Sunset picked up the smoking MCD from the ground and held it in her hand.

“Is it over?” Sunny asked, having come up next to her teacher, also regarding the device with a strange mix of feelings in her eyes.

“Yes,” Sunset answered somberly, “it’s over. Good job, Sunny.”

The girl was still staring at the magical prison and swallowed hard. “She looked so lonely in the end. I kinda feel sorry for her.”

Sunset nodded. “I know. I do, too. It’s not a nice feeling, but some days it’s possible to do everything right and still not save everyone, especially when they don’t want to be saved. That’s why it’s important that we save those we can.”

“Mom?” They both turned at hearing Misty’s voice. Misty was kneeling over Bright Hope’s unconscious body on the ground. “Mom, can you hear me? It’s me, … your daughter. Please, wake up.”

As Sunset stepped closer, Bright Hope’s eyelids fluttered open, and the moment her eyes met Misty’s, they began to fill with tears. “Misty …” She reached one hand up weakly to touch Misty’s face who was also crying. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything, for leaving you behind.”

“Why did you leave?”

Bright Hope shook her head. “Because I was stupid. Because I was scared. I was working up the courage to see you, give you the answers you deserve. But then …”

“Opaline hijacked your body,” Sunset said, “so that one wasn’t altogether your fault.” Bright Hope glanced at Sunset and struggled to sit up as Sunset put a helpful hand on her back. “Easy now, you’ve been through a lot.”

“I still can’t believe it,” Misty said, eyeing the MCD in Sunset’s other hand, “how could I have been so blind? I never … Ms. Opaline was … how could I think she …”

As Misty’s emotions grew in turmoil, Sunset spoke calmly and sympathetically. “Misty, you’ve seen Opaline’s true face tonight.”

Misty shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks. “How could I have been so wrong about her for so many years?”

“You weren’t,” Sunset told her as Misty looked up to meet her eyes. “Opaline was that … thing we all saw tonight. But I think the kindness and love that you, and only you, saw underneath, that you told me about, that was real. But it wasn’t Opaline.” She looked at Bright Hope whose head was hanging in shame, face hidden behind her brown curls. “That was you, wasn’t it, Bright Hope? That was your mom.”

Bright Hope looked up tearfully at Sunset and nodded before turning to Misty. “I saw how she treated you and the others at the orphanage, and I tried to fight her, every second of every day. But it wasn’t enough. All I could do was step in briefly when she got angry, try to limit the damage during those moments when her control slipped, but it was never enough. … I was ready to go down with her tonight, to atone for my sins, almost leaving you again. Because I’m the one who …”

“I know,” Misty cut her off and Bright Hope’s breath caught as she said: “I saw what happened. When I grabbed Ms. Sunset to pull her out, I saw that memory, too. I know what you did.”

Bright Hope looked at her daughter with fear in her eyes.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

Bright Hope’s lower lip quivered as she cried. “Maybe not … her or what happened to the professor. But I … I almost left you again today … Misty, I have no right to call myself your mother or to ask anything of you. But will you give me a chance to get to know you, and for you to get to know me?” she asked, putting sixteen years of honest guilt, shame and regret into the plea. “I promise I’ll give you all the answers you deserve, and I’m gonna spend every day for the rest of my life trying to earn your forgiveness, if not your love.”

Misty nodded tearfully and wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders to give her a hug, a hug which Bright Hope returned after a moment of guilt-ridden hesitation. She met Sunset’s eyes, silently mouthed the words thank you and buried her head in Misty’s shoulder as they embraced.

Sunset sniffed, wiped her own tears from the corners of her eyes and quietly withdrew to give the two of them some privacy, as did the rest of Misty’s friends.

After a couple of minutes, Hitch and Sprout helped the weak Bright Hope to her feet as Misty kept holding her hand, and they all began to head back into the auditorium, where the music was still playing, as a group.

As the kids headed inside for their delayed victory party, Sunset peeled off to the side, having spotted Celestia sitting in the grass near the side entrance, utterly exhausted, hair a mess and having lit up a cigarette. When she walked up, she also saw another of Star Swirl’s enchanted gardening tools, a hoe to be precise, lying next to her on the ground, bearing silent witness of her having joined the defense when she got back.

“Kids okay?” Celestia asked simply when Sunset stopped in front of her.

“Eyup.”

“Opaline?”

“Won’t trouble us anymore.”

“All clear, then?”

Sunset wobbled her head and shrugged her shoulders. “For the time being, at least.”

“Good enough for me,” Celestia replied and put out her cigarette on the ground.

Sunset shuffled her feet awkwardly, not really sure what else to say after everything that had happened. “Well, I guess I’ll see you Monday, then.”

“What are you talking about, Monday?” She stood up with a grunt, brushing the grass and dirt off her pants and looked over at a man lying on his back not far away with his arms and legs stretched out at his sides next to a discarded shovel. “Cranky! Hey, Cranky! Wake up, you old fart!”

“WHAT!?” His reply came with a massive rumble of annoyance and no indication that he intended to get up sometime this century. “What else could you possibly want from me today?”

“Faculty pub crawl, tonight! Tell the others!” Celestia said.

