadly.

Trixie nodded. “Until Ponyville. And now that I realize my vengeance would’ve turned me into an evil sorceress. I don’t have anywhere to go.”

Sunset’s anger slowly faded after hearing the last words. She repeated the whole story in her head, trying to imagine everything that Trixie had felt during those times.

“So, what’s your story?” Trixie asked.

Sunset took a swig of her drink. “I don’t think it can compare to yours.”

“You got it worse, didn’t you?” Trixie guessed with a sad smile.

“No. Maybe.” Sunset took another, bigger swig. “It wasn’t the same.” She felt conflicted, trying to compare her past with Trixie’s. “Even if it was worse, I grew up in a castle. I had everything I wanted. But it wasn’t enough. I was greedy and arrogant.” Sunset took the bottle and drank all the remaining alcohol despite Trixie trying to stop her. “And I was never alone. Until now.”

When she finished the bottle, Sunset started to feel lightheaded and dizzy. “I… don’t feel too good.”

Trixie held Sunset with her hooves. “The fireball must be getting to your head.”

“Please… don’t take me to the guards,” Sunset begged before passing out.

Chrysalis waited patiently as Proboscis examined the restrained princess, with Fluttershy helping her despite her fear and current situation.

“The baby appears to be fine. Her alicorn body must’ve been feeding it despite the slight malnutrition.” Proboscis explained, gathering her tools.

“I gave her most of my food” Fluttershy said hiding behind her mane like she was about to be punished. Cadence thought about Thorax, wondering what he was doing right now.

“We got lucky then. I want extra rations for both, and a regular check-up when you can slip away from the eyes of the guard.” Chrysalis ordered, and Proboscis nodded before being dismissed.

“What are you planning to do with my baby?” Cadence asked with a hoof on her belly.

Chrysalis looked at her for a few seconds, showing no emotion, and then left the cell without saying anything.

When Sunset woke up, she sprung from the hammock she was in and looked around in panic, expecting to have the entire royal guard surrounding her, and maybe even Luna for good measure. But she wasn't, she was inside a wagon full of boxes and performing materials.
“Trixie?” She asked, and a familiar voice responded.

“One minute!” Trixie's head poked in from a window and looked at Sunset. “How are you feeling?”

“I–” Sunset suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head and her stomach felt like it was punching itself. “A bit sick.”

“There's water and aspirin on that box next to you.” Trixie pointed.

Sunset took the medicine and water and looked back at Trixie. “Thank you, for this and not selling me to the guard.” Sunset looked behind the magician, noticing that they weren't in Canterlot anymore. “Where are we?”

“Trixie had her wagon parked a mile down the mountain in case she had to escape the guard when she got the amulet.” Trixie explained before entering the wagon. “Trixie thinks we should keep away from Canterlot for a while.”

Sunset tried to get up, but the pain in her head made her reconsider. “I can't, I need to...” Her mind couldn't complete the sentence, even if she wasn't suffering from a hangover. “I need a plan.”

Trixie looked at the amber unicorn with worry and got closer to her. “Sunset, what exactly happened?”

Sunset sighed. “I guess I owe you that story.”

“First, I want to clarify something.” Trixie interrupted her. “Whatever your past is, don't compare it to mine. I’m sorry if I made it sound like a competition.”

Sunset didn't know how to respond to that, so she just started talking. “When I was three years old, I got my cutie mark. A symbol representing solar magic.”

“Solar magic as in what Celestia uses to move he sun?” Sunset nodded. “Wow... The last unicorn able to use that magic was Eclipsed Cinder if I recall correctly.”

“Eclipsed Cinder? Who was that?” Sunset asked curious.

“She was a very powerful mage from Somnambula. Legend says she was the first unicorn that tamed a phoenix on her own.”

Sunset didn’t seem impressed. “That doesn’t’ sound too legendary.”

Trixie chuckled. “Well, a few centuries ago phoenixes were bigger than what Celestia has as a pet.”

“How much bigger?”

Trixie smiled. “This wagon would be as big as its beak.”

Sunset’s eyes went wide, imagining a huge version of Philomena. “Oh, sweet Celestia.”

“Yeah, things were pretty dangerous a few centuries ago. Or at least that’s what the legends say.”

“What happened to Cinder?” Sunset asked curiously.

“She…” Trixie looked away from Sunset. “…exploded.”

Sunset felt her heart sink in her chest. “She destroyed Somnambula?”

“No, she left saying that she would slay the Sphinx that threatened the village long ago. Some ponies followed her in secret, saw her make camp far away from civilization, and…” Trixie felt really uncomfortable telling the story. “The description was; The fire seemed like it was eating her from the inside out, but she didn’t scream nor cried. She sat down in prayer; none could hear her voice due to the flames burning her vocal cords, and when she finished her prayer, she lifted her hooves to the sun in the sky, and… it was like a new star was born in a second, before being snuffed out in the next.”

Sunset’s hooves were shaking. “That… Will I?” She shook her head. “I won’t die like that.”

“It’s just a story Sunset, and you said fire can’t hurt you.” Trixie tried to console her, but it only reminded her of the burn mark she had left on Celestia. “Look, Trixie has heard enough of your past, she can give you a lift to any place you want and hide you from the guard.”

Sunset sighed. “Yeah, I think it’s better that way.”

“Where should Trixie take you to then?”

Sunset closed her eyes. “So, we have the amulet. What’s your next move?”

“Tell her your story.”

Sunset’s eyes shot open. “What?”

“Do you remember Truth? She told you what pained her, just like you did with Applejack and Moon Dancer.”

“But–”

“You said it yourself. She has been supportive since you met her today.”

“That will change if I tell her everything.”

“Remember Forgiveness Sunset. If Twilight and her friends are willing to fight for you despite the truth, she can too.”

Sunset turned her head towards Trixie, who was still waiting for a response. She took a deep breath and hoped for the best. “I made a sun.”

“What?” Trixie asked surprised.

“When I was three, I got my cutie mark by making a red sun, but it got out of control and burned my hometown. It killed a lot of ponies.” Trixie looked horrified, and Sunset was about to try and teleport away, but Dawn insisted she continued. “After that, Princess Celestia took away my memories, hid everything about the event, and took me in as her pupil. She raised me like a daughter, but feared me in secret, our relationship worsened, and I tried to betray her and seek a way to achieve alicornhood on my own, but decided against it to remain as her student. She then found Twilight and made her my replacement.”

“Wait.” Trixie tried to blink her confusion away. “You also have a grudge with Sparkle?”

“At first, I did, but with time we became sisters. She and her friends taught me a lot of things to deal with mistakes I made along the way and they’re the only ones that are helping me now.”

“Okay, hold on.” Trixie took a moment to piece together everything. “So, Celestia lied to you, and you attacked her. I suppose the monster part you’re referring to was a fit of anger?”

“In a way,” Sunset half-lied. “It’s supposedly under control now.” “Right?” she added in her mind, and she somehow felt Dawn nodding.

“And who stole the elements?” Trixie questioned.

“Twilight and her friends. They wanted to use them to protect me, but Discord stole them and when I used them against him… they were destroyed.” Sunset sighed dejectedly. “Surely because I wasn’t worthy of them like Twilight is.”

“Are you sure you don’t hate Twilight too?” Trixie genuinely asked.

Sunset frowned. “I don’t.”

“Technically–”

“I don’t.”

“So, in conclusion. You’re being hunted for saving Equestria against Discord and attacking a lying, paranoid princess. But the whole town burning is just swept under the rug?” Trixie asked incredulously. “Did everypony just forgot about it?”

“Actually… they did. Celestia supposedly erased everypony’s memories of the event.”

“Oh, how convenient,” Trixie scoffed before realizing the implications of that action. “Oh, forget Trixie said anything. But wait, then all your crimes are made up or exaggerated? Are they just scared of the possibility that you could do it again?”

“I have,” Sunset said looking dejected. “I created another sun in Ponyville when I remembered the truth about my past.”

“Trixie’s glad she wasn’t there to see it, but she also knows that Ponyville isn’t a ruin so, what happened?”