His head lifted up from the ground to look at her. “You buying?”

“Tonight, I am.” She turned back to Sunset. “After the clean-up is done, meet us at the Old Irish at 10. Make sure you eat something first.” After giving Sunset a pat on the shoulder, she walked off.

Even as Celestia left, Sunset could hear some arguing from not far away and decided to investigate.

“There’s been some major malfeasance going on here all day, and I intend to contest these results in front of the school board,” Dapper Facade was saying with his finger raised in the air. “Their students have wings!”

“I didn’t see any wings during the Games,” Cadence replied with a tired expression while leaning onto her rake. Just like Celestia, her hair was a mess, her blazer torn to shreds and the scuff marks of battle evident.

Dapper couldn’t have made a starker difference. His tailored suit and tie were immaculate, there wasn’t so much of a speck of dirt on his face nor a hair out of place under that helmet of hair gel.

“More importantly,” Cadence said pointedly, “where have you been while our students were in danger? Even Mrs. Hazelblossom was out here to help, and you know she’s got a bad back.”

“I was doing my part,” he replied archly without going into details.

“Really?” Cadence asked acidly. “Cause I’ve heard from several students that you were cowering behind them when those shadow creatures first showed up.”

“I was maintaining calm amongst the students and overseeing the situation,” he said, and that’s when he noticed Sunset’s approach. “Aha! And here comes the real culprit now! I know you’re behind this somehow, Sunset Shimmer! Endangering students, pulling off this elaborate hoax, all to obfuscate whatever it is you did to cheat during the Friendship Games! How else could you have possibly beaten us, after all? Now, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Sunset simply looked at him and shook her head. “Go eat a bag of dicks, Dapper. That’s all I gotta say to you.”

Dapper simply scoffed in response while Cadence turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “Really? That’s all you’ve got to say to him?”

“Cadence, I’m over it. This guy ain’t worth my breath,” Sunset concluded and realized that, yes, she actually had stopped caring about him, given all else that had occurred today. Yay, personal growth achieved! She pointed at Dapper and told Cadence: “If you got something to add, be my guest.”

“Alright, I will,” Cadence said, turned and drew back her foot.

Crack!

“Ooph! Ungh…” Dapper Facade’s left eye twitched as he groaned and sank down onto his knees while holding onto his crown jewels.

Sunset watched in slack-jawed awe as Cadence stood in front of the man she’d just kicked in the nuts hard enough to make an audible, and sickening, crunch. “I’ve got three things to say to you, actually,” she began. “Number 1, I’ve been wanting to do that all year, number 2, you’re fucking fired, and number 3, if the PTA or the school board don’t like it, they can kiss my ass. Principal Cadence out!”

If Dapper had any clever comeback for that, it was lost in his whimpering as he sat in the dirt.

“By any chance, is there one of Canterlot High’s legendary faculty pub crawls happening tonight?” Cadence asked Sunset with a smile, apparently having reached her own state of zen after that.

“Starts at the Old Irish, 10 o’clock,” Sunset informed her after taking a moment to pick her jaw up off the floor.

“Good, I’ll give Shiny a call, let him know I’ll be home late tonight. Eh, let’s be real, gonna be early tomorrow.” She gave Sunset a short wave as she turned and put the magic rake up on her shoulder. “See you there! I’m gonna return this to your janitor.”

Leaving Dapper behind without a second thought, Sunset entered the auditorium and looked around. The Rainbooms were still playing on stage, having transitioned to Better Than Ever and showing no signs of letting the party die down as students cheerfully danced among the seats.

A glitter bomb went off in Sunset’s face, and a grinning magician suddenly stood in front of her. “Sunset, my dear! Trixie hasn’t had a chance to say hi yet!”

Sunset laughed and gave Trixie a hug. “Thanks for flying in on such short notice, Trix. Your arms must be tired.”

“Hah! Magician humor! Trixie loves it! But of course,” she said expansively, “how could I say no to an opportunity such as this?” She waved the rest of Sunset’s strike force closer. “With such amazing co-stars?” She waved her arm to indicate the Dazzlings as well as Gloriosa Daisy and Wallflower Blush, before waving separately to Juniper Montage and Vignette Valencia who were standing at a mixing board and a computer setup that controlled the auditorium’s monitors and speakers, giving Sunset a nod. “And such skilled stage hands?”

Sonata raised her hands up into the air and shouted: “Reformed Villainesses Social Club Full Reunion! Whoo!”

Trixie lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Seriously, I’ve done shows in Las Pegasus with less production value.”

Sunset looked around at her old rogues gallery fondly. “Thanks for chipping in, all of you. I couldn’t have done this without you, just like I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without you.”

“As long as it was worth it,” Gloriosa Daisy said with a half-serious frown on her face, “it’s gonna take me ages to get all this glitter, body paint and hair gel off. CPS doesn’t appreciate it when their case workers show up to work looking like strippers.”

“Their loss,” Wallflower Blush chuckled, admiring the effect of her Gaia Everfree costume and make-up under the stage lighting. “I’m kinda into it. Can I keep this?”