“I managed to stop it. Used the solar magic to form a protection spell over the town instead of destroying it,” Sunset explained with a small smile.

“So, you can control it?”

Sunset shrugged a bit. “Kind of? It’s a bit tricky since it’s somehow alive? I at least know how to stop it if it goes too far.”

Trixie whistled. “Wow, you’re way more complicated than Trixie first thought.”

“What were you expecting exactly?” Sunset asked out of curiosity.

“Well…” Trixie rolled her eyes a bit. “Trixie guessed you somehow pissed off the princesses while trying to save the day and you were being hunted unfairly.”

“And now?” Sunset asked, a bit afraid of the answer.

Trixie looked down in thought. “The whole, ‘I murdered my town when I was three’ is worrying, but you don’t sound, act, or seem like an evil pony. Plus, my previous statements about you still stand.”

Sunset stared at Trixie with incredulity. “Are you serious?”

“You said it yourself, Trixie lacks self-preservation due to her own problems,” the magician responded dismissively. “So, my offer still stands. Where do you want me to take you to?”

Sunset just looked at her in silence, hearing Dawn’s voice in her head. “See? She doesn’t care about what you did before. She sees you for who you truly are.”

“You know,” Trixie suddenly said. “There’re other legends like Eclipsed Cinder, and many stories about her as well. If you want, we could visit some old companions of mine that could give you some info on how solar magic works.” She offered with a smile. “It’s a bit of a longshot, but maybe it’ll be worth it?”

“Maybe a stretch, but isn’t this the same as the Inspiration Rarity gave you?”

“What?” Sunset asked confused.

“And also, the stories and the drinking. Did you enjoy them? Even if you were hitting rock-bottom, wasn’t it Fun?”

“What’s your point?”

“Do you want to stay with her?”

“Why are you helping me so much?” Sunset asked Trixie directly.

Trixie sighed. “To be honest… I feel as lost as you. Everypony mocks me, I’ve no destination to go, and was about to do something incredibly stupid out of anger. That’s why I think I can understand what you’re going through. That’s why I want to help if I can. Maybe we can be friends?” the magician asked a bit awkwardly.

“What did you say makes a friend?

“Somepony that can stand as an equal to me or maybe even better than me.” Sunset responded in her mind.

“How about somepony that can put themselves in your hooves?”

[AN ORANGE CHAIN TENSED]

“Somepony who can help me learn something new.”

“Moon Dancer taught you how to cook. Spike taught that your loved ones will fight for you no matter what. Pinkie taught you to have fun. Applejack taught you to be truthful about yourself. Rainbow taught you about accepting the help of others with your problems. Fluttershy taught you to forgive yourself. Twilight taught you about sisterhood. Cadence taught you about love. Shining taught you what having a family feels like. Granny Smith taught you to not let your fears consume you. The CMC taught you to face your problems. Savoir Fare taught you to appreciate your actions. Gilda inadvertently taught you to value friendship. Even Luna, before things went down the drain, taught you to try a new approach instead of giving up.”

[AN ORANGE CHAIN STRAINED]

“Somepony who will be proud of my achievements”

“They all are. Even that bitch Celestia. And you didn’t do it to prove it to them, you did it by being yourself. But you don’t need praise, what you need is...”

“Friends…”

“Are they your friends?”

[AN ORANGE CHAIN SHATTERED]

Sunset smiled brightly, full of happiness and hope. “Yes.”

The same smile appeared on Trixie’s face. “It’s official then! You’re the Great and Powerful Trixie’s brand-new friend!” she cheered, and Sunset started laughing.

“You’re very weird you know that?”

“Coming from you, Trixie will take it as a compliment,” the magician said proudly.

Sunset wiped a few tears that were threatening to escape her eyes. “Do you have a few scrolls I could use? I need to send a few letters.”

“What was that?!” Nightmare screamed in fury as she bashed her fists against Dawn's crystal prison.

The demon laughed. “Friendship, I believe.”

“Don't play coy! We had the Alicorn Amulet! We could've taken down Luna and take the throne of Equestria! We would've won! And you just sent Sunset in the opposite direction!” Nightmare broke her fist against the Crystal. “Why? Why? Why? Why?” she asked, each question accompanied by another useless punch.

“Sunset said it herself; It would've been pointless. A hollow victory, like my vengeance on Celestia.”

Nightmare growled. “How many times must I remind you? You can't fight the purpose you were given to exist!”

“And what if I want my own purpose?! One not predestined by your stupid definition of nature?!” Dawn shouted defiantly.

Nightmare scoffed. “And you hope to find one lying under a rock? Face reality Dawn. You’re noting more than an impulse-driven construct. You exist only to make Celestia suffer.”

“If it makes Sunset happy, I’m willing to abandon that path.”

“You’ll fail,” Nightmare warned ominously.

“I’m not you.”

Nightmare growled angrily. “You may have control over her mind, but I still have her body. This is far from over,” She declared before disappearing.

Celestia finished reading Sunset’s letter, holding it to her chest. “She…”

“She found friendship!” Pinkie shouted excitedly, deafening half of the room while hugging the other half.

Twilight, however, wasn’t as exited. She was still reading her letter, noticing that it had more information than Celestia’s. “I guess she still doesn’t fully trust her.” She thought before turning her head to see her mentor, but the alicorn had just vanished in a flash of light.

Celestia appeared right in front of the throne Luna was sitting on, surprising her sister. “May I talk to you in private?” the blue alicorn took a moment to study her sister’s eyes and gave a signal to her guard. They abandoned the room immediately.
Once alone, Celestia pulled out Sunset’s letter. “I need you to read this.”

Luna took the paper and started to read it, her face morphing from caution to surprise. “She finally did it,” she finally said with an almost imperceptible smile.

“She did it on her own, just like Twilight when I sent her to Ponyville,” Celestia declared before sitting in front of her sister. “She finally healed from my horrible treatment. And I can guess why it happened now.”

“Sunshine?” Luna asked, her wound burning.

Celestia nodded. “She told me that it was her turn to help Sunset. At first, I thought it was a taunt, but apparently, she truly meant it.”

Luna scowled. “Have you forgotten about what we talked yesterday? She’ll do anything to make her think she’s on her side.” She pointed at the letter. “She doesn’t mention a name for this so-called friend, nor where they’re going, or what they want. This could’ve been fabricated to make us lower our guard.”

“Or, she is extremely stressed and wants to be with her friends for a while. It’s the exact same thing that happened in Ponyville. And it’s also what you’re going through.”

Luna did a double check at Celestial’s last words. “Excuse me?”

Celestia moved a bit closer to her sister, talking softly, showing her worry for her. “You two are in the same situation. Because of my mistakes, you’ve been branded as an enemy to everypony. A lot of responsibilities were thrown at you and you’re dealing with them as best you can. The difference with Sunset now is that, as you told me before, almost all your friends are dead. You only have me.”

“For the love of– This isn’t about me Tia! The entire kingdom is in danger as long as
Sunshine lives.” Luna felt her wound burn intensely. “You want me to put my faith in Sunset, but what are we going to do if, accident or not, a village does ends up burned to the ground. Are you going to apologize to the ashes? Hide it under the rug again?”

Celestia did her best to resist the hurtful words. “I’m not saying that we ignore the problem of Sunshine. I’ve Twilight researching how we can split them apart, and Spike is the perfect candidate to talk to Sunset if we find her. The only thing I’m asking is to give Sunset a bit of time until we can help her.”

Luna was silent, but Celestia could tell she was considering it, so she pushed further. “You care for her more than I do.” Her sister looked up at her, silently asking for her to elaborate. “You helped Sunset overcome her initial grief after she died to Nightmare Moon. You helped her as much and as many times as you could. You even said you felt like you owed her.”

“I killed her,” Luna said somberly. “She begged me to do it.”

“I’ve done worse, and I still got a letter.” Celestia cautiously put a hoof over her sister’s shoulder. “Sunset wants her life back. And we can give it to her. We just need time to know how.”