“Speaking of CPS, expect a call from me sometime next week, Gloriosa,” Sunset said, looking over towards the quiet corner in the bleachers where Misty and Bright Hope were sitting, the latter having draped her arm across the girl’s shoulders and fiercely holding on as if to never let go again, as they quietly talked. “I’ve got a new case for you, a mother and daughter reunited. They’re probably gonna need some help straightening out the papers.”

Gloriosa followed her line of sight and nodded before turning back to her with a raised eyebrow. “You keep racking up those favors, Sunset.”

“Tell you what,” Sunset replied, “when I’m at Camp Everfree with my students next month, you put me to work. Need someone to wash dishes all week? I’m your girl.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she said immediately.

That’s when Aria spoke up. “Hey, it’s rare for us all to be in town at the same time. Should we do something together this weekend, hang out or something?”

“Yes, we should,” Adagio declared, pointing first at her sister and then everyone present in turn. “Laser tag. Sunday. Battle Royale! I’ve got a year’s worth of pent-up rage from snot-nosed kindergarteners pissing me the fuck off, and you bitches are gonna get it,” she said with a smile.

After they’d all confirmed that, Sunset noticed something from the corner of her eye. “Excuse me,” she said and began making her way through the crowd. Seeing one of the Crystal Prep students marching with purpose up to her students who were standing together, she moved to head him off, fearing trouble.

“Wait,” someone said, grabbing her sleeve.

Sunset turned to find Gladys standing there while staring in the same direction. “But …”

“I said wait,” she repeated firmly, keeping her eyes on the students. “Always give ‘em a chance to sort it out themselves first.”

The CHS students went quiet the moment the boy who had nearly gotten physical with Sprout this morning, Trimmer, walked up and said after a moment: “… Listen, I said some stupid stuff to you. But you won fair and square. My only defense is that my teacher is a dick, and yours isn’t. I know it’s probably a little late coming from me, but I’m sorry and congratulations.”

Sprout, who the apology had been mainly directed at, looked around at his friends and then answered on everyone’s behalf: “Yeah, I’m sorry, too. How about we call it even?”

“For real?”

“Yeah, man, we’re cool.” Sprout held out his hand. “Water under the bridge.”

Trimmer shook his hand and nodded. “Appreciate it.”

“And hey, you got some cool teachers too, with the one exception.”

He looked back over his shoulder, and following his line of sight, Sunset noticed Mrs. Hazelblossom also watching the scene with a gentle smile on her wrinkled face before sharing a brief glance with Sunset and Harshwhinny. “Yeah, I do,” Trimmer said as he finished shaking Sprout’s hand.

“Enjoy the party, man.”

Sunset exhaled and turned to Harshwhinny who was giving her a smug grin. “Much left to learn I still have, my master.”

“Yeah, you do. And don’t you forget it,” Gladys said and let go of her sleeve. “Celestia call for a pub crawl yet?”

“Yep, she even agreed to pay.”

Harshwhinny gave a wolfish grin and punched Sunset in the shoulder before turning to leave. “Nice! We’re getting hammered tonight, Sunset!”

Sunset shook her head with a smile as Gladys walked off in high spirits and joined the kids. Looking around the circle of smiles, she singled out the one student who hadn’t gotten his due praise yet. “I’m really sorry you didn’t get to participate in the Friendship Games, Rufus,” she said, ruffling his hair. “By all rights, you should have had a spot on the team.”

“Pshaw, Ms. Sunset,” he said, waving her off, “you were in need of my specialized talents here, getting your strike force set up from the secret FOB in the gymnasium, and I was only too happy to oblige.”

“Thank you, Rufus. All of you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You’re all awesome, and don’t you ever forget that. Now have fun and enjoy the rest of your evening. You’ve more than earned it. Class dismissed!”

They all looked at her with tears and smiles and then rushed her in a massive, impromptu group hug, laughing together with their teacher.

“Hey, Sunset!” Rainbow Dash yelled into the microphone from the stage after the Rainbooms had just finished playing their latest song. “You gonna goof off with your students all night, or you gonna come up here and join us?”

Receiving encouraging nods from her students, she made sure to give them all a high-five before running to the stage, barely pausing as she vaulted up onto it, receiving her electric guitar from a smiling Twilight in her Midnight Sparkle costume. She made sure to look around and give all her friends a nod and a smile in turn.

Then she slung the instrument’s strap over her shoulder and walked up to the microphone. “Good evening, Canterlot! Are we all having fun?”

“Yeah!” The shout from teachers and students alike was electric.

“That’s what I like to hear! Now sing along if you know this one!” She turned around and told her friends: “Shine Like Rainbows.” There was only one face frowning at that. “We can play Awesome As I Wanna Be after that, Dash. We’re just getting this set started,” she said with a grin.

Rainbow Dash grinned back and began counting them in.

As the Rainbooms played their reunion set with the crowd dancing to the music after what was probably now the most memorable conclusion to the Friendship Games in recent memory, the stars seemed to twinkle a little brighter than usual overhead, heralding in the dawn of a new era of magic for Canterlot City.

Author's Note

Brought to you by my generous patreon supporter(s):

Gold Tier:
-Daedalus Aegle

Silver Tier:
-Brandon Caldwell