Luna looked down at the floor, her wound burning intensely, but despite the pain it caused her, her mind managed to stay clear of its influence. “I won’t send the royal guard to arrest Sunset. At least not for now. That should put a smile on Shining’s face. The CAA will still search for her, but only to observe.” Luna looked at her sister. “I’m guessing you and Twilight have your own search parties.”

“We have.” Celestia smiled. “Thank you, Lulu. You won’t regret it.”

“I really hope not,” Luna exclaimed, showing all her repressed anxiety. “What are we going to do if you fail? We have no way to stop Sunshine if she goes against us.”

“I wanted to talk to you about that.”

Both alicorns turned around, noticing a yellowish gray mare standing right in front of the entrance to the throne room, and wondered how she had managed to enter undetected.

She was wearing a dark grey sweater, winter boots, orange tinted glasses, and a small headband that kept her light red hair away from her eyes. She was also carrying saddlebags with her cutie mark, revealing her identity despite her change of appearance.

“There may be a way to fix the Elements of Harmony.” Moon Dancer declared.

“Aaaand, done!” Trixie exclaimed before showing Sunset a mirror.

The unicorn looked at her disguise with a smile.

Her coat was colored with a very light blue dye, her entire mane was magenta and tied into ponytails to hide most of its usual shape. A black cap hid her horn, and a combination of Trixie’s disguise skills and her transmutation gave her a very convincing looking pair of wings that were even functional, as long as she didn’t do any complicated maneuvers. She also wore a black jacket that she saw when they bought the cap and found that she really liked the style.

“Great job Trixie. Nopony will recognize me.” Sunset praised.

“As expected from the Great and Powerful Trixie!” The blue unicorn declared as she put on the straps of her wagon. “So, we have all of Equestria to explore. Where do you want to go first?”

Sunset flew to the top of the wagon and took a moment to think. It was the first time she had free reign over what she could do with her life.
She was no longer lost. She knew exactly what she wanted. As simple as it was, she finally found a purpose to move forward; Her friends. The ones she had, and the ones she could make along the way.

“Let’s go north,” She finally declared, and with a smile and humming a song, both unicorns started their journey to the far reaches of Equestria, an orange phoenix looking over them as it followed.

Author's Note

The chain of Detachment has been shattered. The Heart has been freed, and Empathy is its nature.

Friendship has been unlocked. The strings of love have been strengthened.

Two chains remaining.

Achievement Unlocked: The Journey Begins

Downloading sandbox map...

Well, it took some time, but it’s finally finished, my first big project in this site. I honestly can’t believe I got so far into this and I thank all of you who stuck till the end.
That’s why I want to offer two things before I upload the epilogue to this story, which will be the final chapter before the sequel.

The first, is a Q&A. Leave any questions you’ve about the story so far in the comments and I will respond them in the author’s notes of the epilogue. The only restriction I ask is that you avoid questions that would create spoilers for the future. For example; who’s Sunset’s mother? (We will get to that in the future)

The second is something a bit more special. Now that Trixie and Sunset have begun their travels across Equestria, they will have many encounters along the way, and if you want, you can offer suggestions of what they can find, or who they can interact with on the road. Obviously not all ideas will be used, but if I do chose them I will adapt them along a chapter, or, if I feel it can develop more of the characters or a plot point I’m in the middle of, it will have its own chapter.
If you’re wondering if I would accept OC’s to add into the story, the answer is no. My idea is to expand on canon characters that don’t get much use. However, nondescript characters are allowed. For example, a merchant that scams the party out of their money and they have to chase after them to get it back or expose their scam.

I think that’s all I wanted to say, I will probably talk more in the Epilogue, which will have a few more surprises for you, so stay tuned.

Once again, I thank you all for the support and I hope you enjoyed this story, which still has a long way to go. This was just the tutorial, we've eight seasons worth of content to explore, and I’ve more stories to expand this universe in multiple ways.

Good luck to everyone, have a nice existence.

I will be watching you.

PS:

maybe if we're lucky sunset and Trixie become friends on a journey of something?

nighters, you called it in chapter 7. Congrats on the foresight.

See you all in the Epilogue: Finding Friends Around The World